Monday, June 14, 2010
scene right out of an action movie
June 11, 2010
I was almost done delivering mail, heading down main street in Eagar back to the post office. On my right was a group of people doing an Eagle Project right in front of Cal Glass. I looked to see if I knew who it was when just a few houses down, very low in the sky was an airplane in trouble. I could see that the pilot was trying to stabilize the plane, I knew he was way to low and was not going to go far. The plane wobbled side to side for a minute and headed towards the school. I knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to land the plane on the soccer fields on the north side of the dome. However, he was too low, and was not able to crest the school. He hit the north side of our high school. I had pulled over to the suicide lane so that I could watch without hitting anyone, and I did watch, I watched as the plane came in from the back and slammed into the roof. I
was right in front of the school marquee and decided to drive behind the school. I was there within minutes of the crash. I jumped out of the car and snapped a picture with my cell phone. I was almost done delivering mail, heading down main street in Eagar back to the post office. On my right was a group of people doing an Eagle Project right in front of Cal Glass. I looked to see if I knew who it was when just a few houses down, very low in the sky was an airplane in trouble. I could see that the pilot was trying to stabilize the plane, I knew he was way to low and was not going to go far. The plane wobbled side to side for a minute and headed towards the school. I knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to land the plane on the soccer fields on the north side of the dome. However, he was too low, and was not able to crest the school. He hit the north side of our high school. I had pulled over to the suicide lane so that I could watch without hitting anyone, and I did watch, I watched as the plane came in from the back and slammed into the roof. I
There were other cars doing the same thing I was, but they mostly headed to the front. When I pulled over to take a picture of the roof of our school on fire, there were only about 4 other people back there with me. I jumped in the car to come around the north side of the auditorium to see exactly what was hit, when a huge explosion sounded. Debris and smoke and the smell of jet fuel filled the air. I was able to snap a picture from outside of the wall near the auditorium but it was so smokey, all you could really see was smoke and nothing else.
It wasn't long before the sirens were approaching and I did not want to get penned in. I still had the outgoing mail that I needed to get back to the post office. My postmaster, Mary Nedrow, is very much in the public eye, she serves on the school board, and was the town mayor for Springerville until just recently. I knew that she would be getting all the info. I hung around at the post office for a few hours to hear what all she was hearing. I could not believe the phone calls she was receiving from newspapers, news channels and other board members etc. At first we heard that it was a man and a young woman from Florida, we thought that maybe it would have been some politicians that were supposed to be having a meeting in the auditorium that very night from all across the state. I was panicked thinking about all the people that could possibly be in the school. It was about 2:15 when the plane crashed.When the firefighters were actually able to enter the building, and doing a search of it to see if there was anyone inside, were amazed that no one was actually in the building at the time. Because of budget cuts all across the nation, employees who would be working during the summer are on 4 10's which means that no one would be working on Fridays. However, there was a painting crew inside the building, but the foreman decided to let them all go early that day since it was Friday. He let them go at noon. Terry Cates was in the auditorium with some of her crew to set up for the meeting that night, but they never even heard the explosion. They had no idea what had happened to the school. What a miracle it was that no one was in the building at the time of the crash.
Now, 3 days after the crash, we know that it was a family of 4. Ulrich was their last name. It consisted of two daughters, one was going to be a Junior this year, her name was Alexa, and her little sister that is about 6years old, a dad, with graying hair, and the mother. When the plane hit, somehow the wing snagged and was ripped off, and landed in front of the school The plane came to rest on top of the school, and then exploded. Of course, we have lots of wood in the building so it caught very quickly. We had response from several areas around us bringing their fire trucks to help put out the fire. Lakeside, Pinetop, Greer, Show Low, St Johns, Tucson Electric Power Plant sent out a fire unit and Alpine, and of course, Springerville and Eagar. Show Low had a water tower which was very helpful in putting out the fire as quickly as they did. Our school would have been completely gone if it had not been for them. It burned for quite awhile and completely gutted out the offices, freshman hall and special ed rooms. Unbelievably, the high tech center and library which flank these areas were untouched. Of course, there will be lots of smoke and water damage, but it is truly amazing with the reported temperatures of the building during the fire that more damage was not done.
Last night the school board met to discuss what possibilities they had for the upcoming school year. Lots of things were discussed, but nothing definitely decided. Mary was able to go through with the other school board members and some staff and do a walk through. She showed us lots of pictures of the school. I am sure we will be hearing more about what will be happening to the school soon. In the meantime, our little town has made it big time into the news once again. I am just so grateful that no one from here was hurt.
Tonight, many townspeople, and alumni are gathering for a memorial for those who lost their lives in this tragic event.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Christmas
Dec 28, 2009
We had to do things just a little different this year, due to all those who had to work on Christmas day. Lloyd was supposed to be on a graveyard shift starting Christmas Eve, Devon had to work at Denny's, also a graveyard shift and Chase had to work his usual 3p-9pm on Christmas and Saturday as well. Chase and Heather came up last Monday to spend some days with us, then also took Kylie and Paige back with them so that they would be in Safford on the real Christmas day, the 25th. It was very weird! Lloyd ended up not working on Christmas Eve because some guy at work that had no family really wanted the hours, so he stayed home that night and Christmas night. That was nice. So while Chase and Heather, Kylie, Paige, and Devon did Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at Chase's house, LLoyd, Jordyn, Brett, and I, went to Taylor to have Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Grandma and Grandpa Beek. Gayle, Robin, Karla and Dean were there as well, and that was nice too. Devon and the girls showed up on Saturday afternoon, and Chase and Heather and grandhamster, Nutmeg(nubbie) showed up on Sunday afternoon. So we had our Christmas this morning, after Lloyd got home from doing his last graveyard shift.
