Happy Birthday ROLAND BABY!

Which one is the bigger turkey?

Roland always calls me KELLY BABY!  (Yes in all caps- that is the way he says it).  So I have to title this post that way too.  I admire our brother Roland.  I really do.  He has a huge heart and even though he's a rough, tough, hunting, spitting, dog owning, gun toting, cave dwelling, ice fishing man he has no problem telling sentimental stories and tearing up.  The last time I saw him (at IHOP- in a public place no less!) he did just that.  He told of a time when as a teenager, he once took our mother on a motorcycle ride up in the canyon.  She was testing the safety of such a thing and asked him to prove it to her I guess.  She absolutely loved it he said.  She was a nature lover to be sure, but I am sure the peace and quiet away from 13 kids probably had something to do with it : )  As he told this story he teared up over his pancakes (or possibly his omelet) and I thought 'that Roland is sure a nice tender-hearted guy.'  I also remembered fondly a time he once took me on a long motorcycle ride while just a few years back.  He probably saw the 'weary-from-motherhood' look on my face that day too.  Later that day there was an accident with his son running into me riding down a hill on a big-sized Tonka truck.  I wasn't seriously hurt but more concerned that his son was feeling bad about the accident.  I hugged him and assured him I was okay (I'm a softy too).  Roland told me later how much that touched him.  He's really a big teddy bear that Roland...

Over the years Roland has been one of the siblings I have who has reached out to me and kept in touch.  He will call me out of the blue just to chat.  That really means a lot to me.  More than he knows.  Especially since I am living farthest away from all the family.  He has made efforts in the past to mend things with me that he was feeling badly about.  Things I never even had a second thought about.  He is thoughtful.  He is a Whatcott- in the best possible way.  Randy has told and re-told me how great it is to be partners with Roland because he gets things done.  All Randy has to do is mention something once to Roland like "maybe it's time to replace that 4 wheeler that is going downhill" and within the week it's sold and a new one is on the way.  Randy tells me this would never happen with Marie in charge.  I am sure Marie brings all kinds of good stuff to the table in her partnership with Randy though : )

Roland is a good father and a good husband.  I have noticed that as well.  He has a wonderful family to show for his good work there.  He is smart and fun to be around.  He takes care of people and he is kind.  I can't say enough good things about my brother Roland.  He likes to joke around and have a good time.  He makes time to spend with those he loves and me makes good root beer.  Just ask him and he'll be sure to tell you.  Teasing is a great delight to Roland.  I remember, as a child, being teased to tears many many times by my brother Roland.  I think he may still need to clear that up with me FYI.

A nice memory I have of my brother Roland is that he had a lot of dates.  He was ever so handsome (still is) and he used to bring a different girl home to play pool or hang out at the house every weekend it seemed.  If I got to hanging around taking it all in as a pesky younger sister will do (lets see I must have been about 8yrs during this time), then Roland would whisper in my ear to go down to his room and get a bar of chocolate he had hidden in there and eat it somewhere far far away and promise not to come back.  It was a sweet deal let me tell ya!  Candy was pretty rare in our home growing up.  I totally remember that with fondness.  I also remember the large amounts of Brut cologne he used to use before one of these dates.  He would wear so much that he'd leave a trail of scent behind him where ever he walked for about 10 solid minutes.  That is how I would know that Roland had a date and there was possible Hershey's chocolate in my future.  Good memories!  

Well I better sign off but not before wishing Roland BABY the best of birthdays today.  Hope it's a good one bro!  You rock!  And your a big brut!

Audrey on the Piano

This was her favorite song for some time.... I tried to learn the duet with her but alas my piano skills are all under a bushel these days.  She is playing with her AMAZING (and famous!) piano teacher Molly S.

The song she's playing is called "Quiet Night"

Q & A With Marcel W.

     1.     So hi there Marcy…. What is new with you these days?  You must be pretty excited to have passed your big test.  Tell us about it!

Yes, I passed my national board exam! I spent many long hours studying during the month of November and I took the exam in December. I think I was becoming a permanent fixture in the school library. I would arrive at 8am and stay until 11pm every day for a the whole month. The janitorial crew started getting to know me by name, and it was nearing the point where they started just cleaning around me. Yet despite the stress, the news that I passed makes it all worth while. Now onto state boards and after that you can call me “Doc”.

      2.  How are the wedding plans coming?  Do you have a date set yet?  For those who may not be informed, tell us all about Jeremy please (limit 10 pages).

Wedding plans are coming along. I've been doing things in small bites because of my hectic schedule with school. The date is narrowing down to  October 8^th, 9^th or 10^th at this point. We'll have to pin it down once we decide on the venue. I expect to have more time to plan once I'm done with state boards, finding a job, moving, and graduating. As for Jeremy, he's my rock. I probably could go on for 10 pages or more, but I'll spare you the sappy details and just say that he is fantastic. He's been very supportive of my school schedule and helped take care of my dogs while I've been away for months at a time on rotations. He's my partner in crime-I mean- partner in life, and we often laugh until we cry. What more can I say?  

