We were married on August 3,1938, at my parent's home in St. George. The temple was closed for renovation at the time. My bishop, Arthur K. Hafen came down and married us. It was my mother's 40th birthday. My parents, my Aunt Belle Hiatt, my cousin Eva, Rodney's mother and his sister Vinda were there. It wasn't a big affair, just a quite little marriage. No one had enough money for anything else, the great depression was just ending. Rodney's mother did bring a bouquet of lovely roses from her rose garden. There were no pictures taken, for which we were always sorry. Rodney was 19 and I was 18. We were just kids and didn't know much, except that we loved each other and wanted to be together. We sure didn't have any money, not even a good job. We grew up and learned together.

As I was getting out of the pickup, Rodney slammed the door on my thumb and it was smashed badly. As a result I did some crying on my wedding day from pain, especially when my dad took a razor blade and cut through the thumb nail to let off the pressure. Once he got that done and it bled some, it didn't hurt as bad, but I teased Rodney for doing that on our, "suppose to be Happy Wedding Day".

When we got to Bunkerville on our wedding night, our friends there chivaried us and took us for a wild and rough ride in the back of a covered pickup. On our first night together Mom and Dad Waite got up and gave us their bed outside under the stars. At first we lived in a bedroom at Rod's parent's home. We bought a little unpainted kitchenette table, 4 chairs and a wood cook stove. Here I got better acquainted with his large and fun loving family. At first I didn't know how to take the joking of some of his family, especially his brother Evan. My family at home was more serious. His was always joking. Evan would just walk into our room at any time and go look into the fridge and say, "Have you got any pie?" Then he would ask, "well how do you like being married?" Then he would laugh. I guess I was pretty dumb about a lot of things, too. I would ask a question and they would laugh and I would blush and feel stupid.

Rod's mother taught me a lot and I remember her helping me do the washing. At first we washed with her half moon hand washer. Sometimes I would feel like she was bossing me around and I felt a little resentful, but I'm glad I had sense enough to keep quiet and listen to what she told me. I knew she was just trying to help me and I learned a lot from her. She was very nice to me.

Soon after we were married they brought electricity into Bunkerville from Boulder Dam. They had told people some time before, to have their houses wired and light fixtures put in. They had put all the poles and lines up so all they had to do this one day, was turn it on from transmitter to transmitter. Everyone in town was so excited and the kids followed the power men and trucks. It was just like magic. I'll never forget standing in Mom Waite's front room and seen their pretty chandelier light up, when they turned on the switch. Mom and Dad Waite soon bought a refrigerator and a washer. Just to be able to keep their milk and other things cold was like another miracle and they could even make ice cream in it.

When we got married the only work Rodney had was a little job down at the high school, earning $19.00 a month. We could go buy a bag of groceries then for $1.00. He was also helping his brothers do some farming and they all gave us food to help us out. I never learned to cook much at home, because I left to go to school. I had taken Home Economics in school and that really helped. I remember trying to fry potatoes on that wood stove and I would burn them time after time. When we were married my father gave us a beautiful jersey heifer for a wedding present, so we took her to Bunkerville and put her with Rod's folk's cows. She was around two years old and could soon make a good milk cow. One evening when the cows were being driven down the lane and through the gate to the corral, an old cow bunted her into the gate breaking a board and driving a sharp end of it into our heifer so deep that she soon died. We really felt bad about that and it was a big loss to us.

During our first Christmas time together, Rodney went down to the high school with a group of his friends to play basketball. He accidentally turned his knee and really hurt it. He was laid up for a while, but this injury caused him a lot of pain and trouble with his knee all the rest of his life.

During that winter my brother Grant came down and stayed with us and went to high school. He joined FFA and Rodney helped him with suggestions on raising leghorn fryers.

After living at Rod's folks place for a while Rodney got a job in Logandale, Nevada on a farm with some people Marvin knew. He wanted us to live in his mothers old house and help with the milking, farming and to help take care of 10,000 turkeys for 75 dollars a month and we were glad to do it. They had 14 cows that Rodney had to milk night and morning by hand. Many nights he couldn't sleep because his arms and hands ached. We made many good friends there in Logandale and we had a lot of good times. Our closest friends were Harold and Rachel Leavitt. Harold was Aunt June's oldest brother. When the turkeys were all killed and shipped for the Christmas season and the farming was done for the season, Mr. Mills didn't have much for us to do. He laid us off and we went back to Bunkerville.

Rodney:

This time we moved into Rodney's brother Delbert's place at the south west end of town. Uncle Denzel and Aunt Iona lived there before we did. Here is where we lived when Laron, our first precious baby was born. We were really looking forward to our first baby, I went to my family doctor in St. George. I had known, loved and trusted him since I was a young girl. It wasn't easy for me to go way up to St. George to the doctor, because we had no car. l sometimes went along with someone else going up or Rodney would borrow a car to take me. When he took me we would always go visit my folks. I got busy making baby clothes, a lot of little long white dresses, tiny slips, flannel night gowns, bands for the navel, diapers and kimonos. Boys and girls babies were dressed alike, until they were out of diapers.

During this pregnancy I developed a kidney poisoning called albumin. During the last month the doctor felt it was wise for me to stay in St. George, and he would come down to check on me. We could tell he was very concerned. I was miserable and swollen with the poison. Around two weeks before my baby's birth the doctor told us he feared our baby was dead, because he could feel no movement and could hear no heart beat. I also had felt no movement for several days. Yet I felt in my heart that this just could not be. We had so many plans for our baby and loved it already. We prayed that the Lord would bless our baby and us. When alone I prayed so many times, promising the Lord if he would just bless my baby and keep him alive and help him to be born in safety and be normal and healthy, I would do all I could to raise and teach him right. I promised we would teach him to live the gospel and keep his commandments, then I finally felt at peace and felt a sweet assurance that my baby was alive and would be alright.

The doctor said I couIdn't wait any longer and survive, Rodney took me to the hospital and they starting giving me stuff to bring on labor. Nothing could or would keep the labor pains going. The next morning the doctor came and gave me something more to start the labor pains and they soon became regular and strong. Oh how awful they were. Rodney sat holding my right hand and I began to jerk and jerk and jerk. He tried to hold it still, but couldn't and I soon felt myself jerking all over and my face pulling out of shape. I felt myself slipping away and heard Rodney calling for help and I knew no more. I had gone into a convulsion due to the kidney poisoning, while I was unconscious my baby was born.

The doctor said it was a miracle that our baby boy was born alive and well. I knew it was an answer to all our prayers. I will always remember the thankfulness and joy I felt when they put our baby in my arms for the first time, all wrapped in a soft blanket. As I looked at his little face his bright little dark eyes were wide open and looking right at me. I said "Oh thank you Heavenly Father." What love and gratitude filled my heart for this tiny babe and my Heavenly Father and my dear husband. Rodney was so emotional, we cried together and thanked our Heavenly Father. I stayed in the hospital for ten days. The doctor did tell me never to have any more children. It seemed so good to take our baby Laron Rodney to Bunkerville. We had named him after a friend of Rodney's who had been killed, a Laron Knight from there in Bunkerville. Laron was born December 4, 1939.

While living in Delbert's place we would visit Rod's brother Evan and Dorthy, also we would walk to Grandpa and Grandma Waite's a lot. We nearly always did this Sunday afternoons after church, usually they had other company too. Uncle Lee brought Mary to see us and meet us for the first time. When they came to the door I went to answer it and I was holding Laron in my arms. There stood this very pretty lady all dressed up in a black fur coat. Laron took one look, screamed and grabbed me around the neck and buried his face in my shoulder. Mary seemed so nice and I liked her right away, as everyone else in the family did too. All the little kids of the family flocked around her like bees to honey.

Rodney got a job in Las Vegas delivering ice. He would stay the week with his cousin Margaret Waite and her husband and would come home on the weekend.

My mother gave birth to a baby girl on April 11, 1941. At last I had a baby sister, someone I had yearned for all my growing up years. I went to St. George to stay awhile to help what I could. My mother came home after 10 days in the hospital, but before she came home I cooked and kept house for my dad and brothers. As a surprise for my mother, I cleaned house and bought some pretty bright blue flowered material and made some curtains and fixed up her bedroom. It was so exciting to have them get home and see the baby for the first time. They named her Sharon Alene and she was so cute.

By now Lee and Mary were married and Lee was working in Las Vegas. They were living in a small trailer house. We kept wishing we could find a place to live in Vegas, so we could be together. So Rodney started to look around to see if he could find something for us to live in. He found a truck house, a room built on the back of the truck with the cab just part of the room. It had one large room with the bed across the end and cabinets and built in cupboards all the way around. Rodney got permission to park our home on wheels next to Lee's trailer. By now World War II was raging in Europe and it was a great worry to everyone with boys the right age to go. I had 3 brothers in that category and a husband also, but we hoped being married would keep him home.

On December 7, 1941 I was riding down to Vegas with Denzel. It was after dark in the evening and I was holding Laron, as we traveled along the song on the car radio was interrupted and they said,"The Japs have attacked Pearl Harbor." They repeated it several times, the announcer and us were all in shock. We couldn't believe this was happening. We were living in our motor home. I was expecting our second baby in April and this was the Christmas holidays of 1941. Lee and Rodney now were both working at a large magnesium plant that had been built to supply magnesium for the war effort. Now that Mary and I lived side by side we became very good friends. From that time on it seems we always followed each other and lived near each other. She became my dearest friend and we had so many good times together and helped each other through our problems and heartaches and our good times as well.

We knew we wanted more babies, so we felt the Lord would hear our prayers and help us have more children. And He did bless us and we felt that I and the baby would be alright. Laron would say, me want a baby budder. I was having some kidney poisoning, but it wasn't as bad this time as it had been with Laron. As my time for delivery came near, Mary would come in every morning after the men had gone to work and she would ask," any pains yet?" On the morning of April 25, 1942, Rod had gone to work but had left a number where he could be reached just in case. As Mary came in and ask if I had any pains yet? I said yes, I think they have started, and as I went to get out of bed my water broke. Mary called the doctor and then Rodney. They put me right into the labor room and said that the doctor was coming. Mary stayed right with me, even in the delivery room. The nurse said not to bear down, that the doctor would be there soon. Well there was no way I could keep from bearing down and Mary grabbed a towel and caught the baby. It's a good thing she was in there with me, because no one else was. Mary called for help and a nurse came, later the doctor. Mary always did claim Gary was hers. He was the largest baby in the nursery, over 10 pounds. General Douglas McCarther was doing well in the South Pacific against the laps, so the nurses called him the General. He was such a cute little guy. Rodney arrived after the baby was born. We named our sweet baby Gary Victor, after my father. Laron called him Dary.

Rodney:

Rodney had been working out at the big magnesium plant for quite some time now. The plant was so large and had so many buildings, rooms and halls that it took a large crew to keep it clean, Rod was working in the janitorial system. He was promoted to supervisor over the crew, about 30 men, and he was making real good money.

But we were never very happy about living in Vegas. We didn't feel good about the gambling influence and the crime. It was also a railroad town and lots of hobos rode in on the trains and hung around on the streets. I always had a creepy feeling just to walk down the main street. We decided we didn't want to raise our family in a place like that, with its evil influence. Although there were a lot of good people living there, too.

We also dreamed of living in a greener, more wooded and beautiful place with streams of water and some mountains. A place where it wasn't so dry and hot and where things would grow well. We heard stories about the south western corner of Idaho, along the Snake River. Rodney's mother's brother, Uncle Frank Leavitt and his family had moved up there and told what a wonderful country it was. They told about its beauties, the abundance of water and the fertility of the soil. It sounded like the kind of place we had been dreaming about, so we decided to investigate.

We made a trip north to Idaho in the fall of 1942 and fell in love with the country. We couldn't believe the beauty and the bounty. We wanted to move there. On our second trip to Idaho, we bought a home with 20 acres just on the south edge of Homedale from the Niharts. They said they would be moved out by the next May. We only paid 4500 dollars for the place. On this second trip to Idaho, Laurel Leavitt and Grandma and Grandpa Waite came with us. Laurel too was interested in looking over the country and Rod's parents came to visit Uncle Frank and Aunt Selena. We went home to Vegas and started to prepare to get ready to move to Idaho the next May. Gary turned one year old that April, 1943.

Rodney:

Aunt Fern's father owned a truck, so we paid him 100 dollars to move us to Idaho. We owned a green Chrysler touring car then and we followed the truck. My brother and a cousin, both came along with us. They were both young single guys and wanted to see the country, so they helped us in the moving and then stayed with us for a while. Keith brought along a couple of rabbits, so he could raise some little ones. When we arrived at our place, we found the Nihart family still hadn't move out, so we had to wait a few days. We stayed at Uncle Frank's place. We were real anxious to move in our new home.

The house had a kitchen, front room, large bedroom and a large screened in porch all across the front. No bathroom or inside plumbing. We did have a good well with cold, real good tasting water. There was a large front yard, with several lovely trees and a lot of different flowers growing everywhere. All this yard was fenced, so we could keep the boys off the main road that ran along the east front. There was also a small smoke house, underground cellar, granary and a garage in the barnyard.

Keith's mama rabbit had dug a hole under the granary and had a batch of rabbits. They were so cute, some black, some orange and some gray. We were all thrilled about them and Laron and Gary spent a lot of time out there down on their little knees, peering under the granary to watch the baby rabbits. The Nihart family left 2 white kittens and the kids liked to play with them. One was nice and gentle and the other one would scratch, bite and growl, the kids named him "Old Meany".

After we moved to Idaho we had a struggle for a while, because jobs weren't very plentiful, so we worked at a lot of things like hoeing onions and sugar beets, also picked cherries and other fruit. We did buy a whole bunch of pigs to raise and had a cow named Blondie. We also bought and raised some red Rhode Island chickens. Rod planted grain on our 20 acres that first year. We planted a good garden and canned fruit. We especially enjoyed our black berry patch.

Rodney:

Laurel Leavitt's family soon moved up here to Idaho and bought a farm, also Lee and Mary moved up and Denzel and Iona. Rodney had a job running a packing shed where they packaged and shipped apples and potatoes. One evening a couple of women that worked for him came to tell me that Rodney had been in an accident and had a finger cut off. I remember the first thing I ask them was if it was his trigger finger. I was hoping it was, for the threat of him being drafted into the war hung heavy over our heads. World War 11 was still going on and it seemed like all the men, especially at that time, those with young families were having to go. The big worry and dread of my life was that my husband might have to go.

