Another Beautiful Smile!

After 2 1/2 long years, Sophi finally got her braces off!

She is smiling a lot these days and I LOVE IT!!

Rance Triumphs After All!

Don't be alarmed!

Rance is fine. He just had an extended rest during his first attempt at a full 26.2 mile marathon!

Rance had a goal of running a marathon by the time he was 40. He turns 41 in a couple of weeks so a few months ago, he started training for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.

He trained well and felt ready for the run today. But his body didn't cooperate! He started feeling weak around mile 13 and was wondering what was going on. He had run further than that while training and had been fine. His stomach started to hurt and he attributed that to the PowerAde. He made it to mile 17 and was feeling very weak. He decided he needed to test his blood...as you all know, he is diabetic but he thought he had prepared well. He found a medic and asked if they had a blood tester but he didn't. The guy found someone who did and then found Rance again and took him to them. They were ambulance workers. They tested his blood and it was 23, which is REALLY low...like passing out low. But he didn't pass out, just felt weak. They gave him some glucose tabs and some glucose gel and tested his blood again. It had gone up to 40 something but they wanted to keep him until it went higher. By this time, LaRae & I were on our way to see him at the finish line but instead we tried to meet up with him along the race. But his blood sugar level wasn't going up fast enough for the EMT ladies so they hauled him to the ER, against Rance's wishes. He knew that if he just gave it some time, the glucose tabs & gel would kick in and he would be able to finish the race. But they wouldn't wait. So we had to meet him at Methodist Hospital...where he posed for the above photo...

He was so disappointed. He just kept shaking his head while we were in the ER. He stayed there for a couple of hours which was ridiculous because his blood level went to over 300 because the EMT's gave him so much glucose gel. The doctor finally released him so we took him back to the finish line so he could turn in his timing chip.

So...I knew that he wasn't going to give up that easily...but we didn't want to be stupid either so I went with him for the remaining 9 miles once we got home.

Chloe met us about five times along the way with Gatorade and water...and of course, a few photos for memories!

Rance is my hero today!

Chloe

I am so proud of Chloe. She received her Young Womanhood Recognition yesterday in Sacrament Meeting. This award is equivalent to the Eagle Scout award that Scott is working towards. She performed at least 100 service hours to earn this.

Chloe had to write a poem about herself for an English assignment last week.

I love it...it is so her!

Chloe was a typical girl,
With a typical life in a typical world.
Sweatpants and T-shirts were her style,
But she liked to dress up once in a while.
She loved to buy cute clothes like skirts,
Skinny jeans, scarves, and lots of shirts.
She wore her converse all the time.
They were the comfiest shoes she could find.
Her hair was straight and long.
The color of it was golden blonde.
Her style could be considered chic,
But she also had a runner’s physique.
She was skinny but strong,
And could run all day long.
She did the best she could to be
Healthy and strong, you see.
In order to be quick and fast,
She thought about all the girls she wanted to pass.
But winning wasn’t always the test.
She just tried to do her absolute best.
She was 17, but remember,
She would turn 18 in December.
She lived with her parents, Rance and LaDawn,
But after she graduated, she would be long gone.
Her dream was to attend BYU,
And to get accepted was all that was left to do.
She loved her family, don’t get me wrong.
She just wanted to get out- to sing a new song.
She was tired of everything being the same.
It seemed like BYU was calling her name.
She would miss her family and friends a lot.
Especially her twin brother named Scott.
She hoped Scott made it into BYU too.
If he didn’t, she didn’t know what she would do.
She would miss her sister, Sophi, so much.
Laughing, talking, telling jokes, and such.
There were so many people she would miss.
If she wrote them all down, it would be a long list.
She had a lot of very close friends.
With whom their friendship would never end.
Taylor and Sara were her best friends from school.
They were fun to be around, and really cool.
The three would always laugh til they barely could stand,
But half of their jokes, only they could understand.
They had been best friends since freshman year,
And they would be friends forever, it was clear.
Chloe had a lot of church friends too.
With Katie, Megan, and Sarah, there was always fun stuff to do.
All of her friends were really great,
But she also had lots of friends in different states.
Her best friend, Ryan, lived in California, you see.
She also had a bunch of friends in Utah, where she wanted to be.
She was a very friendly girl, as you can tell.
Making friends was something she did well.
Most of her friends she didn’t get to see much.
So she texted them in order to keep in touch.
Of course, she never texted during school.
She would never dream of breaking the rules.
She didn’t speak with proper English all the time,
But compared to some, her English was fine.
Chloe hardly ever got in trouble.
With her parents, punishment was usually double.
From an early age, they taught her right from wrong.
She would remember these lessons her whole life long.
It shaped the girl she is today,
How she acts in different ways.
She is strong in her belief in God and church,
In Jesus, and how much she was worth.
She believed that helping others was the key.
Service truly does make you happy.
In the future, she would like to be
A teacher for autistic kids and the needy.
She can’t wait to grow up and be on her own,
To look back and see how much she has grown.
But right now, she’s going to enjoy being young.
Hang out and have fun until high school is done.
She doesn’t do drugs and she doesn’t drink.
She honestly doesn’t care what others think.
She’s always laughing and having a good time with friends.
This is Chloe. The end!