This was Heather's first year to do the Wilkins Christmas morning tradition, and she was looking forward to it. We had our usual apple and peach turnovers with chocolate milk, juice and eggnog in my room. All of us crowded in my room eating breakfast on my bed....don't ask me why that is so special, but the kids love it. Last night, Brett and Chase and Devon helped me put together some of the Santa gifts, but the rest I had to actually put out this morning because these kids can stay up way later than I can. But, I am a morning person and was able to put out everything before LLoyd got home. Heather was the first awake, and she went into my room and tried to get Paige to wake up. She was so excited. Devon had to be blindfolded and brought into my room so that he could not see the tree before the right time.
After we ate and cleaned up breakfast, each kid, oldest to youngest, was brought in blindfolded with their backs to the tree. On the very long and drawn out count of three, they were able to turn around and see the tree, and their Santa gifts that were left out. Dumping out the stockings and seeing what was left there is also done before opening presents. After each kid surveys what Santa brought them, they claim a spot where they can stack thier loot then dad hands out presents, one at a time while we watch everyone open their gifts. There wasn't a lot under the tree this year, but what they did get were excellent gifts, and I think that everyone was happy with their haul.
A new tradition, starting this year, was the Christmas hot wheels race off. In each persons stocking, was left a brand new hot wheels car, one that was hand chosen by Santa himself, a track was set up in the family room and LLoyd made brackets where everyone could race several times, until the the champion was discovered. Each person named their car, they are as follows:
1. Brett- snot rocket
2. Chase-Exhaustinator
3. Heather-Spatula (because she would "flip" all competition off the track
4. Devon- WWWT (short for "whoa, what was that")
5. Jordyn- Cruella Deville
6. Kylie- Green phantom
7.Paige-Scorpion
8. mom-Vi (short for Violet)
9. Dad- Skidmark
Paige's car, Scorpion, took the championship this year, and mom's car, Vi took ultimate loser. The plan is to make a traveling trophy that Paige can display all year, until a new champion is named next Christmas. It was fun!
We had to do things just a little different this year, due to all those who had to work on Christmas day. Lloyd was supposed to be on a graveyard shift starting Christmas Eve, Devon had to work at Denny's, also a graveyard shift and Chase had to work his usual 3p-9pm on Christmas and Saturday as well. Chase and Heather came up last Monday to spend some days with us, then also took Kylie and Paige back with them so that they would be in Safford on the real Christmas day, the 25th. It was very weird! Lloyd ended up not working on Christmas Eve because some guy at work that had no family really wanted the hours, so he stayed home that night and Christmas night. That was nice. So while Chase and Heather, Kylie, Paige, and Devon did Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at Chase's house, LLoyd, Jordyn, Brett, and I, went to Taylor to have Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Grandma and Grandpa Beek. Gayle, Robin, Karla and Dean were there as well, and that was nice too. Devon and the girls showed up on Saturday afternoon, and Chase and Heather and grandhamster, Nutmeg(nubbie) showed up on Sunday afternoon. So we had our Christmas this morning, after Lloyd got home from doing his last graveyard shift.
This was Heather's first year to do the Wilkins Christmas morning tradition, and she was looking forward to it. We had our usual apple and peach turnovers with chocolate milk, juice and eggnog in my room. All of us crowded in my room eating breakfast on my bed....don't ask me why that is so special, but the kids love it. Last night, Brett and Chase and Devon helped me put together some of the Santa gifts, but the rest I had to actually put out this morning because these kids can stay up way later than I can. But, I am a morning person and was able to put out everything before LLoyd got home. Heather was the first awake, and she went into my room and tried to get Paige to wake up. She was so excited. Devon had to be blindfolded and brought into my room so that he could not see the tree before the right time.
After we ate and cleaned up breakfast, each kid, oldest to youngest, was brought in blindfolded with their backs to the tree. On the very long and drawn out count of three, they were able to turn around and see the tree, and their Santa gifts that were left out. Dumping out the stockings and seeing what was left there is also done before opening presents. After each kid surveys what Santa brought them, they claim a spot where they can stack thier loot then dad hands out presents, one at a time while we watch everyone open their gifts. There wasn't a lot under the tree this year, but what they did get were excellent gifts, and I think that everyone was happy with their haul.
A new tradition, starting this year, was the Christmas hot wheels race off. In each persons stocking, was left a brand new hot wheels car, one that was hand chosen by Santa himself, a track was set up in the family room and LLoyd made brackets where everyone could race several times, until the the champion was discovered. Each person named their car, they are as follows:
1. Brett- snot rocket
2. Chase-Exhaustinator
3. Heather-Spatula (because she would "flip" all competition off the track
4. Devon- WWWT (short for "whoa, what was that")
5. Jordyn- Cruella Deville
6. Kylie- Green phantom
7.Paige-Scorpion
8. mom-Vi (short for Violet)
9. Dad- Skidmark
Paige's car, Scorpion, took the championship this year, and mom's car, Vi took ultimate loser. The plan is to make a traveling trophy that Paige can display all year, until a new champion is named next Christmas. It was fun!
Monday, December 21, 2009
The 2nd Annual Caroling with the Quinlans
Dec 21, 2009
The weather was perfect; Wintery, but not freezing. Actually, we are due for a storm, so it was actually warmer than usual, thank goodness! Chase does not work the first half of the week, so he and Heather came home for a few days to be with family for the Holidays, so the Quinlans and the Wilkins and Lori Monroe and Ronnie Morris, hit the streets of Springerville and Eagar and sang our hearts out. We visited seven families tonight, and sang almost every Christmas song in the church hymnal and others that were not. We sounded great! Mostly because we had half of the ward choir and several from the High School Madrigals. What a great combination. Afterwards we headed back to our house and had hot chocolate and pizza. Lloyd showed Ricky and Jessica his hot wheels collection and let them each pick out one to take home. We laughed, visited and ended the night watching Miracle on 32nd St. Loved it! Looking forward to next year!
