Successful Surgery - 8/29/06

Joseph underwent surgery today on his right foot to eliminate bone infection(Osteomyelitis) . The problem started several months ago when he injured the little toe on his right foot. The problem, rather than healing, became more and more irritated until it blossomed into a infection which was masked by other problems until it was quite serious. Last week they identified the problem and scheduled surgery for Thursday. On Monday things were bad enough that we talked to the Dr. and made a trip to the emergency room at LDS Hospital. They started intraveneous antibiotics and arranged for the surgery today. The antibiotic treatment made a difference immediately and the surgery was very successful and they removed the infected bone. The surgeon was Dr. VanBoren, and the attending physicians were Dr. Kraft and Dr. Dustin Armstrong (on the left in the photo with Dr Kraft). Dustin in the son of Dan and Rosemary Armstrong. Dan was a counselor to Tim in the stake presidency for nine years and was our Stake Patriarch who gave Joseph his patriarchal blessing. Small World.

Joseph missed his first classes at the University of Utah Monday and Tuesday, but his friend Matt Smith attended for him and recorded the classes. His instructors were understanding. Joseph was also scheduled to speak to the youth of the Paris, Idaho Stake tonight. His brother-in-law Denny Bird took over and we hear he did a great job.

To dad, it is ironic that Joseph's namesake, the Prophet Joseph, had his early trial at age seven with the same malady (See the Institute Church History text: View as HTML p.23). The Lord watched over them both and knows the beginning from the end. We are grateful.

The last post we were unable to upload this photo from the Heartstrings conference of Linsey Futrell and her sister Megan, our daughter Elizabeth and Gloria.

Conclusions and Beginnings -- 8/27/06

Elder John Pingree spoke at the Bennion Heights Utah Stake Conference this weekend, concluding his visit with a message about gratitude. How our hearts resounded to that topic. Our lives are so richly blessed because of the Lord and so many of his helpers!
Dave the Concrete Guy finished the cement work on the back Friday. It is marvelous so many have helped with time and materials to make Joseph life comfortable and manageable. There are still challenges aplenty, but on to more blessings. . .

Greg Burton and Hallmark cabinets had the last of the cabinets installed on Saturday in Joseph's room, one by the sink and one over the toilet. They are beautiful and will last for many years. They are so well made. Through the years ahead we will remember the kindness of great craftsmen in providing such quality out of kindness and love. This marks the conclusion of permanent intallations to Joseph's room and to the outside of the house, other than landscaping.

Gloria and Elizabeth were able to spend Thursday evening through Saturday afternoon at a really fun Heartstrings conference. (http://www.heartstringdesigners.com/) This is a hobby as well as a business they are engaged in, using their ability in scrapbooking to make it easy for others to make great things for family memories. It was a real change of pace for both of them. They gained so many great ideas and it was fun to spend time with one of our former missionaries from Las Vegas, Lindsey Futrell (the former Sis. White) and her sister. Lindsey was an awesome (no. . . AWESOME) missionary and is now an awesome wife and mom.

Beginnings
Joseph is scheduled to start back to School on Tuesday, he's excited to get back to it. There are
plenty of challenges just now but he's facing them with grit and determination. Your prayers are always of great help. As the photo attests things are sometimes restful at the Taggarts. . . sometimes.

Football, Forms and Forefathers -- 8/21/06

FOOTBALL:
There is something wonderful about the green pitch, (opps, 'field' for Yanks) the beautiful weather, and the sound of "GOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLL", that is good for the system. Joseph and Dad went to the Real Salt Lake game with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday and had a great time. Joseph is doing great, making steady progess. He is able to do many things himself including feed himself, brush his teeth, shave himself. All of these take effort and dilligence, but his strength improves and so does his determination. He is registered for school again starting next week at the University of Utah. He is excited and anxious to get back to the classroom. He's starting back with two classes, more about that next week.

Dad was really pleased to see Elder Douglas Shumway (http://deseretnews.com/confer/leaders/e.htm) again last week. The last time they met was in Guatemala in the hospital when he came to give Joseph a blessing. He was serving in the Central America Area Presidency at the time. Now he has been assigned as one of the Audiovisual Department Executive Directors supervising Tim's work. The Lord does wonderful things to connect the puzzles of our lives and surround us with blessings.

FORMS:
On Friday afternoon Dave-the-concrete-guy came and built forms for the concrete sidewalk and pad linking Joseph's ramp to the back driveway. They will pour sometime this week. After that, other than getting some landscaping and lawn back, the outside is about completed. Dad spent Saturday painting the Garage cupboards. This officially ends the construction in the garage. Now to have it all organized. . .

