Dial "M" For Murder

Today was a fun day. We went to the Pioneer Theater production of Dial "M" For Murder. It was an excellent play. The setting was London, England, in the 1950's. If you have ever seen the movie The Perfect Murder with Gywneth Paltrow and Michael Douglas, that movie is a modern copy of the original play we saw performed today.

After the play, we went to dinner with our friends Dennis and Mary Ann Payne and John and Sandy McCormick. We usually end up at the Red Lobster after a play, and the food is always delicious.

Good entertainment, good friends, good food, and warm weather--what more could one want for a delightful day!

Sully

Sully is our youngest grandchild. Patti is trying to potty-train him. He doesn't mind sitting on the potty-- for a variety of reasons!

Jessica, Family, and Friends

I found these cute photos on my granddaughter Jessica's Facebook Profile. She is attending BYU Idaho University.

I think that they probably have even more snow in Rexsburg, Idaho, than we have in Draper, Utah. The snow pictures are of Jessica and a friend building a fire hyrant and of Mom Char & sister Abby. The other photos are of Jessica with friends and playing Scrabble.

School will be over in about a month, and Jessica will then come home to Bountiful and work for the summer. Last year she had two jobs: at the Veteran's Hospital where her dad also works and one at Dick's Market.

Jessica is a fun-loving girl and a wonderful granddaughter.

Kent and Marilyn

I have been thinking about my brother Kent today and what a special person he is to me. I found some old photos from when we were children in a scrapbook, and I am sharing them with you.

Kent is two years younger than I am. As little boy, he loved to be outside, whether it was riding his bike, climbing in trees (and on the roof of the house one time), or working on the farm. He has always loved animals and would bring home stray dogs (usually pregnant ones) from his paper route to take care of.

Kent still loves to be outside. He owns land in Ferron and in Spanish Fork that he uses for farming land or to house his many horses. He has told me that spending time on his land after a long day of dentistry helps him unwind.

My brother Kent and his wife Barbara have been so supportive to our family. Now that our dad is living on his own, they check on him frequently and help him in recuperating from his "mad cow" accident from a few week's ago. I can always count on Kent and Barbara to come through in tough times or times of stress.

Kent is a kind and gentle man who is very sensitive to other people's feelings. I am so lucky to be a part of his life.

Gracie's Funeral

Michelle posted some beautiful photos of Gracie's funeral on her blog. I wanted to share a few of them with you.

Natalie was at the gravesite after the funeral when 347 balloons were realeased in honor of the 347 days of life for Gracie. She said it was an incredibly emotional experience.

I really appreciated Michelle sharing her days with her dear Gracie on her blog. Michelle is a remarkable writer, and her subject matter - Gracie - was a remarkable little girl.

Reading about Gracie's life empahazied to me the unique relationships we have with our families and how important every day is to show our love and caring for them.

Thank you, Michelle, for sharing Gracie's journey with us.

Grandpa McKell is Getting Better

"How is your dad doing?" I have been asked this question several times this week. I smile and declare, "He is doing great!"

These are the improvements I see in Dad:

l. While walking around Dr. LeRoy's office last week, he was using both legs to walk equally well and carrying his walker in front of him.

2. He can now maneuver himself in and out of the bath tub. (Before this, he had to settle for spit baths.)

3. He is interested in leaving the security of his house to go other places. (He went to a viewing on Friday of an old friend and neighbor who died last week.)

4. He changes out of his pajamas into a shirt and slacks for daytime wear. Before now, he stayed in his pajamas all day long.

5. He is whistling a lot!!! (Dad whistles when he is happy.)

I am glad to see Dad in a better place. That mean cow who kicked him couldn't keep him down for long!

Brianna Comes For A Visit

This beautiful little girl is Brianna McKell. She is one-year-old. Her mom and dad (Chelsea and Brian) brought her for a visit today. Brian is my nephew.

