Othello Trip

Diana and I went to visit my parents this past weekend and found that we went on a perfect weekend. As we approached Othello on Highway 17 from Mesa to Othello I noticed a house that I remember going to home teach when I was between 14 and 15 then I noticed another house that I remembered a certain family lived in when I was a child. Then finally I noticed a house as we approached Othello tht belonged to the Weibel family and I told Diana I had graduated from high school with a daughter of this family. Later I asked my father if the Weibel family still owned this property and he told me that yes Herbert Weibel still lived there and that the girl I had graduated with had given birth to a baby by a guy by the name of ? Jemkins and mom had said the Jenkins were all a wild lot.

Enough for the nostalgia. I just thought it quite interesting that I was so able to remember these things at this time and had never befre emembered them. There seems to be a lot of things that I am just now remembering and learning that was a part of my earlier years.

Now for the reason of the perfect weekend. It seems that Matthew was scheduled to be given the Melchizedek preisthood on Sunday after church and ordained an Elder. As we were there I was asked to help in the ordination. I was also asked to give my father a blessing of health just after this ordination which I thought was quite special in the event there were many others in the room who could have done just as well or better than I.

Diana and I were able to get home last night at about 11 PM after a very enjoyable weekend. We took the game Blokus with us and everyone who played it had a wonderful time.

Dad's blessing Matthew's Orrdination

Cameron n Samantha , Melissa's children

So where has everyone gone?

I really do know!
One of the happiest moments of our later years was a few years ago when we had the whole family here for Adam and Ciria’s wedding and since then we have gone from everyone to Andrew, Shawnie, Aden and Jocelyn who now live here in Vancouver, WA with Diana and I.

I guess that is alright since we haven’t spent a lot of time with Andrew and family since we moved here in 2000. Of course part of the blame for that is on Andrews shoulders but most of that blame is my own. At any rate this will change now that there is no one left here in Vancouver except for Andrew and family and Diana and I. Is there enough ands in the previous sentence?

While I was working I earned quite a lot of money but I was too busy trying to earn money to really enjoy it. We are far happier now that we are dirt poor than we were when we had quite a lot of money. The most important thing is to enjoy life and not to worry about what one has. Diana and I have six wonderful children and currently 10 wonderful grandchildren. This is real joy and happiness.

When Diana and I were first married she wanted me to get a good education so that I could make a lot of money and it would not have been as hard on me as a manual laborer. Well if Alex gets hired on as a fireman, he will make far more money than I could have and Andrew has just got a job with Christensen yachts and he will shortly be earning more than I could. I guess what I am saying is that I hope each of my children will take it to heart that happiness and joy do not come from how much mone one has but rather what one does with what one has.

Now the five wonderful grandchildren we had living here with us.


Aden has a haircut just like mine
or at least just like mine when I was five years old on July 4, 1956

Jocelyn the model of Andrew and Shawnie is playing with Aden, Zachary, Tonia and Zeke.

And Zachary is getting ready to leave the area of Vancouver and playing with Aden and Jocelyn for the last time in Vancouver. I seriously hope Zachary will be able to make a bunch of friends in Utah like he has here.

Of course Tonia and Zeke are also getting ready to leave us here in Vancouver. I hope Tonia will be able to continue with her ridinng of horses and she will continue practicing her guitar.

Labor Day weekend

We went on a trip up the mountain through overhanging branches only bits of the sky could be seen at first and then we were going up and up and we kept going up.

And there were roadside shops such as the 7/11 you see here. Oh don't believe all you read. This isn't really a 7/11 but rather a 911.

Then there was the mountain up ahead.

And then we finally saw an elevation sign about a fourth way up.

As we got up to the top as far as we could drive there was still this much further that we should have gone but Diana would not let me walk any further. So we started for the bottom and our dreary little lives once again.

On the way down we were lucky to find a few places to rest.

OH by the way the mountain is Mount Hood.

Tomorrow will be another Journal.