Duck, duck, goose.....

...and here's the goose as seen in this little TBT (Throw Back Thursday) pic of little Spencer at Woodward Park in Fresno, CA....

...and here's his son, Jack with the duck....and, BTW, it's Jack's birthday tomorrow...

...and here's a "Jack Attack" collage; mostly baseball 'cause that's what he's doing right now but he certainly is a "boy of many talents"....one of which is reciting movie lines. He loves sports and plays them all, depending on the season but it's a "thumbs up" (top left) all the time for this kid 'cause he loves life. He's a pretty 'fun-lovin' child that can really make us laugh. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Jackster tomorrow. Hope your day is just "ducky"......

"It's a lovely day today....

....and whatever you'd like to do, I'd be so happy to be doin' it with you".....or I could call this post "Sittin' on the dock of the bay, watchin' the clouds roll away"....or "blue skies, smilin' at me....nothin' but blue skies, do I see".....whatever the song, we were singin' our hearts out today.....and rejoicing in the beauty all around us.

Randy had a short work week so we headed to Tahoe. Thought the Easter Week-end crowds would overwhelm us but just the opposite...'cause it's still pre-season and all the sites were closed but the gates were open so we wandered....and sat on the beaches...and basked in the sun.

Top left: A famous golf course....don't know much about golf courses but here's what I found.... "The only golf course that plays along the shores of Lake Tahoe, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course was built in 1968 and sits just around the corner from the South Shore's casino hotels. George Fazio, along with his nephew Tom, designed the course, which features a three-hole finishing stretch along the lake, plus many other inland holes that play tightly through tall pines. Edgewood Tahoe regularly hosts a celebrity golf tournament, and also hosted the U.S. Senior Open 1985. While a scenic resort play, the golf course has plenty of teeth from the back set of tees and can play over 7,500 yards."  They even let us commoners sit on their beach because it wasn't open for the season yet and the day was a bit windy and it felt like we were at the ocean.....so amazing to see the waves roll in crashing to the shore....

...but to me, the order of the day was an AMAZING cloud show. We rode all around the lake, stopping at every point we could find and the clouds just didn't stop performing.....

 ...and as were about to leave, the rain clouds came rolling in and gave us yet another beautiful adventure, a ride home in the rain....and speaking of beautiful things, my beautiful grand-child #4, Maycee Lynn Wells is celebrating her 12th birthday tomorrow.

I recently had Maycee come visit me here in California with two of her cousins....such a good chance to really get to know this sweet grand-daughter of mine. She's an amazing dancer. I've been watching her since she was three or four years old. Nothing pleases me more than when she busts out into some dance moves when the music plays. She has the moves for sure.....cute kid. She has a very busy life with dance, soccer, friends and school.....once in a while, she'll answer my text. Happy Birthday to my Maycee girl tomorrow...and HAPPY EASTER one and all.

First and foremost....

...to be added to the chronicles of  "My Life as a Blog" is this little tidbit of information....and I'm very well-pleased with this child of mine....to say the least. He's overcome many obstacles to get here and he loves what he does.

Click HERE or on the picture to read the article. I've followed Kyle (literally) all of his life from being to every little league game, Pinewood Derby, watching EVERY rehearsal when he got the role of Curly in Oklahoma (I hid in the balcony so I wouldn't embarrass him)...but as he got older, I couldn't go with him to Boys State....Boys Nation....on his mission but I've watched him struggle and overcome some family genetic stuff to accomplish his educational and personal goals and I need to thank JoEllen for taking over and making sure he was where he needed to be when he needed to be there. He's a very good boy (always a boy to me)...and if anyone tells you any different, here's my phone number. I'll defend him to the day I die.......He'd give you the shirt off his back (and more and has)......if he thought it would help you. He's had to pay the price for his generosity and trust but has come out stronger. Kudos to Kyle as he sets out on yet another adventure....I'm still following him (in my heart). I've just got to add here that Kyle has assumed the role of patriarch of our family since the age of 11...when Scott was so sick, he took over for me and his siblings as "Man of the House". He got a brief reprieve to go out in the world and get things done but when Scott died in 2001, he took over again....still takes care of all of us. We all know it. He certainly is a man of many talents. I like to say he's my engineer son...with an MBA and a Ph.D. (and can fix anything) but most of all, he's an awesome father and husband. Next order of business.....some of my ex's live in Texas....namely, my "ex"-traordinary BFF's....and we got together there this past week-end (Janny and Kathy are Texans).

