Monthly Archives: March 2022
It was 47 years ago that my husband, Bob and I said, “I do.” It’s hard to believe that so many years have come and gone. We were just kids back then. I was only 10 months out of high school. Time goes by so fast, and I don’t know how they could have gone by so fast. Every year, I tend to wonder the same thing, and every year I come to the same conclusion…the grace of God. I believe that God sent Bob to me to be my soulmate. He was Heaven sent to me, as a gift of God. We always feel “right” together. We don’t have to “work” at getting along. We just…get along. It is easy for us. I don’t mean to say that marriage isn’t work, because it really is, but for us a loving marriage is so much easier than we would have ever thought.
Bob and I have so much in common. We love doing the same kinds of things…some of which we have 
developed over the years, because they were not things that we had ever thought we would enjoy years ago. Still, today they are things we have found that we enjoy very much. It’s not just hiking, but it’s where we like to go to hike. We enjoy going to Thermopolis, the Black Hills, Washington state, the Grand Canyon, areas around our city of Casper. These places give us happiness and joy. We like the same television shows. We tend to be very comfortable at home together…granted, we might be taking a nap in our chairs, but that’s ok too. The point is that we are comfortable and happy together…and we are very blessed.
Eash year I find myself feeling more and more blessed with this man God has given to me. God knew exactly the kind of man I would need to make my life happy, and He couldn’t have picked a better man for me. God 
knew that we would be compatible and comfortable together. We could not have known that for the long run. We were just kids of 18 and 20 years when we got married. What did we know? He knew that we were both stubborn enough to stick it out together and follow His plan for us and our lives. He blessed us with two daughters, Corrie Petersen and Amy Royce; two sons-in-law, Kevin Petersen and Travis Royce; four grandchildren, Chris Petersen, Shai Royce, Caalab Royce, and Josh Petersen; as well as fiancées Karen Cruickshank and Athena Ramirez; and great grandchildren Cambree and Caysen Petersen and baby Petersen coming in October. Blessings don’t get any better than those. They have all made us so very happy. Today is our 47th wedding anniversary. I love you Bob…and yes, “I still do.”
If I had to describe my granddaughter, Shai Royce, in one word, it would be bold. Shai isn’t afraid of anything, and she isn’t intimidated by anything or anyone. Not many people can say that about themselves, and not many people can live their lives in that kind of boldness either. Shai (no matter what her name makes you think) doesn’t have a shy bone in her body. She is outgoing, bubbly, and fun. It makes people want to be around her. She has a very magnetic personality.
Shai was born on February 29th…a Leap Day Baby, and we absolutely love the uniqueness of that day in conjunction with her birthday. I don’t know that Shai always liked it, but I think for the most part, Shai, being our only granddaughter, felt picked on by the boys. They were all so close in age, and because she only got a “real” birthday every four years, the boys liked to tell 
her that they were older than she was…even the younger ones, and especially her younger brother, Caalab Royce. These days, I don’t think she minds being told she is younger, and that will be a bigger and bigger blessing as the years go by. While Shai is technically 26 years old today, she is actually only 6½ years old today. She has been alive 26 years, but has only had 6 “real” birthdays, and she is halfway to the next real birthday. That may not seem great right now, but when she is 60 years old, she will actually only be 15 years old. What 60-year-old woman wouldn’t love that?? So, today is Shai’s Nano-Birthday again, because in the nano-second between 11:59pm and 12:00am this morning…her birthday happened. Maybe that’s why I like to say that “Leap Happens” when she actually gets a real birthday. The really cool thing is that she can celebrate for two days, because either one counts as her birthday in a Nano-Year. I know that Shai has and will be celebrating her birthday in a big way, because it is a big deal.
Shai has had an interesting year. She is an insurance agent with Rice Insurance in Bellingham, Washington, and after Covid and the accompanying lockdowns, Rice Insurance realized that their agents can easily and effectively work from home. They are an agency without walk in traffic, so having their agents in the office is not necessary. So, now both Shai and her mom, Amy 
Royce, who is also an insurance agent with Rice Insurance, work from home, and they both really love it. The weather doesn’t matter to their commute, and that had been good this year, because oddly, they have had more snow than in many years past. Because they don’t get much snow, the roads are shut down when then get very much snow. The agents who work from home don’t miss a day of work. And the ones who don’t work from home can easily get going at home too when needed. It’s a win-win. Today is Shai’s Nano-Birthday. Happy 26th/6.5th birthday Shai!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
