The Slow-Paced Life Of Castle Dale

Am sitting here with my laptop (no paid work right now) in the rocker and my mom is napping on the couch with her foot propped up on a mountain of pillows. She had surgery Wednesday, spent the night in the hospital and then dad and I brought her home to CD with a waiting wheelchair and a crew to lift the wheelchair into the house. Poor lady--she has to be nonweightbearing for 6-8 weeks and it's tough on her, and quite honestly hard for my dad and me physically, as she needs help getting to and from the bathroom and she goes probably 20 times through the day and night. Let's talk sleep deprivation. Can't imagine leaving my dad here alone, so have extended my stay, busy doing emails and making arrangements. The good Lord willing, her foot will heal and she will be mobile this fall.

Jared joined Rafael and Victor last night w/the Priests to go see Bill Larsen (one of the Priest advisors) race his track at the drag strip. That should have been fun for them.

It's getting close to time for the boys to go back to school. Ooohh they hate that word.

Tony is settled in Oklahoma City. His companion is Elder Mortensen from a town about an hour from Las Vegas. They work w/a Spanish Branch and T says that the members are very generous and good to him. I think having the name Gonzalez is an added bonus. It has been very hot and typical Oklahoma humid and so this has been a change for T. When he first arrived, he was exclusively on his bike, as they have the sisters' car (evidently were in an adjoining area), but there was no mileage left. Now they use the car very judiciously and supplement w/their bikes. He says that he's understanding more and more the language, but struggles in being able to have the courage to jump in and create sentences, but he has a good attitude and knows that he is making progress. He loves the Hispanics and his letters are very positive. Just yesterday my dad brought in the mail from the post office and there was a letter from Tony, a four-page letter!! And to think that T said not to expect any communication other than a weekly email saying he was still alive.

Well, I'm really tired and I think I'll put this laptop to the side and maybe catch a quick 5-minute nap. Fingers crossed.

Tony Arrives In Oklahoma

No pictures, but here's the latest:



Tony left the MTC on July 20 and he got to call from the airport. I actually didn't get to talk to him much, maybe 15 minutes max, but he did talk to Victor for a few minutes, but then V's ride showed up. I had him call back on my cell phone and he talked to Jared while I drove him to EFY, but then T's phone card died out before I could talk to him, so he ended up going to buy another phone card and getting some breakfast, called me back until it was time for the plane to board, which wasn't long, but it was great to talk to him. He's happy, excited, loved the MTC.



I did receive a letter, short, in the mail this past Monday. It was written the day he arrived. he had met with the mission president and also had instruction from the assistants.



"When I got off the plane, WOW! Hot! But inside is very comfortable." Welcome to humidity land my son. I keep an eye on the weather station on the desktop and it's always humid. Yesterday it said Riverton, Utah, 88 degrees, feels like 82 degrees; Oklahoma City, OK, 88 degrees, feels like 95 degrees, and this was noon before it even had a chance to really heat up. Poor guy. I'm glad he took some short-sleeved shirts.



Anyway, he would meet his new comp/trainer the next day.



I've been watching the email all week, but nothing. I've heard that P-day for this mission is Tuesday, so hopefully next Tuesday?? I'd better hear something next Tuesday!!



I did send off last Saturday a "greenie" package, but haven't written, so hope to get that done this weekend and a letter off. I did promise R that I would not send another package until T's b-day, which is coming up here soon, and then nothing for a couple months. He thinks I'm totally over the top. I think that if I were a missionary I'd be happy to receive a "greenie" package with lots of useful and practical green things, like a green marker, green sticky notes, green gum, etc., etc.

It's the Big Reveal

Yessiree, yesterday Jared got his braces off!!!!

Before and well...

Here's the smiling kid w/Dr. Justin Parker who has done all my boys. He's quite the fun guy, lots of jokes. When it becomes reveal time, he turns off the lights, jacks up some music and turns on disco balls. It's party time!!

After.

Annual Bees' Game With Fireworks

Every year in July I take the family to the Bees' game, it's a minor league here in Salt Lake, the farm team of the Major League Angels. We had two extra tickets and so ended up taking Victor's friend, Austin, and Brian Hume, Loke's son who was visiting for a few days.

I love going to the game, nothing like a warm summer (actually it was hot and there was no breeze that night) with a snow cone, plus I like being around the boys, whether or not they like being around me.

Brian had a great time, really got pumped when the music came on.

