Viewing the past...

Having a husband/dad who is skilled with his hands, we (Tia, Jared and mom) stepped back into history and gained an appreciation for the craftsman and the things created by his hands from the late 1800's as we toured the Peel Mansion Historical Museum--built in 1875 by Colonel Sameul West Peel. http://www.peelmansion.org/

In winter the grounds are somewhat bare and the trees, nude. The post oak tree (on the left) the oldest living tree left on the grounds--looked tortured. It had a story to tell much like the one Nell, our guide shared with us about the home.

Off to Arkansas again!

Keri gave me a surprise gift--a roundtrip ticket to visit Tia and Jared for my birthday. So here I am. Last night Tia and Jared took me to Shogun's--a Japanese dinner cooked while we sat around the grill and watch the chef work his magic with the food. It was delicious! We enjoyed dessert at home. I chose pie instead of the traditional birthday cake--pumpkin cream pie from Village Inn. It is to die for! Tia who is not a fan of pumpkin pie devoured her slice. She said she's a convert!

Early yesterday, Tia ran with friends around a nearby lake while I walked-- enjoying the blanket of fog that settled over the lake, trees and nearby golf course. After it lifted, the lake revealed flocks of honking geese, crane and other fowl. Such a relaxing site. Tia won a cool gift from running a 5k Halloween Race. She gave it to me. So off we went to a place called Bathjunkie. It was fun to sit and mix the oils (citrus, floral, fruits 'n' veggies, botanicals, different strokes, rains & musks, spices and wannabees-knock-offs of perfumes...etc) then have them mixed into yummy: body lotions, creams, cleansers and spritzes, to fill the empty bottles in my kit. Fun store and fragrant smelling. I love the FREE products. What a special day except family had a challenge reaching me to wish me a Happy Birthday. I had an accident with my cellphone the night before and Tia and I couldn't figure out how to remove the wet battery. When Tia came to pick me up at the airport in Tulsa, OK Tuesday night--she brought a cooler filled with fruits, veggies and drink on ice for me to snack on on the way back to Arkansas. I stuck my phone in the cooler and forgot to retrieve it until Tia emptied it and said, "Mom...what's your phone doing in the cooler" which was now soaked. Hard lesson. Ouch!

Hogle Zoo Trip

Sep 2009, Colton and Lily enjoy zoo day with Nana.

Two little "monkeys" quiet as can be.

Two little "monkeys" having fun.

Two little "monkeys" take time to rest.

Two little "monkeys" love to explore.

Granite Community July 4th Celebration

The early morning hours Saturday, July 4, 2009--reminded me of those far from home protecting my family's freedoms and liberties. As I posted the flag in their memory and for those who passed on, in defense of our country-- I take pride in the age old familiar words of beloved patriotic songs-- "Hurrah for the red, white and blue...Forever in peace may you wave. You're the emblem of the land I love... O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave..." The day can now begin. Dion, Keri and I headed to the church. We are part of a large group of volunteers who cooked and served breakfast to a hungry Fourth of July crowd. We served 1250 breakfasts to both young and old. Dion and Keri helped scramble eggs. I helped flip pancakes, dozens! The Burmese community from south Salt Lake, came dressed in the colorful costume of their heritage. In the longest parade ever seen in Granite, they waved the "red, white and blue" proudly. It's easy to see what freedom means to them. The joy and laughter of little children as they retreived candy along the parade route, thrown from those in the parade, what a beautiful sight! Too many of the world's children live in peril for their lives. Thank God daily for liberties we enjoy because others sacrificed so we can have them.

Our Grandchildren

Nana & Papa Graybill with the "grands." Garrett (almost 10), Lily (2), Kena (5 mos), Bailey (2 mos), Colton (3) and the brave one standing on the rocks in our backyard, Grace (6). We have waited so long for this photo. Their parents stood on the sidelines dangling bribes (candy) for smiles. Did it work? We had a very nice Mothers Day dinner after the photo session. Thank you family for this gift. It wasn't so hard was it?

Our grandchildren in dark shirts belong to Orin and Meagan. Nana holds Riki and Erin's girls while Papa holds ever so gingerly, Omai and Nickie's daughter.

Jarem Omai Graybill's Family

Grateful parents, Omai and Nickie Graybill admire their manea (beautiful) daughter--Bailey Manea. She was born on March 30, 2009. Another 40 minutes and she would have shared a birthday with her Uncle Orin. This photo was taken by her parents friend and photographer, Emile.

Rainy week in Rexburg, ID.

This precious photograph of Bailey Manea Graybill, was taken by Emile, a friend of her parents.


May is the month of wedding anniversaries for our family (Riki & Erin-7th, Tiare & Jared-10th and mom & dad-27th), Mother's Day (family photos--yeah), bidding farewell to Tia & Jared and warming weather.

