Today is the birthdate of my oldest grandchild (Cassandra Lea) and she is in Thatcher going to school.  But today she is 19 years old with her whole life ahead of her.  How dear she is.

When I came home from work I decided I had better take care of the cucumbers I had so I started making dill pickles and there must of been about 30 qts although I couldn't make 2 of the seal.

Dahl called about 2:00 o'clock and said Loye was on his way home with the trailer so about 6 o'clock he got here.  He brought the trailer home so we can go up on the Mtn. camping.

I fixed some spaghetti for supper since that is Josh's favorite food and he requested it.

Continued

My own grandchildren are very dear to me.  Cassandra Lea is going to Eastern Arizona to school she has a boyfriend named Harry Wood he is from Thatcher.  I am very pleased with Cassie she seems to know where she is going.  May she always remember to do what is right and keep her life in order.

Tamara Lynn is out of High School and is having a hard time deciding what she wants to do with her life, the last time I heard she was going to school with Cassie.  I think this is the best decision she has made so far even though I know Tammy does not like school.

Kris Delaine will be a Sophomore this year.  She is a quiet, nice and pretty girl also she does well in school and should do great in life.

Tara Rachael will be in the 8th grade and she will be all right cause she does not know a stranger and she is bubbly and full of fun.

Heather Jo is in 4th grade is quiet, pretty and smart.  She will do good in life, everyone seems to like her.

Heidi Jill starts kindergarten and is Roger's baby and she is cute as she can be.  She is friendly and happy and does about what she wants to do.

Cristina Marie is a freshie and is a cute, talented and smart girl.  If she chooses the right friends she will go far in life.

Sara Rae is in 3rd grade and a born chatter-box knows everything about everybody.  She is cute, kind and smart.

Richard Edward Loye is cute, chubby and tries real hard to talk but is hard to understand.  He will go far as he is pretty diplomatic.

Daniel Martin Louis is a real cutie and he is going to be a big boy if Loyelin can fill up his height.  He is good natured and knows how to wrestle all ready as Richard is teaching him.

Jacob - good looking, smart, tender-hearted.  He takes care of his sisters and tries hard to be a good boy.

Lindsey is a pretty little girl.  She talks non-stop and she is friendly and does not forget people.  She always makes people feel important especially grandparents.

Amber - a cute little sweet, cuddly baby.

Candon Paul is in 2nd grade and is a dependable little boy, handsome and smart, likes to play ball and takes good care of his sisters.

Rikki Rachelle is in 1st grade and is a cute little quiet girl who has her own burdens to bear but does it quietly.  Everyone's heart goes out to her.

Amanda Jo is just what Rikki needs as she speaks right up about everything not only for herself but for Rikki too.  She is pretty, sweet and important.

Tiffany Lynn is everyone's sweetheart and she knows it and basks in this love, she is a real live doll.

I have no idea what happened on April 13, but here it is August 21.  My dear sister Judy's birthday, she must be about 47 years old.  She has had so many problems, my heart just aches for her.  She has moved back to Mesa, I sure hope things start looking up for her and her family.

We have problems in our own family.  This summer little Rikki had an operation for a malignant brain tumor that had started growing  she was in the operating room 8 1/2 hrs.  The doctor said they got 99% of the tumor and then they planted 14 radiation seeds hoping to kill what was left of the tumor.  She seems to be doing fine except that the muscles on the right side of her face does not work and when she talks her  mouth is pulled to one side.  We all hope and pray she will get better.  This year she will be in kindergarten.

Cassandra has spent all summer in California staying with Jim and Shanna Nally.  But now she is at Eastern Arizona Jr. College in Thatcher where she will attend school this winter.  Tammy will be a Senior.  Kris a Freshman, Tara will be in the 7th grade (1st year Jr. High)  Heather will be in the 3rd grade.  Heidi will stay with Liza while Cathy works.  Candon will be in 1st grade, Sara the 2nd grade and Jason and Cristina will be 8th graders.  Mandy, Tiffany and Richard, and Lindsey will all be home while Jacob (I think) starts to kindergarten.

