Illness and Heartache, Cousins, and the Fourth of July - 2021

Gracie with Meanie at Dr Sullivans office in Las Vegas

Gracie's BELOVED tortoise Meanie was sick.  (She got the name Meanie because she is so dang stinking mean! Tortoises challenge each other by bobbing their heads at one another.  Meanie stalks the yard bobbing her head at everyone.  Even our huge 80 lbs Sulcata tortoise-- gets challenged and chased by Meanie. )

Meanie stopped eating and was hiding in her burrow.  When we finally got her out she looked terrible.   It was so sad.  We rushed her to our vet here locally and she said it was beyond her scope and to take her to Vegas.  

These are the results of Meanies x-ray.  It shows stones and intestinal blockage.  The only treatment involves surgical removal of the stones.  Surgery on tortoises is difficult and must be done by a specialist--because it requires sedation on a reptile and cutting into the bottom of the shell. 

After consulting with the specialist, we had 2 options.  Putting her down, or trying the surgery.  Of course we had to try surgery. How could we tell Gracie we wouldn't give it a try?  If we were broke and still in school, then surgery wouldn't have been an option and I would have had the surgeon just tell her she needed to be put down.  

I was so grateful that Ryan's brother was in town for the 4th of July with his 5 girls.  It was a good distraction to alleviate the stress of the impeding surgery.  Gracie and Aubrey are very close.  They were born 4 days apart, and she went with  Gracie and I to Vegas to comfort her--as we knew the news would be surgery or euthanasia. 

So, with our tortoise delivered to the specialist on Friday, and surgery scheduled for Monday, we spent the weekend doing fun things like making tie die shirts and going on truck rides.

We also set off our own fireworks in the backyard. 

With beautiful blue Lake Havasu in our backyard, we had rented a large pontoon boat for Monday.  

It was so fun driving around the lake on a hot day--only 115 degrees --feeling the wind on our faces and riding the tube.   That pontoon boat  could get up to 45 mph, so the tube was perfect and fun!!

            Everyone got multiple turns. 

But I was a nervous wreck.  We knew surgery would start around 10:00 our time.  Which was 9 am in Vegas. 

So we tubed and waited for the news if Dr Sullivan was able to remove the stones and save Meanie's life. 

The call came, and the vet talked to Ryan.  He said the bowel was completely perforated and not repairable.  He said he could not save her and was asking permission to stop the surgery and euthanize her.  Of course we had to agree. 

It was pretty heart wrenching to see Gracie go through that pain. At that moment I was sooo grateful that her little Charlie dog had just joined our family in May on her 11th birthday. 

After lots of tears, and sunscreen,  and more tubing, the day ended with sunburns and exhaustion.

They crashed on the way home.  But look at her sweet Charlie. 

             Gracie is an artist and always makes things beautiful. 

After I was able to go to Vegas and pick up Meanie, we planned her funeral. 

And it was emotional and tender and sweet.

           She is resting in a beautiful spot in our backyard that Gracie picked out. 

Goings and Comings

   

June 14th-19th took us to Salt Lake City to attend InterMountain Suzuki String Institute.   It was cancelled last year -pandemic-and I have to say,  it was lovely staying home.

Jace had several sheets of music to learn.  We decided to drive up to SLC instead of fly--so we could leave our van there for the summer--as rental cars are mostly unavailable and terribly expensive post the pandemic.  It was great because it gave Ryan and Jace an extra 7 hours to practice while I drove us up I 15.

 Practicing in a moving vehicle is a challenge--and I heard a lot of weird sounds and laughing from the back seats whenever I would go over bumps and the cello would sound like it was farting. 

Classic Jace pose--waiting his turn in Masterclass for his private lesson. 

On Saturday, all the groups performed.  It was fun to watch them grow musically during the week. 

Jace did not disappoint, he played with finesse, and precision.  We were proud of him!

At times, Ryan and I divided and conquered.  Kjersti had her own music agenda. She was not part of the camp because of the limited students because of COVID restrictions, so Mrs Moench provided private lessons, group lessons and a performance class for her younger students.  She also has a darling Grand- daughter named Ella, who is also a violinist. Kjersti and Ella love each other. 

