More Photos

Here are 6 more photos illustrating that being a Guide Dogs for the Blind photographer would be a dream job!

     

These are big posters that brighten up our Oregon campus!  What could be cuter than a puppy!   

Another Dream Job

I have said before that my dream job would be official photographer for FC Barcelona.  What could be better than having a super cool camera with a massive lens, traveling and hanging out with the team, and seeing  all the games?  If only I spoke Spanish and Catalan! I've just decided what my 2nd dream job would be - Photographer for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Where do I apply?  I am pretty fluent in 'dog'! How cute are these little models!!! 

Plus the signs give some good advice, not only for driving on the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus, but for life in general. 

Education Week 2017

 Education Week this year was a totally wonderful experience!  For the first time I shared the time with my daughter and friend Mary!  I couldn't help but think of all the years when she was growing up that I went to Education Week and came home full of stories and 'wisdom' that I had learned.  Pages and pages of notes that I wanted to share with my family!  It makes me smile to think of her sharing her own 'wisdom' with Mark this week! 

Our Mom-Daughter time started with a couple of days in Salt Lake where we acted like tourists and went to the Visitor's Center, toured the Conference Center, and walked around on Temple Square.  We enjoyed a great lunch with Jan Degiulio and a fantastic dinner at the Lion House where George and I had our wedding lunch almost 42 years ago.  The rolls are just as yummy as I remember! 

This is from the roof of the conference center.  Did you know that it has more than a million square feet of space?  23,000 people can attend conference! 

Couldn't resist a photo at the perfect temple viewing spot!

One of the funniest parts of the day was going to the Family History Discovery Center.  We 'discovered' that we are related to lots of famous people from Walt Disney to Harry Truman!  If you are ever in Salt Lake City I highly recommend it! 

On Sunday morning we attended the broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word which has been on the air for more than 89 years!  Nothing quite like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! 

I fell in love with this painting in the conference center.  It reminded me of the song I sang as a child, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world". 

On Sunday afternoon we drove down to Provo and spent the week in the 'best bed and breakfast' in Provo - Tammy and Richard's beautiful home!  Good food, comfortable bed and great company!  It couldn't have been any more perfect! 

First event on Monday morning - a solar eclipse!  In Provo we got about 90% coverage but it was still very impressive.  In 2024, I'm already planning a trip to Maine or Texas or Ohio....or maybe Arkansas to experience an eclipse in totality! 

Obviously, since I was in Provo, I didn't take this photo but it is so beautiful, I wanted to share it.

During the week we attended 39 classes, one devotional, saw Brigadoon, went to a wonderful American Piano quartet (2 pianos and 8 hands), and learned about everything from how to teach adults to improving communication skills.  Although I ate too much chic-fillet, I did pass up the mint brownies until the last day and I managed to only gain 1 pound!

Poor Mary got terrible blisters from the new shoes we both got in Salt Lake so she hobbled around a bit and spent a few classes like this. 

Another highlight was touring the brand new Provo Missionary Training Center.  With this bright beautiful addition up to 3700 missionaries can be housed and trained.   

 Saturday morning we went to the exquisite Provo City Center Temple with Tammy.  The architects and designers did a masterful job capturing the pioneer feel of the old Provo Tabernacle which burned down several years ago.  The temple stands in the exact place and looks very much the same on the outside. 

On our way to the airport we finally found out what makes a 'dirty Dr. Pepper' and savored a totally yummy sugar cookie.  That may have been how I gained my pound but I don't even feel guilty.  I'm not going to be going Swig often!
A perfectly wonderful week in every way!!!!

Puppy Fun Days

On Saturday we had lots of fun at Guide Dogs for the Blind's annual 'Puppy Fun Days'.  This annual event is to honor the puppy raisers, those selfless individuals who get a tiny little 8 week old puppy, spend the next year teaching that little one good manners and basic obedience and then just when they have a well mannered dog, that dog is returned  to campus to begin formal guide dog training.  What amazes me is that some people do it time and time again!  There are some raisers who have gone through this with 20+ dogs!