The weather was perfect; Wintery, but not freezing. Actually, we are due for a storm, so it was actually warmer than usual, thank goodness! Chase does not work the first half of the week, so he and Heather came home for a few days to be with family for the Holidays, so the Quinlans and the Wilkins and Lori Monroe and Ronnie Morris, hit the streets of Springerville and Eagar and sang our hearts out. We visited seven families tonight, and sang almost every Christmas song in the church hymnal and others that were not. We sounded great! Mostly because we had half of the ward choir and several from the High School Madrigals. What a great combination. Afterwards we headed back to our house and had hot chocolate and pizza. Lloyd showed Ricky and Jessica his hot wheels collection and let them each pick out one to take home. We laughed, visited and ended the night watching Miracle on 32nd St. Loved it! Looking forward to next year!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
A great family tradition!
Dec 12, 2009
If there is one tradition that we all just absolutely love, it would have to be our Christmas Hotel Tradition. Every year, somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we find a weekend that we can do our Christmas shopping, and spend some real quality time together. This year, it began on December 19th, Thursday afternoon. Chase and Heather, and Devon drove up from Safford and met us in Show Low. Lloyd and I got there about 4:00pm and Brett followed the girls when they got out of school in case of icy roads. We stayed in the new Hampton Hotel built across the street from the movie theaters in Show Low. What a beautiful place. WE got 3 rooms, a queen standard for Chase and Heather, Brett and Devon stayed in another queen standard, and the rest of us stayed in a King Suite. All through out the weekend, everyone seemed to congregate in our suite, which I loved, and even thought there was a lot of us, there was plenty of room. Our first night there, we had a birthday dinner for Devon at his favorite fast food place, Taco Bell. Then we headed back to the hotel for Family Home Evening and Birthday celebrations. We enjoyed the exercise room and the inside swimming pool and whirlpool a lot.
The Wilkins Christmas Family Tradition
If there is one tradition that we all just absolutely love, it would have to be our Christmas Hotel Tradition. Every year, somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we find a weekend that we can do our Christmas shopping, and spend some real quality time together. This year, it began on December 19th, Thursday afternoon. Chase and Heather, and Devon drove up from Safford and met us in Show Low. Lloyd and I got there about 4:00pm and Brett followed the girls when they got out of school in case of icy roads. We stayed in the new Hampton Hotel built across the street from the movie theaters in Show Low. What a beautiful place. WE got 3 rooms, a queen standard for Chase and Heather, Brett and Devon stayed in another queen standard, and the rest of us stayed in a King Suite. All through out the weekend, everyone seemed to congregate in our suite, which I loved, and even thought there was a lot of us, there was plenty of room. Our first night there, we had a birthday dinner for Devon at his favorite fast food place, Taco Bell. Then we headed back to the hotel for Family Home Evening and Birthday celebrations. We enjoyed the exercise room and the inside swimming pool and whirlpool a lot.
On Friday morning, we had Karla come and take family photos of us in the Hotel lobby, and dining area. It's been a long time since we have been able to take family photos, and with a new member of the family, it was definitely time to have some new ones. We were able to go bowling, shopping, and watch movies. Fun Fun Fun! WE did have minor set back when we didn't realize that Paige's middle school play was that very same weekend. So a few of us went back to Round Valley to watch her perform, and then we headed back to the Hotel. We can always make do, one way or another. Paige was most excellent in her play, by the way...we have another actress in the family!
Thank goodness for our Christmas cans, which we have been in the habit of adding to all year long. For quite awhile now, we have sealed up an empty #10 can that we add to every day. Whenever we empty our pockets at the end of the day, all change and sometimes dollars goes into the can. WE save it till our hotel weekend and then use it to go Christmas shopping. Chase and Heather were able to save $450 this year, just by putting their change into a can. Lloyd and I knew that we would have to get more than one room this year because of our married son, and so we decided to put a 10 dollar bill into the can each payday. Between us, that is 6 paydays, or $60 a month. We were able to pay for the whole Hotel by doing this. What a wonderful blessing. All too soon, it was Saturday morning, check out time from the hotel. We didn't want it to end, but it was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Cant wait for next year!
Thank goodness for our Christmas cans, which we have been in the habit of adding to all year long. For quite awhile now, we have sealed up an empty #10 can that we add to every day. Whenever we empty our pockets at the end of the day, all change and sometimes dollars goes into the can. WE save it till our hotel weekend and then use it to go Christmas shopping. Chase and Heather were able to save $450 this year, just by putting their change into a can. Lloyd and I knew that we would have to get more than one room this year because of our married son, and so we decided to put a 10 dollar bill into the can each payday. Between us, that is 6 paydays, or $60 a month. We were able to pay for the whole Hotel by doing this. What a wonderful blessing. All too soon, it was Saturday morning, check out time from the hotel. We didn't want it to end, but it was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Cant wait for next year!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Thanksgiving in Safford!
We have been looking forward to this for quite awhile, a chance to get away from home and a chance to be with family. We were all going to be in Safford for Thanksgiving!
We picked up Paige early from school on Tuesday the 24th, and had Brett follow us to Alpine where we dropped off his truck. He would have to be back to work in Alpine by 10:30am on Thanksgiving morning to help with the Thanksgiving Day Buffet, so we would be able to drop him off as we came back in to town. It was a pleasant drive to Safford, Brett drove the Tundra the whole way, and dad who was supposed to sleep all the way there, ended up having a nice visit with Brett. Paige and I drove in the back seat and napped and listened to movies, etc. Jordyn and Kylie had to finish up at school and then drove down later in the Corolla.
