.....more today than yesterday

"13-0" It's not a quest....it's just what we do!

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:59:00 +0000

Congratulations to the 13-0 University of Utah Utes who just completed the only perfect season this year in major college football.

The UTES finished off the season, first, with an old fashioned fanny kicking of byu, 48-24 back on November 22. They intercepted Max Hall five times and recovered a

fumble for six turnovers. The outcome of the game put byu in third place in the conference, sending them for the fourth year in a row to the Las Vegas Bowl and its $1 million per team payoff. Go Cougars. (btw, they lost 31-21 to the 8-5 Arizona Wildcats.)
The victory made the the then 12-0 UTES the undisputed MWC Champions and assured them for the second time in five years, a berth in one of the BIG bowl games run by the evil bcs and its $18 million per team payoff. Unfortunately, being one of the great "unwashed," the UTES get to share their money with the five other non-qualifying conferences. After they pay their expenses, they should clear about $1.4 million. byu will even get between $300,000 and $400,000. (You're welcome cougars, glad we can be of help.)
UTAH is the first team from a conference without an automatic bcs bid to play in one of the five bcs games two times, winning both times.
On Sunday, December 7th, it was announced that the UTES would be playing Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on January 2nd, 2009. The UTES were put as a 9-10 point underdog, with one poll indicating that 89% of Americans thought that the Crimson Tide would beat us and beat us badly.
Come January 2nd, the nation and all of the sports experts were shocked when a determined UTAH team took the field in the Louisiana Superdome and handily beat the 4th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, a team that had been ranked #1 in the country for five weeks during the regular season.
It was said that UTAH couldn't keep up with the size and "southern speed" of a team from the SEC. Before the game was even eleven minutes old, the score was 21-0 for the UTES. They out hustled, out muscled and just plain out played Alabama, winning the game 31-17.
The win made the UTES the only undefeated team left in the 11 major football conferences. Many thought that they should be national champions, but NOOOOOO... not in the evil empire that is the bcs. Oklahoma and Florida, both with one loss were picked by the computers and pollsters as the #1 and #2 teams in the land and given the opportunity to play in the bcs championship game. Florida went on to win the game and were declared the national champions of football. The UTES finished ranked #2 in the AP poll and #4 in the USA Today Coaches poll, behind Florida, USC and Texas, all one loss teams.
Division 1 college football is the ONLY college sport in America that is not decided by a playoff system or competition. The UTES may not have been able to beat some of those other teams, but we sure would have like the opportunity to try.

GO UTES!!!

it's not a quest....it's just what we do

Sleep-over at G and G's

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:05:00 +0000

G and G (grandma and grandpa) had a fun, if not crazy experience this weekend with the grandkids. Due to sickness (Riley), living in Colorado (Kathryn and Reese) and Arizona (Caden and Drake) only five of the little cuties were able to attend. Moms and Dads WERE NOT INVITED. We had to literally kick some of them out when they continued to just hang around. Talk about stifling the fun!

So, for your viewing enjoyment, here is a photo record of the big time.

Receiving instructions from "Boss G"
Dinner. Yummy Cheese and Pepperoni Pizza, breadsticks and 7-Up!!
You might notice in the preceding photo that there is a PARENT still there. She was politely asked to vacate the premises.

YUMMM! Breadsticks!!!
Movie Time!! Arthur's Perfect Christmas and Shrek The Halls

Making and decorating cookies

After movies, cookies, yummy pizza and general over-all FUN, "Helper G" was sent upstairs to help Caleb go to sleep. "BOSS G" and the rest of the kids worked on cool Santa hats in the basement. Then it was off to sleep. "Helper G" and Caleb were already having visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads upstairs. Here is the result of the late night craftiness.
Now it was off down the street to the church and our ward Christmas Brunch. Yes, we walked.
Here's some pictures from the brunch
It was a fun time. We hope the kids had a good time. They were great. We sure did miss the five who couldn't come. After all is said and done, "Boss G" and "Helper G" just have this to say, We love you all, but don't call us, we'll call you, at least for a couple of days. We need to recuperate.

What happens in Vegas....Don't worry, NOTHING HAPPENED!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:40:00 +0000

We visited Las Vegas two weeks ago with son Spencer and his wife Amy. We had a great time. We ate way too much at some fantastic restaurants (Asian, Italian, French, MGM Grand food court). We saw three great shows which included:

"PHANTOM"

"Phantom" was great. The theater at the Venetian was constructed specifically for the production and gave you the feeling that you were "IN" a 19th century Paris opera house. The special effects and pyrotechnics were fantastic. The guy who played Phantom was good, but when you have listened to Michael Crawford do it for so many years, it's hard not to make comparisons. Great production.

"BLUE MAN GROUP"

The highlight of the trip. Absolutely amazing! An hour and a half of noise, energy, excitement, and laugh-out-loud fun. These guys are something else. This show is totally entertaining and we would recommend it to anyone. They do things with Twinkies and Cap'n Crunch that are just WRONG!! Save up and go see BMG!

Afterwards, on the way out, who was in the the lobby? One of the blue guys who graciously posed with one of his new fans!!!

"O"

WOW! Pretty amazing. It's like a circus at the local pool. It's really something to see what they can do to put on a "circus" in a pool of water. Great fun and fantastic performances.

We had a great time. Thanks to Spencer and Amy. The food was great (although maybe too much), the hotel was fantastic and the shows were amaaaazing!

AFFLICTION or BLESSING?

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:13:00 +0000

We've been taught throughout our lives that hidden among the many afflictions we are required to endure, come many of the most choice blessings from our Heavenly Father. As a family, this past year has brought its fair share of trying times as well as many great blessings.

When I started my journey with chemotherapy a year ago, one of the side effects I was told I might expect was mouth sores. Even though it hasn't been a constant thing, I have had experience with mouth sores. Usually in the form of canker sores, I even had one bout with a couple of sores in the middle of my tongue that were determined to be a form of herpes. The medicine prescribed, famcyclovir, is a commonly prescribed treatment for genital herpes!!

I was confident that when the chemo was completed this past May that even though limited in occurences, I wouldn't be having anymore treatment related mouth sores. WRONG!! Just a few weeks after treatment was completed, I had a couple of cankers that got pretty bad just inside my lower lip. In about a week they ran their course and went away.

Then all h--- broke loose. Just as the previous ones were finishing healing, what started as a sore when I bit my lip while chewing, developed into something more.

