Lagoon a Beach

Review of Lagoon a Beach or as I now  call it  

So many bodies...too little suits.

This was my first experience at Lagoon a Beach.  Actually,   I think I went one time when Tru and Mons were little guys...but either I blanked it out because it was such a wonderful experience, or I have "over 40" amnesia......but this felt like my first time.  It reminded me of a hymn....."I stand all amazed!"

I am constantly surprised at anyone wearing a teeny little string bikini out in public...I'm even more shocked by the weird body shapes and sizes that wear bikinis.  Don't they have a mirror? Don't they know people are looking at them?   I spotted disaster after disaster.   So many "befores"  and so few "afters."

So many tattooed bodies.  I really don't see the allure in this body painting.....permanently.  I saw tramp stamp after tramp stamp.  Big bellies and shoulders filled with ink.  My friend Annett assured me that on Sunday it's  even worse!

I stood in long lines holding my tube in the hot sun for a little thrill on a short water slide.

I wandered around trying to stake out a spot for the day...and found chair after chair holding only a towel or a shoe ..... no people.  Those towels were getting star treatment, while I almost had  to settle for sitting on the concrete.  

I did enjoy my large Diet Coke...and being with Laila and her cousins and my friends.  This small group was great.  I sat hour after hour and had to forget about all of the things I "should" be doing and I had to remind myself  that this was (quality)  time with  my Laila.

I have bought into the Lagoon Experience this season......I will go and learn to enjoy.  Today, I only tolerate Lagoon...but Laila LOVES IT!!!

Summer time

All right...another Summer weekend over and I can't believe we have July 4th coming up.  How come summer "time" moves so quickly and winter "time" takes forever?

Ou weekend was awesome!!!

  We ( Landon, Monson, Laila, Wayne, Grandma Welch, G-ma Sheri, G-pa Lyle, the Wangsgaard family  and I)  had a great time in Yellowstone with Addison.  We saw two of his three shows...and it was so great to see him be the romantic leading man with a New York accent, the nerdy Principal and the Marlboro cowboy all within 24 hours.   

We went into Yellowstone in search of Bears...saw none.  We did see a lot of Buffalo/Bison though.... but if Wayne happens to show you a picture on his phone of a Bear- it's just one he down loaded off of the internet, not one that he actually took in the park.  He was trying to trick Just Linda. 

We waited for Old Faith-a-lot--- and were not disappointed in that natural phenomeon.  We hiked down to the lower falls to see the amazing rainbows.  We bought cowboy hats and jackets and ate a lot of FOOD!  It was a quick trip... 3 days, but one I hope my kids remember with fondness.  The grandparents told many old stories about their lives, and it was so great to have us all together.

We are still doing Grandpa's Boot camp three days a week.... It's working out well.  Now if I would just stop going to my Mess tent, aka kitchen, and eating like a soldier all day long.... I would be doing better weight wise.  

Truman had a riot in Cali with 7 of his friends this past week. He fell asleep on the beach and got totally fire engine red burned on his belly.  Tru is so brown he  actually looks like Laila's brother fer reals.  

 I asked him if he did anything "stupid" while on this trip and he said , "No."  Then as stories unfold I hear about them "catching fish with their bare hands and throwing them on Kimball because he hates fish."  I find out about them "boogey boarding at 2 in the morning.  It was awesome and so dark you couldn't even tell if a wave was coming until it hit you. "  I hear about going into "the Exit lines on all of the rides at Six Flags,  and being  able to do the whole park in only  8 hours"   He also decides to "drive home all night from 10pm on Saturday in Cali to our home in Utah-- and I wasn't even very tired til we hit Provo"....   

All of these things I later inform Tru fall under the category of "stupid."  Obviously what he thinks is stupid and what I think is stupid are two different things.    I am just glad he returned safe and sound...and Master P-- did great as well.   

Now...on to another weekend...it will be FUN and much too Fast!

1.  I'm thankful to be heading off to West Yellowstone!!!  We are taking the grandparents, and 3 kids, ( a full Expedition for sure)  to see Addison's shows.  We are going up with Just Linda's family too, so it will be a ton of fun.  Between, Old-Faith-a-lot, Bison, a crowded vehicle, a shared bathroom and Musical Theatre......well it just doesn't get much better than this!

2.  I'm thankful for SUN!!!  I got burned the first day in the sun at Grandma's pool-- I'm blaming it on old sunscreen, but it could have been too much time in the sun as well. I've learned my lesson, and I will lotion up the rest of the summer!

3.  I'm thankful for my Grandma Butters.  I know I've mentioned my thankfulness before....but she is doing GREAT! Grandma was on "death's door" this past Spring.  Now, she is up and happy with her makeup on and dressed every day. She walks around her house, comes out by the pool and  visits, she goes to family weddings and gets her hair done still.  She is amazing.  I'm so glad Summer and sun is here for my Grandma...it makes a big difference in her life.

4.  I'm thankful for FISH...we have had it the last 4 dinners., and probably again tonight.  I'm learning many different ways to fix it and serve it.  It's fun to try new recipes and  have Wayne at the grill doing his "thing."    

5.  I'm thankful for health and strength.  We have had a great time at Grandpa's boot camp.  It's great to get out of bed and get moving.  IT's great to catch up on the day to day "stuff" that makes a life.  It's great to be walking with my momma.   I'm so grateful my dad had his "vision."

6.  I'm thankful for Marie Callendar's pie sale.  I haven't bought any pies this month, but I'm thankful that  it's going on.  I love PIE!

