LOGAN, UTAH ~ LaRae Reynolds Funeral 2023

                                                             June 9, 2023

We had a wonderful time in Logan. We arrived Friday, June 9th and went to the Logan Temple and did some family names.  We checked into our hotel and then met up with our dear friends, Shelly Nordic and Holly Evans! We've know Shelly and Holly since the 150 Anniversary Trek across the plains.  Their best memory of our little family was me using my MasterCard to spread peanut butter and jelly on the kids sandwiches ~ I'm not sure what I would have used (if I had been a pioneer) without the use of our modern "equipment" 😂😛🤪!

TOP LEFT: Lucy, Jamie, Patty BOTTOM LEFT: Holly, Shelly, Jamie, Billy
RIGHT PIC: Brian, Sharlene, Jamie, Billy, Craig, Lucy

After dinner and visiting, we arrived at the funeral home just in time to catch Lucy & Craig and Patty Reynolds and a few other family members and friends.  Billy and Craig grew up together so they have know each other since birth. Billy loved LaRae like a 2nd mother and I felt the same way when I married Billy ~ she was there at our wedding reception helping Dorothy with everything that needed to be done. Craig worked for Billy's Dad at their CPA firm when we were first married and Lucy and I became the best of friends the moment we met.  Patty is Craigs deceased brother, Brian's, widow.  She is the sweetest and we all visited until the Funeral Home Director kicked us out 😅!

A granddaughter and great granddaughter were phenomenal as they did a duet on the piano and flute and another granddaughter did a solo piano piece that was also sensational.  The speakers were Darin, Craig, Janette, and Kevin. The kids all gave wonderful talks as they paid tribute to their loving, generous and kind Mother.  They told hilarious stories and each mentioned how she was a fanatic about sports and wouldn't even answer the phone if the games were on!

We joined the family at the Graveside in Hyrum, UT where LaRae was laid to rest. The dedication at the grave was beautifully given by Craig. Above is Craig and Lucy's adorable family.

After the Graveside Service we went and had lunch with Sharlene and Brian Evans. Brian also grew up with Craig and Billy; and just like Lucy we all became best of friends the first time we met Sharlene! The Evans live in Cedar Hills, close to us. Brian and Sharlene had to head home so we went back to the hotel for a nap and then we were able to get together with Craig and Lucy and hang out with them again until Culver's kicked us out😛😜😝!

Billy and I went back to the Hotel and he started getting a terrific migraine.  I pumped him up with some meds and by morning it was a little better.  I drew the curtains shut and tucked him back in bed and went to Stake Conference with our sweet and long time friends from Naperville, Ill, Melanie and McKay Brown! After church I went and got Billy and we spent the day and evening with the Browns and some of their kids and grandkids and had a wonderful time!  

We brought Charlie Reese (one of our Returned Missionaries from Romania) and Whitney's wedding gift (who happens to be Melanie's granddaughter)! Such a small world!

>>><<<

We got up early and headed back to Provo to give our Farewell talks as we just got released from our callings at BYU (Billy/High Councilman and me/Stake Relief Society Advisor!

It was a perfect little getaway and I could have easily stayed another week but best of all was being able to spend time with all our friends and say our last goodbye to LaRae until we meet again!

4 ~ Muscat, Oman

 March 28, 2023

We were a little late getting off the boat so the last bus was already taking off.  Fortunately, there was one taxi sitting there offering us a ride.  We asked how much and he said 6 euros per hour so we signed up for 2 hours ~ can't beat that price!  So we jumped in the back seat and had our own personal tour guide!  

Muscat is a beautiful City (the capital and most populated city in Oman). It sits on the Gulf of Oman and is surrounded by mountains and desert.  It is one of the Middle East's oldest cities.

Almost everywhere you went you were surrounded by these cliff-like mountains; the houses and other establishments were just built around them. It was a beautiful contrast to all the buildings which were white.

The far right middle picture is the Al Alam Palace where anyone of importance who was visiting stayed (presidents, dignitaries, etc). It seemed like the only contrast to the white buildings were the many blue-domed mosques throughout the city.

