Bill and San

Another "New" Year

2012-01-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

What am I going to do differently this year? What am I going to be better at? What can I do to improve my quality of life? How do I get motivated to make change? Do I want to make changes for me or someone else? Who is it that I want to please? So much to do and too little motivation. So, I'll start very simple: I will make someone else smile every day - only after I have found something to smile about. Can I do this daily for one year!?! Yup, I can do it. That was easy. You know what makes it so easy? I am married to a wonderful man that makes me smile every morning when I wake up - now the 2nd part is simple - smiles are contagious - you are smiling already. Just look at the picture of "my kids" and that would make anyone smile - they are so wonderful!

Our September Road Trip

2011-10-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

Finally - we made it to Nauvoo. We traveled through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and back home to Utah. The picture to the right is the Orphanage my father spent time in in his youth. We saw many historical sights, cornfields, met many interesting people, ate at the world's largest McDonalds, visited Lewis and Clark sights, visited four temples, spent two days in Old Nauvoo, went through the St. Louis Arch, visited grave yards, etc. It was a wonderful trip - approximately 4000 miles. We are so fortunate to be able to travel like this within the United States. This is a wonderful country and we should travel to see more of it - keeping our tourism money home!

What Is "Old Fashioned"?

2011-06-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I was babysitting for one of my children and I decided to make some cookies. I searched and searched and could not find the flour or sugar. So I bagged that idea. A few days later I was mentioning this to one of my other children and they said, "You wouldn't be able to find any flour or sugar at our house either." A few more days went by and I mentioned this to another child and she said, "I have flour and sugar so I guess that makes me "Old Fashioned"!" I mentioned to my neighbor of over 25 years about the flour and sugar question and she replied, "Young people do not cook like we used to." That started me thinking about today's problems of diabetes, obesity, increase of cancers, etc..

Why do TV shows that concentrate on cooking and even a TV Network attract so many viewers? Has cooking become a "spectators sport"? Has the family sit down meals been replaced by taking your fast food and sitting in front of the TV and watching someone cook? Can you believe that the Food Pyramid that was introduced in 1992 and updated in 2005 is too complicated for today's average person to understand!?! The Food Pyramid, as of June 2, 2011, was replaced by "My Plate".

Now, come on people, cooking and eating sensibly should not be an option. I'm not suggesting we go back to grinding our own wheat and stomping on grapes for juice. Can't we at least crack open our own eggs, make our own casseroles, make our oatmeal (not tear open a package and add hot water to a lot of sugar and a few oats), make our own sandwiches, etc.!

Marriah Is On The Way

2011-02-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

Marriah Helen should make her debut around May 12. She will be our 15th grandchild - 6th girl. Marti thinks she looks huge - let's compare with a picture of her in May - can't wait. Marti and Bryce are so excited to bring her into the world - they will make excellent parents. Makes me want to dig out old pictures of me when I was pregnant - oh - what a depressing idea.

Aunt Dot

2011-02-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we traveled to Price to visit my Aunt Dot and Uncle Perry. Perry is my mother's brother. Dot and Perry have been married 52 years. She is a retired elementary school teacher and he is a retired coal miner. They have four children. My mom and dad and Dot and Perry have been very good friends for many years and at one time Perry lived with us along with his two boys, Terry and Jerry - twins. I was so glad we went to visit them. Last week Dot suffered a stroke and is in the hospital just laying in a bed unable to communicate or reason. They are transporting her today down to a nursing home in Price, Pinnacle Nursing Facility. She now has a feeding tube and is in a drug induced sleep most of the time. I have visited her almost every day that she has been in the hospital in Provo and it has given me the opportunity to visit with Perry and many relatives that I have not seen for several weeks. When we visited her yesterday, Marti was with us and I told her that if I ever ended up in a situation like this just please unplug all the tubes and wires and let me go to that better place. Once in a while I listen to the Spirit and I'm so glad I did this time and paid that visit to my Aunt and Uncle.

Traveling, etc.

