A Few Days in Vegas!

Where to stay when in Vegas:

Our granddaughters' apartment.  Best of all - the cost is FREE!  She's moving soon, so we won't be staying here any more.  Glad we did it while we had the chance!

Continuing on in the free vein, we enjoyed touring the cactus garden and Ethel M chocolate factory.

I cannot remember the name of this flower, but it just made my heart sing!  Literally.  It's a tiny little flower with a white tip, then it bursts out into a fluffy red flower.  OH, nature is just so amazing.  Well, actually, GOD is so amazing!

The Bellagio Conservatory is just incredible and spectacular!  They had hundreds of poinsettias; it was truly beautiful!

Also Free:  A trip to the Las Vegas Temple; it is so absolutely GORGEOUS; filled with light and beauty; not only in the decor, but in the people; it was a special experience to do dealings that rainy day!

This is just a stock photo; I wanted a picture of us, but it was raining and cold, so I just headed to the car after we ate in the lovely cafeteria.  

The free stuff ended when we went to the buffet at the Bellagio to celebrate Allen's 79th birthday!

This was at the bottom of the receipt.  Totally made me laugh!  

Look at that happy face right there!  This is the picture of a man who loves a good buffet; maybe even a bad one.
Just bring on the food, it it's a buffet!

Well, Vegas, you were a good time; now it's time to return to regular life, which is just great also.

Have You Ever Seen.....

a Grown Man cry?

I did last week.

At the mall.  In Las Vegas.

He was sitting in the chair in a tattoo parlor facing the window.  Bad spot of choice.

The tattoo session was coming to a close.  The tat artist was putting an anesthetic cloth on the tattoo.

But the man.  It was hard to watch.  Big tears were forming in his eyes and rolling down his checks.  His face was contorted in pain and real agony.    I mean, like REAL AGONY.

So, I ask myself....why would you put yourself thru that?

I guess in a week, the pain will be forgotten, and he'll go back for the other arm.

But, thankfully, I won't be there to watch him......

All I Want for Christmas....

is a cart at Walmart that doesn't have a wobbly wheel.

That's all.

A Letter to My Father

Dear Dad,

From you, I learned my love of barbershop singing.

So often, I can hear your rich deep bass in the background of my mind.  Whether singing with the quartette or solo, I always LOVED that rich basso of yours.

Did you know that I was attracted to RAH because he played the piano by ear - JUST LIKE YOU!  I loved that about him, because it was so reminiscent of the times you would sit at the piano and just play with no music.

So, last night, we went to hear an acapello group of barbershop singers.

This group was truly unbelievable.  They had such amazing harmonies.  It was thrilling.

I kept thinking of you the entire night.

You would have loved it.  You would have been as delighted as I was.

And, so I just want to say on this Beautiful Sabbath; THANK YOU for giving me the love of MUSIC;

band, symphony, classic, popular (from YOUR era..ha ha.), parade music, just music in general.

I love this gift of music from you, dear father.

Thank you.

Adventures With the Allams

Nevada Bound!

The Natural Springs at Warm Springs - a recreation area owned by the church.
So interesting and fun to learn about this significant property.

The little fish that feed on your feet if you hold still, drove me nuts.  Loretta loved them, but they
tickled my feet.  And, it just felt weird!  Our feet are in a little natural warm springs.
The water is always about 84 degrees.  There are two pools, but one of them has no fish.

Boulder City, Nevada has the largest herd of mountain goats in America.
Here they just sun themselves in the city park every day.
There were 34 sheep in this herd and others nearby.  It was amazing to all of us.
Loretta walked up very close to get a good picture.  

what an amazing and incredible feat of engineering.  We were in awe of the many things we learned about this dam.
And, it was so great to have our own personal tour guide to tell us all the inside stories.
Fabulous Morning with Nathaniel.

How they accomplished this amazing get in the 1920's and 1930's is such a marvel of talent, grit, determination
and most of all hard, hard work.  It was an awesome experience.  The bridge in the background is
more recent than the dam.  But, it too, is an engineering feat!

We met John Wayne's oldest granddaughter at a John Wayne exhibit in Las Vegas.
Well, howdy about that!

WHO SAYS....

old people can't sing?!?!??!

We went to a dinner meeting last night and the Bar NONE band performed.

They were so awesome and delightful.  Their harmonies were tight, the music was spot on and the piano player was simply AMAZING!

I loved listening to their music.

I really love living in this little town where there is always something to do, and you don't have to drive on icy roads to get to it!

GRRRRR.........

at myself.

I'm so angry right now at myself.

STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.

NO SELF- DISCIPLINE.

And, unfortunately, I have NO ONE to blame but MOI!

I've been trying to eat three meals a day; absolutely NO SNACKING between meals.  It's so hard because I totally snack all day long.  And absolutely NO EATING after 7;00!

So, it was going along.

Then, FAILURE.

Last night we took Gigi and Jim Kern to view the Christmas lights.  As we were about to go to the final home; the ultimate in decorating, Jim asked if we wanted to go to Culvers.  I love Culvers.

