Christmas Eve

 I wish the cemetery was covered in grass but in our desert that isn't to be.  Bill took us out to the Veteran's cemetery so I could see the grave of your Great Grandad and Grandma.  There was a beautiful live wreath that had been placed on their headstone.  I hadn't been since sweet grandma passed away so it was nice to see her information had been added.

Happy Birthday Abby!

                   13

                Years

                 Old

       December 22, 2005




                                                      *Radiates Joy

         *Compassionate

         * Patient

         * Smart

         * Outgoing

Winter Formal

 Brig  enjoyed a special time at his winter formal with his friends, and date, Maggie!

Bruised & Broken

I am working with one hand and I am a very slow hunt and peck typist so briefly here is the result of a nasty fall I took on Friday.  Broken humorous bone and a crack in the joint ball.  I always believed I had a high tolerance of pain.  Now I won't brag about that any more!

Decorating

Before

 On Monday I invited the kids over to decorate gingerbread houses.  Graham will have to wait a couple of years before he gets an invite.  I have to say I was impressed with all the cute houses they did.  I was the "icing squirt-er" for Eden but she definitely had a vision and told me exactly what to do. As sad as it has been to leave our California Duncans I appreciate still having some of our grandchildren nearby to do fun things with.

During

After

Gpa Has Some Competition!

When grandpa isn't happy with something I say or do he has a tendency to give me a very dirty look.  I call it the "evil eye!"  Since coming to Gilbert I have found grandpa's twin "evil eye" giver.  I have to admit it is cuter on a two year old than on a grandpa!

New Digs!

Here are some pictures of where we are living now.  We definitely didn't down-size!  I have a few more areas to show but will add those once I get them fixed up the way I want them to look.

Pigeons/Pests

There isn't a nicer sound than the cooing of a pigeon and there isn't anything more annoying than bird droppings all over your front porch because the pigeons decided they live at your house.  I have tried to focus on the positive but when I discovered two pigeons had made a home in the eave by our front door--that has become a challenge.  I called my bird expert who gave me permission to evict the unwanted tenants.  I got my second bird expert to come over and do the dirty work (and it was DIRTY!).  Lincoln had to literally saw out the nest which was like a bunch of twigs filled with bird droppings which were as heavy as concrete.  Once that was done the birds had to come out which took our long armed Uncle Christian.  As soon as he got them out Lincoln went back up the ladder and filled the space with bricks so they wouldn't make themselves comfortable again.  Then the guilt began for me as the two birds stood in front of the bricks trying to figure out how to get their home back.  I felt pretty guilty until I started washing off the porch!  Although two of the birds were evicted--don't fret--there are about 30 who sit on the top of the roof watching my every move!  I wish I hadn't watched Alfred Hitchcock's, The Birds!

I'm Back!

With all that has been happening I have had to put my blog on the back shelf.  Yesterday I took our car to the car wash and then parked it in the garage.  That is the amen of "unpacking complete."  I have various little projects still that I want to do but it is now time to focus on living our life without being in transition.  As nice as the drive over from California was (thanks so much to Bev and David) the daily living has been a challenge for poor Grandpa.  I honestly don't think he will ever truly return to a norm for him but I am here to help him as best I can.  The greatest challenge was getting a good nights rest for both of us.  I think we have finally reached that point.  I find when I am not too tired I am a much better caregiver and I believe that it helps grandpa to be a little more balanced.

Happy Birthday Meg!

20

Years

Old

Nov. 30, 1998

             *  Beautiful                                                       *Committed

*Smart

 * Kind

*Determined

Update

As I told you all last week the drive from California to Arizona was great.  I am still in awe of how well it went.  Adjusting to the new house hasn't gone quite as well.  For a week he has been so disoriented especially at bedtime and last night is the first time he went to bed before 10:00 p.m.  For him that is definitely staying up late!  It finally dawned on me what has been happening.  When we left Spring Valley Lake and moved to our house in Apple Valley the transition was actually very smooth because the two house layouts were the same.  This house is the exact opposite so when I get him to bed he is so turned around he keeps getting up and then argues with me about where the bed is.  The first thing I did when we got here was set everything up in the room so things would look familiar.  But dad remembers right and can't adapt to left.  When he gets up in the night I have to go and take his hand to get him back into the bed--otherwise he wanders up and down the hallway.  I know it will get better but in the meantime we are both pretty tired.  On a good note he loves having Eden and Graham over.  The three of them are big fans of Paw Patrol (thanks Caleb for showing grandpa about Paw Patrol!).  The older kids are very patient and kind to him and he has enjoyed when they have come to visit as well.  Other than that he is doing pretty good.  He still likes staying close to home and fortunately the big shopping area is as close as the Winco and McDonalds was in Apple Valley.  We'll get through this!

Halloween 2018

From California to North Dakota with Utah and Arizona in the mix this is the fun costumes from this year.  Thanks for the pictures everyone!

