Dear Children,
The yard has really taken shape this last week. The garden seeds all sprouted (there were years when they didn’t so you never know for sure) and my peonies have all bloomed. This bouquet is all from the garden. The calla lilies are just starting and the irises are just finished. The dining room smells, oh so nice with the flowers’ fragrance. I made the bouquet just as we were leaving to ski Monday morning; seemed quite odd to be arranging spring flowers and grabbing my bibs and gloves to ski in the next minute.
Dad was working for Wid this week and when Wid changed Monday’s plans at the last minute, it left Dad with an open day so it was obvious to know what to do. I am glad that I worked ahead to get everything done for our Family Home Evening group so I could take off at the last minute.
We played the general conference jeopardy game. I sure learn a lot from the general conference talks when I am re-listening to them to make the game. Remember all those games and projects your teachers used to force you to do and you wondered what on earth making a game had to do with the event that you were studying? Grandma came and it was quite competitive with the women out answering the men nine out of ten times. I had to make a final jeopardy question so that the men didn’t feel so deflated. They ended up winning in the end. I have a copy in my computer files if you want one for a game night.
Before FHE we skied most of the day in true spring ski conditions. Last Monday’s ski conditions were a trick to make us wish we were skiing every day that we had to stay down here and work; the snow was w
onderful then! This Monday was pretty slushy fairly quickly. To get the best snow we stayed on Palmer most of the day and only the top part of Palmer. Thankfully, the midway lift of Palmer was open so we rarely went the full length. Dad took off way to the side of the mountain and enjoyed some better runs.
Tuesday was Sunhee’s eighth birthday. She excitedly told us of her eight year old hair style that she wore to school. She put in eight colored barrettes to look like eight candles. Wasn’t that acute idea? I think she is looking more like Alina as she grows up.
My Tuesday plans to get the computer backed up and into the shop since Firefox keeps crashing and the whole system has become SO slow, were derailed when I went into the sign shop to get an additional business sign that Bill had made for us. We believe that the signs have already helped us get more business. What is good about that is that the business stays in a small area (big help with gas money). So, with that success, we decided it would be good to take advantage of the high traffic of Brockman and Davies and post a sign on our back fence. Dad occasionally does small concrete work around the yard (like the garden wall addition and such lately) so we honestly could hang it. But then we decided to change the wording from “another quality job” just to “Driveways, patios, decorative concrete . . “ and then we could keep it hanging. The sign man had some ideas of some changes which made it necessary for me to go get some pictures for him. Bill has been telling us all along to put more color and pictures into our advertising! I LOVE the new signs; they are also slightly bigger so they can be read with the faster Brockman traffic. My project on Saturday was to clean up the drive approach at Brockman to look nice enough to hang the new sign. I will take a picture when it is up. Next thing to tackle, our name on the van and then . . . the website! We need to get our name out there to the home owners. Business has picked up but not at the pace necessary to carry 
us through the winter without builders.
We drove to
Amazingly, we had the heater going in the car on the way home to dry off. Luckily we were able to drive Alina home on our way back. We had a delightful visit with her and learned about her school 
work, softball team and choir. I was surprised to learn that art was her favorite subject now since she has such keen math and reading skills. She is simply amazing. I just can’t get enough of being around that wonderful girl! She is beautiful inside and out.
Hey, I learned a fun little trick at my last institute class. I have always had a hard time remember the order of the three degrees of glory. Our teacher has a tie that has the sun, the moon and the stars on it. When he wore it to a high school class one of the students remarked that he liked his “sea turtle” tie. That puzzled Brother Stark until the young man explained that syllable sounds: ce-ter-tel as in celestial, terrestrial and telestial. In our last class we discussed Elder Cook’s conference message about Heavenly Father’s plan being big enough for all of His children. We discussed respecting other religions and beliefs, other members of the church with different commitment and activity levels and our own families. We also listened to parts of Elder Bednar’s CES talk on what is real. It is one of those classic talks. I am so grateful for continuing revelation and prophets and apostles from whom we may receive such timely advice and counsel. I like his comment when he quoted Elder Maxwell saying, “The youth of this generation have a greater capacity for obedience than any previous generation.” I also took note this time of the two questions that he asked us to ask ourselves:
1-Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
2-Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?
Dad and I helped the
We learned this morning that Phil and Gene Darrah’s son, Gage, was killed in a car crash late Saturday evening. He was eighteen. Do you remember Phil? He was our landscape guy turned pharmacist. Now he owns several pharmacies in the area. Kathleen Westhora’s father passed away on Tuesday so I helped with the funeral on Friday. I really love that family.
We had planned to go downtown to watch the Rose Festival parade on Saturday since it had been so much fun to watch the Starlight Parade but both Dad and I had lots we wanted to accomplish on Saturday. I had also signed us up for a landscaping class in the afternoon to give us ideas for the front yard when we re-do that concrete walkway.
Since I am still writing this letter in the wee hours of the morning of June 8, I can announce our newest granddaughter! We don’t have a name yet to tell you. Bill referred to her as Brady Girl 3.0! She was born at 1:24 AM, weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces and is 19.5 inches long. This is a VERY alert picture for those first few minutes. Heidi had been in labor Saturday night but it lessened for the early part of the day on Sunday until about 4:30. They called on their way to the hospital between 9:00 and 10:00 to be “checked”. I suggest that is the ultimate check! I am anxious to wake to even more details!
Dad and I enjoyed our visit with Scott today. He looked very good. He has nice coloring since he is trying to get out and exercise more in the yard. Tomorrow, Monday, he is incident free for 18 months which allows him to be able to move into block A which he has been anticipating. Although, in the last weeks, it has come to his attention that he needs to be extremely careful as to the choosing of a new cell mate. He said that he has always felt the Lord’s direction in choosing a cell mate and has not felt that reassurance this time so he will wait. This lead him to explain to us with emotion, that not a day goes by that he does not need the guidance of the Spirit, NOT A DAY, he emphasized.
I love you all. Have a great week ahead. Work to have the Spirit’s influence and listen to its guidance. Love, Mom
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