Editor's note:

PARENTAL GUIDANCE RECOMMENDED

images may be to intense for

small children or those with queasy stomachs

This sore started small while I was away on business and got larger as the week went by. When it didn't get any better, Barry (my brother the dentist) suggested that he might have an application that might help it. On Monday the 14th I went and saw him. He immediately determined that he couldn't do anything to help it, but was concerned about the amount of inflammation in my gums which he said was due to large amounts of bacteria in my mouth. He did some minor cleaning (too much pain) and gave me some toothpaste and mouthwash that would help keep the bacteria levels down until I could get in and do a full cleaning.

That afternoon at the INSISTENCE of my wife, I called Dr. Shehadeh's office to see what they could do. They told me that they could call in a prescription (famcyclovir) or I could come right in and they would look at it. I chose to make a visit to the doctor.

After the usual blood draw for a CBC, I saw Mike Cole, the physician's assistant. While talking with Mike, Dr. Shehadeh came in to look at it. Mary brought in the lab results, and as they looked at them together, I heard an simultaneous GASP! from each of them.

AT THIS POINT THE AFFLICTION BEGAN TO MANIFEST ITSELF AS A BLESSING

The blood tests showed my white blood count to be 0.8 and my neutrophil level at 0.2. Both of these levels are in the critically low range. The "low of normal" level for the WBC is 3.6. My temperature at the time was normal. With such a low white blood count, they decided to give me an injection of Neulasta which is used to spur the growth of white blood cells in chemotherapy patients. The catch with this injection is that the cost is approximately &6,000. After getting insurance approval, I got the shot. All of a sudden the monster mouth sore, even though it hurt like h---, wasn't much of a concern. I was sent home with a couple of prescriptions and instructions to call immediately if I had a temperature above 100 degrees. By the time I got the prescriptions filled and got home, my temperature was 101.4. I immediately called the doctor who told me to go to LDS Hospital where I would be admitted that night.

It turns out that my condition had become neutropenic.

Quoting from www.tirgan.com, "There are various types of cells in the blood. The lowering of the white blood cells that fight infections is known as NEUTROPENIA. It is the most important complication of chemotherapy. It is almost always due to impairment of bone marrow to produce cells and normally occurs a few days to a few week after chemotherapy.

It is most severe in patients who receive aggressive treatments.

The signs and symptoms of Neutropenia depend on its severity. However, patients with even mild forms can develop major problems. Even in the most severe cases, it may have no signs at all, or it may cause fever and infection. A fever in patients who have received chemotherapy must be taken seriously, requiring a complete evaluation. Taking Tylenol or aspirin will only mask the infection and should be avoided.

One technical term of which cancer patients should be aware is "Febrile Neutropenia," which refers to having a fever while the white blood cell count is low. Fever indicates the presence of an infection, which, in most cases originates from germs and bacteria that reside in the intestines or skin.

Febrile Neutropenia is a medical emergency and must be dealt with immediately. Any temperature over 100.5 should be reported to the medical oncologist immediately. Hours and minutes are critical."

The web site goes on to say:

IF LEFT UNTREATED, THIS COMPLICATION MAY

BECOME FATAL WITHIN A MATTER OF HOURS

I spent the next three days and four nights at LDS hospital, hooked up to an IV, sometimes getting as many as four antibiotics. One night, my temperature started spiking so the doctor ordered a full blood culture and chest x-rays. Fortunately, all of the tests done came back negative. They were very concerned about new infections and particularly the onset of pneumonia. As the treatments progressed, my WBC went from 0.8 on Monday to 1.9 on Friday, with the neutrophils going from 0.2 on Monday to 1.3 on Friday. Neither level great yet, but rising and good enough to get me off the IV and home. By the way, my mouth still hurts like h---, but has turned the corner and is getting better.

You wouldn't normally think that intense mouth sores, four night hospital stays, $6,000.00 shots, blood draws, 24 hr/day IV's, high temperatures and the such would be considered a blessing.

I have been blessed. Blessed by the above. Blessed to have a loving wife, mother, children and grandchildren. Blessed by medical technology that indeed saves lives. Blessed to have great doctors and medical staff who really care and aren't afraid to show that they care.

Thanks, everyone for blessing mine and Sharon's lives. We love and appreciate all that you are and do.

In closing and on a less serious note, here is what I look forward to every morning when getting ready for the day.

Music, Back In "The Day"

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:25:00 +0000

We recently got a USB Turntable. What is a USB Turntable? you ask. Good question. A USB Turntable allows you to play an album, with a USB connection to a computer and save it to an MP3 file, which can be listened to on the computer, ipod, MP3 or even saved on a CD.

Your next question may very well be "What is an album?" Back in the day, when we wanted to have the music of our favorite artists and enjoy it at home, we purchased for about $5.00, an album, a 12" diameter piece of vinyl with grooves in it that you play on a phonograph. They came in 45's (that's what they played on the radio) which had one song on each side, and 33 rpm formats. The 33 rpm or LPs had a whole album.

That's the way it was in back in the day. Albums were eventually replaced by cassette tapes and then by CD's.

With the USB Turntable, it allows us to be able to enjoy once again all of the albums that we collected in the early days . We have dozens that we have kept over the years and now can finally enjoy them again. (It's a good thing that I didn't store them at Grandma Packer's or they would now be in the landfill with my baseball card collection.) Just kidding, Mom!! (And yes, I still have issues regarding my baseball card collection)

Anyway, to get on with the story, each album came in a cardboard cover, or jacket. Inside the jacket, holding the album itself is a paper "sleeve" or dust cover that gives the album extra protection.

While converting "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel, I came upon the following printed on the dust cover. I thought you might find it interesting and probably amusing.

Here's How Records Give You More Of What You Want!

The Best For Less. Records give you top quality for less money than any other recording form.
They Allow Selectivity Of Songs And Tracks. With records it's easy to pick out the songs you want to play, or to play again a particular song or side. All you have to do is lift the tone arm and place it where you want it. You can't do this as easily with anything but a phonograph record.
They're The Top Quality In Sound. Long-playing phonograph records look the same now as when they were introduced in 1948, but there's a world of difference. Countless refinements and developments have been made to perfect the long-playing record's technical excellence and insure the best in sound reproduction and quality available in recorded form.
They'll Give You Hours Of Continuous And Uninterrupted Listening Pleasure. Just stack them up on your automatic changer and relax.
They're Attractive, Informative And Easy To Store. Record albums are never out of place. Because of the aesthetic appeal of the jacket design, they're beautifully at home in any living room or library. They've also got important information on the backs--about the artists, about the performances or about the program. And because they're flat and not bulky, you can store hundreds in a minimum of space and still see every title.
It It's In Recorded Form, You Know It'll Be Available On Records. Everything's on long-playing records these days...your favorite artists, shows, comedy, movie sound tracks, concerts, drama, documented history, educational material...you name it. This is not so with any other kind of recording.
They Make A Great Gift. Everybody you know loves music. And practically everyone owns a phonograph. Records are a gift that says a lot to the person you're giving them to. And they keep on remembering.

