2010 Year End and on to 2011

I have some time to breathe and get caught up on some things. I was rather crafty this year when it came to presents for Grandpa Raul and Justin's parents this year. I decided to make the presents for them. I made them each a fleece blanket and pillow cases.

The material above is the material that I used for the blanket. It stated Live, Love, Laugh and had wine glasses on it. It reminded me of Grandpa Raul. He told me though right now he is not on the wine cycle but is on the chocolate and sweets cycle. The pillowcases were a Susan Winget fabric and it was pine cones and pine branches.
I finally got pillowcases made for Justin from the fish fabric that he picked out a year ago. I really used my gift from last year to make gifts this year. I am starting to plan the gifts that I will make next year and give to people. I also thought of somethings that I can make up and have on hand if there is a birthday or anniversary and we need something. I was told that the gifts I did last year and the few that I did this year were very creative and different. I hope I can keep that going.
Michael was very excited with his gifts this year. He had gone to Big 5 and found some shoes that he wanted just before Christmas. I had him put them on hold and then went back and got them with the intent to give them to him as a gift. I also had him pick out a new baseball glove that he wanted for the upcoming season. I went and got that too. I had the box from an order that I had just received from Boy Scouts and so he was totally thrown that here was this box and I had it packed in such a way he was totally stumped as to what it could be. We had been at Costco around Thanksgiving and he saw a sled/bodyboard and since it was under budget we got that as well. I had the large bags for wrapping and it was behind the tree. We were able to surprise him with his gifts this year which was a nice change.
Justin was totally surprised that I was able to find a game for his PS3 that he had been searching for months for. I also got him a charging system for the controllers for the system as well so that they can be charged together and not just one at a time. I found a jacket and 2 shirts that he wanted as well. I know that he was shocked and overwhelmed. He was kind of upset to think that I only had 3 presents to open when he had about 6.
Justin got me a Pan digital ereader. I am rather excited as I can carry that with multiple books and it fits in my bag. It can also access the Internet, email, etc. Not too bad. Michael gave me the Whistle Stop Cafe cookbook as well as an Indian Cookbook that I had wanted. So over all not a bad Christmas for us.
We felt so bad as Grandpa Raul was alone for the Holidays. We made sure to call him and make sure that he was okay and let him know that we love him. He spent most of the day at church serving at masses. I guess not a bad way to spend Christmas but we would have liked it if he was here with us and able to relax and enjoy. Had to laugh as he said that he had tamales and he had eaten some of them. When we were talking about it he said that his favorite was pork with red chili so I guess that I better work on making them and see if I can have some for him next year. Not a bad thing to have to work on to perfect. LOL!
We have been blessed this past year with great friends and good times as many blessings and tender mercies from our Heavenly Father. The last fight/hurdle that we had for the year was that the VA was trying to declare him incompetent and that he would have to appoint a fiduciary's. We were able to get good direction from Brother Palmer at church who had actually worked with the VA and visited with vets that were declared incompetent. He had advised us that we should get letters from Justin's psychologist, psychiatrist, and any creditors that we could that would vouch that he was competent to handle his finances. The greatest letter came from his psychiatrist Dr. Alan Radant who stated that most that were incompetent were ones that had issues paying rent, basic necessities, gambled or drank and in the entire time that he had been a patient that had never been the case. The same was also stated by Dr. Jerry Butler his psychologist. They notified us on the 21st of this month that they signed off and that Justin was deemed competent. What a weight lifted!
This year has given me medical/prescription insurance since Justin's disability rating is now 100% totally and permanent. This is such a huge relief as well.
We were not sure in November when we got the letter from Dr. Radant if we would ever get home. On November 22nd we had gone over to Seattle for Justin's appointment and then after we decided to go to the Supermall in Auburn. We do not get to go often so we took the time. We got Justin something from Casual Male XL Outlet store, had lunch and then headed home. We thought we would be home in an hour or so we thought. I decided that I would drive around instead of going back up and taking the ferry. That ended up being a good choice and must have been a prompting from the Lord. Once we crossed the Tacoma Narrows bridge and got close to the Kitsap County line the weather decided to go south. Snow up here is rather out of the ordinary and so it does not take much to shut down most everything. The closer we got to thinking we would be getting home the longer it took. We were on the road for about 4.5 hours for what should have been about an hour drive.
The snow became heavier and it grew colder. The speed we could travel was slower too. The scary part was when we were coming around the bend in the sound/bay and people were not paying attention to the road and that it had become like driving on a bed of ice. We got stuck when someone ended up backed into the center divide and everyone stopped. I was up on the shoulder as I was trying to keep traction and just kept saying/praying "Don't Stop". Well, needless to say I started to slide sideways and just kept praying that I would not hit the car(s) beside us. Thank heavens we stopped and did not hit anyone. I finally got moving again and got past it. We spent about the next 3 hours trying to go less than two miles. We sat at one corner for over 45 minutes. The hard part was that we live in a very hilly area. You must go up and down hills at some point. We finally got to an area where I could get around and I said prayers each time that I knew that I had to deal with a hill. Justin was very anxious and I did my very best to stay calm. I was able to get over all the hills and get home. We noticed on the corner that most were without power. We got home and were rather relieved that we had power. Well that was until we got to the door of the house. Poof! Power went out. It was about 7PM. We were lucky. We sat around for a bit to talk and unwind. We gave up and went to bed at about 8:30PM. I fell asleep because I was exhausted from the drive. I was awakened by the light in the room around 11PM so I guess we did not turn off switches before we went to bed. I got up, turned off lights and fell right back in bed. Over all we only had about 6 inches of so of the white stuff but it shut down the entire peninsula until Thanksgiving. We had prepared and we were safe. We had our fireplace and blankets so we made it through. Others were not so lucky as many were still without power on Thanksgiving.
The year is drawing to a close. It has been a good year and although we have had our bumps it has been smoother that others. Michael is now 14 and will go to the Multi-Stake New Years Eve celebration. They go ice skating and then to a Ward building for more festivities. It is over at about 12:15A. Justin and I get a nice, well hopefully quiet, (if they do not light off too many fireworks, that does a number on Justin) evening at home. I will make a Prime Rib Roast and then Ribs for New Years Day. I guess it could be worse. I could have to pay for those dinners if we were to go out.
I will still be working on perfecting Indian dishes this year. I am looking forward to it. Bring it on 2011, we are looking forward to a new year. Tomorrow, Justin sees Dr. Butler for the last time as he is retiring and then has an appointment on the 7th with a new Dr. to continue the work with the PTSD. We will see what happens and if it is a good fit. Dr. Chalmers seems to be very good on paper anyway. We will take each day as it comes. Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Christmas Letter 2010