Loyelin is expecting our 16th grandchild right away.  We really need a new baby, as Tiffany is about 1 1/2 years old.  She is cute as a bugs ear, but we need a little new baby.

We are up on the mountain by Hannigan's Meadow where Loye and the boys are doing some work for Dean Sellars.  He has quite a project going, and it has provided us with a lot of work this summer.  I have only been up here about 4 weeks but I have really enjoyed it.  It's so pretty and green and COOL!

Katie has been here quite a bit while Charlie has been working his backhoe.  But I have been doing the cooking so I don't have much time for visiting this week I am cooking for about 16 men.  It is quite a hassle in a camper where we don't have running water.  But most of them seem to enjoy the food.  The guys here that I cook for are Loye, Roger, Jared, Jardine and Jason Willis, Candon Williams is here, Andy Savage, Stewart Hensley, Gene Sidell, Kim Lund, Kay Smith, Chris, Bud and Arthur Isaacs, and Roy Madison (Anna Lou's son-in-law who married Juliann.)  Kent and George Hall are here with their sons Ryan and Brad.  Lane Plumb with his sons Jesse and Billy, there are 2 guys from Mesa, 2 guys from Alpine and a man named Joe from Prescott.  When our ward went to Prescott to play softball in the boys Jr. tournament they all stayed at Joe's home and he isn't even L.D.S.  But our boys all stayed in his home along with Merlin and Sherry Hancock and Tom Wing and his son.  They expressed appreciation to Joe's wife for being such a gracious hostess.  The boys won 4th place.

It has been so long since I wrote in this that I can't remember all the events that have happened since I last wrote in here.  Lucielle Plumb and Casey Moritzky, both passed away each having cancer it happened unless than a week from each other.  Lucielle was around 80 and casey was about 26.  He left a young wife Laurie.

Josh has a nice girlfriend, Sheryl Van Deren.

This last weekend was Easter and also General Conference.  We went down to Roosevelt Lake camping and stayed Friday and Saturday nights we came home early Sunday morning.  Mark and Liza and their children went also, Jared, Jason, Cristina, Sara, Loye and I all went.  Roger, Cathy and their girls except Cassie all came down and back on Saturday Amber Whiting came with them.

  Loyelin is expecting again so she wasn't feeling like going.  Shanna lives so far away, her and Jim don't get to come very often.  I love all my family but it is easier to feel close to those who want to be near us.

Mandy is such a little fisty britches and she always has an answer for everything.  As we were looking for a place to camp we teasingly told the kids we were going back to Taylor.  This upset Sara Rikki and Mandy who were riding in the car with us.  "Why?" said Sara, "Oh Brother!" is Rikki's favorite comment.  Then came this disgusted little voice from Mandy "I'm not happy!"  As she was drinking her milk and looked out toward the lake she said "If I would throw this in there it would all turn to milk."  She is a little pouter but she is so full of life and her comments always send out a ray of sunshine.  Little Rikki's is pretty quiet but still enjoys life to the fullest and never bothers anyone.  Candon is all boy and acts accordingly.  Tiffany is so good natured she just played in her playpen until someone picked her up then she was all smiles and happy.  Sara is a pretty little girl, always talking, sometimes enthusiastically, sometimes not so enthusiastic, but always talking.  Cristina is a very pretty girl and always likes to do fun things.  She is also very talented.  I just hope she sets her goals in the right direction.  Jason is my baby and sometimes acts like it, but he is so much company for me and I love him dearly, he also has lots of talents.  He could be a very good athlete, but athletics really doesn't seem to interest him to much.  As long as he is a good boy and does as his Heavenly Father wants him to, everything will be alright for him.

