SAM HAS GROWN OLD!

Happy Birthday, Sam!  I am getting this done after you are in bed.  But you have to give me credit for getting it done at all, since I just got back from almost two weeks in Guatemala tonight.  I stayed up late the night we left trying to scan in pictures so I could easily post this with some comments.  I think I went nuts with the scanning.  So here are a lot of Sam as he grows up:

Coming home from the hospital!

With JR, about 2years old.

Maybe 4 years old.

8--he never really loved baseball.

Football mean look.

Sam silly

Bad quality pictures but from their fresman year at BYU.  They had something special from the beginning.

He loved to pick up his mother. 

Off to the MTC and then Chile, Santiago East mission.

Married !!

I think this is Max.

The day he defended his thesis.  Doesn't he look smart.

Ruby is born!

Sam officially is awarded his PhD.

Forgive me if I don't add a few more updated pictures.  Before I crash I want to put down a few things I love about Sam:

1.  Sam is a good listerner.  He calls me regularly and asks questions and listens and discusses what I say.  He also loves to make me think by his discussions. 

2.  Sam is a good dad.  He tries to get home early and his favorite activities involve his family.  He loves to be with them.  He has sung to all his children and they respond to his songs.  He is a hands on father even though he has been very busy getting his degree.

3.  Sam is converted to the Lord.  He believes the principles of the gospel and uses them with diligence in his life daily.  Because of his total commitment, he throws himself into doing the things that are asked of him, whether it is counselor in the SS presidency, Gospel doctrine teacher or Elders quorum president with enthusiasm and creativity.

4.  Sam loves his wife completely and is happy when she is happy.  I never dreamed he would turn into such a handyman. I can see by the way he lives his life, that he thinks marrying Lindsay was the best act of his life.

5.  Sam has a unique sense of humor. When joke night at Grand Camp is coming up he is sure to get a call from nieces for some advice.  His humor is usually their level.  He has other ways of  showing his humor.  He used to think it was funny to make me or one of his sisters scream by surprising or scaring us.  Does he still do that Lindsay? His type of craziness makes him a fun person to be with.

6.  Sam takes advantage of the brains the Lord blessed him with.  He pursued his degree until he had it, no matter the obstacles.  He thinks deeply and helps solve problems.  He loves to read and analyze, but stimulates others to do so as well. He retains things well and uses them often in his life.

7. Sam has become a very happy, outgoing person.  People like to be with him because he seldom gets down.  He has a great optimism about him.  Who knew?

8.  That brings me to the point that Sam has learned to change what needs to be changed in his life when he recognizes the problem.  He overcame a speech problem when he was a child that some people never conquer.  He learned to overcome the awkward public image he had been tagged with and extend himself to others and be happy and have many friends. 

9.  Sam has wisdom and character.  He does the right things for the right reason.  Sometimes he even helps me make better choices from his sense of integrity. He applies the scriptures to his problem solving and has many memorized.  He encourages me to do the same.  It helps.

10 Sam participates in life fully.  He is doing a triathalon soon.  He plays church sports. He enjoys his work and the people he works with and  works hard.  He calls Adam to discuss things Adam is interested in such as the NBA playoffs, me to hear what I Conference talk I like best, Alan to hear about his hunting and so on.  I love his interest in so many things.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!  I LOVE YOU!

IT'S ALMOST OVER

I can't send pictures but I can let you all know that we are fine and having a wonderful time. Mao has especially worried about us. We are very safe. We have even had two security guards following us since we entered Guatemala, just in case. We have stayed in top hotels everywhere, but the best may be tonight. We are in the Guatemalan highlands, which may be the land of Nephi or the land the Lamanites lived in for most of the Book of Mormon. We are in a place called Lake Atitlan which is a candidate to be the waters of Mormon. It is green and gorgeous and the hotel is surrounded by the most beautiful manicured gardens. We have had some minor intestinal disruption even though we have been totally careful. Alan got sick this evening, but I expect it to be mostly gone in the morning. Michael Wilcox has not disappointed us. He just has such wonderful narration. The people we are with are so great. aAnyway, we come home Tuesday evening. Will get this being more accurate and Updated soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDSAY!!

Here some random pictures of Lindsay. I an in Copan, Honduras tonight seeing some amazing ruins. I downloaded some pictures to this post as a draft before we left Cali with the idea that I would be able to flesh it in over the internet. Unfortunately, the browser with iPad does not work too well on blogspot. I can't even see the pictures until I post it. But, I do not want to miss wishing Lindsay a happy birthday and telling her a few things I love about her:

1. Lindsay is one of the most committed members of the church I know. It shows in how she lives her life, how she does her callings, and how she raises her children. This is one of the highest compliment I give to anyone.