2011-01-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

This past week we have cleaned out several closets and have several to go. We are getting rid of a lot of, well, clutter. Marti and Bryce came over and took some of it - one man's junk is another man's treasure.

Marti went to the doctor and Marriah's heartbeat is very strong and it looks like she's having a pretty big baby. Kristi and I took her shopping in Salt Lake Saturday. Julie and Brooklyn joined us for lunch and we had a great time.

Bill and I will be heading out on another trip to go where it is a little warmer - Nevada and Arizona. We love to visit the "kids" and do a little sight seeing. It's a wonderful life this retirement life - I recommend it highly - the sooner the better. Wish we could take a couple of grandchildren with us, but they are all in school.

I took a week off from quilting - that was hard - so now I get to work on a quilt tomorrow. As soon as I finish this one, I'm going to take the "grandmother" squares I have and start a few heirloom quilts.

Retirement

2010-11-17T13:19:00.001-08:00

When I was about 25 years old I embroidered this sampler for my parents. This is what I thought
retirement looked like. Then, as I watched my parents in retirement they did more than sit in their rocking chairs, read the newspaper, knit, regret they were no longer young, etc. They traveled, camped, worked in the garden; they did, "What they wanted to do WHEN they wanted to." They literally enjoyed their retirement!

My retirement looks more like this, in addition to the traveling and most important, "Doing what I want WHEN I want." No more trips to visit the Phoenix area in July - you get the idea? The WHEN is very important. Some days I stay up until 3:00 AM and then sleep in the next day to 10:00 AM. Some days, I don't get dressed until noon, because I have started a project and I can keep going until it's done. Of course, our funds are more limited but certain expenses have decreased drastically. I do miss the people, but I get to go to lunch most Fridays with some of them.

She's Getting Married

2010-08-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! It seems only yesterday that I was awaiting her birth. I wanted a daughter that I could pass my mother's name to and now she is getting married in just a few short days. All nine (JR in spirit) of our children and 13 of our 14 grandchildren will be here. We will laugh together, talk of "old times", play together, share a few tears of joy, tease Michael a lot, and truly enjoy just being together. Martha Helen Bachler - you are perfect, not only in my eyes, but in your entire families eyes! You have found the perfect guy for you. You probably will never read this blog, but that's okay - I just needed to write this down for my sake. Besides, Bryce is not supposed to see this picture before your wedding day and I would be in so much trouble if you were to see it posted now. Isn't she beautiful!

My Career Almost Over

2010-05-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

I am entering the final weeks as Secretary at Sage Creek Elementary. I have seen hundreds of students (including my own) and many staff members come and go. It has been the perfect career for me and, as many know, my dream job. Two of my own children have entered the education field - Michael and Marti. Michael is a 4th grade teacher and Marti is working in a preschool at an elementary school (hoping to get a teaching position soon). I've seen two of the principals move on to college level teaching (both becoming deans) with the desire to increase the quality of teachers entering the teaching profession. Another Sage Creek Principal has moved on to a career in the district office that assures those in our district have the best facilities and support personnel available. The current Sage Creek Principal is dedicated to making sure our students receive the best teachers - to the point of one of them becoming a principal and another one entering a program to become a principal. I might be a little prejudice, but I believe we have some of the very best teachers at Sage Creek. I've watched four principals select, what they consider, the best teachers for the job. They haven't all agreed on all of the qualities that go into making an excellent teacher, but the qualities they all seemed to look for were: integrity, desire to continually improve, love of teaching, and a hard worker.

We have had a few teachers that have been hired on the basis of their IQ, bubbly personality, being able to quote the curriculum verbatim, salesmanship, and uniqueness. These teachers lasted for, at the most, two years and seemed more interested in themselves than teaching students how to learn. Some of our very best teachers have been those that have been your "average" student - they have been our most dedicated teachers.

There is only one thing that I feel I have failed at as I leave my "dream job" and that is I have not gained enough credibility to be able to help my daughter find her "dream job".

