HOME is GOOD

Okay, my husband is coming into the texting age. Finally. I think the only time I ever texted him in the past was when our grandson, Parker died, and I HAD to reach him at church meetings. And miraculously, it worked. But then a few years later he found it useful in, of all places, stake conference... when we had 3 buildings full of people and the meeting/talks from the Stake Center were being sent over to the other two buildings via a new wireless system. They texted each other to be sure they were getting feed. It was VERY useful in that setting. (so if you saw this and wondered, "Is the Stake prez playing Angry Birds? Well, now you know he was NOT.)

But that was it, nothing else for him really. Until this past June. His sister was ill. She was texting me, she started texting him (even tho I'd warned her he wasn't too keen on it and she might not get much response.) And he texted back and forth with her. She was put on oxygen, so talking was a major issue; ergo, texting was just perfect! And so she was texting everyone, and Reeder was learning the ins and outs of it, and we could all keep in contact until we got up to see her.
And then the man discovered his phone had this verbal recognition app! Now he didn't have to fumble with the hamster-sized keyboard, he could simply speak his mind and voila', there it was. Sometimes 'Mom will be coming' would show in print as 'Mumble peek honey' or something like that, but he could view it and edit before sending it off.
So now we are a texting family. And I text a few friends, it's helpful if I am at work, or they are. For travelling long distances, it has saved my sanity having someone to chat with. It is just a brilliant invention, tho it surprised its inventors at how FAST texting caught on.

"Nobody had foreseen how fast and quickly the young people would use this," Hillebrand said. He's still fascinated by stories of young couples breaking up via text message.

My daughters struggled to teach me how the predictive text worked, where I type a word and it gives me options. I finally figured it out on a roadtrip with Reeder last October, when I had a new phone. I got out the booklet and read all about it, and it worked, I finally learned how to do it. (You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!)

But I still have issues with the dictionary. It REFUSES to remember some oft-used names and words. Chelsea it doesn't like, ever. Nor Reeder... that is always Redder. I have to go in and edit the closest word it offers up (but it has NO trouble remembering Jonah and Jemma.) IF always shows first as HE, note is always MOVE; who - a commonly used word, is first WIN. And since I don't look at the screen - I'm too busy looking at my fingers - when I finally look up, I see these jumbled sentences that I have to go back and edit. BOOK shows when I type Cool, and I think, 'Yep, I agree, books are cool!' Aubrey is always AVEREW. That isn't even a word!! Why would the phone pick something no one would ever write? Why isn't the dictionary teachable?

Maybe on my next phone, I'll get that verbal application. But for now, I'll live with it. Besides, my phone always reminds me, 'HOME is GOOD.'

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

This has been a roller-coaster day, up and down from start to finish. We began early with little girls sleeping here while momma and daddy were at the hospital welcoming the 4th little Jones girl to the world. She arrived at 6:19, still calling her little BabyCake until Mom and Dad choose her name. But she's a cutie and looks just like her sisters, and she's plenty healthy.... everything you hope for when a new one comes into the world.



But sadly, we also had to say good-bye to a family member. Jim's sister departed this world at 4:30, with Jim there to oversee her being taken off life support, and her son Beau at her side, holding her hand as she slipped quietly away.

We were there in Vegas to see her last weekend, when she was suddenly, finally admitted to the hospital to figure out why she couldn't breath. Her shortness of breath only started in early May, yet here she was end of June with no explanation why her pneumonia wouldn't respond to anything they tried, and all oxygen was offering little help. A lung biopsy finally showed adeno carcinoma, meaning a cancer that started somewhere in an organ and travelled quickly, killing off her lungs. It was a tremendous surprise, she was a healthy 51-yr-old woman, busy and loving life.

She did have a little time to say her goodbyes as family members drove up to Las Vegas to see her over the weekend, and she broke the news to Beau as best she could, how he has a dad that loves him very much and will take care of him. She was ready to go, but it was so painful leaving the light of her life.

Linda will be missed. It's a shame a lovely young life like that would have to go so suddenly. It's the way life is sometimes, there are no guarantees.

Except that we also get sweet new little ones helping us cope.
BabyCake Jones is proof of the goodness we can expect. We none of us know how long we have on this earth, so hug your loved ones, say I love you often. You just never know.