Hazardous Highlights

2012-02-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hurray, hurray, hurray!! The big event is that Maren McKinley was born yesterday. We are so excited to have her join our family. Nancy will leave early tomorrow morning for Post Falls, and Allison and I will follow on Wednesday. We are very excited. The basics are that she was 6 pounds 14 ounces, red hair, beautiful, healthy, and happy. Rachel is also doing well. For details, go to Logan and Rachel's blog.

This is Nancy preparing materials for her sub, so she can head off to Post Falls and be a Grandma!!

More preparation. She will miss valentine's day with her kindergartners, but she is making them all cards for when she is away. What a great teacher.

This is me pretending to help.

A Note From Nancy

2012-01-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

I know Greg already did today's post, but I thought that I'd share a recipe with everyone. Grandma Hill used to make this and so did I, but I'd forgotten all about it until this week. I made it for a Relief Society dinner and it was a huge hit. All the ladies loved it so much and it's so easy that I thought I'd share it. If you like chocolate, you will love this!

Cherry Chocolate Cake

1 package Devil's Food cake mix Frosting:
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling 1 cup sugar
1 tsp. almond extract 5 tbsp. butter
2 eggs 1/3 c. milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Heat the oven to 350. Grease a 9"x13" pan.
Combine the dry cake mix, cherry pie filling, almond extract, and 2 eggs BY HAND; stir until well blended, being careful not to break up the cherries too much. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until it tests done. Cool.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, and mild. Boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips until smooth. Immediately pour over the partially cooled cake.

*You can make this in a bundt pan and it looks pretty with the frosting on top.

Since I'm already on the blog I'll tell a little more about our week. We've been really good about walking this week and it's felt great! We go down to the new track and walk 3 miles really fast and usually get done in about 45 minutes. I know all you runners out there are probably rolling your eyes, but at least we're doing something! Greg is always good about playing racquetball or lifting weights every day, but I rarely get out to exercise so I'm pretty happy about it.

We are loving being empty nesters again. Of course, Courtney comes home almost every day to run on the treadmill, but for the most part we are alone. You couldn't say that our lives are exciting, but it's just so fun to be together that we are very happy. We both leave for work around 7:00 in the morning and get home around 5:00 at night and by then we're ready to be done for the day. We walk, read books, watch movies, cook, and run errands. We are two middle aged people who find great joy in just being together. LIfe is great!

2012-01-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, January 22nd and we finally got some snow. It wasn't until last night, but we have it. I actually got to push some snow off the driveway this morning. It was only about a half inch, but it was fun.

Looking down the hill as I drove to church today.

The back yard. I actually raked up apples and leaves yesterday and today we had snow. It was like having spring and winter all in 24 hours.

On Wednesday of last week, Nancy's school had a fund raiser at the local McDonald's. She got to go down and work for a half hour or so. The place was crowded and it was fun to know most everyone there. I guess this is one of the perks of living in a small town. It can be good and bad, but on this night it was very good and lots of fun.

Nancy in her red "Lincoln" shirt. She also got to wear an official McDonald's apron, but I missed that photo op.

2012-01-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a good week. It continues to be unseasonably warm in Rexburg. It feels almost like spring, but we know it's not. Until winter hits, we are enjoying every day.

You don't have to read any farther if you don't want to. The following is a talk I prepared about the Book of Mormon and my own personal journey with it. In it, I refer to our graduation roadtrip to the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho, and to an experience I had in Merced when we lived there . . . which included Haley and Colby shooting the neighbors window with a BB gun. All is well that ends well . . . right?

Here's my talk,

My topic isthe Book of Mormon. I want to talk abouttwo things today. First, reading theBook of Mormon as families to help unify the home. Second, renewing our personal testimony ofthe Book of Mormon every day.

PresidentAndersen has challenged all of us to read or reread the Book of Mormon thisyear, and use it to teach in our homes.

I’m happy toreport that many in our community are doing a great job of teaching the Book ofMormon in their homes. Nancy, my wife,is a kindergarten teacher. The other dayshe held up a penny and asked the kindergarteners if they knew whose picturewas on the penny. The first answer was“Moroni”. The second answer was“President Monson”. To me, this is evidencethat they are being taught the gospel in their homes . . . and that they needto learn more about Abraham Lincoln.

Go back withme 100 years to April 15, 1912.

As you know,this is the day the Titanic Sank resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people. (RMS Titanic – Wikipedia)

Try toimagine the chaos on the Titanic when it was sinking. People were probably running everywherelooking for family members and loved ones. It was noisy and unorganized as people were, or were not able to get tothe lifeboats. It was probably reallyscary. Some, I’m sure, gave up all hope. But in the midst of the trouble, as you know,there was a spot of relative peace, comfort, and hope. A string quartet played among other things,the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee.” I’vealways liked this hymn and the idea of getting closer to God.

In D&C 88:63 the Savior says “Draw nearunto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me;ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

So, myquestion is how do we draw near to our Heavenly Father and Jesus?

In a meeting with the Twelve Apostles, the Prophet JosephSmith said that “. . . a man would get nearer to God by abiding by (the)precepts (in the Book of Mormon), than by any other book.” So, one way to grow closer to God and JesusChrist is by reading the Book of Mormon and practicing the precepts found init. (History of the Church,a4:461; see introduction to the BofM)

On average,Christ is mentioned every 1.7 versus in the Book of Mormon (Book of Mormon Study Guide).

Theintroduction to the book says “The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripturecomparable to the Bible . . . andcontains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.”

As we learnof Christ and the everlasting gospel, we will grow closer to our HeavenlyFather. If we do this as a family, familyunity will increase, and Parents, children, and siblings will see more of thedivine in each other.

President MarionG. Romney said “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read fromthe Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with theirchildren, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and allwho dwell therein. The spirit ofreverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other willgrow. The spirit of contention willdepart. Parents will counsel theirchildren in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of theirparents . . . ” (April 1980 Conference or May Ensign1980, 67)

Everyindividual, and every family is different, so how to best read and study theBook of Mormon together will also be different. It is something that should be talked about and decided upon as afamily.

Our ownfamily is spread across the country from Copperas Cove Texas to Logan Utah, andCoeur d’ Alane Idaho to Tulsa Oklahoma, and to one daughter in an apartment atBYU-Idaho. Nancy and I wanted to be apart of their Book of Mormon study even though we were far away.

We gave allof them a set of Book of Mormon study guides for Christmas, and encouragedthem to read and study together in their homes. We thought it would be unifying if they were all studying from the samebooks. I’d like to read a paragraph of aletter Nancy wrote and included with our gift. I’ll get her permission to do this right after church today.

(Nancy quote)

“I know that in order foryou to be able to teach your children to love the Book of Mormon you must firsthave your own personal understanding and testimony of it’s truthfulness. As you study it individually and with yourfamilies it will bring peace to your homes and your lives. You and yourchildren will be strengthened and will be able to withstand the temptationsthat are all around us today. . . . I know that the principles, doctrines, andteachings found in the Book of Mormon will lead you to true happiness fargreater than anything the world has to offer. It will lead you to Christ, thetrue source of Joy.” (end quote)

Allow me to tell a story of a family that cameto Christ and found joy through reading the Book of Mormon.

Twenty yearsago we were living in Merced, California. One day, I had to go across the street to the neighbors and apologizefor my daughter and nephew who had shot their picture window, accidentally,with a BB gun.

We didn’tknow the neighbors well, and this was the first time we had spoken. They explained that their little boy and girlhad been under the window, and if it had shattered it would have beendisastrous. They were, understandably, veryupset. Luckily, there was just a nice BBhole in the window, and no glass shattering.

After theexchange, we knew their names for the first time, but really had no truerelationship with them. They did notappreciate that we had guns in the house . . . and were leery of parents who wouldlet five year-olds play with guns.

In reality,these neighbors were nice enough. Thegrandma would sit on the porch and smoke cigarettes in between planting flowersin the flower beds in front of the house. The dad would go to work every day at the city refuge plant, and atnight would study to be a fireman. Themom would stay home and take their two children on walks.

We wouldwatch each other from across the street, but never really talked. We knew their first names, but not theirlast, and vice versa. Because they wereall really, really short, I started thinking of them as the short family.

The grandmaspent more and more time on the front porch smoking and caring for herflowers. She became part of the sceneryof our daily life. The smoking flowerlady.

Then oneday, she wasn’t there anymore.

A short timelater, I got a phone call. It was from ayoung couple looking for someone to conduct a funeral. They said their mother had passed away, thatshe had been Mormon when she was young. Before she died, she told the kids to call a Mormon bishop and he wouldhelp arrange the funeral. So they hadgone to the phone book and called around until they found the bishop of theboundaries where they lived.

I was that bishop.

On the phone, I had no idea who they were, and they had noidea who I was. We had a shortconversation, and then I asked for their address so I could come visit and talkin person.

Imagine my surprise to discover that it was my neighbors acrossthe street.

And, imagine their surprise when about ten seconds afterhanging up the phone, I knocked on their door to introduce myself as the bishopthey had just called. They had no ideawhat a Mormon bishop looked like, but they were pretty sure it wasn’t me. The irresponsible parent of gun toten 5 yearolds.

After the shock wore off, we talked about the funeralarrangements. Then, through tears, theyasked me where she was? I remembergetting down on the floor and sketching our Heavenly Father’s plan in theircarpet. Then I went home and got them aBook of Mormon.

They learned how to pray, and they read the book. They gained testimonies of the Book ofMormon, and were baptized.

Then, we moved to Rexburg, and slowly lost track of eachother.

13 years later, I was in my office at BYU-Idaho and a goodlooking, very short, young man came and stood in my doorway. He asked if I knew who he was. I knew immediately he was the little boyunder the window with the BB hole in it. He was getting ready to go on his mission. He told me his dad was in the bishopric andhis mom was the primary president.

Their callings were not important, but the fact that theywere strong in the gospel was.

Obviously, back at the time, there were a lot of things goingon in this little family’s life, but it was the Book of Mormon that changed theirlife and their family forever.

Once they had a testimony of the Book of Mormon through thehelp of the Holy Ghost, they knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet. And, once they knew that Joseph Smith was aprophet, they knew the principles and ordinances of the gospel, as revealedthrough him, were necessary to be together as a family forever. It was a game changer, and their lives werenever the same.

As Tad R. Callister of the presidency of the 70 said in lastGeneral Conference, “That is the genius of the Book of Mormon—there is nomiddle ground. It is either the word of God as professed, or it is a totalfraud. This book does not merely claim to be a moral treatise or theologicalcommentary or collection of insightful writings. It claims to be the word ofGod—every sentence, every verse, every page. Joseph Smith declared that an angel of God directed him to gold plates,which contained the writings of prophets in ancient America, and that hetranslated those plates by divine powers. If that story is true, then the Bookof Mormon is holy scripture, just as it professes to be; if not, it is asophisticated but, nonetheless, diabolical hoax.” (end quote)

Moroni reminds us that knowing whether it’s true or not comesby the power of the Holy Ghost. He saysin Moroni 10:3-5,

“3. Behold, I would exhort you that whenye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would rememberhow merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation ofAdam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, andponder (them) in your hearts.

4. And when ye shall receive thesethings, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, ifthese things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with realintent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you.

5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”

Now, let me tell you why I love the Book of Mormon.

I love the Book of Mormon because it is a book with a claimand a book with a promise. The claim is that every word is from God. The promise is that we can know forourselves.

When I was 7 or 8 years old I stayed home from church oneSunday with my dad. Some of you know mydad and you know he is not a member of the church. As a child, I idolized him and wanted to growup to be just like him. And I stilldo. I was getting close to baptism ageand my mom told me I had to ask my dad’s permission if I wanted to getbaptized. She was a member of the churchand would take me my brother and two sisters to church. He would go sometimes, but would normally stayhome.

