June 15, 2009

Dear Children,

Well here is some big news for our part of the world. Yesterday it was announced that our ward is being moved over to the Turquoise Loop building! That is a short walk from our home. Once we are released form the singles ward, we will be able to walk to church; isn’t that amazing! The building is not in our stake; it is in Beaverton West Stake but I think tow wards over there were combined into one which made room for another ward to meeting their building. Since four wards are in our building it makes good sense to utilize the Turquoise Loop building better. There will take some adjustment since so many in this ward have been here for years and years and years . . . Of course, it is such a smaller building but the time saved alone in locking it up after an activity is going to be wonderful!

We heard from Bill and Heidi on Sunday evening that the name, Ainsley Jaynann, is ALMOST finalized! Bill sent us new pictures last night. Jenna and Rebekah are very helpful big sisters. With Bill’s help, the girls made a cake to bring to the new baby when they came to visit her for the first time in the hospital. Heidi reports that she likes this “honeymoon” time as newborn tend to sleep so much. The third child is the critical number: two parents versus three children, two arms versus three children, and on and on!

Guess who we saw this week! As we were leaving the driveway with the trailer full of barbeques to set up the Young Single Adult BBQ before the boat dance on Friday night, a unknown car pulled into the driveway blocking our escape and out popped Brain Bybee! As I approached them, I didn’t recognize the girl that was with him. She gave me a hug and I thought to myself, “Why is Brian’s girlfriend hugging me; should I know her?” In moments I realized that it was Rachel Bybee! They both look so good and were off on an adventure (Bybee style) to revisit and explore the Northwest. They had been to Mt. Hood earlier that day and were planning on traveling to Crater Lake as well. They are both headed to England for school this year to get advanced degrees. Dad and I forgot to ask where but I am sure it is no don’t Cornell or some other prestigious school, knowing the Bybee’s excellence. Paving the way for future boarding school attendee-Ainsley, Bill!!!

It was so great to talk with them. Recently I have been communicating with Diane Bybee, learning of their move. They keep asking us to visit them in their new place in Germany. Visiting the Bybees in another country would be a fun adventure as you know that they have experienced all the exciting places to explore. Dad tried to convince them to attend the BBQ, and boat dance but they had plans. I am happy that you boys have taken the time to reconnect with Brian. I hear he will be traveling through Las Vegas.

Dad and I just attended the BBQ part of the big summer boat dance YSA event. It was a pretty day until we started to set up. It rained, even poured on us for part of the dinner. Luckily we were at a park (a concrete city park), right off the Max line in downtown eastside with a huge covered gazebo.

My last visit with Ramona Jones was on Friday afternoon. Their home is almost completely empty. They made some changes to the home to make it easier to sell. It was kind of sad to say goodbye. They may not come back to the ward boundaries when they return; that would be odd to not have them close. She was kind enough to have given us some CDs that she recorded of her piano music. What a wonderful gift. She has always been so generous with her talent. She gave us two CDs with hymns and one of her favorite show tunes. She put Malaguena at the end of her show tunes CD. I am glad she chose to add that one; it is my favorite. As she bemoaned the fact that the recordings have so many mistakes, I told her that all her students over the years should listen to her music and hear the great example of what she always taught: to keep playing even when you know you made a mistake.

Dad and I didn’t give up on going skiing this week until at the very last minute. We had so many yard projects that we wanted to finish before Shawn and Aubrey get here and a funeral that we felt we should attend. Gabe Darrah’s funeral was on Saturday morning. Actually both funerals for the boys that died in the car crash last Saturday night that I mentioned in my last letter were on Saturday. I didn’t know Gabe at all but enjoyed a friendship with Phil, his dad, mostly. He was my go-to guy for 11 year old scout camp several years in a row. He was very smart but very fun and down to earth. The scouts loved his plant identification classes. From the talk at the funeral, it sounds like Gabe was much like his dad.

The funeral was excellent; lots of music and only three main speakers. Robin Whitaker gave the eulogy; she did a fantastic job of mixing happy memories and quirky things about Gabe with gospel messages. At one point in her remarks she read from his journal and I thought of all the young adults that we have known who have passed away. I thought of how little things that they had done in their life had given their grieving family some measure of happiness. Robin read from Gabe’s journal from the day that his friend passed away a year ago. He wrote that Ross had died (I believe it was a drowning accident when he tried to save someone else) without being able to express his testimony. Gabe went on to say that “in case that same thing ever happens to me, I want to write my testimony right here.” He did so and, what was nice about the funeral remarks and the good news of the Gospel that was taught to that overflowing crowd of a good percentage of young people who are not members of the church (people standing even back at the stage end of the cultural hall), was that it came back frequently to “this is what Gabe believed also.” At the end of the service, the stake president (President Dalton) begged with the young people there to realize that they are not invincible, to be careful and set their lives right. The driver of the car was speeding.

I spent some time today with Rosemary Green. Gabe’s accident happened the very hour of Tiffani’s five years ago. That made Tiffani’s anniversary harder for her. Recently, I updated my iPod (I am trying to learn all about its functions). There is lots of music in my iTunes program from various times some of you have added to it in previous years. I have only a small portion of the files on my iPod. Last time, I noticed a song that was in iTunes from when Tiffani passed away. Rosemary had asked me to find the words to the song, The Dance by Garth Brooks so it could be played at the funeral. Katie did the work to search for me and that landed in the computer’s iTunes program. I heard that song as I walked today. Besides it always reminding me of Tiffani, it also has a great message about the sadness of losing someone being outweighed by the greater happiness of having had risked sadness while creating a relationship with someone.

This week has been one of revisiting the importance of relationships and especially family relationships. The fragile nature of life always brings you to the realization of what is really important in life. It would be my deepest desire that all my family do everything possible to leave every relationship in a place where there would be no regrets in the event of any tragedy. I mentioned this thought to someone this week, “It is better to be nice than to be right.” That is a hard one to live by, especially when being nice, over being right, often requires that you not react to someone who has hurt your feelings or you feel has wronged you. Let’s all try to be a little nicer . . . that sounds like a remnant message from President Hinckley!

Scott has been taking advantage of the time to be able to read lots of family history books. He says that he feels an overwhelming sense of gratitude to those who have gone before us. Reading their survival through tough trails helps him visualize hope for a happier tomorrow.

Dad and I are really looking forward to Shawn and Aubrey’s visit this weekend. I bet Bryson has changed a lot since seeing him in May. Plus, we are picking up Sunhee and Meeja after Sunhee’s softball game on Friday night. They will stay with us for a few days. It should be a fun time especially for them to be able to see Gregory and Bryson when Shawn and Aubrey return from their reception in Moses Lake. Hopefully, we will have the plants in that we wanted to add to our new planters in the front by the time everyone gets here. We are still sprucing up the back drive approach. Here is a picture of the new sign. I love it! The background, which you cannot see clearly, is a picture I took of stamped concrete slate. It looks great if I do say so myself!

I love you and I believe in you all! Love, Mom