WINGERS

Wednesday, October 17, 2012
                Tonight Judy and I met Niki, Alexa, Gavin and Gracie at Wingers on 136^th and Bangerter for dinner. Niki’s three especially Alexa and Gavin were their usual noisy silly selves.
                When it came time to order dinner Niki started to tell the waitress what Alexa wanted. Alexa shouted out, “I want to tell her” and repeated “I want a grilled cheese sandwich.” Audrey, our waitress was very cute about addressing Alexa and repeating back, “You want a grilled cheese sandwich.”
                A little later, Niki called her friend Gail whose birthday is near Christmas so everyone calls her, Noel. Alexa asked her mom, “Who are you calling?” to which Niki replied, “Saint Nick,”
                Alexa didn’t hear her well and asked in a loud voice; “Satin; your calling Satin?”
                We all got a good laugh over that one.
                That reminded Niki about a conversation she had with Gavin the other day in the car. She asked him, “Are you going to go on a mission?” or maybe it was, “Where do you want to go on a mission.”
 He started bawling, “I don’t want to go on a mission.” Niki asked him why he didn’t want to go on a mission and he said; because when I get home I’ll have to get married and I don’t want to get married.”
                Niki said he repeated it over and over again; “I don’t want to go on a mission because I don’t want to get married.”
                Tonight at dinner she asked him again and got the same response. She asked him what he wanted to do; “Stay home and live with us?” to which he laid his head on her shoulder and said, “Yes, I want to stay with you.”
                For a long time Gavin and I have been playing the game of me saying I am Gavin and him saying he is Grandpa. I brought it up again tonight to which he said; “I don’t want to play that anymore.”
                Gavin is three and Alexa is six.

I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED

Saturday, October 13, 2012 -
                A few years back; it was after we moved to Saratoga Springs in 2000; I went for a drive out in the West Desert or at least that is what I usually call it. I took SR 73 west past Cedar Valley, Fairfield etc to Highway 36, the road that goes south out of Tooele and connects with U.S. 6 which comes out of Eureka and continues south to Delta Utah and beyond.
                Shortly after I turned south onto Highway 36 I saw an old man walking south on the west side of the road. I don’t remember that he was hitchhiking though it would make sense if this were an ordinary situation.
                I stopped and offered him a ride and asked him where he was going. He told me that he left Montana and was heading to the outskirts of Ely, Nevada to herd/tend sheep. I don’t remember his exact words. He said that that was what he had been doing in Montana also.
                I asked him when he had eaten last and he said, “A couple of days ago.” I apologized for not having anything for him to eat but handed him a bottle of water I had with me and told him to drink as much as he wanted.
                He drank it all down in short order.
                At this point I decided to take him all the way to Ely, thinking we would stop in Delta and get something to eat.
                At that, I instinctly reached for my wallet. It wasn’t there; or at least I couldn’t feel it. I really believe to this day that it wasn’t there.
                I apologized to him explaining my intentions and explained that without my wallet I would have to turn around and go home. I didn’t have enough gas.     He said that it was all right.
                I told him that I would take him up a little farther to where Highway 36 converges with Highway 6 out of Eureka explaining that there would be a better chance of him getting a ride since there would be cars coming from two directions. (Even at that, it is a lonely stretch of highway and one can go quite a distance without seeing another car.)
                I took him a short distance beyond that point and let him out still apologizing.
                I turned around and started up Highway 6 intending to go home along the west side of Utah Lake.
                I reached around and checked for my wallet again. It was right there.
                I immediately turned around to pick him up and do as I was originally intending.
                It had only been a minute or so since I left him, but when I reach the place I dropped him off , he wasn’t there. I drove on a ways looking for him but I couldn’t imagine he could have gotten that far walking.
                Maybe he quickly got another ride but to this day I have wondered if perhaps God was testing me to see what I would do and when I showed that I would have taking this “angel” or whoever he was to his destination he made my wallet disappear forcing me to let him out and turn around.

"THIRTEEN YEAR-OLD LOVE"

