In The Middle of the Merry Go Round!

I live in metaphors.  The one that I am living  now- and that I've shared with friends- is that at this age- this HUGE age (and turning 70 in two weeks!!!!)- I feel like my life has been on a merry go round and I've been flung off and no one even notices.  Life goes on.  And it's not that I want to be on the merry go round.  Life was crazy when I was younger.  But it is odd to not be in the center of anything.


But Wednesday I was.  Wednesday was a day for Valene and I to be together and celebrate my birthday.  Early because I'm leaving on a cruise with my hubby and married kids in two hours (!!!!!)- and then Valene is taking her family to Mexico.  Life is rough off the merry go round, isn't it? LOL.

Funny Kathy usually goes with us on the birthday celebration but she's been in Viet Nam, Cambodia and Thailand for 2 weeks.  I assumed she wasn't home yet when Valene called to make plans.

I went to pick up Valene (because she had a million excuses on why she couldn't drive)- and

SURPRISE!!!!!

She was having a surprise party for me!!!!  For me!!!!  I got to be in the center of the merry go round and everyone made me feel like Queen for A Day and I felt like I was in a dream- it was just surreal- and I felt so loved and pampered and totally surprised!

Funny Kathy had just gotten back the day before from her trip and Cathy had been in Disneyland all week with her kiddos and she was back- and 15 other amazing friends. And Brandi was off work and there.   And you know, I always say Valene's Place IS my favorite restaurant!

The brunch menu was unreal.  She made a breakfast sandwich (made the bun as well and it was unbelievable)- country fried potatoes, a blueberry coffee cake, fresh fruit and the killer was sugared bacon.   And everything was decorated in yellow (my signature color!)  And after eating everyone shared a story about me and I just sat there in the middle of the merry go round and cried.  It meant everything to me!

I feel so blessed.  Good, good friends.  So many memories.  Glad to be alive!

 

January -April in Review 2019

  I tried to do a year in review and it just didn't work.  Last January I was fresh out of my sling from rotator cuff surgery- and found I had a numb and swollen right hand and armpit.  It would be miserable for a least another 6 months.  Lots of therapy.  But it snowed and snow is always fun at our house.

 
 T and T got a new dog, Jeter, that I have fallen in love with.  I was babysitting him one day and mistakenly took a nap....to not be able to find him!  I thought somehow he had gotten outside.  No, he had gotten in our bedroom and the door shut...and he found himself in good fun in the bathroom.  I didn't mind cleaning up the mess when I found this roll of toilet paper he had left behind....

 Son Ryan surprised me with fabulous tickets to see Kelly Clarkson and Kelly Ballerini.  It was such an amazing concert with our besties, Kirk and Cathy.

 

January melted into February with a fabulous girl trip to Palm Desert in California.  Love these wonderful friends.   (Funny Kathy, me, Karlan, Brendalyn, Claudia and Cathy)

 
 

 
Brendalyn and I

 

It was so fun to host Bucket in February!  I needed something to get excited about to not think about my arm and hand!  And I love a party!

 

 

February was fun news that grand Hallee Babe made Brighton's Soph. basketball team. She's a freshman.  We didn't really know she played basketball- lol!

 
 

 

March's sweetest event was grand Peyton's baptism.  I love this little guy so much and am so proud of him!  Even though our family joke is Peyton saying, in an open air cafeteria in Guatemala, "Hurry and get your food before Grandma eats all the ham!"  Honestly, I have NO idea where that came from...but it still brings laughs!

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Rylee, who plays on Alta High's soccer team (and also Comp.) broke her fibula.  She rocked her scooter!

 

 

I love April Fool's and pranking our Sideways Boys with Oreo's with toothpaste in the middle! We love these boys so much- it is hard to see their lives and struggles.

 

Ohh La La

So, it began with the 12 Days of Christmas....the girls opened up a gift a day- things like TresEmme shampoo.  (Did you know that TressEmme means, phonetically speaking "beloved" in French?).  another day, it was a French fry container with a gift card 5 Guys (and a Burger) in it.  Traveling journals.  Gloves. A manicure kit (French tips)  - Merci chocolates.  A travel pillow.  A trip!!!!

 

 

What an incredible experience!  It was so hard for us to not have them with us for Christmas (both Brandi and her girls are soooo big on traditions!)- but they got a ticket opportunity they just couldn't pass up.  Parker was coming home from his semester in Greece so he met them there.  He was actually there for a couple of days kicking around by himself.  I can't believe he is big enough to do that.  I remember Brandi trying to walk him through everything with airports/boarding etc. when they went to San Francisco to get his papers to fly to Greece.  He's growing up, that boy!



The bummer on the trip was that the Metro was on strike.  They got their Air B & B especially because it was next to a station.  But other than walking and walking and more walking, and uber $ far over budget, they had a marvelous time! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll share more adventures later!

Santa and Jammies

I can't believe we are down to 2 families having Christmas pictures!  My two eldest families have kids away at school and Bridger, Ben and Susie's dog, gets a little terrorized by Santa.  But I'm so grateful for the two I got!  I love Santa.  And these are two new Santa's this year- since our real Santa that has taken all the kids pictures for 20 years died from cancer.  He was wonderful!  But these two are a nice replacement. 

 

And then, the Christmas jammie pictures were all over the place.  Brandi and Doug and kids were in Paris for Christmas (wow!) and Brooke and Tanner went to Brooke's family (hard to share)- so we got Christmas Eve jammies in spurts!

 

 

 

 

 

Here is our Christmas card this year.  Niece Mallorie took the picture.

 

 

We Are So Thankful....

 

for our wonderful family!  We are grateful almost all of them live around us.  Parker has been on a study abroad in Greece, Josh serves as a Spanish-Speaking missionary in Dallas, Annee Bug graduated this year and Peyton was baptized!  We are thankful for family dinners and traditions to keep us together.  Our kids are good, good, good human beings and we are so proud of each of them.

 

In addition, we are thankful for our Savior and His love of us!  We have loved the Come Follow Me and the New Testament this year and our love for the Savior has grown.  We are thankful for the opportunity we have had and continue to have serving with troubled youth.  They make our hearts sing and weep and we hope they know they are loved.  We also love working with the amazing people in our little "Sideways" branch.

 

David continues to love his horses.  Marilyn continues to love her girlfriends.  Life is good!  Merry Christmas from our house to yours!