The passing of Gloria Jennings

Cindy had Back-to-School night on August 22nd. She had just gotten home from meeting parents and the children that would be in her class when the phone rang and Jeanne told Cindy that Gloria had passed away. We had expected this call so many times before but it was still a shock. There had been nothing unusual happening and Hospice had given us no warning that it was time to gather the family.  Jeanne was going through her normal routines and was feeding Mom when she slumped over and passed away.  Shannon had followed a prompting and went over there a few hours earlier and talked with Grandma.  I think the prompting was a tender mercy because of the loving service that Shannon had given Grandma all those many months before Connor was born. The family gathered together at Jeanne's house to console one another. We had gathered about a month before and said our final goodbyes and Greg had given her a blessing of release and then she rallied and we were astounded at her resiliency and stamina.  The timing of her passing was very hard for Cindy because of the stress of starting a new year and trying to set procedures and expectations for the year.  But there is never a good time to loose your mother and we will miss her terribly.
The following week was spent making plans for the funeral, getting things together and working to get Paul to Utah from California. He is basically homeless and was trying to find a job. Gloria had no idea of his dire condition the last 10 months.  It just never seemed appropriate to inform her and I'm not sure she would have understood.
At the same time we worked to get Cameron home for the funeral. He had begun his training with Werner trucking and the day before Gloria passed away he was  in Phoenix, Arizona. He was supposed to be on the road within the next three days and was frustrated that he could not make it to the funeral. As the week wore on the trainers never showed up and Cameron sat in a hotel waiting. Finally the company said that no one was coming and had Cameron drive himself and three others to Denver to meet the trainer. He did this and then they waited again. We decided there was no reason for him to sit in a hotel room while he could be at the funeral so we bought him a ticket to fly home and he came home Sunday afternoon before the viewing. 

The viewing was on Sunday the 28th of August. It was a great tribute to Gloria. Many of the stalwart people who have made Harrisville what it is came to pay their respects.

Monday August 29th was the funeral and many people came. The extended family of Cindy's father also came which was a great sign of caring and was appreciated. The services were wonderful and the blessing of being a close family were very evident. Jason Godfrey spoke about her generation and their great example of caring and sacrifice and the legacy she left all of us.  Greg told stories of events that had shaped her life that I had never heard before such as her moving 12 times as a youngster, living in a tent while her step father worked construction, and her house burning down and her living with relatives.  Of course I did know that her own father died when she was very young. Thes things helped develop her love and devotion for family.  The great grandchildren sang Families can be Together Forever.  Erica Stephens sang a beautiful song about a lighthouse.  She was a light to all of us.
She had many great qualities and was a great example of being cheerful even while in constant pain and never speaking guile and she wanted so much for her family to love each other and watch out for one another. She was also a great listener and loved to hear and pass on the news of her family which we will all miss because that is how we kept tabs on each other.  While she will be missed the last several months have been very difficult to watch as she has declined. In many ways Cindy has felt her mother has been gone for a while because her sweet cheery personality was gone but now she is free from those physical restrictions that a worn out body had caused and is able to be with the love of her life again.





Till we meet again

Disneyland and the beach

Payton applying sun screen to grandma's nose

The next day we used our pass to go to Disneyland. I should say here that it helps that Cindy has a cousin in Southern California because she was able to get the tickets for almost $200 less that what we would have paid at the gate for them. Anyway we started off with the Jungle Cruise to break Payton in. She liked it but after Pirates of the Caribbean she did not like any boat ride. We were able to use the stroller passes and the Fast Passes to get to do most of the things we wanted to do. Some lines were long.Star Tours was 90 minutes. Others worked out fine. They brought back Captain E/o which was a Michael Jackson 3-d show. They should have left it in the vault. It is amazing how things have changed in the 15 or so years since that came out. As the kids said, "that was cheesy." It now places right next to them watching Bullet with me one night because I said it had a great chase scene that I remembered as a kid. Same thing, times have changed.

It seems that some of us could ride Thunder Mountain and get most of the ride done and then have it break down near the end but then when it was Shannon and Nic's turn it was not operating. Of course what is Disneyland without seeing Micky Mouse so day one we saw him at a parade.
 

The next day was a rest from the parks and we spent the day at the beach. We went to Crystal Cove which was just south of Newport Beach. We set up our base station which was a canopy to be out of the sun. After applying the sunscreen the men headed out to the water to body surf. It was pretty good and then as the tide started to come in the waves got bigger and they gave us some good somersaults.

After getting beat up we decided to head for the tide pools before the tide got too high. Grandma showed Payton the in's and out's of tidepooling. Payton was happy just to sit in them though. Maddie caught a tiny crab and Shannon upgraded to a small crab that pinched her. After tide pooling it was playing in the sand and building creatures and castles and burying bodies. We had Payton covered and then a large wave came and we pulled her out the sand before it covered her head. That was the end of covering her up. Some decided then to relax by sleeping. It turned out to be a great day and as always the case the simplest things are often the most fun.