I was able to take them on an adventure to the SLC Aquarium--and it was so much fun! I had a blast with them. 

They also  attended to their practicing, 

and they both did a fabulous job performing on Saturday morning!  Kjersti's cousin-Suzannah -is the pianist. We are so lucky to have so many musicians in the family. 

Afterwards we went to Day Murray Music so Kjersti could have Jared show her some Ukuleles.  It was her reward for working so hard during the week.  

Saturday evening, when all concerts were over, Uncle Paul came and picked us up in our airplane and flew us home.  We stopped in St George,  so we could pick up Gracie and Charlie. Gracie loves that she is a pianist and doesn't have to go to the string instrument camps.  She was enthralled in cousin time.   

She cried the whole way home because she had such a fabulous week --she didn't want it to end.  And our camp was so wonderful we didn't want it to end either.  So-here's to happy endings. 

Memorial Weekend

 

Thursday, May, 27th, entailed a trip to SLC for a 2 hour  violin lesson with Mrs Moench and a  piano recital for Gracie.  Here she is with her cousin Lizzy celebrating that the concert was over!!

Why was she so excited?  Mostly because she was getting off the plane in St. George, UT so she could spend the next 4 days in cousin heaven at her Uncle Jason house.  He has 5 girls!!

Kjersti and I flew up to St George on Friday, with Charlie, to meet Gracie there and attend my family reunion. 

Charlie is a good little puppy!  He did not  make a peep on his first airplane ride-despite the hot afternoon air that made the flight super bumpy--

We met all the girls at the mall so that Gracie could get her ears pierced. Here are Aubrey and Gracie in their matching b-day outfits from Grammy and Poppy.

Cousins----

offering moral support before they put the piercing gun to Gracie ears!

 

But she did it!  She has really cute diamond studs in her ears now. 

Saturday, was my Moms bday.  She would have been 91 if she was still alive.  She was born in 1930. She died at 85-- in her sleep.  She got pneumonia. It was a surprising, and devastating loss for me and my siblings.  She was healthy, and hard working, and we thought she'd easily make it to 100.  I had just moved home to AZ to be near my parents in Southern UT when I lost my father,  then one year following his death, my mom got a cold, which moved to her lungs. She was being treated for pneumonia and had even received an in home visit by Ryan's brother Jason, who also saw signs she was recovering.  But then she died that night in her sleep. So, it was not meant to be.  She was needed on the other side.  To celebrate her life, my sister Calista had a party at her house.  There was swimming and cake and fun laughs shared by all who could come. I didn't think to take pictures.  But on Sunday evening we went to the cemetery  to decorate our ancestors graves. Here is Gracie and Charlie having a fun time. 

Malynne, at her husband Al's grave. 

This is my oldest sister Danielle.  She is not doing too well. She just turned 71, so she is not that old, but she has some underlying health issues she is dealing with.  I'm really close to her and it will be another devastating loss in my life when she is called home. 

Al-s grave at the Washington, UT cemetery.
 

After finishing up at the Washington, UT cemetery, we drove about 10 minutes to the St. George cemetery where my parents are buried. 

My dad is a WWII vet--so the city always puts a flag at his grave. 

My beautiful Kjersti standing next to their headstone. It's weird to see my name engraved on it.   I thought they would both live forever. 

My precious clan

This is all their posterity who could come to the graveside.  They had 10 children, so we are  big crowd when we all get together.  After the cemetery, we drove down the street to my brother Jabe's house for my moms peach cobbler and a bunch of other yummy food.  It was good to see everyone.  It had been awhile since the pandemic cancelled all gatherings for 2020. 

But most importantly, I want to express my gratitude to those who GAVE THEIR ALL for the freedoms we experience and enjoy EVERYDAY  in this blessed country.  My Dad would often tell stories of his experiences in the Philippines during the war, and they were hard, terrible days. but he went and served,  like so many others. But he was not required to give his all, but did receive a severe wound in this right arm that caused him pain throughout his life.