Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
in response
Comment from this post:
Dear Wendy,
I love your posts. Thanks for always making me smile.
Love,
Amy
PS- I found my writing portfolio the other night- Including a book we started writing together based on the Baby Sitter's Club. The catch phrase? Eight girls and their eight stories from their seven weeks of haunted summer. Who wouldn't want to read it?
My response:
Dear Amy,
Thank you for reading. I figure I owe you at least one smile since I threw a brick at you as a child. I'm still relieved I missed. I remember running in fear as my brothers yelled "Run Wendy, run" from the back deck as your mom chased me around the house. Then I hid under my bed until our moms finished their conversation on our porch. I believe that was the day I sealed my fate of playing soccer, as opposed to softball. I'm glad we could remain friends.
Love, Wendy
PS- In a recent effort to overcome my own genetic pack ratness :) I found copies of two stories you wrote. I think they were for our "club." What did we call it again? Something about crafts and dancing...I forget. I'll post a picture of one of the covers, including Bob's signature. Yes, he desecrated one of the covers with his kid handwriting. Typical. Also, I need your address because you should certainly be in possession of these stories, not me.
Friday, January 22, 2010
approaching fisticuffs
Last Friday was the first CHURCH BALL game of the season. I think that explains the title of this post.
In my experience, church ball is an anxiety-ridden drama inducing ulcer factory. Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I really enjoy it. Do you think growing up with five brothers, two of which played high school hockey, has anything to do with it?
Last week's game was particularly "exciting." Spoiler alert: no punches were thrown, but the wife of the elders quorum president sitting next to me was worried her husband would be the one to start it.
The start of the game was very promising when my good friend Meg announced she had a veggie tray in her purse and her intention was for us to eat it. Um, yes please. I, being impressed with what I thought was brilliant foresight on her part, complimented her on bringing an excellent snack.
Meg: "Oh, I just happened to have it so I thought I'd bring it."
Wendy: "I can't wait for the day when I just happen to have a veggie tray. I can honestly say that has never happened to me."
Things turned south quick when I realized which team "we" were playing. The jerk team. The jerk team, as I apparently call them, was the one we butted heads with last year. The one with the scrawny know-it-all with the 80's haircut and the seven foot 35 year old stuck in the glory days who seems to think this will be the game he finally gets drafted. I admit a bias. They really did cause problems when they tried to steamroll the Tuesday night pick-up games at our church house last year. Sure their gym was under construction and they've had the Tuesday night ritual for years, but this is our turf! Choose another night. Geez.
On with the game. We were getting a lot of fouls called on us but from what I could see both teams were playing rough. It's usually a good thing when one of the refs is from your ward (he plays on the geezer team), but not this time.
Munch, carrots.
We have a Polynesian WSU football player on our team who can appear quite intimidating but is the biggest tease. I look up from the sugar snap peas to see him getting escorted into the hall by a player on the other team. I hear something about him being the stake athletic director so he can make calls on the court if he wants to.* Our team member eventually gets a technical and the job of score-keeping on the sideline.
Munch, munch celery.
At one point the refs stopped the game and both teams huddle to regroup. Two members of our bishopric were there and went on the court to tell our team to cool it.
Munch, munch, munch cherry tomatoes.
The next thing I know, Greg is saying "That's the best call you made all night!" After which he stormed off the court in my direction, grabbed his coat from my lap, and headed for the door. In my confusion I asked, "What's going on?" "We're leaving." That was my cue to get up and get out.
Apparently Greg got kicked out of the game. It looked like he just decided to leave from my seat.
Saturday morning came and Greg started to worry a bit.
Greg: "In my parents' stake you have to talk to the stake president to get permission to play again if you get kicked out of a game."
Wendy: "For real?"
Greg: "I just hope I don't get called into the bishop's office tomorrow."
9:00 a.m. Sunday came with great apprehension.
Much to Greg's relief, he got slaps on the back from all. The first counselor in the bishopric complimented Greg on "the best comment of the game" and a member of the stake presidency had a good laugh about it with us.
I guess we'll be at the game tonight after all.
*This is where I took [biased] paraphrasing license
Friday, September 4, 2009
Dear Allie,
You will be so proud of me. I have spent most of the last two work days sorting through and GETTING RID OF old, useless papers/stuff in my "office". I am almost done with the last drawer of the file cabinet next to my desk which contained nothing worth keeping. Literally. I found a thank you letter from 1990. I found duplicate copies of e-mail correspondence from 2001 in which the sender asked if the receiver would help at such-and-such event and the receiver replied with yes. Why would you print that? Twice? Needless to say, the recycling bin is full to the brim today.
Aren't you proud?
If only I could take this organizing enthusiasm home with me.
Love, DUB
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
kiesel
I'm at Camp Kiesel with my cubs today. I may not survive the experience. If I don't, I leave my scrapbooking stuff to Allie, my clothes to the needy, and my piggy bank collection to Malan and Jane (I hear they like pigs - see comments). Greg, I leave you all my love and whatever funds you get from hawking my stuff. Kimball, I wish we could have had more time together. I would have changed you from the ugly girl to the hot girl who was actually the ugly girl without her glasses.
Here's hoping no one shoots their eye out!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Atta boy!
My eyes hurt. Why? Because I've been crying for the last two days straight over the losing of my most prized physical possession. My wedding ring.
You lost your wedding ring? What kind of a wife are you? Do you have any idea how much Greg paid for that? And let's not forget the immensity of the sentimental value!
And that's why I've been crying so hard. That's what my "shoulder devil" has been saying.
HOURS of searching. Searching under the bed. Searching through the trash. Searching through the trash again. Flashlights beaming down drains. The retracing of steps. Multiple trips back and forth to work. I even looked in the breaker box AND the peanut butter jar.
