MEMORIAL DAY

It is 10:00 p.m. in S.L.C. UT. Jay & I went to Neola, this morning to see JaLynn & family. We returned home about 8:30 p.m. It has been a good, but long day. We visited cemeteries, where Jay's dad, Owen, is buried, Jay's grandparents & great-grandparents, & of course, Neola cemetery where Tracy is buried. His marker was put up in time for Memorial day. It looks so nice with a S.L. Temple on the front with marriage date, plus a mountain scene with an elk. Mike drew the picture of the elk. He did a good job. On the reverse side is a picture of Christ with his arms around a young man & a short scripture. I love that picture. I can imagine Christ with his arms wrapped around Tracy. It is beautiful!

I have not blogged in 4 months. I had to get Jim's wife, Jen, to refresh my memory. Jay had back surgery on Feb. 10th. He had 4 vertabrae fused, also, has screws, etc. He spent 8 days in rehabilation at the hospital. He had not walked without assistance since Dec. 26, 2008. We didn't realize that he was so weak. He has done great, except for his left ankle, which he had planned to have repaired before he hurt his back. June 1, 2009, he is having an ankle replacement. He won't be able to put any weight on his foot for six weeks, another six weeks in a walking cast. He has to have this done so he can walk properly, again. I had my torn rotator cuff repaired March 4th. I still have to be careful not to lift anything more that 10 lbs., if that. This has been a different year. We'll be happy when all is repaired!!

Cohen, Mike & Heather's baby, "our miracle baby" had his first birthday April 20th. He started out weighing 3 lbs. 6 ozs. I'm not sure how much he weighs, but he wears size 18 month clothes, so you can see he is doing great. He does not crawl or walk, but I'm sure he will. He is such a good, beautiful baby. Just like our other 24 grandkids! We haven't done a lot, the last few months, except watch t.v. & stare at each other. It's not easy to not be able to do the things you used to do. We are blessed, our health is good (other than surgeries), we have five beautiful children, & the 25 beautiful grandchildren! They are so good to us.

I have read your blogs a few times. I like to see how everyone is & what they have been up to. Hope all is well with you & your families. 'Til next time!!

WRONG!!!

SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE SPELLING. YOU KNOW IT SHOULD BE 2009!!

GREAT START FOR 1009!!

Well, not really. Jay is having back surgery on Feb. 10th. He is having 3 discs fused. It will be a long, slow recovery, so they say. I am scheduled for rotator cuff surger on March 11th. That all depends on how Jay is doing. He is using a walker that grandpa John left a few years ago. He cannot stand up by himself, more than a minute. He can take care of himself, except that I run most of the errands, cook, wash, etc. This does not help my shoulder, but we need to take care of him, first. Tonight, for the first time since he hurt his back, we went out to dinner, the Sizzler. Kind of nice, for a change.

Jay & Jen are scheduled for surgeries on the same day. I'm sure Jim & I will be sitting in a waiting room, together. I will check my blog to see how everyone is doing. Happy New Year to you!!

HOLIDAY UPDATE!

We had our family christmas party on Dec. 20th. It is one of my favorite times to get together with our children & grandchildren. They have such a good time! We always do some form of christmas bingo. Ken's wife, Lori, & I love to play games. So do the grandkids. I purchase small gifts from the $ store & wrap them. We ordered in pizza, & picked up chicken wings for dinner. Everyone brought treats. Then, we played christmas bingo, G'pa Jay read the Christmas story. We opened presents (we started with the youngest grandchild, Cohen, & went up). We did get to see what gift everyone received. Later, Lori gathered all of the children & played "Spoons." I joined them for the last few games of Spoons. It was really fun!

On the evening of the 19th of Dec., we went to Nielco Roofing's company party. It was held at the Bohemian Resturant. We had the best prime rib that I have ever had! I don't know what seasonings they used, but it was wonderful. After leaving the party, we stopped by a clinic. I had a sinus infection & they gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. Plus, I may have a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder. We had a quiet, christmas day, just Jay & I. We were going to JaLynn's, but a nasty storm was coming in. Friday, Jay got up & used the snowblower to clear the drive & sidewalks. He got half finished, came in the house, fell on the floor & did not move for a while. He could not stand up straight or walk & was in terrible pain. Yesterday, Saturday, Ken took Jay to the St. Mark's emergency room. I met them there. The E.R. took x-rays, ultra sound, gave him pain medication. He came home with 5 new prescriptions. We have to call his primary call physician & make an appointment for an MRI. They, also, gave Jay the name of an orthopedic back specialist, to see. It's been almost two days. I cannot see any improvement. It really concerned me because I have never seen him like that. We know that soon he will be better. He needs to get the pain under control, which he has not been able to do.

Sorry, about all of the personal info., I really wanted you to know that even if Jay & I spent christmas day by ourselves, it was a good christmas! It's all about families!! Happy Holidays!!

