Retroblogging: Celebration California CEO, March 16, 2015

Mid-March was chock full of celebrations. This was celebration number 2.

For the surprise one in honor of our CEO's birthday, I thought I was SO clever to find a recipe that would pay homage to his California background. I found this recipe for an Earthquake Cake in my new-to-me Cake Mix Doctor cookbook (thank you public library sale for $2) and said to myself -- voila! Perfection.
 

You would think. Wouldn't you?

My first clue should have been that all of the overhead lights in my kitchen chose that weekend to burn out. Both of the large, overhead, florescent circular tubes ... BOTH. Two tubes that are so "vintage" that you have to go to a specialty store to find them. NOT your local CVS or 7Eleven.

LUCKILY, my emergency preparedness kit had a lantern in it for ... emergencies. Earthquakes = emergencies. Baking Earthquake Cakes in the dark = emergencies, right?

I SHOULD have realized that if you are making something and the name of it is something that is used to describe a natural disaster -- well. That should be a CLUE.

Even though the recipe did have directions to adapt it into cupcakes, let's just say ... My Earthquake Cake should have been called Volcano Cupcakes or Tsunami Sticky Cups, because ... oy ... my oven. Those sticky suckers needed some serious time to cool and even then I couldn't get them out of the tray. I think I am still chipping off gooey coconut from the bottom of the stove.

I took the extra batter and poured it into a regular rectangular pan for the remainder of the bake. That was somewhat better.

At least they tasted good. Sweet, but good.

Luckily, my contribution to this party was just a few treats and my space. The CEO's assistant came in and decorated it into a beach party extravaganza. I got to "enjoy" the ambiance for a while - and not being able to see out my windows.

View from my computer out into the room:  

Yes, they wrapped the windows AND the filing cabinets.

 Yes, I had to duck around lanterns all week.

 Yes, all I could smell was chocolate.

It was INCHES FROM MY FACE!

Yes, we dressed up in silly outfits. 

 Yes, we got him good.

 

 Yes, I think we exceeded the Fire Marshall's occupancy rating for my space.

 

 Yes, we like to party.

Farewell to Flora / Funeral Program

The text from the funeral program:

In loving memory of

Flora C. Morgan Tillery

Dec. 29, 1925 to Aug. 11, 2014

Farewell to Flora

Honored Mother, Beloved Grandmother, Cherished Friend

Presiding: President Dean Witt

Conducting: Bishop Pauline

Organist: Tyler Howell

Chorister: Nyla Tillery

Opening Hymn: Page 295 Love at Home

Opening Prayer: Torianna Deason

Welcome by Bishop Pauline

Musical Number Families Can Be Together Forever

by grandchildren and great-grandchildren

Accompanist: Carolyne Tillery

Memories of Grandma: Lis Noyes

Eulogy: Lurane Van Nortwick

Poem Words of Wisdom from Grandma

Reading by Chris Tillery

Speaker: Wayne Tillery

Musical Number: Luke and Chrystal Tillery

Poem Memories of Mother

Reading by Myriah Tillery

Spiritual Thought: Preidesnt Dean Nelson

Closing Remarks: Bishop Pauline

Closing Song: Page 152 God Be With You

Closing Prayer: Lee Maxfield

Travel to Graveside Services Following our Chapel Meeting

Pall Bearers: Flora's Grandsons, (listed by age)

Eli Hallack, Gabriel Hallak, Carl Noyes, Warren Schroeder, Any Van Nortwick, Jason Randolph, Daniel Hallak, Patrick Tillery, Brian Tillery, Luke Tillery, Justus Tillery, Chris Tillery, Tommy Tillery, Tyler Tillery,
Connelly Tillery, Axel Deason

Internment:

Clovis Cemetery

305 North Villa Avenue

Clovis, CA 93612

Graveside Dedication:

Conducting: Bishop Pauline

Opening Prayer: Anngela Schroeder

Remarks: Bishop Pauline

Dedication of the Grave: Wayne Tillery

Closing Song: (see insert for music)*

Closing Prayer: Justus Tillery

"Sorrow forgot, Loves purest joys restored.

Be Still my Soul. When change and tears are past.

