I'm Back

I know, I know, it's been since September since I posted.  Everyone is tired of reading about how I feel about the fall.  So, I thought that I would fill you faithful followers (yeah right) about what has been going on for the past few months.  First, the month of October was filled with my employment at Cornbelly's located at Thanksgiving Point.  I was responsible for the field trips that took place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and a few on Fridays during the month of October. I had schools come from all over the state of Utah and even some schools come from Wyoming,which blew me away because the schools traveled for 3 hours to get to Cornbelly's, stayed for 2-3 hours, then drove back to Wyoming, all in one day.  It's hard to believe Wyoming's school district would allow that kind of field trip.  I had a crew of about 8 people that I was responsible in assigning where they would work each day at Cornbelly's. I had people help me in the ticket booth, on the jumping pillow, the maze, the hayrides, the cow train rides, the sweetshop, and the video tent.  I would meet the buses that would come from all over. I was responsible in making sure that every child had a wrist band on and that all children and adults knew where everything was located.  I made sure that all the fees were paid and had to make sure that everyone knew what was expected of them while they were at Cornbelly's.  I had a few disgruntled parents ( mostly because people that came to Cornbelly's during field trips, I had to tell them that we weren't open to the public, and they were mad they couldn't come in because they had made the trip there),I had some lost kids that the chaperone's lost track of, a baby that fell in a sticker patch, some older kids that did some vandalism, a girl that sprained her ankle on the jumping pillow, some employees that never showed up on busy days, misplaced keys, a clogged mine because an irresponsible adult decided to pour a 5-gallon bucket of sand in the mining area, but other than that I had a grand time working at Cornbelly's.  I made new friends, learned how to run a credit card machine and a cash register, got a sun tan, lost five pounds ( but have since found them again) learned more skills for next year, enjoyed working with all kinds of people, gained confidence and recognized abilities that I have. All in all it was a great experience, and look forward to next year. 

One of the best parts of October was having Heather and her family visit for a week.  We had good times together.  The whole family went to Cornbelly's and had a fun time there.  We were very surprised by the anouncement that Tracie and Austin made to the family when we were a Cornbelly's, our little increase will be coming in June.  We are all very excited.  It was wonderful seeing how much my grandchildren have grown, especially Matt ( boy he has grown up).  We had a great time at pie night at Village Inn with all of the adults.  Tyler beat us all and had 3 different kinds of pie.  I loved having the Powell family visit us all in Utah.  Two other great things happened in October, the baptism of Tyson and the blessing of little Lilyan.  Two wonderful things for our family.  Tyson had to be baptized twice, but, hey, he certainly has been washed clean.  Lily looked so beautiful in her white blessing dress, she was an angel.  Trent did a great job in giving her, her name and blessing.  Heather made a awesome book for Tyson for his baptism, it will be a treasure.  Myself and Cheryl's mom, Joann Froelich, spoke at Tyson baptism.  I felt honored that he asked me to speak.  We also had a little mishap take place just before we were to go to Tyson's baptism, Mocha decided to eat Alan's teeth.  He chewed his flipper so much that there were no teeth left in the appliance.  So HayLee came to Dad's rescue and made sure that he got some new teeth.  What was sad about the whole thing was, Dad had to go to the baptism and the blessing with no teeth.  He wasn't able to talk to anyone.  It was actually a very sad time, but it all came together and Dad was able to get some awesome teeth. He loves his new teeth so much better.  I guess you could almost say that it was a good thing that Mocha ate Dad's teeth?   Now we can laugh about it.  Thank you so much HayLee for taking care of Dad so quickly and efficiently.  Also in the month of October Dad, Taylor and I went to CA for a family reunion.  It was a nice getaway for all of us. We went to Disneyland on one day and I actually went on the "Tower of Terror" ride for the first time.  I had vowed that I would never go on that ride but my sweet brother Clark decided otherwise.  It scared me to death, but I survived.   We had a wonderful gathering with my aunt and cousins on Sunday. It had been several years since we had seen each other. It was fun meeting my cousin's husbands and their children for the first time. Since we have been home it has been wonderful keeping in contact with them through e-mail. 

Also in the month of October was our RS Enrichment night (I was a committee member at the time but have since been released from that calling but still have my other calling of co-chair activities committee member) On the 24th of October our ward had our BIG Enrichment night.  I was responsible for 3 classes.  I taught a class on making calendars that you can get from "Close to my heart".  I have one that Jennifer had made me and they wanted to have that class available for the sisters, so I got elected to teach that class.  I also taught another class on making gift boxes for the holidays, and another class on decorating candles for the fall. Because I was doing three classes, I placed 3 tables in a "U" shape and was helping everyone all together.  I was extremely tired at the end of the day, because I had already put in a full day at Cornbelly's.   October was also busy with going to 2 football games each week-- to support Taylor.  He played on the JV team and was also on the specialty team for Varsity.  The games kept Dad and I busy but we looked forward to going to the games. Now we are starting a new season of wrestling, but that's another blog.  

We have had HayLee and Justin live with us on and off while their home was being finished.  We enjoyed having them live with us, plus I have enjoyed having Mocha around.  Mocha is my grand(dog).  I don't know why I love that dog so much, but I just do.  I think that it might be because I longed for a pet when I was younger.  I fell in love with Tyler's dog, Taffy, but when we had to put him down, it was just too much for me.  I said that we wouldn't have another pet, and we haven't.  When HayLee got Mocha I just fell in love all over again. 

November brought more busyness.  I had the ladies from the ward come over to finish their projects, I had my monthly scrap class, I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. for 2 weeks to take Taylor to hell week for wrestling, I had to catch up all the housework and ironing that got behind from October, I had to do yard work every weekend in November to get all the leaves and apples off the grass before the snow comes and I have had to help dad make cultured stones for the outside of the house.  We chose to make the stones because the stones cost $5 a piece and we needed several and just couldn't bring ourselves to pay that kind of money.  It's actually been fun making our own stones, it gives you a lot of pride in your work, knowing that you made them yourself.  They actually look quite good on the house. We would like to finish the front of the house before it gets too cold to work outside.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us.  Whew!  Could  I get any busier with life?  We also had a surprise in November, I'll post about that later.  

My Favorite Time of the Year--FALL

I love the FALL, it's my favorite time of the year.  Fall reminds me of so many things like: red apples, caramel apples, walking through crunchy leaves, peaches, corn on the cob, squash, huge pumpkins growing in gardens, crisp cool air, bright blue skies, football games-from sitting in the heat to being bundled up with coats and gloves, a new school year, new school clothes, new sweaters, caramel popcorn balls, drives up to the canyon to see the colorful leaves, the smell of logs burning in stoves or fireplaces, the deer hunt (especially my very first one), warm days and cool nights, driving down roads with the leaves falling all around, the beauty and color of the mountains and neighborhoods, a different feeling from the sun, the way the sun almost shines a different color on the world, not bright but dimmed a little bit.  Crazy, I know.  I don't know why I love the Fall, maybe because it's just a feel good time of year. Do you  love the fall?  Why or why not.

Our New Little Bit Of Heaven--Lilyan Mae McNeil

                                                    I took this picture, just minutes after she was born. 

                                            It is one of my favorite.  A proud Dad!                                                A proud grandpa--Papa Mac                                      I felt such joy at that moment holding LIly.                                                   Bright and alert and only minutes old.

On Friday, August the 22nd, at 6:01 p.m. we welcomed a little one from Heaven to the McNeil Family.  The whole family has been anxiously waiting for another baby to join the rest of the McNeil Clan, and oh, the wait was worth it.  Little Lily is so precious.  It has been fun watching Trent and Jessica become new parents.  They are so excited to have their little daughter.  This little princess will not want for anything, all her demands will be met, especially from her father.   Dad and I are excited to add another princess to our growing brood of grandchildren.  We were lacking in the girl department and Lily will be a loving addition.  