That Sunday, I remember sitting on our orange vinyl couch inthe family room with my dad. I asked himif he believed in Jesus. He saidyes. So I asked why he didn’t go tochurch with my mom. I remember himtelling me the Book of Mormon was not true, and that he worshiped Jesus Christand not Joseph Smith, so he had a different church. I didn’t ask him if I couldget baptized because I didn’t feel ready.

Even at that young age, I knew I had to learn for myself ifthe church was true or not before I should even consider baptism.

It didn’t take me long. I liked the idea that I could be with my family forever, so I gotbaptized when I was 9. I suppose mytestimony was shallow and small and more in the form of hope than anythingelse. At the time, all I really knewabout the Book of Mormon came from primary songs like “Book of Mormon Storiesthat my Teacher Told to Me”.

Then when I was almost 12 and about to get the Aaronic Priesthood,my mom told me again that I had to ask my Dad if it was okay. I still idolized him, and wanted to be likehim. Again, he reaffirmed to me that hedid not believe the Book of Mormon and he did not believe Joseph Smith was a prophet. . . but I could do what I wanted.

This time, I felt a more urgent desire to know if the Book ofMormon was true or not, and if Joseph Smith was a prophet or not.

It was soon summer and we went on vacation. I remember praying alone out loud in a secondstory bedroom of my grandmother’s house in Filer Idaho. I had been reading the Book of Mormon andwanted to know if it were true or not.

I was young, but the Holy Ghost confirmed to me that it wastrue. And because it was true, I knewJoseph was a prophet. I felt peace andcalm. This is the first time I think Ireally had a testimony of my own. So,when we went back to California, I got the priesthood.

When I first learned for myself that the Book of Mormon wastrue, it was like the sun coming up on a fresh spring day. Everything was better, brighter, cleaner, andclearer. I knew that Joseph Smith was aprophet, but I also knew it was not about him.

As L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy saidin last conference:

“We are grateful forJoseph Smith and watch with wonder as his name is revered and, yes, evenreviled ever more widely across the earth. But we recognize that this mightylatter-day work is not about him. It is the work of Almighty God and His Son,the Prince of Peace.” (end quote)

In 2^nd Corinthians, Paul taught that “in the mouthof two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” I came to believe that the Bible was onewitness of Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon was a second witness of JesusChrist.

As Brother Callister said in conference, “Together with theBible, the Book of Mormon is an indispensable witness of the doctrines ofChrist and His divinity. Together with the Bible, it “teach[es] all men thatthey should do good” and that they should believe and have faith in JesusChrist.

(2 Nephi 33:10)

My testimony of the Book of Mormon was gradually growing.

When I graduated from high school, I had no pressure to go ona mission, but felt like if it were the right thing to do, then I should doit. I still idolized my dad, and hestill did not believe in the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, or missions. Again, I had to renew my testimony of the Book of Mormon. Because I knew that if the Book of Mormonwere true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet. And if he was a prophet, then the gospel as restored through him wastrue and I wanted to share that no matter the sacrifice.

If it weren’t true, then I had better things to do with mytime.

The day after graduation, My brother, a friend, and I shavedour heads and left California in a 1967 red Volkswagen bug for a 6 weekroadtrip / backpack trip to the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho. I remember one day along the way, bucking hayfor an uncle to make some money. Wedidn’t wear hats. After a day in the sunour heads were covered with blisters that oozed relentlessly.

That night, I remember reading the bible and the Book ofMormon as I dabbed at my head with a wet cloth.

I also remember another night in the same small town, beingyanked from the car and searched for drugs by well meaning police. I had never touched a drug in my life, so, ofcourse there was nothing for them to find.

That was my first experience with what we now call“profiling”. California plates, red Volkswagen,shaved heads, dragging main, unfamiliar teenagers. . . . I guess we shouldn’thave been surprised. We were good kids .. . just a little lacking in common sense.

That night, after being searched, I remember searching the scripturesagain.

When we got to the mountains, over 800 miles from home, weonly took one bag of rice, a fishing pole, and a 22 caliber rifle because our plan was to quote, “live offthe land.” To make a long story short,

We starved. But I readfrom the Book of Mormon and the bible every day.

I remember my sleeping bag getting soaked in a rain storm, soI slept under a low footbridge with no sleeping gear while the rain drippedthrough the cracks and the bridge acted as an efficient refrigerator. And, the creek rose. To make a long story short,

We froze. But I had timeunder the bridge to ponder the Book of Mormon.

I also remember having no water and hiking high on themountains looking down on the taunting Middle Fork of the Salmon river forhours. Finally, after getting to theriver and getting a drink, I didn’t have the energy to walk 30 yards to a shadyflat area, so I collapsed on a pile of bowling ball size rocks in the burningsun and woke up a couple of hours later. to make a long story short,

We were exhausted. But I prayed about the Book of Mormon.

I read the Book of Mormon, and had lots of time to thinkabout it, and I prayed about it. Again,the Holy Ghost witnessed to me that it was from God, and I felt peace and calm.

As soon as we hit the pavement, our friend, who had growntired of the advertised mountain man trip that had turned into a religious retreat,hitch hiked home to California in two days. My brother and I hitch hiked to our car in Stanley and drove home. It was a great adventure.

Although there were lots of things to talk about and rememberfrom this trip. The thing I remembermost is that,

I recaptured and renewed my testimony of the Book ofMormon. I knew it was of God, and I knewJoseph Smith was a prophet.

It was a hard thing for me and my family, especially my dad,mom, and sisters - but I went on my mission to Japan, leaving five days aftermy brother left on his mission to the Philippines. Since then, I have daily recaptured andrenewed my testimony of the Book of Mormon. It has been life changing.

Finding the answer to “is the Book of Mormon true?” issomething we can only do for ourselves and it takes effort. But, the effort is worth it. And, the effort to constantly renew ourtestimonies is also worth it.

The Book of Mormontestifies that Jesus is the Christ; the bible testifies that Jesus is theChrist, and I testify that Jesus is the Christ.

I hope that all of us willtake President Andersen’s challenge to read and study the Book of Mormon thisyear. May we as individuals and asfamilies daily renew and recapture our testimonies of the Savior, and increasethe unity in our homes as we read, ponder, and pray. And, in the process move as the hymn says –“Nearer My God toThee” . . .

2012-01-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

Last week we helped move Allison to Logan, Utah, and Courtney to Snow View apartments in Rexburg. We are super excited for both of them! We are having soooo much fun watching all of our kids and the things they are doing. In fact, we are so happy with each one of them that we haven't much noticed the "empty nest."

Allison and Courtney on moving out and moving on.

2012-01-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas! We were blessed to have Logan/Rachel and family, Griffin/Ashland andfamily, Allison, and Courtney all here for Christmas. It was fun, fun, fun! The best part was just visiting witheveryone and, of course, holding and playing with grandkids.

Some of the things some or all of us did were: Christmas morning excitement, skypingMatt/Haley and Bennett, cross country skiing into a yurt for the night atHarriman State Park (Nancy and Allison babysat the kids at home), sledding inthe street, picking apples in December, going to movies, watching football, eatingpizza with Susan and Fred, going to the climbing gym, moving Allison’s stuff toLogan, playing games, spades (a game, but worth special mention), visitingGrandma Hill, seeing Kaitlin and Hayden, shopping, exchanging, eating, cooking,racquetball, talking, holding kids, playing with the kid’s toys, driving, etc.

Logan and Griffin have both taken their families home so,

Now, Sunday January 1st, it is Nancy, Allison, Courtney, andme again. What a fun, fun, core offour. The sad but exciting news is thatAllison will move to Logan on Tuesday, and Courtney will move to an apartment. So, it will be Nancy and me startingWednesday. The kids are ready to be goneand moving on, and we are excited for them.

We really are their number one fans.

We still need to get pictures off the multiple cameras that were constantly clicking, but here are a few pictures. Enjoy.

2011-12-11T20:53:00.001-08:00

Today is Sunday. After church and a nice dinner, we put up the Christmas tree. Christmas music was playing and it was very festive. It is now beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the living room.

Allison graduates from college this week. Wow! Just as we have been very proud of Logan, Griffin, Haley, Matt, and Rachel on their graduations, we are very proud of Allison. Like the others, she has worked hard and long. Her commencement is Friday at 5:30 in the BYU-Idaho Center, and her convocation is Saturday at 9:00 in the morning. We are looking forward to attending and celebrating.

Today, I gave another talk in a neighboring ward. I've posted it here for any who might be interested. It is titled "The Birth and The Atonement". In it I talk about Donnie and my climb of Royal Arches in Yosemite. That was a fun day.

John3:16: “For God soloved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believethin him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

During this Christmas season, we celebrate the birthof Jesus Christ and everything that means. His birth made possible the incredible gift of the atonement. The atonement is one of the most beautifuldoctrines of the gospel.

C.S. Lewis said: “If the thing (the atonement) happened, it was the central event in thehistory of the earth.”

And, President James E. Faust said: “It (theatonement) was the most transcendent act that has ever taken place, yet it isthe most difficult to understand.”

I’d like to direct my thoughts about the atonement tothe youth by telling them an imperfect parable.

Yosemite Valley is internationally recognized forits spectacular granitecliffs, waterfalls, clear streams,Giant Sequoiagroves, and biological diversity.

Itis one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is also one of the most formidable and challenging places for rockclimbers who have the need to climb and conquer the many granite cliffssurrounding the valley.

I spent many of my younger years trying to meet thatneed. It was exhilarating, cleansing,and addicting to focus my attention on moving carefully, smoothly, and safelyup the rock from the bottom of the Valley to the top of the cliffs.

Early one morning, in the 1980’s, I left MercedCalifornia where Nancy, my wife, and I were living, for the one hour drive toYosemite Valley. My brother and I had planned to climb “Royal Arches” which isa beautiful wall on the north side of Yosemite Valley just across from the“iconic” Half Dome. The day was freshand clear, and we were excited to get out of town and on the rock.

Here’s how the system works. In climbing, one pitch is about 150 feet, or thelength of the rope. The lead climber begins from the bottom of a pitch and putsin protection using things like this (show protection) and threads the ropethrough a carabineer so the person belaying at the bottom can stop a fall by puttingfriction on the rope. When the leaderreaches the top, he secures himself. Then the second person, or follower, climbs from the bottom of the pitchwhile the leader belays him from the top of the pitch. The follower takes out the protection as heclimbs. When he gets to the top of the pitch, he continues on and becomes theleader for the next pitch.

We started the 16 pitch climb just as the sun wasbeginning to rise. I lead the firstpitch putting in protection as I went so my brother could belay me frombelow. When I reached the top of thepitch, I secured myself to the rock so I could belay him as he climbed.

When he reached me, he continued up the next pitch,placing protection as he went. We wouldalternate in this fashion until we reached the top.

About a thousand feet up, it was my turn tofollow. Because of the way the wall wasgently overhanging, we could not see each other and depended on verbalcommunication. He also belayed by thefeel of the tension on the rope. . . kind of like fishing.

As I started, I was supposed to follow the rope in astraight line. This way, he could take in the rope as I climbed, and if I fell,I would only fall a few inches before he caught me. As I looked at the rock however, I decided itlooked easier and faster to move out and around rather than following the lineof the rope straight up. I told mybrother what I was thinking, and he said, emphatically, “Don’t do it!” I was confident in my abilities, so, I did itanyway. I went “off route”. This was a mistake.

Because I had gone off route, I had polluted thesystem and put myself in an awful position for a terrible fall.

