A Whirlwind Week!

Boy! That week went by fast while Tiffany was home. Now she's back in Charleston already! We had A LOT of fun while she was here and got lots of good things accomplished.

On SUNDAY, March 9, Tiff, Rich and I went to church in the 8th ward. I left after Sacrament Meeting to go up to the MTC. Tiff and Rich went to Sunday School and then to Priesthood and Relief Society. I shouldn't have left Tiff to fend for herself in RS, but she got along all right. She said the ladies were a little concerned that she had postponed her wedding until December and that she wouldn't be getting married in Nauvoo, afterall; but it's okay. They'll get used to it. I had a nice time at the MTC where we said goodbye to District D: Elders Lamb, Wilson, McCollum, Calcara and Collins; and Hermanas Leach and Park. They've been a good district and are headed to Salt Lake City and San Fernando. For their musical number, they sang, "How Great Thou Art," accompanied by Sis. Leach on the flute and Elder Price on the violin. They did a good job. The missionary speakers were Elder Eakins and Hermana Crabbe. Bro. and Sis. Jackman were the other speakers and they spoke about prayer. Sis. Jackman said that we should pray and ask for help in even the little things. The Lord will help us. Bro. Jackman said that the Lord will help us in every aspect of our lives if we are obedient and ask for His help.

The Barretts came for Sunday dinner and we had bean soup. The girls LOVE beans and rice--especially Sidney. When Lindy said, "We're going to say the prayer," Sidney put her hand over her heart because she thought Lindy had said "We're going to say the pledge." The girls had lots of fun playing with Tiffany after dinner.

On MONDAY, March 10, Tiff went with me to my Club lunch at Chef's Table. She's never eaten there before, so I thought she'd enjoy it. I had a tasty steak wrap and she had a yummy steak salad which were both very good. She said my friends are funny (in a good way, I hope). After lunch we went by Goldsmith's Jewelers to drop Tiff's ring off to be sized to a 4.5. Who would have thought Tiff had such little fingers? Then we went to the White Willow Reception Center in Provo to check out the possibilities for a wedding luncheon there. It's a fun place--a neat old home in the historic part of Provo. The prices are reasonable, too. It seems like it would be a great place for Tiff & Greg to have their wedding lunch. After the White Willow, we went by the Distribution Center to pick up a few things. Then we went by a couple of white dress places just to see what was out there. We weren't really thinking that we would find THE dress; but at White Elegance, we found the perfect dress. It's meant to be a temple dress, but it is so lovely it can be a temple/wedding dress. If we were to have one made, it would look exactly like this dress. So we got it. It just needs to be altered a little to fit perfectly (sleeves and hem adjusted). With a burgandy sash, it should be just perfect.

After dinner we went over to the T's in Springville for FHE. Tiffany showed us her presentation she did for the RS birthday party in Charleston. It was very good. I think Grandpa T. was quite impressed with Tiff's sweet historical and audio/visual skills. Grandma Cathy had baked a delicious cherry pie for dessert, which we all enjoyed.

On TUESDAY, Mar 11, we went to Excel Eye Center for Tiff's yearly exam. While there we somehow fell into a black hole. Glenn Beck would say a "worm" hole. Anyway, at 9:30, when we checked in, they had to redo all of Tiff's personal information because of a new computer system. That took until 10:00. Once that was done, we sat down and waited, and waited and waited to be called back to see the doctor. All these people who had come in after us were going back, but no one called for Tiffany. We wondered what was up. Plus there were all these people in there trying to get their records updated and waiting to see the doctors. There was such a crush at the reception area it was impossible to talk to anyone. When Tiff was able to ask someone why we hadn't been called back, the lady just said, "Oh, Dr. Parsons is backed up today." Finally, 11:15, when we'd been there almost two hours, I went to the one head lady and told her that we better reschedule our appointment for May because we couldn't wait any longer. That made her go in search of Tiffany's chart, which no one could seem to locate. Finally, it was found somewhere where it shouldn't have been and they called Tiff back to see the doctor. Once we were back there it didn't take long at all. The doctor said her eyes look fine and she doesn't even need new glasses. So that was good news. After the checkup, we sped away from there to make our 12:00 appointment with our friend Yevon Romney for a belated birthday lunch with her at Brick Oven. That was fun. We shared a 14" barbecue chicken pizza. Very tasty!