We went to the Royal Opera House. It was big and pretty and it would have been fun to get all dressed up and see some famous play while sitting in the balcony feeling important!

The Muscat Gulf was gorgeous with its many forts overlooking it. We did see many people swimming but not so many in these pictures with the rugged rocks meeting the land.

Like I mentioned before, all the buildings are white ~ ALL of them.  After driving around for a couple hours it felt like nothing was that different because you just passed another white building. Don't get me wrong because it was very clean, bright and was brand new looking but after awhile it seemed almost stark in contrast to other countries.

As we were entering the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque parking lot there were Palm trees covered with dates.  Our Taxi driver had some dates in the backseat and told us to have some, we declined because we knew he was fasting.  He insisted and they were the sweetest, most delicious dates I have ever tasted!

There is our taxi driver in the upper left corner.  He was super nice and kind! We didn't arrive at the correct time so only Muslims were allowed to go inside the Mosque during certain times so he stepped inside and took a few pictures for me!

As our 2 hour tour (which ended up being 2 hours and 45 minutes because our sweet taxi driver didn't want us to miss seeing everything) I snapped a picture of our humongous cruise ship (far right) and the Kings yacht (far left). His yacht was very large; about a third of the regular size cruise ship (in the middle) ~ crazy!  We also learned that our driver had said "60 Euros" not "6 Euros" < it was one of those "too good to be true" situations 😂, but we still got an excellent deal and got to see much more than we would have seen on one of the excursion and the price was much less, as well! Overall an excellent day!

3 ~ Cruise on the MSC Europa~ March 28, 2023

March 28, 2023

This was one of the longest slides I've ever been on!  It was so fun and went quite fast!

Such fun food each and every day; the buffet wasn't quite as good as the other cruises we've been on but I loved the sit down dinners! Our dinner partners were two sweet women from Scotland. There was another woman who set across from Billy who was from the Ukraine.  She had lost her son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandchildren in the War.  It was so very sad when we visited with her.
CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE ~ you can't really tell how big these chocolate creatures are but they were huge! I wish I would have had Billy stand by one of them! The ship was so huge ~ it felt like a Mall! I did eat a bunch of Tobler Chocolates!

There were two shows each night; one at 7pm and the other one at 9pm.  They were only 45 minutes each which made it so nice! The Shows were phenomenal ~ they weren't like the other cruise shows; these were really professional  like you'd see on Broadway.

1 ~ Doha, Qatar/ Abu Dhabi ~ Sat 3/25/23

 March 25, 2023

The Schulthess' were kind enough to pick us up bright and early at 6:45am and take us to the Provo Airport! We boarded Breeze Airlines at 8:40am.  I was very surprised at how nice it was; it was a smaller plane but it had a lot more leg room than the larger planes and was very comfortable. Our flight to San Francisco was a little over 2 hours and then we had about a 6 hr layover. Once we boarded the Qatar Airplane we got nice and comfortable for the 15hr flight. I don't mind flying because I get to:

1) relax and sleep

2) read 

3) watch movies 

4) eat fun and interesting food 

5) meet a bunch of new friends and 

5) I get to sit next to my honey the entire time 🥰! 

Fortunately, I have figured out the exact amount of clothes and items to take on the plane; whether it's hot or cold I am well prepared!  The flight attendant accidentally spilled a half a cup of water on my jeans 😳 but even with this mishap I was prepared!

We arrived at the Hamad Int'l Airport in Qatar and had a couple hours layover then boarded the last leg of our flying adventure to Abu Dhabi.  We arrived in Abu Dhabi safe and sound and took a taxi to our hotel!

Our hotel, "The Crown Plaza", is gorgeous ~ Billy was a bit worried that it wouldn’t be very nice because it was pretty inexpensive! Abu Dahbi is the 15th richest country in the world but unlike Switzerland things aren’t expensive. Everything is so clean and most all of the employees everywhere are foreigners (those that are born here get a very, very large pension so they don’t have to work ~ pretty sweet but perhaps a little entitled).

