This has been a wet, cold month, and today it is cloudy with chances of rain or snow.  Probably neither one, (I hope) its wet enough for now.

Snowflake plays basketball with Show Low tonight so we will probably go down even though Snowflake isn't doing to good at the game, only beating Holbrook so far in conference play.  Eric Ramsey plays and this is his Senior year.  David Lewis is a wrestler and tomorrow night has a match with R.V. so maybe we can go watch him.

Shanna called and said she didn't think I would like the Christmas present she had bought for me, so she hadn't sent it yet.  When I asked her what it was she said it was a set of Farber-Ware cook-wear, (this is really good cook wear) so I told her to go ahead and send it as I could never afford any thing that nice.

Several events have happened that I would like to record since I last wrote.  Shanna and Jim came over just for Thanksgiving day getting here about 11 a.m. and leaving about 6 p.m.  Although it was a short stay we really enjoyed having them here.  From the time in November until the time in December that Idell Solomon and I went R. S. teaching our 3 ladies had tragedy strike.  Thora Pearce's daughter Charlotte was killed in a car wreck.  Aunt Gertie hatch had a stroke and Opal Kartchner passed away.

Randy Hall married Vickie Petersen on Dec. 14.  They had their wedding right after in the Taylor Stake Center.  It was really nice.  Josh was in the wedding line and was the Best looking guy there!!!

Monty Rogers came home from the Boston, Massachusetts mission on Dec 22.  All of Shum's family was there to meet him. (at sky Harbor).

Missions from now on will be for 2 years beginning the 1st of January.  However boys who are out now will have their choice.

We had Christmas breakfast here at our house.  Loye and his boys shot rabbits enough so we could have them for breakfast.  They got about 15 and by giving everyone  one piece there was plenty.  We also had biscuits and deer gravy.  Aunt Kathy brought orange juice, Aunt Sheree brought cocoa mix and Aunt Judy furnished plates and cups.  Aunt Violet bought a quart of Raspberry jelly and it really zinged! up the biscuits.  We figured we served close to 60 people.  This family just keeps growing.

My kids gave us a 50 gal hot water tank for Christmas.  I worry for fear they buy more than they can afford.  But I do appreciate the hot water.  And I love my children for their thoughtfulness.  Roger, Jared, Josh and Liza bought it.  Loyelin made some real nice lacy looking place mats, and gave them to us.  Jason gave us an electric pencil sharpener.  Since Christmas we have spent a lot of time playing Trivial Pursuit (a new game out).  Found out I'm not very smart, as this game is one that asks trivial questions on about 6 different subjects.

One of the highlights of the holidays was watching B.Y.U beat Michigan in the Holiday ball where Brigham Young won and their quarterback (Bosco) got outstanding player of the game.  B.Y.U. hasn't been beat this year but they are having a hard time winning National recognition as the nations #1 team but they are.

Yesterday we watched 3 bowl games and they were all good games.

Loye and I went up to Asian Gardens and ate Chinese food.  We went just to get out.

And that brings us up to today.

School started again, darn it!  This year is just flying by.

After work I got me a permanent from Lorraine Solomon, it cost me $30.  But it was worth it.

Eva Willis went to Mesa with Chan and Linda today to spend about 3 weeks.  They came after her in Ronald's pretty car.  I sure hope she enjoys her stay.

Geneva Horne and her kids came up this weekend so her kids could go skiing.  They don't have to go to school until Monday.

Mandy has learned a new song (for her) "Hush little baby don't say a wowd, Mommies gonna buy you a mocking bowd, if that Mocking-bowd don't sing Mama's gonna buy you a diamond wing." etc.

Loyelin was trying to get after Richard he turned his little head and kissed her right in the mouth, needless to say Little Richard didn't get any more scolding for awhile.

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 the summer is practically over and tomorrow school starts again, makes you wonder where in the world the time has gone.

I will start working at the school as a cook again, but we are thinking of moving to the valley where we will manage some apartments.  They will give us an apartment to live in and pay our utilities including our phone bill, so it sounds like a pretty good deal they will also give us $500 a month.  Loye will be able to work else-where to earn money so I think it would be good that way and Loye does seem to geel better down there.  But, I can hardley bear to break home ties here in Taylor.  Jared wants to buy our home so we will just be foot-loose and fancy-free with no place to call home.

Mom, Sheree, Cathy and I took Judy to the El Ranch in Snowflake to eat for her 45th birthday.

On the 23rd, Mom, Liza, and I took Loyeline to Pinetop El Rancho to eat for her 32nd birthday.  It is so pretty up in the mountains.  On the way home it had rained right along in front of us or I should say just poured cause there was water running down all the gullies and in one place it was just pouring from over the top of a cut just like a water fall.  I have never seen the water running like that and in a way it was beautiful but it was also pretty destructive.

Last night we went to Scott's reception and it was pretty nice.  Decorations were just right and the refreshments and program was all really nice.

Jason's 12th birthday was on the August 10.

Dahl's birthday August 13.

Lindsey's 3rd August 18.

