Thankful Tuesday : The Gold Nugget

On Sept. 11, 1972, when I was about 6 weeks old my Grandma and Grandpa Gold wanted to try something with their daughter and 4 sons.  My grandma and grandpa wanted to try a family newsletter because everyone was scattered and they just wanted to keep everyone up to date of what was going on with everyone.  My grandparents wanted to try this experiment for about a month and see how it would work with everyone, well it is June 4, 2013 and so I would say it has worked very well.  Everyone that is married, going to college(it was great to get the newsletter, when I was away at college) or been on a mission, has gotten a newsletter.  I have been going through old newsletters lately, well the ones that were from my family and it has been great to see what I did when I was a child, where we lived ,what kind of things we were doing and where we went on vacation.  My sister(the one who does the newsletter) gave all of us siblings a big book back in 1994 for Christmas and it has all of my families letters that we sent in for the newsletters from 1972-1994, plus if we were mentioned in my grandparents or aunts and uncles letters, those letters are in there too.  It has been great to find out when babies are born, who was having a birthday, when everyone's anniversary is, when someone moved, when cousins went to college and when cousins got married.  We did do The Gold Nugget weekly for quite awhile and now we do it once a month.  One of my sisters does the newsletter and all of my aunts/uncles receive it, my grandma receives it,  my parents receive it, my siblings receive it, all of my cousins that are married and go to college receive it.  My sister is so good at this, even though I haven't put a letter in for awhile.  I just want to thank my wonderful Grandma Gold (my Grandpa died in 2003) for starting this newsletter back in 1972, it is so wonderful to read what we did back then and just to be more connected with my aunts/uncles and cousins and my cousins children that have been on a mission or gotten married or that have been away at college.  It has been the greatest thing to have in this family and knowing what has been going on with relatives.  I feel like I know them a lot more, then I would have if we didn't do The Gold Nugget.

The first year of The Gold Nugget.

The book, my sister did for us for Christmas 1994.  This is the book  that I have been reading

These are all of the newsletters from everyone, since Sept. 1993.  That is when I was away at college.

Thankful Tuesday : For Everyone That Has Served Our Country

With Memorial Day yesterday, I thought I would thank every man and woman that has served our country.  What they do is the greatest thing I think any person can do.  They do it for their country and they make this country free.  They make so many sacrifices, they leave their families for months at a time and I don't know what that would be like, my dad and husband have never served in the military.  I want to say Thank You again for what they do for me and for everyone else.  I found these on Pinterest and I thought they were perfect for my blog post.  Enjoy.
                                                                                               

           

Prayers to the victims of the OK tornado

With the tornado that happened in Oklahoma yesterday, I am at a loss of words of what to say to everyone that lives there, so I am not going to be doing my Thankful Tuesday for this week; instead I am going to dedicate my blog post to them.  Everyone that I know that lives there, which isn't that many are all safe and I am thankful for that.  I have never been in a tornado before and I hope I never experience that.  Just from seeing the reports on the news about this tornado and past tornadoes, I am just so sad.  I am praying that they find more people and pets alive in the next few days and that people there can start rebuilding there lives.  Hugs to everyone there.

REACH OUT IN LOVE AND PRAYERS TO THE VICTIMS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES AND PROPERTIES IN THE MIDWEST STORMS ! JUST A CALL WITH A WORD OF COMFORT OR PRAYERS CAN GO A LONG WAY IN COMFORTING THE VICTIMS !

Thankful Tuesday : My 11 year old son's aides

With my son's last last few weeks of elementary school left, I thought I would write somethings to say thank you to his 2 wonderful aides who I love so very much.  I am not so good with words, but I will try.  You both are awesome in taking care of my son, you know what he likes and what he needs.  You know when to say No to him, even though he will probably have a meltdown, I know what those are like because he has had meltdowns at home.  You know how to make him smile and that is pretty easy to do, especially when he is able to talk to Siri with his morning aides Iphone 4S.  I tell him when you hurt and then he wants to do something for you and flowers are always the first thing he thinks of to give to you.  He also knows what cars you drive to school because well he loves cars and well he asks every adult at the school what kind of car they drive and he remembers what they drive.   Over the years of being his aides, you have helped him with science fairs, math, reading, spelling, dances, taking him swimming once a week and everything else you do at school.  I thank you both for all that you have done for him, I couldn't ask for anything more.  I will miss both of you for all that you have done for him, but thank heavens for facebook because I can let both of you know how he is doing in middle school, but you can always visit him anytime.

Zach with his afternoon aide

Thankful Tuesday : Brothers

Tyler and Tim at the MTC in 1993.  