Mary Poppins

Princess

Storm Trooper

Vampire Girl

Knight

Harry Potter

Tourist

Seawing Dragon from
Wings of Fire book series

Squid

WWII Secret Agent

Princess Leia, Chewbacca & Poe Cameron

Thank You Victor Valley

As we get ready to leave the area I decided I would go and take a few pictures to remind us of the many wonderful blessings we have enjoyed while here.  We had our share of disappointments, our share of unmet expectations, and our share of "I wish I hadn't done that!" moments.  We also had an outpouring of blessings that far outweighed the challenges.  I will always hold this wonderful valley close to my heart as we now move to the "Valley of the Sun" where grandpa and I first began our life together.  Many new memories will be made in the coming years.  We will again have some disappointments, unmet expectations, and "I wish I hadn't done that!" moments.  But I know without a shadow of a doubt that we will receive an outpouring of blessings and I can't wait!  I hope you will enjoy the pictures I took and some brief memories I shared.

Church

The first thing we did when we came to Victorville for Grandpa to be interviewed to be the Assistant to the City Manager we found our ward building.  (Actually, it was the only Church of ours at that time).  Grandpa went in to the building and changed into his suit before he went for the interview.  Fortunately, there was an election that day and they had allowed it to be a polling place at that time.  We were only in the building a few months before we moved into a brand new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Apple Valley.  The next building we went to was another new building on Ridgecrest.  It was there that Grandpa serve as a Bishop and now many years later there are now seven buildings full of happy Latter-day Saints!

Our first building on Hesperia Road.  Across the street was Center Street Park
While grandpa went for his interview the kids and I stayed at the park.  There is
a fun story about the building of this ward house.  Some day I will tell you about it.

This is where we meet now on Ridgecrest Road.   We attended several other buildings
as boundaries changed and buildings were being built but ended up here to finish our
church experience in the High Desert. 

Home

We owned three homes in Victorville.  I loved each one of them but the only one I cried when we left it was our house on Apple Creek.  I cried because that was the house where each of our children grew up in.  There were so many wonderful memories that I still cling to.  When we first got there it was wide open and over the years it finally was completely built up.  I remember the boys working feverishly to dig a whole in the lot next to our house so they could have a swimming pool.  I don't think it ever had water in it but they spent hours getting it ready.  I still picture Uncle Andy sitting on the curb down on the corner waiting us to get home because Bill was being mean to him.  I think of the hours spent riding bikes, playing with friends, learning to drive, and camping in Mojave Narrows or bird watching.  It was a great place to raise kids.  I loved our other houses but just in different ways.

14000 Apple Creek Dr
Believe me our house didn't look like this.  It was white with yellow trim (another fun story)
and had a white picket fence on each side of the front yard and rose bushes all along the fence.

28000 Fairway Rd
Still the same as when we left it with the exception of the
mock cherry tree in the front yard.  Those tall junipers were in our neighbors yard
but they brought us a wonderful cacophony of birds singing each morning. 

10938 Rockaway Glen Rd
We only lived here two years but it has been a perfect house for us.
I loved decorating it and making it feel like a home.

Schools

When I was growing up I started at Washington Elementary School (Grades 1-8) and finished at Washington High School.  Grandpa started at Creighton Elementary School (Grades 1-8) and finished at North High School.  I am proud of say that your dads and Aunt Amy all attended the same elementary school when we got here.  Irwin Elementary, Victor Junior High, and Victor Valley High School.  I learned something very important about education from your parents.  None of these schools were considered the cream of the crop schools.  Many of our friends sent their kids to more prestigious schools in the area.  I also learned something very important from that experience.  Most education comes from within the walls of your home.  Your grandpa taught your parents to love learning.  I think I taught them that you never give up and in spite of difficult situations we don't run away or hide from unpleasant experiences.  Those two things made all of the difference and I believe have made your parents the amazing adults they have become.

Irwin Elementary School

Victor Junior High School
now boarded up and abandoned.

Victor Valley High School

The old campus stands behind the new building now under
construction.

Work

Grandpa worked for the City of Victorville and the County of San Bernardino but the job he loved the most was being a school teacher.  This picture is the last school he worked before he retired.  A special treat was that Ava went to Kindergarten while he was still teaching.  He loved working there--and the parents, students, and staff loved him.

Galileo Elementary School

I started working as a substitute teacher when Amy was in first grade.  I did that for two years and then got hired to work in the Personnel Office with the responsibility to call the substitute teachers for the school district.  After a few years they started a new position to specifically assist the Principal so that they would be in the classroom helping teachers be better at their job.  My responsibility was to do all the behind the scene things that keep a school going.  It was a dream job and I loved going to work every day.  I started at Village Elementary School but spent over 17 years at Green Tree East.  I was there long enough to start having children of my students come to Green Tree.  The best part was having Perry and Ellis with me for many years.

Green Tree East School.  My office was on the left side of the coyote.  From there
I could see Mojave Narrows, the trains going up and down the track, and students
coming and going.

Happy Birthday Will!

                  11

               Years

                Old

      October 28, 2007

*Kind

*Friendly

*Adventurous

*Smart

*Quiet