Missing Dad...

Not sure of any other picture of just me and my dad but this is as close as I can get. I miss him. I know I wrote a wonderful story that I read at his funeral but I have no idea where it is now. If any of my family has it, would you please send it to me? I'd like it to have and to post here.

Love you dad,
your little girl.

Remembering Alex

Today would have been Alex' 67th birthday. Today I would like to write some things about him that made him the person he was.

When the kids would come home from school he would asked them how school was and they would say "fine" and then he would ask them "what did you find."

When John said he as going to fix potatoes O'Brien for breakfast he would say, "potatoes for Brian?"

When somebody called on the phone he would say "Go ahead it's your dime."

And when he called somebody, he would "Jello, this is the fruitcake." Or, I tried to call but the line was busy."

Whenever I called him on the phone he would say "Hi Cutie." or "Howdy Doodey."

Sometimes he called me Emma Lu or Eba Kay
He called John Ocho
He called Matt Mathusala
Tammy was Tomasa

I am sure he had names for the other kids and they probably remember what they were but I don't.

He was a very giving person, going all out for Christmas, birthdays and holidays. He always sent me flowers, candy or something to my work when there was a special occasion.

He could fix most anything and could build almost anything. And you could always count on him to help out. He loved his garden and working with the soil. He loved the mornings watching the sun come up and smell of the earth on a Spring morning.

He had faults but all of us do. His biggest fault was not taking care of himself. He would probably be alive today if had of taken care of himself as well as he did others. I don't know where he is, but I know that with all his faults he is in a better place than here and is being rewarded for all he has done while on this earth.

Time and Space and Eternity

As I get older, time goes by way too fast. There is so much we as humans don't know or understand. Even science and the most brilliant minds have not been able to answer the question of where we came from, how the universe was made or where we are going after death. We as humans have only been on the earth for but a speck of time. For billions of years, men did not live here. Our life on this Earth is but a wrinkle in time. A speck divided by many other specks. We are really insignificant when it comes to time. And our lifespan is so short that by the standard of time we really aren't
really on earth long enough to even make a statement.

It does seem strange however, that God would put us here on this Earth and then just let our light die out when we die. Some people have had near death experiences but nobody that has been really dead has come back to tell us what lies beyond. Near death experiences can be explained away by a person being in an altered state due to loss of oxygen or on drugs. Whether you believe in near death experiences or not, there is still no proof that establishes that those experiences existed.

After Alex died, I felt his spirit for about a year after his death. I swear that he even turned on lights, knocked on doors and came to me near my bedside during the night. Now I know longer feel his presence. Perhaps I just imagined him to be near me after his death because I was so alone. This happens to many people after a loved dies I know. If it is just our imagination, do we also make up God because we don't want to be alone in this life? Atheists and Agnostics will say we do. I believe however, there has been too much proof that God really exist.

If a signal can make a cell phone work or send signals to a TV, signals we can't see, then perhaps spirits in heaven can send signals too. When you come to think of it, life is a really a miracle. I am blown away by the fact that they can even get signals way out in space and find out where rockets are. It took until the 20th century to get this all this technology. Why it took so long is not known but maybe God wanted to wait until now because He has more plans for us He will let us know more mysteries in due time.

Religion tries to answer these questions but they do not fit into any scientific study or proof. What I choose to believe is that time always was and will always be. God did not create the world in 6 days; that is only a metaphor; this world is a at least 4.5 billions years old. We know that from science. We know that there is evolution. There is no doubt of it because we have proof through fossils and rocks.

To me, God is the master of all and He created evolution by natural selection. Adam and Eve could not been the first humans on Earth. They are just used as an example. Science have found many human remains that would have had to be way before Adam and Eve. I believe the story of Adam and Eve was just a story, used by God as an example.

There are so many mysteries of life and death and hopefully God will show us the whole truth someday. For me, I just know that there has to have been a blueprint for everything that we have, the universe, life, death, planets and purpose, etc. and even though science has proved many things, they have not proved how all of this happened without some intelligence of things way beyond our realization have happened.

