So much to say and so much work to say it!!!

So this updating blogs, is hard work!!! Especially when there is a lot to blog about! So without further adieu,
Happy Mother's Day yesterday!! I hope all mothers had as good of one as I did. Since I use this as a journal, somewhat, those who read will have to read more than you may want. But here goes!
First of all, I have to say that it was a great Mother's Day!
Highlights of the day:
1.The night before going out to dinner with my mommy, sisters, and nieces (see previous blog!)
2. Church was great-with talks on moms, giant chocolate candy bars!!! Getting to go to Relief Society, with all the women (I'm in Y.W.'s so this is a treat!), getting yummy refreshments, having a lovely program/lesson, and best of all, holding the beautiful Jan Hemp's baby boy for two hours (during SS. and R.S.)! Thanks Jan for the time with your little guy! (p.s. he was born the day before our Miles was due!). It was a treat to hold him and fuss with him and just enjoy the feeling of holding a tiny little miracle!
3. Not cooking dinner!
4. Napping
5. Having all the kids come over and being together
AND
6. TALKING TO MY BABY BOY, MISSIONARY-- TANNER--who is in Russia.
That was the topper to a wonderful Mother's Day! Even got him to speak some russian for me. He sounds good!! Just like I remembered him sounding! Still that dry, sarcastic humor!! (who would've thought!). But tempered a little. We had a little glitch getting through to him. After 30 or more minutes trying and trying the number he gave us, the phone rings and it is a Utah #. Sam tells me not to answer, but we decide maybe we should. It ends up being the family of another missionary there in his area, who Tanner had called that missionary and asked him to ask his family to give us the correct city code, rather than the one he gave us!! So after about 40 minutes of trying, and a second bought international calling card of the day (the ox AND the horse was in the mire then!!), and the phone call from Utah with the correct number, we got through to him!!!
Hallalujeh!!!
Me and Mom opening Mother's Day presents!

The totally insane "photographer", making sure we know he was there!!! Heather and Zach being cute!

Taylor and Ashley showing off. Mark trying to not be seen!!!

Aaron, me and Mom chillen'

More present opening


NEW SUBJECT OF THE WEEK!!!! TAYLOR'S LAST CHOIR CONCERT OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL LIFE!!!
He and the concert choir sounded awesome! I will miss going to these concerts, for the most part!! And High School sporting events, and high school drivings to school, and just my kids being in High School. I have enjoyed every minute of my kids' high school years. Well, maybe not EVERY minute. But it was a good run- those years from 1997 to 2009!!!! I can't believe my last baby is graduating from high school! Where did the time go??? Where did my young motherhood go??? Geez. Is that short for "geezer"???? haha

All the seniors were given yellow roses at the end of the concert. Taylor with his mama and grandma!

Taylor and Dad, Sam!

Taytay with his good buddy, Brandon Tenney!


AND NOW ON TO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS! For Taylor, anyway!! With his being a senior, comes many events in the next couple of weeks. One of which is none other then the:

SENIOR PROM-2009

Taylor took Alli Sorensen to prom. And was in a group of about 14 couples. Here's a few of the guys. I don't know most of the kids in his group. Very few in fact.Due to the fact that our stake does not encompass Gilbert High. So if they've been to my house or played football with Taylor or maybe sang in choir with him, I've met them or know their names. That's not a lot of them!!

This is Alli. The middle one. Isn't she cute?

Being silly!

She's looking "sassy"!! He just looks happy!!!

Practising their "game" faces!! Gotta look cool, suave, smooth, gangsta' or whatever they are calling it these days! Brandon Tenney, and Tay. I think they got 'the look' down, don't you?

All 14 couples!!

Taylor and his proud mama!! Had to throw this one in here!!!

Taylor and Brandon pulling out to pick up their dates in some definite cool wheels!!! Thanks Rob Walker for being so trusting and understanding!! He felt right up top "cruisin' in the jag!!! IT was such a cool thing!

Love this pic of Taylor. Being his GQ self!!!

Some of the boys, just having some fun!

The lovely Alli Sorensen in the middle.

The cute couple

PS. Taylor said he had a great time! From the day date the night before (quading , eating, and watching movies out in the desert), to the actual prom date-eating at Bucca de Bepo, dance, after prom swimming, watching movies. He told Tanner when he talked to him, that he was really glad that he went!!

PPS. By the way, I made him go! I told him at the beginning of the school year that he HAD To go!! Isn't it great when Mother knows best?!!!!!

Mother's Day and "Girla's" night out!

Saturday night, after we got Taylor off on his Prom date, my mom, sisters, daughter and two of my nieces went out for a "girla" date! We went to Rigatony's to celebrate each of us as moms, and women! (And also it was a great excuse to go out "on the town" (woohoo!) with us gals!! It was a lot of fun and well deserved! Right all you girlas out there???
my "little girl", Ashley with my mom. She's really not mad or anything! It's just my dang camera has a 5 or more second delay from the time you push the button and the pic is taken! And a couple different flashes!! She just didn't hold her smile quite long enough!!!