And who can resist an oversized stuffed animal?

Plus the fireworks at the end? And the best part, it was a fun game. The Bees won 16-1 over Colorado Springs.

Jared's Eyes Don't Work So Well

When doing J's Scout physical last month, it became obvious that his vision isn't what it should be (and he had been complaining of vision problems), so the solution was a visit to the ophthalmologist, hence contacts. Jared was excited until...

he discovered that it's the eye's natural sense to close when an object comes toward it. After much time trying, I finally held his eyes open and popped in the contacts myself. That was a week ago, almost, and he still has not worn his contacts since, although he did make one attempt. I really need to work w/him before school starts.

Jared Goes to EFY

Last week, from July 19 through the 23, Jared attended his first EFY. This was a stay-at-home EFY which is where they do the same activities as regular EFY, but go home to sleep and have breakfast. Jared was a little nervous and didn't want to attend a full-spectrum EFY, and quite honestly I was happy to have the significantly reduced rate. Here is a picture of the guys in his group on the last day.

BTW: Jared is wearing a blue shirt and is at the far left.

And here is the picture of the girls in his group.

And here is Jared as we left him the first morning. He was a bit nervous, was all by himself, but he loved it and definitely wants to attend next year. I'm glad that I went ahead and enrolled him, even against his protests, because he's been a bit bored this summer, doesn't extend himself too much to spending time w/friends, I have to push him out the door, so actually he was glad to have something to do. He got autographs from John Bytheway, one of the instructors and a very popular youth speaker.

MoTab's Pioneer Concert

On Friday, July 16, the MoTab held it's annual Pioneer Day Concert, but this year was a bit different, as it was the 100th year celebration of the choir, and so it was a great concert, lots of video clips on the big screen explaining the history of the choir and recording history (very interesting), plus lots of great music from the various eras. Had to snap a quick picture of my dad visiting w/thee Lavell Edwards seated in front of him. For those who do not know, Lavell Edwards is a former BYU football coach, a legend, for whom the stadium is currently named, and a very nice and gracious man.

And here is our party, my aunt DoraDean Snow, my father's older sister; my aunt Val Moffitt, my mother's older sister, me (ya, the giant with the baggy eyes--some day when I have money I'm going to get an eye job); my mom and my dad. Jared was on a backpacking trip in the Uintas that night and Rafael and Victor were on an overnight camp trip at Utah Lake w/the Priests. Helen Wilberg, Mack Wilberg's mother (you know, the MoTab director) was at my parents' house the week before visiting as neighbors/friends and when my parents mentioned that they would be in Salt Lake, she said, "hey, I'll call Mack and see if he can get your some tickets", which he did and mailed to my house, so we had a great time.

President Monson spoke at the end, and it was just a wonderful evening for me to spend w/my parents and aunts.

This is the Place State Park

Mid July my parents were in town and so the three of us went to visit This Is The Place State Park at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, where the pioneers first came into the valley. It's like stepping back in time and the first time that my parents had actually been there. They definitely want to go back and see more, as there was more than they could see in the few hours we were there. They were tired, slept like babies on the drive back to the house.

This the Emery cabin (from Emery, Emery County) on cabin row. It was built way back when? (pre 1869) and then abandoned when the father built a larger home for his family, owned by another family for a while, and eventually became the post office for the little town of Emery, but now has its place in history at the park. Interestingly, a lot of these buildings come from places I've never heard of, probably because those "unknown" places have died up or been swallowed by newer towns.

There are docents on site who go about their daily living. I've wanted to be a docent at this park since Tony was a babe in arms. It used to be a 4-hour shift and so I checked into it a couple years ago thinking that now I could find the time, but it's now a minimum 6-hour commitment once a week, plus w/travel time...anyway, am thinking maybe when I'm released as RS president??? Hope so.

Picture from the monument dedicated to the early pioneers, explorers, Indians in front of the entrance to the park.

A Tony Update

From T's last email: "How lucky I've been to be here during the seminars." (It was new mission president training at the MTC)

There was a devotional: "Presiding was Elder Nelson" (then goes on to name another 7 of the 12 apostles), plus add'l 70s, presiding Bishopric, "ya power line up, but only Oaks spoke." "ONLY 5 ROWS FROM THE SIDE and spitwad range from Holland, which was crazy." Then goes on to say that Friday was one of the best days of his life because in addition to this powerful devotional he and the two elders also going to OK got to meet w/President and Sister Taylor, the new mission president also going to OK. He said he'd tell me all about it in the letter he was to have mailed Wednesday, so I'll keep my eyes open for that letter here soon.

