Diwoman's Dos and Don'ts

2009-12-11T22:00:00.001-08:00

This is the Christmas Card that you've all been waiting for! The setting for said photo is on Bob and Mary's porch (at Thanksgiving)...We had all been fed well and were settling in for a long nap.....hence the photo op.
Jaynann (on the left) is working at EBay and being an extraodinary mom in her spare time. Kate is still with In Contact and living in Lehi. She frequently gets involved in shows and pageants, just because she thinks she's not busy enough.
Adrian is working at Direct TV and continues to be the comic relief. Addison is a soph at Hillcrest High and trying fight off the girls. Emma is the smartest 18 month old I know and will soon open her own dance studio "The duck says quack".
Diane is going on 3years in her doctors' office. Ella esta hablando y traduciendo en Espanol todos los dias. She's made I15 her home away from home.
Last, BUT not least, Adam is a Utah man/fan....hanging out with the younger society and trying to get an education. He has learned the meaning of good grades.

I hope no offense was taken in this bit of a blog. Yo momma loves you and is proud of each and every one of YOU.

Merry Christmas Darlings :) SWAK

Out West

2009-12-11T21:53:00.001-08:00

Out West......That's what the Daly's called it when they went 'out of town'. I revived this old photo while digging for Christmas ideas and couldn't leave it just in the archives.
If you have any comments about the people in this photo, please share. I knew 4 out of 5 of them and I was very lucky to have known them.
Starting on the left: Bob Daly, Craig Buckner, John Daly, Jack Daly and Mae Daly.

A Non-prescribed day....at last!

2009-11-05T22:21:00.000-08:00

Beauty....a simple word for such wonderful creations. I'm always amazed and humbled by sunsets and sunrises...hence the foto at the head of my blog.
I've realized one thing this week....I CAN live without the aid of mood enhancers. I depended on them right after the divorce and they were great. I've now come so far from those days and finally 'weened' off of them and I now have feelings.....real, true, emoting feelings and it FEELS Great!

Dared to update! Not fair Carrie!

2009-10-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Today we spent family time at Aunt Mary's in the midst of Kate Kings Baby Shower. It was a deeelightful time and that's when CarrieAnn reminded me that I hadn't updated my blog in a very LoOOOnnnnggg time.....don't try to sound out that long word....
I'm loving the fact that we have morphed into a closer family unit. For a while we weren't in physical proximity to the Carpenters, Madsens, OR Twitchells...but now? It's fabulous. Carrie and Sarah were there, Andrea showed up, Elaine made it from Davis County , Marilyn came with Shauna in tow (all the way from Spanish Fark)...It's been so long that we've had close cousins, and now we get together. I'm rambling. There is no point to this blog other than I'm grateful for Family. They are my everything! They are my circle! It brings tears to my eyes to see Kate with a baby bump, Twitchell-King that is.
When you have two Kates in the family you have to define who's who. We have Kate Twitchell-King and Kate (Katherine Fern) Daly----the 'OTHER' Kate! Family speak.
To list the rest of the guest list so that no one feels left out: the other Kate, Jeb and Emma, Susan, me, Mary and some of Kate's RS sisters and a roommates family.....
We had ribbon sandwiches with egg salad and a spicy Deviled Ham, veggies, fruities and the yummiest eclairs from Macey's.
I believe a good time was had by all because there were no complaints.

A Short, Long Summer

2008-11-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that I haven't posted since July 2008 and today is the first day of November 2008! It's amazing to me how quickly time passes especially at my age!

In the past month I have been to 2 concerts of varying type, been to a Hale Center production of "Into the Woods" and I attended a conference on Medical Clinic 'stuff'.

The first concert was thanks to Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob. Somehow Mary gets wind of our cousin John Dalley whenever he's in town. It just so happened that his quartet, Guarneri Quartet, that is were playing their last SLC recital. It was phenomenal! They played the most delicious selections. Bob and Mary, Jerry and Janet, Robert and Jenna, Susan and I were all there. Afterwards we met up at the Little America and enjoyed a mouth-watering selection of hot rolls, ice cream, fries, cheesecake and many other items. We laughed a lot, ate and many stories were passed around the table. It was very grown-up and sophisticated, in a way.

