Adopted

These are our absolutely gorgeous Grandchildren....
We adopted them and Love them like they are our own.

Now that is a new car!

9-11

On this day of 9-11-2010, I thought I would share the piece that was sent around the country and the world to let people know that we will not be beat down! This piece was done on 9-11-01

Happy Valentines

For my Beautiful Wife, who I owe all that I am, I gave this kind of Artsy Rose in a Vase. I had the idea from something I saw on TV, but I figured it out all on my own. Nice suprise for my sweetheart.
-Love Rudy

My Nightime Work

Well, I am up in the night, "ha ha" now that is a play on words, but I am so proud of all the changes Carol has made to the blog. I did add the Osmond music, it's a surprise for her. You can even watch an Osmond video from way back when the Osmonds debuted in Disneyland. You can stop or pause the music. You also can go forward or backwards in the music list by using your up or down arrows and clicking with your mouse to play the song.
-Enjoy, we will when we see Donny and Marie!!!!!!!!!!
-Rudy

We made History / Wicked Step-Mother Day

I guess we made history yesterday. You will never find it in a history book, but only on the records of the Church. We are now members of the new Pleasant Grove Utah West Stake or is it Pleasant Grove West Utah Stake? Either way, you get the picture. A new stake was made by taking six or seven wards from two other stakes and making this new one. All of the speakers kept saying what a historic this day was and I believe what my church leaders say. But we must not be the only new stake organized yesterday with the way the Church is growing!!!
Bishop Able is now President Able. He was called to be the second counselor. I need to find out for sure the name of the new president and other counselor. That means we will getting a new Bishopric. With this change and Bro. Valletta moving it will be a good time for it.

I heard of a new thing on TV today. They called it "Wicked Step-Mother's" day. Right up my alley, if ya get my drift. Instead of trying to visit every one's in-laws and out-laws on Mother's Day, Step-Mothers celebrate on the Sunday after Mother's Day. (I guess you could do the same for Step-Fathers too). I am going to tell Rudy we need to celebrate this day, since I am one, of course...(a wicked step-mother, among other things!!!) Sounds like a plan. So all you wicked Step-Mothers out there UNITE and let's all have a party! Oops...I think we are a day late. Oh well, any excuse for a party!!!

We are getting ready to go to Las Vegas to see Donny and Marie!!!! I knew Rudy would come through...he always does. They are performing at the Flamingo, so that is where we will be staying. It will just be easier for us to stay at the same hotel. I know one thing for sure, Rudy will want to go to the Star Trek adventure at the Hilton. Yes folks, he is a semi-Trekkie, or one in training, because we haven't been to the new movie yet. It opened last weekend and we are a little slow. Really, I guess it is me dragg'ng my feet. I have been a little bit lazy. My knee hurts pretty bad and it is easier not to walk a lot....and we are going to Vegas???? Can you say electric scooter??? I have rented one and it will be waiting at the hotel when we get there. It will be so much better on both of us if I can scoot along!!! Someday I hope not to have this problem!!! I was checking out the rentals on line and they say that even healthy people are renting scooters in Las Vegas, because you walk so much and it is pretty inexpensive to rent a scooter!! Imagine that. I would be so thankful to be able to walk!!!! Though, I am glad that I have this alternative now,when I need it.

Night Ramblings and Dental Trauma

So we made it through another Mother's Day. Ray and Paula invited us to dinner. We had a wonderful Mom's day feast. It was so nice to be with family and we had a very good time. Mother was there and it was nice to honor her. Paula read an inspirational story that added to the spirit of the day. Thanks to the Coddingtons. You done did good.

Mother had shoulder surgery on May 5th. It was on her rotator cuff and ligaments. The doctor was unable to do all he wanted to do. She had probably injured it so long ago that is was unrepairable. So he cleaned a bunch of gunk out and that was it. The doc said she was a tuff old girl to go through the pain for so long. He need not tell us, because we already knew she was a tuff broad. You rock Mom. She is doing so much better, and healing well. We thank the Lord above for blessing her so much.

This week Rudy went under the knife...I guess it was more like the drill! He went to the dentist. She told him his mouth was on "fire" and there were a few places they needed to put the fire out immediately. He had to have one tooth extracted. The dentist decided it was a 5th wisdom tooth. I always knew he was full of wisdom...but I just assumed it was in his brain and not his mouth. He is still swollen and his one little cheek looks like a chipmunk cheek!!! He had some other "fires" put out and has to go back for more work. I don't think he minds, because we have a female dentist and all of the assistants look like models. No kidding they are all beautiful and fun and oh so nice. He even told the one assistant he didn't mind coming to the dentist with all the pretty girls they had working there. Guess I will be going to the dentist with him all the time to watch and keep him in line... hahaha :)... I told Dr. Jorgenson she could hit him with his cane if he got out of line. I really felt bad for him. He looked like he had gone through "H E double hockey sticks". He had blood all over his mouth and the pouty eyes. It made me sad...they can hurt me, but not my Rudy!!! He is my sweetheart forever and ever!!!! I love him and I'm glad he is feeling better after the dentist trauma. You Rock Rudy!!!!

Mother's Day tomorrow!

Okay, so it is Mother's Day tomorrow and I am so grateful I have a wonderful mother. My parents are the best! I am glad we have a day to honor our Mothers (and Fathers too). But, I must admit I kinda have a hard time on this day...because I have not been blessed to be a mother. People always say there are many ways of mothering other than just giving birth. And, I guess there is a lot more to being a mother than just giving birth. Still I can imagine there is nothing better than having a little one look into your eyes and say "I love you Mommy". There cannot be anything better when your child comes home with a dandelion and says "I picked this flower just for you." I think there probably is nothing better than getting a hug and a kiss goodnight. How a mother must feel when she sees her child's firsts like...their step, a lost tooth, first day at school or even a date. A mother's heart must swell when she sees her child's accomplishments like high school and college graduation, a mission and temple marriage. It must be wonderful when a mother's child has a child of their own, and hears the word "Grandma"! One day the Lord, I hope, will see fit to give me the honor of being a mother, but until then...thank you, all of you mothers out there who let me share a little of your child's love. To all those mothers I know, you are the best!!! Thanks for raising your children the way you do. They are our future and I know we will be in good hands. Thanks for all of your sacrifice and struggles. Thanks for going through the challenges of dirty little faces, dirty diapers, dirty little hands and showing me that at the end of the day you still give love unconditionally. You are truly an example of Christ-like love.
And last but not least, thanks to my Mother. You have loved me through good and bad, thick and thin, and sickness and health. You have taught me through words and example. I love you, Mother. May God bless you always.