Well there's one more week of Olympic's and I hope this next week is as good as the last week has been.  U.S.A. has won so many Gold Medals.  Peter Vidmar (a mormon) was on the men's gymnastics team who won gold medals, along with Bart Conners, Mitch Gaylord, Tim Daggett and Scott Johnson.  They were very good sports.  Even though the girls didn't win the Gold they did get the Silver.  They were led by Mary Lou Retton and Julie Anne McNamara.  Joan Benoit won the ladies 26 mile Marathon  The U.S.A. Women's volleyball team hasn't been beat yet.  Our boxers are doing very good in fact this morning on the news it was said we had 92 medals and the closest to that was German with 30 (some odd).

Yesterday was Loye's 56th birthday.  The kids too us up to Asia Garden's to eat.  Roger and Cathy, Loyelin, Mark and Liza, Jared and Dennise, and Jason.  It was real nice and we enjoyed being with the kids.

Today I rode up to Show Low with Katie she had to go to the dentist and I had to go to the bank and to the gas co.  I would like to take a class this winter on money management, if I thought I would pass, but I'm sure no good at figures.  i guess that's why we are always so poor.

Uncle John Ballard says we had better have our years supply of food because after the presidential election this year.  "All hell is going to break loose."  I hope he's wrong, but, the time is getting so close to the coming of the Savior, we must try to be prepared.  And I don't think my kids are prepared at all.

Last Sat. Elbert Lewis was re-baptized into the church.  He was president of the Show Low Stake but was excommunicated because of his mismanagement of church funds this happened about 7 or 8 years ago.  His wife died of cancer so he married his 1st wife's sister.  They are Gerry and Carol Ozment daughters of Lester and Ruth.  Anyway it was a real happy occasion for everyone who knew them.

I misplaced this journal so I haven't been able to write in it.  Since I last wrote we have had a Willis Reunion.  Roger, Geneva Horne and Rhonda Smith were in charge of it  It was really a nice affair.  It was held at the school down here and my family was all there except Jim, Shanna, and Rick Aceves (he is assistant manager at the Bayless store in Lakeside so was unable to make it.)

We pitched horseshoes, had races, had some "Dummer Olympic Games", had a program and of course lots of good food.  Geneva had a book printed about Clad and Eva Willis and their family.  It really is a nice book.

We have spent most of the summer in the valley helping Loye.  But since he is about through I didn't go back down with him.

Well Jared and Denise wants to postpone it as she has some more thinking to do.  I think Jared was pretty upset about it  I sure hope things work out for them  We have really been impressed with her, and I would feel real bad if they don't get together  It's too bad she don't realize what a good person Jared is.

Loye isn't here and I really miss him when he is gone.

Josh went back to the valley with Randy and Kay.

It's funny how kids never know until they get children of their own what an overwhelming responsibility it is to raise them, and I really never realized it until now.

The Olympics from Los Angeles are on and it is really interesting to watch all of these great athletes perform.  U.S.A has already won a bunch of Gold Medals.

We are still in the valley finishing these apartments.  I am going to finish my cleaning this week and then I'm going home to satay.  I guess we really pulled a boo-boo by hiring some Mexican ladies to help us clean.  Larry Richardson (the general Manager for N.K. Lewis) hasn't paid us yet so we haven't paid the ladies so they went to the labor commission and they are after Larry and Norman Lewis.  I sure wish some times you could turn back time and re-do some of the mistakes we make.

Even though I feel depressed tonight we did have a good time over the weekend.  Don and Judy's family sponsored the Roger's Family Reunion at Los Burros (up above Vernon) this year.  It was really nice, the area up there was just beautiful, and Don, Judy and family really had things set up nice.  They had everything so organized, Rion and Bonnie were there to do their part and Scott and Kendra (who plan to get married Aug. 23) were really a big help.  Eric and Robbie also really helped.  Becky and Gene who are living in Louisiana were unable to be there as they plan to come to Scott's wedding in August.

This year they made a plaque for the winners of the horseshoe pitching tournament.  Rion made it and it's a traveling trophy whoever wins it gets to keep it until the next year when they have to give it up to whoever wins it next year.  Well this year Loye and I won it.  Rion took it to have our names engraved on ti.  They also played volleyball and since this is the year of the "Summer Olympics" in Los Angeles we had the "Dummer Olympics at Los Burros".  Everyone participated and all had a good time.  Even Mom seemed to enjoy herself.

Some of my family was there, of course Jim and Shanna couldn't make it.  Mark was working graveyard so him and Liza didn't go, we took Candon and Rikki with us.  The rest of us had a good time.

Jared told us Sunday that he is going to marry Denise McCray Caldwell.  She has been married before and has a little boy called J.J.  We think Jared has made a good choice because her family seems to be good people and Jared seems to be so happy with her.  She went up to the reunion with Jared and she seems to have a good time  They haven't set a date yet.

Jared wants to buy our house and we told him we would sell to him.  We would build a new house up on the corner, up on the hill.  Loye has always wanted to build there.

We are back in the valley, hopefully this week we will get through, but who knows?

Rikki came down with us, so each day we take her over to St Joseph's for her radiation treatment.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July so I guess we will go to a movie or maybe some fireworks if we can find them.