Welker's Life

Rylan rolling over........

2009-12-22T16:11:00.002-06:00

Rylan Scott Welker

2009-11-25T21:07:00.002-06:00

Rylan was born Nov. 19, 2009 at 12:25 pm. He weighed
8 lbs and 8 oz. and was 20 inches long.

I think he looks huge in this picture.

Waiting for his final check before we could go home.

We are so happy to have this added blessing to our family!
It was all worth it!!

Floating the Dry Bed - only in Idaho :)

2009-09-03T23:14:00.010-05:00

What do they do in Idaho for fun?
They find some old inner tubes and float
the dry bed.

You have to find a good place to get in and out
of the dry bed. This float actually took them
3 hours. It was heaven for me, it kept
Tayler entertained.

Briana and Tayler had a minor accident their
bottoms hit a big rock and scrapped their butts.
Briana has a worse bruise from her floating the
dry bed than from being hit by another car.
It has been almost a week and her bruise is still purple.

Bye, see you in 3 hours.

Crazy Madsen Family

2009-09-03T23:02:00.006-05:00

My dad decided we needed to get together as a family.
We all gathered at my parents home for grilled chicken,
hamburgers and hot dogs.
Part of the family was missing - Mom was in Utah with
Lorinda and her new twins, Shawn was on his honeymoon with
his new wife Alice Ann and we missed Brandon and Jennifer and
their boys.

Kynsley and Briana

Dennis his wife Kim and Danielle and I.

Clint, my neice Courtney and Jackie's roommate Lisa.

Some of the nieces.

August 2009 a month of Change...

2009-08-29T16:15:00.022-05:00

On August 5, my sister Lorinda had her twin girls, Ella and Emmie. Ella weighed 4 lbs 13 oz, and Emmie weighed 4 lbs 9 oz. These little girls spent the first 2 weeks in the NICU in Provo. They are both now home and doing well. We are so excited for Lorinda and Ezra. I can't wait to see them and hold them. Congratulations!!

On August 10, we moved from Ramsey MN back to Rigby, Idaho. This will be an adjustment for our family. We are excited to be close to family, but we will miss all of our friends from Minnesota. We are grateful for all of the help we received from our family, Kris and Danielle and their 3 month old Kynsley. We put them to work for 2 days, we couldn't have done it without them.

On August 14, my older brother Shawn and Alice Ann were married. We are excited for him and I can't wait to meet Alice Ann. She is still working in Utah until December. Congratulations!! We wish you the best!!

Tayler started school on August 20, she is attending Midway Middle school. She had a hard time adjusting to a different school, but things are getting better.

Mitch started high school on August 20, 2009 at Rigby High School, Mitch is such a great kids and even gets to finish school early this year, February 25 with be Mitch's last day of school.

County Market Dollar Days

2009-06-03T17:34:00.006-05:00

I went with Serena to dollar days...............and it was crazy. Not really sure if it was worth the $40 we saved. How much is your time worth??? Why do I have to buy a lower quality product just because it's cheaper???? We really have to stretch our dollar further right now, but cheaper is not ALWAYS better...............

Serena waiting patiently in line....... She looks great. She has been feeling great too..

Lines, lines, lines..............

Yes!!!! We got the last package of bacon...... :)

This guy couldn't keep up with the ribs. Going like hotcakes............................

I'm glad we only have to shop for fruits/vegetables, meats, and dairy. We get everything else from our own store, and get cash back each month. Maybe someday a Grocery company can provide online services and make a profit. (Who misses Simon Delivers???)

The last 4 months!!!

2009-05-21T12:57:00.008-05:00

Well, I wanted to put some stuff down about the last 4 months of the Welker's life. We have had some very exciting changes.

First, I started a company with 2 other close friends. We launch in January and are doing well. We built it debt free, and are already cash-flow positive. We aren't paying ourselves much, but hope to be back to full salaries soon. Thanks to support of my Dad, we have been able to survive. We owe him much thanks for this. And this company will free us up to live wherever we want.

Jackie finished her 3rd year of school, excellent grades as always. She is very smart and will do great things. She is attending an internship at The Homestead Assisted Living center. She likes it a lot. It's tough on her social life cause she is working too, but she knows her goal is her education, not boys...... (LOL)

Briana decided not to continue at BYU-Idaho, so is at home working. She says she is going to go to school in the fall. We'll see....... She always has been motivated and has started her own business. Watch out World!!!!!!

