MOVERS, SHAKERS, NEW JOBS, TOTAL LIFE CHANGES

My whole family is moving , changing, graduating, and doing all sorts of new things. It is hard to try and keep up with all of them.

Matt accepted a new job with "Red Interactive" which is located in Salt Lake City. That is they are out of Los Angeles with a satellite office in SLK. They are a major interactive web-design/creative agency. If you want to know any more than that you will have to ask him because with my limited knowledge on web anything I just cannot give anyone any more information, in other words I am "a complete dumbbell." As a result of this they just moved to Bountiful where they will be living in his grandmother's home. She is now in a rest home. This is good for them because they are just getting started, Abbey doesn't have a job as of yet but will not have any trouble finding something in the near future.

Clint, Brielle, and Molly just moved into an apartment that has 2 bedrooms, so Molly could have her own bedroom. Apparently these kids don't have any furniture to speak off, because they just move so quickly, or maybe they have a lot more energy than I ever had.

Kyle just graduated from Snow Canyon High School on Friday the 23rd of May, he will be 19 in January so I'm sure he will just keep working for the Pizza Factory until that time and then serve a mission. Or maybe go to college for 1 year before going on a mission. If I'm wrong, I will be surprised.

Ashley is coming from Virginia to set up a new record label on the 26th of May, I wish I knew a little more about what that is all about. I guess I will just have to be more inquisitive.

Jacob and JorJa both have new jobs that they start on Tuesday. JorJa is going to work for J.U.B. Engineering and I don't know the name of the company that Jacob is going to work for, His will probably be just part time because he has one more year to graduate in Electrical Engineering. When I find out more about what they will be doing or just who they will be working for I will let all of you in on it.

SATURDAY'S RAMBLINGS

There is not a lot of news going on on in our lives today, but I just wanted to post a little of something. Yesterday after getting my hair done we went to a "Pain Class." That is, trying to live in a pain free environment. It is a 6 week course so maybe I can learn something that will be beneficial to me, the biggest PAINS that bother me is my back, I never have a minute free from pain with that, I'm sure it comes from the vertebra that I had the problem with when we were in Malaysia, since that was the one that I never did have cemented or glued or whatever you want to call it. The real name is Percutaneous Vertebroplasty. I have had this done to four of my vertebra and I would recommend it highly. The only problem is that it has to be done within a certain period of time of injury or it is too late. This was done in 3 surgeries or treatments or whatever. It is done by Radiologists, and if you want more information on it just give me a call and I will tell you what I know. I have other problems that are serious, like Emphysema, where I can't get my breath and I am sure this is going to be my main problem in a period of time. Right now, I can live a pretty normal life if I just adjust a lot. Cooking has become a problem, but I have found that if we just fix meals that are pretty simple and buy a lot of microwaveable things we can get by. Cleaning is almost impossible, we will have to hire someone to come in and clean pretty soon, and traveling is also almost impossible.

After the class, we came home and Sandy called to see if we wanted to go to dinner at Applebees, they were going to use their gift cards that Pat gave to us for Christmas, Kent said he did not want to go because he wanted to stay home and finish his talk that he has to give tomorrow in church, so I went alone and met Charlie and Sandy, Jorja and Jacob, and KayCee. We had a nice meal and enjoyed each others company.

At 8:30 we watched the Jazz play the Lakers on T.V. even though I felt they were playing pretty well, they just could not get the ball to drop through the hoop, it was like something was just not letting it go through. It wasn't because they weren't trying real hard, and I am sure they are reliving that game over and over in their heads today. They lost by 3 points. Of course I also know anyone with at least a little bit of interest in the Jazz already have their version of it, good or bad.

Today I may not do anything but go out and sit on the patio and read or just sit and breathe in some of that nice fresh air.

DUP (Daughters of Utah Pioneers) ENDING SOCIAL

On Monday May 12, 2008 at 12:30, the members of the "Valley West DUP" held this year's Ending Social. There were a lot of the ladies that could not attend and they missed a very nice luncheon and meeting. The ladies always bring something very special and we do not have a lot of duplicates, this year the only thing that I noticed was that there were not very many deserts. I considered taking some bread pudding, but then decided against it and took some spring rolls instead. Ralynn, who is the captain, read a poem that she had rewritten and then presented each lady with an artificial rose bud and a windmill wheel which she used as a center piece for the table. I will attempt to add the poem here:

ROUND, LIKE A CIRCLE IN A SPIRAL

Round, like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel

Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning wheel.

Like a snowball down a mountain or a carnival balloon,

Like a carousel that's turning, running rings around the moon.

Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of it's face

And the world is like an apple whirling silently into space.

Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.

Like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of it's own,

Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shown.

Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream,

Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream.

Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of it's face

And the world is like an apple whirling slightly into space.

Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.

Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head

Why did summer go so quickly? Was it something that you said?

Lovers walking along the shore and leave their footprints in the sand

Was the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?

Pictures hanging in a hallway and a fragment of this song

Half remembered names and faces but to whom do they belong?

When you knew it was over you were suddenly aware

That the autumn leaves were turning the the color of her hair.

The circle in a spiral, a wheel in a wheel

Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning wheel

As the images unwind like the circles that you find

In the windmills of your mind.

CHALICE HITS A HOME RUN YESTERDAY, HURRAH

Yesterday, Saturday May 10, 2008, Chalice Burnside (Charlie's youngest daughter) hit a great big home run. This is really great I think the name of the group is " Bonnet Ball for 16 to 18 Years Old." She really enjoys playing softball and does really well, never missing any games or practices. We haven't been going yet this year, although we went to a lot of her games the last couple of years. It has been too chilly for me to get out and sit in a bleacher for a couple of hours. Maybe when the weather ever warms up I could go at least to the Monday evening games. I don't know if I could ever get up early enough to go to the Saturday morning games. I just am not an early riser.

I must say "Congratulations to Blake, Chalice's boyfriend", he was sealed to his parents in the Jordan River Temple on Friday night. He is a very nice young man and I enjoy being around him. Charlie and Sandy went to the sealing.

Jacob and JorJa came out Saturday morning and helped Kent get his black plastic put down and helped him get his tomatoes planted. which we thank them profusely for.

Saturday evening we went over to Ralynn and Bob's for a Mother's Day bar-be-que, she had a very nice dinner all prepared, hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats, three diffrent kinds of salads, plus chips and dips and all the things that go with it and 3 different kinds of pie, cookies, and cream puffs. It was so good. Thanks again for the nice celebration for Mother's day.

KENT HOLDING THE CARPET IN THE CAR SO IT WON'T BLOW AWAY

PATIO TRANSFORMATION

On Tuesday of this week we had a very nice thing happen. When we woke up in the morning our patio was still packed away for the winter and the flowers were nothing but a weed patch, oh how I hate seeing all of this. Knowing I can't just go out and change anything about it in less than a couple of weeks. JorJa called and she asked what we are doing and I said I was just sitting here and grandpa was going to the doctor. she said "do you want your patio put together?" I said "more than anything." She came out and had her father (Charlie) with her, first she mowed the lawn and then they dragged the furniture out on the lawn and started washing it with warm soapy water and Charlie was spraying it off with the hose. Then we decided to get some new indoor/outdoor carpet since what was there was pretty bad looking.

Kent had come back by this time and he went with them to get it, it was pretty inexpensive by all standards. They came back put the carpet down and put the furniture back on and started weeding the flower patch. IN ABOUT THREE HOURS THE WHOLE THING WAS TRANSFORMED. If it had been nicer weather the next few days I could have gone out and sat on the swing and read but it turned out kind of cool. I don't know when I will get the few flowers that I need to fill the pots and put in some of the bare spots, but I will get them within the next couple of weeks. What will I ever do when JorJa has a full time job and doesn't have the time to come help us? MAYBE CRY A LOT.

SALINA'S PERFORMANCE AT THEIR STAKE CENTER

This is NOT a picture taken of Salina last night, but as usual I forgot to take my camera with me to a talent night for the girls, age 8 to12, of Ralynn and Bob's ward. So I just used the latest picture I had. She and two of her friends did a dance, I really don't know the name of it, but they all did really good. They had on matching costumes of yellow and white, Salina wore a yellow skirt and white top and black tights underneath and the other girl wore a white skirt and yellow top with black tights. They used a lot of hand and arm movements along with their feet and leg movements which is more than a lot of the girls on the program that were singing and dancing did. I suppose most of them were real nervous about performing for an audience, so that is why they didn't move a muscle. After the talent show was over, everyone could have a cupcake, if they desired. Other than going to this activity I haven't done much this week to write about.

SUNDAY MAY 4, CHURCH & SOUP @ DON & JOYCES, BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR DENNIS

Sunday was another very busy day. We elected to be down to Don and Joyces for Sacrament Meeting which is at the same time as ours, 10:50. We wanted to visit with Vickie and Kelley and all the other people that were going to be there so Joyce said she would make a big pot of soup on Saturday and we could eat that for lunch. It turned out to be chili or/and vegetable soup and all the necessary things that goes with it like rolls and banana bread and peaches and apricots as well as pineapple upside down cake, coconut cake and many different kinds of cookies. Stirling had gone down as well as Terry and Bobbie, Sarah and her husband and Grant, Megan, Chad, Jodie and Hannah and of course Vickie and Kelley. We had a very nice visit with all of them and left to come home at about 4:30.

