Has It Really Been That Long?

One day last week I had an email from Merr..."whatcha doing on Friday the 2oth? It is time for the 18th Annual Track Meet. Merr and I have worked them from the beginning - both of us missing only twice each. Both of mine were due to my dr. appt. in the Valley and once those dang things are scheduled, you don't mess with that. Anyway, I had an 8:30 meeting with Hank and Debbie on ATV stuff and needed to be at the dome by 9:00. My meeting running over a little, I called Merr who is stuck at the DO handing out payroll and she called Wes and asked him to pick up our paperwork. The first flight of 4 on the boys' discus was just ending when I got there and Amanda (Wes's wife) was manning the paperwork. Wes was measuring and shagging discs back to the participants. I started helping with the 2nd flight and I have to say that I am so impressed every year with the kids that come from everywhere to participate. We have seen just about everything in track uniform, hair styles, and jewelry but the kids are ALWAYS polite and fun to be around. The first year, Tot Workman was getting a little nervous when we would offer encouragement to the kids - heck it didn't matter to us who was who or where they went to school. If there was a good throw we cheered them on...if they just scratched or tanked completely, we cheered them on. 17 years later we still cheer them on. We've seen our meet records set and in a couple of places, seen them broken. We still remember with fondness, Brian
Bell from St. Johns, Miguel Hernandez from Bisbee and Rachelle Noble from Show Low - only to mention a few. It was a great day - NICE weather for a change and the best part is chit chatting with Merr. I've been blessed with the BEST friends and family that anyone could ask for. Each person has a special place in my heart for special reasons.

Friday night I rode to the Valley with Troy and Maggie. Here it is Sunday afternoon and I am sitting on Jenna's couch while she's at church...guess who isn't going home? I am so thankful to spend time with the kids and grandkids. Yesterday I sat on the couch and sang "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam" a dozen times with Gunnar and Kamryn. (This is Kamryn's favorite song and she really belts it out) Before we ended, I had all four grandkids crawling all over me and I LOVED every minute of it. Jenna and Weston are going up next weekend - I will take a refrigerator home and she will bring her piano back. I am glad she will have it in her home and will continue taking lessons. I remember fighting with her at the end to get her to practice but then sports became her love and piano took a distant second. Five or six years ago she yelled at me about letting her quit piano because now that she is grown up she realizes the importance of the piano...oh life is a great teacher, isn't it?

I will help her paint Bailey's room this week and get the curtains hung in there. Jenna is just about finished closing out her job and will be jobless by the end of the month. There is good and bad in that. The good is that there will be less stress about working and balancing everything...the bad is there will be more stress with less money. Sometimes you just can't win.

Troy is working for Zachary at the SRP Plant in St. Johns and it is good to see him so busy and doing well again. He has been blessed to have work until a couple of months ago when it started slowing down and ended with his employer. It was tough but they hung in there and hopefully he will get a permanent job at the plant and won't have to move around.

Tad just finished his first full 8 on and started his first full 6 off with SES. He tested well and was offered a permanent position with SES at the Springerville Plant. It is less money than the mine but he has the opportunity to test for other positions and right now a job is a job.

I am grateful for the kids and that for now they are doing well. Tad is at Roosevelt fishing this weekend with Lynn (who is doing much better) and Jay. I can hardly wait for a fish fry!

Bailey just cried out in her sleep so I got her and rocked her for a minute or two. She immediately runs her hand down your shirt to fish for garments. That's her security, to feel garments. I am in awe of these for babies and their unique personalities. Gunnar and Kamryn play so well together now. They LOVE each other and enjoy each other and I am so glad that they have learned this from their mothers. Bailey and Trentin play around each other but not with each other yet. That will come in time.

I didn't plan on staying down when I came down with Troy and Maggie...I will have to wash undies every other day...and boy will I be tired of the same three shirts...

Happy Happy Birthday, Trentin Dear...

I can't believe it. Trentin is one today. Where in the heck did the last year go? I spent the night at Troy & Maggie's the night before he was born so that Kamryn could sleep in her own bed and we woke up the next morning waiting for news. Velda called me that morning and we rode to Show Low together after Trentin was born to see him. Kamryn was such a pill then - she would NOT go to anyone but her mother, her daddy, Ed or me and that was it. Velda tried so hard to be of help with Kamryn but she wouldn't let her.

3 Months 6 Months 9 Months

In many ways, Trentin has been the easiest of the four babies. He has the sweetest disposition and always has a smile for everyone. He is a good eater, a good sleeper and an extra sweet cuddler. At about 6 months he reminded me of Don's baby pictures but Trentin has a little rounder face. Talk about round - he is getting to be a chunky monkey :o) He wants to do anything that Kamryn does and last Sunday he started walking. If he's in a hurry he crawls, but it is so darned cute to see him walk. I love to watch these babies growing up. Gunnar and Kamryn's personalities are a little stronger now and they will talk your leg off. It will be interesting to see what Bailey and Trentin do. It will be fun to watch them play together now that they are both walking. Hope their mama(s) have good running shoes to keep up.

This blog is about Trentin but I have to add this story...Kamryn is into Batman - the cartoon and the Dark Knight movie. She LOVES Batman "holy twisted metal, Batman". She says the joker is not nice... yesterday she was playing in my living room and she was Batman when all of a sudden she grabs Trentin and said "Come on, Robin"... we all cracked up. The point being, I think Trentin will always be Kamryn's little side kick through good or bad. Hopefully, more good.

Yes, sweetheart, Grandma loves you with all of her heart. I am so pleased to be your Grandma and I love to watch you learn and grow. Happy birthday to one very sweet One Year old! Enjoy your cake, and eat it too.