When I am asked, "who was your favorite principal?". It's like asking me, "which of your nine children is your favorite?" - silly questions!

Thank you Sage Creek Elementary for a fantastic 25 1/2 years!

Zander James Bachler Arrived!

2009-10-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

He was very anxious to get here and couldn't wait any longer - so he arrived about five weeks early - a real early "birth day" present. He arrived last night around 9:00 PM, weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounches and 18.5 inches long. We are taking care of Maty - or she is taking care of us - for a few days. We get to go to the American Fork Hospital tonight and be introduced to Zander. Lyssa is doing very good - a little concerned - but that's all part of being "Mom". Michael is being a super Dad. Zander might get moved to the Utah Valley Hospital if his CO2 level doesn't improve. Tom - you and Zander have something in common!

Marti and Maty

2009-07-03T10:45:00.001-07:00

We babysat Maty overnight and had a great time. She loves to walk around talking on her imaginary telephone. When I say to her, "Maty, it's time to hang up your phone" she just holds out both of her arms, shrugs her shoulders and pretends she has no idea what I'm talking about - she doesn't have a telephone. Then she turns around and continues to talk on her phone and you just know she is saying, "That Grandma, she is so silly." Maty helped Marti clean the guinny pigs' cage, give them a bath, and watch over them while they played in the grass. Marti continues to look for a teaching job - she has applied for over 20 jobs, interviewed about five times, and has yet to be offered a position. She will definately make a fantastic teacher, if only given the chance. She will get a teaching position and then those that wouldn't give her a chance will by on the losing side.

Family Fun, Fun, Fun!

2009-06-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on the 20th. We celebrated birthdays and Father's Day! The kids played on the water slide - compliments of Tom and Julie! We played Pictionary Man - that was fun! We had a BBQ and great food. I guess you can tell you got the first piece of cake - Maty sure enjoyed it!

Bill, Marti, Richard, J, Brookie, Michael, Maty and I traveled to Logan on Friday - just for the day. We took "Grandma's Big Car". The boys (except for Mason) went to see "Up" and the girls (plus Mason) went to Chili's for lunch and did a little shopping. Brookie had a grand time pushing Maty in the stroller!

Frisco, Colorado

2009-06-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Frisco. The scenery was unbeatable and so was the company. It was great to get out to a "retreat" and do some reflecting on our life. Bill and I have decided that we have a fantastic life, perfect children and more perfect (if that's possible) grand children. We are blessed with the best friends and relatives a person could have. We visited a museum that had relocated some of the original homes built circa early 1 900s. We are really blessed even in our "slow" econom y . We really learned to appreciate, no t only our modern conveniences, but our heritage. Here are a few pictures we took - enjoy.

Here we are in the original church in Frisco - that's Bill as guest preacher and me playing the piano for the congregation - the "house" was packed.

This is Bill in the first school house.

You can't beat the scenery.

What a great "house" to visit!

This one is for you, Levi!

Evergreen and Price

2009-05-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

We made the annual visit on the Memorial Day weekend to visit J.R. and my parents. We first stopped and visited J.R. and took a few pictures and reminisced about him - how my heart aches to see him again. Be happy for me when you visit me laying beside him and put flowers on our headstones. We then traveled to Price where I had planned on decorating more than just my parent's graves (my friend, Vera Jean, and another friend's parents) but due to the down pouring of rain we put that off until our next visit in June. Marti and Richard joined Bill and I - it was very nice to have them with us. The significance of the snowballs - my father planted that bush in my back yard in memory of my mother.

My How Time Flies!

