Graduations from the Past

Going to Katie's BYU graduation brought back all kinds of memories for me of BYU. I graduated in 1967 (I know, I'm old); Natalie and Alan graduated together in 1992. Check out the poor quality of photography in my graduation time period.

I was married two weeks after I graduated from BYU. Alan and Natalie were married in the December before their graduation. I remember their huge smiles on their graduation day!

Spring Piano Recital

Every spring my piano students perform in a recital. Today there were 12 students and each one played two piano pieces. The recital was held at The Piano Gallery near South Town Mall.

I was very happy with how well the students played. Most of them not only learned their solos, but also memorized them. Seeing the kids excel and feel good about their performance was a big reward for me as their teacher.

I was so busy greeting parents and organizing the kids that I didn't get to take pictures of all the students. Trust me--they are adorable!

Happy Anniversary, Melanie and Wally

It has been five years since Melanie and Wally were married. I remember a perfect spring day with hundreds of daffodils at Red Butte Gardens. Happy Anniversary!

Graduation Day for Katie

Katie and Grandpa Moore spend a special moment with each other.


The Moore kids can't resist goofing around during photo takes!


They do have a serious side to them. Katie is a great example to her siblings.


She is the first of our grandchildren to graduate from college.


What a beautiful day for a graduation ceremony!

Today we watched our granddaughter Katie receive her diploma from the Marriot School of Business at BYU. A speaker at the graduation ceremony gave some interesting statistics. One of them was this: the School of Accounting at BYU is ranked at #5 in the nation. (Katie's degree is in Accounting.)

Needless to say, we are so very happy for her success. She has acheived the goals she set for herself at BYU. Katie is not only an excellent student, but also a very kind, compassionate, and thoughtful young lady.

Katie and Eric are leaving in two weeks to spend the summer in Dallas, Texas, where Eric has an internship. They will come back to BYU after the summer for Eric to finish his last year at BYU.

Today is a happy day. Everywhere we looked, we saw the smiling parents and grandparents. How thrilling it is to see your child or grandchild earn a university education.

The First Day of Spring

It couldn't have been a prettier first day of spring. I went for a walk around 8:00 P.M. in our condo deveopment and then across the street and through the temple grounds. Lastly, I sat on the patio and noticed how beautiful our blossoming tress are. It was the kind of day that beckoned to come outside!

Monstrosity on the Hill

Every time we walk out our front door, this is what we see at the top of the hill. This house has stood half-finished for about a year.

Will this 21,000 square-foot house ever be finished? The woman who is building it is now in court being investigated on charges of fraudulent business practices. So who knows what will happen with the house.

The one glaring word that screams out at us as we raise our eyes to this monstrosity of a house is GREED!

Katie Graduates from BYU

Our oldest granddaughter, Katie Moore Leach, will achieve a milestone in her life on April 24th. She will graduate from BYU with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Katie has worked very hard to reach this goal, and we couldn't be more proud of her.

We will be in the Marriott Center on Friday to cheer her on.

Too Cute!

I couldn't resist stealing these photos of our grandson Keaton from his mom's blog. Doesn't he look very grown up for a five-year-old?

Actually, Keaton is all dressed up because he attended a memorial service with his parents for his mom's dear friend. The friend was only 38, and she died of breast cancer. She leaves behind a husband and a son who is Keaton's age. VERY SAD.

Congratulations to our grandson Jacob Peterson for receiving the award, "Lion of the Quarter" from West Jordan Middle School. Way to go, Jake!

Easter - 2009

The old standard ham and funeral potatoes with Neighborhood Bakery rolls was the menu for this 2009 Easter celebration. Sharalyn brought ice cream cake and lemon pie for dessert.

There have been a few changes for family members since our last gathering. Megan has lost her two front teeth, Jake has developed a deep bass voice, and Grandpa McKell is walking without even a limp.

Jake and Derek played pieces on the piano that they will perform at their recital in two weeks. Natalie played a beautiful piano solo that she had learned for a funeral. We were very proud of them all.

What was a memorable day!

A Homerun for Derek

Derek achieved a goal this last week that he had set for himself at the beginning of this baseball season. He wanted to hit a homerun. At his first game of the season, he did exactly that.

It must be a wonderful feeling to fly around the bases and know you scored a big one!

BYU Ballroom Dance Performance

Our friends, John and Sandy McCormick, and Paul and I attended a very impressive BYU Ballroom Dance performance this afternoon.

The whole program was remarkable, and we enjoyed every minute of it. The costumes were colorful, the dancers superb, and the music commanding. The theme of the program was called "Vive Espana", so everything had a Spanish flair.

We decided that we should make this dance concert an annual event. We topped it off with dinner at The Brick Oven in Provo.

Sully's Latest Activity on the Potty

Here is a picture of Sully's latest activity on the potty. No, it isn't Mom's desired accomplishment for him yet! He is enjoying eating his breakfast there instead.

1963 - Freshman Year at BYU

It is fun for me to look through old photos from so many years ago. These are roommates and friends from my first year at BYU.

After being such a studious high school student, I turned into a real socialite in college. My grades reflected my social life!

In both picutures, I am the one in the middle (no glasses).

Procedure Is A Success

Guy left the hospital today. The procedure he had yesterday was successful!

Heart Problems for Natalie and Melanie's Dad

My daughters called me this morning to tell me their dad is in the hospital. He has an arrhythmia problem that doesn't seem to be responding to medications or a "shocking of the heart" to get it back to normal.

Tomorrow the doctors are going to try a procedure with a special catheter to deliver energy to create controlled lesions on the heart. This would create scar tissue that would promote normal conduction of the rhythm. The doctors will do this through a laser treatment. As you can tell, I don't really know what I am talking about. The procedure is called ablation, and the internet explained it to me.

Last November, Guy had major open-heart surgery to replace a defective valve. It was a successful operation, so this latest problem doesn't involve the new valve in any way.

We are hoping that the laser procedure will be successful, and Guy can return to good health.

As you can see, I have very few photos of my ex-husband. This one shows him walking Melanie down the aisle at her wedding five years ago.

A Very Long Time Ago -- Easter

It is difficult to tell the year of this old photo. I am guessing I am nine or ten; so it's probably close to 1955.

Check out my dorky hair; how about those nifty bow-ties the brothers are wearing. Kent and Allen's expressions seem to say, "Boring!!".

We always received new church clothes for Easter. I remember at times wearing a spring hat to match my new dress. The Easter Bunny came on the Saturday before Easter, bringing candy and marshmellows in our Easter baskets.

My mother sang in the ward choir; she had a lovely alto voice. The choir sang an Easter Cantata each year that became the entire Sacrament Meeting program for the day.

I have many fond memories of Easter at the McKell household.

Midway Retreat

Lynne, Rosalie, Marilyn, Jan

The Blue Boar Restaurant in Midway, Utah

Jan's new kitchen with white cabinets, black granite countertops, and red accents

Jan's beautiful new home

My former neighbors (Jan, Rosalie, Lynne) and I spent three days together this week in Midway. Jan and her husband John have a beautiful new home there, and Jan invited the three of us up to stay. We had so much fun reminiscing about all the years we spent together raising our children.

For twenty years, we all lived in the same cul-de-sac. Our children grew up as best friends, and we as moms strongly bonded as well. We never run out of memories to talk about when we get together. We laugh and laugh and have loads of fun. These women are true friends for life.