Tuesday evening Steven came home for dinner so we could eat with Tiff before we went to the MTC for the devotional. While we were gone, she was able to get some miscellaneous things done around here. The speaker at the devotional was Elder Spencer V. Jones, of the Seventy, whom we have never heard before. His talk was about the plan of salvation, with emphasis on the missionaries' objective of putting people on the path that will eventually lead them to the celestial kingdom and life with our Father in Heaven. Afterward, we met with District E, which had just had one of their district members leave to go home that morning. They were feeling emotional about that, so it was good that Steven could be there with them that evening to help them feel better about everything. The three new zone leaders are in this district: Elders Thatcher, Rowley, and Urrutia. (They replaced Elders Lamb and Wilson who were leaving for the mission field Wednesday morning.)

On WEDNESDAY, March 12, I went with Tiff out to Camp Floyd so she could check with Mark Trotter about her upcoming internship there. We left here at 9:15 a.m. and it took us about 45 minutes to get out there, just in time for her 10:00 appointment. When she met with Mark, it was a little disappointing because he told her he would only be able to pay her for four months instead of the six months which he had told her earlier. He said she could volunteer for the final two months, but that didn't sound too good because she would have to drive all the way out there for two months and not get paid, even for gas. Bummer. So we were kind of down in the mouth about that, until Tiffany decided that maybe it could work if she did her internship there at Camp Floyd from June to October, then get married in October instead of December, and then go with Greg to Illinois where she could finish her internship for the last two months. I had a similar idea, so it turned out we were thinking along the same lines. Tiff called Greg to see what he thought about the plan, and he thought it sounded good. So we felt better about things after that.

On our way home from Camp Floyd, we stopped at Thanksgiving Point to check out the wedding luncheon possibilities there, since we were in the neighborhood. The facility fee is not bad ($100 for two hours including linens, servers, etc.) but the food is waaaaaaaay expensive. It made White Willow look all that much better.

That evening, while Steven was at the MTC greeting 8 new elders, Tiff and I met Greg's mom at Bajio in PG. She treated us to dinner, so that was nice. We had a good visit with her and enjoyed our shrimp tacos. She about had a heart attack when Tiff said there was a change in the wedding plans and she noticed that Tiff was not wearing her ring. When Tiff saw her panicked expression, Tiff assurred her that everything was fine, the ring was at the jewelers getting sized but there had just been a change in the date. Pam was much relieved. She thought the new plans sounded good. She told us her new plan was to leave here on Saturday to join her husband in Arizona and start a new job there. Good luck to her!

On THURSDAY, March 13, Tiff went with Steven in to BYU so she could spend some time at the library. I met her at 1:00 at the Wilkenson Center. While there we decided to go to BYU Catering to check on the possibilites of a wedding luncheon there in the Skyroom. We thought we might as well while we were there. The girl that helped us seemed a little spacey and couldn't really give us definite answers to our questions. I think they're in the midst of changing some of their prices and policies. All in all it sounded pretty good, but I thought White Willow still sounded better. We wouldn't want to have it there in the Skyroom if Oct. 18 is homecoming weekend; and the date of homecoming hasn't been set yet, so the Skyroom is a question. My vote is for White Willow.

After meeting with catering, we went down off campus and enjoyed an authentic J Dog and all the taste and ambience that goes with that. Eat your hearts out, Sarah and Joel! (j/k) The reason we went there is because they love J Dogs so much, and rightfully so.

That afternoon, after dropping Rich off in AF, Tiff and I drove around AF and PG taking pictures of old homes for her Mormon architecture paper, then we went to the Holy Cow boutique, which was a lot of fun. We saw the lady who checked us in at Excel Eye Center and she was embarrassed when she saw us, but we told her no hard feelings. She didn't know what happened to Tiff's papers after they left her hands, so it wasn't her fault.

Just when we thought our day couldn't get any better, we went over to the Barretts for dinner where Steven joined us. What fun we had, and what delicious food! Lindy fixed some of her tasty squash and potatoes on spinach with buckwheat crepes. Yum! Yum! For dessert, she had fixed a wonderful coconut cream pie, which had a layer of chocolate pudding, and was topped with coconut marshmellows. Talk about delicious! The little girls enjoyed fixing food down in the playroom. Sidney can even join in on the preparation and serving of such food now that she can walk and bring the food over from the stove to the "customer."