A few different activities to do in Abu Dhabi

It was the month of Ramadan for Muslims around the world (March 22 to April 22 ~ the 9th month of the Islamic calendar).  This is a time where they fast from sunrise to sunset. They abstain from food, drinking any liquids, smoking cigarettes, intimate contact and even taking medicine, to name a few.          

In the above right hand corner picture, at the Jolibee restaurant, you can see how the windows are covered with paper or curtains; all eating establishments do this in the Muslim community to help avoid the temptation of eating. Restaurants and most stores are still open during Ramadan.

A beautiful city and a fun one to visit!

Sunday Fun~Day 3/19/23

Sunday, March 6, 2023

It's always fun when the kids join us for Sunday Dinner.  This week London and Penny were fascinated that Sarah was pregnant.  They followed her around asking lots of questions!  It was so funny to watch.  Sarah was so very patient with them and answered all their questions!  Such Cutie Patooties!

The big kids went downstairs to the playroom for a little bit and the adults could visit for a few minutes.  The kids never stay downstairs for too long before they come up to see what's going on in the living room ~ too funny!

It has been snowing a lot this winter and we had some flurry's today.  It is so beautiful outside especially when the horses are running around.

I love to watch everyone enjoy each others company!

Timmy is so great playing games with the kids ~ I guess, just like me, there is still that 'youngest' child who wants the little ones to be entertained!  I get pretty worn out so it is nice when he jumps in with them!

Little Annie (T and Sarah's youngest) has come out of her shell and will go around the whole house with the other kids and interacts with everyone.  She used to only stay with mom and dad but now she has no problem socializing with everyone! I love it!

Willard Arnold Couch, Jr (Dubby)

February 13, 2023

I have so many fond memories of my brother growing up.  He was not real outgoing but he was a very loyal friend to those that he was close to. He was always there for me and taught me how to fight all the neighborhood bully's. 

My sister, Jill, was 2 years younger than Dubby and when she was little she was super extroverted and Dubby was in total 'awe' of her!  Dubby was 6 years older than me and when I was born I was pretty mild and I think that is why he felt like he was always my protector. He loved me to pieces and I felt it. 

I think I was a calming influence for him and we could quietly hangout together in peace. He would also play games with me when I was bored and would watch me as I tried to entertain the world. He was my cheerleader and I knew that I could never do anything wrong in his eyes.

My brother was calm and a very quiet child and, unfortunately, he was physically abused by my father. My Mom would intervene so it never was extreme but having your father hit or punch you even once leaves lasting damage.

I think that because my Dad was not very nice to my brother, my Mom overcompensated (because she felt so bad for my brother because of my dads bad behavior towards him) and she didn't make him do much around the house or even yard work. I'm afraid in a lot of ways that this didn't give him the motivation to reach his full potential.

Sadly, this did not help my brother but in many ways it made him a bit lazy.  He never had ownership of accomplishing things to make him feel proud of himself. I believe without work or sports it doesn't teach a child to take responsibility for themselves and regrettably he never reached his full potential of being who he could be (but where his animals were concerned that was the one area where he did take charge).  

Also, because he never had a 'father figure' to love, guide and teach him there were many things he never learned how to do and never pursued in his life. He was an average student but he was actually very, very smart; he read about things that interested him and he was amazing in math.  There was just no one to see his potential and to encourage and push him to do something with it.

Dubby loved animals! Everywhere we lived he was able to have a dog or cats. This is one area of his life where he would take complete charge in.  Here he is with some of the many animals he had and loved!

He had many individual friends who remained lifetime friends; the Misgens (Tom) were one of the family's he would spend much time with!

Dubby absolutely loved and adored his nieces and nephews.  He would dote on them and play with them for hours! In return they, of course, thought he hung the moon.  He never had a lot of money but he would bring them little things or make games out of things around the house. The unconditional love he received from these little ones were priceless.

