It's My Birthday Too Yeah

I know that no one will be posting a long lavish glowing tribute to me on my birthday over here at KGC but I thought maybe as a birthday gift to me you could try and comment on the blog.  Just try it!  It could really be a great way to keep our out-of-touch family more connected.

I am having a great birthday get away with my husband thanks to Dawn coming from Utah to stay with my kids.  What a great gift.

Hope you are all doing well too.

Here's to turning 43~!

Kelly

MATTHEW DANIELS

One of the perks of being a teacher in a small(ish) town, is that no one thinks twice if you decide to "pick off" a couple students in your yard at Halloween. For the last 16 years, Chris has "put an end" to the more memorable students in oh-so appropriate ways. You know teenagers,.... sometimes they forget to breathe, forget to put on the emergency break, spend too long with their electronic devices, and tend to play unsafely with carnivorous chickens.

Years of cardboard headstones have given way to these custom dry-erase versions. But with new cousins in the area, we just couldn't help including them in our favorite of Halloween traditions. HAPPY HALLOWEEN MATTHEW & DANIEL WHATCOTT! We just love having you so close by!!!

Great NEWS!!!

For those who have been living under a rock and don't know yet, Eric is out of surgery.  The tumor was removed and was encapsulated.  This means they most likely got everything.  JoLynne told me that the nerves they thought were going through the tumor were just resting on top and were able to be saved.  A surprise and a miracle if ever there was one.  He will keep more of the feeling in his face that way.  Only some lip numbness!  Who hoo for lip numbness!!

Reconstruction went well and they had to take less bone from his leg than they expected.  He will run again.  I am almost tempted to start running (even though I hate it so much) just to be able to run with him.  Seth is planning a surprise visit from China.  Should be arriving soon I believe.  I would love to be there for that surprise.

The other miracle that I feel is coming is the pathology report.  So far they have refused to say for sure but it may be either a low grade sarcoma (low grade=better than high grade), or a benign growth (benign=best news we've had all day!).  So keep praying for that one.  It will take a few days to officially say what the tumor is.  It's a complicated tumor.  I am so excited for all this good news.  I am sure we all are!  Keep up the prayers folks.

Paula

After just spending some time with Paula this past week, I am not certain she wants to be recognized on her birthday here at KGC.  She didn't seem too excited about remembering another birthday.  But as I told a guest at Marcy's wedding, my sister Paula is so well preserved we think she sleeps in formaldehyde at night.  She may not be a teenager laying out in our back yard killing ants in her belling button any more, but really....she should be doing cartwheels (if she could) to be feeling and looking so good at her age...  What is that age again?  Maybe we shouldn't say.  That's my present to you Paula- not saying your age here on the blog.  Happy Birthday!  Do you like what I got you?

One thing I really love about Paula is that she has the ability to make others feel that she is truly interested in what they have to say.  She asks questions and listens.  That was the way our mom was.  She always seems happy to see me.  Especially because of our traditional hug/jump move we do when first seeing each other.  One thing we have noted is that we must be in sync when doing such a move, or it's kinda unpleasant.  That bouncy hug always makes me laugh.  Paula too.  She has a wonderful laugh.  Whenever I am around Paula we laugh.  She is super happy almost all the time too.  That is probably why she earned the name of Saida while we were in Morocco.  Saida means happy in Arabic.  My name was Jamilla which means beautiful.  In full discloser I should state that I picked this name for myself.  Saida did not.  She really is a happy person and so fun to be around.

Saida in Morroco! (Doesn't she look happy?)

Whenever I am around Paula/Saida my voice gets a bit higher.  I start talking and acting a bit more like Paula.  I guess if imitation is be best form of flattery then I am really in awe of my oldest sister.  Here are some good reasons why:  Paula is a great cook.  She makes great pot holders, she is a super hygienist, she has 4 great kids, she is genuine and kind.  Paula is active and walks every day.  She taught/inspired me once by telling me she only eats 2 Oreos at a time.  She treats her doggie Conan like a favorite child.  She loves my kids which I really appreciate.  She keeps in touch and understands what it's like to be a military wife living far away from family.  She supported me with a very timely visit when my husband was deployed and I was going crazy, I will always be so grateful to her for that.  She keeps her mind and body active by being an EMT.  She is such a great EMT in Moab that she teaches EMT classes!  She's really great, thrifty, kind, and reverent.  Except when we sit together in church and then she might be a bit too chatty.  Speaking of sitting together in church, Paula can really sing.  She sounds just like Mom's pretty alto voice and I love sitting next to her and harmonizing.  She is really amazing and super dee duper.


In case you can't tell, I really love Paula!  I wish her the best of birthdays this year with many more to come.  And don't worry Paula- even though my daughter called you 'grandma' the other day, you still got it baby!

Paula at the Smithsonian

Marcel-The Heart of a Champion!

When Marcy was born she was so dang small that we nick named her 'Mousy' and our mother protested.  She slept in the clothes closet in a white bassinet.  I particularly liked peeking in on her and seeing her little bald half-head peeking over the side.  She had her Mom's beautiful eyes.  She was anything but mousy.

Marcy soon learned (as we all did) to be plucky growing up in such a large family.  She was tough and strong and had night-time dreams of conquering wild animals by leaping on their backs and riding them into submission.  Perhaps these nightmares where the first inklings of her desires to work with animals.  I am certain they were also a peek into the psyche of this amazing sister of mine.  She has the infamous "Whatcott Bounce" we are always hearing about.  When you get knocked down you come back up fighting, and with each fight you only become stronger for it.  Our friend Marcy has lost some rounds but has never given up the fight.  I'd say the overall championship belt goes to.... Marcy!  Let's all run around in a circle with our fists in the air to the theme music from Rocky on her birthday shall we? Go ahead and shout "Yo Adrienne" a few times for good measure.