MANY prayers were sent to heaven. Prayers of pleading.
Desperation.
So, I sent an e-mail to everyone at work, just in case. I've never felt so loved by co-workers. People I don't even know were asking if I'd found it yet. Sympathy came from everyone who had lost their wedding ring at some point too. (One guy told of going to the store where his wedding ring had been purchased soaking wet after searching through a reservoir for 2 hours for his. He thought he could dupe his wife by buying a new one before going home. Inevitably, they didn't make that ring style anymore.)
Even more HOURS of searching. I was physically ill. I wasn't even hungry, and that is saying something. When I did eat, a beloved cucumber was the only thing that sounded edible. (Note: not uncommon for me)
And then, inspiration.
Greg was just tall enough and standing at just the right angle to see it. There is was, glittering on a shelf in our downstairs bathroom. I rarely use that bathroom but had been in there cleaning in preparation for an overnight visit from our good friend Scott. It blended in with the metal shelf and was too high for my line of sight.
I cried even more.
Greg: "You don't need to cry anymore, we found it!"
Wendy: "But I'm just so happy you found it!"
Celebration!
And I was hungry again! But only for french vanilla ice cream covered in Reese's Pieces.
My boss told me this morning that she couldn't sleep last night because she was worried about me. Another co-worker said that Greg deserves an "Atta boy!" for finding it.
My eyes still hurt. I can't stop looking at the beautiful ring on my finger and the sparkly diamonds are blinding me.
Atta boy Greg. Atta boy.
Friday, December 19, 2008
A long time coming...
I've been meaning to post a picture of this AWESOME mural Greg helped paint for a looooong time now (they finished it in October). It's on the side of a pre-school in South Ogden (40th and Washington for those in the neighborhood). It was really fun to see it come together and people driving by would stop and ask about it when Greg and his friends were working on it. Enjoy!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
My husband is 12.
More Bitesize Updates: ***Sorry for the weird formatting. I eventually gave up trying to fix it.***
Greg is gone deer hunting = time for me to finish a long overdo update:
AUGUST
season thanks to the snowfall that collapsed our tent the last night-luckily we were sleeping in the back of Ma & Pa Willis' Honda Pilot. 
We were invited to watch the Weber State Homecoming Football game in President Millner's box. Lots of good food and fancy company - we felt like VIP's. We highly recommend it :)
Friday, October 3, 2008
Dear Amy,
Remember how we used to sneak Jolly Ranchers out of the emergency preparedness kits your Mom kept in "the fruit room" when we were little? I was thinking about that yesterday afternoon while doing the dishes. Why? I have no idea but it was a funny memory. I hope you and your cute family are doing well. Love you!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Dear Allie,
Remember when we saved all those Yoplait yogurt lids to help raise money to fight breast cancer? I'm glad we did that. I'm sitting here eating a Yoplait original strawberry flavored yogurt and it reminded me of you.
I miss you.
P.S. No fear fellow bloggers---a good update is coming soon. It will include such things as: camping, hiking, big/little sister bragging, new job status, the Ogden Valley Triathlon, football, missing my Greg, etc.
Friday, August 8, 2008
"What's that got to do with this, Peach?"
If you were wondering what the last place in the world I expected to find a scripture printed was, you're in luck! It just so happens that I found it Wednesday night on a bag of hash browns. That's right, I was cooking hash browns for "breakfast for dinner" and what should I find but Isaiah 30:18 printed right there on the bag. Sooooooooo random. And no, that particular scriptural reference has nothing (as far as I can tell) to do with frozen diced potatoes. Here's the verse that was printed on the bag: Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.
P.S. I pulled out my Bible and the verse reads as follows in the King James Version: And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God or judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
P.S.S. Lee, you inspired me so we had waffles in your honor as well :)
P.S.S.S. I think they were Western Family hash browns.
Monday, August 4, 2008
A Willis Summer (Part III)
A continuation of some summer happenings...
JULY
We took a road trip to Mesquite/Vegas over the 4th of July weekend to see Rancid at the House of Blues (because I don't have a problem with spoiling Greg :) We didn't take a bunch of pics-actually, the only ones we have are still on our phones so we'll take care of that later. It was a blast and we got to see a billion fireworks on the 4th so I was happy. I did however miss the infamous Kaysville 4th of July parade which I will somehow drag Greg to someday (he's not the parade type). All you Kaysvillians know what he's missing though, so help me out! The campaign for the Kaysville parade 2009 begins now! As long as it doesn't become lame after what happened this year...
When we got home we found that some of our baby frogs had perished in the heat :( So we decided it was time to release them back into the wild. Greg was a little sad as you will note in the first picture.
July 12th meant it was time for a second tri.
Echo was a fun race and we got to see some friends from our old ward. Greg ended up with a good 'ol cramp in his calf though after riding a different/smaller bike (his new one hadn't arrived yet). Thanks Leigh (Greg's brother) for letting him borrow it though!
We finally fired up Greg's motorcycle and did a little off-roading.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
A Willis Summer (Part II)
Summer highlights continued...
Our nephew Ethan (Willis) showing off the finished product.
We also like to go for walks at the Parkway. Sometimes Greg loses his shoe in the mucky pond :)
Other times he finds a yucky hat.
Greg is near the top.
I was a natural (according to Greg's boss) and I loved it.
Bike...
To be continued again...
Monday, July 28, 2008
Jade
(Wendy & Jade)
(Jade causing mischief...)
The cute part of the whole story is that Greg was reading "Answers to Gospel Questions" by President Joseph Fielding Smith last night and he reminded me that Jade will be raised in the resurrection and we can take care of her then. How cute is he?
