The Two FFs

Everyone needs them.

They are such a great blessing in our lives.

And, you realize that more and more as you:

have a celebration for something in your life,
have a tragedy in your life,
have something you want to share with someone special,
need a listening ear,
get older.


So, today, I just want to tell my
FAMILY and FRIENDS

You rock my world.

Thank you.

Hey, GOOGLE, You Messed Up On This One!

Eli and Miles Hackworth celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday...BTW, did you know about his name...Seuss is his mother's maiden name, and he added Dr. when he disappointed his father by not going into medicine....
which we are all glad about.

I love going to Google's Home Page on special days; they have the most fun, engaging, unique ways of spelling out Google.

But,

THEY MISSED TODAY'S IMPORTANT DATE!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, we - and Google - should totally give credit to the man who singlehandedly helped get rid of Dick and Jane.

And, who invented the word...
NERD.
so......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DR. SEUSS!

Let's all go out and eat some green eggs and ham!

He's 4!

He wiggled to get off my lap, but I was trying everthing to get him to just stay close to me for just a minute more.....

"Hey, Miles," I said, "do you know what this is?" pointing to my CTR ring.

"Sure," he said..."it's a CTR ring." "Well, what does that mean?" I asked.

"It means to do the right thing."

"Okay, so let's say that you and your friend are playing together, and there's only ONE PIECE of candy left....what is the right thing to do?"

He paused briefly...then his whole face lit up as he said,

"Go to the store and buy a whole BASKET of candy for both of you!"

And, then, he was off my lap in a flash!

Happy Birthday, ten year old!

A year ago, he was recovering from leg surgery,

so this has gotta be a better year for ten-year old Oliver, who loves video games, reading, and teasing his 3 little sisters...did I get that right, Oliver?

Here's to happy days ahead, Oliver:

Happy 60th Birthday,Younger Bro!

Today is his 60th birthday...hard to believe.

For one reason, he doesn't LOOK 60....he could easily pass for 59! (Actually 40)

Let me tell you a little about the man turning 60..

He's a VIP in finance in the state of Idaho, BUT he doesn't act like that. He's humble, has a great sense of self-deprecating humour, and people appreciate his non-self-inflated-ego.

One day, in a remote little town in the middle of nowhere Idaho, RAH and I were eating at a home-town restaurant. We got talking with three men at the next table; one was a banker from Boise. I asked, if perchance, he happened to know my brother. Indeed he did, and somewhere in the conversation, he said, "Normally bankers don't like state bank regulators, but everyone respects and LIKES your brother."

Every time I see the manager of our credit union in Idaho, he tells me the same thing, "Just returned from meetings in Boise with your brother. He is so likable. Everyone likes him. He's a great speaker. Your brother is just a great, great guy."

Well, I've always thought so too.

My brother is a fantastic story teller.

One of my favorites is about the time my youngest brother got a new coat for Christmas. The label said, "Inflammable." So, my now-60 year old brother talked Preston (baby brother) into seeing if that was true indeed. With Preston wearing the inflammable coat, my brother lit matches and threw them at the coat to see if the coat was indeed inflammable....it wasn't.

He has the most marvelous disposition; always happy and sunny, even with the weight of the financial turbulence of the past few years, he has maintained his sense of humor and calm demeanor.

With his beautiful and young-looking wife, Libby, they have raised four very remarkable, highly educated, talented hard-working children.

So, today, I raise my glass in praise of my younger brother, Gavin Gee!
Happy 60th dear brother; and here's to 60 more!

How to Look Beautiful at 65

Her license plate says: GODOT...and

that describes her perfectly; she is always on the GO....

Paris, Ireland, Salt Lake, Florida, Las Vegas, Golden Corral;
you name it - she's ready to go, but.....

she doesn't just go and have fun, she and her husband work HARD!

So, how does she stay looking so young?

I want her beauty secrets...because you, see, she's not really 65 at all.

I'm not telling her real age, but let's just say, she looks so much younger than she is.....but I think her birth certificate is wrong.

I think she is really 65!

And, I'm glad she's my friend!

Happy Birthday, dear Kristi D!

Strong, independent, smart, kind, thoughtful, generous, hard-working, thrifty, remarkable. That's our Kristi...happy day, dear dear Kristi D!

Happy Birthday, Relief Society!

How Often? Once a year
How Many Years? Lots of years is how long I've been going!
What Kind of Evening is it? Some fun, humorous, historical, modern, dinners, non-dinners
Programs? Sometimes music, sometimes speakers, sometimes workshops
Best One? Without Doubt....last night's Sisters of Light! It included original music by Jenny Phillips and an original narrative outline, but with unscripted stories by women in our stake.

Incredible, amazing, inspiring, love-filled, emotion-filled...it was a blend of stories fromBiblical days, pioneer days, and real-life contemporary women who shared their stories of:

losing jobs, homes, health, marriages; and yet, in each case, they bore such powerful testimonies of the love and care of the Saviour. These women KNEW they were watched and cared for by each other and by the love of Christ even during very, very difficult circumstances in their lives.

The music was amazing!

Linda Asay and I drove Sylvia Seegmiller in her wheelchair accessible van. I was so glad that Sylvia was able to go.

I love the Relief Society! Happy Birthday to this marvelous organization.