Day Family Newsletter - November 2014

DAY FAMILY NEWSLETTER – NOVEMBER 2014

We had everyone over for my birthday on the 1st – Linda made lasagna and we had some pizza delivered. Thanks for the cards most of you sent. Later in the week Linda and I went to a play at the U of U, Two Guvnors, a cute comedy.

We attended Julie Bertoch’s graveside service. We had a nice lunch with Shelley, Danny & Derek at a neat Avenues deli (Cucinas) that Shelley recommended. Earlier in the month we attended a viewing of someone I used to work with at Motor Vehicles. Now we hear of JD’s father dying, JD being the one who used to drive Danny around until he lost his driver’s license. It’s like death comes in threes, or fours if you count Kenny Horman.

Stuart and Debbie dropped Kaylee off one Saturday for a sleepover while they went to Wendover. It was so much fun having her over. We took her to the new aquarium in Draper – what a neat, neat, place! Kaylee (9 yrs old now) is growing in leaps and bounds, and has braces, and is just a doll!
Later in the month, Katie & Bill wanted to have a night off to celebrate Bill’s birthday, and we had Jack (5 yrs), Sofie (3 yrs) and Hazel (7 months) sleep over. It was likewise so much fun having them over – Jack is the cutest guy with big dimples in both cheeks, Sofie is miss bossy/extremely intelligent/cute/adoring all together, and Hazel is wide eyed and completely aware of everything going on – look out for her. And this time, Hazel slept the whole night thru! Jack helped me put up the Christmas tree, and figured out how the base hooks together – I was having trouble.

Linda and I went to the Southtown Sandy Christmas vendor show where they have hundreds (it seemed like) vendors selling everything under the sun, especially stuff for Christmas. By the third or 4th booth, we had pretty well spent the budget, although I convinced Linda to take care of my Christmas gift by buying a 72 hour food storage kit along with two 30 day bucket supplies as well. I bought an extra butane tank for our outdoor grill, and we are now ready for the “end”, if we survive. Like a bad earthquake, and if we survive, I can pull emergency supplies out from the garage back door area (tent, sleeping bags, blow up mattress with battery to do the blowing, food supply, extra butane tank, and water filter for the hot tub in the back yard gazebo). At least, that’s the plan and unless the earthquake knocks the garage down, or if neighbors come over with guns to take our supplies, and I only have a shovel to fend them off…….am I going to have to buy a gun? Ugh.

Linda and I took Danny to the Provo airport for his 6 day/5night trip to the Rheads for Thanksgiving. He’ll tell you all about it in his newsletter. I watched Steph’s two youngest, Sarah (8 yrs) and Taylor (6 yrs) for the Saturday AM black shopping weekend that Jackie, Katie, Stephanie and Linda ventured out to. They said it was not that busy. The next day (Sunday), after Katie and Bill picked their kids up; we drove up to Steph’s for our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner. It was simply delicious, and fun to celebrate Thanksgiving again in Syracuse. It also gave me a chance to take her kids shopping for their Mom, and Jessica wrapped all their presents after dinner. Jessica knows how to wrap gifts now, as she had spent the day before working from 9AM until 10PM working as a gift wrapper at Barnes & Noble in Layton along with numerous other girl scouts raising money for their cause. Jessica had originally signed up for the 9 to 1PM shift, but begged her Mom to work the 1PM to 5PM as well. And when Steph went to pick her up, she begged to work the 5PM to 10PM shift too! Jessica just turned 12, and never runs out of energy. Jessica shared my birthday celebration, as her birthday is on the 6th, and she picked the dessert, raspberry cheesecake (Linda made them). Jessica is now 3 inches taller than her Mom.

Linda has kept busy this past month working part time a few hours per day, crocheting more dishcloths and blankets for babies. She also had lunch out with an old friend one day. Linda made her traditional famous cheese ball; brussel sprouts with cream sauce covered with cheese, jello with raspberry and whipped topping (only in Utah) for our Thanksgiving contribution at Jackie & Wiggins this year. About18 in all this year, and they did a bang up job – everybody brought something to help out. Cole & Jessica (Jackie’s) came with their Emry (5 yrs) and Jax (2yrs) – our first two great grandchildren. They are the neatest couple with the cutest kids! Wiggin’s kids spent Thanksgiving this year with their Mom.

I just read a book about Lincoln, the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith that Jackie/Wiggins gave me for my birthday. When I opened the cover, I realized it was written by the guy who Wiggins goes on the sex slave rescue operations with Operation Underground Railroad. Tim is the CEO/founder, and explains how his passion about rescuing underage kids comes from the rescue the Mormons needed from the States when they were persecuted. An about face, as now a lot of people feel they need to be rescued from the Feds, not the States. He explains that the 13th and 14th amendments came about after the Civil War, and finally gave the Mormons, as well as blacks, the protection they needed, even if it came late. He ties together Lincoln, the civil war, the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith in our country’s evolution that led to the growth of the LDS church, and temples being allowed to dot the land. Hey, I’m not saying I buy into this – but I read the book and enjoyed it. I’m lending it to Shelley in turn for a book that she’s read, another Mormon related book. In between, I read a couple of novels by Danielle Steel and Nicholas Sparks, Winners & The Best of Me. And I’m starting Brothers Karamazov on my Reader. Reincarnation, by the way, is still the deal for me.

Utah pretty much did what I expected in football, except they won two games out of the last four to end up 8 and 4, their best showing in quite some time. And BYU won 4 straight to end up on a positive note. There was a full page ad in the Tribune this past Sunday from an anonymous BYU fan imploring LDS Utah fans to also root for BYU when they were playing opponents other than Utah. I’ve finally decided to try his/her approach this past year – perhaps because they are not playing each other – too bad, Utah could have been 9 and 4. Still, I’ve been rooting for the Cougs, and this without a constitutional amendment telling me I had to.

The Zito’s annual X-Mas Eve dinner that we’ve attended for the past 47 years of our marriage has been canceled this year due to Bob Zito’s failing health (kidneys). Bob’s family is the one who originally bought the St. George condo that we eventually bought into about 10 years ago. Nikki’s dad, Grant married Linda’s mom, Beth about one year before Linda and I got married. Bob is 79 years old. When Deon and Steve called me on my birthday, Steve mentioned that our estimated age longevity is now about 84. So I figure I’ve got 15 years left, unless………Karin, you’re much closer. Perhaps that’s why you forgot my birthday this year. Point being, it seems to me there are a lot of people close to our age dying lately, not aunts/uncles/parents. I guess that means we’re up. What an awful way to end a newsletter. Hey, have a Merry Christmas and New Year.

Tom & Linda