HTown Muaina's

2011-12-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

Family time is every bit what it is hyped up to be!....This past weekend was pretty amazing and it started on a very high note and the pitch and pace never did quite let up. Sunday morning we got to attend the Christmas taping of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We had never been to the conference center for anything other than to walk through it. We were on the first tier up and the first row right in front of the choir. The sound was awesome, the music phenomenal and the spirit piercing. But more impressive was
when the Prophet walked into the conference center. All the buzz, all the chatter and all moving about came to a complete stand still. It was something so unique and yet so overwhelmingly special to a mostly lds crowd that it is nonetheless memorable for whomever is there. To have 25,000 people suddenly stop, turn and longingly look to the front and follow every footstep in that hushed atmosphere is humbling. This experience was the beginning of our visit. Sunday night, we had dinner with
Maureen's brother Randy and his family. It was an enlightening dinner....!....as they like to have a family gospel q/a around the table. Questions were asked and answers were offered up which led to other questions. Lessons were taught and learned around the dinner table. I believe that is where good lessons can be learned! Shout out to Randy and Yvonne for a great evening.
Monday we started our journey to Deer Valley to be with my family, siblings and their children. We arrived to the sound of
fun and laughter. My oldest brother, John and his wife, Luella were there with their children and grandchildren, from Hawaii. My next oldest brother, Kendall, I picked up from my younger brother and took in with us where he to meet his wife and family who were enroute from California. My younger brother, Mike and his wife Sue were also enroute from Highland, Ut. My younger and only sister, Teri and her husband, Johnny and their family drove in from California the night before. And so there we were,
everybody in this cabin nestled up in Deer Valley. I managed to take a bunch of pics on Monday and so here are some of them.#1 is of Teri,Kendall, John, Cameron Mike's oldest son and Mike. #2 is Maureen, Sue, Mike's wife and her neice. #3 is of Maureen, Luella and John. #4 is Kendall, Teri and Maureen. #5 if Mike's family...Kelland, Sue, Mike, Cameron, Aubrey and Ashley in front.
#6 is all the Muaina sibs, me, Kendall, John Jr., Teri and Mike. Not pictured is sib #5, Craig who passed several years ago
tragically. And finally, the last pic is of all the Muaina cousins, sans John III and his wife Beth and their 2 children and all of my 5 children with their spouses and children. I guess I could name everybody in the picture but you will have to guess who everybody belongs to. Okay so here goes....back row with corresponding sib, by number: Caitlin #2, Kainalu #6, Korin #6, Kelland #4, Cameron #4, Ashley #4...front row, Kahea #6,Kelsi #2, Krista #2,
Autumn #1, Lauren #1, Morgan #1, Aubrey #4, Kayla #6, Thomas
#1...on the floor, twins Kory and Kraig #6.
Now for the rest of the story. My oldest brother, John is the family story teller. He has information in his head that nobody else has with regards to family history and lineage. I have often wondered why and how it is that he can tell and relate so many stories and I discovered a few years ago through my reading in the Book of Mormon that father Lehi and his family Nephi, Joseph and Jacob were of the tribe of Manasseh. Their story is has been read and reread millions of times. It is inspiring and filled with the spirit. We can read every verse and find words of encouragement and words of faith.....all predicated upon their deep seeded faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Their faith was truly exercised in every footstep into the wilderness, across the great sea and to a new uncharted land. Their faith moved them forward over every hill, every valley and each new circumstance. Through all of this, they were able to remember and record their words for future generations and the modern world to benefit from. They were the ultimate story tellers, but their stories were true and recorded as scripture. My brother is from that very tribe and he tells stories that you want to hear, remember and record for others. He is cut from the same cloth and the fabric of what he says is woven with the spirit of faith and trust in the Lord. We were all on the edge of our seats as he related our family history and the origin of the Muaina line. Family is where it's at. Harmony within the family, be it large or small are the tones which resonate into the eternities. It was a great reunion, being with all my brothers and sister and all my nephews and nieces and their children. Of course, they were deeply disappointed that they couldn't see any of our children and their families but look forward to seeing them some day in the future.....say 2 years from now and in Las Vegas???

Have I done any good in the world today

2011-07-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, two weeks ago on July 19, our good friend Ken Selch passed away while hiking on the Pioneer Trek with our youth. He had a massive heart attack on the trail, only about 1 mile from the end. He was only 55 years old. When something like this happens, it reminds us all again of our mortality here on this earth. It causes us to think about what we do each day to make someone elses' life better. Are we doing the best we can to obey the commandments and do what Christ would do? Are we serving others? Are we living each moment the best we can? In one small moment we could be gone from this earth and meeting our Master, Jesus Christ. I for one know I need to do a lot more so that I can be ready when my time is up. We miss our friend and feel sad for his family, but we know that he is smiling down on them and will never leave them completely alone.

Kodak moment without the Kodak!

2011-03-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

We had a Kodak moment this past Thursday afternoon when the school at which I help coach at, Basic H.S., visited an opposing school, Coronado H.S., where Shaun helps coach at!! Shaun is the Junior Varsity volleyball coach and I am the Asst. Varsity Head Coach. It was kinda surreal as I walked there were several eyes that were focused on me and I could sense that whispers were made to the effect,..."there's coach muaina's dad". I unfortunately didn't have the forethought to bring a camera along so that Jamie could take our picture together. We do have another round where we will meet again in our gym so I will definitely have the camera ready. By the way.....if you were wondering.........Shaun coached his team to a "W". My buttons were busting!

Thankful for LIfe

2011-03-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

Well today it is one year to the day that I had a stroke and so I am mindful for life today. I am very grateful that it was a minor incident and that all parts of my body still work perfectly. It is also Megan's birthday and I know that last year it was a bummer to have me in the hospital. Anyway, I know that probably no one will read this blog, but if you do please let us know. It sort of seems senseless to keep it up if no one reads it. To all my kids, please keep in touch with each other and read blogs or facebook or whatever. I know I nag alot about that but the most important thing in our lives, next to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, is our families.
Love to you all, Mom

Back in the day!

2011-02-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

We got this cool gadget from Megan and Charlie for Christmas so that we could convert our slides over to digital images! Check this one out!!....This was back in the day when we were living in our very first apartment in Orem at 524N. 200E. and yep...that was Marchelle helping Maureen with the dishes. We have re-enacted that same scenario just recently with our grandchildren now and pretty much with the same results....lots of water every where but where it should be....in the sink. But the water is not nearly as important as what the kids got out of the whole experience.

Here is another with my beautiful wife and happy kids at the happiest place in the entire world!!
More to come, more fond memories to relive. Isn't life grand and doesn't it bring a smile to your face to see such happy and meaningful moments?

Time get's away!

2010-11-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

By the looks of the picture of everybody sitting around the Thanksgiving table, who would have thought that we would add to our family 5 new spirits. All of them, such noble and sweet spirits that would make your heart melt just to look into their eyes. I know, it's been such a long time since anything was entered in our blog but we just wanted to let everybody know we are still alive and our thoughts are always with our family both immediate and extended.

I was sitting here listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, they have a way of causing one to ponder upon weightier matters in life that the thought came to me , which doesn't happen too very often, so I have to seize upon those moments as they may be fleeting, we have been charged from our last General Conference to "rescue the one", who is the one that requires rescuing? Has that "one" been in front of me and I haven't been able to recongnize what the Lord has placed in front of me or am I prepared to "rescue the one" when that one is recognized?

I have noticed that sometimes the Lord does not take us by the hand and walk us through the steps one by one but he will point us in the direction we need to be going and then allows us to muttle our way through. I do notice that in order for us to get from point A to point B, the best way to accomplish it is by one step at a time, beit small steps or large we can't skip steps or transport from A to B. All the time we have to exercise faith in our Heavenly Father and listen to the quiet whisperings of the Spirit.