As soon as we pulled into town, Chase and Heather, and LLoyd and I, and Brett and Devon went to the store to start some grocery shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner that would be held the next afternoon, Wednesday the 25th. Both Chase and Devon would have to work on Thursday, so we decided to move up our Thanksgiving dinner to Wednesday instead. We were at the check out counter when we got a call from the girls telling us that they were just pulling into town, so we met them back at Chase and Heather's house.
For dinner that night we had homemade skookie pizzas. We got to build our own and put whatever we wanted on them. There were 9 of us altogether and only 4 skookies, so it took quite awhile to get us all fed. It was a little wierd that night, Kylie had one of her terrible headaches, so Lloyd gave her one of his Tylenol with Codeine pills. I think it was a little much for her because she got real fuzzy real quick. It didnt start wearing off for several hours. I was getting just a little bit worried and thought that we might have to make a trip to the hospital, but it all worked out. Brett picked up a skookie frying pan that had just come out of the oven with his bare hands and burned his fingers pretty good. Chase tried rubbing real aloe vera plant on it, but it didnt help a whole lot. We watched a movie....GI Joe, for a little while and we played a little bit of Family Feud, till we were all just too tired to go on.
Kylie was acting a little bit strange, so we took her back to the Hotel with us, Brett was hurting from his burn, so he went home with Devon to stay the night over there, and Paige and Jordyn made some beds in the living room at Chase and Heather's house. We got to bed pretty late that night, but it was a relief to see that Kylie was coming out of her haze, and starting to get hungry, so we snacked a little at the Motel and watched a little tv before we went to bed.
About 2:20 in the morning, we get a call from Jordyn on her cell phone. She sounds very strange and she says, "you are not going to believe this, but our corolla has been hit" Chase then took the phone away from her, and explained to me what happened, which is this. A high school student, going just a little too fast down Chase's residential neighborhood, dropped his cell phone and bent down to pick it up. His wheel turned and he plowed into our Corolla that was parked perpendicular to Chase's house. Nobody on the block ever even heard the crash, but it must have been quite a crash because it spun our corolla 180 degrees, ramming it into a protective post for a gas main. Three inches to the right, and it would have hit the gas main. As the kid was coming up from picking up the cell phone, he hit his face on the steering wheel, but managed to just skid the next parked car, scratching up his bumper. The kid came out of the crash with a fat lip and nothing else, thank goodness, and called the police. The police actually woke everyone at Chase and Heather's house to find out if anyone there owned a silver corolla. As Chase was telling me about the crash on the phone, Lloyd who could not hear Chase talk but only heard my response was sure that the kids had been in an accident. We were both very relieved to hear that our kids were not in the car and did not cause an accident that night. I was actually quite calm through the whole thing and stayed at the Motel while Lloyd drove to Chase's house to talk with the police and take pictures of the accident. The cool thing is that the police officer told him that if our car had not been there, the kid would have hit a tree that was close to our car, and that he would have been killed for sure. Feels like we may have, to a small degree, helped in a blessing that night. There was parts of the car and contents of the car all over the yard, Jordyn's civic book and notebook were scrunched, but everyone kept their sense of humor in tact, in fact, the high school student who crashed, couldnt believe that we were not mad and screaming at him.
The next day, instead of going off to play at the hot springs as was planned, we waited for the tow truck to come, and started calling insurance companies. We were told that the corolla was totalled, so insurance companies were informed. It was a little chilly that morning, so I guess going to the hot springs wouldnt have been a good idea anyway, so instead we got a turkey ready for cooking, and made the green bean casserole, etc. When things settled down just a little, we decided to go to the park and play and have a pic nic lunch. We played "golf" and had a little tournament going on...Heather and I whaled on on everybody. We were undefeated! We had Jason Metzger with us, while Alice went to school that day, so we had fun playing with him on the park toys. While we were at the park, Jordyn had texted her friend Danae Turley, and we found out that she would be alone for Thanksgiving, all of her family would be elsewhere, so we talked her into driving to Safford and joining us for our Thanksgiving dinner. So she quickly got on the road. Her coming also meant that the girls would have a ride home to Springerville the next day without crowding us out in the pick up. It was a great blessing to have her come. When we got a little tired of the park, we decided to go to the Motel and play in the swimming pool while LLoyd and Jason took a nap in our Motel room. Alice joined us there, and when it was time, we headed back to Chase and Heather's to have our Thanksgiving dinner. We cleared out the coffee table, and set up a very large table in the middle of C&H's family room. Not only was our 9 there, but we had Alice and Jason, Danae made it just in time to have dinner with us and 4 of Heather's siblings joined us at the table. That made 16 people all together. That was a blast, and not that hard to put together, thanks to the help that Tiffany and Ambria Quinlan gave Heather and I in the kitchen, and the help that Josh gave the others in getting the table set up. We went pretty casual with store bought pies, and rolls, canned up potatoes, etc. It was very simple but fun and delicious!
After dinner, we cleaned up quickly, the table was put back, food was put away and the most wonderful part was that the boys...Chase, Devon and Brett did the dishes. The girls all went in to C&H's room and talked on the bed, and LLoyd and I took Heather to Wal Mart to get some Christmas decorations for their house. It was dark when we got home, dishes done, and we were able to decorate the outside of the Safford Wilkins home. It wasnt hard at all, and it helped to get us all in a festive mood. We had fun playing another game of Family Feud before we retired to bed. This time, Paige spent the night with us in the Hotel, and Kylie, Jordyn and Danae stayed at Chase and Heather's.
The next morning, we had to be on the road by 7:30 in order to get Brett back to his job in Alpine. The girls stayed a few more hours and then packed up to come home. I was so glad that the stress part of Thanksgiving dinner was over for us, and we visited with Grandpa Wilkins in Alpine before we headed home to Springerville. We relaxed at home, bought our own "leftovers" and watched movies till the girls made it home with Danae.
