There is Joy in Every Stage of Life

Today I received a call informing me of the death of one my dearest friends, Marion Passey. We have known each other for more than 25 years and the loss cuts very deep.

We first met when I became Marion's visiting teacher all those years ago and the connection between us seemed to form very quickly. I loved visiting with her because she had such a zest for life and such a strong testimony of the gospel.

I particularly remember one visit where she shared one of the cross stitch projects she had been working on that day. I was envious because I had several small children and could not imagine how it would be to enjoy the freedom to stitch whenever I wanted. She just smiled at me and told me "There is joy in every stage of our lives. Don't wish any time away because it will be gone soon enough." She assured me, however, that every stage of life, regardless of its difficulties or trials, always had the capacity for great joy. She spoke with such conviction about the blessings to be received from heaven as we traveled through this life.

Over the years Marion has shared with me many wonderful children's stories that she has written. She had an incredible talent for rhyme. Although some were fun stories, many had gospel themes geared just for young minds. I had no doubt as I listened to them that she was truly inspired. When a few were finally published, I was probably one of the first in line to buy them! She has called me regularly to read one of her new stories and she always wanted to know my opinion. Sometimes the stories were so delightful that I would find myself laughing, and other times the Spirit would whisper to me and the tears would come. How I will miss hearing her read one of her new stories!

Marion taught me to cross stitch, something that has filled my life with a great deal of enjoyment. In fact, she was the first one to cross stitch the "prophets" and we used to compare notes as we worked on them.

Just a little before Christmas, Marion called me. A serious infection had invaded her body and there was nothing that could be done to stop its progression. She had only been given a little time. We talked and she told me to not be sad, that she had enjoyed a fabulous life and was not at all sad to be taking the next step. I will miss her terribly. She has had a profound influence on my life! I have no doubt, however, that she was welcomed with open arms and I look forward to seeing her again one day. Maybe there will be some wonderful, new heavenly stories! I love you, Marion!

"While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are
rejoicing to meet him behind the veil."
*President John Taylor

A Little Ice Goes a LONG Way!

As we wind down to the last couple of days of 2009, it would not be a normal time at the Rimington's without a few unexpected surprises. Unfortunately, they aren't always pleasant surprises!

Yesterday we discovered the water in the tub of the master bathroom and the water in the downstairs bathroom sink was not flowing as it should. With a little detective work, the cause was finally discovered. A frozen pipe was the culprit and ice was blocking the flow. What was still unknown was whether that pipe was damaged enough for water to be leaking behind our walls. The only way to be sure . . . open the wall and find out!

While Ken and Kevin were hammering away at the wall, I tried to pretend that I didn't know what was happening. I'm afraid the evidence is hard to ignore, however. The water is now flowing and Ken is making plans to keep this from happening again. In the meantime, how do you like our hole? :-)

Fun With My Grandchildren! * Kimberly, Alicia, Natalie, Emma, Aaron, Rebekah & Abigail

After canceling our family dinner for the last couple of months, we finally came together again on the first Sunday in December! It was wonderful being together and enjoying the company of those we love.

After dinner each of the grandkids gathered around the table to paint ornaments for their Christmas tree. Each of them were pretty creative as they chose the colors for their particular ornaments. And they'll look beautiful on their Christmas trees!

Everyone gathered around painting!

Kimberly & Emma

Rebekah & Abigail

Aaron & Rebekah

Alicia & Natalie





Lots of love to you all!

Fun With My Children! * Kevin & Tammy :-)

As the years go by and my children have grown, I've noticed that many traditions geared around kids have quietly disappeared. Some have slipped away with little notice but others have definitely been missed. Yesterday, however, both Kevin and Tammy decided to do gingerbread houses and it was great fun watching the creative process at work! Kevin went downstairs and got the leftover gingerbread candy from previous years to see what could still be used. (He did comment that some of the candy might need to be carbon-dated before it could be used!) We put in a movie and then laughed and talked as the two of them worked. I'm so glad that a few traditions are still alive and well! :-)

Merry Christmas!

