A shout-out to Kathy B. in AZ!

I have meant to write this a few times Kathy/Cathy. Pretty bad that I don't even know how to spell your name. Here are the things that I wanted to tell you:

1. A.Mazing lesson in RS while I was visiting. You are such a real person and you really were able to relate how you felt about having friendships. I have thought about it so many times. Thank you for preparing and sharing! It was great!

2. Love your hair. You are a hair soul-mate. I can tell.

3. Thanks for grabbing me in the hall and confessing your stalking habit. Made me feel good!

4. If I lived there, I think we would become good good friends FAST!

Just thought I'd give you a shout out from sunny KFalls - temperature - a balmy sixty five degrees! Tell that sister of mine to jump on a plane and get here fast - her hot cocoa and fire is awaiting! You could join her................

Stake Conference

We had the amazing experience of having Elder Perrin Walker from the seventies join us for our Stake Conference. He asked to stay in our home on Saturday night. I wish I could send a piece of the feelings he brought into our home and into our conference to all of you.

I have to admit to being a bit nervous about him staying here. Like what do you do when you come home from the Saturday night session? I figured he would be tired but no, we stayed up for hours talking and having a plate of cheese, crackers, and fruit. He was so gracious.

Here are a few things I learned about church service:

1. There are no limits to what is expected of us where service is concerned. Elder Walker practices law full time and then leaves just about every Friday - Sunday to do stake conferences and other assignments for the church.

2. It takes a really good wife to stand behind her husband when they are asked to serve. Elder Walker spoke so highly of his wife. It was just touching to listen to him re-count tales of their marriage and of raising their family together. I have some work to do..............

3. Serving in the church does not save you from having trials. I already knew this but to listen to Elder Walkers life stories had a tremendous impact on me. They are a regular family with regular distractions and trials. They had a baby die 10 hours after birth. It was a remarkable story that he told us and so spiritual. Was it easy for them? No. Did they suffer? Yes. Did it strengthen their convictions? Yes. Did it strengthen their family and marriage? Yes. Has it given him an added measure of compassion as he serve. Yes. They had a 24 year old daughter die a few years back in an auto accident. Also very difficult but to listen to him tell us what he's learned and how he's grown...........amazing. This is a regular family that has chosen to serve and do what they are asked to do and they have risen to the challenge.

4. I learned that the leaders of the church really do see us as individual stakes, wards, branches, and families. Elder Walker shared the process he went thru as he traveled to our stake and how he spent hours just trying to focus in on the needs of our little stake here in Klamath Falls. It was evident that he had done this by his talks and certainly by our chat with him. He shared with Paul some really special feelings he had coming over the mountain pass that has really affected Paul and me. Again, amazing. He was really here to serve our stake and the individuals in it. He had a profound love when he arrived. It was evident.


What a privelege and honor to be taught by this man of God. I know my life has been 'changed for the better'.

50th celebration finally here!

How long til NYC?
Today is the weekend so that doesn't count.
It's Stake Conference tonight and tomorrow so tomorrow doesn't count either.
We leave first thing Monday morning so basically we are on our way.

NYC here we come! US Open - here we come!

Thank you Paul for this most A.Mazing 50th Birthday Party!

Can't wait to celebrate for a week with YOU!

Don't Crowd the Mushrooms!

Last night I needed to saute the mushrooms to put on our steak. Paul reminded me about Julia Childs advice in the movie 'Julie & Julia'. Julie is sauteing mushrooms and has read in Julia Childs cookbook to 'not crowd the mushrooms'. So I decided to give it a whirl and see if it really made a difference. IT DOES! I just let them have some room to breathe and bubble. They browned up so nicely and the flavor - YUM! So my advice to you - Don't Crowd the Mushrooms!

Dried peaches...............

Did you know that 16 thin slices of dried peaches = 1 whole peach. So if I ate 32 thin slices of dried peaches that would = 2 whole peaches. And so on and so on...........

They are just irresistible! You can't just have one thin slice. And you can't just have a few slices. They are impossible to leave alone. And you add that to the boxes of fresh picked peaches off of the farm and let me tell you, there are sounds going on inside of me that just shouldn't ever be heard.

Peach season - you gotta love it!

Timing is everything!

This was supposed to happen.............




But instead, this happened!




A pretty good tradeoff if you ask me! I was at girls camp and the day before the big hike I get a call from Dani that she's a go to have a baby! Not due til the 18th of August. I think I had my truck packed up in about 5 minutes, shed a few tears with the camp leaders, and was off. About two hours into the drive I got the call that Taytum Jean Harmon was born at 6:31pm, 7lbs 5oz, 21 inches long. I spent a week watching over her siblings and enjoying Taytum - aka Tater Tot, lil Spud, Tay, Tater! I would not have missed it for the world. The mountain will be there forever..........Taytums birth only happens once!

Welcome to the world my beautiful grandbaby!

Drumroll please..........................

Grandbaby #7 is going to make it's way here next year! Sam and Nikki announced that they are expecting their first baby. They came upstairs one morning at Sunriver with t-shirts on that announced it to us! Yay for more babies! And there will shortly be a drumroll for the birth of grandbaby #6 due anytime! Dani and Jefferson are expecting their third child - a girl - named..............up for grabs!