Florence Marie Jex Bowen 1909-2009

On Wednesday, November 18, 2009 my great Grandma Bowen passed peacefully into paradise. I had promised myself I would make her funeral no matter what and so we did. Spencer and I had Mom Bagshaw pick up the kids and we left Friday morning for a loooong drive to California to celebrate this great woman's life. My greatest memory of Grandma is her New Year's Eve parties. She really knew how to have fun and I remember us going out on her front porch and banging pots and pans with wooden spoons and she would yell "Louder girls LOUDER!" I also loved her smile. I don't know but when she smiled at you, you just knew you were special. I learned so much about her at her funeral too and for that I am especially grateful. I think I always knew that she was a hard worker but that was what she was remembered for the most, she never stopped serving, she never stopped loving and when she could help no more she went home....
No matter what... FAMILY is the most important thing. "Family There is Nothing Greater" It was really funny at the funeral because people would walk up to me and point and say "David's daughter right?" Yep that is me. One other person walked up to me and said, "I don't know what your name is but I know that you look exactly like your mom." Yep that is me, no matter if we were at Bowen or Sellers gatherings everyone says I look just like my mom. I am excited, I am going to look GOOD!!!!


Grandma's funeral was Saturday and the burial was Monday. I forgot the camera at the funeral but remembered for the burial.


Not all the pallbearers from the funeral were able to come to the cemetery so we got some stand-in pallbearers. They were her two sons Dean and Grandpa, her grandsons Jimmy, Junior and my uncle Chris and Spencer (cause they wouldn't let me:))

This is my Grandpa Bowen's mother. It was so sweet to see how much he loved her.

All the family at the burial and grave dedication. We had a mini (well it was over an hour) testimony or rather memory sharing time and anyone could share. This gave me the most closure and brought happiness in her passing.

My Grandma and Grandpa Bowen and I with Great Grandma one more time.

Next we went to her famous farm. My dad remembers the farm and always talks about this pool. Well it was filled in so I am "swimming" in the infamous pool. See Dad, one more swim!!

One of the things I learned at the funeral was everyone talked about Grandma's famous pomegranate jelly. I guess it was a big hit. Well when we were at the farm my Aunt Debra asked if we could take some and they said sure. It will always be a special memory to me...picking pomegranates with Grandma and Grandpa Bowen after Grandma's burial. It was just one of those special moments that you never forget. It was like Grandma was right there with us ready to pick more and make some jelly.

I LOVE this picture! I will always treasure this trip, it was worth the drive and all other sacrifices!!!

Never a DULL moment!!!

We went to our friends baby blessing today. It was the sweetest blessing I have heard in a long time. It was fantastic and the sacrament meeting was on gratitude and it was perfect. Then comes lunch afterward....

First let me mention that I believe Lukas is 99% Bowen and 1% Bagshaw- I mean the kid has put his tooth through his lip three times, head glued once and probably should have been twice, broke his leg and well the poor kid is just chuck full of Bowen genes!! For those who don't know growing up a Bowen was like having a bulls eye on your back, one of us was always injured some how- some where and I am sure my mom had a first name basis with the ER. Anyway so Lukas inherited the bull's eye. So today Lukas and I walk to the front of the house which was locked so we turned around. Lukas had his hands in his pockets and totally biffed it! I mean bad! I heard a crack when he hit and there was blood everywhere. His tie was totally covered and by the time I could get him inside my hand was full of blood. I totally freaked with the two holes in his bottom lip but then really freaked cause he kept bleeding and I couldn't find where from. Anyway I lifted up his top lid and his gums were a gray color and bleeding. He tore the frenulum and knocked three teeth loose and chipped two. Here is the damage...

Got love that LIP, I felt bad cause I kept scrubbing his chin to get the blood off but it was a scrape...sorry Buddy!!

Where the teeth went through...these were gaping holes and I am so excited with how much they have closed already.

The top gum, you can see the discoloration. His front two teeth and the one on the left of them is loose but the Dentist said he won't loose them and they will get firm again in TWO weeks! TWO freakin' weeks!!! Dr says soft foods for TWO weeks! Good thing he likes pancakes :0)

Yeah so there is a dentist in our friend's ward so we ran Lukas across the street and because the teeth were loose he wanted to do an xray and make sure nothing was fractured. So we went to his office- insanely nice man bytheway- Dr Curtis Godfrey- totally recommended- anyway Lukas has never been to the dentist so with some fighting we got xrays and everything is ok. His permanent teeth were not damaged so we were relieved. Like I said 99% Bowen. We sure know how to have fun in this family!!!

Not to leave MaKynzee out she has been wearing her tiara since Halloween. One night she even wore it to bed. So I took a picture of our very own Sleeping Beauty. She is growing way to fast!!!

Dag Gum Freakin BUGS!!!!

Ok so I really wanted to title this "How to Lose 14 POUNDS in One Week" but I didn't want search engines to grab my pitty story for those who would like to lose weight healthy.


