Birthday girl

It was fun to celebrate Bonnie's birthday today. It was "celebrate with meals day" — I fixed stuffed strawberry french toast for breakfast-in-bed, then we went out for a sandwich at Kneader's for lunch, and enjoyed an evening dinner with Sarah and Brian at Goodwood in the evening.

We did miss Matt today; he always added excitement to our celebrations. But we're grateful to have Brian to "fill in" for him!


Bonnie is such a dear. She also celebrated her birthday by accompanying me to a stake youth activity tonight, where we helped "chaperon" as over a hundred Deacons and Beehives in our stake learned to dance. Such fun!

I love you, Bonnie!

It's official!!!

We had a visit from two very giddy young people this evening. We were hoping this day was coming soon; but it took us by surprise tonight. I was grateful it came on a night when I was at home and available! Sarah texted me a photo of "the ring" at 5:38, and we convinced them to come over in the evening to "show and tell." And "giddy" is certainly the best word to describe these two.



We've been bursting with excitement for the past two weeks, waiting for this day. On April 8, Brian's birthday, Sarah let him know that she was ready for him to propose. Bonnie and I had quite a few discussions with Sarah leading up to that, since it was pretty obvious to Sarah that Brian was already ready; Sarah asked for a Priesthood blessing and considered the question very carefully. We were pretty thrilled to hear she had decided it was time! So April 8 was perhaps their "unofficial" engagement day, and in the two weeks since then, our discussions have been "when" instead of "if." We've been bursting with excitement, waiting for the chance to talk openly and announce it to the world!

The problem was the timing — just in the middle of finals at BYU! It was hard for the two of them to find time for ring shopping, and for Brian to make his purchase and his plans. But when he called to schedule an appointment for a discussion with me, I was pretty happy. He came over on Tuesday and we had a great 45-minute discussion about his (their) plans, philosophy, goals, priorities, etc. Sarah and Bonnie were worried that I would be too hard on him; but I really enjoyed the talk! I came away more convinced than ever that this young man would take good care of my princess.

So now, the fun begins. We're tentatively working towards early August. Wahoo! Congratulations, Sarah and Brian!!

Springtime Surprise

I woke up Thursday morning to quite a surprise. We had expected perhaps a little snow overnight, but instead were blasted with an unusually wet and heavy spring storm.



Utah is a delightful place to live! The roads can be a little treacherous, and sometimes these storms come at inconvenient times. But there is nothing like the beauty of the trees, mountains, and sky after one of these wonderful storms. And of course, we're very grateful for the late-season "moisture" to help our water conditions in the coming summer.

Daddy's Little Princess

Can it be possible? Has it really been 21 years already??

I have vague memories of April 15, 1988. Bonnie and I were living in Manassas, Virginia. We had been married for nine months, and she was due to deliver. I was in the hospital receiving chemotherapy, not able to provide much support. We had hoped Sarah would wait until I finished the current course of treatment, but she was in a hurry! When Bonnie started into labor on April 13, her wonderful parents took over providing the transportation, encouragement, communication, etc. The nurses and staff in the hospital would relay messages to my hospital room about what was happening with Bonnie down in maternity.

Fortunately, I was able to wheel my IV pole down to the delivery room and be there with Bonnie through the later stages of labor, and when Sarah was born. It was a remarkable thing to experience, even through my drugged haze. We were so happy! I remember having to write down some of the details so I could answer questions when people called to talk.


Things quickly improved. I soon returned to health, and life moved on. Sarah was a sweet and darling baby, much loved in our family and extended family. We moved from Virginia to Colorado when she was just a year old, then from Colorado to Utah two years after that.

Sarah has always been a darling little girl; she could melt her Daddy's heart with a smile, and the twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes was something to behold.


As she grew and matured into a teenager, we were stunned at how easy it was to be parents. We must have been REALLY good at it, since she turned out so well with such little effort on our part! (Of course, we eventually realized it was in spite of us, not because of us, that Sarah was so good!)


Sarah excelled in high school, developing her intellectual, social, and musical gifts along the way. She graduated high in her class and received a full scholarship to BYU. She's now part-way through the BYU Nursing program, and continuing to do everything she does exceedingly well. She continues to impress her parents and bring them great joy!

Sarah loved her brother from the day he joined our family. It's been fun to watch their relationship grow through the years. They have a wonderful and special bond.


Oh, and another thing has brought even more twinkle to her beautiful eyes in the past few months, for which her parents are also very happy and grateful:


How is this for sweet contentment:


Sarah, we love you, more and more as the years go by! We are SO proud of you and wish you all the best in the continuing adventure of life!!