DIY family reunion. See you in New York!

My sister Mary and her family applied and were accepted to perform in the Hill Cumorah Pageant 2016. This pageant has been on my bucket list for years, so I knew this was the summer to make it happen. Last summer I thought I would just go last minute, but upon inquiry I learned that one doesn't just run up to Palmyra on Pageant weekend and expect to secure housing. It's a "no vacancy" situation. So, while winter was still chilling and darkening my days, I took the plunge and reserved a room for July with the hope that summer would, in fact, come again. I also invited my siblings and nieces and nephews. The only thing better than Palmyra, NY is Palmyra with people I love. Saying, "Hey, ya wanna meet at the pageant?" is no small request considering we all live at least a day's drive and some even further from this very special place in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Not everyone could make it, but those who did contributed to a wonderful reunion where I was reminded how kind God has been to bless me with lovely people in my life. The Stoker household has been reduced to a paltry 3 and even that number dropped when Gabe chose to skip the drive and stay home and attend Youth Conference. Paul volunteered to stay and help Gabe. The wisdom of that decision was confirmed when they both came down with a tummy bug 2 days before day of departure. My party was saved when my courageous and always fun friend consented to come along for an adventure. Who could pass up on an opportunity to get to know me and my family really well? Right, a lot of people. That's what makes her such a terrific friend.

We got to Rochester, NY without a hitch. It was so easy I can't even remember it. (You can feel the foreshadowing for a legendary tale fraught with peril on the trip home.) While I was standing in the Alamo line I overheard a gentleman talking to his father about the Priesthood Restoration Site. This got my attention and I had to ask about it. The church had just opened up a new historical site and as luck would have it, it was a mere 2.5 hrs. away. Done.

The Hale home. I wonder which of their babies used those strollers?

I had actually wanted to visit old Harmony, PA and the banks of the Susquehanna for a long time so I felt very blessed. Then we hurried back to Palmyra to meet our cute family for a tour of the Joseph Smith farm and Sacred Grove. These cute children made our tour infinitely more interesting. One little 4 yr. old sister told her 2 yr. old brother who said he wanted to climb a tree, "No. You can't climb a tree. You have to climb a bush."

The Palmyra temple spire

After the inspiring tour we split for a bit so my friend, Rebecca and I could get some dinner. We tried to go to the famed "Chill and grill" but we weren't the only ones with that idea. We saw the completely full parking lot and noted the line to the street and opted for Italian and felt great about our choice. At 8:55 we headed to the pageant which started at 9:15. We parked easily, found some great seats and watched a really amazing show with a cast of 700 depicting the stories from the Book of Mormon including Jesus Christ's ministry on the American Continent. 

Day 2: We took our group of Tessa and Rachel's family and the 2 of us and headed to the Peter Whitmer log home where the church was organized. We were joined by 3 tour buses which made a cozy group. It was fun when I recognized one of the couple missionaries as parents of my friend from KS. It was even more fun because they served with my niece Katelyn when she was on her mission and went on and on about her awesomeness which always feels great. 

Then we met up with Charlie and his family and Mary and her family. A little while later Susie and her family came. You know that feeling when you choose a spot in America and your people actually get there? Such love for all those beautiful faces!

We spent the afternoon just being together and hearing grand tales of the inner workings of the pageant: That one time when Jeff tried out for an action/movement/choreographed part as told by Katelyn. When the cast was rehearsing the most sacred moment of the show where everyone was supposed to be fixed on the face of Jesus, and Olivia was exploring about the stage.We saw some rehearsal and realized how much fun the kids are actually having when acting out the destruction of the city. All this inside scoop made the second viewing of the pageant even more enjoyable.

We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the Book of Mormon publication site and HIll Cumorah monument. And somehow we managed to get to the Chill 'n Grill. I can't decide which was better, the blueberry graham cracker or strawberry cheesecake ice cream.

Then it was time for the pageant again, but there was to be no coming in last minute. That's for Thursday night only. Friday was for real with saved seats, early parking, Mormon Haters, the works. We saw our people in their beautiful costumes and felt the excitement of wonderful things to come, and we weren't disappointed.

My sister, Mary, rockin' the brunette wig.

