You never know........

Yesterday we celebrated a couple of birthdays with family and friends. My brother-in-law Danny came over to join us. He mentioned an experience that he had this week at work when a fellow employee came up to speak to him. It seems that this man had attended my sister's funeral last week. He was touched by the words that were spoken about the pre-existence and the Gospel. He asked Danny several questions. He said it all made so much sense. Then he asked Danny if there was a time that he could come to church with him. You never know when the spirit will touch people's lives.
Happy Sabbath

This is my sister, Tracee. (And her husband, Danny.) Isn't she beautiful? This picture was taken on Thursday, August 13th, 2009. She passed away 3 1/2 days later, Monday, August 17th, 2009. Ironically...it was our mother's birthday. I have every confidence that mom came to get her! Tracee waited for the house to be quiet, for the lights to be dimmed, and for her sweet husband to be dozing right next to her. Then, when she knew all was well, she left us...quietly and peacefully her mortal body just went into an eternal sleep, to await a wondrous special day! But I am sure her spirit, that same spirit that carried her through her life of suffering and pain and happiness and joy, is enjoying a marvelous reunion with those that have gone before! My sister, Tracee, is happy, healthy and...beautiful! I love her and miss her!

So Much for Trying to Conquer Your Fears!

I tried. I went to the hospital to visit my sister, and I tried. I had worked an 8 hour day and spent most of that going up and down a ladder and she is on the 3rd floor. So....I took the elevator! Yeah, I know, BIG step! Well, I won't be doing that again! EVER! I got on; I was all alone; pushed the button for the 3rd floor and then I waited. The doors didn't close. Weird thoughts went through my mind. But just as I started to get back off thinking that this stupid elevator doesn't work, the doors close and up we go. About 1 floor. Then....wham....a big jolt and the elevator stops. My heart beat starts to rise, my breathing becomes faster, and I can feel the flush start up my neck! What to do, what to do. I look for a phone and start beating on the open button. Then all of a sudden the thing starts up again and then it stops smoothly on the 3rd floor. The doors open and I burst out and swear all the way to my sister's room that I will NEVER ride on a stupid elevator again!
Have a great day!
ps. This all took place in the time span of about 15 seconds, no joke!

I LOVE being a Naegle (neg-lee))

Hi again. It has been a few weeks since I have blogged. Since that time, I have had a short but sweet vacation to the beautiful White Mountains for a family reunion at the Naegle property, Rancho Valle Bonita! I had a wonderful time with my husband and my kiddos, (excepting Joshua because he had to work,)and I really enjoyed watching my grandson get dirty playing at the same ranch where I got dirty as a child. We met up with relatives that we only see every two years and renewed those friendships. We had cousins over playing games on our porch every night. We listened and learned of our ancestors. We laughed and cried. And of course, we had great campfires to gaze into until we couldn't hold our eyes open. What am I grateful for at this moment? My heritage!!

Just a Reminder...to myself!

I don't write very often, because I don't think I have much to write about. We have had a hot, slow summer. We have had cars break down, no money for vacations, and much worry about family. Life is/has been hard.
As I was driving home today from dropping my sweet/hard working/exhausted husband off at the airport, I was feeling sorry for myself. I could go on for a page about how my life sucks! What a whiner! What a weenie! What an ingrate!
So...I decided that I am going to write today about a few things that I am grateful for:
Number 1: The gospel and my Savior who still loves this whiner!

Number 2: My wonderful family. I have a husband that saves us thousands of dollars because he can fix anything. And he gives up so much of his time to help us out! I also have great kids and an adorable grandson that I love!

Number 3: Our health.

Number 4: Our jobs. I am very grateful that we have employment no matter where!

Number 5: My friends; I have great friends who care about me.

So...I am going to try to be grateful more. When you are counting your blessings, the crappy things don't matter as much! It makes me happy to be grateful!!

Happy Sabbath!!

It is Amazing......

how fast your heart beats when you are frightened of something. Today I had to...yes...HAD to ride in an elevator! I took my sister to the doctor and the office was not on the first floor. My sister was in a wheelchair. I actually thought...for a moment...about asking someone nearby to ride up with her. But then I felt guilty so I pushed the wheelchair into the elevator and after a brief pause, I walked in beside her. I pushed the button for the 2nd floor, yes it was only one floor, and the stupid doors took their sweet time to close. In the time it took for those doors to close, a million unpleasant thoughts went through my mind! One of those thoughts was that next time I will make my sister crawl up the stairs if I have to. Not really, I am just kidding!!! Anyway, the elevator worked fine and I only just started to hyperventilate. Baby steps, baby steps......

I knew I didn't ride ELEVATORS for a reason!!

