Looking Back...

The year is nearly spent, and if there are things that we wanted to accomplish, it is too late to start now.  The year 2014 has been a good one for the Mickelson family in many ways.  We have traveled many journeys, lived life the way it unfolded before us, and have written new experiences on the pages of our lives.

Dean and I, along with our two sons, Billy and Eliot, traveled to Pagosa Springs in April.  It was a beautiful family time together.  We played together, we laughed together, and just spent quality time together.  In May, my sister, Chrisie, and I traveled to Phoenix to visit with our "baby" sister, Patti and her husband.  It was both a sad and a happy journey.  Patti's mental health is quickly fading away and to watch her struggle with words and thoughts, is soul-wrenching.

In October, Dean, Billy and I traveled to Salt Lake City, where we would rent a car and drive to Park City for a wonderful week's vacation.  The primary purpose of our trip, however, was The Davenport Family Reunion that Chrisie and I planned in Tooele.  Family members came from all over.  I had children come from California and Las Vegas and Provo/Orem; Chrisie had family come from southern Utah, Alaska, and all over Utah; Darell brought his wife, Joan and our "adopted" brother, Burdell Moody traveled from Arizona to be with us.  Cousins also came from all over Utah.  I believe this reunion was the highlight of our year.

We also ventured up the highway to see Dad a few times this past year.  He is all alone, since Mom's passing last year, and we try and visit as much as possible.  Dad is doing amazingly well.  He is always so glad to see us.  He bought a new car this year and it is fun to see him drive around in his little Toyota "Fit".

The world is in chaos, but we try not to get depressed so we don't watch the news.  We hear snippets now and then from friends, but OUR world is doing just fine and it is our world that keeps us moving forward.  We have God in our lives, and as we just celebrated the birth of our Savior, we also have His Son, Jesus Christ in our lives.

It has been a year of ups and downs, but we choose to remember the ups and learn from the downs.  We are thankful every day for good health, a warm hearth, food on our table and each other.  Both of us are growing a little older, but all things considered, I think perhaps a little wiser.  God has blessed us immensely and I shall not soon forget that.

Music...

One of the best traditions in the Mickelson household during the Holiday Season, is participating is the various musical productions in our community.  It has been our experience, no matter where we go or wherever we live, that we have sought out opportunities to express ourselves through music.

Music is the one thing in our lives that we have in common.  Both Dean and I were raised with music in our homes.  We both had piano lessons as young children, and we both moved on to other expressions of our musical gifts.  Dean learned to play the trumpet as a youth and still picks it up nearly daily to practice.  He also loves to sing.  I have tried other instruments, but the piano is the one that brings me the most comfort.

And then there is the music of the voice.  I have sung in choirs, in small singing groups like trios and quartets, and I learned at an early age that I could also sing solos.  Dean has sung in many choirs and choruses throughout his life, has done a fair number of solos, and we like to sing duets together on occasion.

This past Christmas Season found the two of us participating in several musical events.  In fact, it has become a Christmas Tradition for us.  The Messiah comes around every two years, and offers an opportunity to vocalize with some really talented people from up and down the central coast of Oregon.  We began the weekly rehearsals in early October, but this year there was a new conductor.  He is young and exuberant and a talented musician in his own right, but he does not have the heart for the production that Dr. Albert Thompson had.  After only a few rehearsals, both Dean and I dropped out.  It just wasn't going as it had in the past.  We also quit because we just had too much on our plates this year.

Every year also presents an opportunity to participate in the Lincoln City Community Chorus under the direction of a very gifted director, Jim Friesen.  We rehearsed weekly and the music chosen for the Christmas Program was extra special this year.  Dean also was afforded the opportunity to play in a Brass group for some of the songs.  And for the very first time, this year's chorus had a visiting Hand Bell Choir participate.  It was glorious.