America's Birthday

So yesterday, the 3rd, was when Utah really celebrated the 4th (since the 4th fell on a Sunday). R and J (and don't forget me, the picture taker) went to the chuckwagon breakfast that Riverton hosts every year. We went down about 9, stood in line for a while, but had a really good breakfast. These two found a table in the sun (as this weekend a cool front went through and we were running about 20 degrees cooler than normal, which for me was a wonderful weekend, cool enough not to turn on the AC). We watched an ATV rodeo for a while and also some men's softball. Victor went down in the evening w/some friends to hang out, ride a few rides.

Oh yes, we all four went to the afternoon showing of Toy Story 3---really fun, really good.



and that evening my explosive-loving boys struck the matches and put on a show.

Lots of sparkles, plenty of booms.

My guys.

Abuelo Comes to Visit

My father-in-law, Rafael (or affectionately known as abuelo), came to town last weekend as my Rafael aka Alex was ordained to the office of High Priest and wanted his dad to come perform the ordination. It was way cool, performed in Spanish. I am kicking myself for not getting a picture of my guys, my father and my father-in-law while they were all dressed up after stake conference so handsome in their suits, but at least I got a picture of Rafael at the airport on his way back home. He arrived carrying a jacket, but fortunately did not have to wear it since it was a hot weekend.

Because it was his birthday in the upcoming week, we were lucky enough to host cake and ice cream. A win-win situation for all. Rafael gave his father a new Spanish Bible complete w/the LDS footnotes, etc., and a missionary picture of Tony. We had homemade strawberry ice cream. I LOVE homemade ice cream, so having his birthday celebration was just a little bonus to the weekend.

Victor's Tourney in Beautiful Park City

Last Thursday, after playing a terrific round of 75 the previous day in Midway, Victor went to the next round in Park City. I joined that day and walked the course. I soooo enjoyed the walk, as we were in the beautiful mountains and out of the heat of the valley (returning to 97 degrees). The above picture was when the boys were just about ready for the first hole. This was a qualifier to go to Michigan to play, sponsored by the Utah Jr. Golf Association. The kid in red was from St. George w/his dad as caddy (though that was against the rules to have a parent caddy. The kid in the foreground w/the khaki shorts was from British Columbia, some of his relatives living here in Utah. He was a nice kid, and so was his mother. Both of these guys come from money. The kid from BC attends boarding school in Boston.

Victor on the left and his caddy, Devon, on the right.

The resort (brings back memories, as I lived here one winter and skied those slopes). The spots that look like sand traps on the hill are actually mounds of unmelted snow.

Every hole had these beautiful benches, for which I was grateful. Five hours needs a few sits here and there. (When I walked w/Victor a couple weeks in the valley, there was not one bench the whole five hours).

This shot Victor made an amazing shot (was hole 18). He was out of the running and so what do I have to lose, and boy did he ever nail it. Instead of taking the cautious and probably judicious shot of placing shot 2 (was a par 5) before the water, he went for the gusto and smacked it over the water and right on the green. Got a positive reaction from all the players and spectators.

Life Is a Bowl Full of ....

STRAWBERRIES!! They're on and we're enjoying them.

Week Five of MTC

So Tony sent home a memory card and there were tons (amazing how many pictures can be taken with a digital camera) of pictures-- study desk, roommates' study desk, classroom, another view of classroom, classroom ceiling, classroom window, classroom carpet, teacher in classroom, empty classroom...books, room (can I say Tony must feel right at home--really, really messy room), flowers (yes, Tony took pictures of campus flowers), doors, hallway....anyway have no idea who this elder is w/Tony (my Tony is the Ute fan), must be one of the new missionaries who arrived this week and joined the district, but evidently they've bonded because the new guy looks like he's a basketball fan.

and here's the district (Tony=peaking head on back left), all Spanish speaking, some heading to New York, others to Mexico and three to Oklahoma.

An excerpt from T's letter: "After the firesides we have movies in various rooms in various buildings (also known around here as date night). They also rotate which movies they show week by week. So this Sunday we watched the Joseph Smith movie. That movie is awesome. Like I ALMOST!! teared up like 6-7 times, especially when it talked about the message shall be preached in every land and... Ya, that part has a totally new meaning to me now. "

I love knowing where he is right now, safe and sound.

