Take a look at Dennis' past!

While in Corona last weekend, Den's sister gave him a little bag of old pictures.

Since I didn't know him the first 49 years of his life, I enjoy these all the more.

Here are a few of my favorites:

The day Den graduated from the police academy. June 1970

His Dad standing right beside him.

But this is what he really liked to do.

Den made this banner in 1980 for his son Kevin's soccer team.

This picture melts my heart.

I keep looking at it over and over again. 

Kris, Kevin, Kim (just Keith is missing)

This one too!

Look at those adorable children he got to raise plus 2 of their cousins on the bottom right.

This is little Den in 1954, the year I was born.

He said the "house there in the background was where Leo lived."

My ears perked up at the name Leo since we now have a newborn grandson named Leo.

"Leo? Really...Leo? Please tell me about Leo."

And he said, "Leo was someone who would just hang out in the neighborhood."

Well that's not very interesting!

Our Leo is going to do LOTS more than just hang out in a neighborhood.

(Put a smile on 5 year old Dennis above, and he looks like our grandson Grant.)

Den just found these 2 pictures in the garage. One year old. 

Now go look at this video of Grant and do you see a bit of similarity?

I know it won't last but it's fun for now.

Our unexpected trip to Corona

Den and I were sadly shocked at the passing of his brother in law, Randy.

We just got back from a quick trip to Corona (south of LA), for his funeral.

I was doing fine until I came in through the church doors and read about this dollar story:

They had been married over 37 years! 

I think the longer a couple is married, the harder it is to lose them. 

There were many stories on that table (a very lovely idea!), and these are just a few.

Dennis gave an excellent eulogy and here's my favorite part:

"Wendy shared with me something her Dad always did. 

Whenever he would send a letter, note, card, or email, he would end it with, 

"Always remember Rule #1." 

Rule #1 came about when she was about 8 or 9 years old. 

She apparently got in trouble for something she can no longer remember. 

Nor can she remember what the punishment was. 

She just remembered that he told her, "Always remember Rule #1." 

OK OK, Dad....so what is Rule #1?

He said Rule #1 is this, "No matter what...I will always love you."

The happy part of the 2 days was getting to be with 3 of Den's 4 children. 

Kim, Keith, and Kris. We were so sorry Kevin couldn't make it.

I almost didn't put this picture here because it does not do his children justice. 

All 3 of them are even more beautiful in person. 

I do love this picture of Kris with 2 of Randy and Debbie's grandchildren, 

Hailey and Lindsay.

 We then drove to Whittier where Randy was buried at Rose Hills, the largest cemetery in the world.

A sweet and sad day.

Kim and Kris had a 3:40 flight to catch from Ontario to Salt Lake City. 

Sounds easy enough, right? 

Well here is an brief list of what they went through:

After arriving at airport found out there was a 2 hour delay.

Then flew to Phoenix

Missed their connecting flight

Waited 2 1/2 more hours for next flight

Boarded plane

Plane starts moving.

Stops for 30 minutes, then says their brakes are faulty

Plane goes back to the terminal.

Fire alarm in terminal

Finally board another plane

New plane starts moving.

Announcement: faulty brakes (on this plane too!)

Back to terminal

Board a 3rd plane

Air conditioning overheats

Another delay

Finally arrive in Salt Lake City about 2am

Home to Logan at 4:30am!

Our drive home went well except for when we stopped to get gas in Castaic.

All the fuel pumps were busy with cars even waiting in line. 

The inside store was packed with lines 7 or 8 people long.

So I get out of the car just to walk around and I could feel people staring at me.

I thought, "Haven't they ever seen a woman wearing a dress?" 

(we still had our funeral clothes on)

Then I went inside too, and I could feel all these eyes turn on me again.
It was really weird.

But I continued walking laps around the store.

Then this woman comes up to me, leans toward my ear and whispers,

"It happens to all of us."
and passes quickly by me.

What? What is she talking about??

About this time Dennis comes in the door from getting the car refueled and says to me,

"Uh oh you have something stuck to the back of your dress." He pulls it off. 

Turns out I had been sitting on a kleenex in the car. 

Well we know what that looked like!

Oddly I wasn't embarrassed.
Just relieved to know what was "wrong" with all those people.

Two Updates

He got moved to a regular room which makes is much easier for Susan to be by his side. 

 He's actually laughing in this picture. 

They have told him he won't be going home before Monday.

So Monday we hope it is!
Suddenly he is home!

Meanwhile, the 2nd cousins returned from Family Camp late last night

They pretty much lived in their bathing suits the entire week.
And still talking.

And as Wendy was unpacking Hailey's things last night,
she came to show me something she discovered
one day this week while changing Hailey's pillow case.

She hadn't realized this before but look what pillow Hailey took to camp.
She says she has used it every night since her mother died 5 years ago:

This is the one Robin used in the hospital the 2 years she was there.
We are in awe.
So much the rest of us take for granted.

This one's for Richard!

Richard has been wondering how Hailey (his granddaughter) and Elora (my granddaughter)  
have been doing up at Family Camp.....

They don't look like they are suffering much....

Elora's family drove up yesterday to surprise them and spent several hours with the girls.

