Memorial Weekend Pt. 3

Monday is for Biking, Swimming, Eating and Remembering!  
Wayne and I did two bike rides this weekend, so we are soooo happy to be back out on our bikes in this glorious weather.

We headed to the Morley pool in Spanish Fork to share it with Christiana and Katelyn Pattison (KP Laila's best friend) .  It's always a big bash with Mike having 12 siblings and Krystin 6 siblings and all of their kids and grandkids... so we are just glad to be included.   Landon, Addison, Bre, and ALf also joined us.

Wayne helped Mike cook up about 160 burgers, 48 hot dogs a ton of grilled onions and so much more food it's mind boggling.  Laila made sure Christiana and KP HAD to jump off the high platform, and we all just basked in the new summer sun!  

 SO MUCH FOOD!

We got home in time to be at the Lakeview cemetery and remember Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa Butters and Marcie's life.  I still struggle that Marcie is gone and has been for 2 years.  

 I love reading the books I made about Mom and Dad and taking them to the cemetery to help us reminisce and see what they looked like .  They seem to grow dimmer all of the time, so I'm glad Memorial day comes around so we have to focus.

 We finally got the "He Was Kind" at the top of Dad's stone.... which is good, because he really was!

 Alf racing to go potty.... yet again...he is peeing everywhere!

Our Cemetery group this year was Christiana Gilardi , Laila, Landon, Me and Wayne, Bre, Addison and Aflie.  

Memorial Weekend Pt. 2

Sunday was wonderful.... We celebrated Holly's 40th birthday with a big family BBQ at Terry and Cyrrena's lovely back yard.  So many Welches came to celebrate and holly felt really special.  Holly told me to "listen to my heart" in choosing a gift for her so I made her a knit purple love blanket and she was thrilled.  She said, "this makes my eyes watery."   Sandy put a book together for her with letters and notes form everyone telling how special Holly really is in all of our lives.  That made her eyes watery too.  So cute.

Then.............We all headed to the Farmington Cemetery to remember Tom.  He has been gone for 13 years and it's good to sit around...actually we "camp " around the grave site and tell stories and reflect on his life.  I love this time shared.  

 Wayne makes sure we always tell the Addison and pet Grasshopper story that Grandpa Tom killed with a fly swatter up at the cabin, and Tami makes sure we re tell the Hunter announcing to all of us at Tom's viewing that "grandpa feels like a corn dog!"  Family legends at this point, but we also share other stories about his service and goodness and doing so much for so many even when he just didn't feel good for about the last decade of his life.

Wanee with almost all her boys.  We missed Dale this year.

Memorial Weekend pt. 1

Memorial weekend is a great time to set apart time to stop and remember those who have gone before us. The military people who died to preserve our freedoms and our own loved ones who shaped our lives.   

We go to the cemetery to do the remembering. I don't necessarily find solace there but it's a good place to be on this day.  Plus if we pay all that funeral money to bury the body we might as well go and sit on the grass that we paid for.   But even if it's not at the cemetery, It's important to stop in our busy lives and talk about grandma, grandpa, mom, dad and sister and the lessons they taught and what we can learn from their lives.  Pass on their legacy to the younger set. If we don't take the time to pause and do this , then this holiday becomes just another day with a BBQ. 

We had a wonderful Memorial weekend... starting on Saturday with Christiana Gilardi coming to our home for a few days to spend time with us.  She is with the Scotland Gilardi's and has been in Heber for 2 months with family friends, and then heads back to Scotland June 16.  She is a delightful girl and I love listening to her Scottish Brogue.

We had a fun  family Mexican BBQ at Alex and Landon's....and a baby announcement by Monson and Lexi.  Baby due in January!!

 Our Brazillian Alex makes wonderful Mexican food.  HE spoiled us with pan fried taco shells.

 Tayla wore a "Big Sister" shirt around until everyone noticed.  We are so excited for another welchkin to go along with Add and Bre's baby that is due in November.

Alf is in his crazy-melt-down threes and Tayla is in her I-only-know-how-to-say-one-word-and-it's-Mom phase.  She says Mom for EVERYTHING.  It's pretty Funny.  ALfie has been channeling his uncle Monson by Peeing EVERYWHERE.  Over the deck  at the 3 story up apartment, the cemetery on a grave, in front of the toilet that he won't go at.  HE is pretty funny.  I remember Monson doing this so clearly. 

End of 9th grade

Laila is at the end of 9th grade. ... this past week she had her final choir concert, her cheer leader review and her 9th grade honors recognition night. We all cheered because after 19 years, Wayne and I are no longer at the Jr. High!!! We deserve an award for that.

A bunch of 9th grade girls

Jonah and Genacie Ekker, Camilla Skinner, Max Eiting, Laila and Sam Mele

These two are a hoot...we are so grateful Laila has a good friend in Katelyn Patteson

KP, Laila and Cole Wardle.

New pics from Pepperfox photo

We had a photo shoot with Bre and Pepperfox photo.   Bre does such a great job capturing personality and mood.  She is patient and professional.  It's really interesting to watch her work.  We had plenty of good pics to choose from, but only chose 5 for Laila to use and send off to an agent to hopefully get some commercial work.  

I got two new headshots for theatre, a serious one and a fun one then I got some for my new website I'm creating for Women's retreats called Soul Sisters 50.  

The Lord knows me

I have to recertify as an elementary school teacher this summer. I’m a secondary teacher working in a K-8 school and now the state is cracking down on things like that, so unless I want to teach HS again, I need to certify.  

 I have had to get my college transcripts from 30+ years ago from Weber and pay ACT to try and find my old scores from 1979… Well the transcripts were easy, the ACT scores hard.  After paying my 60 bucks, ACT couldn’t find me.  I have to have these or I will be taking some math college courses.  I don’t want that to happen. I was fretting over this and got an idea  ( the spirit told me) to look in my old HS journal.  So I got the old box down out my closet and read and read.  There was NOTHING there…but I did read about the first time Wayne told me he loved me… March 21, 1979…we were married on that very date March 21^st 1983… 4 years later… coincidence? 

Ok.  Back to my ACT saga…. I was still sick.  I didn’t know what to do about these scores… as I was putting my journal back in the box I noticed my old Sterling Scholar portfolio.   I started thumbing through this book, and lo and behold, a certified ACT document was in this book!!! Thank you Spirit.    I love times like this when I remember that the Lord knows me and is involved in my life.   

 Now for the hard PRAXIS test this summer on LA, Math, science and history .

Obligatory Mother's Day pics 2017

I've always had a pretty good relationship with Mother's Day.  I think it's because my mom  always had a good relationship with Mother's day- My mom and then Wayne's mom always were comfortable with who they were and loved this day too. Mom taught me to take charge of this day. Make it what you want. Tell your spouse and kids so they don't have to guess. If it's a total pj and family movie day-great. If it's a church and family dinner day-awesome. I get myself what I want as a gift and I'm never disappointed. 🎁 I expect a picture of me with each child and grandkid. I told my kids Years ago that I don't want breakfast in bed...yucky. I do want love notes, good food and hugs. Anything else that my kids do is just gravy. ❤️❤️❤️ The sharing Sheri-13 days of giving continues. Wayne helped a random family from Cali get their car fixed 🚗and back on the road for a funeral in Nebraska. 👍🏽Ask for opportunities to help and give and the Lord will manifest them. It's up to us to listen and then follow through.

Addison drew me this Home Sweet Home of my house on 915 East... I love it so much.  Home is definitely where MY heart is.