Sunday, October 18, 2009

Service Story Project

For my creative writing class I had to go to the old folks home and interview someone there and get their life story so I could turn it into a creative non-fiction piece for them. When I went, the lady that I interviewed was not very open with me and didn't give me hardly any information that i could use. She kept telling me that that was it just to get rid of me. It was an awkward situation. But here is the story that I wrote about her in her perspective.

I Remember

My name is Bessy. I don’t have much to say about my life. I had two girls and three boys. My girls played the piano and my boys played in the band; the band at the school. One played the trumpet and the other one played… I don’t know. It’s an instrument like the trumpet. What are some other instruments in the band? What’s the long one called? I don’t remember. It was so many years ago.

I do remember my little girl loved to play the drums. She was very good at it. We would all go to the school basketball games to watch her play. They all loved her. But both my girls are gone now.

I guess that’s about it.

What did we do for fun back then? Oh, probably just the regular things that people do: school activities, camping, spending time together. We didn’t have the money like people do these days. I remember we couldn’t do as many things. We didn’t have the money.

But when we went camping, we would sleep in tents and would stay out for a few days. All of us would go. My husband loved to fish. He would go to Salmon and catch his fish there and we all went with him as a family. That is how we spent our summers. I remember, we loved to go camping.

Now my summers are spent in St. George. I guess that’s about it. I don’t have much to say.

We were farmers, my husband and I. We had it from the time we were first married. He would work and I would cook. I cooked for hard men. They were the men who worked on the farm and they were hard men to cook for. I would stay home and take care of our two girls and three boys. They were just young and needed someone to watch them.

I do remember it was hard work on the farm. We did it for nearly 30 years. Yes, 30 years. We had cows, horses, chickens, and what was the other one? It was so long ago. Pigs, we had pigs. We had grain that we would harvest with a harvester. We also farmed potatoes, and what was the other one? Oh, I don’t remember. It was so many years ago. It was hay. That’s what it was. We also farmed hay.

Me? I was a singer. I sang in all sorts of places. I had a singing lesson teacher from when I was 10 to, I think, before I was married. I guess I was 17 years old. How many years was that? Seven years? My teacher was from Australia and was a convert to the church. I remember she taught me a lot. She was very good.

Now I can’t sing.

But when I could sing, I sang in conference. I don’t remember what conference it was, but it was whatever conference had a lot of crowds of people. Not General Conference with the prophet but the other kind of conference. I remember I would be nervous. I was a bashful girl. I would sing alone and I did a pretty good job. I sang in a church building. So it was Stake Conference. That’s the kind of conference it was.

I would sing in the Tabernacle in Rexburg a lot. I didn’t sing with groups, I would sing by myself. I would sing every kind of song. I loved to sing. I do remember that.

But, now I can’t sing anymore.

That’s about it, I guess. It was so many years ago. It’s hard to remember some things. I guess that’s it.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Trip to Portland, OR

October 1-4

I went to Portland, Oregon this past conference weekend to see Adam which marked our being together 6 months! I had never been there before but it was beautiful and I loved the foresty feel that was there. There were trees everywhere and they were big! Even the air smelt like a forest.


Adam and I just hung out and watched conference and he showed me around the area. We went to the Portland temple grounds and it was amazing and a lot bigger than I thought. It was just a blast the whole time I was there! It was worth the long drive.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Me and Lena

My new neice Lena Twitchell. She is such a doll and soooo good!! She reminds me of how her brother Landon was when he was born. It was really cute to see Landon and Lena together. Landon would give her kisses and it was so cute! I love being an aunt! It is the best!





Adam's Visit to California!

September 1-5

Adam came out to California to visit me for a couple of days. He is living in Portland, Oregon right now doing an internship for his horticulture major. It was an amazing week!

Tuesday my mom drove me to the Sacramento airport to pick him up. It was so good to see him again! It had only been a month but it felt like forever! Before we went home, we stopped off at Aaron and Joylyn's house so that Adam could meet Joylyn, Landon, and Lena. I am a proud aunt and wanted to show off my neice and nephew. I then took him to In-n-out so that he could get the full California experience and then we went down to the pool at my neighborhood club house for a swim. He got to meet my dad for the first time that night. I was a little nervous, but I think it went ok. :) We were invited to go bowling with some friends that night as well, so we went and did that for a while.


Wednsday I dragged him to my eye doctor appointment with me and we did some more swimming. Amber and Elaina ended up flying in for the week as well, so it was fun to have nearly the whole gang there! We had the family party this night for Avram's birthday so
Adam got to meet the last of my family members, my brother Aaron. Now he has met everyone.



Thursday we went to Folsom lake for the whole day and we had the place all to our selves! It was perfect weather and the water felt amazing.





Friday, we hit up the California State fair and we got a picture drawn of us that I will always cherish. We did a lot of fun things and it was great to have my family get to know him better. It was so nice to have so many of us together. It was really sad to have to take Adam back to the airport on Saturday. Thank goodness for phones so that we can still keep in contact! It was one of the best weeks ever!!!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Illinois Family Vacation

I went on vacation with my family to Illlinois and Tennessee. It was incredible to see a different part of the US and to see old friends from when we lived in Quincy, IL.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Spring Semester Ends

July 24-26

Adam and I drove to Utah at the end of the semester and stayed at my Grandma Johnson's house in Salt Lake. We went to a water park, Temple Square, the top of the conference center, Thanksgiving Point's gardens (which were beautiful- the waterfall was amazing!), and we went to the 24th of July family get together at my grandma's to watch the fireworks at liberty park. It had been years since I had seen them but they were amazing. We had front row seats (grandma's yard).

Thanksgiving Point by the largest man made falls in Northern America

Adam and Elaina. I thought it was so funny because Elaina's cute tummy popped open the snap on her shorts and she was sitting on Adam with her stomach hanging out. She's a cutie. At the Salt Lake Temple grounds.

I am in Utah right now staying with Amber and playing with Elaina. I was sad to see the semester end at BYU-I because I had to say goodbye to my boyfriend Adam. I'll be back to school in September and I plan on livinig with my best friend Monica. I am excited to meet new people even though it was sad to say goodbye to people that I really care about.

Demolition Derby

Adam, Danika, and I went to a demolition derby in Rexburg, Idaho. I think that everyone in Rexburg was there. It was a lot of fun, but it was sure hot. We got front row seats. Glenn Beck was there and so we got to see him. It was quite the experience.