Earth Day and other Carol Sagas

Hip Hip Hooray!!! It was Earth day on Wednesday. I guess I am not a very "green" person, as so many people are, but I did do my best to plant a tree yesterday. I went to the movie. "The movie" you say, how can that be earth friendly or tree planting"? " Well, I say back, it was the new Disney movie...Earth". Anyone who goes to this movie in the first week, will have a tree planted in their honor. So there!!! How many of you planted a tree this week? Not many I bet!!! Yes, we finally made it to the movies this week. We have not been to the movies in about a gazillion years. Rudy wanted to see this movie so bad, so I gave in and went...(my motivation---can you say popcorn??!!) As you know I loves my popcorn!!! Anyway back to the movie...it was along the lines of Planet Earth, that was on TV. I really did enjoy it, but I would have liked to seen something a little different. Anywho, we went and that is a big accomplishment for us couch potatoes ( or is it potatos without the e...ask Dan Quail...who is he you youngsters may ask...he was Vice-President of the United States!!! and there was this big scandal about how to spell potato or potatoe) however, I digress (what does "digress mean???). We did get out of the house on a beautiful spring day and got some fresh air!!! We had a fun day and it was good as always to be with my Rudy.

After the movie we went to eat at Rib City in AF. They have the best sirloin steak and I am a steak and POTATO (?E or no E, that is the question...spellcheck says no E. Just a little attempt at humor there...a very little attempt!!!) I digress again (by the way...digress means to leave the main subject temporaily in a speech or writing.) kind of gal. We saw Tony the owner and she talked with us for a bit. Her brother is Vincent Di'Nofrio(sp) of "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" fame. Rudy has been begging her for a photo with an autograph, because anything "Law and Order", he worships. She said she had a pic for us and gave it to Paula. Somewhere, somehow he did not get it. So he bugged her again and she is going to get another one for him. Long story to tell how much I loved eating at Rib City!!!!

Do you want to hear another saga? If not, don't read on. This is a warning...BEWARE OF ONCOMING SAGA!!!!! I guess it is not really a saga, just another example of what a big mouth I have!!! Sarah Larsen and Lisa Ramey (thanks Ladies) invited me to lunch with them and some other of the youngsters in our ward. We went to Olive Garden.( I also love the OG.) So I decided since they invited me I would go. I wondered why they wanted an oldie moldie like me to tag along. Anyway we had a very nice lunch and had some fun conversation. It was a really nice lunch with some really nice ladies. (I would call them girls, but they are all cute little Mommys).
At the end we ( I mean me) got a little silly. What did they put in that frozen raspberry lemonade?? I was thinking of what Rudy calls me (in jest), when I get all "gussed" up with all my jewelery and stuff on, when right then and there I said it in my "out-loud" voice!!! Slap my hand over my mouth would someone, please. They must think I am a real slug and that Rudy is one too. How embarrassing!!!! And no I am not going to say it here!!! clue---W_ _ _ _ of Babylon!!! In any event they laughed hysterically. I hope they know he just calls me that to tease me. Still I need to sew my mouth shut or at least have a filter. However, I guess when you think about it, it is kind of funny. When will I ever learn...never!! Anyway this is who we are and ya gotta love us or think we are wierd or I guess you could do both! and if you don't you are missing a good laugh now and then. We are quite entertaining!!!

I just re-read this whole post and I do "digress" a whole lot!!! I guess focussing is not one of my strong points!!!

Thoughts and other Ramblings!!

I hope we are so through with spring snow. Yes, I said snow!!! Last week we had about 8 inches of snow. Right in the middle of April. Maybe it was because it was tax day, who knows. There's a lot of snow in them there hills. I just hope we do not get any flooding. This week sounds like it is going to be a wonderful springish type week. I cannot wait. I love spring and all the new little flowers and the new baby animals and all that new clean fresh air!!! I have had a cold for over a week and it seems to keep hanging on. Is sunshine a cure for the common cold? It must be, because I am feeling much better this afternoon. Sunny days just seem to lighten my mood. I looked out at the beautiful day and just had to say, "Hello gorgeous!"(My imitation of Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl...I love that movie).

Because of the cold thing and other sundry problems (just what does sundry mean?), we didn't make it to Stake Conference. I guess you could say we "called in sick". That would be something if you had to call in sick for church. I wonder if we would get more people to church??? It's a thought.... I hate a week to go by without going to church. I sat in my recliner and read the Ensign and some other uplifting stuff. But, it is not like the real thing. Rudy has now got the dreaded cold. So I hope that means he will not be giving it back to me, but I am not counting on it. I will keep thinking Vitamin C, D and all the rest of them vitamins and cross my fingers.

Tomorrow I think I will open the windows and get some of that wonderful fresh air in the house. That is one of the best smells, right up there with home-made bread. Oh by the way, FYI... sundry (sun-dree) means various problems not important enough to mention each one individually. Not to be confused with sun-dry (sun-dri) which is to dry in the sun, like sun dried tomatoes (not to be confused with fried green tomatoes). I knew what it meant (hence I used it properly in a sentence) all along, but was just test'ng ya'all. Did ya pass??? It was a little blog humor...!

Since going to Hawaii, I have been wanting to go on another vacation...a little shorter this time however!! I really would like to go to Las Vegas and see Donnie and Marie at the Flamingo. That is what I would like for my birthday (hint hint Rudy). I checked it out and it is a family friendly show and the tickets range from "not to much", to, "we need to sell the house range". I would like to get tickets in the "somewhere in between" range. Actually they really are affordable for Las Vegas and you can get rooms that look pretty nice for about $55.00 a night during the week. (at the Flamingo). Sounds so fun to me. If there is anyone out there that wants to go with us, let us know. (because Rudy loves me so much, I know he will get tickets for me. He is such a wonderful husband and such a good Rudy!!! he is my knight in shining armour and my Prince Charming...do ya think I got him buttered up enough???? Rudy is a good guy for sure and I really don't need to butter him very much!!! And he is truly all of that to me. So if anyone wants to go to Vegas....

