I know it's been a while. I have been home today with a cold and decided I had to do something to keep from going crazy with sitting on the couch and watching tv.

David has been out a year this week. The time has gone by so fast. He is doing good and loving his mission. He is still in Woodsetton witch is south of Burning ham.

At home here we have just been doing spring projects when the rain has held off long enough to do something. I picked up a trailer of compost and worked on the raised bed last Sat. I planted one bed with the cool weather crops. I cleaned out the front flower beds and tilled up the ground out in front where you pull in into the driveway so I could level it out and plant some more lawn. Now it is a big mudhole. I won't try to plant it all at once. I probably will do half this spring and the other half this fall. I still need to cut down the two popular trees on the west side of the house and replant with some trees that are not going to send roots all over the top of the lawn.

Good news, I finally found our camera. It was in our laptop computer bag. After I found it I remember putting it in there as we were leaving on a trip several months ago. So maybe I'll get some new pictures. To bad I didn't have it when Cutler and Shalon was here. I do have some pictures on the old camera but I need to get a card reader to download them.

Last fall I was released from all my ward callings and was called to be an assistant Stake Clerk. I help brother Fife with the financials and help Brother Monte Saunders with anything else he wants me to do. I travel to the wards and try to be a help to them in the clerking. Most of them know a lot more than me so it has been a learning experience.

Dawna has been working on family history just about every free minute she has. We have been hoping to do a little traveling but with gas as expensive as it is we will probably stay pretty close to home.

I finally got the family picture that Merril took scanned into the computer. I hope the resolution is still good. We've done a few things since I last posted. We went to Laura's graduation which was really good. I didn't get any pictures though. Grandpa Evans took some and sent up. I'll have to scan them too. This last Thursday after work Dawna and I went to Meadows and enjoyed a few nights at JoAnn and Terry's home there. It was very peaceful. The weather was great. We read and played games, tore down a little fence, went on nice walks. I did take some pictures but it was the old fashioned way with a film camera so I will have to get them developed. We got home Saturday about noon and mowed the lawns and water and weeded the Garden. Cameron, Lesley, and Alexis came over about 4:oo and that evening we went out to Owyhee Ward for a birthday party for Lesley's Grandmother Myrtle Smith who is 98. It was a lot of fun seeing lots of friends.

I was looking forward to getting a lot done this week but my body had other plans. I've been going to a PT to improve flexibility and range of motion. I've been getting better and better until Sunday when a lot of the pain came back. Well today I know what the pain is. I had another kidney stone. I went to work and didn't feel good so I came home. Within a hour I called my mother and off to the hospital I went. I thought I could weather it out at home. I guess I'm not the tough. The nurse stuck me three times before she got the IV in. Then she didn't draw enough blood, so the lab tech came back and stuck me a fourth time. The stone passed while I was there at the hospital. The CT scan shows I've one more still in the kidney. I hope it goes through without much trouble. So now I am a day behind on getting stuff done at work before we leave this weekend for Laura's Graduation. Oh well. Work will always be there.

Wow I've been a slacker. Oh well. These pictures are from the week and weekend of Davids missionary farewell. He is in Cwmbran (pronounced cumbran) Wales. It is north of Newport. He is doing well and loves what he is doing.
I have a great family picture taken by Merril and will post it when I can scan it in. Life has been busy although a little quiet. I have thought about the day when all the kids were gone quite often and did not look forward to it at all. However after this weekend at different places with lots of children it is a lot more peaceful. Unfortunately when kids travel they sometimes are a little cranky which is to bad. I still love it though when they come to visit and I am never ready for them to leave.

mission call, Christmas

It's been and interesting couple of weeks. David finally received his mission call on the 10th of Dec. He is going to the England Burningham Mission. He reports to the MTC in England on the 12th of March. He is very excited to go. The neat thing is that his 1st cousin Christopher Stoddard is going to the same mission on the exact same day. They both fly out on the 11th of March. We went mission shopping a week ago today. Stuff costs a lot more than when I went in 1977 or even when Cameron went in 2001. We just went to one store, Peterson's in Boise which was nice because they had everything and we did not chase all over like we did with Cameron. The suits were half off because of the end of year close outs, same with the shoes which they actually had because David has a small foot. A lot of his stuff needs tailored because of his size.