We enjoyed a night out at the theater, ate Mexican, laughed and talked, ate ice cream, shared favorite books, movies, stories....got caught up as best we could in just three days.....

...took a day trip to Galveston, oh, Galveston....rode the ferry, ate fish, snapped a picture at the ocean.......looked for all the wood statues in people's yards on Ball Street.......

"On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike hit the island of Galveston. People lost their homes and businesses, buildings were destroyed and trees were uprooted; the island was flooded from the salty storm surge. Many of the beautiful trees that lined the streets of Galveston were up rooted while others left standing soon died. No doubt, it was a sad sight to see. And then a silver lining; from the stumps of once beautiful tall oak trees came works of art. Earl Jones, Dale Lewis and Jim Phillips, with the help of Galveston resident Donna Liebert, came to Galveston and worked their magic carving unique statues and sculptures throughout the city."....and we got to see some of those. They are literally right in people's yards and tourists ride up and down their streets snapping pictures every day.  We totally did the "touristy" thing and I loved it. I just love finding stuff like this.

Here's just a few random pics of Galveston of things I enjoyed seeing. Bottom right is the ferry we rode and bottom left is the next boat I'd like to ride on.....I do love boats. Enjoyed seeing this unique little city that has always only been a Glen Campbell song....now it's real....and I love "real". So my advice for the day, go out there and "keep it real"....like these missionaries are doing.

We saw them on our little boat ride down the river in Houston. They are doing a good work....trying to teach people what's real.  Here's a little info I found on what it means to "Keep it Real".....

1.  Maintain a perspective on what really matters.
2.  Stay true to commitments.
3.  Remember where you came from and stay true to your roots (FYI..that's why I've chosen gray hair, wink, wink).
4.  Don't lie or pretend (it causes stress). Be yourself.
5.  Speak your mind (politely and when appropriate).

I'm sure this means different things to different people but I've come to learn that calm and peace come from living the gospel principles. So many wonderful words of wisdom came from our leaders this past General Conference. That and good friends and family is what is real to me.

There is beauty all around.....

...especially when you're in Pine Valley. We headed up there to spend a night before going north to General Conference.

We took a ride to the reservoir, shot a few pics, caught a few fish.....heavenly, I say, just heavenly!! Then on up the road to Randy's Mission Reunion (Southwest Indian Mission). The chapel it was held at was in Gawain and Gayle's neighborhood so we stopped for a visit with them...(should have gotten a picture). Anyway, it was a grand affair, the first one Randy has ever attended.

 (Top right) He met up with his mission president, Elder Dale Tingey. Awesome reunion. (Bottom left) Elder Echo Hawk of the Seventy along with Elder Tingey spoke to us. It was interesting to hear both of their stories. Elder Echo Hawk told of his life and conversion and entitled it "The Perfect Life"....but he has worked very hard for that perfect life and is still doing a lot of good for the Indian Nation. Click HERE to learn more about him. It was an inspirational and educational meeting....and always good to meet up with old friends.....always good to see Elder Snow and be on Temple Square. We were able to attend the Saturday PM Session of General Conference. Kaila went with us to conference after which we spent an enjoyable evening with Megan and Joey, then back to......

Little America, in it's finest form. The last time we were there, it was pretty much closed for a re-model and it is now MORE lovely than ever...I love this place....and speaking of lovely places, Traci and Russ have done a bit of a re-model themselves on their home and it's mighty fine; and it was fun to be there for an afternoon with her family.

A beautiful day for a walk, taking some pictures and then a talent show...and yes, that is Traci playing the piano...she is taking piano lessons too. So proud of all of them. Throw in a little craziness on the trampoline, some brotherly love and some beautiful blossoms....a lovely day for sure...

...all of it makes for a very enjoyable week-end with family....and while we are on that subject, I was able to have an educational experience at Heritage Elementary as Emily schooled us on Harriet Tubman and Evan filled us in on the Giant Squid.....so glad I was in town for these events.

One of my favorite sayings is..."What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about"...but we all know better than that. It's all about "FAMILY".....so it is with the ducks....couldn't help sharing this as I've become quite a duck fan of late.....

I saw this little family whilst visiting Ambyr today. I hope I can share this video and I hope you will take time to watch it and see where this mama and her little brood ended up.....

Speaking of ponds....let me end this little post by showing you a few pictures of our little jaunt to check out Quail Creek last week. Lovely, just lovely.....and pretty much this Southern Utah Landscape could be considered the "Geographical Center of the Universe"....(some may disagree!!!!).

