Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother...

These are my parents!

I look like my mom, and I act like my dad...

I didn't realize how true this statement was until I saw this picture! LOL

... I also have my dad's health. Thanks Dad. . .

My dad passed away 5 1/2 years ago, and recently my mom decided it was time to move to independent living at Legacy Retirement Village. . . She's almost 93 . . . and got tired of cleaning the house and PULLING WEEDS! That woman's a beast!

She is also the one who taught me how to clean.

And I'm not saying "clean" but "CLEAN".

It wasn't done right until the CORNERS were clean!

UGH!

So Yesterday, my sister Pam and I went up and finished cleaning the house to get it on the market to sell. By finish up, I mean the top floor. My sister Susan and her husband cleaned the bottom floor and garage.

The Top Floor . . . FOR SEVEN - 7 - SEVEN HOURS!

My name is Erlyn . . . and Scrubbing is my hobby.

Thanks Mom . . .

While I was scrubbing the tub I reflected on the blessing that my dad left my mom. He worked hard to pay off their house in 15 years instead of the 30 years on their mortgage.

He contemplated doing a reverse mortgage, but decided against it.

And now I was cleaning this very same house that I grew up in, and he paid off early, so that my mom could live the rest of her life in security, comfort, having meals prepared, housekeeping and maintenance taken care of, and people around her that lived in her generation and can talk about WWII and know how it FEELS to have gone through that, have kids the same age, and someone to check on her daily.

I didn't have to worry about my mom anymore being broke into (she always kept her back door unlocked) and being harmed, or falling down the stairs and no one there to help her. 

As I reflected on this blessing that my dad provided for my mom, I just breathed a "Thanks Dad" as I felt him near.

Parents are a blessing in our lives . . .

Whether or not we get along 24/7. . . 

And if you're a crappy parent, make things right... NOW.

I didn't always get along with my dad. Our personalities were too similar. But in his later years, every time he saw me he told me how grateful he was that I came into his family. (I'm a bonus baby). He made sure that I knew that he loved me, and told me how awesome I was. That made me feel good after so many years of not getting along with each other.

I think it was having kids that put such a stress on our family. After I married and moved out, my parents got along great. So if you're in this boat, hang in there. AND forgive each other. I know that there was a lot of forgiveness on both my parent's sides. It helped make my siblings and my adult lives more stable, and a great example of marriage for all of us.

My parent's were married almost 70 years when my dad passed. What an achievement!

Because of time constraints, and an aching body, I counted scrubbing floors, cupboards, cabinets, bathrooms and the kitchen as a good replacement for my yoga.

. . . except I don't hurt like this after yoga . . .

I could hardly wait to get home and take a bath! Not only to get clean, but to relax my muscles!!! Yay Epsom Salts!

One could say that I felt as much joy as this!

I think that picture pretty much explains things!

Today I actually got up at 9am! instead of noon to 2pm that I was planning on! WHAAAAT????

That is so odd! But I can say that I have been drinking the Shakeology every day. Again, I think that there is something to this Shake. . .

I was able to get up this morning, earlier than expected, and do my yoga and actually MOVE! even though I woke up stiff!

I am going to have my Shakeology after I write this blog, and then I'm going to clean my OWN house! 

Heaven only knows Mom's house smells way better than my own! So I'm going to take the training my mom gave me on cleaning and apply it here! FINALLY!

My hubster is hopeful, and says he'll believe it when he sees it. Smart Alek!

(He usually proves me wrong... I hope he's not right today)

So to conclude, I just want to post a few pictures that I took with my faithful selfie-stick! Pam and I took my Mom down to Saint George, Utah last summer for a trip to Tuachan to see the shows, a drive to Virgin City to see where Mom's Great-Grandfather, Alexander Wright, helped settle the Cotton Mission with the Mormon Pioneers, and to happen upon the greatest wood-fired pizza! YUM! We had a wonderful time with my mom and am so grateful we took the opportunity to spend that time with her! This summer would have been too late. The trip would just be too much for her to handle right now.

Pam, Mom and I at Tuachan, playing with the selfie stick!

Being "Sexy" at Tuachan

Whoops! I found the "fish-eye" lens! Let the FUN Begin!

I am having WAY too much fun! We started making faces in this
fish-eye lens, and then got the kids sitting in front of us involved.
.... Selfie Sticks can reach through crowds y'all!!!

Zions Canyon I believe...???

We found the wood-fired pizza on the side of the road. Since we were
on an adventure, Pam yells out from the back seat,
"Go see what that is!" as we drove past.U-turns are
in my repertoire' so we headed back! So glad we did!

Mom with PIZZA!!!

In Virgin City, mom pointing to her grandfathers name
 "William Walters Wright" on a city monument.

Close-up of Mom pointing to her grandfathers name

Mom thought this was the home where her
great Grandfather might
have lived in Virgin City, Utah.

Mom and I at the Virgin City Cemetary at the grave of
Alexander Wright
a Mormon Pioneer
and the first LDS missionary to Scotland.
Companion of Elder Mulliner

I am so grateful for my parents!

They gave me life, they gave me a great heritage of which I am proud to be a descendant of.

But most of all, they gave me Love.

Thanks Mom and Dad. You are AWESOME!

and I love you!

Alice Taylor Groneman and Earl Rose Groneman Jr.

I hope you take this day to be grateful for your parents and your family. There is good in all people. Sometimes we just need to look a little bit deeper, be a little more grateful, and express our love first. It makes miracles happen. Trust me on this. The blog post is long enough.

I am off to my Shakeology and scrubbing my own house!

Here's what I'm making today!

Shakeology of the Day:

in a blender add:

8-12 oz cold water or *almond milk

1 scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology

1 small or 1/2 large banana

1/2 tsp almond flavor

1/2 tsp Cinnamon (helps with inflammation)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1-2 cups cubed Ice

Blend until Ice is slushy and you have a "shake" :)

*1 yellow

1 purple

1 red

Drink to your health!

**** if you would like to try or buy shakeology, you can go to my website, http://www.shakeology.com/en_US/?sn=fibrocoach

Have a great day! -Erlyn