Happy Holidays! It is hard to believe that it is December already. Time has gone extremely fast this year. Maybe it is me and the fact that I am getting older. 2011 will be here before we realize it. We have had a rather good year considering that it could have been worse. Just days before Thanksgiving we were hit with a snow storm. We got about 6" of snow, which may not sound like much but, for us that is a hefty amount. We were out as it hit and spent 4 hours trying to go 16 miles to home. It shut down the city for the week. It was also power outages because of wind that made things rough. We made it though without much problem.
Michael is in 9th grade this year. He is a freshman but is still at the Jr. High. He played on the football team and did very well this year. He is going to baseball practices already and try outs are at the end of January. He really wants to play this year for Olympic High. He is doing well with grades and is working already to make sure that he is accepted to BYU. We went to a seminar that is on a 3 year rotation and he is planning. This summer just after school was done he went on a pioneer trek with the youth. I will talk about it more later.

Justin is doing okay. We received notification around our anniversary that he was given the status of 100% total and permanently disabled by the Veterans Administration. That was not an easy road but we did it. He still battles migraines sometimes daily as well as the insomnia. One physician is trying to look at the big picture to see if there are other factors that may be contributing to that. We have to keep working on it. This ruling gives Michael and I medical coverage, which is such a relief. We now teach Webelos/Cub Scouts and so that is a new adventure for us. He keeps busy with college courses, helping me with the projects for the boys as well as playing games on the computer.

I am still working at the Family History Center each Wednesday from 2P until 6P as well as still doing PR for the Kitsap BlueJackets. I enjoy it. Then teaching the cub scouts, keeping all of the schedules together and straight, running Justin to his doctor appointments and keeping my head on straight is quite a load at times. Typical Mom chores.

This summer as I said, Michael did a pioneer trek with the youth from church. Justin and I were called to work on the base camp committee. We helped plan and prepare all of the meals that were served the 4 days. We were supposed to be around Mt. Rainier but just a month before the location was changed to the border of Washington and Oregon by the Columbia River in Eastern Washington, Near Tri-Cities. We had cool weather and going there it was 95 and humid. The participants had a hard time because of it. Lots of blisters, heat & hydration issues, rashes as well as bug bites. I got them really bad on my arms and legs. They sent me home early the last day because they wanted me to get Benadryl in my system on a regular basis. I have some good scars from all the bites but okay none the less. Michael was the biggest kid in his family and ended up being in the yoke of the handcart 98% of the time. He had to step out when they did the women's pull but then took over again. His Ma & Pa really praised him for his help and his attitude. They sent us a beautiful letter telling us what a special spirit they feel he is. We are very proud of him.