Anyway Rod did loose the end of his ring finger down to the first joint on his right hand. He had been working on machinery, when someone turned on the switch and his finger was caught and cut off, making that finger the same length as his smallest finger. This cut off finger was the source of several stories later that Rod would tell his children and grandchildren. They always seemed to be curious about his finger. He told some he didn't like it, so he just chopped it off, also told some that a bear bit it off and some that a doctor cut it off. He would sometimes put his finger up his nose and sit there with a little grin on his face until someone noticed and laughed.

We would hear of the terrible things that were being done to our dear boys in the war. Our outrage and worry grew ever stronger here on the home front. Our boys were being killed by the thousands, along with our allies. It was almost more than we could bear. People at home wanted to go fight the enemy too and bring this monster war to an end. We had rationing here at home for many things, and it was hard to get things we needed, because so much was needed for the war effort. I had been writing my cousin Robert, when he died on the island of Luzon. My brother Budd was soon sent to the South Pacific and Arthur was a tail gunner shot down in Germany. Both of Aunt Mary HoIiday's sons were killed, they were like brothers to me. Also had friends killed.

Then our fears were realized and Rodney received his draft notice from the government to report for active duty. I was expecting our third child. l was so upset and I just couldn't stand the thought of staying alone with my little ones and another one on the way, with Rodney away to war, not knowing if he would ever come back home again.

My parents ask me to come back to St. George and live with them while Rodney was gone, so I decided to do that. We sold our place at a low price. l stayed with Mary and Lee until my father could come up and help me drive back to St. George. Rodney was gone for one and half years. I remember how awful that was and how lonesome I felt. I remember walking out to the mailbox day after day looking and hoping for a letter from our Daddy.

By this time I was getting quite large with my pregnancy, but we enjoyed being there at Lee's and Mary's. We liked swimming in the big irrigation ditch. We all really had fun in that big old ditch. Finally my father came up on the bus, so he could help me drive my car back down to Utah. But he was sick by the time he arrived, riding on the bus always made him sick because of the fumes and also cigarette smoke. He was terribly sick that night and was even delirious and so sick to his stomach. The next day he was alright and we started out.

Our car was a red Studebaker at that time. We made it down to St. George alright and I tried to settle down and feel at home with my folks. They did not have much room to put us in, but we all tried to make adjustments. I was so restless and lonesome for Rodney and it seemed like my two little boys were always getting into trouble. It seemed like we just couldn't work things out, so I moved to Bunkerville and rented a little house. Where I really wanted to be was with Rodney, but it just wasn't wise during war time, because you never know when they would be transferred or sent overseas.

Rodney in the mean time, was first sent into the army at Fort Worth, Texas for his basic training. While marching so much, they found out he had a bad knee and just couldn't do all that marching, so they transferred him into the Army Air Core. Some of the places he was sent were Great Bend, Kansas, Aberdeen, Maryland and Tampa, Florida. While in the service, Rod worked as a supply clerk most of the time, passing out clothing, uniforms, shoes etc. Some guys really did nice things for him to gain his favor, so he would get them clothing they wanted. He made a lot of real good friends that he thought a lot of and years later he would mention them and wonder how and where they were.

One time he and several of his friends took a trip to New York City to see the sights. They went out to the Statue of Liberty and went up into it and looked out the window. He took pictures we still have. Rod also went to Washington DC to see his nephew, Gerald Reber who was in the service and working in Walter Reed Hospital. He went to a major league baseball game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and just happened to be there when the war ended in Europe. Everyone went wild with joy and they laughed, cried, shouted, danced, hugged and kissed everyone. The women especially hugged and kissed the service men around. In the meantime I and the boys enjoyed staying in the little house we rented in Bunkerville. We would walk up to Grandma and Grandpa Waite's place and we would also visit the other Waite relatives.

I would go up to St. George to Doctor Reichtman for my monthly checkup. He was the same doctor I went to when Laron was born and had been my folks family friend and doctor for years. Towards the end of my pregnancy I went to stay in St. George and left my little boys with Grandma Waite in Bunkerville. It was hard for me, I missed my dear husband and my boys. The doctor tried to start my labor pains, but it didn't work. So the next day, I just got up dressed and walked out of the hospital to my folks' place. When I arrived I decided I had to go see my boys. So I drove to Bunkerville alone, I shudder to think how foolish that was and what could have happened. But at the time I don't think I was in the frame of mind to care much. When I walked into Mom Waite's place they about passed out to realize I had drove down alone. But it was all worth it to me to hold my sweet boys again and feel and hear their sweetness and love, as they told me what they had been doing and how they missed me. The very next morning Moroni, Mom Waite, Dinah and my boys took me back to St. George to my folks place. There they left me and took the car back to Bunkerville, so I couldn't drive down again.

In a few days the doctor put me back in the hospital and this time he got things going, but I really had a hard time. The baby was twisted and trying to come wrong. It was the hardest and longest labor I had with any of my children. But finally my third dear little baby son was born on February 23, 1945. He was so precious and tiny. I was so thankful he was here and alright. How I wished his father could see him. I had someone send Rodney a telegram. The doctor asked me what I was going to name him. For months I had planned to name him Michael, but I told Dorthy what name I had picked out. She had a baby three weeks before me and she took my name. I could not believe she would do that, but she did. So now I had no name, I told the doctor I guess I would name him Jimmy. The doctor said, "Oh don't name him Jimmy or he will be so embarrassed if he ever goes into the service and they call out Jimmy. Name him James and just call him Jimmy. ” I really did some thinking that night and wished Rodney was there to help me. I finally settled on Richard Lee. When I told the doctor he said, " Now that's a real nice name, now that's a name." And my tiny baby started to look like a little Richard.

I had problems while I was still in the hospital, I developed a fever and got so hot that I kicked off the covers, chilled and caught a cold. After 10 days Grandma Waite and Mac came after me and I stayed at their place for several weeks. While I was there Grandpa Waite got real sick, so they sent for Rodney through the Red Cross to come home, which he did.

How wonderful it was to see him again. After a couple of days he took me and our boys home to my little house. It was so good for us all to be home together again. Grandpa Waite got to feeling better, for which we were so thankful. Rodney had a month furlough and so glad to be back in Bunkerville. He joined in the town and church activities. They had him talk in church and he also blessed and named our sweet baby. He too liked the name of Richard Lee. He even went and worked on the ditch with some of his brothers and friends, which he really enjoyed, as he visited and recalled old memories. The month of Dads furlough passed all too soon and it was soon time for him to leave us again. The war was still going and he was needed by his country. But I was feeling better by now after the birth of little Richard.

After Rodney left I was restless again, it seemed that ever since he went into the service, I just could not be content anywhere. Finally I decided to move back to Idaho in May 1945, hoping things would be better. Mary and Lee had ask me to come back and stay with them. So that is what I did. I knew Rodney wanted to live back there when he got out of the service. I ask Dan to help me move and me drive to Idaho. Fern decided to go too and make it into a vacation for them and they could visit with Lee and Mary.

Lee became very ill with arthritis. He could hardly stand for the sheet to touch him. The doctors tried about everything to help him. Finally he went up into Oregon to a mineral health spa, where he stayed for quite a long while. There he was under the care of a doctor and took warm mineral baths and also rich mineral mud baths that were very healing. I stayed with Mary and Johnny while Lee was gone. We did what work we could on the farm. We picked berries and made jam and pies.

I still had my old red Studebaker, so when Lee was well enough to come home, Mary and I and the kids went up after him. As we drove along that day listening to the radio, a news flash came on saying we had dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The war with Germany had already ended, so this meant Rodney would soon be coming home. A great relief and joy came over me and I couldn't help but cry. He would be coming home, along with my brothers . There were people who had been working for Morrison Knutson on the island of Guam and had been taken prisoners by the Japs and were released to come home. One of them was Leo Keech, he was married to Donna Cole Keech. He had been beaten many times and nearly starved to death. We became good friends.

I found a small 3 room house just north of the Homedale grade school. It was a tiny place, but we made do. While here my car broke down and I took it to a garage, he tried to get a part for it, but because of the war, couldn't. Without a car to get around in it was pretty hard. When we had to get groceries, we would push our baby buggy down to the store.

Finally we received the exciting news that our Daddy was soon to be discharged to come home. He was discharged from Tampa, Florida and rode the train home. He was to arrived December 22, 1945. They would stop at USO's along the way where women would have all kind of goodies for them. If they had a layover, they were fed a good hot meal and a bed to rest in. The boys in the service were really honored and taken care of by civilians and USO clubs. Everyone was thankful the war was over.

On the way home Rodney was able to stop in Detroit, just barely long enough to rush to pick up the part we needed to fix the car. He arrived in Caldwell in the middle of the night and no one to meet him, because we didn't know his arrival time. He couIdn't find a taxi or anyone to bring him on to Homedale, so he walked in the frost and cold carrying his suitcase and that heavy car part. It began to snow and the walking really got slick. He finally got a ride with someone just before he got to Homedale. We didn't have a phone so he couldn't call. I heard him knock on the door and say it was him. He was home to stay and it was wonderful. My prayers had been answered that he wouldn't have to go fight and he would come home to us safely. We all had a joyous Christmas together and the best part was having Daddy home again.

We were just getting used to being together again and Rodney had taken the car to Carl's garage and he had fixed it, but hadn't checked it out, yet, when we received a telegram saying my father had passed away on January 3, 1946. What a shock that was. It was the dead of winter and the car hadn't been checked out, but it was running, so we headed out. The heater wouldn't work, the lights went out and it was snowing. We followed a truck and let his lights do for us, he also broke tracks for us. We followed that pickup right into St. George. My folks were living along the highway on the east side of town then, so their place was almost the first one we came to. We arrived very sleepy and tired.

We found that my father had died from a cerebral hemorrhage. He had been downtown working at a gem shop, when he became very ill and said he better go home. He had about a mile to walk and he had a terrible time doing it. He staggered from side to side, there was some people watching him, but didn't help. By the time he struggled on home, he could hardly talk and Mama couldn't understand him. Mama called the doctor and he confirmed their fears that Daddy had had a stroke. His passing was hard for all of us, but especially for my mother. She still had two young children to raise. They had his open casket right there in the front room the day of the funeral. His funeral was held in the St. George Tabernacle, one of the most loved and oldest buildings there. They buried him in the St. George cemetery along the south side.

On the way home our car threw a rod just outside of Burley, Rod said, "We are not staying out here", and we drove into Burley. There we rented a motel and went to bed. The next morning Dad called Denzel to come get us, which he did. He towed our car into a used car lot in Nampa and we left it, never to see it again. Before we left we went to Bunkerville to see Rod's folks. They were real glad to see us. How l remember his dear mother. She would cry when we came and then she would cry when we left. l can see her yet, standing there with tears running down her cheeks as we drove away. Grandpa Waite was about the same way, but he stood back by the house or inside the door. Grandpa Waite died a couple of years later on July 12, 1948.

Soon after this Mac and June moved to Idaho and we all decided to buy a small acreage, south of Homedale, just south of the labor camp. There was probably about 20 acres all together, but in two different pieces divided by a drain ditch. The road and drain ditch run along the east side of the back piece where the well was. We both decided to build back on the piece by the well.

Rodney went right to work having a large basement dug for our house. We did some of the finishing up after we moved in. It was a large basement and warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We really quite enjoyed living there, except for going up and down the stairs constantly. We landscaped the yard and it looked very pretty. We planted fruit trees and a berry patch. We really raised some good grapes, too. Also we always planted a garden. Later Mac built a basement and then he purchased a small house and moved it on to the basement. They fixed it up nice.

While living in the basement house we became the parents of a baby daughter on December 15, 1948. We had wanted a little girl for so long. We named her Patsy Kay after a friend and Patsy Cline. She was born in the old Mercy Hospital in Nampa, Idaho. We were all so happy about her, I cried anytime anyone spoke to me that day. Patsy was blessed by her Daddy in the little white church we meet in. She looked liked an angel.

When we first moved into the basement house, Rick was a real little guy and slept in a crib. But he learned how to throw his little leg up over the top and climb out. When it was time to go to bed at night, if he didn't want to go, he would climb out faster then we could put him in. Dad said he guessed we would have to tie him in. We decided the best way was to tie a wide band of cloth around his little ankle so he couldn't raise his leg up over the side of the crib. That is what we did and oh was he ever upset. He would cry and try to get his leg up, but finally he resigned himself to it, so when we took him into bed and lay him down, he would raise up his little foot for us to tie. Both Dad and I felt mean to do it.

We raised rabbits for the meat, also had ducks and sometimes got lambs from the sheep camp. We would raise them on the bottle and the kids thought it was fun to feed them. One year we had 8 to 10 lambs, but one night a bunch of dogs got after them into the drain ditch and drowned most of them and crippling others. They also killed some of the ducks. We felt so bad about what they did.

As I remember, when we first moved into the basement, Rodney went to work for Archilbalds sheep camp for a season. He enjoyed working for them. They really fed their help good and he learned a lot. He helped dock tails and castrate the lambs. He would come home telling how good those rocky mountain oysters were. Yuk!

He soon started to work for J.C. Palumbo, who was in the produce business. Mr. Palumbo planned to build a large packing shed in Homedale. At that time they were selling a lot of the deserted buildings in Silver City for the lumber. Rod helped haul a lot of this lumber down out of the mountains to help build the packing shed. He then helped on building the packing shed. It wasn't long before Mr. Palumbo ask Rod to be the manager and he ran it for 18 years. For many years they processed White Rose, Russet and Red potatoes. They also cut potatoes for seed to sell to farmers. They also processed prunes, apples, peaches and pears.

While living in the basement we had some good neighbors besides Mac's family. There was Joe and Irene Watterson family, Linda Brown through the field and later Marie and Earnest Leavitt. To the south were two brothers named Maglassen who seemed very odd and unusual. The Mexican labor camp was located right next to our place on the north side of the big drain ditch. They would sometimes come over to our place and pick up any pieces of wood they could find, sometimes even taking our fence posts. They would also come over and help themselves to our melons from our melon patch.

