A Birthday to Remember

Ever since Roy turned 60 last December, I've been dreading June 11, 2012.  Turning 40 didn't bother me, reaching 50 didn't phase me, but this birthday has eaten on me more than I'd like to admit.  I can no longer say I'm fifty-something.  Wow...how can that happen?

The Saturday before my birthday started out pretty uneventful.  I spent the morning doing laundry and cleaning house.  At about 2:30 pm, Roy came in and said he wanted to take me up Millcreek Canyon to see a herd of elk that his friend had called to tell him about.  So off we went.  We drove the pick-up as far as we could, then took off on foot up the trail, being quiet as to not spook the elk.  It was beautiful up there, so green and lush this time of year.  The trail was getting narrower with high cliffs going up both sides.  We went around a bend and I saw a big piece of cardboard with "Happy birthday, Mernie" spray-painted on it.  "How sweet," I thought.  "Roy must have come up here earlier and placed the sign so I could see it."  We paused for a hug.  Roy wasn't saying anything.  Then out of the blue, a machine gun started going off!  First on one side, then on the other, then all around us!  I screamed and hung on closer to him.  (It was actually firecrackers being thrown down from the cliffs up above us.)  I looked up and the first person I saw was Jack.  So I thought, "Oh, Val is in on this."  Then I saw Boston, then out of the trees and down the trail came every one of my kids, their spouses, and grand kids!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  Are you kidding me?  Everyone from Bancroft to Bozeman, and all points in between!  Lots of hugs all around, followed by stories of how everyone got there and hid in the woods, with text messages coordinating everything.  Stories of how the two babies started to fuss right before we got there, and how the moms both had to nurse them to quiet them down while hiding in the brush!

  

We all hiked down the trail and took a few pictures.  The kids had hidden their vehicles down a side road.  Then we went back to our house where Roy had ribs and chicken smoking all morning in the smoker out behind the shop.  I hadn't a clue.  The girls all brought food to go with it and we had a feast.  

A little later, they had me sit down in front of the TV.  Faren put in a DVD he had made.  Up on the screen came pictures of me set to some of my favorite music.  It started with my childhood (found out Max was in on that part), and went into having my own family, and so on.  Faren found music that fit the pictures and the occasion just perfect.  I cried.

Meg brought out the strawberry shortcake...a common known fact it's my favorite.  After lighting candles, singing Happy Birthday, and having cake and cupcakes, I opened presents.... as if all this that happened thus far wasn't present enough!  Some very thoughtful and useful gifts came from all the kids, for which I am very grateful.  Then Roy's gift was last.

  

Let me preface this paragraph by saying that Roy has found a new hobby the last few months.  It started out with a young men's group coming down to our shop to learn how to build knife handles out of different kinds of wood.  After lots of tinkering and experimenting, he built me a whole knife set, including the butcher block to hold them.  He used #2 hickory for the wood (to match my cabinets), and used a big saw blade for the actual blades.  It is beautiful and amazing!

When it got dark, the party moved outside where Seth had a fireworks show for us.  All of Bancroft heard the celebration, I'm sure!  It was loud, bright, and wonderful.  The next day, Robert took family pictures.  It's not very often we are all together in the same place these days.  (Have not seen them yet...but it's very possible some of you might be getting one in your Christmas card this year!) 

Can you tell why I said it was the best birthday EVER!  I feel very loved.  I'm still coming down from the high!  And hey.. I've decided 60 is the new 45!

Book Club

I've always loved to get lost in a good book.  I guess I had a good teacher....my mom.  A vivid childhood memory I have is watching my mom disappear for what seemed like days on end when her monthly Reader's Digest condensed book came in the mail.  She would shut herself up in her room and "get lost" in her new book.  I really admire how an author can put words down on a page and make such pictures in your mind.   I remember reading Stephen King's "Misery" with Robert when we were both working in the potatoes one year.  We were both driving truck and had the book handy to pick up whenever there was a wait.  It was late at night once, and I was engrossed in one of the scary parts, and about jumped out of my skin when he came up and knocked on the truck door!  I told someone I thought the book was a lot scarier than the movie.  They said, "How could that be?"  

It just is....

