What I wore in July

My @whatluckywears Instagram account has 13,200 followers.  I can't believe it.  It's fun for me to get outfits together and preach my pro-aging messaging.  

July mashup

We had the $ girls at our. home for 3 days.. and I took them to see Tarzan at CPT.  They loved it!  We also had Grandkid game night while they were here.  All 8 of the grand nuggets came.  Grandkid game night was a riot– we did our normal Chicken nuggets for dinner then we played “quarters” where you have two teams across the table from each other and pass a coin under the table so the opposite team doesn’t know who has it, then you all slap your hands down on the table at the same time, and the opposite team tried to guess where the quarter is by having it be the last hand left on the table.  George was a hoot at this. If he did have the coin he was very serious and his hand was pressed down hard… if he didn’t have the coin, he would scratch his head, tent his hands, wiggled, and then couldn’t figure out why the other team told him to lift his hands up.   We laughed a lot.  Then we drove/ walked to Maverick and Arctic Circle for treats and playing on the playground.  It was super HOT.  We got home in time to divide into teams of 2 and prepare skits, or songs, to entertain each other.  We had so much fun, we did this twice.  And finally, the last 15 minutes of the night we played Dominoes.  I love my grands.

Wayne is loving his Bee hives.  He is very attentive and learning a lot this summer. 

We continue with our Sidetracked band performances. Tuesday we had a band day.-- clear out to Draper, but they loved us.  We do our patriotic program through July, and when we sang God Bless America at the end, the entire audience– those that could– were on their feet and many of the old veterans were saluting.  IT was very touching.  I cried….Then we all cheered for the good old US of A.  

We are doing upkeep on the cabin to make it through another winter.  We have painted the two sheds and helped with the shingles..  We still need to paint the back of the cabin and the deck.  Wayne got free paint and also large 5 gallon tubs of paint for a dollar a gallon.  When you don't caree about the color it's easy to find unwanted paint.

POPPY broke her arm on Monday– she stepped onto a swivel chari and slipped off and caught herself with her left arm and broke both bones right above her wrist.. Pushed the whole arm over to the side, so her arm look like an S curve. The x-ray is wild looking.  It was crazy.  Poppy was in shock and didn’t cry, but kept saying, “I wanna go back.  Can’t I go back and do that again. I didnt’ want this to happen”   ( wow there’s a lesson here – when we all do dumb stuff and want to go back… but life doesn’t work that way– it’s about choices and consequences and trying to do better next time, and the time after that.)  Addison rushed her to Instacare— where they said this break is so bad you will need to go to the ER.  So off to the ER, where they had to sedate Poppy and put her fingers in a finger trap, pulling them up and a weight on the muscle of her bicep to pull it down, so they could lengthen out the area and “push/pull" the two bones back over the wrist area where they belong… yikes.  But they did a good job.  They said if an adult did this, then surgery would be needed for sure, but kids' bones are pliable and easy-going, and 4 days later after all the swelling was down, she got a hard cast on and will be in that for a month– then a brace for 2 weeks and she should be good to go.  

Poppy and George out selling lemonade and cookies....Papa is a sucker for this...and they made $80.00 in one afternoon.

Great day at the pool

My birthday was delightful!  How did I celebrate my birthday week?

Sunday:  Made myself apple pie. Announced to family-it’s my birthday week.   Midnight Birthday suit run in backyard. 

Monday:  Thrifting.  Raspberry chocolate chunk ice cream.  Went to CPT - saw "ONCE "with Sophia. 

Tuesday:  Wrote 64 things I’ve done apologizing for at 64.  Thrift/ TJ shop day.  Costa Vida lunch. 

Wednesday:   Lunch with girlfriends at Pizzeria Limon.  Shopping. Branch Bingo FHE $girls sleepover 

Thursday:  Decorated bedroom door surprise from $girls.  Duck walk with $girls. Swim at Butters pool- with ALL grandkids, Landon, Addison, Bre and Wayne…. Pizza lunch.     Cake and ice cream with ARP  men after our 12 step meeting. 

Friday:   Craft, create and sew and hang out with the $girls. Grandkid game night 

Saturday:  "Tarzan" at CPT with the $girls.   Dinner and concert in the Park with Tim and Linda

This is 64!

Getting older isn’t easy, but the wisdom that comes with it is priceless.  That means living boldly, dressing unapologetically and owning exactly who I am.  It makes me sad when I meet people in their 50’s and 60’s who feel like the best is behind them.  I believe that the best is always ahead.  Our best lies in the process of becoming. So we might as well enjoy the process.

I’ve lived through…

    Using an encyclopedia to find out information

    Console TVs -- they were huge pieces of furniture that took up a lot of space and required me to stand up and change the channels— we had 5 available stations.  

    Paper maps to figure out where I was going

    Calling a radio station over and over to request a song..and recording that song on a cassette tape. 

I remember…

  Prank calling to ask someone if their fridge was running

Toilet papering neighbor’s houses

Skinny dipping in grandma’s pool

        Hearing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and not believing my ears..  instant love.

Drinking TAB— the new diet drink- for the first time and also drinking TANG.