It has been during those times that I have been inspired to do things that I wouldn't normally do. I have found that at times I have been "the one who needed rescuing". I am ever so thankful for those who responded to the spirit and offered words of encouragement, invitations to be more faithful and extended their hands of welcoming love. Likewise, I am grateful for the example of others who quietly show by their deep love of the Savior how we care for those around us.

I love that I have a family. I love that I have a loving and caring wife. We love our children, their spouses and our grandchildren. I love that I have brothers and a sister all of whom I deeply admire and respect. Although I do not have parents that are alive, they live through me in my actions and thoughts. I look to Grandma and Grandpa Richins as my role models for parents and they fill that role wonderfully. At times, we have all come to "rescue" each other, when we've been down in spirit, mind or body. At times, that "rescue" comes when we least expect it through a phone call or some gesture. I believe that if we are to heed the charge from our Prophet, President Monson, we need to align ourselves with the gospel as found in the scriptures.

This Thanksgiving, we will be spending it with Megan and her family. How grateful I am that we can go there and be surrounded by family. I have seen what it is like to not have a family. I have witnessed the loneliness and the hurt over the years and so in our celebration of Thanksgiving, I will be mindful of the "rescue" effort that involves all of our family and to be mindful of the true gospel of Jesus Christ as found in 3 Ne. 27:21. Happy Thanksgiving to all we love you all, from the Muaina's.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to wish all you mother's a happy day! This morning when I was writing in my journal, I commented on the fact that I wish that I could wish my mother a happy mother's day and that I miss not being able to. I then remembered that the best thing that I could do to celebrate my mother's legacy is to be a good husband and father as she would have wanted. In doing so, I was in fact, bringing to pass a wish that my mother would have wanted to have. All of these reminders are what keep us moving forward and in the right direction. Maureen is a great mother to each of our children and grandchildren. She remembers them for every occasion. Me on the other hand, I'm lucky if I can remember what holiday is coming around. She has had a go of it for the last several months and she has had to pull me through it all when it would have been easy for me to be a slackard. I have learned to become more rounded as a husband in tending to needs when they are needed.
We are very fortunate and blessed to be able to have a few of our children around us and wish that we could see the others more often. But we realize that they have their lives that they have to live and not necessarily living for us. We are off to see Nathan graduate from Case Western Dental School, these last 4 years have gone by pretty fast. We are excited for him and Bridgette in their new adventure down in Houston for the next year. At least they are or will be very close to the continental divide. We will miss going out to Cleveland as we like that area and especially the climate, when we've visited. Obviously, during the best times of the year.
The best news though this year is that we will have Marchelle, Rahul and family along with Megan, Charlie and family out to Bear Lake this year! They haven't been for awhile and along with, hopefully, Shaun and Jamie, Kai, don't know about Derek and Rebecca, Elizabeth this year, we could have a crowd! Sorry I'm kinda all over the place right now. So I'll quit.

Grateful

2010-03-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Grateful!! That word expresses how I feel after the life changing event that took place on Mar. 8 (our precious daughter Megan's birthday) when i suffered a minor stroke. Needless to say, it has been a life changing event for me and I think for a few others also. I feel so blessed to have another chance to enjoy life and the little things that we take for granted every day. I feel blessed to see, hear, speak, use my hand (although a little slower), type on the computer, play the piano, button my shirts, comb my hair, many other things, but most of all to hug my husband, my children, and hold our precious little grandchildren. When you are faced with your own mortality things become very precious and also a little scary. I try very hard to keep fear gone and faith in the forefront, but it is very hard not to think about it every time anything happens or as you try to go through a day. Right now my blood pressure is high again and I am very worried. I see the doctor on Tuesday and I am putting my faith in him that he can help me. In the meantime I had a blessing where I was told to rest, have peace, and know that all will be well. I am so thankful for the Priesthood and faithful men who can speak Heavenly Fathers words to us. I was also told to trust the Doctors. I thank all of you for your continual prayers on my behalf because I still need them. I pray many times every day that I will have more years here on this earth and I guess if nothing else this experience has shown me how many people really care about me and how much I need to rely on the Lord. Basically our lives are in his hands and even though we are told this all the time, it sometimes takes something drastic to remind us that it is true.

Catch-up time!

2010-02-01T10:15:00.001-08:00

Okay, so here's the deal. We've had a lot to catch up on since Thanksgiving. First of all, I have at the reluctant behest and just to catch up with the rest of society types, become a nonenthusiastic member of FACEBOOK. Little by little I have been adding, 'Friends'. although I really don't get the fascination of adding all these, 'Friends' as if I'm compiling a list of people into a bank from which I can draw from at some future point in time. It may seem compelling to keep adding 'Friends' and I guess that you may connect with somebody from your 4th grade class whom you may have beaten up and kicked around at the playground. You could hear from some raving individual whom you might have slighted in junior high school who now owns a large corporation or just maybe you can pear into the life of some high school schlupp that you'd prefer not to ever hear from again. But on the rare occasion that somebody from waayyy back that you really wondered about whether you could have been able to share the gospel with but was to totally lacking in the true love of Christ drops you a line, then maybe, just maybe, it would be worth all of the trepidation and angst I am experiencing now. Because I am a lot more adventurous than Maureen, I took the plunge and we'll see what happens over the next little bit. Maybe after a while, Maureen will eventually succumb to the wave of pressure from some of the Ward members who remind her that this is where you can find out what's happening with members especially her sisters.
Speaking of Maureen, she is coming along really well from her hip operation. Thanks for all the prayers, support and love offered in her behalf. She told me that I am, at this stage of our lives, experiencing what young mothers go through, not getting any quality rest as she was up and down, up and down during the first few nights home.
I have really gotten pretty good at making the bed, I have a system in which I do it. I make mental notes of how I do certain things around the house. I am multitasking getting the wash done, vacuuming while the clothes are being washed and doing the dishes at the end of the day making sure that the dog is fed and everything is in its' proper place. I make mental notes of where I left off in the house and then systematically start from one end and move to the other end. I've washed her hair, shaved her legs, put on her compression socks, changed her bandages and folded her clothes. The only thing that I draw the line on is doing the ironing. Thank goodness that Mom was down for a few days and that she did the ironing. We'll have to wait for a few weeks until Maureen is up on her feet and she can do the ironing. Until then, the only thing that I really need ironing is my white shirts and I can always wear a coat over them on Sunday.
So here are a few pics from the hospital. Shhh I'm not supposed to put these pics on. Ha! got ya!
I was able to snap a couple of pics at the hospital.
The medical team that operated on attended to and nursed Maureen during her hospital stay were really professional. The doctor was fantastic and the hospital stay was above normal. However, Maureen was glad to get out of that place and back home. This afternoon, she graduates to using a cane for walking around. I will post pics of that event later!

2009-12-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

Oops Megan--Dad really does know that you spell Kalie's name this way not Kaile.

Tis the Season!

2009-12-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

It's been some time since we've been able to write anything of note but the last few weeks has been an overload of memories and joy. This Thanksgiving we were blessed to have Marchelle and the kids for a week before Rahul was able to join them just before Thanksgiving day and we were doubly blessed to have Mom and Dad Richins join us as well. Indianapolis is very cold this time of year so we took advantage of being able to go to the park with the kids. As you can see, they thoroughly enjoyed being able to hang out and show us some of their 'skills'. Anika was perfectly willing to be calm as a winters' morn. The others were just glad to be with each other and play. Kaile was really excited to be able to have an older 'girl' cousin that she could hang out with.
Ethan and Maya were laying on the floor side by side so we talked Orland to come lay by them with his paws out in front like the kids were with their hands and he willingly complied and looked up at the camera with a look that said, "is this how you wanted me to look?" The dinner hadn't even been served up and, as you can see, people are already getting a little dozy eyed before that turkey chemical has even had a chance to work it mighty miracle! Hey!!........how did that picture make into this section??????
Will be back for session #2

Went for a drive

2009-11-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

The other day, I decided to go for a drive. I headed the car north to see where I would end up. Guess what? Okay, so it was pretty much decided ahead of time.
This is what I wanted to do for quite a while but schedules didn't quite work out until now.
Just didn't have Maureen with me. She doesn't really like the noise. Whereas, the louder the better!! The best part of the whole deal was that I just walked in...it didn't cost me a single Obama cent!(or is that scent!!) I was too late for the funny cars and top fuel and so the rest of the qualifiers were on. Still pretty awesome and pretty fun. Next time, if any of the fam' wants to go we'll have to plan it in the future. Until then, we'll see where the car takes me next time.

