Dear Kids,
Dad and I were walking in to the Heber Walmart the other day when a car honked at us, and it turned out to be Bevan and Dallin. We waited for them to park and come in, and they were heading for the toy department. Dallin had earned a gold star in preschool, and he was getting a $10.00 truck for it. I’m not sure what goes into earning a gold star, but it was fun seeing them. I’m always amazed to run into family when we’re in Heber. I’m still not used to it. When we lived in West Valley, we never ran into anybody.
I’m still struggling to breathe, and Dad’s still coughing, but we’re both doing slightly better. From day to day we don’t see any difference, but from week to week I can tell we’re improving. We had a different doctor’s appointment this week, though . . . a dermatologist check up for both of us. I got scared after finding out the cancer near my eye went so deep, and I was worried about a red patch Dad has had on his neck for more than two years, so I thought we’d better get looked over. Dr. Horsley is way past his prime (he ought to be retired now!) so the referral system found us a new dermatologist, a nice woman named Dr. Panko, at the Taylorsville Clinic. She examined Dad’s neck and gave him a new cream to try, which seems to be working. She looked over the patches on my arm and sprayed them to freeze them off. She biopsied the one I was really worried about, and it turns out it’s a squamous cell carcinoma. I’m going to have it cut out a week from tomorrow. More fun and games! Besides that, one of my fingers is locking up again, so I made an appointment to see my hand doctor, Dr. Raemisch. (It’s tough to play the piano with a locked finger!) Did we ever have a life before all these doctor visits? Will we ever have a life again?
The blonde neighbor cat dropped by again a few days ago, and I fed her our best cat food. I wish we owned her. It would be so nice to have a pleasant cat sitting on my lap and purring, when I’m not feeling well. I’m so fed up with Tina, who dives under the bed and glares at me when I’m only trying to pet her. (OK, so I torment her with the lion puppet–who cares?) I really wish we had a better cat situation, but it is what it is.
Still, life is good, and I love you all! Mom
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Dear Kids,
I got the following message from Bonnie, and some of you might have received it too: Hello all Lester and Marilyn descendants! Our "every other year in the park" Allen reunion is approaching, and the date we have chosen is Saturday July 28th! which is also Aunt/grandma Katie's birthday yippee! It will be held at the same park as always, in the Provo Riverview park (4620 N 300 W. Provo, UT) Please make this a priority since we only do this every other year, and for just a few hours. It is always fun to see how large and amazing this family has grown and for cousins to reconnect! Bring your own lunch and we will have a few fun games and activities planned. If anyone wants to help with activities, please let me know. Love to you all! Bonnie
Our own Ackerson family reunion will be August 2-4 at Pineview, I’m pretty sure. I meant to check with Nora, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I do know it will be a fabulous event, as all our reunions have been. I’m so proud of you kids for organizing them every year!
We really enjoyed visiting with Sharon on Tuesday, while she was still here. She told us about the ski adventure on Monday at Deer Valley: There were four moms and eight kids, and everybody had a great time. You girls are so ambitious!
We’re still thinking back on Tommy’s baby blessing last Sunday, and what a wonderful event that was! Thanks to John and Heather for hosting the after-party at their house, and to Donna and Bevan for producing the baby, so we have yet one more excuse to get together. These are my favorite times!
Dad and I are still coughing. On Thursday we went to see Dr. Newbold, who could barely squeeze us in among all his sick patients. Evidently we have the same virus as everybody else. My lungs are full of mucous, but it isn’t pneumonia, because I don’t have fluid. Still, I’m always gasping for breath. I use my nebulizer day and night, but I’m not getting better. Dad has bronchitis. Dr. Newbold gave us antibiotics to prevent secondary infections, and he gave me a prescription for prednisone, but it isn’t doing me any good–it only keeps me awake at night. John says this is the worst virus he’s ever seen. People get it in their eyes, and it causes havoc. Thank goodness I’ve only got it in my lungs. Still, I wish we could get over it.
