More Togetherness

Jacob, Danielle, Chris, and Sarah at Cinderella.

15 May 2015

There's no real story to this blog post, just lots more fun family togetherness, for which I'm most grateful, and some pictures to share!

Mark, Mary, Jacob, Danielle, and Chris before the performance.

Our whole family, with the exception of Dylan who had to work that night, attended our high school's production of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (my personal favorite version). The play was very well done and most enjoyable. It was all Danielle and I could to to refrain from singing along with the cast! Even the guys got a kick out of it.

Cinderella with her fairy godmother.

Cinderella's stepsisters and stepmother were simply hilarious!!

The Prince and Cinderella have their momentous dance at the ball.

 Chris's niece Morgan had a part as a town person in the play!

She was delightful!

Jacob and Danielle at El Rancho.

16 May 2015

On the following night, Saturday, Jacob decided we should all go out to dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, El Rancho. During the 17 years of our marriage, Mark and I took the kids to El Rancho quite regularly, but this was Mark's first time to eat there since our divorce in 2006.

Dylan and Jacob ham it up in the restaurant.

Coincidentally, two tables over from ours, our friends Jim and Kathy Rice arrived shortly after we did and filled pushed-together tables with their family of daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. When Jim stopped by our table to say hi, we both mentioned how nice it was to have our entire families together that night. Not one person was missing from either family!

Chris and Sarah in El Rancho.

Mark and Mary at El Rancho.

Sarah prepares her bratwurst during last Sunday's family dinner.

17 May 2015

The next night was our weekly family dinner. We enjoyed bratwurst (not me--I can't stand the stuff, so I had chorizo sausages, a spicy Mexican sausage), ruffled chips and toasted onion dip, and "Dad's Salad," an invention of Mark's from many years ago.

Mark invented this salad when the kids were young.

They call it "Dad's Salad" and insisted he make some for us.

One day we didn't really have anything in the kitchen for a side dish with dinner, so Mark went through the cupboards and refrigerator drawers and threw this together: diced cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onion, and cubed cheese, all blended with spices and a bit of mayonnaise. It was delicious, and we've enjoyed it ever since. Last week, the kids insisted he make it for us, for old time's sake. And it was yummy!

Jacob's filled plate.

My plate was a bit more modest, minus buns and chips.

Yes, I'm back to eating right--again! (I've lost 5.2 lbs in the first 9 days.)

Mark and Dylan have macaroni and cheese for Sunday's lunch.

17 May 2015

Lastly, allow me to confess that I'm enjoying having another person in the house. It was pretty lonely when Dylan started working 5 evenings per week and it was just me at home, alone. It's even better when all 3 of us are together at meal times, or watching a DVD, or just talking and joking around.

My lunch was a no-bread sub with ham, cheese, tomato, onion, and alfalfa sprouts.

One night it was stuffed bell peppers (with meatloaf for Dylan).

One of the fun things about having Mark back in the house is having someone to cook with, who enjoys the same foods I do. I guess it's natural to develop similar tastes after being married for so many years. And somehow it's more interesting to plan and prepare meals when you're doing it with someone else. Due to Dylan's aversion to most foods (his three food groups are meats, breads, and sweets), it just wasn't the same as cooking for or with someone who's going to actually eat the dish you've prepared!

Another night it was beef stir-fry with leftover steak, broccoli, cauliflower,

green beans, and mung bean sprouts. And plain grilled steak for Dylan.

Mothers Day

My three reasons for Mother's Day: Sarah, Jacob, and Dylan!

10 May 2015

Our entire family gets together for a nice Sunday dinner every week, and this past Sunday was no exception. However, there were a few elements we added in honor of Mother's Day.

Jacob makes us one of his veggie-packed salads.

We started off with a dinner of Chicken Parmesan, fried potatoes and onions, and a huge salad. Unfortunately, our newly-employed Dylan had to work that evening, so he missed out on this part. We did save some chicken for my vegetable-detesting son for when he got home at 9:00. Of course!

Chicken Parmesan

Fried potatoes and onion

Lining up for dinner, buffet-style: Mark, Sarah, Chris, Danielle, and Jacob.

Mary with an addition to her Willow Tree collection.

After dinner, it was time to open Mother's Day gifts from Sarah and Chris. They gave me a beautiful new Willow Tree figurine for my collection. This one is called "Lots of Love" and she cradles a glittery heart in her hands. I love it! Sarah also gave me a cute little date-book featuring Willow Tree photos.

Jacob and Danielle gave me a rain check for a mysterious gift they found for me in an LDS bookstore in Las Vegas last month. They both assured me that it's "perfect" for me, and they plan to order it online next week. My curiosity is piqued!

Dylan brought me the little orange geranium. The carnation, booklet, and a dark chocolate 

Dove bar (I'd already eaten mine!) were handed out to all the ladies in church.

