That's 'er Boy'eh!!

Okay, this is just a Proud Mom blog so I fore warn you...I saw 4 Missionaries at KFC today and could not keep my composure.(We have the Sisters' in our Ward) I'm a Missionary Mom! I was choking down my biscuit and could not stop the tears. I thought of my Wonderful Son, my first child, and what he is doing in his life right now. I remember when my Sister, Kerri's Son Heath, was serving. I was excited to hear about every moment but I didn't gush like she did. Now I know what a gushing M.M. feels like. It is something deep down inside, you really have to live it, and someday I hope you get to. It is an awesome feeling mixed with strong Motherly feelings. You miss them so much but have to be strong. You have to let them stretch their wings but still want to protect them. Then you hear about their wonderful accomplishments and can't be right there to share with them like you have everything else in their lives. You have so much pride in them but have to be humble because people get tired of hearing about you gushing or BLOGGING. I sat there until I got my composure together and then had to talk to them. Bart asked "Are you really going to go up to them?" I said "Hey, I'm a Mom of one of those and I have a right to impose!!" I walked right up to one of those boys and said "Whereyoufromdoyoulikeyourmissionisittoohotforyouhow'syourcompanionareyouokaydoyouneedahug?" I couldn't get the words out fast enough. It was like personally checking up on my Son. Bart asked me if I would ever want to just drive to N.C. to just stand back and watch Landon for a minute and then come home with out him knowing we were there. I said "Heck yeah!" Anyways,I could tell the Elder thought I was going to hug him because he kept his distance, you know I bet it's in the Missionary hand book to stay 10 paces away from any M.M., they could cause bodily harm and squeeze you 'til you have broken ribs. I walked out of KFC feeling like I just saw my Son for just a moment. Hum, I'm just wondering if this is how Lucy Smith felt about her first missionary, Samuel???

Mindy Gledhill

Kerri and I both thought this friend of Mindy's looked a lot like Leah while she was on stage. We had to take her picture.

Rachel, "Blond Leah" and Kerri. She was so talented!

All the Girl's, Rachel, Kerri, Emily and Emery

So much to learn....

What a great weekend! I feel like one can learn so much from another life and I was blessed to be able to go down and listen to Mindy Gledhill sing at a concert in behalf of Stephanie Nielson. Some of you might know who she is. She is the sweet young mother that has been fighting for her life in the burn unit in Phoenix. She and her husband, Christian were in a fiery plane crash in August. She has been in a drug induced coma ever since.
It was the sweetest thing I have been a part of in a long time. All the love that was shown to the Neilson family. Mindy did a great job, she is one of my favorite singers. She is beautiful and inspirational also.
Anyways, how it came about is I got a phone call from Cindy. She keeps track of Stephanie on the Nie Nie Dialog, a blog that Stephanie has done for a few years. She saw that her family was holding a Benefit Concert down in the Valley and asked if I would like to go. She said she wasn't even sure who was going to preform but it would be for a good cause to help support them. I said "Sure, sounds fun." She said "Good, I already bought the tickets!" I got off the phone and checked the blog and to my delight it was going to be Mindy Gledhill!! I looooove her and was more excited!
Cindy had bought extra tickets for our girls and since it was Sadie Hawkins, they wanted to stay home and go to that. So I asked my Sister Kerri if she would like to go. She said that her Daughter-in-law, Emily reads the Nie Nie Dialog and she would see if she wanted to go. When she found out she was excited and then Emery, Kerri's daughter wanted to join us too. It turned out to be a fun girl's night.
The Concert was so touching. Stephanie's little girls sang one of their mommy's favorite lullaby, there wasn't a dry eye in the auditorium. Sweet little sisters that have been through so much. They were holding on to each others hands and everyone was asked to joining in the last verse, needless to say, I couldn't sing because of the huge lump in my throat. A man next to us was doing the "ugly cry". He had tears running down to his lap. Cindy gave him a Kleenex, it was so sweet. They showed pictures of the Nielson family and of Stephanie, such a beautiful family.
After the Concert it made me think about what I need to change in my own life and how I can let those around me know how much I love them and become a better person. I know that this family has touched so many, I feel like Stephanie is such a inspiration, she is just a 27 year old little mommy, she probably never could have imagined how much her life would touch others but it has. She loves life, she adores her husband, and is such a good mom.
On the way home, Cindy and I talked a lot about what we have learned. I have learned that I want to be a little more....loving, kind, forgiving, spiritual, thoughtful, friendly and complementing. I want to be a little less....mean, demanding, grouchy, yelling, and sour! I know it won't happen over night but I need to try. It has really made me think of each moment in life and how it could matter to someone else.
I am always behind a camera when pictures are taken and so there aren't to many of me with my kids, Stephanie took a lot of self portraits with her kids on her lap. How important those pictures are now. It shows her love and beauty of her children. I always think...when I'm skinnier, make-up on, later. I always thought it was Bart's fault because he doesn't pick up the camera like I do, that is no excuse now. I know I need to do it simply for my kids, so they know how much I was a part of their lives. Someday, that might be all they have of me. I know that now that my mom is gone.
I know this has been a long and serious blog but It really struck something deep in side. If you want to know more about this family, click on the button that says "Nie Nie Dialog" you will truly learn something like I have! Love, Rachel
P.S. Thanks Kami and Ginger for taking care of my kids so I could go!!