Otherwise, life is great! I love you all! Mom
I got the following message from Bonnie, and some of you might have received it too: Hello all Lester and Marilyn descendants! Our "every other year in the park" Allen reunion is approaching, and the date we have chosen is Saturday July 28th! which is also Aunt/grandma Katie's birthday yippee! It will be held at the same park as always, in the Provo Riverview park (4620 N 300 W. Provo, UT) Please make this a priority since we only do this every other year, and for just a few hours. It is always fun to see how large and amazing this family has grown and for cousins to reconnect! Bring your own lunch and we will have a few fun games and activities planned. If anyone wants to help with activities, please let me know. Love to you all! Bonnie
Our own Ackerson family reunion will be August 2-4 at Pineview, I’m pretty sure. I meant to check with Nora, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I do know it will be a fabulous event, as all our reunions have been. I’m so proud of you kids for organizing them every year!
We really enjoyed visiting with Sharon on Tuesday, while she was still here. She told us about the ski adventure on Monday at Deer Valley: There were four moms and eight kids, and everybody had a great time. You girls are so ambitious!
We’re still thinking back on Tommy’s baby blessing last Sunday, and what a wonderful event that was! Thanks to John and Heather for hosting the after-party at their house, and to Donna and Bevan for producing the baby, so we have yet one more excuse to get together. These are my favorite times!
Dad and I are still coughing. On Thursday we went to see Dr. Newbold, who could barely squeeze us in among all his sick patients. Evidently we have the same virus as everybody else. My lungs are full of mucous, but it isn’t pneumonia, because I don’t have fluid. Still, I’m always gasping for breath. I use my nebulizer day and night, but I’m not getting better. Dad has bronchitis. Dr. Newbold gave us antibiotics to prevent secondary infections, and he gave me a prescription for prednisone, but it isn’t doing me any good–it only keeps me awake at night. John says this is the worst virus he’s ever seen. People get it in their eyes, and it causes havoc. Thank goodness I’ve only got it in my lungs. Still, I wish we could get over it.
Otherwise, life is great! I love you all! Mom
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Dear Kids,
If you’re checking here for the address of Tommy’s baby blessing this morning, it’s 250 East 200 South in Midway. Sacrament meeting starts at 11:00 am, and baby blessings are always at the very beginning. Lunch will be at John’s house after the block, which ends at 2:00. I’m really looking forward to seeing so many of you, but I’m not going to get too close to anybody, because I’ve caught this horrible virus that’s going around. Dad is into his fifth week of it, but he said he doesn’t really feel sick; he just coughs all the time. I’m sick AND I cough all the time. Friday morning, we were climbing into the car to do a couple of errands, and I said,
"First to the bank
and then to the store.
Then we’ll come home
and cough some more."
OK, it sounded pretty funny at the time. But the illness isn’t funny. Sometimes Dad and I are both up at the same time at night, coughing. I’ve been puffing on my nebulizer several times a day to try and keep my lungs clear, but it doesn’t work 100%. I’m really bummed about this, because Thanksgiving was wiped out for me by my first surgery, and Christmas by the second, but I was really counting on celebrating this baby blessing with everybody. I’m probably not contagious now, but still, I’m only coming to the first part of sacrament meeting, and then I’ll hang out at John’s house until everybody else shows up. But I won’t cough on any of you.
Friday night a nice reddish-blonde cat showed up in our front yard. I hoped it was Solar Eclipse, come back to us, but it was a girl cat, and her color was a little too light. I gave her some cat food, which she gobbled down, and then I picked her up and carried her around. She was so nice, not snarling and scratching like Tina! I wish she would have stayed here, but we haven’t seen her since.
I can’t think of anything great coming up, but I hope you’re all well and happy.
Love, Mom
If you’re checking here for the address of Tommy’s baby blessing this morning, it’s 250 East 200 South in Midway. Sacrament meeting starts at 11:00 am, and baby blessings are always at the very beginning. Lunch will be at John’s house after the block, which ends at 2:00. I’m really looking forward to seeing so many of you, but I’m not going to get too close to anybody, because I’ve caught this horrible virus that’s going around. Dad is into his fifth week of it, but he said he doesn’t really feel sick; he just coughs all the time. I’m sick AND I cough all the time. Friday morning, we were climbing into the car to do a couple of errands, and I said,
"First to the bank
and then to the store.
Then we’ll come home
and cough some more."