We did have an enjoyable trip the desert was so green and pretty with wild flowers everywhere.  We came home through young (an isolated community in the middle of Pleasant Valley, located under the great Mogollon Rim of Arizona.)  over 58 miles of dirt road.  The people of Young are very back-woodsy because it is so hard for them to associate with the rest of the world because of the bad roads.  They have a branch of the church there that meets in a small, ice little church house.  Young belongs to the Taylor Stake.

Its been 2 months since I last wrote in my journal and lots of things have happened.  Ladell Hunt died after he and his wife were in a bad car wreck in Mesa.  Fawn was hospitalized for many days.

We decided not to move to the valley.  Loye has been busy working here.

School has started with all the fun and activities that go along with that.

Cassie and Tami are Loboettes they are the cutest ones there I think, but then I never watch anyone else.

Jason is trying to play football at the Jr. High but the coaches aren't really giving him much of an opportunity.

Kay and Mitzi finally got married after going together for years.  Their reception was the big event of the year and I think everyone turned out for it.  It was held in the yard of Howard and Mini Ramsey, grandparents of Mitzi, it was really a nice affair.

Heather was baptized on her birthday Oct. 1 her Dad baptized and confirmed her, Loye and I gave talks.  She is a sweet little girl.

September 30 we all went down to Payson to meet Dahl, Josh, Jacob and Lindsey to celebrate Josh's birthday  We had fun.

We have been busily hauling wood, but we have lots more we need to haul  I really enjoy getting out.  One day Loye, Jason and I were out and we seen a bear.  Jason was walking along hunting squirrels with his BB gun when we hollered at him that there was a bear he come a flying to the pick-up his eyes big as saucers.  But the bear was pretty undisturbed and just sauntered off into the forest  We also seen a deer, it is just beautiful in the forest.

Rick's 26th Oct. 4th
Amanda 3rd Sept. 19th
Cassie's 17th Aug 27
Kris' 13th Aug 30
Tami's 16th Sept 6
Heather's 8 Oct. 1
Josh 19th Oct. 1
Jacob's 5 Oct. 7
Mom's 76th Oct. 6

Here it is October 11, 1983 and quite a lot has happened since I last wrote in this journal.  Jerald and Colleen Hatch'es little girl that was handicapped, drowned in the bath tub at their home, it was a tragic thing the way it happened.  Lois wilson (Charlie Hall's sister) passed away she really had asthma bad, but I think she died of a heart-attack, she was about 72, I think.  Snowflake's football team has won their last 3 games the last one being Payson who they beat 19-2.  I'm sure glad.  Eric Ramsey is the quarterback and he has really had a hard time to get going.

Cassie (my oldest grandchild, and a Junior in High School this year) is a Loboette.  The Loboettes do dance routines at the ballgames.  I think Cassie is really good  and does real well.

Yesterday they had a powder puff football game in which Tami Played.  I didn't go down but Tami said she didn't get to play very much.

Yesterday Cathy trimmed my hair.  It was so busy before and now it looks much better. (I think).

This past week has really been a hard one for my friend Maybelle.  Her only sister Lady (Yvonne Beck) had an operation and it was determined that she has cancer.  She has 2 spots on her liver and it was found in her lymph nod glands.  Her sister is such a good, hard-working, God fearing person and she is only 45.  She has 4 grown children, but it seems a pity that she won't be able to enjoy life without this worry of cancer.  She has to start taking chemotherapy which is so hard on a person.  But the family is trying hard to think of all the positive things in Lady's favor and there are many.  They are a good family and help each other all they can.  Rick and Loyelin have been in Phoenix at Rick's Mother's for vacation all week, they will be home sometime today.

Last night our Elders Quorum sponsored a hay-ride and weiner roast it was really nice.  Roger and Cathy and Kris and Loretta Pringle were in charge.

October 1 was Josh's 18th birthday and Heather's 6th birthday.  October 4th was Rick's 25th birthday and October 7th was Jacob's 4th birthday.

August has just flew by, Dahl had his 28th birthday on the 13th also Loyelin.  Rick forgot it much to Loyelin's sorrow and Rick's to where he found out what was wrong with Loyelin.  He then made things right with her by buying her 2 sets earring, a necklace and some flowers.  She was a lot better then.

