Happy Birthday Sweetheart

I have seen done on other blogs, and many of your fine examples, I leave a tribute to the man of my dreams, husband of 38 years.

Ralph LaVar Huntzinger.

He is the son of Ralph Timothy and Cecile Jenkins Huntzinger. He was born the second child but first son.
I met him in October of 1969. I had joined the church in February and then applied to BYU. I first saw him at the "get to know you dance" for our ward. I remember thinking he was really good looking and I tried to read his name tag. I thought it said "LaVan". I thought again how strangely Mormon's name their children. I have always love the name LaVar and always love to write it.
My roommates wanted to leave the dance early and since we walked everywhere we went I didn't want to get stuck there and walk home alone, so I went home early with them. He was dancing with someone else anyway.
One Sunday night late there was a knock on our apartment door. All of my roommates had their pajamas on and were in bed reading. I was the only one up and dressed. I answered the door. They introduced themselves as our "Family". At BYU they divided the ward into families for family home evening activities. I tried to get my roommates to come and meet our "brothers". Not one of the other 5 girls wanted to come out and met them. So I sat in the living room with what I remember was at least 5 guys. Chester Lumpkins, the designated "father", Ernie Bushe, Stan Webb, Curtis Huntzinger and LaVar. They had another guy in their apartment Ray Cribbs but I can't remember if he was there or not. I just remember feeling profoundly embarrassed and working hard at trying to stay composed. See, Curtis had picked up my wide wale corduroy jacket that I had left on the couch and he sat there stroking it. I was just distracted and mortified that I had left it there.... and what was he doing anyway?? I was undone.
The next time I saw LaVar he asked me if I would like a ride home from a fireside that was a presentation about New Zealand. Since that is where he served a mission, he was very interested and wanted to know all about the subject. He asked me several questions that I just couldn't answer because I hadn't paid that close attention to the talk, so again I was embarrassed to not have the answers. But before I went into the apartment he did ask if I would like to go on a date, no he asked me to go somewhere specific but I can't remember now.
I had been having a terrible time with home sickness. I was a new convert to the church, I moved from home, in a new town, with girls I didn't know, there wasn't anything familiar and I just was profoundly sad. Even being able to call home would have helped but it was long distance just was too expensive. Coralee Rounds, a roommate, had invited me to go home to Idaho with her for the weekend and I accepted. So I told LaVar that I couldn't go out that weekend but that I would like to go another time. I did think about him that weekend and felt like things were going to get better with my loneliness.
Our first date was the Golden Green Ball. I like to hold my dates hands as a practical thing or a security thing whatever it just seemed natural. Well, we weren't hold hands. I actually tried just as a natural thing and he moved his hand away and I realized this was not an oversight but a conscience decision. I wondered what kind of a guy this was anyway. We danced and enjoyed ourselves. He mostly talked about other people's strengths and diminished his own. I began to think, " I guess he isn't really smart, he can't play and instrument, he doesn't prefer dancing, he isn't all that spiritual", is that a term still used? Those of you who know him will see where I am going with that line of thinking. All is remarkably not true, except for the instrument part, and he doesn't prefer to dance but does dance and I think enjoys it.
By Christmas we had dated several times but I had other dates also. I went home to Greeley Colorado to have Christmas with my family. LaVar went to California to spent the holidays with his family. On Christmas Eve I received a single red rose in a white vase with a card that only said, "I Miss You" nothing else. I was so excited to think that maybe a guy sent me a flower. My mom asked me what made me think that it was a guy that sent it to me? OH, disappointment.... I thanked Linda Anderson, my roommate for sending me a flower, and my fear was confirmed when she said, Oh, you're welcome".
Drat that was nice but definitely not exciting. Then mid-sentence she said, "Oh Judy, I am so sorry, should I have sent you flowers for Christmas, I am sooo sorry sooo sorry!"
Ah Ha! it was exciting after all, but who??? Who and why didn't he sign it?? I wondered. I didn't really think anyone was all that interested in me.OOOh the excitement.