I wanted to post on my experience on the day she was born.  On Friday I usually mow the lawn to have it out of the way for the weekend.  I knew that Lily was going to be making her appearance sometime during the day and there was no way that I wanted to be dirty and smelly and not ready when the phone call came.  I had told Trent to call me when Jess reached 6cm to give me time to get to the hospital.  When Trent called me about 4:40 in the afternoon to tell me Jess was at a 6, Dad had just gotten home from work.  We had decided previously that Dad would take me to the hospital and wait for me in the waiting room while I was with Jess and Trent during the delivery.  Trent had invited myself and Jess' mom to come in for the delivery. I felt honored to have been asked because I know that this is a very special time for a husband and wife.  As Dad and I got in the car, Dad mentioned that he wanted to show me some houses near our home that had different finishes on them.  We have been trying to decide what we wanted on our home--siding/stucco, and what kind of windows. So we have been driving around the neighborhood lately trying to get ideas. As Dad was driving around the neighborhood my gut was in stitches.  I wanted to leave immediately for the hospital.  Dad said we had plenty of time before she delivered--but that didn't help with the way I was feeling.  I wanted to support Dad in being excited about looking, but yet I felt this urgency to be on our way. As we were driving down 16oo North on our way to the freeway, Trent called back, "she's to a 10". Dang!  Now I was really feeling anxious.  I didn't want to miss out on the experience of being there for Lily's birth.  Dad drove as fast as he could without breaking the law.  He knew that I was feeling fretful and anxious. He could see my nervous twitching.  I could hardly even talk to him.  I told Dad that I hoped that I would make it on time and  yet in my mind I was resigning myself to missing the event, and if it happened, it would be okay. 

We finally arrived at the hospital. Whew!   Dad parked and up we went to their room.  I walked in the room and the first person I saw was Pam, Jessica's mom.  Then I looked over to Jess and thankfully she was still pregnant! Yeah! Trent came over and wrapped his arms around me and said that they were waiting for the moms to get there.  Thank you, I thought.  Trent and Jess had a great midwife.  She was very laid back about the whole delivery thing, which made everyone feel at ease.  There was a comfortable feeling in the room, which made it very relaxing and nice. Soon the midwife said that it was time to start pushing, so Pam and I each took a leg  to help Jess with her pushing.  Trent was at the foot of the bed doing his coaching.  You could tell that he was very excited about becoming a father. Pam and I were holding our breaths with Jess each time she took a breath, it was quite funny.  Jess was so strong and brave during the whole experience.  It is hard to describe how I felt at that time.  First of all, I felt honored to have been asked to be present during the delivery, knowing that this is a special time for husbands and wives. Second, you never feel closer to God than when you are with a new born babe. It was fun to hear Trent say, "Jess, I can see her head."  I'm sure hearing him say that made Jess happy to know that it would soon be over. Giving birth is a wonderful feeling, but it's something that you are glad to be over and done with.  That was the way I always felt during all my deliveries. 

What a wonderful sight it was to see little Lily be born.  Tears came to my eyes, knowing that she just left her Father in Heaven and now she was with us--her family--her mother, her father, and both of her grandmothers. She was joining many aunts, and uncles, parents and grandparents, who were so excited to finally meet her. She will be a joy to her parents and loved ones. I thank Heavenly Father for my wonderful family. They are a joy to my life every day.  That's what it's all about--Family.  Thank you Jess and Trent for a  wonderful experience that I will always treasure. 

Ready-Set-Hike

It's that time of year again.  Football games.  It's also time for Mom's stomach to be in knots for the school year. Whether it's football or wrestling, the knots are there.  And it doesn't matter that I've been doing this for many years, starting with Troy at age 6.  You would think that it would get better.  Nope.  I love watching my kids in their activities of choice.  Taylor is my last child for me to watch, only 2 more years left.  Then I will move on to grandchildren. Taylor has been putting in the time to be ready for the games, he started conditioning in June, Monday through Thursday.  Last week he went to Unity camp in Idaho for a week.  Now this week he has 3-a-days.  Thank goodness he has his license. Last year I was running him to the high school all day.  His first game this year is on September 4th against Timpanogos High School.  He has his blue/gold scrimmage game this Saturday the 16th, this is where the team plays a few scrimmage games for the parents to watch.  His coach told him that he will be a starting player for the team, which made him feel good about all the hard work that he has put forth this summer.  He's a good player.  I'm excited to watch him.  I love football!

We Love Being Grandparents

Being a grandparent is the best.  Dad and I have the cutest, smartest, most lovable, adorable, funniest, grandkids of all.  Hands down, no need to argue with us.  It's a given.  We are just getting a good start to our family of grandchildren.  Dad and I are so excited about the new arrival that will be coming to our brood of grandkids.  Our newest addition will be here in just a few short weeks.  Recently we had a baby shower for Jessica and Trent's little one.  I can hardly contain myself with the excitement of a new granddaughter.   And she will be right up there with the rest of them.  She will be darling (of course) and smart, adorable, funny, and very loving. I have many people tell me that Trent and Jess will be wonderful parents.  Of course, we all ready knew that.  We have had so many fun and enjoyable times together with our grandchildren and look forward to many more.   We just recently had a great visit with Maddie and Eric. Eric just finished his swim lessons and has no fear of the water.  He tried to show me how to swim in the bath tub. I was laughing just watching him. I got to play house with Maddie and Eric.  I was the mom of course.  Maddie was the teenage daughter (so she told me) and her name was Roxie, and Eric was Josh the little brother. Maddie wanted to play house very spare minute.  Oh what imaginations!  We watched Maddie  swim her heart out at the meet and we all cheered for her.  She worked so hard to get to the Jr. Olympics.  Troy and Jen also sacrificed to help her achieve her goals by taking her to her practices everyday. They deserve a  gold medal.  We visited Yosemite National Park and saw many beautiful sights.  The California fires dampened the view a bit, but it was still beautiful.  

We visited with Seth, Cade, Leah and Matthew in May and loved being there for Seth's birthday and ordination to the priesthood, and celebrating Matthew's birthday.  We loved the beauty of the mountains and surroundings on our tour of the canyon.   Seth and Cade are dare devils on the bikes, makes grandma nervous. Seth and Cade are good athletes.  Leah is a beautiful dancer.  Matthew is an athlete in training, he's on his way of being just like his brothers.  Heather and Ryan deserve a medal too, with all the running around they do with the kids. Four kids in four different places -whew!  We have had many sleep overs with Tyson, Preston, and Mason this summer.  Each of them had their own weekend with grandma and grandpa-- Shopping, picnics in the canyon, slip'n sliding, late nights with movies and popcorn, playing in the park, all kinds of fun. Tyson is a great reader and very smart, just ask him, he'll tell you. :) Preston can count to fifty, and he can, he told me, and oh, he's a cuddle bug.  He's excited about starting school soon.  Mason, he's the one that keeps everyone in line, and is very obedient.   We love being with our grandkids.  We are looking forward to more grandkids coming in the future.  I have Mocha as my surrogate grandchild from HayLee and Justin (until they are ready for a baby in their family).  It's okay, I love that dog, he'll always be a part of the family. :)

I wish that my own children could have experienced what our grandkids our experiencing with us.  They have grandparents that are great, and I wish they could have spent more time with them, to get to know them even better. Grandparents are important to a child's life and every child should have the opportunity to feel the love of a grandparent.  Heavenly Father knew that we needed families. Aren't we lucky!  We have great grandchildren. 

I've got --Tagged!

Well, I was hoping that I would be able to evade the game of tag.  I always did poorly at playing tag, partly because I DID want to get caught by the boys!  Hey, that's how girls work.  They say that they hate being chased by boys but in reality, they want to be chased and to be caught.  Admit it, all you girls know what I'm talking about.

Okay, here it goes, mind you my answers involve my children because they were and are a major part of my life:

10 years ago I was....

Preparing for Tyler to be married.  I thought he was young to be getting married, but hey, I got married at nineteen and so did  his dad.  What can I say.   I had 2 grandchildren, Seth and Cade.  I still had Troy, Trent, Tracie, HayLee, and Taylor living at home.  I started substituting at Canyon View Jr. High in the Life Skills class with Mrs. Cook.  And I loved it.  It was from this point that I started subbing for other schools and  found that I totally love teaching.  Still serving in the primary as a counselor.   

5 years ago I was....