A Rare find!

Bart and I decided to take a ride to see the beautiful fall Aspen trees. We started up the back side of Escadilla Mountain. Down lower on the Mountain is lots of pinon trees. I am always hoping that it might be the year for the trees to produce those wonderful pine nuts. It never seems to be the right "year" for about 15 or so years. I told Bart to stop and let me take a quick look and lo and behold it is the year!! If you are from the great AZ White Mountains you know what I mean. I have not seen these yummy nuts so plenty since I was a kid. We would gather them by the buckets. That has not happened for a long time. The reason, we need lots of Summer rain and I guess this past Summer was good to us. It is well worth the work of getting sticky pine gum covered hands. We found so many we called the kids to come find us and help. They were also excited, some to sit and eat our bounty and others to find the "right" tree. It brought back many fond memories of gathering pine nuts with my Grandma Bigelow and My Mom. I hope my kids will remember the fun day it was.I am remembering it from my sore rear, I did a lot of squatting that this ol'body isn't use to. Now I have the shells covering the house but oh well, it only comes once every 20 years or so.....

Ruff Ridin' with Bart and Jimmy

Our Temple Sealing

Thoughts of Jimmy

We were awakened Sunday morning with the shocking news that a childhood and life long friend of ours was killed in a plane crash, Jimmy Crosby. He grew up and decided Jimmy wasn't a man's name and went by Jim but we still called him Jimmy.
It was a very shocking and stunning bit of news for us. It is hard to wrap your mind around something that just shouldn't be. How could he be gone? He had much life to live being in his early 40's. He has 5 children that need their daddy. Bart sat and reminisced about knowing Jimmy. He first met Jimmy at the swimming pool when the Crosby's moved back to Eagar. He said he was one of those "Cocky Valley kids" and didn't care much for his "attitude". But that was Jimmy. He seemed to have attitude but it wasn't in a "I'm better than you" way, it was him. Did he not have attitude?Lol! Now we laugh about him. He was Bart's buddy that was always there in the mist of all boyhood adventures. Bart remembered getting stuck many, many times in the mountains with him, either in the snow, mud or on a mountain side. And there Jimmy was...Nobody else, myself included, wanted a days adventure where it consisted of work getting home but Jimmy would. I remember the day Jimmy came home from his mission, he had that streak of attitude and bleached his hair platinum blond. He looked like Billy Idol. His mom was so shocked and we didn't recognize him. We took him to St. Johns for his mission release and I thought "What is the Stake President going to think?" He was always living life.
He and Bart decided to have a grand adventure one day. They got an old car from someone and took it on the mountain. The car had no breaks, no engine, just the body and steering. Someone needed to be in to steer, so Bart talked Jimmy into it. I don't know how Bart talked Jimmy into getting in that car but he did. They started it on the top of a hill and pushed it and it went flying down the rode. Bart says that all he could see was Jimmy bouncing up and down trying to control that car...did I mention at the end of the rode was a cliff? Some how they managed to stop the car in time and then proceeded to push. It went sailing off the side of the mountain top. After their missions they went back to the car and tried to push it further. It still remains there. Bart could talk him into just about anything even a pair of pants.... We were at my parents home and Jimmy came and found us. My Mom was doing the laundry and left the clothes on the table. My Dad is quite short and Jimmy has those long legs. Bart talked Jimmy into putting on a pair of my Dad's pants "Just to see the leg size difference." Jimmy kept saying "NO, someone will walk in and see me and get mad." Bart kept saying "No they won't they're all in bed." Jimmy put on the pants and they looked like Bermuda shorts. We were laughing so hard. Jimmy was looking down and in walks my Mom. You should have seen his face. He was so embarrassed. I think that's the only time I've ever seen him so embarrassed. We all started laughing even more including my Mom.