I'd never been in a book club before.  I listened with envy as my daughter and others told about meeting once a month in their book clubs to talk about the book they had all read.  So I was excited to be invited to join a book club starting up in our town. 

 

Our first book was "The Help."  I had already read it, but was happy to talk about it again when the group  came to my house for the first meeting.  I served chocolate pie for refreshments!

The next book .... another story based on a dark stain on our social history....people being locked up in institutions for being mentally challenged, or just plain deaf or blind.

This book is a classic, that was recommended by lots of people.  Set in the early nineteen hundreds Brooklyn, New York, it covers a difficult life of a poor immigrant family with the daughter being the main focus.  Just finished it and loved it!

This is our next read.  It also looks to be very compelling and interesting.  It runs in my mind that my husband's grandma Reed lived in this area close to time of the Dust Bowl.  I will be thinking of her while I read this.  Another book to make me stop and realize how good we have it and remember to never take anything for granted.

Being in a book club is good exercise for the brain, and it just makes me feel a little smarter somehow... 

Before and After

Number 1. 
Last summer when we were working feverishly on the outside of our house, it rained....  Roy decided he would take that rainy week and work inside to finish our master bathroom shower.  I was elated!

Before....

After.... 

After....inside.

It is so nice...very roomy inside.  It has two shower heads and even a bench.  Roy is such a "jack of all trades."  The tile looks so fantastic!  He did a really good job.   I'm so glad I am married to such a talented handyman.

Number 2.
Over the past couple of years, I have been trying to become a good bread maker.  Heros of great bread makers in my life have included Nadine Ricks, Cynthia Hillman, and Kristen Simmons.  I have always wanted to be one so when Roy bought me a Bosch for Christmas, there was no more excuses.  The pressure was on for a perfect loaf of homemade whole wheat bread. 

Before....

After.... and oh so yummy (if I do say so myself!)

I guess if you think about it, life itself is just one big "before and after" post.  So glad we don't have to be stuck in all the "befores" of life.  And really glad we have the chance to improve ourselves as we go along and create our own list of "afters".

Two Babies...Two Blessings

The days were strikingly similar...lots of chaotic family time, fun play time, and good company and all kinds of yummy food.  We are so lucky to have great inlaws and outlaws to rub shoulders with.

First Meadow was blessed, in Driggs.  She was a good girl and behaved fittingly.  We love hanging out and visiting with the Hawkes's whenever there's a special occasion like this one. 

Then two weeks later it was Samson's turn.  He was 2 months before they got the job done, and he was the perfect little star of the day!  The Barricks, too, are easy to be around and fun to visit with. 

 

These babies are so cute and fun!  Their dad's did such a good job blessing them.  And their mom's are such great little moms.  

 And grandma is happy!

Older Than Dirt

I wanted to back up and tell about Roy's 60th birthday last month.  (Am I really married to such an old person?)  I forgot my good camera so I had Val get some pictures with his phone...and they are not the best.


  We met the kids and some friends at Garcia's in Idaho Falls.  Lataun had this cake made and brought balloons.    

John and Teresa Allen came and brought Roy all kinds of "over the hill" stuff.  I remember him going over the hill 20 years ago, but I guess the "hills" just keep getting bigger and bigger!

The grand kids all put their footprints on a T-shirt for grandpa.

The back says, "My grand kids walk all over me."

 

Many stories and memories were told on Roy.  It was fun to take a walk down memory lane with friends and family.  One of the highlights of the evening was when someone talked him into taking his teeth out, posing for a picture, and really looking the part!

You've come a long way, baby!  Here's hoping for lots more years to come!

Christmas Miracles

December was not just the month for Christmas this year.  We were thrilled to add two new babies to the Eddins family.  It's always so fun anticipating their arrival. 

Samson Roy Eddins

December 13, 2011
proud parents:  Val and Megan

 

Meadow Bonnie Eddins

December 30, 2011

proud parents:  Faren and Avery

 

 

This brings the number of grandchildren to 19. Not shown here at our family Christmas party are Seth's two older daughters....and, of course, Meadow.  We are so blessed!