Stacey, my niece, and Deena's daughter, and Annette, my sis - behind her!!! Cute thaaaannggs!

Me and half of Stacey!! Not much to say about that, except, the food was good!

My niece/"other" daughter, Heather, and my sis, Deena Bean!

And all of us! L-R: Ashley, Mom (Doris), Heather, Deena, Annette, Stacey, and me!

We HAD to finish the evening off by heading over to Mesa's Frozen yogurt for dessert!! There's always room for ice cream/yogurt!!

It was a fun night!!

"We're the Duncan punkin rollers" and other musings

This is for all you Arnetts, Gales, or lovers of Arnetts and Gales! We had a 2009 Duncan/Franklin/Virden reunion last weekend! It was very interesting, educational, informational, and a lot of fun! We have a great heritage!!
This is on "The Ranch". This tree is one of the cottonwoods that Grandpa Tom Arnett planted along the wash to keep it from eroding toward the corral! (we think, anyway!!).

This is the road on "the Ranch" (my mom lived there until at least 8th gr.) - That railroad crossing has a little bit of an incline, and she remembers having a hard time driving a stick shift up (in their car "ole presh") over that incline at first!! (that would've been at around 14 yrs. old!). We thought that was a great story about our young mom!

This is where the post office was, and inside they still have the old p.o. boxes and mail slots from way back!! Way cool!

This is the canal (some of us would refer to it as a ditch, but to my mom it was "the canal"), where she and all her siblings (my uncles and aunts) as well as my Grandpa Tom Arnett were baptized! It runs right behind the old Franklin church that was torn down. The foundation is still there - see next pic!

This is the spot (right where the cows are on the right!), where Grandma Sarah Ann Gale's house was. This is the place where my mom, Doris, was born.

The whole gang in front of the Duncan High School. Our "photographer" wanted to make sure he was in the picture! Oh, that Sam!

This is in the hallway of Duncan High, upstairs. Mom,(Doris) is telling us how in that very room (that cousin Kat is looking in) is where her Biology class was, where she got a D!! She said, and I quote, " I could not see any reason whatsoever why I needed to know the circulatory system of a frog"! She says she not scientific at all! I am shocked at her attitude! I never knew this until this trip!! Oh me oh my!

Doris Arnett Whatcott's family attending. (front: Sam, niece Heather andher son, Zach. Back: Rhea, mom-Doris, my nephew Tyler, brother Tim, brother Gaylen). This is at Grandma Annie Gale and Grandpa Tom Arnett's graves in the Franklin Cemetery. To the right is Grandpa Tom's father's grave-Ahijah "Babe" Arnett

Here, my mom, Doris talking about Grandma and Grandpa Arnett, and Great grandpa Ahijah - at their graves.

This is the house that was built after the chicken coop house!! On Christmas day, when the wall had fallen in at their house Christmas Eve, they began the plans for this one. They lived in the chicken coop until this house was built enough to live in. If you don't know the chicken coop story, you need to hear or read it!

This is the building where my mom and dad (Doris and Garth) had their wedding reception in. It's in Duncan. It was an LDS church back then. The old Franklin building had been torn down and a new one being built so the Franklin ward was meeting in this one.

Mom in front of her old alma mater!!! Back in her day, they were the Duncan punkin rollers!! Another school had lost to Duncan and so they referred to them as the Duncan punkins--trying to make fun of them, in their losses, and the Duncanites, took it on as a real cool thing and so wrote their fight song about it!! Their mascot was also the WildKats, even in my mom's day, but were known more so as the Duncan punkin rollers!!

The WildKats is spelled with a K, because when they decided they needed a real mascot, rather than a punkin, they chose Wildcats. But their big rivals, Morenci, got upset, cuz they were already the Wildcats. So to show them they said, "fine we'll spell it with a K then!!" What brutes!

So here's to Duncan and Franklin!

The fight song -back in the 30's and 40's!! (to the tune of "I've been working on the railroad")

We're the Duncan Punkin rollers

rolling up the score

we're the Duncan punkin rollers

shining as before.

Can't you see our colors flying

up and down the line.

We're the Duncan punkin rollers

Say boys, how we shine!!!

It's kind of a neat phenomenon, how as you get older your parents' and ancestors' stories become much more interesting and important. As a youth, I probably would have died rather than going to this reunion out in the boonies and listen to stories of old, dead people -mostly ones I never knew! And yet I was excited to go and see for myself, and see the places my grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, aunts, greats, cousins, great cousins, etc. settled, worked the land, made it into workable farmland, lived and played, struggled and died. In other words, I got to hear and see a part of me and where I came from! And that is the beauty of it. The scripture of . . . the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers and the fathers to their children" is true doctrine! Isn't it great??

Oh the places we go!!