And Remember...It Always Happens First On Records

Ahhhh, the good old days.

GREAT NEWS!!

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Sharon and I met with my oncologist, Dr. Nasfat Shehadeh this morning and received the news that my Lymphoma is in complete remission!!! The recent bone marrow test came out negative and as Dr. Shehadeh told us, we got "a complete response." We are thrilled with the news and are anxious to get on with life.

The next step is that I will have blood tests every 6-8 weeks and possibly a CAT scan every 4-6 months. I also need to continually check for enlargement of the lymph nodes on my neck, abdomen and groin. Sharon has graciously consented to check for lumps on a regular basis.

I want to express our love and appreciation to everyone who has been so loving and supportive of mom and I this past year. It's been a real journey. You kids have been the greatest, always being there to help out with the stuff that I was unable to do. Our sweet grandchildren have been a great strength and source of joy to both of us. Everyone has been just fantastic and I want you all to know how much it has meant to us.

I know that it isn't over. The cancer isn't cured, just in remission. People who have had the same cancer, with the same treatment that I just completed have been in remission as long as 5-7 years. I expect that someday it will come back and then I will be looking at a bone marrow transplant, but until that happens, we will move forward. Maybe in the meantime, there will be a cure or at least an alternative to a transplant. We can only hope and pray.

I have been truly fortunate to have been treated by the best in the business. Dr. Shehadeh is amazing. His PA, Mike Cole has been the greatest.

Then there is Charlotte, my chemo nurse, Mary, the phlebotomist, Trevor, Sarah and Ricky the MA's that I have worked with, and the two ladies at the front desk, Beverly and Stephanie (who has used all of my co-pays to fill her closet with new shoes). All have been great examples of professionalism and compassion.

FINALLY, I NEED TO THANK MY SWEET WIFE AND COMPANION FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME AND HELPING ME THROUGH THIS YEAR. ALWAYS HAVING HER OWN HEALTH ISSUES TO DEAL WITH, SHE HAS BEEN THERE FOR ME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY AND HAS SHOWN ME WHAT TRUE CHRIST-LIKE COMPASSION IS. BEING THE "TOUGH GUY" THAT I TRY TO BE, I HAVE LEARNED A GREAT LESSON ON WHAT IT MEANS TO PUT OTHERS' NEEDS AHEAD OF YOUR OWN. I HOPE THAT I CAN BE A MORE COMPASSIONATE AND CARING PERSON IN THE FUTURE.

With that said.......LET'S PARTY!!!!!

SCI-FI MOVIE NIGHT...a family tradition

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:15:00 +0000

SCI-FI MOVIE NIGHT is a tradition that my son-in-law Dave established a few years back. It involves seeing a science fiction movie, late at night, preferably at the dollar theater. When I am in Colorado Springs working, Dave and I try to see a sci-fi thriller on occasion, giving us the chance to see a movie that Melissa and Sharon would never go to (we ain't talkin chick flicks here)

Some of the movies we have seen include "The Day After Tomorrow"

"I Am Legend" "Iron Man"

and "JUMPER." By the way, Hayden Christensen does his best work when wearing his full Darth Vader suit. At least then his questionable acting ability isn't quite so obvious.

We have also seen some dogs, the titles of which I can't and really don't want to remember.

Dave and Melissa are in town this week, so last night was SCI-FI MOVIE NIGHT!!

We ventured into the night, to the Sugarhouse 10 theaters to see a dollar movie (actually it was $1.50). Starting time was 9:45 pm with the classic SCI-FI thriller ending about 11:30 pm.

I wish that I could forget the name of this movie, as it was truly forgettable!! It was produced by the same guy who did "The Day After Tomorrow." He should have quit while he was ahead.)

What movie was it? I thought you would never ask!!

And yes, IT IS available on DVD and Blu-Ray disc for your home viewing pleasure. At least watching at home you don't have to worry about laughing out loud and waking up those around you because you'll probably be sitting there watching it alone, unless you can coerce someone into watching it with you.

Flicks like this are what makes SCI-FI MOVIE NIGHT such fun.

TILL NEXT TIME...........

CUPCAKE ON CHEMO!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:16:00 +0000

11 down, 1 to go....yeeech!

Let Them Eat Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:36:00 +0000

The Birthday Cake is a traditional part of birthday parties. It has been an integral part of the birthday tradition in Western cultures since the middle of the 19th century. The Greeks were some of the first to celebrate birthdays with cakes, however these were the birthdays for gods and goddesses. The celebration for the Greek moon god, Artemis included a cake topped with lit candles

The cake or sometimes a pastry or dessert, is served to a person on his or her birthday, and is often decorated with small novelty candles. The phrase "Happy Birthday started to occur on birthday cakes when the song "Happy Birthday To You" was popularized in the early 1900's.

With that said, here is a sampling of past Packer family birthday cakes, at least those in 2008, many made by Sharon. She is very talented, if I say so myself.

Apologies to those whose cakes aren't shown

THE PRINCESS CAKE--What can I say? Princesses get Princess cakes.

GRANDMA VOORHEES--83rd Birthday

RAND'S 5th Birthday--pretty amazing. It almost fell apart on the trip to Sartoga Springs

REBECCA--A Packer family favorite--White cake, cream cheese and raspberries We had a family birthday dinner for Rebecca and Spencer. Rebecca objects to the fact that she has to share her birthday with someone else. In her mind, March 2nd should be a national holiday.

SPENCER--Grandma Packer used to make cream cheese pies for family get-togethers. She would always make an additional one for Spencer and give it to him on the sly for him to eat at home. Bryan isn't very happy that this happened, and doesn't let us forget about it. He also got a Costco cake.

CALEB'S 2nd birthday--Really cool Elmo cake. Those 'sticks' of butter in the background are cake too. Caleb really loves butter.

