AN ABUNDANCE OF BLESSINGS...

Louis accepted a position as Controller at Computer Sites Inc., a construction company which builds computer rooms for businesses.  He begins Monday and is excited for a new challenge and opportunity to use the skills and talents he has been able to build on at Colorado Ranchers and other places he's worked over the years.

I am not unaware of the font of our blessings--and another silver lining, though the job is still an hour's commute away--and am grateful for answers to prayers.  Ours and those offered in our behalf.  Plus, I know it didn't hurt any to have the missionaries living with us at this time.

Missed only two weeks of pay, so all is right with the world once again!

TIME CAPSULE....

As you may or may not be aware, I attended my 50th High School Reunion in Rawlins last August.  Out of the official count of 114 graduates, more than one third of them are already dead.  That's a sobering thought.  Another sobering piece of news was that the high school, which first opened for classes in the fall of 1959, was going to be torn down.  The original building was an L-shaped structure to which another wing had been added to make it a U-shape long after we graduated.  Separate buildings added in the rear of the school yard housed the P.E. department and a swimming pool.  I think there were other additions, as well, but not having attended school during that time I don't know exactly what they were.  But, there is asbetos in the core of the building, and also the charge to bring the school into compliance with handicap regulations means it would need an elevator.  Both of those updates--removing the asbestos and installing an elevator--apparently are cost prohibitive.  It would be cheaper to tear everything down and begin anew.

In consequence of that decision, we were told that our records from the school district archives would be available for pick-up after Labor Day if we had someone who could pick them up for us following email instruction to the school.  My niece Cynthia Kiser's son Justin picked them up for me and mailed them to me.

I was expecting some really great gold mine of teacher's comments and the like, especially from Junior High and High School.  Instead it was all of my report cards from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade (which I already have in my scrapbooks down the basement) and some achievement test scores.  It also looks like there are some IQ results, showing that I got dumber as I got older.  Imagine that!  (And now I am dumber still.)  Kind of an overall disappointment.

However, there is an "Autobiography" that I wrote which Louis read and insists I share.  He says he is blown away by the things I expressed, as he thinks it is the core, even then, of the same person and testimony as now.  For some reason he thinks the maturity level in this piece of writing is far beyond what I think is about 15 years.  He said most kids that age didn't think deep like that.  (It really isn't all that mature.  It reads like I was supposed to answer questions.) I'm pretty sure it  was the beginning of Ninth Grade because the penmanship is still big, and very rounded cursive.  I stated I wanted to be a social worker ( I admired the RJHS principal who WAS a social worker) but from the time I had Mildred Chaffin for English as a Freshman in High School I knew I wanted to be a high school English teacher, too. So, this was probably the beginning of my Freshman year as I list all teachers in Eighth Grade and that I graduated second in the class for Junior High Commencement.  Also, my mother had been in the hospital most of the summer before I was a Freshman.  Comments about "sad when someone close to me is ill" sound like it was a fresh experience.  Anyway here it is.... complete with improper punctuation, awkward phrasing and misspellings--I didn't change a thing--though I itched to do so.  What do you think?

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

 

 

My start in this wonderful life came on a cold December morning in  1945. Sunday the second was the day and the time was 1:16 a.m. My arrival was at Carbon County Memorial Hospital in Rawlins, Wyoming.  I was the eighth gitrl in a family of nine.  My weight at birth was seven pounds, three ounces.  F.A. Mills was my doctor.

 

My father was Melvin Reed Huggins whose parents were John Ephriam Huggins and Lovinia Anne Draper whose parents were George A. Huggins and Eliza Adams and Nephi Draper and Charolette Elizabeth Johnson. 

 

My mother was Maude Marie Crane whose parents were James George Crane and Sarah Jane Butterfield whose parents were James Crane and Elizabeth Stewart and Alman Butterfield and Elizabeth Annie Farmer.  (My genealogy is more complete but too involved to go further at this time.)

 

I had innoculations for whooping cough and diptheria in 1946.  I had whooping cough when eight months old, chicken pox and broncial trouble in my thirteenth month.  I had scarlet fever when in second grade and mumps when in fourth plus other childhood diseases like colds and measles.

 

Our address was 1019 Eighth Street Rawlins, Wyoming when I was born and it still is. 

 

My fears when I was a small child were of shadows.  I used to imagine them as being real.

