OK! I have had enough snow! Christmas is over, it was a white one, now the snow can just stay in the mountains! There is no more use for it on the roads...

For 2 weeks now I have been singing "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow"
Well it did and I stayed home and enjoyed looking out the window at it... One day it even snowed in the night, about 8", and the wind changed to coming from the South and it all melted... AFTER Chels had shoveled it all off the sidewalks... Then by nightfall, it was snowing like crazy again and we had another 8"! AND... it has not melted...

Now I have to drive again... I have to stay on the road... I have to arrive on time... I don't need the snow any longer!

The calendar says I have to wait, so I guess I will, but, it would be fine with me if the snow would only show up on the weekends... if it MUST snow!

Well, Christmas is over and, as usual, I didn't get everything done... Still working on quilts that I promised last year... This time I can truly say they will be done BEFORE next Christmas... Chelsie and Raegan came down on Wednesday afternoon and stayed until Saturday. Don and Rachel came over from her mom's after breakfast on Christmas morning and stayed until about 18:00 in the evening. It was fun and crazy and noisy with Raegan and Butters.... I guess he really is our kid! He sure managed to keep things wound up and in bedlum! Just like Christmas I bet.



It seemed strange to be an orphan on Christmas... I kept wondering what Mom and Dad were doing. I suppose they have Christmas of some kind in the next life??? But, I spent most of my time enjoying Raegan and her wise sayings... She didn't think Santa would fit in our wood stove... Probably not... She told me on the phone that she wanted a "Barbie Bananity" for
Christmas but, by the time she got here it was a "Princess Vanity". She was thrilled when Santa left it under the tree. Course Santa hadn't put the thing together... It took Chels and I about 2 or 3 hours to get it all going... She loves it and played with it all day.

Well, I just found Debbie's email, almost a month later. Guess It doesn't really matter... Just shows how far behind I am in everything...

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant? Doctor's office in Springville.
2- Who was with you? No one.
3- How did you find out that you were pregnant? The doctor said "The rabbit died" Did a rabbit die for every baby? No wonder they came up with the test sticks. I felt bad for the rabbit!
4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant? Excited but surprised. I had been on the pill for 2 years. Had been off for 1 month... I should have known Chelsie was going to be in a hurry to get her own way even before she was born! That is part of her specialness!!!
5- Who was the first person you told? Orv
6-Did you plan to get pregnant? I did, he didn't.
7- Did you tell everyone else right away? Yes, but I was already 3 months along. You didn't know the next day like you do now.
8-Was everybody happy for you? Yes
9- Did you go out and celebrate? I can't remember.
10- Did you want to find out the sex? Well, in those "olden days" Debbie was talking about, my Doc said it was a boy and his wife's was a girl because of the rate the heart was beating. We got a girl and they got a boy. So much for the reliability of that method!!!
11- What was the sex? Girl
12-Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Yes, my Mom and Teena in Enoch.
13- If yes, who? Woops, I got ahead of myself...
14- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby? No
15- How much weight did you gain? 30 lbs! Lost it all while I was in the hospital... lots of fluids! Gained it back while nursing.
16- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained? Oh, several times.....
17- Did you get a lot of stretch marks? YESSSSSS! And they NEVER go away!!!
18- What did you crave the most? Tacos from Taco Bell.
19- Did you crave anything crazy? No but my friend craved the smell of hot tar on the road. Is that strange or what?
20- Who or what got on your nerves the most? Trying to sit still at work at the sewing plant. Just couldn't do it.....
21- Were you married at the time? Yes
22- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? No
23- Where were you when you went into labor? Home in bed.
24- Did your water break? Yes, I woke up dreaming about a flood and low and behold, I was in the middle of one!!!
25- Who drove you to the hospital? Orv
26- Did you go early or late? I was a week early.
27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth? Orville and the nurse and, by the skin of his teeth, the Doctor...
28- How long were you in labor for? TOO LONG... The Doc kept me because my water broke but made me walk around in the hospital for almost 6 hours. Went in at 5 AM, had her at noon.
29- Did you have any drugs for the pain? Are you kidding??? That was the "Lamaze" era. I am sure a MAN dreamed that up!!!
30-Did you go Natural or have a c-section? As natural as it comes.
31- What was your first reaction after giving birth? Hallelujah, it is OVER!!! Then I cried because she was sooooo beautiful. I was amazed at how much I loved her!
32- How big was the baby(s? 8 lbs 7 oz
33 - Did your Husband cry? No
34- What did you name the baby(s)? Chelsie Rae
35- Does his/her name have any significant meaning? We wanted something unusual and I saw Chelsea and liked it...We spelled it Chelsie because we had never heard of it as a name before and wanted people to say it right... Then along came "On Golden Pond" with Jane Fonda being a Chelsea and suddenly there were millions of Chelseas... Oh well. The "Rae was for her Grandpa "Raymond".
36- Did you have any visitors? Yes, grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and friends.
37- Did the baby(s) have any complications? No
38- How old is your baby today? 32 years old!.
39- When is the next one(s) coming? As Debbie said "When *!##! freezes over!".
40-If you could, would you do it all over again? Maybe the way Jenn has done it... All the love and cuddling and none of the pregnancy or labor. I don't think I could keep up though... I think I will stick with the grandkids. They are definitely wonderful with little work involved!!!
41- Tag: JENN, CHELSIE!!!

