More Catching Up

I just put some German Apple Cake into the oven upstairs in the activity room and I'm staying nearby to check on it since I haven't used this oven before...and...I may need to protect it since the BYU vs. University of Utah game will be coming on the BIG TV in the activiy room and all those hungry fans just might think that the dessert is for them. Anyway I have a little time to write so I thought I'd try to catch up. Our friends, Sally and Joe (neighbors from Rose Park) have gone to Arizona for the winter, but before they left we had some good times together (once a week). One week they came to the "Ranch" and we had lunch together; then went to the Living Planet Aquarium, just down the street...it is small compared to Marineland, etc. but it is just the right size for us and we are excited to share it with grandkids that come to visit. After the aquarium we went to the Chocolate Cottage that is right across the street from the aquarium and indulged ourselves (another great place to take our kids and grandkids when they visit). We are really enjoying our new home and are glad that the move is behind us. Don has lots of doctors appointments in Dec. (we are just getting set up with the VA and they are checking him out). We will be going to Cedar City for Thanksgiving, and then on the 3rd of Dec. we will be going to Phoenix for a week to visit our friends (Stewart and Deanna Troxell); we'll see Sally and Joe while we are there. We have booked a flight to Seattle for Jan 13th to Jan 27th and will spend one week at Evergreen Place (in Renton) and one week at The Garden Club (in Bellevue)...these are both Holiday Retirement Community Properties and since we are residents here in Sandy, we are able to stay for a week free of charge (all meals and activities included). In Dec. my Mom is coming to stay for 5 days at Christmas and as soon as she leaves Pam will be coming to stay for 5 days between Christmas and New Years. Well, the cake is done and I need to get back downstairs to Don. So I'll close for now and try not to be so long between posts.

A Belated October

Wow! It's been forever since I posted to this blog...so sorry. Our October was very busy so here's a recap to catch up. We finished moving INto South Towne Ranch early in the month, then spent the rest of the month moving OUT of our apartment. Since Don's hand has not made much improvement, I was pretty much on my own with the boxing things up and moving them to the D.I. or the storage unit so things went pretty slow. Friday is the day our lease is up so I'm spending a day or two cleaning the apartment; then the move out inspection is Friday and I'll no longer have the keys, so that will be history. Whew! We will be so glad to feel like we can spend time participating fully in the activities, etc. at "the Ranch". I have already taught one Relief Society lesson in our Branch, and I am running the little Country Store that we have for an hour every Thursday. We sell items the residents might need (or like), I buy what I think will sell at the Dollar Store and we resell them for $1.25 to cover tax and provide a little fund for something special. It's fun for me and I get to meet all the residents and get to know them better. Don is making a cart for the Country Store and is loving having a project to do with tools. I am also teaching (leading) a group every Monday after the noon meal...we are calling it Memory Time Writing and Sharing...just a time to discuss memories and write them to share with family and friends. I choose a topic for the week; then we discuss it and share our stories; then write the stories down and share those with the group the following week. This week we had fun exploring our names (who named us, why, would we like to have been able to choose a different one and why, etc.) ....it was fun and we really got to know each other better.

On the Move Again! What's New?

Just so everyone knows what is happening...we are moving to South Towne Ranch (in Sandy, Utah) this weekend. I know...we were going to wait until Nov. ; then, Oct. 1st, but we kept going down there for lunch when we took things to storage and they asked why we didn't just move in. I said that we wanted October to be our FREE 1st month (we also get the 3rd month free and will not have to pay $450 per month 2nd person charge for at least 6 months). Ron, the manager (who just happens to be a retired Navy Sr. Chief, Submariner, etc.) said "I'm not going to charge you guys for the rest of September if you want to move in now." So we decided to just go ahead and DO IT! We will still have until the end of Oct. to get out of the apartment, so we are moving the big pieces of furniture Sat. and will do the rest a little at a time...(we're really committed to this plan now since we took our clothes down there yesterday and Don's hospital bed is being moved today). Needless to say, we are really busy (still doing physical and occupational therapy, too); I haven't even been to the fair to visit my quilt entry to see if it has a ribbon. Guess I better get off this computer so I can pack it up. Our new address is: 310 East 10600 South, #003, Sandy, UT 84070 (the cell phone numbers will be the same, don't know what will happen with the land line yet)

