Natalie and Brian joined us at the Newport Coast Marriott for a couple of nights. We had wonderful weather for a couple of days and we enjoyed the pool and the sport court. On the putting green Ava missed a ball and hit Elsa in the nose with her putter. It could've been worse.
We went out to dinner in Laguna Beach with Brian and Natalie, leaving the Heath girls to tend Anders and watch a movie.
We golfed at Indian Wells GC in Palm Springs with Greg and Suzanne Seal, but starting in the afternoon didn't allow us to finish the full 18 holes which was fine with Paula. Paula hit a line drive shot that beaned Suzanne in the back of her neck. Suzanne was in a sand bunker in front of Paula but way right of her. Paula shanked her shot and clunked Suzanne. We got some ice and Suzanne finished the round but had a stiff neck for the rest of our stay with them.
The golf course was beautiful - doesn't look much like a desert.
While we vacationed with the Seals we met up with Lindsay Starr and her new husband Blaine Hendricksen for dinner at Pacifica, a trendy restaurant in the El Paseo district of Palm Desert, followed by dessert at their home in Rancho Mirage at 13 Stephen Terrace. They met and married a year ago - Lindsay's nephew is married to Blaine's daughter - after losing their spouses to cancer. Paula spent the next morning shopping with Lindsay while I played golf with the Seals. We met them prior to church in Palm Springs, in the ward where Blaine was bishop until sometime last year.
We met at our home for dinner and study with our long-time study group. We are getting older. Here's a photo taken in 2008 when the McConkies were in South Carolina.
We've managed to meet more or less monthly for over 15 years. Quite an accomplishment. We are currently studying the Mortal Messiah. Over the years we've studied a number of books including the Old and New Testaments.
"Randy"
Randy Stauffer passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 17, 2013 after a short battle with cancer.
He was born to Donald and LaRue Stauffer on August 11, 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the oldest of five siblings. He attended Skyline High School and was an Eagle Scout. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved the New York Yankees and the Utah Jazz.
Randy was a very tender and compassionate person. He was soft-spoken and loved animals - especially his dog Scottie.
Randy worked as a master telephone technician. His career took him to California where he worked for a private contractor and later for the University of Utah. Along with telephone work, Randy exemplified many other talents and skills which he put to use while managing and maintaining the apartment building on "H" Street where he lived for over 20 years. Randy's greatest gift was his ability to freely serve those around him. It was common for Randy to be found shoveling snow or working in the yard of his Uncle Ray. He was a devoted son as he spent hours every week caring for his parents. His presence will be truly missed.
Randy is survived by his mom and dad, Donald and LaRue Stauffer; sisters, Becki Jefferies (Bill), Julie Overfelt (Jerry); brothers, Gene Stauffer (Beverly), Steven Stauffer, and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held Thursday, February 21, 2013 at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary (3401 Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah) at 2:00 p.m., with a viewing one hour prior to services. Following the service, he will be laid to rest at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Randy's honor
I enjoyed a day of skiing with Brian. He is getting over a cold or pneumonia (which I now have) so he didn't ski too hard or too fast for me.
The next day Brian, Melanie, and Mindy skied with me at Deer Valley. Melissa and Paula joined us for lunch. It was thoughtful of Melissa to invite Paula to join, something I hadn't considered. After skiing we took Brian to the airport, but his flight was delayed and then cancelled due to fog at the SLC airport. He stayed until Sunday evening when the flights were back to normal schedules.
The following Saturday Mindy and I took 6 grandchildren skiing - two of hers, one of Melissa's, and three of Melanie's. We had a great time - they are all excellent skiers.
I'm old enough to remember the first 'Super Bowl' played in 1967 when the Green Bay Packers of the NFL beat the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL. The photo is courtesy of Life magazine. The Chiefs' quarterback is having a smoke at halftime. We would never see a major quarterback have a smoke today. Even President Obama hides his smoking habit. Tickets to Super Bowl 1 cost $12, and there was no halftime pageantry.
We never thought the AFL teams could beat the NFL teams (until the Jets beat the Baltimore Colts two years later in Super Bowl III).
Sunday we watched Super Bowl 47 when Baltimore, now the Ravens and not the Colts, beat the San Francisco 49ers. We had the benefit of a DVR so we could bleep the suggestive advertising, halftime show and 40 minutes of game delaying power failure. Tickets to Super Bowl 47 were $2,500 on average.
