So, here is my recap of Summer/Fall 2015
Once again I found myself an empty nest-er as Lance and Marianne had bought their home in Riverton and moved out to what I jokingly call 'east Nevada'. I was still doing my summer thing traveling up and down from the lake carrying bags of food, cooking it and cleaning it up and attempting to be FUN - because this still is my happy place and there are still many great moments to be had there.
I may have mentioned to my darling children and some other unfortunate others that I feel like this has been my STUPID YEAR (although the word itself is not 'nice', so say my grandchildren). As my title suggests, I blame it on the year being ODD (in number)! I feel like I have been jumping ahead and doing things that were, if not a waste of time, just plain not smart and many blindly without caution. I've always thought I liked being in control of my life, but have recently learned from a excerpt in a book by Ann Romney, 'If you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans' I'm pretty sure he has gotten some pretty good laughs over the years from me so I am trying hard to do all I can and leave it up to Him!
Back to the 'stupid' stuff. My left knee began to bother me about mid summer, so in an attempt to save it from over work on all the 'steps' at the cabin, I favored it by leaning heavily on the rail as I was going down. This resulted in my getting a major strain on the already bulging disk in my neck. Pretty soon the neck hurt so badly that I hardly noticed the knee. This all continued into autumn and after a series of cortisone shots in my neck and physical therapy on the knee and hip, most of my body felt better by late fall. We enjoyed another 'Walk in the Woods', our annual Halloween get together with the fam and then it was November and time to begin practicing for our Christmas shows.
Happily, I was invited to travel to Florida with Coby's family after Thanksgiving - a highlight in my year and just the little break I needed!
Back to Bear Lake. Our plans for the new building were well under way by fall! I hired a good honest contractor, Norm Dahle who has been a great asset in making it all come together quickly. With the help of my talented architect Thom Lane and input from my children, at this telling the building is up, insulated and roofing and siding are going on next week and I'm working on picking out cabinets, flooring and lighting. We will have six bedrooms and a small kitchen sitting area on the east side facing the lake. This will give all our adult children their own bedroom through the years and even one for me - or a guest - and will be especially easy and fun to use in the winter months since it's insulated and there will be central heat. I think it won't be long until the grands take up summer residence in the cabin bedrooms and the cycle will come 'round again as it did when Dad built the solar home for his children. I admit I've been a little nervous - especially now the big bills are really rolling in, but I think (hope)I've done what Jim would have wanted me to do. This was all in our 6 year plan 7 years ago so hopefully he is pleased that I've moved ahead. It is our gift to our posterity.
OPPS - forgot to mention the BEST PART of the year, and that is the addition of THREE beautiful grand daughters into the Jim and Joanne Rich clan. Ava Scarlett Welch was born on June 24th to Lance and Marianne, Stella Renee was born July 13th to Coby and Tiffany Rich and Lucy Caroline was born November 19th to Bob and Sara Rich. Yeah for the WONDERS and BLESSINGS of an ODD YEAR!
Christmas this year was the usual myriad of gatherings. I hosted a dinner for my temple group, a 'Breakfast with Santa' for the grands, Jim's family sibling dinner, Christmas Adam with our 'Richest Christmas pageant ever' once again performed by my darling children and grandchildren, Christmas Day festivities and a belated New Years dinner with the adult children when Bob, Sara and kids arrived. I spoke in church and enjoyed associations with many good friends. Truthfully, it was sort of a roller-coaster December emotionally and physically and though I love Christmas, I was happy to see it end and MOVE ON to a great new EVEN year!
Of Jim, oh he is SO missed. I think this Christmas was harder than the other two before without him, although I don't know how it could be. Maybe it's because I've been thinking of the ONE time that Jim asked me if I thought I'd ever re-marry! My immediate reply was....."well honey, if I do, I'll wait for a 'sign' from you - like Dolly did from her late husband Ephraim in 'Hello Dolly"! Then I added..."but you know....you're IRREPLACEABLE "(and then hugged him hugely). But as time has passed I'm finding it harder and harder to be without some ONE in my life!! I love my children and they and their children are my lifeline.... right now. I don't know what I would do without a wonderful family (mine, my siblings, Jim's siblings) and numerous wonderful friends and of course, the Gospel. Still, I think to truly LIVE is to truly to LOVE some ONE and I know now it is something I need....and more than ever something I WANT!
