Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Spring break and Vegas baby!

Spring Break was celebrated in Las Vegas this year with Me, Wayne, Landon, Laila, and cousin Abby Welch at the Tahiti Village with sunshine, pool time, shopping, plenty of good food and BlueMan group. We took off for Las Vegas right after Easter Sunday services and hearing Wayne speak about Grace. (He did a beautiful job. ). We spent a lot of time soaking in the sun by the pool. The sunshine felt soooooo good.
We had Abby Welch try sushi for the first time with Laila feeding her from her chopsticks. She was a great sport and even liked some of it. 

The face swapping all is a hoot and kept us entertained for a long time. We also took personality tests and figured out introverts (Laila, Wayne) and extroverts (Melinda, Landon , Abby).
On Tuesdsay we were off to see the dam... Hoover Dam. We saw the dam water, drove on the dam street, took the dam tour.  It was a really busy touristy time. Who knew? 


We spent the remainder of the dam day shopping til we dropped at the nearby outlets.
Blue man group Wednesday!



Laila and Abby got to sit front row center in the splash zone and as a result Laila got the drum painted picture. She had BlueMan sign it with blue lips and a Blue hand. It was a fabulous performance art experience.
Thursday we met Jane and Steve, Clark, Sandy and Savanna at the Las Vegas temple. It's a beautiful temple with a serene and different shaped celestial room. We laughed that we had to go to Las Vegas so we could go out with Sandy and Clark. Elder and Sister Shurtz have really enjoyed their Las Vegas mission and can't believe it is coming to an end in June.

Friday was all about the Stratosphere and rides!  We rode in the morning and liked it so much we went back at midnight to do it again. 
We rode Big shot, Exscream and Insanity 

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Marcie would be 55

My sister's birthday is today.... it's a bittersweet day for me.  Marcie's was the first birthday I memorized, after my own of course and we celebrated  all birthdays together.

Last year, we went to lunch at Plates and Palates and she was trying to feel good, trying to figure out her new diabetic way of eating..then April she feels a tumor in her stomach, May she finds out it's cancer.   June she struggles to walk and has a final family picture taken. July she has one last trip to our beloved Bear Lake.  August she is dead.  Poof.
I'm happy Marcie's in heaven, laughing it up with mom and dad.  I'm glad she's done with this world and all it's problems.  I'm grateful she's my angel now....
But, man... I just miss her sooo much.
I want to call her up, text her, proclaim my love for her on facebook and insta...and go to lunch or dinner with her to celebrate her 55 years...but she's not here.

So I sit.

I'm in a fog still about this.  Tears come easily almost every time I drive by her house....

I miss my big sis.

I dreamed about her last night. Dreams are weird.  I had two sets of eyebrows and was asking her about this and she was nursing a baby.  SO whatever that means!?!?   But it was nice to see her, be with her and talk to her in my dream.


Friday, March 25, 2016

Hairspray Jr

Hairspray with Farmington Youth Theatre 
Laila played Little Inez  and had to sing, tumble, act and dance. 
Laila had a lot of family and friend support.  Laila met some new friends too including Jaymo who played Inez's brother Seaweed. 
I had such a riot playing Velma when CPT did this show 5 years ago that I was happy to help with this production and do props. Cyrrena and Jill also helped with music, lights and sound. It was a Welch family affair. 


The show was fun because Welch cousins: Hayley, Becca and Abby were all in it too 


Monday, March 21, 2016

33rd Anniversary

Time sure flies when you are having fun or when you are married to Wayne. We celebrate 33 years today and looking back on our wedding day pics it seems like another world. 

We have changed. Our family has changed. Our technology world has really changed. And my love for Wayne has changed...for the better. It was grown more fierce and compassionate over the years. I love him and feel so blessed to be his wife.

Like all relationships we have had our ups and downs. But if someone were to ask me why we are successfully married and happy these are my thoughts: 

1.  We  have conversations not yelling matches. We rarely raise our voices to our children, and even more rare to each other. Oh we get frustrated and don't always see eye to eye. But we communicate and work through issues and kid problems.    I like this David O McKay quote ," There should be no yelling in the home unless there is a fire.”–David O. McKay

2. We let the little things slide.  So many things can get "buggy" and I just want my relationship with Wayne to be more important than things and stuff. If it really "bugs" we talk about it or. I just do it myself since I'm the one that it bothers or better yet I count my blessings that Wayne is on this side of the veil and hasn't left me. 

3. We are quick to apologize. No long or short term resentment.  We try to salve hurt feelings quickly. 

4.  We compliment  each other.  Wayne still helps me feel beautiful. He is quick to express feelings. And he is my handsome man. We also complement each other. My weaknesses are Wayne's strengths and his weaknesses are my strengths. 

5.  We openly  express our gratitude to each other in prayer and in person.  A kiss and a hug help too  

6.  We spend quality time together biking, dating, playing pickleball, cards or whatever. Finding hobbies to do together is a plus. 

7.  We laugh a lot!  Wayne is the best story teller.  He is animated and funny.   We try to always look on the bright side of our crazy life.   

8.  We go to bed together. It's a great time to wind down, cuddle and talk. 

Since turning 50 it feels like I have run from one crisis to the next.  So much drama and tears and trauma and more tears with little relief inbetween.   I'm so tired  of this feeling, but it's good to have strong, faithful Wayne by my side.   He is my joy and my song. 

