Sid

Two weeks ago, we went shopping for a pair of black slacks. We started out at Kohl's but could find nothing to Bryan's liking. On a whim, we walked over to Men's Wearhouse. Once inside, I immediately had deja vu. The store smelled just like my uncle Sid; a mix of Old Spice, dress clothes, and soap. I mentioned this to Bryan, and started to miss my aunt Diane and uncle Sid. Diane is my mother's sister. For those who don't know, all of my mother's family lives in England, and they are the only family members who came to visit regularly. We saw them just about every other year. We even arranged a family vacation from Oklahoma to Utah around the time they would be in the states. They treated us to Lagoon. I was six years old and can still remember taking them to the pool (it's now Lagoona Beach). This is when my dad won the large stuffed orange dog. This picture is when they visited us in California. I remember my mom received a phone call from the base gate asking if she would give permission for two visitors to come on the base. My mom asked who, and the guards said they wanted to surprise us, so without knowing who was coming, my mom said yes. Were we surprised when aunt Diane and uncle Sid showed up on our doorstep! They always treated us to special dinners, British chocolate, trinkets and toys. Each time they headed home for England, they would clean out their pocket change and give us all of it. Uncle Sid's favorite pastime was trains. We would travel all over Utah to see train museums, go to train depots, and take them to the Heber Creeper. A trip to the states wasn't complete until he had a ride on a train. He was also particular about his pants. He loved American Dickies brand and would only use an American brand bar of soap. My mom would keep them stocked in-between trips. When we went to England, aunt Diane and uncle Sid took time to visit with us. The last time I saw them was in October 2006, just before Kirsten had her baby. Sid spent time chatting with me about vacations him and Diane had taken. He talked about Greece at great length and I was enthralled.

Today he passed away. To many, the loss of an uncle is sad, not devestating. For me it's in-between. He was a connection to family that I wouldn't have normally had. Because him and Diane loved to travel, I was able to meet my British relatives. We saw them so much, he became a grandpa in my eyes. I was deeply saddened to hear of his death, and am sorry that I will not see him and Diane any time soon. We had planned on spending extra time with them the next time we visited England and it will not be quite the same without him. Him and Diane are my role models, and I hope I can be half the aunt and uncle they are.

Spring Cleaning

This year has been full of griping. We started the year with no hope of a bonus. This changed, and a teensy eensy bonus was earned. We then had the truck's transmission blow up. Bryan was (and I think still is) convinced it was all his fault. Not so. After some research, we found that the 90,000 mile maintenance fluid change on the truck was the problem. The fluid that was recommended was wrong. A claim has been filed. Bryan hopes for at least a refund of the fluid purchase. I'm dreaming a little higher, and hoping the transmission replacement cost will be covered. The new transmission has shown up after much despair. Tomorrow is the beginning of the 'hot rodding' project of the truck. We hope to have the truck repaired one week from Saturday. And I can't wait to christen the new transmission with a four wheel drive up Providence Canyon. I miss our annual spring drives. We always wander around Cache Valley in the truck so we can go wherever we find ourselves. We usually end up in Green Canyon, Smithfield Canyon, and Providence Canyon. There's something about the mountains; melting snow, flowing creeks, green hillsides, and newly sprouted leaves. It also marks the looked forward to annual trip to Yellowstone. We have planned our trip a week earlier than usual. Bryan's hoping to see wildlife galore and get great pictures with his new medium format lens. Next, the tooth that died. Although it was a horrible experience in the beginning, fortunes have turned. I used to have the worst cold spot back by that tooth. Any time I would have a drink, whether freezing cold or tepid, it would send my teeth chattering and my brain reeling. Hot foods even affected it. Now if I was smart, I would have said something to my dentist. But I thought this horrible cold was due to all my clenching. Since the tooth has been dead, I can now drink sodas from a can without curling my tongue just to keep it off that tooth. Even though it bothers me to have a dead tooth (for some reason it seems dirty), I'm glad it happened. Next time I'll pipe up and say something. Lastly, it was time to update the pictures on our blog. Part of it is a push to post new ones, and to be the carrot for getting the truck completed and starting our spring drives. I'm ready for a happier year. And spring is a great way to start. :)

Tag, You're It

Earlier this week, we took Elicia to instacare because she was too sick to do so herself. While we waited, Elicia pretended to cough on her hand and put it in Bryan's face. Then when she was finally called back, I went with her for support. While we waited in another room, she mentioned she thought she had strep throat. And I about had a heart attack. For those who don't know, I had strep almost every year from 6 to 19 years old. Since I've been married, I've only had it once. I hate strep with a passion. When I heard this, I immediately covered my mouth, deathly afraid I would get it. Then the doctor came in and said Elicia's test for strep was negative. PHEW! Now I had no worries, as she only had the flu. Then yesterday, I started sneezing like crazy at work. I thought my allergy to mold was acting up, as everything is starting to melt and smell like spring. By bedtime, my left nostril was plugged and the left side of my neck was extremely sensitive to any touch and slightly swollen. I woke up this morning fully stuffed and with a cough. Even though it takes longer than 2 days to get sick with the flu, I'm still holding Elicia responsible (sorry sweetie). But I shouldn't be the one who's sick. It should be Bryan; the germs were in his face, and I was the good Samaritan. Unfair. Tonight as I read the blog circuit, I learned that Criscell is sick too. So beware to the person who reads this: WE'RE HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS - TAG, YOU'RE IT!