Brock said they loved the  tri tip dinner! Peach cobbler for dessert.

 Robin brought a drawing of our 3 missionaries in the family....Ty, Austin, and Davy,

and hung it up in the eating area it looks like. 

I'm sure they are missed!

Alex and McKenzie! and I don't know who the girl is next to them?

Some of my best memories growing up at Family Camp happened right here in the dining area.

My sister in law Suzanne with her granddaughter Gracie.

Clara! (Gracie's sister)

She made a really good Mary last Christmas Eve!

Thanks to Brooke for taking these pictures. 

Robin came home from camp early and found them on her phone!

He's getting better!

What a difference a day can make!
Thank you SO much for all your prayers!

I had never been to this hospital's ICU until today, 

and was surprised it is right off the front entrance on the first floor. Right down that corridor.

Most hospitals seem to keep their ICU hidden somewhere, up towards the top floor. 

I wonder what their thinking was keeping it by the front door. 

I sat and waited right here while Den parked the car.

The nurse on the phone (when I called to check on Dad) 

said I would need to push a button and wait to be let in saying, "We don't let just anyone into ICU."

Well a man ahead of us just walked right in, so we followed him. It worked just fine!

 Dad looks really good. I'm loving his new glasses! They make him look young and healthy. 

 He just takes everything in stride.

He's doing so much better today than yesterday. Which makes Susan happy, too.

They were going to take him out of ICU and put him in a regular room 

but then his blood pressure dropped. 

So they upped his fluids and expect the BP to come back up.

I never knew that about blood pressure and fluids, did you?

Mine is crazy low at times.

My Dad

Most of his family doesn't know this because they are up at camp,
but my Dad was taken by ambulance to the hospital this morning.
Tonight he was put into ICU because his fever spiked to 104'.
He and Susan spent the day up at Family Camp just yesterday!

Please pray for him, and his sweet Susan.

Charity and Maturity

Both babies have left the hospital (Yay!) and 
I hope to have some homecoming pictures soon.
Meanwhile....

I like what Gretchen Rubin (author of The Happiness Project)
has to say about maturity in relation to being scandalized.
I especially LOVE the quote she uses.




I never thought of it being a "pleasure" to be indignant and feeling outrage.
But come to think of it, the way Gretchen explains it, yes, it is....it can be.
Sometimes it feels good to get worked up about someone else,
especially when you have someone worked up with you.

But Flannery O'Connor's quote really puts me in my place.

"It is a sign of maturity not to be scandalized....
and to try to find explanations in charity."

Got to remember charity. It never faileth.

McKenna doing it all

Scarlett looks so familiar to me.

And let's not forget little Leo across the hall, smiling for the camera.
Tyler told me today the same doctor delivered both Leo and Scarlett.

But this afternoon Leo took his parents and went home! 

Elora and Hailey off to Family Camp!

These girls talk and giggle non stop when they get together. Non stop. We love it.

But after going in there about 5 times Sunday night to tell them they really needed to go to sleep...

we went to bed at 11:30 and I could still hear them talking through the walls after that!

I'm pretty sure we fell into LaLaLand before they did.

They told me the next morning they were talking with their eyes closed.

I didn't want them to be tired for their big adventure beginning the next day....Family Camp 2013!

Up at 7am and ready to go! (even though they didn't actually leave till 11)

Thank you SO MUCH Wendy for taking the girls up and caring for them all week!

Elora's Dad and Hailey's Mom at Family Camp 1980

And so the tradition continues...

My blog is a bit different this week. Normally I post once a day at most. 

But there is just too much excitement going on so the pictures will keep coming for awhile.

Although I doubt I will get any Fam Camp pics being they have no reception up there.

Leo and Scarlett

The cousins together for the first time!

Leo and Scarlett

And their beautiful amazing mothers!

Meanwhile Grant and Richie fixing the hospital plumbing.

Most all of the Rozier family is up at Family Camp,
and Den's girls and families are at Lake Powell,
both where there is NO phone/computer reception.

so I'm not sure who is seeing these pictures.

She's here!!!!!!!

Introducing 
Miss Scarlett Banks Heasley

Isn't she beautiful?

6 lbs, 10 oz

20 inches 

Born at 12:26

McKay said McKenna is doing great! 
We are so blessed.

And here are the new Dads along with Grant. 
Their wives are recovering across the hall from each other 
and the brothers decided to find lunch.
I think Grant's been there pretty much all day.

When McKay and Tyler called me last November 17th
to tell me their wives were both pregnant,
I just didn't think they would be born a day a part!

The visitor today and the patient tomorrow

Aunt McKenna visiting little Leo today. Tomorrow she will be the patient, too. 

She has a room reserved right across the hall from Karen!

He has a name and a weight

Leo Benjamin

I'm already in love with him, and his NAME.

He was finally weighed.....I love how the hospital didn't rush that. 

He is 6 lbs, 3 oz and 19 3/4 inches long.

I like how Stacy (Karen's Mom) said it:
"Instead of Lilo and Stitch, we have Leo and Rich!"

He's Here!!!!!!

I am at church right now in Family History class but just had to update. He's been on his Mama since he was born at 12:16pm. He hasn't been weighed yet but as soon as I know I will post it.