AN UNEXPECTED TRIP

Two weeks ago, Dec 14Th, I was getting ready to go to church when I was doubled over with the worst pain I have had in a long time. I thought it might be a kidney stone since I had had one several years ago. After about an hour, the pain did subside a little. So I decided it was going away and I finished getting ready for church. Gary thought we should go to the hospital, but I didn't want to. It was our Christmas Choir program that evening and I wanted to be there. About half way through church the pain came back and I conceded that I should go home. The pain continued to get worse and when the nausea started and then the throwing up, I knew something was really wrong. So off we went to the hospital to get something to make me better.
After blood tests and a CAT scan they informed me there were no stones. But, my blood enzymes were out of sight. They said I had acute pancreatitis, and would have to be hospitalized. I explained to them that I would not be able to do that because of the Christmas Concert that night. They were not sympathetic and said that the pain I was having now would only get much worse. I had to have pain meds going directly into a vein 24 hours a day and be totally off food and water until the levels came down. My pancreatic enzymes levels were at 9,700 and normal is 0-30. This was NOT sounding good to me. This was NOT on my list of things to do before Christmas.
Needless to say I was admitted to the hospital and my stay was not fun. The pain did get much worse and all the tests I had were not fun either. All I could think about was having a drink of water. It is soo hard not having any water for so long. I remember begging for an ice chip. But they were firm, no water or food. After a week the levels came down enough that I was able to have some liquids. Water never tasted so good to me before. All Iwanted was to go home. But I had to be able to keep liquids down first. Then they wanted me to keep soft foods down. That was alot harder. they made my stomach hurt. Finally they let me come home. I was so happy. But its been hard tryng to find soft things that have no fat or sugar in it. Gary is so good to me. He keeps trying to find things that I can eat and he takes really good care of me.
Each day I can tell that the pain gets a little better. I had never heard of pancreatitis before and now I may have to live with it my whole life. I see a specialist Jan 8th, I hope he will be able to help me.

Nativity Festival in Midway

Last Saturday James & Bev and their Family invited us to go with them to the Nativity Festival in Midway. It is an annual event that the town puts on. There were so many beautiful Nativity Sets that were on display for everyone to look at. We enjoyed seeing the Nativity's from every country in the world. Some were very large and some small, but all were just beautiful.

Besides the Nativity's there were also lots of fun activities for the kids. They got to dress up and have their picture taken in the manager scene. Brayden and Drae were shepherds. Paige was Mary and Kilee was the Angel. Of course Jeremy got to be the wise man. Perfect casting for all of the kids. After all the nativities, we looked at all the fun gingerbread houses that kids and grown ups had made. Brayden loved the Thomas the train that was even on its own train tracks. Some of the gingerbread house were so ornate with lots of cute decorations inside the houses.
The kids also got to decorate their own gingerbread cookie, such fun! but eating it was even more fun . Grandma didn't think it was quite as much fun when she got covered in icing. But they all had a good time eating their own creation. Mmm, even Grandma got to try a foot on Drae's cookie, he is so loving and sweet. Paige worked a long time to get hers just perfect! Yummy!


The best part of all was the visit with Santa and Mrs Clause. All of the kids got to have their own little visit with Santa and then a picture of the whole group. What a picture perfect day!

It was a very fun day! We all had lots of fun. Maybe some of us had too much fun!

Is That Really Superman?

December is here and of course its time to put Christmas lights up on the house. This has always been Gary's job untill he fell off the roof several years ago and tore half of his face off. He was lucky he lived and that we found a good doctor who was able to put him back together without too much of scaring.
Do you think that would stop him? Of course Not, He thinks he's Superman. It's a good thing our son Brian came over to finish up the job. It's time to be grandpa now, superman days are over.

Family Traditions

Mom is happy waiting for the family. Its Thanksgiving!

The table is ready and kids are excited.

Everyone is busy helping get Thanksgiving dinner ready.

Who can guess whose cutting the Thanksgiving turkey?

It was a fun day. Brian & Shelly and kids, Josh & Rebecca and their kids and Kristina and Brayden were all there to help us celabrate this happy holiday. So many blessing to be grateful for.

SPECIAL THOUGHTS

For a while now I have been feeling that I need to listen to the spirit more closely. I have had the feeling that I need to serve others more. Gary says why do you feel that way? That is all you do. You take care of grandkids all the time. You are always taking food into people, or making things for others. You do extraction so others can do their genealogy, And, you are a Missionary for the Lord. But, I want that special feeling you get when you serve without being asked. So I started praying to Heavenly Father to help me. In church on Sunday the whole meeting was on prayer and how it can be a tool to help you in your life. When your life is in tune many wonderful things can happen. That of course only made me feel worse. I am not in tune and not doing all the things I need to be doing so the Lord will bless me. Gary always gets so mad at me when I start feeling that way.