2009-05-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Bill and I went to a seder service (passover meal) again this year - this is our third year of doing this. Every year I learn more and more. Did you know that the "Last Supper" was a seder? Did you realize that many New Testament events occurred during Passover? Did you know that many important events in Church history takes place during Passover? If you have the opportunity to attend a Passover - do so!
We now have two elementary school teachers in the family - Michael and Marti graduated on May 1 from UVU. We are so proud of them. Michael has a job teaching 4th grade next school year at a new elementary school is Alpine School District. Marti is interviewing and hoping for employment in Alpine or Nebo School Districts.
We traveled to Arizona to see our 13th grandchild - Lucas Craig Bachler. He is, of course, perfect!
My birthday came and went - don't worry - I'll have another one next year just for you! Thank you to all of my "kids" that called. Mother's Day, also, came and went - again, thank you to all of you that I talked with.
Bill and I will be traveling to Frisco, Colorado next month - we will be there a week. We are really looking forward to the trip.
School will be out in a few weeks so we will be doing some traveling to visit with family. Look out -we may be showing up on your doorstep - announced - of course.

A Thoughtful Moment

2009-02-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

Why is it that when things go wrong we ask God "why" and when things go right we don't ask "why"? Why when we "sin and come short of the glory of God" that we blame others or the organized religion we are a part of or maybe another member of that same religion? Why do we take for "scripture" the writings of other people about their organized religion and don't trust ourselves to go directly to the source - the "God" of that religion? Do we not know deep down that it isn't the people that are the "true religion" it is the "God" that is? I believe we find what is comfortable and we stop and play in the stagnant pool until the odor becomes sweet not remembering how the "living water" tasted.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T22:37:00.000-08:00

The day started with a trip to a monthly quilting class with six great friends - five of us rode together and had a great "giggling" time - the sixth person met us there and joined in the fun. They have two types of drawings at our class - one if you're "sharing" something and one for just attending. Betty won the drawing for "sharing" and Peggy won the being there drawing. We watched our demo for the next block and then we did what we really do best - shopped. Then it was back home and the Bachler's festivities began. Levi and Karen had arrived Thursday evening, Michael and Lyssa were then when I arrived from my class, shortly thereafter Tom and Julie arrived - of course, Richard and Marti were already there. I made a call to Kristi since they were unable to join us - we missed them a lot! It was conversation time, celebrating birthdays and Valentine's Day with the ever popular Pink Cookies, then it was eating Levi's favorite meal - we all know what that is! Then it was people departing and me going thru withdrawal as the grandchildren left. And, I must once again repeat - the best part is watching my children interact - laughing and enjoying each other's company. I love when Levi and Tom tease Marti and remind her she has more dates in one month than any of the rest of them had in their entire dating career. Or, when the "girls" sit around and wonder about their husband's certain "habits" and I explain that my sons take after their father and learned those habits from him. Now, if they mention something good or kind - well, you can guess where they learned that. We did get to babysit Aly - what a joy she is when Mom and Dad are not around for her to say "no" to. Grandchildren are great to have around when you can talk the parents into going to "time out".

It's Too Quiet

2008-12-31T16:43:00.000-08:00

Seven of the "kids", along with spouses and grandchildren joined us for Christmas. We traveled to the Hales' Theater in SLC to see "Christmas Carole", ate at The Cracker Barrel, shopped at Tai Pan, played pool at Noah's and rocked out to the "Rock Band", celebrated the upcoming birth of our 13th grandchild at Olive Garden, jumped at Jumpin' Jacks, ate everything good, looked at lights, opened gifts twice, prayed often, went to Church, watched our special movie and thoroughly enjoyed every moment - even when Brooklyn threw up! The last family left yesterday and we dwindled from twenty five back to just the four of us. Call me crazy, but my favorite thing is to sit back and watch everyone interact - how did we get so many personalities, but one thing we all have in common - a sense of humor. I just found out how important a sense of humor is when Bill and I made use of one of our gifts - tickets to "Body Worlds 3". Happiness has more influence on your getting heart disease than weight, exercise, and age. Don't Worry - Be Happy!

