GKGN

 Grand Kid Game Night... or GKGN

Grand kid game night was a riot!  I just love everything about these kids so much.  They are so distinct,  age ranging from 18-3 and they just love each other so much. We did all of the usual things for GKGN… I think routine is good for memories… they will hopefully remember that meema always called ketchup “red Mustard” and we always had chicken nuggets, french fries, s'mores outside around the fire pit and end the night with Papa bread, butter and jam.  

Sophia is truly the “pied-piper”  of this group and can get them to do anything.  She led them in outside games, including playing “Wicked”, “Encanto”  Ninja, Red light green light, Tag, All it, Freeze tag.  She gets them to all gather up, speak in whispers and raise their hands for comments.  It’s really a fun to watch.  She led them in meditation and relaxation exercises as well.   

Wayne and I have been praying about our grandkid time, and we were moved in two different ways… Wayne went and got $2.00 bills for each kid and had a discussion about how unique a 2$ bill is and how unique Alfie is, and Poppy and Tayla nd Andrew etc..… and how it’s awesome to be You.    I coached them about their brain– we called it their monkey brain and how they don’t have to believe every thought they get and how they can talk to their brain and not just listen to it.  Talk to your brain when your parents ask you to help clean up and you don’t want to.  Talk to your brain when it’s telling you that nobody likes you, or you have no friends. Talk to your brain so you can try new things and not be afraid,  or you want to keep playing video games, or eating candy.  You can talk to your brain about all of this to become a better YOU!  We then all colored monkey pictures.  These kids love to color!  And even George is starting to get into it, as long as Papa turns his coloring page into an airplane when he is finished.  Wayne keeps Geo busy with airplanes and RC cars.  

 We have these kids here for 4 hours and it’s really noisy…and we love every minute.  We love how Sophia includes everyone and helps them to feel important. We love how Andrew just smiles and goes along with his sister…he is a great support to her. We love how Alfie is growing and changing and wants to “win” and gets frustrated when he doesn’t. We love how Tayla is so smart and kind and wants to be in the middle of everything.  We love how Poppy is so focused when she colors and tonight she wanted to teach everyone how to draw a giraffe.  We love how Lady takes care of Poppy and sticks up for her.  We love how Elsie–though little speaks up and is the “rememberer” of what we have done because she watches all of the old family videos.  We love how George is getting nicer.  And he is so funny with the things he says plus His crazy freezes in Ninja and tag are a hoot!  

“Meema want to hear a potty word?  Butthole  “ and he smiles to see my reaction. “Oh George,” I said, “we aren’t in the potty- the bathroom -so we don’t say those words.” George - “I like to say those words”

Tuck Everlasting

Why am I doing Tuck Everlasting?

As an aging actress, there are so few parts available for me. It's hard to find a show to even try out for because of my age. Most shows don’t even want an older ensemble member. But Tuck has a small Nana part—a grandma—so I’m good for that.  

The question in Tuck Everlasting is to choose between living forever at the age you are now (this is presented to an 11-year-old girl). …or to live a full life and then die?  

What if I did get to choose never to age as an actress, but stay the 20-year-old ingenue and only play that type of part over and over again for decades?  I could be Maria Von Trap— singing Do- re- mi over and over again for eons…  but how tiresome.

Are there parts and shows that I'm sad I never got the opportunity to be in and now I'm too old?  Absolutely.  But I would be more sad to be stuck in time.  Stuck in life. 

 I’m grateful to have aged through all of the parts.  

To have played Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof as a teenager and to have played a Jewish Mother when my boys were in another production of this show.  Grateful to have played Adelaide opposite my Wayne as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, and Eliza Doolittle (twice)  to his Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.  Grateful to have played Anna in the King and I  and then to be in this show again as a Mother when my little family was in it. Grateful to have played Rosemay in How To Succeed in Business and Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense was a riot!  I’m grateful to have played Kate in Kiss Me Kate ( twice ) the first time in high school and then again as a 32-year-old and to be in Kiss Me Kate in college as an ensemble dance member as well.  To be a nun in Sister Act and then also play Mother Superior.  I had so much fun playing Ms. Q in 5 Carols for Christmas for 5 years…( then finally aged out.)

