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Monday, November 15, 2010

Our first move to Utah


In 1958 when Jay was 3 months old we decided to move to Utah so Larry could go to BYU. We didn't have a car so we arranged with friends, Tony and Todd to pull our trailor that had all our worldly possesions in it and we all drove to Utah. When we got there we found a basement apartment to rent in Provo. We then began to look for a job for Larry so we could pay our next month's rent. It was December and we thought he would apply to BYU for Spring semester. For the whole month he went out every day looking for a job. He even tried Geneva Steel. There were no jobs to be had. When we got dangerously close to the end of the month, and the money, we took a trip to Salt Lake to see JoAnn and Ted. They suggested Larry should look for a job in Salt Lake, so he applied at the State of Utah. He got a job right away as an Engineering Aid. We stayed with JoAnn and Ted till we found an apartment. We got Ted's brother Chuck to move us from Provo to Our new apartment in Salt Lake.

When I think back on those times I can't believe how brave we were. No job, no house, very little money and no car. We were so blessed by the Lord. He provided for two very young, and very inexperienced kids.

That was the first time I had ever seen snow. It didn't snow that year until Christmas eve. We woke in the morning in our new apartment and I remember saying to Larry, "Why is it so quiet?" He took my hand and led me to the service porch that was on the apartment. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was so beautiful. Ice was on every tree and on every telephone wire. It was so quiet and so breathtaking. We didn't stay long watching because it was so cold and we were in our pajamas.

We stayed in that apartment for less than a year, but I remember it with fondness. It was there that Jay learned to sit up and crawl. We enjoyed spending time with my sister and her cute little kids. Kris was a toddler and Steven was about 6 months older than Jay. That winter I had a lot of firsts. My first time to build a snowman, my first time to see the Temple, my first time to learn to be a mom. We were so young and sometimes foolish, but we were very happy.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Our first apartment. Where it all began.



Our very first home was an apartment near downtown Sacramento. It was only a few blocks from Joanne and Ted and my folks. It was an upstairs apartment and everything was pretty small except the bathroom. We lived there about a year. Jay was about 3 months old when we moved the first time.

We loved this apartment. When we lived there Larry was the Priest Quorum advisor. I think I taught the 12 yr olds in Sunday School. Since Larry was the advisor to a bunch of boys who were getting ready to be missionaries he spent a lot of time with them. We had a ping pong table in our little front room. We always had one or two priests over. The table took so much room that you could just walk around it between the furniture. When you served on one side of the table you were nearly standing in the kitchen and when you served on the opposite end you were nearly in the bedroom.

We had a dark room in the bathroom. We were really into copying genealogy pictures for people in the stake. We also copied a couple of books for Larry's genealogy. We did all our own developing. We had a pretty good camera. We enjoyed it for many years.

Outside our kitchen on a little porch high above the ground we had a close line that reeled out from the porch. As you hung the clothes you would push the line out on a reel and then pin the next item, and push it out again, until the line was full. Of course only rich people had dryers. And we were not rich.

When we married Larry had a job selling shoes in Karls Shoe Store. We soon figured out that we couldn't pay our $50 rent and eat on what he made. He canvased a few stores in the area (we had no car) and found a store that hired him to draft rooms of furniture so they could see how they fit into offices etc. He just made up the job and talked them into hiring him to do it. That still didn't pay enough but it was a little better. I worked in a nursery school until I got pregnant and then I had to quit because of the danger of my getting a contagious desease while I was expecting. Remember this was in the days before vacinations for such illnesses as Measles, Mumps, diptheria, etc.

The whole time we lived there we had to take the bus or walk where ever we went. I was pregnant for most of the time we lived there. We loved our ward and I had many wonderful mentors who helped me learn to cook and sew. I learned to bake bread while living in this apartment. I will always be grateful for that time and remember it with fondness.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Our Wedding November 27,1957


Larry and I got married when I was 19 yrs old and he was 23. We met and dated in Sacramento. We married in the closest temple to us at the time which was the Los Angeles Temple. Not for us was the big wedding many of you enjoyed with sealing rooms full and large receptions. My grandpa Cram and his wife, my step-grandma, drove us to Los Angeles. We didn't have a car.

There were just five of us there for our wedding. My Aunt Faye Olsen came with us. She lived in the L.A. area. Grandpa was one of the witnesses and they found a brother in the hall to come in and be the second witness. We loved it. We didn't see anyone but each other anyway.

After the temple Grandpa drove us to Hollywood to a hotel. He and Grandma went back to Sacramento and we were on our own for transportation for our honeymoon. We took a bus to Long Beach one of the days and went to the fun land on the beach. We walked all over Hollywood. It was Thanksgiving time so we watched the big Macys parade.

When we got home from our honeymoon we had our reception. It was held at my aunt Marva and Uncle Bay Hutching's home. I didn't have any attendants. I didn't even have a photographer. I had asked my brother to take the photos, but he thought my cousin Bob was taking them so no one brought their cameras. They were both good photographers. Uncle Bay did get an 8 mm family movie of about 6 seconds of the cake ceremony. Sandra had the movie film made into a video for us. We have loved watching it. We got some pictures from it, but they weren't very good.

The reception was fun and we had a good crowd. One of my college friends sang for us a song that was popular in our day..."The Glory of Love” We loved it. We almost forgot the only thing my Mother asked us to do for the reception...the flowers. We both remembered it as we were going out of our apartment to go to the wedding. We stopped at a local florist at 5 pm, as they closed, and we asked if they could do a bridal bouquet and some boutonnieres and corsages. They said they were closing and we begged them and they agreed to hurriedly put together the flowers we wanted. Ah the irresponsibility of the young!