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!

The waiting game!

(I wrote this and forgot to post this last week on the 7th!- it still is relevant!)

I am sitting here at 11:10 pm waiting not so patiently for my boy, Tanner to get on his email to send his weekly missionary email home! I am getting sleepier and sleepier, but I must stay awake!

This is my weekly ritual on Tuesday nights, usually!

Because "Elder Dahl" is in Russia, he is 10-11 hours ahead of us. So when he gets on it is morning. With daylight savings he is 11 hours ahead. Well, last week, daylight savings had gone off, and so he was 10 hrs instead. Which meant he got on an hour earlier. I happened to be at book club, and had not written my email to him, thinking I had plenty of time when I got home, since he usually doesn't write until between 11 and 12. Then I check my texts, and at 9:30 pm Sam had texted me that Tanner was on!! I panicked! What? I have to still write! I am not home to be able to go back and forth with him!!! NOoooooooooooooooooooo! It can't be!! Freak out mode!!! I CANNOT MISS MY BABY BOY. I ONLY GET ONCE A WEEK! THIS TIME IS PRECIOUS AND SACRED!

I rush home, and luckily he was still on and had about 30 minutes still to be on, and I was able to ask him questions, "chat" as much as possible with the back and forthness of email, and I felt good. I had narrowly escaped the near miss of not getting my weekly "fix" of my missionary!! AND--it was still fairly early and I could get to bed at a decent time!! Usually, I would stay up late, until he got on, then stayed on until he was through, and then by 1 am I usually would climb into bed.

So here we are tonight!! I have planned ahead! Wrote my email to him during the day today, so as not to forget or run into problems tonight! He should be getting on earlier due to daylight savings changing (yes, they even have it in Russia!! Although he did say last week that they are considering dropping it, because it messes with their mind or some such thing!! duh!).

So what's the problem??? It is 11:21 pm and here I sit. Waiting. And waiting. Checked my blogs. Checked for ideas for my YW's lesson. Keep checking back to see if he's on yet. Nope!!!

Figures! I am prepared before-hand. Ready to go. So Murphy's Law is that he is way-laid and will be later than normal. 

But do I give up???? I'm a missionary mom. NEVER!!!

Going ons the past couple of weeks!

ALOHA!!!
Saturday (the 14th) was the Aloha Festival, which I and a few of my closest friends are a big part of. So I HAD to include pictures of them. Fina, Oliver, Alexis and Birdie are all a part of their awesome professional group, Tausala. If you ever want to see the best polynesian show around, they are the ones to see! I love to watch them dance- and drum too!

Beautiful Fina, with Oliver and Alexis behind her!

Sassy!!!

Alexis performing a solo dance! She's got moves!!

Birdie, center, and cute as can be!

Ok, so now for the not so professional part of the whole thing. Shannon and I take a women's hula class from Fina's Tausala school of dance. We have been doing it for about 5 plus years. We both seem to like it too much to stop. But I always feel a little out of place at the performances for couple of reasons. One, I don't and never will be able to dance like most of the dancers. Two, I am the whitest, ghostliest and blondest one out there! Thirdly, not the youngest branch on the tree out there either. But despite all that, I really enjoy it and keep on doing it. Am I crazy or what? It helps to have my Shannon there doing it too. It it something we both seem to feel like it is our own thing. Something we do for just us (and maybe our husbands who think it's pretty cool too!).

MARCH 7, 2009

Taylor goes to Morp (for those of you not in the high school scene yet, that's Prom backwards, and it's a girl ask guy dance!) His date was Alexa Stevens, who he has been good friends with since junior high. The theme was "Neon Nights" and it was held at Skateland!! Go figure! It also happened to be the same day as my dad's funeral. A "mixed review" day!

Cutie pies!!

March 9, 2009

My dad's burial at the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery - with 15 gun salute, taps, and all!

My siblings and mom after the funeral

Changes

My dad died yesterday.

 Me, Rhea Whatcott Dahl, lost my father. I was going to say I didn't really lose him, because I know where he is, but I guess in a general sense I don't REALLY know where he is. 

Anyway, I digress. 

I feel like I've posted similar posts before. Somewhere around the first of December. December 3rd, to be exact. Yowza. It just hit me that it's been 3 months, today, that our little Miles died. 

What is the deal? I don't really know what to say at this point. I know my Dad is in a better place. He is running, and jumping and flying (he was a pilot during WWII) and dancing, if he wants to. Not sure he was ever very excited about dancing. I'll have to ask my mom about that one. He is arguing politics or whatever with his older brother, and dad, and kissing his mom and sister and in laws and best friend, and smiling and laughing and being reintroduced and introduced and hugging and joking, with that funny dry sense of humor of his (so dry that at times we weren't quite sure if it was a joke or not!!), and listening, and probably being shy, but that's ok, because as spirits we can communicate without actually talking, I think. and if there are newspapers in the spirit world, HE IS READING THEM, and just loving the freedom from a slow, diseased, worn out body that drug him down quite low. 