We arrived at home in time to change our clothes, change my oxygen tank and be over to Dennis and Milly's by 6:00. We had been invited to come to their home for Birthday dinner as it was Dennis' birthday on Monday, the 5th. She had ordered Chinese dinner from the Kow Loon and Kathryn, Rob and Gigi, Gary and Gwen were all there.

SATURDAY, MAY 3, ABBEY & MATT GRADUATES

On Saturday, May 3, 2008, Abbey and Matt Mangus both graduated from USU. Abbey received her Bachelors Degree in Social Work and Matt received his Bachelors degree in Fine Arts with emphasis on Graphic Design and Art Education. After all of these years having to study and be prepared for the next days lessons and tests and etc. I can imagine what it is like to say to yourself I have nothing to do today, I wonder what I should do? I'm sure this is what both of them are going through right now. Of course Abbey has been working part time so maybe she is still working at least part time or maybe even full time now. I don't know about Matt, if he had a part time job or not.

James Quigley, USU alumni and keynote speaker said to the graduates "I urge you to open your eyes and minds to see the incredible opportunities this world has to offer, and to give your very best. Those who give their best have a much richer set of opportunities than those who simply do the minimum to get by." USU president Stan Albrecht during his remarks, encouraged students to choose a wide-angle view "by choosing that wide-angle view, you will, over the course of your lifetimes, be able to envision new and exciting places, and then having made exhilarating discoveries, you will find ways to take yourselves, and us , into that future."

They awarded 480 graduate degrees and 1,937 undergraduate degrees, along with awarding an additional 2,000 bachelor's degrees in December. NICE JOB MATT AND ABBEY.

PICTURES AT THE GRADUATION

KENT POINTING TO THE "U" ON HIS SPLIT PERSONALITY HAT WITH JORJA AND BETTY

JACOB AND JORJA AFTER GRADUATION

SANDY, JORJA, CHARLIE AND BETTY

THE ENGINEER'S RING CEREMONY WITH DAVID ROWLEY STANDING BEHIND JORJA (HE IS THE ONE WITH THE BEARD ABOUT THE SAME HEIGHT AS SHE IS)

GRADUATIONS, BAPTISMS & RING CEREMONIES

JUST WAIT!?!?!? I will get this particular blog just about finished and then I will learn how to bring up that stuff I accidentally deleted last Saturday. I sure have been trying, but to no avail. I just hope I can remember all the stuff I had in my mind on Saturday.

On Thursday night Sandy called and said she and Charlie had been talking and decided on a way we (Kent & I) could go to JorJa's graduation on Friday at 1:45 p.m from the University of Utah at the Huntsman Center. JorJa was receiving her B.A. in Civil Engineering(taking after her grandfather Kent) Remember Charlie had surgery on his knee just about 10 days ago and he had been walking on crutches, so he was in as bad a shape as I was. She said we just need for me to be in my wheel chair and then we could drive right down to the Huntsman Center to drop off the wheel chair person and then go on out to the parking lot. Then we could just go in and sit in the wheel chair section and not have to walk at all or climb any steps. Well, I was a little bit nervous about this happening and told her about my feelings but she just insisted, so we went and I want to "Thank Them" for figuring all this out and insisting we go because it worked like a charm. Had I known then what I know now there would have been not a minutes hesitation. the only thing I would be leary of is the time involved, my little black tank only holds about 2 1/2 or 3 hours of oxygen and you can't attach any thing to hold a larger tank on the chair. I guess if someone could go along and push my regular tank next to me, it would work out alright.

The graduation exercises went off just like clock work, the engineers graduated at a different time than the rest of the school. The regular graduates started at 9:00 in the morning and lasted until 1:00 and the engineers started at 1:45 and lasted until about 4:00. Next year we will have KayCee graduating in the 9:00 session and Jorja (JorJa is planning on going for her masters) and Jacob graduating in the afternoon session. I think I will have to take a lunch pail with me. I'll bet Sandy takes a couple of diet cokes with her next year. The graduates were told that there are NOT nearly enough people graduating in engineering as are needed all over the world so I am sure they will be given scholarships like crazy to get them all into the engineering school. The speaker said that the engineers have an obligation to the public and should hold this as a sacred duty to themselves as well as to the the public.