So, for those few readers out there besides ME who are at all interested, I will cautiously admit that when I met a nice man the first of December, I knew that I was right in my thinking that. I DO need someone and this was a very nice someone to meet. His name is Sidney Ray Jensen (Sid) and he is from Idaho Falls. He's 66, 6'3", has four sons, flies his own airplane, built his family log cabin home on the Snake river (and while doing so lost his arm), has a home in Cabo San Lucas where he travels often, apparently plays racket ball four times a week with his good arm, cross country skies on the river by his home, is a busy project manager for an Idaho AG company - often traveling and has recently (last 6 months) been divorced after being separated from his wife for 13 years.
Our first date was his email invite to a 'singles' dance around the first of December. This was a little....scary! I hadn't been to a 'singles' since Jim was in charge of the Valley Wide Young Adults in the '70's! I didn't much like them even then because, since he was in charge, he was always off doing something without me. This dance, however, was a nice surprise. Sid met me at our first ward Christmas program in the Brighton stake, watched the show and then took me to the Capitol Rotunda to the dance. I immediately thought he was quite charming and likable and SO easy to be with - though his prosthetic arm was another 'surprise' that night! He was tall with a handsome face, build and overall happy countenance. Having learned a little about him through emails, I knew he'd been through a pretty rough ordeal with his divorce. But having hung on so long to try and make it work seemed to have made it more of a real 'trial', not unlike me loosing Jim. I found his prosthetic arm didn't bother me and we even had fun twirling at the dance with it! This was IMPRESSIVE, to say the least. All in all, it was such a fun relaxed evening. He emailed the next day saying that he really wanted to get to know me better but would have to be in touch after his busy December, so, there was little contact the rest of the month, making me a little unsure that he was being sincere in his interest. But then...he did call - after Christmas and we began to talk again.
After a few emails (some funny 'goobers') and phone calls, where he'd usually just sign off with..."I'll be in touch", I decided to devise a plan for this nice man to see if he really did want to meet again. I would create a little 'Limerick' to send to him of things we could possibly do, hoping not to put too much pressure on him to do actually something about it. Luckily, this seemed to arouse his curiosity enough for him to invite me to his place in Idaho falls - which turned out to be Bear Lake (another story).
One of the, I think, many things that we have both in common is the beautiful Bear Lake valley. He was raised in Dingle Idaho north of the lake and still has a sister living there. In fact, I think he has several relatives still living in the area. So on January 7th, after revising our 'Idaho' plans, I packed my car in good 'faith', bringing along my conversation cards in case the get together needed a little help, and off I went. Another great surprise....it ended up being a wonderful couple of days. One of the best reasons is that I didn't 'cringe' when he held my hand (as has happened with others). In fact, I found that I quite liked him holding my hand and, in fact, like everything about being with him. Besides a little 'cuddling' as we watched a movie by firelight, we cross country skied on the lake, ate out, ate in, toured Dingle and met his very nice Sister Vicki who lives in Dingle, saw a bald and golden eagle, watched swans bathing in a beautiful bird refuge north of the lake and toured his childhood property and home on the Bear River. It was, in the true sense of the word, all quite 'romantic'!
Since last week we've been talking on the phone more often and I'm hoping his plans to come south to see me next week actually pan out! My impression is that he is going to be slow and cautious - good idea for me too! He loves his children and grandchildren and, I'm finding, has a quick wit and is a bit of a tease...so yeah - this will be FUN! He is sort of, I think, an 'urban cowboy' since he graduated from BYU in business and did not want to run his family ranch! I have to say at this writing....I like Sid Jensen and I think he likes me. We'll let that be for now! Maybe I'll post a picture next writing - which hopefully, will be sooner than later!
HAPPY WINTER!
In the meantime, here are some pictures from the past few months!
Just one of the 'characters' from our Halloween 'Walk in the Woods'
Breakfast with Santa - at home!
Post of baby Lucy - upcoming!
