Monday, January 11, 2010


January 11, 2010
When I was young I never imagined the year 2010 and here it is! 2009 was so full that I didn’t even have time to summarize it while it lasted. We enjoyed so many newsy letters and lovely Christmas cards that my conscience has caught up with me. So now I will write all I can as quickly as I can and smile at the woman in the mirror tomorrow.

Adam finished his bachelor’s degree and graduated from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) on December 14th. We were there. He played his second and final year on the UNLV Rebel football team. That was a dream come true for him. He was given the team award for the highest grade point average 3.75+.

Nathan is now in his final semester of law school. He was awarded a college grant for outstanding service. He has kept me on my toes calling home occasionally for help in proofreading his papers. He was home for two weeks at Christmas and doing some serious wife hunting.

Ruth’s husband passed the Nevada Bar. YeHaw! He has several job opportunities because of that and the exceptional talents he has. He is the Elder’s Quorum president in their ward and Ruth is the young women’s president. Since there simply is no such thing in this millennium as a “stay-at-home” mom, I shall call her a 24/7 “on-the-run” mom of three - Ellie in Kindergarten, Gent in pre-school, and Zion, who will enter the tornado-twos in about a week. Go, Ruthy, go!

Benjamin has a date with us on May 4th. We will be picking him up. His years of incarceration are finally coming to an end and thanks to all the support of family, friends, and church leaders he will start the rest of his life with a strong testimony of Jesus Christ’s ability to help him use his agency wisely.

Michael and Jenna have treasured every minute of life with their vivacious two-year-old Anna Kate. After waiting almost ten years for her arrival, imagine their delight at expecting a little brother or sister for her this coming June! Michael continues to love his job at Brooks manufacturing and we continue to enjoy its by-products, our generous supply of firewood from the trimmings of all those power-pole crossbars. Michael is a counselor in his ward’s bishopric and Jenna is the Primary music director.

Joseph and Kathryn are also giving Taylor – a bear Cub Scout, Makayla – a second-grader, and Emily a pre-schooler a new baby come June! Since Mike and Joe’s wives have been friends since college days, it was a double delight to be giving each other’s families new cousins almost simultaneously. Joseph took advantage of the family – including Daddy B.J. and me – gathering for the UNLV vs. BYU football game last fall. He built a large storage shed and got lots of relatives in on the project. Joseph is a counselor in his ward’s bishopric and Kathryn is in the Relief Society presidency.

Debbie has re-discovered the peace and assurance of living as an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has recently decided to finish a college degree and in now starting classes. Her husband Jay continues to design more web sites to enhance their realty sales, leasing, and renting business. He and Debbie with her broker’s license make a marvelous team. Nathan and Nicholas (19) and T.J. (17 ½) are seniors. Nicholas has been involved in fireman training through his high school for two years now. Nathan will probably fit into the family real estate business as his oldest sister Jessica has from time to time. T.J. is a scholar and has made excellent preparation for college as well as taking roles in all the school musicals and plays. Amy is eight and has a new look with the first haircut of her life. It was in consequence of a “self-cut” she inflicted on one side of her lovely, long tresses. Monica is seven and a little princess, and every inch a girl like her mother was. Debbie is serving on her ward Relief Society Enrichment committee.

David’s podiatric clinic continues to flourish. David and Fatima’s twin daughters Adryann and BrynneĆ© are as un-alike as my twin and me. Since they live less than two miles from us, we get to see them more than any of our other grandchildren. So they are one of our greatest pleasures. We get invited to school programs and activities and they join us at things we have going on. David and Fatima seem to continually be remodeling their home and office. They have been greatly assisted of late in the construction by our oldest son, who came here at the end of November pulling his trailer loaded down with huge statues and pieces of art work, which David and Fatima bought at an art auction in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. This was the first chance they had to transport them. Two 2 ½ foot tall sitting lions now adorn the front porch, which has just been paved with flagstone and tile. Daddy B.J. even got in on the office facelift – painting after Will did the finishing carpentry. David is a counselor in his high priest group presidency. Fatima assists with Relief Society activities.

Will has been called as a standing substitute Sunday school teacher and has been filling in most Sundays. He has an office set up in one room of Daddy B.J.’s building. If he can get finished with all the remodeling chores that have occupied him, he will return to work on his websites. He brought the family dog, Sadie, up from Nevada with him. She kept the peacocks at David and Fatima’s in an uproar, so now she resides here. Will stops faithfully to feed her and frequently takes her around the lake. Daddy B.J. takes her often, too. Mindie and the kids are settled in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Allyssa started Kindergarten in the fall. She and her brothers Ashton, Travis, and Justin like their schools very much. Jordan is working some and considering college. Kevin has rejoined the household to assist in every way he can. He found computer-programming classes at college far below the level he has already achieved but is hoping an animation focus will satisfy his educational goals.

Tiffany Adams, our married granddaughter, also lives in Pleasant Grove with her husband Chris. They have given us two of the most beautiful great- grandchildren in the world with Tiffany’s pixie facial features and Chris’s flaming red hair. They also are expecting a baby in the spring. Another redhead?

Daddy B.J. has served as a bishop for three years. It is a calling that is always challenging. He continues to grow in it. I am officially on the activities committee but also his “man Friday”. Being a bishop’s wife is sort of a calling. We love the people in our ward. We love the Lord. We love our family – our generation as well the younger ones. We are very blessed and consequently very happy. Love,