Carrie Myrl Brugger

The top picture is my Grandma and Grandpa Brugger's wedding picture.  My mother always told me they were married in the Manti Temple but I recently found out they were married in the Salt Lake Temple.  My Grandma Brugger always went by Myrl.  She though that Carrie was too old fashioned.  She had a twin brother Archie Earl.  Her birthday was last Saturday and intended to do this then but we had a very busy weekend and I didn't get it done.  I didn't want another year to go by without doing this.  I never remember my Grandmother wearing anything but dresses - even when she worked in the garden.  She had some major health struggles in her later years but she handled them with dignity.  At the time I thought she was kind of whiny about the whole thing.  Now I realize she was remarkably strong and for the amount of pain she was feeling, she should have been complaining a lot more.  I wish I had appreciated her more but she was gone by the time I was 16.  I think part of the reason she and I grated on each other so much is that we were really two peas in a pod.  They say that people that are too much alike never get along.  I have had so many people that knew my Grandmother - once we moved Ephraim - say how much I reminded them of her.  By that time I knew it was a high compliment.  I know for a fact our bodies and metabolisms are much alike.  I tend to follow her family line much more closely than any other in that way.  She was an amazing woman.

Happy Birthday Heather!

I

Today is my daughter, Heather Lou's birthday.  The top picture was taken the day we came home from the hospital - at my parents home.  The bottom picture was taken almost 5 years ago, just before Brandon went to Kuwait. I guess the theme today - other than Heather's birthday is mother and daughter pictures.  Heather, I hope you had a wonderful birthday.  May you have year that brings you all you hope for.

One of My Favorites

On with the topic of matching dresses...  My mom got these for the girls for Christmas just before I had Pam.  This is their Christmas picture for 1982.  It SO shows their personalities at that age.  Carianne informed me that she would make a much better wife and mother than I was.  Heather LOVED the camera and was becoming quite photogenic and Heidi had hit the age of 'stranger danger' so no matter how much we coaxed, she knew she was in mortal peril.  You will notice no one is trying to make her feel better.  By the time Pam had reached this stage, both Carianne and Heather would have tried to have calm her down.  What a difference a couple of years makes.  This still one of my favorite pictures simply because if shows off their personalities so well at that age.

Matching

This is a picture of Heather and Bella in matching dresses.  When I did matching dresses when they were little, I guess I did it too long (actually Mom did it too long) and they got to the point they wouldn't wear them.  Then one Christmas we all had matching skirts and t-shirts - so Clyde made a matching tie.  That was the last time.  Now the girls love having their girls match if they can't find something for mother's and daughters too.  Heidi and I are currently trying to find something for Anneke and Mallory for Easter that matches.  Next year it might be easier, if Mallory grows and Anneke slows down.

Mother and Daughter

This is a picture of Heather and me and Pam's graduation from the University of Utah.  Of all of my daughters, Heather and I look the most alike - except she inherited the Bailey metabolism and I inherited the Buchanan.  Because I had lost weight (before all of the problems with my knees) - I was almost down to my ideal weight during this time.  I wish I could build up that incentive and drive again but every time the momentum gets going, something happens. I have got to get back in the groove I had 5 years ago.  This has gone on long enough.


By the way this is my 501st post.  I think it is interesting that my 500th post was a book review.  I don't know what possessed me to look and see how many posts I had done, this morning.  I was actually quite surprised I had hit the 500 mark.  

"Mine is the Night:"

This was a beautiful book and much better than I hoped. I had read the book before it and to be honest was dreading having to review this one.  Fortunately from the first page of this one, I was drawn in and much more invested in the characters this time.  Marjory, who is  probably close to my age, I could finally identify with her and maybe that is why I enjoyed this book and not the last one.  It is a sweet story and I do recommend this book.  There are three story lines in this book, but the main one is Elisabeth's that takes the priority.  I also love that Jack Buchanan was one of the main male characters - maybe that is why I liked this one better than last one.


This book is reviewed for Waterbrook Press on behalf of Blogging for Books.

Heather and Bella

Eight years ago, Heather and Bella were living in Italy with Brandon, who is in the Air Force for a living.  Now they currently reside in Okinawa with one more member of the family, Evie and a menagerie.  Brandon's birthday is in Februarys and Heather's birthday is the end of March, so Bella decided to come in between both of the birthdays to make them happy.  I miss them all so much.