Family Photos

On Christmas Eve, my family had a little photo session. The pictures turned out really well.

Grandpa & Grandma Jones

Mom, Dad, their kids & spouses, and all the cute grandkids

I wish Grandpa Mecham was there so we could have pictures of him too...and a picture with all of us and Grandpa & Grandma Jones would have been cool. Oh well...it's nice to have a current picture of my sweet grandpa. He's the best!

Patrick and I need to get some more pictures done of us. I know a few people around here who do photography professionally or as a hobby, so we just need to get it arranged.

There are a TON more of our family pictures, so if you want to see them, check out the album.

On Marriage and Compassion

This is a story from Paulo Coelho...

Accepting compassion

'How can we purify the world?' asked a disciple.

Ibn al-Husayn replied:

'There was once a sheik in Damascus called Abu Musa al-Qumasi. Everyone respected him because of his wisdom, but no one knew for certain that he was a good man.

One evening, the house where the sheik and his wife lived collapsed, apparently because of some fault in the construction. The neighbours began desperately digging amongst the rubble. At one point, they managed to find the sheik's wife.

She said: "Don't bother about me. Save my husband first, he was sitting more or less over there."

The neighbours shifted the rubble in the place she had indicated and found the sheik. He said: "Don't worry about me. Save my wife first, she was lying more or less over there."

When people act as that couple did, they are purifying the whole world.

I love Paulo Coelho...he is definitely one of my top 5 favorite authors. I really like this story. I hope that Patrick and I can always remember to act like this couple...showing compassion toward each other, loving the other first, concerned with the other's well being, flooding our words and actions with kindness and love.

The past couple weeks

It has been far too long since I posted on this blog! Patrick and I are mostly settled into our new home. We LOVE it! And the kitties love it too!

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Last week some of my family came into town from Phoenix and Denver to attend my cousin's funeral. Here's his obituary:

Kurt Van Wiley
Kurt Van Wiley 1986 ~ 2008 Kurt passed away March 5, 2008 in Riverton. He was born November 5, 1986 in Ozark, Alabama to Kenneth Ray and Peggy Jones Wiley.Survived by his parents, siblings Erin, Chris and Shawn Wiley, grandparents Doris Wiley and Emerson Jones. He also left behind a niece, Kelsi and a nephew, Cohen. Preceded in death by grandparents, Manning Ray Wiley and Virgie Payne Jones. There will be a viewing held Monday, March 10, 2008 from 6-8 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 E. 10600 So. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, March 11 at 10:00 a.m. in the Redwood Ward, 12070 So. 1515 W., Riverton. An additional viewing will be held one hour prior to services. Online condolences may be made at www.larkincares.com Published in the Salt Lake Tribune on 3/9/2008.

It's strange how it takes something huge, like a funeral, to get family together. I got to see relatives on my mom's side of the family that I haven't seen for a couple years. It's always fun to get together with the Jones' side...we're a rowdy bunch! The circumstances for our gathering is most unfortunate. Kurt was only 21 years old...such a kind and happy guy. It was nice to see just how many friends he had...a LOT of them attended the viewing, and a good number came to the funeral too. I was glad that his parents had one of his friends talk about him at the service, sharing stories from their group of friends about Kurt and what a good guy he is. And I really liked that the friend mentioned that although Kurt didn't make the best choices toward the end of his life, it's important that we all remember all of his positive attributes and what a great person he is.

Patrick was able to come to the viewing and funeral with me, which was nice, because he hadn't met my mom's side of the family yet. He got along with everyone really well...especially Uncle Norman. Who doesn't get along with Uncle Norman, though??

One unusual thing for me with the funeral is that I didn't cry. I'm like the rest of the women in my family...extremely emotional. So it really is strange that the tear ducts weren't flowing. I suppose it's still in there, waiting for the moment to release.

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On Wednesday, the 12th, my mom, sister, and I went to Primary Children's Hospital to visit my cousin Chris, his wife, Ashley, and their little boy, Cohen who is being treated for cancer. Cohen is such a little sweetheart. I need to be a better cousin and visit more often. It's amazing to see Chris as an adult...he is so handsome, and Ashley is beautiful. They've had huge medical problems with both of their children, and they have been so strong through it all. I'm sure they've had their weak moments, but from my perspective, they are two of the strongest and most amazing people out there. They are in my prayers as they care for their sweet little ones.

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So, while all the family was in town, my sister, Kosette, and brother, Philip, stayed with us. It's stressful to have family staying with us! :) Kosette left Friday, so on Thursday we played "House" and got some furniture and boxes moved around. I am sooooo glad she had the interest and energy to help me out with this...it looks SOOOOO much better in here! There are a few piles of boxes left, but they are all in categorized stacks, ready to sort through.

The Gyno chair is tucked away in the office with my printer on it. That dang chair. Patrick wants it in the living room...I don't. ;) I'll have to post a picture of it on here so you all can appreciate it for its full glory. Our old stereo/record player is in the dining room and looks fabulous in there. I need to find some rugs to warm up the place and figure out what to put where on the walls.

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Patrick just got a new Smart Phone (TMobile) and is like a little boy with a new toy. It's adorable. It really is an awesome phone. I'm jealous. I wish I had a better phone and wasn't with Sprint.

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I think that's the full update for now. A lot has been going on. I keep waiting for life to settle down, but it never does. I've just got to manage it better, I guess. :)