I'll end with one of my favorite quotes from Conference from the talk by Sister Stevens...."The gospel is not weight, it is wings." I'm glad I have it to carry me through this flight we call life. What's your favorite quote??????

It may never happen again....

....but then again, it just might and I'm mighty glad it did tonight. We just happen to all be gathering for my mom's 87th birthday this weekend....and it just happened to be Women's Conference.....and JoEllen just happened to suggest that we need a tradition like the guys have (they go out for Chinese before the priesthood sessions)....and she just happens to be bossy enough (thank you so much JoEllen) to make us insist that my mom come along and we all just happened to agree and so we did....

This I will treasure.....it was such an awesome experience. We met at "25 Main" and had a bite to eat then headed on down to the East Stake Center.....

Taking advantage of the beautiful backdrop, we posed for a few more. Just lovely....don't ya think??
Happy Birthday to my mom tomorrow. I'll post more after her birthday party....but now I have to say this has been "moving week" for Lauri and James.....goodbye Henderson, hello St. George....

Thanks to Mother Nature, Jack Frost and Triple A.....I have a shiny new basement for them to move into...the grandkids can finally have a place to run around and be crazy again. We are getting the finishing touches put on it this week....and play they did these past couple of days as the cousins came together in wonderful chaos.....I do love it. I also love baseball. I've been to non-stop games this past week but I especially want to point out how fun it is to watch my kids play, but as much fun is watching my boys coach.....they apparently got to pick the names of their teams....why else would Mason's team be the Rangers.....

The Rangers then and now....good times. I get to some of their activities when I'm town but I miss a lot as well. Laynee ran some track meets and did great (qualified for state) this past week-end and Maycee plays soccer. I've missed most of Drew's soccer and all of their basketball. I miss George's piano performances and a lot of other fun stuff that goes on....but that's o.k. I'm just happy that they all seem happy in what they do...and I've always said..."if it's not fun, then find something else that is". Kids need to be active but they need to be doing all this extra stuff because they love it...not 'cause their parents want them to. As a parent, I always tried to help them find a "niche"....something that they are good at and love...then life is good. All I ever wanted in life was happy kids. They all seem to be pretty happy here at Town Square today....

This place has developed into such a fun gathering place for families. Simple fun.....I love it!!!!! And while we are on the subject of "splashing".....which rhymes with "crashing"....that's what Lauri and I did tonight......we "crashed" Traci's Jetette reunion.

They met at Olive Garden and Lauri and I like Olive Garden....and I pretty much lived my life through Traci during those years after Scott was gone.....so, I invited myself. We just dropped in, snapped a picture and left them to it but I do love reunions. So good to see these girls again. They are all so very lovely....which leads me into my one last item on this post.....these lovelies.....

A few years ago, my favorite black shoes went missing. I had them on my mission, and yes, they do look like "old lady" shoes....but, heck....I'm an old lady and they were comfortable shoes. I really missed them. I looked high and low and figured I'd left them in a hotel or something but the other day, I saw one of my shoes sitting on the rock. Jeff must have found it whilst trimming my yards. I went looking for the other one, hardly recognizable but yep, they were my missing shoes....must've been in the bushes for 4 or 5 years. Only thing I could figure was there was this one time, after church, I'd gone and locked myself out of my house. I found my bedroom window open so I pulled over a lawn chair, took off my shoes, and climbed on in that there window and forgot to go back and get my shoes.....well here they are. Beauties, aren't they....needless to say, this is all I have...a picture of them as they went right to the trash. There's gotta be a lesson in here somewhere. One last picture from Town Square....I just love how "artsy" this town has gotten. Here's a new sculpture on the round-a-bout. This one's for Jon B......one of my faithful followers. I know he'll love it.

(Just so you know...this is a little poem I wrote). So...here's to my mama and her 87 years....riddled with joy but sprinkled with tears....maker of cakes, potato salad and more.....the kids know the candy's in the top kitchen drawer. Rice pudding in the oven and pies on the rack....surely she'd give you the shirt off her back. She's a giver of gifts....sender of cards....she loves a neat house and her beautiful yard. Happy Birthday, Mom....your legacy you've sewn....by your good works....you'll surely be known.

"....Let your ^alight so shine before men, that they may see your good ^bworks, and ^cglorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16). 

Week in review....