THE RESTAURANT BIRTHDAY TREAT--Who doesn't enjoy going to your favorite restaurant on your birthday and being serenaded by 5 or 6 strangers who can't sing? At least you get a free dessert. At the Red Robin, you used to get the big dessert free, but now they give you a sundae. We had to pay for Nate's "Mile High Mud Pie". Caden and I ate the chocolate sundae. It was delicious.

AMBER--April 28th--Birthday cupcakes are always a hit, especially with the kids.

THE MOTHER OF ALL CAKES--When I was growing up, my mother always made us a "Mother's Chocolate Cake" for our birthdays. The frosting is the key to this cake. When done right, it is smooth and chocolaty and totally good. When not done right it has a grainy texture. Mom always got the frosting right on. Sharon hit a home run with the frosting. It was perfect!!

Boogity, boogity, boogity...let's go racin' boys!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:51:00 +0000

If I had a 'bucket list' which I don't, going to a NASCAR race would probably be one of the things on that list, so I can now cross it off the list that I don't have.

Blair (older brother) was bitten by the NASCAR bug several years ago and has attended races in Las Vegas, Phoenix and at Lowe's Motor Speedway (somewhere in North Carolina I think). Last summer he extended an invitation to go to the Subway Fresh Fit 500 held this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, AZ.

The 500 part is a misnomer. You would think that in the good ole US of A where rednecks rule that it would be a 500 mile race. NOT!! It was a 500 kilometer race!! What's with that??? Anyway, the 312 mile race was appreciated because that is a lot shorter than 500 miles, and yes, I figured that out all by myself.

The adventure started on Friday, when I flew to Phoenix and met brothers Barry and Blair, along with nephews Curtis, Chris and his wife Heidi. We checked in to our hotel in downtown Phoenix near Chase Field and US Airways Center, after which we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.

The weekend featured two races, with the Nationwide Race (NASCAR's minor league) on Friday night and the Sprint Cup race on Saturday night.

We headed for the racetrack out in Avondale, about 15 miles west of downtown Phoenix and in the same area where Nate went to school. On the way we stopped off at a vacant lot where there were several trailers and tents with white trash selling NASCAR stuff that is cheaper that you can get at the racetrack. Chris bought a Jimmie Johnson jacket so he will now have matching jackets with his two boys.

We got to the racetrack and walked down a big area with 40' trailers, all selling memorabilia. Every driver and sponsor either had their own trailer or shared one with another driver. Some, like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had FOUR trailers. There was even a trailer for his dad, Dale Earnhardt, who has been dead for six years. It was amazing. Lots of places to spend lots of money for stuff you'll probably never wear (unless you're Uncle Blair...see photos below). Don't worry, nothing I say can offend Blair.

The Nationwide race was 200 miles and ended up in a duel to the finish between Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. Both are Sprint Cup drivers who also drive in the Nationwide races. Kyle pulled off the win.

For you unfortunate souls who don't follow NASCAR, Kyle is the one on the right.

After a relaxing morning sitting by the pool at the hotel, we headed once again for the racetrack, with a stop at Borders so Barry could buy a book (he ended up with three) and then lunch at .

We stopped again at the redneck swap meet/flea market and then on to PIR. The raceway seats around 125,000 people. At the Nationwide race on Friday night, there might have been 50,000 people there. On Saturday, it was PACKED. It was a total zoo, and a people watcher's bonanza. It's definitely not the type of crowd that you will see at a baseball game, a Jazz game, or even General Conference!!! All I can say is you have to see it to believe it.

The race got underway a little bit before 6:00 pm after all kinds of introductions, Air Force jet flyovers, skydivers, an opening prayer and the national anthem.

One guy on the row in front of us and to the left didn't remove his hat and really caught a bunch of crap from another guy sitting behind us. Man, talk about white trash. Driver loyalty is very intense in NASCAR. (And I thought BYU fans were bad) Dale Earnhardt, Jr is by far the most popular driver in NASCAR. He drove the #9 Budweiser car last year and the majority year and the majority of the fans would be wearing red #8 gear. He changed teams this year and is now driving the #88 AMP/Mt Dew/National Guard car. There is hardly a red shirt in sight anymore. All of those people got rid of the red and bought new stuff. The guy who wouldn't take off his hat was a Jr. fan and was a total jerk all night. Whenever Jr. was leading the race, he would stand up and clap every time the #88 passed by us. Problem is, when he was standing up, he totally blocked our view of turn four, so we couldn't see the cars coming around turn four to the front stretch unless we stood up too. I don't think his momma taught him no manners. It got worse toward the end of the race when Jr, who had been leading the race for a long time, lost the lead and then ended up back in fourth place. He was leading, and then just lost it. This really frustrated the #88 fans. By the way, Dale Jr. hasn't won a race in his last 65 tries.

This was our view of turn four for the last 1/4 of the race. Once Dale Jr. lost the lead, this guy wouldn't sit down at all. I hope he didn't take it out on his wife when he got home.

It was an exciting race, especially at the end. Mark Martin in the #6 had the lead at the end, but was afraid that he would run out of gas, so with about 9 laps to go he pitted for fuel and Jimmie Johnson in the #48 took the lead. He was tossing the dice and taking the chance of not pitting with the possibility of running out of fuel himself. With the other leaders getting gas, he had a 20 second lead on Clint Bowyer and with his crew chief telling him to slow down to conserve fuel, he won the race by 7 seconds, and then ran out of gas on his victory lap and had to be pushed into victory lane.

This made everyone happy, especially Uncle Blair who some would say likes Jimmy Johnson more than he likes Aunt Lynda!! (just kidding, Lynda) But then again, he doesn't wear clothes with Aunt Lynda's picture or number on them does he???

Anyway, we had a great time. It's definitely an event to remember. In closing, all I can say is....boogity, boogity, boogity.

Here's some more pictures.

Clean up....clean up......

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Omi lives on a wooded acre on Cottonwood Creek. It's a blessing....and a curse. If you don't get the leaves cleaned up in the fall before it snows, you end up with this....

and this.....

We wanted to get it done today because with Easter coming early this year, we wouldn't be able to hold the annual Easter Egg Hunt with the yard such a mess. We put out the word and family came through....the turnout was great. THANKS EVERYONE. Grandma was speechless. She really appreciated it. It got done because everyone pitched in.

We did have to pause for a photo op.....

Most of the really heavy lifting was provided by.........

We're still here.......

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:07:00 +0000

In case any of you were wondering, we're still alive and kicking. Not kicking very high, but kicking just the same.