Fun to look back on that special time!!! I really felt JOY!

This is another of my favorite pictures of Mom (with Raegan). It was taken in 2006.

I thought maybe I should post this although you can all see it by going to:

http://www.webfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=201210&fh_id=10724

Mom did more in her life than most!




Marjorie Elaine Christiansen
(January 10, 1920 - September 13, 2008)

Marjorie Elaine Redding Christiansen was born January 10, 1920 she passed away on September 13, 2008 at the age of 88 due to causes coincident with age. She was born in Montana but raised in the community of Mystic, South Dakota in the Black Hills. She graduated from the Black Hills Teachers College in Spearfish, SD. She taught first in a one room school house in Red Fern, South Dakota and then taught math and science in high school. Marjorie felt the desire to help the cause of World War II and applied for and was accepted into the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots. During this service she did final inspections and test piloted planes prior to their use by the U.S. Airforce. Following the war, she accepted employment with the Civilian Air Patrol, later to become the Federal Aviation Agency. She was assigned to work at a small airport in Fairfield, UT. It was there she met Raymond J. Christiansen. They were married August 21, 1948 and eventually settled in Enoch, Utah. Marjorie was an active member of the L.D.S. Church and gave much service in the cub scouting program for which she received the Silver Beaver Award. She worked in the youth programs and spent many years involved in the Family History Center as an instructor and worker. She loved gardening, rocks, boating at Lake Powell and spending time with her family. After the passing of her husband, Marjorie lived in Goshen, Utah with her daughter and at the time of death was living in Blanding, Utah with her son. Marjorie is survived by her brother Victor Redding, of Wiamanilo, HI, her six children, Cindy (Orville) Gerow of Goshen; Utah, Frank (Jane) Christiansen of Copperton, Utah; Mark (Debbie) Christiansen, Blanding, Utah; Teena (Bob) Taylor, of Taylorsville, Utah; Dave (Connie) Christiansen of West Valley City, Utah; and Lee (Ginger) Christiansen of Rhododendron, OR, 28 grandchildren, and 18 great grandchildren. A viewing will be held at the Enoch First Ward on Saturday, September 27, at 9:30 a.m. followed by funeral services at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at the Enoch Cemetery

Mom is Mom again!!!

Debbie found this picture and I love it!

My hero passed away yesterday…

For 59 years I have looked up to her, trusted her, acknowledged her wisdom, admired her bravery, and maybe even coveted some of the excitement in her life. She was a teacher, an adventurer, a daredevil, a seeker of wisdom and truth. She was totally committed to everything she started whether it was graduating high school early, reading every book in the entire school, becoming a teacher at age 18, joining the Wasps and flying planes during World War II, marrying a Mormon, gathering genealogy, joining the LDS church, being Young Women’s president for almost 10 years, being a Cub Scout leader for 25 years or teaching and raising 6 wonderful children.

She was a compassionate woman. She was a quiet woman, except for when she yodeled for her children to come home. She was honest, caring, respectful, kind, and always concerned about others rather than herself. She was the most giving person I have ever known. She gave time, money, hot bread, teaching expertise, energy, canned goods, service to her country and bits of herself to everyone she met. No one ever doubted that she would do anything to help them. She gave of herself with absolutely no wish to receive anything in return.

She was a listener. Anyone could talk with her and know they had her full attention. She cared and it showed. Sometimes she had advice and sometimes she just let them know that she understood.

Her quiet love for her family and friends was very intense. I never heard her say one word about another person that wasn’t kind. She was patience personified. She could do anything and she wasn’t afraid to try. She taught her children to try also.

She had so much energy and was tenacious about finishing things. She could can fruit into the wee hours of the morning, long after her children would sneak off to bed.

Family came before anything else. Going on a picnic was much more important than housecleaning. Spending 2 weeks in South Dakota with her parents was a yearly occurrence.

She also loved reading, rainy days, rocks, babies, especially grand babies, listening to her children talk, working with her husband, caring for her family, cooking, fixing up her house, and working in the garden at 6 in the morning.

She didn’t much care for sewing, though she could, it was a necessary evil. I don’t think she liked cleaning too much but she was very good at it. She didn’t really like driving unless it was to get one of her family to something they needed or wanted to be. She did not like climbing steep hills in the pickup with her husband. She could endure anything if it was in the best interest of those she loved.

