Amanda's Here!

We've all known it was coming...but we kept it secret from mom! In fact, Mandy was here after New Years to look for a house, and we LIED and told mom she came for the day to wish her a Happy Birthday! (So sweet of Manda to spend $600.00 to fly in for the day to wish our mother a happy birthday!) LOL hahaha But mom bought the story! So now THEY'RE HERE! Welcome home Alex, Amanda, Jessica (14), and Alexandra (3)!

Mom's cup runneth over!

Happy Late Anniversary!

Mom doesn't celebrate birthdays...she just has anniversaries of her 29th birthday! So if I have added correctly ( and don't trust me to that; it's double digits, and I only have ten fingers!) she is on the 34th Anniversary! Yeah Mom! It was back on January 9th, but I just now got the picture downloaded!

The Journal Jar

Some wonderful girls in my mom's ward made a Journal Jar for her. This is just a picture of one I found online...the one they made is much cuter and more colorful. What a fabulous idea! Her home teacher has done someting similar with a clipboard that hangs over her bed. For the clipboard, you write the answers on colorful pieces of paper that are then kept and compiled by him and his sweet wife. For the Journal Jar, you just pick out a question, she answeres it, and you write her answer in a notebook on her dresser...(or if you want, her real journal in her nightstand droor.) All of this will help me make a more accurate life history for her grandkids to enjoy.

So if you are planning on visiting her, please look to this journal jar or clipboard for prompts in conversation with mom. Some of the things she says are pretty funny! For Sharon, a while ago she recalled the exploding green bean incident while canning with you! And for Verona, Last Memorial Day, she told me that her and Dad had started that picnic tradition and asked if I could drive her there for it! Her short term memory is sparatic...but long term lives on!

All About ME !

This is Nancy Lynn. She is my mother. What a beautiful baby she was. She was one of two daughters that were nine years apart...she was the baby. The ripped picture to the left is of Nancy's High School Graduation. The "zebra" hair...well there's just no explanation for that!!!

Here she is today. She has 3 children, Aaron, Amanda, and Kristen. Six grandchildren, Jessica, Alexandra, Courtney, Kendyl, Connor, and Korynn.

Alot has happened to her over the years. Let me recap...

She married at the end of her senior year in High School, to Milt. A couple of years later, they found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and were baptized! They adopted Kristen and then two years later had Aaron. Three years after that they were blessed with Amanda! Alot of moving went on after that. Some of her greatest memories and friends were during the Snowflake years. She still cherishes the friendships she made there. In 1981, she became ill, and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She has battled with it ever sense. Milt and her parted ways, and Nancy remained strong to her testimony of the church. Her motto became "Never give up! Never, never give up."-Winston Churchill (hence the name of her blog "nevergiveupnancy.blogspot.com!) When first diagnosed they said 9 months...but that was when they thought it was a brain tumor. Then they said just a few years...well that was almost 30 years ago! What's up with that people ask? It is her positive attitude and the willingness to laugh about things instead of cry! An example of this would be the countless hours of waiting on Dial-A-Ride..and waiting..and waiting! They even "misplaced" her a couple of times. Instead of getting mad (like I did) she just said "well, that's why we call it Dial-A-Joke!" She has taught us to laugh at things well...and you know what? It works! Although her body has given up on her, she remains strong willed and an inspiration to many.

When I told her what I was doing, she wished for me to tell a litlle about her mother and her sister. Her mother was known as "Boots" to almost all who knew her. A woman that could make friends with anyone. She stood by Nancy's side through everything and helped care for her physically and financially. She loved her mother very much. At the time of her passing, Nancy was in a nursing home, and upon coming back from the funeral, I asked how she had been doing. She often hung out in the lobby with the front desk secretary, and she told me that on Thursday morning my mom was not talkative at all. Knowing that she was grieving, she left her alone. But then she said what was weird, was that for almost an hour noone came in, the phone did not ring, it was just silent. She happened to look over at mom and see tears from her eyes. When asked, Nancy said that she felt her mother standing next to her comforting her and she was crying happy tears.

Nancy's sister was nine years older than her; Judy. She was equally as beautiful and a very strong woman. The women in our family are strong women. She looked after Nancy her whole life. Judy was a huge part of my mom's life. She had 4 kids of her own that Nancy just loved to be around. Judy could get things done my mom said. Give her a task, and she would get it done, or get answers. Mom said this helped alot in the early years of her MS as Judy would research and ask questions. Judy also passed on to heaven not long ago. Mom misses her dearly.

Here are some random things about her that I bet you did not know!

She's 4'11"-yep not tall at all!

BlueGreen eyes

very positive thinker

she was a silk florist

sews like a professional

a complete and total neat freak
a food storage guru

crafty beyond all belief

was a goer and a doer before the MS

funny

can't sing worth a darn

always was in service of someone else

She's a fighter!