DR PEPPER DOG......

WHAT BECOMES OF  LOST OPPORTUNITIES?  PERHAPS OUR GUARDIAN ANGEL GATHERS THEM UP AND WILL GIVE THEM BACK WHEN WE'VE GROWN WISER------AND WILL USE THEM RIGHTLY......Helen Keller
     I hate commercials that make me cry!  But Pepper the Dr. Pepper Dog did it......This poor abandoned dog wandered day after day alone.....he was different.   Nobody wanted this stray dog but what the bus driver did will tear you up....yep!
The bus driver picked him up one day and they had a blast traveling together while delivering sodas along the way.  The last stop was to be the "shelter".......As they arrive at the shelter the bus driver thinks how awesome their last few hours together have been.  At the shelter the bus driver drives away from the shelter without the dog next to him.....as it turns out the dog is ducking down and reemerged from the passengers seats.  It ended with the bus driver decided against leaving him at the shelter where his chances of being adopted were slim.....Of course I was crying by now!  It's OK to be one of a kind and different!
      Nice day at church......snowy and cold.  My neighbor Hanh brought over hot stew, bread pudding and rolls.....nice Sunday dinner.   Later another neighbor called to see if I wanted to come eat left-over turkey and dressing with them.  I know they realize I see very little of any of my family.......and that bothers them.  Thank goodness for wonderful neighbors and good friends.......No one knows how tuff it is to be alone......until it happens to them!

BLACK FRIDAY......

 

 

Made it through Thanksgiving and Black Friday with no crisis........Just two more days on the calendar I can cross off.  I can't figure out why everyone gets so excited about them other than those who work......get some days off...... Sherrie called from Las Vegas today, they had a lay-over on their way home from the Cayman Islands and had had a very nice week, whenever they visit the islands on Thanksgiving they always look up the LDS Missionaries and invite them to have Thanksgiving dinner with them.  I guess the Panniers and the Hortins will be home from St. George tomorrow sometime.  I saw pictures of the Cooks on Instagram where it looked like they had dinner at Little America......it is one of their favorite things to do.  Like to see my kids happy.

Woke up this morning to snow......our first white stuff down here......not much and roads were good by noon.  One more day and December is upon us.......

HAPPY THANKSGIVING......

 

Big day for gratitude........The movie was good and the Happy Meal with extra fry sauce tasted just like turkey!!!!

Yesterday was such a sad day for our family.....the funeral of Becky Smith, only 52  and the day before Thanksgiving.  Did get to see Lucille's big family and my cousin David Goff.....a very nice service, Mike sat with me but could not stay and eat as he had to go back to work.   This poem seems to fit my thoughts for today......some people are without all their family because of death.....others because they choose not to be.

                          THE EMPTY CHAIR

The pies are in the freezer, the turkeys on the list.

But this Thanksgiving, oh how a loved one (or two) will be missed!

Lord Jesus please hear our Thanksgiving prayers

For those gathered around a table that has some empty chairs

Oh Lord , comfort their hearts we know that you are able

And let them know that this year, there's another chair at Heaven's Table.

....................Becky and Derik will be missed...........

FOR A REASON......

   Why did I end up at "THE COTTAGES"?.........I guess there was a reason I ended up moving from 6298 Madrid St. after 27 years........ to Midvale and The Cottages.  Here it is, Thanksgiving week and two of the girls are going out of town and the third one doesn't know I am alive.......so what do you do all alone for Thanksgiving?   Well, because you have good friends and a sweet cousin and sister......and some great neighbors......you get lots of invitations to Thanksgiving dinner this Sunday night.  When asked what I planned to do on Thanksgiving.....I told them go to a movie and then stop at McDonalds for a Happy Meal with extra fry sauce??????  Well, you ought to see the look on their faces as they all said.....No, no come eat with us!  I had invites from four neighbors, a good friend and my cousin and sister.   Hey, it's just another day to me and I am happy to go to a movie and get a Marie Calendar's frozen dinner and find a good movie and have my VERY OWN Happy Day!  Really Life is what you make it!

DEATH........

Yes, Becky died.....but not gone.....and hopefully the family can go on.....I don't know how when you lose a child.....but there are five more families that need a mother and a father......I took 3 huge pizza's over to Lucille this morning, thinking they might help out through the next few days with her house full of company that has come to town......she called this afternoon to thank me and say there were two pieces left!!!!!   I guess I did something good for her......better than flowers is food.  I have been down all day, partly because I missed Derrik's graveside service and felt guilty and partly because I have a daughter that has walked away from her family......and I feel as if she is dead to me......Pam said give her time.....how much time do I have?  I just watched a short that informs us Obama is the 44th and last president there will be.....Putin will explode a rocket over the US that knocks out all our power, heat, phones, email etc. and the world will end as we know it.......I am beginning to believe it with all the Isis stuff happening!  I look forward to church tomorrow.

 

MIXED EMOTIONS.......

 

EMOTIONS........The first time I have seen Pam in three weeks........we went to lunch and shopped around GARDNER VILLAGE..........buying some fun things for Christmas......then decided to run over to TAI PAN......and more shopping!  More fun things for Christmas.  I had turned down an overnight trip to Mesquite......with Mike to attend a grave-side service for my nephew Darrik in Enterprise Utah......he was Jo's son and raised in Enterprise, he died so young with stage 4 lung cancer......I arrived home only find on my answering service a message from my cousin her daughter, Becky, had died today......she was only in her 50's.      I feel very lucky I have not had to go through any thing like this with my three girls......even though one of them has not been speaking to any of the family all year........Her Loss.

Sherrie and her family left for their Caribbean vacation for THANKSGIVING this morning......I hope they have a safe trip with all the plane problems etc. that ISIS is causing.

Here's hoping tomorrow won't be so sad.

COUSINS.........

 

In a dilemma tonight.........should I ride 16 hours Friday and Saturday to a cremation grave side service for my nephew or not......I feel it would make my sister (who is deceased).......happy but as the years go by these trips get harder and harder.........  I think I will leave it to the younger generation, his cousins of Korina, Kristy, Jamie, Mike etc......It is cold and the weather unpredictable.....I hate to travel in bad weather.........

CAN YOU BELIEVE.....IT IS A QUARTER TILL EIGHT AND TWO GUYS SHOW UP AT MY FRONT DOOR AND WANT TO DEMONSTRATE A KERBY VAC......My first mistake was even answering the door!!!!!

  Well anyway I called my favorite cousin Lucille, and said "am I really a bad person if I don't go?"  She reassured me at 83, cold weather, bad roads and such a fast trip it was OK.......Lucille's daughter Becky who is still so young  has weeks......perhaps days to live with stage 4 cancer......it is so sad to bury your children....thank goodness she lives across town......and I will be there for her.  Yes those of us with Cousins, aunts and uncles and especially brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents are the lucky ones in the world......enjoy every minute you can with them!.