OK, it sounded pretty funny at the time. But the illness isn’t funny. Sometimes Dad and I are both up at the same time at night, coughing. I’ve been puffing on my nebulizer several times a day to try and keep my lungs clear, but it doesn’t work 100%. I’m really bummed about this, because Thanksgiving was wiped out for me by my first surgery, and Christmas by the second, but I was really counting on celebrating this baby blessing with everybody. I’m probably not contagious now, but still, I’m only coming to the first part of sacrament meeting, and then I’ll hang out at John’s house until everybody else shows up. But I won’t cough on any of you.
Friday night a nice reddish-blonde cat showed up in our front yard. I hoped it was Solar Eclipse, come back to us, but it was a girl cat, and her color was a little too light. I gave her some cat food, which she gobbled down, and then I picked her up and carried her around. She was so nice, not snarling and scratching like Tina! I wish she would have stayed here, but we haven’t seen her since.
I can’t think of anything great coming up, but I hope you’re all well and happy.
Love, Mom
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Dear Kids,
We’re all looking forward to Tommy’s baby blessing next Sunday. It will be at Donna’s church, 250 East 200 South (by the elementary school, Donna says) in Midway, at 11 am. Lunch will be at John’s house, after the block ends at 2:00. I’m really looking forward to seeing so many of you! Sharon will be here! I’m not sure exactly when she’s coming, or what her plans are, but it will be fun visiting with her, and all the rest of you. I’m making pumpkin and chocolate pies, for everybody who missed out on Thanksgiving. And everybody else, who didn’t.
We finally had a winter storm yesterday, sort of. I guess it was mostly rain. Dad and I were gone when it hit. We had set out to visit McGettigans in Lehi, and so we headed down through Heber and Provo Canyon. Going around Deer Creek, all the traffic suddenly came to a stop, and we sat for about 20 minutes. I pulled up the UDOT site on my phone and saw that there was an accident down by the dam, stopping all the traffic in both directions. They didn’t expect to clear it for another 45 minutes. We didn’t like sitting there, and we really wanted to see the McGettigans, so we drove all the way around the other way, back through Heber, down Parley’s Canyon, through Salt Lake, and down to Lehi. We’d been on the road more than two hours when we finally got there, but it was totally worth it. We went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant, where the food was unusually good, and we had a great time talking. Jana’s doing really well new. Medications are keeping her cancer at bay.
I’m still recovering from my surgeries, and it’s going really well now. I use a hot, wet rice pack on my forehead twice a day, to help the swelling go down. I was supposed to use a hot wash rag, for 20 minutes at a time, but I couldn’t make myself sit at the sink that long. But with the rice bag, I can sit at the microwave instead and reheat my little rice bag about every 5 minutes, and read books on Kindle. I love the 21st century!
We had such nice days last week, before the storm, that I went for short walks at the Jordanelle almost every day. I’m so glad we live in the most beautiful spot in the world.
Love to everybody, Mom
We’re all looking forward to Tommy’s baby blessing next Sunday. It will be at Donna’s church, 250 East 200 South (by the elementary school, Donna says) in Midway, at 11 am. Lunch will be at John’s house, after the block ends at 2:00. I’m really looking forward to seeing so many of you! Sharon will be here! I’m not sure exactly when she’s coming, or what her plans are, but it will be fun visiting with her, and all the rest of you. I’m making pumpkin and chocolate pies, for everybody who missed out on Thanksgiving. And everybody else, who didn’t.
We finally had a winter storm yesterday, sort of. I guess it was mostly rain. Dad and I were gone when it hit. We had set out to visit McGettigans in Lehi, and so we headed down through Heber and Provo Canyon. Going around Deer Creek, all the traffic suddenly came to a stop, and we sat for about 20 minutes. I pulled up the UDOT site on my phone and saw that there was an accident down by the dam, stopping all the traffic in both directions. They didn’t expect to clear it for another 45 minutes. We didn’t like sitting there, and we really wanted to see the McGettigans, so we drove all the way around the other way, back through Heber, down Parley’s Canyon, through Salt Lake, and down to Lehi. We’d been on the road more than two hours when we finally got there, but it was totally worth it. We went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant, where the food was unusually good, and we had a great time talking. Jana’s doing really well new. Medications are keeping her cancer at bay.
