Birthday Celebrations!

How do you celebrate?

How do you celebrate your birthday?

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My darlin said to me, “It’s your birthday Tuesday, what do you want to do?”

I answered, “What do I really want to do?”

He told me it really only matters what I want to do on my birthday.

I agreed!

“I want to clean the basement,” I announced.

He couldn’t believe it, “What?”

“We’ll do some work, take a load to the thrift store, then have dinner with family!”

Sounds like a perfect day to me.

We spend the first 5 hours of the day cleaning the basement. It hasn’t been organized since we moved into our new (old) home in March. When we moved, we downsized a bunch! We, as well as those helping us move just put items here and there. There was no rhyme or reason to the rooms. We had food storage with seasonal decor, sewing supplies, and cleaning supplies all in random places. It was very full, with just a pathway leading to the far corner of the room.

I don’t know how you feel about that kind of situation, but to me that is very overwhelming and frustrating. I learned from reading a book written by an organizer named Daryl Hoole, that you need a place for everything and to keep everything in it’s place, like put it right away once you use it.  We didn’t even have a place for everything yet, how could we keep everything in it’s place? This drives me crazy, so to me this was a great way to spend my birthday, and then have the peace that comes from keeping it clean, and organized.

It went very well. We got a lot done. We took a load to the DI (thrift store) and met the family at the restaurant. It was so fun to see them.

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We have a tradition in our family on birthdays. We go around the table and say something that we love about the person whose birthday it is. We usually go around a few times. I love it! It was the perfect finish on a wonderful day. I got to love on this sweet little grandbaby! My daughter-in-law Janet gave me the cutest thing from my grandbaby. She traced his cute tiny hands on paper, and cut it out, and attached a accordion piece of paper from one cut out hand to the other. On the one hand was written, “Happy Birthday” and on the other, “Grandma, I love you this much!”  Oh my stars!!!! I love it!

It really was a great day!

Birthdays are fun when they’re spent doing what you want, with who you want to be with!

30th Anniversary Trip!

We had a big celebration in August. It was our 30th Wedding Anniversary!

We decided since we’ve never done a big trip for our anniversary before, we decided to do it this year.

We had a wonderful time on an Alaskan Cruise!

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We flew to Seattle where we got on our cruise ship.

This was our first cruise so we were excited and looking forward to a fun trip!

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We went to Ketchikan and saw the lumberjack show and saw Totem Bight State Park. We walked around town. It is so beautiful in Alaska! It rained, but it was still beautiful.

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Then we went to Juneau. And we saw Mendenhall Glacier.

Our world is wonderful!

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Then there was the Salmon Fish Hatchery. Can I just say Salmon are so interesting. If you don’t know, they swim out to sea after being born way up stream in the mountains. They stay in the ocean for years and then near the end of their life they swim up stream for a long time, back to where they were born. It is a very difficult trip for them. Then they lay their eggs and die. And then the cycle repeats. I’m sure there are some life lesson’s there, but I’m still thinking on it. They are truly amazing.

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We saw so much beautiful scenery, mountains, waterfalls, water, ice…gorgeous.

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Another glacier.

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Panning for gold in Skagway!

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We drank water from this beautiful waterfall that came from a glacier. So good!!!

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Awesome old cemetery!

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It was a wonderful trip! We had a blast spending time together and having a fun adventure! This world is such a beautiful place. It is so fun to travel with my sweetest darlin!

I totally recommend a trip like this.

We feel very blessed to have such a neat experience.

I love my Sweetheart more than ever, and I’m so grateful for the 30 years we have had together.

Six Years!!!

It’s been another year of blogging!!! 

It’s been SIX years!!!

Let’s see…what has happened in this last year? 

I became a Grandma for the second time to the cutest “Lil’ Dude.”

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I got a new job,

welcomed home my sweet missionary and “Bonus Baby”,

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 and moved to a new home after 18 years in our old home.

photo (24)It has been a very busy year!

I feel so blessed and life is full.

I haven’t been super good at posting:(, but I do love sharing fun stories and pictures and things about myself and my life. I hope you have enjoyed coming to visit and I hope you’ll come again! Leave a comment if you’d like, that way I’ll know you where here. 

I keep blogging a long mainly so my family has a history of “US”. Here’s a great quote that explains how I feel:

“Every family has keepsakes. Families collect furniture, books, porcelain, and other valuable things, then pass them on to their posterity. Such beautiful keepsakes remind us of loved ones now gone and turn our minds to loved ones unborn. They form a bridge between family past and family future.

Every family has other, more valuable, keepsakes. These include genealogies, family stories, historical accounts, and traditions. These eternal keepsakes also form a bridge between past and future and bind generations together in ways that no other keepsake can.”-Dennis B. Neuenschwander

Please visit again!

Love, Joy

“Hamilton” The Velveteen Bear!

“Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit. ‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’ ‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’ ‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” 
― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
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Meet my velveteen friend, Hamilton!
photo (15)When I was just 5 years old my maternal grandparents gave me Hamilton.
He didn’t have a name then.
He was very large and furry. He had two black eyes, and a realistic nose. His red tongue, made of felt, hung out of his mouth like he was ready to lick some honey.
I was in love!!!
We played for hours and hours.
He was my friend when I felt like no one else was. He loved me no matter what.
I’ve kept him all these years
-48 to be exact-
I didn’t know I was making him “Real” by loving him so much.
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Recently we have been cleaning out closets and rooms. Throwing things away and sending things to the thrift store. I came across Hamilton in the back of my closet. I thought maybe its time. I said to my darlin, should I get rid of him? He told me it was up to me and suggested that I take a picture of him. I took the picture above, and then
burst into tears. I cried so hard. I called my momma for advice. She told me, “You don’t have to get rid of him. Get rid of something that isn’t so sentimental.”
I agreed. I can’t do it, I’m not ready. I may never be ready.
And now I feel much better.
Maybe someday I can tell my grandkids about Hamilton and how “Real” he is to me.

My Most Lovin!

Happy Anniversary!

We’ve spent 29 years together!

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Why has it worked? We aren’t a perfect couple, but we have learned some things.

First of all, we began our relationship as friends. We were friends for years before we went on a date. In fact, when he asked me out the first time, I wasn’t sure if it was a date or if we were going out as friends. I decided if he opened the door for me, it was a date. Guess what? He opened the door for me!

Second, we understand that neither one of us is perfect. We will bug each other from time to time. We do our best to treat each other with love, respect, and kindness. I feel so blessed to have this kind of marriage.

Third, we include God in our relationship. He is the most important. If we are both doing our best to live the kind of life we know that our Father in Heaven would be pleased with, we will be treating each other right, and we will have love in our marriage.

It is hard work, but very much worth it. I wouldn’t trade him for anything, and I am thankful everyday for my life with my darlin.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy to My DaRliNeSt!!!

We had a fun day celebrating my sweeties birthday!!!

We rode on the Front Runner to Salt Lake City. We saw a movie at the planetarium, and then we saw lots of other things…. photo 4 (2)We saw the solar system! photo 1 (2)We saw a meteor and touched it!photo 2 (1)We saw a tornado machine!photo 2 (2)We saw this ginormous earth! What a beautiful place we live!!!photo 3 (1)Then I saw this cute guy on Mars doin’ an Egyptian pose!!! 😉photo 4 (1)We had dinner at Tucanos….Mmmmmmm!photo 2 (3)

photo 5 (1)They had a lovely Salad Festival. I think all salad bars should be called a Salad Festival! Don’t you? It seemed that much more special!photo 1 (3)Then we went to the City Creek Center. Beautiful!photo 3 (3)I love spending time with my sweetheart! We had such a fun day!

Happy Birthday to my darlin’!!

Tuesday Adventure!

We had a wonderful Tuesday!!! After a wonderful visit to the Bountiful Temple we drove to Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City! It is one of my favorite places in the world! I love the feeling you get when you step onto the square. There is definitely a lovely spirit as you walk through and see the beautiful sights. photo 1

My sweetheart and I were married in this beautiful building (above). It is the Salt Lake Temple! It is my favorite because of that. It is a absolutely gorgeous building inside and out!

photo 3This building is the Assembly Hall. Our son, Riley, once sang with his high school choir in there. It is a very pretty building. And the statue in front of it is the Seagull Monument. It commemorates the miracle of the Seagulls.

The pioneers had recently entered the Salt Lake Valley and were trying to grow food when a huge infestation of crickets started eating the crops. There were so many crickets they were afraid that they would not have any food. So they prayed and asked God for help, and many Seagulls came and started eating the crickets. The Seagulls would fly away and regurgitate the crickets and come back and eat some more. The crop was saved and the pioneers thanked God for the miracle.

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Right next to the Seagull Monument is a beautiful bronze statue of some handcart pioneers. These pioneers where so valiant. They struggled more than most of the pioneers. Imagine putting everything you own in a small handcart like the one behind the parents in this statue. You would also need supplies and food. How could you fit everything? If someone got sick or injured they would have to fit in the handcart. An awesome movie that shares the story of the handcart pioneers is called 17 Miracles. I have 8 pioneer families in my ancestry, but none of them came by handcart. They used covered wagons. All of the pioneers were the most diligent, hard working, and stalwart people. I am so happy to read about my pioneer ancestors.

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Another view of the beautiful Salt Lake Temple!!! It is a sacred and holy place.photo 5 (5)

Then we went into the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was the Hotel Utah originally. Now it is a monument to a great prophet!! Joseph Smith restored the Church of Jesus Christ back to the earth. He was a wonderful man. You can hear about him here and here!photo 2 (4)It is a very beautiful building!!photo 2 (2)

Look at the details in the trim and the beautiful chandelier! 
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It was a busy and fun day! We visited a few other places, but I will share those at a later time.

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am so grateful we were able to visit temple square. Oh, I almost forgot. One thing I do every time I visit temple square is hug as many sister missionaries as I can and tell them I love them! I hope someone is loving and hugging my sweet Emily on her mission too!!!

God Bless America!

DSC02559I am so grateful for this wonderful country, The United States of America!

I am also grateful to all of the men and women who have fought to protect our freedom. I am grateful for the leaders who have served this country with integrity and honor throughout history.

I love this country!

Happy Independence Day!!!