We had a lot of family get togethers. Lee and Mary had moved back from California and had bought a farm over into Oregon about 8 miles west of Homedale. We Waites always got together for holidays and a lot of times in between. During the warm weather our relatives would gather at our place and have dinner together out under the grape arbor and willow tree. It was a nice, shady, cool place to gather. While living here we took a real fun trip to Yellowstone National Park. I kept an account of all we did and it is in some of my other writings. On that trip we had stopped to get gas and all the kids and Cutie[Pats dog] got out. We had went several miles when someone said, "Where is Cutie?" We had left her at Crouch, we turned and went back. There she sat looking down the road. At first she turned and wouldn't look at us. We could tell she was mad, she wouldn't come, so Pat had to go pick her up and put her in the car. Then she went wild with happiness and tried to kiss us all. We loved that little dog.

We got our first phone while we lived in the basement house. It was real exciting to first get a telephone and then be able to talk to someone a long ways away. The kids thought it was so neat to be able to talk to Daddy up at work. Gary really liked to talk on the phone, but he always had to take his time to hold it just so and to cross his feet before he would talk. When we were on the Farm we had one that hung on the wall and you had to wind it up to get the operator.

While we were there in the basement house Patsy had a beautiful long haired cat called Snowball, and she also got Cutie. She was four years old so they grew up together. We also had a small black short haired terrier we called Dusty. When it was wet or frosty she would walk around on her front feet, holding her back end and feet up so she wouldn't get them wet. It was cute to watch.

One day the boys were playing out on the drain ditch bank with the red wagon. Laron was taking his turn and he was pushing himself along the trail with one leg or knee in the wagon and pushing with the other foot. He was trying to keep the wagon on the trail by holding onto the tongue. He got to going a little too fast and he coasted right down to the bridge and plunged off into the deep water and disappeared from sight. Gary came running and screaming to tell me and we both ran down there. I was pulling off my apron ready to jump in, but about that time, Laron came to the surface gasping for air. I had been praying as I ran and knew my prayers were answered. How thankful I was.

Dad had gone hunting on South Mountain several times with some of his friends, like the Levangers and Leavitts. Then I started going with him and I really enjoyed it. The first time I went we were following a deer trail in and out and up and down hills. I happened to look back once and saw what appeared to be a gray rock. The more I studied it the more it looked like it could be a deer, for it had a dark strip running down the back. I told Rod, but he thought it was a rock, I looked back again and sure enough that gray rock got up and stretched. Rod looked and then shot, it was a yearling buck. I heard it cry, so I cried and wondered why we were out hunting those beautiful creatures. We dressed it out and it really was good meat.

From then on Dad and I started hunting every fall. We camped up on Scotts Mountain. Later we took horses and the boys. It seemed to be the most special outing of the whole year. As fall came and hunting season neared, there was a great anticipation that we all felt . We loved getting out into the wilds of the hills and mountains, enjoying the fall colors of the quaking aspen trees and brushes. This was our last chance of the year to roam the hills, see the beauties of nature and to hunt for our winter supply of meat. We sometimes had other people with us like the boy's friends, Jim Williams, Norman Leavitt and his brothers, even Deward Bell one year.

The first time we ever went camping as a family was while we lived in the basement house. We camped by the big lone tree on little boulder at South Mountain. Anyway we had a real fun time and I decided we were going to do it often. Dad and the boys all liked to fish and I loved to get out in nature. Some of our favorite camping sites were Lost Lake, Payette Lake, Deadwood, Boiling Springs and South Mountain to hunt. We went to Jump and Succor Creek to have picnics many times.

Mr. Palumbo had a farm across the Snake River in Fargo area that he wanted us to buy. We sold our basement house to Denzel and Iona and bought the farm. It 45 acres and 20 acres of that was in prune orchard. The large two story house was in deplorable condition. We started working on the house to fix it up. I would go over every day for two solid months cleaning, mending, plastering, and painting. We moved into it May 1954. It was nice when we got all moved in. There was three bedrooms up stairs. Downstairs there was a kitchen, bathroom, dining room, front room and another bedroom. There were 2 screened in porches and also one in the back. We had a lot of neat experiences on the farm and I know each of you children can remember special ones and I wish you would all tell some from your own point of view.

There were eight lovely crimson king maples growing on the lawn at the farm. We decided to landscape and fence the yard. We landscaped with curving borders and planted shrubs and lot of flowers. We painted the fence posts white and it looked very nice. We were proud of our beautiful big yard and we enjoyed it with lots of picnics with loved ones. Our four Waite families here in Idaho got together often to eat, visit, and play, for birthdays, holidays and for no reason except to just be together. During the summer we ate out on the lawn, in the shade of our beautiful maple trees. Lots of family from Utah and Nevada would come and visit. If it was in the summer we would go camping, boating or fishing. Mama, Archie and Sharon came up and we would always have a good time. Sometime some of the kids from down south would come up for the summer and Aunt Mary Holiday came several times.

The two most special events for Dad and me was having two more very choice and precious babies added to our family. On June 10, 1956 a new precious baby boy came to us. He was born in Caldwell and Doctor Wolff was our family doctor then. We were all real happy about our new baby boy. We named him Mark Anthony and he was named and blessed by his Daddy. Grandma Waite came up and stayed with us for a while that summer. She held her new little grandson on the way home from the hospital. That was the summer we got her to go into Brauns Studio and have her picture taken. She died October 28, 1957. Grandpa Waite had died in 1948.

We enjoyed the farm where we had several cows to milk, chickens, lambs, horses, pigs, a nice big garden and the privacy of being alone. We really enjoyed the orchard when it was all in bloom. Lots of good asparagus also grew in it. While on the farm we milked cows and shipped milk in five gallon cans. It was Gary's project and he belonged to the Dairymans Association. Gary and Rick both raised 4·H steers and then would take them over to Homedale to the Owyhee County Fair. The steers always looked so pretty and fat, all washed and combed. The boys felt bad when their steer had to be auctioned off.

While on the farm Patsy started school. All four of the children caught the school bus right in front of our place. I can still recall how all four of them looked walking out to the bus nice and neat and ready for school with books in hand. They usually waved a hand in my direction and called, goodbye Mom.

On August 28, 1957 our dear little baby Julie Anne was born. We were so happy to have one more little girl and a little sister for Mark to play with. She was such a tiny little doll with such a sweet little face and dark eyes and hair. Julie Anne was named after my grandmother Iverson , Julianne Johanna Dorthea Christianson. Julie's Daddy named and blessed her.

Julie and Mark played together well and she would follow Mark around. If Mark wanted something or to go somewhere Julie would say, me too me too. We always felt privileged to have six very special spirits come into our home, to be our children. We love every one of you and pray every day that you will be safe and well and keep our Heavenly Father's commandments and that all our grandchildren will have the same blessings and that someday we can all be together as a family in the world to come. Families can be forever. Then we can all meet our ancestors and loved ones that have already entered that world before us.

Our boys always loved horses and had wanted one, especially Laron. When he about 10 years old he got a young half broken gelding named Prince. Later he got Gypsy and we loved that ornery old roam mare. She was a mustang , off the Owyhee hills, we also got a polo horse named Nipper. He was a good horse. Later Gary got Babe, a little black mare, she was a tame little thing. She would follow the other horses around like a doggie.

We worked hard on the farm, raising hay, cutting, baling, hauling and stacking it. The older boys were really a big help with this. Also everything had to be irrigated, weeds pulled, and the orchard required a lot of attention. We had a pasture for the cattle and horses. The boys had chores morning and night, feeding animals and milking. Just west of the yard we had a small pasture and then a large irrigation ditch with a bridge over it.

The children all loved to go swimming in it and we all went as a family many times and really had fun. Rick had a brown and white hunting dog that liked to swim with us. One day she happened to touch an electric fence, it really gave her a strong shock that made her yelp and run. Rick really liked dogs. One year for his birthday we got him a black Lab pup. We put a big bow around its neck and he really seemed pleased.

Most every spring we would buy a hundred or so little baby chicks and would raise them up to fryer size. We would butcher the roosters for the freezer and keep the pullets for laying hens. The boys loved to go duck and pheasant hunting there on the farm and down along the river, especially Rick. He was also crazy about fishing. He would go down to the river and fish in any kind of weather. He would sometimes go with the older boys to watch the young ducks, sometimes catching them. They would come home all wet but happy.

I believe Laron took some movies of them doing this. We had some very special Christmas' on the farm. One time we painted a large nativity scene on our large front window. We used to always go into the hills to cut our own tree and that was a fun outing for the whole family. We would take some pieces of plastic for kids to slide around on the snow.

All the boys were in car accidents and some very close calls. Gary was in a car with several other boys going south of Homedale and the car tipped over. The boys all got out through the windows, just before the car exploded and broke into flames. Laron, Gary and Rick were all active in the school sports, especially in football and track and did real good, going to state. One year when Homedale was playing Marsing, Rick's leg was broken. Dad and I were already up at South Mountain ready for deer hunting. The doctor put his leg in a cast and he came up hunting, just like we had planned before his accident. He hunted anyway, by riding on Gypsy.

Laron, Gary and Richard all had their 12 years of elementary and high school education in Homedale and all graduated from there. They all seemed to have a lot of good friends and good times. During this time they were all active in the church and attended to their church duties. Our most precious hope and wish was that they would always stay true to the teachings and standards of the Gospel and live them and raise their own families to do the same.

Laron graduated from high school in 1959 and attended Rick's College that. He met Ruth Blacker there and fell in love with her, she came to visit us on the farm.

In 1960 JC Palumbo sold his business to a company that produced alfalfa seed to sell to farmers. Rod managed the plant for them. Laron worked there from June until December when he left for a mission to England.

The Homedale Ward held a missionary testimony for Laron on Sunday November 27, 1960. Ruth, who was teaching school in Rupert was able to come. Laron left for his mission on December 1, 1960. I found a family from Caldwell that also had a son going on a mission. I asked if I could ride to Salt Lake City with them. I stayed with Archie Ray. We went to the airport to see Laron off. It was about midnight it seemed so dark and frightening for my beloved son to be flying off to a far away land.

Gary and Wanda Friel had already married on April 1st 1961 in the church that later burned down there in Homedale Idaho. They went to Kansas City where he took a railroad training class. When they came back home to Idaho, our first grandchild was born. They named her Coreen and she was beautiful. People would ask Dad how he liked being a grandpa and he would say, "Well I don't mind being a grandpa but I sure hate the thoughts of being married to a grandma". I guess I just wasn't a very good sport because I didn't appreciate that statement and it embarrassed me. That was one of my main complaints against Dad. He loved to tell jokes that would really embarrass me and make others laugh. Sometimes I could have or felt like walking off and going home without him. Gary and Wanda had three beautiful children and later they were divorced. Gary married Linda Climer Sept 7, 1974. Wanda has stayed a good family friend.

Throughout the years I have worked in the produce sheds for Dad and for Watsons. We run apples, prunes, plums, potatoes, onions and a few others. It has helped with missionaries. Grandma Iverson come up to help with the kids several years.

All the time we lived on the farm and worked so hard, Dad still went to work every day. He would come home tired and still have so much work to do. We were spending all the money we received from Denzel on the basement house, on the farm to pay expenses. It was real hard and discouraging and made it so hard on all of us and especially on Dad. We were suppose to make a yearly payment of 1,000 dollars a year to Mr. Palumbo. After living there for 8 years, we decided we just couldn't do it any longer, so we turned the farm back to Palumbo and moved over to the Henry Sweep place south of Homedale in May of 1961.

The alfalfa seed company's warehouse burned down in 1961 so Rod had to find another job. The Homedale Ward meetinghouse was destroyed by fire on December 9, 1961. Construction on a new meetinghouse began in 1962 with Reed Hollist as the construction foreman. Reed hired Rod full time. We became friends with the whole Hollist family.

Six months after Laron Left for his mission, Ruth began a mission in Scotland. Laron returned for his mission December 17, 1962 and Ruth from her December 24, 1962. When Laron came home from his mission he looked very pale and sickly. It was so good to have him back home. They both went back to school and then were married on February 28 1964 in the Idaho Falls Temple. Laron became a school teacher and taught in Emmett and Burley.

The construction on the meetinghouse was completed in 1963 and Rod began to work for a company in Caldwell called Western Idaho Potato Growers. He worked there for a few months until a friend of his, Jim Williams, asked him to manage Growers Produce. At first Growers Produce had processing plants in Homedale and Nyssa, Oregon, but they sold the one in Homedale so Rod had to travel to Nyssa for work.

While at the Sweep place, I was in an automobile accident, it was in July of 1964. I had been to Boise to a leadership meeting with Laurel and Melva Leavitt. We were in the pickup and he run a stop sign, just north of the sugar beet factory. The car hit us broadside on the door where I was sitting. I was thrown out the windshield and out into the field nearby. I was cut up pretty bad. I was knocked unconscious.

Melva was hurt too and we spent 12 days in the Nampa hospital. After I got home from the hospital, I was still in a lot of pain and bandages, depression and wrecked nerves. Dad helped me a lot by wrapping me in warm wet towels for a while every night. I think Laurel felt really responsible. My nerves were so bad I could hardly stand to ride in a car, and if a car came toward us from the right side I would feel like I was going into hysterics and I could hardly stand it, but Dad could never understand how I felt. He would just get disgusted and out of patience with me. That wreck was the beginning of all my health problems. I was fine and healthy before that.

Laurel's insurance paid us 500 dollars but that didn't even cover the hospital bill. I'm still paying now for medical bills and always will. I have had to have two heart surgeries, all stemming from the accident, also my stress, high blood pressure that effected my heart eventually. One surgery was in March of 1981 in the Saint Lukes Hospital at Boise. The second was in November 1990 at Mckay Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

We then moved to Nyssa, Oregon so Rod would be closer to his work. We lived in Nyssa for three years. Mark and Julie started to school in Homedale, but we moved when Julie was in the second grade.

Richard had gone to Rick's College for awhile, and then joined the Army. He met Anita Mesko while he was in Pennsylvania. They fell in love and were married July 15, 1967 there in Pennsylvania at the Blessed Sacrament Youth Church. When Rick had put in his years in for the army, they moved back to Idaho. Rick finished school and ended up being a school teacher in McCall. They still live there. We have had many reunions, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping trips and wonderful Christmas's and Thanksgivings there with them. Anita has fed and gave us a place to sleep time after time. We all love them and McCall.

