Graduation

Bossy graduated with her BS from UVU in August, but she is participating in commencement this week. She is the first of our children to receive a Bachelors Degree, and we are very proud of her efforts! I know from personal experience how hard it is to go to college and concentrate on home and family at the same time. My sweetie received his BS in 1988 and that’s the same year I earned my MA. Bossy was three and the Gym Rat was just past one. 

Utah State had a fun program with a little degree called "Putting Him/Her Through" or a PHT. It could be awarded to kids and spouses of students. We got certificates for both of them. Then I made little caps and gowns and we put them through a mock ceremony at the house before the grownups headed off for commencement. Bossy insisted on being first and she threw back her little shoulders and thrust up her chin. She was so proud of her accomplishment that I knew then that school would be an important part of our lives always. 

Bossy was the cutest little girl! She had a double crown so her hair was incredibly thick and grown up from the time she was tiny. When she was three I took her to the salon for a perm. (Give me a break, it was the 80s!) The lady said she wouldn’t give one to a girl so small because their hair was too fine and it might be damaged in the processing. She took one look at Bossy and told her to climb into the chair. She still has long brown beautifully thick hair, but now she likes to wear it straight or pulled back. 

 

She was so bossy and mouthy when she was little. We thought it was cute so we let it slide. There were many times I looked into her dark blue eyes and whispered, "I can’t imagine what you will be like when you are all grown up." She would just give me a mischievous grin that seemed to say, "Just you wait…" 

We sailed through the elementary and middle school years playing basketball, softball, and throwing in just a little dance for good measure. She picked up a clarinet for the first time in 4th grade and that began a wild ride that finally ended with a college scholarship that paid all of her housing and fees at a junior college (her tuition was already covered with an academic scholarship). 

 High school was hard! We had many moments when I was tearing my hair out, wondering why I had given my own mom such a bad time. But there were some amazing moments too! She was a runner-up Sterling Scholar. Her Academic Decathlon team won the state competition and headed off for Nationals for the first time in the school’s history. She was a band officer and colorguard member. She got excellent marks and many scholarship opportunities. Before I knew it high school graduation came and went. She was only 17 and headed off to college. 

After she graduated from the junior college it was only a short time before she met Gamer and the two were married in a backyard ceremony by our Stake President. Taco came first and a couple of years later, Burrito. Gamer’s son, Bean Dip, also became a regular part of our family. And now, here she is…my own little Bossy (not so little anymore) graduating from the university.

I don’t have to imagine any more what you will be like when you grow up. Here you are, standing tall and proud (as you should be) facing the world once more in your cap and gown, diploma in hand. Go get ‘em Girl! ‘Grats…love you.

Church Pews

If you drive past my house in the light of day, you will notice that I have a church pew on my front porch. But that’s only half of it. I also have one in my living room! We joke about trying to teach the kids to be reverent at church by practicing at home, but really we have a church pew in our living room because it is an easy way to seat lots of people and we have lots of people! 



We found the church pews by chance or maybe by Providence. I was driving along 1300 West one bright summer morning and as I drove past the church, I noticed several dozen church pews spread out in the parking lot. Then I saw a large cardboard sign that said FREE. I picked up my cell phone and quickly called my teenage daughter. "Grab your brother, get in the truck, and get up here right away!" They thought I was crazy (as usual), but like the good, obedient children they were, they climbed in our broken down pickup and headed for the church. "Get two small (about 16 feet long) ones," I commanded into the phone. Of course I was on my way to an important appointment so I couldn’t stay and help.

*Editors Note*  Mom did not know these pews were 16 feet long.  She thought they were 9 to 12 feet long.  We had a '70 Chevy to haul the pews home in and the pews hung 8 feet out of the bed.  It was terrifying even with my big red flag I knew I was going to get pulled over. I could already see the disbelief in the cop's eyes when I tried to explain that I did not rob a church and that my mother really did want these pews for our house.