Family Home Evening Fun

Sophi & Chloe came up with a fun game for Family Home Evening this week...we each drew numbers and then Chloe would consult their list of silly things to do and tell us what silliness we had drawn...then we had to do it! It was a hoot!

Fill your mouth with crackers and say "Mississippi"...

Hop on one foot and whistle a song...

Walk around the circle without smiling...
(Scott couldn't do it...took him three tries!)

Draw a cat while blindfolded...

Do the worm...

Balance a cup on your head while jumping up and down...

Do the "tree pose" for 30 seconds...

Hula-hoop for thirty seconds while making a fish face...

Do somersaults around the circle...

(ouch!)

Balance on a ball while singing "Yankee Doodle Dandee"...

Walk like a duck around the circle...

Put on a swimming suit and goggles and act like you're swimming...

Make the evil chipmunk face...

Feed the person to your right ice cream while you're both blindfolded...

Everyone jump in the pool with your clothes on...

My Friend Jess

What better way to spend an evening than to celebrate a dear friends' birthday and visit with great ladies? I've known Jess for many years now...she was just graduating from high school when we moved to Greenwood! And she is such a good person, she doesn't even care that I'm so much older than her, she's still my friend! She is a fabulous person, fun to be around...always makes me laugh. She makes the best chocolate chip cookies! She is a dedicated mom and wife and I love her dearly!

2009 Youth Conference

Our 2009 Youth Conference to Palmyra, New York & Kirtland, Ohio was wonderful!

We had a dance at the local ward building the night we arrived.

The Sacred Grove...

Being in the Sacred Grove was a very peaceful experience. It was different than I imagined. I imagined that it was one clearing but there were many paths with benches throughout. Many youth found quiet places to meditate, pray & read scriptures. I found a quiet path and spent some time alone in prayer. I'm so thankful for that experience.

The Grandin Press

The Hill Cumorah Pageant

We hung out for a couple of hours before the dress rehearsal of the pageant. We got to meet the cast beforehand. I found some of my old friends from Ricks College who were performing in the pageant...the Brasiers. I hadn't seen them for 13 years.

The pageant was SPECTACULAR! I highly recommend it.



The Kirtland Temple

Me & my girls.

Newell K. Whitney Home

The trip was a quick one but full of great exeriences. The photo below of me "pulling my hair out" was not indicative of the trip...I had a wonderful time and I would do it all over again!

The Dad's in My Life...

I never knew my Grandpa George...he died right after I was born. I wish I had...I have heard many stories about him. He was always portrayed as a mean old cuss. He was actually a little bit of a scary figure in my life because I knew he used to take my dad and his brothers out to the barn when they'd been up to mischief and in their words, "take a 2X4 to our rear ends". But I'll bet he would have been a softy with his little granddaughters.

My Grandpa Durham wasn't really a part of my life. He and my Granny Opal divorced before I was born. He didn't come around much...I think I only remember being with him one time. I was pretty bitter about it and told him so in a letter when I graduated from high school. But after my dad died, my mom went to his house and brought him back into our lives. I saw him a few times after that before he died a couple of years ago. We had some good times together...although there never really was a connection. My mom, sister and I went to see him as he lay on his death bed. He was not responding to any of us and we had pretty much resigned ourselves to just being there...when he opened his eyes and looked directly at me and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry." I burst into tears and felt his love for me. I'm so thankful for that experience.

As I mentioned above, my Granny Opal divorced my grandpa before I was born. She married another guy in between that I didn't know. But after that marriage failed, she met my Pa Jerry. Pa Jerry has been there my whole life. He really adored me when I was little. You can tell by looking at the photos. And of course, I remember. He's the reason I wanted to be a truck driver when I grew up! On one of our moves out to Utah from Tennessee, he drove the U-Haul and I was the passenger. He brought along his CB radio and gave me a "handle". I was "Blondie" and he was "Guitar Picker". Granny Opal's handle was "Little Pixie". So, he would talk to all the truckers about what was going on out there on the highway. And when we stopped at truck stops, I got to see the big rigs and the cool little apartments they had in their trucks. I had a blast on that trip...all the pop and treats I could eat. Pa Jerry has been a wonderful grandfather to me. He was a witness at my wedding in the temple, standing in for my own father. I couldn't have picked a better man for my Granny to spend her life with.

