RP + JP VALENTINE

R & J
ROBIN AND JANENE
ALSO ROMEO AND JULIET,
ALWAYS THERE THROUGH
JOY AND SORROW.
HELPING HANDS SO LINKED TOGETHER
THEY OFTEN MOVE AS ONE;
A SHINING LESSON
OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE
WHEN LOVE IS FOCUSED
AND YET HAS A WIDE ANGLE LENS.

My mother wrote this poem for us for Valentines Day. I think she wrote one for every one of us in the family. It reminded me of something I did on our third anniversary of knowing each other. We were having one of our difficult times, and I went for a hike by myself and carved our initials into this tree just below Grandview Peak in a lovesick moment. I knew then that I wanted to be with Janene for my whole life. I wasn't thinking about the rules about not carving your initials in a tree. It was only a few month later that we were married and we have lived happily ever after. It hasn't always been easy; we have had to work hard at it. I do lots of stupid things, but Janene always finds a way to forgive me and over the years we have become a good team. We have a goal to be together forever. I heard Elder Holland say that he could not imagine heaven without his family. The thought reminded me of our hope of being united together as a complete family for the rest of time. We have that wide view and it governs most of our decisions in this life (except when I forget and do something stupid or selfish). I do love this girl and want to be with her forever. Happy Valentine's Day, babe.

Here we sit like flies on a toilet seat!

I tried to write this one from my iTouch, but it wouldn't let me. We were waiting to have the surgery on my shoulder. The good news is that everything went well. The doctor scraped some garbage out of the socket and cut out some bone spurs. The only problem is that it is almost midnight and the pain medication is keeping me wide awake. I guess that is better than the pain. Thank you all for your prayers. They are working.

"Bartender! I'll have one more... Swordplant?"

Isabel made us all proud with her winning Science Fair project last month. Her hypothesis was that plants should grow just the same if you feed them water or alcohol. So what was her super plant nutrient? How about VODKA! She watered swordplants with water, beer and vodka. Needless to say, by the time the test period was over, some of her plants were a little tipsy - not to mention, a bit rubbery and (dare we say it?) a might on the pickled side. What surprised me was that they weren't dead. Hmmm - I wonder what a Diet Coke diet would do? Isabel, you better head back to the lab. Your work is not done. I told her about her dad's project that got him all the way to the district level. She turned to her dad and said "I thought you said they kicked you out and wouldn't let you enter your project?" Shon! It looks like you've got some s'plaining to do. You go, girl!

Best Friends

As I have been reviewing the slides that Janene has been scanning (YES - I did say Janene. I'm so proud of her), I have been struck by how lucky our girls are to have had such good friends. Our boys have too, I could only find these pictures of the girls on the top of the pile. So don't get mad at me because I didn't include you (Marie and Mindy and Christina and Jennifer and Emily and others) or because I didn't include your current best friend.

They have always had someone to goof around with, someone to listen to their stupid jokes and their problems.

Some of their friends have changed over the years as friends have moved away, and others have been lifelong relationships.

But they have always had someone to lean on and someone to help them with life's challenges. And that is a great blessing.

Granddaddy Hike

Wow! One of the slides we found is of the trip we took to Granddaddy, Betsy, Mohawk and Fish Hatchery. Mom and Dad have a copy of this on their wall, but I haven't seen it for a really long time. Time has caused me to forget how happy Julia and David were back then. I wish I could see Julia smile like that now. Dad has the cheshire cat grin that comes from knowing that he caught the mother of all brookies on this trip at Fish Hatchery. It weighed in at over 5 pounds. Boy, was that ever fun to watch Dad play that one. We hiked all over the basin, even going to Lodgepole, Pine Island and Farney. We always camp out on the point at Betsy, even though it is usually a little far from drinking water. David cooked us up some great meals over the fire and Shon really learned how to cast far on this trip. We fished on Mohawk until after dark and then walked back to camp not knowing where the trail was. Grandma Phillips would have been horrified. (once, she gave me a bunch of little ribbons to tie on the trees so I would be able to find my way home). And look, everybody has hiking boots on except me. I've got my steel-toed cowboy boots. What was I thinking? Oh well, they did make me two inches taller.

Super Sunday at our house

Usually, every Sunday, one of our kids will come over to our house. These are not often quiet affairs with thoughtful conversation by the fire. One or two of the grandkids will head up to the loft to play or drop bombs on their unsuspecting parents below. Another will head to the toy room or the costume closet. Angie and David brought their little (not so little anymore) family tonight. Nathan was his usual inquisitive self and pretty much wore his mother out.