So, instead of saying"It's late, we don't need frozen custard, etc., etc., etc.," I jumped at the chance.

As if that weren't bad enough, I ordered something I dislike - not knowing that's what it was - CARMEL with a teeny bit of vanilla custard - which I love - lost somewhere in the cup.

I ate some, but man, oh man, I was SO ANGRY.

Woke up angry.

I DO NOT LIKE TO GIVE IN!

I tried to exercise hard today, but honestly, from what I've read I would have to walk to San Francisco to work off what I snarfed down last night.

So, WILL I LEARN FROM THIS?

Probably not.

Political Rant

I'm not very political.

In fact, I hate discussing politics.

BUT, I am so angry right now at the Chinese government ......

They have been treating the UIGHURS of China in the most despicable and horrible way....it totally reminds me of the German government in their want to wipe out the Jews and Blacks.

What the Chinese are doing is unconscionable....but the whole world just lets it happen.

In reality, how can we STOP IT?

When we went to China in 2010-2011, we visited a lovely Uighur village.  They were remote from the rest of the population and lived their lives quietly and with no politics.

However, that has been changing:

The Uighurs are Muslim, they don’t speak Mandarin as their native language, and have ethnicity and culture that is different from that of mainland China.

Over the past few decades, as economic prosperity has come to Xinjiang, it has brought with it in large numbers the majority Han Chinese, who have cornered the better jobs, and left the Uighurs feeling their livelihoods and identity were under threat.

Around a million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslims have been bundled into internment camps, where they are allegedly being schooled into giving up their identity, and assimilate better in the communist country dominated by the Han Chinese.

Children have been separated from their parents, families torn apart, an entire population kept under surveillance and cut off from the rest of the world. The few survivors who have managed to escape the country have been reported to speak of physical, mental and sexual torture at these camps.

China resolutely denies all such allegations, claiming the camps to be ‘educational centres’ where the Uighurs are being cured of “extremist thoughts” and radicalisation, and learning vocational skills.

A MILLION UIGHURS in internment camps being kept away from their families, being cured of extremist thoughts?  Tortured, punished, etc.?  It is so inhumane to even think about that happening under our noses in 2019?!?!?!?!

I am appalled, horrified, and feel so helpless.

I wish the people in Congress would get off their high horses and defend civil rights around the globe.  

Over and over again, I am so grateful to be an American.  But, it comes with guilt sometimes.  

WHAT CAN I DO?  

Today, I'll go do something for a neighbor; it's nothing, really, but it's something, at least in the crazy mixed-up world.

Happy December

...a wonderful month indeed.

And, to start it off, we have two of our three sons here.

Jordan for three days, Justin for today.

Two out of three isn't bad......Justin, Jordan, Jeremy - how I love these fine young men!

It's so great!

I love it....even though it is so very very cold outside!

I SimPLY MUST.....

lose weight.

How will it happen?

I've been trying and I just keep gaining.  It's so frustrating.

So, here it goes.

Another stab at this fruitless effort.

A Sunday Afternoon

I just dropped by for a visit.

The floodgates opened.

Since I am just a neighbor, a friend; not a psychiatrist, I really didn't know what to say about all of DC's sorrows and heartache, which are great and many right now.

I know they say; JUST LISTEN.

But, one can't sit for two hours and NOT SAY A SINGLE WORD in response to the heartache being poured out.

Her sorrow is real; it's tearing her and her family apart.  Her wonderful world that she and her husband have created is shattering.......

AND, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.

I just kept repeating, I'm so very sorry.  This is so hard for you.

I didn't ever say; I know how you feel.

Because I DON'T KNOW how she feels.

But, I do know that she is heartbroken and can't quite get it sorted out.

Her husband came in the room and told her not to burden me with her problems and sorrows.

She angrily cried out, "I need to tell someone; she is my minister; I'm ALWAYS the one doing the ministering.  For many years, I've always helped others....now, it's MY TURN to be listened to!"

Life is just so challenging sometimes.  It's so HARD.

Hearing other's sorrows is hard, too.  But, it always helps me realize that there is heartache all around, and I don't have serious struggles like so many.

And, right now, I'm so grateful for the goodnesses going on in my own life.

Manna in the Wilderness

I am listening to the Old Testament when I exercise.

In Exodus as the Israelites wander in the Wilderness, the Lord provides food for them every day.  Just the right amount for each day.

40 YEARS of free easy access to food.  And, yet, they complain.

Here's the part when I get nervous.

Because I KNOW MOI.  I would be complaining too.  And, I don't like knowing that about myself.

You see, there is no VARIETY.  No Chick-Filet one day and Arctic Circle the next; no potatoes one day and corn the next.

MANNA every day.

And, as I read these verses, I just hear myself murmuring, mumbling, grumbling, griping, about the good food we had had back in Egypt....Oh, for sure, we were slaves, but the FOOD, ah, the food.

I have so much to learn - from others; about myself.

And, so much to do to improve myself and to

JUST BE GRATEFUL!

God has so richly blessed me personally and I need to just be grateful.

No murmuring, no griping, no grumbling....