Easter and other boring days

Well, we had quite a boring Easter weekend. No parties, no egg hunts, no wonderful Easter dinner. We are such slugs. Pemberley had an egg hunt on the Sat. before and we slept in. We were to lazy to get up and go watch all the little chicks find the eggs. No one in the family even had a party, at least one we were invited to. Who knows they may have been partying hardy for all we would know. Easter Sunday was a very spiritual one for me. I set my mind to think and ponder the reason for this season, and it worked. It was very inspirational for me. After church we went to see Mother and take her an Easter basket (bag). We bought her a couple of church books to read. I hope she likes them.

Rudy did come through for me however!!! As always, he is so thoughtful. My Easter basket this year was an adorable canvas bag with a bunch of useful goodies inside. This bag is so styling!!! It is way cute and it is so me. He also bought 3 other ones, so I can trade off. They are just right for my Sunday bag. It holds my scriptures, RS book, bottle of water and a few small toys for my little ones!! I have so many cute little Sunday friends, and I love them all. Of course we have to fit in the candies for all, why else would they be my friends. Also inside the bag o' Easter goodies Rudy had bought me a new brush and comb. I think he was sick and tired of seeing my old, dirty, hair filled ones. Of course they were in a red color!!! Then he had tucked in 3 church books. Just what I need for a lift of this depressed soul. He always knows what I need. I have read one already and have started on the second one. They are small and easy reads...just right!!! There was this cute, fuzzy little pink thing...come to find out it is a computer duster. It is soft and can clean in those tight computer places!!! Last but not least, he snuck in a bag of peanut M & M's and a can of almonds. I love almonds and they are good for you. I don't know how good the chocolate is but I am sharing so all's good.

Friday night we have a AF girls night out. Girls and their guys night out! We are meeting at Rib City, so we haven't got far to go. I love these monthly night outs!!! I wish we had some close friends to go out with, that live around us. Maybe we are too old for some and not old enough for others. Anyway, I wonder why we don't have closer friends. I guess everyone is busy with their own lives and we are just boring or slugs or something!!! Any suggestions on how I can make friends???? I have lots of friends, but not ones who ask us out to do things or to play games or whatever. Both of us do bathe every now and then!!!! Oh well!!! blah blah blah...woe is me!!!

This week is Stake Conference. We will just go over to our ward and not fight the crowds at the stake center. I hope to see some of my cutie patooties (is that how you spell it???) there. So it will only be 2 hours in church this Sunday...maybe the Rudster can stay awake. Just kidd'ng honey. Well I have complained enough for one night....until later!!!!

Rudy won't Cooperate!

I have been wanting to write about our recent vacation but Rudy will not get the pictures down-loaded so I can blog about it. Guess I need to learn how to do it myself. First I need to find out where he keeps the camera.

We loved our cruise to Hawaii and time with Gordons in San Diego. But, I think it took a lot out of these 2 old codgers! We took along time to get back in the swing of things. I still don't know if we are fully recovered!!! But it was a much needed time away from home. I think when you go on vacation you get such an appreciation for the beautiful world our Heavenly Father has made. I also think you appreciate how good it is to be home. I know I really found out how thankful I am for our BED!!!

This weekend is Easter. It is suppose to be rainy. Not so good for Easter egg hunts, but wonderful for the water situation. We will be thankful for the ability to drink a cold glass of water this summer. Pemberley is having an Easter egg hunt Saturday morning. I love to watch all the little kiddies hunt for eggs. Hopefully it will hold off raining until after.

Easter is also a time to reflect on the Savior, his atonement and resurrection. Sometimes I get caught up in all the secular stuff and fail to remember what Easter is all about. This weekend I am going to keep in my mind the real reason we celebrate Easter.

Home Again

Aloha!!!
Yes, we are home from Hawaii! We had a grand time! This trip was a very interesting and longer than usual for us. I will write more in my next post. I just needed to let y'all know we are safely home. We are cruise lagged!!! So we will rest up and then tell all about it!!

Getting Ready for HAWAII!!!

I sure am excited about this trip, this will be fantastic.

Darn Computer

Ok, I go to write a new post and I cannot get into my blog. What the hay!?!? It took Rudy and his skills to rectify the problemo! So here I am.

Just a few (4) more days until we leave for the "sun and fun". I still cannot believe we are even going anywhere. But, I better start believing and get my packing started. It is so hard to decide what to take and what not to take. We will be gone a long time and how do you know what you will feel like wearing? And how many shoes can you fit into the suitcase? If you ask me, you never can have enough shoes!!!! As for clothes, is it alright to wear the same thing more than once? For the sake of space I guess I will have to. (even though I would rather not) Traveling is so different the last little while. You cannot have a bag that weighs over a certain amount or you have to pay for it big time. If you have extra baggage you have to pay to check it! What do the airlines expect you to do???...pay for it!!!! I am going to stuff and stuff to get in everything I want, most likely I will be paying extra. What a pain and I can just hear Rudy now..."Why do you need so much?" Men just do not understand.

Every month, a bunch of high school friends of mine meet for dinner or lunch. We usually bring the hubbies along. Today is our Feb. day and I am excited. We are going to the OG (Olive Garden), one of Rudy's favorites. Also, I found Lori Bennett on facebook and she and Jeff will be joining us again...after a few years absence. I can't wait to see Lori and hear all about what has been going on in her life. We were such good and dear friends in elementary thru high school. I have to remember the camera!!! I really need to learn how to post pictures and not rely on the Rudster!

Last night Rudy and I watched the movie "Wall-E" for the first time. It was such a cute movie and I just fell in love with that little robot. It was a love story and I did not know that...at least I thought of it as a love story. All these animated movies are so well done now days. What an art. Animation is mostly what we watch. We have recently seen Madagascar 2. I love those little penguins in that movie!!! And the song..."I love to move it, move it" is such a catchy one. We are singing it all the time!!! I guess we are in our second childhood. Oh well, at least we are having fun and can remember it!!!

