2023 reflection

Last year I wrote down 23 things I wanted to do in 2023, and here's how I did.....

I wanted to host at least 6 dinners at my home -- and I did.

I wanted to read at least a book a month.  I did much more than that: 

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. 

1. Our missing  Hearts
2. Lessons in Chemistry
3. Verity
4. The Covenant of Water
5. The Girl who drank the moon
6. The Summer before the War
7. The Boys from Biloxi
8. Remarkably beautiful creatures
9. Mad Honey
10. A time for Mercy
11. Hello Beautiful 
12. Carrie Soto is back
13. River Sing Me Home
14. Book of Delights
15. The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeyset
16. Tom Lake
17. Homecoming 
18. Better than Happy by Jody Moore
19. Who is Maud Dixon
20. Faith after Doubt

Visit one new country✔️ Austria 

Follow through on kids book with Addison. I didn't do this...but it's still on my list for this year.  I want to get on it now so it's ready for Christmas 

Be in a show. ✔️. A Christmas Carol on Ogden 

Redo stools✔️ and chairs ✔️

Go to temple once a week.   I didn't get in once a week, but more like twice amonth.  I will work on this.

Reach out to Gary more.  All my siblings connect on phone weekly 

Once a month sibling lunches / dinners ✔️

Lunch date every week with someone

Figure out all of my thousands of pics - hmmmm

Duolingo. Practice Spanish out loud daily✔️. I'm at a 420 day streak at this point

Read the Gospels over and over.  I read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John 12 times this year ✔️

Love my body✔️

Bear my testimony 6 times ✔️

Create a fun file. Schedule deliberately with grands 

Workout/ walk  5 times a week. 

Meditation 5 minutes  a day. 

Learn school programs ✔️

Get rid of one bag of stuff to DI a month- de clutter organize spaces ✔️ moving took care of this. 

Spend more time outside.  

Volunteer.    Directed SNAP  program ✔️. In charge of Girls camp ✔️ helped Rosalinda✔️

WOW-- this year was a year of change.  

Last year at this time the thought of moving our of my beloved Bountiful hadn't even entered our heads or hearts, yet here we are in Layton.

This was a big life-changing decision, and mostly, I'm glad we did it. I do miss my big tub, and sunset views.  

In our RAINBOW home, we have added more cement and put in a basement door and will finish that space in the next few months.  We will rent out half of the basement and keep the other half for a downstairs family room/playroom. 

We have made some new acquaintances-- hopefully, we can call them friends soon as well.  I now walk with Bonnie Benedict twice a week.  She has lived in this ward for over 20 years and we walk the streets and she points out where people live , tells me old ward stories and fills me in on different aspects of her neighborhood.  She lives in the upper third of our ward, I live in the lower third and then we also have a lot of apartments and townhomes.    This ward feels very "mission fieldy."  Lots of need.  It's like we called ourselves on a mission to Layton.

Wayne and I are on a Layton Temple committee now..this would never have happened had we stayed in Bountiful.  

We have new church callings with Wayne over the priests and me over the Primary.  I have been blessed with the counselors and secretary that help me.  Marilee Ellsworth, Jayne Merrill and Jill Swenson are all dedicated, awesome  and fun to work with.   Wayne has 17 priests he's over with only 4 active ones...it's a challenge, but he's up for it.  

We are closer to Monson's and Addison's homes so we do help with and see our grands more.

It's been a year of loss as well.  Preston Brown's suicide was devastating.  AND our dear friend Eric Johnston's death was impactful as well.  

It's always amazing to me how the years just keep rolling along and everything changes and everything stays the same. 

It will be interesting to see what 2024 brings.

Christmas Day 2023

 Wow... the day is finally here.  I love the holiday season and I love to fill it up with parties and gatherings with friends and family.  This year we did a lot!   It was good since I'm in this new house in Layton Utah to keep some things the same.  This was the first year we didn't wake up to people in our house on Christmas eve-- or being at someone else's home.  It was a bit weird, but we woke early to put the meat on and get the rolls started, then went over to Monson and Lexi's home to watch the girls open presents and see their newly decorated rooms.  It was sweet.  

Landon and Alex and the kids had a relaxing morning and Addison's home was SICK... Bre and Alfie up all night in a bad way.  So their Christmas day was a bit different than usual.

We facetimed Laila and Markus to watch them open presents 

We had our traditional Christmas dinner with Grandma Butters China settings, and gold flatware and gold goblets.  I'm so blessed to have so much of my family right here to participate with me. 

YOu can see the TV on in the background.  It was a football game...that's on with no sound, in honor of my dad who ALWAYS had sports on at his home and always with NO sound.  It's really the perfect way.

We gave our kids tickets to Tuacahn's FROZEN this summer.  We will be down for our family vacay the end of May and we are treating everyone to a Tuacahn show.  We also set up a grandkid game night the second Friday of each month... I'm really looking forward to this, and my marrieds can have a date night. 