Saturday, October 13, 2012
                Today Corey called and asked if I could take the back seats out of my van and meet him and family in Orem. They had sold the massage chair that was in their bedroom; rather the seating area of their bedroom on the other side of the fireplace wall. For nearly the same price they found a nice (used I’m sure) brown leather couch with end pieces that recline.
                We ate lunch at Café Rio on State Street Orem just north of Center Street.
                After eating we went next-door (nearly) bought the couch and had them load it into the van. It fit just right. I drove it to their place and backed into their driveway behind them. They pulled all the way into the garage ahead of me. Before I could come around to help, Stacey had hold of one end of the couch and Corey reached through the back door grabbed the couch and lifted it to help push it out the other end.
                As he did so he pulled something in his back.
                They still managed to get it through the front door of the house and into the living room.
                At about that time, their next-door neighbor lady knocked on the door and asked if they could give her a ride to the Jordan Valley Regional Hospital. She said her husband had had a heart attack and she didn’t drive. I think they are from Eastern Europe or something.
                I don’t know how that all turned out. I drove home shortly thereafter.
                I guess my whole point of this is to say that Jayden was lying on the couch in their family room talking to Kate. Jayden was given his cell phone back and since his parents insist they get to read all his text messages he has gotten really open about him and Kate. I guess they have even said “I love you.” When Stacey “teased” him about it he replied, “It’s only thirteen year old love.” (She’s only twelve.)
                I understand they have talked about meeting at lunch time at school and kissing.
                Personally I think it is a hoot and secretly want to encourage it. There is no doubt in my mind that it will not get overly serious. They don’t “plan” on getting serious until they are sixteen. I would have to assume that that would be age seventeen for Jayden since he is a year older than her.
                That takes me back to the one girl in his class a year ago that enter in her blog about liking Jaden and even used the “F” word. The using the “F” word in her blog was meant for her girl friend to read. Jayden found out about it from another girl in his class and he told Corey and Stacey about it.

                That relationship ended real soon!!!

MEOW-or WHY I WENT to ASTRO BURGER for LUNCH

Friday, October 12, 2012

                 Just before 11:00 this morning, Corey called me and asked his usual, “Can you do me a HUGH favor.” Or “Can I ask you do me a HUGH favor?”

                (Sometimes I wish he would just say “Dad, I/we have such and such a situation, would you/or would you mind helping me out with...?) Just kidding, but it has gotten to be a joke with me.

                This time it was, “The kids just called. They went upstairs to watch TV and let Buddy go up with them…”

They thought they had locked the two cats in Jayden’s room so they went in to Bailey’s room with Buddy in tow to watch TV. Mia, one of the cats was in there and Buddy jumped at her barking. It gets a little fuzzy from here, but, I guess Mia jumped over the big doll house Grandpa Wayne had made for Stacey when she was little, and Ginnie later updated and gave to Bailey. Anyway, the kids said that Mia bounced back and forth between the dollhouse and the wall several times then fell over one eye open and one eye closed and her tongue sticking out of one corner of her mouth. Bailey carried her out from behind the dollhouse and laid her on the floor. I don’t know if she was dead at that point or shortly thereafter. Jayden checked for breathing and a heartbeat and announced that she was dead. (I just talked to Jayden. He said that he poked her, she stood up and fell back over.)

                They were bawling and blaming themselves for what happened; for instance Jayden blamed himself because it was his idea to let Buddy go upstairs.

By the time I got there, Buddy was in his kennel in “timeout” and Bailey and Jayden were in the room crying.

                Mia was dead but still warm. For a second I thought she was a little rug on Bailey’s bedroom floor.

Bailey said that in the past, Mia has sat on the couch with Buddy sitting on the floor by her with no problem.

Before I got there, Bailey said a prayer and that made Jayden cry.

Later, Jayden made some jokes about it to make Bailey laugh, but it was too soon and it made her cry more. Later she would joke about it and laugh and then start crying…this went on for some time…laugh then cry, laugh then cry.

I asked Bailey to get me a garbage bag. I put Mia in it and Jayden put it on the floor of the garage.

I asked if they wanted to go to lunch with their dad. They said yes and decided on Astro Burger. Actually Jayden decided on Astro Burger. Bailey and I didn’t care but Jayden called his dad on my cell phone, and told him that the three of us wanted to go to Astro Burger. Corey said “fine” and that he would meet us there. We called him again when we were close. Jayden thought Corey said that he was already there. He wasn’t but showed up soon after we got there.

(Jayden is grounded from his phone for not turning in all in homework papers.)

Corey called Stacey and told her what had happened and invited her to go to lunch with us. Astro is just across the street from her work. I guess she was in bad shape worrying about Bailey and Audrey, her manager told her to take the rest of the day off.

We ate and visited. The kids felt better and even Bailey was cracking jokes intermingled with sad looks and a few tears.

They decided that after Corey got off work, they would take Mia to the mountains and bury her. It is raining. That should be some fun. I just as soon they don’t invite me but I don’t think they will anyway.

 

Just a side note, Kate has called Jayden and they have talked. She put her cousin Trace who was at her house on the phone and he and Jayden talked for a while. Jayden said that he is nice/cool. He also said he talked to Kate’s brother Max and Jayden likes him too. I think Kate is just as infatuated with Jayden as he is with her. I think I told you that Bailey has “talked” to Kate (texted) and that Kate wants to get together with Bailey so they can get to know each other better.