About 2:00 that afternoon, we headed to Taylor to visit with my family. The Simon family had come for Thanksgiving at Grandma Beeks, and Pearl was up visiting with Dean and Karla, and Gayle and Robin had come. We were all there to visit for a few hours. We laughed, took pictures, and ate lots of pie and left overs. It was nice!
I am so Thankful for my family, immediate and extended, and I was so glad to spend a little bit of time with all of them. I am so thankful that our kids were not hurt in an accident, and I am glad that we could all make it home ok. What a great few days to be with family and be thankful.
We picked up Paige early from school on Tuesday the 24th, and had Brett follow us to Alpine where we dropped off his truck. He would have to be back to work in Alpine by 10:30am on Thanksgiving morning to help with the Thanksgiving Day Buffet, so we would be able to drop him off as we came back in to town. It was a pleasant drive to Safford, Brett drove the Tundra the whole way, and dad who was supposed to sleep all the way there, ended up having a nice visit with Brett. Paige and I drove in the back seat and napped and listened to movies, etc. Jordyn and Kylie had to finish up at school and then drove down later in the Corolla.
As soon as we pulled into town, Chase and Heather, and LLoyd and I, and Brett and Devon went to the store to start some grocery shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner that would be held the next afternoon, Wednesday the 25th. Both Chase and Devon would have to work on Thursday, so we decided to move up our Thanksgiving dinner to Wednesday instead. We were at the check out counter when we got a call from the girls telling us that they were just pulling into town, so we met them back at Chase and Heather's house.
For dinner that night we had homemade skookie pizzas. We got to build our own and put whatever we wanted on them. There were 9 of us altogether and only 4 skookies, so it took quite awhile to get us all fed. It was a little wierd that night, Kylie had one of her terrible headaches, so Lloyd gave her one of his Tylenol with Codeine pills. I think it was a little much for her because she got real fuzzy real quick. It didnt start wearing off for several hours. I was getting just a little bit worried and thought that we might have to make a trip to the hospital, but it all worked out. Brett picked up a skookie frying pan that had just come out of the oven with his bare hands and burned his fingers pretty good. Chase tried rubbing real aloe vera plant on it, but it didnt help a whole lot. We watched a movie....GI Joe, for a little while and we played a little bit of Family Feud, till we were all just too tired to go on.
Kylie was acting a little bit strange, so we took her back to the Hotel with us, Brett was hurting from his burn, so he went home with Devon to stay the night over there, and Paige and Jordyn made some beds in the living room at Chase and Heather's house. We got to bed pretty late that night, but it was a relief to see that Kylie was coming out of her haze, and starting to get hungry, so we snacked a little at the Motel and watched a little tv before we went to bed.
About 2:20 in the morning, we get a call from Jordyn on her cell phone. She sounds very strange and she says, "you are not going to believe this, but our corolla has been hit" Chase then took the phone away from her, and explained to me what happened, which is this. A high school student, going just a little too fast down Chase's residential neighborhood, dropped his cell phone and bent down to pick it up. His wheel turned and he plowed into our Corolla that was parked perpendicular to Chase's house. Nobody on the block ever even heard the crash, but it must have been quite a crash because it spun our corolla 180 degrees, ramming it into a protective post for a gas main. Three inches to the right, and it would have hit the gas main. As the kid was coming up from picking up the cell phone, he hit his face on the steering wheel, but managed to just skid the next parked car, scratching up his bumper. The kid came out of the crash with a fat lip and nothing else, thank goodness, and called the police. The police actually woke everyone at Chase and Heather's house to find out if anyone there owned a silver corolla. As Chase was telling me about the crash on the phone, Lloyd who could not hear Chase talk but only heard my response was sure that the kids had been in an accident. We were both very relieved to hear that our kids were not in the car and did not cause an accident that night. I was actually quite calm through the whole thing and stayed at the Motel while Lloyd drove to Chase's house to talk with the police and take pictures of the accident. The cool thing is that the police officer told him that if our car had not been there, the kid would have hit a tree that was close to our car, and that he would have been killed for sure. Feels like we may have, to a small degree, helped in a blessing that night. There was parts of the car and contents of the car all over the yard, Jordyn's civic book and notebook were scrunched, but everyone kept their sense of humor in tact, in fact, the high school student who crashed, couldnt believe that we were not mad and screaming at him.
The next day, instead of going off to play at the hot springs as was planned, we waited for the tow truck to come, and started calling insurance companies. We were told that the corolla was totalled, so insurance companies were informed. It was a little chilly that morning, so I guess going to the hot springs wouldnt have been a good idea anyway, so instead we got a turkey ready for cooking, and made the green bean casserole, etc. When things settled down just a little, we decided to go to the park and play and have a pic nic lunch. We played "golf" and had a little tournament going on...Heather and I whaled on on everybody. We were undefeated! We had Jason Metzger with us, while Alice went to school that day, so we had fun playing with him on the park toys. While we were at the park, Jordyn had texted her friend Danae Turley, and we found out that she would be alone for Thanksgiving, all of her family would be elsewhere, so we talked her into driving to Safford and joining us for our Thanksgiving dinner. So she quickly got on the road. Her coming also meant that the girls would have a ride home to Springerville the next day without crowding us out in the pick up. It was a great blessing to have her come. When we got a little tired of the park, we decided to go to the Motel and play in the swimming pool while LLoyd and Jason took a nap in our Motel room. Alice joined us there, and when it was time, we headed back to Chase and Heather's to have our Thanksgiving dinner. We cleared out the coffee table, and set up a very large table in the middle of C&H's family room. Not only was our 9 there, but we had Alice and Jason, Danae made it just in time to have dinner with us and 4 of Heather's siblings joined us at the table. That made 16 people all together. That was a blast, and not that hard to put together, thanks to the help that Tiffany and Ambria Quinlan gave Heather and I in the kitchen, and the help that Josh gave the others in getting the table set up. We went pretty casual with store bought pies, and rolls, canned up potatoes, etc. It was very simple but fun and delicious!