Grateful to be Dolly in Hello Dolly and Violet in 9 to 5 (twice).  Grateful to be Elsa Shroeder in Sound of Music and then later to play a nun.  Grateful to be Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun and Mrs. Hannigan in Annie, and the Stepmother in Into the Woods.   

I have had decades of varying parts and this only happened because I aged.  

So…. Yes, I’m currently grateful for the Nana part.   

The last 10 minutes of Tuck Everlasting is “everything.”  It makes the show worth seeing.  It takes Winnie from 11-years-old into dating, marrying, having a child, losing her Nana, having her child grow up and marry, losing her Mother, and becoming a Nana herself.  It’s beautiful.  It speaks to my own life. 

 Some of us are blessed to live long lives and some of us are not.  

I keep my sister’s picture on my phone’s screen saver.  It’s been 10 years now of having her there.  She left us at 54…much too soon. I'm doing this show for her. 

Valentines and Primary

Landon is so good at cutting Holly's hair.  She loves going to his salon and getting her hair shampooed.  It feels so good.  

For Valentines day I got a big bouquet of roses– I love roses from my Wayne. He is so good to remember I'm a gifts girl and I will always accept flowers and jewelry. The rest of the night was spent with 6 of our grandkids.  Grandkid game night.  We gave our married kids a night to themselves. We colored and  made valentines to go and “heart attack” our neighbors with… Bob and Star were delighted…and the kids had fun sneaking over and taping hearts all over their door.  We played our usual card games, but Alfie introduced a shipwreck game– kind of like mafia with an “imposter" on board who is secretly trying to eliminate the other crewmates..if you find a crewmate dead..then you call a meeting and have to vote if you think you know who did it.  We played 8 random rounds picking out of a hat..and Tayla was the imposter one time, Lady twice and Alfie 5 times…it was crazy.   Nuggets, fries, apples and ice cream round out the night…plus Valentine socks for all.   Sure love these littles.

I've made handknitted creatures for all of my littles now... Tayla, Lady, Elsie, Poppy all got ducks, George got a fish, Alfie and Andrew a dog and Sophia a pink lion.

Primary activity at my home.  We watched the Friend 2 Friend and then made Paper doll chains and had a treat.  I love being Primary President.  It's really good for me to spend my time here.  I love testifying of Jesus and singing all of the awesome songs.   I appreciate my Presidency so much. Marilee ellsworth is my 1st counselor, Carlee SMith my 2nd counselor and Kat Mitchell my Secretary. 

Grace, Austin Dobson

Scottie Gunnerson, Grace and Meriam Mitchell, Lucy Gardner, Marissa Acosta, Jovie and Berlin Goldsberry, Jo Gumm. My activity day girls.

 

Stockton Smith and Fern Ellsworth

Ginny Hislop and Grace Mitchell

Tori Young and Adelaide Mitchell

Carson Smith and Grace Mitchell

All of us watching the Friend 2 Friend program.

Wanee Birthday

We celebrated Wanee’s 89th birthday with dinner at Robintinos and then gifts and games at Wanee's house afterward.  We Left, Right, Center and Bank...it was fun.

 I hand-knitted a big purple elephant for Wanee since she loves elephants and soft things. She was thrilled with it…said she was going to sleep with it and maybe even take it to church with her.  She’s so funny.   We are all blessed to have her with us still.   Wanee had most of her kids there…. ( NO Jill, Terry or Bret)  but all the rest of us.  

Band Sweetheart's dinner

We had our annual Sidetracked Band dinner at Little America in a private room.  Garth and Anne Marie Oborn treat us.  We share experiences from the past year and laugh and cry…and then Garth has a rose for every guy to present to his sweetheart –and we tell funny dating stories - they can be true or contrived…you have to guess. 

