A GIRL!!!!!!

WHAT JOY!!!!
After three boys we were excited to have another girl. Lesley couldn't believe she had a sister!!!! She was born on the day before Thanksgiving and named Lilian after my Mother. So, being so excited to have a girl how do I explain my leaving her all alone when just a few weeks old in the laundromat? I can't. And, being so excited to have a girl how do I explain leaving her behind at the Church when she was 4 years old? I can't. I am just grateful I missed her and went back, and that a neighbor recognized we had left her behind and brought her home.
She was hospitalized for several weeks, starting at New Year's of 1967, first with pneumonia and then other unspecified conditions. What a worry! It took about 6 weeks but finally she came home to stay.
We all delighted in our baby girl. Even in the cause of photography when her Dad took away her easter egg and caused her to cry. It made good video but......... and then when we took her to the beach for the first time when she was 18 months she didn't like the sand so would stay on the blanket. Suited me, we didn't have to chase after her :o)
Nowadays she loves the beach and all that it entails, and she loves Disneyland.


She is the loving and devoted Mother of 5 boys, and has served in all capacities of Cub scouting. She has earned the right to be happy that her boys have out grown that program. She has been a diligent supporter of her Taylor as he has been involved in marching band and music. Now she is into missions and marriages as her eldest boy got married.

Although born in Bountiful, Utah she is proud of her British heritage and has visited England a couple of times and knows her way around like a native, or even better than some. :o) On one of her trips she saw the Queen or should I say the Queen got to see her.

She is the Queen of scrapbooking and got all of us involved in blogging. She has a nice big home and is always generous in sharing her home for family parties etc.
She makes fabulous sugar cookies and takes time to decorate them.
She has developed (no pun intended) a talent for photography and is generous in sharing her talent.
She has several friends who love to party with her and enjoy the ridiculous.
She is very patient.

She is devoted to the Lord and fulfills all callings as they are extended to her. She is teaching her boys to honor their Priesthood and women. She is someone I look up to and respect.

We love you Lilian, always have, always will. Happy Birthday Sweetheart and many more.

Lilian and her favorite people at one of her favorite places

Gone are the years......

... In Church last Sunday one of the speakers referred to things we used to do in the Church which set us thinking. Here are some of the changes we came up with. If you remember others please feel free to comment.

We used to have Stake Conferences quarterly, and always had a General Authority. I don't remember if we had Saturday metings, but we always had a morning session 10am, and an afternoon session 2pm. Many people did not return for the pm session and the popular opinion was that the Saviour would return at the Sunday afternoon session.:o)

General Conference was held for three days and always included two sessions on Friday, and April conference always included April 6th whatever day of the week it was.

Priesthood meeting (in our case) was 10am Sunday, with Sunday School at 11:30 and Sacrament meeting at 6pm. Sunday School always had sacrament with a child saying a "Sacrament Gem" and the congregation repeating it. There were always two, two and a half minute talks, and a song practise and then dismiss to classes. This format changed with the introduction of the block schedule.

We used to have Stake meetings every month. Sunday School, Primary, Mutual (MIA), Relief Society. A roll call was held by Ward and there was some "fun" in seeing which Ward had the most attendees. These were similiar to current twice yearly training meetings.

We used to pay budget every month. Sometimes we were assessed by the Bishop. We used to have building funds, the Ward and Stake had a certain percentage to pay for a building, again we were assessed and also opportunities were there to work off some of the debt. It is always the Church policy that a building cannot be dedicated until it is paid for.
We had a building assessment for the building of the Jordan River Temple. These financial needs were abolished when the Church provided all monies. Except tithing of course, that is always a commandment and a blessing.

Relief Society used to require membership dues. And every year they held a Bazaar to raise money for their expenses.

We used to have "Penny Drives" for the PCH, and also children when they had a birthday always contributed a penny for every year. This was done in Primary meetings as they came up to be sung to. We also had Children's Friend drives. In these drives we paired up two by two and visited every home in the Ward to collect pennies, or to get subscriptions for the Children's Friend. We always had a "potluck" lunch afterwards, and all the pre-schoolers were tended at the church. One year at the lunch just about everyone brought jello salad. Another year one of the children in the nursery broke out with German Measles the day afterwards and in 6 weeks just about every family was affected by the measles.