 

I had many early playmates among whom were George Huggins, Barbara Vander Kooi, Lynn Butterfield, Teddy Eyre, and Chad Cahoon.

 

My early ideals were movie stars and I wanted to become one.  My ideals and ambitions have since changed.

 

My memories of home life are pleasant.  We had no imporant visitors like the governor, but L.D.S. Missionaries were frequently at our home.

 

Our family often went up to Snowy Range or other camp grounds for family outings.  Often we just went for a ride.

 

Memories of my parents are those of kind and loving people.  Being the youngest in the family and with the rest of my family in school, most of my time was spent with my mother.  My father used to take me with him quite a bit when he went down town or to the dumps.  When he came in from the railroad he would give me a ride on his knee.  He had favorite names for me.  Most often he would call me Chickee-Pete or Chum.

 

Discipline in our home was taken care of quite smoothly and without much todo.  I got few spankings.  My mother used to handle dicipline by setting me on a chair and telling me to think about what I did.  I could get off when I would be a "good girl".  This system worked very well and I have no unpleasant memories of cruel beatings and harsh words.  My father spanked me only twice.  Both for good, sound reasons.  He usually just talked to us when we disobeyed.

 

Our family has gone on many wonderful vacations.  Probably the most impressive was when I went to Hawaii when I was six years old.  My only regret is that I wasn't at a more observant age to see the magnificent scenery.

 

On August 9, 1948, we lost a very dear member of our family, our only brother.  My father never did hunt or fish so when some friends asked Harold if he would like to go rabbit hunting my mother reluctantly agreed to let him go.  While hunting a neighbor boy accidnetly shot him through the neck.  He died later that evening.  We all felt very sad but we were glad we had had the association we did with him for nine short years.

 

My earliest memories of school are of pleasant happy hours.  I have always enjoyed school very much and think it is a necessary part of growing up.  I started school in September of 1951.  Starting with kindergarten my teachers have been: La Donna Horner, Lily McWhorter, Kathryn Schoen, Shirley Brooks, Patricia Jerry, Martha Stanley, Marilyn Waldron, seventh grade: Margaret Burgess, Donald K. Neal, Inez Bailey, Marcella Mann, Philip J. Harvey (home room) eighth: Viola Werne, Nellie Peeler, Jo R. McFadden, and Della Caldwell (homeroom), plus numerous gym, music and art teachers.  I used to like History and Geography and Arithmetic and Science least. Now I can't decide which are favorites but Reading I've always enjoyed.  I've always gotten fairly good grades and was honored in eighth grade by being Salutatorian of our graduating exercises.  I was nominated to the office of student-body president for Junior High and was elected Secretary-Treasurer by my eighth grade home-room.

 

My interests and hobbies are quite varied.  My biggest interest is in music.  I've had eight years of piano lessons.  My hobbies include reading, collecting old pennies, stamps, and sewing.

 

Books I like are about people my own age and I read quite a few books written and published by people of my own faith.  Magazines I like include Time, Life, Post, and the Reader's Digest.

 

I am a quiet person and quite serious.  I dislike people who attract attention to themselves by their manner of speech, dress, and their actions.  I haven't much respect for people who think only popularity is what to look for in a friend.

 

I like people who are religious, sincere, thoughtful, kind and clean in thoughts and action.

 

I'm happy when I know I'm liked for what I am and not under false pretenses.  It also makes me happy when people give me compliments.  I'm unhappy when people who are dear to me are ill or have moved away.  Sometimes I'm unhappy when my parents and associates don't understand me.

 

I babysit quite a bit.  I also have a paper job each Sunday morning for an hour and one hour the first of each month to collect.

 

Procrastination is my worst habit and enemy  One of my good habits is to do things nicely.  I think there is no sense in doing something if you don't do it well.  You only waste time that way.  Coming home from school or anywhere promptly and reporting to my parents where I have been, what I have been doing, where I'm going and what I'm going to do is another good one.  I also like to be neat.

 

To me the biggest influence in my life is my religion.  I was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was eight years old.  I dearly love it and I have a testimoney that it is true.  It shows the way to good health through the Word of Wisdom and it sets up goals toward which to work thereby bettering yourself.

