Who's eligible for Social Security? and Dancing With the Stars

Wow, I had a great birthday yesterday! Shelly and family, Steve and family all came over for pizza, salad, cake and ice cream. I got a great laptop from my dear husband and tickets to see Dancing With the Stars at the E Center tonight from my 3"kids." Then we had a slumber party with the five grandkids. Little Emily had to go home with mom and dad. We had a lot of fun all in the same room and mostly slept. We had pancakes for breakfast, candy for snack and spaghetti and hot dogs for lunch! We played Rock Band on Wolf's WII and just had a great time.

I grateful for each birthday as it means I'm here another year to enjoy my family. How grateful I am for them and the closeness we have. I am so lucky to have two great son-in-laws and the best daughter-in-law there is. Love you all and thanks!

Dancing With The Stars was great. My dream was always to be a dancer so I thoroughly enjoyed it and Lee actually liked it, too, although he did roll his eyes a couple of times.

Happy New Year to all and may you be healthy and feel peace and joy in your lives.

Merry Christmas!

I am late with updating my blog, adding a Christmas background and getting my Christmas letters out, but . . . finally I've done all three!

I spent a week in San Diego with Hadley and family. Corey has a leading role in "Traditions of Christmas", a San Diego musical tradition. Julia and Aubrey also had roles and they all did wonderful. We spent the first 3 days at rehearsals and then got to see the show. The musical has continued for 10 days and Hadley is wondering how to fit shopping, dance recitals, baseball tournaments, etc. in. What a busy life they lead. What a fun and talented family.

I stayed with Shelly's kids while Ryan had his surgery. They are always so fun and easy. His surgery was successful and today they learned the lymph nodes are negative. What a great Christmas present!

We attended cute little Ashley's preschool Christmas program and she did great. Andrew said ho ho when he saw Santa - so cute.

Lee and I got away for a couple of days to celebrate a little early for our anniversary and my birthday. We are looking forward to spending some time with Shelly and Steve and families. Sure wish Hadley and family could be here, too!

We wish you all Merry Christmas!

My New and Improved Craft Room

A duvet cover turned into curtains!
My new craft closet!
Yes, it is nearly full!

I have the greatest handyman living here - my incredible husband! He had already finished building and painting my craft room. He just hadn't built the cabinets yet because he was waiting for me to decide what I wanted.

He finished my craft closet (4 doors wide)and I love it! Now comes the counters for scrapbooking, sewing, wrapping, etc. I will have more storage and a peg board. I didn't realize I had so much stuff - his word was a little more graphic.

I switched the day bed to the guest room and put the futon in the craft room. Of course, then the colors didn't match so I took the duvet cover off the day bed and made these curtains and a couple of pillows. I am very happy with them and love it so bright and cheerful.

So now after he finished the pool table room, guest room, saw room, finish room, he is working to finish my craft room. The only room left in the basement is the bathroom and that will be next year.

Thanks to my wonderfully talented all around handyman husband who can design, build, and repair anything! You are awesome!

Peaches Peaches Peaches

A few weeks ago Shelly and I canned 4 boxes (104 lbs) of peaches. We ended up with 36 quarts, 24 pints, and 16 frozen containers! It took us 12 hours and lots of diet coke/pepsi but we did it. They are so yummy and we are very proud of ourselves. Thanks Shelly - it was exhausting but oh so worth it!

Lucky #13

I give everyone a hard time when they don't post to their blogs and I haven't posted for a very long time, so here goes.

First- Lee and I will be grandparents for the 13th time! Hadley and Pat are expecting their 7th - yes, their 7th child at the end of March. It was very much unplanned and unexpected but after a few tears, they realized this must be the Lord's plan and they are excited. Hadley is not feeling too great but hopefully will be over that soon. The kids are very excited.

Corey (Hadley's oldest) started college and loves it. The rest don't start school until after Labor Day. Shelly's two oldest are in school, Megan starts preschool, and sweet little Emily keeps Mom and Dad smiling. Ashley (Steve's) started preschool and little Andrew, who is healthy and all boy, keeps Mom and Dad on their toes at home.

Lee and I have enjoyed a lot of camping and are sad to see summer coming to a close. As it gets cooler we will just have to go south a little bit. We're headed to Anchorage (yea I know, that's north) for a week in September to get tax school started and plan on doing some fishing. It will be fun to see something besides snow and ice.