I had the chance to visit my friend at the Lone Peak facility at the Utah State Prison this past Saturday. It's pretty sobering to sit with a good friend in an atmosphere where one of you is free to stand up and walk out the door and the other isn't. We had a nice visit that lasted almost one and one half hours. He is doing as well as can be expected when you consider where he is. He hopes to be out in July 2009 and will then start to rebuild his life. His four kids have been very supportive and visit or write on a regular basis. His wife divorced him, has remarried and has little or no contact with either him OR the kids. Totally WEIRD!

I hope to be able to visit him on occasion and to be there for him when he needs help getting back on his feet. I certainly don't condone what he did, but I am confident that he has accepted responsibility for his actions and is trying to put his life together. He made the comment to me on Saturday, "When I realized I wasn't dead, I knew that things could be all right." He has slipped about as far as you can and has a long way to go to pull himself back up, but he knows that he can do it.

I was scheduled for chemotherapy last Monday. (#4 in a series of 6) My white blood count was too low (2.2, when it should be at least 3.0) so they wouldn't take the chance of giving me any more until my blood count comes up to a safer level. The only good thing about it is that I wasn't sick this weekend, but with the treatment rescheduled for the 18th, I'll expect to be sick on Easter weekend. Fun and games.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Rebecca (March 2) and Spencer (March7). 27 and 32 years old respectively. WOW!!

The Saga of Sammy the Suitcase

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:41:00 +0000

This is the true story of the adventures of Sammy the Suitcase. Sammy is the faithful companion of his friend, "The Traveler." Sammy and The Traveler have traveled far and wide, here and there, to and fro, always together....most of the time.

The two wanderers have been all over the place. Atlanta, Anchorage, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Boise, Portland, Phoenix, Spokane, Disneyland, Philadelphia, Las Vegas not to mention Kalispell, Kansas City, Kamloops and Kelowna.

The Traveler would be lost without Sammy because Sammy takes care of all of The Traveler's important stuff. Sammy is the caretaker of The Traveler's socks, various and sundry pills, his hair gel and his jammies. Sammy is an important suitcase dude.

Recently Sammy and The Traveler (referred to as Trav from now on) embarked on a journey, departing

Salt Lake International (SLC)

for

Portland International (PDX) and the City of Roses

Upon arrival, Trav went to the previously arranged meeting place for the usual happy reunion with Sammy. But Sammy was nowhere to be found. Other travelers were happily reunited. Benny the backpack, Curtis the cat carrier, Simon the snowboard. All were met and collected by their travelers, but not Sammy. SAMMY WAS MISSING!!! Trav was concerned.

Upon speaking with the friendly representative from Trav was told to go to his hotel and that Sammy would be brought to him IF he came on the next flight. Sammy did not come on the next flight.

After spending a fitful night in a strange bed in a strange city without his jammies and meds, Trav traveled back to PDX the next morning to try to unravel the mystery of the missing Sammy.

Another friendly representative from the above mentioned corporation informed Trav that Sammy had been "misdirected" and was now enjoying the sights and sounds of San Francisco International Airport.

San Fran(freakin)cisco!!! How the heck did Sammy get there? In a fleeting moment of political incorrectness, Trav had to wonder how one of the Pacific Islander Sammy handlers at SLC had thought that Sammy's ticket that said PDX meant that Sammy was to be put on the cart going to SFO. Trav then repented of his indiscretion.

The friendly representative referred to twice previously then informed Trav of Sammy's itinerary before they would be reunited and Trav would again have his jammies, and at this point more importantly, clean underwear and deoderant. Trav only wished that Sammy could give him his FFM's. So, here is where Sammy went in anticipation of a joyful reunion:

Fly, Sammy Fly

From SLC to SFO,

then to LAX, back to SLC,

and finally on to PDX, arriving at 6:30 pm, 23 hours after starting a journey that took Trav 1hr, 23min.

When Sammy finally arrived at PDX, the reunion was then still delayed because Trav was 250 miles south working. A joyful reunion was had by all but not until almost 48 hours after the adventure began.

All's well that ends well. Trav has his jammies, pills and deoderant, and is hoping that some Sammy handler in SLC is getting help with his/her problem. (PDX=Portland, not SanFran(freakin)cisco!!! )

THE END

My Rock and Roll Lifestyle #1 in a series of 1

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 03:59:00 +0000

In honor of the blog of my son Spencer, I want to tell you about my concert history, which is extensive and goes waaaay back.

When I was in high school, the Salt Palace or Huntsman Center didn't exist yet. The venue for live concerts was the Valley Music Hall in North Salt Lake. It was a theater in the round with a stage that rotated, surrounded on all sides by the seats. The building was later sold to the LDS Church and is now used as a regional center by the Church. The Salt Palace was built in the late 60's and the Special Events Center (Huntsman Center) was finished in 1970. During the 70's and early 80's, the SEC was actually the preferred venue for the big shows. The acoustics were much better than the Salt Palace and then they hung curtains along the outside walls, which improved the acoustics and more concerts started going to the Salt Palace which was later replaced by the Delta Center.

So, without further ado, here is a list of my Rock and Roll history. (Ok, I use the term Rock and Roll loosely)

ROCK ON!!!

Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass--Valley Music Hall--I was a Sophomore in high school and went with a bunch of friends from the Granite band. This was the hottest group around at the time.

Kenny Rogers and The First Edition--Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse--This was the group that Kenny was with before he went solo in 1970. This was the group that first performed "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town." I was a freshman at the U.

Liberace--Valley Music Hall--Yes, Liberace. The guy could really tickle the ivories. Pretty snappy dresser, too!

Burt Bacharach--Special Events Center--Right in the middle of one of his songs, Burt stopped the orchestra and made them start the piece over. He apologized to us and said that we deserved better.

The Association--Special Events Center--"Cherish"

The Fifth Dimension --Special Events Center--The SEC was really rockin' that night. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis left the group years later and had a a successful career as a duo.

Roberta Flack and Bill Withers--Special Events Center--Roberta's claim to fame is "Killing Me Softly With His Song." Bill's big hit was "Ain't No Sunshine."

The Carpenters--Special Events Center

Neil Diamond--Special Events Center--This was right after the Jonathan Livingston Seagull album came out. I think this concert was in 1973, right after Bryan was born.

Barry Manilow-- Marriott Center at BYU-- After the intermission, Barry came out wearing a BYU football jersey with #9 (Jim McMahon), so this would have been in '82 or '83. Most of the people in attendance thought that was really cool.

The Jets--Utah State Fairgrounds Grandstand--I am told that I took the family to see the Jets at the Utah State Fair. To be honest, I have no recollection of this concert.