The very next night we were at The E-Center with great tickets to see Panic at the Disco!.(thanks to Boyd and Nani!) ..Oh My gosh! what a flip side of music. Let's take role for this event: Steve and Erika, Susan, Andrew and Emily (Erika's sibs), me with Kate and Addison and another repeat from the night before Robert and Jenna! It was a totally different venue than the night before, with a totally different ambience. It was electric in its own way. We got to hear four bands: The Cab, The Plain White T's, Dashboard Confessional and of course Panic! Before I forget, as I was coming down the steps of the E Center I saw a familiar profile. It was Josh! and his sweetheart Mary. I haven't seen Josh in ages! It was so cool to talk to him and Mary. I guess it was Mary's birthday and Boyd got them tickets to see Brendon and we were just a couple of rows behind. The music was loud and pulsing and FUN. I always get my best workout at these kinds of concerts! I'm not inhibited at all to do a little moving around...and since my children has indoctrinated me to this type of music and constantly quizzing me on "who sings this"?

This past Thursday Susan and I went "Into the Woods", one of my all-time Favorite Broadway Musicals.........I've never seen it done professionally, but I have done it once or twice as Music Director and also as "Jack's mother" which was fun. There were good and bad parts, not as much enthusiasm as I would have liked but all in all it was another great night out. We had eaten at Cracker Barrel before the show. We were served by a guy with no teeth and ate tasty food especially the Mac and Cheese. Not much else....I'm looking forward to cooler temps and a slower pace. I'm hoping for both, knowing that getting by with 59% won't be all bad.

It was so much fun

Could there be any MORE Policeman in West Valley?

2008-07-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday was an uneventful day and most of the evening. I had decided to 'practice' my piano skills (I'm not using them like I did in Lehi) and I was emoting quite beautifully "Claire de Lune" when Addison came running up the stairs and mildly yelling that "why don't you have your phone? Adrian is trying to get ahold of you!" So he handed me his phone, with Adri on the other end. "Mom?, I've been in a car accident!" He voice was weak and trembling. I asked him if he was ok, he was, the car wasn't and could I come out to where he was and be with him. I told him of course and then started to list off things that Addison needed to round up so that we could go out and be with Adrian. The camera was the first thing. I had had my camera in my purse all day, but quickly decided that Addison's would take 'better' pictures, you know, the old pixel thingy.(Whatev).....

Addison and I got in the car with the camera, ice water and shaking nerves! What had happened to Adrian and why the accident. Addison was his chatty self and I asked him to just turn on the radio, something calm because I was starting to freak out, you know, the unknown. We headed down I-215 to Redwood, then went north to 3500 South and lo and behold! In the parking lot of John Paras Furniture was Adrian, his smooshed car and the other driver in a little Toyota truck, with no apparent damage. I thought for sure that upon our arrival that we would encounter flashing lights and such, but none of that was there. He had called 911 about 30-40 minutes previously and so we started the "waiting game!" The poor little old Asian man stayed in his truck of steel, waiting for his children to get there. No English! Still not a policeman in sight and an hour had passed. Adrian repeated his call to them at least 3 times, but because there were no injuries and the police happened to be extremely busy that Thursday night....we waited for a good 90 minutes for them to arrive. We actually saw a few officers pass by us going to other 'calls', so we knew that they were not 'punking' us.. We are ruled by sarcasm and doubt. As we waited in this parking lot I bet I counted at least 100 cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles drive through it, trying to avoid the traffic lights. There were a ton of geeks and gawks! "Yes, there was an accident, move on please" again with the sarcasm. It didn't help that Adrian was in a bit of shock. This was his maiden voyage in the world of idiot drivers. The man that Adrian hit was being let out of said parking lot by a good samaritan, so that he could go south. It just so happens that the good samaritan didn't clue anyone else in on his goodness. Hence, the accident. Please, please...don't think you're doing anyone a favor by letting them cross traffic. You could do more harm than good. Let them find their window of opportunity or suck it up and do a U at the light.

I'm grateful that Adrian wasn't hurt and that the old man admitted guilt.

This post was done it two parts over the span of a week, so my train of thought is totally askew. Sorry dear reader.........I hope to be more timely next blog :)

Relatives are a HOOT

2008-07-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the memories! We just wrapped up a great Dalley Family Reunion. We've met 5 times in the last 15 years...is that right? We meet every 3 years and the first one was 15 years ago. Anyway, it is so fun to see the new additions (Emma Renee my first granddaughter, Ty Colton my grandnephew and Jenna...) and also to see the old stand-by's; Marni , Marlo, Susan, Dal, Ron and Ginny....you all know you're all included for those who showed up. It's amazing how we grow each time both by numbers, waistlines and engage-ees! I hope you all had a good time, I know I did. Whether we were swimming, eating, sleeping, eating, swimming or singing, we enjoyed. If you didn't enjoy it was your own fault. Addison got a bit too much sun (first degree burns on his sweet face ) and had to be banned to the air conditioned hotel room for 24 hours. I enjoyed watching the watchers at the pool. There they were sitting in the shade all lined up as we walked by to get to the pool, then heckled us as we uncovered.......jk.