...and it won't be a long post. We've both been a bit "under the weather", a phrase that mystifies me so I looked it up to see whence it came.....click HERE if you're interested (and make sure you listen to Polly Darton....she's cute). A simple trip to Daffodil Hill helped me feel better this past week.....

We love our afternoon adventures to Gold Country, stopping in our favorite spots along the way, especially The Buffalo Emporium in Amador City for pie. The apricot pie is heavenly.

We like to stop and stroll the streets of Jackson and we enjoyed visiting the bakery and city park in Volcano.

Closer to home....I've enjoyed spending a lot of the day out by the pool enjoying the sunshine, a good book and the wisteria....

Life is good.....

Just a week ago.....

.......we were here!!!

....hangin' with my girls in San Francisco and enjoying this boat ride under the Golden Gate Bridge and around the bay. Just wanted to add a few pics that had been left out on my last post.

Just before we left for the airport on Tuesday, we grabbed the bikes out of the garage.....

...and hit the trails while Laynee got in her run. It was such a fun week for the girls and the boys, I'm sure were a bit jealous. Hopefully, they will get their turn but they wouldn't let me get away without some fun. So what does this tired old grandma do? I let them come, got a little work out of them, ordered some pizza.....

....then set them free. This made me laugh so hard. I've loved the time I've been able to be with my grand kids. They are all so fun......but I needed to get back to Randy. He's been so patient to let me be gone for almost three months getting my basement back together so I left on Saturday and surprised him.....

He's such a good man and makes me happy. We enjoy being together and he has filled a huge void in my life. Scott died way too early and I did "alone" for ten years but "together" is way better and Randy is so very good to me.

*********************************

On this day, 42 years ago, Scott and I were married. (Click HERE to read a previous post.) I don't outwardly celebrate but in my heart, I feel the loss and I miss the life I had with him. I'm happy though as I watch my children with their spouses and children and I know Scott and I did good. Traci wrote me in a message today...."Thinking about you and dad today. Thanks for being such great examples of what an everlasting marriage should be. Love you. Enjoy some lobster." Each of the kids have acknowledged that they remember and that means a lot. I've a bit of a lump in my throat right now and shedding a tear or two....but that's o.k. I don't ever want to forget the life I had with Scott Gordon Wells. 

I'll say it again.....

....and again and again. I'm so glad that Lauri got a sister 29 years ago today. Click HERE  or on the picture to see more "sister" stuff (it's good).......

A great big Happy Birthday to my baby girl Traci today. She's beautiful......here's her latest "selfie" that I love, wearing a hat I made for her.

She's the best "boy" mother (she has 4) and anyone could be schooled by her in this area. I still love watching her dance. Thanks, Traci for elbowing your way into this world. So glad you needed to be here.....for me for sure, but mostly for Lauri. Life just isn't the same without a sister. And speaking of sisters.....

 ...Emily is a sister too, and a mighty good one to Matty. It's her birthday today as well. Another big Happy Birthday to Emily.  She's 11 years old today.  I just spent four days with her in California.....what a delightful young woman she is turning out to be. Here's one of my favorite pictures of her.

To coin a phrase.....I hope life is always just "ducky" for you, Emily. (ducky: adjective \ˈdə-kē\

: very pleasing, delightful, or attractive. 

 

"For those who come to San Francisco...

...be sure to wear some flowers in your hair"....or something like that. We didn't wear flowers in our hair but we sure saw some beautiful ones. I'll start out with one of my favorite parts of this city....this crazy street (Lombard Street). It's the "crookedest" street in America (our tour guide says it's the 2nd crookedest....Wall Street being the first.)

So glad we got to drive down it then stop and snap this pic.....some other highlights....

Just being there with my grand daughters was a treat. It's been a fun Spring Break for them (and me)....

...and this is always a must when you get to this city......as is Ghiradelli Square...

...and a hot fudge sundae....

We took a boat ride under the bridge and around Alcatraz and toured the Acquarium.....that was a first for me. Well worth the $$$.....very fascinating.

It's been a joy to have these visitors. Never a dull moment, just fun packed activity. We'd do it again for anyone that wants to join us. We finished with this day of relaxation, shopping, biking our trails and getting ready for the flight home. So glad these three were willing to join me here for a few days. I love it here with Randy but I really do miss my family. Thanks, Laynee, Maycee and Emily for letting me show you all my favorite stuff. We ended with a birthday lunch at B-Dubs for Emily.  These three can really pack in the wings!!!!!