Fun With My Grandchildren! * Kimberly & Alicia

Each December our city arranges for a free movie at the local theater for all city residents. You can get as many tickets as you wish from the city offices. This year the movie was Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Kimberly and Alicia joined Grandpa and Grandma at the movies. It was a cute film and we had a great time. Unknown to us, Santa was waiting in the lobby after the show so the girls had a chance to sit on Santa's knee and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Later we enjoyed lunch from McDonalds and then headed to the chocolate store downtown to choose our favorite fudge before taking the girls home.

Fun With My Grandchildren! * Kimberly

For some time Kimberly and I have been planning to sew together. On Thanksgiving day, Kimberly remained behind when her family left for home. We played games that night and had a good time. The next morning we got out my trusty sewing machine and together we made a skirt! Kimberly did most of the sewing. It was a perfect starter pattern and we were done in no time. A new skirt needs a new top so we went downtown and found a perfect top to go with it. Next door was a great candy shop that makes wonderful fudge! Kimberly and I each picked our favorite kind - peanut butter for her and mint for me. :-)

Her new skirt really needed a slip and I thought we could find one when we took her home. To my surprise, no one sells slips for little girls. I called every possible place and even looked on the internet. She wanted so much to wear her new skirt and with no slip in sight, desperate times required desperate measures! Rooting through my dresser I found an old slip of mine. With some drastic alterations, it was reduced to one just her size. She now has a new skirt and top, and her Grandma's old slip! :-)

When Ken and I took Kimberly home, we got there just in time to attend a special choir concert performed by the school choir she is part of. They sang beautifully and it was wonderful watching her perform. She's growing into such a beautiful young woman and I look forward to many more wonderful times together.

Amazing!

One of the exhibits at the Science Museum in New York was a large area dedicated to churches and towers all built out of toothpicks! According to the signs around the exhibit, they were all the work of one man and represented many hours of work. To our surprise, one of the buildings was the Salt Lake Temple! Even made out of toothpicks, its beautiful!

Fun With My Grandchildren! * Ethan & Addie

The last few weeks have been filled with some wonderful moments with my grandchildren so I thought I'd share some of these special times.

In early November I was able to travel to New York and spend a week with Ethan & Addie (and Marian, too, of course). We had a great time! The weather was perfect and while those of you in Utah were having your first snow storm, we spent a day playing at the park! The leaves had been gathered into a huge pile near the swings and were in a perfect location to jump into. The kids had a wonderful time and were covered with leaves by the time we left.

Ethan and Addie in the leaves

Later in the week we visited the Science Museum in Syracuse. They were really geared to children and we loved the exhibits.

As you can see, we especially loved the exhibits in the area about the human body. They had this huge nose on the wall with nose hairs that blew out air every few seconds. There was no way I could get either Ethan or Addie to stand by the puffing nose long enough for a picture. But they loved the giant tongue! :-)

In another area the kids were able to search for dinosaur bones and crawl through tunnels in a cave.

Ethan and Addie in the tunnels

Back at home we had several activities, too. We popped popcorn one night from real popcorn cobs. Only 2 minutes in a paper sack in the microwave. Ethan showed me how to make my own popcorn sack where I could put my share.

On another day we made Oreo cookie Turkeys for Thanksgiving. What fun!

All too soon the week ended and I was headed home. But I'm already making plans for next time!

Just for Laughs!

I was talking to Justin today. He had been so excited last month when he made his first mortgage payment. Today though, he said that his second mortgage payment wasn't nearly as exciting as the first one! :-)

And he's kind of afraid it will go downhill from here!

Christmas Music!

I LOVE Christmas music! My kids will tell you that I've been known to listen to Christmas music in July. :-) The spirit from this time of year is really special to me. In honor of the holiday, I've added a Christmas music playlist to my blog for the month of December. You can find it at the bottom of the page. These are just a few of my favorites!

Merry Christmas!

Disaster Diverted!

