Susan Mortensen Turley

Susan Mortensen Turley was a family friend and also Elliot's co-worker. Whenever I'd go in to Elliot's work, Susan would have this same absolutely beautiful smile and act like it made her day to see me there. She's beautiful, isn't she.

Susan was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer at the age of 25 just months after she was married. She passed away a few months later. Read her BLOG. She wasn't just a beautiful woman, she was an amazing woman. She was one reason I decided to change my life last year.

Elliot and I are running the first annual SUSAN'S RUN 5K on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 and we want you to run/walk it with us too (there is also a 1-mile walk and Kid's Dash)! Go to the website to sign up! It's not too late! And then make your colonoscopy appointment!

Won't You Sing With Me!

Do you ever have the 6 degrees of separation with your thoughts? You know how you think about something you need to do and then that makes you think of something else which reminds you of something that someone did and then you think of how something else funny happened . . . and then you think of Hannah playing the guitar singing her ABC's as loud as she can. And then you're just happy.

Almost every thought lately has led back to Hannah singing and then being so pleased with herself during the applause. I love her.

MEMORIES: Chris Chipman - 1989

So today is St. Patricks Day and since I have a specific memory of St. Patty's Day, I will start my journey through writing my random memories. Let us venture back to 1989 with a few facts:

#1 - This was me in 1989. I was 11-years-old (to see the full class photo, see below).

#2 - I was in Miss Gayla Gould's 5th grade class (she married someone named Rick Schroeder the next year and moved) at Park Intermediate School in Weiser, Idaho.

#3 - I was the tetherball champ in 5th grade along with my double's partner Robert Preston. He tried to ask me out and kind of wrecked our tetherball skills.

#4 - Monica Goto was my friend.

#5 - Eva McHenry was my friend. At least they were until I found out about the Travis incident.

#6 - Travis Thomason and I had just broken up for the last time (to be written about later).

#7 - Sometime during the year I developed a crush on Robby Morrow (who was actually a step-2nd cousin, unbeknownst to me at the time).

#8 - Chris Chipman had a crush on me.


There's no reason at all that anyone should have had a crush on me in 5th grade. Actually, 5th grade through about my first year of college, really. It wasn't a pretty time of my life.

Chris was a trouble-maker in the class. He was hyper and just got in trouble all the time. He went to the special classes. He was also the stinky boy in class and also related to Gary Chipman, which made it worse. I DID NOT want him to like me.

I believe Chris's crush lasted a very short while and he was probably talked into it by Eva McHenry and Monica Goto (they were my messengers during the break-up with Travis, but I think they secretly sabotaged the whole thing because Monica liked Travis . . . who didn't like Travis?). Chris made it pretty well known in the class that he liked me and he was going to kiss me on St. Patrick's Day.

Do you know the rules of St. Patrick's Day? If you wear green, you won't get pinched, but if you happen to wear red at all, you are in danger of getting kissed. At least these were the rules in 1989 in Weiser, Idaho. I made sure I wore all green and had no trace of red, just to be safe from all contact with Chris.

During the afternoon recess I was standing in the tetherball line, patiently waiting my turn to beat everyone else in line when I heard a small commotion behind me. Suddenly, I got a slap on the back and as I turned my head, Chris's ugly face jumped up and kissed me on my forehead (the slap on the back was a RED heart with tape on it . . . so suddenly I was wearing red . . . it would have been illegal to kiss me if I hadn't been wearing red).

ANGRY. I was so angry. And you will know how angry I was when I tell you that I stepped out of the tetherball line to go tell on Chris. No one stepped out of the tetherball line! I didn't even bother trying to find the on duty recess teacher. I walked right through the doors of the school (a big NO NO) and marched all the way to the principal's office (also a big NO NO) to tell on Chris Chipman. I was FUMING! I even swore.

Mrs. Cynda Campbell, principal, had a perpetual smile on her face (even when I got in big trouble the next year, she disciplined with a smile). So when I told her what Chris had done and how angry I was and how I wasn't even wearing red, she smiled and said that we would go have a talk with Chris.

We found Chris easily on the huge playground and Mrs. Campbell led us to the flagpole for a private thrashing I was sure he'd get. Chris was forced to apologize to me. I was still so angry. Mrs. Campbell, still smiling, actually gave me permission to "clobber" him if he tried it again. I wasn't a violent person, but I wanted to punch him right there. Seriously, that was all the discipline he got!