Fair Entry

I'm off to enter this quilted wallhanging in the Utah State Fair. It is made from the 2008 State Fair challenge fabric (white background w/black music symbols); the black fabric has subtle grayed music symbols and the black with white music symbols is a near reverse of the challenge fabric. I titled this quilt, "With a Song in My Heart"...the technique is reverse applique (design is made by placing the background fabric on top and cutting away in the shape of the design; then turning edge under and handstitching to reveal the design) this is the first time I have attempted this technique so there are some flaws that I can see, but I decided to enter it in the fair anyway (it may not be prize quality, but I like it). We are off to Cedar City today...Mom's (Grandma's) birthday is on Tuesday so we will stay and have lunch with my sister, Marilyn and the "birthday girl"; then head home to continue "thinning out" our things in anticipation of our move to a retirement community. Don has been very busy with Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy and has seen some (slow) progress with his right hand (nerve damage just take a long time to heal). Guess I'd better get busy and finish packing for our trip to Cedar. More details on our move later.

July in San Diego or How to Stretch a 2 week Vacation into a Month

Finally! We are home again and all is/are relatively well! Now to the begining of the story. Don just couldn't shake the "I need to build another cradle" syndrome and after making several attempts to get me to go along with one of his many "schemes" he finally suggested one that I thought might work...so, we flew to San Diego on June 24th (our anniversary) to spend the day celebrating with Don's brother Walt and his wife, Linda (who were married on the same day as we were, 47 years ago). The plan was that Don would stay 2 weeks and spend time working on a cradle with Walt; I planed to stay the first week and then fly to Seattle to visit Rachel and Robert and family at their new house in Enumclaw, WA and an in-person visit and look at pictures of the Thailand honeymoon with Aaron and Chrys. Don woould return to Salt Lake City from San Diego on the 8th of July and I would return from Seattle the same day, landing in SLC within 1/2 hour of one another...perfect plan until I received a call on my cellphone the morning of July 8th from Don, saying that he had fallen and was in the hospital. Don said he was pretty banged up, but that I should fly home as planned and he would catch up with me later in the week. (He didn't give me many details about the fall, but I later learned that he had fallen backwards and had hit his head on the cement in the driveway at Walter's while he was trying to pick up tools and no one was with him at the time, so he had spent about 15 minutes trying to get upand fell again before he finally made it into the house and got help.) I spent the next day tearing into the apartment with great plans to continue our downsizing while he was gone and I could plan my days without interruption...I also decided this was a good week to begin my "healthy eating" weight loss plan, so I shopped for fresh fruits and vegetables (lots of lettuce and berries, etc.). At 11 am on the 10th of July I received a call from one of the nurses at the hospital telling me that Don's MRI showed that he would need surgery on the cervical area of the spine before he would be able to travel home and that the surgery was scheduled for the next day. I had just finished washing and drying the dirty clothes that I had taken out of my suitcase, so I folded them up and put them back in the suitcase; called our good friend Sally and asked if she could take me back to the airport (she had picked me up two days before) if I could get a flight out...next I went on-line and booked a flight for 5 pm; called Nancy and asked if Callie coould stay on until I got back; called my visiting teachers and arranged for them to continue to water my plants; called Alishia (who was planning on me to take her to the airport in a few days to fly home to Florida); called the dentist to cancel Don's appointment; called the beauty shop to cancel the appointment for my haircut and perm; packed the fresh produce in bags to give to Sally and was ready for Sally at 2:30...leaving the apartment in a REAL mess. Don's surgery went well and Walt and Linda took me to the hospital everyday at 8 am and picked me up at about 7 pm every night. Those long days dealing with medical staff taught me that even when they are among the best we've encountered, every patient needs an advocate to get the very best care. Four days later Don wa transferred to the Acute Rehabilitation Center on the same "campus" as the hospital (Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, CA). WOW! If you didn't have to be in pain to get into this place it would be like an expensive spa...golf pro (private lessons); wonderful guitarist to seranade and sing-along in the evening; therapy pool; patio; spacious"gym"; wonderful food and the BEST , caring physical therapists; occupational therapists; doctor and nursing staff...even the housekeeping staff was friendly and professional...(if I ever need knee or hip surgery, this is where I will have it done!). Don couldn't have been at a better place if he had to fall away from home...his roomate and he actually had FUN and became good friends. Anyway, here are some pictures of Don and this fabulous place.