Michael Martin Murphey--Abravanel Hall--He performed with the Utah Symphony. His biggest hit of all time is "Wildfire."

Roger Williams--Abravanel Hall--We took Grandma Packer to this concert where he performed with the Utah Symphony. Grandma was in heaven.

Doc Severinsen--Abravanel Hall--Concert with the Utah Symphony. Great entertainer. Doc was the leader of the NBC Orchestra on the Tonight Show Band with Johnny Carson for many years.

The Bar J Wranglers--Bar J Chuckwagon--They have a Chuckwagon dinner and theater in Jackson Hole, WY. After you eat (the band members are also the waiters) they put on a great show. "Riders In The Sky", "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds" Good stuff!

Kurt Bestor--Abravanel Hall--Kurt's annual Chrismas concert

C.J. and The Mo Tabs--The Conference Center--Angela Lansbury was the featured guest. 21,000 people dancing in the aisles. You had to be there.

And last, but not least for the benefit of all you headbangers who might question the validity of some of the artists listed above......

Rage Against The Machine--Rice Stadium--They were in concert at the "U". I thought that they were pretty disgusting and never would have gone to see them if it hadn't been for the other band on the slate that night, a little known group from Ireland. (See Below)

U2--enough said!!

And you guys thought that I was dull and boring.

Eternally....

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:44:00 +0000

We lost a friend this week. We didn't know him personally. I think that I shook his hand years ago when my brother Barry was called to be Stake President and Elder Gordon B. Hinckley was the GA who presided at the conference. Even though we didn't know President Hinckley personally, we felt like he was a good friend, someone that always made us feel good by his timely advice and strong testimony of the Lord. We will truly miss him and the example that he has been to us.

The one thing that I think we can all take from the life of Gordon B. Hinckley was his selfless life of service to others. We can all hope to be such a person. In addition to all of the honors, we need to remember that he has been reunited with his sweetheart after four years of being apart. I am sure that they enjoyed a sweet, loving reunion and are together again for eternity. Our Father in Heaven has given us a plan of happiness that will allow us to be with our families forever. I hope that we can all take from the example of the prophet and his sweetheart.

Mmmmm....Chicken Pot Pie!

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:02:00 +0000

The last eight months has been an adventure for Sharon and I. After I was diagnosed with lymphoma in May and started chemotherapy in June, there has been alot of uncertainty associated with my condition and treatment. To be honest, I was darn lucky on the first course of chemo. The side effects were minimal and I was able to carry on a fairly normal life and work schedule. We feel that we were definitely blessed that it wasn't worse than it was. The uncertainty continues as I undergo another round of treatment, this one using a stronger drug called Fludarabine. It hasn't been as easy this time around. The treatment calls for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday IV treatments. I feel ok until about Wednesday night or Thursday, when it hits me like a ton of bricks, and I spend most of the next 3-4 days in bed and miserable. The January treatment had a stronger effect than did the December treatment which probably indicates that my immune system is more affected as the treatments go on. I canceled my trip to Spokane this week because of the way I still feel, the first time I've had to cancel a trip since this started. Gee, I get to look forward to this every four weeks for the next four months!!

Rebecca called on Saturday and said that she and Troy were going to bring us dinner on Sunday. She gave me the choice of roast beef or chicken pot pie. Anyone who knows me knows of my love for roast of the beast, but I chose the pie. Why? Well, when nothing sounded appetizing, a chicken pot pie sounded good. It's considered a comfort food, and this brings me to the subject....chicken pot pie. Not so much the chicken pot pie that you eat, but chicken pot pies in general and what they represent. Comfort.

The most important chicken pot pie in my life is my wife. She is and has been the greatest during this, all while coping with her own problems that aren't small by any stretch of the imagination. She is the poster child for compassion and I love her for it. I just wish that I had the same ability to show compassion to others like she does, because I know that I have done a lousy job in years past. I love you, honey.

The other chicken pot pies in our life are our five children, Bryan, Spencer, Melissa, Rebecca and Nate. When this all started, Spencer made a schedule for doing the yard work and could get pretty upset if someone didn't keep the schedule, not to mention the dressing down I got if I tried to do it myself. Bryan, Spencer, and Troy have been there when needed to do the things that I was unable to do like mowing the lawn, "TRIMMING THE LAWN", shoveling snow, moving furntiture, (by the way Troy, we need to move the piano...can you help?) and just being there with an offer for help. It's been hard for Melissa and Nate because they live out of state, but they have done their part when visiting and I know that they would be right in the middle of it if they were closer. Rebecca, and Amber have brought dinner in numerous times when Sharon and I were feeling lousy. Sometimes, it's just a phone call from one of the kids to see how I am feeling and ask if there is anything they can do.

Also very important is the love we have felt from our sweet grandchildren. I know that they don't really understand what's going on with grandpa, but they are being taught to pray for me and grandma and have the beautiful ability to show love in the most comforting ways. They are such a blessing to us (even though Caleb pooped all over the family room last night).

Sometimes, when you can't take away the pain or the discomfort, a simple act of compassion goes a long way. I am not lacking in acts of kindness and compassion from the chicken pot pies in my life. Thanks you guys. I have noticed, I appreciate it, and please know of my profound love for each and every one of you.

Dad

CANCER SUCKS....chapter VIII

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:37:00 +0000

5:30 am--I'm awake. Good, it's only 5:30....I don't need to get up for another 30-45 minutes.......

7:00 am--CRAP. I have to be at the clinic in one hour. Quick shower, I'll shave tomorrow, two pieces of toast.

7:30 am--Out the door. It's cold. The car is frozen up solid. My ice scraper won't event cut through the ice on the windshield.

8:05--9:00 am-- Check in, pay the $25 co-pay. Ricky, the new medical assistant ( he's the third I have had. The other two, Trevor and Sara have both left to go to nursing school full time) weighs me, takes my blood pressure, temperature and oxygen level. Mary, the phlebotomist usually draws blood for a CBC but since I'm getting a treatment today, Charlotte, my chemo nurse puts in the IV line and draws blood for the test. I meet with Dr.Shehadeh. My blood count is sufficiently high that I can have my treatment today. Luck y me.

9:00 am--Charlotte hooks me up. I take two Tylenol and she starts a drip of Benadryl that will help to relax me and will eventually put me to sleep for a while.