Wayne was gifted some personalized stickers for his sourdough bread....they are so cute.  "King of Sourdough.. homemade by Brother Wayne"

Christmas Around the World: Brazil

Christmas Eve– Brazilian style was phenomenal.  The Buzzelli’s really outdid themselves and spoiled us all with amazing food… and fun.  Alex, Sonia, his friend Paula, and Alan doing the dishes - started cooking on Saturday and made everything just right for all of us. Dish after dish of traditional food…and then so many desserts to choose from. 

They had at each place setting a little card to fill out about the person to your left about what you have learned about them, what you love about them and what you wish for them in the new year.    They had the kids put one shoe out on the windowsill and they filled them with Brazillian treats.  They hosted 29 people and made one long table to fit everyone since that’s how they would do it in Brazil.  They wanted to start at 9 and finish at midnight– like in Brazil but we had to alter those ideas… we started at 6.   We did traditional Brazillian Karaoke– and then my littles exchanged presents.  Monson’s and Addison’s families left to get their kids in bed…the rest of us stayed and played Left Right center… and I WON $$$.   We had my kids and grands all there, minus our Markus and Laila,  The Brazillian people, and Tru’s two friends, Sal and Van.  Paula Carlson, Tim and Linda Wangsgaard, and Tami, Rob and Madi Madsen.

Christmas Adam

 

We had our extended Cole party actually on Christmas Adam this year, instead of Christmas Eve because Christmas Eve landed on a Sunday.  ( I love it when Christmas Eve is on a Sunday...). Megan and Rachel and Becca decorated the space at Centerpoint Theatre with balloons and it looked great. 

Rachel, baby Sofi, Nano and Jenna

Bre, Addison, Melinda, Wayne, Guy

Wayne, Guy, Angela, Alyssa and Austin Brown

Ryan, Drew, Jordan and Laurie Call

Laura, baby Maggie, Hayden, Megan and Gary

I saw Liz and Al kissing Santa Claus!

Casey, baby Si, Becca, Adam and Christine

  So many of us came dressed up either as a famous ADAM or as my brother Adam or in Christmas attire.   Jordan and Laurie as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus… I’m sure it was disturbing to the littles when he took off his beard and hat, Oh well.  We had Becca there as Michael Caine in Muppet Christmas carols, Casey as Adam Sandler, Nano as Adam Driver, and Rachel as her dad– she went and took some of his clothes out of his closet.  Wayne and I wore our light-up Christmas suits… it was just fun.  The white elephants worked out great this year too.  We did the draw name and play the game for the person way…it’s a fun twist.  So at the end once everything is unwrapped and exchanged…there is one more exchange and you take the present to the person whose name you drew.  We had Christmas Eve and Christmas Adam sweaters in play, “nasty” christmas t-shirts, lots of golf balls, and U or U stuff… some legos, funky pops, soda pop, Addison drew up a Christmas Vacation sweatshirt– “the Shitters Full” and he drew up a funny "Christmas Eve and Christmas Adam" graphic.   The littles did their own white elephant swap and had a movie to watch. It was a hoot. 

Andrew, Sohpia, Elsie, Lexi and Monson

Gary, Chris, Adam, Angela, Guy, Liz , Melinda and Al

Sibings

The kid gift exchange

Addison with the shirt he designed.  Liz loved it.

Grandpa Gary with baby Maggie

Monson family

Andrew and Sophia

Sibling party

My sibling party was awesome.  Angela and Guy hosted.  Angela has decorated their home gorgeously-- with 3 Christmas trees.  She is really good at decorating.  We met for food- apps - in their spotlessly clean garage.  Played "reindeer games" and laughed a lot.   Reindeer games included  bouncing ping pong balls into a cupcake holder for prizes, shooting through a Mistle Toad to get a kiss, flip the cup tic tac to teams.... blind folded bow in a bowl and a Boomwhaker concert.   I wore my SANTA Elf shirt of Wayne and I.   We passed the leg lamp onto me and Wayne for next year.  

 

Christmas band gigs

We had two band gigs this week.  Tuesday we sang at Barton Creek in Bountiful.  We brought Wanee and Holly over to hear us sing.  ANd on Saturday morning we played the our old Mueller Park 7th ward.  Showed off a little.  We basically played back ground music while the kids ran around and people visited.  They really could have cared less about us. It was fun to talk to old ward members that we miss so much.

  I think we should change our name from Sidetracked to “Geri and the Atrics”  Since we are all old and play for mainly old people. Garth Oborn bought all of the men in he group including Wayne our sound guy flannel shirts from Duluth Trading company. No cheap shirts for them.  It’s really funny the things that he cares about.    We sing this Tuesday then one more time after Christmas then we put our Christmas songs away and go back to our most excellent rock and roll from teh 60’s and 70’s play list.  I wear my funky Santa top to all of the performances.  It looks like ZZ top as Santa claus.