We love reading your blogs and enjoy your pictures so keep it up and I promise to do better!

Fun in San Diego and Summer Camping

Okay, I know it's been forever since I posted. We spent a week in San Diego in June and had such a great time. Corey, our oldest granddaughter, graduated from high school and Emily graduated from middle school. I drove down with Shelly and kids and Steve and his family were already there. It was so fun to be together with our three kids and their families. Unfortunately Lee and Ryan weren't able to join us. We had a great time going to graduations, the beach, and, of course, visiting In N' Out, several times! I can't believe Corey is headed to college! She's so grown up and is going to go far with that beautiful voice. What a talent she has!

Early July Lee and I spent a week in Heise Hot Springs, near Idaho Falls. It is one of our favorite spots. There is a 9 hole golf course and we golfed every day at least 18 holes. We left there and met Shelly and family at Lagoon and then on to Cherry Hill where Steve and family joined us. We loved Cardiac Canyon! From there we sent to Pineview Resevoir for 4 days boating. Ryan's parents were kind enough to bring their boat and join us. We had a great time! Lee and I tubed and he water skied. What fun to watch the kids have such a great time. Little 3 month old Emily did great and the boat just rocked her to sleep.

It's been such a great summer and we love going in our fifth wheel. What great family fun!

We took these pictures at a lake near San Diego. Getting 12 kids to all smile and stay in one place was a challenge but they look great! Corey is the oldest at 17 and Emily the youngest is 3 months.

All our cute grandkids!
This one was tricky to get!
Corey's graduation
Emily's graduation

Wedding Bells in Portland

Alan, Hadley, Shelly and Emily
Todd and Angela
Alan's 6 and 2 of my 3
Carma and Emily

My youngest nephew, Todd, got married in the Portland Temple last Saturday. Shelly, Hadley and I flew to Portland on Friday and had a great week-end with my brother Alan's family. It was so fun to see all of them and see how their kids are growing. I treasure the time with Alan and Sharon and don't get to see enough of them.

It was fun to spend time with Hadley and Shelly (and new baby, Emily) and we missed Steve. He was running with Andrea, Ashley and Andrew in the Brain Injury Association of Utah 5K to support their friends, Angel and Rob, and their sweet little baby, Charlie Cooper. What a worthy cause and we are so proud of you.

Lee and I are flying to Virginia Beach this next week-end for a Liberty Tax Convention. Lee is golfing and I am fishing - hopefully I won't get seasick. It should be a alot of fun meeting with everyone with whom we've been in competition with all season.

We still haven't found time to go camping but that's next on the list!

Welcome Home!

Pictures from the trip home... We actually saw some wildlife on the way home because the temperature was finally above zero. Coming over the mountains, the truck had several inches of ice which took two days to melt, even after a car wash.



We are home and loving it! I personally cannot stop organizing, rearranging and just plain "nesting". It feels so good to be in my own home. I planted my pots outside and it feels like spring.

Thank you to Andrea and Shelly for cleaning our house, putting fresh flowers out, and the welcome home message on the garage door. Thanks, Megan, for the great picture you drew.

Thank you to Kara and Justin for taking such good care of our house. It didn't even look like anyone had ever left (just ask one of my neighbors!)

We had a good trip coming home. We stopped to see Lee's sister and brother-in-law in Okanogan, Wash., and played cards for 3 days. A couple of days she and I didn't even get out of our pajamas until noon! Oh did it feel good to rest! On a sad note, Lee's sister-in-law had a heart attack and was in intensive care in Spokane, so we went to see her and Lee's brother. She is doing better and we were so glad we got to have a short visit with them.

Thanks to Michael (owns the Liberty Tax offices) for giving us this great experience, for the wonderful remembrance of Alaska you gave us at the dinner, and for the appreciation you constantly showed us.

We are looking forward to a summer of time with family and camping. My nephew is getting married and my granddaughter is graduating from high school! Where does the time go?

Prince George - Day 4

We arrived today in Prince George, BC. We started out with snow again, but it turned out to be a beautiful drive. We went through a lovely valley and had dry roads through the mountains. I have never been anywhere that has so many lakes and rivers as British Columbia. It must be so beautiful in the summer. The rivers and lakes which are starting to melt are a glacier blue - spectacular! We have one more day in Canada and then we will be to Lee's sister's home in Washington State. We will visit with them a couple of days and then head home.