On Friday and Saturday, we had our "Ma and Pa" trek training where Sam and I and the rest of them got "broken in"! Boy did we! It was extremely hard, kinda crazy, frustrating, at times seeming pointless, wonderful, fun (this is a VERY relative term!), awesome, spiritual, great, growing, and moving!!! What can I say other than that? I am really excited for the actual trek coming up at the end of May, where we will have our "kids" and have some really awesome, (and extremely hard, kinda crazy, frustrating, at times seemingly pointless), wonderful, fun great, spiritual, growing and moving experiences with them!!
Probably the most profound aspect for me was that I did it!! Without any really short or long term negative affects on my old, not so great of shape body!! I DID IT! I know I was blessed with some extra help to survive pretty much unscathed (like my feet are just fine, despite some blisters, corns or ??? I had BEFORE the trek!!). Anyway, like I have said before, it is cool to find out for yourself, that I can do hard things! I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR!!! haha Ok, that's a little over the top, I realize!!
Anyway, pictures are definitely worth more than my ramblings so here they are. (I had only about 55 or so, so at least I didn't post ALL of them!!)
Me so excited, and nice and clean and even a bit of make up on my face!! (But not for long!)

Sammy, my Sam!!! Isn't he just a cutie pie???

My lovely "sisters", Jumping down Julie, Ma (Krazy Karen), Tara Cotta, and Mi chelle my Belle!

My Pa (Papa Bear, or Chatty Chad), my "brothers, Photo John-ic, Marky Mark, and Super Bowl Scott, my other bro. Scott is missing here)

Mr. fire guy/Barry Samilow (his family's nickname for him!) This was Sat. morning cooking breakfast!

Here's my true sis Fina (no nickname) but not one of my trekkie sis's. Actually as long as her bonnet was on her nickname was (Nephi)!!! Right Fina

Our so delicious breakfast! Ash cakes (yes, those smaller looking "rocks" in the middle of the ashes! In the can was our not too bad oatmeal. We were given honey for both and some raisins so it was edible. Note that I did not say eatable!!! Ok, we were so hungry from only having broth the night before after 2 plus hours of walking, pushing, and pulling in the dark, until about 10 pm or so, that it really didn't taste THAT bad!

This is Sam's "family". I would name them, but not sure who some of them are. Sam is the 3rd guy from the left. His "Ma and Pa" were the Bevans (the couple on the left). My cousin Kat (the tall one in blue) was one of his sis's and our friend, Kelly VanAtter a sis. Also, Tom Love a bro.

This is my family--the greatest family ever!!! From left to right, kneeling: Scott Van Atter (can't remember his nickname at the moment!), Tara cotta, Super bowl Scott. Left to right standing: Photo John-ic, Mi-Shelle ma belle, Rhea Tortilla (that's me!), Jumping down Julie, Ma (Krazy Karen). Pa (Papa Bear, or Chatty Chad), and Marky Mark!

Sam told me afterward, that my brother, John (in red), went up to him Sat. morning, very seriously and told him he heard that he had a thing for one of his sisters and he needed to have a "talk" with him! It was cute! See how protective they were!! Gotta love these guys!!

Also, a funny story--I was in the yoke of the cart with Marky Mark one time (only!). He is like 6 ft 4' or so. I'm 5 ft 3 '. It was interesting, to say the least!! I told him that maybe that wouldn't be such a great idea anymore, since we were not "equally yoked"!!! He agreed. The front bar would hit me about at the neck, when it was at the level he needed it or liked it, at his waist or so!! Not the most comfy time!! But it was all good!!

The women's pull!! See all the women around the cart? We tried to run up to help, but there was no more room for us to grab on to, to help. The women from the other carts helped each of the others make it up this steep hill. It was awesome!!!

That's me on the left, and my "sis" Julie! My other two sis's were pushing in the back. This was not the final big hill where everyone helped each other, but might I just add--it was still pretty steep and rocky!!

Sam, resting during our lunch break! The best meal I've had in long, long time!! Stew (yes, with vegies and meat!), and rolls! Also, had peach cobbler for dessert! Awesome!

Time to recommit!

So after listening to general conference and then stake conference this past Sunday--these are the things Sam and I "heard" and are going to do!
1) Debt - it's not good. Get out of it!
2) Temple attendance - no more just casually attending and not consistently! The time to commit to attending regularly and often is now!!
Thus, our goal is to attend every Tuesday (unless Sam is out of town and then we will go on Thursday -this week!)
3) No more cruising through life spiritually. As Sam put it, we have been on Spiritual "cruise control" for awhile! Not doing horribly, but not really trying our hardest. Time to get energized in all areas: scripture study, more sincere prayer, FHE, reaching out to others, being a missionary, serving others, etc, etc! ( I am starting to feel like the funk is lifting-at least in these areas.)

So there you have it. I put it in writing, so we mean it! It's no longer just a thought or just talking about it!

What's that quote? A testimony is knowing. conversion is doing!