9:15 am--Benadryl done. Now I'm getting a nausea medicine that in effect lasts for a week. Nausea medicine is a good thing. BTW, in an effort to get here on time, I left my book at home. All day, and I don't have a book to read. Glad I brought the laptop. I'm starting to feel a little drowsy, woozy, etc. Probably from the Benadryl taking charge.

9:40 am--Charlotte starts the Rituxan. This is the drug that I have had every time since June. With this treatment, they increase the dosage, so from now on, I will get a larger dose each month. This will take several hours to drip in.

11:20 am-- Took a nap. Probably slept about 45 minutes. The Rituxin drip is about 1/4 of the way through. They gradually increase the drip every 30 minutes for the 1st couple of hours to see how you react to it, so I am at full drip now.

12:30 pm--I'm s little more than 1/2 way through the Rituxan. I'm enjoying "24" season five as I sit here and "wait." Jack Bauer is awesome. I'll bet even Jason Bourne wouldn't stand a chance against Jack. President Logan is EVIL!! I'm feeling pretty good right now. I've been extremely fortunate that the side effects from the chemotherapy have been as mild as they have been so far. I can only hope that it continues in that way and that this is getting the job done.

1:25 pm--The Rituxan is finished. Now I am getting the Fludarabine, the main drug that is new in this series of treatments. This is the one that we are hoping, along with the other two will do the trick for me. I will get Fludarabine all three days this week, along with the Cytoxin. I only get Rituxan on the first day.

2:00 pm--The Fludarabine is done and I am now getting the Cytoxin and President Logan just begged Jack Bauer to help him find the nerve gas canisters. I can't stand the suspense.

2:30 pm-- I'm done for today. Pretty exciting stuff, huh? Now I get to go home and come back tomorrow at 3:00 for more Fludarabine and Cytoxin. BTW, Walt Cummings just hung himself. I can't wait for season 7, but it's been delayed because of the writer's strike. Don't know when it will start this season. I've seen a trailer, and Tony Almeida is back and he is a BAD guy!!!! Sorry if this is too much information for some of you. I'm going home now.

ALL I WANT TO DO IS TALK TO A PERSON!

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:21:00 +0000

Have you ever been frustrated when you called your local friendly phone company, bank, satellite provider or whatever with what you think is the simplest of transactions and spend a good part or your lifetime trying to get to the proper department by pushing numbers on your phone keypad or saying your account number and other information into a dead phone?

Yesterday, I called DirecTV to arrange for a pickup of two satellite receivers that we had replaced on Monday. If I had wanted to do something as mundane as pay my bill or order a movie, I would have been done in mere moments. But I had something that was not on their list of recognizable requests in their "automated" phone system. I DID have the opportunity countless times to "confirm" my service call appointment for Monday December 17th. Keep in mind, I was making this call on December 19th. It took me almost 45 minutes and calling back 5 times and starting the process over before I was finally able to speak to a human being and then was told that I needed to have the serial numbers of the receivers I was returning in order to get the process going. I asked if there was a direct number that I could call back on when I had those numbers and was told that I would have to dial the same number I had just dialed when I called back. (I have an earpiece here at work that we use on the phone, and you know, throwing an earpiece just isn't as satisfying as slamming down a phone receiver.)

So, with this said, as a Christmas present from me to whoever reads this, note the following: www.gethuman.com. One of my co-workers, Steve Jensen after listening to my plight, gave me the above link. It will give you instructions on how to "GET A HUMAN" at just about every conceivable company and service that you might have occasion to call. After following the website's instructions for DirecTV, I made the call and was speaking to a nice lady in Phoenix in less than two minutes. By the way, I didn't need the serial numbers and the packaging for returning the receivers is winging its way to me as we speak.

It's too bad that the society we live in has found it necessary to become so impersonal in our dealings with those around us. On a side note, when you look at the above website and see all of the F grades that companys get, you will note that Walt Disney World gets an A grade. It says: 'Direct To Human." That's the way it should be. Way to go Mickey!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS,

Dad

GOOD FRIENDS-DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:23:00 +0000

Sharon and I lost a good friend this past week. Weston Daw was our bishop when we moved into the South Cottonwood Ward four and one-half years ago. He was released three years ago at age 80. It was his second time serving as bishop of the South Cottonwood Ward. He also served as a mission president in South Carolina and the president of the Philippines MTC, as well as in the Little Cottonwood Stake Presidency many years ago. Bishop Daw was an inspirational man who had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone. Whenever Bishop Daw got up to address the ward members or make a comment in priesthood meeting or Sunday School, you perked up and listened because you knew that he had something to say that would benefit you in your life. I had the opportunity to alternate teaching Gospel Doctrine with him for over a year. His ability to teach by the spirit and make the simple truths of the gospel lessons come alive was a great inspiration to me. He was the epitome of what we seek for in a teacher. We will miss his cheerful smile and attitude a great deal. Unfortunately, his sweet wife, Beverly isn't with us any longer either for all intents and purposes. She has been suffering from Alzheimers in recent years. We will miss them both. (P.S. the family picture at the heading of this blog was taken in the Daw's back yard.)

On another note, I want to talk about another friend. When we are raising a family, our circle of friends tends to be quite small, with family being the center of our worlds. The BFF of our youth many times do not endure our later years. When we lived in Sandy and had small children, I had what I considered a best friend, Ralph. We had many common bonds including University of Utah sports. Ralph had grown up in the ward next to mine as kids, had married a girl from my ward and also graduated from Granite High School. Ralph was the first person I know to buy a VCR back in the late 70's. Our first VCR ended up being the first one that Ralph had. It cost us $600. We had football tickets at the "U" for years, and played softball on the ward and a county rec team that Ralph's employer sponsored.

After Ralph and Nancy moved and then we moved to South Jordan, we saw less and less of each other, and lost most contact when I gave up my football tickets about seven years ago.

Ralph made some bad decisions in his life, decisions that led him to lose his career, his marriage and for the last 2+ years, his freedom. During all of his problems, probably when he needed friends the most, Randy was MIA. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. I recently wrote him a letter expressing an interest in renewing our relationship. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had told me to buzz off, but his response was just the opposite. While not condoning or excusing in any way what he did, I sense that he is trying to get his life back on track. I hope that I can be a better friend at this time in his life than I was before. I am certainly going to try.

Friends are a treasure that we can lose in different ways. Let's not do anything to drive them away. We might need them sometime.

