Coming From Behind...again.

The end of 2013 was unusual for me...I was cooking at Elk Camps.  Who knew?


It started out with my 58th birthday - holy heck...that's close to 60.  I'm in a good place in my life.  I am single, I am happy and I love my kids and grand kids.  I have good friends and family that I like to play with.  Life really is good.


Weston had a birthday on the 17th of January followed on the 22nd by Bailey who turned 5.  She is into "crap" projects, coloring, etc.  She tickles me with her love of food, ice cream in particular.  She will stay up all night if she has to to get some ice cream.  She loved pre-school and loves learning.  I picked her up at school on crazy hair day...her hair was pink and so cute.  Her daddy sent her flowers to her pre-school on her birthday and that little girl was in heaven!


February 4 was Presley's 1st and Tad's 30th birthdays.  Seems to be a pretty popular day... Clancey McBride, Gage Wiltbank, Tad and Presley to name a few share that birthday.  Presley is such a Jenna "mini me" that I can't believe it.  She's a cute little toot.  As the year progressed she is quite the mess maker with her big sister, Brinley.  They empty every toy and put on every princess dress in the house. 


A week later on the 11th Gunnar turned 7 with a bounce house party with school friends and neighborhood friends.  He had such a good time and it was fun to see him with friends from school.  he loves school - he gets to play boy things and rough house that he can't do at home with the girls.  He is such a good big brother and Presley LOVES her brother!  Gunnar loves to wrestle and play baseball and electronic games.  His mama monitors the electronics like crazy.  We got to go to Las Vegas in December to watch Gunnar wrestle.  He brought home a 3rd place trophy out of a million wrestlers - we were so proud of him.  February 9th was mom and dad's 60th anniversary.  60 years, can you imagine? 


Tanner decided that March was too long to wait and showed up 4 weeks early.  He was such a tiny peanut.  Sandy red hair - he is a good baby and Kamryn and Trentin love their little brother.  He is such a blessing to their family.  Tanner is still a tiny peanut - and has the biggest smile ever.


March brought Trentin's 5th birthday - we celebrated with Pizza and bowling in Show Low - it was a fun day.  Cold but fun.  Trentin does well in Head Start and will do well in Kindergarten.  He is a sports NUT!  Trentin wrestled too and it was fun to go watch him.  He and Gunnar both wrestled in St. Johns and both brought home 1st place ribbons!  Woot!  Woot!  I got to go to Disneyland and Sea World with Jenna's family in March for Spring Break.  It was so fun.  The older kids loved the beach the little ones liked the sand but not the water.  Sea World was awesome...so relaxed for everyone - I think that was my favorite.  Jenna and the kids came up for a week during their Spring Break - the kids all have a ball playing together.  Daddy turned 80 on March 19th... I still remember when he was 33 - funny I remember that year but not any other milestone years. 


April...can we catch our breath?  Not a single birthday!  Hooray!  I'm not even sure what happened in April anymore.  Guess it's good we stay busy every month with birthdays.


May brought the end of a good school year for Gunnar and Kamryn.  Kamryn turned 7 on May 26th - she is such a quiet little girl sometimes.  She also can be a poop like her mother, too.  She's a little feisty.  She does well in school now that Troy and Maggie have settled down.  She really struggled when they were apart and messed up.  Kids suffer the consequences of our choices.


June warms up so that we are so anxious for the summer rains.  Jenna and the kids came up and spent a week and the kids had a ball.  They were up and out of the house early and not back in until after dark.  They played in the ditch, flashlight tag, trampoline, park, Maggie's house, up and down the street...they all had so much fun and freedom that I think they truly had a great week here.  Tim got married on the 1st of June in Tucson.  Tad, Brianne and I took mom and dad and stayed at Jays.  It was a nice wedding and mom and dad enjoyed their little trip.  In June the Yarnell fire took the lives of 19 firefighters and was such a tragedy.  I was so selfishly happy that none of my nieces and nephews were fighting that one.  Bood Hall was the incident commander and took that really hard.


Ryker turned 2 on July 7th - that is Trace's (Emily's little boy's birthday, too) He is such a smart little guy and like his dad will talk to a rock.  He talks all of the time.  Dr. Wilson said his communication skills were exceptional for his age!  He loves his daddy and Tad loves his boy. 