I Just can't Wait, I can hear the Music and the waves now...

Aloha! HAWAII HERE WE COME...

Back Again

My sweet Rudy!!!! He is responsible for the Hawaiian pictures and music. I think he is a little excited for our upcoming vacation, don't you? I have to admit I am excited also. I cannot believe we are going. I guess I won't believe it until we are on the plane to San Diego!!

I have been neglectful of my blog. I have really been facebooking (is that even a word) so much lately that I have forgotten to blog. Catching up on what has been happening is a very hard task, but I will put my memory cap on and try to think what's been up.

While sitting and doing what I love...reading...I was chewing some gum and all of a sudden my tooth broke apart and half fell out of my mouth. Oh no!!! Just what I did not need. I had heard about a female dentist and called to see if I could get in. They got me in right away. At first she thought I might need a root canal, so I needed to come in the next day to get that taken care of. Might I just say here, I have never been to a female dentist and I thought she (Dr. Michelle Jorgenson) was excellent!!! It is kinda like going to a female gynecologist, they just get you. Not only that, she gave a dang good deadening shot!! Upon further drilling and pounding and irrigating and suctioning, Dr. Jorgenson decided I did not need a root canal. Hooooray!!! But with good news sometimes there is bad...the tooth next to the broken one, had a big cavity so it would need a crown just like it's sister!!! Well long story short...I have the temporary crowns on now and will get the perms on the day before we leave on vacation. She made sure I would be permanent to go. What a good dentist!! I highly recommend her if you want and need a good dentist! She is great and the staff is just as wonderful. They have a bread maker in the office and make home-made bread...just imagine the smell!!! What a cosy, homey little office. I like to go to the dentist now. (No more hairy men's fingers in the sterile gloves coming at your mouth...I swear I must have had the most hairiest handed dentists!!!and I hated the matted finger hair in those gloves...gag me!!)

We just celebrated Valentine's Day a couple of days ago. Of course, my sweetheart was very good to me!! When is he not???? A few days before Rudy came home from one of his "errands" with a string of pearls. He had accidentally left the price tag on the bottom of the box. I could have strangled him when I saw it. Too much money to even say here!!! He assured me he did not pay that much. I made him pinkie swear, so I am pretty sure he didn't!! The next day he brought home some pearl earrings to go with the necklace. They are so beautiful. I told him he shouldn't have, but I am really glad he did!!! On Friday he sent me flowers!! The biggest, bestest, good smelling bouquet!! There were roses, carnations, lilies and other kinds of flowers. It smelled so good and still is as beautiful today as it was then. Next it was my turn. I told him I would take him out to dinner. (I also made a homemade card). I know his favorite place is OG (Olive Garden). We thought we would go early to beat the dinner crowd, but after lunch. I guess everyone else had the same idea. We had to wait 1 hour and 10 minutes to be seated. But, it was worth the wait, because I know he loves it so!! I am glad we went when we did, cuz when we left it was over a 2 hour wait!!! After OG, he wanted to take me to Karma (my favorite jewelery store in the world) He wanted me to get some new charms and with charms you need a new charm necklace. He just kept showing me things I loved and said "Get it, don't worry"! Needless to say I left with so many new things. He spoils me so much.

While at Karma we found a mother charm and a neat crystal and pearl necklace for Mother! We had planned on giving it to her for her birthday, but could not wait, so we took it to her that night. She loved it and was excited (not only for the present, but to see us!). We had such a nice visit. So good time was had by all!!!

Indeed my Rudy is such a sweetheart. I love him so much. He treats me like a queen!! I am so glad I will be with him for eternity. He is my rock and my guide. We have such a good time and laugh a lot. We have silly games we play and just have a plain good time. And yes, Amber, if you read this, he has juicy lips and I love to kiss him!!! I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for my Rudy!!!!

Dennis

Here is a recent Pic of Our Grandson Dennis Playing Hockey, He is the one in Blue-going a mile a minute!!!!!!...Go Dennis!!!!!!

Catching Up

Oh my goodness! It has been ages since I did the blogo thing!!! To much fun riding around in the nice ride. We definitely love our new car. At first Rudy didn't want to drive it cuz, "he didn't want to break it." But now he can't be stopped, of which I am glad. I love to drive it also. It is fun and so smoooottthhhh!!! You can hardly hear the motor running. It has been so nice to have a brand new car. Nothing like the new car smell!!

Lately I have been doing the facebook thing. I have found lots of friends on it, old and new. It has been fun to see the pictures of family and friends. I think this computer thing can get addicting. I have to watch myself. Oh well.

I decided it was finally time to catch up on my blog so here goes...Life has been very busy and that has been good and bad. It keeps us on our toes, but at the end of the day, our toes are not the only thing that hurts and is tired. But it does keep my mind off my aches and pains and I can sleep through the pain.

We have planned a vacation. Can you believe it??? We can't!! It has been about five years, at least, since our last one. Jennie Gordon, our good friend lives in San Diego, so we decided--- after her encouragement--- to go see her and her family for a few days. We leave the latter part of the month. I am so excited to see her and have a good visit, like we used to do once a week (not counting church, book club etc), before we both moved from SLC. She is going to be our tour guide while we are there. Shamu here we come!!!

