Utterly Unbearable: Lake Tahoe Epilog

When we went to Lake Tahoe, we stayed in a condo that was bearly decorated.

It started outside the front door, when there was a door mat for wiping bear feet.

However, in case you missed the not so hidden meaning on the door mat, reinforcement was hung right inside the front door.

Inside the condo, the walls were definitely . . . well . . . bear.

Before you bear off in the wrong direction due to darkness, there was a light switch to help you get your bearings.

There were not one, but two coat racks . . .

to help bear your belongings. However, once rid of your coat, you could have bear arms.

I was beginning to think that the person who adorned this ursine utopia must have thought himself or herself to be a real Yogi of home decor.

However, I thought the whole place was one big Boo Boo. (Okay, I'm really fishing for puns.)

It doesn't bear repeating . . .

so I'll just give the bear facts.

This condo only had the bear necessities.

Pretty soon, everything in the condo started to bear a certain resemblance.

Just when you would think, I cannot bear to see another one . . .

there would be yet another, bearing bottles . . .

or bearing magazines.

I don't want to bruin any surprises, or be the bearer of bad news, but . . .

the throw pillows appeared to be threadbear.

I bear witness that this condo's decor was more than I could bear.

I honestly began to wonder how someone could bear the cost of this decorating spree.

I wondered if it started with just a few bears, and then friends came bearing gifts.

Or could it be that they started with a few items, and they began bearing fruit?

Bear with me as we are almost done, but I am not close to running out of puns.

It was nice to see some bears bearing one another up.

I saw some pieces that looked more like the great soul bearitone, Beary White (because they are beary large), or . . .

Beary Manilow (because it is beary tall and beary thin).

But my favorite was a piece that bears resemblance to Bearak Obama.

It seems that this has gotten quite grizzly. I can bear testimony that I, alone, bear the blame and responsibility. This has been my cross to bear. However, I won't let it bear down on me. If I was truly worried about embearassing myself, I never would have beared my soul. Now, can somebody give me a great, big bear hug?

Conspiracy

"Okay Benjamin. Now, if you really want to drive Mommy and Daddy crazy, start climbing the stairs. First, you have to get your arms up on the step. Second, you pull your legs up one at a time. Just keep repeating until you reach the top."

"Oops, Daddy caught us. Just act natural and smile at him. He'll never suspect a thing. After he leaves, we can get back to practice."

Angelina's covert training program for Benjamin started last Sunday. By Thursday, her hard work was paying dividends. Julene turned her back for a few minutes and then found Benjamin at the top of the landing. Needless to say, we'll be shopping for gates this weekend.

Marching to the Beat of Her Own Drum

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Joseph, Joshua and Angelina were sitting at the kitchen table, each quietly drawing. Angelina, who loved the pretty blue dress that she had worn to church, refused to change out of the dress into her play clothes, even though her brothers and sister had changed out of their Sunday best.

Later, in the early evening, the missionaries came to our home for dinner. Shortly after the missionaries arrived, Angelina decided to go upstairs to her bedroom. She refused to come downstairs for dinner, opting to play in her room. During dinner, we could hear her at various intervals singing at the top of her lungs.

Then, near the end of dinner, she finally decided to grace us and our guests with her presence. Because her meals typically end up on her clothes, I was glad to see that she had finally changed out of her pretty Sunday dress. Unfortunately, I didn't quite agree with the appropriateness of her fashion choice. Angelina came to Sunday dinner with the missionaries making her grand entrance wearing . . .

THIS!

Jus' Peachy

My favorite!

Allyse's Life Story

On the first day of school, Allyse was given an assignment to write her life story. I have pasted a draft of what she has written, so far.

My name is Allyse Ballard and I was born on April 15, 1999, in Las Vegas, Nevada. My family has lived in Las Vegas for almost eighty years. My great-grandfather, Joseph Thiriot, who just turned 102 years old, was the first member of my family to move to Las Vegas.