We were in Nyssa when Patsy married Anthony Zikmund on February 21, 1967. They lived in Nyssa and after a few years they moved to Utah where they later divorced. Patsy married Stephen J. Clausse in Ely, Nevada in Feb 9, 1974. They made their home in Ogden and then North Ogden. After the kids were older Pat went to college and got her degree. She became a Respiratory Therapist at the hospital.

In the summer of 1973 Mama, Grant and Ina and I went on a genealogy trip. We went in Grants pickup and camper. We stayed in KOA camps and fixed our own meals there, too. We went to court houses, county seats and cemeteries hunting for our ancestors. We were gone around three months and traveled through 20 states. I sure was glad to get home.

When we moved back to Homedale we bought a house on Riverview Drive. We had a Wilder address because we were on the east side of the Snake River. We moved back in 1968. It has a garden spot, patch of raspberries, large lawn, three English walnut trees, apricot and apple trees. We also had a pasture and small barn and chicken coop. Dad later built some sheds and corrals. We bought a half of a vacant lot on the north of our place from George Christofferson. Deward and Leah Bell were our neighbors on the south side.

We had a milk cow for years and raised calves, lambs on the bottle, pigs, chickens and several horses. Remember the little black Shetland, Stormy. He was born on a stormy night. Little Stormy grew up and was such a nice horse. When Mark went on his mission to France, he decided to sell Stormy and use the money to buy clothes he needed. How I remember seeing Dad out in the pasture irrigating, carrying a shovel over his shoulder. Sometimes a son would be helping or a little grandson like Jason or later Jared would be walking behind Grandpa.

Mark and Julie both went to high school in Homedale. Mark wrestled in his high school years and was so busy during that season. Julie's freshmen year was busy with Jr. Varsity cheer leading, drill team, and band. She was hardly ever home. In 1977 Julie met and married Steven Bilbrey, they were married July 19, of that year. They bought a trailer and put it in back of our house. A few years later Julie divorced Steve and moved into Homedale. A couple of years later she and her kids moved to Ogden, Utah.

In the summer of 1977 Gary built our rock wall for our fisher stove. We have really enjoyed it all through the years. We knew and loved each rock. We had gathered it ourselves and also took Pat and Steve some so they could have it for their stove. We hauled the flat rock from the Owyhees. Gary really did a good job and we really appreciated it.

Jim Williams sold his company to the Henry Ankeny Company of Caldwell and Rod continued to manage their Nyssa warehouse.

In 1978 Rod had been feeling sick and running a fever, so he went to Doctor Wolff. Dr said he has a colon infection. Rod took some antibiotics, but didn't get much better. He was having fevers, pain and nightmares. I Took him back to the doctors and he said we better check him into the hospital. They took all kinds of tests. He had diverticulitis, he was miserable with pain, even delirious at times.

The day Rod was going home, even at the same time Aunt Mary Waite was checking into the hospital. She had been having pains in her heart and been in bed. Her heart was inoperable. She was miserable but never complained. Mary was more concerned about others. She had sent word to us that she was taking Dad's bed. Patsy and I had walked down the hall to the coronary wing but they wouldn't let us in to see her. The night before, Julie Rosemary and Pat had all sat around her bed visiting and laughing. Aunt Mary died that day, June 12, 1978. Uncle Lee and Rosemary were shocked and heartbroken, we all were. I wrote a tribute to Aunt Mary for the funeral and helped with dressing her. It was a very special and spiritual experience to us all. She looked real nice when we got it all done, Her dress and temple clothes were very lovely. Lots of family from down south came to the funeral. She was my dearest friend.

In July of that same year Dad had been having pains in his chest. He said he was just out of breath. He went to work, he had some severe pain while driving, so drove himself to the hospital in Nyssa. They called Jim and Doctor Kirby said Dad should go right to Boise to a heart specialist there at St. Lukes. So Jim drove him over there going 80 to 90 miles an hour. Dad said, "he flew low." Jim said if a cop stops us, I can show him these orders from the doctor. Dad said, Don't worry Jim, the cops can't catch you.

Dad saw Doctor Smith and he put Dad in the coronary unit for tests. Jim then came to the house to tell me. Julie called Rosemary to see if she could take me to Boise to St. Lukes, so she did. The tests have shone that some of his arteries are badly plugged, so they will have to operate on him. Dad was in good spirits and didn't seem worried. He said he wanted to get it done and over with. He joked and laughed. Mark was on his mission, Ruth is having a baby anytime, so Laron isn't here and Pat is in Ogden. But everyone else was there.

He came through the operation pretty good. They did a triple bypass, taking veins out of leg. He still has some pain, but they say he is doing very good. Lots of people concerned and worried about him. On August the 2 Dad called me to say he could come home. I drove over in the little yellow car and he was waiting and anxious. He told all the nurses and others goodbye. A nurse put him in a wheelchair and we went down to the car, then we noticed a large blood spot on his clothes over his chest. So back up the stairs we went. They called Doctor Oram and put Dad into bed. The doctor looked at it and said it was a pocket of blood that got trapped just under the skin and then broke loose. They put a dressing on it and we were soon on our way home.

Friends and neighbors have stopped by and called, and sent cards, flowers, food and fruit. Dad is getting better every day. Mark will be coming home from his mission to France in a couple of days. Dad was able to go to the airport with us. We all stood there searching the faces of that long line of passengers as they came up the ramp. Finally he appeared, he was dressed in a dark suit and looked so handsome with his dark hair. It was so wonderful to have him home. Mark didn't know about Dad's surgery, so we told him then. Mark soon started college, he went to Boise State and then on to BYU. He graduated in electrical engineering. Soon after that he joined the air force and was sent to Officer Training School at San Antonio, Texas and then ended up at Grissom Air Force Base in Peru, Indiana. There he met his wife to be, Michelle Smith. They were married in the Logan, Utah Temple on August 20, 1985. They went back to Indiana to make their home.

March 6, 1979 Uncle Mac called to tell us Dinah had passed away, so Lee, Mary, John, Marilyn, Dad and I all went down to Bunkerville in Rosemary's car. We stayed at Dinah's place. She had been staying there at Mac's and Junes when she died. They had her funeral in Bunkerville, she looked so lovely and had a beautiful white casket. Dad was asked to write and read a tribute to her. He did real good. She was buried in the Bunkerville cemetery by her husband, Edward Kane. We all gathered at the church to eat and visit. We will really miss her she was such a loving and special person.

Our Rodney Waite Family had their first reunion in 1980. We all gathered at Laron and Ruth's place in Heyburn. Laron and Ruth had it very well organized. We pitched tents in the back yard and Steve and Pat slept in their camper sleeper. Lots of kids just slept out in sleeping bags. We played all kinds of games, went canoeing on the Snake River, swimming, ate good food and went for hay rides. We also took family group pictures. We have tried to have one every other year. It has always been a great time and wonderful to see each other.

in October 1980 Julie, Mandy, Jared and I went to Heyburn for a very special reason. Laron is being put in as Bishop of Heyburn second ward. Mark, Pat and Jason were at Laron's when we arrived. The next day we all went to church filling one whole bench. They all spoke and was set apart after church. I was so thrilled and thankful to have a son worthy to become a Bishop. It was all very impressive and emotionally thrilling to witness these events and hear the letter from President Kimball saying that they had carefully checked Laron's record and found him worthy to be the new Bishop.

Dad and I have worked in a lot of gardens, hoeing and picking throughout the years. We planted a big garden this year and its' been real good with lovely tomatoes, beans, melons and lots of other vegetables, as we have every year. I have canned many bottles of fruits, veggies, jams, sauces and even meats through the years not only for us, but have helped the kids too. We always have enough vegetables for family and friends. Dad has kept many families in potatoes and onions through the years. Yosts and Leavitts have kept us in fruit, especially apples and we always get some for family, too. We have had lots of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and gooseberries to make jam and etc.

I haven't been feeling well and several times I've experienced chest pains and a burning in my throat and neck, also pain down my left arm. So I went to Doctor Wolff found that my blood pressure was up over 200 and that I have coronary heart disease. Doctor Wolff had me get some very expensive pills to bring down my blood pressure and I go back to see him in a week.

All this has been such a shock and has brought on a state of depression and I feel very weepy all the time. I see each one of my family in a new light. It has brought me up short to face the fact that our days on this earth are truly numbered. We had better make each day count for something good and worthwhile. It makes me look back on the many days l probably wasted and didn't do this or learn that or do any good for anyone. My most heartfelt regret that tears at my soul every day is that I wasn't wise enough or I didn't work hard enough to teach each precious one of our children more of the Gospel, so they would now have a strong testimony within their hearts. So it would guide them through this life of trials and troubles and keep them away from wrong and bad things that can ruin their lives and make them unhappy. They are so precious to me and I am proud of them all and grateful for their love and goodness. The Gospel can mean everything to them, to help them be together in the long eternities to come. They all need to do their temple work if they want to be together in the life after this one. Please ——---- all you dear ones—if you haven't been taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints then please investigate, search, study and pray to find out for yourself that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true and is the only true church on the earth. This truth can lead you to life eternal and can seal loved ones together for the eternities to come, and help you find your way back to your Heavenly Father and our dear Savior Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is a history of the people that lived here in this land before us. It will teach you of God's Plan for man on the earth. This book is true and I beg of you to read it and find out for yourselves.

Somehow I feel a new closeness to Aunt Mary Waite, she too had heart problems and it shortened her life, but I pray I can do something good yet in my life. I pray that I can keep this under control and live to be a hundred. {ha} The medicine Doctor Wolff gave me did bring my blood pressure down some, but he wanted me to go to Boise to get an arterial gram. I have an appointment for March the 4th. I'm sure worried about going and what they will find.

Dad has been having a lot of pain in his leg from his heart surgery. He took me to Boise to Doctor Hylan. They put me right in the hospital, he said I was trying to have a heart attack and put me in the coronary unit. March 8th they took the arterial gram and found that the main artery in my heart is blocked. It's not supplying blood and some places are stretched as thin as a thread. They showed us a film of my heart and the where the bad places are. Doctor Oram says I need to have open heart surgery. The main front artery is the worse.

On March 10, 1981, I was operated on. Laron, Dad, and Nolan administered to me before surgery. It was all so special that tears run down my cheeks. I was in surgery for 4 hours receiving a double by-pass. When I came to I felt so sick. So many doctors and nurses were so good to me. Lots of friends and relatives came to see me, even Grandma Iverson and my family. I had received so many beautiful flowers, cards and even money. Now they have all gone home and I've been feeling miserable with depression and pain. Dad took me back to Doctor Wolff and he said I was doing pretty good, but not to do anything, but walk some.

Uncle Lee was operated on for a hernia. Dad went over to see him just before they wheeled him into surgery. We went to see him the next day and he really felt awful and was really suffering. His heart just wasn't strong enough so he got worse and worse. Then his kidneys failed and he soon passed away. Rosemary and Ruthie were with him when he died. The funeral was real special. Uncle Lee was such a good and faithful man and will really be missed. He was buried by dear Aunt Mary in the Homedale and Marsing cemetery in April 1981.

I have been having more burning and pain in my arm and neck and also chest. Doctor Wolff looked through my records from Boise and told me I had extensive heart damage. That was a real shock to me, because I had thought my heart was fine and only the two arteries they had by passed were effected. Dr Wolff said my blood pressure was staying too high, even with me taking double medicine. He said there was a lot of evidence of heart disease. He said it is not going to get better, so to be careful. Sure hope I have a long time yet with so many things to do and tell my family. A couple of weeks have gone by and my arm ached so much I went to see Doctor Oram in Boise. My blood pressure was 225. Dr Hylan took several tests and told us my heart was worse now then it was before my surgery. He said one of the by passes was not working.

They put me back into the hospital and I had another arterial gram. After, they showed us the movie from it. One of the by passes has collapsed and was now doing nothing. The doctor said they would give me some potent medicine to try to get it active again. But if this doesn't work I would need surgery again. I'm 62 today, I feel blessed to have reached this age with all my heart problems. I asked the doctor how much longer I had to take this awful medication. He said that he would like me to be around for the next 10 years or so, so that's how long you have to take it. I feel like a drug addict and it makes me so sick. I guess I better be glad that they have medicine that can dilate my veins and keep me alive or I might not reach another birthday.

I started work in August, I come home so tired that I haven't kept up with things. It's December and I am through now, so maybe someday I can catch things up.

March 1983 I got a letter from Aunt Mary Holiday asking either me or Rod to come down if possible. I Don't know what we can do about it. I'm not feeling good enough to ride the bus or drive. A few weeks later Grandma Iverson wrote saying that Aunt Mary isn't doing very good. She is getting very thin and needs help. She's forgetful and says she feels like she is losing contact with reality. About a week later Keith called and said Aunt Mary had taken real bad and that they had put her in the hospital and that it looked bad. Then Grandma called and said I better come if I wanted to see Aunt Mary alive. I stopped and picked up Pat in Ogden and we had a good trouble free trip. Aunt Mary was so glad to see us. She took my hand and kissed it up and down my arm. She kept saying how glad she was we came and that she had been waiting on me. She said she hurt so bad. We rubbed her back and tried to make her feel a little better. She said she wanted to die and asked if I would say a prayer for her and ask Heavenly Father to take her. We did and she died that evening. It was March 28, 1983. She was buried in the St. George cemetery by Robert and Authur. We all loved her and will miss her.

While we were still in St. George Sharon, Grandma and I went to see Aunt Annie who is now 87. Aunt Annie is my father's youngest sister and the only one still alive. I was around her a lot while I was growing up. In fact I was born in her home. Her married name is Whipple. She works in the temple all the time. She usually does 5 sessions a day. She told me that she sees spirits that are waiting for their temple work to be done. She said they were everywhere on the walls everywhere. They look just like people and they are dressed every way. Some are in white, some are in colors. But they are anxiously waiting for someone to do their temple work. They even come to my house sometimes and just wait for me, hoping I can do their work.

Dad and I went into Doctor Jeppe to have his teeth pulled [19]. Doctor Jeppe had already taken the imprints so he could put the false teeth right in. Dad's teeth have been real bad. He has healed good but his whole face and head has really hurt him. He talks a little unnatural and his face looks a little swollen still.