With the holidays coming, the last few days have been incredibly hectic. I'm sure most of you can relate. The projects are piled on every available flat surface and I move from place to place trying to keep up a steady pace. (In fact, I'm printing calendar pages in between writing this blog post!)

This morning, however, things came to an abrupt stop! I've been working on editing and compiling a computer copy of my Dad's history. This morning I could see the light at the end of the tunnel as I put together the last picture page. A few typed paragraphs to go and it would officially be completed except for printing. While taking a breathing break, I went to print a to do list for the week and suddenly our laser printer went crazy. Several lights flashed and the fan started turning at an extremely high speed! I frantically tried several things to correct the situation to no avail and I had to shut it down. To my dismay, a call to a local computer service shop revealed that repairs would be $47.50 per hour and the service technician would not be in until Monday!

Later that afternoon Ken arrived home from work. I sadly related my printer problems and went about my work. Next thing I knew, Ken had the printer apart in about a dozen pieces! Screws were in small separate piles and he was studying inside. There jammed between the roller and the drum was a badly mangled piece of paper. With a pair of tweezers he carefully pulled out the bunched up chunks of paper and calmly put the whole thing back together again! Needless to say, I'm back in business. Thanks Ken! I owe you $47.50!

Home Sweet Home

A few weeks ago Justin became the newest homeowner in the Rimington clan. To say that he is excited would be a HUGE understatement! :-)

Sunday Chuckle! :-)

Just thought I'd share some Sunday humor! :-) The other day I was watching a silent romantic comedy from the 1920's. The main characters were a family, so part of the comic moments came from interactions between family members. A new scene opened and it was obvious the family was going to sit down to a very nice meal. The table was beautifully set and each family member was dressed up. The music was light-hearted and led up to the title card for the scene:

"Sunday - when the average family wears

itself out trying to rest!"

I couldn't help laughing because it was so often true! In spite of the commandment to honor the Sabbath Day, we so often "wear ourselves out" trying to do so. Here's my Sunday challenge! I am setting a goal to add more reverance into my Sabbath Day and I challenge each of you to do the same! :-) Here's to our new and improved Sunday!

Happy Halloween!

Just wanted to share our pumpkins. Kevin and I had a great time carving them! Kevin calls his Two-face and carved the Batman sign in the side. :-)

The Old Gray Mare Ain't What She Used To Be!

Yesterday Kevin and I went out to buy a couple of pumpkins for Halloween. Most of the fruit stands along the highway sell pumpkins so I headed to my favorite. While I paid for them, Kevin loaded them into the car. The cashier was a pretty young girl with a quick smile. While she was ringing them up on the cash register, she looked up and innocently asked, "So your grandson came to help you?"

My smile was not quite as quick as I explained that he was my son! Kevin laughed most of the afternoon and kept calling me Grandma until I issued a few threats about unlimited chores! Now where did I put that hair dye! :-)

A Goal Accomplished!!!

I love General Conference! I love the spirit I feel! For several years I've thought about recording the sessions and listening again, as well as following my mother's example and reading the Ensign conference issue cover to cover before the next conference issue arrived. Last April I decided to accomplish this goal.

Listening to the sessions was easy and before I knew it, I'd re-watched all four sessions! Reading was going to be a commitment, however. My issue became a little travel worn as it followed me to various locations, even New York last summer and Hawaii a few weeks ago. A few days ago I realized my new issue could arrive soon. Although determined, it had been easy to let other things get in the way and I had a few pages to complete. Late this morning I was reading the last two talks. At first I was thrilled over my success. Of course, the new conference issue was due and could be in my mailbox. But as long as I hadn't gone out to get the mail, I still hadn't received it . . . right?

Suddenly, Bishop H. David Burton's talk in October conference flitted through my mind. He talked of the virtues, stressing ones he called Ity virtues: humility, spirituality, accountability, charity, etc. but particularly integrity. At that moment I knew that if my conference issue was in my mailbox, I had not met my goal. After all, I still had one last talk to read. I was frustrated with myself. It's not as if there hadn't been time to finish. It may sound silly but it was a pretty slow walk to the mailbox. To my surprise, it still hadn't arrived! I was thrilled and hurried back to read the last talk!