And then we woke up, visited with my sweet sister Susie who brought my birthday present because it's only 2 months away and said goodbye to these cute hotel buddies and their parents. .

We hurried to the airport to arrive in plenty of time for the 12:00 flight that we didn't get on. We tried out some new airport food and rewarded ourselves with a pastry. Rebecca chose a chocolate eclair from the specialty bakery. I chose a cinnamon doughnut from the ever elegant yet tried and true "Dunkin Doughnuts."  Right before the 5:45 flight to ATL we grabbed a sundae and chicken wrap from McDonalds. We thought we'd need it for the 2 hr. flight to ATL but in fact we kindly relinquished our seats to all those whose flights had been delayed or rerouted as per regulations and had the whole night to party before trying to get out at 5:45 am the next day. We actually did party. We set up shop at the end of the B gates with comfy chairs, one for sitting and one for resting our feet. We ate our wraps and watched all of season 1 of "Dr. Thorne" which I heartily recommend. 

Early Sunday morning we made another attempt to return home. (I had mistakenly promised Rebecca she'd be home on Saturday before her husband got home from his run.) This time we won the game. We flew into Atlanta, ignored the broken train system (trouble for hundreds of passengers. I hope it was short lived.) and walked through 2 concourses and shuttled to park and ride. We made it to church and hardly slept at all. What a great weekend! Thanks to all the dear people who participated. oxoxoxox

Love and courage in the West.

Before we talk about the west, though, let's talk about the south. There's this family, a mom and a dad and a baby, who loaded everything they owned into a truck. The Dad hooked a trailer carrying their car onto the back of the truck and got behind the wheel. The mom strapped the sweet baby into his car seat in their other car, and they drove through the TX heat into the night. The baby wasn't too happy to be in the car all day and shared his opinions freely, but the mom forged ahead. The dad wasn't a truck driver by trade, and towing a car was new but he persevered. They stopped for the night somewhere on the road from Houston to Augusta and then headed out early to make their 2:00 appointment at their new home town. They arrived tired and hot, but full of hope for the future and love for each other. That's when Gabe and I arrived, because moms like to see where their kids live and make sure they're alive  and hug them and tell them thanks for moving to a new place that's a lot closer. Feeling satisfied that their courage and love and capabilities would continue to see them through I returned to my home to start my Fruit Punch Day weekend adventure.

There was courage at the airport when I overheard a conversation between a hurried traveler and the airport employee who had brought a golf cart to assist him. The traveler was trying to make a flight, (weren't we all) and started to run to his gate. The unique element of this situation was that he was carrying a white cane. The assistant was encouraging him to get into the cart so she could drive him where he needed to be. He responded that he could get there faster if he ran. Since the assistant had a job to do she explained that she would help him. He said, "Then run with me. I run all the time. I've run marathons." So he allowed her to guide him through the crowd as they both ran to get him to his gate on time. That's the kind of human spirit that makes me smile and want to be a braver person.

Fruit Punch Day found me in Salt Lake City/Provo, UT. One of the rules of Fruit Punch Day is that you need to spend it with loved ones and that's what I did. I was with this courageous mom who continues to be cheerful and loving even though she fights a bit of nausea now and then because, well you know, her life is about to get twice as great sometime next year.

And for fruit punch we drank pineapple and tangerine soda. Woo hoo! We ate Tillamook hucklebarry ice cream for good measure because that and In 'n Out are my some of  favorite treats in the west. We were then joined by the guy who loves these beauties the most and our party was complete.

Saturday I drove to a special place in Manti. This is the house I visited as a little girl when I stayed with my grandparents. I watched my Grandpa milk the cows and he always gave me fresh milk in a little metal cup. Grandma sat on the back porch shelling peas from her garden. In this house I learned to crochet and make lettuce milkshakes. Kale smoothies aren't so new after all. Now my parents have retired here. My Dad just spent a week in the hospital where it was discovered that he was having some strokes. He's also on dialysis 3 times a week so time spent at this house with my parents is very precious.

Dad likes to explain that he is fine with moving on to the next life, but he's staying to be mom's friend. And mom doesn't apologize. "I can't let him go." They have a wonderful partnership that they have been executing over the years. They serve each other in special ways. Dad cooks breakfast and brings mom food. She loves him and takes care of his needs. Dad works in the garden and grows things: chickens, ducks, fruit trees, melons. Mom works inside and out and makes things beautiful. Unfortunately their health is interrupting this perfect choreography a bit.