Anyway How to Lose 14 FREAKIN POUNDS in 7 days!!

Step 1- Get a MANDATORY Piggy Flu shot
***one week prior to symptoms
Special note: Have your family all get sick in this week but YOU and feel pretty good about yourself!!

Step 2- Get the FREAKIN Piggy flu! (One week later gotta love that!!!!!!)

Step 3- Get Bronchitis secondary to flu
***This is day 3 now of symptoms

Step 4- Gag up every single bit of moisture for 3 days

Step 5- Swell tonsils to the point where they are over lapping and your throat is no longer able to do vital things like...BREATHE!!!! Swallow or eat.
*** Now to make sure you are on track your garbage should now be half full of your mouth and nose "moisture"

Step 6- Due to the fact that you can not vomit due to tonsils and resulting you have to swallow your vomit, your stomach now gets even ANGRIER and sends fire down your man hole!

Step 7- Make sure that you do not sleep for the the last three days and wake up in sweats (I saw so many wrestlers sweat their weight off in high school- Guess what it WORKS!!)

Step 8- The night of Day 6 to 7 completely rid your body of piggy flu virus through....SWEATING!
***You know the outlines of the bodies for crime scenes....Well imagine you wake up and you are soaked (I thought I might have peed the bed or dumped my ever full cup of water on the bed) and there is a completely FILLED IN outline of your body and you are convulsing due to chills and no body heat. Yepo that is at least 3 pounds right there.

Now this does not help your weight loss goals but you go crying like a baby into the Dr on day 7, say you've given up either they rip out your tonsils or you will and I do know where to find a scalpel! The nurses take one look at you and stay where they are. You can't even get the Dr closer than FOUR feet to you. You continue to cry as they give you a shot in each butt cheek (now one of these shots is the hell, fire and damnation shot (rocephin-one word BURN) that nurses HATE to give and HATE even more to receive) and 8 hours later you are breathing and swallowing. Still haven't eaten but hey at this point I am believing that is optional.


Mom the funny thing is - All I want is a frosty and fries!! So much for weight loss- LOL!


Sorry for the graphic details to my weight loss but I do want to report that I am getting better. Yes I had the swine flu, bronchitis and strep throat at the same time and probably all because of each other. The Swine flu test takes one week to come back but they are pretty sure. For those of you who have called I no longer sound like a man so I will begin to take calls. And for the rest of you who love me and care thank you for all your well wishes. Thanks especially to Brad Poulton who would come within one foot of me to help Spencer give me a blessing!

MaKynzee who started all of this is doing good, poor girl was sick for over a week but pretty spunky with a fever except maybe 2 days.

Spencer who was the second victim is doing very well also. He has his 3 month cough for the rest of the cold season but is handling it well with a pocket full of cough drops.

Lukas was barely touched, he had a cough but never fevered.

Me well you know my story!

Hope all is well and we love you all.

******This is NOT FDA approved method for weight loss!!!!********

Halloween Bagshaw Style 2009

So I have not stopped one of my FAVORITE traditions...making the kids costumes. This year was the funnest and hardest! MaKynzee's fabric choice and I were not getting along so don't look to close. But I had a BLAST making Lukas- Lightning McQueen! I told MaKynzee no more princesses, this year she was Belle- Beauty and the Beast. She was so dang cute. I got my favorite red heads, my nieces Brookelyn and Kira on Thursday so we got to enjoy the festivities with them until Brookelyn spiked a fever and I took her home, with Kira soon to follow. Dang the winter!!!
Anyway we celebrated on Friday by going to the Ward Carnival and then ran down to Soda Springs for Dad Bagshaw's birthday (that is becoming a tradition too it seems). We had a blast and I was SAVED by a best friend Kendra who willing came to the ward party with me for support. Thanks girlie!!


Lukas celebrated Halloween week it seems with Preschool celebrations on Wednesday! His teacher is so awesome, she was a genie.



The complete and finished costumes.... DUN DUN DUN....

Presenting...Lightning McQueen!!

I made a car racer outfit and then made Lightning out of a card board box.



Me showing off my McQueen, I was SO happy with the way it turned out I have to brag a little!



My Princess Belle

The sewing machine ate her neckline but other than that I think it is ok. MaKynzee loved it and wouldn't take it off.


The Gang before Ward Carnival- It was fun getting all four ready by myself. I think they turned out C-U-T-E!




The kiddos Trunk or Treating in Soda. It wasn't that cold it was nice.

So now we are all sick...yep thank you very much. Spencer has bounced back with his cough that will last 3 months, Lukas blows green every time he sneezes, MaKynzee can't seem to keep her temp down, she is the worst and poor little thing looks like a ghost. I thought I had escaped but now I am beginning to feel pain in my chest and have a tickle in my throat! Heaven help us all!! We love everyone's costumes!!!