Family Happenings

Another Chapter of Family Happenings

Christi and Donny's wedding
Oakland Temple - 1983


Family Night at the Drive In Movie


(Extended) FHE in the park,
we used to do this once a month


Sierra's blessing day, West Virginia


Statewide Christmas Party, the reason I put this
in Family Happenings is that Steve, Jeff, Donny
and Christi had all done work for us that year.
The rest of them were like family.
(Back Row) - Lois, Michael, Jeff, Marcus, Robert, Larry, Steve, Donny
(Front Row) - Jamie, Christi, Frances

Camping II

Here I am back with camping again. I guess I just have to do it, because we loved it so much and it brings back so many happy memories.
I forgot in my previous camping blog to mention the clock. Yes, a clock was always hung on one of the trees. I didn’t like to wear a watch camping, but I always wanted to know what time it was. In some of the following pictures you will see the ever present “clock on a tree”.
Most of the pictures in this part were taken on a special camping trip to take Lisa and Jared camping one more time before Jared left for his mission. We had a beautiful camp site in Dorabella campground at Shaver Lake in California. Of course we set up everything to make it truly our own. Dorabella is where we camped most while the kids grew up. It was only about 45 minutes from home.
This time we rented a wave runner, played many games, talked a lot, hiked, had lots of great food. There was always a lot of laughter while camping. We often did camp crafts. Seems like everyone has a better attitude at camp. Even the "chores" don't seem so unpleasant. Gathering firewood, hauling water, doing the dishes, sweeping the ground cloths, straightening the tent, cooking, all of those things just were part of the camping experience. Didn't seem like work at all. We went for quiet night walks and could see all the campers preparing for the night or sitting by their campfires. And oh those stars, so many and so bright up there in the mountains. We would often see shooting stars, what a thrill. I still long for it now and then.

Michael - Lisa _ Jared

Notice the "clock on a tree"
Dorabella Campground site

Lois and Michael, this time a woman driver

Biking in Yosemite

Girl's Camp, this time a "clock on a shed"

Me & some of my Laurels

I just had to add this last picture. This was the last year that I went to Girl's Camp in California. These are the cooks, joined by our Priesthood Leader doing our skit, danced to the words. "Get out in that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans" It was great fun and a wonderful topper for all my Girl's Camp years there. Well, maybe not so wonderful when a group of last year laurel's "brigade" attacked us with water hoses almost in the middle of the night and in the kitchen of the lodge. And not so wonderful when we found a rattle snake in camp right by the lodge where we slept. The snake was on a rock right by the head of one of my Laurel's (Krista Gage). It was wonderful that Lisa was at this year of camp with me. Not so wonderful that she was part of the water brigade and we won't mention that I was the one who started it all with a can of whipping cream. Well, maybe just a couple more pictures.

1982

Abt 1995
Frances Ashcraft, Sharon Holden (my niece), Margo Loftus, Lois Tanner, Becky Jackson


As the sun sets and we get snuggled in our beds, the camp cooks will say good night.

Hobbies, Talents, Collections, Obsessions

Genealogy, that would have to be the first thing to fit into this category. Family History research, Family History trips, teaching Family History, serving in the Family History Center and Beta testing the New FamilySearch have all been a part of life for years. I have seen the sun come up in the morning after a night of working on Family History more than once in my life. Michael calls this one of my talents. I do seem to be blessed in that area of understanding and being inspired where and how to search out what I am looking for.

Cooking, another thing that fits into one of the above categories. This one might just be in the genes. I remember all my life my mother cooking for large groups. Extended family, Church functions, Family Camp, school cafeterias, a hospital, for a fraternity, even at the county fair. Perhaps that is why it has come so easy for me. Working with food for large groups has been a fun thing for me many times. Particularly Girl’s Camp. My most enjoyable years of Girl’s Camp were spent in the kitchen. Lots of fun times, lots of good memories. Of course not all the things I enjoy preparing have to be for large groups we have had some great family meals and small very special, I would call gourmet meals, for Michael and I. Plus lots and lots of experiments, with Internet or magazine recipes. Michael cooks as good as I do, and bakes even better. I left over 200 cookbooks in California. Hobbie, collection or obsession? Maybe talent, who knows?