Tad and Brianne got a house together on Poverty Flat road - their relationship is pretty rocky at best.  She claims to be pregnant and due on my birthday with a girl.  By July we aren't seeing a baby bump.  I heard that she was drinking at Tim's wedding in Tucson in June...  They had a nice bbq at their house on the 4th - then we all went to the fireworks.  Kresta spent the night with me.  She and other firefighters walked in the parade to honor Yarnell Hotshots and local firefighter Michael Pena who died in a car wreck the end of June, too.  That was too touching, I cried when they walked by.


Jenna and Weston went to California for a Young reunion for the 4th of July so the 4th was different for us.  Jenna's kids started school the middle of July!  That's still SUMMER...she hates that part of living in the valley.  Gunnar is in 2nd grade and Bailey is in Kindergarten at Riggs Elementary.  They both like school...Bailey in particular.  She LOVES learning.


Brinley turned 3 on August 4th - She shares that day with Sarah.  I missed her birthday.  Weston was going to Alaska so they did it early.  Jenna and the kids came up for Valerie's wedding on August 10th and then I went back with them for a week while Weston was gone.  Jenna has her hands full, that's for sure.  Brinley is such a little mess...I love her!  She loves makeup, dress up, dance, ballerina, mermaids, princesses, anything frilly and girly.  She is my "drinking buddy"...she loves to share my pop with me.  I was busy with the ATV Jamboree and Trophy Elk Contests at the same time.  I am crazy and I over do and get burned out.  I have to figure a way to cut back...


The 10th annual ATV Jamboree was held in September.  Tad called and asked if I would be interested in cooking at Elk Camp at Josh Ranch again in September...the hunt started on Friday after the jamboree was over so basically I was home for three days and gone again for 13 days.  It was a lot of work but fun.  I enjoy the hunters and they seem to enjoy my food... a win win for me.  As it turned out I cooked in September, October, November and December...I left home in September and was home two or three days an gone again until January 14th...  I felt like a stranger in my own home.
Maggie turned 29 in September.  Where has the time gone? 


My mom turned 76 October 16th.  She is getting forgetful - tells the same story or asks the same question many times in a short period of time.  It makes me sad.  Daddy is her world.  I hope and pray that they go together.  One will be lost without the other.


In November I went to Datil to cook - Tad and I were never in the same camp until December - that was for 2 nights...we passed each other like two ships in the night.  I was blessed to be able to pay my bills and buy my pellets for the winter.  Can't ask for more than that. 
Don would have been 61 November 1st - I still get mad at him for missing the best part of life.  He truly would have loved all of these grandkids...and they would have loved him.  We all miss him  all of the time.  Tanner has been sick a lot and the Dr. did some tests that came back inconclusive and they are sending him the Phoenix Children's hospital blood disorders/cancer unit.  We are all concerned for him and pray that it is nothing.  He is still a little peanut.  Smart as a whip and a good baby, just small. 


December 3rd was Troy's 35th birthday; Jenna turned 33 on the 9th and then we had Christmas...we all went to Vegas the 1st weekend in December for Gunnar and Trentin to wrestle.  They did ok...6th place but not their best.  It was still fun to go watch them.  Tad, Kamryn, Maggie, Tanner and I were all sick for Christmas.  I got the bug about noon on Christmas day and the next day was horrible.  Vomiting, diarrhea, yuck...for three days.  The kids got me an Ipad for Christmas.  I was so shocked but am so happy with it.  Cache turned 5 on the 26th.  Chelsea and the boys spent Christmas day with us before she went to Las Vegas.  It was good to have them here.   Maggie and Troy moved to Thatcher during Christmas break and I went to Datil to cook on New Year's Eve.  Really a different New Years for me.  I was out there on my birthday, too.  I turned 59...do you know how close to 60 that is? 


Cache had an incident at school where he was spurring another little boy and Chelsea called Tad to talk to him.  It was determined and decided that Cache can call Tad what ever he wants, it's his choice.  He chose "dad"...Tad was so happy.  Another incident at school caused Chelsea to visit with a therapist who told her that she and the boys were "blessed to have Tad" and that they were blessed that Cache chose him to be his dad.  One step forward...


Life is good.  I have been blessed way  beyond my worthiness.  I am so grateful for my own kids, their spouses and extended families and my sweet grand kids.  Jenna is bringing us up to 10 in March with another little girl.  We are blessed!