Primary was held after school on Tuesday, or Wednesday. This also changed with the block schedule.

Home Teaching used to be Ward Teaching. We always struggled for FHE until Joseph Fielding Smith said Monday Night was to be set aside for this. "The Ensign" replaced "The Instructor" and "The Improvement Era" and the "Relief Society Magazine". "The Friend" replaced the Children's Friend.

One day a week.....

I spend working in the Bountiful, Utah Temple, something I have done for the past 11 years. I enjoy my work there and the friends I have made, and there is nothing quite like meeting your friends and neighbors there, and it is indescribable when I meet my family there unexpectedly.

We are anticipating meeting a new Presidency this week. They will serve for three years.
A few weeks ago one of the Matrons gave us a few interesting facts about the Bountiful temple but it really represents any one of the temples worldwide.

Site: 9 acres
Rooms: four endowment, 8 sealing
Floor Area: 104,000sq. feet
Dimension: 195 feet by 157 feet;
Height: 177 feet including Angel Moroni
Angel Moroni: 13'6"
Elevation: 5400 feet above sea level
Groundbreaking: May 2 1992 Pres. Benson
Dedication: January 8th 1995 Pres. Hunter
Stakes: 1995 28, 2009 34

Has more snowfall than any other temple(at that time)in the Church. About 5 acres of concrete to clean after each snowfall. About 4.5 acres of lawn mowed twice a week. There are 364 trees, and over 1950 shrubs on the grounds, and over 15,000 flowers and bulbs are planted each year. About 2 acres of carpet is vacuumed every night. There are about 5000 light bulbs in and around the temple.

I'm sure we rarely consider the maintenance involved, unless we have taken the opportunity to be involved when our Wards and Stakes have a "turn" to clean. This is really a different aspect of "temple work" :o)

Dedicatory Prayer excerpt, "May this house provide a spirit of peace ..to those who enter ...... let them feel of thy divine love and mercy......"

1962 part 2

47 years ago today we arrived in Salt Lake City. We were so excited to be together again as a family. We vowed we would never be apart again. It was Fall, the colours everywhere were beautiful. The weather was warm and the sun was shining!!!! and there were sunflowers blooming all over the place. I was AMAZED at the mountains. I knew Utah was in the mountains, but we had also heard about the pioneers crossing the plains. Talk about a "reality check"
Alan rented an apartment for us in West Bountiful. (The owners had planted a tree in the front yard that wasn't very big, but it cast enough shade for Lesley to sit under with her doll and play.) Alan had a job, various friends had contributed to furnishing the apartment. Our landlady bought us a beautiful set of dishes, and loaned a "Jenny Lind" bed. Some friends moved into a new home and gave us their old fridge. Grandma filled the fridge and cupboards with groceries including a "half gallon of icecream" something that was unheard of for us. I discovered that milk was sold in GALLON bottles. That's a LOT of milk in one place.
I also learned about "dryers" I could take soaking wet clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer and they dried in 30 minutes. Isn't America wonderful.
Time proved that leaving my family was easy as compared to what I now faced. I was a mile from the grocery store. So? I was used to going to the shops everyday! and we couldn't drive. I would put the children in a stroller and walk. Or, I had a neighbour who was very patient and drove me often. Lettuce was iceberg when I was used to leaf, and BREAD!!!! it took a LONG time for me to adjust. I had a phone but no one to call. No TV but a radio and no idea who was funny. etc.etc. And NO FIREPLACE , where do you sit if you don't have a fire to sit by? Oh, the house was warm, but I missed a fire. And because of Alan's job he went to the Trade Tech in SL twice a week and we had MICE. HORRORS.
The Ward members were wonderful. They welcomed us with open arms. They held a "shower" for me and everyone was so kind. The first week here someone took me to the Elementary school to see the "Halloween Parade". Imagine my amazement when the Principal ran out dressed as Dracula. THAT WAS NOT how Headmasters (Principals) behave in Belfast. :o)
I thought I had challenges, including language. I used words that meant one thing to me and something entirely different to my new friends, they were much more polite than I was in a couple of situations. They had "no clue" what I was saying because of my brogue, and all these years later I still have people laugh.
This is a miscellany of incidents that actually took place over a few months. I had a LOT of learning moments, but I think the biggest was realizing that everyone was trying hard to make me feel welcome and now it was up to me.
I think I could sum it up by saying it was "the best of times it was the worst of times."
Now all these years later (although it hasn't taken all these years for me to recognise it)we can truly say this had been a land choice above all others for us.
I enjoy living in Zion. This Is the Place.