The first day I was back to Provo from Christmas was a Sunday. Because LaVar didn't always attend our ward, I didn't expect to see him.( In fact that was something that bothered me. He didn't go to Priesthood. It was first of all our meetings. Most of his roommates were there but not him.)
He came around the corner in the building we used as our church and started down the stairs I felt my heart literally skip a beat and he smiled as he came toward me that just melted me. I never felt that way before, though I had like a few guys before, this was really thrilling, something truly different. He took my hand in his and we walked away as we told each other about our Christmas. We walked into the apartment where I had placed the precious white vase, the beloved red rose had come in, in a conspicuous spot in the living room. "Hey, do you know anything about this?" I asked. He looked puzzled and said, " of course I do". Great now I know and it was just thrilling as I had hoped it would be. Sometime later he asked "who else do you think might have sent you a flowere?" Well, I didn't have and honest answer, I just said, "Maybe Linda" He found that hard to believe I think. He said he didn't sign the card because #1 it would be obvious and #2 he thought it would ruin the design.
I learned that he was in the honors program at BYU and was soon to graduate with high honors. I could tell that with his work ethic and intelligence that he would be able to support a family. (That is an understatement because we have always been well taken care of, and had a very interesting life.) Being able and willing to support a family was on my list of important character traits.
He was serving in the Stake Sunday School at BYU that was an unusual thing to have a Stake calling and he had served there 2 years. That was why he didn't come to Priesthood because he was visiting other wards.
He had been on a mission and got teary eyed as he spoke of his mission and I could tell that was just really important to him, that was another plus. Being a new convert and just being me I guess I wanted to have friends all around me that felt the gospel was important and had a reverence for the church, I didn't always see at BYU. He had that and more, I felt that he knew so much, understood so well and was always willing and able to teach, not just me but anyone that was willing to hear.
So, that is how we met back what seems like so long ago and yet the feelings come back when I tell the story and I remember and it doesn't seem like that long ago.
Hope you have had a very Happy Birthday dear one and thanks for the memories they are so good as you are. Thanks for all you have always done for all of us. You have a truly great heart and I love you so very much. Your Wife

What Does Thanksgiving Look Like??

Well, for us it started with this Halloween pumpkin a week before Thanksgiving and it is cleaned and baked for a real pumpkin pie. Look mom no can...












Then its welcoming family, the very best part of any celebration. This time Micah and Stephanie represented all of you at our table. Oh, I must not forget to mention Max of course.




On a bright sunny day like that day calls for a walk along the beach, and shell collecting. Stephanie is particularly good at finding whole shells most are VERY small.
That weekend we were on schedule to be the air traffic pattern for the airport. So we had a good view and sounds for airplanes going and coming.



You notice the day wasn't all that warm. We were wearing hats and coats but the water was beautiful and so was the sky.

Here are our guests LaVar is on the left with the missionaries Ana ( Amanda's friend), Amanda, who moved here when we did, her husband is in the navy and had duty that day as did Ana's husband. Amanda and Robert are both from large families, 10 children each. Robert and Amanda are going to be sealed in the Bountiful Temple Dec 13, we wish we could go.... Helena is on the end, she is from Finland originally. She also moved here in August from SLC and she is an interior designer by trade. Brad's furniture drives her mad. She says over and over "you have such a lovely home and that furniture".... and she goes piece by piece to explain the beauty. She made our centerpiece from persimmions and magnolia leaves and berries from her yard. She came here to take care of Winnie, a 102 year old mother of her brother-in-law. Helena's sister and Bob are on a mission in Europe, he is the medical person for all those missions. Winnie died in October and now Helena is taking care of her wonderful old home in downtown Norfolk. Helena's friend Stacy came to visit from North Carolina, they knew each other in Salt Lake City before each got a divorce. Next is Charles Blair, a champion Chess and Scrabble player and works at Subway. Doesn't ever have much to say.

This is our spread. The best thing was Helena's rolls, many things just didn't turn out to my liking. Stephanie's "red-neck salad" fruit with marshmellows and some secret ingredient that I forgot to ask about, was the only dish completely gone by dinners end. I put all my Thanksgiving recipes on the computer and then got rid of the cookbooks they came from, since I didn't need them any more...... well just exactly how do you have so much clutter on a computer that one can't find things?? I lost them, so I figured, I have been making these dishes for so long I will just remember how it's done..... not such a great idea. Potatoes can not be done ahead, and I need a good recipe for the crumble topping on the sweet potatoe pie. Jello, always a safe bet, but only 3 scoops were taken out at the end of dinner, so not a favorite when there are other things. Looks like the turkey is missing but he just had a place of honor on the bar.
So that is what our Thanksgiving looked like and we counted it a success! (not even mentioning the GREY stuffing, but the gravy was really good!) Now it's on to Christmas and that is always wonderful for me. Hope all of your Thanksgivings were wonderful too. We are thankful for all of you.
I should mention that Stephanie helped me get a jump start on Christmas by help make 3 recipes of Baklava. I tell you we have made it with all kinds of nuts, but back to walnuts and it was the best that has been made in years. She suggested we get pizza boxes to store them in until they become gifts, great idea.

So YOU Think YOU Can Dance!!

This was the day we had waited for! We met Chelsie at the hotel in Portsmouth and we took her and Courtney for a brunch at a good place Micah and Stephanie found. We were happy to be with them. They told us some fun stories of their adventure with the SYTYCD tour.















This was my favorite number, and judging from the applause it was liked by others as well. We were just amazed at the energy in the 2 1/2 hour show. They don't get many full night sleeps and they don't eat all that well either.