As we got on with our own lives and started our families Jim was still there. He was someone that would always be there. He was a big support for Bart through his struggles and trials. Bart said that he had his family but would stop by and talk to him just to know someone other than his family still cared and was in his corner and Jimmy always was, no matter what. We decided he should have been a Lawyer instead of a Dentist. He was always a winner at any argument.
When he and Dian started dating he brought her to our house and I thought "What in the heck is he doing dating a 16 year old." She looked way to young for her age. They were a pair. She was someone that "Got Jimmy" and all his attitude.
Jimmy would come over with the crew in tow, the kids and Moses the dog. That dog was Jimmy to a tee. He was red and was a mix between a Rottweiler and a German Sheppard. He was just a quirky dog. He had one ear that was bent and one that stuck up. He was a rude dog I would say. The door would fly open to our house with Jimmy and the kids. They would shut it fast so Moses wouldn't come in. The kids would all head out back and play and Moses, who was huge, would stand on his hind legs and look through the front window to watch the kids in the back. When the front door was opened, in flew Big Ol' Moses running through the house looking for all the kids. We knew when Jimmy came that here came Moses. Jimmy finally taught him to stay in the truck but that became another problem because Moses then would just bark until it was time to go. He could be hear 10 blocks away, he was so loud. But that dog loved "his kids" and love being with Jimmy.
Jimmy and Dian invited us to go stay for a weekend in his cousins cabin up in Millegan Valley. It was such a fun time. We got up there in the dark and settled in for the night. The next morning we all got up and had breakfast and decide to go outside for a walk. We got to the front porch and had all these eyes upon us, Jimmy forgot to tell us that his cousin kept all of his Ostrich's up there. We couldn't even get off the porch. If we dared, we had them all chasing us. They would peck at anything, something in your hair, buttons on the kids clothes. It turned out to be a walk that was "run for you life" with kids screaming their guts out. We bagged the outside and stayed in doors for the rest of the time.
When Bart and I were Sealed in the Temple, Jimmy came all the way from Utah during School to be there, when anything happened he was just around. So It's hard to realize that someone has just stepped out of this life. Our biggest sorrow is for Dian and the kids. I know Dian and Jimmy had their struggles and pain but knew that it was because of hurt. We know that he loved her and his kids. His kids loved him. That's the one deep hurt. When they had Allison he was so proud. She was a spitting image of him. Red! Then came Brycan (Not sure how they spell his name)He fit in. Then all the others came. He was a fun dad. He would wrestle with them and I would think "Man he's ruff" but they just love it and would come back for more. He will leave a whole in their hearts I'm sure. So with all the memories we will always think of him living life as an adventure. He will be missed!

Homecoming

We had fun this past weekend. It was homecoming at good ol' Round Valley. Macie marched in the parade, the game was super, we beat Snowflake! And Macie looked beautiful in her red homecoming dress. Cindy and I painted her windows out side her shop, I think it turned out okay, from a distance. fun Fun FUN!!