My dad. I cried a bit today...it is always bittersweet to think of him. I love him dearly, although he wasn't a perfect father...but who is? Although I have forgiven him of his mistakes, they sometimes creep up in my thoughts and make me cry. But really, his life was one of service and of love. My memories are full of times when he was helping others. He loved to share the gospel...with everyone! I remember a time when he brought a hitchhiker home. Mom was not happy and I can understand why! He gave him a good meal and a bed for the night and then drove him back to the interstate the next morning. That was after he gave him a Book of Mormon. He may have even had him come to church with us before going back to the interstate...I'm a little fuzzy on the details! Dad was always so proud of us kids and our accomplishments. He was always right there with his camera...much to our dismay sometimes! Dad was a dreamer and I have inherited this quality. Dad was always hard at work on a project...either on our house or a church event or something personal. Anything he touched was going to be done right and he expected that out of the people around him. I love him and I miss him. I wish he could see his grandchildren. When I am at one of their events, I often think of him and how he would have absolutely LOVED to be there too. I hope that Heavely Father lets him look down on us every once in a while. Somehow, I believe He does...

Don Jordan...my step-dad. It's weird for me to write that! I don't really think of him like that...maybe it hasn't been long enough but I do think of him as one of the most caring and wonderful men I know! He has a reputation around these parts for being a hard worker and someone that would do anything for anyone. His thoughtfulness always makes me smile. Our kids love him and always want to be around him. He is a great Grandpa! And what's better yet, he is the best thing that has ever happened to my mom since my dad died! She waited a long time for him and I'm sure she would agree that it was worth the wait! I can hardly express the peace that I feel when I think of her with him. I know that she is happy and loved. What more could I ask for?

Jim Weston...my father-in-law. It was so easy to call him Dad right from the beginning. He brought me right into the Weston family with his southern accent and charm. Oh how wonderful he can make me feel when he starts bragging about my cooking or whatever it is he is talking about! I was the first daughter-in-law but it wasn't hard on me. Dad gives the best hugs...nice and tight. He is always there for us when we go to him for advice. But won't give it unsolicited. He is a man who isn't afraid to show his emotions. He loves his family fiercly. He raised the best man I know...and I will be eternally grateful to him for that.

Rance...my husband and the father of our five beautiful children...is the love of my life. I thought I knew what love was before I met him but I didn't. And I'm still learning what love is every day with him! What a blessing it is to be in a marriage that continues to deepen and expand as the days go by. I met him while he was serving his mission to Tennessee. He had been on his mission for about a year when he came to our ward in Clarksville. He knew my brother LaMonte from a "Mini-Mission" that LaMonte had served earlier that year down in Knoxville. I remember LaMonte coming home from that experience and saying that I would really like Elder Weston because we had the same taste in music...and so Elder Weston came to Clarksville. LaMonte was right...I did really like Elder Weston! He was one of the cutest guys I had ever seen! But as our family went through the trajedy of losing my father and my youngest brother, LaMar, in a housefire, I learned of an even better trait of Elder Weston's than his looks. I learned that he loves people and shows that love by his actions. He loved our family through that time...he and his companion would come to the dark, "old lady" smelling rental that we had to move to after the fire and pick my brothers up for P-day activities or tracting. They helped out at the big yard sale that our church held for us...mostly as comic relief by trying on crazy outfits and modeling for us and just being there for all of us. Rance hasn't changed over the years...let me take that back. He has changed...for the better if it is even possible!! He used to drive me crazy by asking what he could do to change for the better and I would always draw a blank! But he is always truly trying to improve himself. He shows all of us just how much he loves us by his actions every day. I think Scott's Father's Day card to Rance says it best:

Dad,

Happy Father's Day! You are such an awesome dad. I couldn't ask for a better one. You are a great example to me. I never see you being rude or mean to anyone (besides the Blockbuster dude!) and if you are, you always say sorry. I want to be just like you when I am older. You are a perfect example to me on how to be a great father. You are active in the church, you read your scriptures every day, you work hard at your job to provide for us and most importantly, you love your family and show it all the time. Thank you for being such a great father to me.

Love,

Scott