I’m still recovering from my surgeries, and it’s going really well now. I use a hot, wet rice pack on my forehead twice a day, to help the swelling go down. I was supposed to use a hot wash rag, for 20 minutes at a time, but I couldn’t make myself sit at the sink that long. But with the rice bag, I can sit at the microwave instead and reheat my little rice bag about every 5 minutes, and read books on Kindle. I love the 21st century!
We had such nice days last week, before the storm, that I went for short walks at the Jordanelle almost every day. I’m so glad we live in the most beautiful spot in the world.
Love to everybody, Mom
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Dear Kids,
Dr. Engen took the stitches out of my forehead on Friday morning, and my face is starting to look better. The swelling is nearly gone. The top of my nose looks a little skewed, but I’m hoping that will improve, too. If not, Dr. Engen can fix it for me. He emphasized how much tissue he had to take out! I’m really grateful to have it taken care of. I’ve been hearing horror stories about people who lost noses and cheeks and parts of their necks to basal cell carcinoma. I found a new dermatologist (Dr. Horsley should have retired by now!) and Dad and I both have appointments to get looked over for any other problems.
I’ve felt so much better that on Thursday and Friday afternoons I went for short walks along the Jordanelle Trail. There’s practically no snow, so it’s great for hiking right now. If any of you want some great winter recreation, come and go hiking with me!
Last night Dad and I went to my brothers’ and sisters’ annual holiday party, which was at Bonnie’s house. Our white elephant presents were the best ever! I had found a black Christmas tree angel at Walmart, with led lights. Barbara got it, and she was delighted, and plugged it in right there. I also re-donated some sister missionary action figures that I received two years ago. Dad got a set of Richard Simmons cook books, which disgusted him so much, he "forgot" to bring them home. My cousin Colleen was at the party! Remember Colleen? She used to live in Heber and work at the Mavrik–the old one. Her house had llamas in the back yard. She’s back in Heber now, living in a trailer she bought, at the Mountain Valley RV park, out toward Daniels. Her dad, my uncle Johnny, is 96 now. He’s at the Legacy care center on North University in Provo.
At the party, we were talking about the big Allen summer reunion, which we only have every two years, now. We’ve tentatively scheduled it for July 28, 2018, probably at the same park, Riverwoods.
Tonight is New Years Eve! I still have a couple of packs of fireworks left, like the ones somebody set off at our family reunion at Bear Lake last summer. If you’re here when it’s dark, I’ll set them off. I won’t even wait till midnight!
I hope you’ll all have a great new year! Love, Mom
P.S I forgot to mention that Tommy's baby blessing will be two weeks from today, on January 14. The after-party will be at John's. I'll have more information next week.
Dr. Engen took the stitches out of my forehead on Friday morning, and my face is starting to look better. The swelling is nearly gone. The top of my nose looks a little skewed, but I’m hoping that will improve, too. If not, Dr. Engen can fix it for me. He emphasized how much tissue he had to take out! I’m really grateful to have it taken care of. I’ve been hearing horror stories about people who lost noses and cheeks and parts of their necks to basal cell carcinoma. I found a new dermatologist (Dr. Horsley should have retired by now!) and Dad and I both have appointments to get looked over for any other problems.
I’ve felt so much better that on Thursday and Friday afternoons I went for short walks along the Jordanelle Trail. There’s practically no snow, so it’s great for hiking right now. If any of you want some great winter recreation, come and go hiking with me!
Last night Dad and I went to my brothers’ and sisters’ annual holiday party, which was at Bonnie’s house. Our white elephant presents were the best ever! I had found a black Christmas tree angel at Walmart, with led lights. Barbara got it, and she was delighted, and plugged it in right there. I also re-donated some sister missionary action figures that I received two years ago. Dad got a set of Richard Simmons cook books, which disgusted him so much, he "forgot" to bring them home. My cousin Colleen was at the party! Remember Colleen? She used to live in Heber and work at the Mavrik–the old one. Her house had llamas in the back yard. She’s back in Heber now, living in a trailer she bought, at the Mountain Valley RV park, out toward Daniels. Her dad, my uncle Johnny, is 96 now. He’s at the Legacy care center on North University in Provo.