Okay...so one of my biggest fears, perhaps my second biggest fear of all is getting stuck in an elevator! I don't have a problem riding in the one that has glass walls or windows in it because if it got stuck, people could see me screaming and panicking and then they would rescue me really quickly! But...the elevators that are like little closed up closets that move scare the heck out of me. My family and close friends know this. I will take the stairs even it I have to cover 5 or so floors. Occasionally, I have been known to ride in an elevator if it is big and clean and new. This is very rare indeed and it has to be fast because I start to hyperventilate. I am not kidding. I really do carry one single tranquilizer in my purse in case this ever happens to me. I was once in the elevator at the Joseph Smith Building in Salt Lake City and they were piling people in because A FEW of the other elevators weren't working. So..we are in this elevator on the 9th floor with a million other people...packed like sardines, literally...the doors close...it moves one floor and stops at the next floor. But the doors won't open...panic builds...I bang on the "open" button...the door opens and I burst out onto the 8th floor, a floor that guests aren't allowed on and then I argue with the sweet little old man and I tell him I won't get back on the elevator. He shows me the stairs!! (And, you know the Haunted House ride at Disneyland? Well, my family knows to stand back and create a large bubble of space around me as the room starts to grow longer so I don't embarrass them because...I don't want to ruin this ride for anyone...but I know that we are in an elevator!!)
Well....Tracee works at Banner Thunderbird Hospital on the early morning shift. She is a phlebotomist; she draws patients blood for the nurses and doctors. Anyway, she came home on Friday and told me a story. Yep...she got stuck in an elevator. She said it stopped between floors with the big jolt just like you see in movies! Then...after a few seconds....the lights went out and it was pitch black. Okay, I have to pause and breathe for a minute..... Anyway, a little closed up closet dead stops and then the lights go out! I thought I was gonna die just hearing the story.
The moral of this tale is this: I will NEVER ride in an elevator again because they really do get stuck!!!! I know someone in real life that has gotten stuck! (Okay, so it was maybe a few minutes, but it could have been longer!) I could probably take that tranquilizer out of my purse because I will never need it!!!! Breathe, breathe, breathe.....

Just Stuff!

It has been a while since I last blogged. Not too much going on in my life. Let's see.....I had a gross eye infection, much better now; Steve took the kids on a great hike to Salome Canyon, which is becoming a yearly thing; I got to watch Keegan ALL day, which was a blast; Joshua graduated from ASU, so excited for him; Tracee began working at Banner Thunderbird Hospital, she is awesome at her job and making lots of money to save; Jamon is doing so great at his new job; Kristen is out of school for the summer and having fun with Keegan full time, and she is teaching him so much (I think he is a genius); Courtney is now officially a Senior in high school!!! So...I guess that is all of my news. Oh...and I have another hero: she is so brave and can make you smile even when she is nervous. She has such a strong testimony of the blessings of the Priesthood and she is a terrific example to me. Again, she probably didn't want to be my hero...but she is!! And I love her!! Here are few pictures just because:

A friend of mine told me this picture looks like the mug shot of a drugged out shoplifter!!


How do they always find this cupboard??


Pictures of part of the canyon hike: the group entering the canyon, Courtney on nature's waterslide, and my girls (and a stranger) floating through.




Well, until next time; Happy blogging!!

A hero is......

To me, a hero is someone that makes you think, re-evaluate, ponder and believe. A hero makes you realize that life is what you make it. A hero takes what comes their way and finds the blessings. A hero is humble and grateful.
I have a hero. She is a beautiful daughter of God. She gives strength to others in her time of sadness. She has a beautiful understanding of the Plan. She would not want to be a hero....but to me, she is. And I am grateful for her example.

Adorable Babies!!

So...in my last blog, I posted about how much I love Spring. Well, here is another reason I love this time of year.....BABIES! These little creatures live near our home. We have been watching their parents for a while, but we didn't realize they were raising a family so close! Tracee was out catching some sun and looked up only to see that she was being watched....curiously. We thought there was only two furry, feathered baby friends until we took the pictures. All of a sudden, another one popped up and wanted in on the fun. Beautiful!


Then of course there is my beautiful grandson. We went up to Pinetop for the weekend and I got to spend 4 days with him.



I hope everyone has a great week! And...if you want to have a fun time with the people you love, rent a cabin in the mountains, eat good food, and play "wuffle ball" for three hours in a park! What a blast!!!!

Happy Easter...Happy Spring!!

I LOVE Spring!! It feels good outside, it smells good outside, the sun shines in my windows earlier and sets later in the evening. I love that school is almost over! I LOVE Easter! I find it easier to focus on the Savior at this time of the year than at Christmas because we don't have as much of the major commercialism. A big plus...we get to hear from our church leaders at General Conference. I really liked Jeffrey R. Holland's talk about the Savior's Atonement. This talk was so comforting to me...I needed to hear it right now! Elder Holland always speaks so I can understand what he means! I LOVE Spring!!
Here are a few pictures of a "just about perfect" Easter Sunday: Grandpa and his buddy watching fish jump, three beautiful daughters, the hunt and the find!