Mitch and Tayler are in school. Mitch is working on his scouting and Duty to God, and looking for a job. Tayler joined Young Womens on April 4th. (I can't believe it) She is a beautiful young lady and is very high spirited. (No pics of them right now)

And the latest news. We are expecting our 5th child!!!!! How awesome is that??? Unexpected you say??? A little, but we couldn't ask for a better thing in our life/family right now. Everyone is pumped.

Update, Finally

2009-01-13T17:41:00.011-06:00

It has been a while since we posted. I thought I would talk a little bit about our trip to Idaho for my Mother's funeral.

We got the call from my Sister that hospice said she was in her last 7-10 days. I just decided to leave the next morning. We made arrangements with Mitchell's and Tayler's schools, and started driving. We hit snow just as we entered the Badlands of North Dakota. We had ice and snow from then on. Serena said she wanted me to slow down, but didn't say anything until a few days later. We didn't have a single problem with the van. Not once did I slide or lose control. It was a blessing.

We arrived in Idaho about 1am on Wednesday the 3rd of December. We spent the whole day with my Mother. Each of us got to speak with and tell her everything you would want to say if you knew it may be the last time to speak with her. Then on Thursday morning, my Father called and said I should come immediately. She passed before I got there. As I watched my Dad hold her hand, and caress her forehead, that was the most difficult time of any. He sobbed like only one other time I had heard him sob, when my brother was killed in a car wreck. It did turn out to be the best experience though, to comfort my Father at the loss of his eternal companion. We both felt the spirit confirm that it was just temporary, and that a power greater than all was going to bring us together again.

The next few days brought another experience I never thought I would be a part of, but also turned out to be very rewarding. The first day we arrived, my Dad said that he was making my Mom's coffin. I was shocked at first, but we visited with the family that was helping, and they had done this for two members of their family. They said it was one of the best moments of dealing with the loss of their loved ones. That turned out to be the same for us.

The funeral was the following Monday. On the viewing on Sunday evening, people were in line outside of the funeral stretching around the block. It was a wonderful experience to reunite with so many friends and family that I had not seen for 20 years. My Mother was blessed to have such good people who loved her. I spoke during the funeral. The Chapel, overflow, and gym was full of people. Only one other time had I seen the church that full for a funeral, and that was for Jeff Rhoads, who died of skin cancer at around the age of 30.

The next few weeks we spent with our families. Serena's Mom and Dad bless us so much by allowing us to stay with them. Their home is very comfortable and has plenty of room. We love them for how welcome they make us feel. We got to catch up with our brother's and sister's and their famillies. We went to Christmas parties, went on sleigh rides, and just enjoyed ourselves.

We had alot of snow. It was beautiful.

We went on multiple sleigh rides. My Dad has a very cool horse team, and a sleigh he built himself. This is my nephew, Lucas in the front, Tayler and my nephew Payton, and Mitchell in the back.

This was a perfect day to go on a sleigh ride. (Except the wind was at about -5 degrees)

Who is this good looking dude?

Overall, we had a life changing experience that brought our family closer together. We look forward to someday living in Idaho. We aren't sure when that will be yet. Thank you to all of you who sent cards and money to help with trip expenses. It was an answer to prayer.

Gratitude

2008-11-21T10:46:00.007-06:00

This last week has been kind of a stressful one for Clint and I. No need for the details, because I know we all have struggles in our life. But I want to say how grateful I am for friends who care and loves us no matter what is going on in our lives. I am grateful for Audrey's example of posting weekly the things she is grateful for. I have many things to be grateful for: health, the gospel of Jesus Christ, family, friends, a home, a comfortable bed, warm showers, knowledge, opportunities to learn and grow, the sunshine and talents. I hope that no matter what is going on in my life I will recognize the blessings and where they come from.

The Truth about the current financial crisis.

2008-11-19T14:57:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe that so many people were not fully informed of this, and that those involved were elected to office again.

Click Here to view Video

The Dentist...Oh No!!

2008-11-19T09:07:00.002-06:00

Going to the dentist is not my favorite thing. The Welker family has not been for a couple of years. Last night we took the plunge and went. Mitch was the only one who passed with flying colors. Tayler has 4 cavities, I need 3 crowns and also have a new cavity. Yeah! (NOT) and Clint also needs a crown and they need to do a special deep cleaning on his teeth. Just when you think life couldn't get harder. You go to the dentist. We all need to follow the poster at the left and brush and floss more often!!

Quilt Giveaway

2008-11-17T10:52:00.004-06:00

As most of you know I love quilts. I ran across this quilt giveaway. Check out the website to enter. You could have a quilt without all of the work. Here is the site .http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2008/11/win-1-of-3-quilts.html

Tagged Again.