October 2, 1984, right now I'm sitting in the family waiting room on the third floor of St. Lukes Hospital in Boise. Rod just had a second open heart surgery. He had been having bad pain in his chest, he went to the doctor and had an EKG done, but it didn't show a thing wrong with his heart. Doctor Mc Connel thought it must be some gas trapped from an upset stomach. Saturday the pain was so bad that Julie and I took him to Caldwell Hospital, but by the time we got there the pain was gone and he wanted to go home. That night around 8:30 he had another attack so I called the ambulance. He was admitted and put in the critical care unit. On Tuesday afternoon around 3pm he had a real bad attack that caused a large blood clot. The doctor said he needed to dissolve the clot and open the main artery with a Iazer beam. So Dad was sent to S. Lukes to have it done, but they couldn't open the artery and said he needed emergency surgery. They began operating at 6pm and finished at 12:30.

Dr Herr said that everything went alright and he was ok. The kids were all there. He stayed in intensive care for 4 days and they took real good care of him. He progressed every day and was soon walking up and down the halls. I went over after Dad today, he was so glad to get home he started crying. I'm sure glad to have him back home. Lots of family and friends were concerned and have sent cards, flowers and food and so many called. Dad and I spend every day taking care of him, giving him his medicines on time and walking up and down the road. On Sunday October 28 we both went to church, it was the first time since his operation. He went early to do his ward clerk work.

Rod and I had fun grocery shopping for Thanksgiving and we spent close to a hundred dollars, but it was worth it. Laron's family and Ricks family are all coming and of course Julies. We will have a full house, but it will be fun. We are really looking forward to a very special Thanksgiving. We just wish all the rest of our dear family could be here also and we had a house large enough for all of us. I made a big batch of rolls for Thanksgiving, then wrapped and froze them. I made 136 rolls. I made 13 pies today. Dad really likes apple and pumpkin. We bought 2 turkeys, we want some for sandwiches etc, after Thanksgiving.

Today is Thanksgiving and I got up early to fix dressing and put the large turkey in the oven. Rick and family came last night and Laron came this morning. We had a real good dinner. We had turkey and dressing, potatoes and giblet gravy, candied sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, hot rolls, green veg. plate and cream cheese apples and celery. Then we had pies or cake and apricot nectar to drink.

Friday November 23, 1984 our dear Dad had another heart attack. We can't believe it happened. He was doing so well we thought. Laron and Larry Quintania administered to him before the ambulance came. I rode up front with the driver and Rick was in back with Dad and Dottie. They called ahead and had the paramedics meet us between Wilder and Green Leaf. They stopped and tested Dad then we went on to Caldwell Hospital. They took him in and tried to stabilize his heart, but had to take him to St. Lukes.

Doctor Stott said that something had gone wrong with his surgery and they needed to operate. Then Doctor Herr told us he felt Dad wouldn't be able to stand another surgery until he had rested and recovered some from his heart attack. He said they wanted to get him stabilized and his strength built up before they could operate.

We called other kids. That night I stayed with Coreen, I couIdn't sleep and felt I should have been right there with him. Dad had a miserable night, they had a needle or tube in his right leg and told him not to move at all. He said he had been laying in the same position for 25 hours. We called the other kids to tell them about Dad. Gary soon came and Pat arrived in the evening.

The last time I was in by him he looked so tired and miserable. He said his lips were dry so I found some Vaseline and put on his lips. He then asked me to brush his false teeth for him and I did. I stood there by his bed and held his hand. He said I love you Mama, those were the last word he said to me. About 8 o'cIock all the kids went home but Pat and I. We stayed and took a rest on the couches in the waiting room. About 10 or so we were awakened by a code blue over the loud speaker. An icy chill shot through me and I got up in time to see several nurses running. I went into the desk in the critical care unit, Pat was already there and we could see people working with Dad. We could hardly stand it. Finally they pulled the curtain so we couldn't see then a lady took us into a very small room where there was a phone and told us to call family. Patsy did the calling and told those at home to come back. They told us he had had two different heart arrests and they had got him going again. They were going to try to put in a couple of pacemakers. Later they came to tell us the pacemakers were working against each other so now they were going to try to put in a permanent pacemaker because he would need it later anyway. After hours of agony waiting and a little after 3:00 am Doctor Herr came in to tell us that Dad had died.

We just couldn't believe it. They were so sorry and sympathetic and told us they had done all they possibly could, but he had just slipped away. I hope and pray that all of you will think of and remember your dear father and how he loved you. He wanted all of you to love the Gospel, to be the best men and women you can be and to do what is right. To always stay close to your Heavenly Father and our dear Savior. He wanted you to make a good living and be happy and raise your children right. To show them much love, as he did you. He loved all of you so much and told you and showed you often how he cherished and loved you.

April of 1985, I went to St. George to stay with Grandma Iverson. Keith and Verla had all of the adults over and Verla had a wonderful big buffet supper. We took pictures, talked and recorded old experiences we remembered. We are waiting for Mama's check before we can leave for Idaho. Mama and I have been reading aloud the, "Footsteps on the Arizona Strip." Sure does bring back a lot of memories of that beloved and yet dry barren land. We went down to Denzel's and took some pictures and visited with them. Nita Jo and her little girl were there. Told them all goodbye, Denzel cried and me too. Mama and I left St. George the next morning. We had a good trip. We stopped at Pat's and Laron's. Boy, it's good to be home, but there is so much now to take care of and things are already starting to grow. Mandy and Jared have been staying all night here, Julie has been working night shifts.

It snowed and it has been cold and windy. Can't start the stove because the pipe isn't fitted together. We are going to McCall and am pleased to be seeing everyone. We took Anthony's quilt and just visited. We took quite a few four generation pictures. Sure glad we did.

Mark called to tell us some more about his wedding plans. They plan to be married in the Logan Temple on August 20, 1985. Mama made a beautiful quilt top years ago and gave it to me, so now we are going to quilt it for Mark's wedding. Went down to Vella's to put up her hair up and she suggested we have Mark and Michelle's open house at her place so that is what we will do. Mama and I went to church and the teacher {Nina Jorgeson} had asked me to write a poem on the temple, so I read it in class. lt's about the Boise Temple. [It will be at the end of this history]

There is so much work to do around this place, I sure wonder how I can keep up with it and why I'm even trying. Although I would like to have a garage built and a store room and some siding put on. I am waiting for estimates. I sure miss my dear husband and I really realize how much he did around to keep things going.

Aunt June called on May 26, 1985 to say Uncle Denzel had just passed away right at home that afternoon. He and Cleo were home alone. I called all the kids and Laron said he would like to go so he will take his car. Julie, Pat, Grandma and me will go with him. That day Grandma and I picked flowers and arranged them to take to the cemetery.

The new headstone for Rod was in place and it is really beautiful. Seems funny to see my and Dad's names on the headstone. Sure hope Dad would approve. Then we got ready and left for Laron's. We arrived in St. George around 1:00 the next day. Archie was up in Grandma's place when we got there and of course he was very surprised to have us walk in. He said he and Verna were having some problems so he moved upstairs.

We went to the viewing and Denzel looked very nice. His family took his passing well because he was getting bad and they prayed he could go. We saw lots of relatives and more at the funeral in Bunkerville. They buried Denzel there by Aunt Iona. On the way home Laron talked me into going and looking at cars in Burley. We found one, it's a 1983 Oldsmobile Omego. We are all thrilled about it and I'm selling the little yellow car to Jenny. Grandma decided to stay home with Archie. It sure was good to get home.

Picked Vella up for church, it was Fast and Testimony meeting and I bore my testimony. I wanted to tell everyone again that I know my Savior and Heavenly Father lives and I love them so very much and I love Dad and miss him so much and I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have that the Gospel is true and that we well be able to be together as a family again. That I will meet my beloved Husband again someday somewhere. How grateful I am that we were sealed in the Temple for time and eternity. I just hope I can be good enough to be with him before too awful long. Of course I don't want to leave this life or our dear children and grandchildren before I finish a lot of things and my Heaven Father says my life is done.

John Waite came out to give me his estimate on the garage. Sure is high, nearly 11 thousand but that is for the storeroom, siding and the inside, too. I sure don't want to pay that much. Rick and Mark says to go ahead, so I told Jerry OK. I went to the bank and made arrangements for a home improvement loan.

We are getting things ready for Rosemary's wedding, Marilyn, Joy and I went to town and found what we could. I went with Rosemary and Jim to get their endowments. On June 22,1985, Rosemary's wedding day, there were a lot of family from down south and here at the Temple. Rosemary looked so beautiful. It was a lovely ceremony. She had the reception at Vella's and there was a real good turn out.

The house looks like a tornado has been whirling around it. All the pink shakes have been taken off and so it is black with tar paper. There are trenches dug and piles of dirt and broken cement. Most of my phlox flower garden is covered with dirt and trampled under. We decided to put two large windows in the back bedroom. Ric and Michael came down to help chisel up the old kitchen floor. It was such an awful job. Michael stayed to help paint, others have helped also.

We are trying to get things done for Mark and Michelle's wedding reception. Vella says to have it at her house, so that's what we are going to do. Doreen made the beautiful wedding cake, others took charge of the punch, mints and what ever was needed. We got up early and left Laron's around 5:30. We arrived at the Logan Temple at the same time Mark, Pat, Randy and Justin did. We were all pleased to meet Michelle and her nice family. Uncle Grant, Aunt Ina, Grandma Iverson, Jay and Sharon, Aunt June, Uncle Mac, Aunt Fern, Uncle Dan and quite a few others were there on Aug.20, 1985 to be with Mark and Michelle. The Bride and Groom looked so lovely and handsome. It was all so very special to me to see my ever so dear son married for time and eternity. We took pictures and then went to Roberto's for lunch. Jay made the reservations and paid most of the bill. We gathered at the parking lot, giving gifts and goodbyes and all went our separate ways. The next evening was the reception in Homedale and it was a lovely party. We appreciated all those who came and especially those who helped. Mark and Michelle went to Sun Valley for their honeymoon and then camping in the mountains. Jenny stayed with me an extra night, I loved having her stay longer. We picked all the ripe tomatoes and melons and Jenny packed to go home. Then I got packed to go float down the Salmon River.

I spent the first night at Rick's and he took me to Shore Lodge and I met up with the church group. We went in large vans to above Riggins, there were four large rafts. When we weren't going over rapids we would have water fights with the other rafts. There were several large blue buckets in each raft and the men dipped and threw water. We would just begin to dry off and get warm when we would either get wet again from going through some rapids or someone in the other boats would try to drown us with a whole bucket of river water in the face. We had a ball. Marilyn Waite fell backwards off our boat into the river, but held on to the rope. Delna Carson got mad at George Christofferson because he dumped a big bucket of cold water on her and she wasn't ready to get wet yet. The lead boat stayed so far ahead no one could get them wet, so after lunch their boatman was last to take off and held them back until all the rest got way ahead and around the bend. There was a high bridge there so some of the men got out and carried big buckets of water up on the bridge. As the last boat went under the bridge everyone emptied their buckets of water on them, one after the other. I was on the rocks taking pictures. Needless to say those in that boat really got wet and did a lot of yelling. I'm glad I took this trip Dad and I planned to take this year. I'm sure he would really have had a ball if he could have been with us. As we floated down passed Riggins, on past Lucille and Slate Creek I kept thinking of him and remembering our trip up along the highway that follows the river and our good fishing trip up Slate I Creek and the long mountain climb over the mountain to McCall.

Mark called a travel agent to set up my travel plans for Indiana before they left. It sure is going to cost me a lot of money. I'm all packed to go and Jerry will come by and take me to the airport. My first flying experience on a jet was about what I expected and was very exciting to fly high above the earth and the clouds. I felt like I was escaping the earth and wondered if Dad might have felt this way when he left all of us. I could see a lot more rivers and lakes than I expected, the Snake River, the Great Salt Lake and many others. I could imagine so many, many tiny people down there that seemed so insignificant and wondered how our Heavenly Father could possibly keep track of us. How can Jesus know what we do and what we don't? Yet I know they do and that nothing is impossible for them. I felt the wonder and awe of what they had created for us.

I was so surprised to see Rosemary standing there with a beautiful smile as always after we landed in Denver. She helped me find my gate and we had 40 minutes to spend together. When I arrived in Indianapolis Michele's mother, Kay met me and drove me to Marks. That night we all went to set up for the reception and it all looked very beautiful. At the reception I met lots of MichelIe's relatives and lots of Mark and MicheIle's friends. They received many nice gifts. While I was there we drove to Fort Wayne, it is beautiful country all the way.

There are lots of woods and mowed green areas. We have been sanding, patching and painting the bedrooms. They have taken me out to lunch and dinner several times. It's so hard to say goodbye, not knowing when you will see them again. I spent around 2 weeks there with them. On the way back I spent one night with Rosemary and Jim. They took me out to a real neat Japanese restaurant. They cooked right in front of us and it was very good. The hills of Idaho really looked dry and barren after seeing the green hills, mountains and woods of the east, but it seemed so good to just be back in Idaho. Marsha and Carla were there to meet me, bless their hearts. I sure did appreciate them coming after me. It was so good to get home.

The next day I canned 16 quarts of peaches, went down and put up VeIla's[Taggart] hair and took her some peaches. Talked with Hazel on the phone, cooked a chicken and Julie brought Mandy and Jared out for the night. We went to the grocery store and I made 3 small peach cobblers.

President Kimble died today. He was 90 years old and in poor health. They are going to have his funeral in the Tabernacle. I listened and watched the services on tv. It was a cold snowy day.

We are ready to leave for Ogden in the morning, Vella is going with me and I will drop her off at her daughter's place. I'm going to Pat's and Steve's they are remarrying on Nov. 2, 1986 and then they are going to San Francisco while I stay with the kids. I spent 1985 Thanksgivings at Laron's place in Heyburn. About 3 o'cIock the next day Laron took Ruth to the hospital to have a little baby boy[they haven't named him yet]. All the kids have been taking turns to hold him. He looks so cute and all the kids are so excited. I've just been getting ready for Christmas. I put up my little artificial tree that Dad and I bought a couple of years before he died. I spent my first Christmas Eve alone. I've got to quit feeling so sorry for myself. I spent Christmas with Julie and Kids. We had a real good dinner, so much to eat for only 4 people.