So we as humans really live a very strange life, not knowing for sure what the future will bring or when we will die and where exactly where did we come from. We just need to believe that God will answer these question in time in His time. Right now it all comes down to faith and of knowledge. Faith is good but it must have some knowledge and proof to go along with it. We can't let blind faith lead us in the wrong direction. False prophets can come along and mislead you. Find your own beliefs through study, knowledge, prayer and faith. If the bible says the earth is only 6000 years old, science can prove that is not so. We must realize that what God says is His time not ours. Faith for all its good, must be grounded in proof.

The Strange Case of Randy's Birth

John Minor and Trenna Baer were married on Aug 3, 1939 in Brownsville, PA. where they lived until 1940. Then in early 1941, Trenna left Pennsylvania and traveled to Florida to obtain a divorce. She obtatined the divorce from John Minor in early March. Then on March 21, 1941, she traveled to Morgantown WV and married William Meighen. Meighen then apparantely left for the service in WWII. She then moved in with John Minor in Ohio MI and Florida for 8 months and then returned to Brownsville PA in Feb 1942. On March 13, 1942. she gave birth to Randall Dewayne Minor in Brownsville PA. He was premature and only weighed three pounds. She lived with Minor until Nov 1943 at which time she left Brownsville and went with her child to Portage County in Ohio to live with Meighen where they lived after his return from WWII until 1944.
Court was held in 1945 since both men wanted to claim the child as theirs. The judge awarded custody of the child to Trenna and Meighen stating that the paternity didn't matter because the child was better off with the mother because of his young age. At one time, John Minor took Randy without the the mother's knowlege and she filed a Habeus Corpus. The Meighen's then took Randy to CA until he was five and that was also not approved because they were not supposed to take him out of Pennsylvania.
So was Randall the child of Minor or Meighen? It does appear that Minor is the father because Trenna was living with him while Meighan was in the service. As to why she would because she had divorced him and then went back to Meighan and why he even took her back, is in question. But it does appear that Randall's father was indeed John Minor. One time he was known as Randall Meighen but later his name was changed to Minor. However, his Catholic baptism record shows his name as Randall Meighen.
His mother and stepfather never told Randy much about these early happenings but he always knew that there was something really strange that had gone on in his early life.

Randall did have some visits with his real father and his paternal grandfather who ran the railroad in Brownsville. He has a half sister and brother in the Minor family. In the Meighen  family he has a half sister. On his dad's side, his siblings all live in Brownsfille PA. His half sister on his stepdad's side now lives in NC.

My Other Family: My Brother Chris

My brother Chris was my only biological sibling. He lives in WA and I am sad to say I do not keep up with him very much. I would like in the Family Blog to write more about my siblings; so look for more in the future.
This photo was taken about 1965 around Christmas. He is holding Tina on his lap.

Utah Residency Test

Utah Residency Test

You must be able to answer yes to 10 or more of the following questions to qualify for permanent residency in the state of Utah. Failure to do so qualifies you as a temporary resident only.