On FRIDAY, March 14, we ran over to Target to check things out there. Tiffany had been wanting to go over there since she misses Target so much in Illinois. She's lucky to live almost next door to Wal-Mart, but it's just not the same as Target. She did stuff around home while I ran Rich over to AF. Then we went in to BYU to pick up some papers from the library; then to Goldsmith's to pick up the ring (which fit perfectly); then to Shirley's to pick up w/w rolls for dinner, but they were out of the w/w rolls, so we picked up w/w bread instead. We made it home just in time to get the spaghetti cooking before the Barretts arrived for dinner. We wanted to have one more dinner with them before Tiffany left, plus the girls wanted to see Tiff's ring (without the sizer on the back) and the wedding dress. They liked both the ring and the dress. Camden said the dress just needs a sash that's burgandy with pink polka dots. She also said in a tired voice, "We're sure talking a lot about weddings." (When Camden grows tired of wedding talk, then you know it's time to stop.)

On SATURDAY, March 15, we got up bright and early to get Tiff to the airport to catch her 8:45 a.m. flight to Chicago. We got up to the airport without incident and got her checked in and moving through Security. Then we headed home. By noon (our time) she was already in Chicago, catching the train to Union Station where she met up with Aly for lunch and the train ride to Mattoon where Greg met them and took them to Charleston. We're glad she made it back safely and that we could have such a fun time while she was here. I can't believe how fast the week went by, though. Two months from today, I'll fly to St. Louis where she and Greg will pick me up (after the Cardinals game), and then I'll drive home with her to Utah. Sounds like another fun adventure is in store.

Lunch with Karalie at the Left Fork Grill

Tiffany and I just got back from Salt Lake where we had lunch with Karalie at the Left Fork Grill. It's a place that Karalie recently discovered, and she thought we might like it, which we did. It was funny getting there. We were looking for the Flat Rock Grill. I had also been thinking it was the Flat Iron Grill. When Tiff and I came upon it, it was the Left Fork Grill. Karalie said, "I can't ever get the name right." Tiff and I thought we must be at the right place because it was the only "grill" around where we were. Anyway, the food was delicious! Tiff had the meatloaf which was served with the best chili sauce ever! I had the chicken schnitzle, which was really good, as well. It had a tasty brown sauce on it plus two kinds of cheese, but it wasn't too cheese-y. Karalie had a reuben sandwich and french fries. We liked everything. For dessert we had to try the blackberry cream pie and the pecan pie. Yum! That was probably some of the best pie ever, and I'm not kidding. Karalie was modeling some of her new head gear. Today she had on a cute black cloche, which was very becoming. After lunch we went out into the parking lot, where Karalie took off her hat and showed us how much of her hair was gone. It was pretty short and sparse. She had just picked up a new wig, which needs some more work on it before she can wear it. She says she still feeling pretty good, and she could taste her lunch today, so that's a good report. We hope she continues to do as well with her two remaining treatments as she has done so far.

The sleepover last night was a big success. The girls were up bright and early this morning, ready for some fun. (Grampa and I thought they must have slept soundly, but I guess that wasn't really the case. There were a few trips to the bathroom and a few nightmares that Aunt Tiffy took care of during the night.) The first thing the girls wanted to do this morning was for Tiffany to play her "Meet Me in St. Louis" CD. Then they came to see if Grampa and Gramma were up. We were--just barely. The girls were hungry for pancakes, so Grampa made some tasty honey nut oatmeal pancakes with help from the girls. They also helped set the table. They each had three pancakes, so Grampa must have done a good job making them. After breakfast, it was time to brush teeth, get dressed and comb hair. Camden and Riley were amazed that I could do "big girl" pony tails. After hair-doing there was still time to color before we had to load up and head over to PG to drop the girls off before taking Richard on over to AF. After dropping Richard off, Tiff and I headed to SLC to meet up with Karalie. What a fun day we've had.

Tiff's Home for Spring Break!

