If I could be half as disciplined as my sweet husband, I would be.... better! In an ongoing effort to encourage me, he has challenged me to set a goal to keep a journal this year (2009). It's a great idea! I can record fun things we do, funny and/or memorable things our grandchildren say, milestones in the lives of our selves and our children and their families, struggles and triumphs. Great idea!
To this end, I've decided to include significant memories I have from the past, by month.
January: Winter, Cold, White, Long
My sister Jane was born in January, 1955. She is the oldest child in our family, the first of five girls with one brother. She let me live with her for awhile in 1981 upon my return from Germany, where I lived with my parents and younger siblings for 5 years. On her birthday we also celebrate our nephew Ben's birthday (he's so handsome, I think he should do print modeling - but he thinks it's not for him) I'll have to take a photo of him to post and illustrate my opinion. Benjamin is the son of Reid and Charmalee Earl - Charmalee is my sister.
Jane and Ben also celebrate their birthdays with a grand nephew, Taber. Taber is the son of Natalie Earl, another off-spring of Reid and Charmalee. Taber makes me laugh. He's a little Ben. He idolizes his Uncle Ben, too! I'm pretty sure he'll turn 12 this year! Wow, a deacon!
Jennifer Jean Morgan (now McGregor) was also born in January, 1976.
A Bi-Centennial baby!
Jennifer was the first grand-child in the Blakeley family (her Mother's side). She was the cutest little thing. Now, she's a big bad teacher at Northridge High School! Well, she's actually quite petite but still a teacher! I'm sure she could easily get lost in the crowd of students and even be mistaken as one.
Val's Mom, Caren Bagley, also celebrates her birthday in January. Caren is a very talented lady. She is an accomplished pianist, quilter, crafter, seamstress, raises birds and bunnies, has a very green thumb and much more. She even paints! One of my favorite paintings is of a fawn in a woodland setting. She and my father-in-law Honey, live in Midway.
As a teenager, I went skiing every January weekend with my family. We had a season pass at Powder Mountain, in the Ogden Valley. I'm sooo old, I remember when it opened. I even worked there on weekends during a couple of seasons. Except for the steep, curving mountain road, it's a fun place to visit!
Another significant thing about Powder Mountain is that one of the original owners was Dr. Cobabe, the man who delivered me on my birthday, at St. Benedict's Hospital! Yes. I was sprinkled a Catholic on the day I was born! I'm a Mormon, now.
January is also the month Val proposed to me! It was a cold January night. So cold, the night air crystallized. After a nice dinner at Cafe Pierpont, Val took me on a carriage ride around downtown Salt Lake City and asked me if I would marry him. I said, "I would love to!" He had all the elements of what i wanted in a marriage proposal. It was sweet, private and romantic. Val incorporated the 'sweet' part by having my engagement ring put inside a chocolate candy from Mrs. Cavanaugh's. Very sweet on many layers! The privacy was of course the carriage ride around the city. Romance came in the form of him playing 'our song' Unforgettable!
A funny thing about the romantic part... Val called and requested the song from one of the radio stations he listens to; when it played, he recorded it with his cassette recorder (did I mention I'm old?) in preparation for the evening carriage ride. After the proposal he played the song for us. Well, he must have forgotten to check the batteries, or it was so cold outside it affected the batteries because it was a very slow rendition of the song and very funny. Alas, all was not lost. After we returned to my house, we plugged in the cassette player, replayed the song and danced together! So romantic!
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