I am 49!

I have spent most of my birthdays in a swimming suit, usually at Bear Lake.  If that isn't an age reality check, I don't know what is.

Today
I will do what I love to do and usually do on my birthday.....wake up in a strange bed with relatives sleeping all around me.  Go on a walk with my hubby.  Get loves from my children.  Set up a beach camp where I will sit in the sun and read and play in the sand all day.  I will open a few presents and do my annual "Can I pick Monson up?" picture.  I will go waterskiing, just to prove I can still get up.  I will have an ice cream and play card games.  Perfect.

I couldn't pick up Monson...first time in 18 years...so now I will start picking up my baby girl instead

I asked some family members their thoughts if they were turning 49.....some were helpful, most were not.
Rachel said....."Time to die."
Jenna:  "I've lived to 24 1/2 twice."
Becca:  "Better than 50."
Angela:  "I didn't realize you were THAT old, you'll always be young to me."
Lyle:  "That's a lot younger than me-- almost by half."
Landon: "I'm almost 50 and i'm still sexy."
Monson:  "Meow."
Addison:  " Where did my life go?"
Wayne:  "This is my year to become a millionaire."
Bre:  "I'm so super young."
Jordan:  "I'm how old?"
Hayden:  "When I am 49, Jordan will be 60..now that's old!"

I have been trying to be a little more active and a little more service minded lately.  I told myself I could have as many raspberry shakes as I wanted while here, I just had to walk ( 3.2 miles) to Le Beaus each time to get it.  I have had 2 shakes.    My big goal for this week was to do 49 random acts of service for my family in honor of my turning 49. I don't know if anyone noticed, but it felt good to have this in my mind and heart.

Life is good.  I am looking forward to this next year.

As I was walking out of the Ideal Beach compound this morning, I noticed the "Do not back up severe tire damage" sign and told Wayne, "Now,  that's a good motto for this coming year."

This is a picture of all of the Cole Clan on the beach at Bear Lake.  These are the people that love and infuriate me the most.  Ahhhhh.......family!

Cole Family  ( missing 5 members)

Every day I.....

If I don't do anything else.... and I am thinking at the end of my day that I didn't accomplish much..then I have the following list to think on and enjoy...

Every day, I…

1. Make my bed.

2. Wear sunscreen.

3. Wear my seat belt.

4. Jump  up and down a few times.

5. Pick up one object that’s in the wrong place and put it away.

6. Go for a ten-minute walk outside.

7. Eat a fruit or vegetable.

8. Put my keys away in the same place.

9. Touch everyone in my home with affection.

10. Pause to enjoy a lovely smell.

Bonus: 11. Go to sleep as soon as I'm sleepy, if I possibly can.

(As seen on the Happiness Project....)

Scotland Royal Wedding

Our dear friends, heck might as well be family, George and Eileen Sharkey at their daughter, Karen's wedding to Liam Brodie in Scotland, on Friday.  

George totally rocks the gray kilt....he has lovely knees..... and Eileen is stunning with a hat that rivals any and all of the Royals.

 

George and Karen.  SO happy for all of them!!!  Can't wait to get the stories from Eileen.  I can hear them already spoken with Eileen's lilting Scottish brogue.  Ahhh..........we all wish we could have been there in person.

P.S.   Bre got to try on Eileen's hatinator  and hear all of the wedding plans while she and Addison were visiting the Sharkeys in May.  She looks like Eliza Doolittle.  Love it.

Landon 23

In honor of Landon's 23rd birthday............which we are celebrating today by I-flying in Ogden (a sky diving simulator) .............

I was looking in his baby scrapbook and found some funny things that he said when he was 3.

"Do you know those fat things on girls we call boobs....well Jesus calls them breasts."

While being carried out of sacrament meeting for misbehaving, "I  know.  I'm just sick about myself!"

While saying his prayers, "...and thanks for the whole world, even on the top and on the bottom and all around."

I wonder what he will say when he is 23 that will be cute?  He has always brought a smile to my face!

Wayne, Money, Add, Lando, Becca, Laila and Melinda at Salt City  Burger for Birthday Dinner

July goals!!!

June we worked on work...
I think we were moderately successful in instilling the " we work so we can play" attitude.
Laila's job charts kept her going and Monson did anything I asked of him, including staining the big swing set/[playground  in almost 100 degree weather.
I didn't tackle any of the closets that I considered tackling.  Oh well.. they aren't going anywhere.

I have been thinking about my July goal for quite some time.  I want to work on being more active.... hiking, walking, biking, exercise.... all good.  Amp it up!

I am looking back at my last 6 days though and I haven't done so well.  We partied on the 4th weekend with not much action. I don't think sitting in a pool talking, or standing in a kitchen and pulling 300 scones, or attending teacher meetings can count as amping up activity.
So I have 25 more days to make this happen.
 
I am going to do "something" everyday!!!!

4th of July Fun

We had a fun filled Fourth!

Friday night we went up the Rigby's annual  July 4th potluck and county music shindig.