Each week we gather around the TV to watch one of our favorite programs, Once Upon a Time, and we did the same on this night. We'd been anticipating the 2-hour season finale, which delivered all the twists and turns we've grown to expect! By the time it ended, Dylan was home and we all enjoyed a dessert of cake and ice cream together.

Jacob made me a spice cake chock full of chocolate chips,

with cherry-vanilla frosting.

I'm so grateful to be a mother and to be richly blessed with such wonderful children, both my own three and those who've become my own, including Chris, Danielle, and Ryan and Shera. I am so blessed and I love them all!

Family Togetherness

Sarah with her dad, Mark, after her concert last Saturday.

2 May 2015

It's been a family-filled week. While it's typical for me to see all my children, even the adult married kids, more than once a week, we've enjoyed their presence even more often now that their dad is around again.

The White Mountain Symphony Orchestra performed last weekend.

Last Saturday Dylan, Mark, and I attended Sarah's concert, where she performs on violin with the White Mountain Symphony Orchestra. The last time Mark attended one of his daughter's concerts was before our divorce in 2006, and that was a high school orchestra concert, not a community symphony orchestra. 

Sarah is always totally focused when she performs. And hard to see from the audience.

I finally got a good shot of Sarah when the orchestra members stood to take a bow

at the end of the concert!

We sat with Chris and his mom Brenda and enjoyed the event. Especially fun was the final half, when winners of a statewide competition performed, including a student from our high school, a good friend of Dylan's named Courtney, who performed a beautiful solo on her violin with the support of the entire orchestra behind her.

Courtney is an amazing performer.

At intermission, we had fun trying to get a group selfie with my camera. Cameras are trickier than cell phones, because you can't see what you're taking a picture of like you can when you use a cell phone. However, I like the quality of my camera's pictures better, so I keep trying.

Failed to get Dylan in this try.

All three of us together at intermission.

We've also enjoyed more family dinners than usual. A night or two after Mark's return, we gathered for spaghetti and garlic bread. After the concert on Saturday we all got together, including Jacob and Danielle (who'd missed the concert because they were working), to enjoy grilled steaks, steak fries, and a green salad packed full of fresh vegetables a la Jacob-style, with blue cheese dressing. On Sunday we had our usual weekly family dinner, chowing on pasta combo--a family favorite--with garlic toast on the side. (Pasta combo is made up of spaghetti noodles, bottled Italian dressing, shredded Parmesan cheese, diced chicken, and lots of chopped, fresh tomatoes.)

Plenty of leftover fried chicken and potato salad. No cooking for tonight's dinner!

This week we were joined by Jacob and Danielle on Thursday night for shredded beef soft tacos, and again last night for homemade fried chicken and potato salad. Tonight Mark, Dylan, and I are on our own, but we're planning on chicken Parmesan for tomorrow's Sunday dinner. I love having my kids around so often, but even more, I love watching them enjoy being with their dad again.

A drainer full of clean dishes this afternoon.

With all of this family action, the use of my kitchen is in hyper-drive, which means many, many more dirty dishes than usual. Thank goodness for Mark's helpful attitude. I've hardly had to wash a dish since he got here, so I come home to a clean kitchen everyday. He also assists willingly with all cooking chores, chopping and peeling and grilling right along with us. After last night's greasy mess, Mark spent a long time cleaning up in the kitchen this morning, leaving me free to focus on getting laundry done. Thank you, Mark. You are a good man!

Daddy's Home

Mark with two of our three children, Dylan and Sarah, on April 28

just before we headed home from the Rancho Vistoso Resort in Oro Valley, AZ.

Dylan (holding our ratty old cat Gimli) watches Jacob check the oil in my car.

I sneaked these picture from my kitchen window on Saturday, April 25th.

We made yet another trip to the Tucson area last weekend, one that was pretty important to our family. Due to their work schedules, Jacob and Danielle were unable to join us this time, but Sarah, Chris, Dylan, and I made the 3.5-hour trip to southern Arizona on Sunday, April 26.

Brotherly silliness ensues.

Despite being unable to join us, Jacob came over on Saturday to be sure my car was fit for travel and then took it over to the car wash and made it look nice for our trip. My kids are simply awesome!

They just crack themselves up!

We left our mountain home at 12:30 on Sunday and turned toward our resort in Oro Valley, just northeast of Tucson. With one brief stop in Globe, we were able to reach the WorldMark Rancho Vistoso Resort at exactly 4:00, our official check-in time. That is deeply satisfying to OCD people like me!

Dylan drove us from Globe to Oro Valley. It was a two-car trip.

Sarah and Chris followed in their new Jeep liberty.

Sunday, April 26th

With Dylan driving, I was free to take pictures of scenery en route, like this.

And like this.

Sarah and Chris soon after checking into our 2-bedroom unit.

We were still getting all our stuff moved in.

Dylan and Sarah enjoying our traditional vacation dinner of

grilled chicken and potato salad on Sunday night.

This is how I found Dylan in the Murphy-bed when I awoke on Monday morning.