Jay & Carolyn Goodrich "Christmas 2008" Family letter

It has been a few years since I have written a christmas newsletter. I went to look at my "2008" calendar to see what happened during January of this year. The thought came to me, I have to go back to June 29, 2007, the evening JaLynn's husband, Tracy & his father, George, were killed in the Neola North Wildfire. They told Duane, our 11 year old grandson (at the time) to run, & his life was spared. Despite all the numbness & pain, & all the sorrow, we feel blessed. George & Tracy were good men. They were helping a friend when it happened. They were brave men. We are so proud of JaLynn. She stepped right in, took over Tracy's responsibility, as well as her own, & has grown & matured in so many ways. JaLynn puts her family first, as she should. Shalayne is in her third year of college. Emily is in her first year of college. Britney is a junior in high school. Haley is in the ninth grade, Duane is in the 7th grade, & Cassie is in the 5th grade. JaLynn is the Relief Society 2nd counselor. She is always willing to help where & when she can. Jay & I tended JaLynn's children in August, while she flew to Alaska with friends & went on a cruise.

Bret & Mica have Avery who is in the 5th grade, Jaxx, who is in the 4th grade, Alix is in the 2nd grade, Anastin is in the 1st grade, Rixx is almost 5 years old & attends pre-school, & Keatyn is 3 years olf. Do you think their family keeps them busy? I think so, especially their mother. Mica is in the Young Women's in their ward. Bret is the Elder's Quorum President. He & Ken own Nielco Roofing Company. They work very hard. They do a lot of business in Park City, Utah.

Jim & Jen have Kaylee, who is in the ninth grade, Jaydon is in the sixth grade, Maren is in the 5th grade, Jessely is in the 3rd grade, & Brenna is in Kindergarten. Jim is a Stake clerk over computer technology. Jen is the compassionate service leader in their ward Relief Society. (I have had this calling in our ward. It was my favorite calling) Jim & two friends started Flight Deck Avionics. They do airplane installation & repair. Jim works very hard.

Ken & Lori have Kalan who is in the 2nd grade, Rixx is in the 1st grade. Zane is 4 1/2 years old. Attli is 2 1/2 years old. I tell Attli to tell her dad that she needs a sister! We'll see if he listens! Ken & Lori love their new home & enjoy their ward. Lori has a calling in the scouting program. As I told you before, Ken & Bret have Nielco Roofing Company. Lori is trained as an Occupation Therapy Assistant. She works part-time, when they call her.

Mike & Heather have Brooklyn who is in the 2nd grade. Braden is in Kindergarten. Emersyn is 3 years old. Cohen Tracy is almost 8 months old. Cohen is our little miracle baby! Everyone loves Cohen, the father, mother, grandpa, grandma, aunts & uncles & all of the cousins. Mike & Heather teach the eight year olds in Primary. Mike owns Evergreen Gutter Works. They do rain gutter, soffit, etc. They do a lot of work using copper in Park City, Utah. Mike is a hard worker.

Jay & Carolyn work in the Salt Lake L.D.S. Temple on Thursdays & Fridays, the a.m. shift, which starts at 5:45 a.m., but I have a meeting that starts at 5 a.m., & Jay has a meeting that starts at 5:15 a.m. Usually, we are through at 11 a.m. We enjoy our callings. We have met many nice people, & it is a special, reverent place to be, in the temple.

Our favorite calling is being grandparents to 25 beautiful, special grandchildren! We enjoy & love them so much! Each one is blessed with their special talents & personalities.

As you know, we lost our niece & cousin, Laura Leigh Kirkland on Monday night, March 24, 2007, the day after Easter, in a horrible car accident. It was another of those "what, I can't believe what you are saying!" moments. I do not like those calls. I don't think you ever get over these tragedies of loss, but Heavenly Father blesses you & carries you through them. Over time, they get a little easier to bear. It's still hard for me to talk about Tracy & Laura. I, so feel for Pat & Farrel! Tracy & Laura are fine. We have to live, so that we can be with them, again. Family is the most important part of life!

I think I could write a Book with all that has happened the last year & a half. Heavenly Father has truly blessed us in so many ways. All we have to do is look around at others to see how truly blessed we are!

May you have a blessed Christmas & a very Happy New Year! May our Heavenly Father bless you with all the righteous desires of your heart. He loves you, as do Jay & I.

"Spiritual Days," "Temple plus Family Events"

Part of my assignment at the temple Thursday morning, was to be at the baptistry from 7-8 a.m. When I have that assignment, I go into the clothing to see if they need help. If there are clothes, towels to fold, I help with those & that is what I was doing when the 1st counselor in the temple presidency, President & Sis. Calder came in to speak with the brethen & said they needed a sister to stand by the girls locker room, to keep them inside. This special time on Thursday mornings is when Pres. Monsen & the members of the Twelve apostles have their weekly meeting on the 5th floor of the temple. The general authorities are so busy & it can take a lot of time if they stop & visit with everyone. Pres. Calder gave me a nod when he saw the first apostle, & I stepped inside the girls locker room door. They come up the short hall, turn left, go around the corner to an elevator. I could not distinguish who they were, but I could see large, dark figures. I could feel a special spirit. What an experience, to be so close to the Prophet & his apostles!

