Foot Surgery

I thought I'd post some cool pics for Halloween. I hope they don't gross anyone out too bad. I had surgery last Friday, the 10th, to have the bunions on my right foot removed/fixed. These pictures were taken at the doctors office yesterday when he redressed it. I had the left foot done a little over a year ago and had forgotten the worst of it. (Thank Heavens!) It feels pretty good now but for about two days it was uncomfortable. The pain medication helped my foot but made me feel pretty crummy otherwise so I'm now just taking Tylenol. Besides sawing the bone back, they put a couple of screws in each toe. Pretty cool on the x-rays. I can't get it wet for 10 days (yes I am still showering), and get to wear the fabulous black boot for about a month. Then my foot stays swollen enough for about four months that I can't wear any cute regular shoes. So I'll be in Crocs and tennis shoes for awhile, even at church. Oh well, at least it's done and there's no going back. I'm glad I had the other one done and will be glad this one is done by next summer. One big bummer is that I missed my goal for miles logged on my bike this summer. I set my goal for 1500 miles and made it to 1477. So close! I almost took a day off work the day before surgery to get the miles in but just had too much to do. And trust me, I won't be pedaling for several weeks. As it is, I'm going to be behind training for next spring. But I love my bike and I'll be back out there. Anyone up for the Salt Lake Century next May? It could be a really fun family adventure and you have plenty of time to get ready! If I can do it with a bum foot, anyone can.

The pictures below are from last year on the left foot. So, the attractive bunions you see on the right are now GONE! Happy Day! HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

You have been called to labor. . . . . .in the Washington Kennewick Mission!!!!

Cameron's Mission Call

Cameron finally received his mission call yesterday. The Centerville Post Office called at 6:22 am letting us know we could come and pick it up. After a little teasing on his part, he read the letter and informed us he had been called to the Washington Kennewick Mission. It takes in the Southern end of Washington State and part of Oregon as well. It has been a long and humbling experience waiting for this call and it feels so good to know where he is going and when. He will enter the Provo MTC on December 17, 2008. Cameron is so excited and so thrilled and realizes what a privilege and a blessing it is to be able to serve a full time mission. We are so proud of him and have witnessed miracles in his life. I know he'll be an excellent missionary and look forward to his service and hearing about his experiences. Congratulations Cameron! We love you!

Derek's First Car

Derek decided to take on the world of car payments and all that goes along with it by purchasing his own car. We were happy to let him keep driving our 1991 Mazda Protege with over 200,000 miles on it but he wanted more. The car is a sporty 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse. It's in pretty good shape in spite of the age of the car. And look below at the hot chick he picked up for a ride already. Does it get any better than that?

Grandma Fletcher is one hot babe and gets a ride in the new car.

First Day of School

Matthew started junior high at Centerville Junior High School this year and is happy to be out of grade school. This is the first year in 16 years that I won't have a child at Jenny P. Stewart Elementary. No more PTA or room mother. A little sad but mostly just liberating. It's kind of weird to drive by or see events on the marquis and think, "Oh yeah, I don't have to worry about that any more." On the other the other hand I am back to doing junior high car pool and although that's not my favorite, it is afterall what mom's are for. Right?

Derek is a Senior at Viewmont High School this year or as Grandma Woodbury would say, "he's the big wheeler dealer on campus." As you can see, he is extremely cool. . . .especially with his new car now.

It's weird to think that just a few short years ago I was so overwhelmed with little kids at home and wondering how I would make it through the day sometimes. Now I have two married daughters, one son leaving on a mission soon, one son graduating from high school this year and. . . . . . .thank heaven's for Matthew. I'm glad I get to hang on to him for a few more years although I'm sure those are going to fly by too fast. Time does give you a lot of perspective and you realize what is really important and what just doesn't matter much. I love my family very much and am so grateful for them in everyway.

By the way, Matthew and Derek hate that I take pictures on the first day of school. The way I figure it, I subjected all the other kids to it for every school year through High School and it just wouldn't be fair to stop now. Derek and Matthew are almost just as cute as they were on the first day of Kindergarten. And of course, I haven't changed a bit.