Girl's Camp Cook

Although I don’t do much anymore, I learned to both crochet and embroider at a fairly young age, while I was still in high school. My grandmother taught me both. I have very few pieces of my own work left, but I do still have the very first doily I crocheted. Also a wall hanging that I made for the grandmother that taught me. I also have over 100 pieces of hand embroidered items. No, I didn’t make them all, haven’t done much of that since I have begun to develop arthritis in my hands. I have purchased most of them, yard sales or eBay mostly. I also seem to just accumulate tablecloths.

All through Junior High School and High School I roller skated. I did both dance and free style. Although I did not go real far with it, I was quite good at it and had wonderful times. Having my appendix taken out in my early teens kind of stopped that for a while. It stopped the competition, but I continued to enjoy skating and still do (if I can stand up long enough on them). For a while in California we had a RS Sisters Exercise group that went skating at the rink once a week.

Skating Days

In college I bowled on a league. I will never forget the time I broke 200 for the first time. I still enjoy bowling , but will probably never see another 200 game. Off and on through the years I have bowled with different groups. My mother and I would bowl one day a week for a while. Sometimes some friends from High School would get together and bowl and then go to lunch. We have bowled with the kids and with the grandkids. Recently a group of us from Stone Hollow went bowling together. The last time I bowled I got a 163, that isn't bad! Michael came in second.

Bowling with the Williams

I do have a small collection of some of my favorite things. Might be unusual for an older woman to collect some of the things that I do. I have a collection of jacks, that is another thing I did quite well in grammar school. I have several sets that I still have and play once in a while. I have played with some of the grandkids who did not even know what they were at first. I also have a collection of marbles. The kids used to bring home ones they had found in the gutters or in the dirt. My cub den boys found out about how much I like marbles and they used to bring me a stray one now and then. I have hundreds and still like to add to them.

Some of my marbles

One of my most enjoyable things to do as a child was to play with paper dolls. I often designed my dolls wardrobes. I would put the doll up to a window or glass door cover them with paper and then design the clothes right on top of them. I could trace around the dolls and make anything my imagination could dream up. I colored them with crayons, colored pencils or painted them with water colors. I would even glue on a sequin, a bead or some other embellishment here and there. I wish I had some of my creations now, but alas those have been gone for years. I do still have a sizable collection of paper dolls and paper doll books that are uncut. I take them out now and then just to look through them and I remember the days of my childhood and what joy they brought. Sometimes I still have the urge to tape a doll to a window and give her a new outfit or two.

In my collection of things are a couple pillow case sized bags of wooden blocks. I love wooden blocks for some reason. I still buy them at yard sales, sometimes only one, sometimes many. I have found a few at places like the DI, I cherish each one. I spell out different words with them, have used them while teaching Relief Society, when I was the Young Women’s President, and as Stake Primary 1st Counselor. I use them here at home to spell out LOVE, PRAY, FAMILY, NOEL, JOY, etc. changing them now and then for the occasion. Some we have made ourselves. Michael has made many of them. I love my blocks.

Some of my blocks

I also collect Christmas cards with pictures of the Nativity, the Holy Family, shepherds, wise men, angels, the baby Jesus, etc. Anything to do with the birth of Christ. It all started because when I finally got rid of the old Christmas cards I just couldn't bring myself to throw these away. I now have hundreds of them and have put them in collage frames and display them during the holidays. They are not as easy to find as they used to be, and I don't get as many as I used to. This collection brings me much peace and joy.

