Expressions of Love

Hard to believe, but in less than three weeks Chris and I will be celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary (thanks Chris for putting up with me and my many faults) ~ where have the years all gone?

Seems as though our children and grandchildren are growing older, but we are not! Who am I kidding? Every day I wake up with a new ache or stiff joint, but refuse to give in. I try to look at each as a little reminder from Heaven to enjoy the time and the health that we have and, most importantly, to try and live each day to its fullest. I remember as a very young man being impressed when I heard Pearl Bailey say during an interview that we should, "enjoy each day as though it were our last because one day it will be."

FYI ~ one of the coolest things to happen as the year pass is that you only remember the good things for which I am truely grateful. (BTW - I heard this hillarious quote the other day: "Life is like a roll of toliet paper ~ the closer you come to the end the faster it goes." I hope and pray that you enjoy the video and that it causes you to reflect upon the purpose of life.

I came across this wonderful short video the other day and thought every couple, both young and old alike, should watch it. It is very tender.

"No success in life can compensate for failure in the home."

-David O. McCay

A Committed Child of God

One of the many joys I am experiencing in retirement that I never seemed to make the time for while working is the simple pleasure of reading. I will soon be finishing The Preacher and the Presidents; Billy Graham in the White House by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy. This is a fascinating account of evangilist Billy Graham's association with all of the U.S. presidents from Harry Truman to George W. Bush. This morning I came across this simple, but powerful lesson Graham shared with President Nixon near the end of his presidency: "To be President is a great and thrilling attainment; however, there is one thing far greater than being President - and that is being a committed child of God. There is a thrill, a joy, an adventure, an excitement, a satisfaction awaiting you in that direction, no matter what the circumstances around you, that is indescribable."

I pray that I will always remember that principle for far too often I allow my priorities and perspective of life to be distorted by the things of the world.

There are even greater books that I love to feast upon ... those are, of course, the scriptures. It has been said that the scriptures that are never read will never help us. I wonder how many of us spend as much time studying the scriptures as much as we should .... I know I must do better. There is no doubt in my mind that the knowledge we receive when reading them assists us in making correct deceisions in all areas of our life's activities and, most importantly, helps us to know God and understand his purposes.

Click on the short three minute video below entitle, The Blessings of the Scriptures." It is based on a talk given by Elder D. Todd Christopherson.

If you want to view Elder Chrisopherson's entire talk it can be found at lds.org.

Beach House Update

Here are a few more pics from our family reunion at the beach house in Oceanside. These were take by Jon and Steph ....

Grandma and Grandpa getting a little R&R in the hot tub...

Check out the expression on Kassidy's face ... according to Steph

this was the look I got after telling Kassidy that I had

never done face painting before ....

Oh yeah ... the grandkids ... that's what it all about!

The Wild Bunch!

My First Thirty Days

To my family and friends, I have come to the conclusion that life really does begin at retirement. I never imagined I could be having so much fun nor how exhausting it would be ... guess I will have togo back to work soon to get some rest! Of course, I do not encourage nor even suggest you wish your life away pondering your future retirement date ~ enjoy each day to its fullest. Take time to treasure even the most simple things in life and look at your world from the eyes of your childhood.

I cannot believe that I have been a retiree for over thirty days now ... not sure where the time continues to go. Below is a brief update of how I have been spending my first thirty days with Chris:

Our first adventure was kayaking. First at Folsom Lake with our granddaughter, AnnMarie and then on to Lake Tahoe with our friends Rick and Bev. The weather at Tahoe was beautiful, the scenery breath taking and the Lake was calm ... well, at least until the afternoon winds hit and the waives arose; nevertheless, it was a blast even when I accidentally rolled my kayak. Yep, my lunch, sweater, camera and I all took an unexpected dip in the chilly blue waters! Not to worry, the camera eventually dried out and it still works. As for me, well, I dried out too, but am still not working!

On July 18, I left for a three day backpacking trip with two friends, Dan and Rich. During the drive to the trailhead Dan popped up with, "I've always wanted to live off of the land." What's with that? Soooo, with that challenge and a lot of laughter Dan and I unloaded all of our food from our packs save just one meal and a handful of trail mix for each. I am so thankful Dan is a better fisherman than I am ~ he caught four trout while I came away empty handed, but true to our friendship he shared the catch with me. We seasoned our fish with a few peanuts and some young pine needles and it was delicious! Dan lost ten pounds on the trip and I lost four!

Next our family (all 14 of us) all gathered in Oceanside for a family reunion and to celebrate Chris' 60th birthday. We rented a beach house for the week and loved every minute of it enjoying the warm waters and beautiful weather. It was fantastic to have our five kids, their sweet spouses and, most importantly, our four grand children with us! We played on the sand, we flew kites, did some body surfing, boogie-boarding, skim-boarding, went to the zoo and even Legoland. Throughout the week we ate like royalty as we all took turns cooking dinner for each other including homemade Italian, Greek, Southern, Mexican and good old fashioned grilled tri-tip. That's not to mention the special pastries Steve and Mike made under the supervision of their sweet wives. I tried to fry up some bacon and make Mickey Mouse pancakes for everyone ~ thank you Chris and Mike for bailing me out.

Isaak, Kassidy and AnnMarie with Grandma and Grandpa.

Without question this goes down as the best vacation ever and we are all looking forward to the next family reunion!

BTW - thanks to David for designing the family logo for the reunion!

We returned on Saturday evening ~ Chris and I left early Monday morning where she led the 4th Level Hike for Girls' Camp ~ yep, she took 25 fourteen and fifteen year old girls along with 9 adults on a three day backpacking trip to Wade's Lake ~ elevation 6,549 feet. This ten mile hike was an incredible experience for all of us. The wild flowers were unbelievable, the water high and the kids were wonderful. We even had fun playing in the snow along the Pacific Crest Trail just over the 7,000 foot level.