I was fixing dinner later that day when out the window I saw a little old lady trying to climb the hill up our street. We live clear up the top by the mountain and it is a very steep hill. She looked exhausted and disoriented. Gary said I think she's lost, so Brayden and I went out to talk to her. She was lost, and had been walking for a long time. She was wearing church clothes and shoes that had a small heel on them. She was trying to find Dr. Hammons house to give him a small gift. So I made her get in our car and we drove to his house. She kept saying no, I can walk I don't want to put you out. I helped her up the steps to Sam's house and told her I would wait and take her home. As Brayden and I waited in the car he got restless so we got out and took a walk. Several of the houses already had their Christmas decorations out. He had fun looking at Santa and his reindeer, and Frosty the snowman. When we went back to the car thoughts started coming to my mind, things I hadn't thought about in years. Remember when you took care of your Mother when she got so bad. Going over several times each day to the rest home to make sure she was cared for. And then the little lady whose kids brought her to die in a rest home and then left and went back to Utah. Again you went over several times each day to care for her and you were with her when she died. The thoughts came tumbling to my mind, things I had forgotten. Then I turned the radio on, I thought maybe Brayden would listen to the Christmas music. The song that started playing was, A Poor Wayfaring Man. The tears came so fast as I knew that Heavenly Father loved me and knew my heart.

MORE SISTER FUN

My other sister, Diane, came up from San Diego last weekend for a quick visit, so of course that meant more sister fun! Sister Fun always means lots of good food to eat and shopping.

I have to admit that we are good at both. After a yummy Breakfast at Mimis, we headed out for our shopping fun. Robin told us about a cute little General Store that carries a lot of vintage things. Well, I hate to admit it but we must have spent several hours there. It was so cute and they had all their Christmas decoration up. Each room had a specially decorated Christmas Tree in it and of course all the beautiful vintage bulbs and decorations to make the tree and the room look just perfect. We all had so much fun. In the end we each decided to pick out our own Christmas present that the other one would give to us. That way we each got what we wanted and had way too much fun doing it. Perhaps we'll make it a Christmas Tradition!

AUTUMN IS ALMOST GONE

Summer is gone and fall is here with it's beautiful colored leaves and cool nights. Our goal was to take a drive up the canyon so we could see all the trees with their beautiful leaves. Park City is lovely this time of year and the drive back through Heber is exciting with a stop at the Heber Creeper train, and a cup of hot chocolate. But...life gets so busy and working on our Mission is the number one priorty for us right now. So, we did the next best thing, we drove down the hill where some trees still had their beautiful leaves on and took a picture of me in my BMW Convertable. The sun was shinning and warm and with the top down it felt terrific. Maybe next year life will slow a little and we can fit in some of the things most retired people do, if we ever get retired!

My Front Door

I am so excited. I have wanted a new front door for a long time now, but the money just wasn't in the budget. So after much pleading I was finally able to convince Gary that he could do it. Of course it took more convincing that the perfect color should be Country Red. He thought the door looked fine white and if it was a color, Red would definitely not be the color. Well, our color choices have always been different, so I think to please me he said O.K. We went that night to the store and I found the perfect color. It took another week or two before he finally started work on the door. I helped a little, when he would get tired. I am so happy, I think it looks terrific. He did a wonderful job, and we have already had comments on the beautiful new door that we bought. Gary looks proud when I tell everyone that He did it! I think it not only looks professional but absolutely beautiful!! I am a Happy Woman.

A BOY AND HIS DOG

Brayden and Winston are the best of friends! They play together all the time. Where ever Brayden is you'll find Winston. From the time Brayden was just a baby Winston decided it was his job to look after and protect him.

Winston went in to get a hair cut a few days ago and Brayden was very upset that he couldn't find Winston. When Winston got home he was skinny and very cold. So Brayden and he laid down together on the couch to try and keep warn. But it wasn't very long before both went to sleep.

Oh to be young and worry free and have a very best freind!

BISCUITS AND GRAVY

Josh and Rebecca had a work function to attend so we had some time and lots of fun with grandkids. They are all so cute and soo busy. Papa got to have fun with them while I was off being a missionary, then I took them all to the movie to see Wall-E. Do you know how dark a movie theater can be when you're trying to keep 5 little kids all together and find a seat at the same time?

Everyone loves to come to Papa's house because they get biscuits and gravy for breakfast. This is a special treat reserved for only very special occasions. Of course visiting grandchildren is one of our most treasured and happy occasions. As you can see everyone is happy to have this special breakfast. This breakfast has been a tradition in the family for almost 45 years (since Gary and I were married). It came from Gary's family and took me a while to get used to since I had never tasted this before. Now all the kids love to have this for every occasion. Christmas Breakfast, Conference weekend, or just because special people are here visiting.

SISTERS

For years my sisters and I have taken each other out for lunch and fun on our birthdays. When I moved to Utah and left both my sisters in CA, I always missed this special time we had together. I was so excited when my little sister, Robin moved to Utah this year. Sisters have a special bond and I missed them very much.

It was Robin's birthday and we spent a fun day eating, shopping and remembering the special times in our lives. I have to admit we are very good at doing both, eating and shopping! What fun we had. Since it is only the two of us right now, we try to get together at least once a month.

Happy Birthday Robin!

Gobblins & Pumpkins

Fall is definitely here. Pumpkins are growing big,
and Brayden was very excited when he found one in our yard. He was also very happy when Papa let him pick it. Of course he didn't realize it was too heavy to pick up by himself.





