Wednesday, May 21, 2003

When I checked on my last post, the advertisement at the top of the page was for "safe, natural gripe water". I know that's a real thing, but it struck me as funny. "Quit your griping or I'll give you a mouthful o' gripe water!" I gues that's what happens when the word "toddler" is in one's description of one's blog.

Things that make you go hmm.
I thought I might have more to say about me and my own thoughts today, but I don't. Or I can't. Most of my thoughts lately are of the relationship nature--thoughts about people I know--and I don't generally write about those unless all issues are resolved and the hindsight is all 20/20 and stuff. So I am learning how things work in my new little town, reminding myself that I am 1200 miles from my people and my culture--even though I am still in the same country, I am a foreigner in many ways, struggling to assimilate for the long haul.

Adeline said, "Water please" today while handing me a cracked plastic party cup she found who-knows-where. This marks her first correct use of the word "please." She has been saying it when I tell her to, but this time she did it on her own. More often than not, she says "thank you " when she means please. Like tonight when I was frosting a chocolate cake (a farewell cake for one of the missionaries who lives nextdoor--Elder Westwood is being transfered to Great Falls), she hung on my leg hollering, "Thank you, mamma, thank you." What she really meant was "Mom, Please give me some of that frosting right now!" Language acquisition will always fascinate me, but it's SUPER fascinating when it's your own kid learning the lingo. She's great. Next time you talk to her, ask her what a horsey says. You won't be disappointed!

So perhaps more tomorrow. Something less mom-ish and more Agent-J-ish.

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

May 19th seems like a good day to start keeping a New Years' resolution, don't you think? I promised myself I would write a journal entry and/or a detailed family letter at least once a week and I have only done about a quarter of that. Hopefully having remote access to something like blogger will motivate me to keep on it.

My old online journal was full of romance and adventure (well, kind of)--I was single when I started it, met my husband, got married, and was expecting a baby when I ended it. The end actually coincided with the whole 9/11 thing, but really I just stopped because I went on maternity leave, then quit my job and stayed far from the computer for a year or so. Becoming a mom rocked my world--I am just now getting my vocabulary back and I can almost type with two hands forming complete sentences! Of course, I have to do this after 11pm, when my two loves are tucked happily in bed. It's funny how I have so much I would like to write about now--so much happiness, so much growth, so much adventure--and I have so little time. Usually I have to choose between getting 7 hours of sleep and never writing, or getting six and writing something loopy just before bed. I guess I will do my best to write something. Maybe it will stop being so loopy.

Today there were no newsworthy developments on the homefront. Addie said the same words she usually says, although she did a lot more tantruming than usual--poor frustrated girl! She will be exactly a year-and-a-half old on Wednesday. The more we do this whole mother-daughter thing, the more I realize she mirrors me. Or at least her actions are really a reaction to what I am doing and feeling. Today I was grouchy and distracted by our mountain of laundry, so I shouldn't have been surprised by her little outbursts and mischievousness. But I got so frustrated, at one point I was in tears. But even then, I knew it was me--not her--that needed a time out. She finally took a long nap and I got caught up and all was well. We had a very nice family night together, and then her friends Abby and Lynzee came and played in her room for an hour or two. She stayed up late, crashing peacefully in my arms around 9:30.

A sleeping toddler is a beautiful thing. Her rosy little cheeks and golden fresh-bathed afro laid out on my lap erased the day. I love that girl.

During our family night Grandma Lyn called to tell me that cousin Kev's wife Kate gave birth to their very first little baby--a girl named Riley Elizabeth, 6lb 4oz and 19 inches long. Cousin Kev got to leave his Army Reserve thing in Texas and be home for her birth, which I think was awful nice of the army (aside: cousin Kev is part of my family of cousins that may as well be my siblings--we are all very close on that side fo the family, so this is like a new niece for me). So congratulations Kev, Kate, and Riley (and proud grandparents and uncles and auntie maren)!!

It snowed a ton yesterday and maybe an inch this morning, but by 11am the sun came out and Adeline played outside as it all melted away. Wow. It's all in the soil now, making this place emerald green and gorgeous. Spring never stops amazing this Arizona girl.

I think I will have more to say about me and what I have been doing tomorrow. I am getting ready for an epic journey to visit my mother in Missouri from May 29-June 15. That's a long time--I'm preparing much in advance. So more on that tomorrow. G'nite.

Thursday, May 01, 2003

Playing Catch-Up

If you come to my blog to catch up, there are, of course, gaps in my timeline here on the blog. I kept a blog in 2000-2001 til I gave birth to Addie and was away from my desk for 2-1/2 years. But I'm back! This blog will log our family life from 2003 on, but here's what's been goin' down since High School in Tucson:

After high school, I did a summer and fall semester at Ricks College (1989) and could not adjust to weather/culture, etc. I spent spring in AZ then transferred to BYU Provo for spring (1990) and took classes at BYU and UVSC for the next 2 years, studying education and other humanities of interest.

I served a mission in North Carolina Raleigh 92-94 and returned to Provo for 94-95. I lived/worked in NC 95-96, then FINALLY decided to finish my BA at UofA and moved back to Tucson in 1996. I graduated in 1998 (after changing from Education to English and History). I worked, taught institute, started grad classes in Tucson, got engaged then dis-engaged (for the second time) in 1999.

I began the new millennium in Provo/Orem (AGAIN), working on my MA teaching freshman composition evening classes at Utah Valley College and working days as a marketing copy writer.

I met my husband Richard with a friend of a friend at my big 29th bday party in Provo 9/23/00 (he had just moved to SLC from BYU-H); we were engaged on a mountainside in Paradise Valley MT on 10/28/00, married on 2/17/01 in San Diego. We had our lovely Adeline Rose  in Utah on 11/21/01--a whole nine months and four days after our wedding (more Addie HERE). After a rough year (I mean, really--was 2001 GOOD for anyone?) we moved to Montana in October 2002 so Rich could begin taking over his Dad's insurance business in his hometown. We live here blissfully building a life on the banks of the Yellowstone River, under the big sky.

UPDATE (basically a summary of the blog):
Our delightful daughter Heidi Lynn was born in MT on 4/15/04--the same weekend we broke ground on our own new house. On July 22, 2005, we moved into that house, built with our own hands (with lots of help from family and friends). Our little James Ole Richard was born 9/5/06 and has been an angel.

I was diagnosed with Graves disease (hyperthyroid auto immune disease) in September 2007 and have been trying to keep it under control with all kinds of treatments (most recently, a full thyroidectomy in 3/09)--fun hobby! Richard and I went to Europe for two weeks for what we call our belated honeymoon in Sept-October 2008 (you can read all about it by clicking the yellow "London Calling" link on the right side of this blog). Fall 2010 brought us a huge surprise..we found out we were expecting a baby in May 2011. He was born on May 19th to 3 very excited siblings and we named him Niles Arthur Elrey Melin. He is a wild man, which is how he earned the nickname, honey badger. In August 2013 we moved into a new larger house we built, not far from our first house. In May 2014, we welcomed our "caboose," Ammon Thatcher Layton Melin, to our family.

We live in Livingston (and HERE), where Rich was born and raised, five generations deep. He is (a total nut, of course) an insurance agent--a business we bought from his father after 30 years and an excellent reputation, so I get to stay home with my four wee-melins. Life is good in the northern town. Enjoy the blog!

FAMILY LETTER 07.28.19

Dear Loved Ones,                                                                                                        We have just ...