Do you have a bumper sticker that says "Families can be Forever"?
Was the mother of the bride pregnant at your wedding?
Did a member of your family write in Lavelle Edwards for President in the last election?
If you shop on Sunday, do you post date the check?
Does your mother have purple or amber plastic grapes in the attic?
Were you an aunt or uncle before you attended kindergarten?
Do you have 2 gallons of ice cream in the freezer at all times?
Do you consider peanut butter on the seat of your car an accessory?
When you take a family to a restaurant, do you ask for extra plates?
Do you consider "dam" a swear word?
Does your family consider a trip to McDonald's a night out?
Do you believe you have to be 18 to order coffee in a cafe?
Are at least two of your salad bowls at neighbor's houses?
Do you think Jack Daniels is a country western singer?
Do you consider your temple recommend a credit reference?
When your ward basketball team plays, is it similar to the L.A. riots?
Do you have an uncontrollable urge to arrive at meetings 5 minutes late?
Did you meet your spouse at BYU or on "Your Mission."
Can you make a Jell-O with fruit salad without a recipe?
Do you bring cola home from the store in a brown paper bag?
Do your children believe that deer hunting is a national holiday?
Do you negotiate prices at a garage sale?
Do you feel guilty when you watch Monday Night Football?
Do you think red punch and green Jell-O are the main ingredients for a successful party?
Do your kids think Jell-O is a major food group?
When you pick someone up at the airport, do you bring at least 1/3 of your relatives and have a family reunion at the gate?
Do you have a "Quiet Book" as part of your library?
Are you embarrassed if any of your children are more than two years apart in age?
Do you say "Gawl", "Heck", or "Fetch" more than once a day?
Do you travel on Morris Air Service at least once a year?
Do you think "Ignernt" means rude?
Does it take more than one car to get all your kids over to Grandma's house?
Do you have any relatives named LaDell, LaVelle, LaDawn, or LaVerle (how about LaDurl)?
Does your 2 year supply of food include more than 40 pounds of candy?
Do you keep a supply of butcher paper on hand to make large "Welcome Home" banners?
Do you refuse coffee but accept all offers of Excedrin?
Do you think it is more prestigious to go to BYU than Harvard?
Do you have relatives in California doing everything they can to "Move Back"?
Do you shop for wedding gifts at D.I?
Does your family take Mormon Tequila to family reunions? (Ingredients of Mormon Tequila: Kool-aid with gummi worm in the bottom.)
Has anybody in your family ever taken Cheerios in a sandwich bag or Tupperware dish to church?
Have you ever made a major purchase at D.I (Couches, appliances, electronics)?

My Kids

I am doing an entry for each of my children.

Tina is my oldest. Born May 7, 1963. She is very talented. She likes a challenge. She is a hard worker and a very thoughtful person. She is a perfectionist, but once she makes up her mind to do something, she does it, nothing stands in her way. She likes to travel, hike and work out. She has a great fasion sense. She is a computer software tester. She lives in Murray UT with her husband Kipp Clark. She has 4 children. Felicia, Brian, Marissa and Dominique. She has a pet lizard who is part of her pet family which includes a cat, Martha and a dog, Rosta. I am proud to be her mother.

Monica

Monica Riehle is the 2nd child. She was born Dec 28, 1964. She is a very talented homeaker and a great mom. She's a good cook and baker. She loves her home and gardening and canning and crafts. She is active in the Mormon church and church activities. Her family is very important to her. She is a kind and thoughtful daughter. She lives in Tremonton with her husband Jay Riehle. She has 5 children: J.J., Andy, , Peter who is serving an LDS mission TN, Alex and Lacey. They have a cat name Kit Kat. She works at school lunch as a lunch lady. J.J. is now married and lives in Indiana. He has a son (Monica's first grandchild) named Rocky who is at this writing 6 months old.

John

John is my third child. Born August 10, 1967. He is a very special kid. He has a very good memory. He can remember dates and events better than anyone. We always ask him if we need to remember something. He served an LDS mission to San Bernardino/Riverside CA. John works for Albertson's where he has been employed for almost 6 years. They love him there.John is a hard worker and will do anything to help you. He is married to Kathy and they always dress alike and we call them the Twins. He works a Albertson's and they really like him there. He is very compulsive obsessive which is good sometimes because he always makes sure to check everything out. His favorite thing to do is eat out and go on Walker runs with his long-time friend Scott Jessop. Also he has another friend named John and he and Kathy go out with him a lot.

Jennifer is my 4th child. She was born February 13, 1969. She was always a child full of life and humor. She was in the band in High School and Bruinettes drill team. I was surprised how she could do all those acrobats and dances without any training at all. She lives in Seattle WA with her Husband Robert Moulton and her two kids, Sid and Zoe. She works for the University of Washington where she is the IT person. She is a great daughter and always helps me feel better when I am down. She can speak Chinese and is learning Spanish. She worked for a time in Taiwan. She loves to cook and try out new recipes. She also fixes computers for other people and has helped me fix mine as well. She's really computer savy! She spends free time with her friends "The Geeks" just hanging out.