2008-10-28T14:14:00.007-05:00

First of all I have to apoligize to my cousin Jessica. This is the second time she has tagged me, I haven't been checking her blog like I should She has the cutest family. I miss spending time with her!

I was tagged again this time by Jessica, and this time what you do is go to your picture file and pick the 4th folder and the 4th picture in it and explain.

This picture was taken on Briana's graduation day. This is Briana with her younger sister Tayler. Taken June 2008.

I am tagging Kristen, Shantel, Andrea, Audrey, Jodell, Angie Delong, Lorinda, Danielle, Camille, and Linda Holt.

Tag your IT.......

2008-10-28T13:46:00.004-05:00

So thanks to Kristen you get to hear some of my random thoughts.

1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!

1. I am so grateful for family and friends. I have the greatest kids on the earth. I love spending time with my family. I only wish some of my siblings were as happy as I am.

2. I hope one day to return to Italy. We found the best pizza place there. When I went to visit Clint we ate there 4 nights in a row.

3. How come 2 of my children are so stubborn and then the other 2 are so good? Maybe we all have a Laman and Lemuel in our families.

4. Which hair dye will actually last longer? I keep using Revlon but seems to fade withing a couple of weeks.

5. I am working on projects for my sisters for Christmas. It is hard to know if they will like what I make or if I should just buy a gift card.

6. I often wonder how many games of bubble shooter I can play before my boss catches me. I have been lucky so far. By the way bubble shooter is the best game ever!

Tag your are it: Lorinda, Shantel, Jodell, Jessica, Camille, Danielle, Andrea, Angie Delong, Audrey

Please play along, I get bored at work!!

The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger

2008-10-21T09:36:00.006-05:00

I have recently finished reading this series of 3 books by Lois Lowry. I had many recommendations to read this set and I am so glad I did. All 3 of these books are under 200 pages and are very easy to read and you don't want to put them down. I liked them so much that I purchased all 3 from ebay. I want my children to read them. I don't know if I could pick one as my favorite. If you have read this series, let me know which was your favorite and why.

Minnesota is Beautiful

2008-10-21T09:32:00.003-05:00

I love this time of year!! I think

Minnesota is one of the most beautiful states

this time of the year.

I also love the crisp cool air.

Truancy - Tayler's First and Hopefully Last......

2008-10-13T12:16:00.003-05:00

I am still having trouble with Tayler wanting to go to school. She complains almost everyday that she is sick. None the less she was home sick last Thursday and Friday. (I really don't think she was sick.) This morning she was crying again because she didn't get her homework done and she would be Zapped. Which means she will work on her homework during lunch or stay after school. I told her that if she didn't go to school today that she would be grounded for the week. She threw a fit because it is MEA week and they are off of school on Thursday and Friday and that meant that she wouldn't be able to play with her friends. I continued to get ready for work and Tayler went into her room and slammed the door, but came out 5 minutes later ready for school. She got her back pack and went to the bus stop. I drove past the bus stop on my way to work to make sure she hadn't missed the bus. Well, as most of you know it was raining this morning so it took me about an hour to get to work. After being at work for about 10 minutes I get a call from Tayler, she had missed the bus. WHAT?? I am in St. Paul an hour away and she is now at home enjoying her day. I called Kristen Villarreal and she kindly picked up Tayler and took her to school. Sorry Kristen you had to take her to school. But, Thank you!! I later received a call from the school and they are marking Tayler as truant today. Hopefully she will realize that even if she doesn't like shcool, she has to go.

Free Recipes - Food & Family Magazine

2008-10-13T11:54:00.004-05:00

I think finding new recipes that we like and are easy are hard to find. This magazine - Food & Family from Kraft Foods is free and has alot of great easy recipes. If you would like to receive a free copy you can call 1.800.521.4403 or check out their website at www.kraftfoods.com/join. This magazine comes 4 times a year and all of the recipes revolve around that particular season. ENJOY!!

May we always Remember Sept. 11th.

2008-09-11T13:02:00.010-05:00

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will I. I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he ca lled as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell o f the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them. I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan .

I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me? I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me.

Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor. Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Se ek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.' I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God

During the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are doing, and take this opportunity. (Literally it is only 1 minute.) All you have to do is the following: Stop and think and appreciate God's power in your life, for doing what you know is pleasing to Him. If you are not ashamed to do this, follow the instructions. Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of Me, I will be ashamed of you before My Father'

'Yes, I love my God. He is my fountain of Life and My Savior. He Keeps me going day and night. Without Him, I am no one. But with Him, I can do everything. Christ is my strength.'