 

My Philosophy of Life is simply that this earth is a testing ground for us to prove ourselves worthy to go back and again dwell with God after we die.  Therefor it is to our advantage that we live good lives.

 

I would like to go to college to continue my education and go into the guidance phase of education.

 

Three things I would like most to have are a good education, more knowledge of music and to have a good husband and a large family.

 

Three things I would like most to do are go to college, tour the United States and live a good life.

 

Georgia Huggins



 

SILVER LININGS....

Louis' association with Colorado Ranchers Cheese (Queso Campesino) has come to an end.  So, things are going to be a little different around here, once again, until he finds a new job.  Some plans may have to be changed--most obviously my plan to retire in January of 2016--but things will work out. They always do. Just don't know how at this moment.  And, there may be a silver lining to this dark cloud.  Louis may find a job that is closer to home and not have to commute for an hour every weekday morning at o'dark hundred.  Or maybe he will be able to find a job that will give him a raise in salary.  Who knows?

"Every cloud has a silver lining."  This is a proverb that was officially documented in the first half of the 19th century.  Some think it refers to Milton's poem Comus.  Could be.  But it was  also in a book written by P.T. Barnum in 1869 and appeared in the dictionary by 1870-1875.  It is a phrase that is meant to give a comforting or hopeful aspect to an otherwise gloomy prospect.  The trouble is most of the time you have to wait a lengthy period before you realize that a certain event was actually a prelude to something really good.  I can think of some situations in the Nichols Family and my own life that turned out that way.

Take for example that unfortunate incident last summer when I was driving home from DIA late on the night before the 4th of July--ecstatic that after several days of flying straight from June into July that I had been released for the holiday. (Forget they did it so United didn't have to pay me holiday pay!)  When that hood from someone's car in the southbound lane came sailing toward my car during especially windy weather, I was just thankful it hit the ground in front of me and not smash into my windshield.  I tried to swerve and avoid it, but the hood glanced off the bumper and I ran over it with my right front tire.  I was shocked and shaken.  But I was also stunned that my car was still able to drive, and I had lucked out with such a small result from the potential accident that could have been.

Then came the weeks of getting the damage estimates, the insurance approval, and choosing the auto body shop to do the work.  Next it was fitting MY schedule with Blue Ribbon Auto Repair's schedule.  The summer passed and it was almost September before my car finally had the necessary repairs done.  

Imagine my pure surprise and relief when I took a look at the newly refurbished Momma G car.  The headlights were BRAND NEW in that replaced bumper.  For about the previous couple of years I had looked at the very scratched and no longer able to shine-a-bright-light headlights and wondered just exactly how one would go about getting them repaired.  And there was the solution--brought about by an entirely different circumstance.  I still look at the shiny new headlights as I go out into the garage to take off and thank my lucky stars that the awful scary event last summer produced an unexpected bonus.  Truly a silver lining in that cloud!

Now that silver lining only took a couple of months to show up, but this next one from my life experience I'm going to share took years and years before it was clear it was a silver lining.

As you recall, we had only the Mustang until Britty was six months old.  Dad needed the car every day to go to work.  And we either walked or rode our bikes if we wanted to go somewhere--or else we stayed at home.  Sooooo we did just that, beginning when Harold was just an infant.  I would walk from our apartment at 253 Grant up Logan Street to the chapel at 7th and Pearl for Relief Society on Tuesday mornings.  At first I carried Harold in my arms, then Beth cast her old baby stroller our way and I bounced Harold along in the buggy.  Then we would repeat the same thing on Thursday afternoon for Primary because I was the First Counselor. Dad would pick us up after Primary on his way home from work.

One day shortly after we moved to our Welch Court house, I heard a honk outside and went to look out the door.  There were my dad and mom in the pickup with the back clear full of all my stuff that had been in their basement.  I must have looked pretty shocked because my dad said, "Well, you have a house now."  And there was my old Elliot Ness whitewall tires bike that I got in the Third Grade from Santa Claus, along with scrapbooks, formals, and school memorabilia.  

