Five Years.....

Today I am remembering my soulmate and father of my children. Alex left me 5 years ago today. I would like to write some of my memories of him.

He grew up in a home with no electricity or running water. The house only had two bedrooms and 10 kids had to share one bedroom. He made his own toys from old sardine cans with strings so he could put them together and make a train. He loved sledding and he finally got a sled for Christmas one year. He was very talented. He was very good with wood working. His woodworking tools are in the shop and when I see them, I kind feel like they are lonely since he has not used them for so long. He never forgot a special occassion. At work I always received flower or candy. He would send flowers to my mother on her birthday and anniversary. He loved giving to others. I could always count on him to fix anything that needed fixing. He loved to tease and sometimes his teasing was taken the wrong way, but that was one of his ways to show his love. He was a very hard worker and would work 8 hours or more a day at his day job and come home and work in the yard until it got dark. He enjoyed working the soil. He could not wait for Spring to start planting his garden, and his garden was wonderful. He was getting ready to plant his garden when his life was cut short. He had been working on the tractor just the night before his death. He had planned to go get manure to fertilize his garden. He was going to do that after the trip we were supposed to take with Marty and his family. He had gone through two terrible surgeries on his knees and nearly died the last time. He got a settlement and he didn't get to use most of it. He got a 4-wheeler for his birthday less than a month before he died. So every April 9th and every Easter or Good Friday brings back the memories of his death. But the memories of his life are good and he certainly left a good example for those he left behind. He taught his kids how to work hard and the value of hard work. He left his gift for fixing things to his sons. He can rest in peace knowing that all of children have turned out to be outstanding citizens and all of them have succeeded in life as kids to be very proud of. So honey, know that I miss you and I will always remeber what you did for us. I must go on with life and I am sorry yours was caught short.

A Little Utah Humor

You Know You're From Utah If....

1. You go to the duck pond to feed the seagulls.
2. Green Jell-o with cabbage mixed in doesn't seem strange.
3. You can pronounce Tooele.
4. The U is not just a letter... and neither is the Y.
5. You have actually eaten funeral potatoes.
6. You've gotten both heat and frost burns off your car's door handle in the same month!
7. You are not surprised to hear words like "Darn," "Fetch," "Flip," "Oh My Heck," and "Shoot."
8. Your tulips get snowed on three times after they come up and twice more after they bloom.
9. The largest liquor store is the state government.
10. You can go skiing and play golf on the same day.
11. 30% humidity is muggy and almost unbearable.
12. You know the difference between a "steak house" and a "stake house."
13. You've broken down on the highway and somebody stops to help you.
14. You can see the stars at night.
15. You were an aunt or uncle before you were three.
16. You have more children than you can find biblical names for.
17. Your family considers a trip to McDonald's a night out.
18. You feel guilty when you watch Monday Night Football.
19. Your kids believe the deer hunt is a national holiday.
20. You drink Coke from a brown paper bag.
21. At least two of your salad bowls are at the homes of neighbors.
22. There is a similarity between a ward basketball game and the L.A. riots.
23. You think Jack Daniels is a country-western singer.
24. You negotiate prices at a garage sale.
25. You can make Jell-O salad without the recipe.
26. You've heard about BYU football in a testimony meeting.
27. You have two gallons of ice cream in your freezer at all times.
28. Your father-in-law thinks Ronald Reagan was a liberal.
29. A member of your family wrote in Lavell Edwards for president in the last election.
30. Sandals are the best-selling shoes.
31. Hotel rooms all have the Book of Mormon.
32. You buy your wardrobe at the local grocery superstore.
33. You learn about the Mormon Church by taking history in elementary school.
34. You live in a state where Democrats always come in third place, unless a zoo animal is running. Then they come in fourth.
35. Schools stay open, even if two feet of snow falls overnight, but close for the opening of hunting season.
36. People wear shorts and T-shirts if the temperature rises above 32 degrees.
37. People wear socks with their sandals.
38. There is a church on every corner, but they all teach the same thing.
39. The most popular public transportation system is a ski lift.
40. In-state college football rivalries are bigger than the Super Bowl.
41. You don't have to breathe cigarette smoke until you walk outside the building.
42. Every driveway has a mini-van and a pick-up truck.
43. When you buy a new vehicle, cigarette lighters are optional equipment but ski racks are standard.
44. Every time a new family moves into your neighborhood, the local elementary school has to hire a new teacher.
45. Every time a new family moves into your neighborhood, your whole family has to go and meet them the next day, after you helped them unload their moving truck.
46. Your paycheck has an additional 10 percent deduction.
47. More movies are filmed in your town than in Hollywood.
48. You've never had a Mormon missionary knock on your door, unless you are having them over for dinner that night.
49. You make a toast with red punch at your wedding reception.
50. You have more raw wheat stored than some Third World countries.
51. Your idea of a good time is playing Pictionary in the cultural hall.
52. Your idea of a wild party is a six pack of Pepsi and a PG-13 movie.
53. You and all your friends come to your mother for a haircut in her kitchen. [Ed. note/full disclosure: I see nothing odd or provincial about this item. My mother was once a cosmetologist and routinely cut my hair in her kitchen, at least until I stopped cutting my hair.]
54. You measure Kool-Aid by parts per million.
55. You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Utah.