After visiting in San Diego we will leave on a 15 day cruise to HAWAII!!! 15 days on a slow boat to Hawaii. What more could we want! We will visit the big island of Hawaii, Maui and Oahu. We decided to go all out and get a mini suite with a veranda. I can see us sitting out on the balcony with a glass of something tasty(non-alcoholic of course) and reading a good book while catching some rays. This sounds like heaven to me. I will believe it when we are on the ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Well, actually it was real when we wrote the check for all of it. But enough about money. You only live once (on this earth) so go for it!!! It is all paid for and who wants to think about dollars when we will have so many other wonderful memories of Paradise together??? Rudy is getting us in the mood by playing all sorts of Hawaiian music (can you say Elvis and Don Ho) I am so excited for him. I have been there and he has not. His excitement makes me more excited. I cannot wait to see him do the hula!!! Having been on many a cruise, we know what is in store. Sun, fun, rest, relaxation and all the food you could ever want and it is all paid for in advance. Can you tell we are both excited??? YAHOOOOOOO

Exciting News

Remember from the last post how much I loved that cute little red car? That cute little red car in now parked in our garage. Yes! We bought little red! It is a 2009 Nissan Versa. I have named it Vissa...you know, Vissa Versa...(I don't know if that is how you spell it)...V-eye-saw, is how you sound it out...lol... or you could do it like Vice-saw. Ok stop. Enough about it's name!!! She is so cute and so little, compared to the Jimmy. I was sad seeing Jimmy left behind, sitting in the parking lot, as we drove off into the sunset. I bought that car new in 1993. He took me through many a snow storm. I know I would not have gotten anywhere without Jimmy. I remember when I bought him, all my friends made fun that I had a new "fire-truck". But they weren't laughing when we got into 4-wheel drive and made it through the snow!!! I truly got my moneys worth from good old Jimmy. We had fun times and went lots of places. It pulled the trailer on many camping trips, and took us on many adventures. Thanks Jimmy for all the good times. You served us well!!!

Onward and upward. I know we will have good times in Vissa!! I can feel it!!! We (Rudy and I)are both so excited and happy we were able to buy her. And, our financial advisor would be so proud of us. Long story short...We checked out a lot of other kinds of cars, (Honda, Toyota, Chevy, Ford etc). We liked the Nissan the best. And lo and behold we had a message from Ken Garff's in Orem to come back and the "big boss" aka General Manager, wanted to talk with us and let us know what kind of deal he could give us. So after all day looking at many other cars, and a little discouraged I might add, we went to OREM! (remember the running joke, Orem=H-E-double hockey sticks). Boy did they change and did some serious crunching of the numbers. They offered a deal we couldn't pass up. With such a good deal, we could pay for the car out right, so no debt or car payments here. I know President Monson would be proud!!! We are very happy we have her safely home. It is almost like a dream. If you would of asked me a week ago if we would have a new car, I would have laughed my guts out!!! You just never know what is around the next corner. Life is so interesting and exciting, you just have to keep finding out! Sometimes it's not so good and some times it's not to bad, and sometimes it is unbelievable.
The secret is to just keep going when times are tough, and be so thankful when life is good!!

Thanks Pres. Monson

Yesterday was a very eventful day. First thing in the morning we had to take Aunt Lorraine to get her car inspected, oil changed, emissions etc. She likes to go to Gene Harvey Chevrolet where she bought her car. So I drove her and her car to the dealership. We got everything taken care of and while we were doing that my dear, sweetheart Rudy decided to check out the new cars. We had been talking about getting a new car, but I just thought it was talk. Well, anyway we liked the Aveo. It is a small little car that is suppose to get good gas mileage. Talk about sticker-shock!!! I guess you can tell we have not been shopping for cars for a very long time. I took a big breath...which was hard because of the red-alert inversion... and a big gulp. $29.000 dollars for this cute, TINY little car. No way, no how and I going to pay that much. Well, it burst my bubble. Dear Aunt Lorraine suggested we go out to breakfast. Who can turn down breakfast out? So we drowned our sorrows in syrup.

After eating we took Auntie home and went on our way to do some errands. While doing our many errands, Aunt Lorraine called to see if we would mind taking her to Wal-mart. So we finished running around and went back to A.F. to pick her up. I decided to stay in the car, because of the inversion and I wasn't breathing so good. She had said she wouldn't be very long, so I made myself comfortable. (Where is a book when I need one?) I would hate to see what her long was, because about an hour and a half later here they came. The Rudster is such a good sport to take her in and follow her and her walker around the store. "Kudos" to Rudy!!!! He just rolled his eyes and I knew not to ask any questions. After the Wal-mart shopping spree, we decided her car must be done. Off we went to the dealership to get it. When we got there, the Rudster when to check. Trauma time!!! They told him that her brother had picked it up. Knowing that Uncle Lyle lives in Arizona, he told them that was impossible! So they had to check again. They had made a mistake, which made us all about have a heart attack, thinking they had given her car to someone else. The car was done and parked around the back,. Trouble averted, we got her and her car safely home.

Still having the new car bug, we decided to go to Orem. We have a running joke at our house...instead of telling someone to go to H-E-double hockey sticks, we say they will be going to Orem. I know we are strange, but that is what makes us unique! We had been looking at a Nissan Versa, so we stopped off at Ken Garff's Nissan. Well, I found the car I loved. A brilliant RED one. It had the moon-roof package and all the bells and whistles you could want. We both fit really good in it...which is one of my fears about a little car, because we are not small dainty little things! The salesman new we both loved it. We went into the office to crunch some numbers. They didn't crunch the numbers at all. I guess they thought because we loved it so much we would buy it on the spot. The sales boss came and did some fancy car salesman talk and by the time he was through it was above sticker price. Rudy has to think things over and it was the first one we had looked at. So we told him we had to think it over. Well, you know those high-pressure salesman, but we stood our ground and said no way, not tonight and not for that price. He said he really wanted to sale a car and he would give us $500 more for the Jimmy. We were tempted, but Rudy said his financial advisor has told us not to get in debt. (President Monson...it went right over the sales manager's head when Rudy told him who his financial advisor was). Mr. "Slick" told us we would regret it in the morning (which I don't, I feel much better realizing what a jerk he was to us) and I almost told him to go to Orem! Oh, wait, he is in Orem. I think we might be making a trip to Sandy, Murray and SLC. I also think we might want to check out some other makes and models. Dang it, I still love that little red Versa!!! Like I said, "What a day."

Pics of Jack

We watched Jack Mac for a little while, when his mother had some RS business. He is such a cute little guy! I love his chubby cheeks. They are so kissable. We were sitting on the sofa reading when we remembered we had our camera. Rudy flew into get it so we could take some candids of Jack. We had a good time reading all the books and pulling the toys out of the toy bag. He loves to watch the fishy and have Rudy feed the fish. It seems his favorite book that day was"Finding Nemo". He kept saying "Nemo" in his little Jack voice. Fun was had by all.