He is free. And he has graduated. I wonder if he got to be greeted by the Savior? Is that part of the deal for the righteous? I like to think so. If so he is feeling more than we could ever comprehend here on earth. Does he get to go meet and shake hands or hug the prophet Joseph Smith? Adam? Moses? President Hinckley? I sure hope so. Do we mingle with all that have passed on? 

So here's to my Dad. Hip hip hooray. I sure hope he knows we love him and miss him. That sounded unsure. I am not unsure of that. I know he knows we love him and miss him and will miss him more. I hope he knows and feels how blessed we feel to have had him as our father and husband and that he knows we are proud of him and look forward to being with him again. 

Now I have two very close angels to greet me when the time comes!! 

I used to worry a bit about that. Before Miles, I hadn't known tons of sorrow because of close relatives deaths. My grandparents were so old and I was pretty young when they died. I had aunts and uncles die and even my mother in law, who I love dearly. But my own immediate family, I had been, I must say, pretty lucky. Well, my luck has changed. For good or bad, however you want to look at it. But, I have now been initiated into the "club"! Wow, that is lucky, huh? (that's tongue in cheek by the way!!). 

Anyway, anyhoo, my life has changed. No, my world has changed. It's wierd to go outside and to the store or wherever and nothing has changed and people are doing the same things, and everything looks the same, and sometimes I want to scream, "Hey, stop. Don't you realize that things are different??? Stop being normal! Stop going on as before!! Because things are NOT as they were before!!"   I do realize that it's me that's changed, not the world. And I can't expect it to nor I guess want it to stop and or change. But just for a brief moment, maybe I would!!

So, Dad, and Miles, and everyone that has gone on, and changed my world, here's a brief moment for you. I will just sit here and do nothing in honor of you!! But just for a moment.

Stages in Life

A short note of information concerning my parents.
First of all, my mother, Doris Whatcott, is recovering well, from pneumonia, after spending 5 days in the hospital last week. She is still on oxygen and most likely will for 2-3 weeks.
Sadly though, my father, Garth Whatcott, as of yesterday (Feb. 25th), had a stroke and a heart attack, and is in the hospital, at Banner Baywood in Mesa. His prognosis is not good. We have mostly gathered here today (the 26th), with my brother, Gaylen, who is the farthest (from Utah) driving down and expected in a few more hours, tonight. We have been dealing with the most likely fact that he will be leaving us very soon.
It is a wierd phenomenon, to say the least, watching your parent get old, slow down, have serious ailments, and then reach the time when he/she will leave this earth. I don't even know how to express it, right now. As we watch him suffer, we are pulled in two different directions at the same time. One, that we don't want him to leave, and have to say good bye. The other, we don't want to see him suffer, hurt, and struggle, even for breath. So I have some very mixed feelings. Of course, I want my father to live. I love him very much and am so glad for the many years I've been blessed to have him. ON the other hand, lately he has not been very healthy, and has not really lived a high quality of life. I want him to be happy and want the very best for him. I want him to be able to walk, and talk, and think and remember and enjoy life. So we are praying for him as a family. We pray that Heavenly Father will not let him suffer. We are praying that He will give him comfort and peace. And we are praying that we can accept whatever the outcome will be for him.
I know this is all a part of life, this stage in my life, but can I just add, that I don't like it. I don't like it one bit!

Garth and Doris Whatcott's Big SHA-BANG!

A quick post to all family and friends of my parents, Doris and Garth Whatcott:

Saturday, March 21st - 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (or so!)

What you ask?

A BIG celebration of great magnitude ! With a professional polynesian show, by Tausala, at 7 p.m., short program (and I mean short!!) and lots and lots of visiting, talking, bragging, one upping (this for all you Arnetts with A.S.S.), or whatever you want to discuss.

Why you ask?
To celebrate Doris and Garth's 60th anniversary (that very day, by the way!) - AND -

Doris's 85th birthday (a week and half later on the 30th!!)

Aunt Doris would love for you all to come so that she can enjoy visiting with you all, rather than waiting for her funeral, where she can't be quite as "involved" with the gabbing! (her words! or close enough, anyway!)

Where you ask?

At the church building/stake center, in Gilbert Az, on Cooper half way between Baseline and Guadalupe (southwest corner of Cooper and Houston Rd.)

Pass the word along to all family members please!!

See you all Saturday, March 21st, at 6 p.m.!!!!!