All safe and blessed, we shall meet at last."

*not included

Memories of Mother

I wonder if the little path
  Still winds across the sod-
The little, narrow, beaten path
  Where friendly feet have trod,
I wonder if the trumpet wine
  And flowing almond tree
Are blooming along the way
  Just where they used to be.

I wonder if small children's feet
  Are eager still to climb
The old board fence and "cute across,"
  As long ago did mine,
And if the same old kitchen door
  Is standing open wide,
Where eager eyes may catch
  A glimpse of mother's face inside.

Oh little memories like these
  Come creeping in betimes
And sing themselves to little tunes
  And set themselves to rymes.
Just haunting little memories
  That seem to cling and guide
The thoughts along to open doors
  And mother's face inside.

Someday I'll find another path
  Where friendly feet have trod,
That's leading down the valley road
  And o'er the hills to God.
When on those strange eternal shores
  The heavenly gates swing wide,
'Twill just be "Home Sweet Home"
  Once More
With Mother's Face Inside.

Farewell to Flora: Family, Food, and Fotos

Funeral shots and Family courtesy of Grumpa with captions by him:
 

Funeral:

Looking back at the family and friends as Bishop introduced those dedicating grave and closing prayer.
Wayne dedicated the gravesite and one of his sons closed the service there.

Friends meeting friends and Daniel with wife and Wayne’s son next to the Stake President who was Aunt Flora's Home Teacher for years.

Ray and Debbie made it to the Monday service and stayed till Tuesday at 6PM (with Grandmary re-hydrating in the California heat.) [Ray and Debbie are Grumpa Max's cousins from his Uncle Wayne and Aunt Teddy UT side of the family.]

Louie with Angela and Daniel’s wife and baby girl. [Louie was Flora Annie's husband.]

 Funeral Family dinner:

This table was mostly Flora Ann’s kids and grandkids. Gabe, Daniel’s wife, Daniel with baby, Nyla with one of the grandchildren (one of Luke’s I think), Abe with two of his girls, Ray and one I don’t know

Same as before but the two girls are Abe’s: oldest is theirs and other adopted.

This table I shot because Lurane’s first husband, Jerry, and Lisa’s husband Karl were in it.

 Group shot without Pat and his children. Next shot has them in it but I ended up cutting off the left side.

 

 I didn’t count the heads but Aunt Flora has a big family. Only one grandchild and her two children missing, maybe.

Sunday Evening Dinner:
The dinner served about 150 with me just taking a few shots.

Below are family candid shots of some of the 75 kids grand-kids, and great grand-kids that attended that meal.

Above is Lisa in white, Pat's daughter in black, Kyle in blue and his new girlfriend.

Billy (Bill) is in print shirt, Peggy beside him.

 Wayne’s wife, their youngest daughter with a sibling's kid, (Grand)Mary and Louie in background

Wayne’s married daughter and her baby, one of Luke's sons, Wayne’s middle daughter, and another of Wayne’s single sons.

The oldest members of the family staying out of the way. [Editor's note: my brothers made cracks here about faces and red solo cups being appropriate for every family gathering.]

The yard and pool were full of kids. Some of the kids were allowed a Sunday swim and others were not. Doesn’t mean they didn’t get wet.

At this table we had Luke with glasses on head, Daniel, Luke’s wife, Angela with one son and one of Daniel’s adopted girls.

 Tom’s son up from TX without family, Abe getting drinks for his family, another of Wayne’s single sons.

What a legacy!

Farewell to Flora: Flowers for Flora

Frumpa did a great job of taking lots of pictures. Here are some of the floral tributes to his Aunt Flora. 

left: the spray for Aunt Flora from Grumpa, Aunt Jerry, Aunt Cora and their extended families

right: the casket spray, carefully cropped for those of you who are squeamish

Sprays from Flora's family and the grandchildren

Pallbearers were Flora's grandsons

 who then placed their boutonnieres on the casket

 in tribute to their Grandma.

 Final visits to see floral blankets keeping Flora covered

while other family members: husband, father, uncle, brother, sister, aunt, and cousins 

also received tributes from ones who miss them.