Grandchildren by 2 more, making it 4:   Seth, Cade, Tyson, Madeleine.  Trent  graduated in 1999 and then went on his mission to Thailand in 2000. Returned home in 2002.  Troy married Jennifer  in 1999, and they had Maddie in 2001.  Tyler and Cheryl had Tyson in  August 2000.  Tracie and HayLee were involved with a singing group and also did the play Cinderella.  That was a lot of fun for the family to go and watch them in their performances.   Got released from primary and was called as compassionate service leader for a year.  

It was while I was serving as compassionate leader  (2004) when I had my accident with my foot.  I was going down the stairs in my home, carrying a large box of food for the funeral of our dear neighbor.  I thought that I was on the bottom step and stepped out.  I landed on the rock floor with my high heeled sandal and crushed my foot down, twisting as I went.  The food flew everywhere.  The pain was so intense that I nearly passed out.  I would give birth again with no medication before I would go through that pain again.  I called out.  Tracie was in the upstairs bathroom on the phone, the fan running.  She couldn't hear me.  Danielle was in the downstairs bathroom getting ready for a doctors appointment.  She heard me screaming and came running.  I told her I was hurt, to get the phone and call Alan.  I could barely talk , the pain being so intense.  She called Alan and then she handed me the phone.  I tried talking to Alan but could barely get out any words to inform him that I was hurt, and it was bad. I told Danielle to gather up the strewn food and take it over to the church for the funeral.  I waited on the stairs for Alan to come home. Alan had called the paramedics on the way home, and they showed up before he did.  Alan had also called the bishop and he ran over from the church to be with me until Alan arrived.  So I was hauled off to the hospital in the ambulance after getting hooked up with some good feeling drugs.  The hospital staff said that I had just sprained my foot.  They wrapped up my foot and placed me on some crutches and out the door I went.  But six months later I found myself in the hospital ready to have surgery on my foot that was supposedly sprained.  That was a hard year.  

Yesterday I was...

Getting ready for RS enrichment night.  I was called to be on the enrichment committee, as well as the activities committee after being released from young women's.   I have had a hard time adjusting to the new callings.  I loved working with the young women.  But I'm getting older and I guess they needed some young blood.  We had a light dinner at our enrichment activity, and we had a sister in the stake come and do a reading about the Prophet Joseph as his mother, Lucy Mack Smith.  It was a great evening.  

5 favorite snacks....

chocolate.....just about anything chocolate, but I am particular, chocolate kisses, Hershey bars especially with toffee bits.  (symphony), all nut bridge mix.  

chips and dip ...and along that same line..cheetos...but not too often

homemade chocolate chip cookies....used to make them sooo many times in one week, but now I cook very rarely, hey I'll eat those dang cookies if they are around.  No self control at all.  

almonds....  I love nuts, but hazel nuts don't love me

5 favorite books....

Follow River

Hey I'm Alive

The Children of the Promise series

The Tennis Shoes series

The Twilight series

Really anything church related.  I especially like historical books.  I'll read anything history related.  

5 Favorite Movies....

The Saint

Sound of Music

Great Escape

Princess Bride

Eighties movies:  Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, 

Braveheart

5 favorite places to runaway to......

The movies, I absolutely love going to the movies....just give me a bag of popcorn and I'm in  heaven

The mountains...I love listening to the birds sing and the breeze in the trees....the peace that's found there

My wonderful, comfortable bed....with a good book is the best

Anywhere where Alan is...we loved walking on the beach together in CA.... it was wonderful

With our friends .... just being together 

5 bad habits......

procrastinating....I think that just about everyone procrastinates..except Jen, she's a go-er and do-er

too quick to be upset about things

too picky.....I need to just relax sometimes

 judgmental....I am trying to work on this one 

swearing.....it's trying being married to someone who does not swear....but I am getting better

5 things I would never wear...

my shirt tucked in...never have and never will

a bikini

a thong...tried to one time,  never again

mismatched clothes....(see picky)

bright blue eyeshadow.....a thing of the eighties

5 pet peeves.....

people who drive under the speed limit..especially when I'm in a hurry

phone sales people who just won't listen to you when you say, "Not interested!"

people who talk when they just need to be quite...movies...listening to speakers....church

people who litter..don't clean up after themselves

fake people....those that think that they are a bag of chips and everything else

5 things I enjoy.....

my husband

my children

my grandchildren

the above are all givens, I know, but it's true

hotfudge/banana shakes,  yummm the best!

smelling freshly baked bread, reading, eating, scrapping, napping, shopping

5 favorite TV shows...

all time favorite--Andy Griffith...still love to watch

24

AMC black and white movies..they make you have a good cry sometimes

Stargate SG1

those make it, fix it, clean it shows and recently American Idol

5 people I would like to meet.....(I'll follow Austin's blog)

Dead:

Jesus Christ

Captain Moroni, Captain Teancuam (sp?), Nephi

George Washington

Joseph Smith

Marilyn Monroe

Alive:

Thomas S. Monson

Mel Gibson

Steven Spielberg ( sorry I copied you Austin, but he is a genius)

Arnold S.  (I won't even attempt to try and spell his name, you know the governor of CA)

David Archuleta

Well, that was a pretty long post.  Hope that you enjoyed reading it.  I promise not to have them so long next time.  But it was fun.  I haven't posted a 100 blogs, so don't go looking for my hundred things about me just yet. It's too hard on the brain to figure out what to say.  

My First Job: An A&W carhop

My access to the real world came when I applied for my first job. I applied for my first job in the summer after my junior year of high school.  My sister Terry had applied at the A&W Drive In and was working there when I decided to find a job.  My senior year was coming up and I needed money for the fees that were required for Tigerettes.  I was required to earn my own money for just about everything that I needed and wanted.  I was a little nervous about applying for the job, but Terry put my fears to rest because she had told me that her employer was really nice.  I met with Leon Childs, the owner, for my interview. Terry had been an excellent employee so Mr. Childs, I think, thought that I would be a good hire.  My interview went off without a hitch. He told me that he would give me a call if a position opened up.  I didn't have to wait too long.  I remember being extremely excited when Mr. Childs called an asked if I could come to work. Yes, a job!  I found working to be very fun.  I not only earned money, but I also gained somewhat of a social life that I had never had before. I found it rewarding working with other people and getting to know them. 

I remember my first day on the job was thrilling, exciting, and very nerve wracking. I was sent into a back room and was asked to find a uniform that fit.  All of the new uniforms were either too small or too big, so I ended up wearing an old, outdated uniform, which made me feel uncomfortable. I looked different compared to all of the other girls, and I hated having to look different.  I was way too self conscience. I didn't like being the center of attention, and being dressed different made me stand out from the others.  I didn't like was what we had to wear while working:  skirts, with shirts tucked in.  The skirt was okay, but I never tucked in my shirts and still don't to this day. But, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? So I tucked my shirt in.  Later we were asked to wear dresses. Pretty hard to be modest in dresses, especially when you have to bend over to clean things up.

I was trained pretty fast on what to do (you had to be, that's why it's called "Fast Food").   There was a lot to remember.  I had to learn how to answer the order phone and write down the patrons orders. Memorizing the menu and the prices took some time.  My math skills of addition were put to use full time in this job, everything was done long hand, no computers to print out the orders.  I had to learn how to count back money while car hopping and do it quickly.  The hardest part of the job was carrying the trays out to the cars.  Sometimes the trays were loaded with  several rootbeer mugs, and  I'm talking about large mugs of rootbeer.  So to maneuver between the parked cars and carrying a loaded tray was very tricky.  One time I dropped a heavily loaded tray right on top of this guys car, spilling everything everywhere.  The guy wasn't too happy with me.  There were other occasions that I dumped the trays, but they got fewer and far between.  I learned the trick of carrying trays and developed some pretty strong muscles in my arms.  I was buff!!!  I also learned how to make the homemade rootbeer.  It was quite the process.  We used specially made syrup for A&W rootbeer, 50 lbs of sugar, water, and dry ice.  Then you had to mix the rootbeer using a special mixing sieve.  I also learned how to cook all of the menu items, even the hand dipped halibut fish and chips.  Yummm!  My favorite menu item was the rootbeer freezes.  I would bring home many for my dad, he loved them too. 

