Winner Contest 6

Cherilee is the winner of contest 6.  With her Salem, Utah, guess, she was only 17 miles away.The rock quarry was nearest to a town named Goshen, Utah.  I can see why you thought the picture looked a little like Honeyville.  However, Goshen only has a population of 874; in comparison, to Honeyville's  population  of 1214.

Do you want another Wendy's coupon, or somewhere else?

Happy Birthday to Rich!

Happy Birthday

Dear Friend

Thanks for being such a true friend to me all these years ---for all of the fun times and for helping me through the tough times.

You are the one who introduced me to Tchaikovsky. My parents and grandparents always listened to classical music, but somehow I had never heard any of his music before.  You used to always paint in the west half of your living room. One day I visited you while you were painting and listening to the most beautiful music I had ever heard.  It was one of Tchaikovsky's ballets. 

It was then that he became my favorite composer.

Randy took this picture of Rich in 1965  when they were together in Paris. 

Remember when you threw rocks at my bedroom window at 3:00 a.m. to go watch the big hotel fire?

Remember when my mom was out of town and so I house cleaned the master bedroom to surprise her?  I showed you all of Dad's funny old ties and clothes.  My twelve-year-old cousin, David Anderson, had come up to spend a month with us. After we watched "THE UNTOUCHABLES" on TV, you and David decided to dress up in some of Dad's old clothes and pretend you were gangsters from the 1920s.  

David is covered with "blood" and is holding daisies to signify his untimely demise.  It looks like we added a few white roses, too.

But why are you crying, when you are the one holding the blood stained knife?

I love how we made it look like he was lying in a pool of blood, don't you?

"Oh, you beautiful dolls, You great big beautiful dolls. . . ."

One night after we had a party in my backyard, you along with your brother Jon, Francis Cherry, and Kenny Cox decided to raid my closet and get dressed up in my clothes. You all even put on make-up. I love the expressions on all of your faces, especially Jon's.

These were the days when girls had to wear skirts or  dresses every day to school. I can't believe I wore the white skirt that Kenny Cox is wearing. 

Here's a trip down memory lane:

For those who don't know, you are standing in front of your house with your mom, your beautiful wife Maureen, and your adorable little Laurie

This picture was taken the Christmas of 1971, but I thought the summers in Price were magical.

Remember when we kept hearing all of those stories about the "airport monster," so we went out there one night and you disappeared? I was so scared to be out there in the dark all alone wondering what happened to you.  Then I saw you, but then you fell over pretending like something had happened to you. You rascal.  It was fun.  We had the best time growing up in Price, and we didn't get a TV until I was in 7th grade.  We all made our own fun.

I Met Randy at My Best Friend's Wedding

I took this picture in April 1969

Randy was Richard's best man.

Where is the Riv Contest 6 Hint

For those of you who are having trouble with the location of the Riv in Contest 6 which was posted on Sept. 20, I am going to give you a hint by posting this additional photo which is about 4 miles from where the Riv is in the original photo. 

Happy Anniversary, Steve & Jen!

I hope you are enjoying your anniversary.

Where in the World is Randy's Riv? (Contest #6)

The person who first identifies the nearest city and state or city and country to this location will be the winner.

AZ Fun: Grandsons and Scorpions

I don't want you to think that I am going to get black eyes and put myself in danger just so you will make comments on my blog, but I found this baby scorpion (the most poisonous kind) as I was getting ready in the bathroom one of the first mornings I was in Arizona. I am certainly glad I didn't accidentally touch it.

Here Chase is fixing himself breakfast the morning before his first football game.  He was certainly dedicated because he was always the first one up, dressed, and with his bed made while I was there. In fact, he was the only one to make his bed every day. He also volunteered to do some of my jobs like vacuuming which I really appreciated.  I could never have found my way to everybody's games on Saturday if he hadn't printed up all of the driving directions for me.  You are great, Chase.

Chase is wearing his game jersey in this picture. Chase's team won.