I laughed.  What was I going to do with that?  To which my mother replied that I just may want to take my little boys for a ride around the neighborhood.  Sooooo we did just that! Ross bought a huge newsboy basket to put baby Brice in and a child seat in back for Harold.  That's how we got around the neighborhood.  When the next summer rolled around, we had saved enough money to purchase a brand new ten speed for Ross and another child seat.  By that time Brice was a year old, and he rode on the back of my bike while Harold rode on the back of Ross'.  We biked on all those roads west of Arvada up Highway 72 to Plainview, as well as up to the train tracks to see the Denver and Rio Grande trains including the California Zephyr.  We also biked to Church down to 32nd and McIntyre until our own chapel was built out on 72nd Avenue.

As the years passed, I got a 10 speed, too, Harold and Brice each learned to ride their own bikes while Burgandy and Jeremy took their places in the basket first, then graduated to the kid seat on the back of the big bikes. (Harold got on that first bike and took off.  I still think it had to do with the fact he had been on the back of Ross' bike for so long, he already had the balance thing down pat.)

Sounds fun, huh?  Well, it was in the summer.  But when it was windy and cold or snowy and icy, not so much.  When ward members would come up to me and say how lucky we were to ride our bikes and their kids were so envious, I would think in my mind, "Yeah, it's just the most fun EVER!  YOU ought to try it!"   But years later now, I realize that is what made us healthy, well, and independent.  Thanks to that biking and walking kids up to Kindergarten, etc. I stayed in good physical shape with stamina and well-being that has lasted way into my sixth decade.

And lastly, after Ross finally finished his degree in December 1978 he applied for and was offered a job with FMC Corporation in Southern Wyoming.  In February after he and I had gone to Green River for the interviews, we drove back up one weekend to look for a house.  Harold had the Chicken Pox and was feeling really crappy, but we were excited and looking forward to a new change in our lives.  Whereas I had initially balked at leaving Denver and moving back to Wyoming, Ross suggested I look at how close by my parents would be and we would be able to associate with them more and also be closer to Lois and Dale's cabin going the other direction.  When I could actually visualize houses we could live in, school for Harold and Brice to attend, and where we would go to church, everything seemed to be okay.  That was the tenor of the conversation the whole six hours we were in the car.

However, the next morning when we got up at Lois' house and Ross was supposed to go with Dale and his friend at FMC and I with the realtor, the whole picture changed.  First Ross expressed to me that he didn't think this was the right move to make for our family.  I poohed poohed his comment trying to reassure him that once he talked to the FMC guy and took his tour, he would feel differently.  But as the day wore on and I expected to see Ross' face take on that confident look which was so recognizable when he felt good about something, it didn't happen.  Instead he said he was even more convinced it would not be a good thing to do.

Lois was irritated and said Ross was just a big city boy who didn't want to move to a small town.  I was disappointed after I had built myself up to the notion I would be living near family in a new house.  And the kids were....confused!  We left Sunday morning for Denver because Ross had to catch a plane later that day for a business trip.  We fasted all that day and prayed to know what to do.  Ross had given his notice at Ball Corporation, so basically at the end of that month he would be out of a job.  We left Ross at Stapleton with the promise to each other that we would continue to pray about it, but he was pretty adamant that we had already received an answer: NO!  The one thing Ross had was faith.  I had depended on him and his faith in making decisions all during our married life, and I knew when he was acting on that faith.

Long story short.  Ball was thrilled to take Ross back into their employment.  And the rest is history:  our move later that year to the Secrest Court house before we moved to Virginia where Schuyler was born; the the next year to Sweden; the following year to Upstate New York; and two years after Britty was born to Berlin.  Whew!  NONE of that would have happened if Ross had accepted employment at FMC, and we had moved to Wyoming.  A few years later, we also found out that the department at FMC Ross would have been working for had been eliminated.  Sooooo, there you go!

Yep!  My life's playbook has had a lot of "Silver Linings", so I anticipate this newest wrinkle in Louis' emloyment may also be one.  

I'll let you know....

SOMETHING WORTH SHARING...

“God does not contradict Himself. He did not create man and then, as an afterthought, impose upon him a set of arbitrary, irritating, restrictive rules. He made man free—and then gave him the Commandments to keep him free.”                                                                                                           Cecil B. DeMille, Director of the 1950's movie The Ten Commandments

Shared this quote with the sisters on the no-contact list I write the Visiting Teaching letter to each month.  The January lesson is about Christ's attribute of Obedient Son. 

I found this while I was looking for a Bruce R. McConkie quote.  I think it is profound--and soooo simple to understand. 

Laws and commandments don't limit us--they give us freedom!