A Very Special Lady

My mother passed away just after midnight last Thursday. She has been sick for quite a while, off and on for 8 years, and it finally became enough. I want to pay tribute to her. She was as tough a woman as I ever known. She worked at the Salt Lake County Jail for 22 years, and she would tell you she saw it all. She was only 18 when I was born, and I know the circumstances around that were quite difficult. Even so, I never once felt like a burden to her, I always felt like I was the most important thing in her life. I was with her until the moment she passed, and it was one of the most spiritual things I have ever experienced. She told me several hours before that she was calm and ready, and I am confident there is a great reunion going on now with her parents, grandparents, and pets too numerous to mention. I am so thankful for the strength she has been in my life. Everyone needs someone in whose eyes they can do no wrong. She was my North Star, and if I can be one tenth as compassionate as she was, I will be doing fine. I am also thankful she passed quickly, I know she did not want to become a burden.

Here is the obituary that will run in the paper tomorrow:

JOLYN C. ACKLEY

Our mother, Jo, passed away June 10^th after a valiant battle with cancer. Her passing has left an immeasurable void in our lives, but her courage, strength, and love have made us stronger than we thought possible. Her legacy was a life of serving others until the very end.

Jo worked at the Salt Lake County Jail for 22 years. She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars (VFW) for 21 years serving in many capacities, including President for the State of Utah in 2008 – 2009.

Jo was the daughter of Bob and Helen Cox. She was born April 10, 1942. She is survived by her two sons, Jeff Walton with his wife Teresa and Chris Walton with his wife Mayumi; grandchildren Melanie & Taylor, Carly & Spencer, Sam, SarahJane, and Maya; great-grandchild Grace. Also survived by her second family, Michael Ackley, and his children, Mike Jr., Kathleen, Steven, and Thomas with their families. Also survived by her brother Gary Cox with his wife Mary and their children and grandchildren. Finally, by her best friend forever, Debbie Spader and her family to whom we give our heartfelt thanks.

The family would like to thank her physicians and the wonderful staff at St. Marks Hospital. At Jo’s request, no funeral will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family would ask you to make a donation to the VFW Ladies Auxiliary Cancer Fund, 921 S. West Hoytsville Rd. Coalville, UT 84017.

In honor of our mother, please hug a veteran.

Start Spreadin' the News!

As I mentioned last post, when I drove Carly back to school last August, she had the great idea of a 31 hour detour to New York City. I have never been, and was a bit uneasy about going. What a blast I had. That place is amazing. We crammed as much as you can imagine into 31 hours, including a New York Mets game, lunch at a Pizzeria (once in Manhattan and once in Brooklyn), Rockefeller Center, the NBA store, Central Park, Times Square, The Ed Sullivan Theater, the Brooklyn Bridge, Staten Island - you get the idea. We were on the go. Carly is amazing in her understanding of how to navigate the City. I was an ok travelling companion, except I kept telling everyone we were from out of town - Carly thought that was dumb of me - but people were all very friendly and helpful.

So - Top 5 Things I ate in NYC

Mind you, I wasn't there very long, so these are probably all 5 things I ate.

5 - Pizza in Manhattan - I guess you have figured out that I like pizza. The good news is that the local Big Apple compares quite favorably to the pizza I ate in the real Big Apple.

4 - Banana Pudding - I have no idea the name of the bakery Carly took me to, but it was right across the street from the Manhattan temple. They had some amazing treats there.

3 - Pizza in Brooklyn - one of the top Pizzeria's in the area. This was a real treat.

2 - Bagel's at Max's bagels. The bagels around here (Salt Lake City) are so lame that you forget how good a bagel with cream cheese can be.

1 - Pastrami Sandwich at midnight near Carnegie Hall - this was amazing - should have taken a picture of it.

Top 5 things we did in New York City.

5 - New York Mets vs. Phildelphia Phillies. We got right off the bus and checked into our hotel and then went straight to the stadium. It was a long subway/train ride. The ride was amazing - you think we have graffiti problems in SLC - good grief. As you pull up to Citi Field, Arthur Ashe Stadium, where they host the US Open tennis tournament is on the other side of the train. I thought that was Citi Field at first. A guy on the train told me that was a common mistake of first timers.

The ballpark was beautiful. This is the first year they have played there. We sat on the 3rd base side, which gives you a great view of all the airplanes landing during the game - I think at LaGuardia. The Mets were way out of the race, so the game was not intense. Ryan Howard hit 2 home runs, we missed the first because we were late, and the big disappointment was that no Met homered, so I did not get to see the Big Apple rise up. In this picture, you can kind of see the apple under the scoreboard. Great afternoon.


