Messages From The Chalkboard...

The Rooster...At 17...

 

17 years ago today The Rooster arrived!! Where had the time gone?

  Sniff...Sniff...

He is our "Baby" he is our "Pet." It is hard to see him turn into a man...but at the same time it has

 been so fun to watch him grow. From the moment he arrived, he had us all wrapped around his little finger.

 In fact, he seems to have the same effect on most everyone he meets. Usually when you mention his name,

you hear things like..."oh I love that Rooster..." or "he is such a sweet boy."

 He has eyes that twinkle and those sweet eyes get him out of trouble when trouble is found;)

He as the most contagious smile that can light up a room.

He has a very tender heart.

  He doesn't like to show his emotions...(just like his Farmer Father)...

but when he does it is a very tender thing.

The Rooster at 17...

He loves his siblings and misses them terribly.

He doesn't like to be the center of attention...

He LOVES a good steak...and a not so good one too;)

He really likes Mt. Dew

He smells great all the time;)

He loves jerky

He is a great friend and is quick to defend if needed.

He likes to Golf...

He takes great care of Meow Meow...

He has the most wonderful thick and curly hair...

He has grown very tall over the past couple of years,

 and at the rate he is going he may be as tall as his Dad very soon!

His hands are the same size has his The Farmer's and he now wears a larger shoe than The Farmer does...

He is often found in the kitchen late into the night, because he is hungry.

He loves spear fishing and goes as often as possible!

 

I can't imagine our life without Our Rooster!

 He has brought so much joy into our home!

 I love that Rooster with all my heart!!

Happy Birthday Roost!!!!

 

 

Admitted...

 PreShie was lucky enough to find a good job for the Summer. 

She thought it would be fun to work and live in another city for the last few months 

before he leaves on her mission. She got the hang of the job quickly and was 

enjoying herself! Last week, while at work, she fainted. Likely is was due to not eating 

earlier that day. Anyway, when she fainted she fell and hit her head on a cement floor. 

 She said that the people that were nearby said that she fainted, she hit her head pretty hard...

she then sat up and fainted again...and hit her head a second time.

   

 After filling out reports...they sent her home and suggested that she make a trip to the 

emergency room at the local hospital. After some discussion, she decided that it would 

be a good idea to get checked out. Thank goodness for Tia Beth and Colton, who went along with her. 

 They all spent a few hours there while PreShie was "checked out." Turns out she had 

two small bleeds on the left side of her brain and a confirmed concussion. She has spent 

the last several days resting, catching up on her journal and feeling pretty sick. 

 Thankfully she is on the mend!

Boss...The Wonder Dog!!

What a wild week it has been! I will have to write about it a little at a time!

But first...we had to say good-bye to our Wonder Dog... Boss.

During the past year we began to notice that he was unable to do the things that he loved so much.

 He couldn't jump into the back of the truck to go for a ride to the farms. The Farmer figured out a

way to back his truck into a shallow ditch in front of our home, so that Boss could easily walk

 into the truck. It made him really happy to take a trip to the farms. He was my walking companion

 for years. Each morning I would walk to the river and back... for a little exercise...

he would be by my side. The other two dogs would run, play and explore, but Boss

 would stay close to me, usually hitting my hand with his nose a few times

 during the walk, to let me know he was looking out for me.

 

 

He was the constant companion of The Darlings as they grew up.

Where ever they went...he want to go too. When The Aggie Boy was riding his horses..

.Boss was there too. He loved The Darlings so much...and they loved him too!

 The Farmer was out of town for a couple of days this past week...he was working in Chicago.

  I had noticed that Boss was unusually quiet and wasn't too anxious to move around.

 After work one afternoon I sat in the grass with him and held his head on my lap and

 told him how much we loved him. I told him that we couldn't have raised those Darlings of ours without him.

  I thanked him for keeping us safe and protecting our home. I cried a lot.

After loving him for a little while, I brought his food and water and placed it close by,

 so he wouldn't have to walk far to get it, and then I went to bed. I told The Rooster that Boss was in pretty

 bad shape. He too spent a little time with Boss petting him and loving him.

 

 

The next morning as The Rooster left for school, Boss seemed a little better.

  I left for work and hoped for the best. When I arrived home in the late afternoon, our gardener,

Augustine, quickly came to me to tell me that Boss was unresponsive. We went to the garage

where Boss was laying down, and Augustine kneeled down close to Boss and said

"Boss...Boss...tell me something...tell me anything..." Just then The Rooster came home from

 school and I headed into the house and burst into tears. The Rooster and Augustine carefully carried

 Boss to the truck and quickly drove him to our Vet.

 

 

Within a couple of hours they called to tell us he had died.

The Rooster knew I was an emotional mess, so as hard as it was for him, he went to the Vet.,

picked Boss up, came to the house and picked me up and drove us to the Solecito to bury him in our pet

 graveyard. He and our dear gardener dug the grave and carefully buried our Boss.

 When they were done, Augustine stood at Boss's grave and said..

."oh how we love our pets...they are our family." He loved Boss as much as we did.

 

 

Telling the Darlings was so hard. They loved him sooo much!

I am grateful for the Wonder Dog of our...he was a blessing to our family.

  He made life a little bit sweeter. He will never be forgotten!!