When I fell, instead of falling straight down, whichis an easy save, I swung across the face of the wall in what is called anuncontrolled pendulum. As I picked upspeed, I knew it wasn’t going to be good. I wanted to repent. I wanted to go back and change my mind.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell explains: “The Greek word of which repentance is theEnglish translation “denotes a change of mind, . . . This change of mind meansthat we are actually progressing toward what Paul called “the mind of Christ”in

1 Corinthians 2:16.

This has to do with submitting our will to ourHeavenly Father’s will. Like Christ did threetimes in the Garden of Gethsemane when he said “Thy will be done.”

Because of the atonement, no matter how far offroute, we go in life, we can repent, be forgiven, and be enabled to continueupward and onward. Repentance, however, issometimes painful.

I braced myself for the encounter I would soon havewith an oncoming wall that was perpendicular to the wall I was climbing. I slammed into the wall and instantly saw theworld turn red as blood filled my eyes from a gash on my forehead.

Even though I hadn’t had the time to yell “falling”to my brother, he had felt the tension and secured the rope to save me. I did hit the wall, which was bad, but Ididn’t hit the ground which was good.

I hung suspended in air for a few long seconds whileI tried to figure out where I was and what had happened. Then, I was jolted back to reality by mybrother’s yelling - asking “what happened and if I was okay? When I said I wasokay, his next question was “why are you so stupid”? I told you not to go off route. For this question, I had no good answer. I was just glad he had stopped my fall andcaught (snatched) me.

My fall and injury were the consequence of a baddecision plus the natural law of gravity. It was justice in action. Beingcaught by my brother, even though I couldn’t see him and didn’t ask him, was symbolicof mercy.

In Alma 26:28, Ammon, one of the Sons of Mosiah says:

“Who could have supposed that our God would havebeen so merciful as to have snatched(caught) us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?”

Now, I realized I was hanging in an area where thesnowmelt from above had run down the rock. Because the rock was wet, I couldn’t get any holds or traction to climb. I was stuck. I asked my brother to pull me up to dry rock.

Because I asked, he did it.

This enabled me to dress my wound and climbagain. This time, I had a change ofheart, repented, and followed the line of rope straight above me. We stayed on route, had a few more falls, butfinished the climb together and had, mostly, a great day, and a joyous viewfrom the top.

3^rdNephi 9:21-22: TheSavior says “Therefore, whoso repenteth and comethunto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom ofGod. Behold, for such I have laid downmy life, and have taken it up again; thereforerepent and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved”

Symbolically in my imperfect parable, I hadexperienced the justice of a fall, the mercy of being caught, the enablingpower of being pulled to dry rock, and the work and joy of enduring to the endto reach the top.

In a devotional on January 10^th of2002, then BYU-Idaho President Bednar said:
". . . the journey of a lifetime is toprogress from bad to good to better and to experience the mighty change ofheart – and to have our fallen natures changed.
He continued, "It is one thing to knowthat Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us. But we also need to appreciatethat the Lord desires, through his atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost. . . – not only to direct us but toempower us."
He added, "I think most of us know thatwhen we do things wrong, when we need help to overcome the effects of sin inour lives, the Savior has paid the price and made it possible for us to be madeclean through His redeeming power. . . . I am not so sure, however, that weknow and understand that the atonement is also for saints—for good men andwomen who are obedient and worthy and conscientious and who are striving tobecome better and serve more faithfully. . . . (The enabling power) strengthensus to do things we could never do on our own. (End Quote)
For example, I bet your bishop, who is a goodman, is blessed every day by the enabling power of the atonement as he strivesto serve you.

When Adam and Eve fell from the presence of God, theyhad to be saved, and they had to be enabled so they could start and continuetheir journey back to our Heavenly Father.

There are lots of great movie sequels like HarryPotter, Star Trek, and Rocky for those of my generation. But, the greatest sequel ever is theAtonement of our savior Jesus Christ after the Fall of Adam and Eve.

James E. Talmage says “The atonement wrought byJesus Christ is a necessary sequel of the transgression of Adam.” (Articles of Faith pg. 37) . . . Whereby justice could be fullysatisfied, and mercy be left free to exercise her influence over the souls ofmankind” (pg. 76).

End quote.

The birth of Christ was necessary in order for Himto carry out the work of the atonement. So we could all be saved from the falland be “enabled” to continue our journey back to Heavenly Father.

Some have said to me, “the atonement is great, butit’s not for me because I’ve fallen too far and too hard. It’s for other people who still have a chance. I’m just not that important.”

Alma34:9: “For it isexpedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan ofthe Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind mustunavoidably perish; . . . yea, all are fallen and are lost,and must perish except it be through the atonement.”

None of us have done anything so bad that we can’trepent and let the atonement take effect in our lives. And, in fact, we allneed to be repenting constantly since we all sin and can improve. Because of God’s love for us, we all have accessto the enabling power of the atonement to help us through challenges, sadness,and hard opportunities.

When I was a young bishop, there was a member of ourward named Stanley. Stanley was in hislate thirties, but had the mental capacity of a five year old. He did not need baptism, but came to churchevery week with his mom.

I don’t know where Stanley is now, but I smile whenI think of him. He always had asheriff’s badge pinned to his shirt, and a pair of handcuffs. His calling was to help the deacons bereverent. I found more than one deaconhandcuffed to a chair or door jamb for bad behavior. Stanley would always give me the keys to unlockthem.

Stanley could only say a few completesentences. One of them was, “I’m theone.” He would say this whenever he sawme. and I would say back to Stanley, “you’re the one” or if I wanted a longerconversation “no Stanley, I’m the one” to which he would reply “no, I’m theone”. The whole ward loved Stanley. He knew who he was. He was “the one”.

I submit to you, that we are also “the one”. You are “the one”, and “I am the one”. Our Heavenly Father knows us and loves us. His work and glory is to bring about theimmortality and eternal life of each of us.

There are abundant scripturesin the Bible and the Book of Mormon that make clear the fact that our Saviordied for ALL of us.

One example is in 1^stTimothy 2:5-6 where it says: For thereis one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Whogave Himself a ransom for all. . .

Elder M. Russell Ballard said:

“Sadly, in today’s world, a person’s importance isoften judged by the size of the audience before which he or she performs. Thatis how media and sports programs are rated, how corporate prominence issometimes determined, and often how governmental rank is obtained. That may bewhy roles such as father, mother, and missionary seldom receive standingovations. Fathers, mothers, and missionaries “play” before very smallaudiences. Yet, in the eyes of the Lord, there may be only one size of audience that is of lasting importance—andthat is just one, each one, you and me, and each one of the children of God. The irony of the Atonement isthat it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person ata time.” (End Quote)

When I was preparing this talk I read a lot ofmaterial about the atonement. In almosteverything I read the point was made that it is impossible for us to understandhow the savior felt. Although, I want tounderstand, I know I don’t. I have,however, come to this conclusion:

It’s not important if we can’t understand how Jesusfelt. It is important that we understandthat He understands how we feel.

Alma 7:11 says, “And he will take upon him death,that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people . . .

Now think of anything you are struggling with. Sin, loneliness, sickness, sadness, brokenheart, anger, betrayal, loss of a loved one, etc., and put that thing in the place of “death”and put our own names in the place of “his people”.

For example,

“And he will take upon him - sin, loneliness, sickness,sadness, a broken heart, anger, betrayal, loss of a loved one, etc - that he may loose the bands of those thingswhich bind - your name –“.

So, just like my little climbing story. When we fall, through sin, or sadness, orlife experiences, . . .the Savior will save us. Then, as we recognize and accept that we are the one and receive theenabling power of the Atonement, we will be enabled to move upward and forward.

Itestify that D&C 76:41-41: Jesus Christ “came into the world . . . to becrucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify theworld, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; that through him allmight be saved.

As Christmas approaches, I hope we think about thegifts of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Atonement. I am deeply grateful for these glorious andgreat gifts. They give me, as ElderMaxwell puts it, “ultimate hope” that because God and His Son love me, I can receivethe blessings of the atonement which include immortality and eternal life. I am grateful for the sacrifice that was madeand the price that was paid, for me, by the perfect son of God.

As the hymn says,

“There is a green hill far away,Without a city wall,

Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to saveus all

We may not know, we can not tell, What pains he hadto bear,

But we believe it was for us He hung and sufferedthere.

There was no other good enough To pay the price ofsin.

He only could unlock the gate Of Heaven and let usin.

Oh, dearly, dearly has he loved! And we must lovehim too,

And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his worksto do

(Hymn 194 There Is A Green Hill Far Away).

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen

2011-12-04T08:29:00.001-08:00

Still no camera, but a lot of "picture worthy" things have happened. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday in Rexburg. My mom and dad came as did Jill and Lee's family. It was fun to sit around and visit and do lots of other family fun things. Among all that went on, Nancy really liked shopping with the girls, and I really liked our football game in the gym. We feel blessed to have been surrounded by family. And, we feel blessed for modern technology which allowed us to visit with family who were far from Rexburg. Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday, we got the Christmas lights up outside, and the inside decorated. So, we are ready and looking forward to Christmas. We will get our tree this week, and then we will really be ready. Not a lot of snow in Rexburg yet, so the Christmas feeling hasn't really hit yet. My suspicion, however, is that we will have snow soon.

I've looked at blogs and talked to many of you this week. Hurray for everyone.

2011-11-20T20:31:00.001-08:00

Today I turned 54 years old. It's been a great ride so far. Thanks to everyone who made my day so good. 54 feels a lot like 53 and certainly not as old as 55. It's all good.

I gave a talk in the Priesthood Leadership portion of Stake Conference yesterday. I'm posting it for your reading pleasure (or not). Just so all my kids know . . . I put funny stuff in, but it was 20 minutes long and I only had 10 minutes. So, I had to cut out all the funny stuff to get it down to 10 minutes. Wow, that's 10 minutes of funny stuff . . . gone with the wind. My students at school said to leave the funny stuff and cut out the other 10 minutes. I didn't listen to them. Anyway, here's my talk minus the introduction and the funny stuff.

Taking Time toBecome a Disciple of Christ

Please thinkabout this question as I go through my talk: What is the purpose behind every calling in the church?

Close totwenty years ago, I was called, sustained, and set apart as a bishop in a greatward in California. That night, asbishop, and not having a clue, I met with a ward member in my office. Now, look at my head, brethren. . . That day was the day I got . . .my first grey hair. It was also the dayI recognized that good councilors, priesthood leaders, and Relief SocietyPresidents were going to save my life. And, they did. Then a little overthree years ago, I was released as the bishop of another great ward. And, the scenario was the same. Great councilors, priesthood leaders, andRelief Society Presidents had saved my life.

I lovebishops, and I love all of you who work so hard to make their liveseasier. Because you are faithfuldisciples of Jesus Christ, you are changing individual lives and making theworld a better place. Thank you forletting your lights shine.

The title ofmy talk is “Taking Time to Become a Disciple of Christ.” Serving well in our callings takes time andenergy. It can be demanding anddraining, but also very rewarding. As weserve others, I hope we are taking the time to replenish the oil in our ownlamps so our lights can continue to shine and not get dim or worse, burn out.

On page 12of the Handbook in section 3.1 it says: (quote)“All Church leaders are called to help other people become “true followersof . . . Jesus Christ” (Moroni7:48). To do this, leaders first striveto be the Savior’s faithful disciples, living each day so that they can returnto live in God’s presence. Thenthey can help others develop strong testimonies and draw nearer to HeavenlyFather and Jesus Christ.” (end quote)

Because ofour Heavenly Father’s plan and the atonement of our Savior, we have two gifts. These two divine gifts areTime and Agency.

AsPriesthood leaders, we have an obligation to lead out in showing the members ofour stake, wards, and our own families how to use our time to become betterdisciples of Christ.

I”ve asked myself,and today I ask all of us: “Are we usingthe divine gifts of time and agency in ways that will help us become betterdisciples of Christ, and keep our lamps burning bright?