Wayne and I, Rob and Lani Nisbett, Bob and Kimi Farley, Steve and Maren Thomasma, Jo and Nick Cash.  Front row:  Geoff and Angie Smith and Garth Oborn--our band leader.

Jo and Nick Cash

Kimi Farley shared a time when she and Bob gathered up dogs in the neighborhood and gave them baths and lost one of the dogs for one of their dates... It wasn't true...although we thought it might be because the Farleys would do something like this.

Wayne shared about me learning to ride a motorcycle and popping a wheelie as I came out of his driveway–not knowing how to stop it and just making it go faster and faster and finally I laid it down three houses up from Grandma Welch’s and across the street… I was all buggered up for my bridal pics the next day.  Good thing for make up.  And the time I got thrown off a horse while we were riding on a date in Logan while in high school.   Hmmmmm interesting the stories that he shared both showed me NOT in a very good light.  Anyway, it was fun night and we laughed a lot. Such a blessing for us to be a part of this little band.  We didn’t know we needed it in our lives, but so glad we can do it together.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year celebration at Farley’s on Sunday!

We had a hot pot…and chicken nuggets for those who didn’t want hot pot.  ( the little girls and Monson-- although he did enjoy the beef in the hot pot)

Kimi and Bob hosted and Bob is so good at this!  They also had Christian and Joy, Collin and Andi.  Wayne and I, Monson and Lexi and Girls and Andrew and Sophia.  Kathleen Blake Newman and her boys, Davis, Luke and Blake with his two girls and girlfriend Erica.  The Newmans lived in China or many years.  I would stay at Kathleen's house when I visited there in 2011 and 2013.  

It was a lot of fun…we all chose our meats and veggies to put in the  seasoned, boiling pot on the table, then eat with chopsticks or a fork.  Tayla even tried it and liked some of it.  Andrew and Sophia were adventurous eaters with it, So I was happy.    We played Mahjong– on their automatic mahjong table..it’s so cool..and had a fun evening.

Wayne's mission experience with the Doctrine and Covenants.

The voice of the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants

 

March of 1981 - I was a newly arrived missionary in Tucuman, Argentina – At 2:00 am one morning I found myself alone in our pension after we were awakened and my companion was hauled away in handcuffs by the military police.  

I didn’t really know what had happened since I didn’t speak the language well yet.  All I knew was that I was alone and didn’t have any phone numbers to call the district leader, zone leaders or mission president – in fact I didn’t even have a phone. I was terrified, alone and didn’t know what to do – So I sat down and opened my scriptures.  I went first to the missionary scripture  -D&C 4 and read the following:

 

D&C 4:2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

 

5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

 

(I thought to myself “am I even qualified to be here? I don’t feel like right now I have much faith or any hope – so I continued reading)

 

7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

 

I wasn’t sure what to ask for and I for sure didn’t know what it meant to knock, but I knelt down and prayed.   The feeling I had was to continue reading and so I decided I would read all of the scriptures I had marked in red. These are a few that seemed to speak directly to me.

 

D&C 6:34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

 

36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

 

I asked God how it could be possible to not fear in this situation, and then read the next verse.

 

37 Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. 

 

That was how – It was because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ – that is how it would be possible to not fear.  He would help me get through this difficult situation.

 

I continued to read-

D&C 84:88 for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

 

By now I had come to realize that the Doctrine and Covenants was full of the words of Jesus Christ – speaking to the Prophet Joseph Smith at the time but currently speaking to me. 

 

When I got to Section 121 I read the words that the Lord spoke to a despondent Joseph while he was in Liberty Jail, but I felt that he was speaking directly to a young scared missionary in a small room in South America.

 

D&C 121:7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

 

8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. 

 

What a blessing the Doctrine and Covenants has been to me since that day 44 years ago.  It is full of the words of Jesus Christ, giving counsel, comfort and direction for my life.

(By morning my companion returned after being held in a concrete cell for many hours. )