Marty

"Marty the Mechanic" is my 5th child. He was born August 7, 1970. He was a very good baby. He is a very smart person and a "thinker." He is a very good and thoughtful son. His hobby is old trucks. He likes to photograph them and is very sentimental about them. Since Dad has died, he has kept me together. He is just like his Dad in his talents and can fix anything. I have had to call on him many times to help me. In fact he is kind of the family patriarch now and helps the family when we really need it. He works for Mucdock Hyundai. He is the best mechanic Hyundai ever had. He even got recognized and received a big bonus. He likes to broaden his horizons and wants to take a computer class. He is married to Cherise Campbell from Idaho and they have 3 children: Contessa, Cherokee and Chevy, and are expecting another this summer after 11 years since the last one.


Tammy
Tammy is my 6th child. She was born October 11, 1972. She is a very sweet and loving person. She is quiet but friendly. She will do anything to help me. Her family means everything to her. She works for the State of Utah as an Accountant. She has come so far in her life and has grown so much. She lives in Eagle Mtn Utah with Charlie Bennett, her husband and her two boys Michael and Jacob. She and Charlie have a little girl named Savannah. She looks just like Tammy. She is a very good mother and very devoted to her family.






Matthew
Matt is the baby of the family. He was born August 30, 1980 after a difficult birth. He didn't like to be separated from his family for even a second. He had a hard time in school because he suffered separation anxiety. He like his brother Marty and his Dad is a mechanic and works at Rogers Automotive. He looks so much like his Dad that my heart sometimes stops when I see him because I think Alex has come to life. He is married to Kelly Jo Grace and they have two cute little girls not even 12 months apart named MattieJo and Kinely Marie. And Matt is a great father. He just takes right over, changes diapers, feeds the kids and he has so much patience. Of course all fathers these days seem to be so much better in helping with kids these days. But mothers have to work so they are responsible for more. My husband never helped me much with the kids when they were little. It was just a given that mom's stayed homa and tended the kids and cleaned etc, while the dad's went to work and earned the living.

I Wrote This Poem for Alex Birthday 2006

ALEX CARRILLO

3/22/1942-4/9/2004

Today would have been Alex' 64th birthday. I miss him so much. I wrote a poem for him. The last birthday I spent with him we had a great time with Kipp and Tina at the Clark Planeterium. Little did I think that day that this would be his last birthday here on earth.

For Alex on his birthday

Happy birthday honey

Although you are not here

You are always with me

Each day of the year

I miss you so much honey

I miss your sweet hello

You were always thoughtful

Why did you have to go?

The things we did together

The places that we went

Were always such a joy to me

I never will forget

So all I have is memories

Of days so glad and bright

But now the days are kind of gray

And gloomy as the night

But you are always with me

In every kind of way

You were there when I needed you

When my day was gray

So happy birthday honey

It’s almost been two years

I celebrate the memories

And I know your spirit is near.

March 21

Lament

I didn't write this poem but I remember it from school. It fits how I felt after losing my loved ones. The poem is matter-of-fact until the last line. The last line tells exactly how it is. It tells all.....

Lament

LISTEN, children, Your father is dead

From his old coats I'll make you little jackets;

I'll make you little trousers From his old pants.

There'll be in his pockets Things he used to put there:

Keys and pennies Covered with tobacco.

Dan shall have the pennies To save in his bank

Anne shall have the keys

To make a pretty noise with.

Life must go on And the dead be forgotten

Life must go on Though good men die.

Anne, eat your breakfast;

Dan, take your medicine.

Square Dancing

In the mid 1970's Alex and I strarted attending square dance classes and then joined a club. We made many friends and loved it so much. We usually danced on Tuesday's and Saturday nights. We always looked forward to those times. I had so much energy then. I would clean the whole house and mow the lawn on Saturdays and still have energy to go dance that evening. I had a square dance dress which stood way out. I wore pantaloons and slips that made the skirt stand out. We had all kinds of parties and I can say without doubt that during those times, Alex was so full of life and so happy. He was always the life of the party. It was a good clean group with no smoking or drinking. We always went with our group to A&W Root Beer after we danced. We once had a Halloween party and we won first place. Alex dressed as a Mexican with a poncho and sombrero and I wore a black wig and lace scarf and a Mexican skirt and blouse.

We went with our group to Logan and stayed overnight to a big square dance convention and also went to Loa Utah to dance. We often went up to SLC to dance with other clubs. We even danced in the 4th of July parade but it was raining really bad. Later our group which was called "The Hoot and Hollers" dwindled down and eventually broke up. We later joined another group called "The Sweetheart Chains." We were really good at doing the square dance.