I shot this picture before Jordan went to one of his football practices. Jordan's team also won their game on Saturday, but they had to go into 2 or 3 overtimes to do it.  The temperature was around 110 degrees. Tanner had a baseball game that same day.  I don't know how they could play in that kind of heat and not all get heat stroke.  Sweat was just pouring down my back while I was sitting and watching them. I also want Camille and Jerel to know that Jordan got up the first time I went in to wake him up every day I was there. He woke up at 6:00 a.m. to put out the flags for Labor Day while his brothers were still asleep and he even got up at 5:00 a.m. to go running on Friday because he had a game on Saturday.  Thanks, Jordan.

Jordan is studying here. Believe it or not but he has a blanket on him because he thinks it is chilly.  I think that the temperature was 106 degrees that day. 

Jordan is typing a report while Trevor is waiting to go to soccer practice. Chase, Jordan, and Tanner were really great at getting Trevor ready for soccer practice every time.  I had no idea how to put on the shin guards.  Also, Tanner and Chase were great at practicing the piano and helping in many ways. 

All of the boys had chores to do around the house every day.  They were all so willing to do their jobs and help me.  Here Trevor is emptying the dishwasher.

As I staggered into the family room on Saturday morning, Trevor was already up and surprised me by saying, "I know what my jobs are!" He had read which jobs he had on the job chart, and then cheerfully commenced vacuuming the family room all by himself. I asked him if he needed any help and he replied, "No, I know how to do it." Wow, Camille, I am impressed with how you have taught your boys.  Notice that he not only vacuumed the blue rug on top, but he vacuumed underneath it, as well.  I didn't have to say a thing. He is only six, and I thought it was so great that I took a video of it.

Trevor and Tanner are eating some of their favorite breakfast cereal.  

Tanner is playing fall baseball.  Here he is in his new uniform after his game. His team won 10-5, if I remember correctly.

Tanner is a very creative kid.  He made this special sleeping area for Trevor to sleep in.  On Sunday, I walked into the living room and Tanner had this same contraption in a vertical position and he was sitting in it reading.

The next night Tanner added on an extension so both he and Trevor could sleep in this. The following day, Trevor decided to sleep in his regular bed, but Tanner slept in this every night until his parents came home.  He said he slept better this way.

Tanner has always loved to dress up in various attire.  Camille called  him her accessory kid. Every day, when he was younger he would dress up as a pirate, Buzz Lightyear, a cowboy, Spiderman, Hulk, etc.  I shot this picture of him the last time Randy and I went down to Mesa to tend the kids.  I love the way he posed.  He obviously has seen Spiderman in comics and movies.

All you boys were so helpful, obedient, and sweet to me. I love you all so dearly and thanks for being so great while I was in Arizona.  

Tanner's New Trumpet--Day 1

This was Tanner's first day playing his trumpet and it is obviously my first day trying to video. Camille and Jerel had just left for the airport and an hour later Tanner excitedly came home with his new trumpet.  Here he is on day one.  This was Labor Day weekend and by Tuesday morning he had managed to learn "Hot Cross Buns" perfectly.  He even got it out to show some of the mothers who were with their younger children while he was waiting for the school bus to come.  I ran to get my camera to video him, but I didn't get it in time.  I am only sorry that I don't have a video of him playing the song after he had practiced all weekend and he knew the song really well. Tanner has such a "joie de vivre"  in everything he does.  Maybe Camille can post an updated version of his trumpet playing on her blog.  

The Scene of the Crime

The Weapon 

The Scene of the Crime

I fell asleep listening to a CD about The Mexican Codices

(Illustrated history books written by the Mayan Indians.)

I was in blissful slumber.

 Then I rolled over in bed and was rudely awakened 

when I hit my head on the speaker part of the CD player.

How I look on Day 3

I took this picture of myself--with no make-up on,

so you could see exactly what was black and blue.