The Deer Hit Us

2008-12-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

J and Brooklyn decided to come and stay with Grandma and Grandpa on Thanksgiving night. J called and said he wanted to stay for six days but his Dad negotiated with him to stay six days, but do it two days at a time (we taught Tom well). We put puzzles together, played "The Marble Game" on Grandma's computer, read stories, went to visit Maty, ate at McDonald's, and went looking at Christmas lights on Friday evening. We were going through Mapleton when I told J that Christmas was when we celebrated Jesus' birthday. Now everything took on a different perspective - instead of "look at the lights", J would say, "they are sure excited about Jesus' birthday!" and then the next house would have even more lights and he would say, "they are REALLY excited about Jesus' birthday!". As we were passing a very elaborately lit house, we heard a very large BANG and a very large deer continued to run across the street in front of us, stopped for a moment, then took off into the wooded area. We got out and inspected the car (not too much damage) and then continued on. I asked J if he was still looking for lights and he said, "I'm seeing shadows - I think there are more deer!" Then a few minutes later he was back saying, "they are excited about Jesus' birthday, huh Grandma?".

How excited are you about Jesus' birthday?

OK - Maybe Not

2008-12-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

I'm just trying to cut back a little, maybe I'll just cut back on....not french fries.....not quilting.....not seeing my grandkids....not seeing my kids....not sleep....not shopping....cooking - that's it! Here we come McDonalds - filet of fish does sound good. Wait til I post about a deer hitting us!

"So Long, Farewell......"

2008-11-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

It has been an experience being a blogger, but I must move on. See ya' later. All good things must come to an end - this one on November 22.

A Visit With "Kids"

2008-10-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

We left for Las Vegas on October 16th after spending the morning having our "Check Engine" light investigated at the dealer. We were assured everything was just fine and began our trip about 11:00 AM. We made it a whole six miles before we ran into mega traffic - did I forget to mention that it was fall break for Utah schools and Friday was the opening of the deer hunt - thus, the traffic. I am so glad that we are well acquainted with the metropolis of Spanish Fork (where the traffic jam began) so we were able to take surface streets and avoid all the traffic - saving us, as I'm told by those less familiar with the aforementioned metropolis, approximately 47 minutes. We lost count by Nephi of the number of motorhomes on the road - roughly 42.5 - and we had only gone 30 miles! Our next stop was St. George and the big decision as to where to eat. We always eat at Panda's - let's try something new - not MacDonald's, we ate there last night - how about Subway - doesn't sound good - how about Wendy's - don't see one. Oh, look, there's Carl's Jr - haven't eaten there for at least a week - so we did, that is, eat at Carl's Junior. Next stop, Levi's. We were thoroughly entertained by Aly, had a very nice dinner and then Levi arrived - not before 8:00 PM. We visited and then went to bed and awoke the next morning to prepare for the trip to Craig's. Would we mind going to Aly's gymnastics class first - not a bit. You'll love the family video this year - Aly is quite the performer - when she wants to be. We all loaded into the Cadillac and we were off to Gilbert. Once across the impressive Dam we are on our way. Uh, oh - time for another decision - where should we eat? How about Kingman since that's where we always get lost - and we did, eat (grabbed a few snacks) and got lost. GPS and cel phones don't work too well in Kingman. We did manage to call Craig and get directions, for what good it did us - we still went the wrong way - I did too say we go left not right! We managed to make it to Craig's with perfect timing - Craig just arrived and Diana and the girl's arrived shortly thereafter. Diana and the girl's picked up Pizza on the way home and we had a great evening together. The schedule the next morning included a soccer game starring Cori Bachler and her team - so it was off to bed - and I need to report that Bill and I did not get locked out of the Jack-n-Jill bathroom THIS time so there was no hurrying down the stairs at 1:00 AM - did I say hurrying down the stairs - only to dribble just a little across the floor - thank goodness it was tile and easy to clean up - growing older is not graceful! The soccer game was fantastic - Cori's team (all girls) against those huge bully boys! Next was shopping - of course and then the usual trying to stay up with Craig on the freeways, etc. A wonderful dinner was prepared for us and then later we went to bed - now this was exciting! As I was laying in bed, almost asleep, the huge muscular guy, Bill, went to climb in bed and the bed BROKE! Now, I'm laying on the mattress on the floor with the frame of the bed located in such a way that I couldn't crawl out. Bill tries to help and then he falls and then, well, we start laughing soooo hard - I tell Bill to turn the light on and then he starts laughing harder - he had picked up my glasses and put them on and thought he had lost his lenses until he realized what he had done and then - oh my gosh I haven't laughed sooo hard..... Well, it didn't end there, but I will.