Counting Our Blessings

I got a call from Keith at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday the 28th asking if I had heard about his mom and dad to which I replied no...what's happening? He then told me that they had rolled their atv down a cliff on Eagle Creek and were both being flown by helicopter to Tucson. He was on his way from the Valley to Tucson and said that he would call me as soon as he got there. This was the first of many calls back and forth that night to help us decide whether or not that we needed to get to Tucson. Keith said that as soon as he knew anything he would let me know and so we waited and not too patiently to hear something. Keith said that first responders from Morenci were concerned with Laura having a broken pelvis, broken leg, broken ankle, plus cuts and scrapes. Lynn had internal injuries as he was bleeding from his mouth and Keith said that the first responders were quite concerned about Lynn. After his call, I called daddy and we discussed whether or not we needed to leave and I told him that as soon as Keith got to Tucson and we had an idea of what was going on we would make that decision. Daddy was having trouble with his leg and feet and said he didn't think he could travel, I told him that if they were bad enough that we needed to go, he would damn well be in the car. I'm sorry I snapped at him but I was so concerned about Lynn that our personal troubles were the last thing we needed to be thinking about. After I hung up with dad I sat and cried and prayed that Heavenly Father would watch over them and help us make the best decision. Many calls back and forth and finally about 9:30 that night Keith told me he was leaving the hospital to get Hunter settled in for the night. Both Lynn and Laura were stable and were both in trauma rooms. I asked if their injuries were life threatening and he said he didn't know but thought that we could wait until morning to make the trip if necessary and if anything at all changed he would call me. My dad called at about 8:00 a.m. Sunday and said that Jay told him that they were supposed to meet with the drs. at 9:00 or so for a status report. I went on to Church and after I got home I called and dad told me that Laura was doing ok but they were quite concerned about Lynn. He had some broken ribs and he wasn't breathing deep enough and they were trying to keep him from getting pneumonia. I called Keith Sunday afternoon and he told me that yes, they had finally been able to get Lynn and Laura priesthood blessings Saturday night. Ronnie had been trying to get them set up, I talked with Hank and he made a couple of calls and when I went to bed Saturday night I wasn't sure it was going to happen that night. Prayers were said, gratitude expressed that Lynn and Laura were alive and pleading with Heavenly Father to bless them to recover... I talked to Keith Sunday evening and he told me that Laura had just been released from the hospital but that she would stay that night with Lynn. As a family, we were trying to make arrangements for all of us to get down to see Lynn when he could have visitors so we decided to go down on Tuesday morning.

My mom, dad, Ronnie, Nola and I made the trip to Tucson Tuesday to spend the day with Lynn and I am happy to report a slow but steady recovery.

On Saturday afternoon Lynn and Laura, Jay, Tim & Kresta were riding their quads down to the pump station on Eagle Creek near Morenci. When they were on the last deep curve near the bottom, a couple of trucks were coming out at a pretty good clip so Lynn slowed way down and pulled to the right to allow them to pass. While still moving slowly, his rt front tire got into the soft shoulder and it just kind of pulled them right over the edge. Lynn said he knew he couldn't let them tumble sideways, so he tried to "ride it out" and did for a ways before they hit a huge boulder and then he lost control and they bounced on, off, with, without the quad and finally came to an abrupt landing some 150 feet down. Thankfully the rocks they landed in kept them from going the other 150 feet to the bottom.

Laura's injuries: two cracked ribs, two cracked vertabrae, lots of owiees, bruising and broken glasses. Her legs were pretty scratched up and at the scene she said she couldn't feel her legs and there was concern about broken back, etc.
Laura was released from the hospital on Sunday night but stayed with Lynn.

Lynn's injuries: seven fully detached ribs, a large cut under his rt. eye, three fingers that he thinks are broken (they sure are swollen) and a possible broken rt. elbow. He too has cactus rash all up and down his body. He was moved from icu Monday night and is doing better. Due to the extreme pain, he wasn't breathing properly and they were concerned with him getting pneumonia. Until he is able to take meds orally, pee/poop, get up/down he will remain in the hospital. After yesterday I'm thinking another three or four days at least.

I'm the oldest of the four and you know, it does something to me when one of my brothers or sister is in need. Telling him I loved him yesterday as we were leaving, I fought tears. (But I did tell him I WON'T ride with him again :o)

I have to say that I know that much of their recovery is due to their kids being with them when they wrecked and were able to get them medical help. Both were taken by helicopter from Morenci to University Medical Center in Tucson. AND absolutely and positively I KNOW that the priesthood blessings they both received on Saturday night made the difference. Your prayers, and the prayers of many others have made a difference and I want to thank each of you for your love and concern.

I called Lynn at about 5:00 p.m. yesterday to check on him and he told me that he had just been released from the hospital and would be going to Jay's until Sunday then Jay would drive he and Laura back to Morenci and pick his truck up. (The radiator had a leak in it as he was trying to get from Morenci to Tucson last Saturday) They are concerned still with his breathing, it will be a long healing period as he ended up breaking 10 of 11 ribs on his right side. His blood pressure shot off the charts and they aren't sure why, stress? They want him to stay close until they can determine the cause. Mom and Dad think he was released too soon.

We have volunteered to take turns going to Morenci to help out as needed - glad to be able to do that for him. Kresta told me Saturday night that if no one had been there with them when they wrecked that no one would have found them. I think that with what we know now, we probably would have lost Lynn and I couldn't stand that.

So today I am counting my blessings once again and my heart is full.