I have 2 younger brothers, who I love very much.  I may not see them very often, but I do think of them.  1 of them lives in CA and now the other 1 lives in TX.  I wish I lived closer to them, well I wish I lived closer to my parents and any of my siblings, but I don't.  Maybe someday I will. It is great to have brothers.  Growing up I loved watching movies with Tyler, but sometimes it would take us forever to figure out which movie to watch.  After all these years, it still takes me forever to figure out what movie to watch some of the time and I have several movies to choose from.  Then there is my brother Tim, who would help me with Geometry because well I just couldn't understand it.  To this day I still don't understand it, but that is okay.  Enjoy the pictures of my brothers taken over the years.

Tyler, me, Grandpa Allen at my wedding in Dec. 1994.  Tim was on a mission.

Tyler in 2010.

Tim and Sarah.  I think they were already married.

Tyler and me.  I think this was in 1999.

Tim and my son Ethan, when he was about 3 weeks old.

Tim playing video games with 3 of his nephews in 2010.

Thankful Tuesday : Sisters

I know I talked about my family back in Feb., but I wanted to talk about my 3 sisters, even though we don't see each other often, I love all of them so very much.  I have 1 sister that lives in Spanish Fork UT, 1 sister that lives in Amarillo TX and another sister that lives in Firestone CO.  I wish I talked to them more often or even see them more often, but I don't.  I know there my sisters, but sometimes I have a hard time to figure out what to say to them and I am sorry about that.  Even with family, I am shy around them and I know I shouldn't be, but I am. I did see 2 of them last Summer, so that was fun.  I just wish my other sister was there too, but she wasn't. One sister weekend that we had was at Time Out for Women in the Denver area back in 2007, where my mom and 1 of my sister in laws was able to join us.  That was a fun weekend and I hope to go to another Time Out for Women again sometime soon, but who knows when. The last sister weekend we had, was probably 3 1/2 years ago in 2009 and my mom,  and 1 of my nieces was there too and that was lots of fun.  We saw Wicked that weekend and that was so awesome to see.  I hope to have another sister/sister in law/mom weekend again someday soon because I could really use one of those right about now.

Time Out for Women 2007 with my sisters, sister in law and mom

Wicked Weekend 2009 with my sisters and

Dillon CO 2012 with 2 of my sisters

Ramona will always be home to me

My parents and brother Tyler moved from Ramona CA today, after spending 24 years there.  Hard to believe that they are moving and so I want to do my best to write about Ramona.  But my brother Tim, his wife and 4 kids still live there, so we probably will visit sometime, but I don't know when yet.  I am a little sad that they are moving, but I haven't lived there for several years, but Ramona will always be home to me, since that was the longest place that I lived growing up.

My family moved to Ramona CA, when I was 16 years old and in the 10th grade on Dec. 2, 1988.  (weird to think that 8 years later my son Ethan would be born on that day.)  I have many memories of Ramona and I want to share some of them with you.  I only lived there for 5 years, but I have some good memories there.  I spend pretty much all of high school there, I meet some good friends there and I am still friends with some of them today, even though I haven't seen some of them in years, so I am grateful for Facebook.  I got my first job there, well actually my first job was down the hill in Rancho Bernardo, well that is what we would say.  Then my last job before I moved to college was also in Rancho Bernardo.  I also worked at McDonalds in Ramona, which I never said I would work at, but I needed a job.  I bought my first car at the age of 21, but my dad paid for some of it.  I remember going to stake dances, I remember playing church ball, I remember finally passing my permit test, ( it took me several tries to get it) I remember getting my license in Escondido, I remember going out for pizza after football games, remembering my first kiss, when I was a senior in high school. (in a way I want to forget about that)  I also remembering going to Disneyland for Grad Night and going to Sizzler in the morning for breakfast and I was losing my voice for screaming the night before at Disneyland. I remember going to girls camp and I loved that.  I just wish I had pictures of that, but I don't.  I remember going to the malls: UTC, Parkway Plaza, North County Fair with family of with friends.  I also remember Youth Conferences and let me tell you, those were fun.  I also remember the beach, oh how I miss the beach.  Just so many memories. Then I remember going to the Young Adult Ward in Poway with friends and that was lots of fun.  I met lots of fun people there and I don't see many of them anyway, but I am friends with some of them on  Facebook.

Then I moved away to college at the age of 21 to Southern Utah University in Cedar City UT, where I met my husband the first week I was there.  That was in Sept. of 1993, then got engaged on May 8 1994, which happened to be Mother's Day and we got married on Dec. 17, 1994 in the San Diego Temple.  We had the reception in Ramona and that was fun.  Then we went to Ramona for Christmas every year, except 2001 (I was pregnant with Zach) and 2010. (my whole family spent New Year's in my parents new home in Amarillo)  Now, I am trying to figure out what we are doing this Christmas, but most likely will be staying in Cedar.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.