Ready or Not!

On Friday, I will undergo surgery to replace my right knee. I've been busy trying to get as ready as I can for the event. I've done a lot for my church callings, Keynotes, and voice lessons, which will all start back up in September. I've filled the freezer with food, as I didn't feel like cooking for a good four months after the last surgery. I've made minnestroni, nectar of the gods, chili, chicken casserole, chicken pockets, taco dinner, summer tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, chicken divan, plus I bought several of Costco's prepared foods. We just got our frozen fish today from Ken's Alaska outing. So, we've got a freezer full of food.
I have to admit, I'm a little nervous for this surgery, now that I know what I'm really in for. It's like having a baby, but I haven't waited long enough since the last one- I still remember the pain too well. But, it gives me hope for a better life, and that's worth it. I humbly solicit your prayers.

Home From Alaska!

We climbed into bed at 3am on Sunday morning after a wonderful trip to Alaska! We went with Ken's office manager, Van and his wife a day early to go to Denali National Park! What an adventure. We saw 2 moose, a black bear, 8 or 9 grizzlies, several caribou, Dall Sheep, ptarmigan, eagles, snowshoe hares, and lots of beautiful scenery, including Mount McKinley(it's usually cloud-shrouded, so you're lucky to see it). It was amazing! We then joined the rest of the partners and wives back in Anchorage and traveled by train to our ship port in Seward. In just a little over 24 hours, we traveled by car, plane, bus, train and ship! The train ride was a beautiful four hour trip through Alaskan wilderness. We then got on a cruise ship and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery as we traveled south. My favorite part was seeing Hubbbard Glacier up close and personal. Our cruise ship navigated within 1/4 mile of the glacier. (I guess the captain didn't see the movie!) It was spectacular!!!! We watched and listened to it "calf". In fact, Ken captured a break off in one of the pictures. You see it, and then hear it- sounding much like thunder! Amazing, amazing! I just couldn't get enough of it. Ken enjoyed the deep sea fishing, but the salmon were late this year, so it wasn't as successful as he would have liked. We enjoyed being with his partners and wives and of course, loved the food! The entertainment was also wonderful- our favorite being a comedian, Fred Klett who was SO funny AND 100% clean. We got off the ship in Vancouver, British Columbia, and extended a day to travel by ferry to Victoria Island and go to Butchart Gardens. Oh my, you can't believe what you see in that Garden of Eden. Wow! What a wonderful and beautiful vacation!!!

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Off To Alaska!

Ken and I leave in the morning for an Alaskan cruise. We travel tomorrow to Denali, will tour there on Thursday morning, then travel back to Anchorage, then down to Seward where we'll get on the ship on Friday. Here's our itinerary: No. of Nights: 7 Nights Destination: Alaska Ship: Celebrity Millennium Departs: Seward, Alaska Day 1 Seward, Alaska Depart 9:00 PM Day 2 Hubbard Glacier (Cruising) Cruising Arrive 2:00 PM Depart 6:00 PM Day 3 Juneau, Alaska Docked Arrive 8:00 AM Depart 9:00 PM Day 4 Skagway, Alaska Docked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 8:30 PM Day 5 Icy Strait Point, Alaska Tendered Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 4:00 PM Day 6 Ketchikan, Alaska Docked Arrive 9:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM Day 7 Inside Passage (Cruising) Cruising Day 8 Vancouver, British Columbia Arrive 7:00 AM On Friday, we'll travel to Vancouver Island and go to Buchart gardens, then fly home on Saturday evening. Bon Voyage!!!!

Surprise at the Welfare Orchard!

Oh how I wish I had a picture to accompany this post! I'll try to recreate for you the picture in my mind. Here's the story: Monday morning, we had a welfare orchard assignment to pick apricots. I haven't been able to help with welfare assignments for a very long time because of my silly knees. I long to help and give in that way. I know I'm about to get worse before I get better, so I decided to go and participate and work for as long as I could. We arrived in the Hurricane orchard at about 6:00am. We had been working for about 45 minutes when several large vans pulled up- and out of the doors poured bunches of polygamists! There were tiny children, older children, teenagers, young adults, and adult women and men. Picture all of these little girls and teenagers with long dresses with pants underneath with braided hair. Many of the young men had stilts. They grabbed harnesses with buckets and went to work. I have to admit that I was sure they were there to pick up fallen fruit for themselves, but soon realized they were there to help! Even the little children- too small for the harnessed buckets, had little buckets that they picked into. Those young men on stilts were amazing- literally running from tree to tree. Ken talked to one of the farm managers and he told them that our church had allowed them to pick apricots for themselves from trees that the fruit was deemed too small for the cannery. In payment, they offered to help with the picking. This was the second day they had come to help. It was a sight to behold! My favorite memory is of this beautiful, little girl with golden blond hair. Her hair had escaped the mandatory braid and was streaming behind her. It looked so beautiful in the morning light. With all the recent negative press, I wanted to share a positive experience we had with these people as we joined forces to help those less fortunate!

Joke on Ken

Recently, Ken's business partner of many years, Dean, acquired pictures of Ken from his junior high and high school yearbooks. He digitalized them and sent them to everyone at the office as a joke. I thought you might be interested in seeing them, too. We decided that Dean has WAY too much spare time on his hands. Anyone have a tax return or something he could do?



Ken- 8th grade class president

Woo hoo! Who wears short shorts?

He's still my most preferred man!!!

