Grandma Grace Hullinger

Yesterday, Grandma Grace was buried. She died last Monday night (Sept. 15) without a struggle. Her breathing slowed then stopped. She had another stroke the weekend of Aug. 30 and pretty much quit swallowing. I fed her a fair supper on Thursday the fourth and that was the last she really ate. She had a few bites of yogurt or a few swallows of juice or water periodically after. It was time for her body to shut down.

She was a wonderful, beautiful woman. She was such a lady through and through. Even though she didn't know anyone but dad, she always had a forehead touch and a pat on their face for whomever would hug her. She was often too tired to eat, but would willingly take bites then squirrel it in her mouth. I'd go to give her another bite after about 5 minutes and she'd still have a mouthful. She always tried to be cooperative with me and her nurses. I hope that I can be as dignified as she was.

Cruise to Alaska, May 30, 2008

Some of my siblings decided that a trip to Alaska was in order and we couldn't resist the incentive to be with great people, see a part of the world we have been very interested in and to be able to be pampered on a cruise. We flew to Seattle then spent some time touring that unique city, then sailed on the Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Sea and had a wonderful, unforgettable 7 days. I definitely just had my curiosity peaked and want to spend more time studying and seeing these places again.

We flew up to Seattle with Burke and Dearwyn Eldredge and friends, Dave and Connie Neal. John and Korinne Hullinger flew later in the day. Faye and Hugh Girsberger drove up and spent some time with their children along the way. So we boarded the ship with Burke, Dearwyn, and Dave and Connie. We were joined by others from our area; Deon and Robert Page, Patty and Preston Gannon, Mike and Jana Walker and his brother Greg and Mary Walker with some of their children and their friends. It was fun to spend time with them. The ocean was relatively calm. We could always feel the vibrations of the big motors and slight swaying. One evening it was pretty (for me) rough and that was the night they served lobster and I couldn't eat any. :( It was surprising to me that I felt the vibrations of the boat in my feet and could feel a bit of a sway for a couple of days after being home

Alaska, Juneau

Our guide told us there were only three ways to get into Juneau, since the road network doesn't exist for them. 1) Fly in, 2) Sail in, 3) Birth canal. Cute huh. Juneau is the capital city of Alaska, but it isn't a really big city. We got to see the government buildings and they were really nice.

While at Juneau, we got to go whale watching. We saw many humpback whales but no Orcas. Also, the bald eagles are prolific there. They are beautiful and so impressive with their eight foot wing spans. The sea lions were fun to watch and noisy as they grunted and bawled at each other. We got a good pix of a big ol' male getting too close to a harem belonging to another big daddy and got to watch the big daddy start towards the other male and scare him off. It was cool.

We were also able to see the Mendenhall Glacier from a distance and the Sawyer Glacier from quite close, the picture above is of the Sawyer Glacier. We also saw the Norbert Glacier.

Juneau's most popular attraction is the mighty, magnificent Mendenhall Glacier, located just 13 miles from downtown Juneau. Everything about the Mendenhall is massive: it's face is 100 feet tall and 1.5 miles wide, it's length is over 6 miles, and it's handiwork, the Mendenhall Valley, is immense.

Alaska, Skagway

We spent one day at Skagway, Alaska. This was the beginning place for many of the gold seekers. It was required that they had to take a full year's supply of goods into the back country. We took a train ride up to the Canadian boarder where many of the gold hunters went for their searches. The terrain was steep, lushly wooded, rocky and severe. I can't imagine making the trek on a horse or by foot with a box of supplies on my back. Many of the seekers hadn't ever lived in the rough and didn't know how to care for animals. Many, many horses and animals died of misuse. They said the stench of the "left to rot" animals carried for over 30 miles.

Some of our group included Burke and Dearwyn Eldredge, Mike and Janna Walker, Deon and Robert Page, and Dave and Connie Neal.

Alaska, Dawes Glacier

Our ship captain, "Ice Crusher", was able to get us 600 feet away from the Dawes Glacier. We felt like the Titanic as we slushed through ice chunks and heard the creaking and loud cracks of the ice moving and "calving" off. It was the most incredible blue ice. The sea lions and seals hung around on the bigger chunks of ice and frolicked and played.

Glaciers are mysterious and intriguing things. They put off an eerie blue color that can't be seen anywhere else but in the dense ice of a glacier. And while they appear to be sitting still, they are in fact constantly moving, flowing downhill out of the mountains like rivers. It is this constant movement that gives glaciers the power to shape the landscape.

We were able to travel through the Endicott Arms Fiord and see mountains jutting straight out of the water. The fiord was formed when a glacier ground through centuries prior. Wildlife such as bears and mountain sheep live along the shores. The lush green, mile long waterfalls, and tall tall trees were breathtaking in their beauty.

Alaskan Cruise, Prince Rupert, Canada

We spent one, misty day at Prince Rupert, British Columbia. We went out to an old salmon canning factory. I'm glad I didn't have to work there. Workers lived on site, had the company store, worked long, backbreaking, stinky, filthy hours. We purchased a bag of Ketchup flavored Potato Chips.

Our last Eagle.

Michael was given his Eagle Scout Award on April 20, 2008. We are very proud of him and this accomplishment.

Primary music helps

I've been asked to find ideas to help with music. This is an "Elephant Head" from a colorful piece of poster board, with a hole cut out where the nose would be. Use a contrasting/complimentary colored nylon stocking and attached it to the back of the head where the toe portion was sticking through the hole. (See my crude illustration.)

Each child that was chosen to lead a song would stick their hand and arm into the stocking from the back side of the poster board. The children all wanted to get a chance to lead the song, so we brought our "elephant friend" back several times to visit.

Another idea used to get children to sing was to make it a game of "Hot & Cold". The instruction was that one child would be chosen to be it and would leave the room. An object was chosen and hidden somewhere in the room, and the remaining children could only let "it" know where to find the item by singing. They would sing louder when "it" was close, and would sing softer when "it" was farther away. We usually got even the boys who hated to sing to join in on this "game".

My minute in the spotlight :)

From: Rob Bentley
Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 09:31:42 -0600
To:
Conversation: Teacher Feature article
Subject: Teacher Feature article

Hi Amelia,

Just emailing to let you know that your teacher feature article and
recording are up on our website.

Here's the link:
http://www.uen.org/News/article.cgi?category_id=338&article_id=2168

It's also accessible from our Professional Development page here:
http://www.uen.org/development/

Thanks again for your time, and thanks for your dedication to teaching.

Sincerely,
Rob Bentley
Utah Education Network
801-585-6828

94 years old

Here's Granddad Hullinger celebrating his 94th birthday (January 23) at Teresa and Harold's Model A Restaurant in March of 08.

Grandma Garner

Recently Catherine put on a quilt for Devin who has recently gotten married. Grandma can't see to sew but desperately wanted to put in some of the stitches. So Terry helped guide her and she did just fine.

Pix of Michael

This was a great family reunion to Nauvoo with Grandma Garner.
Mike learned to ride horses and be with cousins he rarely sees. He even got to go home with Brody for a week and fly back to Utah by himself.

Pix of Gregory

Greg had a busy year in football, soccer and a few academics before graduating in May 07.

Some pix of Lisa

Here's Lisa with Sunny, Cherie's bird.

And here she is in March 08 at
the Model A restaurant.

Pix of Natalie, Shawn, and John

Here's our cute little grandson, John, wearing Greg's or Mike's sweatshirt so he doesn't freeze.




Natalie gave this to us for Christmas in 2006.

Here they are while visiting Thomas the Tank Engine in Heber.