Grandchildren. . .

Number seven is coming 

February 29, 2012

Congratulations to Katie & Anthony

(nothing wrong with announcing it again, this time bigger!!!)

AND NUMBER. . .

congratulations to 

Farrah & Bradden, 

(yep, you heard me right)

 June 19, 2012

Bridges. . .

The hardest thing in life to know 

is which bridge to take and which bridge to burn.

My Accomplishment

Here is what I have been working on: 

Frontier Mine No. 1 Disaster

On 14 August 1923, 137 men entered the mine, 38 came home.  Ninety-nine men were killed that morning about an hour after they first entered the mine.  In the small communities of Frontier and Kemmerer, those 99 men represented 4% of the population.

I did two research papers on the accident when I attended Western Wyoming Community College, and since I have had so much background information about the accident I thought a blog was a great way to share the information so that their descendants would be able to know what happened.

I believe that it is not only a genealogical tool, but also a historical tool about early coal mining in Wyoming.  Go check it out and leave a comment!

Did I really do that?

Yep, I did and it's okay.

Sometimes on this walk down widowhood road you just have to do what you want. 

Sometimes you just don't have the energy or the strength to endure one more drive home alone tears streaming down your face because although being with everyone is great, after it's over the big gaping hole of emptiness reminds you how much you miss him.

Sometimes dinner and spending time with family is just not worth walking into a dark empty house.
Crawling into a cold empty bed,
and knowing he'll never hold you again.

Sometimes it's not about the food, it IS about avoiding the pain.

Thank you family for understanding
because
IT IS OKAY!

(P.S. If the shoe was on the other foot, I imagine with the life insurance he would have bought himself a brand new four wheeler, what better way to remember your deceased wife, and he would be out on the San Rafeal swell alone, and. . . you all would be okay with that.)

The giver is really the biggest receiver

So yesterday was the Remster's big number 5 birthday.  I gave him some cash and a coupon for the Chinese Buffet, his favorite place to eat.  I figured that we would go and shop for a gift and then go out to lunch.

At first I was going to take him out before his birthday, because who wants to wait for their present? 

Then as it got closer I realized that  it was almost torture to get a birthday present and then not get to play with it. 

So I settled on cash. 

Last night on the way to his house, I felt kind of guilty, I thought how lame.  Just cash and a promise to go get a birthday present, maybe not such a good idea.

And
then
he opened it,
and in his five years of wisdom and with great delight he exclaimed:

from here

"It's thousands of dollars! ! !"

(The bigger gift, squashing grandma's insecurities!  Thank you my little five-year-old!)

 

Guess What

from here

Eight is Great

and 

better than seven!!!

Stayed tuned.  

To find out why!  

More details to come!

It’s all an attitude of gratitude

I am thankful for my family, blessings, friends, and my testimony.

As I have listened and read others “thankful” lists, I get crazy-twisted when I read or hear, “I am thankful for trials.” 

Really?

Seriously?

Then there are those who profess, “I pray for trials so I may grow.”

Really?

Seriously?

My last seven-year-trial has been the death of Joe and I AM NOT grateful for this trial. 

I am not grateful that:

I crawl into an empty bed every night

Wake up alone every morning

When my grandchildren visit grandpa, they go to the cemetery

None, not one single grandchild will ever go fishing with Joe

Everyday I cry because I miss him so much

I have to go to the temple alone—and, he’s not waiting in the celestial room

I go to church alone

I celebrate my anniversary alone

I have had to learn how to fix a sprinkler system

I know how to move heavy things

I know how to use all the power tools I own

I can back up the RV into a parking spot

I have to keep his memory alive or  people will forget him

I have to deal with family, financial and world problems alone

So, choose your words wisely, ARE you really grateful for your trials, or you just haven’t got the big one yet?

(PS:  even if I choose to look at the "glass half full" it 's still the same--half empty!)