When all is said and done, I'm grateful I was able to complete this goal, but I'm more grateful for the spirit that has been part of my life during the last six months as I read and marked these talks. I'm excited to start again with my new issue! This time, though, I think I'll try not to cut it so close! :-)

Polynesian Cultural Center

One of our favorite days was our visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu. This center covers more than 40 acres and lets you experience first-hand the islands of Polynesia. The guides are natives from the islands as well as students of BYU Hawaii. In each area you could watch demonstrations and dances and listen to music from the various islands they represented. We watched one student climb a coconut tree and then another student husked a coconut and started a fire with sticks in just a few moments. It was fascinating to watch these young people demonstrate the culture of their heritage.

At mid-day there was a rainbow canoe parade that represented each of the nations. Dancers performed on the river that ran through the center. It was amazing they could keep their balance as the canoes moved through the water. :-) Hope you enjoy just a few pictures from the parade.

Tonga

Samoa

Tahiti

Fiji

At evening time we attended a luau with plenty of wonderful food!

Hawaiian Luau

At the end of the day we watched a wonderful program of song and dance performed by the many dancers and students at the Center. The fire dance was especially breathtaking!

And last, but certainly not least, we took a haunted lagoon ride on canoes! During the month of October, the center puts together their own version of a haunted house. :-) By this time the sun has gone down and the river area of the center is pretty dark. You board a canoe and ride through their haunted lagoon where swamp creatures jump out of the water beside the canoe and come down out of the trees as you pass underneath. At one point a group of zombies grabbed a screaming young boy from the canoe and carried him off into the trees! Since I am well known for jumping at the least little thing, I wasn't sure whether I was going to regret this part of the day but it was great fun! The students certainly outdid themselves and put on an exceptional haunted canoe ride.

We flew home the next day so this turned out to be a great end of our visit to Hawaii! Maybe some day we'll be able to go again!

Here's Looking At You!

Going new places sometimes means trying new things and Ken is always up to the challenge. While driving around the island of Oahu, Ken kept noticing roadside seafood stands and really wanted to stop. (Actually, stands is a polite term for shacks!) He finally stated firmly that he was definitely going to try one. With a sigh, I requested that he try to find one that didn't look like it was going to topple over at any moment. :-) He chose a small, but fairly nice looking food stand that was actually quite crowded with people. On either side they had picnic tables with shade canopies and even a few outdoor sinks to wash your hands.

The wait was actually pretty long but the locals who were also in line told us it would be well worth the wait. When Ken finally came to the table with our order, I found myself looking at several sets of eyes (among other things) and these guys were huge! All around us were people who were blissfully breaking off heads and sucking out the insides. (shudder) Every time I looked down all I could see were these big reproachful black eyes looking at me! Needless to say, I made my big, brave husband break off the heads for me. And I have to admit, the locals were right . . . the food was wonderful!

Each Life That Touches Ours . . .

Today we attended a very touching funeral. The daughter-in-law of Ken's friend and co-worker was killed in a car accident a few days ago. She was only 21 years old and was expecting her first child. Listening to those who had known her was a spiritually uplifting experience. She had lived her young life so well that I had no doubt that she had returned to the presence of her Heavenly Father. It was hard, though, as I watched her grieving young husband. The Bishop made a very profound statement, however, that really struck a chord. He quietly stated:

"The only way to take the sorrow out of death is to take the love out of life."

How empty life would be without those whom we love and who love us. I'm so grateful for those who have always been there for me and continue to do so even now. Your very presence in my life are my greatest blessings. How grateful I am as well, for the Plan of Salvation that promises that families are forever!


Lots of love to you all!

Road Trip - Maui

One of our favorite days was our road trip on the famous "Road to Hana" on Maui. Although the city of Hana is only about 50 miles from where the ship was docked, the round trip took most of the day. The road winds along the edge of the island and has over 40 one-way bridges with at least that many hairpin turns. Reaching 15 mph was pushing it most of the time. The scenes of the ocean were breathtaking, however, and we loved watching the countryside during the drive. We had met another couple during church the day before and they willingly joined us for the day. We had a great time visiting and seeing the sights. Here's just a few of our pictures from that day.

