Anniversary

Tommy and I celebrated 34 years of marriage this week. May 24, 1975. Ten days after I finished college and one week before he reported to duty at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas.

One thing God impressed on me even as a youth was to marry a Christian man, and He provided a great one. (Thank you to all those Christian men and women in my life for the example you were!) Tommy and I met on a church mission trip in 1969 and were friends for two years before we started dating. We dated for four years. Yep, you did the math correctly. We've known each other for 40 years! And, what a life it has been!

A career in the Air Force that took us many places and blessed us with friends across the United States and around the world. Those early marriage days when we decorated with bricks and boards for bookshelves--and moved them to new homes, twice. Two wonderful children and now a fantastic daughter-in-law. The means to travel, which we both love. The joy of spending time together just watching TV or reading or working in the yard. Someone to lean on in the difficult times.

There are a few more pounds and a little less hair now. But, I am thankful for Tommy and our life together. It's still an exciting life and I look forward to many more years together.

Race for the Cure

Salt Lake City holds its Race for the Cure the Saturday before Mother's Day. Over 18,000 people walked or ran the 5K route. For several years, ladies (and a few men) from my church have participated. There are mothers and sons, grandmothers and granddaughters, and friends. Most of the participants have friends and/or family who have been affected by breast cancer. Some are survivors; some are not. Regardless, participating in the race is a way to honor those dear people. My mother-in-law (on the left) had breast cancer at age 65 in the early '70s when surgery was much more radical than it is today. She lived 20 years after the cancer. My mom (on the right) is a four-year survivor!













The clever team names are hilarious. Some of my favorites are, "Harleys for Hooters," "Save Second Base," "Feel Your Boobies," and "Save the Tatas." We decided to come up with a team name for this year. We debated on Baptist Boobs or Mountain View Mammaries. Mammaries won.

We arrive very early to stroll through the vendors who have come to give away or sell items. There are pins, water bottles, wrist bands, scarves, chances to win running shoes, etc. Ronald McDonald is there, and McDonald's gives out apple slices. Many of us wear pink. After the race, our group had lunch at Jason's Deli.

Yet, even in the midst of the fun and fellowship, there is a seriousness to the race as well as we remember why we're there. We saw a gentleman walking by himself carrying a flag and wearing a sign on his shirt that read, "walking in honor of my beautiful wife of 34 years." And, a young boy with, "I love walking for my mom." One of the ladies who walked with us lost a dear friend in January to breast cancer and wanted to do something to honor her.

Here are a few pictures you might enjoy.



Pink shirts are survivors.

Fuze gave these capes away and took the picture.

One more thing...

I forgot to tell you one thing about Washington DC. That city has EXCELLENT and INEXPENSIVE public transportation!!! We never rent a car when we go. Just hop on the metro or catch a city bus to get anywhere you need to be.

The hotel where we stayed offered a shuttle to the closest metro station, which was about 15 minutes away. We took that Saturday morning, and arrived at one of the city's transportation hubs--buses, metro station, and this! The sign's a little bent, but you can read it. What's "kiss and ride" you ask? A drop off lot that allows a few extra minutes for a kiss good bye in the morning or a kiss hello in the afternoon. Tommy says I just need to get out more. But, I though it was quite unique and way fun.

Travel log

One of the best things about being married to an airline pilot is occasionally getting to travel with him on a trip. Tommy had a 30 hour layover in Washington DC last week. Thanks to a wonderful boss and a rearranged schedule, I was able to tag along. (An aside, for those of you who think the life of an airline pilot is all glamour, try getting up in time to be dressed and ready for a 5:50 a.m. pickup by the shuttle driver for the return trip. Then fly an all-nighter to Alaska 28 hours after returning to Utah.)

Washington DC has become one of my favorite cities. I think it would be neat to live in our nation's capitol where history was and is made and there are so many things to see and do. Although, realistically I wonder how many times I'd make the effort to see the sites if I lived there. I've lived in Utah since 1980 and still haven't made it to the re-enactment of the driving of the golden spike which created the transcontinental railroad system.


We were blessed with a beautiful day! Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s. For this trip, we chose to see the World War II memorial and the Jefferson monument--neither of which I'd been to before. The WWII memorial is beautiful. Lovely fountains, a pillar representing each state, and two larger sculpture representing the Atlantic and Pacific battles.