Here's some pics from our Idaho trip.

2008-09-04T19:39:00.008-05:00

We did some fishing. Mitch caught this Trout on Rigby Lake, while my Dad was stuck rowing the boat in high winds...

We went to a girls camp the Church owns and went down this awesome slide. My Dad recently rebuilt the frame underneath the slide.

We helped my Dad and a neighbor finish hauling in his hay. Mitchell was having a good time with his allergies. We did have air conditioning in the truck though. I never had that when I was working on the farm.

These are a couple pictures from our drive. Which one is from North Dakota, and which one is from Idaho????

FAMILY REUNION

2008-09-04T15:27:00.004-05:00

My family had a family reunion in July. We were not able to attend but thought you might enjoy some pictures of my family. My younger sister Lorinda took the pictures and created the slideshow. Thanks Lorinda for all of your work!!
Click on the following link to watch the slideshow:
http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4e4455784d7a6b784d673d3d0d0a&campaign=blog_playback_link&blogview=true

Driving to Idaho...

2008-08-20T13:28:00.004-05:00

We are leaving for Idaho soon to take Briana to BYU. I look especially look forward to driving through the stretch of North Dakota and Montana.

Mitch and I plan on doing some fishing on the Snake River with my Dad and spend some time with Serena's family and mine. Then we will leave Briana behind to begin college life.

Open House/Farwell Party

2008-08-20T13:23:00.011-05:00

I just wanted to say Thank You to all who attended Briana and Melanie's open house. We feel very blessed to have such great friends who love and support our family. We had a great time and enjoyed having a house full of friends.

Jackie and Nicole

Briana, Melanie and the Elders

Memories....

2008-08-08T16:55:00.003-05:00

Memories...
So, this is my first tag. Sometimes these are intersting, sometimes...not so much. My sister recently posted this tag on her blog and I commented. So in order to play along, I'm supposed to repost the tag on my blog...so here's how you play:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a lot or just little, anything you remember, good or bad, but please be nice! (And Clint keep it clean.)
2. Next, repost this on your blog. If you don't want to play on your blog, or don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.
So, I think that I may be sitting here...all alone with my memories...since I don't think anyone in my family understands how to do this blog thing, if they have even managed to teach themselves how to use the internet. With one exception (Lorinda). Seriously people, most of them are in Idaho...just a little behind the times. But I love 'em!
Here's to some memories...CHEERS!

Motivate ME!! Why do you exercise?

2008-08-08T09:25:00.005-05:00

Can someone please help me? I don't want to have a spare tire around my waist. But I also LOVE to sleep. What is it that pulls you out of bed early in the morning to exercise? I know I do feel better after I exercise, but I can't seem to jump out of bed at 5:30 a.m. when the alarm goes off.

Should I post this picture on my mirror to daily remind me of the beautiful, strong woman I could become with a little work??? (Just Kidding) Although I could kick your butt!!

Burgler!!!

2008-08-01T14:51:00.004-05:00

We had an exciting day at work today. Serena and I were heading downstairs from our office to go to lunch, and a man got off the elevator and said, "Oops, I must be on the wrong floor." Well, this whole building is only our company, so it seemed suspicious. But we have couriers and strange people coming and going all the time, so we didn't think anything of it. He got back on the elevator, but we headed down the stairs. We thought we would just watch him walk out of the building, cause there is only one way out. When we got outside the front door, we waited for 4-5 minutes, and no guy came out. So 3 of my co-workers went up the stairs, and Serena, another co-worker, and I went up the elevator. The guys who went up the stairs got to the 3rd floor first, started walking around when this guy popped his head up from one of our cubes. They asked if they could help him and walked over there, and he pulled a laptop from under his shirt. He put it on the table and tried to walk away, but they held him there. It was 3 against one. Serena and I came later and saw them arguing and telling this guy to sit down, he wasn't going anywhere until the cops came. When the police officer came, he looked and the guy and said "You again David???". He had just had issues with him at a clothing store a few weeks ago. He was just released from jail two months ago.
Anyway, everyone was OK, nothing was taken. This guy is a crack addict and is basically a petty thief to supply the habit.

Transformation At Last....Black Chairs

2008-07-30T15:39:00.003-05:00

(Chairs Before)

Some of you may know that I bought a new table

at Pier1 the end of February. I have been putting off setting

up the table because I wanted black chairs. I had debated about

painting my current chairs black but I was not to excited about

having to sand all of the chairs before I painted them. So I have

been looking at chairs to buy, which would cost around $500.