I remember I came to Utah with 3 children and 2 suitcases now look at us!!!!

HELLO? :o(

It is 4.15am no one is abroad. Bump What is that noise? My heart skips a beat. No. the doors are locked. We don't have any pets! *bump* Alan? did you hear that? What? that bump. BUMP there did you hear it that time? Yes. What do you think it is? I don't need to think I KNOW what it is! What? it is chestnuts falling off the tree and rolling on the roof. *laughter* Oh, My hero.

16th October 1962

I left Belfast with three bairns and two suitcases to emigrate to Utah and join our husband/Daddy there. It was a very emotional time saying goodbye to my Sister-in-law and two nephews and one niece. (I had said my goodbyes to my sister and her family the night before.) My brother accompanied us to Glengall Street where we were to catch the bus for the airport at Nutt's Corner. Unfortunately the airport was fogged in and no flights were leaving so we returned to my brother's home (where we had been living all summer) to try again tomorrow.(Wednesday) Next day my brother and his friend John hired a car and drove us to Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland to get a KLM flight to New York.(I saw more of Ireland the day I left than I had in all my life.) We caught the flight at 2am Thursday morning. So, here I am boarding an airplane at 2am with three toddlers and a cabin of sleeping passengers. After take-off the flight attendant arranged to move us to the front of the cabin, where she fixed a bed on the floor for one child, a bed on the seat on the opposite side of the aisle for another and one laying on the seat next to me. Thus we spent the night, the children slept all the way through. Next morning I was met in N.Y. by my oldest brother John. He and his wife had met the plane the day before when we did not arrive. She had to go home to take care of their boys and John stayed till we arrived. We set out for their home in Alexandria, VA. by car, but had car problems and had to continue by train. Somewhere along the way we got drinks and Archie approached me and said,(in his best Belfast brogue)"Mammy, I don't like this drink with stones in it" (ice). And thus our adventure began.
On the Saturday evening as I tended my brother's boys, we watched "The River of No Return" I decided to call Alan who it turned out was also tending and watching the same movie (tender moment).
We stayed with my brother and his family until Sunday when we left Washington DC by train for Chicago where we boarded the California Zephyr. As we approached Chicago on Monday morning I was chagrined to note it wasn't much different from Belfast. We spent the day in the Mother's lounge (my Stepmother had arranged for Travellers' Aid to meet me and make sure we were ok) until our train left at 3pm.
In the morning we stopped in Denver and the train was washed to prepare for the trip through the Rocky Mountains. As we left Denver and climbed into the mountains I saw the America I was anticipating. The mountains were ablaze with Fall colours and it was beautiful. The children behaved magnificently. The USA was in the middle of the Cuban crisis, so I didn't know if we would soon be a nation at war. We had a programme of the itinerary and about 4pm in the afternoon we crossed over from Colorado into Utah and I cried, I was in Utah. We arrived in Salt Lake about 10pm and there we reunited with our Daddy/husband. What an emotional time that was. Lesley's first remark to her Daddy, "Do you want to keep me?" DID HE WHAT!!!!!


To be continued......

Goodmorning Utah!!!!

This is actually the rising sun in St. George, Utah.
We went to Southern Utah for 4 days with a day in the middle to visit Las Vegas for Hannah's blessing.
We visited one of our favorite places.



Zion National Park.
We had to wait 20 minutes in line to enter the Park and since the parking lot was full we were not able to get the shuttle so just drove through the tunnel to the "checkerboard mesa". We met a nice couple from Ohio. I confess, I was disappointed that the fall colors were not rampant. Maybe we need to go next weekend. :o)

Then on Sunday morning we went to meet Hannah.
What a beautiful girl, she is a keeper.


This is our baby, with his baby, and her baby, and Grandpa. Four generations.!!



Hannah enjoyed G'pa singing "My Sweet Lady"



A great time!! but there is no place like home.
But then "Home is where the Heart is"