"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.

TODAY'S JOURNAL ENTRY

Friday, September 21, 2012
                Corey called at around 9:00 this morning to ask me if I could help him out. Bailey doesn’t have swimming because there is a meet at the Legacy Center when she would have had her practice. But; her school is going to have a carnival and Bailey was asked to help set it up a half-hour after school. She is going to stay at school for that half hour. She told her dad that she “would feel better if Grandpa was with her for that half hour.”
                I am flattered of course.
Update: I was at Bailey’s school before the bell and was waiting for her as she came out the front door. When she saw me, she grabbed my hand and led me upstairs. Part way up we met Mr. Gallegos, her main teacher. He is a very cool man with a strong grip; handshake. He assumed I was Bailey’s grandpa and we visited for a minute.
                The second level opens up to the back of the school yard. The school is on a hill.
                I finally convinced Bailey to let me put her school backpack in my van. She showed me around explaining what’s what. We bought her a $5.00 pass which was good for twenty things to do. With me in toe she went around trying out the different things like throwing balls at three pyramids of six full pop cans each. The first time she did it she hit the cans with each of her six balls. She is pretty good shot.
                I met some of her friends including “the other Bailey.” Rebecca, a cut girl with railroad tracks in her mouth who came and sat down next to us later after we tired out and bought a two hotdog meal deals each and sat down at the tables they had set up for that purpose.
                Finally Corey showed up after work but by that time Bailey (and I) were tired and wanted to leave. Later they and Judy and I met at Red Robin at the District for dinner. While we were eating, Bailey said, “Grandpa” then went on to talk about bacteria and a couple of other things. Then went on to tell us about how well she is doing in science and how she and Mr. Gallegos interchange talking about science things in general. I mentioned before about when I asked if she was going to be a math teacher and she said “If it includes science.”
                Later at dinner tonight Jayden was talking about math and the Order of Operations. Stacey and I looked at each other like, "Huh".
We didn’t have any idea of what he was talking about. Corey said that he knew about it but didn’t know how to do it. When Jayden explained it I knew what he was talking about. I just didn’t know how to do it either.

From Math.com:

When expressions have more than one operation, we have to follow rules for the order of operations:

1. First do all operations that lie inside parentheses.
2. Next, do any work with exponents or radicals.
3. Working from left to right, do all multiplication and division.
4. Finally, working from left to right, do all addition and subtraction.

Gads, I didn’t learn that until towards the end of high school not the beginning of seventh grade.

SWIMMING AND YOGA

Friday, September 07, 2012

                 Wednesday I picked Bailey up after school and took her home to get ready for swim team at the Lehi Legacy Center.
                I guess Corey was picking her up afterwards; anyway I left.
                The fire alarm went off while she was swimming and everyone had to leave the building and leave their stuff in their lockers. They were told that everything in the lockers would be taken to the lifeguard station.
                Yesterday, even though Stacey didn’t have to work, I still took Bailey to swim so Stacey could go to Jayden’s football practice. She has been feeling guilty that she has been spending too much time at Bailey’s activities and not enough at Jayden’s.
                When we got to swim, Bailey already had her swimsuit on. She has been changing at home after she gets home for school lately. When we got there, she went into the dressing room and showered. Her coach is now insisting everyone showers before getting in the pool.
                I went into the lifeguard station to retrieve her swim bag and stuff. They didn’t know what I was talking about but looked around anyway. They suggested I see if they had it at the front desk, after taking a quick look, they said no but the lifeguard station is supposed to have it.
                I suggested to Bailey that she check the locker she had used the day before. Sure enough it was there, still in the locker.
                I climbed the stairs to the observation area, sat down and watched Bailey swim for over an hour.
                I don’t remember her coming up, but I found Bailey standing next to me and telling me that we should go. I stood up and immediately got lightheaded. I stood there hanging onto the rail for a while then went to the head of the stairs. At that point I got really dizzy and grabbed on. Bailey looked at me and said, “Grandpa, are you OK?” I said “no” and stood there for maybe five minutes before I felt good enough to walk down the stairs. (Jayden several times has asked if I was ok. In fact he has done so quite a few times. If we were at his house he would tell me that it is ok if I go home. He has been really good  that way; caring.)
                I have been lightheaded a lot lately, especially when I first stand up. It’s has gotten worse lately. It used to be that it was only when I stood up after lying down. Now it happens sometimes when I get up from sitting. Other times though I won’t get dizzy/lightheaded at all.
                I used to say that it only happened when I saw a pretty young girl.
                I think I should go talk to the doctor about it. She might just tweak my meds.

Back to Bailey; yesterday when I picked her up after school she talked all the way home and again from home to the Legacy Center. Today she was quiet. I don’t remember if I asked her or what, but after a while she said, “I have so many things going on in my head.” That might not be the exact words.

                This morning at 8:30 I was at Bodhi Yoga for an hour and a half of yoga. This was the fourth time I have gone. The first two times I went to the Bodhi Yin Restorative class. (They all last an hour and a half.)
The next time I went to a different kind. Easy they said. I thought I was going to die trying to do these crazy poses. Today it was BodhiFlow Gentle Vinyssa. It might have been gentle/easy for the rest of the class but I really struggled and some of the stuff I couldn’t  do at all. At one point, the young girl to my left was standing on her head and stayed there for quite a while.

                There is a man that has been in three (?) of my classes who is in his eighties. He has been doing it for over ten years.  There are a few things he won’t do but he is pretty good. His speech and mannerisms remind me of Uncle Sandy but he is in really good shape.
                I was surprised to hear that one of the ladies who sometimes teaches in seventy and I think she can do anything.
She is one of the women who babysit me and make sure I am all right and tells me not the try this or that, and I can rest anytime I need etc, etc.
                After class I asked her which class she thought I should be in. She said to go back to the  Bodhi Yin Restorative class for a while.
                Today’s class had a whole bunch of “other” young women was from Menlo Park, California and another one was from Logan. I found out later that they were there for instructor training. The session after “mine” was all for them.
                I guess this is one of the best studios around. The main instructor seems to be very good.