Good Bye to a Cousin

Last month I got a phone call that made my heart drop. My cousin, Jennifer Wilson Moss was killed in a car accident. Jennifer is the youngest daughter of my Aunt Kathleen. We were never especially close, but we were family. I remember lots of holidays and family bbq's at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's house. We also had cousin sleepovers with just the girls. We had lots of fun together.

It was a horrible, tragic accident that didn't need to happen. She had just dropped her son off at vacation bible school and was going home. As she was waiting to make a left hand turn on her street, a distracted driver rear-ended her and pushed her into oncoming traffic. I believe she died instantly, and there wasn't a mark on her.

My dad and I were able to make the trip to Colorado Springs together to be a support for the rest of the family. It was heartbreaking, and gut wrenching, and every other cliche I can think of to see her family grieving so hard. She left behind 5 sons and a husband in addition to her brother, three sisters, and her mom. I wish I could have been more of a comfort, give more reassurance of the things I know to be true. I wish they knew with the surety that I do that families are forever. It isn't just a phrase or a nice thing to say, it is real, and it is true. I pray that they will be able to find the peace and comfort that only the Savior can give.

It was a long drive, but it was nice to be able to have the one on one time with my dad. We had some good talks, and it was really enjoyable. It was great to see my cousins again. I can't remember the last time I saw the girls, I think it was Grandpa's funeral. Judy and her husband Hussein, and her daughter Nikki were there. Janet and her girls, Jennifer and Danielle, came from Houston. JoAnn & Chris and their children drove from Illinois. Jim and Jill and all of their family were there too. We had some good visits, and some good bonding time. It made me realize how much I miss having family close by. We talked about trying for a reunion next year, we'll see if it happens. I hope it does. We need those family connections.

Michael Gets his Mission Call!!

Michael has been so excited to get his mission call and go on his mission. He turned in his papers as soon as he was able, 120 days before he turns 19. We were told that the papers needed to be submitted and processed, the missionary committee meets on Thursdays, letters are put together and mailed on Monday, and calls are usually received on Thursday. Well, one week came and went, no call. Then the next week came and went, still no call. Finally, the Bishop told Michael that his call was on the way. We expected it on Thursday, and made plans for the family and Michael's friends to be here when he opened it. On Wednesday, I picked up the mail, and to my shock, there IT was! I was shaking so bad, I was nervous and excited for Michael. I got home and yelled that he had mail. He was just as shocked as I was. He was so excited, he wanted to open it right that second. There was no way he could wait. He called his friends, Jayme called Jenn and Dennis, I left to get Grandpa. There were a few glitches in the half-cocked plan, like life. Jenn didn't want to leave work early, Dennis couldn't leave work, Adam was on the way to Salt Lake, and JR was working.

It didn't matter though, he had to open it right this minute!! I got back with Grandpa and the cousins, Chet, Shay, Matt and Kailey were here, Jenn left work, so then we were waiting for JR. Michael got so anxious, they called JR and told him that he was opening it without him! He was just a few blocks away, so he proceeded sloooowly.....












While everyone waited nervously to see where it would be. We had a world map on the wall, and everyone placed their guesses.
















Finally, JR got here. Jenn was on the phone with Adam, and Michael read his letter. He was called to serve in the Cleveland, Ohio mission. He reports to the Missionary Training Center on August 11!! So soon! He won't even be 19 until the end of September!

After the initial letdown of not being called to someplace exotic (read Hong Kong, Russia, or Africa), we are all super excited for Michael. He realizes that this is where the Lord wants him to be and that there is a reason he is being sent there. As he keeps telling me, "God doesn't make mistakes"

I am so proud of Michael and the choices he has made. He is chomping at the bit, and so anxious to begin serving the Lord full time. We were able to go to the temple with him for the first time last week. It was a very good night with Dennis, me, Jenn, Adam, Grandpa and Bishop Peterson. Michael was a little shell shocked, but then I think we all are our first time. There is a lot to absorb, and he is ready to go back.

I am so grateful that he has good friends who support him and encourage him to be good. These boys go to the temple together, mission prep class, and help each other be better. I have always prayed that my kids would have good friends, and Michael has been blessed with the best! Go forth and serve my son, you will be an excellent missionary!!

How Did a City Girl Like Me End Up in A Place Like This?

We've been doing so much work on the yard, I wanted to take some 'before' pictures. We are on an acre, which is a ton! We were on 1/3 acre before, and I thought that was a lot! Here is the front yard from the street.




















You can see that there is lots for us to do! The ground has been totally un-tended forever. It is full of rocks and very hard clay. Fun!


















There are bumps and grades all over the lot, it's not flat anywhere. There is a slope down from the house to the street, and to the right there is a pretty good slope down too.


















This is the back, our yard goes back to the neighbors yard. You can see the back boundary by their rocks, and the fence on the far side.



















And what does everyone need to put in a new yard? A tractor of course!! It's been a great help, and Dennis and Michael love to drive it. I've tried it, I guess it's a guy thing.


















The thing I do love about living here is the feel of being in the country. We have quail, pheasant, grouse, and deer in our yard quite often. For now, I love watching the deer. Once I get my yard in and they start eating it, I may not like them quite so much.

The Return of the Swallows

When we moved into our new house, there was a birds nest under the eaves of our front porch. It was a lot bigger than in this picture and made up of grass and mud. We knocked it down and didn't think much of it. A few weeks later, we noticed that the birds had come back and were re-building their nest. Every day we would find it about this big, and we would knock it down. We thought they would take the hint that WE live here now, and they couldn't have our house anymore. WRONG!! Those persistent little things kept coming back!















This is what they look like, cute -- huh? They were either on these beams, building their nest or sitting on the ledge above the front door. One night, one even got into the house!! I slept through the excitement, but I guess it gave everyone else quite the jolt! You may ask why we didn't just let them be and build their nest.......















This is why. Bird poop. Everywhere. It doesn't rinse off either. Also, mud and grass on my front porch every day. Also, after doing some research, I learned that swallows mate for life and return to the same nest every year. If we didn't solve the problem now, they would be back forever! They may still try again next year, who knows?















Since simply knocking the nest down didn't work, we tried putting tack strip above the front door so that they couldn't perch there. Wrong, they did anyway.















Then we read that a good way is to block off the nesting site so they couldn't get to it. Wrong again, they just built on the netting.















Then we tried a fake owl. Birds are scared of owls, right? Wrong! They stayed away for about a day before they figured out that it wasn't real.















Our last ditch effort was to put netting up completely covering the front entryway. We couldn't use our front door, but hey, the birds couldn't get in. They actually did get in one time, and were pretty freaked out when they couldn't find their way out. We taped the sides and weighted down the bottom. After about two weeks or so of not having a front door, we pulled back the netting for a week, no birds. I pulled it completely off the other day and still no birds!! I hope they gave up and nested somewhere else!! Who says you can't fight mother nature? Victory is mine!!