There were many opportunities to flirt with the cute guys.  Hey, that was half the fun of working! On one particular Saturday evening, a bunch of guys from Provo High came to A&W to hang out. All of the girls workers were freaking out because they were all cute.  Now I was dating Alan at the time, but that didn't mean I couldn't flirt, right?  After all, Alan was one of the biggest flirts I knew, and fairs fair. There was one particular boy from Provo that kept flirting with me, his name was Craig.  He kept after me and I was loving the attention. What girl wouldn't.  He had asked me a question that I will never forget.  He asked me if I was thorney (minus the "t").  Now being terribly naive, I thought that he was asking me if I wore horned-rimmed glasses, I didn't give him a straightforward answer.    I said, "Well, maybe I am, and maybe I'm not."   I didn't want him to know that I wore glasses.  Remember in my earlier posts,  it's  just not cool to wear glasses.  I was too embarrassed to talk to him after that.  I never went back outside.  It wasn't until a couple of years later that I found out what he was really talking about.  Man was I naive.  

There were many days that work was terribly busy.  Those days were dubbed, "Being Bombed."  After the summer was over, and I started back to my senior year of school, I had to quit work.  It was too hard asking for every weekend off for all the times that were required for Tigerettes.  I didn't really want to quit, I was having too much fun.  And I loved the money.  I laugh now when I realize how much I was  making an hour, $1.15, which wasn't too bad at the time.  

After my senior year of school I went back to A&W and asked Mr. Childs to hire me back.  He gave me the job and I put my whole heart into it.  I worked hard and earned the supervisor position.  My wage increased to a whooping $1.65 an hour.  Wow!  The supervisor position required you to be in charge of all the employees on your shift.  Also, you were required to count the money on the night shift and place it in the safe and lock up the building.  Many times Alan would come and visit me on my shift during my break.   I would give him my discount of half-price for the food, not taking any for myself.   He loved the Teen Burgers and I would make them extra special for him. Sometimes he would show up close to closing time and wait for me, I would call home telling my folks that I had a ride and that they wouldn't need to pick me up.  I looked forward to those times.  

Looking back now on my experience of working at A &W, I have fond memories.  I wish that I hadn't quit working before I got married.  I could have worked and been married at the same time, but something in my brain said, "You're getting married, you don't need to work."  How dumb was that?  I could have contributed to the family income, a small amount, but every little bit helps.  

The above photo of the drive-in is not where I worked, it's just a picture of an A&W.  The A&W I worked at is  in Provo where the Stevenettes Ice Cream Shop is now located. The photo of the logo on the can is what the A&W logo looked like when I worked there.  It has changed a bit since, but the orange and brown logo is what I remember. 

   

Birthday's, Priesthood and Good-byes

Dad and I had a great time in sunny Arizona for Seth's birthday and his special ordination to a Deacon.  Our visit was a short one, but a great one.  We arrived in Arizona on Saturday morning/afternoon and took off to a restaurant for lunch.  A family tradition with Heather's family.  Whether Heather comes home to Utah or we go to AZ, we visit a restaurant for lunch or dinner. We chose to go to Chili's for lunch.  Cade said that he didn't like it there.  He asked if they served pancakes there.  No. No pancakes Cade.  What's funny though is that Cade cleaned his plate. After lunch we went to Heather's home to relax a bit before we went to Cade's baseball game. When we arrived, the kids followed Dad and I everywhere we went.  We loved it!  The weather was really nice, a bit warm, but nice for the game.  Cade had two hits during his game.  He's a great player.  Sunday was Seth's big day.  I made him his own special breakfast of french toast, hash browns, and scrambled eggs.  Everyone else had cold cereal. Then we went to church.  It's so nice that their church  is just minutes away, before they got their new church building, it took over twenty minutes to drive to church.  My are we spoiled, I've never been less than five minutes away from any of my ward buildings.  It was such an honor to raise our hands to sustain Seth to be ordained a deacon during Sacrament meeting.  After church was Seth's ordination by Ryan, at first in the prayer Ryan said,' Elder' instead of 'Deacon.'  I had to smile to myself.  He gave a beautiful blessing. Heather and I prepared the food for the BBQ that we were having later in the day with Ryan's family.  Before everyone showed up Dad and I gave Seth and Matthew their presents for their birthdays.  Heather decided to celebrate Matthew's birthday too because we were there.  Seth was surprised at his gift, I think that he liked it. We gave Matthew a singing card, he went crazy with it.  The card was a lot of fun.  Everything was 'sweeeet' according to Matthew.  He got tons of action figures from everyone for his birthday.  He considered that he was five since we celebrated his birthday.  We had a great time visiting with everyone.  It was great seeing our niece, JoLynn, when we visit, and all of her children.  Monday morning all the boys took the motor bikes out to ride. The girls stayed home and did girlie things.  I painted Leah's toes and fingers, braided her hair, and we put make-up on together.  Oh, what a pretty girl!  When the boys got home  from riding we got ready to go out for lunch.  We went to another family favorite, "Hometown Buffet."  Hey, you can get what you want!  Then off to the mall to shop or whatever, mostly just killing time till we needed to go to the airport.  Dad had forgot to bring his cell phone with him so we had to really be careful not to get so separated from each other at the mall. Dad got Seth and Cade cool survival kits for scouts.  I think that they will really like them.  We were dropped off at the airport at 4:30 p.m. It was hard to say goodbye.  It seemed like we just got there, and in reality we did. I find it really hard to say good-bye to Heather.  With not being able to really communicate with each other, I miss being able to talk with her, and I miss her face, but I  am so thankful for Skype.  What a wonderful invention, especially for me and Heather. See you in the computer Heather, :)  Till our next visit together.

Long Time No See

I guess it's been a long time since I have posted the rest of the story.  So I will get right to it!

Part Ten

After coming into the house from being out too long in the car, and the lights going on and off, I knew that the lecture would be coming.  I came in and lucky enough Mom was the one that approached me with--" Never stay in a parked car with a boy for a long time! What will the neighbors think?" So now I had to worry about what the neighbors were thinking?  I had already noticed the curtains moving when Alan and I were in the carport. Who else was spying on us? The lecture didn't last too long and I was thankful for that.  I didn't let the lecture dampen my spirits about my evening "with the most wonderful boy there ever was."  I flopped on my bed on my back and went over the evening in my mind, trying to keep to memory everything that had taken place.  I couldn't help but smile while I was recalling. My first real kiss.  Girls always dream about who will be their first kiss.  Now I didn't have to wonder anymore.  My date with Alan was the best time I had ever had I thought, right up there with the evening when Alan had first taken me home from the dance, but tonight was better because I had kissed the boy of my dreams.  The euphoria lasted for a few weeks, but then it began to wane because I hadn't received any phone calls or contact of any kind for weeks.  Then my mind began to wonder if maybe my time with Alan had just been a one time shot, kind of like "kiss 'em and leave 'em," kind of thing. The summer moved along and was very boring and uneventful, and soon school would be starting.  I felt very deflated, sad, and a bit angry about not hearing from Alan the rest of the summer.  I was worried about how my first day of school as a Junior would be and what my reaction would be when I ran into him.  

I went to school feeling very apprehensive.  As I was walking the halls (by myself as usual) before school started, I saw Alan surrounded by all of his football buddies, the popular crowd, in the student lounge.  I walked by and we made eye contact, but I just kept on walking.  There was no way in heaven I was going to walk up to Alan and start a conversation with all those football players hanging around.  I was just too shy to do that. First period went by, my stomach was in knots.  After first period the school had planned a student assembly to start the new school year.   After first period I went to my locker, I was by myself, then all of a sudden he was standing there right beside me.  "Oh my gosh," I thought!  Alan asked if I would like to sit with him at the assembly.  "Are you kidding," I thought to myself, "yes, yes, yes," my mind was saying.  We walked to the auditorium together,  I was so nervous my heart was pounding.  We watched the assembly, I remember that I hardly paid any attention to what was going on in the assembly.  I was thrilled to be sitting next to Alan and then --he took my hand. 