I forgot little Lindsey's birthday and she is such a little doll.  It's hard to remember all of their days, but, I had better try harder.

Cassie had her 16th birthday and her boy friend Alex Stradling bought her a friendship ring and a rocking chair.  (I suppose to rock while he's on a mission.)

Cathy won first place in the race at the fair in Holbrook.  She's really getting some nice trophy's.  Sunday Aug 28 was Roger and Cathy's 18th anniversary.

On Aug. 16 Bishop Palmer asked me to be secretary of the Relief Society.  He said Ann Smithson had asked for me.  I'm really quite excited about it.  I just pray that I can do a good job.

Dan and Jane Martenau had baby girl blessed also, Jim and Krindy Hendrix had baby blessed.

The wind blew all night long and continued on through the day, finally dying down toward evening so I could hang out some clothes to dry. 

Maybelle was back to work so everything was normal again  Today we served chicken chow mein but the kids just threw it away. 

Mom came over and visited for a while.  She said she didn't feel to good, but she visited and didn't complain to much.  I love my mother very much and enjoy having her come over.  

In the evening I rode down to a High School band concert with Roger and Cathy to watch and listen to Cassie play.  Some of the parts were dull but most were good especially the band.

We have Sara and Cristina staying with us until Loyelin gets back.  But they were all in bed when I got home, expect Loye who was up watching the fights on TV. 

Bro. Johnson in our ward was killed in a car wreck and his small son Jared was hurt bad.

Wow!  What a terrible windy day, and Cathy was running in the Hatch Endurance Race from Pinedale to Taylor.  We called Cassie about 9:00 a.m. to see about what time the race would finish, she said her Dad had gone over to see Cathy finish.  So Loye, Jason and I went out to get in the car to go watch the finish.  About that time Roger drove up out here and said Cathy had been back for quite a while and that she had been the first lady across the line.  She had run the race in one hour and 47 minutes and 37 sec.  She was sixteenth in the race over all.  She has really practiced hard and I'm real proud of her.

Jared came home from the valley tonight about 9:00 p.m.  He said it ws really snowing out on the rim.  I'm really glad to have him back home, I just hope he can find work so he can stay for awhile.

Mark, Liza and the kids came over for a while to watch TV because the wind was rattling their trailor so bad they couldn't enjoy the N.B.A. play off's.

Liza and I went down to Ed's and got some stuff for lunch, then we made sandwiches and ate.

It really was an enjoyable day visiting with my children.  I love them all.

After breakfast on this really beautiful day, Loye took the Datsun down to Ballard Brothers where all it needed was to have the clutch adjusted and "Teeuse" charged Loye $1.00 which was really a relief.

We got ready to go to Payson to meet with Shanna's husband Jim Nalley who is here from Ohio where they live.  Josh had a wrestling tournament in Lakeside so he went up there and won, but didn't get to go to Payson.  We couldn't find Jason so we just left him here playing with the neighbors.  Loyelin, Mark and Liza went to the valley shopping so they didn't make it either.

We were about 20 minutes late getting there but when we got to the circle K there was Jim, Dahl, Shelley, Jacob, Lindsey and Jared.  We borrowed Grandma Willis' car so just Loye and I and Mandy went in it but, Roger and Cathy had Mark and Liza's pick-up and they had Cassie, Tami, Kris, Tara, Heather, Heidi, Sara, Cristina, Rikki, and Candon.  We had prepared  picnic and had everything but the chicken so Jim went to Kentucky Fried Chicken and bought 2-21 piece barrels of chicken, when we offered to help pay he said Shanna would beat him up, cause she had told him to take us out to eat.  We went to the park and ate and visited while the kids played on the slides, swings ect.  We sure had an enjoyable time.  It would of been better if all the kids had been there.  Makes you know how the Savior feels when all of his sheep aren't with the flock.