I have alist of twelve questions about using time. Today, in the interest of time, I only want to share four of thosequestions, and invite you to think about them in the context of replenishingthe oil in your lamps, and becoming better Disciples of Christ.

1. Am I taking time to read?

2. Am I taking time to ponder andmeditate?

3. Am I taking time to pray?

4. Am I taking time to go to the Temple?

Number One: Am I taking time to read?

In a BYUThanksgiving devotional, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said “We often hear it said thatthe scriptures have the answers to all of our questions. He continues, “We say that the scripturescontain the answers to every question because the scriptures can lead us to every answer. They will put us in a position where we canobtain inspiration to the answer to any doctrinal or personal question, . . .”

In lastConference, Elder Richard G. Scott said, “We need NOT be concernedabout the validity of concepts contained in the standard works since the HolyGhost has been the instrument which has motivated and inspired thoseindividuals who have recorded the scriptures. “ (Elder Richard G. Scott, Quorumof the 12 Apostles, The Power ofScripture, October 2011 General Conference)

I haven’talways been a great scripture reader, and am no scriptorian, but for the pastfew years I’ve tried to read a conference talk and from the Book ofMormon every day. The difference thishas made in my life is very real. I wasnever a bad person, but this has made me a better person.

Reading fromthe Book of Mormon, and the Conference talks every day has helped me feel theHoly Ghost, and has brought great comfort and joy to me.

Being ableto read is a great gift.

To be betterdisciples and leaders, we need to take time to read.

Second: Am I taking time to ponder and meditate?

In the FirstPresidency Message from the February 1999 Ensign, President Hinckley said: “You need time to meditate and ponder…”

He says, “Iheard President David O. McKay say to the members of the Twelve on oneoccasion, “’Brethren, we do not spend enough time meditating.”’

ThenPresident Hinckley said, “We are entitled to spend some timewith ourselves in introspection, in development.” (close quote)

In Decemberof 1833, The saints in Clay County, Missouri had lost furniture, clothing,livestock, and other personal property, and many of their crops had beendestroyed. In fact, there had been deaththreats against many of them. Underthese remarkable circumstances the Lord gave the saints some good advice. He said simply: “Be still and know that I am God.” (D&C101:16)

To be betterdisciples and leaders, we need to take time to ponder, meditate, and be still.

Third: Am I taking time to Pray?

In his conferencetalk “The Privilege of Prayer,” Elder J. Devin Cornish of the Seventy remindsus that “Heavenly Father wants to bless us. But because He will not infringe upon our agency, we must ask for Hishelp. This is generally done throughprayer. Prayer is one of the mostprecious gifts of God to man.” And ittakes time.

The Saviortells us we must watch and pray always and that we should pray in our familiesso our wives and our children may be blessed. (3^rd Nephi 18:18-21)

When I wasabout ten years old we had a pigeon cage in our back yard with about 25pigeons. It was my job to feed thepigeons. One day after school I went tofeed the pigeons. The door to the cagewas padlocked shut. I had the key, butcouldn’t get it to work. I tried severaltimes. Then I finally knelt and said aprayer. I tried the key again and itworked and I was able to go in and feed the pigeons. A simple thing, but I recognized it as ananswer to prayer, and felt like my Heavenly Father cared about me. And about the pigeons.

If HeavenlyFather cares about 25 hungry pigeons, I know he cares about us and the peoplewe have stewardship over.

To be betterdisciples and leaders, we need to take time to pray.

Lastly: Am I taking time to go to the Temple?

On page 27of the handbook it says, (quote) “Leaders encourage each endowed member to holda current temple recommend and go to the temple as often as circumstances andfamily needs allow.” (end quote)

We are boundand linked to God through temple covenants. As disciples and leaders, we should consistently be setting aside time toattend the temple to be reminded of our covenants and to strengthen our bondsto Heavenly Father.

For most of us inthis room, the sacrifice we make to attend the temple is “time”.

To be betterdisciples and leaders, we need to be willing to take time to go to the Temple.

Conclusion:

Back to page12 of the handbook and the answer to our original question – What is thepurpose of every calling in the church?

(quote) “Leaderscan best teach others how to be “true disciples” by their personalexample. This pattern – being a faithfuldisciple in order to help others become faithful disciples – is the purposebehind every calling in the Church.” (Endquote).

I testify thatthis is true, and that Heavenly Father will bless us, and everyone in our stake,as we, the leaders, take the time to grow closer to Him by reading, pondering,praying, and attending the temple.

2011-11-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

We've been thinking about Logan and Rachel all day because they are moving into their new home today and it is very exciting. Nancy called and they were in their new "shop" planning their "climbing wall." Rachel had already moved into the kitchen. We are so glad Wendy can be their to help watch the kids while they move.

We have snow in Rexburg which is okay because we've been in the house painting. We are painting the downstairs bathroom and bedroom doors and other stuff. We like to paint. Courtney said we should do stuff like this every weekend. I'm not sure I'm into every weekend, but its fun once in a while.

Tonight we went to the "Golden Dragon Acrobats from China" show on campus. It was amazing. I've never seen such flexibility, focus, strength, and athleticism. It was one of the best shows we've seen in a long time.

I spent some time last week in Puebla Mexico observing a program BYU-Idaho is involved with. It was a great visit, and I had a marvelous time. We went to the institute building one night and it was exciting to see the place full of youth. After observing and spending some time in a couple of focus groups we had dinner with a few of the students. Then, Foosball and ping pong to end the night. It was a good visit and the saints in Puebla are strong.

I finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" on the trip. It's by the same guy that wrote the "Kite Runner." A pretty good read, but sad.

Nancy had a good week at school and is teaching Relief Society tomorrow. She is strong and well. She has the hard part of the painting . . . choosing colors. I'm just the labor and don't have to thing much . . . just the way I like it.

Hope everyone has a great week. AND happy birthday to Grandma Hazard on the 9th. She has blessed all our lives this past year and we love her very much.

2011-10-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Nancy and I just got home from a nice weekend in Draper. We drove to Grandma Hill's house on Friday. We took a drive with her to Sundance and Aspen Grove to enjoy the colors of Fall. It was really pretty. After our drive, we went to the movies. "The Help." It was a nice way to spend time with one of our favorite people in the world.

Friday night we drove to Grandma and Grandpa Hazard's house. We got there about 11:00 to find Grandma, Grandpa, Donnie, Alyssa, Jill, Madison, and Andrew visiting and waiting for us to get there.. We continued to visit. It was fun to meet Andrew (finally).

Saturday morning my dad and I went golfing while Nancy and my mom went shopping. After golf, where I had 7 good holes, and 2 really bad holes, and a great time with my dad, we went to the stores to meet the ladies. We shopped for a while longer, then went to Caleb's football game. Jill's family came to the game too, and we had fun watching football, eating brots etc., and enjoying the colors on the Wasatch mountains.

That night, we went to "My Fair Lady". I love musicals. These songs have been going through my mind all day long today. We went to church (stake conference) with mom and dad, had a nice BBQ at their house, then drove home to beautiful Rexburg. It was a very fun and relaxing time for us.

2011-09-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

A brief update is in order. I am still reeling from yesterday's BYU/Utah game so if this is short it's because I had to go lay down again. I'm in deep depression. Today was the first Sunday dinner of the semester with all the college kids back. It felt good to have them all around the table again.

I'm so glad that Allison and Courtney decided to stay with us this semester. It makes my day 100 times better to come home and hear a little about their day. Plus, they are in the dinner rotation now and cook on Wednesday and Thursday, so Nancy and I just sit around and wait for them to call dinner time. It's super fun, and they are great cooks and getting better all the time.

We are picking out tile to go with the new kitchen counters that were installed last week. The big debate is whether we should get a tile guy to do it in one day for us, or if I should give it a shot and tile the back splash myself . . . what do you think?

2011-09-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon at Logan and Rachel's house. Everyone except Logan and I are taking well deserved naps. Logan is fixing dinner, and I am . . . well, writing this short blog entry.

We left Rexburg Friday afternoon and drove to Couer D' Lane. As always it was a beautiful drive. I discovered something about my companions in the car (Nancy, Allison, and Courtney). Once the sun goes down it's like I was trapped in an automatic "slumber party." I'm glad it was dark in the car because they talked about things that made me blush. One by one they drifted off to sleep, only to wake up from time to time to ask if I was okay, and to remind me to stay on the road. We got to Logan's house a little before midnight.

Colby and Mykel were also there and it was good to see them again. We all spent Saturday morning together rock climbing, going to a discovery park, and doing other stuff. We met at a famous hamburger joint for lunch. After lunch, Colby and Mykel left for Helena to see Grandma and Grandpa Sager and the rest of us continued our fun day.

Saturday night we drove into Spokane and went to the River Side park where they were having a huge "Labor Day" celebration. Live bands, food booths, water parks, and a carousel were the fairs of the day. It was a beautiful night and fun to walk around the park. The others probably have pictures on their blogs . . . so take a look.

We are glad to be close enough to Logan and Rachel to drive over for a weekend here and there. Evelyn, Addy, and Jackson are a blast!! It's fun to watch each of them develop into their own persons.

We are happy that Griff and Ash are doing well and had some fun plans for the weekend, and we are happy that Matt and Haley were able to "get away" for a little alone time. I know a lot of prayers were said in Matt's behalf while he was away. We're very thankful he's home safely.

Rock on!!

2011-08-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today is Nancy's first day at school with her kindergartners. She looked beautiful, strong, and ready when she left this morning. Her students are lucky to have her. Go get em Nance!! We love you and they will too.

Update:

After our completely enjoyable visits in Oklahoma and Texas we continued our "Road Trip" to Weldon California for the extended Hazard Family reunion. Donnie and Leslie organized and carried out a very fun reunion. Thanks to them for everything!! They live in a beautiful area and are fantastic hosts.
Time to get up girls. We're going to the Grand Canyon on our way to California. This was our hotel in Flagstaff Arizona. All of us had thoughts of moving here. It's beautiful.
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I remember seeing this lookout from the bottom of the canyon when we ran it several years ago. At that time, we were looking up at the ants at the lookout. Now we are the ants.

The three road trippers. Tripping down the path. It felt good to walk! We spent the rest of the day driving to California and experiencing the beauty of the desert.

The camp at Big Meadows. We spent two days here to begin the reunion. It is the girl's camp location for Donnie and Leslie's ward.
Nancy walking into the meadow from our camp. She's a great camper!
Donnie and Landon listening for signs of "Big Foot".
At the camp fire.

Allison and Sierra on Troy's jeep.
Allison and Sierra again.
The two sisters - Allison and Courtney.
Grandma and Grandpa Hazard with the road trippers. This was on a walk around the campsite.
The "Planner" Leslie, and her friend Nancy. It felt good to be in a place where you could actually wear a sweatshirt.
Nancy and the campers. We spent a lot of time talking around the fire.
Grandpa retrieving his shorts. The boy cousins had hoisted them on the flag pole.
A little more talking.
Grandma, Grandpa, Donnie, and Leslie
Mother, daughters, friends.
This is our team for the road rally. We rocked. Natalie, Courtney, Tyson, Jacobian, Brynne, Tanner, and me. The rally was a lot of fun. We watched all the team's videos at Donnie and Leslie's house.
Let's eat!! Each family had a turn to prepare meals. They were good!
Whiffle ball in the meadow. We had a few minor injuries, but were able to avoid the big ones. It looks like the pitcher (grandpa) is protecting himself. Good idea!
The Hazard Family reunion van.
More talk around the campfire. Grandma and Allison are chatting it up!
We took a very pretty hike through the Redwoods. Here's the girls.
Girl cousins and Landon. Can you find Landon? From left to right - McKall, Allison, Sierra, Courtney, Brynn, and Madison is in the front. That's Landon climbing up in the back.
Good looking foursome.
We also went to some natural water slides. It was a blast.
It took a lot of us to get around this tree, but I think we did it.
Water slide peanut gallery.
Four of the sliders. Madison, McKall, Sierra, and me.
Slider supporters . . Nancy and Jill.
The train!! Parents and siblings.
I had to drag my hand to slow down and steer. Wow, it was scary!
We spent some time at the river park in Kernville. River floats, basketball, talking, picnicking, etc. There was something for everyone.
Good shot Court!! I'm sure this went in. Courtney is a dead eye shot.
The cousins. Courtney and Tanner.
Some of us floated the river. Natalie has a story to tell. It will take her some time before she goes on another one. She says "give me a horse" anytime.
The siblings plus Landon at the water slides.
Napping at the park.
A good tube will work on land or water. Very comfortable.
Nancy and me.
More talking at the park.
The river!
Two on two basketball. Troy and Tanner against Conrad and me. They didn't cut me any slack . . . but I didn't cut them any either.
Practicing for their missions . . . where baptismal fonts are not always available.
Our "parking" spot.
The family dance.
BBQ in the park. It was our day to cook . . . it was good!