June Update and Historical Treasure

Sorry I've been so negligent with my blogging. Don and I will be going to San Diego to visit with his brother, Walter and Walt's wife, Linda. We will celebrate our wedding anniversaries together...we went to the temple to be sealed to our respective spouses on June 27th (47 years ago). Don will stay with Walt and Linda for two weeks and spend time working on a new cradle with Walter...I will spend the second week in Seattle with Rachel and family (celebrating Charlotte's 3rd birthday and their move to their new house in Enumclaw) and visiting with Aaron and Chrys. Don and I fly to San Diego on Tuesday, June 24th and will return to Salt Lake on the 8th of July. On another note, I have been researching colonial Newbury, MA looking for information on Sarah Chase (wife of Charles or Curmac Annis). I found a website www.newbury375.org (Newbury, MA is celebrating its 375th anniversary in 2010) and found a 1729 map of Newbury, West Parish with the names and house locations of all the families in that Parish...you guessed it...the Annis family homesteads were well marked (oldest sons of Sarah and Curmac, Joseph and Abraham, and grandson, John). Abraham and John are directline ancestors, and when we overlaid the current street map and Google Earth images, we were excited to learn that the original Annis family farm (1666) is now part of the Maudslay State Park and next time we visit Boston, we will look forward to walking the paths where our ancestors farmed. On still another note, we were able to visit for a few minutes, with our old friends, Stewart and Deanna Troxell...sadly, our visit was at Primary Children's Hospital where their little 3 year old grandson is undergoing treatments for cancer...we all decided that Don and I should take a trip to Phoenix this winter for a longer visit. I know there is more to tell, but it is getting late and I have to drive Don to Draper tomorrow for an evaluation by a VA doctor for his VA disability claim; then pack suitcases and prepare the apartment for our absence so I'd better get to bed and try to get some sleep. I'll try to do better next month and I'm sure to have some pictures to share.

A VERY Special Day!

This is a picture that tells about a VERY special afternoon! Today we had the opportunity to meet with Elder Jeffery Holland in his office at the Church Administration Building. Sister Jeri Avant is the editor of the Church News and is our Gospel Doctrine teacher...about 3 weeks ago Don was asked to give a sacrament meeting talk using a talk from General Conference as his topic...he chose a talk by Elder Holland and mentioned that we had "followed" Elder Holland (Seattle, Connecticut, Provo/Payson) for many years, but had never personally met him...Sister Avant decided to try to arrange a personal meeting as a surprise for Don...we spent about 30 minutes of this very busy man's time today, just remembering common friends and acquaintances and sharing bits of information about Don's conversion, family history and current circumstances. Elder Holland then went to his cabinet and presented us with a very beautiful, illustrated edition of his book "Christ and the New Covenant" in which he inscribed a personal message and signed it. We then presented him with a copy of Scott's "First Vision", for which he thanked us and Scott. Needless to say, Don was delighted and Elder Holland asked us to stay in touch with him...what a day!!

Pictures from our Seattle Trip

Charlotte with many ponytails!
Scott and Rachel
Rachel and Robert
Pamela (Aaron and Scott in background)
Grandma Knight and Scott

Charlotte
Calvin with Grandpa's hat
Charlotte and Wallace
Calvin...big blue eyes
Grandma reading to Charlotte....Charlotte provided pillows for each of us.

Aaron and Chrys' Wedding

Sorry, I haven't perfected the posting of photos...thought I coould rearrange them after I copied them to the blog, but I'm not sure how to do that, so the picutres are out of sequence.

