First Snow

On Monday, we woke up to about six inches of snow on the ground. I really thought that school would be called off, but as we drove further north, the snow was not as bad.

The rest of the week was pretty normal.

Today, at Sacrament Meeting, we got some shocking news. Marianne Howe died. Last week, I found out that she had cancer. That is the way to go if you have cancer. Cancer can be so painful and long at times.

Up and Down (Mostly Up) Week

We had some downs this week: Angie is getting sick when she eats; Lilli still faces breakdowns that she needs to get control of. I will leave the biggest downer for later.

The week was a big upper, though. On Saturday, our family went to the Pocatello Temple to help with the Open House. Deb and I led tours and Angie and Lilli helped with booties. It was a wonderful time at the temple. Deb and I did the very first tour and the day, and we did the very last tour for our shift. We did a total of seven tours. We saw Mom coming to the temple to do her part of the open house. I found out today that she was stationed in the endowment room. She came to the temple with Brad and Lorie, but we did not see them.

After the open house, we went to Sonic as a family to get some food.

Another upper for the week was Marsh Valley dominating Snake River in football. MV won 26-7. It rained most of the game, and Angie cheered. Lucky for her, they had a raincoat for her to wear, otherwise she would have been soaked.

The big downer was BYU getting beat by Boise State, 27-16. BYU played the exact opposite of how they have been playing--turning the ball over and getting drive killing penalties. Lucky for me I was still on such a high for working in the temple, I did not feel as bad as would normally have done.

Today was a good Sabbath Day. With General Conference last week, we had Fast and Testimony Meeting. 

Catching Up

I did not realize that I had not posted here for so long! I need to make sure I keep up to date. A lot has happened over the last few weeks.

Angie participated in Powder Puff game on Monday, September 13. Unfortunately, her team (the juniors and sophomores) lost. On our way home, Lilli called from the hospital.

On the 14th, Deb and I spoke with Lilli's therapist via phone. Lilli was also there. After the meeting, we then went to the school to discuss Lilli's schooling.

Angie got sick during the week of homecoming so she stayed home for a couple of days. She felt well enough to cheer at the game, which Marsh Valley lost, 28-14.

We had stake conference on the weekend of September 18 and 19. The stake Relief Society president, Sister Barbara Johnson, brought Sister Kim Ames to our home. It was a wonderful visit. She brought such a sweet spirit into our home. Her husband, Elder Rodney Ames, presented a wonderful conference. It was such a joy to attend the meetings.

On September 21, we brought Lilli home. It seems to me that she is allowing herself to get better. She has been in a dark place, and it was my feeling that she did not want to get out of the dark place. It seems to me she is working to get out now. In any event, it is wonderful to have her home.

Uncle Harry passed away on September 10. The funeral was on September 25. It was a beautiful service. Uncle Harry was such a great man. He will be dearly missed. He was buried in Swan Lake so after the graveside service, we had a meal at the Swan Lake church with relatives and friends of Uncle Harry.

Our family went to the Pocatello Temple House. It is a beautiful temple. We went to the open house on Wednesday, September 29. Then we worked as temple ushers on Friday, October 1, except Angie who had to go cheer at the Marsh Valley and South Fremont game in St. Anthony. Deb and I were tour guides, and Lilli took booties off at the end of the tour. She had her friend, Sarah, go with her.

When I woke up on Friday morning, my back was killing me. As I got ready to go to work, it did not get better. I realized that I may not be able to usher in the temple. I went to work but did not get much better. I still got ready to go. While walking into the stake center to receive instructions on what has to do, I felt a twinge in my back. After getting to our area (we were assigned to be tour guides), when I did the first tour, my back did not bother me at all. When I returned to the area to sit and wait for the next tour, my back hurt a little. At each tour, my back did not bother me. I was truly blessed!

BYU is 5-0 having defeated Arizona State, South Florida, and Utah State. They are ranked tenth in the nation. Next up is Boise State in Provo.

Labor Day and Beyond

It has been an eventful two weeks. First off, it seemed that something was happening at school with the girls. Lilli was not doing her schoolwork. Angie was pushing the boundaries of modest dress at school. I am incredibly busy at work. It was finally nice to have the Labor Day weekend roll around.

The Browers had their campout up Webb Canyon. We did not campout but went up everyday. It was nice to relax, visit, and play games.