The road trip back was great, just one little problem. I forgot that Bill doesn't like to drive at night, and I took my turn first. That meant that when it started getting dark - Levi had to drive. I just sat in the backseat, closed my eyes, and tried to convince myself that flying over the Dam wasn't going to be that bad!

Trip to Logan

2008-09-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

We went to Logan on Friday, Sept. 27 to help with a project, visit, and celebrate a very important birthday. The project consisted of laying about 7500 sq. ft. of sod. The neighbors came over to help along with relatives - it took about four hours of intensive labor. Afterwards we had pizza and pop for everyone.

Saturday we celebrated Mason's 1st birthday. He had lots of cousins, grandparents, a great-grandpa, uncles, and aunts to help him celebrate. His mother made three beautifully decorated cakes that tasted just as fantastic as they looked. One cake was specifically made for Mason by his mother and that's the one in the picture. His mom let him dig into that cake all by himself and he thoroughly enjoyed it - I envied him. We had a fantastic visit. Mason's newest cousins were at his party - twins just born two weeks ago.

2008-09-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

While I was at work one day Bill took a trip with (from l to r) his brother Dan, Dan's wife, Nancy, Bill, and Bill and Dan's sister, Kathy. They took a tour of Salt Lake and had a great time. Kathy and her husband, Clark, were visiting from Council Bluff, IA. They need to plan when I can go - I know the best places to eat.

A Labor Weekend of Love

2008-09-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Tom called Thursday night and was in need of a babysitter for Friday and, you guessed it, we just happened to be able to work things out. J had told Tom and Julie the next time he came to Grandma and Grandpa's he would stay for three days. He was right! I have to give a lot of credit to Richard for Friday - he works four tens and opted out of working Friday for overtime so he could help Tom out - both Bill and I had to work Friday. Well, Julie needed to work Saturday and so Grandma suggested we just keep them Saturday night so B and J could go to Church with us on Sunday. We received a call from Michael and Mati was not feeling well and was running a temperature - they ended up taking her to the emergency room Saturday night and finding out she is just like Grandpa - beginning stages of pneumonia! She is doing much better now.

J heard me talking with Kristina about going to visit her Sunday afternoon and returning Monday, he made it clear that he just had to go too and visit Carter and Tyler. Well, that's what he ended up doing . We dropped B off on Sunday and after stopping to check on Mati and then we proceeded to Logan. We had a great time and arrived back home Monday around 5:00 PM.

Needlesstosay, we had a great long weekend! The weather started out windy and raining, but ended up being a perfect drive home with clear beautiful skies and the feeling of crisp autumn weather.

Aunt Mary

2008-08-28T20:53:00.001-07:00

We went to Price Tuesday evening to visit with Aunt Mary. It was a delightful evening. She left for home - New Jersey - today. I told her I would visit her - sure hope I can this summer. In the picture to the left are (standing from l to r): my Mom, Jack, Dorothy, Perry, Grandma Fry - sitting down are (l to r) Thelma, Mary and Martin (Thelma's oldest son). This picture was taken in Grand Junction in our front yard - there are only two Fry siblings not there - Joe and Ben (Ben died from Rocky Mt. Tick Fever while tending sheep when he was about 14).

The "Kids" Latest Visit

2008-08-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

We again were able to have those days I live for - when the kids and grandkids come for a visit. This time we decided to take the grandkids out to this wonderful place so they could slide down these huge slides and have a great time. Marti took Phase 10, our favorite card game, so we older ones could have something to do while the grandkids played on the slides. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew it all of the "kids" were enjoying the slides and it was a great fun time - I think we should hold Michael's birthday party there! Next time everyone wants to go to "Jump On It" - I can't wait.