Well, I helped Donnie on the river with a couple of commercial trips. While doing so, I got the camera wet (in my pocket), so we have no more pictures. Suffice it to say that we are back in Idaho after a fabulous road trip.

Happy Summer to all!!

2011-08-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

We are currently at Haley's house having a great time. She and Bennett are wonderful hosts, and their home is beautiful. I think they have a very fun life together. Of course it will get 100 times better when Matt gets home. He is a model husband and father. We love him and are excited for him, Haley and Bennett to be reunited.

As you all know, I read a talk from General Conference every day and try to pick something out that I can apply to my own life. Here's a quote from President Packer that I like, he says, "do a lot of forgiving and a little repenting, and you will be visited by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost . . . You will be watched over and blessed--you and yours.

Now for the pictures and news of the last couple of weeks:

Some of these pictures are out of order, but that's okay. I'll go in and fix them later. We had a great time at our first "Greg and Nancy Hazard" family reunion in Oklahoma. Griff and Ash were wonderful hosts and we hardly noticed the heat. Haley and Bennett made the drive up from Texas which added tons of fun to the reunion. And the drive out with Nancy, Allison, and Courtney was a great way to start the reunion. Of course, we greatly missed Logan and his family, and Matt, but we are proud of them for where and what they are doing.
We drove all through the night on Saturday so we would be there in time to hear Griff, Ash, and Jeff speak in sacrament meeting. They all did a great job and it was well worth the drive. Here we are leaving for the church.
A pair of beautiful women. Ash and Zoey. Like mother like daughter.
Pool time!! The neighborhood pool was always a good option. Here's Nancy walking home. She's beautiful too!
Boat time!! We spent a couple of mornings on Hominy lake about 10 miles from Griff and Ash's house. It was very refreshing and lots of fun. Allison and Bennett . . . the boat mates!
Another walk to the pool. With such company, the walk was almost as fun as the swim.
Food time. Zoey and Courtney. Food mates!!
We got to visit the law office where Griff works. Very nice.
Griff's office is in the building in the background. I don't know how he gets anything done with the view he has from his 4th story total window office. It was beautiful.Here's a shot of dad and daughter in front of the office.
Pool time!
Tuesday was Zoey's first birthday. We went to Jeff and Charlotte's home for a birthday celebration. Happy birthday Zoey. It's been a good year. Now it's time to get some teeth.
Happy birthday! Mom and Dad did good.
Wow!! Is all this for me???
Zoey and Bennett playing together. They were great parallel players.
After we got Griff from work, we went to the "Fat Boy Burger Bar" for dinner. The best hamburger I've ever had. It is about a block from Oklahoma State and right next to the minor league baseball field. Fun, fun, fun!
The captain.
Sometimes it takes two.
Here's two of the happiest people on the planet. Thanks kids!
Haley and Bennett. Swimming lessons between wake boarders.
Ahh, the four siblings. We missed Logan and his family a lot.
Come on Nancy and Bennett . . . hands up!!
Woo Hoo ... go grandma!!
No Bennett, you've got to stay in the tube.
We could do this all day!!
Submarine time. No, no, no, no . . . !
Wake boarding. Hurray for Haley.
and Courtney!

and Griff!!
and ????? guess who this is.
Skier down . . . hands up! This was Bennett's job.
Boat time. What a fun group.
More boat time. Bennett found out the boat was "slippery" and had a good laugh.
Allison and Nancy. "We just like staying in the boat".
Bennett teaching Captain Griff how to drive.
Allison and Ash. Don't they look like twins?
Cool glasses Court.
Happy Dad.
More boat time. Hands up Court!
We all love Nancy. I like to refer to her as my miracle woman.
Golf time. Go Griff.
Go Court . . . the 23rd time is the charm!
Go Ash . . . it's not that hot.
Hit away Ash. Show us how it's done.
We had thoughts of boating on the cool lake while we golfed in the cool 100 degree weather.
I found it!!!
The cute family at the Tulsa Aquarium

Zoey and Griff at the Aquarium.
After thoughts of golfing in the Aquarium. I'm sure I could have beat griff if I'd taken my fist hit. (We tied after 9 holes)
Tennis anyone. Lots of fun. The courts are next to the pool, so we could play, get hot, and then cool down immediately. Very nice.
More tennis time, pool time, and cool clothing time.
I can't believe he didn't get a rose!! What is she thinking.
Shooting time on the ranch. Don't mess with these guys. Especially the one in green.
Touching the sea animals at the Aquarium.
More shooting on the ranch. Get out of the way cows.
Dinner with Jeff, Charlotte, and the Sellers. Thank you, thank you for the great time. We got pay back when you come to Rexburg.

After the family reunion, we drove to Haley's house in Texas. On Sunday Haley made a nice dinner for us and for our other visiters. It was so fun to see Wayne, Mary, Nathan, and Bekah again.
The two sets of grandparents with Bennett.
More shooting. I used to could hit stuff. Now I could hardly hit dirt. Griff almost looks disgusted.
Grandpa and Bennett, the BBQ masters.
Zumba at the gym. Go girls go!!
Don't we look fit after a day at the gym!
So good to see Nathan and Bekah again.
Zumba wasn't enough for these two. They also had to use their skills to break into the house. Can you guess which is Nancy and which is Haley?
More of the bachelorett. Goo JP.
3:00 ice cream time.
3:00 ice cream time.
Where it all happens. Haley's gym.

2011-07-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Mom and Allison and I just got back from a walk around the neighborhood. Mom was delivering invitations for a Relief Society Lua they are having this Wednesday. Al and I just talked in the shade of trees along the way. We love Idaho summers. We also talked to friends and neighbors who were out enjoying the evening. Talk about Mayberry.

Mom and Allison working together in the kitchen preparing their part of Sunday dinner. It was smelling really good right about now.
And now, the two of them enjoying the fruits of their labor in the backyard. While they were in the kitchen, I was with the BBQ in the back. We make a good team.

Now, here's the answers to the last blog:

1. Griff and Ash
2. Me
3. Courtney
4. Haley
5. Logan and Rachel
6. Allison
7. Matt
8. Haley, Matt, Mom, and me.

Now on to new pictures.
It was great to have Logan, Rachel, and their family for an extended visit. Everyday was full of fun. Here's a picnic at Porter Park. After the picnic we did the spray park, the swings and slides, and of course the carousel.
Grandma, Evelyn, and Jack on the carousel. Addy must have been busy doing something else. Every morning Evelyn would send me off to work with the instructions to make some money so we could go to the carousel.
A parting shot of our spot in the park.

Then last week we got to go to Post Falls to help Logan, Rachel and the family move into their new home. Nancy went up with them on July 2nd and spent the week helping to get them situated. In between moving business, they did a lot of other fun things to get to know the town.

At the end of that week, Grandma and Grandpa Hazard came to Rexburg and they and I drove to Post Falls to visit for a few days and pick mom up. We had a blast! You can look at Logan's blog for details of what we did.

One, two, three . . . goooo! And Addy goes flying through the air. Then we do it again!
Relaxing in Post Falls in their new home on their new couch.
Logan edging at Quimlan (spelling?) park. Five minutes from their house. I was the belayer.
Belayer (me) and the climber (Rachel)
Logan took this picture of Rachel. They are both great climbers.
Nancy and Addy.

This is a picture of Evelyn on Mudgy Moose in Couer D' Lane. We spent a day in down town Coeur d' Alene following the Mudgy Moose trail.

Grandma and Grandpa stayed in Rexburg for a few days after coming back from Post Falls. It was great fun to have them . . . in fact we were having so much fun that we didn't think to take any pictures.

I'll post this now. Mom might come on later and add things I forgot to put in.

2011-07-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July Allison, Courtney, and I went to the Rexburg parade in the morning. It was fun to be reminded of our small town. For those of you who have seen the parade . . . once again the Ray's Car Wash dance team was a treat.

Now, let's play a little guessing game. Here are short descriptions of what different family members did for the 4th of July. Can you guess who they are?

1. Slept in and went boating.
2. Put on a cowboy shirt and went to the rodeo.
3. Went four wheeling and horseback riding.
4. Drove to inlaws for a shindig.
5. Went to a ward picnic in a park on the hill and watched fire works.
6. Went to Idaho Falls with friends to watch fireworks.
7. Spent the day in a different country defending what the 4th of July stands for.
8. Spent the day wishing my spouse were with me.

You can put your answers in your comments for everyone to read. I'll grade them at my leisure.

I feel blessed to live in America. It is the greatest country on earth!

2011-06-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Another fun week in Rexburg. Logan and Rachel left for their trip to Mexico with Rachel's family, and we get to keep the three kids. Hurray, what fun!! Yesterday we did yard work, then went to Porter Park to ride the carousel and play in the splash park. It was a beautiful day. Last night we had a hot dog roast in the back yard. Good times. A bunch of neighborhood kids helped with Jack and Addy. Then after the kids were in bed, Nancy and I watched part 5 of the Roots series. Neither one of us have ever seen it.

Courtney signed her and me up to play mixed doubles in a city tennis tournament. It's been a lot of fun, and I'm glad she signed us up to play together. She has a lot of friends who are better than me that she could have played with, so I'm honored to be her partner.

Life is good here, and the weather is very nice. These are the times I love living in Idaho!!

2011-06-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Evelyn maintaining our bird feeder in the front yard. It's sooo fun to have a helper who gets so excited about feeding the birds.

It has been so fun for us to have Logan and Rachel's family with us for the last couple of weeks. We have gone different places and done different things, but the best time is just spending time together. They are fun, fun, fun. Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.
One Saturday we went to the Rexburg Ponds to feed the ducks. Upon arriving, we discovered it was also free fishing day . . . so Logan got to fish with his kids. They didn't catch anything, but it was fun for everyone except the worms. After fishing, we had a picnic.
Another day we went to Mesa Falls. Looking at Mesa Falls with Addy and Jack.
Another day we went to Porter park to ride the Merry Go Round and play at the park. Nancy, Evelyn, and Ellie (our neighbor and friend) at the splash park in Rexburg.
While the kids were napping, Rachel, Logan, and I went shooting. Nancy stayed home with the kids. These two are definite gun people.
Addy, Jack, and grandpa at Mesa Falls again. We went one afternoon after dinner and hiked to the falls. We love living where things are close.
One day we planted the garden together. After planting the garden, we had foil dinners in the backyard.
Courtney and me checking the foil dinners. We decided they looked okay to us. Time to eat!!
Grandma and Jack. Two of my favorite people in the world.
Mesa Falls again.
One day we went to the Idaho Falls zoo. It was a perfect day. The zoo was just the right size.
They enjoyed the petting zoo a lot. It's amazing how easily goats will come when you have a hand full of food.
A break at the zoo.
We celebrated Rachel's birthday late because she and Logan were traveling to Idaho in a U-haul truck on her real birthday.
Grandma and Evelyn with the flamingos at the zoo (Evelyn's favorite animal).

