Hello everyone.

We just finished going through the blogs and as we were sitting here in front of the computer Sheryl called. We were just looking at the pictures of the Mexico trip so it was fun to have her on the phone and on the screen. What an awsome time it looked like you had to have all that beach to yourselves. We loved seeing the pictures from Erie also and the Harris camping trip. By the way congratulations on the wedding for Steph. You are a beautiful family with such a wonderful future to look forward to. Way to go!

We actually had a little trip also on Memorial Day Weekend. We planned it for several weeks and took Mary and her daughter Nancy to visit all the graves in Richmond. Nancy is such an amazing person caring all these years for her husband and keeping him alive, actually, with her potions and nutrition skills. They were married only a couple of years when he had surgery to remove all of his stomach because of ulcers, as they used to do. He was to spend the rest of his life on I V feedings but she studied all the science on nutrition from the medical journals from around the world and spent years following the great minds on the subject until she came up with potions that would keep him alive and nourished all these years. She did also go back to school and finish a degree in nutrition. He is now on I V 's and suffering greatly and not expected to live very long, but has had all these years able to raise his family and achieve so much in his teaching at the University and his motivational speaking career.


Anyway, the four of us took a fun ride through the back roads and little towns and ended up in Richmond. Arlyn actually had a great time seeing the countrysides he loves best. Everything was so green and beautiful and he pointed out the Kidman farm and the places and memories he has of the valley of his childhood with Mary. We took a picnic and on the way back stopped at the University for some Aggie ice cream. We also stopped at the little two story house and farm on Wild Rose Lane that Grandma Funk's father built for her and her two little girls after she divorced John Barnett. Like Loenza and Ethel, my mother loved that little house on Wild Rose Lane and took me on many rides up there. I always thought if I ever saw a forsale sign on it I would find a way to buy it just to keep it in the family. As we stopped there this time Nancy jumped out and took pictures and talked to the Father of the little family that now owns it. It is beautiful with gardens and flowers galore. What a little piece of heaven.

Arlyn is doing pretty good but has a hard time getting around. I have decided it is better to have a little clearer mind and not get around as well than having him going down the street hitting the garbage cans yelling at the people in them to get out. He throws things and gets rather combative, afraid and angry. With less medication he does better although still somewhat confused we can have some clear times. I give him medication every 12 hours instead of every 8. It is a trade off I have found to work better. When he gets so he cannot get from one place to an other I give him a little more. Thats how we work it. We are trying to get out a little more and I plan to take him to Southern Utah. I can do it if he will depend on the depends and not try to make pit stops. I am grateful to have Jeramy here to help me get him up when he falls and into bed when he can't. Little one year old Amelia just loves him and follows him around calling him bumpa, wants bites of anything he is eating, clowning for him in her cute little coy way if he falls asleep. He gets a lot of pleasure with her attention and loves to sit outside while the little kids play. She can do no wrong in his eyes. It is funny how he just glances at the paper but days or weeks later if something comes up about politics or what is going on, building etc., he can tell you what has been written about it in the paper. He has this uncanny insight that he sometimes relates something that has not happened yet and does in the next few days. Spooky. With all the images he sees ,he at times lately has said his Father is here. That always makes me nervous.

Thanks for all the news on the blogs. We love reading them and Arlyn loves most to see the pictures and have me tell him what they are about. You are an awsome bunch and we love you.

Joyce

This has been a very hectic week with few things like flooding our bedroom when the water heater broke etc. However all is quiet at the moment and I am injoying catching up on all the fun stuff you all are doing. Congratulations to Steph and Brian. What great pictures of you all and the darling little girls. The joy you were having just jumps right out of the screen.

How exciting for the new car. Cindy sounds just about as excited as you. It is a great choice and a better safer one at that. We can't wait to see it along with some of the clay work Cindy talked about.

Happy Birthday Angie! We hope you have a super day. We love seeing the pictures of Liv and Lex growing and changing and fun things like tennis etc. Keep up the good work. You are very missed. What a beautiful place it seems to be where you live.

Arlyn has had several very good days and we have enjoyed some short rides. His heart doctor this week said his heart is better still. He has also had some bad times thinking we are being robbed, trying to chase away the images that are sleeping all over the house and such.

All in all ---All is well. How is that for a bunch of all's. We love you all and know how hard it is for Sheryl and Jeff to be so far away but this blog brings you close so don't worry.

First Post

Hello:
This is my third time trying and with Jeramy's help I may have made it this time.

I wanted to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the lovely dinner and visit. It was so fun and everything was so delicious. Thank you Cindy also for setting me up on a blog. I will use this to let you know from time to time how Arlyn is doing. I appreciate all your support and caring and I know how much it means to Arlyn also.

We were so full from the dinner we forgot to cut the beautiful Kelly cake but wow did we have fun showing it off to our neighbors. Eli and Peter thought it was a treasure cake and all the cute frosting gifts were just for them. They swipped, saved, ate and savored them. What a talent Kelly has and the cake was so good. You are all so good to us and so dear.

We enjoy reading all the blogs so much and getting to follow what is going on with each of you. You are all so amazing and I love to sit Arlyn down by me on the computer to see the pictures of what you are doing when he is having a good day. I am learning to better manage his medications and he has some days that he gets around pretty good and can interact with us. Every day I just ask Heavenly Father to help me to make this a good day for him and give me the strength and health to keep him clean and safe and happy. Right now he is sitting outside in the sunshine enjoying watching the little kids play in the yard. Every few days he wakes up in the night and says, "lets get in the car and drive to Calif. and visit Jef. " He says we will take him to dinner and then drive back the next day. Some days we can laugh and talk and enjoy each other and at other times I have to take the phone off the hook so he won't call the FBI to come and investigate all the strange things he sees and worries about. I like to look at the pictures of the trips we have taken and the happy times over the last 20 years and it helps me through the hard times with him. He has been so caring and loving to me over all these years that caring for him now is not a burden in any way. I am so lucky to have him and to be a part of his wonderful family. Thank you again to all of you--We love you.