Real Men Buy Dirt Bags (and mulch)

So, right after that wonderful spiritual post, I'm adding my funny for the day. I approached Del this week and said - "Honey, for Mother's Day would you mind buying me some mulch for my flower beds? You don't even have to get me a card or anything - just 6 bags of mulch" I'm a little tight on money right now - so I thought I would at least try. He said that he would feel terrible just getting me that and, what would it look like, and how bad he would feel. But never-the-less we pulled into Lowes and he bought me my Mom's day dream gift. Today in church a friend of mine said - "Did you see what I got for Mother's Day?" (Back up a bit and remember that I just taught a gardening class and I had encouraged people to plant their gardens and to start with good soil) Sheryl said, "He bought me a bag of dirt!" I started laughing until I cried - I told her that I received mulch! She said - mulch? That's nothing I got a bag of dirt I'm so excited! And she seriously was, and I seriously was excited about my mulch! Needless to day a couple of old dirt bag ladies, were thrilled with their gifts and with their husbands who 'dared to be different to make sure their wives were happy' on Mother's Day. Get down, get dirty... or mulchy if you wish... Thanks Del and Tracy - you are real men in our books!

Elder Hillary, u da man.

This was the last time I saw Elder Hillary - he was just leaving the hosptial after having surgery on his lung. Behind those big blue eyes were portions of fear but massive amounts of faith. If you are reading this post on May 10th you can see at the right that we are now at 599 days left - we are SO past the 600's. Today, as customary, I received my Mother's Day Missionary Phone Call. I had held the phone for an hour before he even called - practicing not crying. It worked for a bit. He sounded so amazing - he's a different person all together - he's where he should be and then some. His health is checked often, and his language is tested even more often, and his biking skills are tested basically, daily (that one's for you Ryan M (: ). He is my Warrior, you may not know him as I do if you don't already know this. He is far beyond me in many ways. His first questions? Tell me about my family, tell me everything. His last words? Tell them all I love them so much. So I send that out to you Matt, Bethany, Andy, Ashley, Mike, Mandy and Ryan - you are loved. And as you know, in Texas everything is bigger, and so thus is the case with your little brother. Heart, mind and soul - and a little around the waistline - authentic Mexican food, being able to prounounce it, being able to actually eat it... priceless. And so are you my son. Thanks for being one of 4 amazing reasons why I celebrate being a Mother today. I love you all.

Daily, Ryan, Daily...

Just wanted to thank Ryan - my son in law Ryan, (because we have 2 Ryan's in the family, one is currently Elder Ryan) who has made a great sacrifice to have Mandy be able to travel to Korea for her BYU Wind Symphony tour. Today I received my Mom's day card from Mandy - who left long before Cinco De Mayo (: and yet it was mailed on the 9th. Ryan, I know that the honey do list is long and relentless - I know this because she is her mother's daughter! I'm sure in kinda went like this...

1. Mail my moms' mom's day card on this day or die.
2. Water the tomatos growing in the pots in front of the sliding door, daily.
3. Do the dishes, daily.
4. Please wash all of your clothes, daily.
5. Please vacuum, daily.
6. Please eat, daily.
7. Please be a good man, daily.
8. Call your own mom, daily.
9. Listen for my skype call, daily.
10. Know you are the best hubby ever, daily.
and last but not least, please try to answer at least one of my mom's 'daily' calls to see if you are doing all of the above, daily.

Ryan - thanks for helping Mandy live this dream. I know it was extremely difficult as it was quite expensive, and I know that you are working 150 hours a week just to make up for it and still training hard in your running with Regionals coming right around the corner. I will never forget your kindness to her as a sweet husband. She's a lucky girl, and Del and I are even luckier that she found you. Please, know that we love you, daily.

Where is everyone?

You can follow this child in Korea/Japan on 'The Merriman" blog listed at the right. She's on Tour with the BYU Wind Symphony. People won't stop touching her hair. I'm sure they were unprepared for the Mandy Child. Ryan M, are you doing ok? Remember - Del cooks.... Mandy and I talk on Skype each chance we get - the time change is outrageous. She will have wonderful memories to tell her kids someday. She's also featured as a soloist in one of their concert pieces and so the world gets to hear her amazing talents! Go Manda Panda! Wait - are there pandas there? Well, if not - at least there's a Manda....