Wayne wore a pink tux for me in our wedding day and he continues to prove that "real" men wear pink.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Saying Goodbye to the Cole Home

This has been a year of change...well really about 3 years of constant change..... 
Tonight we had one last gathering to say goodbye to my parent's home of almost 43 years.  It was bittersweet.  We gathered to reminisce and mostly just feel of mom and dad's presence one last time.   I like this picture because you can see our glowing angels on the back wall. 
This home had back door privileges to many...infact the door wasn't locked very much, if at all. Other memories of the phone with the longest cord in town......the dance studio with the mirrors and the punching bag in the corner....never being able to park in the garage.....doughnuts and Christmas music on Halloween.....the mirrored walls in the bathroom....so many puzzles put together on the dining table....singing around the piano.....too many Christmas decorations......gingerbread villages on the side board.  So many memories.  
Ryan Call, Andrew an Sophia Buzelli play with Laila and Alfie Welch
We laughed about how we should walk from room to room and tell what happened in each room.   Now I wish we would have done it.    I was doing ok and wasn't too sad until I went out on to the deck...dubbed "Deck Heaven" when it was built in 1984 in celebration of Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary.  They were going to go to Hawaii to celebrate but decided to spend the money on a deck instead.  We spent many Sunday evenings in family circle on this deck.     As the summer got hotter, we still went on to the deck for "Cole-irelli" spaghetti dinners and visiting.  Dad would just rig sprinklers up in the oak trees to cool us off.   
The gorgeous sunset was the finishing touch of the evening.  Mom loved sunsets and had us go outside and look at the sunset with her and enjoy many, many evenings as we were growing up.  I felt her presence tonight.

We have this week to finish clearing everything out  and new owners take over March 30th.  It's the end of an era.  So much change.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Come Fly with ME!

Truman just got offered a job as a flight attendant with Delta airlines...and I couldn't be more thrilled.  He heads to Atlanta, Georgia for 7 weeks of training - kind of like an MTC experience- May 16, then finds out where he is stationed- most likely NYC-- and then he works 6 weeks and the benefits kick in!! Of course I'm happy that he's moving forward in his life and out of my house...which is needed...but I had no idea that parents of employees get FREE FLIGHTS!! What!?!?
I can't believe it!
It's like a dream come TRU!

I lay in bed nights dreaming about exotic bucket list  locals and frequent NYC trips....
 C A N ' T    B E L I E V E     IT!

So I've already made tentative plans to go to NYC...shows, shopping and shows.

Lima Peru so I can climb Machu pichu.  

Seattle for an Alaskan Cruise.

England/Scotland to visit the beloved  SHARKEYS!

.....and Denver to see my AUNT DIANE!!!!

Now I just have to get it on the calendar and make it happen.

Things are looking up


Thursday, March 3, 2016

Thankful Thursday

1. I'm thankful for my talented DIL, Bre.  Bre is in the Pirate Queen at Hale Center Theatre....and she is powerful, beautiful and believable.  We were able to take Wanee with us to see the show and on our way out Wanee was bragging to total strangers that, " the lead, Grace O'Malley is my granddaughter."   So cute.  The Pirate Queen is a sweeping Irish history piece by the same people who wrote Les Miserable the musical.   Grace was chief over two clans and  ruled her people at the same time (1500's) as Queen Elizabeth reigned in England.   Bre has to sword fight, fight fight, have a baby and fight the next day, fall in love, dance, be imprisoned, mourn her father and son's deaths and meet with the queen of England....all while beautifully SINGING the entire time.  There might be 5 lines of actual dialogue. Bre just continues to grow on stage as a singer and actress...and off stage as a wife and mother.  Side note:  The writer's of Pirate QUeen are coming to see the show and Bre March 8th.  SOOOOO excited.

2. I'm thankful I'm not sick.  I write this because the past two Monday night family nights I have eaten or sucked on stranger food....not strange food....but a stranger's food.  I'll explain.   Last week we went out for Sushi for family night with Wayne's YSA elder's quorum presidency and RS presidency. We ordered edamame to pass around....and it was salty and delicious.   Well at one point I looked over and saw another full bowl of bean pods to be eaten...so I reached over and put one in my mouth ...and then gasped and gagged because it was already empty.  The bowl was already sucked on edamame.....ewwwwww.  We laughed and cried and laughed some more.  Then last Monday  for family night we went to In and Out with Monson and Lexi.  We sat down at the table and I was holding and helping with Tayla.  All I ordered was water.  Well, I reached over and got my drink and I got a mouth full of lemonade.  WHat?!?  I had reached too far and sucked the straw of some strangers cup from the table next to me.  Good thing that person was gone, but still... stranger danger!  Ewww........so I'm thankful I'm not sick

3. I'm thankful for family and friends who create the "village" that helps support and raise my children.  I'm thinking in particular about Laila right now.  When I'm totally exasperated and feeling like I don't know how to mother and what to say...someone is there, Abby, Wayne, Karen, Grandma Welch, Laura, Paisley...someone to fill the gap.  It's amazing to me how this works and how important it is.  Laila gets to go with Paisley and Craig Callister family  to St. George/Las Vegas the end of this month.  What makes this extra special for her, besides hanging out with other adopted "brown" cousins and my hilarious cousin Paisley,  is she gets to go with all of the Callister girls and see a Justin Beiber concert.  She is so excited about this and keeps asking if I'm just joking....

4. I'm thankful the "musical theatre"gene is popping up in Sophia and Andrew!  They  had their musical theatre class performance last night....oh my, they entertain and delight me so much. Andrew was thrilled he was in his "first show."  He and Sophia did all of the actions precisely and were quite serious about it.  I can't wait to get a private performance  on their Consider Yourself song soon.