At the party, we were talking about the big Allen summer reunion, which we only have every two years, now. We’ve tentatively scheduled it for July 28, 2018, probably at the same park, Riverwoods.
Tonight is New Years Eve! I still have a couple of packs of fireworks left, like the ones somebody set off at our family reunion at Bear Lake last summer. If you’re here when it’s dark, I’ll set them off. I won’t even wait till midnight!
I hope you’ll all have a great new year! Love, Mom
P.S I forgot to mention that Tommy's baby blessing will be two weeks from today, on January 14. The after-party will be at John's. I'll have more information next week.
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Dear Kids,
I hope you’re all having a wonderful Christmas Eve Morning! I love that peace you feel right before Christmas, especially on Sunday. I love celebrating the Savior’s birth. The story of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus never gets old.
My surgery on Thursday turned out really well. Since I’d had such terrible nausea the first time, Bonnie told me to be sure to ask for the zofran patch. I didn’t know there was such a thing! They stick it on your neck, and it keeps the nausea at bay. So I woke up after the operation feeling fine, and I even ate a pack of oreos. Dr. Engen came in and said they definitely got out all the cancer, which made me feel even better. I have a big jagged wound running down my face, next to my eye–Dad texted you all the picture, so you can see how great I look. But I don’t care. If anybody asks, I’ll say I got run over by a reindeer, like the song. ("Grandma got run over by a reindeer . . . ") I’ll say his antler ripped my face open. By the way, thanks for all your phone calls and texts, and especially for your prayers for me. I know that made a big difference.
I really want to go to Church this morning, so I’m having Dad drive me up to Elk Meadows, the care center in Oakley, where sacrament meeting only lasts 25 minutes. Dad will probably go to the meeting in Francis 2nd ward after that. And otherwise, we’ll be home all day today and tomorrow. Come and see us! I have lots of Christmas goodies, although I forgot to buy hot chocolate mix. We’ll be watching Christmas videos and movies. Sharon sent us "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street," which I especially love.
And there’s snow on the ground! The sledding party on Tuesday will actually include sledding! I don’t know if I’ll make it over there, but I’ll send Dad with the sloppy jo mix. You can call Allen with any questions. And if anybody still wants to pass off "the Grinch," I still have plenty of $10.00 bills.
Merry Christmas to all of you! Love, Mom
I hope you’re all having a wonderful Christmas Eve Morning! I love that peace you feel right before Christmas, especially on Sunday. I love celebrating the Savior’s birth. The story of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus never gets old.
My surgery on Thursday turned out really well. Since I’d had such terrible nausea the first time, Bonnie told me to be sure to ask for the zofran patch. I didn’t know there was such a thing! They stick it on your neck, and it keeps the nausea at bay. So I woke up after the operation feeling fine, and I even ate a pack of oreos. Dr. Engen came in and said they definitely got out all the cancer, which made me feel even better. I have a big jagged wound running down my face, next to my eye–Dad texted you all the picture, so you can see how great I look. But I don’t care. If anybody asks, I’ll say I got run over by a reindeer, like the song. ("Grandma got run over by a reindeer . . . ") I’ll say his antler ripped my face open. By the way, thanks for all your phone calls and texts, and especially for your prayers for me. I know that made a big difference.
I really want to go to Church this morning, so I’m having Dad drive me up to Elk Meadows, the care center in Oakley, where sacrament meeting only lasts 25 minutes. Dad will probably go to the meeting in Francis 2nd ward after that. And otherwise, we’ll be home all day today and tomorrow. Come and see us! I have lots of Christmas goodies, although I forgot to buy hot chocolate mix. We’ll be watching Christmas videos and movies. Sharon sent us "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street," which I especially love.
And there’s snow on the ground! The sledding party on Tuesday will actually include sledding! I don’t know if I’ll make it over there, but I’ll send Dad with the sloppy jo mix. You can call Allen with any questions. And if anybody still wants to pass off "the Grinch," I still have plenty of $10.00 bills.
Merry Christmas to all of you! Love, Mom
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Dear Kids,
What a great party we had at Nora’s last night! And Sharon’s family was there via skype! That means a record number of children were opening presents together. The food was fantastic, thanks to everyone who helped. Congratulations to Tom’s family for passing off "The Grinch." There’s still time for the rest of you–it’s a $10.00 payout to anybody who can do it, and you have until Christmas.