Last, but not least, as Choir Director for my Church, I wrote and put together our annual Christmas Choir presentation for Sacrament Meeting.  This was my second year.  I chose music that was quite challenging for the choir, but they took the challenge and performed beautifully.  It was a very special meeting, indeed.

Our son, Billy, also had his share of Christmas shows to perform.  He was asked to play some meditative music for The Labyrinth at the Cultural Center.  He played his cello for three hours, non-stop while many people, old and young alike, walked the path of the Labyrinth and meditated.  Dean and I participated and felt a very special contact with our inner selves.  For Billy's Christmas show, he took his music to Bend, where it all began, and in his words, "had a very special show."

It is my prayer that music will continue to fill our hearts, our lives and our home.  I love the uplifting feeling that good, quality music brings to my soul.  I know there will be music in Heaven, and I want to participate in the heavenly choir.

From Our House To Yours...Merry Christmas 2014

I am going to include here the Christmas Letter that I sent out to family and friends this year.  I feel like it pretty well re-capped my feelings and the year, better than I could do again.

“He Is The Gift…”

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Himn should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

…John 3:16

   Search your hearts and the scriptures and DISCOVER anew the gift that has been given to us by our eternal, loving Heavenly Father.  Ponder these truths and fill your soul with the spirit that is CHRISTmas.

   Make the Savior your living, loving friend and EMBRACE Him as your own.  He loves you—so much that He died for you and experienced excruciating pain in your behalf.  Who does that for His friends?  Only Jesus Christ.

   “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” SHARE the Good News, that Jesus Christ truly was born in the remote village of Bethlehem (“House of Bread”) in the meridian of time.  So many Christmas’s have come and gone; so many believers have celebrated His birth; so many miracles have been witnessed; and still there remains only a handful of followers committed to keep His spirit alive in the hearts of men.

   Don’t let the trends of this world disillusion any of you.  Re-kindle the flame that was the light for the whole world—born that happy morning, laid in a manger so lovingly and carefully by His young mother, Mary.

   And the angels sang: “Glory To God In The Highest, Peace Upon Earth Among Men.”

   Yes, as you celebrate yet another Christmas, repeat “Glory To God In The Highest,”  Take a few quiet moments, surrounded by your family or friends, or even if you are alone.,  Make Christmas Eve a “Silent Night—a Holy Night” and as you read once more in Luke the marvelous story of old, envision the father, mother and child and rejoice and sing :Hallelujah!”

2014 With The Mickelson’s

BLESSINGS:

       This was the year for health issues for Dean, followed by an increase in blessings.  In June, Dean had yet another Cornea Transplant.  Between us, we have had upwards of 15 eye surgeries!.  Why we both haven’t gone blind by now is a miracle.  God has been so good to us and has preserved our vision through the gift and faith of great doctors and your prayers.

        Speaking of health, I made a commitment, both to myself and to my Heavenly Father, that I would take control of my ever increasing weight—and I lost 30 pounds!  I feel better than I have in ages.  No more shortness of breath, no more knee, back and hip pain, and my energy level is out of the park.  I have been so blessed by God and I know when we do as we are commanded and counseled to do, blessings follow.

        Skin Cancer has returned to my face and it is pretty general.  After consulting with my Dermatologist, I have scheduled “Blue Light” treatments for the end of the month.  He has assured me that because these are pre-cancerous conditions, this is the best course of treatment.  He does not want to “cut on my face any more!”

TRAVEL:

        Traveling is a love that Dean and I have in common.  We both love to see the beauties and wonders of the world.  Our journeys have taken us this year to some of our favorite places.  We visited Bend, Oregon twice—once for a short ski trip, and once to attend a debut concert of a dear friend of ours.  In May, I took a solo trip to Salt Lake City, Utah to fetch my sister, Chrisie, for a much needed trip to Phoenix, Arizona to visit our dear, sweet sister, Patricia.  Both of our hearts were both warmed and broken at the same time as we observed for ourselves her deteriorating condition and a battle with dementia.  She is our baby sister, and much too young to have such a diagnosis.  Hal is doing everything in his power to find answers and help curtail its progress.  I love that little girl!  Just being with her for a few days brought back so many happy memories of her childhood and the love that I instantly had for her when she was born.  I was 18 years old, and I felt like I could have been her mother!