Road to Hana

Looking down on the Hana road from above

Maui countryside

View of the ocean from above

Black Sand Beach

A peek at the ocean through a Lava hole

Peacocks along the roadside

One of several waterfalls along the way

Lots of love to you all!

Cruisin' Along

This trip was filled with many wonderful firsts including our first cruise! With a seven day cruise of four of the islands, we were excited to see as much as possible. We were glad we arrived in Oahu a few days before we set sail, allowing us to settle in a little to the new time change.

When we approached the dock to check in, we felt a little overwhelmed. Our ship was HUGE with more than 13 stories! We felt like we were going to be sailing on a small high rise! :-) Our stateroom was on the 7th floor which was a step up from the smallest rooms (no window). We had wanted to be able to see out so we'd chosen a small upgrade. We couldn't help smiling, though, since the lifeboats were also on the 7th floor and effectively blocked most of our window. :-) We couldn't see the ocean but at least a little light leaked through! As you can see, the quarters were pretty tight, but since you were usually only in the room at night, it didn't seem to matter.

The ship had numerous restaurants and we tried most of them. This particular cruise emphasized casual dining so most of the restaurants accepted shorts and jeans but a few required dressing up. One night Ken invited me to dress up and go on a date! :-) It was great fun but the waiter was a little confused when we declined the many wine choices and the champagne bucket. :-)

One of the floors had shops and if you didn't mind the exorbitant shipboard prices you could go on a major shopping spree! I'm afraid my frugality kicked in and my shopping was confined to post cards but it was fun to window shop!

We enjoyed several of the nightly shows, including a wonderful magic show and a night of Polynesian music and dance. Along with 2 pools and 4 or 5 jacuzzi's, the ship included a full library with more books than my local bookmobile and a computer room where you could enjoy the computers (at 75 cents a minute - gasp!)

The ship traveled at night and usually came into each island between 7-8 am each morning. Ken claimed it was like being rocked to sleep each night. The motion was a little disconcerting to me and if we were walking around I sometimes found myself grabbing a handrail to anchor myself. Surprisingly, there were handrails along almost every wall. Hmmm

We made a few friends and even met some people from Honeyville! It really is a small world. :-) When all was said and done, we loved the cruise and had a great time!

"I Love to See the Temple"

More on Hawaii:

Highlights of our trip included not one . . . not two . . . but three temples! How lucky can you be! :-)

Kona, Hawaii Temple

While on the Big Island of Hawaii, we were able to do a session in the Kona, Hawaii Temple. As one of the smaller temples, we needed to make reservations in advance. While there, we actually met several others from Utah who were also visiting the islands. One interesting thing happened at the dock as we were getting off the boat. We were carrying our temple bags but otherwise, we thought we looked like tourists. Our reservation wasn't until 1:00 so we were casually dressed and had brought our dress clothes to change into later. One of the security personnel as we left the boat looked pointedly at our bags and asked if we were LDS and were we going to the temple!

Kona Temple grounds

Laie, Hawaii Temple

While on the island of Oahu, we were able to visit the Laie Temple. This one is currently being rennovated so we were unable to go inside but the grounds were beautiful with flowers everwhere. As we toured the Visitor's Center, I was surprised to find out that this is one of the oldest LDS Temples. Built in 1919, this was the fifth temple to be completed and is actually 90 years old!

Laie Temple grounds

And last but not least, we were in the final days of our trip during General Conference. Kevin called us and played President Monson's announcement of the new temples. Imagine our reaction to the news that there was to be a temple built in Brigham City! As you can probably guess, the speculation as to where it will be is running rampant and everyone has their own theory. Even the Box Elder Journal listed the story of the new temple on the front page with a great big "?" as to its location. :-) Needless to say, we're pretty excited!