I was always proud to introduce him as my brother and friend.  Dubby was a good person.  He was nice and kind and would give you the shirt off his back. He was thoughtful and welcomed all my friends and treated them like they were his little sisters, too; in turn they treated him like their big brother!

His life changed for the better when he met and fell in love with Louise.  She had 2 children, Chuck and DC (Denise). This was the family that he had waited for all his life and they loved and cared deeply for him.  I think him and Louise were together for over 20 years and this was truly the happiest time of his life. When Chuck married Courtney and they had 2 little girls I think he knew his life was complete.  They loved him unconditionally and brought more joy into his life than he had ever had before.

These are only a few of the many pictures of Dub's family. He could talk forever about his two adorable granddaughters!

Whenever I was in Colorado I would try to hook up with Dubby and caught up on his life!

Dubby passed away from Congestive Heart Failure. His health had been going down hill, especially the last 10 years, when he moved from Colorado to Oklahoma. He struggled with asthma, diabetes, enlarged prostate, allergies and a few other things.  He was a smoker pretty much since HS and it finally took its toll.  

While going through his belongings, Jill and I found hundreds of letters and cards from Louise's family,  from Mom, Jill, her 2 boys, me and my family.  He was loved by many and will be missed by all.

Willard A. Couch

5946 S. Willow Way

Greenwood Village, CO 80111

303-220-5054

Babies R Us- Highlands Ranch, CO 10/01/06- 04/01/09

Stock Associate

Unload incoming trucks, and stock merchandise on sales floor

Canyon Casino -  Blackhawk, CO           08/01/05 – 03/13/06

Soft Count Team Member

      •    Counted the paper money pulled from the casino floor

Colorado Air Care ­­-  Highlands Ranch, CO 10/16/04 – 07/28/05

Lane Technician

     •   Processed cars for emission testing  

McDonalds – Littleton, CO 09/31/03 - 12/10/03

Cook / Kitchen

Prepared for dinner rush.  Focus was on burger preparation

Jazz Alley Casino – Blackhawk, CO 12/01/98 - 02/28/02

Cash Drop Team Member/Trainer

Prepared over 200 slot machines for cash/coin counting

Transported and counted over $80,000 per night

Pulled and transported coin buckets from machines

Weighed and wrapped coins using scales and various coin wrapping machines

Pulled and transported bill validators from machines

Prepared bills for counting

Counted bills using various GFR machines

 *Laid off due to casino closure

Douglas County Schools – Highlands Ranch, CO 01/01/98 – 10/31/98

Janitor

Vacuumed, dusted, entire school including classrooms, hallways and bathrooms

Maintained cleanliness of rooms and bathrooms

Sam’s Club – Highlands Ranch, CO 07/01/97 – 11/30/97

Forklift / Stocker

Transported pallets of merchandise by forklift to various departments within the store.

Stocked merchandise by hand

Heritage Wine & Liquor – Englewood, CO 10/01/96 – 07/01/97 

   and 03/01/94 – 02/01/96

Sales Associate

Advised customers on wine, beer and liquor choices for specific foods, parties and occasions

Assisted in product placement and stocking

Developed a regular clientele which boosted sales for the company

AMCON Distributing – Commerce City, CO 02/01/96 – 10/01/96 

Beer distributor

Unloaded and stocked incoming shipments of beer totaling up to 24 pallets per shipment

Prepared and organized outgoing routed shipments for daily deliveries to over 100+ clients per day

*Left due to company closure

Other relevant experience 

Wax and strip flooring

Power scrubber operator 

Carpet and floor high speed buffer

Experience with cleaning chemicals

2023 Valentines Dance

We had a wonderful time at the Valentines Dance with our "Silver Slippers" friends.  When we got back from our mission, a little over a year ago, Paula and Dan Ruesch (our dancing partners for the last 15 years) invited us to join this group.  We love it and have enjoyed meeting many new people who also love to get together for incredible dinners, socializing and, of course, dancing!

 I appreciate Billy taking me dancing; even though it's not his favorite thing to do he still does it for me at least 3 or 4 times a year ~ he really is my SwEEtHeaRT 💖💖💖!