        That same trip took me to Provo, Utah, where I spent a week visiting with my daughter, Debi and her family, and helping to celebrate (early) my daughter, JerriAnne’s “50’th” Birthday!  It was a wonderful respite.

        In August, Dean and I made a trip to Tacoma, Washington to visit Dean’s Dad.  We try to visit him as much as we can—just to check up on him, you know!  On the way, we took a couple of days in Astoria, Oregon at a 100 year old Bed and Breakfast to celebrate our 15^th Anniversary.   Astoria is a quaint old time town and happy to report Dad is doing just fine!  We also spent an early Thanksgiving with Dad and enjoyed the reminiscence of many blessings together.

        Last, but far from least, was our Davenport Family Reunion, held October 11^th in Tooele, Utah.  We spent the week in Park City.  The reunion was one huge, memorable success, with brother, sister, children, and cousins that I hadn’t seen in decades.  What an amazing heritage I have.  Thomas Davenport and John Pidding Jones really started something!  Their posterity numbers in the thousands.

        God provided the way and gane us the ways and means so that we can enjoy this beautiful earth.  Every trip we take reveals to us the wonders of this earth and God’s bounteous beauties.

 FAMILY:

        Billy, the traveling troubadour cellist returned to Europe in July.  He reports that he had an amazingly wonderful and successful trip there.  He came home to us in September.  He has criss-crossed the United States more times than I can count and has taken his music to Europe four times.  Fans all over the world love him.

        On his return this time, his career is taking a new turn.  He is doing some tracks for short films, has gotten his name placed on a prestigious artists list and has already seen his career approaching that amazing corner of new opportunities.

        God works in mysterious ways and blesses our efforts when we give Him credit for our gifts and talents.  He certainly has blessed our Billy.

  Eliot has settled down in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  After his B.A. degree in Music Composition and continued passion about furthering his education of such, he has landed a fulfilling full-time job as a Para-Technical for the Timberview Middle School in Colorado Springs.  He loves the interaction with their top-notch faculty and the students he serves. 

   And so, it seems as though he is never slowing down.  He continues working at Starbuck’s as a Barista-meister in his “spare time.”

    The Henderson children (really, mom…children?), well “all grown up children” are each thriving in their own little corners of their own little worlds.  Kim remains in California with hubby Kenny, watching her own family grow; Mark is still a hard-working stair builder living in Southern Utah where he keeps an eye on the activities and growth of his family; Debi, my active sports maniac still lives in Orem, Utah with hubby Brian where they care for a thriving business and entertain their growing family; JerriAnne still lives in Provo and is finishing her final year for her Master’s Degree in Specialized Education with a focus of the Blind; and Heather lives with her hubby, Rich in Las Vegas, Nevada where they are managing the many varied activities of two growing children.

   God has blessed our lives with so many, many family blessings.

SYMBOLISM…

…In His Gifts

He gave us rain…

Symbolic of the Living Water—

Even Jesus Christ’s blood.

He gave us the earth…

Symbolic of His Kingdom—His footstool—

Where we can dwell with Him forever.

He gave to us stars in Heaven…

Symbolic of the light to lead the way—

When we are lost,

We can be found again.

He gave us the seasons…

Summer for us to plant seeds of truth

Into our lives—

Fall for us to enjoy the harvest of “what we have sown”—

Winter for us to rest and reflect

On the meaning of our lives—

Spring for us to be re-born

To a new life, a new beginning.

He gave us mountains.,..

Symbolic of our journey—

Always climbing upward.

He gave us the seashore…

The symbol of washing us clean

With the waves

As they break upon the shore.

And the best gift was His life…

The resurrection leads us to our own Everlasting life.