Watching cartoons only on Saturday mornings- and learning  through“School House Rock”

Marching to the side of my elementary school desk while my teacher played on the record player: “Go you chicken fat go!” for our exercise breaks.

My old home phone number  (295-1238) and my grandma’s phone number. ( 295-1281)

I survived…

The trauma of watching “Soylent Green”  ( a movie about eating people) 

Being told to go outside to play, and not come back til dinner time.

Smelly perms— I already had big hair, but I wanted BIGGER— 

Riding in the back of our wood-paneled station wagon with back seats that faced the car behind us…no seatbelts of course…. We pulled faces and waved at the other drivers.

I’ve learned…

Faces don’t need fixing.   Wrinkles are proof of life.

Confidence never goes out of style.

There are no fashion rules— wear what brings you joy

I’m not for everyone, and that’s okay

Never pass on dessert while on vacation.

Put on a swimsuit and do the thing no matter your size

As a mom…

Letting go gets easier

Being friends with my adult kids is a wonderful place to land

My children will always be who they were meant to be 

The only person I really parented was myself.

As a wife..

Responding to a spouse's bid for connection is important. — “Look at this” “Did you hear that?”   “Oh, there’s an amazing sunset, come out and see it.”

         Find things to do together -- a hobby, interest, calling, walking etc...

It’s important to let each other change and enjoy the change.  I’ve fallen in love with NEW Wayne over and over in our 48 years together.

As a meema…

Love is the answer

        Always respond and look at each grandkid like they are a treasure!

Enjoy their uniqueness and don’t compare

I’ve stopped asking…

Am I too old?

What will people think?

Is this age appropriate?

I’ll always choose…

Compassion and inclusion

A gathering of family and friends

A good belly laugh

Trying something new

A loving Heavenly Father

To get my angels on that. ( just like my momma)

What's up on my Social Media page....

I'm at 12,800 followers so I thought I better re-introduce myself.

 

Sidetracked band - 100th performance

Happy America 250!   We had a fun week of celebrating.  Monday night our band practiced our patriotic program at the Bountiful Park to check our sound and set up.  We invited some family to be our audience.  Monson family and Landon came.   Elsie danced through the entire set… she can’t help herself.  It was so darling.   

Tuesday morning we went back to the Bountiful park to perform in our red white and blue for senior citizens ( our favorite audience)  It was for the seniors– they had bingo and tai chi and food and us… it was a good morning.  Truman brought Wanee and Holly over – and Holly was the star of the show— She stood up and danced through Sweet Caroline and marched and saluted through Battle Hymn of the Republic.  It was a hoot and it made me cry!   

It was a a really fun gig!  It was also our Sidetracked bands 100th performance…so we celebrated after with lunch at Olive Garden.  ALSO before the performance started Fox 13 and mountain America surprised us with a service in the community award of $2,000– that was a big surprise.  We were nominated by Paul Neuenschwander– and old Bountiful friend.  The money will go towards our Jackson Hole trip end of the summer.   It was a really fun morning!

America 250 celebration

 Saturday was the 4th of July!  And Linda Wangsgaard's birthday.  We got up early and went for a hike up by SnowBasin to Green Pond – it was a glorious morning..and then we got breakfast at Ramblin Roads.  I'll walk in dirt and see nature if you promise me food afterwards.  It's a good arrangement. ( We did NOT go to any lame parades)  

 Lexi planned a fun decades party starting at 4:00 with things of the 1940’s, . 5:00 1950’s , 6:00 1960’s  etc… up to the 2000’s at 10:00.  With fireworks and glow stick dance party.  SO FUN.

Lexi had a playlist of 1940's songs then 1950’s songs and they changed each hour. As well  (Tim and Linda came and so did Bob and Diane Lake and Bob and Kimi Farley  – I thanked Monson and Lexi for having a party for our friends.)

 Wayne took his ice cream machine over for the 1940’s kick off and ice cream cones and old fashioned yard games.  5:00 was hula hoops and Sidewalk chalk.  We took dominoes and played under the shade.  6:00 we had a big BBQ potluck and the kids made friendship bracelets.   Monson did a great job cooking all of the hamburgers and hotdogs on his new blackstone!    

Kimi and Melinda

Linda - the birthday girl and Melinda

Andrew and Tayla

Lady and Poppy

Lexi had a cake for Linda’s birthday and Glitter Bows ( their dog) birthday as well.  7:00 and the 70’s– we did tie dye shirts and a retro photobooth.  8:00 we had a cake walk and  Snappers.   9:00 the kids watched “the Sandlot”  movie in the basement and the adults played Hitster– the music game.  Then 10:00 came and everyone cheered.  It was a full day and so fun.  Monson and Lexi have that big picture window off the back of their home that you can see fireworks all over the valley clear to North Salt Lake and all the towns out west as well.  

We got home for the Layton fireworks..we can walk out to  the end of our driveway and see them– they went for 40 minutes last night– couldn’t believe it .  We had a lot going off in the street behind us and the streets west of the field.   It sounded like a war zone around us until midnight.