A Choice to Remain Silent

2009-10-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

Unfortunate events bring people to one of two choices, 1. Do I choose to follow what my heart and what the Savior would do or, 2. Do I choose to satisfy my troubled heart with more hurt and pain? The balance is fine and the line can sometimes be blurred affecting our judgment and our ability to see things for what they are. What is printed and what is payed out is all that is heard and seen and so, hastily, we assume that an injustice has occurred. But on the other side of the coin, those who have chosen to remain silent because of the genuine pain and sleepless nights relive the events over and over again. For all of the 7 times 70 good deeds that have been done 1 unfortunate event negates all before and after. So the swim against the current is overwhelming no matter which direction one is heading. For this very moment, I have seen the other side of the coin that I never knew could be so dividing. No one, who has not had such an experience, can know. And so, without all the facts, which only those involved in the unfortunate event can really and truly know, one cannot come to any honest conclusion. Everything else is at the very best, a calculated best guess. What ever is passed down is a feeble attempt to find justice.
One cannot discount the pain, the hurt and the sorrow which has been exacted upon family members. One cannot expect that it would ever fade as time goes on. One cannot know the loss one feels when a family member is taken in an unfortunate event, an accident. One cannot call for a redo on these occasions. But on this occasion, for this unfortunate event, one can look at the other side of the coin and appreciate the genuine sorrow and humility of those who choose to remain silent because anything said would result in further hurt and anguish. This much we want everybody to know, we pray for you, we love you and we support you. May our Heavenly Father's abiding love ever be with you, Paul and Lisa.

Just a little bit

2009-09-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

So over the Labor Day weekend we decided that we "needed" to go to the beach. Hadn't been there for some time. Callled my brother, Kendall and hung out with him and his family, Evon(his wife) daughters, Kaitlin(l), Krista(r) and Kelsie(featured alone). Made it down to the beach about 12:30 pm caught some waves and was heading back to his pad about 2:30. Sorry no pics! but you have to trust me it was awesome....a lot better than being pulled by a boat, swallowing half of Bear Lake and then pulling yourself close enough to the prop to wonder if you were going to become part of the human food processor. Pure and simple, you and the wave. I had a smile on my face all the way home. I had forgotten what a wave does for your mental balance.

I happened upon a few old pics at my sister's house that I always wondered what had happened to them. Made a copy. Wow! Going waaaaayyy back! Me (t), Kendall (m) and John (b) at Laie Point, Hawaii in..........19__...........well, a long time ago. Pretty close to the beginning of our surfing days.
Check out the Beach Boy surfer dude Pennys Towncraft T-shirt! They had to be Towncraft and they had to be white or you were a real hodad or grimmie. Well so much for memory lane. Back to the present. Since Nathan will be in Salt Lake next weekend you can give him a hard time about this pic! They're both too small for him to be using!

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-07-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well, today is mine and Dennis' 33rd wedding anniversary so I just wanted to tell Dennis Happy Anniversary and that I love you. We have had 33 mostly great years and hope to have many more. Tomorrow we are going to the Il Divo concert at Mandalay Bay and I am excited to hear them. Thanks for the surprise, Babe. Love, Maureen

Late but....oh, well!

2009-06-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

So I decided to get up early one morning and head down to the lake. So I was out the door at 4 and at waters edge at 4:30. It was peaceful and quiet. It gave me time to reflect and just be thankful for moments like this. The water was lapping at the sand, the sun was about to come out from behind the ridge and the only sound to be heard was the gnats buzzing around my head!! Sometimes we all need quiet time alone to gather our thoughts and put things in perspective. In this picture, you can see the light diffuse through the fishing line from the top middle going across diagonally towards the water.

One thing is very evident at this time in my life! I need a magnifying glass with a lot of light to tie on my hooks!!!! It was way to dark to be able to see anything!!...where are my boys and their young eyes when you need them???!!! Ha!! I was praying that I didn't snag anything or catch anything that would break off my hook because I would have been waiting until the sun came out. As you can see there were others who were on the dock and had been there probably overnight.

So the morning started to break and there begans to be more signs of life. Just when you think that it couldn't be any better, a truck backed up and a couple of young bucks pulled a jet ski out of the back and started it up, breaking the peaceful solitude and my kumbaya moment!! They started racing up and down the beach in front of all us quickly replacing any thoughts of peace and quiet with pure contempt and hate. Mind you, I love the sound of people enjoying what nature has to give us but during the appropriate time. Am I getting to be an old craggy gizzer?.... I hope not, but you never know....I guess we'll see when Bear Lake comes around. So after awhile I decided it was time to go home. Life had been balanced, everything was good!! No fish!...but it wasn't fish that I was really after...... it was the experience!

I feel really good after moments like these and on the way home I turn up the tunes really high and sing to the songs that are playing not paying any bother to who's around me because I'm in the feel good zone! Hope you all get there every so often because it's a lot like 'Milk'....it does a body good!!! Until next time!!!..........

Shoutout to my kids

2009-05-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

As I was reading in my scriptures this morning I came across a scripture about how the Lord gives us all temporal blessings according to the circumstances he wants for us. I knew early in our marriage that we would never be blessed with a lot of temporal wealth and I have always felt bad that our kids didn't always have the best of things or everything they wanted. However, I have always realized that we have been truly blessed in many ways other than temporally, and the biggest way that I always remember is the blessing of our children and now their spouses and our grandchildren. We are so blessed to have the wonderful children that we have. They are doing good things in their schooling, careers, homes and wards. We have been blessed with wonderful sons and daughters in law and beautiful grandchildren. How many people could say that their posterity more than doubled in one year? As a mother I often think how many things I would do differently with my kids if I could do it all over. However, they have become wonderful adults in spite of me and I thank them all. So, I tell our children, Marchelle, Nathan, Derek, Shaun and Megan that I love you and am proud (even though we are told not to use that word) of all you are doing in your lives with your spouses and your children. Always remember though, that no matter how much money you will have, the most important thing you can do for your children is teach them the gospel and spend time with them. You know your dad is a great example of that and I love him for that.
Love, Mom

Who's there?

2009-04-16T15:34:00.001-07:00

Well, I thought I'd better get in a few words. Since the last time that I had entered anything was quite a while ago. Much has happened since that time...events that have been memorable and moments that can only be considered manifestations of our Heavenly Father's love for us. Of note, we were blessed with another grandchild, Anika and then another, Kyna and looking forward to another with Nathan and Bridgette and then news of 2 more one to Derek and Rebecca and one to Shaun and Jamie! All coming this year!! Both Maureen and I are absolutely overwhelmed and know that our prayers and the prayers of many within "the family" have been answered realizing that the Lord has his own timetable for when he responds. As much as we would like to move his response forward, humbly we see his wisdom in all things. I know some people, maybe most people would pass that off as just the normal course of life and perhaps some people today would question even the thoughts of bringing children into this world considering the current state of affairs globally. However, my thoughts are that there has to be a rising generation taught the laws of God. One that unashamedly proclaims the truth not only in word but also in deed and does not cower in the face of opposition. This is our blessing, not only in our immediate family but also reaches out to the extended family on both sides. We will write down, just as our fathers did, those things which are of good report because that is what will be passed on. We will witness to them, the rising generation, our love of our Savior and the priviledge of being able to serve our fellowmen. The world, would have us do otherwise and think only of ourselves believing that this is prudent thinking when in actuality the rationale for such acknowledgement generates from a source where people are ever learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

The next few weeks and months will bring families together in a spirit of gratitude, love and respect. We will have joy and rejoicing in all of the triumps, successes and accomplishments but also be humbled by loss, uncertainty and the unknown. Through it all we will have each other to gain strength from, a heartfelt hug and a hand to lift because in essence we are all we have.

