Copy Cat

Because daughter number 2 copied Timber, I decided to copy Timber too. So here are the answers Ken gave to the questions.

1. What is something I always say to you?
**I'm gonna have to hurt you.

2. What makes me happy?
**Grandchildren and a clean house and massaged feet.

3. What makes me sad?
**Having grandkids on the other side of the country.

4. What do I do that makes you laugh?
**(Hmm--pause--pause) Well, taking my picture doesn't do it. (I can never get him to smile for a picture). Reading me humor out of Reader's Digest.

5. What was I like as a child?
**Perfect

6. How old am I?
**(I thought for sure he would say 39--again). 57

7. How tall am I?
**5'7"

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
**Read my children's blogs. Read to grandchildren. Eat out.

9. What do I do when you're not around?
**Get things done without distractions.

10. What am I really good at?
**Anything I choose. Falling asleep fast.

11. What am I not good at?
**Understanding those who can't fall asleep when they are tired. It boggles your mind.

12. What is my job?
**Which one? Mother, wife, grandmother, lactation consultant, nutrition teacher.

13. What is my favorite food?
**Eating vegetables at Golden Corral (then after a pause) Ice cream. (Believe it or not, I like ice cream better than the vegetables).

14. What makes you proud of me?
**You got a master's degree and you have stuck with me for 33 years.

15. What do you and I do together?
**Eat out and go to a movie and run errands.

16. How are you and I the same?
**We are both LDS, we live at the same address, we have the same kids and grandkids. Everything else is different.

17. How are you and I different?
**You name it--we sleep differently, we think differently, we perceive things differently.

Swamp coolers

Every summer it seems the same. We start out the summer with the swamp cooler working, then after what seems like just a few weeks, it is only blowing warm air. This year we had someone from Kearsly come and "summerize" the cooler so that it would work all summer. No such luck. It still hasn't been working. And of course it stops working in the hottest months. today Ken and I both went up on the roof (yes, I actually climbed up a ladder and got on the roof of our house with no hand rail). We took everything apart. Water runs through the spider arms, through the tube that goes from the pump to the spider arms, and the pump runs. The water in the cooler was the yuckiest looking stuff you ever saw. Ken cleaned out the water and put some clorox in the bottom of the cooler. He said some kind of fungus was making the water look orange. We cleaned the screen around the bottom of the pump. Then Ken put it all back together. It should blow cool air now right? Nope, it is still blowing warm air. I give up. I really want central air now.

Great Garden

Our garden is doing GREAT. I'll have to take some pictures of how it looks now. I'll attach some pics of it earlier in the spring. Our broccoli and cauliflower have come and gone. Zucchini is starting to bear fruit now. We had some great Romain Lettuce in the Spring. Our tomatoes are growing like crazy, but they aren't ripening yet. Our raspberries are starting to ripen. However some of the vines look sick. Ken took a sample to Valley Nursery and they said it needs iron. Small apples are starting to fall all over the lawn. I raked up a bunch today. And finally, our apricots are starting to look orange.

Paradise

During Alex's funeral, two people quoted this scripture saying that they believe Alex is in paradise: Alma 40:11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

Joseph Smith spoke on the occasion of the death of Elder King Follett about death. He said:

“… I know that my testimony is true; hence, when I talk to these mourners, what have they lost? Their relatives and friends are only separated from their bodies for a short season: their spirits which existed with God have left the tabernacle of clay only for a little moment, as it were; and they now exist in a place where they converse together the same as we do on the earth. …

“… What have we to console us in relation to the dead? We have reason to have the greatest hope and consolation for our dead of any people on the earth; for we have seen them walk worthily in our midst, and seen them sink asleep in the arms of Jesus. …

“You mourners have occasion to rejoice, speaking of the death of Elder King Follett; for your husband and father is gone to wait until the resurrection of the dead—until the perfection of the remainder; for at the resurrection your friend will rise in perfect felicity and go to celestial glory. …

“I am authorized to say, by the authority of the Holy Ghost, that you have no occasion to fear; for he is gone to the home of the just. Don’t mourn, don’t weep. I know it by the testimony of the Holy Ghost that is within me; and you may wait for your friends to come forth to meet you in the morn of the celestial world. …

“I have a father, brothers, children, and friends who have gone to a world of spirits. They are only absent for a moment. They are in the spirit, and we shall soon meet again. The time will soon arrive when the trumpet shall sound. When we depart, we shall hail our mothers, fathers, friends, and all whom we love, who have fallen asleep in Jesus. There will be no fear of mobs, persecutions, or malicious lawsuits and arrests; but it will be an eternity of felicity.”3

“Would you think it strange if I relate what I have seen in vision in relation to this interesting theme? Those who have died in Jesus Christ may expect to enter into all that fruition of joy when they come forth, which they possessed or anticipated here.


