Shootin' 22's

The Johnson family went up Millville Canyon to do a little shooting. Looks like fun!

On the Home Front...

I couldn't decide what to name this post. Sleepless in Providence? Homeless in Cache Valley? Doggone Discouraged? Anyway, here is a report.

We didn't want to end up with two homes so we patiently waited until our Nibley home sold before we started to look seriously for something else. We are shocked that after nearly five months we haven't found the right home. We spend day after day and tank after tank of gas driving the streets in Paradise, Providence and Preston, Wellsville and Weston, Lewiston and Logan, Millville and Mendon, Nibley and North Logan and everywhere in between in search of a home. We spend hours and hours combing the listings on utahrealestate.com. We'd rather find an existing home that meets our wants and needs. Building to our specs would be great but takes another 4 or more months. We don't really want to put in a yard again but we aren't ready for a postage stamp sized yard in a senior community. Yes, we are particular, but there are some things we definitely want...and some things we don't want.

One of our main problems is finding a home with space for our car, pick-up, boat and 4-wheelers. Reed jokingly says he wants a one bedroom home with a five car garage. Actually a two car garage might work if there is an adequate side-yard. We prefer no northern exposure like we had in Millville and the driveway can't be steep like our duplex in Bountiful. No heat vents in the ceilings! We'd like a gas range...or the ability to have gas plumbed.

We really want a master bathroom with a separate shower and tub. Large closets and double sinks would be nice. We don't want a downstairs laundry room or a 2nd floor bedroom. Forget junky neighborhoods, those with ten thousand little children or homes with barking attack dogs next door.

We've seen our share of leaning retaining walls or fixer-upper homes and yards. Lots of homes are still decorated in seafoam green and pink or burgundy and forest green. I can easily re-paint walls but replacing carpets, counter tops and appliances gets expensive. After viewing some homes we feel like we need to go home and take a shower.

We put offers in on 3 homes in the Preston area. No deals, but perhaps the rejections were blessings in disguise. We were ready to put an offer in on a 4th home when we had discouraging news. Since it is open enrollment time for the supplemental Medicare Advantage plans, Reed called his agent to see if the plan he is on is still the best. He was told it was. Then Reed asked what difference would it make if he moved to Preston. The answer was that all Advantage plans are pulling out of Franklin County in January. Disapointing! That put a stop to looking there. We went back searching for Cache County homes. Most of the homes with possibilities that we had previously seen have been sold, are under contract or have been removed from the market. Always a day late and a dollar short. We're secretly hoping the contract on a home in Providence falls through so we can step in and buy it. We are going house hunting in St. George next week. Obviously, what we are willing to pay is a huge limiting factor. We'd like to purchase something $100,000 to $150,000 less than what we got out of our home so we can play, travel and get out of snow and cold during the winter.

Because I am sensitive to light at night and don't like to watch the minutes passing when I'm awake during the night, I have a motion sensor clock on my nightstand. I have it set so I have to reach over and wave my hand to have the display light up. One night I was having a hard time sleeping. I was conducting my own pity party. There were other things on my mind but mostly I was discouraged at our inability of finding a home so I was complaining to the Lord. My eyes were closed when suddenly my clock lit up. Even through my eyelids I could see the illumination. I figured Reed must have gotten up and tripped it but he was asleep in bed next to me. So I thought an intruder was in the room and my heart started pounding. I was scared. Then as if the words were spoken out loud, the words of a hymn came to me: "Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand..." My heart rate went back to normal and I had a calm feeling that Heavenly Father is, indeed, mindful of our trials. I'm not even going to venture an explanation of my clock lighting up spontaneously.

Courtney

VanWagenen Pics

Jory put some recent family pictures on Facebook and since their blog is years out of date, I posted them here.

This is 'The Princess.' This was taken on Brooklyn's 3rd birthday and the celebrations must have worn her out.

Mason and Tanner both play football and love it. Mason excitedly posted on Facebook last Saturday that his team won the game and that he 'pretty much pancaked everyone on the other team.'

Mason is in 7th grade and Tanner is in 6th grade

Updated Quotes

If you can't be with those you love, love those you're with!

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything!

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

Screening

A couple of the grandkids were recently screened:

Owen

Abby

Aunt Idella's Funeral

Reed's aunt, Idella Ransom, died October 10th, 2011 at the age of 87. The funeral and burial were in Preston, Idaho on October 14th, a beautiful, warm fall day. The services were nice and fitting. Idella was a neat lady--very loving, giving, friendly, enjoyable, optimistic and funny. It was good to see and visit with so many family members.

Aunt Irene and Aunt Betty

Lynn & Mary and their grandkids

Reed, Ross & Susan at their parents' headstone

Ben's Wedding

The night before the wedding most of the bride's family stayed at Crystal Inn. Many out of town family members of the groom had accommodations at the Spring Hill Suites. Candace called and said Brooklyn wanted to see Grandma so we went to the hotel to visit. As we arrived, Marilyn was checking in. Robin, Heidi and Jennifer had already checked in with their families. Ron, Jodie and Ben came over and then Holly and BJ. We kept adding more chairs to the circle. There were probably 35 of us. Many of the kids went swimming. Ben was very cool, calm, and collected on the eve of his marriage.

Ben and Ally were scheduled for a 9:15 a.m. ceremony in the Logan Temple on October 15th. Gary Allen was the sealer.

Lauren and Andrea

Marcia, Jennifer and Jill

Ben and Ally

Andrea, Lauren, Holly, Ron and Jodie

The Newlyweds

Dan, Holly, Ben, Andrea, Lauren and BJ

Bill and Gayle (Jodie's dad and stepmom) with the rest of the family

Ally with her bridesmaids

View of the temple from the Riter Mansion where the ring ceremony, dinner and reception were held

Ashley, Brynlee, Kim, Bryan, Riley and Jayse at the wedding dinner

Ally was a beautiful bride. She was in our YSA ward at USU so we knew her before Ben did! Ally is a 2 year convert to the church and is the only one in her family to join. That made it a little difficult for her and for her parents and relatives as well. I thought everything turned out great. It was a very enjoyable day but I wish I could have visited with everyone!

First snow of season :(

View from driveway

View from deck

The deer are back and sporting winter gray-brown coats. Seven does were in the field beneath the house but you can probably see only four of them in this picture. A few weeks back there was a deer herd in Albrecht's apple orchard in Millville. A couple of them were bucks with good-sized antlers.

Our high beam headlights went out on the car when we were 3000 miles out of warranty. We were quoted $2267.00 for new ones! I'd do without them before I'd pay that much. The dealer made a phone call and got them covered for us. Hallaleujah!

Colds are making the rounds in this household. Unfortunately it is my turn.

We've had pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies, homemade cinnamon rolls, a peach dessert, turkey, buttercup squash and other fall foods with apple dumplings coming up this weekend.