These few months have been an amazing experience. At times it was awful, a lot exhausting, certainly rewarding and relationships we made are treasured. I personally grew tremendously in my abilities and understanding of managing 20 - 30 people. I certainly found out my strengths and weaknesses. Lee already was experienced and he just ran with it. His staff loved him (except for the two he fired!) I had to be pretty tough in the beginning and hopefully my staff respected me and I think some even like me!!! I know I made some dear friends who I will miss.

What a unique experience to see as much as we have. The Alaska Canadian Highway was an experience unto itself. There is so much untouched wilderness and so few people. It is 425 - 500 kilometers between towns, so driving is a shorter day or a very long day if you go two towns instead of one. Anchorage seems so small and so little traffic - we love the rural feeling. The traffic in Salt Lake will be overwhelming for a while. However, home cooked meals (even by me) and our own bed will feel good - also green grass and glorious sunshine!

We miss our kids and grandkids and look forward to a great summer with family and friends. How will we ever thank Kara and Justin for keeping our home safe and cared for. Thanks guys. Thanks to you who phoned us, emailed us and kept us in your prayers. An experience to remember.

Tax Season is Over - On Our Way Home

Hi everyone - tax season ended and we had a great season. We almost think it was worth coming! We are headed home and are in Fort St. John, British Columbia. We left Monday morning - Canada is huge! We had beautiful weather Monday and Tuesday and woke up today to snow and had it all day as we wandered through 300 miles of mountains. We have gone 1300 miles and have nearly 2000 left. We have seen lots of wild life this trip - buffalos, reindeer, mountain sheep, and various little critters. We are anxious to get home but want to "enjoy the journey".

By the way, I got my splint and cast off and am trying to exercise and get my wrist stronger. Yea, it's getting better.

We will update as we go - love to all.

WE HAVE A NEW GRANDDAUGHTER!

Shelly and Ryan had a little girl yesterday, April 3. Emily Mae weighed 8 lbs, 12 oz and is 20 inches long. I hear she has lots of dark hair - where did that come from? She was born around 2:45pm (don't know exactly) and Shelly had a pretty easy delivery -3 pushes! We are so happy for them and we are anxious to see her. I am flying to Salt Lake tonight for 5 days - lucky me. Unfortunately Grandpa has to wait until we get home as he is holding down the fort at Zoo central. This makes the 12th grandchild! We are loving it! I will post pictures when I get there.

It's Almost April

Last week-end we went back to Alyeska for Easter. It is so beautiful there and the bed and pillows are the most comfy ever. There was a Sunrise Easter service and an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids on the lower mountain. We watched the staff hide the eggs and then the kids find them from the window in our room. It is so relaxing there and one of our favorite spots.

The week has been steady at work. On Friday we had a fundraiser for March of Dimes. We did free tax prep for everyone and asked them to donate. We did 70 returns (which is phenomenal) and raised $2010! We were very pleased with the results. It was a crazy busy day but just getting us ready for the April crush. Lee and I worked on Saturday for a few hours, then relaxed the rest of the day (well, shopped for a few souvenirs).

Here are a few more pictures taken from the top of the mountain above the home we are staying in. It's cloudy but what a beautiful view. The home is where we are living - also beautiful!

CAST OFF

I went in for x-rays today. He wanted to put my cast back on because he said the scaphoid bone is healing, but not healed completely. Fortunately, he reconsidered and said if I faithfully wear my splint day and night and only take it off to shower, I don't have to have a new cast. I go back on April 14 for more x-rays, then he wants me to see a hand specialist when I get back to Utah.

So at least the bone is healing and not dying (I guess that can happen and then it's surgery for sure). My thumb is beyond sore and I will be a complete weakling when I eventually get this splint off, but it's better than a cast!

Work has been pretty slow this week. (Our slowest day is busier than Bountiful was on our busiest day!) We took Wednesday afternoon off and that was great. We are doing well but anxious to head home.

Pictures of Homer Alaska

Week-end in Homer

We drove to Homer for the week-end and had a great time. We stayed at a resort called Land's End. It is literally at the end of a "spit" of land that juts out into the Bay. The view was incredible with ocean and snow covered mountains on the other side.