Just gratitude for the Manna in the wilderness, which includes the many blessings I have and continue to receive EVERY DAY for long over 40 years!

Of YOGA and Such

Every Thursday, I head to the Senior Center for Yoga.

And nearly every Thursday, I think of my mother.

Because you see, LONG before yoga was an "IN THING," my mother was teaching Yoga for community education in Pocatello, Idaho.

I still remember her practicing her rotating ankle movements at night.  We do that exercise at Yoga.

I never got to see my mother "in action," but I'm sure she was a wonderful teacher.  She was a wonderful everything.

I wish I had asked her more about it.

I WISH .......

My mind is a list of wishes about things I WISH I had asked my mom.

Ah, IF ONLY, is a hard way to live one's life........

Something to make one think and be grateful for:

Man, this really made me THINK.

About Sound and music and more music.

WOW!  Thank you, Thomas Edison!

Beds I Have Slept in Lately

 Here we are in the Airport at Tel Aviv, Israel.  We borrowed the camp gear from Jenni and Brent.  I did get a little sleep in this interesting arrangement.  The lights were on all night and people were speaking downstairs, and once in awhile someone walked by where we were laying down....I hesitate to say sleeping!  But, it worked better than sitting in a chair.  And, we could stretch out!

This is our blow-up bed.  It's set up in our garage.  RAH and I used it for two nights while my brothers were visiting here.  It worked out great.  The first night, I was a little cold, so we got an extra blanket for the next night and it was quite cozy.  On the third night, we slept in the bed vacated by Kaey and Shauna, who had to leave early.
I am grateful for my own new king size bed, but I can get along other places if I need to!

A Day in the Backcountry with Friends

New Pickup

Time to try it out!

RAH, Jim Kern, Mike Allam, Nick Watt (his wife gets car sick, so it would have been a bad deal for her,
as the ride got pretty rough in some spots.

Gigi and jim Kern

I LOVE this great picture of RAH!

I love this picture of Loretta eating her apple...so happy and fun with her Jeep Girl hat on!
She's always ready for FUN and Adventure!

Nick, Mike and Loretta Allam, and RAH.

We drove on the Lytle Ranch Road to arrive at our destination: Lytle Ranch.

Lytle Ranch is an environmental study area owned by BYU.  Students from BYU and BYU/Idaho go there to study the many species of birds (150) and other nature type things in this remote destination.

RAH was so happy with how well the pickup maneuvered, and climbed up the hills, went down the hills, etc.  He said it's his favorite vehicle that we have ever owned.  Isn't that great?

Good day with good people.

Provo, Utah, Here I Come!

Miles: band concert

Miles played the clarinet.  I watched him; he was doing great!

Eli: minor role in the musical, Drowsy Chaperone, but what a totally delightful play and evening!

Sometimes Eli and his friends come home for lunch.  Today, Amy had leftover spaghetti for them.  YUM YUM

Five hungry teenage boys.  On of them always brings his own lunch....good for him!

Calder: just to be with him

Trampoline Time!

Friend time; Ryan, Calder, Oakley

Quick trip to do an endowment session at the Provo Temple.

Justin; Amy: Over night getaway, which they so richly deserve.

Love note from Justin to Amy on Friday morning.

So, Provo was a great trip.

WHO KNEW?

This is truly hilarious.


Here's what it says:
Not soon enough.  Laboratory tests over the last few years have proven that babies who start drinking soda during that early formative period have a much higher chance of gaining acceptance and "fitting in" during those awkward pre-teen and teen years.  So, do yourself a favor.  Do your child a favor.  Start them on a strict regimen fo sodas and other sugary carbonated beverages right now, for a lifetime of guaranteed happiness.
THE SODA POP BRAND OF AMERICA.
At the side of the bottle it says; Promotes Active Lifestyle
Boosts Personality
Gives body essential sugars

Oh, man, how times have changed!

Time With My Brothers...

...is always FUN,

What a great movie to share with mia familia!

We might not have been sitting together, but we thrilled together at this marvelous production.

Gotta enjoy Snow Canyon with a great short walk thru its beautiful walls.

INSPIRING:

Temple sealings just one week before this temple closes for two years.  I just kept thinking about my parents and how thrilled they would be to see us all tother doing dealings.  It was a beautiful experience for me.

and HAPPY

Well, of course, a large part of getting tother is eating together.  we ALL LOVE FOOD.  Here we are in the temple cafeteria after doing family name dealings.  Notice all the people who are eating salad.  Oh, those healthy eaters.

Celebrating the birthday Girl!

Well, look who was at Tuacahn the same night we were!  So FUN!  Cab you tell it was VERY cold?

Sometimes it seems like all we do is EAT!  HA HA...bring it on!

Time for a party, with cake and Dot's Pretzels!

One of the really great things we did this gathering was to look at photos the Libby had digitized.
These are all slides from my parents' time in Germany during 1946-1947.
What fun memories, and what great laughs we had as we looked at these very old slides together.

Lately, I've heard about some dysfunctional families.  SAD stuff.  But, I'm so grateful for my siblings and the love we share.  I feel the same way about my inlaws.  It is a blessing I hope I never take for granted.