President Gordon B. Hinckley

The passing of our beloved prophet was not unexpected, but..... Oh! How we will miss him! I have a personal memory of him that I will treasure...When I was about 18, he came to our house in Red Bluff. He was a General Authority at the time, and was traveling from Redding to San Francisco. He was dropped off at our house for the second leg of his journey. My brother Brad was going to drive him to the SF airport. Before he left, my mother snapped a picture of the two of us together, standing in the driveway. I will have to find this picture and post it. I was thrilled to be with him, even then. What a kind man he was.
He died surrounded by his family at 7:00 p.m. tonight... appropriately on the Sabbath Day. I have a testimony that he was a true prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.....He had a good sense of humor. I will mostly remember him waving his cane, and that sweet moment when he pretended to 'knight' President Henry Eyring at conference. Read his book Stand for Something.

My Niece, Christina

Christina sent me this photo in a Christmas card. She is my darling brother Mark's daughter....Here are the top ten reasons I love Christina:

10....She doesn't get mad when I call her Christina, when everyone now calls her
Christie (or 'Krusty').
9.....Her mom is just about my dearest friend..and sister-in-law...
8.....She grew up with and survived (as I did) having three brothers.
7.....She picked a great husband, Trever Jenkins...he's a clone of her.
6.....She's every girl's dream: thin, fair, natural blonde, and blue eyes...
5.....She no sissy girl..she's an ATHLETE!
4.....She's good with money.
3.....She visits me, and she's really really always cheerful
2.....She appreciates little things I give her and writes thank you notes!
1.....She has a smile (and unique tooth) just like my idol, Jacqueline Kennedy.

McBroom Kids: Daphine, Willa Mae & Bill

This picture of the McBroom kids from Durham, North Carolina is a treasure. The blonde on the left is Daphine, Gary's mother. She was the most wonderful mother-in-law a girl could have. I loved Mema, and my children loved her, too. The brunette is Willa Mae, Gary's aunt, and Bill is his uncle.

The real boss...in red

Macy has Grandpa under her control.
MONEY! Always the favorite gift. This was Christmas two years ago at our house in Ogden. With the new baby coming in April, I'm going to have to sew a new Christmas stocking.

This was Christmas 2005. We really miss not having them so close.

The Boss

Melissa and Steve...

Many changes for them in the next few months. They are expecting their third baby on April 12th, a boy named Cash....and then 2 months later they will move from sunny and dry Tucson, Arizona to cold and freezy Minnesota for Steve's residency at the Mayo Clinic.

32 years later Manti Temple

Wedding Day August 15, 1975

Best Choice EVER

Engagement..March 11, 1975

I said YES!

In Austria 1974

Over 30 years ago..

Ten Roommates from BYU ...... GREAT GIRLS

Poor Cat

Scamp

Poor cat....Gig is an indoor cat...exclusively. He has never been outdoors. Christian the terrorman decided to throw him off the balcony into the snow.... MEOOOOWWWW

We drove up to Brigham City recently and finally saw the Call's Fort monument--which so many people have told me about. My great-great-grandfather, Anson Call, settled many places in the West under Brigham Young's direction. This was one. Beautiful spot (enlarge to read it).

Fowlers in Tucson at Christmas

Snooooooow

This is our backyard..filled up with snow.

Lorene Donaldson Call

This is my mother, and a wonderful, wonderful mother. The pictures below tell a bit about her very interesting claim to fame...at age 14. Her photo was sent around the world three different times by Associated Press to announce the Ogden Pioneer Days. She had tons of fan mail, marriage proposals, and even an odd brush with the King of England, Edward and his wife, Wallis, which may have affected their decision of where to live, after he renounced the throne. (story for future post)

...Mostly, I know her as a great mother, a wonderful and popular English teacher at Red Bluff Union High in California, and someone who loved learning, reading, animals and especially horses, any stranger, traveling, and a stellar example of someone who loves the gospel of Jesus Christ. She also loved my dad and taught us all how it was done by her actions. I loved how she treated her own parents with such respect and tenderness. She was the BEST grandmother, and loved her nieces and nephews, too. She was also fun.

I miss her every day.

Wow

My mother's original picture turned into the very suggestive cartoon cowgirl... I know my grandmother wouldn't have approved... I bought this on ebay -someone from Ohio was selling this program for $25.00...he got a kick out of it when I told him that she was my mother! (I have boxes and boxes of memorabilia and old programs...probably worth a lot, but I would never sell.)

This was a reunion picture from 1964. Mother was the First Queen, in 1936, Here she is front and center.
The "Whoopee Girl Float"--with the original Whoopee Girl!.....there was a float just behind this one with 'all the other queens'.

Ginger

My grandfather bought this beautiful little bay mare for Lorene as a Christmas present just before she turned 12 . She named her Ginger and kept her there on the property where their house was on 16th Street in Ogden. Horses became her life! In her journal, there is hardly an entry without Ginger. The horse lived to be 22 years old. She was often given more spirited, flashy horses to ride in parades and in the Grand Entries. Lorene was eventually a 'class 4 ' rider..meaning that she can be assigned 'class 4' horses (the best, the jumpers, the racers, the trick horses). This was the picture that was published in Parade Magazine (and published nationally) when they interviewed her about her interest in horses.

Lorene Donaldson's Queen Days

My mother was published on the cover of the Salt lake Tribute Society Page riding in her favorite equestrian challenge. Look how high she has that horse, and in perfect control. No wonder Ogden Mayor Harmon Peery said that he 'liked the way she sat a horse'. He asked her to ride his own horse in the parade.
The finally pose for the 1936 Odgen Pioneer Days Rodeo--as the newly crowned "Whoopee Girl".. Age 14
My grandmother sewed the outfit, but was still very concerned that she not be photographed in an unseemly or immodest pose. I love this picture of my grandmother, Olive Harbertson Donaldson. She was about age 37 here. My grandfather told me many times that she was voted the "Prettiest Girl at Ogden High". I can see why. She was beautiful, but I never remember her young like this. She was always the perfect lady, proper and cultered. She always dressed well.

In 1964 she was called back to Utah to lead the parade . A special float was build just for her. This blue outfit is a size 7. I would often look at it with all her other riding outfits and horse blankets, show bridles and horse leggings she kept in the attic. She was 42 in this picture (below). I was 10 years old at the time. I still have and riding tact, blanket, and the boots.Below....this is a great photo of the downtown Ogden of 1936. Mother is leading the parade here, too. And each afternoon and evening (2 rodeos per day back then) she was lead the Grand March into the stadium. Try to enlarge this picture and notice how the citizens dress up for the event. High heels and hats....compare that with parade goers today. The 'dress-up' mentality is gone nowadays..... and so is downtown Ogden.

My Cozy Living Room

My favorite spot...Kitchen

Cute Cousins

My dad should be proud of his beautiful granddaughters--Melissa, in Arizona now (Anne's), Christina, in Utah now (Mark's), and Emily, in California now(Dayton's). We're just missing one more of Dayton's, Rebecca; and two of Brad's, Candace and Megan.

Dad at Work

The Orchard

Just down the end of this dirt road and to the left is my father's ranch house. It sits on 200 acres of walnut and prune trees.

Homecoming Queen

This is Candace Call, my brother Brad's daughter. She was the Senior class President of Corning High School , pianist for the choir all four years, awesome soccer player, seminary graduate and now....every girl's secret dream............HOMECOMING QUEEN. She now attends the University of Southern Virginia...Congratulations darling!