I thought I was going to Manti to help, but apparently I was going to learn. Time after time, courage and love were modeled for me by my parents and their friends and family. A man drove up in his truck and cowboy hat. Come to find out, this was a man who had joined the Mormon church in California where we lived when I was growing up. I remembered him and his sweet family and was pleasantly surprised to see him again. He walked around the farm with my Dad whose balance and strength have been compromised. When I looked out the window he was mowing the back acre. Later I heard my Dad ask what he owed him. He smiled and replied, "A lifetime of service."

 Another gentleman came by who was my parent's plumber and also their friend. He has driven the 45 minutes with my Dad to dialysis many times. On that day he sat in a chair in the living room while Dad told stories. He looked as if he had all the time in the world. It reminded me of the quote, "Love is spelled  T I M E."

Later in the afternoon, the doorbell rang and in walked my cute cousin who I've only seen on face book since we were little. She brought dinner which she had carefully prepared with cheese on this side of the casserole for Dad and no cheese on that side of the casserole for mom. She also brought warm hugs and loving words that left all of us feeling very well cared for. I returned to Provo that day filled with gratitude for good people.

The next destination was Chile's in Orem. I wanted to see how #7 was faring and give him some love, but he is working a lot of hours. We solved that. We went to his work. I was proud of his courage and great attitude. New jobs are challenging and being observed by your family when just starting shows how brave he is. The food was delicious and the service excellent. oxox

Sunday was Father's Day and a special day for the John (my brother-in-law) Stoker family. Their son returned from his mission to Korea and was speaking in church. This missionary had overcome some challenges. After he had been in Korea a few months, he broke his foot and had to come home. Instead of calling it good, he worked hard after surgery and returned to Korea to complete his time. It was uplifting to hear him speaking Korean and testifying of Christ. And to add to the occasion, all of Paul's siblings were there with many of the children. Such a great reunion.

Since I don't like the fun to ever end, and what's more fun than family, my daughter-in-law drove me to my brother's,

Charlie flew to Atlanta for work.
 He took my son to round 2 of 6 flags
while I was in UT/OR.
Thanks for being great, brother.

whose sweet wife drove us both to the airport, so I could fly to Portland, and get picked up by my # 2 son and #2 daughter who was visiting OR for the weekend. My husband and I were concerned about her driving from Portland to Provo alone so....Road trip! I didn't get to spend enough time with my son and his family in Portland, but it wasn't sad because they'll be in GA soon :) Good thing, because when I suggested we wake up the kids so I could see them, my son and his wife gave me the most horrified looks and flat-out refused my request. Weird.

You know when you say you're going to leave at 6:00 am, but that doesn't actually mean 6:00 am? Well this time it did. Okay, so we did skip our showers, but Portland traffic is legend. My daughter and I were elated over our victory as we sailed through downtown Portland and across the bridge, just ahead of the morning commuters. We rewarded ourselves by stopping by Multnomah Falls which takes my breath away every time.

It was fun to spend time with this beautiful soul
who has always excelled in courage and love.

As beautiful as Oregon is near the Cascades, it quickly turns to sage brush and brown rolling hills, which still has merit, just a little less wow. My original plan was for my daughter to drop me off at the airport in SLC, but because of a kind friend at home, Gabe was being taken care of. I decided to spend one more day with my parents which also allowed me to see my daughter's new apartment and roommates which are the bomb dot com.

Once again I drove to Manti. Once again I learned about love and courage. It was garbage day which was exciting to me. Who can resist the chance to get rid of things that are not making your life better? I had reached the vertical limit of the trash can balance when a sweet friend of Mom's across the street offered to put our stuff in her trash can. Music to my ears. A little later some special visitors came to join the fun. Dad's oldest sister (he's the youngest) and her son (my cousin.) I was filled to the brim with love from all this family time.