I'm so blessed to have a family where I never feel out of place, no matter. Not having my parents has been somewhat difficult yet I have many wonderful relatives who keep me and my siblings in touch with every occasion. Thank the good Lord for families. Thanks for the fun weekend. Can't wait to see you sooner than not and hopefully sooner than the next 3 years.....

P.S. Thinking of the future reunions, let's just remember that there will be again new additions and also those who will leave a void. Keep in touch with your relatives. It's all about the family, I mean really, what would you do, who would you be without your family. Being a something of an 'orphan' or parent-less I thank God for Aunt Mary and Aunt Ada for keeping my mother's memory alive and for their very being of being just like her (Fern). Because I knew you, I have been changed for good. I love you

The nicest things about a granddaughter

2008-07-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with my grandchild Emma Renee! She is by far one of the best things that have happened in my life, so far. I'm speechless(hard 2 b) when I hold her. That first moment of making a connection I know that she knew who I was. The very trust in her being was almost palpable. To sit and hold her and watch her look at her new world is kinda cool, and you go through a million different emotions while doing so. I look back on when Adam was 'first-born' and the emotions that ran through me then. It's incredible! You have this sense of where they just came from, who they were with and what the last conversation they had and with whom. I had the overwhelming feeling of my own parents while I was giving birth. Since they had been gone for a time, I longed to have their approval or something. And I'm not sure if someone had mentioned that they had felt 'the other side' when they were giving birth, or if I was truly connected spiritually to it at that particular time, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that Fern and Dick handed my children to me and I also know that they had a hand bringing Miss Emma Renee to this world. Call me crazy but I just have a feeling about this. It happened with all four of my children, just that 'something'. So, the nicest thing about having a grandchild is that I know how close heaven is and also how much our Heavenly Father loves us. I didn't set out to make this posting a sentimental one, but it certainly came about that way.
Here's to Jaynann and Adam!: thank you for giving me another link to my parents. This is the best.

The Long-awaited Appearance of Miss Emma Renee Daly

2008-07-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

Can I just say how thrilled I am on becoming a grandma! I realize that it really came to fruition when Adam and Jaynann announced the fact that they were pregnant, but to have her HERE is huge. I can't explain the feelings that I had then and now. I still have not seen her in person, because of work commitments but tomorrow evening, after work, we are headed down to surround Adam, Jaynann and Miss Emma. Just a warning to the parents'.......don't worry about Emma, she and I will be hanging out, swapping stories and I'll get my fill of kissing her neck...the sweetest spot on a child ;)
Just an FYI on the pix......I realize that all of us 'look' pregnant, but can you spot the real preggos? This was actually a day in Cedar where Greta hosted a baby shower for Jaynann. We thought it would nice to take a few photos. Little did we realize how alike we really looked.
I'll be sure to update in the next couple of days..with photos of Miss Emma and Grandma Di.
What do you think? Should I be a 'Grandma', 'Granny', 'Grammy', or 'Di'....give me your thoughts.

My Boy Add

2008-06-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Addison has found a 'new' passion. Besides loving basketball he has taken on a real interest in photography.

Go back about 3 weeks on a Sunday afternoon and he was bored. I've found Sunday afternoons the right time to nap, read and hang with family. Addison is NOT a napper, so I told him to grab my Nikon and head outside and go nuts. He was clicking pictures of everything that popped out at him. Susan's rose bushes were in full bloom and absolutely stunning, so that was a good subject. Then after dinner we went outside because of the great weather and he found more subjects; Cami, Shadow, trees and cars.

I had suggested that he try his hand at "Eyeball Benders"....things you see but don't realize what they are in just a glance. Again, he took it 100 % and got some great shots. I think he put them on his blog, but I'll try to recover some and post them here.