He'd made himself a man-cave because it was "too bright" to sleep after the sun came up.

When Monday morning dawned, we got up early, ate a quick breakfast of deviled eggs (which I'd prepared the previous day), and drove to the Greyhound Bus Depot in downtown Tucson. This was the whole purpose of our trip, the BIG DAY we'd been waiting for.

After serving three years for (nonviolent) crimes related to his addictions, with which he's been struggling since childhood (literally, since the age of 9), my first husband, my children's father, was released from prison in south Tucson. Due to uncertainty surrounding the status of the house Mark inherited from his father, it looked like his only option during parole was to move into a halfway house. Knowing the low success rate for parolees in halfway houses, I agreed to have Mark come stay with us for the next eight months, until the end of his parole.

Mark (left) disembarks, wearing his "blues."

We arrived at the bus depot around 8:45 and waited another 45 minutes, until the shuttle carrying the newly released inmates-turned-parolees arrived. The kids waited anxiously to see their dad as a half-dozen men in new blue tee-shirts and jeans, carrying cardboard boxes of their belongings, unloaded from the van. And then, finally, there he was, free at last.

We'd all squeezed into Sarah and Chris's Jeep for this little outing, and now Mark climbed aboard, too. Our next stop was a thrift shop called Savers, where Mark had heard we could get clothes cheaply. He now owned nothing but the clothes on his back and the little box of papers, letters, deodorant, and toothpaste. He also had a money card containing $121.98, the sum of his earnings in prison. It isn't much, but I think there are times when being forced to start fresh is a true blessing.

Dylan captured this shot of our buffet stop.

We soon figured out that the clothes at Savers were cheap because they weren't worth much, so I decreed that we would buy clothes at Walmart later. Then we headed to the town of Marana and the Golden Corral Buffet there. During our weekly Sunday phone calls with Mark, I'd asked what he wanted for his first few meals of freedom. Without question, he wanted to start off by stuffing himself at an all-you-can-eat buffet! 

Mark with Sarah and Chris inside Golden Corral at the end of our meal.

For the first hour after he joined us, Mark was even quieter than usual and had a rather bewildered look on his face. Then, several times throughout the morning, Mark would open his arms wide and look up at the big blue sky and let out a big sigh of satisfaction. At one point he said, "It feels strange to be free." It was kind of sweet.

Budding photographer Dylan grabbed my camera and started taking extreme closeups.

Thankfully, my face is blurry. I think he's better with landscapes...

He got this shot of Sarah leaving Golden Corral.

From Golden Corral, we moved on to Walmart in Oro Valley, near the resort, to buy a couple pairs of jeans, some shirts, a pair of shoes, packages of socks and underwear, and some swim trunks. Mark expressed his desire to burn all the clothes issued to him by the prison and never look back. I can't say I blame him. 

Now we're talking! Dylan took this gorgeous shot from the Walmart parking lot.

I've taken dozens of pictures of the Santa Catalina Mountain Range over the years

and never managed one that looked this amazing!

Back at the condo, Mark, Dylan, Chris, and Sarah relax before dinnertime.

Mark hasn't lost his touch. He grilled those pork chops to perfection!

Must be where both our sons got the golden griller touch!

Gathered around the dinner table on Monday night:

Mark, Sarah, Chris, and Dylan.

Mark's request for his first home-cooked meal (or resort-cooked?):

Grilled pork chops, buttered corn, and mashed potatoes and gravy.

I added the homemade chunky guacamole, which is delicious on pork chops!

Off to the pool after dinner! The guys hit the hot tub first.

That big splash was Mark hitting the water.

Dylan makes the next big splash.

Mark's first breakfast request for Tuesday morning was fairly modest...not!

Fried eggs, bacon, hash browns, English muffins, and chocolate milk!

Preparing to head back home, pausing for one last picture:

Chris (age 37), Sarah (age 25), Mary (age 60), and Mark (age 46).

Dylan got this shot of my car from the Jeep behind as we drove home.

Our little mini-vacation had to come to an end at last. We stopped at the Carl's Jr. in Globe, where Mark wanted to try the El Diablo burger and I got my usual lettuce-wrapped Super Star. Then we were back on our mountain before 4:00 on Tuesday afternoon. We did some shopping for an air mattress and bedding so Mark could settle into his own room. He was finally reunited with our middle child Jacob and daughter-in-law Danielle. And we all went out to eat, introducing him to our favorite Chinese place. He liked it a lot.

A week has gone by and it's been great. Mark was always easy to live with, and now that he's been clean and sober for over three years, it's even more comfortable. He tells us he is turning his life around, and I know he means it. I hope he can do it, but only time will tell, as he faces the temptations that will surely come. Meanwhile, his kids are loving having him around!

Tuesday, April 28, 2015: All together at last at China Wok!

Dylan (age 17), Sarah (24), Chris (37), Danielle (21), Jacob (23), and Mark (46).