As each passing day goes by, I seem to see with much better clarity those things which are actually important to me. I seem to hear much more clearly the patter of little feet on the floor or the innocent giggle of those sweet little spirits and I cry within myself when I consider a life without my grandchildren, my children and my wife. I have come to realize what I saw in my dad and my mothers' eyes when they looked at all their posterity....a contented peaceful look. Not that life will not come without it's trials and roadblocks of that I can guarantee but for the moment, at this very moment, heaven is very very close!!!

Start your engines!

2009-03-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Well, although this picture is from a couple of years ago, I did manage to go again to NASCAR qualifier's on Friday. For those of you who don't know or maybe don't even care, NASCAR is pretty big. The slump in the economy has affected it a little bit but it is still a pretty big deal when NASCAR comes into town! As I was trying to explain to my friend just before going out there, there are a couple of moments when it is an absolute rush and then, for the most part, just kinda hangin' out on the bleachers. One of those moments is just prior to the beginning of the race as the cars are going around the track following the pace or lead car. All of the cars are going at about maybe 25-30 percent of full throttle. The best description of the noise, at that moment, is comparable to the idling of Harley Davidson sitting next to you at a stop light with your windows up. When the guy, waving the flag to start the race actually starts the race and you see the pace car pull off the track, the combined energy with all of the cars pulling full throttle and the excitement and the rushing of the cars on the track towards you is pretty awesome! The decibles shoot way past the safe hearing zone, the rumble of all the engines together and the movement of wind created as all the cars are moving in unison are unbelievably transforming!!! You just have to be there to really appreciate the feel of power!

But the down side is....you then settle down and watch the cars go round and round and round. Your neck is pretty much stuck in one position with just the slightest movement when the cars go past you. They go by so fast that it really doesn't pay to try to follow them. I'm reminded of our dog and how he tries to follow his toy, he tries to anticipate the movement and snag it out of my hand as I am moving it around and around and around his head but to no avail and he is left snapping at air. And so you have to find other things to do as the race is going on.

Thanks to my good friend Jordan K.!! He always extends an invitation and this year I bit!!

A couple of weeks ago, my brother Mike brought a volleyball team down for a tournament and so they wanted to do something that was away from the strip. Going down to the dam was suggested and since I hadn't been down there for a while I thought I'd follow along. It was pretty impressive to see the span of work going across the canyon that will eventually become a bridge over which all vehicular traffic will travel. I was duly impressed with the dam again as it had been some time since I had done all the work on the Arizona approach side. I must say, that I feel a sense of accomplishment when I look at what were able to do along with all the other builders of the dam years ago!!!

Why not something new?

2009-02-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

So Maureen and I decided to check out a little of the oscars last night as we enjoyed some pretty good movies during the year. At some point there was an oscar given for the screen play adaption or something along those lines. The winner was announced and during his acceptance speech, by the way the movie was 'Milk', didn't see, don't think we'll ever see nor do we have a desire to ever see it, anyway this guy then proceeds to say these words...I am so thankful that I my parents moved from a conservative "Mormon" home in San Antonio to San Francisco where I could live my life and meet and fall in love with my 'partner'. At that point, I decided that the whole entire evening was pretty much wasted! It would be refreshingly and absolutely righteous if somebody in the entertainment world would stand up and say these words..." I am so thankful that I grew up in a loving family that taught me about honoring the commandments of God and that moral purity was true happiness. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and am not ashamed of the way I was taught!" I believe it would be so refreshingly new that there would be many people who would say, "Wow, did that person just make a stand for right?!!" I am pretty fed up with agenda which is being pushed, rammed and slammed down our throats in the name of tolerance. I can feel genuine concern and Christlike love but that doesn't mean that I have to embrace and until I see some kind of doctrinal announcement from the First Presidency my position will never change. There I've said it!!!

Hot time in the old town!

2009-01-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to chime in on the celebration last Sat. We were very fortunate to be there to enjoy everybody's company but more importantly to share in the joy of Dad's, grandpa's and great-grandpa's birthday. I for one, miss being able to call and talk with my parents whether or not I'm having a bad day or a good day. When they were alive, I treasured each and every moment that I had with them, whether a simple touch or words over the telephone like, "hi son..." followed by whatever was on their mind or where ever the conversation would take us because I knew that those moments would not last for long. They were joyous when we were joyous and were saddened when we were saddened. So I pray that there will be many happy returns and I must say to everybody, Maureen, Brenda and Lisa can continue to sing "fast" songs! Who am I? Randy Jackson????!!!!!

Not to be left out!

2008-12-17T16:52:00.001-08:00

I guess it's safe to say that we're getting snow down here! It was expected but the amount was kinda iffy...the iffy part has been answered! There are sooo many people who don't know what to do in snow conditions, consequently, the traffic is absolutely snarled and jacked to where nobody can move without getting too close to one another!! The school district closed down all after school activities, all parent teacher conferences and anything else that would keep people at the schools any longer than is necessary. There are no snow plows in the valley because Las Vegas is a sunny climate....so who needs any such equipment?? It will be interesting to see the morning news and how they treat this storm which, by the way, is supposed to last well into tomorrow morning!!! I guess the next big piece of news is that I am officially legit with the business. We obtained our business license Monday afternoon...the business name is titled, JADE Services...JADE is an acronym for my partner's and my name....Jon And Dennis Exclusive Services. We are excited to get going and hope to be able to lauch officially by the last week of December! It has been a pretty long haul just getting going because of the tight budget that we have been operating on. We're keeping our fingers crossed and our knees constantly on the floor. We'll keep everybody posted as the days and the next few weeks go by. I guess the worst that could happen is that we could show up at one of your doorsteps with sleeping bags and suitcases looking for a place to stay!!! Then we'll really see how thick blood is!!!!!!!

Post Thanksgiving notes

2008-12-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

Well, just had to chime in on what went on for Turkey day. As you can see, we're all smiles before dinner (actually this was a post dinner, dinner...) and then after dinner, as you can imagine, the smiles disappeared and were followed by looks of pain! I was actually proud of myself for only being able to eat one plate but the plate was the size of a pizza dish! I complained to Maureen that I could only eat one helping! Pie was a different story! Because everybody doesn't like pumpkin pie, Maureen decided to take orders so that everybody would have a pie that they liked. So we ended up having, pumpkin, apple, banana, pecan and cherry!!! Mmmmm!

The women really didn't like this picture butt the cameraman couldn't resist! Grandma and Grandpa came down to join us for dinner, which we really loved them coming down. Because of Grandma's sore leg she wasn't as mobile as she would have liked but each day she seemed to be getting more mobility in her leg. Grandpa would accompany me on my morning walks with Orland out in the desert and he would help me find golfballs that had been left from my previous days of walking the dog and practicing my drives.

Of course, during the weekend you had to play

games and one of those games has to be a rousing

one. Here they are playing "pit".

Kalie really getting into the lolipop action and watching the rousing game. She found a bff in Shaun.

All in all it was, as always, a good weekend to have family around and to just chill in Htown. We particularly love being surrounded by the sound of our grown children enjoying each other's company and the little voice running all over the house calling for Shaun. We appreciate that Grandma and Grandpa are such that they can truly have joy in their posterity be it here or in Utah or the news from the mission field. We believe that the magical moments of familial bonding which happen to our extended family are not by accident or happenstance but through faith and prayers of grandparents, parents and children. We look forward to repeating the same during the Christmas holidays! Hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

Well I am officially depressed to wake up to the new President of the U.S. speaking. As I told Dennis, our country is now going to H E double toothpicks. I can't believe people in this country can be so gullible and taken in by the "movie star" power etc. If they think Bush was bad ....just wait!! I guess we all know it is even closer to the second coming of the Lord.

ooops!