We Are Back

2008-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

What a great time we had! We went bowling at a "very nice" bowling alley (they bring you your shoes, you sit on a very comfortable sofa - no hard chairs, they bring you food and drinks, very automatic scoring, etc.), we swam every day in a beautiful pool, we ate wonderful food, went shopping (of course - that's what I do best), met some very nice people, watched the dancing waters at the Bilagio (dancing to Elvis music - what more could I ask), did a session at the Las Vegas Temple, played with the greatest grandchildren, looked at a few model homes, took in a lot of scenery and on and on. We were on no time schedule and were very laid back. Now this weekend we will all (not Marie and family) meet in Logan for a reunion of all our kids and grandchildren. We will swim, play games, BBQ at the park, see a huge car show, shop (females only), and see Carter get baptized. This is a wonderful summer - we've done the things we really enjoy doing.

118 Degrees

2008-06-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Yup we are here and having a great time. I love it!

Here We Come - Ready or Not

2008-06-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

We will be on our way in the morning for our first stop - Las Vegas. We should arrive around 5 or 6 PM. We will leave Vegas around noonish on Friday and arrive in Gilbert Friday evening. We are so excited to see everyone. Marti update - she now has three guys that want to date her "seriously" - when it rains it pours.

Little Duce Coupe and More!

2008-06-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

Last night (June 13) Bill, Dan, Nancy, and I were rockin' and a rollin' to the Beach Boys music performed by the Kahuna Beach Party band. Opening for the band was the Flashback Brothers and their repertoire included music made popular by artists and groups including Elvis (yeah!), the Eagles, Elton John, Van Halen, Styx and Billy Joel. We took our lawn chairs and jackets to the Arts Park and had a great evening. Beforehand we ate at the Springville Firestation and enjoyed hamburgers cooked and served by the Springville EMTs and Firemen. We wondered through a lot of Art City Days exhibits and chatted with a lot of friends and neighbors. What a great evening. Oh, I almost forgot - we also had a hot fudge sundae from McDonald's. Tomorrow, we plan on stopping by the park and enjoying a meal before we leave and then head off to Brooklyn's birthday party. This is my kind of day.

Favorites!

2008-06-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

When Bill and I went out to our usual Tuesday night place we were talking about which one of our nine kids thought they were our favorite. Well, we couldn't help but recall something we heard a long time ago. Click on "Mom Liked You Best" - just to the right.

Birthdays...

2008-06-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

This month contains the birthdays for three of our grandchildren. Carter will be celebrating his birthday on the 8th. He will turn eight years old. He gets to go to his favorite place - Soda Springs to Grandma and Grandpa Reutzel's cabin. He will have a great time riding four wheelers, catching bugs, and spending time with the people he loves most - his family.

Brooklyn will celebrate her second birthday on the 14th. She is just happy to celebrate anywhere - life is just one big celebration for "B". She loves everyone and loves to tease her brother "J". We get to spend some extra time with her and J this coming week and we are really looking forward to it.

Tyler Wood will be celebrating his 13th birthday on the 15th. WOW - a teenager! He will be celebrating his birthday in Lacey, WA with his favorite people - his family. One of these years we might be able to celebrate a birthday with Tyler on his birthday, but for now, we'll just hope we get a few pictures.

There is one more birthday this month, and I believe it is on the 8th. He's not a grandchild or a child or even an official relative - his name is Tom Halverson and oddly enough, he is in Thailand, but Natalie will be there to make sure this birthday is a very special one!

This month will find Bill, Marti, and me spending some time with some great people as we vacation to Nevada and Arizona. We are really looking forward to our trip and we are going to just take our time and savor every moment.

This is going to be a great summer - especially in July - I'll telll you more about that later.

