Huntington Canyon Hike

WOW - It's been a long time

Well, I have decided to go back to "blogging". We will see just how well I do! It has been two years since I last posted here. Hopefully within the next week or so I will get some updated pictures on all the changes in our lives.

In the last two years there have been ups and downs. We sold our home in Cleveland and are currently building a new home in Huntington. We hope to be in the new house within the next month.

Family

We haven't done too much over the winter. We keep tossing around the idea of putting a house out at the farm, or staying where we are. If the economy would get better, the decision would be much easier. Clint works so hard. He spends so much time at the farm and it doesn't matter how cold, windy, snowy, rainy it is. If there is work to be done, he is there doing it. Chase helps out a lot too but he also still has high school, work, rodeo, and a girlfriend (Samantha - Sam, we love ya). I try to help but most of my help just consists of helping with some of the feeding on the weekends which isn't much. Chase has chickens again and we are getting close to 25-30 eggs every day! We can't even sell as many as we get. The cows should be calving soon and the calves that we do have are almost ready to go to the sale. We are keeping two of them and one is so tame, she loves to get her head scratched. Cole has started bull riding again. He still works doing welding for a fabrication company. Bre and Carter are doing really well. I am so lucky that they live so close to us. It would be so hard for my kids to move very far away. Harlee, my sweet, beautiful, smart wonderful grand daughter. She is only two and knows her ABC's, can count almost to 20 and talks so that you can understand her. She can also entertain herself for quite a while with toys, books, crayons, etc. Harlee Hoo Hoo - Grandma and Grandpa love you. Zora, my sweet pom will be having surgery on April 2. She is having a couple of teeth removed, having her teeth cleaned and having one of her back knees fixed. That will be a hard day for us because she has to spend the night at the vets.

Chase - Practice Bull Riding

Update - Chase....

Yes, we all know I am bad at updating so the people that have given up on me won't see some of the new pic's and video's I have put on here.
In the last few months not a lot has changed but spring is almost here so there should be a lot more activity going on soon!!
In January, Chase went to a Sankey Bull Riding School in Ogden. WOW that was wonderful!! He learned so much and has so much work to do but he now has the knowledge to move forward. I hope that we can take him back next January again. I also learned a lot and think that all parents of bull riders should go to this school. I am not as scared watching him ride as I use to be. Probably because I now understand some of the techniques. I can tell when he leaves the chute if he is in a good position or not, what he might have done right or wrong. It was a wonderful, intense, power packed school. I would recommend the Sankey Rodeo Schools to anyone!

Chase Bull Riding

Richard - Arizona

Richard

Some of the family made the trip to Glendale, Arizona the first part of March. The trip was to attend the retirement ceremony and reception for my brother Richard. After 20 years, he has retired from the Air Force with more medals and recognition than anyone of us knew. I asked him why he didn't tell us half of his accomplishments. Anyone who knows Rich will understand his reply "Why, I was just doing my job." I didn't realize how involved he was with volunteering, and what an example he was to all of the Air Force personnel that he worked with. Rich - I am so proud of you and I am so lucky to have a brother as wonderful as you. I was able to spend more time with his wife Lori. She makes him so happy and everytime I see her I get to know her a little better and like her more and more. Lori, thanks for being so supportive and loving to my brother. I am glad to have you in our family. They have 4 kids - and I am sure I won't get the spelling right on them..but Dylan is the oldest and he is in the military too (we are proud of you Dylan - keep up the good work), Alicia who is in college, Kaylee who is finishing high school and Evan - such a smart, cute young man (boy)! All of their kids are VERY bright and that is no joke!!! Can't wait for you all to make it back to Utah again!!

Harlee

Well everyone knows that I am not very good at keeping things updated, but I will update a lot and then not get anymore updates for a while. Harlee is so much fun the older she gets. Grandkids are the best!!! She is now talking and you can even understand some of the things that she says. I am so glad that she is healthy, happy and smart.

Wow - the time has just flown by

I am going to try to add some updates today. It has been a long time so I hope I can remember how!!! I don't even know what pictures I have in the computer to add to the page. The farming is pretty much done for the winter other than feeding and watering animals. Hopefully there won't be any fence fixing/building until spring. I have a feeling that if you have cows, there will always be fence fixing/building. The guys have almost finished hunting and were quite successful. I think Clint still has a tag for some hunt, but maybe that is over now too. They hunted pheasants out at the farm and really had a good time. I went out a couple of times with them for the exercise more than hunting.

Artifical Heart Reunion

My Dad and My Daughter at the Artificial Heart Reunion

It has been 6 years now since my Dad's artificial heart and heart transplant. The artificial heart was a Left Ventrical Assist Device (LVAD). We went to the reunion for the artificial heart recipients this year. It was so good to see the Doctors and Nurses that took such great care of my Dad. For those who don't know or remember, my Dad was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure in June 2001, he received his artificial heart - LVAD on July 25, 2002. He really struggled recovering from the surgery. He had a hard time with his blood pressure dropping and his vitals staying stable. After a little more than a week, they finally started to take him out of sedation. It was really something else getting use to the sound of the artificial heart. Every now and then I would quit listening to conversations and listen to the heart work, wanting to gain the security that the heart actually was working. I should have had the faith in it, the alarm is so loud when the batteries are low or if the heart malfunctions and quits. Anyway... had he not been lucky enough to have the LVAD, I don't think he would have been healthy enough to survive a transplant surgery. At the time he did get the LVAD, they had only given him 24 hours to live with the LVAD. He regained his strength and did receive a heart transplant on September 16-17. We are always thankful for the donor and his family and their generosity in giving so many people second chances and better lives. Although we were celebrated the second life that my dad was given, we did mourn for the loss that the donors family would be experiencing. I hope that they are proud of the son that they raised to be so unselfish and to think so much of other people, in his life and in his passing.

This is a picture of one of the most fantastic nurses. She received an award that night.

This is a picture of Doctor Clayson he is artificial heart and heart transplant surgeon. He preformed the transplant for my dad.

Where did the summer go???

OK, Bre wanted a new post and I got looking through pictures and I haven't even taken many. Summer is the busiest time for me at work. The farm is still requiring a ton of work. Needless to say, we haven't done much, gone anywhere or taken many pictures.

Bull Riding

Here is Chase on his first bull at State Finals

Check out my Slide Show!

Relay for Life

Well, I have a very caring daughter. She has gotten involved in the Relay for life and the past two years has been on teams to help raise money and awareness for cancer. Last year she bought a luminarie in memory of my cousin Vicki who passed away in 2004. This past year, we lost two other cousins to cancer Brooklyn who was 3 and Zariah who was 2 months old. We bought luminaries in memory of them too. This year Bre talked me into coming out and walking the track with her for a little while. I ended up staying the night - well until 5 am. I might stay out there with her next year, we had a good time walking the track at the high school. I saw people that I hadn't talked to in quite, it was nice to see old friends. If you have never been to a "Relay for Life" I urge you to go to the next one close to where you live. It was a nice experience.

Check out my Slide Show!