Easter at the Pulsiphers 2010

I spent Easter afternoon and evening at the Pulsiphers and

I did not get many pictures but...

I love these pix showing the enchanting backyard Kate and Ryan have to play in--they love it.   And

Sarah is so beautifully grown up--hard to believe she is almost 12!

Easter Eggs

Kate and Ryan show the serious art of gathering Easter Eggs!

                                       Is that enough, Mom?

                               I never get tired of this, Mom!

At last, each has a bucketful--again!

Johnny

When John was little, he was always known as Johnny. We miss him--this was one of my favorite ages for Johnny. He was always so curious and creative in his playtime. Six years today without John in our earthly life.

Melissa is 21!

Beautiful Melissa turns 21 and celebrates with brunch at Croces in Gaslamp and I get invited--They go for eggs and french toast and I havea fish taco.  Good food, nice place.

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After brunch there was crepes and gelato in Hillcrest at Chocolat.  What a neat place.   Melissa had her favorite Nutella plus marzipan? and strawberries on her crepe.  Delicious!

Nice to have an older brother to celebrate your introduction to adulthood, right Melissa?

Seattle, Ferry Boats and Victoria

Linda, Maria and I set out for another adventure--destination Victoria, British Columbia.  I was there 54 years ago so do not remember much.

Marjorie and her daughter Karen met us at the Seattle airport and took us to Pike Market--such gorgeous flowers, vegetables, fruit and fish.

 What a neat place.  We had a lot of fun just catching up also.  Sunshine in Seattle!

We caught the ferry the next morning and still lots of sunshine.

There was a breeze in Victoria but still lots of sunshine so we went directly to Buchart gardens in case we had rain the following days.

Butchart gardens were glorious with lots of bulbs in bloom--no roses, too early.

As it turned out, we only had rain one day so we took the boat cruise and saw all the charming house boats worth lots of money. 

 What a way to live.

 Then we caught the museum.
 While the girls took high tea one day

I caught the miniatures.  Inspired me to finish my Seven Dwarfs house--maybe this summer.

I love this picture of Maria and Linda showing their difference in straight and curly hair. My hair was never as straight as Linda's or as curly as Maria's...

The cherry blossom trees were magnificent in front of the hotel. 

And what a great hotel Maria arranged for us--it is wonderful traveling with Maria and Linda because I don't have to think at all, just enjoy. 

 Thanks, daughters, for another great trip.

Matt is 23!

Matt and Melissa, Maria's

children currently living in Vista with her.

The Birthday boy, Matt.

We celebrated Matt's birthday at the Red Lobster in Oceanside last night.  The food was delicious and the company fun.

 

Linda came from East San Diego, El Cajon, picked me up in Rancho Santa Fe and we drove past Vista to Oceanside, far North San Diego.  It was an over hour commute for Linda but we drove most of the way through the interior of Rancho Santa Fe and San Marcos, a very lovely ride away from the freeways.

It was a fun night and it is so good to be around family, something I miss in Lake Almanor.  James Hardy and family were celebrating Lea's birthday at the Ice Rink in University City.

Lea Has Her Tenth Birthday!

Here is Lea with her cousin Sarah when she first moved to Rancho Santa Fe.    Can you believe in just six years she will be driving?  Lea turns 10 years old today.  Congratulations, Lea, you are a lovely girl who skates like a whiz, has a beautiful smile and is most proficient in the kitchen among other things.  Have a wonderful birthday.

 

A Sore Foot and A Sad Day for America

I don't remember using the word orthotic before, now I am waiting for my orthotic inserts so I can walk again.  They cost $400, I certainly hope they are worth it.  I stayed home from church today and rested my foot.  I wore sandals to the Temple yesterday and it was so painful just going to and from the car but not as painful as the wedge shoes I wore to Church last week.  I could hardly walk to the car at all.  I talked to my sister today and she had to get some last year and she said they have really made a difference in her life.

While sitting here I watched the life story of  N. Eldon Tanner.  He was always such a quiet, somewhat somber looking apostle but I remember I always learned so much from his talks.  What a life he had.  He had such accomplishments in government and then in private business and had retired and built a beautiful new home when called to serve the Church in Salt Lake.  His astounding understanding of finances brought the Church out of the red into the black and he went on to be a counselor for 4 presidents of the Church.  Even with all his dedication to Church, family, and government and the great honor bestowed upon him he was not free from health problems.  In his later years he suffered from macular degeneration in the eyes and Parkinsons Disease.  It is always so strange to me when these great servants of the Lord have to suffer just like everyone else, in fact, more than some.   A great man, a great example to all in how to live your life.

It is so disturbing to see this Obamacare rammed down the throats of Americans even though everyone knows there are so many things wrong with it.  I think it is 36 states that have already determined to sue against it.  Think of the cost of that!!  It is so insane.  Our leaders are so out of whack in doing what is best.  A total destruction of the Constitution.  So much greed, so much corruption, so much arrogance...well we know where it is all going to end.  It is just a matter of time.  "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."   I am glad I am already scheduled for all my tests this week and surgery and hopefully I can stay healthy for the rest of my life so I won't have to count on Obamacare to take care of me.  But healthcare is just part of it.  It is this take over of everything that is America and turning to Socialism and telling us THEY know what is best for us.  How anyone can believe the rhetoric the Democrats have spun is beyond me.  I feel sorry for the good Democrats that have tried to fight it and their lives are being ruined for making a stand.  We are not giving our grandchildren a good world at all.  And to top it off, to think it has to be done on the Sabbath!!!  What is that all about?  Unbelievable.        

"Testimony" by Anita Shreve

Nursing yet another cold I spent the day sleeping and finishing a book by Anita Shreve today.  She is one of my favorite authors and somehow she has managed to write three new books I have missed.  As usual she writes a book I cannot put down as the whole blame game unravels.

 E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States)  wrote this insightful review about the book:

"A firestorm erupts when a dormitory parent confiscates a tape in which three boys engage in intimate acts with a fourteen-year-old girl at a private school. The young people who appear in the tape attend Avery Academy in Vermont. Anita Shreve's "Testimony" examines this incident from every possible angle, using a Rashomon-like approach. She demonstrates how difficult it is to learn the truth when various witnesses offer conflicting opinions about what happened and who should bear the responsibility.............. 
 Using a straightforward and powerful prose style, Anita Shreve explores a number of thought-provoking and timely themes: The abuse of alcohol among young people is "starting at an earlier age and [is] both more habitual and more intense that it had been just a decade before"; students who attend private schools and who are athletically talented may behave recklessly because they feel "privileged"; when reporters grab hold of a scandalous story, they often transform a human tragedy into a media circus; our misdeeds may destroy not only our lives but also those of our friends and family. "Testimony" is a searing and powerful indictment of a society that, in many ways, has lost its moral compass, and for that, everyone pays a price."

Preparation for the Second Coming by Dallin Oaks

This is such a good reminder of what we should be about at this critical time in history.  "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

Click the title...

Bandido's Best Friend

Bandido and Kelsi 2010