June 2026

First time planting tulips for spring. Hopefully they will come back next year.

Mother’s Day 2026

New roof.

So much has happened since last March. I took the plunge and have officially retired from Amelia Earhart Elementary. I will probably continue to cross guard before and after school but no more elementary aid work. I worked 17 years for Provo School District. I started at Sunsetview Elementary just working lunch recess for 2 hours every day. Did that for two years because Julie kept getting strep throat in 3rd and 4th grade. When she finally got her tonsils out no more strep throat. 

There was a part time opening for school lunch lady at Sunsetview Elementary so I tried it for one school year. Too much work for a fifty year old. I ended up applying at Amelia Earhart Title One program in 2012 as an aide and I got the job! Julie was in sixth grade at the same school so that was pretty fun and I worked 29 hours a week which was perfect. The ladies in the Title One room were very patient with me and I learned how to teach all age groups how to read following a simple but strict curriculum. 

Candy Mack made this lei and gave it to me right before my last day of school. I wore it to celebrate my retirement.

Update on Gary’s Cancer:

He went back in May to get results from radiation and chemo treatments. The MRI showed signs of greatly reduced shrinkage so that was a relief. We found out last week that he still has cancer cells in his Sacrum bone area so that might be a challenge. We are just waiting to find a surgeon who can not only remove the cancer mass near his rectum but also remove the cancer from his Sacrum bone. Hopefully a surgeon from the University of Utah can help Gary. In all we continue to eat healthy foods and walk, walk and walk. We also like lifting weights at the Provo Rec Center.

June Roses

Our tree in the front yard has taken off!

Daisy’s are beginning to bloom.

War with Iran and Updates on Gary’s cancer

Yesterday America and Israel launched an attack with Iran. I am fasting and praying for the people who live in Iran and the Middle East. Our prophet has also asked us to pray and fast for the country of Mexico. The drug cartel has been fighting with Mexico’s National Guard. There is a lot of unrest around the world. Ukraine continues to fight with Russia which has been going on for four years! I was really hoping it would be over by now but Putin is a lunatic!!

 I will start to pray for our American soldiers every day this week. Also the women and men who lead our great country.

It has been a while since I blogged about our family. Gary is still going through treatments for his rectal cancer. Right now he is still on chemo but started radiation fourteen days ago. I drive him to the cancer center for ten minute radiation treatments Monday through Friday. He is getting just a little more sleep but suffers from neuropathy in his feet. The pain in his back side is very uncomfortable but Gary tries to stay upbeat even though he has lost a lot of muscle and weight.

Seven weeks ago Gary had colostomy surgery so his intestines would not get blocked up during radiation treatments. He is no longer on a liquid diet but can eat soft foods like eggs, white toast and mashed potatoes. He also likes chicken pot pies but picks out the chicken. 

Last chemo fusion treatment.

I need to write about Christmas 2025. Jenny was able to come and spend the holidays with us. Her husband JJ no longer wants to be married so he spent Christmas in Japan packing and has now moved back to Utah. We of course have been sad for our Jenny and only wish the best for JJ. Our Jenny continues to teach in Misawa Japan. Thankfully she has good friends that she can hang out with. Personally I want her to move back to Utah as well but she wants to teach one more year in Japan then she will decide. I’m sure she is going through loneliness now that her almost 8 year marriage has ended. I pray for her everyday that God will continue to watch over and her dog Peach.

Julie and her close friends came over to our house one evening five days before Christmas. They sang Christmas carols to Gary and performed a short program with instrumental and vocal solo’s. It was very touching and both Gary and I wept. Best Christmas gift ever!

 

Thanksgiving 2025

 

We had a great Soupfantastic meal this year. Coleton and Jacob really pulled off delicious soups so GW could participate. Now we want to make it into a tradition! 

GW is halfway with his chemo treatments. It has been quite the experience and hopefully by the time January 2026 comes around he won’t have to suffer as much.

Cancer

On Sunday morning, October 5, 2025 Gary asked me to drive him to the emergency room at Utah Valley Hospital. He had pain in his lower abdomen and was also feeling very sick. Six days before he tried to prep for his first colonoscopy. Gary had been having digestive issues all summer long and finally went and saw a Gastronologist who ordered the colonoscopy.

Since Gary was not able keep the fluid drink down during the prep at home he seemed happy  that the hospital staff were finally able to assist him during the night and into the next morning. Except for one night nurses who was  not experienced in prepping for a colonoscopy. After a looong night Gary got a visit early in the morning from a doctor informing him that he had to finish the large amount of fluid. He only had a few hours before he could have a successful colonoscopy. That was a MONUMENTAL challenge!! The colonoscopy was a success but the out come was devastating. We were just relieved to finally find out why Gary’s body was not working right.

This was the spectacular view from his room. He was checked out the following day around 5:00 pm.  Four days later the biopsy confirmed, stage three rectal cancer. Gary’s Oncologist, Dr. Esplin was hopeful that Gary could over come his cancer but informed him it was not going to be easy. On October 15th he started his first round of chemo treatments. Gary had his first fusion in his left wrist at the cancer treatment center across the street from the hospital. That was quite a nuclear experience to have chemo turn your arm into petrified wood. Then he started taking chemo pills at home, four in the morning and three in the late afternoon. Luckily he was prescribed nausea pills but the hard part is dealing with hemorrhoids and painful bowel movements. He has hasn’t had a good nights sleep in two months and Gary has been put on a soft food diet with lots of stool softener meds. Did I mention he has already lost 70 pounds! I have been making him a potato, carrot, onion, broccoli, cauliflower soup that I puree in my Ninja. Eggs are a big deal but sometimes make him feel sick. Now we are only cooking soft scrambled eggs. Trying to keep him fed correctly has been very challenging. Sugar, starch and carbohydrates can be a culprit for cancer. Keeping  him full with calories is also hard since he can’t eat meat, chicken and fish. These important proteins are too hard to digest.

This one bottle are his $10,000 chemo pills. We would be in a bad situation if we didn’t have Insurance.

This is the Pederson Tower at Utah Valley Hospital where Gary stayed on the 8th floor for 2 days and one night. I haven’t even written about the emotional toll this has been for him and our entire family. In two days he starts his second round of chemo all over again. This will go on for three more two week sessions. He gets one week of no chemo meds.  All we can do right now is continue to pray, try to make him comfortable and take one day at a time.

 

Halloween 2025

 Julie and Coleton with GW. Coleton is the one holding the bread. I think Julie and Coleton really like Halloween.

Jessie & Dayna

       Jessie and Dayna’s mom.

 

Jenny& JJ in Japan

First day of school 2025.