Cycling 2008

ULCER. . . . .Utah Lake Century Epic Ride

Scott and I rode in a century bike ride on Saturday, August 9th. I've done a couple of other centuries this summer and I have to say this was a miserable experience. Scott and I think it should be the "Ugly Looking Country Epic Ride". The scenery was pretty much what you see in the pictures, dry and desolate. We went at least 25 miles without seeing a single tree and that's not a good thing when it's 95 degrees. Although we drank a lot, Scott started to show signs of heat stroke with some lightheadedness, chills, and nausea so we only finished 95 miles. I don't think we'll do this ride another year.

Salt Lake Century

This was our first attempt at a century and Scott and I were both proud to finish it. We certainly weren't with the front finishers but we weren't at the very end either. There are approximately 2,000 riders that participate in this ride every year. It starts at the Utah State Fair Park in Salt Lake City and then goes out to Antelope Island and back again in a loop for a total of 106 miles. The worst part is the sore rear end. I was dying from about 50-60 miles but after that it wasn't so bad. Maybe everything went numb at that point. I do love my bike! I feel very free and happy when I'm riding (unless my rear hurts or it's too hot or I'm going up huge hill.) Other than that I'm a happy camper.

I got a new road bike for Christmas so I was very excited and trained all winter to ride a century. I've had that goal for a few years. I pulled Scott in with me because I didn't want to ride the century by myself. However, he didn't work near as hard for it as I did. It took him about 3 weeks to get to the same level of fitness that it took me 3 months to reach. He's always been like that . . . and it's NOT FAIR!!! It is fun to ride together though.

Little Red Riding Hood

I talked my daughter's, Heidi and Amber, into riding with me on this one. It started in Wellsville, Utah and went up through Preston, Idaho and back around the loop to Wellsville. The Cache Valley is beautiful country with nice low traffic roads to ride on. The only drawback is that it was pretty cold for a short time. Fortunately it didn't last long. I had a great time and was proud of Heidi and Amber for finishing. I was proud of me too.

The Last of New York. . . . . . . .

Manhattan New York Temple

Our last day in New York we were able to go and do Baptisms for the Dead at the Manhattan Temple. With Matthew turning twelve this last year it meant we could all go in the temple together as a family. It was a strange feeling to walk from the loud and busy streets of New York City and just a few seconds later be in the temple away from it all. As you may know, the temple was built from an existing building already being used by the church. The inside was totally renovated to have a full, though small, working temple. Ward meetings are still held in the building on the 4th floor. Space is of a premium in New York so it is neat that President Hinckley was inspired to build a temple in this manner. It is one of only two high rise temples in the world; the other one is the Hong Kong Temple. It was also strange to look at the temple from the outside. It is not possible to have the elaborate landscaping that other temples do. In fact, you can't take a picture of the temple without getting road signs and stop lights in the picture. It just goes to show that the work is going forward in all places and in all ways.

'WICKED' on Broadway

All I can say about Wicked is WOW! WOW! and WOW!!! It was absolutely fabulous. I'm so glad we bit the bullet and went for it. We almost didn't get tickets because of the huge expense (about $110 per ticket). But it was so worth it. I would go back to New York just to see another Broadway show if I ever had the opportunity. Everything from the elaborate sets to the music to the incredible talent were just fantastic. Cameron especially enjoyed it. He has been working at Roger's Memorial Theatre in Centerville for the last year on the lights and sound crew so he had some appreciation that the rest of us didn't. But trust me, we all appreciated it. Even the ones who weren't especially thrilled to go in the first place. When all is said and done this is definitely the best thing about New York City.

New York Cheesecake! Oink!!!!

After the show and because it was our last night in New York City we searched out and found some true New York Cheesecake at a deli. The piece in front of Amber is one slice. It was about five inches tall and I swear it weighed two full pounds . . . . . . . . totally insane! It was good and yes we did share.

Let's Go Home!