Pumpkins mean Halloween is not far away. We love having all these cute little gobblins come visit us.
Paige is on the right and Drae is in the Middle with his ball cap on and Brayden is on the left with his Lion costume. They all look so cute, and they smiled for me and the candy!

We Loved our quick visit to Logan where more little gobblins were waiting for us. Imagine our surprise when Hannah Montana ran out to greet us. Behind her was a lego block and then a real Jedi warrior with a sword.

Just as I was getting away from the sword, a cute little teddy bear gave me a big bear hug. And the prettest little pumpkin you ever saw gave me a big smile and a juicy kiss. What fun we had visiting with Rebecca and the kids. Sarah, Ethan, Isaac, Jacob and the newest one little Abigail.

Called To Serve

Sunday we were invited to go to church with James family. It was their Primary Program. Both Paige & Drae had parts , and they both did a terrific job! One of the songs they sang was Call To Serve, it is one of my favorites. It brought back many memories. Five of our children served missions for our church. Most learned a foreign language and all learn what it means to really serve the Lord. They gave 2 years of their lives teaching others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.


Gary, also served a mission when he was young. He served in the Central States Mission, which included 6 states at that time. I was the only one who didn't go on a mission. That was because Gary and I married when he returned from his. But I have always had a desire to serve my Heavenly Father. .


It was a Sunday afternoon when we received a phone call asking us to come and meet with the Stake President. Of Course we had no idea what he would want to see us for.
I have to say we were very anxious and then total surprised when he asked us if we would consider serving a mission at the Church Cannery. He asked us to go home and pray and then let him know our decision. As we prayed about it, the answer became very clear. This was something that the Lord wanted us to do and also something I had prayed for. We were both very excited as we realized that we would be helping in the welfare and humanitarian programs of the church. I work in the office and Gary on the production line. It's exciting to see the big 18 wheeler trucks leave full of the food that we have helped can. All this food goes to help those in need all over the world. I love being a missionary and the people that we help.

TENDER MERCIES

Gunn Family

Since I was young I have always known that my father had 2 families. My father and his twin brother were the 11th & 12th children born to William and Zelpha Gunn. Their mother died 4 days after the birth of the twins. William, now left to care for 12 children felt overwhelmed and asked the Burbank's, William and Julia if they would care for his twin babies. After the twin brother died the Burbank's moved to CA, not letting the Gunns know where they were. My father was raised by the Burbank's never knowing his true parentage until he needed a birth certificate to join the Navy. It was my Mother who started the search for the Gunn's. (That is another story.) I was young, maybe 10 when I was first told about the Gunn family and that some of my father's sisters were coming to California to visit. This would be the first time that my father would meet his sisters. We were all happy and excited to find our new family, and have been in contact with them since. Gary and I have been back to N.H. to visit the family twice now.

Burbank Family

When I was about 15 the other side of our family story was told to me. My father had been married before and his daughter was coming to see us. I had another sister that I never knew about. I only saw her that one time, but I have thought about her many times throughout my life. During the last few years I have had a strong feeling that I needed to find her. I wondered where she was, what she was like. I knew I needed to act. It was hard because I had little to go on. I didn't know her name, where she lived or where my father lived when he was married the first time. Last week my daughter, Rebecca, had a strong feeling that she needed to start working on her family's line. After several calls to me to find any information that I might have, she started her search. She told me that the spirt was very strong and was leading her to sites on the internet that she didn't even know existed.
It was late a few nights ago when she called me and said, "I found your sister, her name is Joyce Elaine, and I have a phone number for you. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings that went through my heart.

Joyce Elaine Burbank
abt 1 year old

After 45 years I had found my sister. The Lord heard my prayers and His Tender Mercy's had been bestowed upon me. I called my sister Joyce, the next day. It was a wonderful conversation. She was just as happy to find me as I was to find her. We talked for hours and knew that time and miles had not distanced our feelings for each other.

Mother and Daughter Fun!

Rebecca & Josh and their kids came down for a visit last Friday to help me find genealogy pictures. While they were here we not only found pictures, but Rebecca helped me set up my blog. It wasn't near as hard as I thought it would be. In fact maybe I'm not quite as slow at computers as I thought I was. I guess we'll find out.

The Lost Picture

While going through some old pictures not too long ago, Rebecca's husband, Josh found a snap shot of me in my wedding dress. I was so excited. I didn't know it existed. When Gary and I were married we had very little money, and my parents didn't have money to help. There were no picture taken at the Temple, only a few snapshots. What slides I did have were misplaced by Gary's mother. When this picture was found it was an answer to a prayer. Brian took it and did his magic on it then gave it back to me as a gift. As you can see in the picture I am standing in front of the Los Angeles Temple. That picture was taken over 44 years ago. Miracles do come in small ways.

Getting my feet wet, and hoping not to drown

I have been reading the blogs that all my children have started and have been so impressed with them and their thoughts about life. So, here I go, I think its time that I jump in and get going. I hope I don't drown in the process. I've never been really good about keeping a journal, so maybe this will be the way I can talk about my life and journey here on earth.