Both Cherilee and Camille came up with the correct answer.

Cherilee was first.

Let me know the name of your favorite fast food restaurant .

What Caused Bonnie's Black Eye? Contest #5

Why is Bonnie smiling after getting such a shiner?

A close up of Bonnie's right eye

What caused Bonnie's black eye?

1. a poor make-up job

2. a CD/tape player

3. a baseball

4. a piece of luggage

5. a vicious Coke vending machine

6. a banana peel

Where was Bonnie when the unfortunate incident occurred? 

A. an airport

B. a backyard in Arizona

C. the mall

D. a park

E. home in Salt Lake

F. a grocery store

The first person to give me the correct an answer to both questions will win a $5.00 gift card to the fast food restaurant of his choice.

Bonne Chance! (French for "good luck")

Pearls of Wisdom: Change

Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

Please feel free to enlighten us further by adding your own most honorable pearls of wisdom.

Happy Birthday Bentley!

Thanks, Bentley, for being such a great husband to Tricia. Thanks for always being so nice to me.  When Tricia started dating you, she said how smart you are and how nice you treat her. I hope you have a great day and that you accomplish your heart's desire this year! 

All the guys at Tricia and Bentley's wedding

Happy Birthday to Jerel!

Thanks for being such a great husband to Camille and such a wonderful dad to your 4 sons! Good luck on all your training to run in a marathon. Thanks for working so hard to provide a nice home and all the necessities of life for your family. In order for Camille to stay home with the children, I remember when you worked 2 jobs and would get up at 3 or 4 in the morning to do an early morning paper route--then get dressed in a white shirt and tie and go do CPA audits all day.  Now that is dedication.

Pearls of Wisdom: Someone Cares?

If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

Please feel free to enlighten us further by adding your own most honorable pearls of wisdom.

Where in the World is Randy's Riv? (Contest #4)

The first person whose guess comes the closest to the exact location will be the winner.

Remember to include both the city and state  or the city and country in your guess.

Pearls of Wisdom: Sponges

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

How much deeper would the ocean be if there were no sponges in it?

Where in the World is Randy's Riv? Contest #3----(A green Moab?)

The first person to identify the nearest city and state or city and country will be the winner.

This is a bird's eye view of the same location.

This is a close-up of the same location in a different season.

Pearls of Wisdom: The Second Mouse

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

For those of us who feel like the second mouse, this gives us hope. Many people have a thought for the day on their blog, so I have decided to post some, too. Feel free to comment in order to enlighten and add to my pearls of wisdom.

Where in the World is Randy's Riv? (Contest #2)

Remember, the first person who guesses the exact location of this picture will receive a coupon for a free meal at Arby's, McDonalds, Chick-fil-a, etc.  Notice that Randy is inside the Riv this time.  Don't worry, Steve and Dee, I will send your coupons to you this week for winning last time.

Happy Birthday to my Sister, Charlene!

Charlene is holding me when I was just a baby.

     Here Charlene and I are with Pop (Our mom's dad in his backyard.)

Memories of my Sister, Charlene 

Charlene has always played an integral part in my life.  When I was born, Mom always said that Charlene was like a second little mother to me.  My first memories of Charlene are when we would spend time up to Pop and Grammy’s—Mom’s parents.  Charlene and I would play together for hours in their backyard.  It was the most beautiful backyard I had ever seen.  It was divided up into 3 different “rooms” or sections. Behind the backyard was an orchard of peach, pear, apricot, apple, pie cherry, and Bing cherry trees.  Black and red raspberry bushes were planted underneath the trees.  The orchard seemed like a veritable jungle to me.  The idea was for Charlene and I to traverse from one end of the raspberry patch to the other without getting scratched as we blazed trails in our jungle. We even got paid a nickel a cup for picking the raspberries.  When Grammy got a new chest freezer, Charlene and I were given the gigantic box that it had come in.  It became our playhouse.  We played in it for days.