That morning my dad had cataract surgery.. I was a little surprised by this considering his recent health history, but then I learned that having hope is what gives us courage. At the follow up appointment the Dr. told Dad that he was seeing much better than he should be this soon. Dad's vision was now 20/30. Dad became giddy at this good news. (Well, giddy for him.) As we got in the car he asked with a smile, "Do you want to stop by the nursery on our way home and see if they have any Athena cantaloupe starts? I was happy to. As he held that box of garden dreams, I laughed a little until I realized that those little plants contained hope. He would plant them and they would join the rest of the garden residents and Dad would have something to look forward to. Actually, I would plant them, but he would still look forward to their progress.

 If I wondered how he would take care of his new Athenas, I was about to find out. He took his shovel and his cane for balance and slowly but surely went to places that I was positive he could not. Our first stop was his pride and joy, the walipini underground garden. I was not sure I would make it there, but I was sure he would not. Well, I underestimated the courage and determination to not spend even the winding down season of his life doing nothing. I cautiously worked my way past the stones and down into the DIY greenhouse. I turned around and there he came. He directed me in planting and watering and gave me a little lesson in how to live life and never quit. It's funny how I had always been afraid of rattlesnakes walking around that property, but my little fears seemed silly when walking side by side with this level of courage.

We moved up to the back garden. After I finished planting and Dad was watering, I picked peas.  This is not the first time I had a significant experience with the pea patch. As I harvested from the seeds my father had planted I thought of all the other blessings I was reaping from seeds my parents had sowed...family, faith, tradition, education. These people have done a good work on the earth.

I was having a conversation with mom about the future and what she would do if she was alone. She said, "You can't have a mad love affair all your married life and not expect to be devastated when they're gone." And then they hugged and kissed and served and fought a little and made up and flirted and I learned more about love.

And then it was time for me to go home, but not before a fun outing with my cute daughter and niece on our way to the airport where I caught the red-eye and arrived home bright and early.

Everything's bigger in Texas

So they say. And since I had an event to attend I was fixin to find out. Not being my first rodeo, we didn't actually attend the rodeo, but I've been to Texas before, I hadn't really noticed the bigness. Well, except the Gulf of Mexico is big, and Houston traffic is big, and Texas proper is basically big so I guess was keeping my eye out for more big.

We arrived at Nathan and Ariane's apartment which is not exactly big, it's more like just right for a family of 3, but they have big hearts and we received a big welcome. The air mattress was big and the couch Gabe slept on was big and we were thankful for the excellent hospitality.

Friday was full of exciting plans. We started the day by attending the Rothco Chapel, which I'm sorry to say was a little over my head as modern art typically is. I tried to appreciate the complexity of the murals painted black. I really did.  I was just a tad confused so I read the description. It was explained to me that the wonder was in the "absence of murals," like I said, over my head. However, I respect those who have a meaningful experience there.

Next, we visited the nearby Menil Collection. There were some beautiful works of art to enjoy and as you can probably guess, I enjoyed the ancient and traditional art more than the surreal and pop art, but that's just the kind of girl I am. It was an impressive collection and I felt appreciative to the Menil's and their desire to share their bounty with the people of Houston and their visitors. The other great thing about our morning was that we were with some fantastic people. We had the Black's and the Stoker's all in attendance for the big day.

 Friday afternoon was the main event for which we came. This guy was graduating.

We climbed into various cars and headed downtown in rain to a big venue with lots of entrances. Apparently we chose poorly because the door we tried to enter was locked, as was the next and the next until finally we caught the attention of a janitor and begged to be let in. I'm sure there was a door somewhere that was open, we just weren't in contact with said door. With the rain and the lostness and general confusion of us, the family and fans, we walked in after the graduates had started their walk and pomp, but we located our favorite MD candidate and started waving and sending pictures and busting our proud buttons all over the place.

Do you see this woman in the bottom right corner? Just next to her
is her sweet husband who is also mature in age.
About half way through the ceremony she must have been cold because
her husband stood with weak body, but strong heart  and placed his suit
coat over her to protect her from the chill of TX AC. I love love.

I'm very proud of my son for his accomplishments, but what makes me even more proud is his love and dedication to his God and family. Oxox

Woo hoo! on to the celebratory dinner. The only problem was that it was still raining outside. Not regular rain, Houston-we've-got-a-problem, worst-flooding-ever, remember-when-the-bayou-wasn't-a rushing-river? rain. Plus Texas sized lightning, big and frequent. So what did we do? We got on the freeway and drove around town. And we arrived safely, and we didn't have to compete with a lot of other people going out to dinner, because who would go out to dinner in that kind of weather? Well, you know who.