Then it was on to the Jefferson memorial. We were too late to see the Japanese cherry trees in bloom, although we did find one blossom left. :-) A friend who lives in Virginia told us there were four million people there to see the trees a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure fighting those crowds would have been worth seeing all the trees in bloom. We did see other trees with lots of blossoms. There were people in paddle boats in the tidal basin. We thought about joining them but decided our feet were already tired, so they didn't need the additional workout. Getting old is NOT for the faint of heart! We spent a couple of hours wandering through the memorial and the displays downstairs. Afterwards, we sat on the steps facing the tidal basin to rest, people watch, and enjoy the sunshine. Suddenly, we hear a helicopter. It was President Obama's helicopter! The pilot circled the tidal basin several times before flying on to the White House--to the delight of the crowd. Two more helicopters followed and did the same thing. Way cool!!!

One other fun thing. While we were sitting and resting, this sweet lady asked me if I'd hold her hand as she went down the steps. There was no railing. As I was helping her, she thanked me profusely and said next Sunday was her 84th birthday; and she didn't want to miss it. Hope I'm in good enough health at almost 84 to be sightseeing.

Spring time in the rockies...

Spring in Utah is a most interesting season. God teases us with a couple of beautiful, sunny days--then it turns cold and snowy again. Just last week, one of the local ski resorts got 140 inches of new snow. We had beautiful weather Easter and Monday. It's snowing again today. A local weatherman calls it "sprinter."

One nice thing about spring snow is that is seldom sticks to the sidewalks and driveway. Hooray, no shoveling!! And, as long as it is raining or snowing, the pollen count is down. Hooray, no allergies!!

I spent the morning snuggled under the covers finishing a book while it rained/snowed outside. Heaven!

Random musings...

Today is my dear husband's birthday. Unfortunately, he had to work, so we celebrated Friday. I'm teaching him the joy of spreading birthday celebrations out over several days or even weeks. :-) Happy Birthday, Tommy!! I love you.

I am recovering from the worst cold I've had in a long time. It's been 12 days, and I'm still not completely well! Yuck! It came on suddenly and knocked me for a loop. Tommy was afraid I was going to suffocate, because I was making such weird noises when I slept. (Thank you, God, that I could sleep.) All that's left is a nagging cough. Back to the office tomorrow. I can hardly wait to see how much is piled up on my desk after missing three days in the office. NOT! (Thank you, God, for a wonderful, understanding boss who allowed me to stay home and rest.)

Here's a sad story of what our world is coming to. Late last Monday afternoon, I wrote four reimbursement checks for people in the office. Since I was still feeling so bad, I put them in my mailbox at home and raised the flag rather than drive to the post office. It never crossed my mind that could be a problem. We live on a quiet cul-de-sac.

The next morning just before 10, I drove out of the driveway on my way to get my hair cut and colored (you just don't miss that appointment no matter how bad you feel). I noticed the mailbox door was open. My first thought was, "I'm glad it isn't raining or those checks would be wet." Then I noticed the checks were gone. I stewed over it while at my appointment then had my fears confirmed when I returned to find that the mailman had come. Someone stole the checks!!! Talk about feeling stupid. I called the bank and stopped payment on the checks and let the guys the checks were for know what had happened.

Once again, God took care of me. If the thief had not left my mailbox open, I would not have known the checks were stolen until one of the guys asked me why he hadn't received his reimbursement. Which would have been too late. That very afternoon someone tried to cash one of the checks. The bank called my office when the check came up with the stop payment notice. The person who answered the phone is not normally in the office that day and just happened to be one of the guys to whom I'd written the checks. The thief was trying to cash the check written to that employee! He told the bank teller that the check was stolen, that he was the person being impersonated by the thief, and suggested the teller call the police. Crazy "coincidence," huh? Thank you, God.

But, it's sad to know that my trust level has been altered.

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter! Isn't it wonderful to be reminded of what Christ did for us when we were so undeserving? As Christians, we often say "Christ died for us." My dear friend, Doug, today reminded us in Sunday School that that "us" is singular. He died for me. It was my sin that kept Christ on that cross. Humbling isn't it?

Here's a song we sang in church today. Travis Cottrell's words say it well.

Let the children sing a song of liberation
The God of our salvation set us free
Death, where is thy sting? The curse of sin is broken
The empty tomb stands open, come and see

CHORUS
He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb.
He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah!
Alive forever. Amen

Let my heart sing out, for Christ, the One and only
So powerful and holy rescued me
Death won't hurt me now because He has redeemed me
No grave will ever keep me from my King

CHORUS
I'm alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! praise and glory to the Lamb.
He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah!
Alive forever. Amen

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King.