After the forced apology, I took a place at the end of the tetherball line, angry, surveying the surrounding areas for stinky boy kissers and got even more angry when the bell rang right before my turn. Chris Chipman was dead to me. He quickly got over his crush moments later, but I still have a tiny bump that formed on my head right where Chris Chipman kissed me. I told you he was a stinky boy. And this is the first thing I think of when St. Patrick's Day comes around.


(March 17, 1989 also happened to be the day of my sister Marci's bridal shower. It was a busy day, what with being kissed an all.)

Ball Challenge - Anderson/McAllister/Dibble

Several of my Anderson cousins came to visit my Aunt Sandra earlier this month. They really must have been low on activities for the night because they agreed to come over to our house for a little Ball Challenge and tetherball. May I just say that out of ALL of our Ball Challenges, and there have been many, we've NEVER had so many challengers that were A) so super competitive and B) actually able to beat my time balancing on the ball! This was so, so, SO much fun! (too bad my camera was on the wrong setting for about 10 pictures . . . I missed most of the family, but maybe Rachie will put it on her blog).

Rachelle & Brynlee

Hannah and Elliot

Brayden

Ashlyn

Martin

Trey

Elliot

Ben

Lindsay

Tess

Erica

Zach

Bob

Chase

Doug

Tyler

Have you ever gone with work with a booger on your eyebrow?

That question is probably one the funniest things I've ever laughed at in my whole living life. My Dad said it several years ago when we were playing The Question Game. You can only ask questions. You can't answer the question that is being asked of you and you cannot smile. If you do, you're out. If you're asked a question, you turn to someone else and make eye contact to ask them a question. Sometimes it gets going so fast and you get so excited about asking your own question that you start laughing. It was very, VERY funny.

Well, that ISN'T a giant white booger between Hannah's eyes, it's yogurt because she was drinking it out of her bowl. This girl cracks me up! More to come because she brings a little bit of sunshine into everyone's life!

Stella's Brother

Meet Duncan. This is Stella's new baby brother. He became quite a part of the family around the same time Auntie Em had her baby 2 months ago even though he's been in our home for about 4 years. Duncan eats, sleeps, gets his diaper changed (when he's wearing one), goes on outings with us, and likes to be swaddled. Stella is the very best of sisters.

And if you ask Stella what her brother's full name is, she'll say, "Duncan Donut Dibble."

Just Little Lucy

It's a little known fact that the Dibble grandchildren absolutely love their Grandma and Grandpa. So when Grandpa was holding Lucy on Sunday and Lucy reached out for me to hold her, SHE QUICKLY BECAME MY NEW FAVORITE! I love Lucy!

Aladdin Jr.

Our nephews George and Raymond were in their school play Aladdin a few weeks ago. Raymond played the part of the monkey Abu and George was the Genie! They did so great and stole the show, especially when the Genie rode Abu like a horse. Great job boys!

(George is the tiny guy in blue and Ray is in the monkey suit sitting down)

Happy #13 Birthday Megan!

Happy #9 Birthday George!

(don't worry, those aren't really his glasses . . . huge sigh of relief.)

Worms

There has been SOOOOOO much rain this year which always brings out the creepy crawlies! Elliot was working in the garden and found some earth worms. Stella wouldn't pick it up, but she'd hold it in her hand. I instructed her to put it back in the garden. She decided, as per usual, that she knows best and DID NOT put it back in the garden, but put it down on the patio with a napkin over it to keep it warm. When she went to check on it again, it was gone and she was, of course, devastated. The worm also pooped.

Roomie

I have a friend that has a daughter named Roomie, named after her roommates because she loved them all so much. I guess that clears up any concerns of favortism. Lately I've been in contact with some of my old roommates and friends from Ricks College and they all bring back such great memories. And boy howdy do I have pictures, so I'm on an errand to write down some of my favorite memories about people at college, whether I'd name my daughter after them or not. It's a little known fact that I'm rather long-winded, so it'll have to be broken down into chapters with, perhaps, several installments each.

They will be complete with pictures, links to their current blogs, cries for help in retaining contact with them if you know them now, etc. I also reserve the right to express my opinion on the people they dated, unless they are currently married to them. In that case, I'll leave you alone.

(The last chapter leads into my 10 Year story, which as most of you know, I have not quite finished. I'll get there. I promise.)

In fact, just writing this post reminds me of other people I've known growing up or random memories that stick out. So this whole thing will just be random memories, whether it's from 1997 or 1985. What's scary is that I remember way back then. I'm old, but the old thinker is in tact!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy #10 Birthday Brennan!

Happy #1 Birthday Lucy!