Spring has Sprung the Snow has Fell

With the exception of only a few days the weather the last few weeks have been great and the weekends the best. It has given us the opportunity to do what we enjoy - work together in the yard. We have the fruit trees all trimmed, flower beds cleaned out, the lawn thatched, sprayed for weeds, fertilized and the irrigation system checked and turned on. The garden and orchid is tilled and ready spring. Stacey is most excited because Saturday she planted her peas. She loves peas, especially fresh off the vine, raw right out of the pod. She has also turned the laundry room into a garden with pepper, squash, and spice starts all planted and growing. She is the green thumb in this family. We are excited to plant the rest of the garden and the flowers as it gets a little warmer.

I mentioned in our last blog that we broke down and bought a truck and camp trailer. We have been saving up for a while. This is our first truck and we are excited to use the truck and trailer this summer. The old explorer was wearing out and we needed something big enough to pull the trailer. So I took last Thursday and Friday off. Thursday I drove to Cortez and got the brake system installed on the new truck. (part of the deal) and picked up a few things at Walmart. Friday I detailed the Explorer out, bought some new floor mats and put it up for sale. It was sold by 10:00 am the next morning. Maybe I did not ask enough.

We purchased the truck from a credit union in Provo. It is a 2004 Ford F-150. It was a repo and is in really good shape with 57,000 miles. I gave them a low ball offer that they refused at first, then called back later and took the deal. So we felt blessed to find what we wanted at the right price.

The trailer we bought out of Cortez. It is a 27' , 2006 Keystone Sprinter with a popout. It is really nice. We talked about buying a new truck with such good deals going, but decided a used truck and trailer for less then the cost of a new truck was better. I had a gravel pad with pit run base put in along the fence in the back yard so I would have an area to park the trailer. Everything worked out just right.

So thats whats new - the rest of our lives have been routine. Work is still the same - very busy with projects and progress for me and taxes for Stacey - she was saying yesterday how excited she was that there were only two weeks left of tax season. She is planning on going with me to St George on April 13th. My calling is keeping me busy as we plan for many summer camps and activities. I also enjoy visiting the ward activities and being with the youth. We had Ward temple night this last week also and enjoy going to our small temple and knowing everybody. More often then not I get asked to work at the veil and like doing so.

We love interacting with the kids and being involved in their struggles, successes and lives. We continually pray for Amanda and the boys and ask for your prayers too. Check out their blog to keep up on the latest there. Shad is excited to graduate in April, was notified this week that he is graduating in the top 10% of his class and will receive special honors, he and Brooke are having fun planning their wedding and future. Lant and Amy are still dating and Lant is very busy with school. He is planning on starting a job next week as a admin assistant at an optometrist. Haven is also busy with school and her Thunder dance team which has now started their performances.
So if anybody wants to come down and go camping this summer we are all geared up to play and hope we can find time to do just that.

Enjoying the Journey

It has been a while since we blogged, it has been crazy busy – especially at work for both Stacey and I. Stacey is in the middle of taxes and I am in the middle of several projects as well as several grant applications trying to take advantage of Obamanomics stimulus money.

It is Sunday morning and I am up in Provo. I flew up Friday afternoon with a two men from the Hearts & Hands in Action Foundation from Spanish Fork who were down in Blanding to meet with me on help for a project. I asked if I could hitch a ride back with them so I could pick up a truck I had purchased. (another story). I have meetings early Monday morning and had to drive up Sunday afternoon anyway so I decided to stay the weekend. I tried to get Stacey to come with me but she said she was too busy to leave work and did not like the thought of flying in a small plane anyway (too many crashes lately). She thought she might find a ride late Friday or Saturday but never did. So anyway I have spent the weekend in Provo with Cody & Amanda. They are fun to be around – Haven came over Friday after I got here and had pizza with us and stayed and watched a movie – then we all went out to dinner last night – including Shad, Brooke, Amy, & Lant.

I was able to pick up the truck from the credit Union where it had been repoed and I spent five hours on Saturday getting it serviced and then I detailed it. That and a little shopping pretty much took the day.

Stacey had her birthday this week - I had City Council that night, still we were able to sneak in dinner. Mom Webb made a cheese cake we had for desert. It was so good - but only two of us - we will have to share or be eating cheese cake for a month.

Last weekend all the kids got a wild hair and decided to come down. Cody & Amanda were coming anyway because Stacey was throwing a baby shower in Blanding with all the extended family. We did not know if she would be able to come or not because she has been having contractions, but the doctor ok'd the trip. We had fun playing games and eating lots of good food. Stacey cooked Italian on Friday and I cooked dutch ovens and barbecued on Saturday. Here are a few pics of last weekend. This is one of Lant & Amy - they seem happy together and are getting pretty serious - more weddings this year? I think soooo!

This is a few pics of the shower - "Double the Fun"! Everything double for the twins.




This is a picture of Shad & Brooke - their wedding date is July 11th. The weekend before the big extended Ralph S & Mildred Webb reunion.


This is Lant, Shad & Haven doing a little sing along - Brooke and Amy listening in.


This is Cody & Amanda, they are so excited for the twins. She gave us a scare while in Blanding and started having contraction every 5-7 minutes for an hour Friday night - we took her to the urgent care clinic and she got a shot to stop the contractions - whether shot, prayers or both the contractions stopped and all was well the rest of the weekend.


This is the family - (except for Haven - she was getting her hair done by Kendra) - enjoying dutch oven and barbecue.
I have always thought that once my kids were out of High School, out of the house and up to school that life would be less stressful and that I would not have to stress so much. Wrong!! Then I thought well when they graduate college and get married then the worries would end. Wrong!! You can never know what life will throw at you. New babies, a new job, unexpected sickness, a new calling, a broken bone - I decided at least in this life that you can not ever get rid of the stress. It is not going to change - so the only way to enjoy the journey is if I change! I am working on that. It will take divine intervention, but I am working on it. It all comes down to faith and relying on the Lord, that he is in control and will make all things work for your good if you are living righteously. So we keep our recommends current, go to the temple often, use the prayer roll often and pray alot. I consider my worries with only a few kids - then imagine Heavenly Father's with billions - then the realization hits - this life is not the end of my worries - it will last forever - for eternity. Man - I really need to learn to "Enjoy the Journey".