2. Lindsay is a wonderful,diligent, loving mother. Her great desire is to raise her children perfectly. She is willing to let other things go that she used to think were important to spend quality time with these kids-- teaching, training, and loving them. She is very successful at this.

3. Lindsay is a wonderful influence on my son. She brings out the best in him. He is a wonderful person, but he is a better one since Lindsay came into his life. She has spurred him on to do better at school, to live the gospel with exactness, and to learn to do many things like laying diagonal hardwood flooring he never would have learned on his own.

4. Lindsay wants everyone else to be happy, sometimes at her own expense. She truly cares about others.

5 Lindsay is very good at playing games. You don't realize she has such a careful strategy until she slips in and beats you.

6. She is very smart. This manifests itself in many ways such as how she teaches her kids the Gospel and to read, how well she did in school, how carefully she manages their budget, and how she solves problems.

7.Lindsay is a very good writer. I am jealous of what great blogs she writes. She makes the smallest details of her family life come alive for us in pictures and words.

8. Lindsay is such a willing worker. I can always count on her pitching in when she visits. She can spot the jobs to do and doesn't have to be told what needs to be done.

9. Lindsay has a wonderful sense of family. She loves to be with her family on both sides and involves herself in their lives in a productive way never in a critical way.

10 Lindsay is a beautiful girl. That is what Sam said when he first saw her and I think she gets prettier every year. She has a great sense of style and it carries over into her home,dress, and all she does.

Day 2 BOM Tour

After spending way too much time trying to add pictures to this blog and both of us getting very frustrated, I just read that my browser is not the right versio to use blogger in compose mode,just the HTML. I am assuming that means the iPad won't do it. Maybe I put in the text and get one of my new friends to let me use their laptop To do the pictures.

We had a great day. Michael Wilcox is Amazing! While we travel to wherever we are going, he tells us so many interesting things about what we will be seeing, ties it into the scriptures and then relates it to our lives. We first went to the Mexican Museum. We had a local LDS guide,Ignacio, who showed us many coincidences found in the artifacts that help verify the Book if Mormon. We then went to some enormous ruins at Teotichuan (spellcheck later). We climbed to the top of two very high and steep pyramids with photos to prove it. By the time we got to the new hotel in VillHermosa we were tired and dirty. Luckily it was a beautiful and moodier place. We are especially enjoying the great friends we are making. This is hard to keep up because Internet time and availability is limited. Try again tomorrow.

BOM Tour Day 1

We are in Mexico City! I am trying to blog with Alan's iPad and it isn't working the way my computer does. Hope I can figure out how to download the pictures. Anyway, we left early from John Wayne. Lucky for Alan Lindsay's dad is head of Delta. He accidentally packed his little everything knife in his carry-on. He just sent it to John's office to hold for him. We met up with the rest of the group going on the tour on the connecting flight in Houston. From the time we landed we had twenty minutes to get off the plane and make it to a far terminal before the flight took off. We booked it almost running. With the gate in sight, they started calling our names over the whole airport loudspeaker. As we fell into our seats, just about the first thing I noticed was Michael Wilcox sitting three rows back with his daughter. He wasn't supposed to come since his wife was receiving treatment for a recently discovered brain tumor. Apparently, the treatment was not affecting her too badly and she urged them to come without her. We were thrilled! He was half the reason i wanted to come. We arrived in Mexico City and are staying at a nice hotel and getting to know many nice people (mostly older like us.) I have some good pictures I would like to include, but can't figure out how. I don't know if it an iPad problem, Mac problem, or a stupid user problem. The pictures are on the iPad okay, but blogger doesn't give me the option to browse for a file. Any of you Mac experts know what I might be doing wrong. Reply on the home email. Connecting to wi-fi is also a challenge. I am having to post this a day late because of it.

ALAN IS HOW OLD?

Today is Alan's birthday.  But it is one of those crazy busy days and I have not made time to do a blog about all the things I love about him.  Check back later today.  I am off to my third Sacrament Meeting for the day.  He will be in meetings for six hours. 

Happy Birthday, Alan!  I love you.  Hope it isn't too bad going to meetings for the whole day.  Here are a few pictures of his life.  I will add more before the day is over.

Here is  the rest:

Alan has created this room with his hunting/cowboy trophies.  He is comfortable here.

Cute baby.  I didn't have the one that his dad got when he was overseas during WWII when he didn't even know whether he had a son or daughter.  The page of the letter telling what he had was lost the rest of the letter just said "the baby."  He said he looked like something that crawled out from under a rock.  I think he was cute.  He had as much dark hair as I did when born.  Consequently, we had six little hairy babies.