In July, we went down to California to visit with friends and family. We were there for 2 weeks. We had a great time. Grandpa Raul was gone but came back just in time that we could spend a day with him. We would have been really disappointed if we had not been able to see him. We spent 3 days in San Diego with the Martin's and that was a great visit. We love them so much. In Los Angeles we were able to visit with the Vargas' and get together with Brain & Sarah Thomas and their girls. They now live in Minnesota. It was great to catch up with them as well as others we do not get to spend much time with. We also spent some time with Justin's parents while in California.

In August, we experienced the loss of my Great Uncle Ray. He was 94. In some ways I was happy to know that he was freed from the confines of his earthly mind and body, but the loss still hurt my heart. I do miss him He was always so active both physically as well as mentally until almost the end. The positive side of this was that we are so glad now to have the contact with his daughter Linda, her family and his son Don and his family. We are so glad to have communication with them now. Uncle Ray will be missed but he is now with his parents and family that have been patiently waiting for him. I am sure it was a glorious reunion. In retrospect it does not seem like it was 7 years ago this month that we lost my mom. Uncle Ray actually died the day before her birthday. I am really missing her.

In September, we had gone down to Astoria Oregon to the Commercial Fisherman's Festival. I called my Uncle Ben who lives over in the Portland area to see if it was possible to stop by and visit with him. I did not realize that we were so close to the Portland area being here in Washington. That weekend we took the opportunity and went to go visit with him and his wife Kathy. Justin and Michael had never met them. It was great to see Uncle Ben after so many years. I had forgotten that family had told me that he was due to have heart surgery at the beginning of September. He was looking great when we visited. He said that immediately after the surgery that he felt so much better. It was kind of fun to be able to tell him some things that he never knew. I told him that Uncle Ray was 2 years older than their mother (my Great-grandmother) was at the time of her death. It was nice to walk down memory lane a little, as the last time I was really in Portland was to visit him and his family when I was maybe 8 or so. I remember that his kids had been sprayed by a skunk and they had to bathe in tomato juice to get rid of the smell. I am pleased to find that both of his girls are here in the area of where we live and his son is there near him. It was a great visit and we hope to see him and Kathy more frequently. I hope to also be able to get together with his girls since they live in my neck of the woods.

It is so good to be able to be in contact with a lot of my extended family on Facebook. I am under the impression that I have some cousins near in the Vancouver, BC area as well as here in the Puget Sound. It is a blessing to find that there is family so close.

I have rambled on long enough. I will close this newsletter for this year. We sincerely hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas season. We are busy but cherish our friends and family. Please keep in touch. May God Bless you and keep you in the coming year. We wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. May 2011 be filled with many blessings and fun filled memories for you.



Love and Holiday Greetings,

The Leyva Family ~ Justin, Shirley, Michael, Smokey, Sylvester, & Shadow

VA Health Rating

Woot Woot!!!! We did it! We just received the award letter this morning! Justin is Permanently and Totally Disabled by the VA 100%!!!!! Michael and I get insurance!!!! Wow this has been a huge fight. What a relief. Thanks to all the friends and family that rode the roller coaster ride with us!!!! We can relax and breathe. Thanks most of all to our Heavenly Father for blessing us and keeping us in his watchful care.

It's October

I have been trying to get on here and get this updated for the last week, but being down sick makes it rather hard. I have not felt like getting on here to update it. I am feeling better now so that's a plus.

Football season is in full swing, as is school. Michael is playing football and is doing rather well. He has been playing defensive tackle and making major plays. On the 23rd of September was the first home game and he was playing Sedgwick Junior High. Ridgetop won 24-22. We worried that a storm would roll in and start while they were playing but it held off until later that night. That was a plus as I was not looking forward to sitting in the rain with umbrella's. Michael is keeping his grades up and is passing grade checks so that I am very pleased about. That same week Michael was interested in attending a BeSmart Seminar/Fireside about the church colleges. It was crazy as they wanted us to go to Tacoma on the night of his game and Justin and I also needed to teach Webelos that night. We did find out that they were also doing it in Seattle on the 22nd. I left early from the family history center and we went to Seattle. He is very interested in planning for college and so that is a good thing. Friday the 24th, Justin and I went with some other couples from the ward to attend the temple in Seattle as well. It was a very special evening and we had a good time.

