Best of the Rez Week 62

Best of the Rez     Week 62     March 12^th to March 18^th

How about an early start to the blog this week?  I am sitting in our warm little trailer watching the snow storm outside.  I just finished cutting Elder Giles and EP’s hair; the elders are finished with the internet and on their way to a zone conference so I have a few minutes before Rock Point piano.

We will call this week a Ferris wheel ride.  (I happen to know all the facts about the Ferris wheel being built for the 1892 World’s Fair in Chicago-but I doubt you want to know about that.)  Anyway, last Sunday was about as low as you could go.  The attendance plummeted and we couldn’t get in a home.  This week was not so productive but we had a wonderful high just to come right back down.

1)      Monday the kids were still here so we had a ball with them.  Grandpa’s pancakes are always the winner and then we headed out to hike Canyon DeChelly.  Everyone remembered their shoes and water and we all did just great.  That afternoon everyone got cleaned up and played and we all headed to the church around 5:30.  I kept trying to get someone to get EP over there and finally Kaiya walked in and said, “Grandpa—you are supposed to be to your birthday party at the church.”  That finally worked.  He walked in to the Curley family’s Navajo Taco delight.  They had also baked him a huge cake.  We all ate way too much and had lots of fun playing in the gym.

2)      I probably should have mentioned it is spring break, so there is no seminary this week.  We are sleeping in a bit but with a house full of darling little girls, that doesn’t work perfectly.   Anyhow, we got up and had breakfast and then the Robert’s picked us up to go to Tuba City for a seminary meeting.  They had told us not to go, but EP wouldn’t hear of it.  The trip over was nice, the meeting was good, and then it seemed like forever home.  One piano lesson showed up and stayed here for almost 2 hours.  Brandii is a new student and she was just eating it up.  I gave her almost a month’s lesson in one shot.  Her word was that she was just mesmerized with the piano.  ARP didn’t show so we went home to our lonely little house.

3)      Finally, a sleep in day.  We got up and went over to the church to exercise.  EP takes his BB so I took my tennis racket and a ball and hit off the wall.  I wondered if I was in heaven.  I doubt I have any game left, but it felt good to try.  Then we headed to Chinle to go through Margaret’s temple letter with her.  She had made her dress and it was too big.  She really laughed about that.  We went out to eat at the Junction and someone there bought our dinner.  A ward member was there and the man she was with was also a member from a different ward and he must have bought our dinner. 
Isn’t our day going great?  -- Elder Eging was having a birthday party and EP was to cook the steaks.  I made a dump cake but I just barely made finished – all the sudden the ceiling started to spin and I went down.  I spent about 2 hours with my face in the toilet—oh was I sick.  I have no other memory of the night.    I think that day would have to have been a Ferris wheel ride.
EP gave the cake to the elders and told them to eat what they wanted.  Those 4 ate the whole thing in one sitting.  I cannot believe it.  I really chastised them for not saving EP even one serving.  They just giggled. 
EP also taught YM-YW about saving money for college and missions.

4)      Thursday was a recovery day.  I was so weak that I just snuggled on the couch with a blanket.  By the evening I taught 3 piano lessons, EP did a temple prep lesson for Sister Yoe and we set a date with her.  We love Sister Yoe!  We also did one missionary discussion for our 2 little Nez children.  That was completely exhausting and I came home to collapse.

5)      Okay, the rest of the story.  My sister reads my posts so perhaps I sugar coat them a bit.  I think I do better with my headaches than normal, but I certainly have them.  And for about 2 months I have been having nose bleeds about 4 times a day.  They are getting more and more annoying and they are also starting to inhibit what I need to do.  I wondered if they were causing me to get sick so we made an appointment in Farmington.  (We cannot get any medical treatment here on the Rez)  We headed out early and found the office.  I had a horrid headache and he was more concerned over the headache than the nosebleeds and merely said that the nose was fine.  We drove home and when I walked in the house, the nose started to bleed.  JOY!
I had 3 piano lessons and then it was home to get ready for tomorrow.

6)      At 6: 40 AM we pulled in to Gene’s driveway.  They were ready to go.  We headed to Chinle and picked up Margaret [Tsosie] and she was more than ready to go.  We were on our way to Snowflake.  We made it there early and bought all the clothing we needed.  Then to the temple.  It was very nice but her hearing aid didn’t work so I got her earphones and put them on English instead of Navajo.  She didn’t mind but she had wanted to go to a Navajo session so I felt bad.  Afterwards, she was calling her daughter in Virginia and all excited.  She was very happy.  We then went to eat at the Mexican restaurant and headed home.  Very long trip home and boy, did we hit a sand storm around Chinle. 
We got ready for Sunday and headed to bed.

7)      Down comes the Ferris wheel.  I woke up several times during the night with a nose bleed but when I sat up from bed it just poured.  It took me an hour to get it stopped so I couldn’t really get ready for church. 
At 9 AM there were about 5 of us but the congregation grew to about 35 by the end of meeting.  It was a nice meeting with the family history missionaries from Chinle speaking so it was sad so few were there.  My music did – okay – and the speakers really were impressed with them.  We did not have 1 child for primary.  So sad.  I think it is the first time I have ever gone to the adult gospel doctrine class.  Then RS was good and home. 
Happy Birthday Gusser!  We had a fun skype with him opening his present.
We did some planning but I really wasn’t up to going out.  The speakers had talked about ‘17 Miracles’ and since it is our family also, we started to watch it.  A lady from the ward that started piano and then quit brought her piano back.  She sat down and we talked forever.  We watched a temple video with her and she really enjoyed that.

And week 62 goes into the history book as well.  It felt like one of the flattest weeks yet, with no seminary, only two lessons, hardly any piano with everyone on spring break and me being sick.  But going to the temple with Sister Tsosie was a great joy in our life.  She was happy there.  She wants to go back.  She wants to be there with her three daughters.  The other local daughter has signed up for temple prep and I think Lisa in Virginia is on line also.  Life is good.

The Church is True,

            Lead, don’t follow,

                        We love you,

                                    Elder and Sister Parkinson

Brooklyn and Torgie head to the Canyon.
(Braids by Gma)

Brooklyn, Gma, Sarah and Kaiya -

with Angella and Eric in the back.

An interesting tree in the Canyon.

Kaiya and Eric on the path.

What is Torgie doing?

We reached the bottom.

Buying jewelry at the bottom.

The happy group poses at the bottom near White House.

Gpa made it too. 

Kaiya, Sarah and Torgie decide to join us.

The little cave is a must for a family picture.

Elder Parkinson with his birthday cake.

Kayla and Kelsey made it just for him!

The wind blown temple group.

Edward Gene, Darlene Gene, Sister Margaret Tsosie,

and the very happy missionary couple.