Hygge..Danish secrets to happy living

yesterday Nik and Peter asked me to teach them how to knit! how  I love this! One of the ways I survived covid last year was knitting 4 blankets. Knitting is relaxing and productive and Hygge. What is hygge? It is ways to keep happy and warm during the winter months. It is candles, hot drinks, fire places ,  .music, warm sweaters and good books.

keeping warm and cuddly with pets and hot tubs help keeping hygge

I will admit, I need sun! I am really blessed to have a south facing family room and sunroom and these are where I choose to read and study during these months. 

This is the view out our front door, It is North facing with snow from December to March

 

trying to stay warm with kitty kisses

we workout at the gym very early to avoid the crowd

we had a get away in Sr George to  get some sun and fun before Jims surgery. His surgery was a few days ago and he is recovering nicely. 

 

Finding peace in the New YEAR

Can we find our source of peace and joy in the New Year? Yes we can, I have hope in us. 

Here is Jim keeping his New years goal to work out! Yes, he does, every day! He did marry me and loves to start off the day right.

In the New year, we are continuing to look for ways to serve others,

We love being with family and wish that we could be with them all. ugh! still dealing with Covid restrictions

Jim started redoing the kitchen,,,

Our youngest grandsons love the hot tub and sharing time together

Me, I have rediscovered my need for scheduling study time and increasing my knowledge through classes and reading. Here Jim caught me getting distracted.

being able to work with my grandkids by showing my love of learning is priceless

SO , here is to lifting up joy and happiness for a NEW year. We celebrate with music and dance and uplifting shows and messages.

 

Christmas fish

2020 has been hard for another reason. I love to serve others in many ways including having friends and family over to eat.  WaSH hands, wash dishes, check date on the food, where did you buy it? Did you leave it in the garage for two days before bringing it in? So many rules,  I have prayed each day to know who I can help/ How can I serve?

And then the Christmas fish came into my life. It is a long story which includes helping my good friend with caring for her home while she works on her tan in  Hawaii. She said, "no big deal. just water my plants and get my mail." It would  only be a couple of visits a week" Again I had been praying about who to help and serve and really wanted to visit family but with covid rules getting more tight I didnt know if I could make it work. And then the fish came and needed me each day. That was the answer.... Feed the fish.. Feed my sheep....Feed the Christmas fish. 

Ans so that is what I can do. I can do this, and without a mask. but with plenty of love and knowing that I am needed

 

Christmas Poem 2020

 Merry Christmas 2020

let's wrap up this year, and find a way to be

of good cheer. 

We changed the way we shop and school and even tried to work out without a pool.

So we bought a kayak and discovered Utah's lakes and streams - 6 feet apart -we biked , hiked and changed our dreams.

PAT KEPT ON KNITTING, HAND WASHED AND MASKED. JIM ENJOYED ENGINEERING AND LEARNED SOME NEW TASKS.

we stayed in our home to worship and pray, when it got warmer out in the sun we stayed.

Now we can text, chat and zoom. we have hope and faith, anda desire to serve, so we have plenty of room.

Love, pat and Jim

Revisiting Survival

In 1972 I spent about a month  the middle of no where in the middle of Utah.   This 2020 year seemed like a great time to travel around the 300 miles of areas that we hiked   and rappelled. We avoided flash floods and constantly looked for food and water

. We also had to learn how to start a fire from flint and steal, keep warm at night and cool in the hot desert. We buried rocks under the sand after cooking our meal at night and then slept on the rocks to keep warm. To avoid the heat we  would often start hiking at midnight to get in 25 miles without too much heat.

After a 4 hour drive South-Easr from Provo we were dropped off with a map and told that we needed to get to a base camp by Saturday.. We had nothing to start with and after a few days of looking for water we met at base camp to get our roll up. This consisted of a wool blanket, a journal, scriptures, one pair of under wear (!!!!) an extra pair of shoes ( badly needed when I got such bad blisters. I had an infection in my toe and had to cut my boots). So, no bath, no person items, no tools expect a pocket knife, no water bottle or cooking tools!! But, we survived and thrived with some very strong spiritual experiences.

I should be somewhere in this photo but  I cant figure out where. Maybe I was looking for  a bush.

We ate prickly pear, ate larva tea, Brigham tea, sea go lily roots besides having to make sheep jerky. They  dropped food and water for us sometimes, We had raisins, peanuts, flour, salt, brown sugar, and rice. Needless to say, I thought my jeans and leather belt were stretching  and discovered at the end I had lost 20 pounds.

Many have asked, Why did you go? Many  reasons: 9 credits of PE recreation from  BYU ( if you survived!), to find what my next step would be ( I ended up going to California after survival!)  to figure out who I should stop dating ( turns hour he got engaged while I was trying to survive!) and mostly to grow spiritually!  And I did! I got confidence in myself and my relationship with God and I will never forgot this great experience.

 

Dodging the corona bullet...so far

There have been many around me getting the corona virus. including Nattie and Mariah. Last week my friend Lenore called and told me she had to be quarantined because she had been exposed to her daughter who got it and had slept and stayed with her for a few days. There were several times during her visit that we all chatted. Then Lenore came  over to our place for church, Did I get exposed? Then Derek and Missies sister Heather and her whole family got it, Did I get exposed? Well, so far no, But I did slip on ice while going to buy boots so I wouldnt slip!

Halloween was quick this year, I had a costume but after my fall I chose to be careful. Nothing was broken but I did see that I have osteoporosis in my fingers and the rest of my body!  ugh!

Spent the day before Halloween with Dereks kids and I got to swim in their lovely pool and hot tub

missing Victorias cuteness

Seth and Mckennzie and Wallace

Augie and Wallie , our two great grandsons through Jan and Jaron

Hot tub fun is the best, Being with grandkids is  even better

I just love my family and all the craziness.

Fun suprise for us all

Sweet sixteen birthday surprise for Victoria 

so glad I could share time with all the kids. Karissa and I shared her art and love of style and music. Austin is in middle school now...well not in middle school but doing all the work and he started playing the cello. He still really loves his computer games and soccer. Erik and I did PE most mornings since his "School" started an hour later. He loves to read and loves to challenge grandma in all kinds of fun. Lucky me. I got to go to school every day with Valerie

I just love going and being with these Pre schoolers, I even get to teach yoga while I am there. The owner welcomes my being there so that makes it easy to keep going.( even during this challenging time)

Victorias birthday was  a hit, It started out windy and I was worried about so many of the girls being together, But Victoria knew her friends and they all got together and ate and played games and hung out.

what a sweet sixteen memory! she is growing up!

what do I love most about being together> Being together! of course I love Michigan, so many things remind me of my childhood in Pennsylvania, the weather, the town, the people, and the love! I am happy that I can be healthy and afford to travel, especiallly during this time, Take the time to LOVE. and Serve one Another.