My early Friday morning assignment is participating in sealings at 5:45 a.m. I have done this as a patron before becoming an ordinance worker, but not as an ordinance worker. Most of the time, I served proxy as the wife, a few times, proxy as the daughter. This was a special, spiritual blessing. There were two sets of three people so we could trade off. As I sat in that beautiful room with those beautiful mirrors, they were many more people attending than was in the room. Those of you who have had this blessing, know what I mean. It seems you can see forever in those mirrors. Sealings were done for kings, queens, princesses, as well as many others.

Our assignments are usually changed monthly, but with the Salt Lake temple being closed the middle of January-February 2nd, 2009, our assignment is for Dec./Jan., six weeks. I espescially love my assignments for the next six weeks. I always put lots of names on the prayer roll, so let me know & I will be happy to add you to my list. I have kept Harry & Gigi's names on the prayer roll for months, plus Clemon & Kathy, John & Nanny, Farrel & Pat & etc.

Saturday, December 6th, Jay & I celebrated our "45th" wedding anniversary. I got my hair done at 8 a.m., came home for 20 minutes. We traveled to Bret & Mica's stake house which is in Alpine, not far from Rachael & Ryan. Our granddaughters, Alix & Brooklyn were baptized & confirmed at 10 a.m. Our children & grandchildren were all there. After, JaLynn & family, Jay & I went to Subway Sandwiches, Jim & family were there. We had a nice visit, then Jay & I, JaLynn & family went shopping at the University Mall in Orem. Boy, was the traffic terrible & the mall was very busy. I wanted to go to Kirkland's Decorating store. They have these stores in Jacksonville, FL. This store in Orem is the only one in Utah. One of the clerk's said the other closest store is in Las Vegas, NV. Maybe, I'll have to try that store, someday.

Bret & Mica's three daughters, Alix, Anastin, Keatyn & Ken & Lori's daughter, Attli had a dance revue at 3 p.m. We were about 20 minutes late. It was so christmasy & cute. The colors & choreography were beautiful! Keatyn (age 3) & Attli (age 2 1/2) were so cute. They wore pretty, red tutus & danced to "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree!" They really did a great, cute job. Alix & Anasin also did an great job!

Mimi's resturant was nearby, so Jay & I had dinner there. We talk about going to a movie sometime, but does not happen too often. We went to see "4 Christmases" with Reece Witherspoon & I can't remember "his" name. There are always "spots" they could leave out, but all in all, it was cute & funny. It's good to enjoy a movie that makes you laugh or cry.

Speaking of "things" that make you laugh, if you haven't seen Echo's Elves video, you should. Jay & I thoroughly enjoyed that! Of course, since we know the performers personally, it made it all the better! Aren't they such great dancers!!

Thanksgiving & blessings

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went to Bret & Mica's for dinner. The granddaughters spent the night with Jay & I. The boys spent the night with Bret & Mica. (Ken & Lori's children spent the night in Nephi, with Lori's parents. I got sick on Friday & spent the next few days in bed. The granddaughters had such a good time.

Nanny told me, last night, Pat has temporary custody of Benji's baby boy, David Matthew Kirkland. I'm sure some of you already know this. I'm excited for Farrel, Pat, Benji & the baby. Sometimes, we get so busy, we forget to count our blessings. At least, I am very guilty of that.

Michael called his dad & I, tonight & said that Heather had put a video on youtube. I am going to tell you how to watch this video, if you'd like to. If it doesn't work, let me know & I will try, again. TYPE IN: www.youtube.com. When you get on youtube.com, TYPE IN: Merry Christmas! Love Cohen. This video is about our little miracle baby, Cohen. I watch the video and cry, cry, cry! Heather has done a wonderful job with the video. I would not know where to start! Thank goodness for a talented daughter & four talented daughters-law! Stop for a moment & count YOUR blessings. Alix (Bret's daughter) & Brooklyn (Mike's daughter) are being baptized on Saturday morning. That afternoon, Keatyn (Bret's youngest) & Attli (Ken's youngest) are in a dance revue. I am sure we will have an exciting day! It is also, Brooklyn's eighth birthday, & mine & Jay's 45th wedding anniversary! How about baptisms & dance revues to help us celebrate out BIG ANNIVERSARY! I'd like to go to Hawaii, maybe after the first of the new year. I may have to find another man to take on my trip, Jay is not really excited about going to Hawaii. He thinks if you have done something one time, you do not need to do it, again. Unless, it's a trip with Betsy & Val, Shirley & Udell.

The Griffis family christmas party is Saturday, December 13th at 4 p.m. All are invited & if you need more information, please let me know. I have to get up early for the temple, tomorrow & Friday. Happy Holidays to all, lots of love & goodnight!!