Dawna and I took the day off before Christmas eve to make a fast trip to Utah to go to Cami's Wedding and Reception in Utah. We left at 6 am and made it to the Institute building where everything was taking place at 12:30 pm. We were the first ones there. We rested and read for a while till family started showing up. Rochell had Kasarah cut Dawna's hair for a Christmas gift so her hair is now short. It looks really nice. The wedding was nice with a luncheon following and the the reception started at 5:30. When it was over we stayed at Kris's. The next day we headed home with a stop in Boise to go shopping and then went to Patterson's for a Christmas eve dinner that Lesley and Cameron were putting on. It was very good and we really enjoyed visiting with the Patterson's and holding Alexis. David came over after work and we enjoyed a movie.

Christmas morning Dawna called work and they put her on call. So we went back to bed and slept till David couldn't take it any more and woke us up. So we got up and unwrapped gifts. It was a good Christmas. We enjoyed the gifts and listening to Christmas music. Dawna and I talked to all of our kids who were away from home this year. About 10:00 David and I took Grandpa and Grandma to McCall to JoAnn and Terry's home. We got there about 12:30. We had lunch about 1:30. We had a lot of fun visiting with everyone. David and I rode snowmobile for a few minutes before we headed back. We got home about 6:30 and Dawna told us moki had took off. He was outside and the neighbors started shooting skeet. Dawna had looked for him for several hours but had no luck. David looked for a few minutes but couldn't find him. This morning the Vet clinic called and told us that Annette Hart who David works with at M&W had him. So he is back home. Today we are just taking it easy. This evening there is Mark and June Hartley's 60th Wedding Aniversery and also Cami and Taylors wedding reception.

I finally got around to uploading some pictures we took on thanksgiving day. As you can tell Alexis was was the star attraction. She is really easy going and will even let me hold her for more than 30 seconds. Thanksgiving was great. We missed our family that was not here. We just don't seem complete unless everyone is here. I brined and then smoked a turkey breast and also tried to smoke a ham shank. The turkey turned out great and was all gone by Sat. It was was just as good cold as it was hot. I finished the ham off this last weekend in some ham and bean soup that turned out quite good. We watched too much football (is that possible?), ate too much food, and played to few games. The weather was clear but cold so we didn't do much outside. David and I did build Grandpa and Grandma a new set of steps for the back door that has shorter risers. We are trying to get into the Christmas spirit. We are waiting for David's Mission call. It should show up tomorrow on Tuesday. Bishop checked and it was sent out on Friday. We will let you know as quick as we know.

Just a note to update whats been going on. The kidney stones have passed. Fall work is just about all done. There is still some corn to be harvested but most all the beets are harvested. Onion sheds are going strong. You can hear the fans from across town all night long. David has had the flu twice or the same flu with a respite in between being sick. He has got his wisdom teeth out and should have his mission papers in the next Sunday.

We have decided to stay home for Thanksgiving. Laura and Bobby will be here. David and Mom both have the day off. Lesley has to work so Cameron will come over with Alexis. I will smoke a turkey and hopefully watch some football. We will go down to Utah in December to go to Camie's wedding.

Grandpa fell today. The wind was blowing really hard and blew him over. He had to get stitches in his hand and chin, and has one heck of a black eye. David was home on break and between the two of us we got him to the house and then when I looked at his hand I knew he needed stitches. Grandma took him down to the clinic with David and I following to help get him inside. Gail cleaned him up and he got stitched up and then came home. David got off work long enough to help get him in the house. He will be awful sore for a few days.