FOREFATHERS:
Remembering Who They Were and Learning Who We Are Part III
A couple of weeks ago we held the George Washington Taggart Family reunion in Bountiful. (http://www.taggartfamily.org/) This great pioneer was Joseph's GGGrandfather. He crossed the nation on foot with the Mormon Battalion (http://www.mormonbattalion.com/), built many of the early mills of Utah and was the righteous ancestor of most the current Taggarts living in Utah. The photo is a newly discovered Tintype Tim found of George and his wife Clarrissa Marina Rogers (Noah Rogers' daughter). Their home in Salt Lake was built where the driveway of the McCune Mansion is now. IN 1843 in Nauvoo his mother wrote a letter back to family members back home in New Hampshire. At the bottom George added a note about the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“He is a young looking man of his age, which is near thirty eight years [George was nearly twenty seven], and one of the finest looking men there is in the country. And he does not pretend to be a man without failings and follies. He is a man that you could not help liking as a man, setting aside the religious prejudice which the world has raised against him. He is one of the warmest patriots and friends to his country and laws that you ever heard speak on the subject. Neither is he puffed up with his greatness, as many suppose, but on the contrary is familiar with any decent man and is ready to talk upon any subject that any one wishes. And I assure you, it would make you wonder to hear him talk and see the information which comes out of his mouth and it is not in big words either but that which any one can understand.

"[C]oncerning public reports and stories that are abroad in the world concerning Joseph Smith and the Mormons, so called, as a people they are as false [as] the Devil or those that make such stories. I say this as a fact, knowing it to be so. Therefore, if you ever believed me to be one of truth, [I] am still the same.” ^{Taggart Family Newsletter (Vol.IV, No.1, December 1983) 4-6. GWT Biography}

Our lives are blessed because of the example, hard work, integrity, and committment of those who came before us. We turn our hearts to those to who will come after us, and try to establish a similar example.

The REAL Thing - 8/12/06

Photo at Left: David Beckham apparently recognizes Joseph and Tim in the crowd. "Cheers Mate"! The 'boys night out' at the Real Salt Lake vs Real Madrid game was excellent on Saturday. The weather was beautiful and the game was not an embarrassment for RSL. Joseph was excited to see Robinho play and especially Roberto Carlos da Silva from Cordeiropolis, Brazil. While on his mission, Joseph met him there and taught some of his relatives and family members. It was also great to meet up with friends of the family. One of the surprizes was running into the Irwin family from Exeter, U.K. David was Stake President in Plymouth when we were there in '97-2000. What a joy to see them again. Their daughter Esther is over here going to University.

Well the photo upload is non functional again so we'll try this in a couple of different entries.

Celebrating Providential Friendship Part Duex & Spreading Dirt 8/5/06

(See the previous post) Sky View High School Class of 1968 Best Friends: Clock wise from Right, Cortney Smith "See No Evil"; Randy Simmons "Hear No Evil" (both from Providence); Jay Mauchley " Speak No Evil" and Tim Taggart, "What Me Worry?" The photo (pre-montage) was shot after the four managed to steal the Logan High Victory Club. Were those really the "Good Old Days"? . . . Yeah, pretty good!

Gloria (who was the lead in the Logan High musical that year) was shocked when she later learned it was her future husband and friends who stole the prized victory symbol. The babe in the photo is Gloria Shaffer, 1965.

If that wasn't Spreading Dirt enough:
The yard is starting the journey back to life. On Thursday Kent Wilson, a fine craftsman of the mini front-end loader came and in a few minutes leveled out the dirt in the back of the house and helped prepare for getting things green again. It was a delightful spectator sport for the family. It's always fun to watch someone who is good at their craft.

Celebrating Providential Friendship - 8/5/06

Monday evening the extended Taggart family travelled to Cache Valley and enjoyed Family Home Evening with the Randy and Janet Simmons family and friends in Providence, Utah. Randy is USU's Political Science Department Head and Mayor of Providence, and Tim's friend since High School. This was a "Thanksgiving" of sorts, for those who helped with repairing Joseph's van. Kim Frederick and his wife were there (AutoCare Collision Repair) along with Gloria's family (who threw the bash and provided the food). Joseph loved it as did everyone else. Gloria and Randy's wife Janet, were best friends in Jr. High. Our family's have grown and so has our mutual admiration. Our connection since we were youth with Janet and Randy and with mutual friends Pete and Annette Brunson has been a source of joy through the years. We love them and their families, how grateful we are for true friends.
We can't get the blog to publish the photo of Randy and Tim in High School. . . maybe we'll try a separate entry.