2008-10-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

I thought I was posting this on my "family's" blog and not on the HTown blog. Oh well, we'll call that early onset of senility!

Maiden voyage!

2008-10-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

So here we go....this is our first time on the family blog. We've been following, with interest, all the other entries and I've got to say...that first of all, I am not nor will I ever be a follower of that vampire thing. However, all of the girls in our family have been pretty much Twilight to the nth degree! Give me a Clive Cussler novel any day, every day and I will read just as avidely as the next guy or girl. I will admit, that I will probably see the movie when it comes out but that's about the extent of it. Marchelle and her kids came out the other week and then we drove down to San Diego to meet her husband, Rahul who flew in and we spent the weekend with them. We had a great time with them, they stayed on for the rest of the week but here are some pics. The condo we stayed in was 2 blocks from the beach. We were 5 min. from the church, we attended Sacrament meeting and 10 min. from the Temple which we went to after sacrament. Rahul and I caught a few waves Mon. morning before going to Sea World. It was coooolddddd!!!!! I think I could be really happy being a reverse "Snow Bird" spending the summer down in San Diego and then going back to Las Vegas for the rest of the year! Oh well, nice to dream and mostly nice to see everybody and catch up with you all!

Three's not only a crowd but trouble!

2008-10-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

As you can see..they are together and they are smiling! Unbelievably, they have been actually pretty good with each other. They all kinda just blend together, each personality giving and making up when needed. Needless to say, both grandma and grandpa are eating up every moment and wearing out at the end of the night. We've forgotten about constant tripping hazards, ie; toys, books, shoes, and little people all over the floor! We've forgotten how every room in the house can look like a tornado just blew through.! We've forgotten about food mostly on the floor and not on the table! Do we care?? To be honest...maybe for about 3 sec. and then we realize that we don't have these moments very often and so we treasure them and savor the moments.

You've also been able to see that we are very close to being finished in the front yard. I was so tickled to see the kids playing again in the yard that it brought back sweet memories of 'back in the day' when they were "all soooo small....." The plants have matured a little more and there is actually color in them. In fact, just today I saw some butterflies on the flowers which means there will be some other flowers cross pollenated in the future. By spring of next year, the ground where Marchelle is standing should be entirely covered by plant growth and color.

I was going to put our house number that Maya is sitting on but it may be covered by the plant come spring or else I will have to trim that part of it. They do make for some interesting sitting and posing rocks for the kids. Oh well, just had a few moments to put this in, will continue to update in the future, within the next couple of days.

I'm tired!

2008-10-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to sound off about something that has been on my mind for the last few weeks. I'm tired.....I'm tired of politics!!!! I'm tired of the spins that are made from one candidate to the other!!! I'm tired of the validity that the media gives to celebrities who's agenda is about self promotion, who's bleeding heart want's to "give" everybody the farm without having to earn any part of it and who talk about infringing and being invasive on "personal rights". I'm tired of music, tv, movie, spin doctors and everybody else who think that through their enlightening engagements, we should likewise be so enthralled with their rapture. I'm just tired!!!! Dare I say, I could give a rats@!*!!!! about anything they say and to back that up I quote Korihor's arguement..."but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius...these people are idiots!! That is their game plan, that is their agenda and that is how the master deceiver has twisted and enveloped their once noble ideas!! On the other hand......

Beginning this weekend, we will be able to listen to men and women whose sole intent is to bring all people to Christ. They will teach us how to be better people, better husbands and wives, better parents and better children. They will teach how to lift others up and how to serve others without the blinding glare of recognition or approval ratings. The things the Prophet will promise to us will always come true. Those principles will not always be popular and in a lot of cases, to the common man, appear to be foolish. But I would bank everything on the words of the Prophet, he is the one that we should look to, he is our captain leader and he will guide our ship through the storm. I am ever thankful that we have always had sound leadership "for the past 178 years!"

So if you're like me, tired of all that's has been happening...have hope for a brighter tomorrow as we look to the Christ and live! Be energized in the thought that we have a living prophet to guide us during these tumultuous times.

Conversation with a 2 yr. old

2008-08-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

After reading Marchelle's latest regarding her conversation with Maya I thought I would share my conversation with Kalie from the other night when we babysat her as Megan and Charlie went bowling with some friends in their ward. This is from a grandfather's perspective, mind you, so now I know what G/G Richins were going through with our kids, Marchelle, Nathan, Derek, Shaun and Megan and they always did it so willingly as if they really enjoyed it!!!!

Kalie, "C'mon paka" as she grabs my fingers pulling me back towards the game room. (If you haven't figured out what 'paka' means, it means Grandpa)
GPa, "Okay". (here's where it gets interesting...)
Kalie, "bele, bele, bele, happy..."
GPa, "Oh, you want to see happy?" (that's her cue to watch Happy Feet)
Kalie, "Happy, happy, bele, bele, here, bele, bele, bele, sit here, umalimyma..."
GPa, "Huh....!"
Kalie, She is grabbing a puzzle and wants to go back to the kitchen to do it on the table, "Puzzle, bele shuma mima treats paka." Back to the kitchen we go.
As we're going I'm saying, "Don't you want to watch Happy?"
Kalie, "Treat"
GPa, "Oh how 'bout this puzzle first!"
Kalie, "Paka, treat".
GPa, (Why am I such a sucker!!) "Okay...", "Ready to do this puzzle??" We open the hyper-bag and then it's back to the game room!!
Kalie, "bele, bele, bele, shhmashhma". She grabs another puzzle and I'm thinking, what about that other puzzle back in the kitchen! Back and forth we go for the next 20 minutes. Each time I'm looking at Maureen with those 'Rescue me' look in my eyes.
GPa, "Phew, grandpa needs to sit down."
Kalie, "C'mon, paka...." back we go to the game room. Happy Feet is well into midway point,, we've watched maybe 3 min. total and I'm thinking, wait a minute!!!!....this the good part!!! Now I'm chasing her back into the living room, because I'm now the monster! We run around the couch a couple of times, she stops and gets a drink of milk and then we start again! Kaile, then chases the dog all the while grabbing his toy and throwing it so he can fetch it.
Kalie, "Ohhhh noooooo! bele, bele, bele, c'mon paka, paka, paka.....paka"
GPa, "What does she want?" as I look at Maureen. Grabbing my fingers again, we go back to the game room. My mind is saying, "noooo not again!", My body is saying, "you're not gonna last much longer buddy!" However, because I would do anything and everything possible for these little ones,...I go.
Kalie, "Chanted?...Chanted?" (That's another movie, "Enchanted".)
GPa, "What about Happy?", "Don't you want to finish 'Happy'?"
Kalie, "No!", "Chanted"
GPa, "Hey....Babes!!!! it's your turn!!!!!!"
GPa, "Grandma is gonna watch 'Chanted' with you, okay?!?!?" Maureen rescues me, I go back and turn on the Olympics, they don't look nearly as tired as I feel!! Bless your hearts, G/G Richins! *footnote - Kalie is getting much better at putting words together that are increasingly becoming more understandable and maybe grandma and grandpa are in training and just gearing up for Christmas when all 4 grandkids will be together! Hopefully, we'll have this toddler grammer down by then!!!!

Stepping stones

2008-08-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

We are getting closer to getting finished. The stepping stones have been set and the crushed

gravel around the plants and stones. We have to be completely done with the desert landscape portion by Sept. 2nd so that we can be inspected by the water authority verifying the conversion to desert landscaping. I'm hoping that when people walk on the stones they won't be confused as to which foot they need to lead with in order to hit the stones properly, can you figure out which foot is the lead?
So after Bear Lake, it is usually tradition to go fishing at "our spot". This time we decided that we would first start out at a "different spot", which we did and were able to catch a couple of nice ones. Shaun wasn't able to go because of school and work. He and Jamie had already missed some school going to Bear Lake, so it was just Derek and I. We ended up having a pretty good day, noting that if we had originally gone to "our spot" we would have been home with our feet up drinking lemonade 3 hrs. earlier. Ohhhhh, but we wouldn't have had "the experience!!!" Most of the fish were in this range.