I am so thankful for the gospel and the knowledge it gives us of our purpose in life. Although Alex died at a young age, I know that he still lives in another realm and that he has work there to do and that we will see him again and have joy in that reunion.

Alex's Obituary

Alex Lynn Soderborg 9/15/1983 ~ 7/9/2008 Beloved son and brother, passed away in an auto accident late Wednesday, while riding his motorcycle.Served an LDS Mission to Mexico, Guadalajara from April 2003 to April 2005. He returned with Honor. Alex loved being of service to others. He will be missed by all who knew him. Survived by his parents, Lee and Karen Soderborg, his siblings, Pam and Joel Willis, his twin Brian, Olivia, Connie, Cody and Brittney, his favorite niece Emily, and numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma, other extended family and friends. Viewing Monday July 14th from 6-8 p.m. at the Broomhead Funeral Home, 12600 So. 2200 W. in Riverton. Funeral at the LDS Chapel, 2976 W. 4270 S. in West Valley City at 11 a.m. on Tuesday the 15th with viewing an hour before the service. Donations may be made to the Alex Soderborg Memorial Account at America First Credit Union. Online condolences: www.broomheadfuneralhome.com
Published in the Deseret News on 7/13/2008

We Love You Alex

My nephew, Alex, died in a motorcycle/automobile crash late Wednesday night. He was only 24 years old. My thoughts have been swimming since my brother called Thursday morning to tell me. I don't have a knack with words to say exactly how I feel, but I want to say how sad I am at losing his companionship here on earth. He is a delightful young man. His face tends to light up when he sees you. After talking to my brother, I went to notify my 2 daughters who live nearby. The first name in my phone address list was Alex. He had put it there for me just recently when we were in Las Vegas for his brother's wedding. He said we could call him if we got lost on our way to the wedding brunch. Most of the pictures I have of him are probably him with his twin brother. But I want to post them as a tribute to him.
Alex, we will miss you. I know you are probably delighted to be where you are now. I know you were a good missionary in Mexico here on earth, and I know you will be a wonderful missionary where you are now. Say hello to my mom and dad for me. I miss them too.

American Mother's Inc.

I recently read about a luncheon and lecture that would be taking place at Maddox in Perry. It was sponsored by American Mother's Inc. I hadn't heard of this organization before, but I knew that Maddox served good food, and it sounded interesting, so I asked a friend to go with me. It was really quite interesting. Here is their pledge:
To ask God's help as a parent in today's world...
To encourage honesty, integrity, patriotism, and the application of moral values in every area of American life beginning in my own home...
To enhance the spiritual foundation of my home by precept and example...
To love, nurture, and educate my children, remembering the power and influence of a joyful home...
To seek opportunities to strengthen my family by working, playing, serving, and praying together...
To foster personal responsibility and respect in my home and community...
To serve my family and community through personal development as an individual, parent, and citizen...
To support and promote positive programs for children and families...
To wage a vigorous campaign against abuse and violence in all its forms...
To remember that with God, all things are possible.

Sounds like quite an organization doesn't it.

The Art Festival

We went to the Salt Lake City Art Festival on June 28th. We had originally planned to go to Thanksgiving Point to celebrate Ken's 60th birthday, but Ken didn't sleep well the night before, so we didn't get an early start and it was going to be hot, so we didn't want to travel as far. Daughter number 1, daughter number 2 and her husband came with us. It actually turned out to be quite a fun day. They had some beautiful works of art. They had paintings, sculptures, pottery, works of iron, jewelry, woodwork--well just about anything you could imagine. Of course they had signs that said "don't take photos of my photos" etc, so I didn't take pictures, but we did enjoy seeing other people's artwork. Ken traded for a large spider-looking sculpture to go in the garden.
After the art festival, we took everyone to dinner at Chuck-a-Rama. We always like the variety so that everyone can choose what they want to eat.
Then Ken decided there were a couple of more places at the art festival he wanted to try and trade with, so we let him go back to the festival, and the rest of us went to a park just east of the Conference Center. We got some nice close-up pictures of some of the flowers they had there. Then Cari and I went to the City Creek park across the street and cooled our feet in the stream. All in all it was a very nice day.

Time for an update

I have been told that it is time to update my blog--again.
We have some beautiful flowers in our garden this year. It is fun just to take a walk in the yard.