Lake Powell

Just a little earlier this month this teenage boy and the other Priests in the ward went to Lake Powell for their big summer activity. They had a blast. Rafael went with as a leader--left Wednesday morning and got back Saturday night. Bro. Brent Hansen has part ownership in a houseboat and so when he has a son in the quorum (right now Whitaker), he lets the guys use the boat. There were also two speed boats which the boys used for play. Good leaders, a good group of boys.

It's a pin-up boy!!

Summer Colds

Here's a shot of Jared sleeping upstairs (yes, he's still sleeping under the stairs) so that he can have the humidifier by his side. Zoe, his cat, doesn't like to sleep by herself--this was Saturday morning. I was up and Zoe was in the hallway meowing (was afraid she'd wake up Rafael--that wouldn't be good), so I opened the door to Jared's room so that Zoe could have some company. I had just finished a cold that ran for 1-1/2 weeks and gave it to #3 son. Really zapped my energy level, but am glad that I'm back to normal and can get caught up w/life.

Gotta love being able to sleep without coughing.

Gotta love not going to bed at 6 p.m. because of fatigue.

Gotta love being able to swallow without the throat screaming.

Gotta love NyQuil.

State Am Qualifier

The first part of June, Victor participated in his first "big boy" tournament. It was a qualifier for the Utah State Amateur Golf tournament. He was so nervous that he had a hard time sleeping. His friend was supposed to caddie for him, but slept in, so off we went (and no I did not caddie--how embarrassing to have a mother carry one's clubs, although I would have done so). I have never "walked" the course with him and am trying to be a better mother and supporter, although Victor did tell me to make sure I took pictures from a distance and that the flash was off--can't have any distractions from the crowd. It was fun. It was sunny, got into the low 80s and really quite ideal conditions. If I did this more often I'd drop some weight--five hours in the sun w/no breaks. Victor was nervous because he's a 17-year-old kid and only one of two teenagers who had signed up. No need to fear, he definitely did not embarrass himself. He was paired with a 40-something guy who has a son Victor's age who attends San Diego High School, a private Catholic school in Draper which recruits kids for athletics. Anyway, this guy lives in Draper and is a member of the country club in American Fork where this year's state am will be played. After the first couple holes, Victor whispers to me that he's a hacker (not Victor, this guy), puffing away on his cigs and sweating through his shirt. The other guy was a really nice guy, pretty quiet, but some friends showed up to cheer him on. He was in his later 20s. Victor shot a 36 on the first 9 (played great), but slipped on the last 9 (shot a 44), so 80 total. The other two guys shot 82 and 83, so Victor definitely did not embarrass himself. He missed the cut by 4, though. There were 67 men playing at this qualifier and the top 12 qualified. He'll try again next year.

The last picture is at the end of 18 with the guys shaking each others' hands and signing score cards. Victor got a nice compliment from the rich, country club guy saying that he (Victor) showed lots of maturity for a 17-year-old kid. I smiled. That's my boy!!

I'm Back

Guess what I just found on my computer, this site!! Ya, I know. I've been really lazy. Actually got a new computer a few months ago, but haven't taken the time to reinstall some software for the pictures, or whatever. Don't have the time, or don't want to take the time.

So a recap of today, Wednesday, April 28, 2010. It's winter again, or at least tonight. Brrrrr. It will drop down to freezing tomorrow night. And that's why you don't plant your tomatoes until mid May.

Tony has three weeks from today until he enters the MTC. Unbelievable. He's pretty much ready, I think. He doesn't want any hand holding or looking over the shoulders. He talked in his singles branches last Sunday. He was pretty quiet about it and uninvited his family, but I still snuck in the back--hey, we share the same building at the same time. I missed the first part of his talk, but caught the end. He said a couple things that spoke peace to my heart.

Victor is at Mountainview Golf Course tonight, his only shift this week. He finally got his dream job. See, persistence does pay off.

Rafael is w/the Priests. They're running a 5K at the Jordan River Trail. He's the time guy with the drinks. He left with a coat and I think he should have taken hot chocolate.

Jared is home studying.

I should be working. There are actually some jobs, so I'd better be brief and switch back over. My eyes are extremely dry and the contacts are screaming to be taken out. Had presidency meeting this morning and then we took in brunch (rolls, fruit, juice and a blanket) to two sisters who had babies recently.

