My New Bathroom

I have lived in this house for over a year. I LOVE this house, but the biggest problem with it was there were only 2 bathrooms and there was no master bathroom. So we added one. The workers started on Tuesday and on Friday we had a beautiful new master bath. It was added into an alcove in the biggest bedroom. It fits perfectly. As part of the contract for building the bathroom, a maid service will come on Monday and clean our house from top to bottom. So, of course, I have been busy cleaning up for the maid.

Now we will also have a nice guest bedroom-so you all have to come visit us. (There is a bathroom that has two doors-one to the guest bedroom-one to the hall. So it makes a perfect guest suite.)

So come see us soon!!!

By the way I LOVE reading everyone's blogs. It makes me feel so connected to my nieces, especially. And I do feel guilty when I go weeks or months at a time without posting. But at least I am better about blogging than I have ever been about keeping a journal. I love you all.

Bridesmaid dress

I know Sara told you that Dallin's grandmother died this week. Today Sara was visiting her mother-in-law while they were going through her mother's things. They were making a box of stuff to send to DI. Sara saw one dress and said "Why do you have my mother's bridesmaids dress?" I guess it turns out that that pattern was a really popular bridesmaid dress. Sara's mother-in-law, Karol, also had the same pattern for her bridesmaids dresses except a little darker pink. Karol and I continue to find that we have many things in common.

Here is a picture of Julianna wearing the dress.

Education week

I have loved attending education week. The most amazing experience was hearing Michael Ballam speak. He testified of the reality of Satan. He testified that one way to protect your home and family from Satan is to always play good music. Satan does not like to be in an environment where the Spirit is present and music invites the Spirit. I know this is true.

So far Tina loves it.

I talked to Tina last night and she was still missing me, but she was having fun. Then she went to the Institiute dance last night and to church today and I doubt she is missing me at all anymore. That makes me happy.

I loved what a friend said about Tina living in the same apartment Beckie lived it. She said it is "good karma." Of course I don't believe in karma, but it still just feels right.

I abandoned my baby today:(

I left Christina at Snow College today. She moved into the same apartment in the dorm that Beckie lived in when she was there. It was like dejavu all over again. We had a fun day getting her settled and then "pushed her out of the nest" at about 4pm. She cried a little when we left, but quickly made friends with her roommates. She seems to have really nice roommates and they seem to be good girls. Snow College is a wonderful place.

I will miss my baby, but it is time for her to go.

57 things

My girls tell me I have to list 57 things I love about Frank before I can read their blogs. So here they are:
1. He loves me.
2. He loved me enough to marry me 29 years ago.
3. He married me in the Temple.
4. He still takes me to the Temple.
5. We have 4 wonderful daughters.
6. He is a loving father.
7. He let me live in San Antonio after we were married.
8. He let me move to Provo last year.
9. He let us spend a lot of time in Manti every summer when the girls were growing up.
10. He is a good money manager.
11. He has always been a good provider.
12. He honors and magnifies his Priesthood.
13. He can answer any gospel question I ask and he knows exactly where the reference is.
14. We went to Germany and Switzerland last year and plan to go again next year.
15. He has a wonderful mother. She is the best mother-in-law and granny.
16. He has a wonderful sister and she really loves my daughters.
17. He is a great professor and his students really like him.
18. He likes Kitty.
19. He likes leftovers and will eat the same thing everyday until it is all gone.
20. He will eat cereal for dinner if I don't want to cook.
21. I like his hair so much.
22. He always thinks I am beautiful-even now as I get older.
23. He likes the old TV show The Paper Chase.
24. He likes I Love Lucy.
25. He likes the old TV show Mission Impossible.
26. He introduced me to the movie Casablanca.
27. He likes the move National Treasure.
28. He is a really good teacher and speaker at church. When he was Stake President everyone like his talks because he could say so much without taking a long time.
29. He likes to shop at Walmart-I figure if I can't buy it at Walmart I don't need it.
30. He likes to watch Perry Mason at night, but he almost always falls asleep just before the end so he doesn't know what happened.
31. He fixes the computer for me whenever something goes wrong.
32. He loved me when I had bad eyes, but then he let me get them fixed.
33. He is letting me get a new bathroom.
34. He always drove the girls to seminary so I didn't have to get up and do it.
35. We never fight.
36. We have never fought.
37. We have always talked about moving to St George, but probably never will.
38. He likes planning for things like vacations.
39. He has the ablility to really listen to people.
40. He never brags about himself.
41. When I look at him I feel all fluttery inside-I love him so much more now than I did when we were first married.
42. During the first year of our marriage he always could figure out exactly how many minutes we had been married.
43. I am more likely to forget our anniversary than he is.
44. He loves my cooking.
45. It is fun to go for walks with him.
46. It is fun to sit at home with him and be quiet.
47. It is fun to go to church with him and have everyone tell me how much they admire him.
48. He joined the church because of a rattlesnake.
49. He was a percussionist in High School and played in the Longhorn Band at UT.
50. He is tall.
51. He plays the piano and the organ.
52. Sometimes he says funny things and I laugh.
53. He took me to Uruguay.
54. We are so similar in every way.
55. My hand fits perfectly in his.
56. I love holding his hand.
57. I am convinced that there is no one else I could be so perfectly happy and content with.

This is a picture of Frank's parents on their wedding day. In honor of Frank's father, I want to write a little about them. They met at a skating rink when Betty was 15. Junior was 4 year older than Betty. They got married 4 years later.

Junior was not a man to express his emotions much. Towards the end of his life his was an invalid. Betty took care of even his most basic needs. She did this for many years. One day she walked into his bedroom. It was shortly before his last serious setback. As she walked into his room, he opened his eyes and said. "Betty, I have always loved you."

This simple statement meant so much to her and made everything she did for him worth it. She does not regret one minute of the care she gave him.

I think this is a beautiful story and I hope we all remember to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us.

I am thankful my husband had a good father. I am thankful he is a good father. And I am thankful for my wonderful father.