The theme this year was "Under The Big Top".  In addition to celebrating the puppy raisers we celebrated the 75th year of Guide Dogs for the Blind.

The vet clinic staff were suitably attired for the circus! Clowns, a snake charmer, tight rope walker, strong man, lion tamer and even a bearded lady!

George is a good sport and got lots of compliments on his muscles. 

I know that dressing up is not his idea of fun so I appreciate his willingness!  He is contemplating wearing the 'muscle shirt' to work next week!  The staff would be impressed with his muscles. 

I found a lion to tame! 

Scott drove out to campus for what really puts the 'fun' in 'fun days'....all the adorable puppies! 

Happy 64th!

Happy birthday to me!  Sixty four sounds so old....but I don't feel old. I recently found this photo of me on my 1st birthday way back in 1954.  It was taken at my Grandma Boyle's house in Lonoke, Arkansas.  The rabbit is a tall as I was! 

I remember when my mother shared this article called "A Very Weird Thing Has Happened".   We laughed at the old lady who had moved into HER house.  Well now that old lady has moved into MINE!

                                                   A Very Weird Thing Has Happened

by Rose Mula

A strange old lady has moved into my house! I have no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she got in. I certainly did not invite her. All I know is that one day she wasn't there and the next day she was!

She is a very clever old lady. She manages to keep out of sight for the most part, but whenever I pass a mirror, I catch a glimpse of her. And whenever I look in the mirror directly, to check my appearance, there she is, hogging the whole thing and completely obliterating my gorgeous face and body! This is very rude. I have tried screaming at her to stop it but she just screams back, grimacing horribly. She is really quite frightening!

If she insists on hanging around, the least she could do is offer to pay a little rent. But, no! Every once in a while, I do find a dollar bill stuck into a coat pocket, or some loose change under the sofa cushion, but that is not nearly enough.

In fact, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I think she is stealing money from me! I go to the ATM and withdraw one hundred dollars, and a few days later it is all gone! I certainly don't spend money that fast, so I can only conclude that the old lady is pilfering from me. You would think she would use some of that money to buy some wrinkle cream! God knows she needs it!

And money isn't the only thing I think she is taking. Food seems to disappear at an alarming rate, too. Especially the good stuff like ice cream, cookies and candy. I just can't seem to keep that stuff in the house anymore. She must really have a sweet tooth, but she better watch it because she is really packing on the pounds! I think she realizes that and to make herself feel better, she is tampering with my scale to make me think that I am putting on weight too!

For an old lady, she really is quite childish though. She likes to play these really nasty games like going into my closet when I'm not home and altering my clothes so that they don't fit. Or, messing with my files and papers so that I can't find them. This is particularly annoying since I am an extremely neat and organized person. She fiddles with my VCR to make it not record what I have carefully and correctly programmed it to record.

She has found imaginative other ways to annoy me. She gets to my mail, newspapers and magazines before I do and somehow blurs the print so badly that I can't see it. And she has done something really sinister to the volume controls on my TV, radio and telephone so that all I hear are mumbles and whispers!

She has done other things like make my stairs steeper, my vacuum cleaner heavier, and all my knobs and faucets harder to turn. She even made my bed higher so that getting in to and out of it is a real challenge. Furthermore, she gets to my groceries before I get them put away and applies super glue to the lids, making it almost impossible for me to open them. Is this any way to repay my hospitality?

I don't even get any respite at night because more than once, her snoring has awakened me. It is very unattractive! And as if there weren't bad enough, she is no longer confining her tactics to the house. She has found a way to sneak into my car and follow me everywhere I go!

She has completely taken the fun out of shopping for clothes. When I try something on, she tries on the same exact outfit and stands in front of the dressing room mirror and monopolizes it. She looks totally ridiculous in the outfit and she keeps me from seeing how great it looks on me!

Just when I thought she couldn't get any meaner, she proved me wrong.

She came with me to get my driver's license picture taken and just as the camera shutter clicked, she jumped right in front of me! Who is going to believe that the picture of that old lady is ME?!