Last Time

Thanksgiving Day 2010

This is my Mom and Dad's house. They lived here twice with a 12 year stint in Minnesota where I was born. I lived here from 10 to 19, then while I was going to school to get a teaching certificate for about 2 years, then from 2006 to 2009. It's gone through a lot of changes. It used to be a 2 color house, with a maroon on the bottom and a mustard yellow on the top. The protruding window to the left my dad made. It was the garage, but with 5 kids there before I was born he made it into a very long family room. When we moved there when I was a kid dad took the basement and made a whole apartment out of it with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and living room. Another improvement was the deck. I had 2 brothers getting married with in 2 weeks of each other and dad decided we'd have the open house at our house- which we never did, but nonetheless dad built a deck from the dinning room. He took out the window- put it down stairs in the living room there, and then put in a sliding glass door. We recently put new railings up on the deck. Mom's planning on selling it and moving to Boise Idaho area. I was hoping for a Holiday with all of us there to tell the old house good bye. It didn't happen.

From the Left around the table= Ruth Rose Davis, Mom, Jason Mason, Becky Rose Mason, Spencer Perkins, Ryan Perkins, Caleb Perkins, Grace Perkins, Emily Perkins, Sarah Rose Perkins and Blake taking the picture. In the picture below you can see Blake Perkins. 3 of the 7 kids were there and 5 of the 26 grand kids were there. Mom also has 5 great grand kids with 2 more on the way.

Most of us are out west now. I just have one sister, the oldest Beth in North Carolina. I've been emotional 2 in the past few weeks about my family. I feel like I'm loosing them. I wonder if we'll ever have another reunion. So many have seemed to have already gone their own way and don't seem to care all that much. I guess that's the way of things. As some one who has no children it's a big deal though. I've spent my youth and single adult years visiting with these siblings and their families. Relationships are different and often strained and I don't like it. While it looks like we are all happy to be together and I'm sure If I wanted to come visit I'd be welcomed in each of their homes, it feels like closeness is gone.

This is the last thanksgiving at
15032 SE 44th St Bellevue WA 98006

Missy Moo's Marriage

Dec 20th 2008 was my nieces wedding day in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple in American Fork Utah. Snow was covering the ground and more was coming down, but it was a great day. Melissa was so happy and excited afterwords that I had to tell her to save some energy for that night (honeymoon activities). Melissa looked beautiful in her dress and had 6 pink bridesmiads. She married John Bell, the 8th of 10 children. John's mission president from Brazil is a sealer and was able to perform the sealing. That was really special. My oldest sister Beth made the dress and mom and I did the bussle. I have helped all my nieces who have gotten married bussle their dress. First Heidi's and now Melissa's. I think I need to make it a tradition. Mom was able to get a 4 generation picture with Cindy, Brian and Elliana (just 1 month old) Mom was able to see 3 of her 4 brothers and a cousin. We had lots of time to talk and as I got in bed that night I said to Mom : "Today was a fun day." It really was.

Throwing the bouquet. At the last few weddings I’ve been avoiding that ritual like the plague, but this time, this wedding, I decided to turn over a new leaf: no inappropriate comments about sex, or attention drawn to myself. I joined the crowd of would be flower catchers which consisted of little girls under the age of 10 and teenage girls, most of whom were the pink bridesmaids. I told the pink girls that I was 36 and single and asked them who should be the one to catch it. They all agreed it should be ME. But Melissa did it differently and I like the change! Instead of throwing one bunch of flowers, Miss undid the ribbon and when she threw it, the flowers went every where; so many girls caught a flower. I and my niece Jessica caught one each, as shown in the picture, and some of the little girls too. One 3 year old didn’t and she threw herself, full body, face first on the carpeted floor almost instantly. It was straight from a sitcom. She didn’t cry, but was obviously disappointed. It wasn’t until much latter that I realized that none of the bridesmaids got one. I’m unsure if it was because of proximity of flowers or because I intimated them out of even trying. But rest assured girls- you’ll get married- you won’t be like me. There are many bouquet catching opportunities ahead in your futures.