You can follow this child on "The Doxstader" link listed at the right. Ashley just finished up her last Heat Transfer final at the U of U for her Masters Program - finishing touches will be in the fall. Right after the test - she burned her fingers on a hot can, think she passed the heat transfer test? She's playing in a reunion JHS Jazz Band on the 14th of this month - is rusty a chemical? Love you Lee Lee! (: Mike - you are Hot-ta-ta... These are my Angel and Demon children - can you guess which is which? Thought so...

You can't foll0w this child - because we love him so much we want to keep him private - but they might let you in if you request it. They are my 'Royal Hillary' bloggers. Andy wasn't allowed to put a dime in his mouth that he found on the ground - that's the story they wrote, but I believe it was because he misses his favorite Grandma's and Grandpa's in Utah! (: I LOVE THESE PICTURES SO MUCH THAT I ACTUALLY STOLE THEM FROM THEIR BLOG - please forgive me.... Love my Matt & Bethany & Andy! Please tell Anne of Green Gables Hello! Oh - and Edward Cullen from Forks too.

You can follow the celebration for this one in 3 days - as I get a phone call from El Paso, Texas for Mother's Day, and we also hit the 599 days left mark - GOOD BYE 600's eh?! Elder Hillary just had another Baptism - and it was a wonderful story. Swine Flu is a friendly reminder why we pray so much. So far - so good. He's a trooper and we are very proud of him in every way. Transfers are Monday - we'll see where the adventure continues from. Love you Elder H!

I say - If you've got 'em flaunt 'em. Can you tell I love 'em? They are my adventures - and life is S-W-E-E-E-E-T with them in my life. Can you imagine the noise in Heaven before they came to earth? Must have been a beautiful place! Anywho - enjoy them, their stories are way fun - they're surely worth every moment spent in raising them! Love Ya Kids! Love Ya Andy!

Oh - and if you are curious about Del and I, you can find out about us here at the homesite. As you can see, empty nesting suits us well. Once we've found our teeth, glasses, and hearing aids we're on the go. Del has a 100 mile Race for the Cure bicycle ride for Diabetes in June, and I have a 100 mile Little Red Riding Hood ride for Cancer just before that, so you can see we're getting ready to hit the road in this picture. Right after the ride, we come home and get on the Harley's and remind ourselves how much more fun - real horsepower - can be. "How did you get your bike clips on those boots dear?" "Nice butt padded dress there honey!" Please pass the Advil... and a Cliff Bar, and throw in a Rock Star...

Wolvertreckiedemons Unite!

tic tac toe
3 in a row
a steady diet of
refillable mugs,
and popcorn
pinch me - i must be dreaming

AAAHHH So.....

Um, Mandy, don't you wish you had taken Lee Lee up on sushi training? Don't forget to eat - something - unless it's still moving. BYU Wind Symphony hits their tour to Japan and Korea today. 15 hour flight, good book, snack, dinner, snack, hit the ground running. They have all been set apart as Missionaries for the almost month long tour. Their concerts will be held in huge auditoriums and they are all SOLD OUT! I'll keep you posted, but please check Mandy's blog for the good stuff. Thank you to so many people that made it possible for Mandy to go, Dad, Gma, Ryan, Ashley/Mike, you'll never know what it means to her to know you cared enough to help her make her dream tour a reality. California Roll Lee Lee? Get that stamp on your passport Beep! Good luck and know we love you!!!

Me Mudder

Hey pretty lady - today was rough. I spent the weekend with you and I always seem to wear my judgmental robes. This week I wore my long black ones and my pointed witch had to match. I drove home and left a trail of tears. So I thought I might just tell the world that you were right to have my middle name be 'Dork' because most of the time lately I am. I don't know many things but I do know that I am lucky to have a mom that has a heart of gold and lips of bright fuchsia - even when you're wearing turquoise. I am lucky that when I come to your home - I find it packed to the ceiling with love, and chocolate, and laughter. I am fortunate to hear the amazing stories that people tell me about you. You can tell who your friends are by what they say behind your back - and you have true, lifelong friends. You can tell that even though your mom left this life and left you to be alone at 15 years old, you have redefined the word 'mother' because there is no one like you on earth. You are the last remaining member of your entire family here on earth - and the tug of war game is strong to keep you here. I hope that somewhere in your almost 80 years of life, you have found all of the joy you deserve coming back to you. I know that my life is richer because of you. You are my sunshine. I love you dearly - just wanted the world to eat their hearts out because you're mine. XOXOXO .....and if you ever throw money in my back seat again for gas I'll cut one of the remaining 9 toes off...... thanks mudder.