After dinner, we cleaned up quickly, the table was put back, food was put away and the most wonderful part was that the boys...Chase, Devon and Brett did the dishes. The girls all went in to C&H's room and talked on the bed, and LLoyd and I took Heather to Wal Mart to get some Christmas decorations for their house. It was dark when we got home, dishes done, and we were able to decorate the outside of the Safford Wilkins home. It wasnt hard at all, and it helped to get us all in a festive mood. We had fun playing another game of Family Feud before we retired to bed. This time, Paige spent the night with us in the Hotel, and Kylie, Jordyn and Danae stayed at Chase and Heather's.
The next morning, we had to be on the road by 7:30 in order to get Brett back to his job in Alpine. The girls stayed a few more hours and then packed up to come home. I was so glad that the stress part of Thanksgiving dinner was over for us, and we visited with Grandpa Wilkins in Alpine before we headed home to Springerville. We relaxed at home, bought our own "leftovers" and watched movies till the girls made it home with Danae.
About 2:00 that afternoon, we headed to Taylor to visit with my family. The Simon family had come for Thanksgiving at Grandma Beeks, and Pearl was up visiting with Dean and Karla, and Gayle and Robin had come. We were all there to visit for a few hours. We laughed, took pictures, and ate lots of pie and left overs. It was nice!
I am so Thankful for my family, immediate and extended, and I was so glad to spend a little bit of time with all of them. I am so thankful that our kids were not hurt in an accident, and I am glad that we could all make it home ok. What a great few days to be with family and be thankful.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
This is how we roll
Oct 15, 2009
Our lives keep changing so fast, and half of it we wont remember as we reflect back because it might be a brief moment. I thought that maybe I would tell about each one of us and what we do these days to keep us busy. Each of us do our own thing, but the thing we do helps to define us.
Lloyd works at a Tucson Electric Power. He has worked there for twenty three years. His current position is that of Control room Operator. He sits in a control room, watching guages and computers that tell him what is going wrong in the plant. For the most part, all is quiet until something starts to go wrong, and then he has major stress until things are set right again. He is responsible for keeping fluid levels just right, temperatures just right, and keeping the unit from going down. He has the authority to tell others what to do all around the plant. He is the brains, while others are the mechanics. Its hard for him to be in a control room all day. He would rather be out and about to help the time go more quickly, but he is good at what he does, and enjoys the people he works with.
On the side, LLoyd also runs on the local ambulance as an EMT and even holds the office of *********. He works usually one 12 hour shift a week. If he can manage it in and around his shift work at the power plant. Its a hard job to have now that he has to be at the ambulance barn while on shift. He used to be able to go on about his life as usual unless he has a been called out. Since the new ambo barn has been built however, he needs to be closer to the ambos to make sure he has a quicker response. Lloyd talks of retiring sometimes, but I know that his love to help others keeps him from doing it for now. There is something satisfying about being able to help someone in need. And the fact that he can alert ward officials when it is someone he knows, is a great benefit.
LLoyd is the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric, serving under Bishop Fred Martin, and with 2nd counselor, Scott Poche. Needless to say, there are many responsiblities that falls under this title, and the calling keeps him hopping. What a great opportunity he has to learn more about the way the Lord wants His church to be run. And the opportunities he has to serve are limitless. He dearly loves the Bishop and Scott for their love and willingness to maintain the Springerville Ward in the bounds the Lord has set.
Lisa works a couple of days a week at the Eagar Post Office. She delivers mail in Greer and Eagar, rain, snow or sun. This his her 10th year to work there and is very grateful to have the job. She is also very grateful that she only does it a couple of days a week. She is getting quite good at knowing addresses, and the people who live there. Whenever LLoyd gets a call to run on the ambulance to an address she knows, she can help LLoyd to know where it is located.
On Wednesday afternoons, Lisa also works at the local Curves as a fitness Tech. She likes this because she can mingle with women in the town, and keep up on her fitness.
When she doesnt work, Lisa enjoys keeping up with her homemaker responsibilites, even though she feels like she is always behind. It is good to clean and make meals for her family, and be around to run with LLoyd when he is not working.
In the past year, Lisa has been in several diffrent callings (2nd counselor in the RS, Enrichment leader) but is currently serving as Cubmaster for the ward Cub Scouts in Pack 85. What a fun position this is, like having a party every month. She has good leaders to help her, and loves the 7 boys that are in her Pack.
Brett has been working for the Alpine Grill..AKA, The Lollipop Shop. He started working there as an apprentice to be a cook, but even though he still gets a little practice in that area, he mostly runs the candy shop making fudge and keeping the store stocked with all kinds of goodies. You will see him selling in the candy shop, mopping and doing dishes and helping out in the kitchen when needed. Brett seems to like this job, and the people he works for, as this is the longest he has held a job in quite a while. Its quite a little drive for him, but somehow he finds a way, even when his little s-10 pickup cant make it. (he has had lots of problems with his truck this past year)
Brett was able to live at his friend's ranch during the summer, and works at the dude Ranch washing dishes to earn his keep. The name of the Dude Ranch is ******* and it is an enjoyable place to be. Right now, Brett lives other friends, renting a room to help them pay the rent. He has enjoyed hunting this year, and was able to kill a dear, his first using a bow.
Chase and Heather are both students in the nursing program at Eastern ARizona College. The two were married this past year, and as newly weds, have enjoyed making a life together. They have a very cute little apartment, and keep busy with their schooling, jobs and entertaining other young married couples.