More likely than not, you will find Laura up on the loft reading a book, but this time she spent a lot of her time helping Mom and Dad take care of the other kids. She can talk to you about complicated issues and is the only girl I know who begged her mother to create a chore chart so she could fill it up with things she wants to do around the house.

Sam is looking awful grown-up with his shirt and tie. Somehow, he lost his coat by the time it was time to go home, so he must have been up to something. He can run around the circle in the living room and kitchen so fast that I could never catch up to him and he loves to push his little brother on the jumping jack.

Little Ben was the star of the show as he got to swing in the jumper and jump up and down on people's laps. He always has a smile on his face, even when you can see he is a little nervous about where his big brother is pushing him. He can almost sit up by himself and can now roll over. It was only yesterday that he came to our family, but already we don't know what we ever did without him. We still don't know whether Angie & David will get the Bountiful house, but we are hoping they can be a lot closer soon. We look forward to some Sunday parties at their house. Who needs football games when we have such a good time just playing with our little ones.

On Becoming Perfect

Earlier this week, I went to lunch with the guys from work to a Chinese restaurant. (Did you know that fortune cookies are really a Japanese custom? The Chinese took it over in the US when we rounded up all the Japanese and put them in camps during WWII.) I got this fortune cookie. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? It has set me to thinking, almost obsessing, about this. It has become apparent to me that I am never going to achieve perfection in this life. Thankfully, I know that I have all the rest of this life, the time I will spend in Paradise, (if I make it there) and the entire 1000 years of the Millenium before I need to be perfect. I like to think that I might just be able to get there ahead of schedule - maybe 950 years into the Millenium. Is that prideful? Anyway, I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what this piece of paper is supposed to mean. Am I going to die soon? Could this just mean that I will become perfect in some individual way? After all, I am perfect in some things. I can check off the box at the doctor's that says I don't smoke anymore. Come to think of it, though, that's about all. Or is this just a crummy piece of paper created as a torture device by some fortune cookie guru? My last one said something sensible " You will soon get a good paying job" ( I gave that to my son-in-law, Joseph) I normally pay no attention to these things, but this one is bugging me big time. I would appreciate any advice anyone has about putting this one to bed.

A Trip to the Mailbox

Every once in a while, the ordinary is transformed into something of beauty. Last night, about 10:30PM, I realized we had not gone down to get the mail. I didn't need to go do that at that late hour; I knew there would only be bills, credit card offers and charity requests (sometime I will have to expound on that!). But as I turned to head back up the driveway I was greeted with this view of our home during a snowstorm. Having worked on some very nice homes in Park City, I sometimes feel that our home is somehow too ordinary and plain. I think I needed this little reminder of how excited Janene and I were as we laid out the plans and then built this home with the help of our whole family, and the joys we have experienced as six little ones (and two not so little ones) were raised in this home. In the concrete of our doorstep is inscribed this little phrase " THIS HOME IS BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF LOVE. MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS ALL WHO ENTER". This has truly been the case, and I would do well to remember that.

A Tender Mercy

I came home from a long day at church today just in time for dinner. Brooke and Steve came over for dinner this Sunday with their two little ones, Michael and Lily. We had a pasta dinner with Janene's specialty sauce made from our garden vegetables. While Janene was cleaning up and I was talking with Janene's Mom, Steve's brother John came over to return some borrowed tools. The next thing I knew, Steve was at the top of the ladder in our living room asking me how to disassemble the top section of our fourteen foot Christmas tree. He and his brother took the tree completely apart and packed it up in the special containers I built last year and hauled them out to the garage.

John was amazed at how heavy our tree is and that it takes three casket-sized boxes to hold it all. (I think it likely that I will be buried in one of those boxes because I will probably die either putting the tree up or taking it down.) A couple of months ago I tore my rotator cuff and have been going the physical therapy three days a week to fix it. I can't lift a jug of milk with my left arm. I had no idea how I was going to get the tree down this year. Elder Bednar talked about how we should be grateful for the tender mercies we experience in our lives and recognize that they are not accidents or coincidences, but gifts from God. God doesn't reach down in some miraculous lightning bolt to ease our problems. Instead He whispers to a listening ear through the Holy Ghost and inspires someone to perform a Christ-like act. Thus we bless each other and all are edified - the giver and the receiver. Tonight was one of those tender mercies for me. I will be forever grateful for this loving gift.