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about earthquakes, tsunami's and water. Well, let me tell you how narrow this spit was and I certainly gave the above much thought. And by the way, during the great Alaskan earthquake in 1964, the spit sank 7 feet. So, after Lee read me that, I had trouble sleeping.

It was, however, very awe inspiring. We saw seals playing and diving for fish, and many, many golden eagles. There is a woman called the Eagle Lady. She is the only person ever licensed to feed eagles. She does it every morning at 10am and there are hundreds of eagles. Some fly for 150 miles to get fed by her. She never misses.

It was a great week-end. We come to Lee's office each Sunday night to post, as the Debenhams have a family dinner and we like to give them their time together. It should be an easier week at work so not as much stress hopefully.

I am trying to plan my trip in early April to come for Shelly's baby. Now this little baby just needs to cooperate! Have a great week!

In A Cast Again

Well, the MRI showed two small fractures, one in the radius and one in the scaphoid bone. So I am in a cast again. It seems to be part of me now. One thing I cannot do is use a knife and cut meat, etc. Brushing my teeth is another hard one so I bought a battery operated toothbrush. I feel guilty even complaining with so many friends with so many serious issues.

Yesterday we drove a Liberty Tax Service float in the Fur Rondy Parade. It was fun. The celebration lasts all week. You can't even imagine the ice here. Parking lots are solid sheets of ice. You could seriously ice skate almost anywhere except the roads. Today we drove to Talkeetna where there is a spectacular view of Mt. McKinley. I will post my pictures in a couple of days. Rivers in Alaska are used as highways as there are so few highways. In the winter snowmobilers, cross country skiers and dog sleds use them. In the summer they use boats.

Today we went to a very large lake, pulled up to a sign that said no wake zone. Out on the lake were huge trucks, cars, etc., and they were having a snowmobile race on the solidly frozen lake. The mountains take your breath away.

Thanks to Rebers, Shelly and family, Steve and family for taking care of our house. We couldn't do this without you!

It has slowed a little bit here. Everyone at my office has been very sick and I have avoided it, but today I feel pretty lousy. Lee is doing well but misses his recliner and TV. We haven't watched a total of 5 hours since we arrived but have been reading a lot and that's a good thing.

BTW, our Relief Society Presidency was released. I will sure miss working with Jayme, Lanette, Stacey, and Vicki. I am anxious to hear what your new callings are!

Love to all, Carma

PIctures

Last Week-end

I forgot to tell you that last week-end we went to a ski resort south of here overnight and had a lovely rest. The comfy bed was wonderful and the sleeping in was great. We went to Portage Glacier, had lunch at a lovely little place, drove to Seward to see the bay, and just in general saw some beautiful scenery. We went to an animal santuary and saw just about everything except bear. It was so relaxing and we hope to do more sight seeing. Alaska truly is beautiful. Carma

ONE MONTH IN ALASKA

Hi everyone - we've been here 2 days short of one month - it seems like forever, but I can't believe it's been one month! It has warmed up to the high 20's and even was 33 today. It has snowed the last few days - and we have ALOT. Although I hear those of you in Utah have had a lot, too.

The office has slowed down to organized chaos. I "get" to deal with the unhappy customers and try to keep my preparers on track. My little Bountiful office was a piece of cake compared to here. The other day we printed 134 checks for bank customers. That's 134 checks to log, copies of their returns to prepare, 134 phone calls, and 134 people coming to pick up checks. We are still working late nights, but it actually is slowing down a little. We left at 2:00 yesterday, went to dinner and a movie. Neither office blew up. Lee's office had a break-in, money stolen and soda last week-end. He knows who it was and the police are on it. It was a young kid and his girlfriend. Never a dull moment.

I had my MRI on my hand last Thursday. They also inserted a needle and dye to see what's going on. I go back to the Doctor next Thursday to find out the results. They think maybe it's a torn ligament. They made a splint and it's much better than a cast. The pain is still there and it's very weak, but I hope it will get better on it's own.

Mike's parents are very good to us - and we try to be good guests. The housekeeper told us we were the cleanest and neatest guests to have ever lived there. We have the upstairs to ourselves. We eat out every day so breakfast is about the only time we are in the kitchen.