Alan, obviously on the left, had three brothers.  Dan was not born yet here.  John is the baby and Roy on the right with Dad, Burke, in the middle.  They were a rowdy bunch.  Mary was a wonderful boys' mother.  We miss her.

Handsome Alan before his mission.  If I were a good wife with lots of time, I would find an old picture from his mission.  He still tells many stories from his Southwest British mission.  It totally changed his life and mine.

Here is Alan, the returned missionary I married.

Here is our little family.  I have posted this before.  Wish I took the time to find a different one. 

Here are some random things about Alan that I love.  There are too many to put them all here:

1.  He is a true and worthy patriarch of a wonderful family.  He has been my partner in loving and raising our six plus one children.  We have not been perfect parents, but our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren are pretty great people despite our failings.  Alan ruled with an iron hand and a loving arm to draw them to him.  He used his priesthood often and with inspiration to bless our home, our health, our struggles, and souls. 

2.  Alan is passionate about his hobbies.  He has always been a hunter.  I did not know what that meant when I married him.  I found out when he was late to the temple because he couldn't miss the morning dove hunt and then left me six out of the first nine weekends we were married (1 wedding 2 honeymoon 3 move to Utah 4-9 hunting)

I only have pictures of bird hunting.  He especially loves bird hunting with his dogs.  But he does it all:  deer, elk, wild boar, bear (hasn't got one), antelope, caribou, whatever.  I have never had to worry about him being disappointed because he is a very good shot and gets what he is after if it is getable.

He has also had more dogs than most people can name.  He has specialized in  hunting breeds--just about every kind out there.  However, he has not limited himself to those.  We have had Old English Sheepdogs, German Shephards, Airedales, Cavaliers, and on and on and on.  He loves to breed, buy, study and search for dogs of all breeds.  Right now we have a French Brittany and a Pudlepointer.  They are both excellent hunting dogs.  They are enough for any dog lover/ hunter, don't you think?  No I didn't buy him a dog for his birthday!!

3.  Alan has kept my life from being mundane and routine.  One of our grandsons said with awe is "Our papa is a COWBOY and a HUNTER."  Alan does things that I would never have been exposed to without him.  We go to the National Finals Rodeo every year just before Christmas.  He loves all things cowboy and rodeo.  He goes on roundups and buys horses.  He tries to get me listen to cowboy music and learn to shoot.  He watches animal planet and bull riding and discovery channel and adds spice and variety to my world.

4.  He loves our grandchildren.  They love to cuddle up to him and he woos them with his love.

 

As with our children, Alan is my partner in loving, building a relationship with and being proud of our grandchildren.  He really goes out of his way to win the little ones over.

A few of them like Jack, below, especially seek Papa out and are so comfortable and safe in his arms.

He can be the fun Papa, too, huh Mackenzie?

5.  Alan love to travel and see things with me.  He will take side trips like Yosemite and enjoy whatever we are out to see.

He will go on tours with groups even though that may not be his first choice of travel methods.  It was so fun to have Jade with us in Israel a few years ago.

We walked where Christ did.

6. Alan  loves to check out the shops both when we travel and at home and especially loves to buy me things.  I have to put the stops on all the spending he loves to do on me.  He is very generous and thoughtful.

7.  I love that Alan is alive.  He was so sick three years ago this doctor, Dr Patel, who saved his life also told me he might not make it.  Luckily, I did not recognize that was what he was telling me.  As Alan fought to stay with us, I realized how much I loved and depended on him.  I am glad that he had the faith, strength, and desire to stay with me and be my companion for the rest of out lives here.

8.    I love that Alan is a good provider.  Here he is in his office.  (Oh, there are lots of hunting pictures and creatures on his office walls.  Just a note.)  He has provided a nice lifestyle for us and works still to give us what we need. 

9.  I love Alan's commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He chose to serve a mission in his youth despite a family that was not very active in the church and did not encourage him.  I love that he studied the gospel on his own and developed a testimony.  I love that he was been dedicated to the church all our marriage and served with diligence in whatever his calling has been from 11 year old scout leader to one boy to bishop or high counselor.  He is wise and seeks the direction of the spirit in all he does.

10.  I love that Alan has always made me feel loved and beautiful, whether I deserve it or not.  He is always willing to work on our marriage.  We have been married almost 42 years of the next eternity. We are best friends, working partners, share a church calling and still in love.  I dare most couples to try that. We are grateful it works so well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALAN!!