Currently, Chase has a job at the Blakes foundation, working with mentally disabled people in a home. For a long while after he got married, he worked the graveyard shift always, never being able to be with the patrons....got their after they went to bed and left before they got up. He did mostly paper work and preparation for the following day. Recently, however, he was able to go on the afternoon shift, and now gets to directly work with the patarons. This is where Chase shines. He is a very patient man, soft spoken and likes to have fun. He loves these people and it shows in the way he cares for them. REcently, he and Heather were able to help in the Special Olympics that his patrons participated in. They both loved the experience.
Heather works in the school library, and diffrent hours during the week. This helps to participate in the Fasfa program that is an aid for the both of them to go to school. Most of Heathers time however, is in her 3rd year of schooling as she continues to work for her LPN. Heather has had trianing working in a care center as a CNA, and is contemplating taking a semester off to work, and make sure that nursing is what she wants to do.
Devon started the semester taking an English Credit, at Eastern Arizona, but work hours were scarce for him and he could not keep up financially unless he took on more work hours. He currently works at both the Arby's in Safford and the Dennys as well. Many times he has had to work both jobs back to back, and all through the night hours. He had to drop his credit, but is able to pay his bills. Devon doesnt complain much though, and so he takes life as it comes and doing the best he can. Its starting to pay off for him now, and I know that what he has learned aboaut the real world, is just as valuable as what he would have learned in the dropped English class.
Devon has a goal to resubmit for a mission, come next May. IT has been a very long, hard road for him getting past the last mission call to Scotland. It hurt a lot to have to give that up.. but his working towards his new goal has been invaluable and will make him a better missionary. He has more conviction now and more committment. We stand behind him and support him as he continues on this path.
Jordyn is a Senior in High School, what a year for her. She gave up Basketball her senior year, but she has found peace of mind and starting to find her confidence again. A new talent has presented itself this past year, and that would be drawing. Jordyn has experimented in diffrent areas of art, her favorite being pencil drawing at present. She does quite well and her art teacher displays most everything she turns in for a grade. She has had her art hanging in the school arts autitorium and other art galleries. Mrs. Aldrich is currently trying to help her get a scholarship for her art work so that she can continue her education in that area. Jordyn has had a hard year for the fact that she has had some emotional issues to learn to deal with. Things arent totally straightened out yet, but we will keep working towards that. She attributes her successes to a very good friend, Denae Turley that has become one of the family as far aswe are concerned. Jordyn spends lots of time with Denae and she helps to give her the confidence she lacks. Thank goodness for good friends.
School has been fairly easy for her as she only has one core class this semester and will only have one next semester. She will then have all credits necessary to graduate.
Being a senior, she has put in lots of thought towards what she wants to be when she "grows up", and even though she has no clear paths to follow, she knows what she has to do find that path. Right now, Jordyn works for Safeway, as a cashier. We get reports from other workers there that she is very good at what she does, and a pleasure to work with. She also is taking a correspondent course in Medical Transcripting that will help to support her as she goes to college. As of now, that college has not been chosen, but she definitely wants to continue her education....whether that be in school, or the real world.
Kylie has her fingers in several pies as well. She keeps busy at school with the ambassodor choir. Kylie has many musical talents, and loves to share them. Right now her choir is preparing for the annual Madrigal Dinner, and also raising money for tour that will come in the Spring. This year they will be going on a cruise for tour.
Kylie works at the Dairy Queen. She loves to associate with people and is really quite a people person. She loves to hang out with her friends, and have fun. Most of her sentences lately begin with the phrase.."mom, it was so funny....." She is definitely a fun loving person.
Paige is now in the 7th grade, and loves to be in the music program as well. This semester she is taking a steel drums class and a piano class. She is doing very well in these classes and in her academic classes as well. In her last parent/teacher conferences, each teacher told her mom what a great student she was. Grades are A's and she is well behaved. What mother doesnt want to hear that?
Paige is currently working on her part in the school play. Drama is a love for her, and she also looks forward to trying out for the 7th grade basketball team.
Our lives keep changing so fast, and half of it we wont remember as we reflect back because it might be a brief moment. I thought that maybe I would tell about each one of us and what we do these days to keep us busy. Each of us do our own thing, but the thing we do helps to define us.
Lloyd works at a Tucson Electric Power. He has worked there for twenty three years. His current position is that of Control room Operator. He sits in a control room, watching guages and computers that tell him what is going wrong in the plant. For the most part, all is quiet until something starts to go wrong, and then he has major stress until things are set right again. He is responsible for keeping fluid levels just right, temperatures just right, and keeping the unit from going down. He has the authority to tell others what to do all around the plant. He is the brains, while others are the mechanics. Its hard for him to be in a control room all day. He would rather be out and about to help the time go more quickly, but he is good at what he does, and enjoys the people he works with.
On the side, LLoyd also runs on the local ambulance as an EMT and even holds the office of *********. He works usually one 12 hour shift a week. If he can manage it in and around his shift work at the power plant. Its a hard job to have now that he has to be at the ambulance barn while on shift. He used to be able to go on about his life as usual unless he has a been called out. Since the new ambo barn has been built however, he needs to be closer to the ambos to make sure he has a quicker response. Lloyd talks of retiring sometimes, but I know that his love to help others keeps him from doing it for now. There is something satisfying about being able to help someone in need. And the fact that he can alert ward officials when it is someone he knows, is a great benefit.
LLoyd is the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric, serving under Bishop Fred Martin, and with 2nd counselor, Scott Poche. Needless to say, there are many responsiblities that falls under this title, and the calling keeps him hopping. What a great opportunity he has to learn more about the way the Lord wants His church to be run. And the opportunities he has to serve are limitless. He dearly loves the Bishop and Scott for their love and willingness to maintain the Springerville Ward in the bounds the Lord has set.
Lisa works a couple of days a week at the Eagar Post Office. She delivers mail in Greer and Eagar, rain, snow or sun. This his her 10th year to work there and is very grateful to have the job. She is also very grateful that she only does it a couple of days a week. She is getting quite good at knowing addresses, and the people who live there. Whenever LLoyd gets a call to run on the ambulance to an address she knows, she can help LLoyd to know where it is located.