3    3.  Do you have any big graduation party plans? 

Hummm, graduation party plans; well not really. Graduation is in May. Don't worry, everyone will get an announcement, which doesn't in any way obligate you to come to California to a long boring and drawn out graduation ceremony that I know everyone hates (including myself). I figure I'm having two memorable events this year, and if you can only come to one, let it be the wedding. As far as graduation is concerned, I'm excited of course, but would rather keep it low key and no pressure.

4.    4.  What about moving back to Utah?  What does the crystal ball hold for you there?

Moving back to Utah, well, that's the plan; but if you have a crystal ball that wouldn't mind telling me where I can find a good job, and where I can find housing, that would be really helpful. Right now, I'm headed to Utah for my last month long school rotation. This was planned so that I would be in the area to look for jobs and housing. It's a bit up in the air where we will land, but Jeremy and I are both in agreement that Utah has more advantages than California at this point. The disadvantage is that we would be leaving his family here in Cali; and I have to say that they will be sorely missed. I have never felt so at home in California until Jeremy's family took me in and graciously accepted me into their flock. I've planted the seeds of hope that they will someday retire and follow us to Utah. That and I've practically convinced them that the streets in Utah are paved in gold...can we keep up that premise, just until they move?

5.     5.  So Marcy, do you remember when you were very little and you had a crazy dream about being attacked by a tiger and instead of being afraid of the tiger you just leaped on his back and used him as your ride?  Do you think that dream may have been somewhat prophetic when compared to your position right now?  You know, graduating from vet school against all odds?

Well, I've got to be honest and say... nope I don't remember that dream; but obviously you do. So, sounds prophetic enough for me; I'll go with it. But does this mean that I'm not scared of tigers? Because I'll have to tell you that I'm scared of mean domestic cats, so I can't see me riding off on an actual tiger. Maybe I'll have to brush up on my dream interpretation skills before I truly consent to this one.

6   6.  Do you think that riding tigers (literally) will be a part of your future in veterinary medicine?

Um, no! I don't like zoo medicine, too many politics involved. The closest I'll ever get to zoo medicine is the Giraffe that I helped necropsy (autopsy) in Idaho.

7   7.  What will the colors be at your wedding?  Have you considered black and orange?

Not exactly black and orange. But I've been thinking about having fall colors since fall is my favorite season, and we're having the wedding outdoors in the fall. Earth tones is the current consensus since both Jeremy and I agree that those are our favorites. Plus Jeremy wore a tan shirt on our first date, and I wore a brown shirt that day, so tan and brown are our colors.

Humm, what do you think?

The jury is still out. Shauna suggested that I wear my silky Cinderella dress, do you think it will still fit? If not I can always bring it for show and tell.

(for those who don't know the story of Marcy bringing her silky Cinderella dress for show and tell in pre-school here it is: She used to wear the same silky dress to school each day because she loved it and Mom would let her.  Then one day everyone made a huge fuss over her when she wore another outfit only to find that she had brought her dress that day in her canvas bag for show and tell- classic!)

     8..  Do you think a dramatic reading from the epic puppet production Cinderrabbit might be appropriate to recite at your wedding.  If not I can totally prepare something else : )

Uh, unless you want to dress up like a pig and announce “soup's on” then I may suggest you work on something else. Perhaps a monologue from Gone with the Wind “Where shall I go? What shall I do?”...

9   9.  What is your favorite thing about California (where you are currently living for those on KGC that may not know).

Jeremy is my favorite thing about California, and he's portable, so I don't know if he counts. Other than that, I've gotta say the weather. It's nice and sunny practically year round, but I do miss the snow.

1  10.   Lastly tell us your hopes dreams and fears for the future. 

Hope for love, dream of happiness, and fear of failure. Isn't that pretty much universal for anyone? I've found that life is full of surprises, and it never ends up the way you plan. So, part of living is learning to keep the heart open to love, happiness and even failure when it happens; and keeping your spirit resilient by never giving up on your hopes and dreams in spite of your fears. (woo-sap)

THANKS MARCY and CONGRATS ON EVERYTHING!!!!!

The Happy Couple (and Chris in the background)

Dad and Thelma on their wedding day

INEXPENSIVE DATE -- EARLY FHE

Our favorite cellist (Megan) will be playing with the Zion Youth Symphony Orchestra at Abravanel Hall on Monday, February 28th, at 1:30pm. It's part of the Youth Symphony Festival of Utah,... performances are every half-hour from 8:00am to 4:00pm. ADMISSION IS FREE, and spectators can come and go as they wish between groups.

Most of the groups playing are audition-based, so the music is usually really good! It's great for an inexpensive date or an early FHE!

Hope to see you there!

Baby Monkey!

Doesn't this totally look like it was filmed in Mexico?

Brings back memories of Monkey Beach... sigh!

Wide Mouth Frog and Frosty..... Enjoy!