So, it's been a fun couple of weeks. Today is Father's day. Thanks to Nancy and everyone for making it a great day.

2011-06-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Today is our 30th wedding anniversary. It has been a great 30 years. To celebrate, Nancy and I went to Island Park and took a hike yesterday. Then we went out for a nice dinner, and spent the night at a cabin at Ponds Lodge. It was fun to spend the day with my best friend and remember our time together-together. Life is great.

2011-05-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

LIfe moves on!!

The last three weeks have been very exciting with Logan and Rachel's graduation from Dental school, and move to Idaho. Here they are packed and ready to go. They left the following morning while Nancy, Allison, and I flew home with the kids. What fun, but let's back up a little.

This picture will only mean anything to those who know the saga of our broken shower. The moral of the story is always get a second opinion. Especially when it comes to plumbers. Bottom line is we got a $1,500 job done for $200. It's good news and it's done. AND, it was done in time for us to babysit Evelyn, Jackson, and Adalie.On May 13, Nancy, Allsion, and I went to Draper and spent the night visiting with my mom and dad. Then, Dad took us to the airport in the morning and we flew to Cleveland for Logan's graduation.
We had a great time in Cleveland. We walked to the school park several times, and had a fun every time. Nancy, Evelyn, Rachel, Logan, Jack, and Allison are taking a rest from all the fun. Adalie and I were still going strong.
We also had fun sprucing up Logan and Rachel's apartment before leaving. It's been a great place for them these past four years and they wanted to leave it better than they found it.
I was trusted enough to be the wall cleaner and floor washer. Two things the powers figured I could not mess up.
This picture is out of order, but we celebrated Allison's birthday at home before we left for Cleveland. She is still able to blow out all the candles with one breath, but it's getting close.
Rachel and Allison in Cleveland. Rachel is a great hostess, and Allison is a great baby sitter. They both are very talented "visitors". I like listening to them talk.
The graduate and his mom. She brought him into the world to begin his earthly journey, and he has journeyed well, and she is very proud of him.
The piece of paper that makes a difference.
Logan worked very hard for his degree, and so did Rachel. Congratulations to both of them.
Nancy could not get enough cleaning in. She is a cleaning machine. We all cleaned, but in kind of a twisted way she enjoyed it . . . the rest of us just did it.
The church on campus where Logan graduated. Very pretty. Very stately. Very nice.
Allison at Logan's celebration dinner at the Cheesecake factory.
Logan and Rachel enjoying their celebration dinner at the cheesecake factory.
Along with the cleaning and the graduating came the packing. Logan and Rachel were very organized. A crew of about six guys from Logan's Elder's quorum helped him load. It only took about 30 minutes. Then, he and I finished the details.
We are so proud of Logan and Rachel!
Unloading at the Cleveland airport. We got to bring Evelyn, Jack , and Addy home with us while Logan and Rachel drove their U-haul to their new home in Idaho.
Allison was certainly in charge. I think Addy was supposed to sleep. Allison was shower her how.
A McDonald's breakfast in the airport. Bring on the airplanes!!
Grandma and Grandpa met us at the Salt Lake airport with our car. We drove directly from Salt Lake to Rexburg. Grandma and Grandpa went to Twin Falls for a couple of days, and then came over to Rexburg for a weekend.

Washing Courtney's car in the driveway. She had lots of help!

Guess which one of us picked our own clothes and got ourselves dressed. Well, guess that could be more than one of us.

Grandma Great Hazard with Jack and Addy on the miniature trampoline.

We went to the wild life museum where Jack met his first grizzly bear.

Then we went to the Jungle Room where Addy fond some fish in a pond. Allison and I also had a good time waling around.

Jack's haircut!!

Evelyn in her new clothes that grandma got for her.

This feels good!!

Courtney and Addy.

We put Jack's chair on the table so he could look out the window and watch the neighbor's dogs.

These are just some snap shots of the last three weeks. They have been fun, full of activity, and a great time to spend with family. We are looking forward to the next couple of months.

2011-05-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Just let me say . . . happy mother's day to the best mom ever! She is a shining star in the constellation of my life. She has made all the difference for me. So, thanks mom. I love you.

Last weekend Nancy, Courtney, Sierra, and I loaded up the van and went to Utah. We went to celebrate Nancy's birthday and to visit mom and dad and others. Saturday morning mom and dad made arrangements for us to go to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving point. Here is Courtney, Nancy, and my mom at Thanksgiving point . . . but not at the Tulip Festival yet. We couldn't find it so grandpa had gone to ask for directions.

Hurray, we found it!! I would have never guessed there were so many different kinds of tulips.

Here I am with the birthday girl. The flowers are beautiful, but pale in comparison to Nancy.

Many people called all through the day to wish Nancy a happy birthday. Here she is talking to Haley. Thanks to everyone for making her day very nice.

Dad and me taking in the sites of the garden. Nancy, still recovering from surgery, and Mom still recovering from hip replacement, and Courtney just generally very relaxed all had a hard time keeping up with the grueling pace we set.

Nancy and Courtney in the spring time.

Whew Hoo a bench! Time just to take it all in.

The coats give away the fact that even though it is spring, it was still a little brisk. This is near the merry-go-round made of flowers that reminded us of that scary movie "Mary Poppins". Remeber when they almost didn't make it out of the chalk drawing because of the rain. Scary! I still have nightmares about that.

To continue the celebration, we went out to dinner at Nancy's favorite resturant. Then we went to a play at the University of Utah Pioneer Theater. The Play was "Sunset Boulevard". Here we are all sharing a very rich desert that Nancy was kind enough to share with us. My mom made friends with the manager and got the dessert for free. Way to go mom!

We went to Jill and Lee's house for dinner on Sunday after church. My dad was tired after a hard Saturday and a long day at church. While he dozed, grandma put easter eggs on him.

We all have different talents. We just need to recognize them.

Talking and visiting in the kitchen. Good times.

Thanks Jill for the nice dinner. And thanks Lee for the great sausages!! We love coming to visit you guys.

Nancy is a year older and we feel very blessed. Perspectives have changed a bit. It used to be a bummer to be a year older, but now every year is a great blessing. It's great to be another year older and we hope to do this birthday thing many, many, many more times in the future.

2011-04-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter. This is a wonderful time of year and we are enjoing it very much. We feel a bit as if Nancy has had a preview of the ressurection. Friday was six weeks from her surgery. To celebrate, we walked three miles . . . and I could hardly keep up with her. After walking, we went out for hot fudge sundays to complete the celebration.

Easter takes on a bit of a different face when there are no little kids around. The Easter Bunny did hide some chocolate under my pillow (kind of freaky) and Allison and Courtney got baskets. I gave my chocolate to Nancy because it appears the Easter Bunny left her out.

Courtney and Sierra died eggs yesterday. It doesn't matter how old you get, dying Easter Eggs is always fun.

Okay, while the girls were in the house dying Easter Eggs, I'll admit that Jaren and I possibly got carried away with our spring pruning. I think it'll come back. (Notice the cut wire, also!)

Donnie, Leslie, and there family came to visit and get their kids situated at BYU-Idaho last week. A bon fire at Beaver Dick Part was one of the things on the agenda. Nancy and I stayed home . . . and glad we did. Apparently, the wind was blowing and so were the sparks.

Colby and Mykel (out of picture on the left) opened their wedding presents from us. It is always fun to have Donnie and Leslie and their family. Congratulations to Colby and Mykel on the dice and slicer, the awsome cheese slicer, and of course, the wedding in the Denver Temple.

A group of mountain goats welcomed us home to Idaho after being in Colorado for Colby's wedding. It was a beautiful drive.

Busting a move at the wedding. My partner, Nancy, pulled the cancer card and sat this one out.

Bennett and Haley in Colorado. We loved the time they spent with us in Idaho. From Colorado, they went back to Texas and we came home to Idaho. Breaking up is hard to do, and that's why Bennett looks a little sad.

The mother/daughter twins at the Colorado reception. One Sunday Nancy stayed at home to rest and Haley went to church with me. People were telling Haley how good she looked for just having had surgery. This is a great compliment to Nancy and Haley.

What a grip! I lost a bit of hair everytime I put Bennett on my shoulders.

Griffin, Ashland, and Zoey make a cute family. We're so glad they were able to make the trip to Colorado. Griffin got a ticket on the way home for speeding ($96). I felt bad for him so proceeded to get my own ticket ($100). Through all the teasing and pain, however, the bottom line remains that Ashland and Zoey are the cutest ever!!

Proud mothers (Ashland and Haley) and cute grandkids (Zoey and Bennett) at the Denver Temple. With all the help they were getting from grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, and others .
.. there was a need to reconnect every once in a while.

Grandma Hazard and some of the cousins at the wedding. Others who are not in the picture were probably chasing small children around the temple grounds.

So, I go all day and nobody tells me to fix my hair . . . instead they all laugh behind my back and get some kind of twisted fun out of it. Lucky for me, Nancy is always there to counterbalance things with her good looks and personality.

The girl cousins - Haley is on the far left, Allison is on the far right, and Courtney is two in from Allison. What a fun bunch!!

Allison and Courtney helping with Bennett and Zoey. Landon was also a big help.

Courtney and Allison outside the Denver Temple. It was a really pretty day.

This is at the hotel in Denver where we all stayed and had a great time. Notice the halo affect over Colby's head as he heads off to the temple.

We're glad he married Mykel because we love her, and also because we all got to have such a fun time in Colorado for a couple of days. We missed Logan, Rachel, and the kids, and are looking forward to seeing them in May, and then having them move back to Idaho . . . even if it is still 8 hours away.

Happy Easter everybody!

Something Different!

2011-04-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

I've actually written new blogs every week for the past several weeks but haven't posted them thinking that we would put the pictures up with them. I've learned that it might just be better to get something new up and forget the pictures! This one will be just a quick update to let you all know how things are going here.

First of all, we had such a fun time with Haley and Bennett that it was really hard to see them go. A HUGE thanks to Haley for giving me so much time and allowing me to heal slowly. She was fabulous and cooked, cleaned, and tended both Bennett and me with a cheerful attitude and great efficiency. It was such a treat to get to spend so much time with her and Bennett-Boy!

Second, I am doing great. In fact, I went back to work this week and have felt stronger each day. I'm lucky that I only work 4 hours a day, or else I don't think I'd make it. By the time the kids leave I am ready to go home and rest, but even yesterday and today I wasn't nearly as tired afterwords as I'd been at the beginning of the week. My cute little class was so excited to have me back and tell me again every day how much they missed me. It's good to be loved. :)

Last weekend we went to Colby and Mykel's wedding in Denver and it was so great to be with so much family, and we got to see Griffin, Ash, and Z-Bob again. Congratulations to the happy couple! We are excited for them to come back.

This week is the break between semesters for BYU-Idaho so Allison and Courtney have been home. Allison will be moving into her apartment tomorrow, but Courtney will be with us at least through the summer, if not longer. We've also had Jaren and a roommate of Courtney's staying with us, though we hardly see either one of them because of work and other activities. Donnie and Leslie will be arriving here on Sat. to bring Sierra back to school and that will be fun. We've kept our spare rooms full ever since last Friday when an old friend came to pick up his daughter and stayed here even though we were in Colorado. He left the next day and that's when Courtney's friends came. It was nice to know that the house was being taken care of.

So, that's it for us. No pictures, but at least there will be something new to read!

Gray Skies Are Gonna Clear Up. Put On a Happy Face!

2011-03-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is a very long post and I apologize in advance. You may want to read it in shifts!