Speaking of fish. Our Leon fishy died. Rudy gave him the "Royal Flush". I could not watch because I felt so sad. It is weird how attached you can get to a little fish. It must be heartbreaking when you lose a dog or cat that has lived with you for years. (M. Ovard's Darcy, Helene Davis' little Anna, or Smith's Rolly...just a few examples) Anyway Rudy sent our little Leon. on the water slide of his life or death I guess it is. The next dayRudy came home with a new little beta fish which we named Seymour. We had been singing "Suddenly Seymour" from the movie "Little Shop of Horrors", for some odd reason...who knows why. So it just kind felt like that would be his name. So I guess his official name is Suddenly Seymour Benoit. Rudy calls him anything and everything like "son" or "boy" and once in a while Seymour. I just usually call him "fishy". The poor fish will have an identity crisis before to long. Rudy bought him a new house...it is not a bowl...that has a pump and a light in it (it is kind of triangle shaped). He also bought a bridge to go with the old helmut and plant from the old bowl. I am really glad Seymour has a new home. I would not be able to see him living in the old bowl Leon died in. Yuck. We also moved him up on the counter instead of the table. His house is just to big and has too many accessories. All this talk about a fish. My-o-my! Good luck Seymour...we have been known to boil our beta fish before...can you say Magellen?? (Jelly for short). Long story...if you want to know the whole story about the" Benoit boiling incident", we would be embarrassed (but willing) to tell you.

Just Jack

Jack

Say Cheese!

Oh My Goodness!!!

I cannot believe my last post was on Christmas Eve. How last year!!! So much has happened since then. We had a wonderful Christmas. Santa brought us everything we wanted and even more!! I guess we were very good during the year. It was nice to spend time with family and friends. As usual Jane had wonderful food prepared! We ate both breakfast and dinner there. She is a great cook. From turkey to ham and salads to desserts, we had everything. Thanks Janie!! We spent some time at Mother's and Ray's homes. I love being around family. I think Rudy took some pictures and I need to get him to post them. I have no idea where he keeps the camera. It was suppose to be Christmas for both of us. I think he must think I will break it or something. Who knows? Something wonderful did happen Christmas morning...our adopted grandkids (Alli and Blake) called to thank us for their Christmas gifts. To hear their cute little voices telling us they loved the presents made our day!!!!

It snowed all day on Christmas and seems like it has snowed ever since. Yesterday it snowed all day. We have had lots of snow storms and the snow gets deeper and deeper! The roads just get cleared and then they are snowy again. I am certainly glad I don't have to travel far. I can just sit home and watch it snow and snuggle with a good book...I got several for Christmas, no shortage here!

We did not do anything for New Year"s Eve. It was pretty boring. Rudy fell asleep at about 10:30pm, so at midnight, I quietly said "Happy New Year" to myself. After about an hour of channel-surfing, I went to bed. Fun was had by all...NOT!!! Come to think of it, we have never done to much on New Year's Eve. We have been to a few small parties and we did go to a "First-Night" party in SLC. It was so cold and not to fun. Many, many times I have been on call that night and rang the New Year in with hospital patients and ornery Radiologists. That is how we rang in the new century...on our way home from the hospital, we stopped up in the aves to watch the fireworks...what a fun way to bring in 2000!!!

Santa brought me so many card making goodies, I had to make room and re-organize my whole office space. What a good reason to organize. I got so many cute things, it is hard to decide what to use first. I spent the morning making B-day cards for Relief Society. I think I have lost my knack!!! I need to get some new inspiration!!! :( I got a new machine for digital craft cutting. It is called the "Silhouette". :))) It is kind of like the Cricket cutting system from Provo craft, except you can hook it up to the computer and down load any kind of shape etc. Rudy has set it up for me, I just need to learn how to use it. It looks like it is not to hard, but for me, who knows. (I break cameras, remember :0 hahaha oh no!!!)

Christmas Eve

Well it is Christmas Eve and I am waiting for Rudy to come home from the store. We needed to buy some milk etc. for Christmas breakfast at Jane's. We always have breakfast at her home, and we always bring the milk, OJ and choco milk. It has been one of those "perdition" things. (Terek used to say perdition instead of tradition). I hope Rudy gets home soon because we have neighbor gifts to take around...I wanted to last night, but as you can see Rudy got his way. I cannot believe it is Christmas eve already. December has flown by so fast. Where has it gone. I guess with all the shopping, candy making, visiting and parties, I have lost track of the time. The older I get the faster the years go by!!!
I wish for everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope we will not forget the "reason for the season", and remember the birth of the baby in Bethlehem. May we keep the joy of the season in our hearts all year long!

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

If I only had a Brain!

I think I need to go see the old Wizard of Oz and get me a new Brain...me and the Scarecrow!!! Yesterday was filled with shopping day and night! Not again, you may be saying!!! Oh yes, it is true. However, we didn't go at 2:30 in the morning, only from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Then off again at 10:00pm. You would think I would learn a lesson. I guess, I have to learn the hard way. Good thing it was Sunday today, so we had a time limit last night! Midnight was the curfew, so we pulled into the garage at 12:30.( It took us a few minutes to get home ). I have asked myself, why do I put myself through this torture. I have no reasonable explanation. I thought you were suppose to get smarter with age????? Apparently, not me. You see for the last few years, we didn't have a lot of extra money. Now that Rudy is getting his SS we have a little more. Not much, but we have been saving, so we can get each other Christmas presents this year. The last four years we decided to forgo presents for each other, so we could get presents for family and friends. It was much simpler then! None of this crazy shopping all day and all night! I focused more on the reason for the season, back then. I think this year I have gone way over-board! Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy getting Rudy surprises for Christmas. It is so fun to see his face on Christmas morning, opening presents. And to be honest with you I like getting presents too! But this year I have been so focused on the gift buying and not the gift that Heavenly Father gave to me. Even though it is better to give than receive, I am going to focus on the gift of my Savior and receive him in my heart this Christmas season. Without his birth we would not have the Savior's life or Atonement. There is no better gift to receive than the gift of eternal life. Maybe you can teach an old dog a new trick, or least an old codger like me. I think I have definitely learned my lesson this Christmas season.

We are NUTS!!!