Chelsea and Brian went on a tour of the new Draper Temple and then stopped by to see us afterward. Brianna sang "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" for us and waved her hand while saying, "HI". We ate pizza, fruit, vegetables, and cookies; Brianna really liked the carrots, celery, and strawberries (also ice cubes). What an excellent eater she is. Her mom has trained her well. (Chelsea has a Master's Degree in Nutrition.)

The McKells live in Vernal where Brian manages an Enterprise Rental Car Company and Chelsea is a stay-at-home Mom.. They said that one of their favorite things about Vernal is the clear, clean air. Salt Lake City could use some of that pretty blue sky!

Keaton and Sully's Bedrooms

My daughter-in-law Patti is very creative. She decorated her sons' bedrooms in two distinct themes. Sully's room is jungle animals, and Keaton's room is all about water and ships. Both rooms are brightly colored and very inviting to their small- boy inhabitants. Lucky Keaton and Sully!

Derek's Last Basketball Game of the Season

Derek has had a great season in basketball this year. His team made it all the way to the semi-finals last night before losing their game. Derek had a good night, scoring half of the total points for his team.

Angel Gracie

(I especially love this picture of Gracie taken at Halloween. It captures her sweet spirit.)

Yesterday Paul and I attended Gracie's funeral. When I saw Gracie lying in her little white casket in her beautiful white dress, she looked like an angel. Paul said that he has never seen anyone look as good as Gracie did in death, and I certainly agree. She was beautiful.

I thought that Stephanie, Michelle's sister, spoke from her heart as she told of the family's experiences with Gracie from the time she was born until now. Gracie's dad Tom spoke as well, and he gave a father's perspective of losing his sweet daughter.

The music, especially, was exquisite. First, a woman sang a combination of two children's songs; later, Paul Cardell, who is a noted Utah musician, played a medley of Primary songs on the piano. Paul is a heart patient himself who is waiting hopefully for a heart transplant. He carried oxygen with him and made the effort, while not feeling very strong, to come and play for Gracie's funeral.

I don't think I have ever been to a child's funeral. It is very sad to think of a little girl and all of the potential for a fulfilling life that she should have had ahead of her.

Michelle and Tom, Gracie's parents, have been incredibly strong and also very appreciative to all the people who helped them care for Gracie. The heart surgeon and several nurses came to the funeral to say a last farewell to Gracie. People all over the world loved Gracie.

A Spanish Fork Haircut

Here is the story of another small town experience I had with my dad yesterday. Dad and I had a list of things to accomplish while I was in Spanish Fork. One of them was getting Dad a haircut.

Yesterday, as you recall, was a horribly windy day. We parked close to the barbershop, and then I proceeded to get Dad and his walker out of the car and into the shop. The wind gave us a bad time, and (I am not kidding) almost picked us up off the sidewalk. We were finally swept into the shop by the powerful gusts.

As Dad was getting his hair cut, the barber talked about the terrible weather and said, "You know, Mark, I could have come to your house to give you a haircut. Then you could have avoided this awful wind."

I listened to the barber and thought, "Wow, if a pharmacist takes Dad's personal phone calls (see previous blog), and a barber will come to his home to cut his hair, maybe I could try to get Dad's doctor to make a house call this week as well." In this town, it just might work!

Baby Gracie

Sweet Gracie Gledhill passed away yesterday just a few weeks short of her first birthday. Her parents donated many of her organs so that other babies would have a chance at life.

Gracie impacted many people throughout her short life. Thousands of readers connected to Michele's (her mom) blog about Gracie's experiences. Gracie was fortunate to belong to the Gledhill family. They loved and cherished her and took such good care of her.

Photos - Bryce's Basketball Game

An employee at Inkley's Photo helped me retrieve these photos from the internal memory of my camera.

The two cute granddaughters who cheered Bryce on at his game are Nicole and Lucy.

It was fun to see Bryce play. He is a really nice kid!