Michelle Arnell

...my oldest child, my daughter, we rhymed her name. What were we thinking? Thankfully she got married & her name is no longer a sonnet.

I remember as a young newlywed wondering what it would be like to be a mother. Would I know what to do, how would I care for a child, what if I didn’t know what they needed? Would I even be able to have children? What was ahead for me? For those of you who know my family you may be surprised to know that we tried for over six months to get pregnant before our first was conceived. I luckily had very easy pregnancies & even with my first I think that I really enjoyed being pregnant. I loved the changes my body made & I loved feeling life inside of me.

As I reflect on my pregnancy journeys I realize that they each were very unique. I was never disappointed in the process. From conception to delivery the whole procedure is a beautiful, sacred gift. How can anyone who has given birth deny God? In my mind there can only be one source of such a miraculous procedure?

My beautiful baby girl is now a mother herself & is currently in her 3rd trimester carrying her 4th child & my 16th grandchild. My relationship with this beautiful daughter of mine has always been more than just mother, daughter. I have always felt like Michelle was the older, wiser spirit in this relationship. She taught me how to be a mom. She was the guinea pig, the one we probably made the most mistakes with but in spite of that she has grown into one of the most disciplined, hard working, loving individuals.

As a child Michelle loved to be in charge. She played school and was the teacher to her siblings & many of the neighborhood kids. She would do well with all of her pupils except one, stubborn, Chad Sims, who did not like to obey, teacher, Michelle. She currently puts her teaching skills to great use with her children & has organized the best home reading program in the state at Farrer Elementary!

I don’t know why this is something I feel the need to share but I think it may show her great business skills. From the time the kids were very young when they would go trick-or-treating they would come home dump the candy on the floor & then the bartering would begin. Michelle was a pro; “I will give 3 of these pieces of gum for just 1 chocolate bar”. What young child wouldn’t go for 3 for 1 – both parties were usually happy with the negotiations. Anyway I think that Michelle is probably one of the best employees any employer could have. She sees issues and concerns & suggests solutions. I admire her tenacity & her loyalty. She is one of the hardest working people I know. She accomplishes more in one day than I do in a week.

When Michelle was a teenager I had a dear friend say about her; “Michelle, is pretty near perfect”. I agree.

Never Say Never…

Never Say Never… when our oldest children were toddlers some 25 years ago. Oh man, I am old! Anyway, I remember being absolutely appalled by children who would bite. How could their mother’s allow such behavior? I would NEVER tolerate such behavior! Well, that’s all it took Grandma Tueller had warned me “never say never” but I had to learn for myself. Fast forward a few years - very few - seeing that child number 5 was born when child number 1 was still 6 anyway that is another post & she did turn 7 a month after baby 5 was born. I digress… as you may have guessed child 5 was a BITER! I had a dear friend who worked in the Primary with me & some years after our children had moved on from nursery she confessed to me that her daughter was terrified to go into nursery if my son was there. Mother & daughter would peek in the nursery & if “sharp tooth” was there Katie got to go with mom that day.

Those of you who know my child number 5 he is the sweetest, kindest person even as a child he was tender hearted. I just don’t think he realized how mean biting was. I feel that I should include here that I knew he was a biter but I wasn’t always aware of those he bit & I certainly seemed at a loss to help him stop. I had a brother-in-law who bit one of the other nieces or nephews – not even his child – to try to teach the child that biting hurts. Luckily for that brother-in-law he didn’t try that on my son. Not a teaching method I agreed with.

Anyway I want to say that I learned a few things from this experience. First, of course is “never say never”. Call it karma, what goes around comes around or anything you want but when you say to yourself I will “never whatever” it is as if the universe takes that as a personal challenge & says “oh we will see”. Second is that sometimes being oblivious is bliss. I would have been mortified if I had known that my son was the nursery bully. Somehow it wasn’t quite as bad finding out after the fact. Probably last is to try not to criticize someone else’s parenting. I think most of us are trying our best most of the time. Parenting is not for the faint of heart, but as a mother whose 7 babies are all now adults it is certainly worth it!

My Man

I just decided today that since my family is what brings me the most JOY in this life I shall blog about them. I will be starting of course with my sweetheart, of 38 years. (We have only been married 37 years but we were sweethearts a year before marrying.)

Let me list a few of the qualities I like about this man of mine. First, I love that he has a strong testimony of the gospel, that he has a love for family & that he adores me in his own curious way. His bald little head, his twinkling eyes & his broad shoulders are all very endearing to me.

Did I mention that I am quite sure that he is the best athlete on the planet? Let me tell you he can sink a corner baseline shot in basketball every time, he can place a softball anywhere on the field but usually chooses his trademark first baseline . Did you know that his reactions are so quick that when he was a teenager riding a horse in the Fiesta Days Parade in Farmington that he got off his horse & caught his youngest brother age 3 or 4 at the time, who was falling off his own horse & headed to the ground.

My man is a very hard worker usually working ten to seventeen hours daily during softball season. He serves diligently in any church calling he has, he is one of the most devoted ward choir members I know. He is gentle & loving. I have found this tender side just within the last few years as he has a dear friend whose health is failing. He pays weekly visits to & lovingly serves this friend.

I appreciate that my sweetheart doesn’t condemn people? He understands that we all have our own issues we need to work on.

I have joked that when the remote is missing he gets a little berserk but when there is a real problem he is as calm as can be. When he gets angry, he blows, and then it is done. He does not hold a grudge or ever bring up past stuff.

I love how he looks when he sees his grandchildren running to him shouting grandpa & I can’t think of anyone I would rather grow old with. I adore him.

My blog is finally created thank you Marci, Regi & Michelle! I will be the first to admit that I am a little slow in the technology arena. I can't even get on to comment on others blogs most of the time. Who would think that I spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week using a computer at work? I do however, know the programs I operate at work but anything else on the computer - not so much.

It feels like I should have something wise to say for my maiden blog but I am certainly not sure what that would be. I will therefore answer a few burning questions.

Why do I want to blog? I have been reading others for a few years now & they are fun, enlightening & I enjoy them.

What's up with my blog title? Well, one of my coworkers, a young man, who I can only assume realized my total awesomeness nick named me Debalicious & I like it. Break it down Deb A & delicious! From Meriam Webster: Delicious 1 : affording great pleasure : delightful I believe in the power of positive thought so I want to be Debalicous, a delightful Deb A.

A few facts about me: I am 56 years old, mother of 7 & grandmother of 16. I have a husband whom I adore! I have the most beautiful children & grandchildren, my life is full of love & joy!