GUARDIAN

My dad is a member of the Provo Lodge 849 B.P.O. Elks. To celebrate Memorial day I thought I would share an article in the ELKS latest news letter. It reads something like this-

Steve joined the Coast Guard at Fort Douglas in 1960, during the beginning of the conflict in Vietnam. He did his boot camp in Alameda, CA. at Government Island. He was stationed at Monterey Lifeboat Station, which is part of the Army Presidio Training Facility underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.

He was also stationed at Point Reyes Lighthouse which is one of the foggiest places on the earth. He trained at Treasure Island which is under the Oakland Bridge. Steve was a mechanic and fireman and enjoyed doing tug-boat duty as well. Steve's jobs were helping mariners and fisherman who encountered problems, as long as it was within the 3 mile limit. Sadly, Steve had to rescue the occasional jumper off the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Coast Guard jurisdiction goes out 3 miles then it becomes international water and the Navy takes over. During times of war the Coast Guard is under the Navy and during times of peace it is under the Treasury Dept. Steve received an honorable discharge in 1964 as an E4 or Petty Officer 3rd Class.

I learned a lot from this article. My dad is a great swimmer and I can't fathom the hardships he encountered during his time with the Guard- it is admirable. The picture above is of my dad and his baby sister, it is the most recent one I have. If anyone is interested in seeing a good movie about the Coast Guard rent The Guardian.

Staycation

On the news today they said because of fuel costs consumers are choosing to go on "staycations" instead of vacations. Here we are. After a date with Prince Caspian the clouds parted & my girl ran through the broken sprinkler again. Just another day in paradise.

p.s. Lawinda and Riley Joe Beck- Glad you stopped by

Class of '08

Hands down one of the top 10 days of my life. Starting with a day off of work, I had the privilege of watching Cass graduate from preschool. With Cassidy's fall birthday and being her 3rd year of preschool this was a much awaited day. My dear husband who works in SLC surprised us by driving down on his lunch with a bouquet of pink flowers in hand. It was great to have Cassidy's care givers there as she took this step in her life. My Mother of course, along with my wonderful mother-in-law, my aunt Gail and My aunt Jo. I can't put into words how these ladies have influenced my daughter. The program was brilliant with an overview of the year. Cassidy, although butterflies in her tummy did her part with ease. I was so proud- Cassidy's love of animals shows in her giraffe print dress.

C'mon Boozer!

Who is jealous that I went to game 6 of the Jazz vs Lakers Semi Finals? My dear friend Ange took me to the game. I've been to a few Jazz games, but never a playoff game. It was so loud! The crowd never stops making noise. We gladly took the experience in. We had a few drinks and yelled as the officials made HORRIBLE calls. We lost, but it was a lot of fun. This was the end of the season for the Jazz...sad.

Scouts Honor

I haven't posted for a week or so- I'm waiting for my pal Lawinda to help my blog out of the "under construction phase" Quick update. Coby was ordained a deacon (I hope I spelled that correct-my lack of LDS terms was bound to show sooner or later). He was also awarded his Boy Scout Badge- Coby is going to shock us all by getting his eagle scout. Am I really this lucky to have such a great son? This is my "other son" We call him Nanu- what a great pal he is to Cobs

Sound It Out

Tonight was a milestone. Cassidy read her first book. It is called Sam. It reads something like this..... Sam sat. Sam sat. Mat sat. Sam sat on Mat.... and so on. Cass read page after page to her dad. He would glance over at me making sure I was hearing what he was hearing. Cassidy sounded out the words and made it through the book. I'm so proud of Cassidy- she is such a wonderful soul. For a change- I listened to a story at bedtime, it was fun.

Speed Racer

Coby is a Jr. Drag Racer, much to my brothers help. Last Night was his first race of the season. He had a reaction time of .074. That is how fast his reaction is to the green light. His speed was 65 mph and he completed the track in 9.6 seconds. He lost the race by only hundredths of a second. Cobs is learning the ropes of his new hobby. I know all you parents out there are saying- yikes! When I found out the drag can reach speeds of 85mph and his gear is completely fire proof you bet I was scared- but I have learned a lot about it and I'm trying to have an open mind. What else can I say? It's Coby.

Grampa Bart

When Nate's mom called and mentioned Grampa Bart and Suzette would be in town. I said, "you bet we will bring glazed carrots to dinner." I LOVE Nate's grandfather. I was orphaned by grandparents by age 14 and have felt a void since. Is it possible to miss something you only have for a short while? Grampa Bart is 87 I think- he told me. Until recently he skied and played volleyball. His influence on Nate is apparent, and like me his sign is cancer. I try not to smother and force my kids on him- but I had to get a photo.
During dinner the conversation shifted to current events and...politics. I'm usually smack dab in the middle of these debates with my liberal views- but I bit my tongue. "Not in front of Bart I told myself." On the ride home I asked Nate why he, like me was quiet during dinner. He said, "my grampa is the one person I will bite my tongue in front of." Nuff said. I guess I will have to wait until I am 87 to silence Nate.

Nate is dead set against this

When I told Nate that I wanted to start a blog he said, "absolutely not, I do not want information about our family on the Internet." Sigh......

I enjoy reading the different blogs I have saved to my favorites. It is a welcome break from the hectic rush of my job to read about the lovely lives of my pals. I do not scrapbook and I hardly write anything down- so it is... I will blog once in a while when I feel I have something to share-