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.!!!!!

February Funk

Ok, so I don't know about most of you out in bloggerland, but this time of year brings me to what I like to call, February Funk!

I mean, come on, what really is there to be THAT excited about????? Christmas has been over now for a month or more, so the coolness of that has worn off. January is still close enough to Christmas that the lovely feelings still kind of carry over. Plus that Martin Luther King holiday is enough to get you up over any little hump, or slump! (that was a joke by the way!!). But by February. . . . hmmmmm. 

 I know, I know, some of you are thinking, come on now Rhea, what are you talking about? There's the wonderfully romantic, sweet Valentine's Day! But let me argue the point!

First of all-- one day. One day to claim your truest and most heartfelt love for that special someone. One day to buy the candy, flowers, cards, special "surprises", sneaky get aways, chocolate, delicatable tastees, sugar cookies with pink frosting (my all time, most favorite by the way!! hint hint!), floosy nightees, well, you know what I'm talking about!! 

 And then, bam. It's over! Whaaaaite?? What happened? Where did all that lovey dovey, kissy kissy facey, oh you deserve all these wonderful "things" because you are the most wonderful "thing" to happen to me, and here are a dozen roses and chocolate to say it all with!!! 

Now, let me see, what was I talking about???? How one day of ecstasy was a waste because it is ONLY one day, and . . . . 

Let me go on. That did not prove my point at all about February!!! Ok, before I go on I must confess!!! 

I LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!! I REPEAT! I LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY!!! So what if it's only one day! Better one day then none at all!! I'll take what I can get!! 

I bought this valentine card today for my love-- hopefully he won't read this before (he never has that I know of) - but it says something like, "I love you and candy more than anything. . . 

want to make it a threesome??". Pretty well fits me to a tee. Except that it could've said sweets rather than candy. I am an equal opportunist when it comes to sweet stuff!

But I have digressed rather far. 

So my point being. . . I think it had something to do with February and Valentine's. Or February and days off school. Or nothing worth really getting excited about?!! 

Ok, ok, so forget what I started. February is a lovely month. But really - once you get past Valentine's Day it is pretty boring. So we get President's Day. Big whoopie!! No offense to all the presidents [men] but it's kind of a snoozer holiday. Only kids get it off. Sam doesn't. And we get no mail that day. So in reality, it's more of a bummerday than a holiday! Get it? Bummerday. . . holiday??? 

So ok, so we get the lovely Valentine's Day (no school out or days off of course). And then there is President's Day. An "eh" day off. By then, well, we have another what like 10 days to go before Feruary is over??? It is a short month and all!!! And before you know it, it's March!!! woohoo!!

Speaking of draggy months. . . .!!

   

 

Cloud 9 - Heavenly Day!

So last Wednesday was a heavenly day I won't soon forget! Ashley and I spent most of the day at Cloud 9 Spa and were pampered wonderfully! For Christmas, Mark and Sam gave us the gift that keeps on giving!! A spa package!!! It was to die for!! We started out with the full facial (I ignorantly thought this would be a little mask stuff slathered on my face and then a bit of rubbing and massaging it in or something to that effect). Wow! Was I wrong!! Boy, have I been deprived all my life!!! Next came the swedish massage - 50 minutes of heaven.
What more can be said!!
Then they fed us a "light lunch". Which was quite yummy, I might add.

This is the life!

Lastly, we were treated to a pedicure and a manicure. Again, lovely, and wonderful!! We had great gals to work on us! And this is Ashley's new friend, Trisha, who was adorable and lot of fun! Mine was Nikki and she was very sweet and fun to visit with too!

All in all, I great day!! Something I would probably never do again, unless given as a gift. At least not all of it in one day. But, I felt like a spoiled princess for a day, and every girl should have that at least once in their lifetime, right???

Ok, maybe twice!!