Desserts waiting in the bunk house to be brought out and shared.

Laila loved the horses, til she rubbed her eyes and she was allergic.. 

Landon, Monson and Wayne listening to the patriotic progam

Laila getting set for the mechanical bull ride.

Mons, Me, Lail, Laura and Landon listening to the Charlie Jenkins band.

ON Sunday we headed down south to have a sleepover at Zac and Becky's.  We shared stories, ate chips and salsa and spent the night all in one bedroom.  Wayne and I in the bed, Monson on the floor and Landon and Laila in the princess bunk bed.  It was a snoring/ breathing festival.  We were ready for a pool party at Mike and Krystin Morley's on Monday!

cousins talk and swim....Monson, Becca, Jenna, Bre, Landon, Rachel, Meg, Nelson and Hayden

Preston's 8th scone.....
Mom, Marcie, Becky and I pulled 300 scones.  Everyone could have as  many as they wanted.  What a fun treat to share.  Mom is the scone queen!

 Krystin kept saying she was getting scones for the kids, but we know she was probably sneaking around the corner and stuffing her mouth full!

Landon and Bre compare hair lengths.  I think Landon won!  Adam in the background, trying not to cry while he kept thinking about the "Proud to Be An American" lyrics....it was a tuff day for him...

 Lindsey and James came down to spend the day.  They were celebrating their 1 month anniversary

So many mouths to feed.  Wayne, Mike and Holland cooked up 160 burgers and 42 foot longs.

 Addison with Aunt Lynnette and Uncle Lynn

Dad with  cousin Gunnar.  They have always been pals.

We headed back to Wanee's home, 4th of July eve, for a Welch family BBQ..... the cousins played red rover, the adults shared teenage memories and then we all did gutter fireworks!

Nash, Alex, Abby, Savannah, Hunter, Becca

Laila, Holly, Anna, Hayley

swingers..........Double swingers...........Becca and Laila.   

 I love AMERICA!
  I kind of got nostalgic, sitting by Wanee and watching the kids run back and forth with their fire sticks.  We have been doing this sooo long, and I was missing Wayne's Dad...Tom.
 I love July...so many things to celebrate and look forward to:  Our Country's birthday, Landon's birthday, My birthday, Bear Lake Reunion, 24th of July Pioneer celebration..............Yep, Summer is GREAT!

20 Years!

This has been our  home for the past 20 years.

Real Estate pic... 1991

We moved in when Truman was almost 6 months old, over the 4th of July weekend.
We were busy unpacking over Landon's 3rd birthday.
  I don't have ANY pics of this time.
This fact  made me so sad that when I was scrapbooking....like I used to with paper and stickers, I created a birthday party page for Landon.  I didn't want him to think any of his birthdays were ever forgotten...but this is now a legendary move of mine with my scrapbooking friends.  They like to remind me and tease me about it.  SO much so, that Landon also knows that his 3rd birthday was passed over and really the only celebration is in his baby book.

That's my sister, Angela holding baby T--we will discuss Landon's dressing habits at another time.

We have lived in this neighborhood for 20 years. That seems amazing to me.  It's the longest I have lived anywhere.  

This neighborhood has changed very little.  Neighbors have basically stayed the same--The Allsops, Barnes, Montgomerys and Orchards; we have all grown older together and watched children grow up and leave.
 Only our neighbor to the West  has moved out.........thank goodness...and the wonderful Salcedos moved in.
The old  neighbors only tolerated us and never really liked our boys and actually called the police on them because they were making too much noise one evening jumping on our back yard trampoline, bothering their "ubba" dog.   All of this  noise prior to 9 in the evening.  We got a knock on our front door.  The nice policeman explained that the neighbors  thought we were "out of control".............and I lost it.   I told the Police who was really out of control.........and it wasn't my boys.  I let him know who he should be arresting for cutting down our trees while we were out of town, and putting a note in our mail box explaining that our west fence blew down in their yard and we better replace it.... What?  We don't have a pool....they do.....the fence is their responsibility...... You get the gist of my rant.   The policeman did not.   Anyway...The officer backed up and was grabbing  for his gun to settle down this hysterical momma bear, when my Wayne stepped in to cool off the situation.
                                     Another legendary moment.

Oh, and why did we call it the "ubba" dog?  Because it was a little chihuahua without a voice box...so it couldn't bark, it could only ubba.

We spent our first 2 years of married life, living in my dad's apartments on 5th south in Bountiful.  Then we loved living in West Bountiful for 6 years.  We made many wonderful friends that we keep in touch with through Christmas cards and wedding and graduation announcements..the Wangsgaards, Legers, Salstroms, Bazas, Johnsons, Websters were our ward neighbors then.....but we moved when Addison was 5 and the boys don't remember much.

West Bountiful home

We have made some good decisions and some poor decisions through our 28 years of married life.  Moving to our 915 East 1500 South home ranks as one of the best!

Our home today--pic taken July 2, 2011