This past week, I have been down. On the 25th, I woke up with a severe sore throat and my ears were killing me. I did well until Tuesday and by then I gave up and stayed in bed. Wednesday was Michael's only night game and played at the high school. I was not able to go as I was afraid I would get worse. I felt really bad. They lost. It was the crosstown rival game against Central Kitsap but they might get another chance to play them if they can win 3 more games. We shall see.

Thursday night was Pack Meeting for the Cub Scouts and the Webelos were in charge of the Flag Ceremony and song. I was worried because there was no way I could sing as I was struggling to talk and not cough. I ended up with 4 boys. I was not sure we would have but one until just before we started. They did a very good job even though they really only practiced for 2 weeks. It is going to be interesting to cram a 2 year program into 1 and push the religious knot and Duty to God programs. It is a challenge but we will get it done. I just need to get them organized.

Friday, I went to lunch with Janice Crook for my birthday. She is so much fun to be with. She is funny and so sweet. We went to Panda Inn Mongolian Grill. It was good food and good company. We need to do it more often and have a laugh. We need it as mom's. I felt really bad as Leila Wilkins was supposed to join us but at the last minute on Thursday, we got a message that they had to leave for Spokane with a family emergency. We are praying that it is nothing too serious.

Saturday, was General Conference and my birthday. I am 48 now. I feel no different than when I turned 30. I am feeling better but still battle a cough at times as well as some congestion. We had plans to go to dinner with friends Jacqui and Ryan to a place called Fujiyama's. It was good but I was soooo mad with the service and seating us that I contacted management. We had a reservation and arrived about 5 minutes early with everyone there. They were so rude and seated parties with  reservations at 6:30P even though we had a 6P reservation and were made to wait until 6:30P before we were seated. When the one girl said that she was sorry, I was not nice and told her, "No you're not!" I know she was shocked but I contacted the restaurant last night and then today the manager contacted me. He agreed that the service was not acceptable as this was the first time to the restaurant, my birthday and then not a good impression. We will see how the make-up attempt goes.

Today again was General Conference of Church. It was so nice to hear the talks from the last two days from the prophets and apostles that lead us today. I called Bonnie my friend in San Diego yesterday. She had been on my mind and I knew something was wrong. She is really having a hard time dealing with her son Jared. I promised I would not share what is going on so I won't. She is really hurting. As I was watching conference, I really felt that a couple of the apostles we speaking directly about the situation. I hope that Jared was watching and that he heeded the words spoken. I also hope that Bonnie's heart, as well as her sweet husband Dave, were comforted by the talks. I think that this is a hill that has to be conquered and that in time it will.

It has been a great weekend. I have a great group of friends. I received lots of wishes and had a nice time.
Thanks to those that contacted me with well wishes. My in-laws on the other hand say one thing and do another. Oh well! I refuse to let them ruin my time and celebration. I still have coupons for free pie and ice cream at places for my birthday. Yum! I still get to celebrate. Yeah!

Michael is doing well this year in school, lots of improvement. I and including an email from one of his teachers showing what his teachers are saying:

"Mrs. Matz, ASL (American Sign Language) teacher has this to say about Michael.

Michael Cross is such a nice young man with a curious mind. I love having him in my class. I also talked to Coach Detweiler today and he commented on how Michael is working so hard in football and he has noticed a difference in attitude. Mrs. Chamberlain also said the same thing earlier this year. Lots of us are really pleased with his change in attitude, behavior and effort.


LoisAnne Sykes - Achieve Teacher"

As part of Achieve, Michael was take a test called Explore that will help him know what he needs to work on for the ACT/SAT Tests. It will be a savings of $10 and 3 hours on a Saturday. Michael is taking American Sign Language, Algebra, Pre-AP English, Science, Strength Training, as well as the Achieve class. The Achieve class helps them with study habits, being able to learn to advocate for themselves and many other skills that are needed as they continue to look toward college. I am so glad that I found out about this and pushed Michael to take it.

Michael is attending his first year of Seminary (early morning). He is tired but he has to get used to it. I know it is a pain but it is well worth it in the end. He likes his teachers and those in his class. I know that helps a lot.

We are being told to prepare for a wet winter so we are. Hope that everyone is doing well and looking forward to the Holiday's. We need to get through October before we are in full swing for the holiday's.