We're going to enter them in some contests and keep it going.

btw: He received an Olympus camera for his 14th birthday. Watch out Ashton Kutcher :)

Light, bright and smells from everywhere

2008-06-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today was a very bright day. It started out at the Farmer's Market at Pioneer Park (downtown SLC), where the sun shone way too much. I took advantage of my sunglasses and still had to squint, but all was well. We took Ty C Adams on his first TRAX ride to the park and then surrounded him with all sorts of yummy smells, delicious looking salad greens, corn on the cob and the most wonderful of all breads, the 'savory loaf' from Great Harvest. If you are dreaming of eating all of those awesome things I hope you dream in color and taste, if not, just call me and I'll tell you how tasty they all were. We literally had a feast at Susan's table tonight. We made the plan on the way home from the Market (on the train) making sure not to leave one item out or spreading them over 2 days of dinners. Susan made up some 4 kind of cheese sauce then mixed in bowtie pasta. Greta and I shelled the peas and shucked the corn. Kevin made a marinade for the chicken and 'one-armed' Steve blackened it on the grill. Is your mouth watering yet? Then Susan sliced the 'savory loaf' and put it under the broiler for a few minutes, where the smell enveloped the entire house.
There we were, 9 adults (we have to count Addison and Jeff) and 2.5 kids surrounding Aunt Kays old boardroom table. There was truly enough room for all of us and the feast spread across the lengthy table. A sight to behold! I'm pretty sure that our goal was achieved in filling each of our bellies, let's just say that if you left the table hungry it was your own fault.
What a great weekend it's been with having all of Susan's kids AND grandchildren, ages 2 to 1month. Lots of hugs, kisses and sharing have gone on and I'm very blessed to be a part of it all. It's nice to be in a house filled to the brim and also nice to have your own little corner to hide away in.
I love you kids.....thanks for being there for your moms. dud

When are we too old to have fun at a concert?

2008-06-12T15:35:00.001-07:00

Our family had the opportunity to go and watch Panic perform at SaltAir! and it was awesome.

I found myself rockin and rollin' with the best of the teeny boppers. It was either that or have a sore back the next morning. The hardest part was enduring the other 3 bands before Panic. AND we were standing the entire time. Back in the day when we went to concerts we paid for seats and stood the whole time. Nowadays, you pay to STAND!!

Anywho, when Panic finally played I realized that my hearing had been damaged. Talk about being OLD! I was experiencing a 'Snap Crackle and Pop' in my right ear. It still, to this day, is not the same. I actually have to ask people to repeat things that I really can't hear. It's awful :(

Needless to say we had an INCREDIBLE time. Brendon is a fabulous performer. He has grown in leaps and bounds from their freshman album. His voice has become stronger and his performance level is so expertise.

I'm so happy that we were able to share in his talent. And I am so thankful for my brother Boyd R for asking Brendon to get us into the concert. It was well worth it.

If you haven't listened to Panic's new cd, do it now. It's very ecclectic, mellow and upbeat. A lot of different elements all at the same time, which make it a fun mix of music.

Just sayin'

Time is Mean

2008-05-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

As I drive the I-15 corridor every day I listen to KSL. Lately they've been reminding us of the onslaught of teens graduating from high school. It takes me back to my own graduation from Cedar High and there are a lot of memories. I remember that it wasn't about getting out into the 'real world', it was about the SENIOR TRIP!!! Being a graduate of 1976, we were honored with being a part of the Bicentennial. Our trip had started out dreaming of going to Philadelphia, DC, NYC. It was going to be the event of the year. We were all stoked, as I recall. In the end we settled with Disneyland and the beach. We couldn't care less about walking through the "C" (all of my siblings did the same). It was the coolest thing, but I don't remember if they ever changed the material that draped the monstrous letter. There I was in my gold grad outfit, smiling like a dork. I look at that picture and I don't even know what I was thinking at that moment.....at that juncture of my life. What was going to be the pivotal moment when I became an adult? I was registered to attend SUSC(SUU) for fall. I had a great schedule with music all day long. Also a bit of spanish, phys ed, and one of Ada's child development classes. But what did I want to be? A mom? teacher? professional singer? NO CLUE.

I think back to my children's graduations, well, at least I got to see one of my children walk the walk and receive a diploma from the hand of an educator. Adam was this close to his walk, but with an eighth of a credit shy there was NO way that the school admin would allow it. "If we doing it for Adam, we'll have to do it for all of the others." Ok? I didn't see the big problem. He took it a lot better than I did. Adrian continues to march to his own beat. I'm going to brag, but my kids are intelligent! Kate's graduation was a love fest. It was unbelievable! The cheering, applause, screams, kat-calls and whistles that she got when her name was announced was crazy stupid. She was/is the most popular and kindest girl in that school. Everyone was her friend, any class, teacher no matter, she was their friend.

