What we've been up to!!

The day after I resigned from MUSD, we headed up to Utah for Jesse and Julie's wedding.  It was a beautiful day, and I am so happy we were able to be there.  It was great to see everyone - even if "everyone" is not in this photo!!  On the way home, we stopped in Cedar City for the Shakespeare Festival - and saw "A Comedy of Errors."  It was great - Shakespeare never fails, does he??

It had been a crazy summer, and we didn't share many Sunday dinners with Harry, Dawn, and kids, so we started making up for lost time.  I love how the kids love everything they find in the toy basket!!

 

And some things never change - you can always count on "Harry Dad" and Dawn to  do clean-up.  (On this particular Sunday, "Harry Son" was working - he's a great helper too.

Upon our return to Monrovia, I spent Monday and Tuesday clearing out my classroom - I'm here with my aide Cassandra.  I will miss her - she really kept me on track and organized.

 

Nothing says you are gone quite like having your label removed from the teacher's mailbox wall!  My decision looked like a surprise to many I know, but I'd been talking about it with my family since June - could not get an appointment with CALSTRS until August 11th though!!  I will not miss the stress - and public education is going through some upheavals - but I will miss the students and my colleagues.

 

Harry loaded up about 12 large trash bags full of classroom detritus, but I still filled up the back room with boxes - that now must be sorted through.  Good thing I have plenty of time!!  Let me know if you are in the market for books, videos, games, puzzles and other such items that "grow" in the classroom when you leave them there over the summer!

In the midst of all this activity, Harry was called to be 2nd counselor in the Arcadia Stake Presidency.  We had to be quiet about it of course, but in private we had plenty of discussion.  At Sunday's Stake Conference, he was sustained, and Bonny, Esme, and Grandma Helen joined us afterwards for lunch.  Lots of changes in our lives these days.

 

But some things don't ever change - babies come and grow and kids laugh and play and there are stories to tell and movies to watch and tether-ball games to mediate and a houseful of people I dearly love - and that includes all of you who weren't able to be with us!!

The week upcoming has Eve and Helen and Harry F's birthdays to celebrate - hopefully I can post photos in a more timely manner!!  (and more of them - I'm in a hurry right now!!)

Marking the decades!

When I was celebrating my 40th birthday, I was pregnant with Hannah.  (I was also the Nursery Leader, so my little charges came by to sing to me and bring me flowers.  It was nice.) 

When I was celebrating my 50th birthday, I spent the day babysitting a newborn for a teenage mom in our ward who had to be in court that day.   (Eliza has nothing to do with that event, she just happened to be in the photo of me from 1995!)

 

On my 60th birthday, Anna May and Jan made sure that an otherwise humdrum school day had a little pizzazz to it!

Now that I'm retired, it has occurred to me that for my upcoming 70th birthday, I can maybe do something a little more exciting than the other decades have been.

And I have time to work out the details!!  (When you have time on your hands, you think about lots of things!!)

Happy day to Miss Hannoula Flannigan!!

These are totally random shots that I pulled out of my files - mostly because they "jumped" out at me for one reason or another.  I wanted to be sure and wish the Birthday Girl a happy day!

 

Hannah was 2 days early - in the Terrill family, that was a first - and seemed almost amazing to me.  All the way to the hospital I kept saying, "They are going to send me home."

 

Sue Cornwall had called and said that they were leaving on vacation and she wanted to be sure I hadn't had the baby already.  I told her I'd still be pregnant when she got back!  (Wrong!)

 

I was 40 years old, but it was the fastest, easiest delivery of all - no meds, no stitches - and she weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz.!

 

Hannah was the middle child of "the little kids" and maybe sometimes she thought she got overlooked.  But she was pretty good about making herself - and her needs - known.  She was always my most resourceful child.

 

 There is more of Hannah in Rhoda that most people realize - take this photo for instance!!  And she's a great mom and wife!!

When we had two girls together, I thought, "oh great - I can pass clothes down!"  Didn't happen - by 2, Hannah was taller than Eliza!

 

But she was my one child who would let me choose her clothes - for a lot longer than any of the other girls!!  She didn't mind "matching" either!

 

Always creative!!

 

 "Elizahannahnoah" - at St. George.

"What if your face freezes that way Hannah??"

 

"Anntanna" to the grandkids!!

 

The Hamill family unit - I'm sure they are celebrating her in fine style today - sure hope so anyway!!  (Maybe Robbie has class though!1)

Happy day to you - and all year through!!

Happy day today to my big brother Lyn,

 

and my little brother David.

 

When David was born on his birthday, Lyn said, "Well, I guess I can leave now!"

Best wishes to both of them!!

Happy anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad - 74 years ago today they were wed - a great couple - a great couple of parents!!

Happy 16th Anniversary!!

A beautiful August day in 1998 - it had been pretty hot - but it cooled down and all was beautiful!!  (although Dad had taken out the floor in the kitchen so all the kitchen stuff was in the living room, other than that, everything was fine!)

At any rate, 16 years later, they are still going strong - the family is bigger, we are all 16 years older - and we want to wish them a happy day - with many more to come!!

And as we speak, we are heading to Utah, and Jesse's wedding - Erika got married on this date too - must be a "marryin' kind of day!!"

Phoebe always has been a trendsetter!