Football season started in earnest as ISU hosted North Dakota and BYU played Arizona in Las Vegas. Deb and I went to the ISU game. It was a little frustrating as ISU would get close but could not score. They eventually lost 35-14. BYU played a pretty good game and defeated Arizona 24-16. There were some opening game jitters, and the Cougars should have beaten the Wildcats by a bigger margin. A win is a win, though.

This past weekend, ISU played Nevada in Reno losing 49-10. BYU ended the long nightmare of 12 years and whipped Utah, 26-17. It was so good to finally get that monkey off of the back. And what irritated me more than anything, was Utah was so lucky in several of the games that could have been BYU victories. Unfortunately, the Utes and Cougars do not play again until 2024, but at least the Utes will stew in the loss for two years!

This last week was no less eventful. On our way home from the Browers campout, we returned Kristi's phone call. She said that Jacob has come out gay and has left the church. It was sad. I could her the sadness in Kristi's voice.

Tuesday, the youth went to the Temple Open House. Angie chose to go to her work party over going to the Open House. Deb brought in Lilli, and we took her there. She was mad to go, but when she came out of the temple, she seemed happy. I cannot wait until we can go through the temple as a family.

Thursday was another bout with Lilli. She was marked absent in her second hour class so Deb called to see where she was. Some time later, the school called to tell us they had found Lilli, and she had cut herself. I left work to go get her. When I got to the school, Lilli was leaving with the school resource officer to go to the Portneuf Medical Center. I went and got Deb then we went to PMC to see what needed to be done for Lilli. Although the cuts on her arms did draw blood, they were superficial and nothing serious. However, we talked with the social worker at the hospital to see what we should do. He recommended getting her admitted into a behavioral hospital, but we did not want her to go to Idaho Falls. I had heard about Provo Canyon so we asked to send her there. They accepted and we took her down that night.

We spoke with the doctor treating Lilli, and he suggested that we not talk with her over the weekend. He felt it would be good for her to see what she is missing. She tried calling today, but we told them that the doctor asked us not to talk with her. It was hard to not talk with Lilli. I miss her.

Work - Not Much Else

For me, it has been a busy week. I have not done much but work--even at home.

I still have issues with my back. I am sleeping in the recliner. I miss being in my bed--especially since I am not near Deb. Saturday, a new pain started under my ribs on the right side of my body. Will it ever end? Will I ever get back into my bed?

Deb's cousin, Mark Bennett, passed away from COVID. He is younger than Deb. It is sad.

Back to School

The week was a busy week as school started for the girls and Deb. School actually started on Wednesday except Deb had to be to work on Monday and Tuesday. For me, it was a busy week getting ready for the fall sports to start.

On Saturday, we went to Inkom with Mom to attend the Gilbert reunion. The DeMar and Harriet Gilbert family always hold a reunion. This year, the two sons of Earl Gilbert, DeMar's brother, said they would be in town for the reunion so Dee invited Mom and our family. It was nice to see cousins. In fact, I saw two cousins that I had never seen before--Earl's sons. It was really great to be with family.

On our way home, we stopped at the church in Downey. An open house was being held for Nola Fallows. She turned 100 years old this week. What  a life she has experienced.

Bannock County Fair

The week started off with the fair. It is such a great time in Downey when the fair comes around. I have memories of the fair from my early childhood to now.

On Monday, Layne Benson performed. It was really good. He has worked with several renowned musicians. He came back home to perform as he grew up in Downey. Also, the county commissioners put on a free potato bar. It was a nice supper.

Wednesday was parade day. Mom, Todd, and Jackie came and sat with us at the parade. It was a really nice parade. The parade is synonymous with the fair as far as memories go. After the parade, Mom treated us to supper. I had a cheese burger and fries, while Deb got a Philly steak sandwich. Deb stayed with Jackie for the entertainment while I came home. I have a hard time getting around with my back.

Friday we saw some first class entertainment. Charley Jenkins provided an opening act for Sawyer Brown. It was really great. I think Downey had more people in it then they have ever had. It was awesome to see such great entertainment.

The following week was pretty normal stuff. School for Deb and the girls start next week.

I have been to the chiropractor several times over the past two weeks. I still have a lot of pain in my back. It just does not seem to be getting better. In other medical news, Deb had an abscessed tooth pulled and bridged.