Davenport Family Reunion...

     THE JOHN ALVIN AND IDA WALKER JONES FAMILY

From the early pioneers of Thomas Davenport and John Pidding Jones, has come an enormous posterity.  They were the first to embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ in England and then the call to join the Saints rang clear in their minds and they sacrificed all that they had to travel to America, trek across the plains, and join the Saints in the Salt Lake Valley.  Soon, however, they were treking again to Southern Utah to settle in Parowan and Cedar City.

Two generations later a grandson of Thomas Davenport would marry a granddaughter of John Pidding Jones.  And so it began...

John Alvin Davenport and Ida Walker Jones were my grandparents on my dad's side.  They were the only ones I ever knew.  My mom's parents passed away before I was born.  I have many, many memories of these amazing people.

On October 11th, the grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even beyond that generation to include great-great grandchildren and a few great-great-great grandchildren all gathered in a huge meeting place in Tooele, Utah to honor this wonderful family.  My sister, Chrisie, did all of the work acquiring the space, making plans for the food, making dozens of tee-shirts and making sure this day would be one that would not be forgotten.  I gathered the family history and provided small books for "sale by donation" to family members who might be interested.  It was a labor of love.

It was a day to remember, for sure.  We gathered around 11:00 a.m. (after some of us got lost trying to find the right street) and spent a couple of hours greeting cousins whom we haven't seen in ages...some of them, decades!  What a joy it was to re-unite in one place and share our stories and some of our pictures and genealogy.

Ida and John had three children: Clynn, the oldest; James Harvey, my dad; and Helen, the youngest and only girl.  Uncle Clynn and my dad were partners for a good deal of their adult lives in a restaurant in
California (Santa Monica).  Helen spent her entire life in Utah.

Uncle Clynn (and Aunt Rilla) had 5 children:  Colleen, Vance, Shannon, Alvin, Betty Jean, and John.  Colleen, Alvin and Betty were at the reunion with some of their children and grandchildren.  Vance and Shannon have gone to live with Heavenly Father and we missed them terribly.

L-R:  2 of Alvin's daughters, Alvin, Betty Jean, Colleen's son, Jack, Colleen and Bud

Harvey (and Florence) had 4 children:  Darell, Florene, Christine and Patricia.  All but Patricia were in attendance.  Patti is suffering from dementia, and unable to travel.  She was sorely missed and I know that she wishes that she could have been there.

L-R:  Florene, Darell and Chrisie

Aunt Helen (and Uncle Cleon) had several children.  The ones I remember are: Loren, Merrill, Harvey, Linda, Laura, and John.  Most of the children live in Utah and John lives in Texas (I believe).  It's sad when you lose track of your cousins and it is cloudy what is going on in their lives.  Loren, Merrill, Harvey and Laura were at the reunion and it was a joy to get re-acquainted with them again.

(I hope I get this right) L-R:
Harvey's wife and Harvey, Loren's daughter, Loren's wife, Loren, Laura, Merrill's wife and Merrill

What a wonderful reunion we had.  The food was delicious (as close to Pickle Bill's Barbeque Beef, Baked Beans and salad as we could get), Chrisie gave a brief history of her family and welcomed all who came; Darell spoke a bit about the memories he had of our dad; Burdell Moody (our adopted brother) spoke of his memories of our dad; Loren spoke about his mom and introduced his family; and last, I gave a genealogy recap of the family history from Thomas Davenport and John Pidding Jones down the line to the present day.  I told a story about a pioneer experience that Thomas and John Pidding had during their trek west.

All in all, it was a glorious experience and one that I shall not soon forget.  I want to include here a few family pictures and some candid shots that I loved.

Aubrey with Van

Elissa with Blair

Hailey and Parker with Trey

Kenny with Van

My amazing family (Minus Mark and children)

Darell, Joan and Burdell

Chrisie's Family

When I look at all of these amazing people (and this was not even all of them because so many were missing) I get a warm feeling in my heart as I realize what Grandma and Grandpa Davenport started with only three children.  What an amazing posterity.  Each one a sparkling jewel in the Davenport Crown.  I love this family.