That's about all our news - we hope you are all well and we miss you so much. We love to hear from you so email us anytime - cdlvmathis@hotmail.com. Carma

WE AREN'T FROZEN SOLID

Sorry I haven't posted for so long. The last two weeks have been unbelievable. We go to work at 8 in the morning and don't get home until 10 or 11pm. We fall into bed and start the process over again the next day. It has been very stressful and most days don't even eat.

I am managing a midtown Anchorage office and Lee is managing an eastern Anchorage office. They are both owned by the same person. We have 7 preparer desks, two processing computers and we go 24 hours a day in Midtown. After next Friday we go back to closing at 9pm and I can hardly wait. We did more returns by the end of January than we did the entire season in Bountiful.

I never realized what a diverse ethnic population there is here and it has been very interesting. I love doing returns for true native Alaskans down from "the bush". They live in villages the way their anscestors have for hundreds of years.

I have never been so exhausted in my life (so is Lee), so we left Saturday morning, (after I got a much needed highlight - we have to have our priorities straight) and went south to a ski resort and spent the night. What a joy to sleep in. Today we went to a Glacier, a wildlife sanctuary, took the tram to the top of the mountain, and just had a great day. We are back at the office tonight paying bills and then head home to do some laundry.

I went to church last Sunday with the family I am staying with. She was put in as Relief Society President for her 3rd time. They have been so good to us (we are never there so we make it easy) and worry constantly about us eating enough.

It has been SO SO SO cold. Always below zero - -5 to -10 at night and never above about 12 in the day. Today it was 20 and we were - wow, it's not bad out here. It is actually supposed to warm up to the 20's in Anchorage this week - a heat wave. The family we are staying with has a heated 2000 square foot garage. Oh and that's only one of the garages. It is every man's dream. It's nice to get in a warm truck - oh so nice.

I am going to try and load some pictures right now so we will see if it works. We miss all of you. Thanks to Kara and Justin for watching our house. Thanks to Steve and family for sending some cleats so I won't fall again and Lee will stay upright. Thanks to Shelly and family for sending rice krispie treats, dark chocolate and Valentine cards. We love you all, hugs and kisses to all our grandkids.

Tomorrow I find out about my broken hand - will let you know.

Love, Carma

Broken Bone

Well, the fun goes on. The first night here I slipped on the ice coming out of a market on the way home from work. I caught myself with my hand (right, of course!) I lived with the pain until yesterday and then decided I needed to see a doctor. Sure enough it was broken and I have a pretty blue cast to my elbow.

I can't write but I am managing with the computer. Doing my hair is a problem . . . I go back in 2 weeks to get it x-rayed. Apparently this bone takes two weeks to either get better or get worse. So we will see what happens.

We have lots of ice and we have 6 new inches of snow - I can't tell you what Anchorage looks like because I haven't left work until 7 or 8, and then it's dark. We sure miss everyone.

Welcome to Alaska

Well, I promise I won't post every day because it would be very boring, but I will try and update every few days so you all know what's going on.

We had our first day at work and it will be a challenge. We are over two offices and they do over 3000 returns.

By the way, Hadley, we would had to sedate you to get you through the snowy mountains. Lanette, the worst frost heaves were 20 miles out of Grand Prairie and then after Destruction Bay. And they were bad!

We miss everyone and send our love - please email us anytime - cdvmathis@hotmail

Final Day Six

The weather was beautiful today. We drove to Destruction Bay (named because of the wind). A gentlemen there told us they have GIANT mosquitoes in the bush. The road was good, then we headed for the Alaskan border. There were huge frost heaves and we felt like we had been on a roller coaster for hours. The border was so slow and quiet, the agent talked to us for 10 minutes.

We headed for Tok and then more mountains. We saw a sled dog team and two herd of reindeer. Then more mountains and the last 150 miles were on a very narrow two lane road through huge mountains. We were so exhausted and thought they would never end.

However, as all good things come to an end, we arrived in Anchorage safe and sound, if somewhat bleary eyed.

We are staying in a beautiful home - wierd living in someone else's home - but we are keeping a positive attitude.