Dad and I won’t be home tonight, because we’ll be going to Allen’s piano recital in Centerville. It’s at 5 pm, and the address is 1298 North 400 West. It’s a church across from a park. Nora and Al will be playing a duet together, and I’m really looking forward to it. They’ve been practicing together at Nora’s house.
I’ll be having the surgery on my forehead this Thursday, so Christmas itself will be different for us this year. We won’t be hiking up Memorial Hill on Christmas Eve, because I probably won’t be up for it, and it’s a Sunday, besides. But Dad and I will be home that night, and we’ll have cookies and candy and hot chocolate for anybody who wants to come by. Same for Christmas Day. I want to watch a lot of Christmas movies and really enjoy the real Christmas spirit.
Normally this time of the year I’m having lots of fun wrapping presents and getting them to all of your families, so this year has been really different. A couple of nights ago I was feeling sort of depressed, thinking "How can it be Christmas, if I’m not wrapping presents?" So I got out "The Tall Book of Christmas" and read it from cover to cover, and I felt a lot better. The Grinch was right when he realized that Christmas doesn’t come from a store, as much fun as all of that is.
There’s no snow on the ground, and very little in sight, but we’ll still have the sledding party at the cabin the day after Christmas. There’s always plenty of fun to be had at the cabin! I’ll send Dad over with the sloppy jo mix, even if I’m not there myself. Allen will be in charge. Thanks, Al!
There was a flock of magpies out in the pasture behind our house a few days ago, and a black and white cat cavorting with them. We got out the binoculars and looked closely, but it wasn’t Oreo. He’s probably cavorting with magpies in the sky. It’s been almost three years, but we still miss him. Tina takes up the slack, however. Dad bought a giant lion puppet at the DI, sort of a muppet, with a big mouth you can open and close by putting your hand in from the back. Tina is terrified of the thing. It’s been lots of fun.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love, Mom
What a great party we had at Nora’s last night! And Sharon’s family was there via skype! That means a record number of children were opening presents together. The food was fantastic, thanks to everyone who helped. Congratulations to Tom’s family for passing off "The Grinch." There’s still time for the rest of you–it’s a $10.00 payout to anybody who can do it, and you have until Christmas.
Dad and I won’t be home tonight, because we’ll be going to Allen’s piano recital in Centerville. It’s at 5 pm, and the address is 1298 North 400 West. It’s a church across from a park. Nora and Al will be playing a duet together, and I’m really looking forward to it. They’ve been practicing together at Nora’s house.
I’ll be having the surgery on my forehead this Thursday, so Christmas itself will be different for us this year. We won’t be hiking up Memorial Hill on Christmas Eve, because I probably won’t be up for it, and it’s a Sunday, besides. But Dad and I will be home that night, and we’ll have cookies and candy and hot chocolate for anybody who wants to come by. Same for Christmas Day. I want to watch a lot of Christmas movies and really enjoy the real Christmas spirit.
Normally this time of the year I’m having lots of fun wrapping presents and getting them to all of your families, so this year has been really different. A couple of nights ago I was feeling sort of depressed, thinking "How can it be Christmas, if I’m not wrapping presents?" So I got out "The Tall Book of Christmas" and read it from cover to cover, and I felt a lot better. The Grinch was right when he realized that Christmas doesn’t come from a store, as much fun as all of that is.
There’s no snow on the ground, and very little in sight, but we’ll still have the sledding party at the cabin the day after Christmas. There’s always plenty of fun to be had at the cabin! I’ll send Dad over with the sloppy jo mix, even if I’m not there myself. Allen will be in charge. Thanks, Al!
There was a flock of magpies out in the pasture behind our house a few days ago, and a black and white cat cavorting with them. We got out the binoculars and looked closely, but it wasn’t Oreo. He’s probably cavorting with magpies in the sky. It’s been almost three years, but we still miss him. Tina takes up the slack, however. Dad bought a giant lion puppet at the DI, sort of a muppet, with a big mouth you can open and close by putting your hand in from the back. Tina is terrified of the thing. It’s been lots of fun.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love, Mom
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