Chalice drove the truck up to and back from the Huntsman Center, and the only back seat driving I did was to tell her that if she was going to have an accident of any kind, to give me plenty of notice where I could take my oxygen hose of my ears. I just didn't think my head would squeeze through that little crack, where the window was open to let my hose in from the back of the truck where my tank was, when the tank went flying out of the back of the truck. Her answer was "we are not going to have an acccident," Anyway we were traveling during the 5:00 traffic and we were supposed to be at the Westwood Therapy at 4;15 for Charlie to have his therapy, we were only 1 hour late. We traveled up there in about 35 minutes, and it took 90 minutes to get home. I'm glad I don't have to travel that route every morning and night. He had to leave there by 6:00 in order to be up to Kody's baptism at 6:30.

Talk about people running a race to get to everything. Charlie had to witness the baptism and give the confirmation prayer and Kent had to give the closing prayer. After the baptism, Brooke and Matt had arranged for a real nice luncheon to be served to all those that were attending the baptism. They had turkey and beef sandwiches, chips of all kinds, vegetables of all kinds, fruits, and she and Shirley had each made a couple of salads, plus cake and cookies. Jorja and Jacob, his mother and brother, and KayCee were trying to get to the Jazz game before 8:30 so they were not going to have time to eat, so Sandy went into the kitchen and made each of them a plate of food to eat along the way to the Energy Solutions Arena. I'm sure they appreciated that little gesture.

Jacob was telling Kent about the Ring Ceremony JorJa had attended on the Saturday before the graduation and Kent was telling him about David Rowley (whom he home teaches and he lives in our condo area) and the ring ceremony he had attended to receive his ring. Well, anyway Jacob had a picture of it on his camera and low and behold Dave is standing right behind JorJa in the picture. Talk about a small small world. The next day Jacob sent the picture over email to Kent and he sent it on to Dave. It is called "The Engineer's Ring Ceremony" and the purpose is to stimulate formal public recognition by engineers in the United States of two basic principles. These principles are that (1) the primary purpose of engineering is service to the public, and (2) all members of the engineering profession share a common bond. The Ring Ceremony is the public induction of candidates into the order of the Engineer, during which the engineer candidates formally accept the Obligation of an Engineer and receive a stainless steel ring to be worn as a symbol on the fifth finger on the working hand. There are no meetings of the Order of the Engineer. Inductees are encouraged to wear the ring and to display the signed Obligation certificate as visible reminders of the publicly accepted Obligation as a contract with themselves.

DELETED STUFF

I spent the whole day doing my blog on JorJa's graduation and Kody's baptism and then I mistakenly deleted it. Well I am too tired to do it over today so will have to wait until Monday. I learn something everytime I do my blog and today this was the one thing I learned about. Sorry

EXCERPTS FROM MAY POLE DANCING

May Day began as a Spring festival long ago. People gathered together on the first day of May to celebrate the coming of Summer. There are a lot of different customs that have been a part of May Day festivities. Some people would gather flowers and put them by their doors and windows to keep out troublesome fairies. Some people would put out their old hearth fires and gather with the people in their village to start a new fire to take home. Cutting down a tree and putting up a Maypole in the middle of a village is another popular custom. Ribbons are attached to the tree and are woven together by dancers. One more popular custom is filling May Baskets with flowers and other goodies to give to friends and loved ones. Some people still celebrate the pagan festival of Beltaine on the first of May. Many of the old customs are part of this celebration.

Maypole Dance : Maypole dancing is a traditional form of folk dance from western Europe, especially England, Sweden and Germany. Dancers dance in a circle each holding a coloured ribbon attached to a central pole, known as the maypole. By the movements of the dancers the ribbons are intertwined and plaited either on to the pole itself or into a web around the pole. The dancers may then retrace their steps exactly in order to unravel the ribbons. Maypole dancing is extremely ancient and is thought to have Germanic pagan fertility symbolism. It is traditionally performed in the spring around the festival of May Day, but in Sweden it is during the midsummer festivities. It was revived in the early twentieth century in a more genteel form.

My experience with MAY POLE DANCING was: When I was going to Hamilton Grade School in Mount Pleasant, Utah all the way through from 1st to 6th grades we would braid the May Pole on the 1st of May, I didn't know why at the time except that it was the beginning of Spring and it was a celebration of those things that Spring bring. We would dress up in our Sunday Best and our families would come to the school to watch this dance that we had been practicing for some time. In the attached picture, they are not all dressed in their Sunday best but I got it out of Google and it is pretty near the way we would do the dance. This celebration was something we all looked forward to with a lot of anticipation, the pole would be placed on the lawn out in front of the school and a lot of chairs would be placed for the audience to sit and enjoy themselves. I think the custom of May Pole Dancing ended very shortly after the late 30's but I am not positive. I just wanted all of you to be aware of the celebration and I don't think it would hurt anyone to begin it all again. If you want to learn more about it go to Google and put in May Pole Dancing or just click on dancers in the previous paragraph.

MAY DAY - May 1st