You might say we are certifiably crazy! We are looney toones, nutso bravo, insane and a bunch of other things. We had an adventure last night. We had a quick nap in the early evening and then got out of bed and messed around with the new camera and Rudy's new iPod thingie (which he opened before Christmas...bad boy, no tacos for you!..now he won't have anything to open on Christmas morning). We played around until about 2:30am. We had planned from the beginning to go shopping in the middle of the night (morning) all along, but I didn't think Rudy would go along with the plan. So at 2:45 we left for the all night shopping spree! This was our "black Friday", only we didn't wait out in the cold and we had the store all to ourselves. I swear I didn't see anyone else in the store, except employees. We went to the Lindon Wal-Mart at 2:45 in the morning!!! Now think about that. Carol and Rudy Benoit going shopping in the middle of the night. It blows your mind, right? Well, it blows mine!! We just don't do anything like that. We decided to live a little and besides there are no crowds to contend with. There are some pros and cons with this adventure...if you know what you want or just want to browse it is great. If you have any questions, forget it. Those employees don't know anything about anything. I guess they mostly clean-up and restock the shelves etc. We pretty well knew what we wanted so we didn't have to bad of a time. We went up and down and all around until I was no longer in the adventurous mood. It was stink'ng 6:00am. Three hours is all about I could handle! I was dang tired. When we got home, I took my water pill and went directly to bed. I slept for about one and a half hours, before the pill kicked in. When I got up, I had a second wind. But, Rudy did not take a nap, he has been up since we got home this am. Can you believe it? I cannot!!! He had to go over all we bought, and made sure we got all on our list (and more, I might add). Then back to the iPod Touch thingie. He is obsessed with it! But as I recall the last hundred years we have been married, he gets so excited around Christmas time...remember the post where I explained he has to show me what he bought for me???? I think he will soon crashing. He really needs to rest, because tomorrow he is doing the "elf" thing again for a ward in Lehi. But, I might be going again tonight with CJ, Ardis and Sarah. We will have to see if I can open my eyes. To think about going again, I must really be out of my mind!!!! It was fun and oh what an adventure we can laugh about in the future!!! Ya gotta love it!

Snow for Christmas

It has been snowing all day! I am so glad we do not have to go anywhere. We can just snuggle here and watch it snow. I am up for some hot chocolate...Rudy makes the best...then it is some more Christmas movies. I think we have gotten 6 or 7 inches of snow just today. Like I said before, it is to cold for it to all melt. Also I think there are more storms coming.

We had Jack over again today. He loves Rudy!! All the little ones are drawn to Rudy, he just has a knack with them. Jack loves our fish and he likes the movie "Finding Nemo", so we watched our fish and Nemo. He snuggled right up to the Rudester and was so good watching the movie. We got some pics of him waving etc. I will have to have Rudy post them, so all can see how cute he is.

I think it is now my turn to snuggle with the Rudester. Until later!!

Great Day with my Rudy!!

Rudy and I had so much fun today. We went shopping and got a few gifts for Christmas. We went to several stores, from the mall to a scrapbook warehouse sale. It was so busy and the traffic was insane. I offered to drive...big mistake!!! It was like Salt Lake traffic at it's worst. Maybe even worse than Salt Lake traffic. Where do all the cars come from. I will never know. But even with that, we laughed and had such a good time. It is always a good time when I am with my Rudy. I loved the scrapbook sale. We got so many bargains. Rudy is such a better scrappie, crafty shopper than I am. He always finds the cutest things at the best prices. I think he knows my taste better than I do. Some of the stuff was suppose to be my Christmas present, but as usual, Rudy can't wait to let me see the things he chose for me. So I guess part of my Christmas came early today. I try and tell him to wait, but he is so excited to give me stuff, it is hard to tell him NO! So this is probably futile, but, hey Rudy, no more early Christmas presents. Wait until Dec. 25th to give me a anything else. Do you think he will wait?? If you want to, vote yes or no, but smart money is on NO.

Tonight we were just hang'ng out here at home and the doorbell rang. There was Becky with her little Jack. She needed us to watch him for a bit, she had an urgent meeting and Jayson wasn't home yet. Anyway, Jack stayed with us for awhile. Not long enough!!!! He watched Rudy's train go round in circles. He looked at all the Christmas decorations and loved the Santas. Then we got to the business of playing. He wanted me to read to him, so we got "Finding Nemo" and looked at all the Nemos and Doris etc. He knew who they were. He is so dang cute. I love his cheeks, they are the chubby, good kissing kind! He snuggled right up to me and then gave me a kiss. I was in seventh heaven. Before we knew it his dad was here to pick him up. He got bundled up and waved good-bye and off they went as quick as that. We were so glad he came over and "played" with us. He had not been over in a while. We will take any of our littles friends whenever we can. We love them all!!!!

Thank you Rudy

Rudy has taught me a great lesson today. When he wrote the post about forgiving, I was humbled. I need to forgive and forget those who trespass against us. I will follow Rudy's lead and try not to harbor feelings. See what a great man and husband he is. I love him so much. What a good example for me. I know it will feel good to let those feeling go. We can only do so much and then put it in the Lord's hands. Thank you honey...I feel so much better.

OK. So I Have Some Work to Do!

After reading an article in LDS Living, I was reminded that we must forgive those who hurt us...
Please Read #2 especially-

"31 Ways to Make Christmas Meaningful

A shiney red ornament on a Christmas treeThe holidays are so full of things to do: presents to buy, goodies to bake, cards to write. We get wrapped up in accomplishing so many things that a lasting feeling of joy and happiness never takes hold enough to sink in. But you can make this holiday season one to remember for all of the right reasons. Here are 31 ways to make your holidays a little more special this year.

1. Declutter and donate. Help your kids go through their clothing and toys and donate them to a local charity. Also, go through your holiday decorations and donate any you no longer use or love.

2. Forgive someone. We only end up hurting ourselves when we hold onto grudges. Give yourself a gift this holiday season and forgive a person who has wronged you. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you condone their actions, but allows you to let go of the pain. We may think of forgiveness as a sign of weakness, but it shows strength of character.