Next up will be Shaun's graduation ceremonies, we'll see you this weekend!

humility

2008-07-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

I was reading in Alma 32 and came across some scriptures that really hit me in regards to Dennis and I's work situation. Alma is talking to the poor, whose afflictions had humbled them. He tells them that those that are compelled to be humble are blessed, but those that are humble without circumstances that compell them to be humble will be more blessed. I was humbled again as I realized we were some of those that were compelled to be humble, but I know that we will be blessed in some form anyway. So, for all you who are reading this, be humble without being compelled to do so and you will be blessed even more.
Reading the scriptures has brought me peace and hope the last few weeks. It is interesting because we were asked to speak in church 3 weeks ago and they asked us to speak on Alma 22:18 but I just couldn't get very much out of that particular scripture. So I read previous verses hoping to get what I should and I came across verse 16 which talks about hope. It then references to Ether 12:4 which talks about hope being the anchor of the soul and I just felt like I should talk about Hope. So I called the Bishopric member and ask him if that would be OK. As it turned out I had a lot of people come and tell me how much that talk had helped them and for 2 weeks after people were referring to it in lessons, etc. Little did I know that 2 weeks after I would really need my own talk on Hope. It has helped-- as has all your prayers and thoughts for us. If you have a chance read Alma 22:16 and Ether 12:4. They are some of my favorites now.
Love you all, Maureen

et al...

2008-07-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been preoccupied with other matters that have required my, almost total, attention. The most important matter being, without a job after a number of years, not totally blissful, but nonetheless gainful. Maureen confessed that she had been praying that I would find another avenue to get me out of the sun and physical labor but not to this extreme. As with a lot of prayers, the answer may not be to our liking but in the grander scheme of the plan it is what the master will is and not our will. And so I have to trust in "his will"and know that "he is." That is a truth, that is a constant and that will never change.... One other thing that I know will never change is the support, the faith and the prayers of family members both immediate and extended! It is not only humbling but it is love beyond measure and a uniting bond that cannot be broken. Now all the things that we "talk" about in priesthood, relief society, sunday school and sacrament about being true followers of Christ are being witnessed first hand by myself and Maureen. I have been the recipient of your faith and prayers. It is not a position that I am comfortable being in and the opposite end of the spectrum that I would prefer but I have felt the influence of all of your heartfelt prayers!! Maureen and I know that we will come out of this perhaps not "smelling like a rose" but more importantly with a knowledge that through the exercise of faith and prayers we've gained something even greater, a testimony of "family" and maybe.............. just maybe.................. a glimps of the eternities. We..........I............thank you all!!

...And Then Some...

2008-07-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

I hadn't had a chance to take some pics of the front yard with the shrubs and plants in but I finished that part of it this morning. So here are some pics...

It was fairly cool this morning, 89 degrees so I thought I'd go out and get a good like in before it got too hot!!! Anyway, in between the plants and shrubs will be finely crushed rock almost resembling a course sand type material and then grass underneath the tree. There will be some large flat rocks on the left of the driveway creating a walkway to the sidewalk approach to the house. Finally, a paved sitting area between the tree and the house. And then....

Progress

2008-07-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

The project is coming along and the picture is getting clearer on what I want to do. The focal point obviously is the tree. The garden area surrounding the tree will draw attention to the grass and the sitting area behind the grass when it's completed. The problem is that it is now July 8th, the temperature is over 110 degrees and so working out in the heat is getting really difficult...at best! Thankfully, Derek and Shaun came down over the last weekend and they provided some much needed help but our work day consisted of starting at 5 am and quitting at 9 am. Then we would go into the house to get out of the sun. We did this on Thur. night, Fri. morning and then on Sat. morning, also squeezing in a piano move over to Megan's house. There are new plants and shrubs planted around the brick wall and along the side with rocks placed within the planting areas. I haven't taken pics of what's been done but it is starting to come together...slowly!! One other obstacle to overcome besides the extreme heat is the fact that we are even trying to plant in the middle of a fiery furnace season and keep them all alive!!!

This weekend we also celebrated Shaun's and Kaile's birthdays. Kaile really likes her backpack!!
What a character!! Megan might be concerned about perhaps buckling when trying to govern Kaile's growing fascination with certain "movies" , ha! When it comes to grandpa, I just sit there and laugh because it is soooo funny watching her walk right in, open the ottoman, grab the 'Enchanted' dvd,(even when we try to hide its location in the movie line-up), open the case, take the dvd out (properly,... I might add), turn on the player and insert the dvd and then sit on the couch saying in her little voice, cmon, cmon! as she looks at you expecting you to sit right next to her! I'm really no help at all...I am an absolute push over!!!, plain and simple...a toasted marshmellow....not silly putty in her hands but mostly silly!!! I love our grandchildren, don't look to me for any disciplining...I did that a generation ago!! Nope...I'm the spoiler, the button that busted on the shirt from being proud (are we allowed to use that word???) I'm slipping the candy underneath the table when mom and dad aren't looking and I'm winking when their backs are turned!!! Can't wait to see our other grandchildren in the upcoming months. But until then, we are looking forward to Bear Lake to be with family and to enjoy memorable times together, whether it be late at night in a tent with the airmattress flatter than a pancack, slapping yourself silly around the campfire because of the mosquitoes or getting into the water in the early morning to get the boat fired-up! The memory is to be able to sit back and enjoy each and every moment, savor the quality time with each other as those times seem to be getting scarcer and scarcer as family dynamics change each year!!! To be able to catch up with all the new additions to the extended family will be a truly joyous occassion! Until next time....D!

Brother's unite!

2008-06-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

It was a special occassion to be able to be with my brothers, John, Kendall, & Mike to support Autumn and her husband, who is also named Kendall, in their adoption of Alema. We hadn't been together for a couple of years and so this was special. I flew up on Thurs. night, stayed with Derek and then went fishing with Shaun and Derek at our "spot" on Friday. Of course, had a great time down on the stream and then Friday night we went to Salt Lake Temple to attend Alema's sealing to Autumn and Kendall Croft. What a special night it was!!! Then saturday, we decided to go to Thanksgiving Point to hit a few balls!!! That was plan 'B'. Plan 'A' was to go fishing after my brothers John and Kendall heard how we did on Friday. When the inquiry was made about the possibilities Derek and I just looked at each other reading each others' mind thinking that...."not going to be a very fun day, if we do indeed go fishing." The only thing that I kept going through my mind was figuring out how John was going to climb over barbed wire fences, climbing through them, wading through the stream and climbing through thistle and willows and then getting back to the car at the end of the day!!!! I had to quickly come up with an alternate plan, one that would be 'less stressful'. And so, you see everybody having fun hitting a bucket of balls. We had a great time!!!!!....and then we went to breakfast at, "One Man Band" restaurant in Lehi. Sunday, was the blessing and during that time everybody got together for pics on the steps of the chapel.

Pictured on the steps are: (fr) Ashley, Shaun, Krista, Autumn, holding Alema, Kelsi. (br) Kelland, Aubrey, Derek. All the cousins who were there. I really had an enjoyable time being with my bros. I couldn't have asked for a better week-end except having Maureen there also to share in my joy and of course Mom and Dad. I'm sure they were smiling this week-end.

Venting

2008-06-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

I decided that I needed to vent because I am ticked off. I volunteered a while ago to teach an Enrichment class on Pizza making--not only traditional pizza but Rocky Road pizza, fruit pizza, peanut butter and honey pizza (for kids) Garden salad pizza, and a couple others. So I prepared for a few days--typed up all the recipes, copied them all, stapled them together, bought all the ingredients that cost me $45 and set up a bunch of chairs, cleaned my house and got my kitchen looking nice, etc. This morning, before I went to school, I made a big Rocky Road pizza and a fruit pizza so they could taste them tonight. After work I took Dennis to the airport and then came home and made a pizza dough (2 pizzas) that needed to set for 30 min. and was prepared to show everyone how to make it up to that point. Then we were going to assemble the pizzas and bake and eat. Well--7:00 came and went and one--yes 0ne--person came! Needlesstosay I canceled and am going to try freezing the pizzas that I made and I gave away the others. I am not happy about the support that I received. As Dennis said--"They stiffed the R.S. President!"
Maureen

Burrr!!!