She is cherished, loved, respected and even revered by her family and friends. She will never be forgotten by anyone who knew her. She left a blazing mark on this Universe that will shine through Eternity.

If there is ever anyone I wanted to grow up and be like, she is the one!

I’m really going to miss you Mom!!!

OK, if someone can tell me how to add an album to this blog I will try but for now, here is the URL to my Picasa Web Albums. I have posted pictures of our vacation. Take a look if you get the time. http://picasaweb.google.com/goshengal

Lots of wind mills in Wyoming!!!
On the Wyoming Nebraska border we counted 61 all in one spot!

Chelsie's husband says (sorry Summer) that is because Nebraska sucks.

Orville says he asked about one that was smaller than these and it was $10,000, not installed!

Victoria Lyle Nielson

(Tori)

Yes, she is a VERY happy baby!

I think it's Fall!!!

I never have been known for my speed. I was always at the end of the race. I always finished the dress 10 minutes before the dance... But, to this point at least, I always finish!

When our kids were little, I blamed them... If I was late to church it was because of the kids... Well, they have all been out of the house for something like 8-9 years now and still I am late...

So the fact that I didn't do anything with this during the summer should not be a shock to those who know me well...

And now summer is over... The leaves on Mt Nebo are starting to change colors. I am finally cool again! (That is a plus!!!) I spent the summer hating the heat. (I also figured out a few ways to blame it for my lateness ;)

I have to agree with Debbie. I ought to be glad it is warm enough to grow crops. That I have air conditioning in my car! That Orv is starting to get too hot too so I didn't have to tolerate it quite as much as other years.

I AM glad!!!

We had a wonderful experience this summer that made me step back and realize how blessed I am.

The last week of July, Orv and Chelsie and Raegan (Chelsie's 4-year-old) and I took off on a road trip to New York... Everyone told us we were nuts! Driving 2200 miles one way. It turned out to be great!

Raegan probably did better than all the rest of us. She entertained us as we went. I remember as kids mom and dad (probably mostly mom) would have us play games in the car as we drove to South Dakota. "Next car's mine" Was one of our favorites. We each got a turn to "have" the next car that passed us in the opposite direction. Soooooo, I thought we could play that one... Raegan said "Why are we doing this?" Hummmmmm. I didn't really have an answer. She thought it was pretty silly to "have" one car and then 4 cars later "have" another one... Guess she 's right. Raegan liked her mama's car! (Which we were riding in.) I guess we should be happy with what we've got???

Next game... You 2 take one side of the road and we will take the other... cows, horses, sheep, and we had to add llamas, were each one point. If there was a herd then it was 10 points. White horses are 10 points each. If we pass a church your points double but if we pass a cemetary you loose them all and have to start over... Raegan found it much more fun to see what the other team was getting on their side of the road. We soon were cheering for both sides and I guess we were all on the same team!!!

She could not imagine what a "donkey" was in Wyoming until she saw one. Then she said, "That's not a donkey! It's not even a horse!" Good point! She wasn't impressed and most of the "donkeys" have been replaced with little pumps and solar panels...

Our purpose in going to New York was to see Jenn and her family be in the "Hill Cumorah Pageant". It took us 4 days to get there and, yes, I do think Super 8 has been bought by the Indians from India!!! It was strange to be in the midwest and not be able to communicate with the hotel people with their small children running all around the place.

Now, my main point of this post.... We got to see the pageant 2 nights in a row. It was fantastic. The Spirit was laying like a cloud over the entire area. The cast and crew stay in trailers or tents in "Zion's Camp" (I thought that was a great name for it! Kind of like a KOA or something). Everyone was so nice. Everyone believed what you did only probably more. Everyone, including the kids who did baptisms for the dead, had been to the temple in Palmyra during the past week.
The Spirit was very thick! When we got in the car to go to town it was like driving out of the clouds and falling to the ground. After awhile you could learn to drift some and not fall clear down...

Going to Joseph Smith's house and barn and blacksmith shop was a new area in the clouds, not as thick but definitely Heavenly. We heard stories from the couple missionaries that were wonderful, we walked in the Sacred Grove and listened... It is so quiet and so...... comfortable. I have lots of pictures... when I figure out how I will post some of them...

When we came home, the cloud kind of followed us... It was great!

Then, on the 22nd of August, Jenn and Jqared had their new little daughter, Victoria, sealed to them. I walked into the sealing room and there was the cloud! Thick and beautiful! I don't have to go back to the pageant! It is right here in Provo! What a wonderful realization!

I knew all of this but I think I was in such a hurry to not be late that sometimes I forget to stop and look at the clouds...

I may be late again but I WILL stop to see those clouds...

My First Post.

You would think I would have written something on here before but, alas, it is my kids and nieces and nephews who get me into these things. I will never have anything close to what they have created but I will at least try to keep something up and add some pictures...