Then it was "present time, present time. Open the presents and see what's inside." And what does every pediatric resident need? These shoes...

Wives know.

Saturday was Brazos Bend State Park day. That's where alligators live. We started with the visitor's center where we petted the baby.

The we started the big gator hunt. We walked along the path peering into the water until something peered back and we called out, "There's one!" We were also treated to some amazing birds and a host of dragon flies that kept our walk mosquito free.

We were feeling really safe and brave as none of the alligators seemed very interested in their human observers. But then there was this one very Texas sized Grandpa alligator that some girls were trying to get close to so they could take a picture. Out of the blue we heard a thunderous snap. The girls ran like crazy. This changed our alert status and we very cautiously gave Grandpa a wide berth as we moved past his location.

If you look to the left of the first tree you see his eyes, his back, water and part of his tail. We all almost died.

Another fun activity was watching Caden. His 6 biggest fans sat around and marveled at his intellect and beauty. Then we exclaimed at his clever and brilliant sitting, almost crawling, smiling and babbling. It was wonderful fun.

Our last Texas adventure was viewing the bat colony on Waugh bridge. We arrived at sunset and smelled them before we saw them. Guano is so guano-y. And then just like that, thousands of bats flew out and flew out and flew out from under the bridge for their nightly feeding. They swarmed like insects as they dispersed into the night. So cool. Of course it doesn't photograph well, Your only choice is to see it for yourself.

I can't say for sure, but that might be my last trip to Texas. So in memory of the fun times I found and am sharing some of the favorite Texas sayings as collected by Anne Dingas:

Acceptable
1.That's close enough for government work.
2.Might as well. Can't dance, never could sing, and it's too wet to plow.
3. I could sit still for that

Boastful
1. He can strut sitting down.
2. He's all hat and no cattle.
3. He chamber-of-commerced it.

Dishonest
1. He's on a first name basis w/the bottom of the deck.
2. He's so crooked if he swallowed a nail he'd spit up a horse shoe.
3. She's slicker than a boiled onion.

Honest
1. He's so honest you could shoot craps with him over the phone.
2. If I say a hen dips snuff you can look under her wing for the can.

Timid
1. If he was melted down he couldn't be poured into a fight.

Dry
1. It's so dry the birds are building their nests out of barbed wire.
2. It's so dry the catfish are carrying canteens.

Confused
1. Confused as a goat on Astroturf.
2. I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.

Citified
1. You don't live longer in the city. It just seems that way.

Departure
1. It's time to put out the fire and call in the dogs.

Patience
1. Hot will cool if greedy will let it.
2. Take a tater and wait.
3. Wash off your war paint.

Tired
1. Looks like she was rode hard and put away wet.
2. One wheel down and the axle dragging.

Sick
1. I'm so sick I'd have to get better to die.
2. Got the green apple nasties.
3. So sick he needs 2 beds.

Talkative
1. She speaks 10 words a second with gusts to 50.

Unwelcome
1. As welcome as an outhouse breeze.

Difficult
1. Like putting socks on a rooster.

Celebratory
1. We'll paint the town and the front porch.
2. Let's hallelujah the county.

Cheap
1. Tight enough to raise a blister
2. He'd squeeze a nickel till the buffalo screams.
3. Tight as a wet boot.

Crazy
1. He's got a big hole in his screen door.
2. She's 2 sandwiches short of a picnic.
3. He's overdrawn at the memory bank.

Lucky
1. He could sit on a fence and the birds would feed him.

Small
1. No bigger than moles on a chigger.

Fast
1. Fast as small town gossip
2. Faster than a sneeze through a screen door.
3. Any faster and he'd catch up to yesterday.

Busy
1. Busy as a funeral home fan in July.

Capable
1. She's a right smart windmill fixer.
2. He could find a whisper in a whirlwind.
3. If she crows, the sun is up.

Advice
1. Never sign nothing by neon.
2. Give me the bacon without the sizzle.
3. Don't hang your wash on someone else's line.
4. Better to keep your mouth shut and seem a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Misc.
1. Serious as the business end of a .45.
2. If a man's from Texas, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him by asking?