3. Take a day off. We often get caught up in the hustle and bustle and forget to enjoy this time of year. So give yourself a day off from shopping, gift-wrapping, and baking. Take a walk and breathe deeply the crisp air. Or call a friend and enjoy a leisurely lunch.

4. Call someone you love. Our days are often filled with piano lessons, carpools, and field trips. Take time out to call a loved one that you haven’t talked to in a long time. Let them know how much you truly care about them.

5. Write a thank-you note. I’m not talking about a “Thanks for the pink sweater, Aunt Esther,” but a from-the-heart letter full of gratitude. Maybe you want to thank your mom for enduring your rebellious adolescence or finally write your third-grade teacher who sparked your love of science.

6. Find a way to serve others. This could be a year-round goal, but we often feel more charitable around this time of year. Do something that you enjoy to help others. Read aloud to an elementary school class. Knit scarves to donate to a homeless shelter. One friend of mine who is Jewish volunteers at a soup kitchen on Christmas Day so that the regular volunteers can celebrate the holiday at home with their families."

We will forgive My Daughter and clear our hearts of anger and hurt because that is what the Lord would have us do and we Love her and hope the best for her and their little Family, we hope and pray that their hurts will heal some day and accept we cannot change the past only mend feelings to build a future. -Rudy

Christmas Cards

Can you believe anyone would be offended by getting a Christmas card?It is true! Crystal Powers, someone we use to know, wrote us a nasty email telling us she wanted nothing to do with us anymore, after receiving our Christmas card. It was a simple card wishing her a Merry Christmas.We couldn't believe someone would be such a "Grinch" or "Scrooge" at Christmas time. We have been estranged (not by our choice, but hers) for a while now. She didn't like our blog because she was not mentioned in the first post. She blames Rudy for every wrong thing that happened in her life. You see, her mother left Crystal's father and took the children off to Montana and wouldn't let their father see them. The mother told the children all sorts of stories (lies) to her daughters about how terrible their father was. When he sent money or presents, the mother told them it was from her. The girls learned to hate their dad. Even when he tried to get in touch with them, the mother wouldn't have it. Crystal has been carrying a big block on her shoulder for many years after hearing all of this hatred. A few years ago she decided to get married and ask Rudy to walk her down the aisle. So we went to Montana, very happy I might add, to be part of her life. It has been such a roller coaster ride since then. It seems if we don't do what Crystal expects us to she gets mad and wants nothing to do with us. We kept trying to get to know her better and Rudy even apologized for all the wrongs he had done. He told her his side of the story (because there are two sides to every story) but she didn't like his version. Well, we just kept trying until finally it began to be to hard to hear all of the negative crap she would spew about her dad. Yes, Rudy sadly is her father. I, being not as patient as Rudy, wrote off a email and told her to grow up and put all the bad stuff behind her and give her father a chance to be in her life. Because I think she would see what a wonderful man her father is, if she would just let him in, I told her to stop being such a brat! Now after getting our Christmas card she wrote back and said she wants nothing to do with us ever again. So, sadly we are going to comply with her wishes. After so many years of trying to be a father and friend to her, we cannot take it anymore. It hurts to bad. We have taken her off our Christmas card list, our email list and every other list we have. It saddens our hearts but what can you do. She has two wonderful little boys (Rudy's grandchildren) that she will be depriving them of the best grandfather that could be. And she is depriving herself of a father who loves her so much and wants nothing but the best for her. I just wanted to be her friend, never would I take over being her mother. I too, love her with all my heart and wish her well. I love those little boys and know how much Rudy loves them. It hurts our hearts that we cannot see them grow and mature and give them all of our love. I hurt for Rudy most of all, because he has tried so hard. I know he thinks about her every day and we pray for both of his daughters. Someday I hope she realizes what she is missing and decides differently. But, for now she is someone we tried to get to know, once upon a time.

Thankfully, we have many friends around us. We love you like we would our own. There are so many of you who love us for who we are and accept our faults. I hope you all know what that means to us. We have so much love to give. It is so nice that you all (and you know who you are...everyone) loves us back unconditionally. Thank you for sharing your children with us. We are proud to be called Grandpa or grandma or just plain Carol and Rudy. They mean more to us than you will know. Thanks again to all of our dear "family".

It is Snowing

I looked out my window and low and behold, there is snow. Finally, we will have snow for Christmas. I hope it doesn't melt by then. It has been to cold to melt!!!

We had a wonderful FHE at Ray and Paula's last night. I love being around family. Knowing how much we love each other is such a blessing. The little kids (their grandkids) opened up the "cousins" presents last night. It was so cute to see their excited little faces. We forgot the camera!!! We are not use to having a camera, so we completely forgot to take it. We need to write notes to ourselves...or have a secretary!!! We had pizza and tacos and I read my Innkeeper story. Ray and Paula gave us a beautiful book of Christmas stories. It was a great evening! I wish Rudy had family closer. Bill and Randy are not to far, but far enough to not see them often.

Colder than cold

How does the saying go...It's colder than a step-mother's kiss? I think that is it.
Anyway it was very cold this weekend and continues to be cold today. Saturday was a lazy day for us. We sat around and did nothing. One thing Rudy did however, was make us hot chocolate. It warmed me clear down to my toes. What a great guy!!! Sunday was a kinda snowy day. Not to much snow, just enough to make it slippery. Church was very uplifting and I enjoyed it all. I love to sit in a class and hear every ones comments. I can see different perspectives, which helps me learn.
I sat by the Smith girls in RS. They are such good people. I love to sit back and listen to them sing with Angelic voices. I want to adopt them (or at least rent them once in awhile). Cute Ardis brought me back a beautiful silk scarf from her trip to China. That was so thoughtful. How nice was that???? So nice!!! Sarah is home from Idaho for Christmas break. I was so glad to see her. I just love those two!
My wonderful visiting teachers, Lindsay and Melissa came by yesterday. Melissa gave a very inspiring message. I am grateful for caring visiting teachers. This is the second month for these sisters to come. I am getting to know them better each visit. Change is good and I am happy for the chance to get to know others in our ward.

Shake the Benoits!

Click the Globe to Shake things up!

Snow Globe Toy & MySpace Layouts at pYzam.com