Thursday was back to Disneyland again. The adults took advantage of the unused stroller passes while Maddie and Greg took Payton to the storybook land and first to ride horses on the Carousal  and then ... oh no.. a boat ride.

She even had a hard time when we got onto A Small World but gradually she enjoyed it.

We had our picnic in the park and we had the routine down pretty good of the security check for the food cooler. At the end of the day we watched fireworks and of course Payton left with Mickey and Minnie. The next day would be the 13 hour drive home.

California Adventure

The first weekend in August we did a family trip to Southern California and Disneyland. The first night we stayed in St. George with Jason and Hyuajoo. The next morning after church we packed up and drove to Las Vegas. We got something to eat for lunch at a fast food place then we headed to L.A. little did we know that most of Southern California does the same thing on Sunday afternoon. It took us two hours to go 30 miles to the California boarder in a 110 degree weather. The rest of the way was stop and go traffic. Even when we got to Victorville there was a grass fire by the freeway which slowed things down. We finally decided to eat before we got to the hotel so we used Maddie's phone to find a Cheescake Factory to treat Cindy on her birthday. We rolled into our hotel room at about 10 that evening.

 The next day we went to California Adventure since it opened later than Disneyland and it gave us a chance to sleep in. The weather was great. It was in the mid 70's. We enjoyed all the rides and Payton gradually warmed up to them.

Of course our favorite was the Tower of Terror. We packed our own lunch and ate at a picnic spot outside the gate. Even though the locker was $15 a day it was worth it for everything we packed.

That evening we had clam chowder in a bowl and struck up a conversation with a family next to us as they saw my BYU hat. They were taking their son to there next week. They were originally from New Zealand, he played rugby at Highland High and his wife was cousins with Brad Anea the former BYU offensive coordinator. After that a few more rides and then we watched the Wonderful World of Color light and water show. It was an amazing show.

Maddie's Graduation trip

On June 6th we took Maddie and her friend Kelsey on a four day cruise. We flew into Long Beach on Monday and then headed for the cruise ship by taxi. Once on board we settled in for a fun four days. We left that evening for Catalina. I've never understood how it takes all night to go the twenty some odd miles to the island for a big cruise ship but the next morning we woke up and were there.

The morning we had made arrangements to go para-sailing. We had never done this before and was it ever fun. The views were spectacular.

After we got done with this adventure we then went over to a beach and the girls enjoyed the sun while Cindy and I went snorkeling. The water was a bit cool but it was still fun because back home it was rainy and cold. Of course with three girls we had to go shopping at the stores before it was time to head back to the ship.

 That evening was the formal dinner which is always a fun event and a great meal.

The next day it was off to Ensanda. It is really not a great city to visit so we were in no hurry to get up and get going. We watched some sea lions in the harbor and then decided to go into town by way of a local shuttle bus. As we rode into town they sold us on an excursion that was much less than the cruise offered. It included horseback riding on the beach and then going to the blow hole. We decided to do that and off we went. After a bus ride of an hour we came to a place along the road where we got off and the horses were waiting. Normally in the States I am too heavy to ride a horse but not in Mexico; they don't care. So off we went. At first getting to the beach was a little questionable with a ride past some run down places but once we got over the dune the beach was pretty.

It had a gold glimmer to it. We rode along for about 45 minutes. We really had a good time.

From there we got on the bus to go to the blow hole. This time it was interesting because the water really did shoot up high through the hole. You would hear a rumble and then a jet of water would shoot up. After watching that for a while you have to go though the flea market where every Juan, Pedro and Jose' tried to sell you something. Maddie was in her element because she likes to argue. After that it was back to town and our promised Mexican buffet meal. We got there and they said they were just cooking the food and to wait. We got drinks ($2 a piece) which was part of the free meal but you had to buy to get the free meal and then out came the meal. There was beans, rice, chicken fajita looking stuff and then something that looked like small tamales in a salsa sauce. I took some of everything. Beans and Rice were fine, the chicken was so so and then the unknown stuff. It was like biting into an inner tube. We asked the guy what it was and he gave us the Spanish name which meant nothing to us. We inquired a little further and found out it was boiled pig skin in a sauce. You like? Why did we ask where our free buffet was? Back to the boat where we knew what everything was that we ate. That evening we watched a comedy show and then had dinner.

The next day was a full day at sea as the boat headed back to Long Beach. We played trivia games, mini golfed, the girls flirted with boys, more trivia games, learned how to fold towel animals and more comedy acts. This was our fourth and final evening dinner. We enjoyed the service of our waiters who were from the Philippines and Malaysia.

The next morning was in Long Beach and the slow process of getting off the boat. We rode the public bus system to the airport. Got there in time for Maddie to flunk the security screening and get her usual body search and then on to the plane and back home. It was a quick Monday through Friday but it was enjoyable.