4 - Staten Island ferry. This ferry runs free between Manhattan and Staten Island 24/7. You pass by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and the view of Manhattan is fabulous.


3 - Strawberry Fields Forever. I have been really getting into the Beatles lately. Bought all the cds, read a biography. I remember being overwhelmed when John Lennon was killed. It was so senseless and he was such a symbol for peace. I have always wanted to see this understated tribute to him in Central Park, not far from where he lived and was shot. It is probably a peaceful place, but 2 guys got into quite a fight while we were there contemplating peace. A punch or two and a lot of loud profanity - the funny thing is that no one batted an eye. I was reading a John Lennon biography and in it there was a story of him complaining to his finance guy about all the tax hassles his many homes were causing. The finance guy says "C'mon John, imagine no possessions!" to which Lennon replies - "It's only a bloody song."


2 - Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge towards Manhattan. See the picture at the front of this post. This was simply fabulous. The most beautiful walk I have ever been on.

1 - Are you kidding? Only one of my bucket list items.




We saw Dave! Man I love Dave. I have always loved Dave. I think Dave is the funniest guy alive. We went by the theater on the first day (our tickets were for the second day) and they were hitting baseballs on 53rd avenue.


We went back the next afternoon to see the show. We got checked in then they tell you to go away for an hour. We went to the CBS gift shop and got a few things, then went to Rupert Gee's Hello Deli - Rupert's is a cash only deal, and I was running low, so I just bought a bottle of water. Walking out of Rupert's, I ran into an old friend.


It was Biff! He could not have been more pleasant. It was really strange speaking to Biff and Rupert because you feel like you are speaking to an old friend and they have no idea who in the hell you are.

Anyway, the show was really cool. Dave asks for questions from the audience, and I got called on. He gave me a really hard time for yelling my question while only 20 feet away. The whole experience was high energy and surreal. After we walked out of the theater, there was nothing left to do but get back on the bus to D.C.

We saw lots of other stuff, Wall Street, Trinity Church, the NBA store, Chrysler Building, Times Square (a little too intense for me).

Thanks Carly for a great trip!

I'm Back

After taking a year off from keeping you all up to date, I am back. I have my son home, one daughter coming back in May, and another leaving in June. Just when we thought we would all be together, we are going to split up again. I am excited for Melanie and Taylor and Grace and their opportunity in North Dakota, but I will miss them terribly, especially my sweet Melanie. Hopefully, it won't be for too long.

Last summer, I had the privilege of driving across country to take Carly back to Washington DC for her last year of law school. We had a blast, just like the first year we went back. She insisted on a quick trip to New York City, which was fabulous.

Top 5 Baseball teams seen on this trip

5. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Minnesota Twins
2. Kansas City Royals
1. New York Mets

In my lifetime quest to see each major league team once, the top 4 on that list were first timers for me. This leaves only 4 teams left for me to have seen all 30. (Florida, Tampa, Toronto, Cleveland). Here are a few pictures for proof:



Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City and the famous outfield fountains. A beautiful ballpark.



Carly and I at the brand new Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. Like most, I don't usually like photos of myself, but I want that one to be on my obituary.

We also went to Nationals Park in Washington, but I don't have any pictures - beautiful park though.

Top 5 things we visited or saw on our trip across the country - (New York and Baseball Excluded)

5b - The Gateway arch in St. Louis - just caught a glimpse driving by, but really cool.



5a - Liberty Jail - quite a reverent place. The building is reconstructed, but you get a sense of how awful the prophet's incarceration was, and it puts a whole new light on those sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.



4 - The US Marine Corps Museum in Virginia - great museum, only had about 90 minutes, but a very fine exhibit and the Marines running the place are top notch. Carly was very impressed. A fine looking young Marine greeted us with "Welcome to our Museum."



3 - Churchill Downs - loved this more than I thought I would. It is a lot smaller than it looks on TV. Also, it is very close to downtown Louisville which was quite surprising. They had a beautiful retired horse there - I had no idea how much different a thoroughbred looks than your garden variety horse.

DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 - Eisenhower Museum - I love Presidential museums, and this one was great - only had about one half hour, so it was the speed tour. Half devoted to his war years, half to his presidential years. The coolest item was a desk given to him by the Shah of Iran.

