Observation

I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being LOVE it and 1 being DON'T CARE FOR IT!) I would rate my love of flying at about 3.  Taking off and landing absolutely terrifies me.  And when I'm floating in a big tuna can that holds people of all weights and sizes and actually flies through the air--I marvel at the invention of air travel.  Then I practice in my mind how I won't scream all the way down if I end up on a plane that is going to crash.  I don't want to be the woman that President Nelson talked about in Conference! Instead I would close my eyes and say quietly I'm coming Scott...I'm coming!   After I get through all of those scenarios I then look out the window and absolutely love seeing the beautiful earth that was created and that I get to see patches of His handiwork because I am flying above the earth.  It is then that I realize that my 3 jumps to 8 and we are blessed to be able to fly all over the world in a matter of hours.  See the tops of mountains covered in snow or a desert that is beautiful even though it is barren.  See the massiveness of the Grand Canyon or the Mississippi River that meanders through the United States.  It's all perspective.

Our Food Adventure

Whenever you are with the California Duncan's you know that there will be some especially good food prepared by Uncle Scott and Aunt Angela and then you will be introduced to interesting foods along the way.  This trip was no exception.  It started on my first night there when we enjoyed a St. Patrick's Day dinner of Corned beef, Potatoes and Cabbage with some great bread and an interesting drink.  On Friday night on the way to Ava's first performance in Clovis we stopped by an area with a group of interesting food trucks to choose from.  Caleb and Uncle Andy got a great smelling nacho and meat dish and Aunt Angela and I got Apple Fritter burgers.  On Saturday we went into a local place in Hanford that had quesadilla's  and then went to an ice cream parlor that's famous for their ice cream and the generous servings!

Apple Fritter Burgers (those are green egg yolks
which were quickly removed before we ate ours.
I wouldn't recommend this particular burger to anyone.

Ava & Caleb

I had a great time in California last weekend.  Ava did amazing and I got a bonus of seeing two of her competitions.  

I also had the chance to listen to Caleb play the piano.  I was so impressed at how much progress he had made just since December.  I actually recorded him playing but the dumb phone won't let me send it to my computer!  Technology and I have a love/hate relationship!

Eden's Baptism

Here are some of the pictures from Eden's baptism.

Why!!!!

Perry is always full of surprises!  One of his latest adventures was to cut out a 26" deep block of ice so he and some of his fellow scuba divers could go scuba diving in a frozen lake.  I know--why would anyone think that was a good idea.  While visiting here in Arizona this weekend he shared some of those experiences.  Again why would anyone think that would be fun!  I love all of the adventures Perry goes on and that he shares his fun pictures knowing I will give him a hard time.  I think I am always glad when I hear about them after the fact knowing he survived and is still in one piece😊!!

Reality

As many of you know I got a job driving people to and from medical appointments.  In my reality I would be picking up sweet senior citizens and driving them to the doctor.  But in the real world we live in I continue to be the oldest person in the car!  A number of my passengers look like they are 90, but their age is deceptive because of choices they made that have ruined their health or the drugs that have destroyed any semblance of well-being.  A number of times I have felt so sad and wondered what choices they made to bring them to such a dismal outcome.  That being said I have loved many of my passengers and have had a great time visiting with them and learning about what brought them to Arizona or what kept them here after one summer!  I have learned, as we are always told, to never judge a book by it's cover and when sharing a car with various personalities you understand how important that is.  I won't be specific about those who I am meeting but I can honestly say that every day I work is an adventure.  The positive experiences are worth the sad things that I occasionally see and I honestly am surprised how much I enjoy what I am doing.  What can I say--I love having a captive audience!

Dear grandchildren there are two things I want all of you to remember.  First, choices have consequences and second, whatever choice you make will never affect only you.  I am so proud of all of you and am pleased at seeing you growing into such amazing people.  Please keep working hard to stay on a path that will lead you back to a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior who made it possible to be better than we think we are.  

The Whitney Way

I loved what Aunt Amy wrote about Eden's baptism on her blog.  

Next Saturday Eden will be baptized and start on the covenant path back to her Father in Heaven. We are so grateful to have her sweet spirit in our home. She is a peacemaker and a gentle soul. We are so grateful we can help and teach her to follow the covenant path. The path will lead through the temple and on to eternity. We love having Eden in our eternal family.

Grandma's Field Trip

While I had a captive audience I planned a field trip.  Uncle Christian and Aunt Amy are in southern Utah for the weekend and I got to take care of the kids!  We went to to visit a site I had read about earlier.  I had driven over to see it but then decided I wasn't comfortable going exploring by myself.  It is the Pueblo Grande Ruins and Archeological Park.  It is actually in Phoenix not far from the Sky Harbor Airport.  I'm not sure how much the grandkids enjoyed it but I really enjoyed see the displays and walking around some of the archeological digs that had been preserved.  I looked up information on Wikipedia and found the following.

Long before Euroamericans moved into the area that is now Phoenix, it was home to a thriving civilization called Huhugam by the culturally affiliated O’odham and the Hohokam by archaeologists. These Ancestral Native Americans created the archaeological structures preserved at Pueblo Grande.

Pueblo Grande features a large platform mound with retaining walls. This massive structure contains over 20,000 cubic meters (yards) of fill. There were also many dwellings, and at least three ball courts.

The Hohokam archaeological culture developed some of the largest and most advanced canal systems in all of pre-Columbian North America. They were the first people to practice irrigated agriculture in the region. The remnants of their irrigation canals are part of the archaeological site at Pueblo Grande.

Pueblo Grande was occupied from approximately AD 450 to 1450, at which time it was abandoned like many other villages throughout the Phoenix basin. The reasons why these ancestral Native Americans left their villages and irrigation systems are widely debated among archaeologists. There are many competing hypotheses that include floods, droughts, warfare, and disease. 

Since Meg will be working on a "dig" this summer
I took this picture to show what she may be doing!

It's Great to be 8!

 

BYU International Folk Dancers

 

I have had the opportunity to see the BYU International Folk Dancers a number of times and I have to say that they never disappoint.  This was an especially great evening because Ruth, Jane, Eden, and my neighbor Robyn went with me to enjoy the spectacular show.  It was so fun to watch Eden who was totally engrossed in the whole production and was smiling continually.  Jane, Ruth and I were oohing.  One of the special things that happened was when they chose to show a dance from the Ukraine.  When they put the picture of the area and the name of the country the whole audience started cheering and clapping.  That really touched my heart.  Another treat was watching Robyn and Jane doing ASL with each other.  Robyn told me later that Janie is really good which I was happy to hear.  

Yee Haw!

Eden turned 8 last week and on Saturday she invited friends to come for a cowgirl party.  She did allow one little cowboy to come!  I have to admit Aunt Amy and I had so much fun planning this party and I was almost sorry to have it come to an end!  I included some pictures so you could see what a cowgirl party looks like!

And now you see why being Eight is Great!

Ron & Hermione

Another dance is behind for Ruth's senior year.  This was another girl ask boy and the theme of the dance was dynamic duos.  Ruth and her date decided to be Harry Potter characters.  Her date really got into the spirit and went and had his hair dyed for it.   I think Ruth had a fun time and when it comes to cute--she nailed it!!  And now PROM.

Happy Birthday Bruce!

18 Years Old

Whatever in the past has gone,

                                              The best is always yet to come!

L Larcom