PRIMM AND PROPER

MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010 Judy and I returned home late last night from Southern California for the Stars Regional Competition which was held at Fountain Valley High School in Fountain Valley, California; not far from Disneyland. We stayed at The Huntington Beach Hotel in Huntington Beach not far away from the school. I drove down Thursday and picked Judy up at the Ontario Airport on the way. The competition went off well to my knowledge. Of course it was late each night when we were finished and we crashed into our beds. Though Saturday night, Judy and I did go out to eat after the competition at Romano’s Macaroni Grill about a block away from our hotel. Yesterday we left at about 9:30 after the hotel’s free breakfast buffet and drove home. Judy drove from Huntington Beach to Primm, Nevada. There we spent about two hours in the outlet stores that are part of the Primm Valley Resort & Casino. I drove the rest of the way stopping at the Red Lobster in St. George for dinner. We passed a car with a bumper sticker that read, “Witch Mobile” tailgaters will be toad. Notice the spelling of toad.

-ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE-

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010 Today being Monday, I picked Jayden and Bailey up from school at 2:30. We watched cartoons for quite a while then Jayden asked me to go into the basement and play “pig” with him. They have a Nerf basketball standard on the wall and we played with an appropriately sized “soft” ball. Jayden is pretty good though I beat him most of the time. I was a better shooter than I would have imagined. After a while Bailey came down and played with us. Bailey is really starting to look like a little lady and not a little girl anymore. She is showing some athletic ability also and had good form shooting the ball. I have noticed her abilities in the past. She is, I think, a better swimmer and diver than Jayden, and you should see her swimming or floating on her back. She looks like a little otter. She is something to behold. Jayden and Bailey got into one of their inevitable spats. Jayden is quite the little manipulator and can twist her all around emotionally. I will say one thing for Jayden though. He is now catching himself and even apologizing; and even giving in sometimes even though he may be “technically” correct; like this evening, Jayden decided he was going to turn in some of his video games for new ones. He chose four including one that Bailey had previously given him saying she didn’t want more. She screamed and carried on and said she changed her mind and so it was hers again. She just couldn’t grasp the concept that once you give someone something it isn’t yours anymore and have no say-so about it. Jayden finally condescended and even apologized to her. I thought that was very adult of him. Bailey is nine and Jayden will be eleven in July.

HOOTERS!! - yea!!!

FRIDAY, APRIL 09, 2010 I spent much of the day on the Internet finding a half dozen or more bits and pieces of information on James Jepson. It is interesting that every time I think it is time to give up and that I can find no more, something else will pop up, and I find it interesting that when I enter the same exact words into the same search engine, I will find something new. I am still disappointed that I can come up with nothing on James Jr.’s dealings with the people near Alamo, Nevada on a water project in Pahranaget valley. Mentions of it are in the Washington County News of the time. I have done everything but drive there and poke my nose into residents’ homes. It is Austin’s birthday Monday. Judy and I took him to dinner tonight. He wanted to go to Hooters. I mentioned it to Corey when he called this afternoon. He and the kids were in his car driving home from Grandpa Wayne’s where they spent the day. It is Spring Break. Ten year old Jayden, listening in, said “I know why he wants to go there; it’s because of the ladies who work there!” Corey and I broke out laughing. Hooters promotes the concept that their waitresses show off their big breasts. When we got there, Austin was in heaven and couldn’t get the big smile off his face. He said he is going to go back there with his friends. The scenery was “nice”! The food was good—but we had to sit on uncomfortable tall stools at too small butcher-block tables.

FRIDAY, APRIL 09, 2010 Last evening as I was returning home from Home Depot I was following another car when we both had to hit our brakes. Three deer sauntered across Saratoga Road just after the first bend. They walked right in front of the first car. Five more deer, when they saw us, stepped back and waited. I say them in my rearview mirror cross just after the car in back of me. It was nearly a three and three car three deer pile up. I had seen those deer earlier in a grove of trees nearby not far from a house. They must have spent much of the day there.

DRIVIN' AND DREAMIN'

THURSDAY, APRIL 01, 2010 The other day we ate at Won Won Wok. As usual when they brought the check they gave us fortune cookies. I didn’t open mine right away but waited until I had gotten behind the steering wheel of our van, buckled up and started the engine. Then is when I opened it. It read, “Your place in life is in the driver’s seat!” That is doubly appropriate as there isn’t much in life I enjoy more than in the drivers seat taking a long trip. Being in the passenger seat is OK too!

