Kids at the pool

At 3:30 or so Corey and his family and Niki and her kids came over for a barbeque and visit. Greg came a little later after an appointment in Orem. Corey cooked hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill and Judy made the accoutrements. I had earlier boiled potatoes and eggs for potato salad. After dinner we adjourned to the pool. I think our nine-year-old grandson, Jayden must not have been feeling very well; at least he wasn’t later in the evening. After just a short time in the big pool, he went to the kiddy hot tub and was there until we all got out to go home. At one point Stacey went to check up on Jayden. When she said something to him, he made a motion with his head for her to go away and then made another head motion toward the cute little girl he was sitting next to and I guess having a conversation with. Stacey took the hint and left. She told the rest of us what had transpired and after a good giggle we decided not to go home for an extra fifteen minutes or so. When he and Corey were in the shower afterwards, Jayden said, “I was that close!” Interestingly enough just a short time before; the day before or so, he asked his parents when boys start having girlfriends. They responded, “In the third grade!” knowing he was going into the third grade starting next week. Later at home they talked to him about how the church says you should not date until age sixteen. Greg and Niki’s two-year-old Alexa is starting to feel comfortable in the pool. Before, she pretty much clung to her mom or dad. At the very end today she was jumping off the edge. Greg’s roughhousing with her helped her open up I think. Bailey made sure she got her share of roughhousing with Greg also. .

MURKY WATERS

I think I will start throwing in poems I have written...one or two...here and there 08/31/1995 So you think you are a poet? You can make two verses rhyme. You are giddy and you’re singing. And you’re happy all the time. You think you are a poet? You think the world is yours? You think the sun is shining, Through perpetually open doors? I’ll tell you something fellow, Before you’ve gone too far; Before you are committed, Before your soul you mar; Poetry is awful, It’s reflecting on the past, It’s peering in the future, It’s the storm before the mast. It is wading in new waters, They are murky and they’re black; And the tide will draw you under. And you’ll never more look back. It’s reliving your past failures. It’s hoping you are sane. Poetry is suffering, Poetry is pain..

Longing for the open places

Well here it is August 2008 and I haven’t written a poem for years. I have not felt inspired…just sitting here wishing I lived in or at least had a second home in West Yellowstone or Island Park or Brian Head or some such. I fear I will never be happy in “civilization” But what to do when the spouse you love is a “city” girl. Alas I keep praying for wealth enough to help the kids and have enough left over for a second home but I also pray, “Thy will be done!” Maybe happiness for me, in that sense is to be in the next life. I’m going to continue praying though.

Gavin's Blessing

Monday, August 11, 2008 Yesterday was our grandson Gavin’s blessing. His father Greg did the honors in Gavin’s other grandparent Chazen’s home. The Chazen’s bishop presided and afterwards told Greg that it was perhaps the best blessing he had ever heard. After the blessing we had a taco bar provided by the Chazens extended family then the youngsters played volleyball. Judy and I didn’t eat a lot. Tupo Falou’s homecoming was yesterday also and they had a luau type buffet at the clubhouse afterwards so we weren’t very hungry. We ate a little bit at each. Jim and his family came Saturday afternoon and stayed the night. They went back home last night. They took Sierra with them as Chris was leaving for Houston on a 6:00 a.m. flight meaning leaving here at 4:00. Suddenly it was so quiet here I broke down and turned on the TV. Shame on me. Corey and his family of course were at Chazen’s too.

Good night's sleep

Thursday, August 07, 2008 Niki, Alexa and Gavin are in town and until this morning have been staying at our place. (Greg flew in today so they are now staying at Chazen’s.) Everyone has been over to seen the little ones; most of the time it was all at the same time; total chaos. Last night we all went to Tepanyaki in Lehi for dinner. Alexa was a little frightened at first but soon warmed up to the fire and the noise etc. After dinner Diane agreed to take Judy to the airport. She is off to Indianapolis for Drum and Bugle Corp with her mother. She went to get on the midnight flight to Atlanta to make a connection. I was off the hook. I didn’t have to make the trip to the airport. Oh yea! Though I was going to have Austin, Molly and Sierra over night along with Alexa and Gavin, I was sure I would get a good night’s sleep. Wrong! At midnight, Judy called and said the flight was full and she didn’t get on and asked me to check flights in the computer. We finally decided it would be best for her to take the 6:00 a.m. flight to Atlanta and connect to Cincinnati and get a rental car their. That meant I had to get a rent-a-car which, through her coaching, I did on Alamo. Then she thought she needed her Tom Tom to help her navigate to Indianapolis and the hotel there so she asked if I would take it to her. Reluctantly I agreed. Big of me. She met me as I drove up, climbed in and said, “I can’t get through security. How about if I get in and we find a dark spot in the parking terrace and we can sleep in the car until 5:00?” She slept. I twisted and turned until 4:30 when Judy received a text message from Jim asking if she got on the flight. To make a long story short, I got home and into bed at about 5:30, tossed and turned until 7:30, then the kids woke up and started making noise. Such is life.

All together

Monday, August 04, 2008 Niki, Alexa and Gavin are here from Arizona. Chris and Sierra are here so we had to juggle bedrooms. Niki thought it would be best if she and the kids use Sierra’s bedroom upstairs with the trundle bed, so Chris pumped up an air mattress on the basement floor. Saturday night we all went to dinner at the Mayan. Alexa was especially interested in the high divers. All the older kids were fighting over Alexa and Gavin. The whole family was there except Greg. Jim, Diane, Austin and Molly were there as well as Chris and Sierra, Corey, Stacey, Jayden and Bailey and of course Niki, Alexa and Gavin. Don’t forget Judy and me.

Deja vu

Thursday, July 31, 2008 It happened again last night. Chris and Sierra went to the pool yesterday afternoon. Later Corey and family came over and we all went to the pool again. Jayden and Bailey and I went in ahead of everyone else. Merlin Smith was in charge of checking in, and when he saw me he said something to the effect of: “Your son was here earlier. He sure has a good looking wife!” I explained to him that Sierra is his fourteen year-old daughter. Corey and Stacey came in shortly after that and Chris and Sierra followed. I told them what Merlin had said and we all had a good laugh.