My Love Affair With Oregon..

The Central Oregon Coast

I live in Oregon!  I haven't always lived here.  I was born in the high desert country of southern Utah.  I was raised on the southern coast of California.  I married and lived in California, Arizona, Utah, Illinois and back to California.  After the passing of my first husband, I re-married and moved to New Mexico.  From there, I moved back to southern Utah then onward to Oregon in 1998.

When I first moved to Oregon, I was prepared for nothing but rain.  But Oregon is more than that.  Yes, it rains nearly 8 months out of the year, but we do have winter and we do have summer.  It is the rain that gives Oregon its lush green color year round.  And it is the rain that creates such amazing hiking adventures for Oregonians.

Dean and I love to explore (when we have some free time to do that) and we have discovered only a handful of the amazing beauty that this country has in store for us.  I am going to share some of those hiking adventures here,

Though "hiking" isn't what you think of when you visit the seashore, its miles long beaches do offer some of the most spectacular views of God's amazing creation--the ocean shores of the Pacific.  These are my favorite walks and uplifting to the soul.  There is a song I heard once that says, "When you stand beside the ocean"...you feel so small!  And it is true.  I stand at the edge of the sea and view eternity.

Just twenty minutes east of Lincoln City, there is a beautiful hiking trail.  It is called Drift Creek Falls.  It is a favorite hike for the Mickelson's.  It is just my kind of a hike.  Not too strenuous and not too long.  We like to pack a lunch, enjoy the scenery and then take our refreshments in the beauty under the falls and next to Drift Creek.

Just south of Lincoln Beach, there is a WorldMark Resort--The Resort at Gleneden Beach.  Since we are members, we like to "get away" for a weekend and walk the grounds and feel pampered.  Walking among the beauty of a landscape is another of my favorite things to do.

Another peaceful place to enjoy a leisurely walk in beauty, is the Connie Hanson Gardon in Lincoln City.  I love to stroll the lanes and discover the beauty of the landscape.  We took Dean's Dad here for a walk recently and he loved it.

While we are on the subject of gardens, Oregon has some amazingly beautiful ones.  There are the Rose Gardens in Portland, the Tulip Fields in the Valley, and this year we visited the Dahlia fields near Canby, Oregon.  Though none of these walks through the gardens would be considered a hike, I do like to get my exercise "strolliing" through beauty.

Let's leave the coastal and valley regions for a bit and check out the beauty of the mountains.  Oregon has several beautiful ski areas in Central Oregon.  Dean, Billy and Ingrid spent time on the slopes of Mt. Bachelor, while I enjoyed the peace of the condo below.

Just for fun, I am going to throw in some photos at random and put a title on each one.

Fogarty Creek on Oregon Coast

Hebo Lake, Oregon Coast

Enjoying the walk at Hebo Lake

Dean stopped by L.C. Kite Festival

Kite Festival

Cannon Beach Sand Castle Festival

Sand Castle Festival

Watching a Wind Surfer at L.C. Beavh

A Fall hike to Fall Falls, southern Oregon

I didn't realize there were so many beautiful things to see in Oregon when I moved here.  Every season has its beauty and every season offers a new adventure for us.  I'm getting a little old for the strenuous hikes of yesteryear, but wherever we can find beauty, I am usually game.

One last hike I wanted to share is the one we most recently discovered.,  Right in the middle of Lincoln City, not a mile from our Church, there is a wooded area that we hiked through.  It is mysterious there with tall pines and mossy trees.  The path is covered with the roots of the trees and I gave it the loving name of "Root Canal!"  We shared a picnic lunch there yesterday and some quality family time together.

I'm sure there will be future hikes, walks and strolls for the Mickelson's.  I am glad that God has given me such beauty to enjoy on my journey.