A Dream Realized

The 44th President of the United States of America was sworn in today in a what could be considered one of the most historic moments in the life of our country. In my lifetime, I can remember a colored section on the city buses, where some of our own citizens were relegated to a back seat in our society. Today, for the first time, we have a black man at the head of our country. This day was a fulfilment of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream of a country where people are not judged by the color of their skin, but by the quality of their character. In 1968, I never thought I would see this day. People claimed then that they would vote for a qualified black man, but the reality was that race discrimination was deeply embedded in our nation's psyche. When Dr. King spoke, the climate in the Capitol was tense and filled with fear that the thousands gathered on the mall might turn on the authorities. Here, a short 40 years after that speech on the national mall, Barack Hussein Obama took the Oath of Office in the same place again with a large police presence, but this time, the police were there to protect those assembled from outside threats instead. In 1968, relations between the races came close to destroying our country and the fabric of our nation, today our differences unite us. Whether you supported President Obama in the election process or not, you have to admit that this is a historic day.

More Wedding Folks

Wedding Folks

Weddings are such great times to get pictures of the family. Everyone is happy and ready to be photographed.

Mindy and Tales Get Married

Melinda Gail Barber was married today to Tales Brito in the Bountiful LDS Temple. Mindy has looked forward to this day for a long time, and everything worked out beautifully. Tales' family was all able to come here from Brazil, which is a miracle in today's world. They were sealed by Elder Zwick who took quite a bit of time with them in his office, and spoke to the family in the sealing room in English and Portuguese. He made this a memorable day in the temple. He reminded us the comment from President Faust that we can pray in German, French or English, but we will always receive our answers in Portuguese.

Outside the temple, it was freezing cold, but all of Mindy's bridesmaids were regal in the dresses Mindy picked. Even with the cold, Mindy couldn't quit smiling. The picture taking was kept to a minimum - a fact that pleased just about everyone.

At the luncheon later, Mindy picked up a few smaller bridesmaids and had a fun time dancing with them. Mindy has always been known as the fun aunt. Our grandkids always got excited when Mindy came home because she always took time with them, sometimes dancing, sometimes singing and playing dress-up.

We know Mindy will be happy to be married to Tales, but it is sad to see another of "our girls" leave the nest. She will be a great Mom and her children should be beautiful and happy. We will always remember the time we spent with her in our home. It was like Chelane had a twin sister after her other sisters grew up, married, and moved away. I have a picture of the two of them in my office and most people think they are both my daughters. I don't feel inclined to change their perception.

Sisters Forever

Our newly found photos reveal the unique bond that our daughters have with each other as sisters. We seem to have few pictures of our individual girls. They are always together sharing the experiences of our lives, arm in arm. I can rarely think of Angie without also thinking of her roommate Heather. The same goes for Brooke and Chelane.

The times they shared together brought them close to each other. The bonds they forged in their youth have kept them close to each other as they have each gone their own ways, with their families of their own. They still do things together with their children including zoo trips, museums and family trips together.

One of their unique activities is a regular Sister's Day. On Sister's Day they all get together with mother and meet at one of their homes. They spend time together on a project - maybe pulling weeds, maybe painting a room, sometimes routine cleaning. Someone watches the kids or they take turns with the children so everyone can pitch in together. When the work is done, it's time to play with games or treats for everyone.

They remember to invite their other sisters, Shon's wife Melinda, Lisseth, Doug's wife Angie, cousins Krystal and Karissa, sometimes even Mindy and Katie. They can't all come every time, but they keep it up. A priceless tradition and an idea that could only come from loving sisters who long to be together again, just like they were when they brought joy to our family together in our home. Sisters forever, forever loving, forever together and forever strong.

Brooke Pictures

Brooke has always maintained that we didn't ever take pictures of her. She says we either didn't like her or we got tired of taking pictures of her by the time she came around. The truth is that we took slides for years because we couldn't afford to develop film. And then our slide projector broke down. We had all these pictures, but no way to show them.

Here is a picture of Brooke with all the kids (that fuzzy headed kid is Adam) at Newspaper Rock.

And my personal favorite of one of the few times David was not teasing Brooke. We have uncovered a treasure trove of new family pictures and will be posting more as time goes on. Isn't this fun?

Famous Birthdays

Lily celebrated her first birthday today. I don't have pictures - you will have to look at her on Brooke & Steve's blog. She was adoroable! I thought I would show some other first birthdays. Here is Elsie on her first. - I think!

Here is little Sam. Wow! does he smile like Ben or what?

And of course - Here is Mindy!