I have been working on my Fathers history and sent it off today [Mar. 1986] to Sharon to type up. I went down to Don Drum's to see about my income taxes. It sounds like I will have to pay a lot of money because of Dad's retirement, near 3,000 dollars. This is a real shock. I should have paid it before I spent any of the money, but I'll work out something. I've been working in the garden, cleaning up, but then I get tired and discouraged, it's a constant struggle. I've really been having a lot of depression lately that has been making each day a real trial. Worked outside most of the week and have accomplished quite a bit. The weather is nice and sunny and the forsythia are all in bloom and beautiful with it's golden long sprays. Pat came to visit for a week and we took some of the yellow forsythia and red tulips out and put them in the vases by Dad's grave. She hadn't see Dad's headstone. On Monday Deward Bell brought over a check of 1,400 dollars for the pasture. That is plus 800 dollars we owed him on it for past taxes and water bill over the years since we bought the place in 1969.

Julie and kids and I went to Kristin's wedding at the Sweetheart Manor. They had it decorated so beautifully in white, pink and wine colors. Coreen flew in from New York and was dressed in a lovely wine colored dress. Kristin wore a beautiful wedding dress with a train. Her Rick was very nice and so was his family. Kelly really looked handsome. It was all very nice and a lovely wedding. The next Monday Kelly came over to visit me. He said they had been out to the cemetery.

Pat, Randy and Justin went with me to the Iverson and Waite reunions down south. While I was at Pats Aunt June called and said Aunt Glenna had died[Dads brothers wife], so we ended up going to the funeral . Aunt Glenna looked just beautiful, now she was at peace. We enjoyed both reunions and got to visit with many loved ones and friends. I hated to leave Mama and Archie but we did and traveled to Ogden. When I left for home Jason went with me so to spend some time with Tony and Grandma Thiel.

We had the Rodney Waite reunion in McCall down by the river. Rick sawed some downed trees so we could clear the trash away. We set up tents, tables and a toilet. Rick had inner tubes blown up and kids were soon in the river. The kids had tube races and I floated down and it was so much fun and refreshing. The kids had a good time just roaming around and playing at the beaver dam. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and other good food. They all played flippers, cards and raced down the river. We all had a great time.

I received a letter from the first presidency of the church to meet with the temple presidency for an interview to be a temple worker. As they were setting me apart to be a temple worker, I was filled with a very spiritual feeling of awe and wonder that this was happening to me. I'm sure this will all be a wonderful growing and spiritual experience and I'm going to do the best I can.

Every year Dad would supply Fred and Rita Woods and many others with a good amount of onions, but now I go with Fred to Nyssa. They were running onions and that brought back a lot of memories about Dad and the years he spent working his life away there. The shed has a picture of Dad on the three wheeler hanging on the wall. Fred and Rita are good friends. They always bring me some deer meat for the winter. Paul Thacher was also a good friend to us. Dad and him would go back and forth helping each other. Paul bought the cemetery lot next to ours.

November 19, 1986 Julie drove me over to Boise to the airport to see me off for Indiana. Our plane was late in leaving, so I missed my connection to Indianapolis. I sent word to Mark on the computer what flight I would be on. Finally arrived and Mark was right there ready to meet me. It was so special to see them all and hold my new little granddaughter. Mark took work off for a week so we could visit. We had Thanksgiving Dinner at Michel|e's parents home. Everything was so lovely and delicious. The day after we all went to Indianapolis shopping at a very large mall. It was quite crowded and it seemed that at least half the people were colored.

The week after Mark, Michelle and I rode up to Chicago to go to the Temple. We did two sessions. I was so pleased to be able to go. After the Temple we did a little shopping. On my birthday we all went to Wabash and went to a very special banquet. It was all decorated so beautifully with white lights and silver and was called a Madrigal Dinner. It was Lord of the Manor and his court, with jesters, singers, magicians, guitar players, belly dancers and singers. It was good entertainment. It was a birthday I will never forget and I appreciated everything they did for me.

Today Mark blessed and named his baby daughter, but she cried through the whole thing. Mark gave her a wonderful blessing with her Grandpa Smith and bishopric. Sarah wore a lovely, long white christening dress and little white satin shoes. She looked so sweet. When I was at Kay's and Stan's, he showed me a drafting table he is making for Mark for Christmas. He's doing a real good job of it. Mark, Michelle and Sarah took me to Indianapolis to catch my plane. It seemed good to land at Boise's small airport, without so many planes and people about. It was real good to be home again. Laron's family had Thanksgiving at my place while I was gone, so Jenny could be with them. Adin came up from BYU. Julie and children had gone to be with Rick's family in McCall for Thanksgiving.

Julie and Judi drove down to Ogden to see about a job interview for a health spa and the kids stayed with me. After picking up the kids from school, we decorated for Christmas. When Julie and Judi arrived home on Sunday, Julie said the interview wasn't much encouragement. I've been shopping and trying to get ready for Christmas, sent some packages and cards. I watched the Voyager Plane land this morning on TV. It with 2 people made the first—non stop, no refueling flight around the world. It really made history. I also went to tithing settlement. Aunt June and Mac called to visit and tell me Ronnie Waite, Uncle Marvin's son got killed when a truck backed into him. He was a beautiful singer, I felt so sorry for the family.

I was alone for Christmas Eve and it seemed lonesome, I did watch Christmas programs, also talked on the phone with loved ones. On Christmas I went to JuIie's, then I came home to put a ham in the oven and they came up and opened more gifts. I haven't been able to get over a bad chest congestion. Keith Leavitt and Ray Knight came and gave me a blessing. Keith gave me a special blessing and of course the congestion was soon all gone. There is nothing that can help as soon and as well as the power of the Priesthood. We need to use it instead of running to the doctor so much.

I went to Doctor McConnel and he sent me to the cardiologist in Boise . I have been having a lot of sickening left arm aches and discomfort around my heart. The doctor said I was back to where I was in 1981 when I had my heart surgery. He asked how I felt about having heart surgery again. He said he would do some studying on my records and we will decide then. A nurse put a heart monitor on me to wear for 24 hours and I had to write down everything I did and the time. The nurse really sandpapered my skin where they put it on. It really hurt, but they can't feel it. Ha. After I took the heart monitor back Doctor Badke called and wants me to check into St. Lukes to have an angiogram. Julie took me over and I had the angiogram the next morning. Later Doctor Badke came in to show us the film, I have one artery completely blocked and another partly blocked. He said they could probably help by doing the balloon procedure. He thinks increased medication will help and that we will try it for a while and see.

Sharon called today and said Mama is real sick and in the hospital and ask if I could come down. I said I would. Marilyn and her little dog rode down with me. John has been working in Nev. We spent the night at Pats, Steve is still on his trip to Japan and the Philippines . When I got to the hospital, Mama looked so sick and miserable. She has a tumor in her colon and they operated to remove it. After a couple of days I bought her home. Sharon came and took us to Nellie [Iverson] Coxes. She wrote a history on Hans Peter and grandma. We all three got one. I had been here a month and needed to get home. Dorthy came with me to go stay with Norman and family. The next day Pat and I went back to Normans to pick up a picture Norman had done in charcoal of Dad. It looks just like him, it was so good of Norman to do this.

There was a special meeting held in Boise today for the temple ordinance workers. The chapel was filled and Brother Faust from the Quorum of the 12 was there along with 2 other brethren from Salt Lake. They all spoke to us along with Pres. Redford, his wife, the 2 councilors and their wives. It was all very inspiring. Bother Faust told us as temple workers we were on the greatest call we could receive on the earth and with such a sacred calling we will rise up to meet the Savior at his coming or if we have died, we will come with Him when He comes.

Julie has decided to move to Ogden, where Pat lives. She went first and stayed with Pat and the kids and animals stayed with me. Julie got a job with Peterson Motor as a secretary. She has also found a apartment. Brother Ken Romewell came this evening to load up Julie's things in a large covered horse trailer and Clint's pickup. Laron and kids and the Erbes also helped. Amanda and Jared were so upset about leaving their pets. When Laron called he said they got Julie's things moved in to her apartment and that it is a nice place.

Laron had the Waite Reunion at his place this year. It rained several days, but we still got to play games and the kids went swimming. Michelle took some group pictures, they turned out real good. We got copies of the Victor M. Iverson history. We had good food and lots of fun.

Mack Tolmie's Aunt wants Cindra,[dog] Julie had told me to try to find a good home for her. I have a lot of mixed feelings. They are very nice and have a big place where she can roam. She seems to know something is going to happen. I think she can read my mind. I feel like a traitor, but they assured me that they would take real good care of her and love her.

I found out that Jim Williams died on Saturday, September 12. He was so painfully sick with cancer of his liver and kidneys. We all knew it was going to happen, but not so soon. He was such a good man. I wonder if Dad has seen him yet. I know they will be very happy to see each other. I saw some old friends at the funeral. Larry told me to stop by the shed and get a sack of onions, so I did. I could almost see Dad there. They had a picture of Rod on the 3 wheeler hanging on the wall.

In October I left home and drove to Ogden to stay with Julie and kids. All week I worked helping to get JuIie's laundry and things all done up. Julie got a job with Morton Thiokol. We all had a really good dinner for Thanksgiving. Pat bought the turkey and whatnot and we cooked it here. Now we can think about Christmas. Laron called and said they are coming next Friday for Jenny to go to the temple for her endowments. I will be going with them and I'm so glad I can. We went to Pat and Steve's for Christmas dinner. The kids played out in the snow and we played games, it was a fun day. Friday, January the 15^th,1988 I started out for home. It was so good to finally arrive home. Cally met me. The house was like an ice box, so I started a fire and turned the furnace up. It seemed good to be in my own bed and to be home. I've been gone for 3 months, it will take a while to get used to being alone and be able to handle the loneliness. I started back to the temple and it was real special to go back after my leave of absence to be with Julie. Gary came and stayed over night last Friday.

I had been so cold and chilled all day and had a bad headache so laid down to see if it would help. Then when I opened my eyes there was a large purple blotch over the sight of my right eye on the top half. I didn't hurt, but it ruins my sight on the top half of my right eye. I can't see anything in my eye, so a small blood vessel must have ruptured in the back of my eye. I'm praying it will eventually clear up. The next week I went over to Doctor Chen my eye doctor in Caldwell. He gave me a good examination and told me I had had a stroke and it had permanently damaged my eye. He said he couldn't help me. He said it was not a broken blood vessel as I had assumed, but a tiny sugar crystal had blocked the artery to my eye and had damaged the cornea. He said it was originally caused by hardening of the arteries in my body or heart disease. He said to keep my cholesterol down and be careful. I had been planning on going to St. George to the Iverson Reunion, but now the kids don't think I should go, for fear I might have another stroke.

Pat drove up to stay a week. It was good to have her come, we had such a good visit. She also took me over Boise to see Doctor Badke. He said I was doing pretty good and to keep taking the pills. It is keeping the fluid away from my heart. I hated to see Pat leave. This summer Julie brought the kids to stay a while. Michael has also been staying with me, he has found a job in Nampa at Amour Meats. Jason came with Julie and they went back Sunday, but waited until Rick arrived to see him. He drove in with a big load of wood for me and he and Michael unloaded it in the wood shed. Rick stayed all night and left for summer school the next morning, he is going to stay at the dorms. Steve came and got Jared, Jared will be starting summer school there. Laron , Amy, Ethan and Jerom came to stay a couple or so days, while Laron showed his computer program to several schools in the area. The children stayed here and we slept out under the stars.

I went to McCall in August and was glad to see everyone. Anthony is really growing up. Rick, Shari and I went up the mountain to get wood and picked huckleberries, they were extra large and thick. We picked about a gallon. The next day we went over to warm lake area on the South Fork of the Salmon to see Lori to where she is working for the Fish and Game. She is excited for their trip to New York to see Anita's family this summer. After I took Jared home to Ogden, I went back to Heyburn so we could go to St. George to get ready for Adin's and Eve's wedding reception at the Cotton Mill. Ruth, Chelsea , Cameron and I went. The wedding was so special and beautiful.

While were there in St. George we had a party for Mamas 90th birthday. Mama was so happy and pleased about it all, she said that no one had ever done anything like this for her before. Then we all went to Heyburn to prepare for the open house for Adin and Eve. It all turned out good and the yard looked beautiful with the flowers and tiny lights.

Aunt Dorthy called from Bunkerville and we had a good visit over the phone. She said she had a very special experience. She had a dream or something about three weeks ago. She couldn't get it off her mind so she decided to call me. She said it was so very real and special. In the dream she was on a stage and she looked and saw Rodney coming, he looked so young and very handsome. He had a brilliant glow all around him. He looked like a glorified being or like someone who had been resurrected. Dorthy wonder if something was going to happen to her or me. I was so thrilled to hear this and so glad she called. The Spirit is young, it's only the body that grows old so he would look young in spirit.

A few days later I too had a dream about Rodney. It was like he was still alive and still here. It seemed I was driving down the road going west and that some of the grandchildren were in the back seat of the car. I then saw Dad walking along the side of the road and it started to rain. I pulled over to the curb and called to him. He came and got into the car and I ask where he was going? He said he was going on a mission and the guys at the packing shed are sure going to feel bad and they will really miss him. I asked him why he hadn't told me about this and he said he didn't think I would mind. Then it started to rain harder on the windshield and I woke up crying. So I guess he went on his mission alright. When I was down to Grant's this year earlier, we were talking about Rod and what he might be doing. Grant said he knew what he was doing, he's teaching the gospel, he said there is no doubt in my mind. Of course I've always felt that was what he was doing ............ NOW I'M SURE. These dreams of Dorthy and mine have helped me a lot.

I've been getting ready for my trip to Michigan. I'm going by train, Joe and Joy are going to take me to Amtrack Station. Mark and Michelle have moved to Michigan for his job and they want me to come visit. The fall colors were beautiful and the mountains and the rock formations were so interesting. It was such a thrill to go over the mountains. Sarah had her 2"d birthday while I was there, she would hold up her two little fingers. One day we went to see Mark at his office, he dresses up for work and he looked so nice. He also took us to lunch. Michelle and Sarah took me all over to see the sights. They live by some woods so we took some good walks. The Saturday before I left we all drove over to Holland, Michigan along the lake. It was so exciting to see that great blue lake with its big waves and white caps just like an ocean. We walked along a beautiful sandy beach and played in the sand. I got to see Mark set apart as first counselor in the Elders Quorum . I was so thrilled and pleased to be there. Sure hated to say goodbye.

