Up Up and Away!!!!!!!

After having our house on the market for almost a year and with the opportunity for Bryan and Natalie to get their own home, we have sold our home. It may be a crazy way to do it but it appears that it will work for us. We sold it on a Lease to Purchase. If the prospective buyer execute their option then we will be officially out of the home market. we have chosen to move into a small Condo for a year with the aspiration of looking for property and building our retirement home in 2 or 3 years. Sounds like a plan with a lot of faith.

The biggest stress factor in our lives in downsizing from a 5500 sq ft home to a 1600 sq ft Condo. We have accumulated so much in our 42 years of bliss that it is hard to let goal. I have a lot of reference books that I hardly ever open but when I need something it has been good to have. However with the invention of the Internet almost everything is now online why keep these books. I am getting rid of them except for a couple that seem logical to keep.

The move has been very hard and seems like we make very little progress but with the help of many (Natalie, Bryan, Hallie, Sydney, Luke, Heidi, Don,Kendra, Amy, Lonna, Lisa, Shawna, Adam, Tara, Marilyn, Sharon, Barbara, Laurie, and soon to be some Relief Society Sisters) we could not have done it. (I hope that I did not forget anyone). We should almost be out tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
From K & C to all

... A G R E A T B I G
T H A N K - Y O U
T H A N K - Y O U
T H A N K - Y O U ...

So life goes on and we thank the Lord for our many friends and family. Thanks for your love and support.

Not Lost but alive and kicking

A few years ago, I had a great experience, in fact the family had the same experience; we built a retaining wall. Well with all this rain we (who is 'we' yet to be TBD) get to do it again. The rain caused the base of gravel and dirt to settle and shift; thus getting the wall moving outward until it fell over into my neighbors yard. We are currently moving the blocks out so we can build a better base. Then we will move the blocks back. This is a great way to exercise and lose weight at the same time. I am soooooo exciiiiiiiiited.... Anybody looking for exercise "come on down". We will be out there almost every night and Saturday mornings. Tuesday Night's Trent and I will not be there but you can come if you want too. Have a great Spring and a better Summer.

Something Special

Yesterday was a pretty neat day. I went to my semi-annual meeting with the Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC) for the USU Dept of Electrical and Computer Engineering. We normally meeting during Engineering week which was last week and then in October the Friday of Homecoming Weekend. As part of the February the College of Engineering the University gives out their awards for the year. This year I received the Utah State University - Distinguished Service of the Year for 2008 -2009 from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE). This was as total surprise. They said I received the honor for everything I have done for the university over the years and also for the Dept of ECE. Over the years I have helped the IEE, the SWE, and the ACM student professional groups. I have provided seminars on how to prepare for a job interview, how to write a resume, participated in several mock interviews, worked with career services, supported Dept of ECE in their ABET Certification, was the chair person for 2 for the IAC, taught classes for the ECE Dept, and many other things. I did this things to help students and was a total surprise when I received this service awards.

Christmas is the best time of the Year

Yes, Christmas has come to our little snowy Happy Valley. The lights are sparkling, Frosty is swaying in the wind and the Tree has been up before Thanksgiving. I love looking at the Christmas tree and the lights even though I only see the Blue, Yellow and White but they look the same as the yellow ones unless I am very close.

Why is Christmas so special. It started as a little boy back in our little square quaint 2 story 3 BR home. My brothers and I would go to bed Christmas eve and in the morning the tree would be up, the presents under the tree left by Santa. Santa always brought the Christmas tree. Yes Santa did visit every house on Christmas Eve, how else could the tree and presents appear. We believed!!

I don't know how Mom and Dad did it, it takes us a month to get almost ready! As I grew up we started putting the tree up after Thanksgiving which was much more fullfilling. We would always go to the Candlelight Service at our Methodist Church on the Sunday before Christmas. It was very special, nicely decorated and I loved to hear my Grandmother sing the Carols. She had a very sweet, clear voice and sounded like an angel when she sang as did her sister. Did you know they were a sister act in Vaudeville and were to first to sing "Down by the Old Mill Stream."

The youth of the church would always put on the Christmas Story, with wise men, Shepherds, a Manger with Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus. For some reason, beyond me, I was always asked to be the Narrator while everyone else re-enacted the birth of our Savior. This was very fulfilling to me, as I do love reading the Christmas Story. I also loved being a part of the Manger Scene at Church. As a Youth Group we built a complete Manger Scene with all the animals, etc. We built it out of plywood, painted it and stored it in the church attic until the Saturday after Thanksgiving then we would spend the morning and put it up for the town to see.

In my sophomore year, I was asked to join the Choir, why I don't know, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being best, I was a true '1' at my prime! I sat next to Warren Faulkrod who had a great powerful baritone tenor voice. It didn't matter how I sang, my singing was lost in his beautiful resonating voice. Well a funny thing happen my senior year at this service while singing in the choir. We had a Midnight Candle-light Service and we were singing 'Go Tell It On the Mountain' and I passed out, wiped out all the chairs around me, stopped the program. They took me to the back and revived me. I did not know why I had fainted, never had before and have never fainted since. In talking to my Mom and Dad afterwards, we determine that I had not eaten a thing all day, not since supper the night before. I had run from one event to another all day long; I guess that would not happen today with my food storage around waist.

The best thing I like about Christmas is the great peace I feel from the songs, the decorations, and mostly from the people. I think this is the one time a year that everyone is sincerely and genuinely concern for others. They are kinder in the stores, they seemed to have happier faces, easily prompting sweet tender smiles when they see you. The carol 'Joy to the World' is an echo of my feelings at this time of year and it validates what I see in our people. There are many angels among us and they come out by the hundreds every Christmas. This time of year has to be the happiest for our Heavenly Father.

I do think Christmas is best when families can share it together. May everyone's Christmas be full of Joy, Health, Happiness and Charity. I invoke the Lord's blessing on all that read this blog and know that I have already ask the Lord for a blessing on you.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good Night! The every present Optimist.