BAILEY AND JAYDEN

Wednesday, October 10, 2012
                Corey called me and said he was going to forward something that he was sure I would want to put in Jayden's and Corey’s and Bailey’s journals. He gave me the following preface information.
                Corey said that Jayden is doing well in school except math and except turning in all his papers. He said that he turned in two papers to two different teachers and upped his grades in those classes to an A and a B respectively. (I hope I got that right.)
                That leaves math. He is behind quite a few pages in math that haven’t been turned in. Corey found out about it last night and really chewed Jayden out.
                Later the following occurred:
Stacey to Corey: Seriously how cute is are (our) daughter, I found it sitting in front of Jayden’s door this morning with a controller on top of it
Thank you,
                                              (In Bailey's handwriting.)

Dear Jayden,

I am sorry I yelled at you. I was just upset with you cause your failing your classes.
            Now I know it’s been ruff on you lately. It was hard enough when I was thirt-teen so I decided to write you a note and I am giving you my most priced (prized) controller I have had it since I was four and I want you to have it. It may look like the one that Bryce gave you. But it’s not. Now I love you.
Love your Father
Corey dean Jepson
                                    Family is forever (in a big heart)


http://fredandjudy.blogspot.com/

Yea, Well

Sunday, October 07, 2012
Yesterday Greg and Niki with the kids came over to eat and work on the basement bedroom; preparing and painting. Judy had picked out a light yellow which appears; to me at least, to have a hint of lime green in it.  Greg did most of prep work including taking Jim’s rustic shelves down, patching holes, taking stuff off the top shelf in the closet etc. He taped around the edges so we wouldn’t get paint on the ceiling or baseboards.
                Corey and Stacey and their two came before Greg was quite finished and he and Stacey took over the painting. Bailey loves to paint and she and; I think Jayden; maybe Alexa painted the walls in the closet. They also painted stars and other designs on one wall in the main room which of course got painted over later.
                Did I mention that Alexa and Bailey and Jayden slept over Saturday night?
                I think I got a little confused on what happened on which day.
                Jayden’s cell phone kept announcing when Kate had sent him another text message.
                Kate is twelve years old and in his school. They are both in the seventh grade. She lives a couple of blocks away from Jayden’s (and his family’s) old house in Eagle Mountain Town Center.
                Bailey told me that she has used Jayden’s cell to text Kate also. She said that Kate wants to meet her.
                I guess the other day Jayden was going to meet up with Kate at school and “hang out” for a while, but Jayden got a white paper (?) from one of his teachers so they didn’t get to do it.
Kate’s parents think she is texting one of her girl friends. Corey had to promise his parents that they could read his and Kate’s texts so he has gotten pretty open about their relationship. He sometimes gets a little red (embarrassed) but not bad.
Saturday after they were finished working and eating, Judy and Corey and his family went cloths shopping. Niki had given them some (strong) suggestions as to what she thought they should be wearing for picture taking. Today, Corey and Stacey and Jayden and Bailey; all decked out in denim and blues and yellow went looking for just the right setting; in the shade for picture taking. I guess Niki took a bunch of them. As of tonight she had one of them published on her facebook and, I think on her blog. It really turned out nice.
Gavin was clinging to me much of the time he was here. He is frightened of Jasmine one of our two cats. She hisses at the kids and reaches out to claw them; good thing we had her and her nice twin sister Lily declawed when we first got them. Part of the time at least, Jasmine was locked up the little; upstairs bedroom.
Anyway the paint job turned out really nice, though we need to buy another gallon and do some touchup and finish the inside of the closet.
                I ended up with three batches of dishes to take care of and I cleaned the paint brushes, pans and rollers.
I never feel well so I just did what I could when I could. Funny, Jayden and Bailey took turns sitting with me much of the time. I feel we are really close; like Gavin and me.

KIDS MOSTLY

Friday, September 28, 2012
                Wednesday on our way to swim, Bailey said “I going to start concentrating. I get distracted.” This is talking about swimming, listening to the coach, trying harder etc. I told Corey about our conversation and he said that they had a talk about that. She did better at swim that night.
                Last night we ate at Café El Lago. While we were there Jayden was texting on his cell phone. Either Corey or Stacey asked him who he was texting. He started to deny it then blushing he said something about, “You know anyway, I was texting Kate.”
                This afternoon Jayden and I went to Game Stop to trade in some old video games for a newer one. We got back on the subject of Kate and texting. He told me that they agreed not to date until they are sixteen, then if she is not “engaged”; I think that was the word he used, they will get together; date or however he worded it. In the meantime they will keep texting.
                Tuesday at my session, I told my therapist’s (and buddy by now) Jay about my keeping journals for my children and grandchildren. He said wow; I’m going to start doing that.
                He was especially impressed when I told him about how many hundreds of pages they each have.