Tiffany made it home today for her week long Spring Break. Her day began early as she had to catch the 5:30 a.m. train (The City of New Orleans) from Mattoon to Chicago. Thanks to Greg for getting her to the train station and seeing her off. Once in Chicago, she had to go from Union Station to Clinton Street station to catch the CTA train to O'Hare airport. She called me while still on the train to Chicago and said, "I'm leaving from O'Hare, right?" I told her that was right. She has flown out of Midway a couple of times. In that case she has to catch a different train once she gets to Chicago. I should have realized then that she hadn't checked her travel plans too closely before she left. Once she got to the airport, she called and said they were having trouble pulling up her itinerary at American Airlines. (I had told her she was flying American. That means I hadn't checked too closely, either. I was mainly looking at the flight times and flight number when we were talking on the phone last night. Duh. I didn't really look at the airline.) When I checked my copy of her itinerary on the computer, I saw that she was flying Delta instead of American. No wonder. But we finally got it all straightened out and she got checked in with Delta. She said she'd print out her itinerary next time. (When you order your tickets a few months in advance it's hard to remember the details unless you print them off or check everything right before you leave.) Then, once she landed in Salt Lake, she started looking for me and couldn't find me. I had been looking for her, as well. She called me but I didn't hear my phone, so I didn't answer. About 10 minutes after I knew she should have arrived, I looked at my phone and saw I had two missed calls from her. I called her and asked where she was. Come to find out, she was in Terminal One and I was in Terminal Two. That's funny. Terminal Two is where Delta flights come in, but she said she just went to the terminal nearest the gate where she arrived. But we finally got together after a few miscues. Thank goodness for cell phones.

On the way home, we stopped by the Barretts. Steven was there watching the girls while Nate and Lindy went to see Vantage Point. He had agreed to stop by there after dropping Richard off so that Nate and Lindy could leave for the movie. I didn't think Tiff and I could make it in time for them to leave, and I was right. So we met up with Steven and the girls at the Barretts, then we all came over here for the big sleepover. Even Sidney came; but only for dinner and fun, not to sleep over. We had a delicious dinner of Uncle Kevin beans and spaghettios. Sidney loved it so much she had three helpings of each. Camden and Riley enjoyed theirs, too. Then we had mini chocolate chip cookies for dessert. The girls had fun visiting and playing with Tiff and Grampa while Gramma cleaned up. Lindy and Nate came by and picked up Sidney, who was getting pretty tired by this time. After the girls brushed their teeth and had prayers, they watched some Hairspray with Tiff and Gramma before going to bed. They were so tired, and so was Tiffany. I hope they're able to have a good sleep.

Camden's Ear Ache

Yesterday (Wednesday) Steven went with Richard and me over to American Fork to drop Richard off for work. Then we went by Macey's to stock up on some things during the big case lot sale. We got a bunch of canned goods to "beef up" our food storage. (Lindy--you could go get some garbanzo beans while they're on sale. Those are good food storage items.) On our way to Macy's this weird snow storm blew over. It started out as just a few flakes and then more and more. We could see this "ginormous" (as Tiff would say) storm cloud barreling our way, bringing with it wind and snow. We were in the store as the worst of it passed over. Then it was gone.

On the way home we decided to stop by the Barretts. We went inside. All was quiet. No one was there. We could tell that they had made a speedy exit. Not long after we got there, Lindy came home with the girls. Camden was crying and we could tell something was wrong. It turns out, her ear was hurting. She had been at dance and the dance teacher had called Lindy to say that Camden was crying and complaining that her ear hurt. So Lindy took Riley and Sidney and went and picked Camden up and took her to the doctor. The doctor looked in her ear and then took some wax out, but said that Camden's ear didn't appear to be infected. She gave Camden some Motrin and then sent them on their way. Camden's ear was still hurting when they got home, and she was pretty sad. So Grandpa cuddled with her for awhile and she settled down a bit. When Daddy Nate came home, he and Grandpa gave Camden a blessing to help her feel better. I was upstairs with Riley and Sidney. When I said something to Lindy about the blessing, Sidney folded her arms as soon as she heard the word "blessing." Riley read to me about monkeys jumping on the bed, and Sidney read to me to out of a couple of books for about five seconds each.

Before long, Camden started perking up while lying on the couch and watching a movie. We were glad to see her starting to feel better. I told her that I used to have ear aches when I was a little girl and my mom would put something in my ear to help it feel better. When we got home, I called Mom (Grandma Great) and asked her what she would do for my ear aches. She said that she would barely warm up some olive oil (baby oil will do) in a teaspoon and put a couple of drops in my ear followed by some cotton in the ear and then a warm, moist pack held against the ear. I remember that it did help my ear feel better. Mom said I used to scream and scream with my ear aches. I have waxy ears, too, just like Camden. We hope she continued to feel better and that she was able to have a good night.

Good luck to Karalie today with her second chemo treatment. She got lots of fun head gear and jewels at her head-shaving party on Monday. Her friend ended up not actually shaving Karalie's head but just cutting it very short. Also, we're looking forward to Tiffany coming home tomorrow for Spring Break and our sleepover with the girls. We're going to have lots of fun.