My parents are Brad and Julene Ballard. My father is a Clark County Deputy District Attorney and General Counsel for University Medical Center. My mother is a retired elementary school teacher who taught for the Clark County School District.

I am the second oldest of five children in my family. I have an older brother named Joshua and he is almost twelve years old. Last year, Joshua was Student Body President of his elementary school. He is very smart, he likes to read and he really loves Harry Potter. Joshua is a good brother and he helps me when I am sick.

I have a younger brother named Joseph who is seven years old. Joseph is diabetic and I pray every day that doctors can find a cure for diabetes. Joseph is very good student, and he is courageous and brave.

My younger sister’s name is Angelina, and she is three years old. Angelina has long, beautiful light brown hair and pudgy cheeks. She is very girly and loves to wear anything pink. Angelina is my best friend. She loves to play with me and wants to be just like me.

Benjamin is the baby of the family. He is only nine months old. He has light brown hair and a beautiful smile. Benjamin is usually very happy. I love to hold him and take care of him, and I adore him.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was baptized when I was eight years old. I go to church every Sunday and I read the scriptures almost daily.

When I am not doing work, I either play with my brothers or sister, or I watch television. In our family, the older children are required to help around the house. I help with laundry, sweeping the kitchen floor, babysitting Benjamin, and cleaning the house. I really don’t like house work that much, but I do like watching after Benjamin.

I really like going to school. I like writing, mathematics, science, humanities, P.E., making projects, eating hot lunch and playing at recess with my friends.

I am learning to play the piano. My grandmother has been teaching me to play for two years. I play in piano recitals two times each year.

King Benjamin

Benjamin doesn't get bothered when we put hats on his head. In fact, he actually seems to think it is humorous and he enjoys it. Allyse tailored a crown to Benjamin's little head and placed it on him, which he happily wore for about ten minutes.

Because he was willing to put up with the crown, we handed him a sword and I tried to get a great King Benjamin shot. However, as soon as we gave him the sword, all he wanted to do was chew on it. After all, he's still a baby!

Happy 102nd Birthday, Grandpa Joe!

My grandfather, Joseph Thiriot, turned 102 years old yesterday! While it is an incredible achievement to live to such an age, I think it is most impressive how he did it.

He was born on August 20, 1906 in Provo, Utah to George and Alvira Thiriot. He grew up on a ranch near Panaca, Nevada. In 1934, he graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor's degree. He met my grandmother, Ellen Miller, while in Utah, and they married the day after he graduated. Grandpa Joe went on to graduate with a Master's degree from Northwestern University in Illinois.

He returned to teach school in Panaca, but in 1940, he moved to Las Vegas and began teaching at Las Vegas High School. The population of Las Vegas was only about 10,000 in those years, so most Las Vegas old timers know Grandpa Joe. He was a very popular teacher at LVHS, and ran the drama department there for years. He even led the drive to build an auditorium for the plays that he produced. For that, and many achievements in his nearly three decades at LVHS, the Clark County School District named a school in his honor in 2005.

Here he is in 2005, at the age of ninety-nine, on the first day of school at Joseph E. Thiriot Elementary School. He read an inspirational statement that he wrote to the students, the staff and the faculty, and then he cut the ribbon, which opened the school ceremonially, if not officially.

In 2006, when Grandpa Joe turned 100, there was a huge birthday bash that he and his three children arranged. Hundreds of people whose lives he had touched came to the party. Some flew in from around the country. I couldn't help but wonder how many more would have come if he had not outlived all of his contemporaries.

When school was back in session, he returned to the school to be honored by the students his 100th birthday. They made a huge banner for him and had a big celebration.

There was a story written about him in Desert Saints Magazine in 2002 in which Grandpa Joe was quoted as saying, “What really counts is what you’ve done to help others be effective in the years to come.” He has truly practiced what he preaches.