7.  I'm thankful Laila has cousins and friends to play with this summer.  We were going over all of the fun stuff she gets to do this summer.  Swim,  Lagoon, sleep overs, popsicles, park dates, movies, theatre camp,  tramps, yellowstone, bear lake....the list goes on and on.  Laila piped up, "I have the best life.....it would only be better if I had a Limo and I was famous!"

Lagoon-that's what fun is?

This is mine and Laila's Lagoon summer.

My friend/cohort in crime - Annett convinced me/pulled my arm behind my back - to buy two season passes this summer. Laila and I share in this sweaty, amusement park activity with Annett and her son Max. She said I would like it better if I took Lagoon a few hours at a time, instead of one 13 hour- this- is -costing- me- an- arm- and- a- leg- and- we- will- eek-every-minute -of- fun-out-of it - day.
We'll see.

We have been three times already...the pass is paid for...so now it's just fun.

Lagoon is what fun is, after all.

Last week, on our way out to Lagoon, Annett and I stopped for 32 oz of diet coke, so we could make it through our bonding with the kids day. I buckled on my fanny pack - an amusement park necessity as far as I'm concerned...and an attractive fashion accessory, and placed my big glass of DC in the drink holder in the fanny pack.

Our first ride was the Spider.
I had never been on the Spider before and didn't really know what to expect.

As I sat in my spider seat, I thought, "hmmmm? Maybe I should hand this cup to the attendant of the ride. " That thought quickly left my mind, as the 16 year old checked my bar, but didn't seem to care that I was taking a drink on this ride.

"I'm sure it will be fine," I thought. "After all, it has a lid on it."

We started up the first hill...my body slid to the side of the car...the cup squished...the lid popped open and soda was pouring down my backside into my seat. I was shocked and grabbed the cup out of the holder. Immediately the ride began to get wild...and with one hand bobbling my DC-- and the other holding on for dear life, it was like riding a bucking bronco.
This is a jerky,wild mouse type of ride, but with twists and turns.
Sometimes you are riding backwards, sometimes front. It just spins and slides and goes up and down hills.
Pop was flying.

The lid and straw went one way.... my body and arm the other.

Pop was splashing on my face...down the front of my shirt. Everyone with in any proximity of my spider car was getting soda flung on them.

Laila was laughing hysterically.

I had pop everywhere. Completely down one side of my body...front and back.

I got off the Spider soaking wet , holding my almost empty cup of soda like a trophy......really! I took my last, little, prized swig and threw the cup away.
Try dumping a 32 oz cup on your head and body and see how much liquid that truly is.

I looked as if I had just come off of Rattle Snake Rapids. (a real water ride)

I had to laugh.
A stranger even stopped and asked me if "the Spider is a water ride?"

I still don't know if I like this ride or not.

I was so concentrated on not spilling my DC...that I missed the fun part.

I'll go back for more punishment next week...Lagoona Beach. I'll be sitting around in a swimming suit with hundreds of strangers. That's what fun is!!!?
THANKS Annett!

Live imperfectly with great delight

I have an awesome friend....Laura...She is the best!!!!

She is going through "stuff" right now with her hubbie's health...but she is always thinking of others....that's her way.

I love her.

She sent me this card...I had to share it.

Have an imperfect day!!!

50 Years

We are celebrating my parent's 50th wedding anniversary this month. It was official on the 9th, but we partied on the 20th.
We partied like it was .... 1959!
50 years...that's a really long time to be together, especially in this day and age.
I have been frantically gathering pictures and putting together a memory book of the last 50 years to present to them. I had my parents write a few things down for what happened during each of the 50 years. It's so interesting. It all comes down to jobs, church callings, vacations, babies born, weddings...basically, it all comes down to FAMILY. That's what makes a life.

Try this same exercise and you will see...that's what you write down.

It was awesome to be all together and inspiring to see my parent's love for each other. They really are equally yoked...and when one yings the other yangs.
She is the cream in his cocoa.
He is the cherry in her pie....
You get the idea.

I feel blessed to live so close to them and to be so involved in their lives. My kids love it too. My parents are wonderful supporters of grandkid shows, activities, sports events....you name it...they attend it.
My two older boys definitely think they are my mom's favorite grandchild-- they love to talk and do art projects. My younger two boys believe they are my dad's favorite--interested in sports and funny stories. (Laila knows she is everyone's favorite.) I love that they think this. It shows that my parents are interested and concerned about their grandkid's lives.
They deliver hugs and kisses when we show up at their home and 3 kisses when we leave...this stands for
I
Love
You.

We sat around at the Anniversary dinner and did an exercise with the letters in my parents names. Here's some of what we came up with.
L : loves the Lord
Y: youthful, or yodeler
L: likes naps
E : example of goodness

S: Stunning beauty
H: humorous...loves to laugh (Liz actually voted for Horny on this one, afterall, they had 5 kids.)
E: eating....loves to eat...food is love... a great cook
R: righteous ...sprititual
I: inclusive...everyone is invited and everyone is loved


I'm always honored to say "I'm Lyle and Sheri's daughter." Only good things and sweet comments come from this declaration.
"Oh your mom is so talented, so beautiful, so giving"...or...."you have the nicest dad, he lifts everyone."
It's awesome to be so close to this "greatness."

I hope to be with my Wayne for 50 years and beyond.....
It does feel sometimes, as if I married my dad. Before you think..."oooh...gross"... what I mean is, Wayne is peaceful, and nice and spiritual...just like my dad.

My parents are a great example of enduring love.....
Old love definitely is beautiful!

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.