Too Much Information

This is the information age and I've been over whelmed with it for weeks now, trying to manage my time reading and organizing all the information. I'm passionate about a few subjects.

1. Politics: I became a PCO: a Precinct Committee Officer in my area, which means my neighbors and myself got to VOTE for me in the primary election. No one was running against me- HEHE. I didn't do much with it, except at the end of the elections, I volunteered at the phone banks calling to poll voters, which I was told was akin to dragging people to the polls and making them vote. I did that 5 times, three of those times just days before the election. I even called the day of the election and the day after as the race for Congress was so close and we had a list of voters whose signatures didn't match. We called the list, found out who they voted for and if they voted for our candidate told them the problem and offered to help them have their vote counted. Dave Riechart won by a slim margin. I've meet Dave personally and he is a understanding respectful man. He was the sheriff who spent 19 years catching the Green River Killer. I also met Dinno Rossi who lost the seat for Governor a second time.

This has caused me to want to do more the next election. I want to be educated on both political parties and what they believe, stand for, and what has happened in the past under their ideology. I want to be armed with knowledge the next election. So, I'm reading Wikipedia articles, books on the constitution, and listening to talk radio.

2. The Family: I'm reading emails, newspaper articles daily about Proposition 8 in California. The Mormons are being picketed, yet we are just a small percentage of people who helped that pass for the SECOND TIME! The Seattle Temple is expecting protesters on Sat and I will be there to take pictures. I'm placing these articles I'm reading in my LDSjournal on line. I must record this. It's history being made and I was there and it effected me. I don't know who will read my journal when I'm old or gone, but someone will and they will want to know what it was like.

3. The Economy: This goes right along with government and politics. I'm still working on getting out of debt. My goal of having my teaching certificate paid off by the time it expires in June of 2009 will not be happening, but I have made great strides the last 4 plus years and it will not take me the planned 15 years the bank had. Plus, I want to travel, I want to create a next egg and give more to charity too. I am working on my business too, which I hope will be big enough that I need to buy a truck to put all those dogs in.

4. The Gospel: Then of course there is the gospel, which has always been my first passion, but seems to have taken a back seat this last few weeks. My scripture reading has not been daily at all, because I'm on line reading and getting worked up inside about all of these subjects and sharing them with others. I did however read a few night ago and was led to the Old Testament and found it invigorating. Thank goodness for the gospel. I also started commenting on a Facebook discussion with a questioning non- member that gets me riled up. More information.

5. Gregory: I need to get a system going and figure his programs out and learn more sign language.

6. My dog Sam is hurt and I feel better for his one fat leg that he limps on. While I don't have to force medicine down him, just thinking about him makes me sad. I don't do it often. I love him and don't want to loose him, but..... time will tell, as my mother always says. He's eating more, but is still skinny.

7. My sister and the kids. I wake up to yelling, I go to sleep to yelling and it's early and late. Don't know how we can do YEARS of this. I want the kids to go to some one who actually parents, not just acts like a teenager with them.

8. My callings: SA, have shed a few tears about that lately. It's painful, It hurts and ....... In a way it's annoying. I will continue to do what I'm asked, but part of me really wants to just let go for a while and focus on this INFORMATION. In this subject for me- it's such a fine line right now. I need to believe it will happen because the Lord has said it will and if I don't I'm faithless. But I need to not let it occupy my mind. I need to be something else besides single.

9: My mom: her loneliness and money that is diminishing. I am tied to that.

10: Technology: And I don't know how to do the things on line with this blog that I want to do, need to do and with my pictures. I need a tutor! I need someone to sit down with me and do it.

I feel the weight of all of this. I see the minutes and hours slipping by as I read and write on line mostly. I feel and know of America falling apart- the constitution not being used correctly, by people and organizations. I see the evilness of the world concerning families, marriage, abortion, and so many other subjects and the people we have elected that will not uphold those virtues.
The last days are so real to me. I can see and feel the increase of it getting closer of governments, people really going to hell.