Thanks for Thanksgiving

 I don't think Robert had any idea when he said, "Okay, Thanksgiving is at our house this year" that we might take him up on it!  Roy and I, Val and Meg's family, and Faren and Ave's family all converged on Bozeman for the holiday.  We hadn't been up there for quite some time, and I was ready for some time with them.  Not to mention, Robert can cook a great meal!

 The kids loved having a big slumber party!  They ranged in age from 2 years to 9 years.  They all played so nice and got along well. 

Roy smoked a turkey, and Robert tried the turkey fryer in the garage.  Both were scrumptious!  Thursday morning, while Robert and I were cooking.....

 ....the rest of the adults took the kids to the local Ramada Inn for swimming.  They loved it, and all came back with big appetites.  After dinner, we took a walk and let the kids play at the neighborhood park.  It was a decent warm-ish day.  That night I went with Jane and Robert to Walmart for the Black Friday preview.  It was my first time doing anything like that, and I was amazed at the crowds.  Jane found some good deals, though.  So it was worth it. 

The NEXT day going home...not so warm-ish!  Kinda scary in places, with a pretty serious ground blizzard going on for about 90 miles.  We stopped in St A to see Seth and his family for awhile, then did a little shopping.

  Saturday, Roy and I took a carload of our ward youth to SLC.  We had lunch at the Lion House, then had some time to stroll around temple square before going to the production of "Savior of the World" at the conference center theater.  It was a fun, spiritual day!

Good weekend, all the way around! 

Robert turns 40

Forty years ago today, I became a mommy. Even though I was only 19 years old and Robert arrived 10 days late, I was as happy as I could be. Someone once asked me why we chose to have kids so early in our marriage. I replied, “What else was there to do?” That’s just what you did.

There was never any question what the name of our first son was to be. Roy’s brother, who was lost 3 years before was Robert, but was called Bobby. Even though Roy and all his family called our son Robert, I called him Bobby Dee. He was known by pretty much everyone we associated with as Bobby. When he was in Junior High, he decided he was going to be Robert. It was a hard change for me. And sometimes his aunts on my side still call him Bobby Dee.

We have always had a pretty close bond. Robert and I can talk about just about anything. We don’t always agree, but I admire his passion. He has a good gift of gab, and has a way of making lasting, loyal friends wherever he has lived. He loves to cook and is darn good at it. We share a love for good books and good music. There was a time when he was just as knowledgeable about the “oldies” as me….and I lived them! I’ve never questioned his love for me and I know he would go to the ends of the earth to help me if I needed it.

He has a darling little family now. (He chose not to start as young as me.)

Sending all my love to you, Robert, as you go “over the hill!”

Killing Time in Kilgore

We had our annual Eddins/Smuin campout in August just before school started. This year Seth and Anne Marie were in charge. They chose a pretty spot in Kilgore.

Karen and John showed us a fun trail up to a place called Monument Ridge. There was a whole mountain top full of shale rock of all sizes. Over the years, people have stacked up piles. Some are just that....random piles. But some are very creative and impressive.

There was fishing, bike riding, four-wheeling, motorcycling,

zip-lining,

playing in the creek,

cooking, (Roy and his "garbage can turkey")

and just hanging out. It was a great time!

Catching Up - July

July 4th is always a fun time with the family. The past two years we have gone to Driggs. It has become quite the destination spot for this holiday, and we're not sure we ever want to miss it now.

To add to the already fun and festive hot air balloon launches, the Huntsman Foundation puts on a wonderful and patriotic few days, all for free.

Complete with an air show, BMX racing, bouncy houses, food concessions, concerts,

and Glenn Beck. Loved the symphony music and his speech....very touching and patriotic.

Add some swimming and barbecuing, and you have a perfect holiday celebration!

This year's swimming lessons week was held the 3rd week in July. All the girls and kids came again for lessons at Lava.

There was floating the river, fishing, boating, fluming, and

a day playing at Bear Lake.

August was a busy month, too. Our world was turned upside down when I was made Relief Society president. Then a few weeks later, Roy was put in our ward bishopric as the second counselor. (I think our bishop hates us!) Life has taken on a whole new focus, as we both go to a lot more meetings now, and have challenging things going on all the time. Heck...we don't even know half the members in the ward! So we have our work cut out for us. Roy looks good in his new suit! I told him he was the best looking guy on the stand.
More catching up to come!