My grandfather is a man who was either blessed with or cultivated within himself an extraordinary amount of class. He is universally loved and respected. I have never met anyone who knew him that had anything other than the highest regard for him; I believe that is in large part attributable to the fact that he always treats others with respect.

Grandpa Joe is naturally one of the most cheerful people I have ever known. He listens and speaks with enthusiasm and inspires those around him to better themselves. While I am sure there have been those who have wronged him, I haven't heard him speak ill of others.

There are so many life lessons that I have learned from him, that I could go on for pages. In addition, there are numerous other life lessons he has taught me, whether by word or by example, which I have not yet mastered. I truly believe that I will need to live a long life like him so that I can be half the person that he is.

Perhaps Grandpa Joe's greatest, and most enduring legacy, are his three children, fourteen grandchildren, forty-one great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, who love and honor him. I am proud to call him my grandfather, and I wish for him to have a wonderful birthday, of which he is so deserving. I love you, Grandpa!

SuperAaron Returns

Note: This is a sequel to the “SuperAaron” story about my little brother, Aaron. We all enjoyed the first one by his wife, Carolyn, found on her blog. I felt that I needed to write yet my own chapter.

Joseph came home from school two weeks ago with pink eye. It was such a mild case that it went away in two days. I completely forgot about it until I woke up a few days later with pink eye. I thought that it would go away in about two or three days, just like Joseph. However, two days later, my eye was so swollen that I could only open it half-way, and it had started to discharge yellow goop. I went to the first hour of church and decided to go home. Monday came around and my eye seemed to be getting worse. I spoke to my mom and she said, “Call Aaron.”

I had forgotten that Aaron is a doctor, specializing in ophthalmology. I called him and he said, “It sounds like an eye infection. Give your family doctor a call.” I already had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the next day, and when I saw my doctor, he said it could be bacterial or viral conjunctivitis, and he prescribed me eye drops.

I went home so excited because I thought my problem was minor and would heal quickly. I started the drops right away, but as the days passed, my eye worsened. My friends said that I looked like Quasimoto and my kids said I reminded them of Mad-Eye Moody!

Joshua said that he was praying for me so that my eye would be better for the Fifth Grade graduation ceremony. He finally said, “I think you need a blessing.” I called Aaron in a panic. I told him my symptoms and he said I needed to be seen by an ophthalmologist. I told him that my insurance required a referral from the primary care provider and that it would be a week before I can see a specialist. He said, “Hold on. Let me get my cape and I’ll call you right back!” (Okay, I'm embellishing just a little.)

SuperAaron came to the rescue!!

SuperAaron called back and said, “My friend will see you today. She is an ophthalmologist and will take good care of you.” In minutes, I had an appointment set and I saw her that same day. The doctor gave me different types of drops to clear up my infection. My eye quickly started improving and after about a week, the infection was gone. I was so grateful that Aaron had connections here in Las Vegas. Thanks, SuperAaron!

Aquatics

Given the oppressive heat of Las Vegas, almost everyone is excited for the opportunity to go swimming, especially the kids. Angelina is always happy to go swimming, but being able to be with her mommy just makes it that much better.

While she might look harmless, Allyse is willing to get in and mix it up with the boys in the competitions and games that they play in the pool.

Much of Grandma Kathleen and Grandpa Wendell's posterity in the next-door-neighbors' pool. Thank goodness for the good-hearted neighbors who don't seem to mind our periodic invasions.

Joseph is still somewhat of a side dweller. He seems to feel more comfortable when hanging onto the edge of the pool.

Noah, Michael and Joshua (with Allyse underneath) found a fun floatation device to propel around the pool.

Benjamin Boy

Benjamin is such an easy subject for pictures. Typically, all I have to do is point a camera in his direction and he begins to smile.
I was walking by Benjamin, and I noticed him grabbing his toes, so I grabbed the camera. Almost as soon as I started shooting, he started smiling. The top two are my favorites, with the remainder (below) rounding out the collection.