Have a great week!!

Just a Shout-Out to my Kids

I have great kids! We spent Sunday evening with everyone over at Josh and Rebecca Elliot's house. It was a blast. Josh and Rebecca made the most amazing lasagna stuff!! Then we had birthday ice cream cake (for Josh T's 27th) and Texas sheet cake for dessert. Too good! I LOVE hanging out with my kids!!

The boys! Josh, Dustin E., Josh E., Jamon and Keegs

The girls! Rebecca E., Kristen, Courtney and Tracee

Happy birthday, Josh!!

Do you think Jamon and Keegan are related? Ya think??!!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Happy blogging.

Happy Monday.....so far!

I thought I would blog today because all seems quiet...at the moment. The flu is gone, the infections are healing, and the jaws are beginning to recover. Mom/Grandma slept pretty darn good last night. It is so nice to have everyone back on their feet after a rough week and weekend!
Have a great week all my blogging friends!

Tracee had her wisdom teeth out on Friday...this is day 1...ouch!

This is day 2, can you say...."Vicodin?" Look at those druggy eyes! Cindy and Rhegan brought her the pretty tulips.

This is day 3, definite chipmunk cheeks!

And...this is day 4! Still cute even with food storage in her cheeks!

And this is my favorite grandson, Keegan, dreaming of one day being a big boy and playing football in Grandma's front yard like her neighbors do!

What a week?? So far.....

Hi Friends,
Okay.....so it is true! Once a parent, always a parent. Forever!!! I am so NOT complaining. It is just that when your kids and grandson get sick, the good 'ol mommy comes out again. And you just want to make it all better. Kristen and Jamon were sick over the weekend. Kristen is still so sick...fever, nausea, can't eat or drink much...I know she is dehydrated. Now Keegs is sick...ear infection and pink eye! Nasty. Tracee is supposed to have oral surgery on Friday morning. She is having her wisdon teeth dug out of her jaw! But, now she is sick with a really bad cold. Steve has been under the weather, too. He was home from work yesterday. And yes...I try to mommy him, too. But, thanks to a great, wonderful mother-in-law and a so cool visiting teacher, we have made it through another morning. Thank you, thank you Cora and Julianne!!

Sometimes....a year goes by way too fast!

At the end of this week, on Friday, February 13th, my adorable grandson will be one year old. Where did the time go? Wasn't it just last month that we were all down at Thunderbird Samaritan Hospital waiting and waiting and waiting for him to be born? I think it was just last week that we would sit and stare at his tiny toes and his wrinkly skin and marvel at his little clothes and diapers. I know it was just yesterday that he rolled over. A few hours ago he began to crawl. Just in the last few sminutes he began walking and now he is beginning to say a few words. Tomorrow he will leave on his mission! Please slow down the clock!! I adore being this child's grandma!

What is a broken heart?

Here is the definition of a broken heart: A wonderful grandma holding her adorable grandson....and then the adorable grandson's mommy leaves for work and the adorable grandson begins to cry...and cry...and cry...real big crocadile tears!! Ya, broken hearted grandma!

My own personal Chef!!

So....Tracee is learning to cook. Well, she has always known how to cook, but now she is trying out new recipes and ....OH MY GOSH!!! She has made vegetable pasta with zuchinni and tomatoes and onions; she has made rasberry cheesecake; she has made baked ziti; she has made parmesan chicken over lemon pasta with artichoke hearts. She uses all fresh ingrediants and it is sooooo good! I mean...really great food! She seems to enjoy it, too which is so unlike her mother. I still maintain that the best thing to make for dinner is a reservation! Unless, someone else is cooking. Here are a couple of pictures.....notice her favorite brand of artichoke hearts. Happy blogging!

A New Day for America

Well....here we go. A new day for America. With this day comes many moments of reflection of years past. With this day also comes hope for years in the future. I have given this a lot of thought in the last few weeks, this new dawn for our country. I am nervous, aprehensive, even frightened....but hopeful. There is always that little hope in the back of my mind, always there to calm my fears. The hope that things will be okay, fine, even good...perhaps great. The one thought that gives me the most comfort, is the knowledge I have of my Father in Heaven, my Savior and the truths I have learned. I know that They are aware of us. They know where we are going, what we are doing and who is leading us. For this knowledge I am grateful. And now I am going to sleep. Happy blogging!

OK... Here we go!

Today Kristen came over and helped me set up our blog. Looks pretty good, huh? I hope to learn how it all works. If you do not see your name on our blog list, please email me your blog address so we can add you and stay updated with your busy lives. Nothing to new is going on with us. We are all healthy and busy and grateful for our jobs. Happy Blogging.

I've Arrived!!

Hello All,
I finally decided to get on the blog wagon. You will have to be patient as i learn. I am very computer illiterate! I am going to have Kristen help me get started as she is so creative! See you all soon. Happy blogging!