Soldier's Funeral

March 4, 2009

I went to the funeral for Michael Alleman today. He left behind a wife and two young boys.

There was an amazing display of support and patriotism from the community. Standing amongst the flags that lined the procession route were kids from his school with their hands over their hearts. There were also a line of National Guard soldiers in their fatigues, saluting, and firemen and scouts holding flags. An organization called the Patriot Guard was there with their Harleys dressed in their Harley attire, holding flags that lined the sidewalk and to the entrance of the church. They accompanied his body from the airport to the funeral home, and from there to the church. At the graveside service, he received full military honors.

I am amazed at the strength by his family. They have a lot of faith and hope. He was serving in Iraq, and died while on a special mission against some Al Quida creeps. He was 31 years old.

I am thankful for these soldiers who are willing to sacrifice their time and their lives for freedom's sake. Since Shaun joined the military, I think this death affected me more than I expected. Though worried, I am very proud of him and Lisa for their courage and commitment.

Examples

There are many examples in our lives that can affect us forever. I want to mention some that I think deserves some attention.

My sister, Ellen, took on a project a few years ago that was more than she probably planned. A few years ago, she moved her EX-mother-in-law here to Utah from California. She had always kept in touch with her and knew that she needed help. Much of this was done at Ellen and Larry's expense. (What husband is supportive of this kind of treatment of an Ex-anything?)

As the months passed, Loretta had many accidents and required a lot of medical treatment. Ellen and Kira faithfully did her grocery shopping and ran her around for her errands. This lady was demanding and sometimes not very grateful. Ellen really did all this with a willing attitude clear up until and through the funeral.

"It puts me in mind" of another situation where I watched unfold before my eyes when my mother took such good care of my dad. This kind of service is not understood by most - unless they've had to do it themselves. I watch my mom laugh at my dad's jokes (even when she was the brunt) and she kept him physically clean and looking professional. I marveled at this kind of treatment, because we all knew it wasn't necessarily earned. I saw the epitome of Tender Loving Kindness.

As I observed these kind acts, and was privileged to be at Dad's bedside as he lay dying - watching my mother lie down next to him and snuggle, commenting that she could stay just like that forever - I knew that my parents loved each other. This has been a great comfort to me thru the years.

It is this type of behavior that make us all want to try a little harder and do a little better. I'm grateful to have been a witness to these great examples.

Happy Birthday Mike!

February 26, 2009

I just wanted to wish Michael a happy 19th birthday. My, how you've changed over the years and how time flies. Hope you had a great day!

She's here!!!

February 20, 2009

MY 5th grandchild is finally here!!! (Our 10th). We are so glad she and her mom are doing so well. No pics yet, but will come soon! Can you believe she had the nerve to come while I was out of the country? I tried to convince Kim she could pant until I got home, but 2 days was just too long:) She was born at 6:12 pm. She weighs 8 lbs 3 oz and is 20 inches long. She has lots of dark hair like her sister. Her name is Halle Paige Adams.

Congrats, Josh and Kim (and Chloee)!

Leaving Australia

February 22, 2009

Leaving Australia was sad. We didn't want to go home to the cold, dreary weather. Leaving Gary there was even harder. We did come home with an extra suitcase to bring home souvenirs and chocolate.

Glenworth Valley

February 21, 2009
Saturday we drove to Glenworth Valley to go horseback riding. This was probably our favorite activity. We took a two hour ride into the country. Gary rode a Clydesdale that was one of the bullies of the group. Rach rode Peter who was another bully. Ty was on Oscar. He was pretty mild mannered and I rode Brody, who was spunky and didn't want to mind me. It was really fun, but when we got back, a huge outback thunderstorm rolled in and we barely missed it, but it was an awesome sight! We loved seeing parrots on the bird feeder and the 200 horses on the land. At a creek on the ride, we saw a Water Dragon just out in the wild. It was weird! Oh yes, I did see a Kookaburra!

One More Beach Day

February 20, 2009 We had to take advantage of the sun once more and go back to the beach. We had a lot of fun making sand "castles" and seeing which ones would still stand when the water came. The kids were talking about the foolish man building his house upon the sand. I was pleased to see that they remembered some of their past experiences as they named each "castle." BTW, the Colosseum made it the longest, with Timpanogos coming in next.

Afterwards, we went back to Manly Beach to get some more fish and chips. Mmmm, they were good! Ty and Rach fed leftover fries to the seagulls.



It was so weird to look up into the trees and see these parrot-type birds. Rach happened to be doing a report on the macaw, while on this trip, and learned that these birds have a mate for life. We always saw them in pairs.