Behind the orchard and raspberry patch was the place where Grammy planted a rather large garden.  Once a week the garden was watered from the large irrigation ditch that ran behind it.  I was so jealous because Charlene was old enough to go up the irrigation ditch that ran behind all of the houses.  It looked like another jungle and it would have been such an exciting adventure to find where it went, but I was forbidden to do it because I was too little.

Charlene and I had tea parties and played cowboys and Indians.  We slept on Grammy’s front porch on warm summer nights.  We would open up all the windows and let a summer night breeze keep us cool.  Pop was friends with Jack Richards who owned KOAL, the only radio station in Price.  As a result, he gave us records that he no longer wanted.  Thus, we became the proud owners of the first demo record for Steve Lawrence.  It gave all of his bio info right on the label.  That old 78 record would probably be worth thousands of dollars if we had it now. Naturally, we also played DJ as we listened to all of the wonderful records like “Plink, Plank, Plunk” and the famous “Typewriter Song.”  We also listened to storybook records laughing at “The Bear that Wasn’t,” pretending to be one of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” and always crying when someone harpooned “Willy the Whale” who was the only whale who had ever sung opera at the Met.

When I was about 5, Charlene and I were at Grammy’s one day.  We were playing together and then Charlene seemed to disappear for quite awhile.  Then, when I finally did find her, I asked, “Where have you been for so long?”

Charlene got an evil look on her face and answered, “ I am not Charlene.  I am an evil witch and I am holding Charlene captive.  You will never see Charlene again unless you do everything I say.”

I became very afraid and begged, “Please, please don’t hurt Charlene.”

“Then you must wear this umbrella on your arm for the rest of the day.  If you take it off, you will turn into glass,” she warned me.

For the next few hours I was very careful to make sure that the umbrella stayed on my arm, no matter how awkward it was to go on with my regular activities that I wanted to do. 

Then Grammy called from the back bedroom, “Charlene, could you come in and help me change the bedding on the beds?”

“Sure, Grammy, I will be right there,” she answered.

“Aha, you are not an evil witch.  An evil witch would not put bedding on beds.”

“Oh, I am just pretending to be Charlene, so she won’t suspect anything.”

She was gone for quite some time and then all of a sudden, Charlene came running in to where I was.  She was panting and all out of breath, “Oh, Bonnie, I just escaped from an evil witch who was holding me captive, but I am safe now and you may take that umbrella off of your arm.  I have broken her curse.” 

I was so relieved and happy to see my sister again.  I had really believed everything she had told me that day.  Charlene had always wanted to be a great actress and she definitely succeeded that day with me.

Charlene has influenced my life in so many ways.   She was the first one to teach me how to play the piano.  She also taught me how to count and how to read before I went to school.  She and I would play school for hours in the corner basement room at our own house.  Charlene taught me to love classical music and also how to be dramatic.  Once we put on a program for our parents and grandparents by acting out all 5 movements of the Grand Canyon Suite by Grofé.  We were pioneers witnessing a beautiful “Sunrise,” dying of thirst on the hot “Painted Desert,” and gratefully quenching our thirst after we survived a severe “Cloudburst.”  We became extremely fatigued as we trudged along “On the Trail”, but we somehow survived another day as we then made our camp for the night before “Sunset.”

Because Charlene was involved in many activities in school, I felt that was what I should do. The more activities I was involved in the better.  I even made a list to keep track of how many different things I could do. Because she was in debate, I debated in both high school and college.  She sang in the a cappella choir in high school and the Madrigals at BYU, so of course, I did the same. I was lucky enough to be able to sing in a cappella choir in both high school and at BYU.  I performed dramatic readings, gave orations, and was in plays because I had seen Charlene win trophies at countless speech meets.  Because Charlene had chosen to go to BYU, it was the only place I even considered attending. Charlene was my idol and I wanted to be just like her.  Charlene continues to be my spiritual mentor, counselor, and best friend.  To know her is to love her.