Aaron and Chrys' Wedding (continued)

Rehearsal dinner...delicious Japanese food. Chrys, Aaron, Chrys' mother, aunt and grandmother.

Grandma Knight signing the guestbook and adding her photobooth picture.

Photo Booth...remember these? Guests took picture then chose one for the guestbook and received glass coasters/picture frames for a rememberance.

This is REALLY cake...Aaron was in charge and said he couldn't believe Chrys let him get away with this...real rotating disc ball on top...the cake was delicious.

A rehearsal kiss.

The happy couple...rehearsal's over...this is the real thing!

Aaron, Chrys and Don...Wow, Dad in a tux!

Chrys and Grandma Knight (88 and looking great)

Siblings...Pamela, Aaron, Scott, Rachel. It was good to see you together again...we missed the other half of the family.

Visits with Aaron, Spencer and the Pope

This has been quite a week for visitors: first, Aaron had to make a quick business trip to Salt Lake and we were blessed with two visits with him (Wed. and Thurs.)...I loved his comments..."I can't believe I'm getting married!" and "I know why you should plan your wedding together; it's to see how the marriage will be."...I remember John Bytheway saying that if you want to know if she's the right girl, take her on a picnic date up Provo Canyon; hike in and let her carry the picnic basket, or better yet, forget to tell her she's the one that is supposed to bring the lunch. (We all know how long it took John to find the "right girl"!) Anyway we had a fun visit and it was good to see him so happy. We love Chrys!! Next, I was busy putting the binding on the quilt I made for Aaron and Chrys, so I was plopped in front of the TV for a couple of days...I watched Mass twice and Pope Benedict's visit with the young people and seminarians once...I gained such an appreciation for how much we have in common and how the Spirit of Christ shines forth. I loved the greetings of peace to your neighbors as part of the Mass and the "Hear Our Prayer" part of the litergy. I was especially impressed with the Pope's message to the young people and I even printed it out off the internet...it could have been given at conference to our LDS youth by the prophet...truely, we share much more than what separates us. The Pope is such a humble man and reminded me a bit of President Hinckley. Today, (Sunday) Dad gave a talk at sacrament meeting and then we went to Spence and Nancy's for dinner (grilled salmon...yummm); Josh was working on a requirement for Cub Scouts, so Spence was teaching him how to grill the fish (last time I was at their house Josh was learning to cook bacon and eggs). Spence is home for three days, then leaves for Kuwait (he'll get one 2 week leave sometime before they come home next January...we willl miss him and pray for his safety and Nancy and the kids' wellbeing). Dad has three physical therapy appointments Monday and Tuesday this week, then on Wed. we will drive to Cedar City to pick up Grandma so she can fly with us to Seattle for the wedding. Busy days ahead, hope we all survive the activity.

50 year Reunion!

We just got home from lunch with the sister missionaries that taught Don the gospel. Today was the 50th anniversary of his baptism. We had a great time catching everyone up on the past 50 years. Sister Ann Wooley Graham is on the left and Sister Cheryl Butler Hood is on the right. Cheryl and her husband are now serving a Family History mission at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, hence the missionary ID tag.

Next Stop, South Towne Ranch!

We have placed a deposit on an apartment at South Towne Ranch Retirement Community in Sandy, Utah (10600 South and 300 East). We have been to lunch (main meal) twice...once, today with our friend from Cedar City (Caroline). Caroline had looked at apartments here in December, but had no idea that we had put a deposit on one...she is thinking about joining us if whe gets her house in Cedar sold...we need to pay off our car and wait out our lease on our apartment (also, plan to sell the property at Zion). I took pictures today so you can all see what a beautiful place this is. They have a travel program for residents...kind of like a timeshare...when you visit one of the 300+ locations they have around the country. (also have a guest room/apartment if we have out of town guests...$50 per night...includes 3 meals per day). We will be only 3 blocks from the Dimple Dell Recreation Center (beautiful pool, exercise facilities, etc. ...I'll post pictures another time). I didn't get pictures of the activities room at South Towne....there is some exercise equipment there and room for quilting, sewing, parties, bingo, etc.