2008-06-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

I know it's the beginning of summer but it is already hot here in Las Vegas! Probably too hot for anything fun outside. So I thought I would go back 2 1/2 years ago when I went up to Idaho on a snowmobiling adventure with some of the guys in the ward. It was indeed an adventure as we were in snow well over our heads and in some areas over 20 ft. deep. We stayed in a cabin near Island Park and snowmobiled all day Friday, Saturday, rested on Sunday, then half day on Monday. Anyway, looking back at these pics kinda gives me the chills....so I know for some of you, you are all ready for the warm weather but for this island boy, I would much rather it be cold!!! Enjoy!

Snowmobiling is sooo much fun. To be able to go 80 mph on the trails with not much to worry about is really cool!! Some of the country we went through was awesome and eeriely quiet and almost like you were on another planet with the way the trees looked all iced up. Even though it was really, really cold, I still couldn't bring myself to wear pants up there. This might be a fun activity for the 'family' to think about as an alternate during another holiday break!!! Hey....I wonder if they snowmobile out at Lake Erie??? Marchelle, Nathan, we might have something to think about this winter!!!

Wow!

2008-06-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

We've been reminded of what it is to be an example, knowingly and sometimes unknowingly. When Maureen and I were young and having young children in the home we would try to do our best to teach the right things to do, try to teach the gospel principles and mostly how to be good persons. The other day, unkowingly we were in the living room after having dinner and just relaxing. Grandma rested her legs up on the ottoman and then comes this little person, Kaile, out of nowhere and copies grandma!!! We just laughed our heads off!!!

And then the stark reality hit us like a ton of bricks! We had better watch what we do and what we say because there are little minds that are following us. When we least expect it, when we think there is no audience and when the roar of silence is deafening our example will be what is noticed and copied whether we like it or not. Much like to story that President Hinckley told of when looking for a car to buy he walked up to a car and kicked the tire and noticed that his son did the exact same thing...he walked up to it and kicked the tire. Our best teaching, likewise, will sometimes be the way we do things, the way we say things and the way we live. You can rest assure that little people are watching. Father's, most of all, happy father's day and secondly, be a good father!

WIP - (work in progress)

2008-06-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

As you can see the grass is gone and the shrubs have been replaced with different ones. My artistic side has come out with the block wall facing the front sidewalk. Notice the two swells and then the returns towards the house, as they return they curve inward towards each other. Maureens first impression of the curves was that I was trying to symbolize certain female frontal anatomical parts!!! Butt!! on the contrary, if you were to look at the shape from the top you could clearly see that it will take on a "Heart" shape because there is 'a lot of love' in this project!! Within the heart will be grass and in between the grass and the house will be a paved sitting area with approaches from the corner of the sidewalk coming off the driveway and the front porch.

Of course, I had to bust out my Lakers shorts while working in the yard and doing my best impression of an illegal alien. Like the way my outfit is coordinated???? Maureen would definitely not approve...again!.......with the way I dress for this job but you know I'm getting older, perhaps wiser but more importantly a lot more self assured in my feelings of self-worth where I really don't care what other people think!!!! I'm at peace with myself!!!! Ha!!!!!

Anyway, it's hot right now so I thought I'd come in and cool off before going out for another lick. Will keep everybody updated with pics and thoughts as the project moves towards completion...I am excited to finally get a picture in my head about the final look!!

Missing my kids

2008-05-31T16:07:00.001-07:00

I was just thinking as I did my Saturday work today, that I really, really miss my kids and Grandkids. We get to see Megan, Charlie and Kalie quite a bit and for that we feel very grateful. However, it is just too long of time between visits for all the others. Every time we go visit Marchelle or Nathan it is so sad to leave them and their families. I guess because they are sooo far away and we don't see them very often. We always hate to see Derek and Rebecca and Shaun and Jamie leave also. Those of you who live close to your families, be GRATEFUL. So, Rahul, if you ever read this, just remember that by the time you leave Indianapolis you will have lived close to your family for 10 years. I think it is our turn for 10 years. (Maureen)

Love you all

2008-05-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

As you are all probably aware, Dennis is the one who writes on our blog. It was his idea and it gives him a chance to write. He has always been such a talented writer and can always express himself so well. I don't have that talent, so most of the time you will be reading his entry's. I have spent the last hour reading everyone's blog and I just wanted to tell you all (whoever reads this blog)--niece's and nephews and brothers and sisters--that I love you all. I feel very blessed to have the extended family that I do. I give thanks to Heavenly Father for my husband, my children, my grandchildren, and all our extended family.
Maureen

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today, Maureen and I are getting things together to start re-doing our front yard. We've pulled out the shrubs that we used to have and taken out the grass so that the front looks completely bare. We are converting it to some kind of modified desert landscape because I'm not completely into the desert thing. Hopefully, when we're through, it will look different than what we've typically seen in our neighborhood with some turf, some desert and maybe some disneyland! Anybody ready for an "E" ticket ride??? Since it is the kick off holiday before summer,...we all know what summer brings...the annual Bear Lake family outing!!! Where mosquitoes rule and fun is the order of the day and evening whether you like or not!! Sunburns are dished up on platter every afternoon and generous portions of sore muscles, aches and pains accompany the nightly games at the tables. And added to the mix are by the minute warnings of, "don't get too close to the fire!", "watch where you're walking!" and "the sand goes in the bucket not down your pants!!!" So I thought I would just take everybody down 'happy memory lane' and post a few pics of those "blessed days". Enjoy!!!

I know...you just can't wait!!! The excitement is getting too much! The mere thought of sand all through you clothes is more than you can stand!!

But wait a minute!..........there is a golf course there too!!! Now we're talking!!!!! Can't wait!!!!!!!

Memorial Day

2008-05-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

I really don't know why I am but today my thoughts are on my parents John and Gladys Muaina. Perhaps it was a block of scriptures that I was reading in Mosiah or maybe it was the Spoken Word by the Tabernacle Choir or because tomorrow is Memorial Day that reminded me of how much I miss my parents. I miss the strong embrace by my dad and the smell of his aftershave and I miss the warm knowing smile of my mother and the enthusiastic manner in which she encountered life even with it's trials. To me, they were all that I ever wanted to be even though in my youth you would have never known that. I am reminded that through my veins courses their blood and the blood of all my forefathers and that I have been blessed by great examples of faith and sacrifice both physically and spiritually. My emotions are really close to my heart but I just wanted to remember this Memorial Holiday my mom and dad and hope that I can bring honor to them in all that I do. I love you...Mom and Dad.

Indiana Maureen and the "Lost Love"

2008-05-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

Maureen, Megan and Kalie went to Indiana last week and spent Mother's day with Marchelle, Rahul, Maya and Ethan. They had a great visit and was able to go to a few places while there. Of course, there was a question as to how the cousins would get along for a week together. Kaile was kinda like a smart bomb seeking out her target, Ethan but Ethan was already practicing his diplomatic skills by exclaiming upon visual contact," No, no, no!!!"

Maya was pretty much the leader of the gang since she was the oldest and "biggest" and so she had a shadow most of the time but curiously her shadow had glasses and reddish hair!

Taking a break after a long day at the Zoo and the museum, whew!!

Maureen said that there were sooo... many kids at the zoo that they could barely move around. Fortunately, They were able to keep in a small tight group and not lose anybody. Is that a smile or is it a "hurry up and take the picture! kinda smile!"

There is nothing quite as gratifying as to have moments with your children and their children. Your blessings are realized as you assess the manner in which your children embrace the love of the gospel and the teachings of our Savior and then they in turn do likewise with their children.