We had a great trip but we were definitely ready to go home. It took us a full day to get home with lay overs and all so we were pretty exhausted. Good memories!!!!

New York Continued. . . . .

The Statue of Liberty

Sunday afternoon we took a ferry to Liberty Island and saw the Lady Liberty herself. She's pretty big! It was blazing hot while we waited in line to get on the ferry and then when we finally got up to the look out point the rain and the wind were intense. Heidi lost her sunglasses off of her head while outside the view point. You are not allowed to go up into the crown since 9/11 but I felt like we got a pretty good view. While I appreciate the history and symbolism associated with the Statue of Liberty, this wasn't my favorite thing we did. Maybe it was the pounding rain and wind.

Ground Zero

Sunday afternoon we walked down to ground zero. It is under construction and so there was'nt much to see except a big fenced off construction area. It was still a very humbling experience though to remember; and I will always remember that fateful day. The plan is to build two reflecting pools in the footprint of where each tower was with the names of those who lost their lives that day engraved on the outer edges of the pool. There will also be a visitors center and a ton of trees which will be nice in the center of New York. I think it is very appropriate not to rebuild the towers but build a memorial instead. As you can tell from the picture below it was a very somber mood all around the site. The other picture shows what the intended outcome will be when the memorial is completed as well as the surrounding areas.

Monday Scott was in a work seminar for most of the day so the rest of us were left to roam the streets of New York and hope that we could find our way back to the hotel at the end of the day. This was also Heidi and Derek's wedding anniversary so they went off on their own to have some time together. They spent almost the entire day at the Museum of Natural History and they both loved it. The rest of us went separately, but sadly we were not as impressed. I don't know what that says about me. . . . . .maybe I just don't care for old stuff. Anyway, it was a huge museum and by about the third floor it was all starting to blur. I did enjoy walking down 5th Avenue where some of the really ritzy shops are located. Again, what does that say about me? I thought it was especially fun to see F.A.O. Schwartz, a giant toy store. It was amazing. And I just continued to marvel at the number of people on the sidewalks, the traffic, and the mammoth size buildings. We were almost always in the shade because the skyscrapers block the sun.

Top picture is Heidi and Derek at the Museum of Natural History with the "Gum, Gum, Dum, Dum, Statue" from Night at the Museum. . . . you know. . . .the movie.

Above picture is Derek, Matthew, Amber, Levi, and Cameron at the Museum of Natural History.

The picture of Cameron and Matthew is at F.A.O. Schwartz next to Harry Potter characters built entirely with Legos!

This picture is a view of the Trump Towers from the sidewalk immediately in front of the building. Amazing!

This picture shows a typical day on the sidewalks of New York City. If you move closer to Times Square the traffic, both on the streets and the sidewalks, is much, much worse.

Believe it or not I'm still not quite done with New York. More later!

New York, New York!!

With Cameron anticipating a mission in the near future we thought this would be a great year to go on an extra special family vacation. We flew to Cleveland, Ohio and then drove to see the sites in Kirland, Niagara Falls, Palmyra, Fayette, and the Big Apple. What an incredible contrast from the lush green country side in upstate New York to Manhattan where you can only see the sky if you look straight up because the buildings are so massive and tall. We had a fabulous time and I think everyone still loves each other.

Kirtland, Ohio




First stop Kirtland, Ohio. We went to the Kirtland Visitors Center and saw the Newel K. Whitney Store. If you remember, Newel Whitney had been searching for a church and at a certain point Joseph Smith came to his store and said something to the effect of, "Thou art the Man. You prayed me here; now what would you have me do?" The prophet and his family actually lived in the upper level of the store for a time. This is also where the "School of the Prophets" was held. The missionaries liked it to a now a day MTC where they learned to be leaders and share the gospel. It was a very small room, maybe 10' x 15', with 12-15 men who smoked continually and chewed tobacco and spit on the floor. The prophet's wife Emma, was troubled by this (no wonder. . . . .she was the one cleaning it up), so Joseph took the matter to the Lord and as a result received the 84th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. The spirit was almost tangible in the room. Extra bonus, our cute neighbor and now sister missionary, Andrea Hymas, was able to give us a guided tour not only of the store but the ashery, the sawmill, and the Whitney Home. We learned alot. For instance, did you realize that 65 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were received while in Kirtland.