Rosemary and Jim have moved back to Homedale, it is so good to have them around. Rosemary has always been so good to me. Marilyn and John's family have been good to me also, inviting me to dinner or helping me around here. Joy and loe have helped a lot. Joy has become a very special friend. I have been getting ready to go to Laron's for Christmas. I stopped in to Gary's, but they weren't home. So I left their gifts there. Laron's family gave me a big love and acted like they were glad to see me. I took banana bread, rocky road, and some rolls. Then we made peanut brittle, fudge and popcorn balls. Santa was good to all of us and the children were real excited. We played games and went to church, then had a good dinner of turkey and fixings.

It's now a brand new year 1989. Seems like time is really going by fast. I'm working on Dad's history, I'm putting all the stories and notes together. I'm sure it's good for me to do this, but it will feel good to have it done, so I can put it away. Gary and Linda sent me a beautiful flower arrangement in remembrance of Dad's birthday. They have done that several times.

Today was a red letter day. I received in the mail the "Paid in Full" papers on my place. Wish Dad was here to help me celebrate.

I have been busy with going to the temple and making quilts. I am making one for Lori's wedding in May. I rode up to McCall with Rosemary for the wedding. They all looked just beautiful . Anthony was so cute as the ring bearer. Lori made a very lovely bride all dressed in white with her dark hair and cute bridal hat. Shari was the maid of honor and looked lovely, she cried and got us all crying. The ceremony was beautiful. Rosemary, Linda, Lizzy, and I went over to see their cute pink trailer house. It was a very lovely and rewarding day.

I went down to see Vella at the nursing home. They said she got real sick with pain. I never saw her alive again. I will miss her a lot. She was a very dear friend and neighbor. She was 83 and was wanting to join Walter.

In June I went to Heyburn and stayed overnight at Larons, then on to Ogden. Amy and Ethan drove along too in the yellow Chevette , then on to Provo. I stayed with Julie and took Jared and Mandy with me to the Iverson and Waite reunions. Fathers Day we went to Sacrament Meeting with Grandma and Gary stopped by, he was driving thru with a load of steel to Salt Lake City. He also stopped to see Aunt June and Uncle Mac in Hurricane and Uncle Keith and Aunt Verla. Everyone was so surprised and glad to see him after so many years. Some hardly knew him. Steve, Pat, Randy and Justin stopped overnight on their way back home from California. Amanda and Jared went home with me to Homedale.

In July we left to take the kids home. We spent the night at Laron's and it was so good to see Jenny again. It was Jenny's mission report. Ruth, Laron and Jenny all gave real good talks. Jenny and Amy sang a beautiful song and Chelsea played the piano for them. Megan played the flute at the end. It was all very beautiful. Then the next morning we drove to Ogden. Pat needed someone to go up to stay at the camp to hold it for our Rod Waite reunion. So Justin Jared and I went up to stay. Pat, Steve and Julie came up on different evenings to save the camp. A lot could not come to the reunion, but the ones that did had fun hiking, playing games, swimming in the lake, campfire stories and a water fight. Jenny told us about her mission and played her guitar and sang. We all enjoyed camping and being together.

I drove up to McCall to see my loved ones. Rick and Anita got me a load of wood, while Anthony and I walked around looking for deer tracks and the beautiful fall colors. I had a good trip home and was there only a hour when Mac and June drove in. They looked real good and it was so good to see them. While they were here we canned grape juice and made berry jam. They took onions and 3 sacks of walnuts to crack. We had a family home evening at John and Marilyns. We talked about Grandpa and Grandma Waite also Lee and Mary. It was special to have Mac and June there.

This evening there was an earthquake in San Francisco. It really looks awful. The Bay Bridge has collapsed one and a half miles on down on the lower section of the bridge. A real tragedy. Some more news is that they have started chopping the Iron Wall down and East Berlin people are crossing over. We hope and pray this will be the dawning of a new day and the Lords gospel will roll on.

I'm leaving for Heyburn in the morning then Provo and Ogden and on down to St. George to take my turn staying with Mama. I hate to leave my home for so long. We left for Provo at 5:00. Jenny, Amy and Ethan seemed to be glad to see us. They have a nice apartment. Went back to Ogden to see Julie and Pat's family, then on to St. George. While I have been here with Mama I have seen and visited many old friends and family. I have been to Bunkerville, Hurricane, Las Vegas, La Verkin and Enterprise to weddings, dinners, the temple many times with family, programs, church, home evenings and parties. One of the home evenings a couple showed slides from their trip to South America. They were told by the natives that it was the land Bountiful and that there is where the Savior appeared to the Nephites. Mama's back and stomach bother her, but the doctor says she is healthy. I spent Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas here at Mamas. I hope I am helping her while I'm here but I think I am getting on Mom's nerves. Any time something goes wrong she thinks it's my fault. I try not to let things bother me or do things that bothers her, but it's always been that way between us even when I lived home.

When I got to McCall Rick had left for a week to float down the Salmon River. They put in at the Salmon and were going to Riggins. Lori and Shari were here with their babies, Nita and Jacob. Shari is getting ready to move to Boise to go to school. Rick got back from his float trip and he had a ball. Rick Shumway stopped over night on his way to school. We had a good visit with him. While I was there Anita and I went to some garage sales, the flea market and went to lunch a few times. They all keep her too busy. Rick and Anthony have been practicing with their bows and arrows. Anthony wants to do everything his dad does. Anita and I helped Rick load the camper shell on the truck. Kenny Brown drove in from Oregon to go hunting with Rick and Bob. We all got ready and packed to go to Lake Fork camping. Gary and Linda came by so we all left. We set up the tents and had a nice big camp. Anthony and I put on our tennis shoes and waded in the river. Later we picked some blueberries for breakfast. Gary, Linda and I went for a walk across the river and up the trail thru the woods. It was a lovely wide trail thru the woods that wound around the mountain at about the same height so there wasn't too much up and down. It was so very lovely and inspiring. It was the best walk and I will always remember it. Our hunters came and went every morning and evening. They had seen some elk and bears. Anyway it was a very nice camping trip and the weather had been perfect. Rick, Anita and Anthony started school that Tuesday, so I went back to Homedale. Then soon to Larons and back to Odgen to Julie's.

Today is Steve's birthday but it has been raining so much that there is flooding in N. Ogden by Pats. There has been a mud slide that really did a lot of damage to many homes. The rain has also flooded Julies basement. Sure seems funny to be back here again. I'm afraid it will never feel like home because Dads not here and I miss him so.

In October of 1991 Grant, Ina and I drove to St George to Mamas place. That evening we all went to the cousins party at the old cotton mill in Washington. There was around 40 of us. I met cousins I hadn't seen since I was around 12 and some l had never met. They had a nice dinner and a program about Hans Peter Iverson [our grandfather] and his 3 wives. He and his father Jeppe Iverson both were stone masons and both helped build the old cotton mill and the St George Temple. Mount Pleasant is where the Iversons first settled in America, before being sent to St George on the " Cotton Mission" by Brigham Young. Grant Ina and I stopped at Mount Pleasant on the way home and looked for graves.

I had been having shooting pains in the right side of my head . Nothing helped it and it was getting worse. I went to Doctor Dixon and he thought it was a neurology problem or a pinched nerve. He set up a appointment to have a brain scan at McKay hospital. I went in for the scan and it didn't show anything but a little spot where there was an infection. I was taking the pain pills but it still was really hurting. Pat came down and helped me get ready, she had called the doctor's office and said she needed to bring me in. I looked awful and hated to go in, but it hurt so bad I didn't care what I looked like. When the doctor looked at the breakouts on my neck he said " Oh now I know what we are dealing with, you have shingles." I will need someone to give me a shot every 6 hours, so Pat will give them to me. I really started to breakout, it was so painful. Pat stayed several days and nights with me to give me the shots and help me. Even a month later I am still having pains in my head, seems they will never go away. I had Thanksgiving at Pats we had a lovely dinner. Steve's dad and sister was there. Gary called, it was so good to hear his voice. Steve's dad and sister took me home. That evening Rosemary and Jim drove in from Denver and stayed the night.

I went with Gary to Denver in his big truck. We traveled along the Colorado River then Glenwood Canyon where they are building an elevated highway. It's really impressive and scary. Then we climbed into the high Rockies, covered with timber and snow. We passed by several of the famous ski resorts. We saw luxury hotels and beautiful mansions everywhere, all along the highway climbing up the mountains. Lots of skiers on the mountain. It was a new experience to be high in a big truck. We saw deer, mountain sheep, buffalo, antelope and herds of elk. It was a thrill. Gary is a real good and patient driver. He goes thru a lot of hassle at the state line and truck stops. He has to pay and gets permission to cross a state line. He keeps a log of everything he does. He has to have things in order and to make sure his truck is ok. We picked up a oversized tank that he had taken there before, to get fixed. We talked and visited as we drove along. We had good food and I really had a good time. It was a very special trip and experience I will cherish because of all we saw and just being with Gary and for his special love and caring.

In early spring of 1992 I received a letter from my mother saying she was not feeling well at all and she wished I would come down, so I decided to go. I left in April and had a good trip with no problems. The Lord really answered my prayers that everything would go well. As I traveled along alone so many memories of long ago trips down to St George and back to Idaho filled my mind. I wondered just how many times I had made that long trip back and forth, from the time we went up to see Idaho country when Laron was 3 and Gary a few months old in 1942. We came to visit Uncle Frank and Aunt Saline Leavitt. Grandpa and Grandpa Waite came with us. We wanted to look the country over. I remember back thru all those long years of some of our trips as a family.

I especially remember Rod getting sleepy as we traveled. I would talk and keep him awake. I would drive for awhile, or we would stop for awhile. He would put a wet washcloth over the top of his head. As I pass certain spots and places along the way I can remember stopping there and even conversations we had. So many years, loved ones and memories ago. Mom and Archie seemed glad to see me. We went to the temple the next day with Grant and Ina. It was special to be there all together, Bud, Judy, Verla and Keith all work as temple workers.

While in St. George I went with Keith, Archie and Dwight out to Keith's ranch in Arizona to watch them brand calves. Keith has several windmills, ponds and water tanks around on his place. He has several sections and one is in Pipe Valley. Jacob Hamblin settled Pipe Springs and it's named after his brother for being such a good shot. Indians used to camp on Keith's place. I sure enjoyed going with Keith to his ranch and seeing the old western ways again.

On Mothers Day we went to church and Archie took us out to dinner after. Later Mom and I went to the graves and down to Bloomington and went thru Grandpa and Grandma McCain old home. It has been restored as a historical monument. We had already gone to Washington cemetery to see our relatives graves. Some of them are Grandpa Hans Peters and his third wife Dora, Aunt Annie Whipple, Uncle Lee and Aunt Stella, Aunt Dina and Uncle Wallace, Aunt Mary Iverson and others. When I got ready to leave for home it was hard to tell Mom goodbye. She seems so small and frail but yet I know she's strong in other ways.

I stopped in to Grant's on the way home and we went to the Jordon Temple. We also visited Temple Square. Then on Wednesday Julie went to the temple to get her endowments. Laron and Ruth met us at the temple and Rosemary was her special escort. We were all real pleased and proud of her.

The next day some of us headed to Bear Lake for some fun. Then on to Heyburn. In the morning the boys brought their horse down and the children had fun riding it. Mark and I even rode it. We soon headed out for Homedale. When we got there I was surprised to see cars at Rosemarys. They had invited some of the Homedale family to come to a pot luck. It was so special.

We went to see Gary and Linda before we headed to McCall to the reunion. We made camp on the Upper Lake, such beautiful forest country. We reserved 4 camp sites. Rick took Mark and Michelle to other lakes to fish and caught a lot of nice big fish and we cooked some for dinner. We had lots of good food with Gary doing most of the cooking and Rick helping. There were Ricks and Marks family but Anita and Michelle and some of the kids went home for the nights. Pat and Justin came then a little later Julie, Jared and Rosemary arrived. Laurie Lee and her boy friend came and Shari, Bob and Jacob would come when they could. Of course Gary, Linda and Lizzy were there. John and Lori came with little Nita. Larons family came in shifts, one day Laron and Chelsea came and Laron left the next day and then Ruth Morgan and Cameron came. Amy had been in the hospital having baby Sariah Marie and baby is still in the hospital.

Our time together was great some went swimming, fishing, rubber rafting, picking huckleberries, flippers, storytelling, cards, water fights, and lots of eating good food. Julie and Rosemary had a good time tubing and Jared, Justin and Lizzy had fun riding Ricks motorcycle. Anthony and Sarah went out in Ricks rubber boat to row around. Mom walked the mountain side to pick huckleberries, Sure hated to have my family have to part again. It tears at my heart and feelings to say goodbye. We all headed home. When we got home Anita called to say Shari had her baby boy and both are fine.

This has been a busy month. Ryan called to tell me he received his mission call to Moscow, Russia. That's where he wanted to go. Ethan came home from his mission to Venezuela and Laron ask me to come and be with them. We had a large crowd to welcome him. While I was staying in Heyburn we canned 90 quarts of grape juice then I canned 40 more when I got home.

I talked to my Bishop and he gave me forms to fill out for a mission. I thought I was too old but they don't think so, so guess I'll give it a try. My kids think it would be great. I leave for St. George tomorrow. Archie is planning a trip to India and Nepal and Grandma Iverson wants me to come stay with her. Amy and Rick and baby Sariah had stopped by while we had gone for a ride. Hated to miss them.

While in St. George Grant and Ina come for 4 days and we were able to go to the temple together. I am down in the basement at night. Nothing works down there. This is the same old unhandy patched up place. Archie never buys anything new, but he spent 5,000 dollars on this trip.