Last week at this time I was lying in the hospital in a drug induced sleep after having half of my intestines removed. It had been a week of daily discoveries, all of which included words like "tumor" and "cancer", and culminated in a body-changing, yet successful operation. I had Greg by my side every step of the way and Allison and Courtney came as much as they could. It was not the most fun week I've ever spent, but there were definitely some things that turned my gray skies blue, and that's what this blog is about.

First of all, Greg blogged a little about all the love and support we had from everyone. At the time he wrote about it we had no idea just how much more was coming. That counter with the flowers on it from the last post eventually become so crowded with flowers that we couldn't get one more on. Every time a new nurse would come in to start her shift she would literally gasp at the sight of "my own floral shop". They made the room so bright and beautiful and smelled so good! Greg asked me one night which one's were my favorite, but how could I choose just one when they were all so gorgeous? It made me happy every time I would look at them.

Besides the flowers, I had lots and lots of visitors. It seemed like before one group would leave another one would come to take their place. We only had 4 folding chairs in the room and we had them set up most of the time. Everyone was so sweet and would all tell me that I was being prayed for, that they were fasting for me, that they'd put my name in the temple, that I was loved. It was so humbling to think of all these people, plus ones that I heard from but didn't come to visit, were all thinking of me. The principal of my school and his wife came to visit one night. They told me that my whole class was praying for me and reminded me of the power of a child's prayer. I also heard that Greg's whole department went to the temple together on my behalf. I have felt overwhelmed with gratitude as I've received sweet notes and phone calls from dearly loved and far away nieces and nephews, friends from our past, brothers and sisters, ward members, etc. I had no idea I even knew so many people! You know, when I first found out about the tumor I had decided to only tell people on a "need to know" basis, but to try to keep it as quiet as I could. A good friend advised me against it for two reasons: 1) If you all the sudden drop out of life for a long time like that people's imaginations start to wander and they might think I was having a boob job (which Greg was quick to point out that when I went back they would all think that I'd been robbed!), and 2) The more people who know, the more people can pray for you. As I considered this I thought that when people heard they would say, "Oh, too bad for Nancy." But I never dreamed I would have the outpouring of love and prayers and faith and fasting and support that we ended up with from all over the nation. I am still deeply touched, and cannot begin to thank you all for your part.

I could go on and on about that, but there was another little plan brewing that just made my week so happy. Little did we know that this surgery coincided with Griffin and Ashland's spring break. As soon as they heard about the surgery they called and said that they were going to drive out to see us. We talked them out of it because it is so far and expensive, and I would just be in the hospital the whole time anyway, etc. etc. They said okay, but then went ahead and made plans to come. And not only did they come themselves, but they called Haley and asked if she wanted to come too. With only 45 minutes notice, dear Haley packed her car, threw her house keys to a neighbor as she was driving down the street, and started the 8 hour drive to Oklahoma with Bennett. She arrived at 2:30 a.m., transfered her stuff to Griffin and Ashland's car, and they were on the road by 3:00 a.m. They drove the 20 hours to Rexburg straight through and arrived at 9:00 Sat. night, totally unbeknownst to me. Imagine my shock when I heard a knock on my hospital door and there were Griffin and Ashland and cute baby Zoey! I just couldn't get over it. It was incredible to see them here when I had thought they were in Oklahoma. After hugs and kisses and squeals of surprise they said that they'd also brought another package. That's when Haley and Bennett walked in. If I hadn't been in so much pain I would've leapt from the bed and scooped the whole bunch into a great big hug. Haley walked in and said, "Mom! You look just like Mom lying in bed!" That's when I realized that it was good for them to all just see me and to see that I am still the same and I am okay. It was so fun to see Bennett and Zoey and I just couldn't get over how much they'd both grown just since Christmas. Bennett is talking so well now and Zoey's smiles can light up a room! We had a very joyful little reunion right there in the hospital room. Over the next few days I was able to spend some precious one-on-one time with each one of them and I will forever be grateful for the herculean effort they made to be there for me. As I write this Griffin and Ashland are in their second straight day of driving home and it makes me appreciate them even more.

I should say that this was also Logan's spring break and he had already arranged to fly to Spokane for interviews. He will be graduating from dental school in May and it's exciting that he is now at the point where he is moving on with his career. We talked to him almost daily and we would get updates on his interviews and he'd get updates on me. Rachel was so sweet to call and check up on me a lot too. We had support from everywhere!

Ashland is in nursing school and she was so excited to be in the hospital with me. The first night she was there she announced that she was going to wash my hair. It must've looked really bad! (Just kidding, Ash.) She spent the next day hunting all over town for an inflatable sink and finally found one. That night they all showed up with a big basket full of hair supplies and got to work. This sink had an opening for my head and a little attached pillow inside to rest my head on and keep it up. My job was to just lie in bed, and everyone else had a job of either filling up the warm water, bringing the buckets over, pouring the water, and even taking care of the kids. Ash gave me two good scrubs with shampoo before using conditioner, and it felt so good! The nurses were so kind to supply us with lots of towels and buckets, and didn't even say anything about the chaos. In the middle of blow drying my hair more company came to see me, so the end result wasn't quite what I had in mind, but the first part was a lot of fun and I will forever remember the lift it gave me to just have clean hair again!

Another big plus for the week was that I finally got to experience the wonder of an epidural and had very little pain compared to what it could've been. They gave it to me before my surgery and left it in for 5 days! No wonder people would walk in and exclaim that I looked so good. I was so spoiled, but it helps a lot in the healing process to have your body relaxed and comfortable. I was able to get up and go on walks and go to the bathroom much faster than I would've otherwise. It was wonderful! Where were those things when I was having babies?

On the last day I was there they took the epidural out and it was a rude awakening. It was a long hard painful day, but at the end of it the Dr. came in and gave us the long awaited pathology report. We'd been waiting 6 days and I was nervous for what they would say. I knew that I would be needing chemotherapy, but I didn't know how much or for how long. As the days went by we got more and more anxious about it. The dr. didn't come in till after dinner and by then I was in a lot of pain. He talked to me about the pain for awhile, and then said that maybe he could cheer me up by telling me the results of the pathology reports. Even he was surprised as he told me that the tumor, which had been 4 cm. long, had NOT entered the intestinal lining, as he had thought, and which would've made it much worse. Also, out of the 37 lymph nodes that he'd removed, not one of them was cancerous! It took awhile for what he was saying to sink in. No cancer?!? The tumor was cancerous, but it is gone, and there are no traces of anymore anywhere else! We will still be visiting the oncologist next week to see what he says, but it will likely not be as bad as what I thought, if I even need to have chemo! It is nothing short of a miracle and if I could've moved I would've jumped out of bed and kissed the Dr.! Instead I started to cry, which hurt just as much, but I couldn't help it. And then all of a sudden I remembered the blessings Greg had given me and all the sweet people telling me they were fasting for me, praying for me, putting my name in the temple, and remembering me with good thoughts, and I could hardly contain myself! I truly am so humbled and so grateful, and so overwhelmed by it all. It is probably the most significant thing that has ever happened to me, and certainly the most faith promoting experience I've ever had. There was absolutely no luck involved, but a most miraculous blessing, and I am so, so humbled to be a part of it. The Lord truly does hear and answer prayers! I am so grateful for His infinite goodness!

The day before I came home Haley called and asked me what room I wanted to be in when I came home. I knew I didn't want to spend all my time in my room. We don't have a tv in there and I would be away from all the action, so I suggested we get the trundle bed out from under the daybed and set it up in the family room somehow. I gave Haley free reign to make it work. The kids all went to work rearranging the furniture and getting rid of stuff and when I came home and walked in I felt like I was in a room on HGTV. The room is set up so the bed looks like it belongs there and I feel so very cozy by the fire. I am facing the tv and I have a table next to me that has everything I could possibly want on it. Haley told me when she first got here that she has no life anyway so she will stay here to take care of me. It's such a great set up for me and she is the most efficient nurse I've had so far. Bennett helps keep us all entertained and I couldn't be more thrilled to have weeks ahead of me with nothing more to do than enjoy these two.

If you are still reading this you should be rewarded somehow. I wanted to write it all down mostly for me, but if you're reading it it's probably because you were one of the people who cares about me. Thank you for everything! Life sends us some twists and turns along the way, but we can always find reasons to put on a happy face!

2011-03-12T11:55:00.000-08:00

What a week this has been! I'm currently sitting at Nancy's bedside while she sleeps. She just did her first "walk around" the room and it made her tired. I'm glad she's getting some good sleep. She certainly deserves it.

The first thing we both want to say is thank you for your thoughts, prayers, fasting, gifts, food, phone calls, emails, texts, and support in a myriad of other ways. We have felt your love and hope you can feel ours in return.

Since Christmas, Nancy's stomach has been hurting after she eats. She went to the doctor on Monday to see what was going on. After a nice chat with her, he decided that a CATscan was in order. So it was scheduled for Tuesday.

Monday night we went running/walking/talking at the BYU-I center. We enjoyed being together and talking. Here is Nancy . . . the master walker. Displaying her biceps and spirit.

I've fallen and I can't get up. You laugh, but try keeping up with Nancy!

Tuesday she got her CATscan. Wednesday morning the doctor called and asked if he could see both of us together. We saw him at 1:00 where he showed us the results of the CATscan. A mass 7 centimeters by 5 centimeters in the caecum of her large intestine. So, we went to see a surgen who scheduled a colonoscopy for Thursday. The results of the colonoscopy showed cancer, so we scheduled surgery for 7:30 Friday morning. The procedure is known as a right hemicolectomy.

We arrived at the hospital at 6:00 in the morning for the pre-op. We were treated very well by all the doctors and nurses. The surgery went from 7:30 to 9:15. The surgen basically removed the right half of Nancy's large intestines with the cancer mass and associated lymph nodes. He thinks he got all of it, and he saw nothing left behind; however, a few cells might have strayed through the intestine wall. The tumor has been sent off for study and we should know more by Wednesday of next week.

Allison and Courtney were with me at the hospital when Nancy came out of surgery. They always make life better and have been good to visit and help. This is a picture of Court in the hospital room. That's the chair I sleep in at night. And Nancy is resting in the bed.

Nancy will be in the hospital for 5-6 days and then have a lengthy recovery of about 6 weeks. If the tumor did indeed break through the intestine wall, then Chemo therapy might be needed to make sure all the stray cells are caught and destroyed. This is yet to be determined. Even if it's decided to do chemo, it won't be for a few weeks after she has recovered from the surgery.

Thanks again to everyone for your love and support.

2011-03-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have to say that I can't get these pictures in the right order. Nancy and I had a deal that she would write the blog today and then I would insert the pictures. Well, I got the pictures on, but how do you move them once they're in?? I'd appreciate any advice from all you blog experts out there. Anyway, try to imagine the pictures in the right places in the text. Hope you all have a great week.

Our Week

The good thing about a busy week is that it goes really fast! I can't believe that we are already into the second week of March. It was a great week, though, and we actually have pictures to show for it!

If you are in Relief Society then you know that March is the Relief Society birthday. As part of my calling I had to come up with an idea of what to do to celebrate that special day. I had looked online awhile ago and found a little program called "Emma's Garden Party" that was about all the past and present General Relief Society presidents. It was only about 20 minutes long and since the focus this year is on learning the history of R.S. I thought it would fit right in. Plus, I loved the idea of decorating like a garden. Goodness knows we could use some color and outdoors around here, even if it was fake! I rounded up 15 good ladies to read the short parts and sent them down to the costume department at the college to find dresses from their time period. (The costume director just happens to be in our ward). We spent hours and hours decorating half of the gym to look garden-y and when we were done it was transformed! We had trees, lots of flowers, garden furniture, etc. all over the place. I wish we'd gotten a picture of it all, but I was too busy running around. While we ate we had Pride and Prejudice type music playing and I felt like we should all be walking around in big hats and long dresses. It was a lovely evening.