A WRITE-UP FOR RELIEF SOCIETY

JUDITH ANN DEAN JEPSON Born October 17, 1948 Minneapolis, Minnesota Judy grew up in a semi-rural farming area south of Minneapolis called Eagan Township, Minnesota. She attended school 7 miles away in a small town named Rosemount. This area is not far south of the Mall of America. When she was a junior in high school her mother, Bev, asked her along with her two brothers, Bill and Bob, if they wanted to take skiing lessons. Bob especially became pretty good at it and hockey. Judy said she would rather take harp lessons. Her Aunt Carman, in Chicago, was a professional harpist. Her mother was surprised but said, OK! For a long time Judy took lessons from Frances Aspnes who was known as ‘Minnesota’s first lady of harp’ and who taught for over 60 years to numerous accolades. Judy had taken piano lessons from her step-grandmother, Winona Balcom, and was one of the accompanists for her junior and senior high choirs. At Rosemont High School Judy was on the cheerleading squad and from her pictures, she was pretty “hot.” Judy met her future husband Fred when he was first on his mission. Once a week or so his companion Elder Skeen, who was district leader, along with another district leader would drive “all the way to Rosemont” to teach this “young girl.” All Fred knew was that it was south and over a bunch of bridges over some rivers. He was clueless. He and the other companion, both greenies were left to “track” on there own not knowing what to say if they were invited into a home. Judy and Fred (Elder Jepson) finally met when Judy showed up at church. They met again at her baptism. On that occasion she announced that she was going out to BYU that fall. Fred gave her his home address and phone number; and when he returned home from his mission, low and behold Judy was dating Fred’s Brother’s best friend who was just leaving for his mission. When he saw that Fred was home he nearly didn’t go. But he did; he he he. Judy’s main interest at BYU was in the music department where she continued with her harp lessons. Judy and Fred were married on 13 February 1968. Their first child, Christopher was born that November, almost nine months to the day after their wedding. Jim was born less than a year after Chris. Then they figured out what caused this phenomenon and they waited six years to have Corey, with Niki coming nearly three years after him. They lived in a variety of locations in their early married years. Chris was born in San Gabriel, California. Jim was born in Minneapolis. Corey and Niki were born in Murray, Utah. The family lived in what is now West Valley City. After a couple of years they moved to Bennion/Taylorsville. This is where the children grew up and called home. In Minneapolis Judy had the opportunity to play her harp with the orchestra at the Minneapolis Children’s Theater. Judy and Fred moved on to Marina Circle in Saratoga Springs in February 2001 which they love very much. Judy is very talented and intelligent and becomes pretty much an expert at everything she tackles. She is almost indispensable at her work and when she returns from vacations she is always inundated with a backlog of work no one else can do or at least wants to tackle. She puts in many hours on her own time as she is salaried. Thanks to Fred’s working forty years at Western/Delta Airlines they have been able to see many parts of the world and have had many experiences they would not otherwise have had.

A BUTT SMACKIN' GOOD TIME

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 Yesterday while I was with Jayden and Bailey after they got off school, Sabrina, the lady across the street came over with a paper for Corey. She asked for me, I guess she thought it would more likely get to him if she told me rather than just handing it to one of the kids. I told Sabrina ok, then, joking said that "I have a memory from here to the door." She, in all seriousness said, “Have you tried patting your butt? It works for me” I gave her a “Huh?” look and she went on to explain that she has the same problem (not remembering) but she heard or read somewhere that while you are sitting it is easier to remember things and that when you stand up it is common to forget. The study went on to explain that if, when you forget, just pat yourself on the fanny and you will likely remember the thing you had forgotten. I laughed and said, “I will try that.” So! If you see walking around patting my butt you will know that I am just trying to remember something. I am sure my neighbors will just look out their windows and say, “There goes that crazy Fred Jepson. He’s the one that walks over to the pool in snowstorms wearing nothing but his swimsuit!” Hmm? I wonder if I were to pat Judy on her butt it would help her memory. I know it would do something for me! He he he