2008-05-22T05:27:00.001-07:00

Over the River and Through the Woods

2008-05-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well, Maureen and Megan & Kalie have been in Indianapolis for the last week and they've had a great time. We'll get a detailed description of their trip tonight! Hopefully, we'll be able to post some pics tomorrow. Derek and Rebecca are down this weekend and we were able to go out for dinner last night. They will be leaving Monday some time so we may be able to see them tomorrow as well. Of course, we had to get home in time to see the basketball game which we wouldn't want to miss since the Laker's were playing the Jazz! Sorry Jazz fans...it was indeed an exciting game and the outcome was still in question with just a few seconds on the clock but like Sayesha on American Idol there just wasn't enough staying power to make it to the end!

Happy Birthday!!

2008-04-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Maureen's birthday a little early because Shaun and Jamie were down in between semesters to house-sit/ baby-sit for a few days. Talk about glutton's for pain...and in between semesters to boot!!! We were all too glad to spend some time with them even though it was for a brief moment! We decided to go out for dinner!...that's a new one...we're doing our part to stimulate the economy in Henderson! Megan and Kaile came along also. She, Kaile, is getting to be a handful and must be going to follow her mother and aunt by testing out her softball skills by throwing everything she can get her little hands on!! That would include any cups, glasses with milk...plates with food on it!...her glasses and any toy handed to her to placate her at the restaurant table!!! Her hair is beginning to grow a little more at a time and getting fuller...right now she probably has more hair than grandpa so we're glad about that... I'm the one with the shine on the forehead!!!

Well, after dinner we excused ourselves from the restaurant and said our good-byes. Shaun and Jamie had to go back to their duties (they were getting compensated for their pain pretty good!!) We just can't believe how busy they are and what their schedule is this spring and summer! phew! We're just glad they're young because we sure couldn't keep up. We get winded walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night!! That's another story in itself!!! Anyway, we were able to get kinda a group pic:

Our Sustaining Vote

2008-04-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

What an honor it was to add our sustaining vote to President Monson! As we witnessed each group, quorum and then groups sustain President Monson, the thought came to me of what an experience for each young man and woman and member throughout the world who have not had such a unique opportunity to be able to stand and be a witness!! These solemn assemblies don't come around that often and so to have one come right to our living room in our own home was a very special moment. The spirit witnessed to me that President Monson is the prophet today and as he spoke in priesthood meeting last night you could see, through the sustaining raising of the hands and support of the members of the church that he spoke as a Prophet! Today, many will try to look for how his administration will differ than other presidents of the church but as I think back on all the prophets in my lifetime and what each was remembered by it comes back to this..."look to the Prophet and live." So today, we will feast upon his words and know that he speaks for our Heavenly Father!!!

Mixed up!

2008-04-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know...Rahul has called the Muaina's to repentance for their unflinching support of the only team in the West coast, Rocky Mountains/Central, MidWest and East coast to cheer for! That would be ...THE LAKERS!!! Citing the recent picture taken in the Deseret News of our Prophet, Thomas H. Monson sitting in the stands at a game. Apparently, making the assertion that if the Prophet were attending the game that that would mean he supports the local team, which would be the Jazz!! Which would further mean that because he supports the Jazz...they must be the "true team!!!" In addition, if they are the 'true' team then all other teams would be false thus "their" fans would be grossly misled, much like how Al Gore has led many people to believe in global warming!!!! Oops...did I just say that! My bad!!! However, I am led to believe that if the Jazz truly were the "true team" they would be perennial winners!!, wearing the championship ring every year!! Their star players would not be all tatted' up!!...or getting married after their babies are born!! Their coach would not talk like a @!*# naval commander!! And finally, a third of the fans would not be breaking the sabbath when they attend games on Sunday!! Alas, President Monson is following his great predecessor President Hinckley by welcoming and being among everybody irrespective of race, creed or misguided allegiance!!! He will also visit the downtrodden, (that would be the Jazz...) the poor in spirit (the Jazz!!..) and outcasts (yes, that would be the Jazz!!!) Finally and more importantly...please know that I am having a lot of fun with this and do not in any way think this is serious!!! It's always good to find humor in everyday life!!!

Little Bunny Fufu

2008-03-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday Megan set some eggs out for Kalie to hunt in the backyard. Like the trophy hunter she was and of course with some guidance from the doting grandparents, like, "over here Kalie", "look what's over there?" or, "walk over here Kalie!" She was successful in finding all the eggs we guided her towards!!! (were we like that as parents???) Of course, the papparazzi (grandma), was there to capture every moment like...what's pictured! You never know, there might be some embarrasing moment that can be saved for future family reunions!!!

We must admit and confess...we're suckers for our grandchildren! We wish they could all be close by but we have been blessed to be able to see the others on occassion during the year.

On a final note...Kalie was able to find the bird that laid all those "eggs" she collected...

This was a cool bird that doubled as a hand puppet that sang/played three songs as you moved it's chops. She found it to be pretty intriguiging. More importantly, we found another way to keep her occupied for when those baby-sitting opportunities present themselves!! All in all it was nice day to enjoy with her and Megan. Charlie was home studying as he is into his 3rd week of the police academy. He is really enjoying the academy,...keep him in your prayers!

This weekend we were also able to have Darin and 3 of his boys, Kyle, Colton, & McKay, stay with us as McKay had a basketball tournament that he was particpating in. It's been some time since we've seen the boys and boy have they

gotten big...we're talking' really big!!! Check this out!!... What's up with these guys???

We trust everybody had a good Easter remembering the Savior and the gift that he freely gave to each of us! Indeed, we are blessed!

Just catching up!

2008-03-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't know, aging sometimes affects what you're thinking about and how you're thinking. A few months ago, I was kinda in a hurry about getting a hair cut, which Maureen usually does, and thought that I would save some time and do it myself which I will do a lot because it's easy. I just put the #7 attachment on the clippers and away I go. This time, however, in my hurry I forgot to put the attachment on and started to cut my hair. As I was cutting I noticed a lot of hair falling to the ground and thought to myself...man there's a lot of hair falling...did my hair grow that long? Listen to this bit of advice all you young men, a man on a mission sometimes needs to clearly look at all the angles before setting out on his mission! Anyway, as I neared the finish of the cut I took a look at the clippers and then reality hit me right between the ears, I had basically shaved my head with the exception of a little strand I missed!!! I walked into the house where Maureen was doing the dishes and proclaimed, " I think I just shaved my head!" In horror, she turned around and was speechless, not like when you just propose to your fiance with a ring kind of speechless but more like, "oh crap!" kind of speechless. My fears were immediately confirmed, my early onset of senelity had just raised it's ugly head! But oh the optimism of youth!...I thought, "it's hair...it'll grow back" I've cut my hair twice since then...and I've learned this one great lesson...let your wife do it!!!...she knows better!

2008-03-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

Last month we took a trip to Cleveland to visit Nathan, Bridgette and Devin. We had a great visit and really enjoyed hanging out with Devin and seeing him crawl and make Hulk impressions. He was a riot and is such a happy baby boy. We were able to go out one evening to Red Robins, (it must have been about 10 degrees outside) but here he is doing his Hulk best!

2008-03-08T14:06:00.001-08:00

2008-03-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

This was us at Niagra Falls during the same weekend that Nathan and Bridgette blessed their son, Devin in Cleveland. All we can say is...Wow!! It's very impressive. Of course coming from Htown we are not used to seeing sooo much water and sooo much green, so we were easily impressed!

2008-03-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

Well, we've joined the new generation and have become somewhat savvy in the tech world!! We really enjoy reading our other children's blogs (mainly Marchelle's...since she is the only one right now who has a blog) that we wanted to become part of that community. It will take some time to maintain this but it may prove worth the effort. Who knows, maybe we can even have something worth saying and somebody will actually benefit from what we have to say or post.

2008-03-03T13:26:00.000-08:00