Needless to say we are proud of our sister for completing vet school and finding an awesome fiance along the way.  She has also found herself a job and a duplex like a big girl in the big world.  I hope that on her birthday this year she can reflect on the past 35 years with relief.  She has accomplished her goals with grace.  She has overcome her obstacles with courage.  She is someone I am proud to know.  Someone who is fun to be around. She is someone I trust.  I wish her all the best and commend her for what she has done.  We all look forward to seeing her get Married this fall.

Congratulations and Happy Birthday Marcy.  Keep those feet dancing, lead with your left and never let your guard down.  Because as we all know, it's not what you do when you fall but what you do when you get back up that counts.  

Another being with the heart of a champion- Marcy's doggie Cricket.

FAMILY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

In her latest post, Kelly mentioned that it's "getting a bit dusty" here on the family blog. Well,.. it must be from all the construction mess!!!

We will have a SECOND Marie Loveless within 48 hours! (Has there been an official ruling on the designations yet? Marie-dle-dee and Marie-del-Ray?)

The Lee wing in the final rundown to grand opening.

And the ever-more popular birthday stacking event: Brandon Seamons and Angela Whatcott shared September 13th! Dallas Hills and David Vogel will share this Friday, September 23rd. And THANK YOU Christine for the best Birthday present in AGES! Amy Rose is a doll!!!

Whether it was the "quick reference family guide" I made for Thelma,... or the amazing 3" binder I found at DI last month,... or my attempt to put the last 20 years of accumulated KGC family memorabilia into said binder and realizing it wasn't big enough,... Whatever,... I've decided to take advantage of this little "lull" in my life (kids are big enough not to need me around every minute, and grandkids are still a few years off) to see about getting this bulk a little more organized.

Please forgive me if somewhere in this process I become the stereo-typical geneology-crazed Aunt -- it's a very small leap, indeed!!! And barring my life taking another "scenic detour" (which the Lord likes to provide on occasion for our own edification and enrichment), I do plan on starting to contact some people (This could mean YOU!)

General Conference weekend is coming up,.. take advantage of the refreshing change in Sunday schedule to sit down and update your own family files. Remember to add not only the births and weddings, but also the baptism and endowment dates (and you can even put blessing dates in the "christening" line,.. since that's when LDS kids become "children of record")

At one point, I remember Dad Cruiser predicting that his posterity would number over 1,000,000 within 6 generations. And, though Chris and I did not meet his expectations (Dad had signed us up for SIX children! I ask, "Chris and WHICH wife? This one is maxed out!!!"), the family is still well on it's way!!!

So here's to all the construction "messes",.... the babies, the weddings, the funerals,...

And to the rest of the world,....

EAT OUR DUST!!!

Memories of Mom

Well it's getting a bit dusty over here at KGC Blend. I know there are those of you out there who could be posting but I guess it's up to me to keep this going for now. I realize there was a birthday I neglected to post about. Our mother's birthday was August 9th. For some reason that date seems to sneak past me and I realize it a few days after it's passed by. This year was weird. I sometimes dream about mom. I dream that she is alive and that her cancer has been cured and she is here to give me her love and advise. Then I wake up bummed that it was just a dream.  These dreams are usually few and far between.  For some reason during the week of her birthday I had several successive dreams compounded during the week leading up to August 9th. I'd wake up and think "weird- I had another dream about Mom." Then the thought would leave and I'd go about my busy day. It wasn't until about the 11th or 12th that I realized her birthday had passed again without my thinking about it. Then I realized that my subconscious had been thinking about her all week.  It was weird.  I like to think that maybe she was with me in spirit (at night) all week.  I don't really know this, but it's a nice thought.  I miss her still.

She was a completely selfless person.  She was a great listener and hardly ever talked about herself even though she was most interesting.  She loved all people: poor, unpopular, unloved.  She loved the underdog- so do I.  I still remember the Samoan man who came knocking asking for work.  After she paid him for weeding the yard he mentioned that he was not as good as her.  She told him "not so- God loves you just as much as he loves me, and she gave him a warm hug."  I will never forget it.  I was a young girl at the time, but it struck me deeply.  She never played into that snob hill mentality that was so prevalent in Oak Hills.  She refused to be a part of the sororities in college, even though I am sure they wanted the homecoming queen attendant as a feather in their cap.  She always taught me that "pretty is as pretty does."  I hope to pass that along to my daughters one day.  We live in such a materialistic world where girls are taught that being ornamental is best.  Our mother was a looker, but she was much more than a pretty face.

I wish I had her here to ask about my children.  This parenting job is a tough gig and I am certain most of the time I am getting it wrong.  She could help me with so many things if I could just pick up the phone and call her.  Maybe I need to be more in tune with the spirit so that she can help show me the way.  She's probably shouting advise through her mega phone on the other side of the veil but I have earthly cotton stuck in my ears and can't or won't hear what she would have me do.

Mom would have been 81 last August.  I hope she is well on the other side.  Probably running the nursery still....  Now uncle Bob is with her.  They probably have a lot of catching up to do.  To those who will be attending Bob's funeral this week, if you feel our mother near, say hello for me will you?

Kelly

PS for those who read this who are unaware, our Uncle Bob Vogel had an accident that lead to him being put on life support.  There was something burnt on the stove and a smoke filled house triggered an asthma attack, which then triggered a heart attack. He was 20 min down before they could re-start his heart but no brain activity remained.  Life support was taken off on Thursday evening at 6:30.  Our prayers are with the Vogels...