Needless to say I didn't want to spend the money for chairs.

A couple of weeks ago I found a web-site that talked about

someone who used liquid sandpaper to repaint her kitchen

chairs. I thought I can do that so I embarked on repainting my

chairs black. The following picture shows the chairs finished in black.

What do you think? I love them!! This pictures doesn't

do them justice. It cost me about $50 to paint my chairs.

Books to Read or Not to Read????

2008-07-29T14:56:00.003-05:00

Ok, I have heard many of my friends talk about

the Twilight books. I am interested but not a

huge reader. Should I invest my time to read these

books? Please let me know what you love about this

series. I need to catch up quickly because from

what I hear book 4 comes out in August and also

a movie. Please let me know why you like these books.

Back to Work.....

2008-07-29T09:53:00.003-05:00

Our semi-vacation is complete. We are back to work. We learned a lot about business and are amazed at what a great company we are a part of. They increased the bonus's this year by 190 million, and are running a national ad campaign worth 300 million. This is pretty amazing amidst this economy.
We didn't get many pictures of Portland or Seattle. We had to drive through Tacoma, which is where I was born. Someday I may tour the city and find the hosptial or something. If any of you didn't know, I was adopted at the age of 3 days. And no, I don't have any interest in finding my biological parents. Not sure why, just never had the desire. My Mom and Dad are all that I could have asked for in parents............... :)

Awesome Day!!!!!

2008-07-26T17:29:00.000-05:00

We are having a great day. We have listened to some great speakers. This is our friends and sponsors from Chicago. He will be retiring this year at the age of 31. We are only two years behind them.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Take Off

2008-07-25T07:20:00.000-05:00

I'm testing out using email to post todays blog. I hope this turns out ok....
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Flying to Portland OR for the weekend..

2008-07-24T12:11:00.005-05:00

Serena and I are flying to Portland for the weekend. It will be nice to have some time together, and get around some friends and great people we have come to love. We will take some pictures of some of our favorite places there. Say tuned..........................................

Am I alone on this one????

2008-07-23T10:10:00.002-05:00

I don't know why, but I love the smell of coffee.

Now mind you I don't drink coffee.

But one of my tasks at work is to make coffee,

and I love, love, love the smell of the grounds.

Am I alone in this fetish?

Does anyone else, who doesn't drink coffee

love the smell?

Work life

2008-07-22T10:20:00.005-05:00

My desk. I have a good place by a window.

Serena's desk is on the second floor. Our office is in an old building and is pretty cool.

Babysitting Chester!!

2008-07-21T13:23:00.009-05:00

Clint, Jackie and Mitch took the Focus into Andy's last Saturday morning for an oil change. They not only succeeded in getting the oil changed but also brought home a lovely, green parrott for us to babysit for the weekend. The lady working at Andy's was going camping for the weekend and had no one to watch Chester. She jokingly asked if Clint wanted to bring him home for the weekend. Thus we had the privelidge of watching Chester. Everyone who saw him thought he was awesome.

We had a great time with Chester. Chester took a shower with Jackie. And he kept us entertained with talking, crying like a baby, laughing, singing opera and even copying my cough. Sunday he enjoyed pulled pork, watermelon, cookie dough and barbeque chips. I think we may have put him into a food coma.

We had a great time with Chester and we will miss him. He loves women much better than men. Jackie was his favorite (maybe it was the shower he took with her). JK If you would like to see Chester in person stop by Andy's garage in Anoka.

These are a few of my favorite things.....

2008-07-18T09:17:00.002-05:00

I tried Mucinex for the first time yesterday,

worked pretty good.

Another one of my favorites....

I have been eating these like candy this week.

What is your favorite flavor?

Family Pictures

2008-07-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

Family picture from almost a year ago.

Briana and Melanie off to BYU-Idaho this fall!!

YEAH!!!

This is Tayler with Max.

Wow has Tayler changed since this picture was taken.

This was taken at a Saints game last year.

They had a great time!!!

I am not sure if Mitch really likes camping...

Clint still likes to rock out!!

Jackie is home this summer from BYU-Idaho

and is cleaning houses.

Mitch in Montana

2008-07-16T16:22:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful place.

Mitch really enjoyed going to Glacier Park!

Briana's Graduation

2008-07-16T16:14:00.001-05:00

Briana and Tayler

Briana survived high school and Graduated June 2, 2008.