Stolen Identity

Well, it happened! I got robbed!  Yes, my purse was stolen when I went to the movies.  Dad and I decided to go the the late movie on Saturday night at the University Mall.  We were watching "Vantage Point".  We sat on the second to the last row.  The back row had a larger space between the last to rows because they had changed the back row seats.  I walked in and got our seats while Dad was getting the popcorn.  I noticed an older gentleman seating on the back row all by himself, and thinking to myself that it was odd that he was alone.  During the movie he took my purse that was on the floor next to me by pulling the purse from behind.  Not only did he take my purse but he took another ladies purse that sat three seats away from me.  During the movie Dad and I noticed that he left the movie quickly, we brushed it off, then we went back to watching the movie.  A little bit later I reached down to get my purse and couldn't find it.  I thought to myself, did I bring it?  Yes, I remember saving the seat next to me with my purse, while Dad was getting the refreshments.  When I started searching for my purse, the lady next to me noticed me searching for my purse so she went to get her purse.  I went out into the lobby and the lady came out too.  She asked me if my purse was gone and mentioned that hers was gone.  We reported it to the manager, who then immediately called the police.  

I feel violated, mad, angry at myself, and ready to punch that guy out! How dare he steal from me!  He took all my credit cards, my check books to two accounts, my drivers license, my social security card, my prescription glasses, my recommend, my keys to our cars and house, basically my life.  

So after speaking to the police and giving him the information he needed, Dad and I went home to call all the numbers to report stolen cards.  Then we took off to Walmart for new locks on the doors and theft protection for our cars.  You never know what he will do.  He has our address and keys to our cars and house, he could just help himself to our property. 

What have I learned from this experience?  First, listen to my gut.  I thought to myself when I first sat down, to put my purse on the arm of my seat like I usually do.  Second, don't carry so much in your purse, only the absolute necessary things. Third, never trust anyone you don't know.  Fourth, don't put your purse on the floor of the movie theater.  Well, it's 3 a.m.  and Dad is still taking care of protecting our house and cars.  I'm waiting up with him, so I decided to write on our blog to vent off some steam.  What will I do if I ever run into the scumbag?  Don't ask right now, I'm too spitting mad!

Butterflies and Prayers

Part Nine

I decided to do nothing about the people waving at me, which didn't help the churning that was going on in my stomach.  

It was Uncle Garn and Aunt Karma that waved to me from their car.  I waved back gingerly, not being too excited that they were now keeping an eye on me across the way.  The mood seemed to change after that and it wasn't Alan fault, it was strictly mine.  I was nervous for two things: one, the spies in the next car, and two, the walk to the door scene.  I had never REALLY kissed a guy before.  I had had boyfriends before and every time that their moves got a little too close I would shy away.  Looking back now, I guess that could be the reason why they always seemed to move on!?!  I didn't want this boy to move on, so I knew that I needed to not shy away from the kiss goodnight that I was hoping would come.  Soon after eating we left to go home.  Alan drove up to the front of the house and parked the car.  We were in the car for some time just talking and enjoying being together. We didn't get too warm from being in the car so long because we had all the windows down and could feel with warm breeze of the evening.  Alan had his arm around me, and I snuggled in the crook of his arm feeling warm and cozy, not caring if it was warm outside or not. It felt right being in his arms and the feeling I got was --that he would always be there for me.  Looking back on it now, it was destined to be.  

Alan made his moves that night, and I was a very inexperienced girl in the way of kissing a boy. He tried kissing a very tight-lipped girl.  I laugh now thinking about what he must have been thinking at the time --in how unknowledgeable I was in the kissing department.  Needless to say, we kissed and it was wonderful, and wet, and sloppy!  Inexperience the culprit.  I didn't  care that it was our first date or not, I was glad that I had kissed him back. The old rule of never-kiss-a-boy-on-the-first-date went out the window.  So, with one set of butterflies having fled, I still had to wait for my relatives to call my dad and hear about being alone.   Time seemed  to have flown by that night, I thoroughly loved being with Alan.  I remember thinking that he was the answer to my prayers.  I had been praying for a friend and I felt that Alan was that friend.  Reality came crashing back when the back door porch light started to flash on and off.  Dang!  That was my call to get my butt in the house and NOW! We had stayed out in the parked car too long.  The butterflies came back twofold. We quickly hurried to the back door and had one last kiss goodnight, while my eye caught the movement of the neighbors window curtains.  Still being spied on I thought.  Alan said that he would call me and I remember thinking, "YES! he wants to go out with me again".  I hadn't scared him off.  It was hard to see him leave as he walked to his car, I  wanted to be with him all the time.  I then turned towards the door to go in and took a deep breath to prepare myself for the lecture I was sure was coming. 

Waiting and Waiting for--Our First Date

Part eight-

It's one thing for a woman to keep a man waiting, but a man keeping a woman waiting.  What's up with that? After the fateful "run back and give him a kiss on the cheek because he looked so forlorn" happened, nothing happened for weeks.  I was getting to the point that my "enchanted evening" was just a dream after all.  It had been weeks since I was at the dance with Alan.  I was beginning to wonder if maybe I shouldn't have ran and kissed his cheek, had I scared him off, I thought, or worse, turned him away of being interested in me?  The month of June finished out then July came.  It wasn't until the third week of July that I finally heard from Alan, and of course the old heart did the rapid beating again when the phone call came.  I was really nervous to talk on the phone.  I had never talked with a boy on the phone before.  Never!  So when it came to knowing what to say, I was really in a panic.  I could carry on a conversation face to face, but not on the phone.  Then to make matters worse, the phone was in the kitchen for all to hear your conversation.  Dad was in the living room with the phone in plain view, and the family was milling about the living room and kitchen, so any privacy was just not going to happen.  I tried to act real casual and not bring any attention to myself when I was on the phone, because I didn't want anyone trying to listen to what I was saying.  Our conversation was brief and to the point, "would you like to go out sometime?" he'd asked.   Dah!  What kind of question is that to a girl who has been patiently waiting by the phone for weeks, hoping that each time the phone would ring the call would be for her! Of course I wanted to go out!  I wanted to go out weeks ago!  I answered with a joyful "yes" hoping that I didn't sound too eager, or I should say, desperate.   Our first date would be at the "Regal Lanes" bowling alley.  I had only been bowling once before on a youth activity and I wasn't any good.  I had hoped that he wasn't a good bowler either.  I fussed and fussed with how I looked for the evening, I wanted to look perfect for my first date.  My Dad had informed me that I could go on the date providing there was going to be another couple going, you know, the double dating rule.  I didn't know if Alan had asked someone else to go with us or not, at that point I really didn't care.  All I knew was, I wanted to go with Alan and that was that. When Alan showed up at the door I could tell that he was pretty nervous, because technically this was his first date too.  He had gone to dances with Marsha, but he had never picked her up in a car and did the "come to the door, meet the dad" kind of stuff. (He hadn't gotten his license until the beginning of the summer because he had his arm in a cast from dislocating his elbow in wrestling class.) Having to come to my door and meet my parents was, I'm sure, a very fearful thing for him. Dad treated the meeting pretty well and made Alan feel at ease.  Alan passed the "meeting the strict Dad" routine with flying colors and quickly we were on our way.  I kept stealing glances at him as he was driving down the road.  He was eye candy to me. He was strikingly handsome, with a tan body, sun-bleached hair, and "muscles".  I could tell that he had been working out, he looked strong. From our conversation on the phone, he had said that he worked everyday in laying foundation forms for a construction company and that he had started football practice. So that's why he looked so tan and strong! Our time at the bowling alley was so much fun. It didn't matter that I was a terrible bowler, he was terrible too.  Thank goodness.   He flirted, I flirted, and we were alone, no double-date.  I was worrying about how I was going to tell my Dad that we didn't have another couple with us.  I couldn't, I would just have to tell Dad that the other couple fell through and I didn't want to have to cancel on Alan.  The evening flew by so quickly and I didn't want our date to end, I loved being with him.  We decided to leave the bowling alley and Alan suggested that we stop somewhere and get a bite to eat.  We elected to go the the A&W next door.  We ordered halibut fish and chips, my favorite I decided from that point on.  While we were parked in the stall waiting for our food, we were laughing and tickling each other and having such a great time. Then I looked forward out the front window of the car and gasped!  There, straight across from me in another car, was my aunt and uncle.  "Oh no," I thought, "that's just great"! Now my relatives were going to tell my Dad that they saw us at A&W and that we were alone. What was I going to do?   