Wow, I thought I would only have a couple things for this blog in this category, but I just can’t stop without mentioning the coupons. COUPONS! I will stop for a coupon anytime anywhere. I even buy coupons LOL. I can hardly stand to buy anything unless I have a coupon for it. This must run in the family. My sister Paula has started a coupon organization that collects coupons and then sends them to military bases all over the world where our military families can use them at the commissary. Any coupons that I get that I don’t use I send on to her organization. For that reason alone I have become even more vigilant about finding coupons.

Now for the obsession, well one of them at least, there are probably others. I would say my biggest obsession is glass. Yes, anything glass. Platters, glasses, bowls, cake stands, punch bowls, candy dishes,etc. I can barely pass a yard sale if I spot something glass. This includes a few Chrystal pieces as well. It really became an obsession while living in California. I mean really. I was pretty good about letting go of a lot of it when we moved, but I do miss every piece that was left behind. I have a pretty good amount of colored Pyrex mixing bowls (mostly, thanks to Christi) and use them all the time. For some reason glass makes me happy.

Some of my glass

I enjoy scrapbooking, journal writing, categorizing, and organizing all my digital pictures. I spend loads of time on the computer, blogging on this site, playing games, doing our family monthly newsletter, family history, emailing, IM, and just surfing around. I guess my computer would have to go in the obsession area too.

No wonder my days seem so busy and full. Full and fulfilling. Call them what you like hobby, talent, collection or obsession they are all a big part of my life. Maybe some of them are a way to just escape for a time. They all bring me joy.

Camping

Camping has been an important part of my life. I love everything about it. I have been told that the first time I really camped out I was about 18 months old. We have taken some grandkids younger than that. I have so many fond memories of all the camping experiences since then. From camping with my family as a child, to Girl Scout camp, to camping with my own family, with friends, and with extended family. After I joined the Church and became a camp cook and a camp counselor, my camping experiences only multiplied, many times over. The camp fires, sleeping outside under the stars or in a tent it is all good. I can smell the campfire as I type this. Climbing rocks, climbing trees (in my younger days), playing games, having “treasure hunts”, renting wave runners. Camping in the mountains and on the beach. Camping by a river or by a stream. Swimming in the lake or floating around in a rubber boat. Water skiing for years. Making S’mores, foil dinners, hot chocolate, Jiffy Pop that always burned, baked potatoes and roasted corn in the coals. And oh those breakfasts, what could be better than eggs and bacon on an open campfire. Baking biscuits in a Dutch oven. Orange crates hanging on the trees for kitchen “cabinets”, an orange crate hung on a tree with a mirror above it for our “medicine” cabinet, and another crate sitting on the ground with a wash basin on top of it for our sink, a roll of paper towels with a stick through the hole and some twine tied to it to hang from the tree or one of the crates. A first aid kit nailed to a tree hanging close by. A hammock strung between two trees. A ground cloth for the door of the tent, sewn out of old Levi’s. A huge bandana quilt the backing made with fabric I got at an auction was what they made ponchos out of during the Viet Nam war and the quilt top was made from many brightly colored bandanas. Another very big ground cloth made from fabric sample books that I got from a store that was getting rid of them. Heavy drapery material samples, carpet samples, etc. It was heavy, but we used it for years to cover the dusty area of the camp site. No wonder I have won some of the ward campouts “Best Camp Site” awards. No trailers or RV’s for us. It was us and nature. Wood gathering hikes, and pine cone gathering were part of the very fun experience. No refrigerators, just ice chests under the trees or in the dome tent “kitchen”. Long restful evenings spent talking by the camp fire. Playing Pit one night so loud that the neighboring camp came over to quiet down the kids that were keeping the rest of the campers within hearing range awake, only to find out it was the “grown ups” more than the kids. The table always had to have an “oil cloth” table cloth and fresh wild flowers. A fast food restaurant type napkin holder (so they wouldn’t blow away). Early in the morning listening to the squirrels getting into our “stuff” that we had neglected to put away the night before. And I could never forget to mention the camouflage parachute that I pulled out of the neighbor’s trash can one time (with permission). We used it for years after that to build “walls” around our camp site. Surprising how big a parachute is and how cozy and private your camp becomes. With the other side being a clothes line, with swim suits and towels hanging, always at the ready. I don’t think this blog has enough space to tell of all our wonderful special memories of camping. Except there might be a couple of our kids that didn’t think the bugs were such a wonderful experience, but so many other things made up for that. Would I like to go and sleep on the ground now? I think I just might.