This is one tired girl. I can't remember what she was saying but she was teasing someone. After visiting with family, friends and a dance group from UVA they went out to the buses where there were many people waiting.
We were just so impressed that she was so kind and grateful to see family. She sounded like she will be glad when the tour is over and yet they have had good experiences and made good friends. The tour people have treated them well. She is just herself and little has changed in her attitude.

Cinderella's trip to the Marine Corp BAll

Cinderella and her mother-in-law went to a Ball. In the morning she didn't feel very beautiful. ( But they shouldn't have worked so hard on the "before" picture.)










Since Norfolk's fairy Godmother's were mostly busy this time of year they decided to go to the "Visions Spa" in downtown Norfolk.
(This is just another try at a before picture.)










Here is Cinderella with her hair magician.













Ta da, well one doesn't look that much different but then there wasn't much hair to start with. (Stephanie did both our make-up and that added a lot to the total look)










We shopped at a thrift store, where we found a $1000.00 sweater just to the left of Prince Charming's elbow, at this store it cost a just $500.00 What a bargain, good thing we all had clothes for the ball.










The pumpkin is there to make a coach and they are ready to go!











The ball began with a Tatoo, bagpipes marching in, then a program that showed 200 years of Marine uniforms and the wars that went with them. Much of the tribute to the Marines sacrifice was moving and emotional . They all wore their dress blues with all the ribbons and medals. The women were fancier than I ever remember them being, sequins, a lot of skin, and long. Many were just fabulous, beautiful fabrics, fit them well, gorgeous colors, some not so much, guessed they don't own a full length mirror or their fairy godmothers were not very creative.






Then dinner was served to over 1000 Marines and their guests. Prince Charming took the picture of his parents after their first delicious bite.

Then the dancing started. Old, young and middle aged, black, white and very color. High ranking officers, low ranking officers, enlisted, civilian all in one small dance floor enjoying themselves and each other. Drunk, sober and all variations of uninhibited. Others just sat at the tables and were entertained.



We took a couple of free pictures and got our free gift of Marine Corps coasters done in a white bag with yellow tissue paper. And left the ball before our feet turned into pumpkins. We had a good time and thank Max for putting up with being in the garage for a few hours ...... off to more excitement tomorrow Sunday November 9th!

And we will live happily ever after.

Boasting About Boats

Every two years a boat needs to be taken out of the water and cleaned off. This is called putting it "in drydock". This is a lift that gets the boat out of the water. The Overmans live full time on their boat and spent the nights on their boat even in drydock. That is a 10 foot ladder that is up the side.















This is Charlie Overman and Kristy is on the boat.














They unzip this beautiful new cover and climb in. It's not alot of room.It has solar power, and that small dingy in the back. The light bulb on the top of the mast (58 1/2 feet above the water) is out and they are looking for someone they can lift in a chair to go up there to change it.... any takers?






















People try and be clever when they name their boats. Here is a sample of a few. The " East
Infection" boat is down water somewhere and I couldn't find it again.....

Cold Cave Man

Dad and I hometeach this couple. He is about 84 years old and is a sweet Virginia Gentleman. During WWII he was a Naval Aviator. We got such a chuckle out of this because it just seems so out of character...... guess we just don't know him very well.


Dad just loved handing out candy and as the moms encouraged the children to only take one, he encouraged them to "take a few". Hey, that way we could turn off the lights early and stay upstairs. The candy was mostly gone before 8:00 pm. We had several groups come through. It was such a nice cool evening, not cold like sometimes it is. Hope everyone had a nice Halloween.

DE-"Feathered Nest"

OK Micah you were right there were 2 feather pillows in that guest room in the green pillowcases. So sorry but now I have cleaned it all up. New pillows, washed bedding, washed baseboards and vacuumed floors. Hopefully you will not have another allergy attack. Here is what your new guest room looks like.





























Well, here is the last bit of feathers. She is the inspiration for an ornament exchange in the neighborhood. She will be a peace dove. If she is a bother...... she can find a new home...... love you and hope your next visit will be allergy free....

Relief Society Counselor

Today I was sustained as the Enrichment Counselor in Relief Society. Isn't it interesting that one can move to a new home in a new city but get the same calling in the church?
I have been privileged to go with LaVar to issue new callings to Primary workers. Because our ward was recently split it has been necessary to extend many new callings..... When we would go and issue the call, many remarked that they had just done that in their previous ward.
We have a unique situation here I think. Charlie Overman is the first counselor in the Bishopric and Christy his wife is our new Relief Society President. LaVar is second counselor in the Bishopric and I am in RS too. The Bishop is a young man with a young family and he is spiritually powerful, but this is a bit odd. The education counselor is an "older sister" also and I I have not met her yet. The last RS Presidency were all under 30 years old with young families.
Our Bishop had special meetings today with some of the Brethren and it seems like we are going to be in for interesting times. Hope all of you have what we have been asked to have in our homes.