The Controversy

Part seven I couldn't have asked for a better evening, the was music playing, there was an electricity in the air, a handsome boy was at my side, and I was floating. Have you ever dreamed for something so much and hoped that maybe someday it would come true? This was my dream and I didn't want to wake up, because if I did wake up, it just might not be real. Alan stayed with me the whole rest of the evening. We just stood and talked and laughed and at one point he took my hand and held it. Ahhh! My poor heart was about to burst! Some girls I knew from Tigerettes kept walking by me and Alan. I didn't know why they kept staring at us. I later did. An old girlfriend of Alan's, Debbie, was at the dance. Debbie was in the Tigerettes with me, but I didn't know that she was an old girlfriend of Alan's until he later told me. Alan had danced with her before he found me in the front of the store. So, because Alan had danced with her previously, I guess she thought that there might be a chance for her to get back together with him. Apparently not, because Alan paid the utmost attention to the girl at his side, me. Oh, I forgot, Colette was with me too. Looking back on how I handled the evening with Colette makes me sad. Why? Because, one-I totally forgot all about Colette being with me. I had begged her to come with me and I was totally ignoring her. I was bad. I was not being a very good friend. I wish now that I had been a better friend at the time. I wish that I had included her more in our conversation, but I didn't. Alan and I danced a few dances, which put me on cloud nine, but Colette was left alone. I was totally gone to the land of "where dreams do come true", and wasn't even thinking about what Colette was doing. The other thing that I remember being sad about the evening was, two-when we went home. When it came time to go home from the dance, (which I really didn't want to leave) Alan offered to take us home. "Yes! I'll be riding in a car with a boy!", is what I thought. Now you have to understand, that's a big deal for a nerdy girl. To be a nerdy girl and be seen with a cute boy in a car--that was a step up, that was not a thing that happens to girls like me. I remember thinking that this night was just too good to be true. So off we went with me riding in the middle pressed next to Alan, our bodies touching, and Colette by my side. Seat belts were not really worn at that time, so we were all in the front seat sort of squished together. As I remember, many cars on the road didn't even have seat belts in them. Colette lived right next door to me on the south. We had been friends since our family had moved in when I was eight years old, so our friendship was going on eight years. Alan drove up in front of her house, we said goodnight to her and then we took off in the car around the corner. I'm sure that Colette went into her house being terribly sadden by the way that I handled the whole evening. What kind of friend was I? But all I could think about was- I was with Alan- and that was all that mattered. If I could see Colette right now I would say to her how sorry I am for the pain I caused her in my selfishness, and 'would she please forgive me'. Oh, the things we do in our youth, it's a good thing that we all grow up and know how to treat people better. Alan drove me around the block and came back to my house. Seems silly now that I think about it, but at the time it felt like he was bringing me home from a date. Alan walked me to the back door. We stood together leaning on our old family station wagon which was olive green with the wood-looking side paneling on it. I remember, at the time we got the car, we kids were excited to have a new car, but as you get to be a teenager a station wagon is just not cool. As we were leaning ( yes, the leaning that's on the movie, 'While You Were Sleeping') Terry walked up to the back door with her boyfriend Steve. Now, previously to the dance, I had shown my sisters Alan's picture in the yearbook, and had talked about him non-stop. When Terry saw Alan with me, she knew who he was, and her eyes got big and round when she realized what was happening. She said, "Hi Alan." I'm sure that Alan was completely taken off guard when she said that, thinking, "how does she know me?" I remember a smile playing around her lips when she acknowledged to me, with her eyes, that she knew what was up. It's that look that we women have of knowing something and we give each other this look that says, 'yes, I understand', without saying a word. Well, that was what Terry had done. Now before Terry had arrived, Alan and I were snuggling together with his arm around me and we were talking about the dance and school and other nonsensical things. Alan had been nuzzling against the side of my face with his lips and nose, and his lips had been grazing my cheek. I had massive butterflies going in my stomach by then, and my heart was racing, again. So when Terry walked up I almost felt guilty that I had been caught doing something that I shouldn't have, which I wasn't, mind you. She said goodnight to her boyfriend and started to open the door, she turned and looked at me and said, "you need to come in now Kris". I, the dutiful younger sister, said, "okay". Terry went in and I turned to Alan and said that I needed to go in now and started for the door. When I reached the screen door I looked back at him. He had on this forlorn look, his sad brown eyes looking at me. I couldn't have him looking sad, so I ran back and gave him a small kiss on his cheek, and a smile, and said goodnight. I ran back to the door, threw it open, but I stole one last glance at Alan before I went in, and I could see a smile forming on his lips, then I scurried in through the door. My arms went immediately around me, hugging myself tightly. I remember thinking that it was an awfully brave thing for me to do, to kiss him like that, but I was glad that I did. Terry came up to me and asked how I came to be with Alan. I told her that we had met at the dance. I also told her that it had been my wish that I would get to see him at the dance, and then, 'wow, I came home with him.' Now this is the controversial part. Alan swears to this day that he never was 'sweet-kissing' me on my cheek. He claims that I kissed first, but we women know what a nuzzle is, right! Or, I would have never ran back and gave him that kiss on the cheek. You know though, I've always been a sucker for those puppy brown eyes.

Summerfest

Part six Years ago Orem City used to have a city celebration called Summerfest in June. Summerfest now is a lot bigger with more fun things to do like rides, booths, and food. In the early 70's, for the Fest, Orem held a huge baseball game that seemed like the whole city attended. They also had a parade in the late afternoon down STATE STREET! It's hard to believe that they would shut down State Street for a parade, now they have it down Center Street. The Tigerettes marched with the Orem High School Band, that was something that I was not really looking forward too next year, (only the senior Tigerettes performed). It was way too hot to march on the hot pavement in the summertime (I remember Terry complaining about the heat). Orem City also held an evening parking lot dance for anyone who wanted to come, of course only the youth would come. Now it was this particular dance that I desperately wanted to go to. Why? I was going for only one reason--to see if Alan would be there! I was hoping and wishing that he would be at the dance too, because you see, I was still pining for him! You were also able to see all your friends that you hadn't seen since school was out. It was strictly a social thing, because in the 70's there wasn't much for youth to do, oh wait, that's right, there still isn't! I had talked my best friend and neighbor, Colette, to come with me. She really didn't want to go to the dance, but with my coaxing she gave in to my pleadings. I still remember what I wore. I wanted to look COOL, the word that kids use now is HOT! I had on plaid bell bottomed pants. I know, I know, what's with the plaid, sorry, it was the in-thing then. And with the plaid pants I wore a sleeveless, creamed colored, belted tunic that I had made. I had fussed with my hair and make-up until I looked perfect. I remember feeling a little nervous about going, after all, I was still shy around people. I was thankful that Colette had agreed to go with me or I wouldn't have gone. We showed up around 8 p.m. and looked around. We both felt a little awkward because Colette was shy too. The dance was held at Safeway's grocery store parking lot, where Smith's Food King is now. The band was playing loudly and a huge crowd of girls and boys were just milling about. Colette and I decided to go in the store and walk around just to kill some time and I don't know why else, just for something to do I guess. After walking around the store a bit we decided to go back outside to the parking lot-- then it happened! He was just standing there, just right outside the entrance to the store. He looked amazing. He looked tanned, with muscles bulging under his T-shirt, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and that smile, I'll never forget that smile. I smiled back. Yes! My heart stopped for a moment, then it started racing. He reached his arm out to me, and I did the same with my arm at the same moment. It looked like it was almost planned the way that we had reached for each other. He started walking toward me and I realized that my wishes were coming true. Again. He was here, and he looked like he was happy to see me.

Are you wearing that to bed?

