They said it might rain....

....but I woke up to this beautiful sight and it was gone by noon. This was looking out my bedroom window at 7:00 this morning.

It has been a winter with lots of snow but I've really enjoyed it. It will also be fun to watch the transformation in a few weeks.

This is a view from the "cajuzzi"......as I love to go out there in mid-day when the sun is shining straight down.

I've also enjoyed feeding and watching my winter birds. They come by all day for snacks. I've yet to capture the big blue ones but I'm still trying.  Randy and I feel very blessed to have this beautiful place and we were able to spend our first Christmas together here.

Here's our Christmas card and before we leave the snow and enter the spring....I'm going to get caught up with all the holiday fun we had.

Our first Christmas together at our new home. A relaxing, wonderful day exchanging gifts and enjoying our new fire place. Hopefully this will be our new tradition. Sure was fun. Another fun tradition is our Annual Gingerbread House Competition sponsored by JoEllen.

Never a dull moment and her hard work is really appreciated.

********************

This is the first year that we didn't do Christmas Eve at great grandma's....she was at the Meadows but we arranged to have a room there and we all shared our usual games, talents, and cookies with her. She wasn't really very happy about it but it really wasn't a very happy situation. She has since adjusted well and seems to be a bit more settled and is a contributing resident there. It's always hard to end traditions but it's also exciting to begin new ones. A new one that I really enjoy and this is the second year we've done it so maybe it's not a true tradition yet but it sure was fun and I'll keep it going if I possibly can. I rent the Veyo Skating Rink sometime between Christmas and New Years and invite everyone to come along. It's not the safest activity but truly lots of unorganized fun and chaos.

 Like I said, not the safest activity but lots of family togetherness. No rules.....

 ....and it's always good to get done with the 2 hours with no mishaps....there's always a few tears but mostly just chaotic fun.

 Bring your own skates, strollers, wagons, scooters, hockey sticks.....just come have fun.

......and I've enjoyed having anyone and everyone that has wanted to come, up to the cabin to sit by the fire or play in the snow. These desert rats of mine don't like to join me much but I have been able to get them up here a few times.

 Randy and I have enjoyed our Arctic Cat...and it's been good to haul the sledders up and down as well like we used to do with the snowmobile. We've been enjoying Pine Valley snow for lots of years.

I never did like it much because I don't like to be cold but now that I have a home with a couple of roaring fires and a hot chocolate maker....it's lots more enjoyable.

Here we are enjoying a new game LCR (Left, Center, Right)......easy enough for everyone to join in. I think we did get in a game of Candy Bar Bingo with no tears this year. As I've mentioned many times, I'm very happy here in my mountain home and love it when Randy can join me. I especially like to share it so come join me any time. Pull up a chair by the fire and stay a while.  Looking forward to a new season here in a few weeks.

These daffodils have already come and gone at the Stewart home. I've kept track every year when the first flower bloomed. The last couple of years it's been February 5....this year it was a few weeks later than that.  I wanna say the 25th but they were beautiful.  Spring is certainly in the air.

We can do hard things....

...and putting my mom in assisted living is one of the hardest things I've ever done. It's been 4 months now and there are plenty of daily challenges and lots of guilt on my part but all in all, she's doing very well. We were trying to take care of  her at home but it was 24 hour care and it took a lot of people and it was just getting too hard to carry out and coordinate. Sounds like whining....but when it came right down to it, it took many, many people to do the things that Leila Sullivan did and we were trying to live her life for her, giving up our own. I'm sure there could have been other solutions but I think she realized too that it was getting too hard....hard on her as well as us. She told Joyce and me one day that if we could get her into the meadows, she would go. We went down immediately, they had one opening and if we signed right then we could
get 2 months free so we signed her up, moved her in and it happened all that fast. Probably too fast for her and for us but it's one of those decisions that, at the time, you know it is right. It just felt right. I stayed with her the first night and it was horrible. I was ready to take her home then......but we muddled through the first week, then the first month, then we kind of settled into a new "norm" which I'm still wishing we could have found another solution that would have let her stay in her home. (I guess I'll always still be looking for that solution). It still weighs on my heart and soul every single day but she is there, cared for, fed on a regular basis and she has a lot of company.  She has finally settled into trying to make the most of it and continuing to do her compassionate service there. She has some paranoia....thinks everyone is talking about her (and they probably are saying

nice things about her). It's all part of the aging process I guess....a little dementia probably to protect her from the awful reality of it all. I have to be convinced that it is a good place and that they are taking care of her best interests.  It doesn't take away the hurt I feel each time I go there but I have to be grateful for my life and the life and childhood she gave to me. I have to reflect on what I would want as I age. It's made me realize that life has to be enjoyed "daily" and it is going by so fast. In reality, I'm not sure what will happen but I know what I want to happen.  I want to check myself in to a nice facility when I'm still able and never put that responsibility on my children. I'm learning to be in charge of my own happiness and not depending on others for my well-being. I'm grateful that I have others and a very wide circle of family and friends that help me through life, however.