Commercial Fisherman's Festival Astoria, Oregon

We left yesterday and went to Astoria, Oregon. We are at the northern point of Oregon and near the mouth of the Columbia River. We are in a hotel that is right on the water. On the rocks and piers there are a huge family of Sea Lions. I am guessing that they are sea lions as they are rather large. They are very vocal. I miss seeing so many as I used to see them in the LA harbor.
It rained most of the last 3 days, but this morning we did awaken to some sun for the morning anyway. By 1 PM it was really raining. We were at the Fisherman's Festival but it was very different. There was a swimming rescue demonstration by the Coast Guard which was interesting to watch. It was rather odd because they were really low to the water and they usually are not that close to the water. We bought a small buoy for Michael to get autographs. CatchCon is for 21 and older. This was nice because it did not matter the age. Michael had the chance to meet the crews of the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie and Kodiak. I was looking at the picture and I did not realize that Michael is as tall as a couple of the guys and then just slightly smaller than even some of the tallest guys on the crab boats. They were shocked to know that Michael was just 14. I think next year that we will attend the Seattle Fisherman's Memorial celebration and go see the boats on the docks in Ballard. I am sure that Michael would love to tour the boats as we did.
The funniest thing has been listening to the chorus of barking from the sea lions tonight. They were making me laugh so hard that I could not even play a game. I wish we knew what they were saying to each other. I think that it would be very funny to know. We were sitting here and Justin said they were saying "yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy, tummy". Then to hear the other people here in the hotel and they are making fun of the sea lions. They make noises and then all of a sudden you hear loud chorus of replies from the sea lions.
It has been funny to hear this. At least it has made us giggle.
I called my Uncle Ben in Portland. He had a pacemaker/defibrillator installed about 3 weeks ago. I had forgotten that he was to have the surgery. He sounded really good on the phone. We are planning to drive over to Portland so we will see him before we start the trip back home. For Michael this is his great great uncle. My grandmother's baby brother. He is the last one alive. Uncle Ray passed away last month and bless his heart was 92. If I did my math right Ben is about 82. His daughter Karrie lives in Renton and so I hope that we will be able to see her soon as well. I have not seen Ben in over 22 years. I have not seen him since his sister (my grandma) died and maybe even before that. I like being able to get away as a family even if just for a weekend. Wow the sea lions went quiet there for a minute. That was on the scary side. LOL!!!

First Football Game - Ridgetop 16 Marcus Whitman 20 They Lost :o(

Today was Michael's first football game and it was an away game. I knew it was going to be kind of a hard one as most of the day it rained. The game started at about 4PM and he was finally back at the school just shortly before 7P. He was rather disappointed that they lost to Marcus Whitman 20 - 16. He said that one of the kids threw an upper cut right at the base of his ribcage and where the shoulder pads end. It was not called by the refs. One of these days someone is going to catch them and it is going to be a sad day. He said it was not an easy game as he said that he was soaked to the skin. From now on he needs to make sure that he takes a full change of clothes in case this happens again.
He was really hungry so I think we need to pack him some extra food to eat before the game so that he is not starving by the time he is finished. He was very lucky because normally he would go from his game to YM and tonight they met early and were working on Cameron Crook's Eagle Project. They were not sure that much could be done as it was raining pretty good.
Better Luck next week. Ridgetop Raiders vs John Sedgewick but this game will be here. Will keep everyone up to date.

Cooking & Recipes

Well, I am asked quite a bit for recipes that I use or try. I decided to make a blog and share it with everyone.
Here is the link to the blog: http://jskitchenadventures.blogspot.com/ I will be posting here the recipes and hints that I tell people. My friend Jacqui and I will be adding to this as much as possible. When she and I get together we laugh and have a good time. It is a way for me to relieve some stress. Hope you like it.

Back to School 2010

Well, Michael started back to school on the first of September. He is in 9th grade. Wow, time flies. He is a part of a class called Achieve. He had to answer a questionaire and go through an interview in order to be able to be admitted. Over the summer he took as independent home study, Washington State History and Health as well as Pre-AP English he had to read and annotate two books. By taking the two classes he was able to get the credit and open two periods of electives so that he could start on his 2nd language requirement. He chose ASL (American Sign Language). He is playing football this year and is starting off the school year on a positive note. Achieve is a building class to help him prepare for HS and college. Most of the kids that take this go on to receive a number of scholarships and other helps when it comes to college.
In a week or so there is a fireside that the Church sponsors that lets them know the entrance requirements and what is out there for them to continue education beyond HS. It is on a 3 year rotation and so now is the time to go and start to prepare.
He started Seminary as well this year. His day starts rather early. He is up between 4:30 and 5 AM. We have to leave about 5:45A in order to get him there on time for Seminary. They get out at 6:50A and his school starts at 7:25A. Sister Kao is kind that since I get Michael to the church for Seminary then she takes the kids to school on her way to work. He is in school until 2:05P and then football practice from 2:15P until about 5PM. Then home to homework, dinner, YM on Thursday (after games on Thursday's). He is rather tired on the weekend.
I am trying to work on some recipes with my friend Jacqui. Teaching her how to save and cook. I am hoping that she will start her food storage. She is not a seasoned cook so I am helping her not be so afraid to try new things.
I am really keeping my fingers crossed that school goes well this year and that we have a better year than the last two. Grade check at the end of the week so we will see how he is doing.