Additions to Traditions

I think the traditions list will be ongoing as we keep thinking of things. A few more I thought of, or was reminded of: 1)Good sport dinners. Mom makes a new recipe once a week for dinner. Everyone votes thumbs up or thumbs down on it. No one was ever brave enough to actually vote thumbs down. If they didn't like it got a sideways thumb. 2) The Grandma Peterson wave as people leave. This developed over time to include the Don Hinton family salute, the hand over the heart, and the ever-favorite blowing of kisses. All of them make for a great send off. Oh, and before you leave, Mom puts the chair in front of the door and locks the doors. 3) American Idol- Watch it, discuss it. Everyone needs to join in next year! It's a great tradition!

Hinton Family Traditions

As part of the Hinton reunion, families reminisced and recorded their family traditions. Since none of our children were able to attend, we've collected their remembrances of our traditions over the phone. Here's our list: Hinton Family Traditions Holidays New Years: Everyone writes a new year’s resolution on a piece of paper and folds it up and puts it in a ornament which we hang in our entry all year to remind us of our resolution. We open them the next year to see how we’ve done. Aebelskivers on New Years morning Birthdays: Each person chooses their favorite meal for their birthday Valentines: Small gift on Valentines, Make heart shaped sugar cookies Easter: Color and hide eggs, Scotcharoos, Easter picnic on Saturday, ham and ham sauce for Easter dinner Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day: Make homemade vanilla ice cream Sometime in the summer go to Idaho to visit Grandma and Grandpa Gabe. Hinton Reunion Fall: One Saturday each autumn (usually the last Sat. in Sept) we go to Kolob and “touch the sky” and picnic. Halloween: Make pumpkin sugar cookies, eat Halloween soup and pumpkin bread for dinner. Thanksgiving: Traditional Thanksgiving dinner including rot col and Grandpa’s yams. Christmas: Go to the mountains to get our tree with the Hinton family. Advent Calendar, Book Basket: Open a Christmas book or story each night of December and read it. Caroling as we gave neighbor gifts, Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Gabe’s- read the story from Luke 2, Open gifts one at a time, PJs on Christmas eve, Make caramels Family Home Evening: Favorite activities (why doesn’t anybody remember the lessons???): Softball in the park, Kick the can, Annie-I-over, hide and go seek in the dark Family scripture study, family prayer (put hands in circle and yell “Yoshi! at the end of the prayer), singing around the piano, singing while we travel, singing answering machine messages, Father’s blessings at the start of the school year Attend church meetings, Fasting, Preparing for the temple, pay tithing and offerings, attend extended family’s baptisms, mission farewells and homecomings, weddings when possible. Attend each other’s functions: Kristen’s sporting events, Shonna’s music programs, Michelle’s dance performances and plays. Everyone attends everyone’s. Eat dinner together, Mom reading to kids when they’re little, then reading whatever they’re reading all through school and discuss it together. “HI YA!!! You can’t have her, she’s mine.”Mom would hold daughter close and pretend someone was trying to take away child. She would karate chop them. “Pinchy, Fisty, Flatty, Cutty, Cow”- a game taught us by Rick Hintons Michelle reading Sunday comics every week with Dad. Shonna and Mom playing duets on the piano (What would Christmas be without “Sleigh Ride”?) Daddy goes to girls camp every year to be the priesthood representative. Playing games with Mom at night (you have to keep playing until Mom wins!): Labyrinth, Rook, Careers for Girls, Bazaar, etc. Daddy brushes out daughters’ hair (by the wood stove when little, with blow dryer when older) Sunday night phone calls to those living away from home, Rub mom’s feet, tickle Dad’s head Travel: Everyone gets to choose one treat at the gas station, singing together in car- everyone takes turns choosing song. We start with Dad who ALWAYS chooses “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad. His 2d turn is ALWAYS “Give Said the Little Stream”! Travel games: guess the starburst flavor, word of song game, ABCs Chores: Clean house on Saturdays, Mom has chore lists (everyone wants the one with “check the fire alarms and dust the wainscoting) We do certain chores on certain days, i.e. Laundry on Mondays Grow a garden, everyone helps with canning and freezing. Homemade apple pies When something is broken, put it on Daddy’s dresser for him to fix it.

Home Away From Home

Nearly every day, I spend an hour in this beautiful pool. I went six times this week. I LOVE to swim, and though my knee still feels tight, I think it's helping to strenghten it and the other knee - preparing for it's surgery. As you can see, midday I have the pool pretty much to myself- just me and the lifeguard! As Blake would say, I'm a swimming fool!

4th of July!

We enjoyed a quiet, just the two of us celebration of our country's birth. We had a barbecue(unbelievably good orange roughy!), bruschetta, and the traditonal homemade vanilla ice cream. We walked out to "the bench" overlooking the valley to enjoy the fireworks. If you look closely at the picture, you can make out the temple to the left of the sparkly burst!

Memory Lane

At the Hinton reunion, we received a disk with wonderful photos from Ken's parents' collection(thank you, Clark!). These pictures were taken at my first Hinton reunion, 1977- 31 years ago! Aren't they fun?

This Old Car!

My Dodge Stratus hit a big milestone last week: 100,000 miles! To celebrate, I've had it in for repairs twice in the last few days. One morning, I awoke to a completely flat tire in the back. Then, we had $400 worth of repairs to the passenger-side windows; neither would work. I'm thinking it's time to sell and move on . . .though it does get good gas mileage!