1 - Truman Museum - Just a mile or so from the Temple site in Independence Missouri. We got there 10 minutes before closing. Talk about the speed tour - coolest thing I managed to see was his desk plate that says "The Buck Stops Here".

Due to the speed nature of my Presidential library visits, there was no time for pictures.

Anyway, it was a fabulous trip and I am sorry I don't get to drive Carly home. She will be riding with the new man in her life - Spencer. They will be coming home from their cross-country honeymoon.

Next post, I will tell you all about our 31 hour trip to New York. Here is a sneak preview:


After that, we can discuss Peru.

I'm Still Standing

Well, been a few weeks since I have had anything to say. My work has been so mind numbing lately that I am never in a very creative mood. However, I am off the rest of the week, and that will be a very good thing. My life lately feels like the movie "Groundhog Day". It is all I can do to get up and face the same old drag, knowing it will never change until I quit. Oh well, maybe someday I'll get to work at that hot dog stand.

Speaking of hot dogs, tonight I purchased a new gas smoker. This is good on several levels. 1 - it runs on propane, so i don't have to tend it all day. B - I won't need to finish meat in the oven, the food can cook outdoors in it's entirety. I hope to get back into the smoking routine. I am going to assemble it and start smoking soon, so everyone get your appetites up. EVEN MY DAUGHTERS LIKE MEAT WHEN IT IS SMOKED.

TOP 5 Bette Midler recordings

5 - The Rose (Got tired of this one when it came out, but now it is ok.)
4 - Do You Wanna Dance?
3 - One for the Road (Last song sung on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
2 - Superstar
1 - Pretty Legs and Great Big Knockers

Long Time, No See

I have been gone for a bit, haven't felt terribly inspired or anything, so I apologize for not having much to say. Melanie has suggested I need to do a Top 5 on hamburgers today, something that I have given a lot of thought to, but don't nearly have it narrowed down to 5 so that will have to wait for another day. I am gratified to have my children all doing interesting things this month, from traveling with little children, to going to Boston, to relocating to a dinky town in the middle of nowhere, to holding brains in the palm of her hand, my kids all have lives that are far more interesting to anything I have had or hope to have. I suppose I find that quite gratifying. You always want your children to have it better than you do. It really warms my heart to hear all the latest wonderful news, and the joy in their voices or e-mails.

I did have a nice visit with Carly on a business trip to DC. She took me to a few of her favorite haunts, and she is a champ at driving around that very confusing town. The weather was crummy and she still drove out to see me. Carly, I hope you fixed the bad wind shield wiper.

TOP 5 TV Supporting Characters of all time

I love old TV shows, and I really like comedy. Here are my favorite characters of all time who were not in leading roles.

5 - Paul Drake. Perry Mason's private detective. Total stud, always breaks into court with just the right info to nail the murderer. Quite a lady's man as well.

4 - Kosmo Kramer - enough said.

3 - Frank Burns - "Oh yeah? I once killed a gopher with a stick!"

2 - Hans Schultz - "Herr Commadant, I know nothing!"

1 - Granny - Beverly Hillbillies - We as a country just need to put this woman in charge. That would clear things up in a few days.

Hope you all are well

Hello 2009

Well, 2009 is here. We got through the year Sam left, we got through the year he was gone, and now we have the year he comes back. Outstanding. Let's celebrate with a Top 5.

Top 5 Bomb Slices

5 - Chicken Pesto
4 - Buffalo Chicken
3 - Sausage and Mushroom
2 - Sausage and Pepperoni
1 - Sausage and Canadian Bacon

Hope you all have a wonderful new year.

I need it to end

I spoke to my son Sam today. He is serving a mission for our church in Peru. He has been gone 14 months. I am proud of him beyond my ability to express it. I am ready to have him back.

Top 10 Sam Nicknames

10 - Sugar Bear
9 - Baby Samari
8 - Buddy
7 - The Happy Hoser
6 - Samson
5 - Samsamma
4 - Big
3 - Sambob
2 - Hoser Boy
1 - Bubster

And now for your enjoyment, the Sammy song, sung to the tune of "Book of Mormon Stories".

Sammuel Robert Romney Walton he's my only son
He's the perfect little boy whose smile is next to none
He's the little gentleman
The baby Samari
What a kid, what a stud, what a guy

Sam, I miss you more than you could ever know, and I love you more than you can possibly imagine. The only thing getting me through our separation is our faith and the love of your mother and sisters. It will be a great day when we are all together again.