I am not sure how or why we really stopped but one day we just did. It might have been Alex's knees, I just can't remember but anyhow we just didn't go anymore and I wish we had kept it up.

Memories of Alex: Written Two Years Ago

March 28

Remembering

Today it's getting really close to the 2nd year anniversay of my Alex' death. I am kind of dreading that day. . I have been feeling a little sadder than usual..maybe because I know it's coming and it's still kind of surreal to me.

Everywhere I look, I see his hand in everything around me. The fireplace, the pictures he hung on the wall. His recliner we got him for Christmas. The cat light cover he insisted I have in the bathroom. The dressing table, mirror and chair. In his room, the trinkets, the collectables, the keychains, his piggy banks. I sometimes even imagine I hear his automatic bed moving up and down. Upstairs, more collectables, lighthouses, trucks, cars, doll houses, toys etc; his blueprints in the drawers of plans he had to remodel. In the garage, his tools, paint cans, 8-tracks....the notebooks with his writing.

Outside I see his tractor and can just imagine his riding it along the side of the house. I see his cement mixer, his wheel barrows, his shovels.. I see the sheds he made with his own hands. I see carvings in the cement of the year he put the cement there. The shop where he sat atop and put on the shingles. The empty garden spot which soon will be no more where I would see him stringing lines for the beans to grow on. I would see him hoeing and planting. Getting up when sun came up, his favorite time of day. The picnic table where he used to sit and shuck corn. I can almost smell the chiles he was roasting outside on the grill.

Inside the shop I see his tools, his saws, his routers, his planer, all his woodworking tools. I see his old cars, his motors his hopes and dreams.

Even though these things make me sad, I have very good memories of these things and I will always have these memories and want to keep them with me always. I am glad I can look inside and out and see things that remind me that he did live here and that he left so many things here for us to see and enjoy.

My Grandchildren

My Grandchildren

Note: There are not photos on entry. You can find photos of my grandchildren in my photo albumn with the names of grandchildren listed with their photos.

Felicia Featherstone: Born January 1, 1981

Parents: Richard and Tina Featherstone

Brian Featherstone: Born March 28, 1982

Parents: Richard and Tina Featherstone

J.J. Riehle: Born Nov 19, 1983

Parents: Jay and Monica Riehle

Andrew Riehle: Born Feb 17, 1985

Parents: Jay and Monica Riehle

Peter Riehle: Born May 27, 1988

Parents: Jay and Monica Riehle

Michal Opfar: Born March 31, 1989

Patents; Todd Opfar Tammy Carrillo

Marissa Sosa: Born June 7, 1989

Parents: Martin Sosa and Tina Carrillo

Alex Riehle: Born Dec 26, 1989

Parents: Jay and Monica Riehle

Contessa Carrillo: Born April 6, 1990

Parents: Marty and Cherise Carrillo

Jacob Opfar: Born April 3, 1991

Parents: Todd and Tammy Opfar

Cherokee Carrillo: Born May 21, 1992

Parents: Marty and Cherise Carrillo

Sid Moulton: Born Dec 29, 1993

Parents: Robert and Jennifer Moulton

Dominic Sosa: Born Aug 2, 1994

Parents: Martin Sosa and Tina Carrillo

Chevy Carrillo: Born June 8, 1995

Parents: Marty and Cherise Carrillo

Lacey Riehle; Born July 27, 1995

Parents: Jay and Monica Riehle

Zoe Moulton: Born Sept 25, 1995

Parents: Robert and Jennifer Moulton

Savannah Bennett: Born Jan 29, 2004

Parents: Charlie and Tammy Bennett

MattieJo Carrillo: Born June 9, 2004

Parents: Matthew and Kelly Jo Carrillo

Kinley Marie Carrillo: Born July 1, 2005

Parents: Matthew and Kelly Jo Carrillo

Cash Carrillo: Born May 31, 2006
Parents: Marty and Cherise Carrillo

Jaden Carrillo: Born Feb 14, 2007
Parents: Matt and Kelly Carrillo