Grace, Colton and Lily have had fun searching for bugs, playing with them, blowing bubbles, dining out on the patio and helping Nana with her gardens. This time, it was during another of those short and fast-paced trips home. I missed the shuttle in Rexburg so Dion drove me to the next stop to catch it--Idaho Falls. I arrived in UT, on a hot Thursday afternoon on May 28th. Meagan, Grace and Colton picked me up. I began babysitting-fun that afternoon and in one weekend, logged 17 hours of babysitting our beautiful grandchildren. Thankfully, not all at one time! The older I get, the joys of life increase especially as a grandparent. It's an enlightening experience to discover each grandchild's personality, when they are in your care? Friday afternoon, I had Grace and Colton again. We didn't come indoors until Aunty Tia arrived. She and I took Grace and Colton to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. It was fun introducing them to restaurant manners. That evening I babysat Lily and Kena while their parents went on a date. Kena is a happy, smiley baby. What a chunker--soooo... cuddly and beautiful! She has grown since her trip to NYC. At 5-mos. she rolls and attempts to sit up. Lily is a good sister, very loving and caring with Kena. Lily likes to read to Kena who is all smiles as Lily points out things in the book to her. Lily is smart for a 2-year old and loves to fetch things and be very helpful for Nana. We had a wonderful evening together. Saturday, I had Bailey all to myself for 5- incredible hrs! She's as sweet awake as well as asleep which was most of the time. During playtime, I placed her next to me on the kitchen countertop. She watched my every move as I chopped and diced stuff for chicken salad we're going to eat at the park after her baby blessing Sunday. She smiled and made cute baby sounds--How sad I don't understand Baby Gurgleaze? Bailey is a very fair child. What a beauty! She's doing well for a 2-mos. old. I love her stretch moves. Her whole body becomes involved with the move. Her facial expressions are precious. Bailey's eyes checked out her new surroundings. Babies are so smart! When Nickie and Omai came to pick her up--her eyes lit up, her body language--urgent for one of them to pick her up. Omai trimmed and mowed the lawns before they left. Won't Keri be suprised when she gets home! I'm thankful the "grands" share my love for the outdoors. We spent a lot of my time home, in the yard this trip. The family campout this year should be exciting as they're older. Riki & Erin have the task to find a suitable place. At the culmination of the short week home, Bailey Manea was blessed by her dad. It was short notice for the family as Bailey's Aunty Tia and Uncle Jared-- moved up their move date to Arkansas. Now we're missing them but they're good children so we won't be too sad. We are mostly happy for the new set of adventures and experiences they'll have--they probably won't even miss us? Saturday evening, I babysat Orin's children. He and Meagan went out to dinner with friends. Garrett busied himself shooting hoops most of the time. Grace and Colton helped me pull weeds, haul mulch, plant bulbs and water plants. Garrett, with Nana's supervision, made macaroni cheese for dinner. Grace cleaned the strawberries and Colton helped her setup the grandchildren's picnic chairs and table on the patio for dinner. We were still in the yard when Aunty Keri came home from her camping trip. A few minutes afterward, Dad drove in from ID. They were both suprised to see how lovely the yard looked. Thanks Omai! The "grands" were excited to visit with Papa as he showed them the bag of rocks be brought with him including maple nut treats. Sunday after the family luncheon in the park, we sadly said farewell to Tia and hit the road again for Idaho.

And here we are... back in rainy, cold Rexburg, Idaho. The farmers are elated! The constant rain showers is a godsend for their farmlands. Can't say the same for the construction industry? Dad's project is moving along--not nearly as fast as he'd like it. The parking lot was striped yesterday. The floor coverings should be completely installed this week. The main parts for the MRI and the CT scanner...are installed. The brickmason's done! Dion flipped a lightswitch on in one of the rooms first thing this morning-- it didn't light up. After he'd shown me the rest of the building, we walked back down the east hallway. That room was all lit up? Hmmmh...a slow starter? Something else to add to the electrician's fix-it list. I passed my Idaho Wetland Engineer again this morning--Buddy Beaver. He was waiting in the weeds beside the trail. When he heard me, he dashed to the safety of the rocks that line the river bank. From his vantage point he stuck his head out to see if I was a threat. Seeing that I wasn't, he kept abreast of me moving ahead from rock to rock. When I stopped, he froze. I took a couple of pictures of Buddy with my phone camera but have yet to figure out how to transfer them to my laptop? Perhaps, I'll take my digital camera next time? Finally, I bid him Buddy goodbye and continued on my walk. What initially started out as an hour walk several months ago, now takes me 40minutes-- unless I stop to listen to the wildlife. Last time I had my camera, it took 2 hrs to complete the walk but I got side-tracked...taking pictures of the railroad tracks etc! Yesterday was a treat! I spotted two Idaho beavers swimming downstream. I stopped and watched them for a few minutes. They went under the bridge I was standing on and continued down to the train bridge, turned around and came back. When they saw I was still there, they made for the river bank and disappeared under the brush of willow, wild roses and cottonwoods! I looked for them again today. Nothing!