Cooking - important--------------- More cooking

Yes, bikes sometimes---- Family Camp cooks- Me & Mom

Nap time

More food - Girl's Camp

Manti

The California Coast

Girl's Camp cooks

Girl's Camp - hand in candy jar

Now, this is the way to camp

Where there's smoke there's fire, right?

Family

I have had a lot of time during my illness to work on my personal history, organizing pictures, writing my journal and remembering all the fun activities we have had with our children, their spouses and grandchildren. Sometimes so many things come so close together that we seem to not take the time to savor each one. Some pictures I found I had completely forgotten about. Families and family relationships are interesting and can change over the years. Seems like you see some more often than others for a while and then that might change and you see others more often. Each memory is special. Each holiday, reunion, graduation, wedding, birthday, party, baptism, blessing, and every other conceivable event that we can get to. I am so glad that we have taken so many pictures. They certainly help to recall the details. I know I can't possibly fit in all the activities that we have enjoyed, but just wanted to share some of our happy times. There have been many. Our years have been full and busy. That is what it is all about, making memories. Memories we can cherish and we definitely do cherish them.


Utah reunion, Paige's blessing


Florida with Jason and Stephanie


Disneyland reunion


Michael with Phillipys - Santa Cruz

Steve & Lisa at Laurie's wedding

With Leonards and Owens - River Park

December 2007

With Jason & family - Christi & family

Laurie's Wedding - Sanora, California

Jared & Becca's wedding - Fresno Temple

Utah reunion - Provo Canyon

Laurie, Jeff - Thanksgiving - 2004

Wayne & Evelyn - 70th Anniversary

Illness, What a Pain!

The past couple months (actually many months) have really been a pain, literally. To spare everybody all the ugly details I will just say we have not been to our mission in a while and I have missed many Church meetings, plus other activities and simply not leaving the house. The diagnosis is Chronic colitis. I have never known much about that before. Now I know more than I want to. I still have a couple doctors appointments to go. It evidently takes quite some time to recover, if at all. We are doing everything we can to try and get this under control. It has been a long, painful drawn out experience. I have thus far avoided surgery. I finally was able to go to Salt Lake City yesterday and spend about a half day in the Temple Department. We even stopped to see Mom on the way home. I am grateful for the progress. Shows you what a blessing, fasting and much prayer can do. Not to mention the probiotics, proper diet and a lot of loving care from Michael and phone calls of encouragment from the kids. I am happy to say I am at least taking the first steps on the road to recovery. Thank you family for your support.

Father's Day

It turned out to be such a nice day. I was not able to attend Church because of this strange illness of mine. More about that later. Sunday evening Donny and Christi and the kids brought dinner for Michael and Donny for Father's Day. It was great and we had such a nice evening. The weather was perfect and we sat outside on the deck just at dusk. I felt such peace and love and comfort. This has been an especially tough couple months for me. With busy schedules and such active grandkids we don't get to spend as much time as we would like just being together. So it makes it so special when we can just slow down and enjoy each other. I don't think it should have to take a special appointed day to recognize our father's and husbands, but I guess it is good that we have one, so that we will take that time to reflect on our love for them and their sacrifices for the family. We have a group of mighty fine men in this family and I am so thankful for all of them.

Christi & Lois

Donny & Michael

Looking Back

Just a quick look back.
High School graduation and Wedding Day