Vacation

Right after getting back from Trek we were to leave for vacation within 2 weeks. We were excited as we had decided that we would spend two weeks in Southern California. We planned on going to do some genealogy work by going and takin gpictures at some cemeteries as well as visiting with our friends and family.

We got there on July 13th. We tried to contact Grandpa Raul to make arrangements to see him and come to find out just 2 days before he had left and gone to St. Louis, Missouri. He came back before we left and so we had sometime with him. Wish it had been longer but it was good to see him.

We went to Pomona Valley Memorial Park and found the graves of many in Justin's family. We wanted to find the stone nouse that his great great grandfather had built but no one knew the addess. Then we drove out to Riverside National Cemetery across from March AFB. I took pictures of Uncle Mike Leyva and my cousin Kent Blaine Allen. I was so glad to get those pictures as now I can get memorials listed on Find A Grave. While in San Diego we took the time and went to the County Recorder and got a copy of Mike's death certificate. Grandpa Raul never said what happened to Mike and with the military time frame an off number of 5 years it bothered us. Mike must have lived in San Diego as he was in the hospital at Scripps La Jolla. He had died of pneumonia and the seconary cause was AIDS. I figure that he had pneumocystis pneumonia which is the common form that patients contract. We do not know how it was contracted. He also had a liver disorder that caused unusual growth of the liver. Mike is a mystery for Justin as he never knew him. I know that Mike was honorably discharged as he is buried in a military cemetery and if he had received a dishonorable discharge that would not have been possible. Just wish we could know more. One thing we are happy about is now we have had Michael do the first part of his temple work and Justin will now be able to finish it.

I tried to meet up with a friend from when I was a teenager but we were unable to do so this time around. I will try to meet up with Karen later this year. It wou;d be so good to see her as we have not seen each other in 30+ years.

We spent extra time with Susan and Tony Vargas which we LOVE doing. Then had some extra time with Bonnie & Dave Martin in San Diego. Bonnie is having a hard time adjusting to having to be in the office every day now. The company that she works for was sold and before she worked most of the week at home. Now she works Monday through Friday 8 - 5. It is a hard adjustment but she is glad to have a job. Jared her son left for his mission to Boise, ID on September 1. Bonnie and Dave are now empty nesters.

It was hot the first few days...106 when we were at the cemeteries.....Not fun. It was good to relax and enjoy. We love Southern California but do not want to live there. We really feel that we are to be in Washington as we feel that the Lord has a plan for us.

I hope to go back to do some more visiting but on my own at the beginning of November. It was fun to visit but we were really glad to be home.

Trek

Just after school let out in June, the stake held a pioneer trek for the youth. Michael was able to participate as the cut off was being 14 by the beginning of the school year. Justin and I were on the base camp food committee.

My friend Carla, that works with me at the Family History Center made my dress and apron along with the shirts for Justin and Michael. I provided the fabric and she did the rest. She was such a blessing. She had so much fun doing it.

As late as May 22 when we were to go on a mini training trek for the Ma's & Pa's we had major trouble. That weekend we were hit with a late storm and there was a huge snowfall in the area and we could not even get to the area in which we were supposed to trek. They scambled and changed the place to a new facility that the church recently purchased in 2008. It is a church farm in eastern Washington, actually on the WA/OR border literally. We were only 10 miles from Hermiston, Oregon and a stones throw from the Columbia River.