Mom and I have seen a lot of loved ones on both sides of the family. Mom doesn't feel very good, but she just keeps on going. I put a guilt on and worked on it while I was there, Verla came over to help several times. Laron called and Ryan said goodbye to Grandma and me. He's going into the MTC to get ready to go to Russia. I was talking on the phone tonight and Archie just walked in. He is back earlier than planned. He has been telling us about his experiences, about the people, country, animals and the Himalayan Mountains. After a few days l got ready and left for home. Mom looked so small and frail as she waved goodbye. It seems good to be home but now I'll have to get used to being here.

On November 24th I went in to see our stake president and he is going to send in my mission papers. Now I'm on pins and needles waiting and wondering what is going to happen. Ryan is doing good in the MTC. Jenny and Craig are in Lehi with Amy and Rick for a while. Craig has been sick. Sent off Marks and Ricks and Anitas Christmas boxes. The quilt I had been working on was for Rick's family. Julie and I went to the temple. Called Laron on his birthday. Went to Pats and Steve's to eat pizza and celebrate mine and Justin's birthday. Gary and Mark called and Missy came by. Pat called from work and I got some cards and gifts. Mark said they had named and blessed little Austin on my birthday. Had a good birthday. Laron called and asked If I had received my mission call, I told him no but haven't looked today. He said why don't you go look. So I went and got the mail. Sure enough it was there. I opened it and I am going to the Alabama Birmingham Mission. I'm thrilled and excited to be going to the heart of Dixie. I called family and everyone seems pleased.

I have been shopping and buying books for my mission. I have received calls and cards saying congratulations and have been given some money. People have been so nice. We have been trying to plan for my farewell, there will be a lot of family here and we will need to have food ready. Everyone gave wonderful talks and prayers. Craig, Amy, Adin, Chelsea and Megan sang How Great Thou Art. It was so beautiful.

President Robert Puzey set me apart he said that I was a choice daughter of my Heavenly Father. That I would be blessed greatly on my mission and accomplish much good and meet people I have known before. My family will be blessed and taken care of and also be blessed spiritually for good. A lot of Laron's, Patsy's and Julies families were there. It was a wonderful day.

I entered the Senior MTC February 15th, 1993. Julie and Laron's family took me there. I am called as a family history missionary and we are in Montgomery, Alabama to help micro-film the states vital statistic records for the Utah Genealogical Society and for the state of Alabama. They each get a copy, this is a pilot program and the first state to let Mormon missionaries come in to do the work on a state level. Brother Noel Barton in Salt Lake told us when we are asked how many baptisms we had, just tell them 20 million. That is what this project will amount to. Sister Ester Rasmunson from Deerwood, Minnesota is my companion. In one of my computer classes an instructor helped me find my fathers ancestral line. We found that a lot of the sealings haven't been done, that can now be done so we printed everything out. I'll send the print out to Grant so he can get it done. It seems all my missionary friends and I became really close at the MTC, it will be hard to part and go our separate ways. My mission is not to proselyte, but we work for the state of Alabama. They told us we would be the means of bringing millions of names to the temples.

Our apartment hasn't got any furniture. Gradually we got a few things. Other missionaries live in our apartment building, so they have helped us. We went with other missionaries to the grocery store. Everybody has been real nice. In our work we are checking through their vital statistics to make sure everything is in order to be micro- filmed. Today Ester and I run a micro—film machine, we did 8000 documents. My shoulders, back and sides get to hurting. We have got faster with the machines and do 12000 a day. Our shoulders, back and sides are feeling much better and stronger. The state of Alabama is very happy with our work and other states are interested. There are and has been state employees doing this, but they get paid for it.

I know this is the work of the Lord and He wants it done. We ache and get so tired and complain about how we hurt. But I'm so thrilled to be a part of all of this. It isn't easy and I really miss home and family, but I really feel good and also honored to be doing this. The Lord is causing doors to open so these records can be gathered and families can be traced and finally their temple work done. The men over all of this really praised us. They told us we were truly Saviors on Mt. Zion. We had other visitors while we were busy working—a large group of senior missionaries from all the southern states came in to see what we are doing. They hope to get similar projects going in their states. President Roylance has challenged all the missionaries to read 18 pages of the Book of Mormon every day. He also wants us to read them together. Esther and I really enjoyed reading together. We read in the BOM about those who murmur and how they will be counted as slothful servants. My family has been very supportive, sending cards, letters, money, and calling me. Time is going by fast and I'm so grateful that I was able to do this work. We have so many things to be thankful for Our dear Lord and Savior has done everything for us . He created this lovely earth where everything we need is provided for us. But above all He died for us and gave his life that we might be able to repent of our sins and be forgiven. He has been resurrected and lives again and so will we. I'm grateful for my dear mother, father, sisters and brothers. My grandparents and my beloved husband and now my children and grandchildren. They are all so precious to me. How I yearn to see and be with Dad again.

Some of my friends are leaving and that has been hard. We have done so many things together. Some of them are home evenings, out to eat, sightseeing , yard sales and farmers markets, civil war monuments and museums, huge plantations and gardens, and then worked together every day. We were even invited to the Governors' Mansion for a Christmas Tea Party. We have worked in the archives and the Health Center together and live in the same apartment building. We ride in a big van to go everywhere so we have lots of time together. We finally finished filming what we've been assigned so far and that is one of the reasons for sending others to new towns. Esther and I have been gradually giving things away. We have our travel itinerary. We have given back things that people lent us, too.

I will be stopping at Mark and Michelle on the way back home, excited to see the kids. First time I've seen Austin. It will be great to be a grandma again and to see everyone. It was hard to leave my dear ones but I was soon off again to Salt Lake City. I was so surprised and thrilled to see so many of my precious family there to meet me. Laron, Ruth, Julie, Pat, Ethan, Amy, Rick, Sariah, Caleb, Morgan, Cameron, and later Jarom and his friend. They all had big smiles on their faces. It was wonderful to see them all again. A lot of the family came to my mission report and Rick and Anita and girls came the day after. So it was a pretty exciting week. It all went very well. We really enjoyed Shari and Lori's children, they are so cute. That same day Pat called and we decided to goto St. George right then. We left a note to let everyone know. We had a visit with our loved ones there and spent about a week and then came home.

In the last of April Pat drove to Boise to see Jason and DeeAnna's tiny 1.5 lb baby boy. He was only 26 weeks, but they thought he was going to be OK. He got a infection and his brain had been damaged, he had been having seizures so they soon let him go. His name was Nathan Anthony Zikmund and I went to Nyssa with Steve and the boys to the funeral. Missy had just returned home from there when he died. He died May 15, 1994. Jason and Dee Anna sure felt bad but did good at the funeral. He was buried out in the cemetery by the Owyhee Ward Church. I stayed to come home with Pat. We stopped at Laron's and I got to see all of them, which I hadn't since I had been home from my mission. As soon as we got home June called to say Delbert had passed away. They want me to come down. I rode the bus to St. George. June and I went to Vegas to the funeral. Delbert looked in peace the flowers were gorgeous. June and I went to the Vegas Temple and saw Waites and Leavitts there too.

When we got back to Moms, I cleaned her house and my arm has really been aching. It started in Alabama. On Memorial Day Verla came over and took Mom and Ito the St George cemetery and we put flowers on our relatives graves. In June was the Iverson reunion at Washington Park. We had Keith take charge and we had a nice program and dinner. The next day Sharon called to tell us about Brad's two little boys dying in an old frig. They were playing with some puppies and then came up missing. Brad found the boys and the puppies in the frig. It was all so very sad and heart breaking.

Mom and Archie are both feeling better. I've been trying to help all I could while they have been sick. I came home to Ogden on the bus. I sure was tired the next few days. I feel so trapped without a car I can go in. I'm getting depressed and restless. If I had a car I would go to Idaho to find out what's going on with my house. I guess Hackworths are moving out and turning it back to me. They are way behind on their payments. Gary called and said Mr. Shank may buy the house. Hackworths have really trashed it.

Ethan and Morgan came down after me to take me to Idaho to visit with Laron's, Gary's and Ricks families. While at Laron's we drove to the top of Harrison Mountain. We walked through a garden of wild flowers. Here we ate a delicious picnic and we explored the top of the mountain. We could see for miles. Found some pretty rocks for Ruth's rock garden.

Morgan showed me a plaque he received in school, a 1994 Presidential Scholastic Award. The six years of elementary school he didn't get a grade lower than A-. I am so proud of him. Cameron too is such a bright child, he is in the upper 95% in the nation for his age.

On the second day at Garys we went to Homedale too see Paul Bull our realtor. Before going to Paul's we drove up by my house. There it sat so sad looking and neglected. Everything was changed. The wooden fence was all gone also the wood shed and the grape arbor, the berry patch, and the shrubs all gone. The lawn was dry and weedy and the house was covered with spider webs. I got so angry and disgusted at the Hackworth's, I felt like beating them. We went to Paul's and he had two buyers interested. Ryan and Heidi Nash paid 40,000 so I took it and wanted it to be over. There are so many precious family memories.

It took several days before I had to sign so we met Rick and family at Deadwood Lake. Rick brought his boat so we could go fishing. Gary and Rick did most of the cooking and we all over ate. We all enjoy hiking and exploring. Rick is still driving Dad's old green truck. We notice a dark brown dog running up and down the road. He was shy and afraid. He didn't seem to belong to anybody. The ranger said that someone had lost a dog. Linda started working with him. Finally started taking food from Linda's hand. Then he decided to stay with us, so we took everywhere we went. He was so skinny, he had been out there for a while. Finally his family came to get him. He was so happy to see them.

Soon it was time to pull camp and leave. It was a great week camping together. My kids sure treat me good and l love them all. Paul Bull called and said the final papers were ready to sign. Met Paul in Caldwell and signed the papers and Paul brought the check over to Gary's. We still have what Hackworth owes me. Gary and Linda brought me home to Ogden.

Amanda has been trying to hold down two jobs at the Deaf and Blind School and at the Victorian Restaurant. She is still going with Jeromy Link and they seem to be quite serious about each other. She is going to move out with a girl friend. Jared started his first job at Rainbow Gardens. Julie has been very sick and been off work for a week. The doctor thinks it is an infection and given her some medication that makes her do weird things. She has taken off work for a while. I went down to the cannery to help can peaches for the church's Welfare Program. Also made Steve two pies for his birthday.

Julie and I have been going to the temple for two sessions. Pat and Steve and I went looking for a car bought a Ford Tempo. Bright blue with 21,000 miles on it and a three year warranty. It seems to be a nice car. Julie and I went up the canyon to try it out and we really like it. I hope it will do me for the rest of my life. 10,000 dollars is a lot of money. Steve was selling Grandpa Clausse's car and pickup for such a good price and they are such a good condition Julie bought both of them. Julie won't be using my Oldsmobile to drive anymore so we took it up to Laron. Julie and I drove the car to Laron's. Amy and Chelsea had driven up from Provo. We had a good visit and later Chelsea cooked a dutch oven dinner. It was all really good. Julie and I had a good trip back home.

Aunt Fern called to say her grandson had passed after a long illness. He is Darlene's only son Eddie. We sent some money. So sad. We have been tying off some quilt for Mark and Michelle's. I think they will really like it. Uncle Grant is gravely ill and not expected to live. So Pat and I went to Grant's place, but by the time we got there he was gone. We will miss him he was a dear brother. Pat and I went to the funeral, he had military burial. Taps was played and shot s fired, he was in the Korean War and World War 11. He always had a limp from the Korean War. The Relief Society provided a nice dinner after the funeral.

We went to Missy's wedding, Missy was a gorgeous bride and Craig a handsome groom. The wedding was real nice. Amanda took care of the guest book. Hundreds of people came. Missy and Craig have so much where Dad and I had so little. I pray they will become active and go to the Temple. The next day Rosemary left to go home. We have really enjoyed her visit. There were lots of our family at the wedding.

Ryan came home from Russia and Jenny and baby Tristan flew in from Oklahoma City. We stayed home and cooked a roast dinner for them. Amanda decorated the house for them. When they came they were so hungry and happy to be together. Ryan looked good. The crowd left except for Adin and Eve's family. Eve stayed and she and the kids went to the airport to pick up Mark. It was wonderful to see my dear son. On the way home we stopped at the Bountiful Temple. They were having an open house. On Friday Pat took Mark and I to Salt Lake City to go to Legacy and shopping. Sunday Mark and I left early for Ryan's mission Report in Heyburn. Ruth, Laron and Ryan gave wonderful talks. Also the girls sang a lovely song, it was beautiful. Hannah was named and blessed also. It was a real special meeting. After church we all went to Laron's and ate, visited and laughed a lot. The Blacker and Waite families filled the house to over flowing. Then Gary walked in, he drove down from Meridian. It was good seeing my dear sons laughing and visiting. Ruth was such a lovely and gracious hostess. It was hard to say goodbye, but Mark and I had a good trip home. In a couple of days Mark flew out on beautiful white and red TWA plane. Jared skipped school to go to the airport with us. He drove home, he is a good driver.

President Sanders ask me if I would accept a mission call to be an ordinance worker in the Ogden Temple. He then set me apart with a very wonderful blessing . I was moved to tears and felt the spirit very strongly. Dec. 6 I started my temple calling. I went in for my initial training, my shift will be 4-9 shift. Gee I almost forgot I turned 75 today. It is hard to believe I am getting so old. Hope I will feel good doing my two year temple mission. We worked 4 days at the temple this week, so we will have 3 weeks off for Christmas Vacation.

Christmas day I received some lovely gifts from my family. 1994 is now all gone into history but it was a good year with it's rewards and trials and now 1995 is here. This journal is all but full. I wonder sometimes if I should keep a journal, no one in the family will ever read them all.

When I go back and read about our lives years ago, I get lonesome for Dad and our long ago life with our precious family. My children are all so good to me and do things for me. Julie , Amanda and Jared are so good to me and take good care of me. Pat and the boys are so thoughtful and do nice things for me. I couldn't ask for more loved and precious children. Ruth ,Linda, Anita, Steve and Michelle are so very loved, so sweet, loving and very kind and helpful. I also love Wanda. I love them all as if they were my very own. I now have 6 children, 5 children in laws, 28 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren 2 on the way. Rod and I are hoping that our children and their children on down will live good righteous lives and gain Eternal Life. So that we can all be a family together and be happy in the kingdom of our Heaven Father and our Savior's presence.

This is the end of Mom's journals, any way all that I have. Pat-2022