Don't get me wrong, all of my children make me very proud. It doesn't matter what they've achieved in this life, as long as they're happy and doing what they love, that's good enough for me. I just wish that I would have had a plan back then. I had no plan! I was in la la land.

Time is mean. I guess that looking backwards is going the wrong way and it's time to turn around and look to the future.

Smells can make you remember

2008-05-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

Some may think that working at a Doctors office is all about the patients and the doctors, well, that's true. But when you're in the front office you are doing triage, language, banter, boo-hoo's and running low on money. I ran to the bank, just down the street, to get change. Friday's are well known for receiving a huge amount of $100 bills. So, as I exit the building I get a whiff of 'home'. The Arctic Circle (across the street) was giving off that awesome smell of fresh french fries cooking. I inhaled and was taken back to my teenage years of working at Hermies. It was uplifting? I'm giggling right now. It was such a great time of life working there with my friends and hanging out with other friends who would come for a coke and fries, taquitos with cheese (tartar dipping sauce), beef-whats and the infamous Hermie burger!!!

It was amazing to me what one little smell did to me. I was smiling the entire way to the bank.

Two Weeks are Not enough

2008-05-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

I returned to see Dr. Watabe today and it was a test of patience. I haven't driven my car for 2 weeks and doing that in and of itself was difficult. Difficult to sit that long, difficult to shift and stop and most importantly, to drive with all of the crazies!!! But, as in all things that we've already learned, it's just like riding a bike, you really never forget. It also makes me think of childbirth...that is also something that CAN'T be forgotten. It's a topic that most women can gab about for hours, each at their own pace. And then there are the special ones who are awaiting to add on to their stories (Jaynann and Greta) because of the impending birth of their children. Greta's due date was Monday May 12, which is now passed her by, but just remember that these forthcoming spirits have their own ideas of when they'll make the trip. I talked to Greta yesterday and she was completing one of her many walks around Cedar and then a girlfriend was coming to get her and take her to Parowan and drive on the bumpy roads. Hope it worked! I'm just waiting for the "we're on our way to Labor and Delivery" phone call!

Jaynannie on the other hand has about a month to wait for Miss Emma. She too is patiently getting things readied and learning to listen to her body and all the signals. Adam told me that he was 'nesting' by getting the car seat mounted and putting the stroller together. Ahhh, so sweet to see your oldest hone in on his parenting. The Lord certainly gives us all instincts at the perfect time. I'm loving the fact that I see, watch and hear all of the things my oldest is going through, especially with the new addition just a month away.

Did I mention that the doctor said I could go back to work on Monday? I'm having trouble sleeping at night....well, getting to sleep. I realize that I don't do a thing all day, except 'organize' things, read and watch the boob tube. It's very tiring, I suppose.

It's raining inside the house

2008-05-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

We discovered a leak in the house after much suspicion. In the laundry room downstairs there were drippings and things were getting a bit wet. So off we went in searching from whence the water came.

It was all good getting on the roof and all, and Steve even got to climb the ladder up into the attic, and trying in vain to convince Kevin that he needed to help out. I guess he's not a fan of hot, dark places. Needless to say, the swamp cooler and roof were partnered in making it rain in the house.

The next step was to figure out how to repair it all. Then, that same evening Kate had just finished her bathroom visit and noticed that the ceiling was caving in, like a swollen belly. What more could happen. finding the hall closet full of water-soaked coats, cleaning supplies and Susan's favorite old music was not the best of days. We spread out a couple of sheets and peeled the music from soaked pages and laid it out to dry. The front room floor was covered with old time favorites, and they were a bit smelly too. Thank goodness that it was a warm day because in no time they (music) was curled and dried and the smell did not go away.

Susan and Steve ventured to Home Depot to get supplies to fix the bathroom ceiling consisting of safety goggles (which look adorable on Camille) masks, insulation, sealer and other diy necessities. I think Steve was in his element while sawing the ceiling. A dream come true: tearing something down with a lot of mess. The Shop Vac had a difficult time sucking up the weird looking insulation..it looked like popcorn, even so much that Zoe the hairy sister ate some off of the ground. I had never thought I would see the roof from the inside of the house with it's lumber it was an experience. Even better was still using the facility while no ceiling existed....with a 3 a.m. potty call, it was quite chilly.

That night while walking across the kitchen floor, there were noticeable bubbles in the tile. The water had gone even more beyond it's first thought destruction route.