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...