My Favorite Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:40:00 +0000

In November 1970 I was serving in the Eastern State Mission and living in New York City (bigger and even more exciting than other cities). On Thanksgiving Day we made an early morning trek through Central Park to Central Park West where we were able to see the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We watched the parade and then followed it down the street and down Broadway. It was a fantastic experience,one that I will always remember. New York City at Christmas time is an amazing place.

At the conclusion of the parade, we went to Radio City Music Hall. It's slightly deceiving from the outside. It looks like a regular theater. Once you get inside, it takes on a whole new life. The auditorium seats about 5,000 people and has a HUGE stage. Back in the day, the main use of Radio City was as a movie/live theater. They would play first run movies accompanied with a live stage/variety show that lasted about thirty minutes, so you got a movie and a live show for the same price. The featured attractions of the show were the Rockettes and the famous Wurlitzer organ that could just about blow you out of your seat. Now it is used for special events like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the 2007 NFL Draft and some recent music award shows. I don't believe that they show movies there any longer.

The movie featured that Christmas season was "Scrooge" and became my favorite movie, as well as the favorite movie of ALL of my five children and wife. I have tried to see ''Scrooge" each and every year since then. Sometimes it was hard because there were no VCRs or DVDs in the old days. Many times we would trek down to the Avalon Theater on State Street and see it when they would do special screenings the week before Christmas. When it was on TV in the 80's we recorded it, but it had been edited so badly that you missed the true feeling. Then, (miracle of miracles) it became available on DVD. I snatched up a copy and can watch it whenever I want. I even have the soundtrack on my laptop and MP3 so I can listen to my heart's content. It's a great take on the classic "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. The music is memorable and Albert Finney does a fantastic Ebeneezer Scrooge. Anyway, that is my favorite movie. I highly recommend it to help get you in the Christmas spirit.

After the movie we went back to the mission home where we had Thanksgiving Dinner with President and Sister Wilkinson. On a side note, they invited Peggy Pulitzer to dinner. She was the daughter (I think) of the guy who started the Pulitzer Prize. "

New York at Christmas is phenomenal. Go sometime if you are able, and definitely see "Scrooge." You can borrow my copy, but you have to promise to give it back.

Merry Christmas

Greetings from the Northwest

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 05:44:00 +0000

We are completing our stay in Seattle and will be returning to Salt Lake on Saturday afternoon. Sharon has been here with Nate and Sam since last Thursday and I flew up on Tuesday and have been working in the area during the days and spending time with the fam in the evenings.

Our 10th grandchild and 8th boy was born last Friday. His name is Drake Randall Packer and he weighed in at 7 lbs 9 oz.He is such a CUTIE and has a cute big brother! Sam is feeling stronger each day and she and Nate are able to handle things by themselves at night with grandma helping out during the day while Nate is at work.

It's been a really good thing for Sharon to be here to help them out. It would have been hard for them with a newborn and a one-year old after a C-section. It's been fun to be here with them and share the first few days of Drake's life. We wish that they lived closer to us so we could see them more often. I get to see them on occasion because I work up here on a fairly regular basis, but it's hard when they live so far away.

Today I drove to Winthrop, WA, about 235 miles from Seattle to see a customer. It was a beautiful drive through the apple orchard country of Wenatchee and the Columbia River in north central Washington. I am really fortunate to be able to work in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and British Columbia. There is never a lack of beautiful stuff to see.

Today I saw some interesting stuff on the drive back to Seattle.

The eagle was sitting in a tree about 20 feet off the highway right above the Methow river. I tried to get closer for a better picture, but he saw me coming and flew off across the river to a tree on the other side. When I stopped for gas, this Chevy truck was parked by the station with this German Shepherd sitting up on top of the cab. There is another yellow dog in the back of the truck who was up on top at one time while I was getting gas, but he jumped down before I could get my camera. I think that their master was down at the river fishing and they were just hangin' out for the afternoon.

We're looking forward to being home and getting ready for the holidays. I start my next series of chemotherapy on Monday. This time it will be every day for five days, once a month. Boy, am I excited. We are hoping that this series does the trick so I can avoid the need for a bone marrow transplant.

Till next time.........

Thanksgiving Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 03:57:00 +0000

It's the day after Thanksgiving and we are in Colorado Springs visiting Melissa and Dave. We had a fun day yesterday and as usual ate way too much, but it was just too good to pass up. One of the highlights was when Melissa bought a can whipped cream. We had a good time shooting whipped cream into our mouths. Rand especially liked it, Kathryn would have nothing to do with it and Reese didn't know that he is supposed to swallow it. Grandma was totally disgusted with us as she has been for years when we do that.

Dave, Troy and I went to Harry Potter last night at a late night dollar movie. Troy enjoyed the parts he didn't sleep through. As we were leaving the theater, we opened the door and a mouse ran into the theater. Maybe he was there to see "Ratatouille (sp) that was playing in theater #5.

The girls went shopping for a little while this afternoon. Tonight, Mom and I, along with Rebecca, Rand, Melissa and Kathryn saw "Enchanted." Melissa and Rebecca wanted to see it mostly because Dr. McDreamy is in it. Kathryn wanted to see it because it has a princess. We just needed to get Rand out of the house. His ongoing endeavor to become friends with Daisy took a terrible turn for the worse today. Anyway, about the movie. It's really good. A good time was had by all who attended.

Tomorrow is a big day of shopping and more football. I can't talk much about the football because I have been chastised about posting so much this week about the game. It's been really cold here in 'the springs'. The wind was howling as we came out of the movie tonight and along with the COLD temps, we just about froze our giblets walking to the car.

It's been a fun weekend. We aren't looking forward to the drive home on Sunday, but we've really enjoyed ourselves and Dave and Melissa have been good hosts. We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We have been truly blessed and know that the Lord will continue to pour out His blessings on our family. Happy Thanksgiving, and go utes.

JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT......

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:37:00 +0000

GOOOOO UTES!!!

Rice-Eccles South

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:24:00 +0000

Home away from home for the University of Utah Utes. When they can't play at the original Rice-Eccles Stadium and want a win, all they have to do is travel down I-15 and they feel right at home, having won 6 of the last 7 contests played there. Saturday November 24 should be no exception. All together now.........

GOOOOOOOO UTES!

We met with the doctor today and after a CT PET Scan next week, I am going to start a new course of chemtherapy on December 10 consisting of Fludarabine, Cytoxin and Ritoxin. Iwill have a treatment everyday for five days once a month for 4-6 months.

By the way did I remember to say.....

noreply@blogger.com (Grandma and Grandpa Packer) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:29:00 +0000

Gooooo UTES!!!?