Isn't nature beautiful???

When I first drove up to the apartment that Dave had gotten for us, I remember that Dad said that all the trees were going to be beautiful when the seasons changed. I was really excited to see the drastic changes of the seasons, when most of the trees back home in Oregon were all green all year long. I made sure to take a lot of pictures each month so that I could line them all up and look at them. Although skimming through them now makes it seem like time went by a lot faster than it did, and although it looks a lot better when they are side by side, I hope this can give an idea of the beautiful "circle of life"!

Born in 1917

So, Dave and I have some friends from our ward that we love. They let Dave stay with them when he first came out by himself. We had never met them before, but they offered to let him stay so we could save money on hotels. Since then, they have pretty much been like our parents away from home. We'll just say they aren't the youngest people in the world. I would guess that both of them are in their 70s. Well come to find out that Bud's(the husband) Mom is still alive. We went out to dinner with the three of them last night, and boy was it interesting talking to a woman who is 93 years old! Besides the fact that she needed a walker, she was totally alert and even energetic! She talked and laughed with us, wasn't hard of hearing or misunderstood about "modern" technologies. She almost acted as if she were a young adult! Dave and I marveled on the way home later that night about the things she's been alive for:

-US entering WWI
-WWI end
-Stock market crash and the depression
-Roosevelt elected President
-Pearl Harbor
-King George VI's death
-Vietnam
-Alaska and Hawaii becoming states
-Cuban missile crissis
-Kennedy assassination
-Race riots
-Vietnam war ending
-September 11th

I'm sure there are a million more events that happened, these were just some off the top of my head. It's just unbelievable to think that she was 73 years old when I was BORN! And she talked about waiting for death like it was no big deal. I wish we had gotten a picture with her, but maybe that will have to wait until our next visit!

21 Suggestions for Success

Once upon a time, about 10 years ago, I was babysitting for a family in our ward and I saw this poster in the bathroom. After reading it, I liked it so much that I quickly jotted it down so I could remember it. I typed it up and have kept it on my computer, always with the intention of printing it out and keeping it somewhere to remind me of what I have, and what I have to work on. So I just thought I would share it with everyone. It's not really anything new or life changing....just kind of cute.

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.