I have a great group of girl friends that I shared a lot of childhood memories with and we still are trying to make new ones as we gather each year to renew our friendships. It works because we are all old enough now that the old stories are new again. It really never gets old. This past October I hosted them at my home in Pine Valley. We had a wonderful time together and the 2 days went by quickly.

We ate at Paula's, attended a play at Tuacahn, made birdhouses and hung them in my tree as a remembrance of our friendship, we rode horses with Larry and dined at the Brandin' Iron Steakhouse. Whew, we did cram a lot in a short week-end but it was fun, fun, fun. Can't wait to do it again.




A huge shout out to my BFFs for being willing to drop what they are doing and make an effort
to get together.







I want to say a little bit about my Pine Valley home here. I'm enjoying it so much even with the hard winter that we have had. I'm always happy when someone wants to come join me but I'm also very happy alone there. Randy still has to work in California so I'm there a lot alone and the peace and serenity I feel is not even describable with words. I've enjoyed the snow and anticipate the magical transformation that will take place in a few months. I've enjoyed having my grand children join me. When Traci came to town, I invited the boys up for a night. It was so much fun. We had Secret Pals (stopped at Family Dollar) and bought gifts for each other. I even had them buy one for me and was thrilled to get my giant box of chocolates. Sweet boys. They enjoyed the snow, pigging out on treats, chillin' in the jacuzzi.......

 ....after rolling in the snow......

We enjoyed many episodes of "America's Worst Cooks" and they talked a lot. It's amazing what a grandma can learn with her little chatty grandsons but "what happens at grandmas stays at grandmas" and it certainly made me smile. I love each and every interaction I can have with these little ones. Maybe one day they will visit me in the rest home. Mom's grand kids certainly love her and have been so good to keep her company and help her out in these last years of her life. I may not have time for them though....bingo, Uno, rummy, programs, hair appointments. I'll try and fit them into my busy schedule. ....and speaking of grand children, so very proud of George and his parents. We watched him get his Eagle Scout Award this past Sunday.

What a good boy he is. I am so very proud of him and his accomplishments. He has a bright future and is well on his way to lots of good times. A good way to end this lengthy blog post but I need to add one last picture and express my gratitude for all the good in life. I'm thankful for my blog that helps me see the good and share it (I'm not sure who with as I don't know if anyone really reads this but one day maybe someone will). I love my new home....I've enjoyed the winter, making fires, watching the snow fall, being out in it.....especially loving the Arctic Cat and my new snow shoes.

I love it when Randy comes and he's been with me for 3 weeks. So grateful for this beautiful place and the surroundings we are able to enjoy...year 'round beauty. It reminds me of my favorite Primary Song......"I Know Heavenly Father Loves Me"....and whenever I hear the sound of a bird or look at that blue, blue sky, I know this for sure.

No S.A.D. (Singles Awareness Day) for me.

No sirreeeeeee. I was able to spend a wonderful Valentine's Day (actually pre-Valentine's Day) with my hubby, Randy this year. We spent yesterday in Zion....

.....and as you can see, a perfectly beautiful day and one of our favorite places to be together.

We dined at Zion's Lodge, another of our favorite spots...and outdoor dining was the way to go.....

A selfie, some salmon cakes and the views from our table....and not that Valentine's Day is all about food but on the way home we picked up some steak and lobster for our dinner and we went as gourmet as possible......at home tonight.

It was great spending the day with my sweetheart and just enjoying being in this peaceful valley together in our home and out enjoying the sun shine on the snow.  Hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day.....and if it's SAD Day for you, all I can say is "been there, done that".....and I like this a lot better. P.S.  I'm still not caught up but will fill you in on our "Girl Friend Retreat" (last October) in up coming posts. Until then.....enjoy.

The BIG SURPRISE is documented....(previous post)

...but the month-long celebration of our 65 started in Maui. This year we traded our Lake Tahoe (not that we're tired of it) Time-Share for a week in Hawaii and it was a very good choice. It was beautiful from the start and our room had a terrific view of the ocean from the living room so we just moved our mattress on in for the week.  Randy's a bit of a "hotel snob" but changing to a better room would mean "no view" and I would have none of that so we compromised.

Top right is from our balcony. I actually was in the ocean quite a bit but I'm the picture taker here so Randy is the center of attention. We took rides each day to see the beautiful country side and drove the Hana Highway.....

...enjoying the culture and the beauty.  We stopped at various up-scale hotels to check out their beaches. Trust me, they are all beautiful. Some amenities were better than others but we enjoyed pretending for a few hours each day. We loved the scenery....both floura and fauna including huge turtles, lots of chickens, tropical birds and beautiful ocean views.

We decided we would do two commercial tours while there for the week....the first being the snorkeling trip to Molkini. We were supposed to snorkel in the semi-circular area (left) and we were supposed to see this (right)........but Randy found much more exciting things to see.  Notice the dot on the bottom of the picture on the left.

