WELCOME TO SUSIELAND!

I remember watching an episode of "MASH" years ago when everyone was tired of how life was going so they all left the hospital and went to Rosie's Bar and started their own country called "Rosieland". It has always been one of my very favorite episodes and after reading an email from a friend I have decided to start my own country called "Susieland". It will be filled with fairness and kindness, where the good guys get ahead and the bad guys are held accountable for their choices. Where everyone is proud to be a "Susielander" and knows the national anthem (still working on that one) and sings it proudly. So you ask "What email would prompt this drastic reaction"? Here it is:

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more
than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse

* 7 have been arrested for fraud

* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks

* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

* 3 have done time for assault

* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges

* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting

* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits

* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year...

Can you guess which organization this is?

Give up yet?

It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

The same group that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.


Doesn't that just make you so sad for our country and so ready to join mine? LONG LIVE SUSIELAND!

HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY BIG GUY!

I feel so awful- I went to Chicago and Michigan with my two sisters to visit cousins and was gone for Lynn 53rd birthday- I think I'm the worst wife ever! And then I didn't get this blog up- what's up with that!!! So tonight for Relief Society they are at my house doing scrapbooking so I'm catching up on my entries! So on to Lynn!!

It's hard to believe this awesome guy has put up with me for the past 29 years- he has been such a patient, loving, understanding, patient, fun, smart, hardworking, and did I mention patient guy. He has been on a non-stop crazy path for the past several years and just keeps going. He supports his daughters not only financially but emotionally- and it's not easy being the sane one in a house full of five women! I look around at my life and realize the blessings I've received are because of having him in my life- who would have ever realized how much joy he would bring to all of us! At times he can be such a dork and nobody can fall asleep and start snoring quicker than him but he simply would not be Lynn without those things. I love you honey- next year I'll stay home and we'll celebrate together!!


The happy runners after the race!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our SOPHIE!

Today is our sweet little Sophie's 1st Birthday! She has been the best baby- I am sure it's because since the day she was born it's been mass chaos in her life- she moved across country at 3 weeks, was in her Auntie's wedding at a month and a half, and moved again at 3 months! She is the most loving little baby- my heart just melts when I come in the room to see her she squeals and holds her arms out for me to pick her up. Everyone always says how having grandchildren is better than having your own children- maybe so, but it sure stinks they can't live with you!! Happy Birthday to our sweet little Sophie- we love you lots and lots! Grammie and Grandpa

CONGRATS TO MATTHEW & LINZ!

So yes, Lindsey is "officially" engaged to Matthew as of April 4th! We are so excited to have him join our family and look forward to planning the wedding for the next TEN WEEKS!!! Yes, that's right- only 11 weeks to plan. I always told my daughters they had to give me FIVE WHOLE MONTHS to plan a wedding, preferably six, and not a day less. Some of them tried to squeeze it down a bit, but I stood firm. However, when Matthew called and said "Just how quick can you plan a wedding" I knew we might be in trouble.

We thought August would be great, but Matthew insisted he had to be back to basketball practice by August 1st- I of course insisted on a signed note from Coach Rose saying that was true. So, August was out. Lynn and I thought the VERY end of July might be nice, but the two of them insisted on a week long honeymoon (the nerve!), so July 19th was decided on. Calls were made and the temple, caterer, photographer, band, and so on were all available- great we thought! BUT a week later Matthew asked why couldn't they get married in June instead- Lynn suggested that maybe Matthew should just take a cold shower or two or three- and my ratfink daughter Lindsey (who I hope has a daughter just like her one day, she deserves it) backed him up!! So thinking I was safe that no one would be available this late for June I told them to go ahead and call and see if everyone for the wedding could do it on June 20th- and wouldn't you know it- they were ALL AVAILABLE! So here we are planning a wedding in less than three months- YIKES!

All complaining aside, it has been really sweet to watch Matthew and Lindsey and it has brought back lots of memories for Lynn and I. It's easy to forget when you're older (and I really hate admitting that we're older) how much you long to be finally married and living together- to start sharing every bit of your life together. There is such a sense of anticipation in them- for Lindsey to go through the temple, for having to not say goodnight, to start living their future, to know that they are eternal companions. It always touches me when I look at the promise of a young couple before they are married in the temple- knowing that the covenant that they make is a union between them and their Heavenly Father.

Lindsey shared with me something so sweet about meeting with Matthew's bishop when they had decided to get married. She was saying that he looked at the two of them and said he saw in them the strength they would bring to the church in the future. I have thought about that often and have come to realize that what he said is the most important part about their wedding. It's not about the perfect dress or caterer or flowers- it's about the covenant they are undertaking in the temple with their Heavenly Father and the blessings that will come into their lives because of this choice. And there is nothing greater Lynn and I could ask for!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHELS!

So today Chelsea is ONE QUARTER OF A CENTURY old!! I can't believe it was that long ago she was born!

Just a few reasons why I think Chelsea is who she is:

We were living in Evanston Wyoming when I got pregnant with her and then in Centerville Utah at the time she was born. We moved back to a home we were building in Evanston when she was two months old- Lynn and I think that might be why she loves to move so much and has been such a great sport about it!

She was born almost a month early so the poor little girl had not a bit of hair anywhere- no eyebrows or eyelashes! When she turned one her hair looked just like Rod Stewart- spiky on top, with a mullet in the back. People always asked me if I cut it that way- maybe that's why she went to cosmotology school and does such an awesome job on hair!

She could never ever stand to have her hands dirty and would scream holding her hands out when she was in her high chair after eating until we washed them up- maybe that's why she's so clean today!

She used to sit for an hour in the bottom of my closet and put on all my shoes and LOVED anything with ruffles and gold lame- maybe that's why she dresses her poor little dog in the most hideous outfits!

She used to hate living in the chaos of our house when she was little- she once ran away to my friend Gaye's orderly house when she was three and stayed for three days until Lynn carried her home screaming- maybe that's why she loves making lists and always being on time!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHELS- WE LOVE YOU LOTS! Thanks for being our daughter, bringing Dan into our family, and adding to our growing group of grandchildren!

REALLY- I COULD BE STARRING IN THIS MOVIE!!! (and no, not as the groundhog)

Okay, you are probably saying to yourself "Why would she ever feel like the movie Groundhog Day was exactly like her life?" Could it be that last year I had a grandchild born in APRIL and a daughter married in JUNE and NOW this year I have a grandchild being born in MAY and a daughter getting married in JUNE??? I mean really, I only have four daughters- what is the law of averages??? I wonder, if like Bill Murray, I didn't get this right the first time so now I have to do it all over again??? Could it be that I am paying for being the worst daughter ever??? At least my mom used to tell me all the time when I was growing up - "I hope you have a daughter like you one day- you deserve it" and she didn't mean it in a loving way!!! Could it be that my daughters in some awful nefarious plot got together one day and planned this all??? Is this their payback to me that when they were growing up they would come home from school and I would have emptied every drawer and cupboard in their rooms in the middle of the floor and they would have to clean it up and put it all away neatly??? They always said I would be sorry I did that to them one day....

CHELSEA'S SHOWER & VISITING UTAH

Whit and I went to Utah last weekend for Chelsea's baby shower and to start planing Lizzy's wedding. Aunt Marcia flew up too and Courtney and Kyle drove down from Idaho Falls- thanks guys, that was really sweet of you to do!



















Whitney is the best Auntie in the whole world- this is my nephew Matthew's little boy Kyle-he is too cute!











We had a great time and even spent some time with Uncle Jeff- he's always good for a laugh or two. The worst part was that it was SO COLD- brrr!