People say pray. Pray for us for strength, yes, but for them- I think those prayers are with out faith, as Moroni prayer, because they cannot see the right way and love wickedness. They have been bamboozled by Satan and his followers. So pray for the second coming to be delayed? I think not. I just know I am genuinely concerned. It is on my mind constantly and I often don't know what to focus on, what priority should be first. Goals? I have thought of them. Read one article from the conference address in the morning- hasn't happened. Write one entry in my journal a day for my life history, plus keep the journal up, paste important articles and then go through and add the paragraphs that are taken out in that process. The past part of the goal has not happened.

This screams today to me. D&C 1: 12-19

12 Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh;

13 And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.

14 And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh
that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants,
neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from
among the people;

15 For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting
covenant;

16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.

17 Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments;

18 And also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets—

19 The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust in the
arm of flesh—

Doing the Deshcutes!

This weekend a small bunch of my family went river rafting in Oregon down the Deschutes. Brother Karl is a guide. He and his 3 kids Melissa (who's engaged), Nicole and her boyfriend Adam, and Kevin were there. My sister Sarah and husband Blake and daughter Emily and I went too! We brought along water soaker to get in fights with other boaters. We'd get close to the boat and then someone would say "where ya from?" That was code for -GET EM! Sadly, we didn't do that much.

There was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many of boats. There was even a boat with an 80 year old lady and the boat flipped! She's still alive. Sarah got hurt though. There was this natural water slide. Ya float down with out a boat- just you, the life jacket and a little fear! I went down up further the slide and it was so tipsy turvey that I got scared. Then came the part where you go UNDER WATER for about 4 seconds. You need to put your elbows in and your feet up of course. I made it, but was not doing that again. Sarah went before me, but she hit her head on a rock underneath. It's a bout an inch big and was bleeding. The boating guides got a first aid kit and did the whole clean out with water bottle we stole from an unknown person and
iodine. She was fine- just a head ache and a blue Rambo head band to keep the gauze on. Blake, her husband is a dentist, so he stitched her up at home that night.

There are traditions for this trip. A stop off at Joe's Doughnuts in Sandy OR on the way there in the morning. Those doughnuts are BIG! Then double scoops of ice cream afterwords and dinner at Calamity Jane's, a burger joint. We added a 1 dollar bill to the hundreds up on the ceiling with our signatures. If your there look for the one that says ROSE CLAN. You can also find an LDS dollar. Then we headed home tired!

Melissa has one more tradition. Licorice and pixy sticks together. She calls it LIXIE STIX. You add the pixy sugar inside the licorice and then eat it. YUMMY! She's a creative chick! We created and ate those on the boat. Below are some pic's of the whole thing.

Uncle Rodger

My favorite Uncle Rodger passed away today, He's 91. He was my dad's twin brother. Their whole family is now together. Uncle Rodger was such a jester. I remember when I was around 11. We went out to those Buffet restaurants and he awakened me to the fact that I could have as many desserts as I wanted. 5, he kept saying, 5, go for 5! I took that as a challenge and oh my gosh. I did it. I ate 5 desserts, and boy was I in PAIN afterwords. I was moaning and groaning and couldn't walk and bent over and I undid my pant zipper in the parking lot! He was just laughing- he knew what he was doing! He was always such a funny teaser! I love you Uncle Rodger! Hug my dad for me!

Watermellon Robber

So, yesterday mom and I were cutting watermellon at my sister Sarah's house. Mom started telling us how her mom as a teenager had gone into watermellon farms and cut open the watermellon and taken just the heart and leave the rest. RUDE! But we thought it was so funny I wrote a song to the tune of the primary song "follow the prophet". It goes like this:



Grandma was a robber, first one that we know.
In Illinois, she stole things that growd!
Grandma was a sinner, She didn't know the truth
Then she met Grandpa and then they had Ruth.

Ruth is my mom (hehe). The kids thought this was so funny they started singing it at the dinner table. I think they thought it was their Grandma, who was sitting there at the table with them.

Eleven year old Emily wrote the last line. We are a singing family. We make up songs all the time. When we get together it's a little like girls camp!