THE MEN IN MY LIFE--A VALENTINE TRIBUTE

Valentines' Day is a day fraught with emotional overtones!! For this in love, it's an affirming, fun day; for those on the outs of love, it's...well... At my age, chocolates and flowers don't mean nearly as much as devotion and respect. There isn't a single "thing" that I need or want or can't buy for myself. What I do want is to pay tribute to the men in my life. There are several who could have been included here, and I debated what to do, so I narrowed this blog down to these guys--my husband and sons.

Isn't this a fun picture? You can understand why I fell in love with this guy! It was taken on Christmas Day 1974 in our first home in Bremerton. We'd been married about three years, and our first daughter, Darla, was a month or two old. Tom has been a steady, wonderful influence in my life. He has loved me, unconditionally, since the day we met. He is patient with my eccentricities. I love him so! He is a person without guile whose whole life is dedicated to serving his family and his Father in Heaven. He has a great personality and a wonderful sense of humor. I will be disappointed if Mormon doctrine that teaches that marriage is for all of eternity because I'm just now beginning to know just a tiny bit about this fine man.

This is how Mark looked the first time I ever saw him! He had on a western cut suit and cowboy boots, and he told me the plot of an adventure movie, R-rated, called "Freebie and the Bean" all the way home from the airport. It was love at first sight!! Mark has always been accepting of me; I've never been treated as the "stepmother. He's always been respectful and devoted to me. We've shared so many "adventures" over the years. Now, he's, of course, a grown man, father of three, grandfather of two, and he is a great guy. We can talk for hours. I love him.

I'm not sure how old Steve is in this picture. 12 or 13 of so. There are even some of those weights laying around which we've used for years as door stops!! Steve is another son who has always shown me the greatest devotion and respect and love. I can think of many fun times with Steve--joking, laughing, enjoying one another's company. He's grown into a fine young man, a father, husband, and devoted to his military career. Steve and I have always been friends and could share our thoughts. I love his devotion to his family.

Tommy looks to be about three in this picture. We were at a parade in Bingen, and he was, as he always is, delighted by the new adventure of seeing a parade. Tom has always loved life and found delight in any new experience, even those which may bring him trouble. In spite of a dark time period in his life, Tom has always been a devoted son and never blamed us for his personal troubles. Sunshine, in the form of a defining moment and a devoted wife, has brought many new adventures to Tom, but he is still delighted by any new adventure. He faithfully calls me each week and treats me like a queen.

There are other men in my life: Eric, Ben, and Kevin, my sons-in-law; Eric, my grandson in law; Vale, TJ, Toby, Ethan, Connor, Ivan, Kobe, Kahlil, and Wyatt, my grandsons, and Carter, my great-grandson. Do I feel loved or what??

On another note, I've finished DeAnne's quilt top. The quilt top is Step One. My niece, Janeen, is going to do the quilting for me. I'm pleased with the outcome, as I hope DeAnne will be, and I just realized that it's the first full size quilt I have ever made. Spring is coming; we always seem to have one last storm in February just to remind us who is control of our lives, but for now, we're enjoying the territorial squabbling of the raccoons, squirrels, and birds for the corn. Feeling loved, Mom