We also toured the Kirtland Temple which is now of course owned by the Community of Christ Church (previously the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.) We all noticed the obvious lack of spirit as the guide talked about their church. However, when the tour guide stopped talking and I had a chance to think about the things that took place in that sacred building so many years ago, I did feel the spirit and it was an awesome experience

Niagara Falls, Canada

Next stop was Niagara Falls, Canada. We took a boat ride on the "Maid of the Mist" right up next to the falls. We were all literally drenched in spite of the rain ponchos they gave us. It was a pretty incredible sight though. The falls were especially beautiful at night.Amber's husband Levi loved seeing all the candy bars and especially Tim Horton's doughnut shop that are only in Canada. (Levi grew up in Canada). Yeah, the doughnuts were good but I'll still take a hot Krispy Kreme over Tim Horton's any day. (Sorry Levi!)

Maid of the Mist Voyage

Palmyra, New York

Hill Cumorah

This is Amber and Levi at the top of Hill Cumorah by the monument. At first we were disappointed that because of the timing of our trip, we missed the Hill Cumorah Pageant. However, the missionaries told us that other than missing the pageant, we should be glad to visit the sites in Palmyra with fewer people. There are literally thousands of people that descend on the small town every year for the pageant. I had such a good experience in the Sacred Grove and wonder if it would have been different with tons of people there.

This is an actual Book of Mormon from the first printing now displayed at the E.B. Grandin Printing Office.

First small Joseph Smith Home. The family later built a larger home.

Heidi and Derek in front of the Palmyra Temple.

The Sacred Grove

This picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of the Sacred Grove. This was definitely a highlight of the entire trip. It was absolutely overwhelming to think that we were standing near the place that Joseph saw God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and that it was the beginning of the Restoration of the Gospel. The peace, serenity, and calmness, are indescribable.

Fayette, New York

Next stop, Fayette, New York and the Peter Whitmer Farm. This is where on April 6, 1830, the Church was formally organized. We heard the story of why Joseph ended up so far from Harmony where he had gone to get away from the persecution and continue translation of the Book of Mormon. Peter Whitmer's son David met Oliver Cowdery on his way to see Joseph Smith in Harmony and received a witness that the work is true. However, his father was harder to convince. Peter tells his son that if he can finish the spring planting in a certain time frame he will allow Joseph and Oliver to come to the farm to continue work on the translation of the Book of Mormon. Through miraculous assistance in the planting, (it was completed but nobody could explain who did it), Joseph and Oliver came to the farm. Peter was converted as well as many other family members. This is also the location where later on, the three witness see Moroni and the gold plates. Pretty awesome!!

THE BIG APPLE!!!!!

The first night we were in New York City we ate at a famous deli called Carnegie's deli. And yes, this picture is of ONE sandwich that Matthew ordered. It is a pastrami on rye and as you can tell they don't skimp on the pastrami. Matthew ate about a third of it. Also of interest is the fact that the gentlemen sitting next to him in the picture flew in from Toronto just for the evening to have dinner at this place. What would it be like to have that much money? We'll probably never know.

Sunday Morning we took the subway to church. It was a little intimidating to me and I was glad Scott was there to figure it out for us. Interestingly enough, we ran into the missionaries and they led us right where we needed to go. Also interesting how many Utahn's were in the ward. There were students doing internships and lots of families vacationing like us. There were lots of regular ward members who had Utah ties as well.

Stay tuned for more New York when I have time.

Let's Give This a Whirl!

I have been so impressed with my daughters and neices blogs that I decided it's time to start one of our own. I've always loved scrapbooking but don't seem to have the time to do it any more. I think it's important to keep a record of families, with both pictures and words. So here's to making a record of memories!