About half an hour later they showed up at the house with two dirty, smoke-filled pews. Apparently they had a fire at the church. The pews weren’t damaged, but they were covered in soot and they reeked of smoke. The pews were too long to fit in the truck bed, so they were hanging out the back with a nice red flag. We quickly unloaded them and set to work with soap and water. I had already envisioned one on our long covered front porch and I assumed the other would go on our back patio. 

When my sweetie got home, he had other ideas. It took them about an hour to angle the pew just right to get it into our living room. I believe I might have to chop it up to get it out again. But I don’t think we’ll get rid of it any time soon. It might not be working for the reverence thing, but at least we have places for everyone to sit.

Bossy

I’ve done it already. Less than a week into this new blog and I’ve managed to offend someone. It’s not that I didn’t think this day would come, I just didn’t expect it so quickly. Big Daddy (who doesn’t particularly love his name, by the way) said that we had to be oh so careful because this stuff stays on the web forever. Sharing secrets and personalities could make people hate us. But the big surprise came when the e-mail arrived from my oldest daughter. 

She thought maybe I was portraying her strengths in a negative light and I just wanted to set the record straight. She is an amazing person! She gets things done. That’s why we call her Bossy. But most of us love being bossed around most of the time because it produces the results we want. I take her shopping with me because I know she will find the best possible deal even if it drives me crazy! 

When I need to send someone to the grocery store with my pile of coupons, she is my first choice because she watches and makes sure everything comes up right and I never get ripped on when she is holding the receipt. She sets goals and makes them happen. 

She’s one of my exercise buddies because she won’t let me quit. Nobody defends me on the basketball court like she does! She organizes our little army into a mean cleaning machine; attacking the garage, the yard, the basement, you name it. We let her be in charge because she is good at it. So Bossy is a very appropriate, well-earned title and one that she should be proud of!

Meet the Fam

My sweetie and I have been married for 27 years. We are both from small towns in Utah and we have raised our children on the Wasatch Front. We had always wanted a big family and we were definitely blessed with one.  Meet the kids...

My oldest daughter (we’ll refer to her as "Bossy") is helping me set up this blog. She definitely suffers from "oldest-child-syndrome." She insists that to preserve our anonymity we must choose code names for each of us. I figure there really isn’t any way of hiding from our friends and they are probably the only ones likely to read this blog anyway, but it just isn’t worth arguing with her. (Hence the name, Bossy, get it?!) 

Bossy is married to "Gamer" and they have two boys, 6-year-old "Taco" and nearly 4-year-old "Burrito." (She chose those names, not me, although they are cute enough to eat!) Gamer also has a son from a previous relationship who is 8. He often joins us for special days and on weekends. Let’s call him "Bean-Dip." 

My 23-year-old son loves to work out, so he can be "Gym Rat." My 21-year-old daughter is twin-majoring in English and Theater, so we can call her the "Drama Queen." My 19-year-old daughter is majoring in Elementary Ed, so we need to call her "Teach." 

My 17-year-old son has a very successful dog-walking business, so I want to call him "Dog-Walker." All of my younger girls dance, but my 14-year-old has a guy friend who calls her "Princess," so that is her new name. My 12-year-old just got her pointe shoes, so she can be "Prima Donna." My 10-year-old loves to dance, but she is also a big-time crafter, so we will call her "Crafty." My seven-year-old son plays basketball and soccer, so "Sport" sounds like a good name for him. 

The five-year-old is just like her oldest sister, but we can’t call her Bossy, so we need to find another good name for her. Since I love "To Kill A Mockingbird," and she just became a Girl Scout a couple of months ago, we’ll call her "Scout." My 2-year-old has beautiful white curls and big blue eyes, so I think we’ll call him "Curly." And finally, we have my little one. She is 3 ½ months old and definitely my "Baby Doll."

My husband loves Big Daddy shirts, so he can be "Big Daddy." My dad has a room here, so at the risk of being obvious, we will just refer to him as "Grandpa." And me, well I could go with "Bifocals," but the pain of that is just too new, so how about "Mom"?