On Wednesday afternoons, Lisa also works at the local Curves as a fitness Tech. She likes this because she can mingle with women in the town, and keep up on her fitness.
When she doesnt work, Lisa enjoys keeping up with her homemaker responsibilites, even though she feels like she is always behind. It is good to clean and make meals for her family, and be around to run with LLoyd when he is not working.
In the past year, Lisa has been in several diffrent callings (2nd counselor in the RS, Enrichment leader) but is currently serving as Cubmaster for the ward Cub Scouts in Pack 85. What a fun position this is, like having a party every month. She has good leaders to help her, and loves the 7 boys that are in her Pack.
Brett has been working for the Alpine Grill..AKA, The Lollipop Shop. He started working there as an apprentice to be a cook, but even though he still gets a little practice in that area, he mostly runs the candy shop making fudge and keeping the store stocked with all kinds of goodies. You will see him selling in the candy shop, mopping and doing dishes and helping out in the kitchen when needed. Brett seems to like this job, and the people he works for, as this is the longest he has held a job in quite a while. Its quite a little drive for him, but somehow he finds a way, even when his little s-10 pickup cant make it. (he has had lots of problems with his truck this past year)
Brett was able to live at his friend's ranch during the summer, and works at the dude Ranch washing dishes to earn his keep. The name of the Dude Ranch is ******* and it is an enjoyable place to be. Right now, Brett lives other friends, renting a room to help them pay the rent. He has enjoyed hunting this year, and was able to kill a dear, his first using a bow.
Chase and Heather are both students in the nursing program at Eastern ARizona College. The two were married this past year, and as newly weds, have enjoyed making a life together. They have a very cute little apartment, and keep busy with their schooling, jobs and entertaining other young married couples.
Currently, Chase has a job at the Blakes foundation, working with mentally disabled people in a home. For a long while after he got married, he worked the graveyard shift always, never being able to be with the patrons....got their after they went to bed and left before they got up. He did mostly paper work and preparation for the following day. Recently, however, he was able to go on the afternoon shift, and now gets to directly work with the patarons. This is where Chase shines. He is a very patient man, soft spoken and likes to have fun. He loves these people and it shows in the way he cares for them. REcently, he and Heather were able to help in the Special Olympics that his patrons participated in. They both loved the experience.
Heather works in the school library, and diffrent hours during the week. This helps to participate in the Fasfa program that is an aid for the both of them to go to school. Most of Heathers time however, is in her 3rd year of schooling as she continues to work for her LPN. Heather has had trianing working in a care center as a CNA, and is contemplating taking a semester off to work, and make sure that nursing is what she wants to do.
Devon started the semester taking an English Credit, at Eastern Arizona, but work hours were scarce for him and he could not keep up financially unless he took on more work hours. He currently works at both the Arby's in Safford and the Dennys as well. Many times he has had to work both jobs back to back, and all through the night hours. He had to drop his credit, but is able to pay his bills. Devon doesnt complain much though, and so he takes life as it comes and doing the best he can. Its starting to pay off for him now, and I know that what he has learned aboaut the real world, is just as valuable as what he would have learned in the dropped English class.
Devon has a goal to resubmit for a mission, come next May. IT has been a very long, hard road for him getting past the last mission call to Scotland. It hurt a lot to have to give that up.. but his working towards his new goal has been invaluable and will make him a better missionary. He has more conviction now and more committment. We stand behind him and support him as he continues on this path.
Jordyn is a Senior in High School, what a year for her. She gave up Basketball her senior year, but she has found peace of mind and starting to find her confidence again. A new talent has presented itself this past year, and that would be drawing. Jordyn has experimented in diffrent areas of art, her favorite being pencil drawing at present. She does quite well and her art teacher displays most everything she turns in for a grade. She has had her art hanging in the school arts autitorium and other art galleries. Mrs. Aldrich is currently trying to help her get a scholarship for her art work so that she can continue her education in that area. Jordyn has had a hard year for the fact that she has had some emotional issues to learn to deal with. Things arent totally straightened out yet, but we will keep working towards that. She attributes her successes to a very good friend, Denae Turley that has become one of the family as far aswe are concerned. Jordyn spends lots of time with Denae and she helps to give her the confidence she lacks. Thank goodness for good friends.
School has been fairly easy for her as she only has one core class this semester and will only have one next semester. She will then have all credits necessary to graduate.
Being a senior, she has put in lots of thought towards what she wants to be when she "grows up", and even though she has no clear paths to follow, she knows what she has to do find that path. Right now, Jordyn works for Safeway, as a cashier. We get reports from other workers there that she is very good at what she does, and a pleasure to work with. She also is taking a correspondent course in Medical Transcripting that will help to support her as she goes to college. As of now, that college has not been chosen, but she definitely wants to continue her education....whether that be in school, or the real world.
Kylie has her fingers in several pies as well. She keeps busy at school with the ambassodor choir. Kylie has many musical talents, and loves to share them. Right now her choir is preparing for the annual Madrigal Dinner, and also raising money for tour that will come in the Spring. This year they will be going on a cruise for tour.
Kylie works at the Dairy Queen. She loves to associate with people and is really quite a people person. She loves to hang out with her friends, and have fun. Most of her sentences lately begin with the phrase.."mom, it was so funny....." She is definitely a fun loving person.
Paige is now in the 7th grade, and loves to be in the music program as well. This semester she is taking a steel drums class and a piano class. She is doing very well in these classes and in her academic classes as well. In her last parent/teacher conferences, each teacher told her mom what a great student she was. Grades are A's and she is well behaved. What mother doesnt want to hear that?
Paige is currently working on her part in the school play. Drama is a love for her, and she also looks forward to trying out for the 7th grade basketball team.
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