Some interesting things....

It looks like these people have this blog building more "natural" if you add videos now it goes from top to bottom. I used to put the pictures I wanted last in first and so on up, as I did this one but it took so long to download the videos that I don't want to redo them. So maybe this is not a bad order. I saved the best, what I think is best, for last. OK Mister Oliver hope you like these.
LANDING CRAFT/ AIR CUSHION- LCAC

I am not sure you can see these Dolphins but I could when I was one the walkway. I could before the download but it is the darker area in front of the ship. Then a bird flies by and that is not it. Sorry I sound so silly. I just was so excited. Then a family new to our neighborhood came and they got to show their children.

Pearl of Great Price

I have been reading a blog that was linked to on Chason and Brook Hightower's Blog http://hightowerblog.blogspot.com/ ( Look there they have some great news)

It's called the Daily Scoop http://adailyscoop.blogspot.com/ I warn you now, it is very addictive. The writer Stephanie Waite writes about her feelings after one of her little girls drowned in their backyard spa in June. Since we are having a "nor-easter", this seemed like a good time to read a lot. I went back to June and have worked forward. I am not to the current post yet. I have found some real treasures there. Some from Stephanie herself and some through the comments. Sometimes she has upwards of 70 comments from people all over. This link is from one of the comments. Elder F. Enzio Busche came when they reorganized one of the stakes we were living in and I am thinking it was when LaVar was asked to be in the Yuma AZ Stake Presidency. He was a completely humble sweet man and I still think of some of the things he said and the way he said them. Here is an example that he has left us. Great words of counsel and sweet feeling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw

400 Mile Trip

Hey Evan this one is for you.
Saturday we went to the temple with my visiting teaching companion and her husband, Joe and Lynn Sheely. It was a long trip. We got started at 6:30 am for an 11:00 am session and then a stake meeting later. I have never seen so many cars. The temple parking lot was completely full and so was all of the stake parking lot not far away. I have never seen so many people at the temple. It was actually great! There were 5 stakes there today.













So was the weather. I was just a beautiful day.










So Evan that is what your Grandparents did today. We had a great day with our new friends the Sheely's, it cost more than $100. in gas and took us all day. We got home about 8:30 pm. Many of our group went up Friday and spent the night. So maybe Virginia Beach/ Hampton Roads area could use a temple but with that huge temple not far away.... doubt that will happen.
We are happy to get back to our temple again. Good memories.

Mid-Life Crisis

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Molly posted this on her blog and it was quick and fun. I have never even ridden in one of these. Never even wanted to. Should I apologize now Timothy, or are you on to more classy than this?

Gifts from the Sea (Bay)

These pictures were taken over several days. There isn't a day that goes by that something doesn't happen that I wish there was a child to share it with. It's so exciting some days or some part of the day. This ship was so quiet I almost missed it but it blew a horn as it came out of Little Creek Base and I ran to grab the camera. Ollie this one is for you!




















This is a beginning to a walk I try and take every morning. This is the way out of the neighborhood and to the beach on the bay.

























This is my goal and then I turn around and go back. The other day there was absolutely no one on the beach for as far as I could see. It was over cast that day and just a little bit of rain. It is soo very humid here that it is sometimes hard to tell if it is raining or not, then add the sea spray.....








Wonderful presents guess after a while they won't be worth picking up, but for now the novelty has not worn off.
















Ok, you can't see much here but I tell you I saw at least 2 dolphins swimming along. I didn't know there were dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay! Sorry Rachel I woke you up to share but I was so excited!! Thanks for listening.









They swam right between the end of the Riff Raff (is that how that is said?) and the boat out there.












Then came a barge passing the Coast Guard boat the small boat in front is the Norfolk Police.








































This may look like it is out of order but I climbed up on the big rocks to see the boats in the inlet then back down to the beach to get the walk way home.
This watermelon looks like a volunteer that has a slim chance of actually growing the little melon to maturity.




























Walk way home
















Another day (today actually Saturday with LaVar )



We often see this Jelly Fish parts.






Crabs this one is not alive but there are many that are and always busy.












Sea Gulls also busy











This is the first whole jelly fish we have seen. LaVar got these pictures with all of its parts. What "eats" it that on the beach only that one part is left to litter the beach?










See the tenticals that are wrapped on top of him and his "intestines"?













Labor day is a great time to take out the boats and there were so many.





























The Kayak is more our speed and we hope to get a couple of those come spring time.










Man fishing across the street










More Gifts from the Sea!
Jake notice the rock with that is hollow. I put a shell in it so you can see that it is empty. There is a piece of sea glass and just little shells of all kinds and a bit of sand too. Just a bit of a collection. Thanks for sharing with me. We are loving it here, most moments. I wish I could share the cool breeze and the friendly neighborhood, but many of you have the latter also.