Monday's Memory--Banner Girl

Westminster High School is everything British.  Our student government is the House of Lords and the House of Commons.  The big quad area is Buckingham Square.  The drama club is called the Abby Squires.  The mascot is the lion. The colors are the colors of the British flag; red, white, and black.  And the band and marching units wear British uniforms.  At least they did when I attended high school.  I was a banner girl for three years.  Our uniforms were those of the Beefeaters, the guards for the Tower of London.  We carried the name of the school out in front of the band, and because I was always tallest, I carried the "I".  We marched at all of the football games and in a few parades.  But my favorite time was when we were in the parade at Disneyland to open "It's a Small World" in 1966.  Our British theme made us perfect for the occasion. The best part was that after the parade, we had the rest of the day free to enjoy the park.  (Next time you go on Small World, if you look carefully, you'll see two Beefeaters on either side of one of the arches.)

Monday's Memory--The Beast

When Todd got home from his mission, he needed a car.  We went down to Glenn E Thomas and talked to Bob.  We didn't have much money, so our choices were few, but Todd found what he wanted.  He fell in love with "the beast."  It was old, big, and yellow.  It was so big that a friend of Amy's actually laid down flat in the trunk and said that a person could live back there.  The beast went up to Utah with Todd when he went up for school and was shared with car-less Amy.  At one point, it lost reverse, so the kids had to park facing the right direction, or they would have to get out and push, no easy task.  (Amy actually thought it was a pretty nice way to meet boys!) One weekend, Amy took it to Twin on a road trip and had a flat tire on the way.  Grandpa had to come and rescue her.  But Todd loved that car, and still had it when he got married.  He finally parted with it,but  has said that some day, he wants another one just like it.

Babysitting grade--F

I watch Owen every Thursday morning so Amy can volunteer in the other kid's classerooms at school.  This week, I was in the kitchen talking to Todd when I commented the Owen was being awfully quiet.  We went searching and found him in the bathroom applying Amy's lipstick all over his mouth!  My disclaimer...Todd was home and should have known better!!!

Sad News

My very best friend, Ann, passed away yesterday. I have known for three years that she wasn't going to "beat" this cancer, and I really thought that I had been preparing for this day for all of that time. However, when her son, Anton, called me with the news, I realized that you can never be prepared to lose someone you love. Ann has been my confidant, fellow conspirator, walking partner, adventure instigator, and traveling companion. A few years ago, when we were both still working, I always left for school a few minutes before her. When there was a beautiful sunrise, I would call and tell her to go look out the window. It was great to be able to share that beauty with her. I'll think of her every time I see one of those sunrises. And I will smile. I am a much better person because I knew her. I miss her. I love her. And I know that someday, our adventures will resume.

Monday's Memory--Crafty Kathy

I hate putting Christmas away...but I love my January snowmen. And one of my favorites is this picture frame and picture. The frame was made by my daughter-in-law, Kathy, in 2001. She is forever saying that she's not "crafty", but just look at this cute project. How darling is it?! Not crafty my foot!
The picture is of Todd the Christmas after his mission. Amy made him a matching snow hat and mittens. I love this guy. I love the smile on his face. I love having this out on my shelf every January.

Monday's Memory--Medieval Times

On Christmas Eve, when we popped our crackers, there were paper crowns inside. Todd commented that it reminded him of our dinner at Medieval Times. If you enjoy jousting, lots of loud cheering, and eating with your fingers, you'd love this place. We went to dinner and the show there many years ago, before any kids had joined our family. I can't remember which knight won, but I do remember cheering wildly for ours. It was a great evening full of fun and good food.

Happy New Year!!!

A year ago, I decided to accept my Bishop's challenge and improve my life in three different areas; temple attendance, service, and FHE. I thought it would be a good idea to report on how I did. Actually, I'm quite proud of some of it.
First, he asked us to improve our temple attendance, and I did. At least I did until the last couple of months. I usually attended the temple once a month, but this last year I went at least twice most of the time. I will confess, the last two or three months, I was lucky to get there once each month.
The second area we were to work on was giving service. I'm afraid I need to carry this goal over to this new year. I give service, but much of the time, my attitude is not where it should be. Hopefully, next year I can have a better report.
The third area, the part that I am the most proud, was having regular family home evenings. As you know, because my kids have their own families, I decided to have my FHE online, with my blog. Every Monday evening this past year, I was on the computer, either blogging something from that week, or reminiscing about my past with my "Monday Memories". It was very successful, a great experience. One that I plan on keeping up this new year.

The challenge from my Bishop this year...scripture reading. If I read 2 chapters of the Book of Mormon every day, I will finish the book by the end of the year. I'm accepting that challenge.