Part Five I am a creature of habit. I had these routines that I did, and I always did them, no matter what. My life would be terribly messed up if I didn't follow each step, so I thought, and I think that way still. Every night before retiring to get my beauty sleep, I would follow this step by step routine. First, you take off your make-up, especially the mascara because you didn't want your eyelashes to fall out. This was my thinking at the time, I later learned that your eyes lashes just dry out and get stubby. Then, you wash your face with Noxema. Noxema, the new face cleanser that was available during my growing years, now I wouldn't be caught looking at it in the store, it's full of wax I've learned. Next, I curled my hair in plastic rollers. Yes, I slept with curlers in my hair every night because the wonderful invention of electric hot rollers hadn't been invented yet! Then, I would put this zit drying solution on all the spots on my face, even if it looked like a pimple might appear, that stuff went on my face. I looked liked some sort of spotted creature because they dried white. White dots all over the face. My mother would tease me when I would go to kiss her goodnight. She'd say, "good thing no one sees you like this." So when I was kissing my mother good night this one evening she said to me, "do you have to wear that stuff on your face?" Then Terry walked up to me and said, "you're not going to wear that to bed are you?" "Of course", I said, "I have to!" Off to bed I went, but not before doing my exercises on the hard wood floor. Every evening I would do these exercises on the floor and every evening Trudy would disgustingly say, "Do you have to do that every night? I get so tired of hearing you do that!" Oh, the lengths we women go to, to look good for the opposite sex. After I finished my exercises I climbed into bed to get my beauty sleep. I wish I still had that routine of exercising at night, but it promptly went out the door with the birth of my first child. I was abruptly awakened in the wee hours of the morning by these strange girls. At first I didn't know what was going on, then my mind knew exactly what was happening, my dream was coming true, and I wasn't sleeping! Then horror came to my face, "my face, my face, I can't be seen with this stuff on my face". Ahhh! They didn't allow me to do anything to help my appearance. The only exception would have been is if I wasn't properly attired, which thankfully I was. Then off to the high school we went. My sweet sister just kept looking at me and laughing her head off because she knew, and I knew, that I would be the object of much laughter when we got to the school. It was hilarious! I found myself laughing my head off too. Fifty girls not looking their best, and I was one of them, but I didn't care, I knew that I was going to be in the Tigerettes. Having your dreams come true didn't ever happen for me, but today they did! All of us found ourselves looking around to see who made the team. As I was searching, I discovered that Marsha wasn't there. I had mixed feelings. Part of me wanted her to make it and another part of me was okay that she didn't, but the hard part was going to be when I saw her in school in just a few hours. We were all asked to wear a special ribbon to school to let everyone in the school know who made the team. The ribbon was long, blue, and had been screen printed with the word "Tigerette" on it. As you passed the other girls in the halls who tried out for the team and didn't make it, you could see the hurt on their faces. It was a bittersweet day. I wasn't looking forward to my fifth period class. I knew that it was going to be a little awkward when Marsha and I came face to face. Marsha made light of the situation saying that she didn't really care if she had made the team or not. But I knew better, she really did care, and it was written all over her face. From that point on our relationship went downhill. She started ignoring me and talking with other girls in class and I found that I had lost a budding friendship. I was willing to let the friendship go, after all, I had other things to look forward to in my life.

My First Day of High School

Well, here goes.  I had just finished summer.  I worked in concrete and was outdoors most of the time setting foundation forms and later practicing football and trying to make the team.  I had gained a pretty good tan, and my hair, (yes I had hair then), was slightly sun-bleached.  Of course, I didn't know that the "Tan and Sun-bleached" look would be such an attraction to the girls.  I always had a girlfriend from the time I was in the first grade.  My first one was named Ann.  I remember she had very light blonde hair and a red dress with white trim.  Her family moved to California towards the end of the year and I was heartbroken.  I decided at that time, not to get too close to girls, though I still liked being chased by them and wanted to say I had a girlfriend.  Looking back, I realized, I was quite a serious and deep thinking person. I have always been that way.  Deciding on the name of my first son while in the 8th grade. Because I liked girls in Jr. High, I always had a "girlfriend" around me.  It was kind of a game.  Give them a ring.  Hold hands and walk around the school.  Break up after some magically determined time, and then start the process all over.

The first day of High School was no exception, I had a girlfriend that was a carry over from Jr. high.  Her name was Marsha. She was very cute and very nice.  She was really my first "real" girlfriend.  Taught me how to kiss and all that stuff, but I wasn't married to her, and I felt I had some freedom to at least be "nice" to the other girls.  High School began, however, with the return of my worst nightmare.  I didn't even know his name.  Just a big, tall, tightly curled, red-haired, bully.  My nemisis from Jr. High.  He picked on me all through 7th and 8th grade.  Now I wasn't really afraid of him, but I was so shy and embarrassed, that I would just stand there and let him do his thing.  I had been playing football the last half of summer and as I walked up the front lawn of the High School on that first day, all my football buddies were around me. The bully kid came up from behind and took my wallet out from my back pocket.  Now, as I turned around and saw him, my stomach kind of churned like the old butter maker I used to turn when I was younger.  I could feel my face going flush and tiny beads of sweat began to form on my brow and just below my nose.  I knew with all my football buddies around, I had to make a stand.  I could no longer ignore him.  I was playing line backer on the football team, and today was my first game.  I couldn't play tuff on the field and turn my back on a bully right in front of my friends.  I said, "Give me my wallet back",  He said, "What ya going to do about it?"  Oh boy, here it is, that defining moment when you know, it's either do something now or slip into the deep recess of total nerdyville.  I took a deep breath, made up my mind, and decided; if I die, I die.  I walked with a show of boldness right up to him, grabbed the front of his collar, pulled his face down to mine until our noses were just barely touching, and said words I had never said before; "If you don't give me back my wallet right now, I'm going to knock the "S_ _ t" right out of you.  At that moment I said it and I meant it.  He knew I meant it too.  He returned the wallet and told his friends I was not worth it. I knew he was the scared one.  From then on, he avoided me completely.  Whew!!

Now, getting back to the real story of my first day...   the first time I saw Kristy. ( to be continued)

"Sew....do you want to try out?"

Part four Fourth Term arrives and I find myself and Marsha in the same Home Economics Class--Sewing. Alan moved on to a shop class and I hardly got to see him except at lunch time in the hall with Marsha. I was excited to be in a sewing class. I loved to sew, but I shared the class with Marsha which made me uncomfortable. Then lo and behold, she was placed at the same sewing table with me. Now, is that fate, karma, or just my bad luck? So I decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. At first we were a little leery of each other, but we soon came to know where we stood with one another and started to enjoy each other's company. At the end of the school year tryouts for Tigerettes ( a marching/performing club) were held. Now, I definitely was going to try out because my sister, Terry, was in the Tigerette Club and I wanted to be just like her. From watching the experiences that Terry had in the club, I knew that being in the club was something that I hoped would come true for me. It was a coveted club to be a part of, all the "popular" girls seemed to be on the team, and you got to do fun things like being out of class, traveling to different schools, and the best part, being with the athletic teams, which meant- BOYS! Tryouts were pretty stiff, and not everyone who tried out made the team. So, one day in sewing class, I brought up the subject of trying out with Marsha. She said that she was interested in trying out but was a little nervous about it. I told her I was nervous too, but that we should work together in preparing for the upcoming day. We stayed after school for the practices and worked hard on the marching. The hardest part was getting the marching down, you didn't want to look like a dork when you marched. And of course the splits, which you were required to be able to do. The "Tryout" day came, and man was I nervous. Terry had previously told me to just do the best I could and to keep smiling no matter what..."even if you mess up, just keep smiling." There were over 250 girls who were trying out that day. As we checked in we were all given a number to pin on us. (sounds so much like TV Land doesn't it?) We were all placed into groups alphabetically, so Marsha and I were in the same group together because our last name started with the same letter. Everyone was taught a short routine in just a few minutes and we had to performed it back immediately. Stress!!!! That part was hard for me but I did pretty good. I never found out how Marsha did, I was too nervous for myself. The splits were easy, the marching was easy too, I thought. All that practicing with Terry had paid off in my performance . You had to know how to do a correct right turn and left turn, they were both different. I had practiced a lot on the turns and could do them pretty good. The turns and marching were where a lot of girls messed up. Some girls looked pretty retarded (sorry- but it's true!) I felt lucky that I had my own personal trainer in my sister Terry, but of course you HAD to have talent. At the end of the tryouts we never found out if we made it or not. The judges would write down your number if you had made it through the tryouts. They also informed us that those who made the team would find out next week. UGHHH! We had to wait? I recall that waiting was really hard for me, the inpatient me wanted to know now! The judges never told us how we would find out but the information somehow leaked out. Those that made the team would be kidnapped at 5 in the morning and taken to the school. The only drawback in our information was that we didn't know what day that would be. Each day was waited in anticipation. Marsha and I would talk every day hoping that we would make the team.

