.

Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Monday, January 17, 2011

The the Queen on her 72nd Birthday


From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Queen Luella celebrated her 72nd birthday on Friday. She braved the event with little fanfare or pomp. It was a quiet day at home with her crosswords, television, diet drinks and multiple calls from family and friends.

I took her to see Irish Dancing on Saturday night. Together we shuffled along the icy sidewalks, she - afraid of falling and me - what choice did I have with her clinging to my arm like it was the only thing separating her from a broken hip and certain death. I got tickets on the third row thinking the closer the better with her eyes the way they are. I chuckled when I found our seats. We were sitting in a sea of gray. The entire first few rows of the theater were occupied by the county's most senior citizens. It felt good to sit with people that considered me a young man (a handsome young man according to the Titanic survivor that sat next to me. Needless to say her eyes weren't what they should have been either. Her husband had to constantly point to the stage to focus her attention).

Mother's head has a slight wobble, much like those wobble headed dolls you see in the back windows of cars. I was fascinated by the way her wobble kept in time with the fiddling and clogging during the show. She did make a right mess of things with the popcorn. Imagine having a wobble and trying to get handfuls of popcorn from the bucket into your mouth. I knew it was a mistake to buy the popcorn but she insisted, and it was her birthday. At intermission she stood and showered us all in the popcorn that had accumulated on the natural shelf beneath her mouth and neck.

The show was enjoyable and I'm glad it ended when it did. One can only take so much clogging and fake smoke.
I suggested we go out the Exit below the stage and not trek back through the lobby and out the theater's front doors.
"Are you sure that's an Exit," she questioned.
"Yes, it says Exit above the door," I replied.
"But it could be for emergencies."
"If it was it would say so."
"Does it say so?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, let's go."

We walked toward the Exit. Just before entering she stopped a man gathering his family to leave.
"Is this an Exit people can use?" she asked. I knew what he wanted to say ("No ma'am its for leprechauns only") but he didn't.
"I think so," he answered.
"He said he thinks so," she told me. She hesitated at the door wondering if alarms would ring if it was opened. I opened the door. The world didn't end and so she proceeded to shuffle along.

Anyway......... here is a short slide show of Luella through the ages to honor our Queen on her birthday. I put it together it as if it were from Charles. We all know Dad is the bastion of emotional understatement and rarely discusses his feelings, but I've seen them through thick and thin and the good and the bad and have come to realize that she really is the love of his life. So, considering he hasn't a clue how to work a computer, I put this together as if from him to her.

So, here you go mom. Something from Dad, if he only knew how to form the right words and get them out in a semi audible way :)

Two from the Dynasty Performing on CBS's "Live to Dance".


From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
And what a beautiful day it is. The sun is shining and the depressing inversion of the past few weeks is lifted bringing clean, bright fresh air into the valley. This post celebrates the dancing achievements of two members of our family, Chaz and Brock Bodily. Last week they appeared on Paula Abdul's new show "Live to Dance" on CBS. They danced with "The Vibe". Their performance was spectacular, winning them a place on the show's final and giving them an excellent chance of winning $500,000.00. They are home now for two weeks, then its back to LA for the final competition. They'll need the entire family's support so please take time to watch the next show (not this Tuesday, but next I believe. Look for further updates on the blog) and vote for them when the telephone numbers appear on the screen.

Now, as per tradition, the Relationship Chart so you can identify them;


The video below moves fast and they are filmed from a distance so to help you recognize our relations I've include three stills.

Chaz is in guy in the center with the white tie. I is currently a student at UVU and plans on becoming a sports broadcaster. He loves to dance but sports are his passion.

Bock is in the center of this picture. He is a senior at Pleasant Grove High School, Utah and is earning his Associates Degree from UVU concurrently. In addition to dance, Brock played varsity football for Pleasant Grove High and is an all around great guy.

And now, the video of their performance (there may be a 10 second commercial at the front).



Congratulations to these two outstanding members of our family.

Simply,
Victor