LIttle sandwiches on homemade rolls, veggies, fruit, and potato salad. Yum!

The dessert table. So delicious!

The ladies in the program looked great in their costumes. Again, wish we'd got a picture. We had them coming out of 3 different places to say their parts. They did a great job. It was such a nice night and I continue to get positive comments from everyone. We live in such a great ward!

So, we decorated all day and night on Tuesday, and had the dinner on Wednesday. The rest of the week was busy because of school stuff, but after 2 nights of staying there till 5:00 it all got done. Oh yeah, right as I was about to come home on Friday I opened up an unsafe sight on my school computer and got a virus. The screen was flashing "WARNING!" in big red letters and I didn't know what to do. It was after school hours so no one was around to help. I finally just turned it off and I guess I get to go face that in the morning. I'm sure you're all wondering why there weren't filters to block those kind of things out. Well, if I had spent the extra few minutes it takes to update them there would've been, because I've been warned many times that mine were out of date. Totally my fault and I feel terrible about it!

On the bright side, Greg has a little tradition of taking Allison and Courtney out to lunch on Thursdays, but that got kind of expensive. We decided they would just come home and eat our leftovers or something instead. Unfortunately, Greg has not been able to come for the past two weeks so instead he took us all out to Taco Time for dinner that night. The girls were pretty excited about it and it was a fun time, as usual. Never a dull moment with those two around.

The next night, after my big computer fiasco, Greg cheered me up by taking me to see True Grit. It was pretty good, but mostly it was just fun to get out and relax with my best buddy. We haven't been to a movie for awhile and it was good to get out.

Tonight we had 9 people for dinner and the conversation was lively and funny. I think we got two new members to our Sunday table. Greg's cousin's son, Colter, and his girlfriend (almost fiancee) will probably be joining us from now on. They are a such a nice couple and so grateful for good food! We sure enjoy our Sunday dinners!

One more thing. After all my whining about the long, hard winter we've had, this week the strip of grass has appeared on the side of the driveway! Hallelujah! Spring is finally on it's way.

And I will close with a random event that happened Friday morning. Greg and I were eating breakfast together, when all of a sudden something fell from the sky and landed right under the big kitchen window. We couldn't tell what it was, but when it fell there was like an explosion of little feathers that accompanied it. I jumped up and looked under the window and there was a hawk with a bird (a pretty big one) in it's talons! The poor bird was looking right at me with it's mouth open and flapping it's wings the best it could, while the hawk just sat there looking very superior. I, of course, was having a fit. I felt so sorry for that poor bird! It was probably just flying around minding it's own business when it was suddenly attacked and knocked down to the ground. Then the hawk just opened those big wings and flew off with the poor helpless bird still in it's clutches. Greg said, "There he goes to be breakfast". I guess that is the circle of life, but when it lands literally at your doorstep it's a little hard to see!

2011-02-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning, a day off from work because of President’s Day, Nancy and I went to the BYU-Idaho center and walked three miles while we watched people play tennis, soccer, volleyball, and basketball. When there’s twelve courts to watch as you walk it helps the time to pass quickly. After we walked we stretched. During the day we went to Idaho Falls to look for a new bedspread. Mom wants to redo our bedroom and it’s going to all revolve around whatever bedspread we get. Funny me . . . I always thought you painted first and then got a bedspread to match. Live and learn! Monday night we read an Ensign article together (we do this most Monday nights) for family night and then we went bowling. We haven’t been bowling with just the two of us for a long time. It was one of the early dates we went on when we first started dating 30 years ago. Neither of us has improved much in the last 30 years . . . but we haven’t got worse either.

Tuesday, I had a scout court of honor. The goal in our deacon’s quorum is that they will be life scouts before they turn 14. We also go on a campout every month except when it’s too cold for safety . . . so that’s about 9 campouts a year plus scout camp. We also have a goal that the boys have and wear uniforms when appropriate. That means at court of honors. So far, we are having a lot of success. I have really good scouts. They are respectful and fun.

Nancy has her Relief Society Presidency meeting when I’m at scouts. They are planning a big “Garden Party” and it’s going to be very well done. Every Tuesday when I come home from scouts she and the other three members of the presidency are all huddled at the kitchen table talking, laughing, and planning. They are a great presidency and mom is very conscientious about magnifying her calling. I’m very proud of her.

Wednesday I left for Provo where I spent the next two days. Three of us from Byu-Idaho went down to meet with people from BYU (Thursday) and UVU (Friday). It was sort of a “discovery and information gathering” trip. We are looking at their first year experience, mentoring, tutoring, and other programs they have for at risk students. We talked to a lot of very smart people and they were all very kind to us. They have some good things going on and were very willing to share their ideas and thoughts. We’ll see what happens at BYU-Idaho in the next little while.

I stayed with Grandma Hill on Wednesday night. It was great to visit with her that night, and then to have breakfast with her and visit again the next morning. It was nice to catch up on what everyone in the family is doing. And fun for me to update her on our family. I think she said she had talked to a couple of you this week, and she actually looks at all your blogs. She is fabulous!

Thursday night I went to Grandma and Grandpa Hazard’s house. They were in Flagstaff Arizona on their way to Colorado from California, but Alyssa and Donnie were there so I went to visit them. Donnie was at work so I had a great time talking with Alyssa. Donnie didn’t get home till late, and I left early, so we never got to see each other. There was about 6-8 inches of snow on the ground in Draper the Friday morning when I left for Provo. By the time I got to the freeway however the roads were pretty good. On our drive back to Rexburg that afternoon it began to snow around Malad Pass, but it didn’t bother me (I was sleeping). Apparently, there were a few cars off the road in some places.

Friday, after I got home, mom I went to the temple for ward conference. We did sealings and then had a chapel session after. Mom also went to the temple Thursday afternoon while I was in Provo.

This morning, Saturday, I vacuumed the house while mom got dressed and pretty. Then, we ate breakfast together and I dropped mom off at the BYU-Idaho center where they are having a big regional relief society meeting. Sister Beck is speaking. We saw her in the temple last night and shook her hand etc. Mom made the observation that she is taller than she looks on TV. Mom will save some seats and meet her relief society sisters there. I think Allison and Courtney are also going to meet her there. We are blessed to have access to such great opportunities.

After dropping mom off at the BYU-I center, I went to the gym and did a little over three miles on the elliptical and then stretched and did some sit-ups. I actually did 250 sit-ups, but they’re not real ones cause I did them on this little sit-up machine in the fitness center. For some reason, however, my stomach muscles still hurt.

After the gym, I went to DI where I picked up my summer supply of “T” shirts. I have to go when mom’s not looking cause she is so good to me she always wants to buy me new ones. I like them used and broke in. I had to try on about 600 shirts before I found 6 that I liked. The first thing I did when I got home was wash my hands and throw the shirts in the washing machine. Mom will be so proud of me. Now I will take a closet full of clothes back to DI to drop them off. It’s a vicious circle! I got 6 shirts for 1/3 the price of one new shirt . . . you can imagine the quality . . . It’s good though, cause when I get tired of wearing them I can instantly use them as car washing rags.

I watched the BYU game today and paid bills while I watched. Good game . . . the right team won. After the game, Allison, Courtney, and I went grocery shopping. It was fun to see what kind of food they bought.

Tonight, mom and I went to dinner with the Bishop and his wife. We had a fun time together. We went to a new Chinese food restaurant in town. Good food and company. He will be released soon and has been a good bishop.

I also need to organize some stuff for my secretary to give to my classes on Monday because I have University Council from 9:00-11:00 which is right when I teach. I’m sure my students will miss me . . . like a broken arm.

These are the shirts I took to DI. Some of you might recognize some of them since I've worn them to the last 5 family reunions etc. It's good to have new old shirts.
It was great fun shopping with Allison and Courtney. They are good shoppers.
These are mom's relief society friends (the presidency!).
Notice the snow is up to the last rail on the garden fence. Wow!! It's exciting!!
Matt sent me this shirt from Iraq. I love it!

I hope everyone has a great week.

2011-02-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

SNOW Tired of It All!

This is written by Nancy, who is in a reflective mood tonight. Sorry, no pictures. Just words.

I am all settled in by the fire with Ink keeping vigil (actually she is zonked out on the chair and I can hear her snoring from here!). I've watched my old movie and read through blogs. How fun that so many of our kids updated tonight, and we got Courtney in on the whole blog thing too. That means we are all bloggers now!

I know it's not very uplifting to blog simply so you can complain, but can I just vent for awhile? We have lived in Rexburg for almost 15 years now. The first winter here I didn't have a job, didn't know a soul, and had literally no place to go. You know your life is pathetic when you get excited because you get to go to Wal-Mart. Well, I didn't really get excited because I was terrified to drive in the snow and would creep along at a snail's pace all the way there. I'm sure the other drivers hated me. By April I knew I'd better find something to do during those long cold days or I would go crazy. That's when I started working at Lincoln. And I've been there ever since.

My little plan worked because the cold has never really bothered me since that first winter. I would brave the elements long enough to get to work and back, and then maybe have a few places to go afterwords, but I was so busy that it didn't really matter. When I was an aide for all those years and would go from classroom to classroom all day, there were many times I would pass by the big windows in the hall and gawk at the blizzard going on outside, or the wind drifting the snow in great white gusts, or even the wind blowing off any blossom that had managed to finally come on. I have always been in awe of the forces of nature, but felt so grateful that they didn't really effect my life one way or another. Safe inside the protection of Lincoln Elementary it could be 100 degrees or 30 below zero and it didn't really matter.

Until this year.

I don't know what happened, but this year the cold and seemingly unending snow is really bugging me! We haven't had a snow day in years, and this year we've already had 3 or 4, the most recent due to unbelievably low temperatures. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing I love more than feeling cozy and warm when it's cold outside, sitting by the fire, drinking hot chocolate, and knowing that you get to just stay home and do nothing because you can't go outside anyway. But this year, that's not good enough anymore. I long to go outside and not feel the cold sting my face. I yearn for the sun to actually be accompanied by warmth! We have sun, but it is purely cosmetic. I want to be able to walk without slipping, drive without hearing the crunch of ice under the wheels, and the fear of sliding through intersections. I'm tired of the monotonous landscape the whole town shares right now, mounds and mounds of colorless white snow and long spearlike icicles hanging from every roof. I want to see the sidewalk again, and even the street, for that matter. I am sick of all my dark winter clothes and long for bright happy colors. I'm just tired of winter, but it doesn't change anything. Tonight the weatherman told of more snow we will be getting over the next few days, and more to follow next week. He loves to continually remind us that "we're still into winter, folks", like we can't figure that out ourselves.

I have a dream (borrowing from Courtney's blog) that someday I will be able to walk out the front door with lightweight clothes on, no coat, and maybe even sandals (!). The sun will be shining and I will feel it's warmth spread across my face and my bare arms. The grass will be green, the flowers in the front flower bed will be bright and blooming, and there will be birds singing in the trees. I will walk to the sidewalk and head down the street walking fast and free, seeing children outside riding bikes and playing in their yards. I'll stop and talk to neighbors that have been strangers all winter because we've all been cooped up in our own little worlds, and look down into the valley at the green green landscape that I love. I will walk and walk and walk. There will be a gentle breeze that makes it comfortable, and I will sigh and be so grateful that I live in this wonderful place.

There is no place like Rexburg in the summer. I have lived that dream many times over the last 15 years, so I know it can be a reality, but right now it seems so far away. So I will do what I always do. I will put my head down, brace against the cold, and keep busy until that day finally comes. And it will. Living here teaches us patience, but only if we're smart enough to learn.