Footsie in the Dark

Part Three Second Term--Driver's Ed. Three classes were brought together in one huge classroom, and who should be in that class together? Me, Alan, and Marsha, but I got the better end of the deal. Marsha was placed way at the end of the classroom, and in the back too. Now here's the best part....I sat right next to Alan right by the door, and just the two of us were together at the same table. How could I be so lucky? The boy of my dreams all to myself for one class period. I looked forward to fifth period all day. The class was interesting and gross at times, but the fun part was when the lights went out. The lights would go out and the room would be completely dark except for the movie. And get this---Alan would play footsie with me during the gross movies! Yes, he was still flirting, and now under the nose of his girlfriend. I felt a little guilty (only a little) because Alan's girlfriend was not too far away. She had her spies out though, keeping an eye on the two of us. The so-called spies would try and listen to what we would talk about, but I don't think that they ever found out about the footsie part. Marsha became jealous of us, and rightly so, because Alan and I were becoming good friends. We would share a lot about ourselves and I remember wishing that he was my boyfriend, not Marsha's. Alan made me feel comfortable about opening up about myself, which was the first time that I had ever done that. When he shared things about himself I thought that his life sounded so full and exciting. All the adventures and experiences that he had made my life sound so dull and boring, which it was. He was wonderful I thought and I was falling hard for him. He remained true to his girlfriend, but she was consumed with jealously of our friendship together. Alan and Marsha would be together in cross hall during lunch just hanging out, and I would walk by on my way to the cafeteria and say "hi" to them. He would say "hi" back but Marsha became so mad she would say (I found out later) "Why don't you just go after her!" I wish that he would have.

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha

Part Two His name was Alan, and I was in love. The competition was getting more intense every day. Do you know how hard it is to get the attention of a boy when two other girls are competing with you? And to top it off, they were more outgoing than I was. Only a small share of attention came my way. But I thought I had died and gone to heaven when he was placed in the desk right next to me a few weeks later, and the other two moved to new desks in the room. Ha! I was trying to get the nerve to ask him to Sadie's (a high school dance, girls choice), but I was too scared. He was so nice, sometimes he even walked me to my locker after class. He was paying attention to just me during those walks. Yes! I thought I just might have a chance with him. Then that fateful day came...I had gotten to school early one day, and I was killing time walking the halls till the bell rang. Then I saw him and he wasn't alone. He was with a cute brunette with his arms wrapped around her. They were both laughing, looking like they were having a good time. I'll never forget that day, I was crushed and mad all at the same time. Here he was, with this cute girl, and he never mentioned a girlfriend to us doting girls in 5th period. Her name was Marsha, and she looked like all the other rich girls in school-- wearing a darling purple mini-dress with a white collar. She had on white knee-hi's and penny loafers with shiny pennies. Typical. She was cute, rich, and had the boy of my dreams' arms wrapped around her. I was furious! How dare he? Was he just leading me, JoLene, and Cozette on? When 5th period rolled around I couldn't even look at him. He could tell that something was up because I wasn't even giving him the time of day. Then he asked...What's wrong? Then it happened...it wasn't even planned...I didn't mean to, but I did a very childish thing...I stuck my tongue out at him. Not just a little stick out of the tongue... No, it was the whole tongue! He had no clue. Why did she do that he probably wondered? What's got her panties all in a bunch? I was mad, disheartened, and crushed. How could he be unfaithful to his girlfriend? From his walking me to my locker, flirting with me in class as well as the other two girls. I don't really remember what happened after that. I know that I came to accept the fact he had a girlfriend. We remained friends. JoLene even asked him to Sadies, I found out later, but he turned her down. Marsha hadn't asked him yet but he knew she was going to. I knew better than to even try. The term ended and we went to new classes, and there went my chance to see him everyday. So I thought.

The Beginning from Twinkles' Point of View

I appreciated the comments from my family about Alan and I starting a blog. Alan and I will be sharing this blog. He will be writing from his point of view on things, and I from my own point of view. I wanted to write about how Alan and I met, and like Tracie--Our story.. So let's begin... Part One.. Let's begin with my first day of school at Orem High. First of all, I was nervous... Why was I nervous, you may ask? Here's why... 1--There were going to be new students from Orem Jr. High-- I was from old Lincoln Jr. High. (which originally was a High School, which is the school that my grandfather and father went to for High School) So new students from a Jr. High, then of course, the Juniors and Seniors and not knowing hardly anyone, make you feel lonely. 2--What I was wearing--I was wearing a plaid tan and rust jumper with a rust blouse under. It was homemade by my sweet mother. Now don't get me wrong, mom was a beautiful seamstress. But....all the other girls were wearing Villager skirts, oxford shirts in pastel colors, white knee hi's, and mahogany penny loafers with new shiny pennies in them. Now if you were dressed like that you came from money. All the rich girls dressed like that, or they wore store bought mini-dresses that had white collars. All the dresses were above the knee about 3-4 inches, some even higher. All my dresses and skirts were to the middle of my knee, by order of father. Now I liked wearing skirts because when you got to school you could roll the bands of the skirts up and shorten your skirt. Then you just had to roll them down when you got home. Dad never caught on to that one, thank goodness. I wore dresses and skirts to school everyday (except the last 6 months of my Senior year) and what you wore really mattered whether you were accepted by the other students or not. So I was nervous about what I was wearing my first day. 3--I was shy-- I hardly talked to anyone. Almost everyone from my Jr. High knew that I had a strict father, so even the boys steered clear of me. Very few people talked to me, but I didn't like a lot of attention on me either. I never raised my hand in any classroom my whole high school career. Too scared that I would say something wrong and that people would laugh at me. 4--I wore glasses-- I hated wearing glasses. Still do! Thank goodness horned rimmed glasses aren't still the fad. I was called "Four Eyes" until I finished high school. Many times I tried to do my school work without glasses. Boys didn't like girls who wore glasses. And my glasses were ugly. So the first day of school--I wore my long homemade dress, and my ugly glasses, but I did have the white knee-hi's. I was your classic NERD! The only thing that was all right about my appearance was my mom allowed me to wear make-up --mascara, eyeliner, and vaseline on the lips. Everyone was checking each other out. The new sophomores checking out the sophomores from Orem Jr. The girls were also checking out the Jr. and Sr. boys. The Jr. and Sr. boys paid no attention to the sophomore girls. It was not COOL to be interested in a underclassman. There were a few exceptions of course. Fifth period came....Now, I had been doing what every other girl was doing...checking out the CUTE boys in all my classes, and fifth period was no exception. I was sitting with 2 other girls, JoLeen Flandro, and Cozette Ward from Lincoln Jr. High. We were sitting in a row together. I was looking around the room when to my left I spotted HIM a few rows over and back. He had the cutest smile, twinkling brown eyes, was tan, and sooooo cute! He was wearing a striped cream and brown T-shirt, Levi's, and of course penny loafers with shiny pennies. I was immediately taken. I tapped JoLene in front of me and told her to check out the cute boy in the back with the striped cream and brown shirt T-shirt. Her mouth fell open...She tapped Cozette in front of her and told her to check the boy in the back of the room. All three of us were stealing glances at him through the whole class period. Of course he knew that he was being watched, what boy wouldn't notice girls stealing glances at them. He just kept smiling that flirty smile the whole time. I can hardly remember what the class had been about. I do recall we had to do some speed reading in the class. So now the challenge was on between the three of us. Who would win? Who would approach him first? Stay tuned for part 2.