Here are 2 links to places with photos of trek http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=182460&id=121601903556&fbid=405605978556&ref=nf and http://www.blainewilsonphotography.com/Events/Trek-2010/12743657_y7U58

We had to leave the day before the rest of everyone left to get things set up and be ready to go when they arrived the next day. Michael stayed with the Byron family as there was 3 in their family going. We knew they were going to have some issues as the day we arrived it was 93 degrees and we had come from just barely 60 degree temperatures for weeks. It was also rather muggy. Justin and I had cots, a tent, screenroom and lots of water, ice, drinks and snacks. We were in the afternoon shade of lots of trees. They arrived and started out. The very first day they trekked for about 14 miles. Michael's family was really happy to have him. He was almost always in the yoke the entire trek. The other kids were small and had a hard time with the cart. He and Brother Snyder from our ward were their rescue team. His Ma & Pa, Brother & Sister Ogden of the Kingston, WA ward. 

They ferried the carts across a pond on the property as well as hard pulls straight up and down hills. They kept being shorted water at the rest stops. There was another stake there from Eugene and they were only supposed to take 5 gals per cart and we found that they were taking 10 gals and leaving us nothing so we got behind. The first day they had almost 20 get hit with heat exhaustion as they were not able to drink enough. Not to mention the blisters and heat rash that hit. Heat rash hit some of the adult men......ouch!

They were supposed to be out until Friday afternoon, but were called into base camp on Thursday afternoon as it was too much as too many were starting to fall. They marched in and made camp and were just excited to have access to drinkable cool water at all times. They were doing activity stations and the most used and enjoyed was the trough to wash their hair. The guys went to the faucets and stuck their head under the faucets.

Justin and I left early on Saturday morning before they broke camp as I was bitten up by biting flies and the doctor that was on staff wanted me to get home and get on a regular dose of benadryl so that cellulitis did not set in. I gladly did so. The busses were due back at 6:30 pm or so and they did not arrive until close to 10:30 pm as they had a long testimony meeting. They were all worn out, bitten up, stinky and sunburnt. I know Michael was happy to see the shower. I think he had about 15 layers of dirt to scrub off and he said it took about 3 showers before he really felt fresh again. LOL!

I am including the letter from his Ma & Pa, Brother & Sister Ogden as well as a picture of his family. He came home a lot more mature and with a healthy respect for those in our family that were pioneers on the trail.

Time to breathe...............

This was originally written back in May, but I forgot to post it.

Well, tax season is over and I finally have some time to breathe. I know it is May but I have not had the chance until now to take a deep breath. On April 10th, I had a friend from many years ago come to visit. She said that she could not stand LA any longer and need to make a change. She arrived finally and was sick with a case of shingles. I can relate that it is painful, but life must go on to some extent. The month that the person was here really was a waste of time. Now, please understand I love my friends, but I am not going to allow anyone to stay with us any longer to get on their feet because we are always taken advantage of and we are the bad guys.

She sat around for over 2 weeks just complaining about how lousy she felt. I told her that we could pay for her to be seen by a clinic here and she finally agreed. We got her the medicine so she could feel better and she still continued to just gripe and complain. As time went on, I had to admit that she has a number of emotional and mental issues. Her kids walked out on her and she can't figure out why they do not want to be around her. I know I am not a psychologist, but I can recognize things when I see them. She is severely depressed, paranoid, co-dependent, as well as bi-polar or borderline personality disorder. In the month that she was here I doubt that she bathed a total of 3 times. She ate ice cream like it was going out of style daily and would let her cockatoo eat out of her mouth. Many times during the day she would bring the bird out and tell the bird, "Say Hello" "Say I Love You" and all it would do is squak loudly. She was up one minute and then crying her eyes out the next. If anything was said to her about needing help for the emotional roller coaster that she was on she immediately became defensive. She said that she was continually yelled at. I did raise my voice and it was in desperate frustration that she was doing nothing. She wanted everything handed to her on a silver platter and to do everything in her power to sit on her butt and play the "whoa is me", "I am having a never ending pity party." After her stupid comment, I never raised my voice to her because I never knew how she would react.

Whenever anything was said about looking for a job it was always an excuse. I had no other choice but to conclude from her behavior that she wanted nothing to do with a job. She is 48 and will be 49 later this year and is trying to relive her youth for lack of a better explanation. She thinks she can go to Paul Mitchell, learn to cut hair and then follow bands like My Chemical Romance around cutting their hair. She is dellusional if she thinks that young bands want a 49 y/o following them around. She said many times that Gerard Way's mom was named the same as she and her middle name was the same as hers. I thinks she wants to mother him in place of her grandmother and kids.

Her Grandmother, bless her heart has Alzheimers and is 96. It is safe to say that she will most likely not be around much longer. She will soon be in the position that she does not know the people from one day to the next that care for her. She will become more and more not in touch with what is going on and will most likely become combative. She REFUSES to face the truth that this is most likely what will happen.