2008-05-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

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The Greatest Job On Earth

2008-05-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

How many can truly say they are employed outside of the home in the job they had wanted since they were in the seventh grade? I am one of those very fortunate people. I went into the office when I was in the Price Junior High School and took one slow look around and decided, yup - when I grow up I want to be a school secretary - and here I am fifty two years later - having fun at Sage Creek Elementary and getting paid for it! I've been at Sage Creek in one capacity or another for 25 years now.

I meet the most wonderful people everyday and I work for and with some of the greatest people you will ever meet in your lifetime. I work with people that are truly dedicated to their profession - they haven't chosen to work in this field for the money or the fame - they have chosen it because they love learning and want to instill this love of learning in others. I have been a secretary for the Department of Defense, a legal secretary, a secretary for the Bureau of Land Management, and a school secretary and I have never met such hard working, dedicated people as I have as a school secretary.

I love my life!

I tell my children to choose their professions wisely - make sure it is something you enjoy - their father spent the last fifteen years of his career dreading going to work most mornings. He now is a substitute teacher and loves working in the elementary schools.

"Decoration Day"

2008-05-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

My first memory of "Decoration Day" (Memorial Day) was as a young girl living in Dragerton, UT. We would make flowers out of different mediums so we could transport them to Fruita, CO. We would spend weeks folding crepe paper into beautiful roses, carnations, etc. and then carefully put them in very attractive arrangements and put them in the trunk of our car to transport for placement on my brother's and my uncle's graves. We would then go visiting several friends and relatives in the area. Mom would have already called up Wadell's Meat Store and arranged to pick up a side of beef that would be frozen solid for the three hour trip. We would pick up the meat just before heading home.

This Decoration Day finds me placing fresh flowers on my son's grave and then traveling to Price to place fresh flowers on my parent's graves. There is, also, a little girl's grave in Price that we will visit. Her name is Amanda Dean. I'm sure Amanda's parents have long since moved since ours are the only flowers on her grave each Decoration Day. When we would visit Price from our home in California, Amanda would come and play with my daughters, Marti and Kristi. My Mom said Amanda would always check with her to see when we were coming for a visit - she frequently visited my parents.

While in Price we will have lunch with my brother, Bob, and maybe even my Uncle Perry and Aunt Dot. It will be a great time. My Uncle Perry (my mother's brother) recently celebrated his 80th birthday and it's always a delight to visit with him.

This year those traveling to Price will be: Sandra, Bill, Marti, Richard, Michael, Lyssa and Matyson. Maybe next year there will be more of us. Last year (see the picture) it was the same group, except Matyson was to be born just two months later.

Mother of Nine

2008-05-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

The experiences I've had raising nine children would certainly fill volumes but what it has taught me can be summed up in one word - patience. My mother was the perfect example of patience and my father taught me to "listen to your mother". I've also learned to listen completely. Both of these "life principles" have enriched every aspect of my life. When my father reached his 80s and was experiencing dementia I practiced patience and listening, when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I practiced patience and listening, as a wife I practice patience and listening, as a secretary at an elementary school with over 700 children and 60 staff members - you guessed it - I practice patience and listening. My mother also taught me calmness. When my brother, Tommy, was hit and killed by a car while getting off the school bus my mother never "lost it" in front of me and my siblings, but we knew how much she loved and missed him.

I was born in Fruita, CO and was named by my brothers. My mother had given birth to my oldest brother, Jim, then a girl they named Martha Ann that lived less than an hour, then my brothers Tom and Bob and finally me. My brothers just loved the name Sandra and my mother's nurse in the hospital was Helen - so thus came my name - Sandra Helen.

I am so blessed to be the wife of Bill Bachler and the mother of Levi, Marie, Craig, Tom, Richard, Marti, Kristi, J.R. and Michael. They are my teachers and I am their pupil. They are the sources of my greatest joy. I am also the proud grandmother of Aly, C.J., Tyler, Joe, Marissa, Corinne, J.R., Brooklyn, Carter, Tyler #2, Mason and Matyson the sources of great happiness.