One Of Those Really Good Moments....

 

Last weekend we headed to Mesa. We have been looking forward to this for a long time...

actually 19 years!;)

  PreShie flew from Provo to finalize her teeth issues and to

 attend the Mesa Arizona Temple.

 

When she was deciding which temple she would like to attend for her special day...she consulted with her big brother...
The Aggie Boy, who didn't even hesitate to tell her that the Mesa Temple was our

family temple, and how could she consider anything else! And he is right.

 It is a very special temple for our family. Generations on each side of the family has been blessed by

"Our Temple." I love the sentiment of that Aggie Boy! So Mesa it was.

  While on our way to Mesa we found out that Grandpa S. was on his way to the hospital.

  He was very ill. We went straight to the hospital and one by one The Brotherhood arrived!

  Oh how I love those brothers of mine. While Grandpa S. was being cared for, The Brotherhood...

The Farmer and I enjoyed visiting and laughing into the weeeee hours of the morning.

 Grandpa was released...we headed home and got a few hours of sleep before morning arrived.

 PreShie spent the morning in more dental appointments...I cannot even begin to express my

 gratitude for the wonderful Doctors that have helped us out of a very complex situation.

 Each one is very special to us! Once the appointments were done we began preparations

or her visit to the Mesa Temple. There is always lots of fun and laughing when she is around.

  The and The Rooster LOVED being together.

 

 

We enjoyed our time at the Temple, it was a beautiful experience.

She was surrounded by her Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents. It meant so much to have them with us.

 Afterward we enjoyed a great dinner together!

Saturday was filled with lots of shopping! I think we have her pretty ready to go.

 What a fun process it was! The Farmer and The Rooster were both really patient while

 we did what had to be done! Later that afternoon, the family gathered again

for more partying! This time with all the cousins.

  We enjoyed a delicious sandwich...Ned's a Mesa tradition.

 

There was lot of swimming...yummy food...and great family!!

 

 

All in celebration of PreShie!!

 

 

Sunday came too quickly and PreShie returned to Provo.

  It was great to be with the Grandparents for Mother's Day. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend!

  I am so very grateful for a wonderful family who is so great to support us!

 

**p.s. Thank you to the sweet lady who stopped me in Target;) you made my night!

What a sweetheart you are! Thank you for your kind words.

Message From The Farmer...

Each farming year I have a favorite day; It's the day I find the first ripe peach in my orchard.

 Today (may 12) was the earliest date in recent memory that I have found a ripe peach to eat.

Apparently nature shifted our harvest date forward 15 days.

 Although I eat dozens of peaches during the course of the season, it seems like the first peach

 has an especially good flavor and texture. Over the course of many seasons of finding the first

 ripe peach, I have made it a habit to offering a prayer of thanks

and a petition for a full and plentiful harvest.

 

Messages From The Chalkboard...

Free At Last...!!!

The Aggie Darlings have moved!

They ended a great year at USU an have now moved on to other experiences for the Summer.

The day they moved was hard. There were lots of tears. But, new friends were made...jobs in place,

and life is moving on. It was a big transition...and they did it!!

 

 

In other very important news...PreShie got those darn braces off!!

 YAY!!

 After so many years, and so many Doctors, we were finally able to get connected with the group

 of  Doctors who were able to get her problems worked out. I am so grateful for their help!

 I don't know what her dental future would have been without them! She has a set of Doctors in Arizona

 and another set in Utah. I am sure after all is said and done...we could have purchased

a small country somewhere in the world with the investment we have

made in her mouth...BUT...it was worth it! I am so glad we are at the end of that road!!!

 

To celebrate she ate an apple;)

 and her favorite chicken sandwich in all the world.

 She said it was pretty amazing to not have braces on while eating;)

 

 

She has made another big step in her preparations for serving a mission.

 This weekend we head to Arizona...this trip will be all about more big steps for her on this wonderful

journey she has chosen...that of a full time missionary.

It is going to be a very special weekend for her... and for our family!

Closing Doors...Opening Windows

Yesterday I visited with PreShie.  I talk to her most days...and she is always really fun to visit with.

If anyone has completely embraced "college life" it has been her!

It has been a really great year for her.  She learned that she can survive away from home. 

I am pretty sure she thought she could all along...but she proved it this last year.

She made dear friends that she will never forget.  She was blessed with super

roommates and a dorm floor full of great people who have become like family to her.

They have shared a lot of fun.  They have opened mission calls together.  They have

carried each other through some rough growing up times...they love each other very much!

Yesterday, Preshie was getting her final shot for her mission when she called.

It is setting in now, she is leaving a place that she loves very much.  She is leaving people

that she may never see again...and it is making her sad.

She realizes that big changes are headed her way, and that she won't return to this time of life again.

She has amazing things ahead and she is really looking forward to it, but I guess

her thoughts are honoring a right of passage that has been hers this past year.

And rightfully so. 

She will always look back with fondness...but she is looking forward with great faith.

She is beautiful inside and out and it has been a great privilege as her parents to

watch her growth this past year.  Although she is closing some pretty great doors in her life right now...

she is headed toward other doors and windows that will only bring her more joy and growth.

Here's to our Aggie Preshie!

I love that girl with all my heart!!