A view of the back of the building with the beautiful mountains in the background...

another view of the grounds and paths...a creek and pond with malard ducks is at the far end of this picture.

This is the entry hall.

more of the entry hall...dining area is behind me as I took this picture.

This is the Dining area. Note how light is is with all the skylights and the fireplace on the far wall.

This is the private Family Dining Room used by anyone who has a family gathering or visitors or special occassion to share with friends or family.

This is the "Chapel" (they had used this room for another gathering and had pushed the loveseat "pews" to the sides). We ate lunch with one of the LDS Branch members today, she told us all about the Branch...they have all the meetings, but shorten them so that the meetings are over in 2 hours instead of three. Many of the members of the branch are former General Authorities (now Emeritus).

We are feeling very fortunate to have found such a beautiful retirement community, and the people are very nice and friendly. We are feeling good obout our choice and hope that we will be able to follow through with our plans. More photos...

South Towne Ranch (continued)

A puzzle in progress on the mezzanine, overlooking the entry hall.

Don enjoying the Pool Table in the Game Loft on the second level.

This is the Library.

This is the Beauty Salon.

This is the Big Screen TV room.

We Thank Thee, Oh God, for a Prophet

I had just finished watching the figure skating competition tonight (8 pm), when there was an announcement that President Hinckley (our dear prophet) had passed away peacefully at his home about an hour before...at 97 we can hardly say this was unexpected, but I can't begin to explain how suddenly empty I felt. How grateful I am for the gospel in our lives and the understanding we have of the nature of life and eternity. What a good, kind man he was; what an example of a life well lived; how we will miss him...his energy and his humor...the twinkle in his eye (especially the one he reserved for his beloved wife, Marjory)...it is good to know that the twinkle was surely there as they met once again and embraced. I surely know that he was a prophet of God and his wit and wisdom will live on in my life; may we all aspire to live in accordance with his example and teachings and may we take comfort in knowing that God will provide a new spokesman, prophet and seer to guide and direct us in these days of turmoil before the coming of our Lord and Savior.

Catching Up

Sorry it's been so long since I "blogged"; I'll try to catch up now while I can, maybe, catch my breath before the next wave comes crashing in. We have been in a whirlwind of doctors' appointments since we moved into the apartment...Don has mostly lost the use of his right hand (he can stil bring the thumb to the index finger to grasp objects, but no strength to keep holding on; also, can't straighten the four fingers). CAT scans, MRIs, electrodiagnostic testing and consultations with neurologist and neurosurgeon at the U of U have yielded no firm answers that are consistent with the location of the spinal damage that is evident in all the scans, etc. The doctors even thought that he might have a tumor somewhere since he has also lost almost 25 lbs. in the last 3 months (without wanting/trying to). With that in mind he has had his blood and urine tested and retested; a colonoscopy; an upper GI series done and chest xray; more CAT scans and MRIs and consultations. At this point he is experiencing numbness and tingling in his arm and also in his toes so the neursurgeon thinks it is time to act on the information they have...spinal calcification and collapsing discs need to be dealt with before he looses any more limb function...He will have surgery on Feb. 5th (the first of three possible procedures...and the least complicated) to relieve pressure on the nerves to the hand (we hope). Dr. Apfelbaum is a "legend" we are told; the best in the west (all he does is necks) for cervical spinal problems. This first surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis, but he will keep Don overnight to evaluate how well he will tolerate surgery before they attempt another procedure. I'll keep you posted on how he does and what is next. All prayers on his behalf will be welcomed and appreciated. Enough of the medical journal for now. We were so pleasantly surprised to have Jessica and Kami stop in with Mindy and Billy and family...a BIG THANKS to all who made that possible. Their visit was all too short, just a few hours and dinner (Spencer and Nancy and kids joined us). With Don's health problems and Spencer leaving for Kuwait next month and Jess and Kami returning to Korea, who knows how long it will be before we can get that group together again. Congratulations to Betsy on her marriage and to Aaron and Chrys on their engagement (we are looking forward to their wedding in May). Not much more news for now...and no pictures this time...I'll try to do better in my next post. Love to all, Carol (Mom)