She up and left on Sunday. I must admit it was a big relief and weight lifted. I know that she will bad mouth us as she did that to us about others that tried to help her. She will continue to do this until she burns every bridge that she has for help. I feel bad for her, but I can no longer allow her to bad mouth my husband, Michael and myself for that matter. Late Tuesday (close to midnight) she sent me an email that said she is sorry and that she is very, very sick. Then this afternoon while I am on the way home from my shift at the Family History Center she goes off about Justin doing something. I come home having not really reading the email and Justin is disoriented and cannot remember most of the afternoon. 

We did what we could to help her. She let the bird eat part of the wall and so now we have to patch that. The bird went poo all over a blanket over a stand and all over the table. Now we have to clean everthing.
She takes the bird with her everywhere. She thinks it is cute. It is not. She is dependent on the bird as well as we would hear her have long conversations with the bird. Then she has the nerve to say that we are on the wrong, lied to her and every other accusation in the world.

I made the decision to block her from sending me messages. I just cannot tolerate her violent mood swings
and trying to figure out is she is up, down, or completely flipped out. She can't understand why people are just turning their backs on her. Well I can. She is out of her noodle and no one in their right mind can deal with her instablility. I hope she gets some help.

My own mental health has been in question for the last couple of days.  I have done what I could but it is up to her now. I had to put it in the hands of the Lord because she refuses to listen if you have a different view or tell her she needs to seek mental health help. Is she a danger to herself? Yes to some extent. Will she harm herself? She says no but then those that commit suicide sometimes say that too. Is she a danger to others? Not really except that she is living in a world of denial and non-reality.

I am sad to say that I am going to have to shut her out as I cannot allow her to constantly try to have me feed her co-dependency and cycles of irrationality. I refuse to allow her to speak ill of Michael or Justin any longer. I know that they have their quirks and that Justin sometimes does things that are a bit harsh but he has medical issues and she has not one clue as to what he deals with. He is not always in his right mind. He is not perfect but none of us are.

Next week, we go up to the area of Mt. Rainier for the mini-trek. I do not think that the ma's, pa's, aunt's, & uncle's are realizing that they will be trekking somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 miles in a little over a day. They will not have to clear brush that they are going to make the kids do but they will have to cross a stream. They are really pushing these kids. I know they will do it. I am so glad that I am just doing cooking for the base camp. In June we will have a total of 25 handcarts. Approx 10 kids to a cart/family, ma & pa along with one aunt or uncle. That is a total of about 240 with support staff, medical, cooking, etc. This is going to be something very powerful.

2010 New Year

Well, It's February 1st and I should update this more often. Bad Me. I have been busy getting more people found on Justin's line. I have be able to locate a good deal of information and it is a great feeling. I have been able to find pictures of his Great Grandmother Belen and Uncle Jesus who is Belen's youngest brother. His Great Grandfather Roberto is the hard piece to the puzzle. We guestimate that he look his own life in May 1933 when Grandpa Raul was just 8 months old. I was able to locate them on a 1930 Mexico Census and it has given me a great picture of his siblings and parents. We keep saying prayers that more information will be opened to us to be able to get the work done for the family.

Last month I took training for Federal Tax Preparation here. I work with the AARP Foundation and IRS and we prepare Federal Tax Returns for low income and seniors as well as anyone else that needs out help. We turn away very few. Today was the first day of preparation and it was a little crazy. I was to be there for 5 hours because we wanted to have extra time for set up. That was ok until something went wrong and my computer crashed the served at the IRS in Georgia.

We never could get it back up and running. Everyone else was fine. I did get to prepare a few returns so that made the jitters go away.

This week will be a bit crazy as all of the centers in the county open this week. I am working 4 days this week instead of 2 but then it should settle down a little.

I am excited. It is fun. We have an appointment for Justin with an eye specialist in Seattle. They may need to do surgery to help his sight. This will happen on the 19th. Justin goes tomorrow to get his first crown completed and then the rest of the work can now be done as they finally have the authorization to do it.

Justin has had a cold the last few days but seems to be getting over it. I am trying very hard NOT to get it. Cross my fingers.

Smokey is due for some shots. It is hard to believe that he has been with us for a year. We love him to death. He is such a good companion for all of us. Slyvester and Shadow are doing well and being their snotty kitty selves.

Michael is growing and getting bigger. The Stake is doing the Pioneer Trek this year and he will be deoing it June 23 - 26. This will be an exciting time for him. We are going to be reading some pioneer stories in preparation for this. We know this will be a powerful experience for him.