Day Five

Today we got up to -4, had french toast with some locals and headed out. It just kept getting colder and we hit -19. As far as you can see it's snow covered pines and looks like everything is frozen solid. It is! We pass so few cars, we stop in the middle of the road and take pictures. The big joke is, Lee asks "any cars coming?" Ha! Never! It's hard to explain the amount of wilderness all around you. We felt like we were all alone and so grateful for a warm truck and one that runs so well.

We had a clear day and no snow. We drove to Whitehorse in Yukon Territory. Only 800 or so miles to go!

Awesome, Scarey, Spiritual Day Four

What a day! We drove from Fort St. John to Watson Lake. In 560 miles we passed maybe 10 cars. We drove through mountain after mountain and it was snowing like crazy. We could hardly see the road in many places. So I prayed for big trucks to come by, although normally we hate it. (They make tracks and blow some snow off, even though they make it so hard to see with all the snow kicked up). Well, during those hundreds of miles, 3 trucks came at different times right when we needed them. I prayed for a bright moon to help us to see, and the moon shown bright. Then I prayed like crazy for the snow to stop. At the top of the last summit, it stopped snowing. We stopped the truck and got out and it was truly an awesome, inspiring experience. It was quiet with a bright moon and even stars starting to peek out. We were so blessed and safe!

There is a whole other story on the "hotel" we stayed in; but, suffice it to say, it is a story we will laugh about in years to come. Another day tomorrow!

Day Three

British Columbia is very interesting - miles and miles and miles of fields of snow. We passed signs showing golf courses, many camping spots, and boating so there must be lakes out there. There is ranch after ranch, field after field, rolled hay bales in the fields, and snow as far as you can see.

We had great weather until we got to Grand Prairie. I had just said how we were blessed with good weather and then the snow came. We followed a small red truck for 200 miles at 40 miles an hour in blowing snow and I will post the picture when we get to Anchorage.

We are in Fort St. John and a severe winter storm warning has been posted north of us so we will see how it is in the morning. By the way, diesel was $4.20 a gallon here and we are told it will be about $6.00 a gallon by Watson Lake. It was $1.11 a liter today and I am getting pretty good at converting. We plug in the truck to electricity each night to keep the engine warm. I will take a picture when we get there to show you how dirty it is - it's no longer white.

Everything is expensive - fuel, food - lodging is about the same.

We keep telling ourselves "it's an adventure" and that it is. We could be home watching TV being bored. And we are defintely not bored!!!

Day Two

We left Lethbridge about 9 am and encountered blowing snow almost all the way. We were headed to Fort St. John, British Columbia, but by the time we got to Edmonton, we needed a rest. We decided to spend the night here, get a good night's sleep, and start out early in the morning.

We went to the West Edmonton Mall and had dinner. It is one of the largest malls in the world. It has an ice skating rink, water park (with waves), an amusement park, casino (no we didn't go), and over 800 stores. It was good to walk after sitting for so long. I must say that I still like the Mall of America in Minneapolis better.

Everything is metric so we are constantly converting which gives me something to do while Lee drives. It is snowing like crazy so tomorrow should be interesting! Keep us in your prayers!

Day One of Journey

We had an uneventful trip and made it all the way to Lethbridge, Alberta. It was mostly cold and clear - one spot was 2 but most of the time it was about 14. We had curvy mountain roads covered with snow between Butte and Great Falls, Montana, but otherwise the roads were great.

We were very tired and didn't arrive in Lethbridge until midnight so the bed felt real good!! Tomorrow is a new day!

North to Alaska

Since Lee and I have an interesting three months ahead of us, I thought we would start a blog to chronicle our stay in Alaska. We are leaving Wednesday morning for a 3100 mile trip through cold Canada to Anchorage. We will be managing two Liberty Tax Service offices there until the end of April. We could have flown but wanted to have our truck to see the sites. Lee has been to Alaska but I have never been. We hope it is a beautiful but uneventful drive and would like to arrive there by Sunday night. We're prepared for emergencies but plan on none!

We already miss our friends and family - Andrew will be walking and Shelly is expecting her baby on April 13 (bad timing) but I plan on flying back anyway. Hadley and her 4 girls were here for a visit after Christmas and we had a great time. I got to spend a little time with my brother on my birthday even though we were at a funeral in Jerome.

My next post won't be for a few days but hopefully we will post some pictures - I hear there are a lot of moose up that way! So here we go!!!