My neighbors, yes the ones with the dogs that I've wanted to strangle periodically over the years, moved out recently, actually finished Monday and yesterday I saw several men walking around the house inspecting and making notes. My new neighbors? It's got to be a bank foreclosure, so when does a bank send representatives so fast? All day several men have been over cleaning out the house and had a big dumpster filled by noon. I went over in the afternoon to find out the details. Turns out the builder of the house (which was the model home for the neighborhood) and all the homes in Kings Crossing held the contract on that house all these years and it has been a big headache. The builder, who has a reputation for being an honest, hard-working man, has bent over backward trying to help this man retain his home (and has been lied to and cheated). Anyway, Ron (the owner) has had calls in pretty much daily for payments (said at one time Dirk was as much as $15,000 behind. Well, long story short...had to hire an eviction attorney. I was curious, but didn't ask, so was secretly happy when he escorted me into the home as he had a few questions. The house is every bit as bad as I thought it would be. Unbelievable. Imagine what negligent people with five big hunting dogs (initially eight when they moved in) can do to the inside of a house?? Every door casing has had every bit of paint scratched off and the casings so bad that they will have to be replaced. The owner is having a new furnace installed, the swamp taken off, the damage from the leaking swamp repaired. All the carpets will be replaced, walls patched and repainted. Most of the doors had to be thrown out because of holes. I saw dripping water from unfixed leaks, cupboards hanging from hinges. Ron will hire a landscaper to clean up the yard. He'll get in electricians and plumbers....hooray!! Ron said that had a bank owned the house the Smiths would have been gone six or seven years ago. Wish the bank had owned the house.

Jared is practicing the clarinet and I'm headed to take out the contacts and make myselfl a hot chocolate. Bye all.

Victor Gets His Yes

It's boys' preference this weekend and Victor last night put out the query...yes, that's right just last night (days before the dance) to Lexy. He told me his idea..was cute, something about little Army men and a camo poster...but the dollar store didn't have any Army guys and so he said he switched to a poster and Starbursts, something about stars...burst...I have no idea. Anyway, Lexy called to ask if she could get into his room and could I get him out of the house. Sure.

I made V go w/me to buy a new computer (he knew because R answered the phone while we were having dinner, "Yes, Victor's mom is here." No surprise there.

Anyway, when we returned there were little stars laid out down the carpet to his room. R wasn't impressed at all. He was the only left home to answer the door. I told him to be nice. R reported that the girls were way too giggly and he doesn't want any short blonds hanging around.

There was a poster that said:

Turn out the lights
So that you can't see.
Look to the stars
And the answer will be.
While lying on his bed w/the lights out, the stars glowed YES.

Welcome 2010

You would think with today being a holiday I could sleep in, but no. Dang it. Got back from a week in California last night and have spent the morning doing laundry and trying to pretend that the Christmas decorations aren't up. Sure wish the Christmas fairy would have taken care of that while we were gone.

R is showered and in front of the TV watching a bowl game. I wish he'd go outside and get the snow shoveled. I am soooo not going to take care of that when I have four men living in my house.

Ah--a new day, a new month, a new year and a new decade!! Wow. My mind was wandering as I was lying in bed wishing I could fall back asleep this morning. My mind was all over the place, must have been thinking Bible stories as the phrase "go and sin no more" came to mind. So was that a thought to start this day anew and look to the future and forget about what's in the past?? I kind of had that feeling, a cleansing if you will. A new chapter. Now go and write a good story, one that will leave me feeling full and happy.

Okay, time to take a shower and get out of my PJs. I have grocery shopping to do. I think I'll make some soup for tonight. That sounds really good. What are your plans for the day?

Olvera Street

When you have the name Gonzalez, you really can't visit LA w/o going to Olvera Street, which is truly the origins of Los Angeles.

It's only a block long, but filled with lots of vendors and shops. Surprisingly, the prices are very good, just like being across the border, and very colorful.

I didn't buy anything, though probably should have. Tony found a really good leather cover for his camera that had a clip on or slide through for a belt, plus a magnetic closure--really nice for only $7. Should have bought some sandles, but wasn't in the mood then. Only bought a horchata (a really good and refreshing drink) and a churro.
Okay, so I'm drawn to food. No surprise there.

Have no idea the story behind this cross, just thought it was interesting.