That's actually what he wanted to see and beckoned me to come and not hearing the instructions from the captain to stay inside the semi-circle, I went over to see what I could see which really was cool as it went from a few thousand feet deep to several thousand feet deep and that's actually where the rip-tides like to hang out and one came and got us. I had a noodle so I was fine but Randy started pulling me back to the boat but we were going no where fast. I saw this look on his face that I hadn't seen before and said "Are we in trouble"....."yes"...he said and he wasn't kidding....as we went up and down with the wave and further out to sea. He started hollering help and I started waving my noodle. I didn't feel impending doom. I've felt it before and this wasn't it but I think Randy did, I'm not sure but in our struggle to move any way we could.....
Ben Affleck showed up.......

....and rescued us. He was actually Ron but I couldn't think of him as anything but Ben, our life-saver for real.  He told us that Michael Phelps couldn't even swim this wave and he told us to hold on and he took us to another boat that was closer than ours. Chelsea, I think that was her name but she looked like Gidget to me, but she was so kind in our stupidity.  When I told her Randy always liked to push the limits.....(I wasn't really mad  just so scared thinking of what could have happened to us)....she put her arm around me and said..."but don't you two have a good time together". That we do. I had swallowed and thrown up salt water so I was done for food for the day so I pretty much figure the money we spent for this tour....well, it was worth it because we were both so very humbled and thankful to be alive.  What an adventure. I can now say for real....."I've been rescued from the unpredictability of the ocean and I appreciate it even more than before. The ocean is the boss.....we are just guests. Obey the rules people..........

It really was a fun adventure but one I will always speak of with humility.....probably the closest I've ever come to meeting my Waterloo.......but our last night was truly the icing on the cake....

...matching outfits and all. It was a beautiful evening Dinner Cruise, an experience so relaxing and a great way to end an amazing vacation. Let's do it again some time....k? Aloha.....'til then.

****************************

Coming next.....the holidays in full swing. Good times....check back in soon.

Oh, I was surprised......

....and as I take up blogging once again, let me start by recapturing this wonderful surprise (and believe me, I was surprised....and I was surprised that I was surprised because I'm not easily surprised)....on the occasion of birthday number 65.

So this is how it went down. Randy and I have birthdays only 3 days apart so we are always together the end of October and first of November. Since I sold my home to Lauri and I am now living in Pine Valley, I  no longer felt it necessary to throw my own birthday party which I've done for so many years and I don't think I'd have too many takers here at my new place so "no party for me this year" just a quiet evening at the Brandin' Iron with my best bud.....but for some reason he wanted to go to The Cliff Side Restaurant to celebraate. "But I like the Brandin' Iron" I would say to him. "But I've had these reservations for a while now". "But you can cancel reservations really easy. I'm sure they won't mind". Randy always does what I want to do so this one time I decided I could oblige him and do what he wants to do because  he seemed so determined and wanted to go there so badly. Off we went to our 6:15 reservation only to be escorted into a private room off to the side of the restaurant to be greeted by.....

....my adult family (minus Mandy who was running the New York Marathon). Top two pictures they are hiding and waiting for my arrival.  The food was great and the bottom two are of me blowing out my candle (still so very shocked that they pulled this off). Traci was supposed to be representing at Aunt Maureen's funeral in Salt Lake. "Oh, thanks so much Traci for doing that for me. I just don't feel like I can go and leave Randy"......."No problem, Mom". They were all here. I couldn't believe Mason came either. I was sure his kids would want to stay there with their new found friends for Halloween but it was just so very fun. A highlight of my life for sure. I didn't think they could top the funeral book they gave me for my 60th birthday but they did. Thanks kids.....mostly Lauri and Traci but everyone participated and for that I was grateful.

I do love these five kids of mine and every one of their spouses. This just makes me smile all over again. I guess I was for sure "Queen for the Day" (notice pic on wall. Thanks Lauri. We decided to leave it there and tag this the Queen Jillyn Room. Actually, really my kids are fighting over it.....no actually, and really, Randy has it hanging in our bedroom as a reminder of my youth.)

The kids were all at the house waiting for us to come home. A lot of sillyness including the re-creating of a one of my favorite pictures of the boys (lower left) when they were little. They had cakes for both Randy and Me as his birthday is Nov. 3.  This was Friday night and Halloween was the next day. I did go down and enjoy the evening with the kids in their costumes as they took in the neighborhood treats.

I'm so grateful that Scott and I were able to establish some memorable family traditions and equally pleased when the kids liked them enough to carry them to the next generation. One in particular is the pumpkin carving we would do on the Monday before Halloween.

Kyle and JoEllen hosted a great "Carve Fest" this year enjoyed by young and old alike with the addition of power tools this year.

So I've got a really good start at catching up and I was planning to make a really long blog post but decided I need to avoid burnout so watch for "Here Today, Gone to Maui" later.......

Celebrating 65 in style.....