Common Saying or Phrase in Your Home 3-7-21
Family Sayings for 7 March 2021
Flynn Family Story Slingers, by Cary Holmquist
It started out as a way to limit—or even eliminate—toddler-and-up childish pickiness at the Holmquist Family dinner table: “Ya get what ya get and ya what ya get and ya don’t throw a fit.”
And far too soon, the little tykes got brave enough to fire it out first: “Ya get what ya get and ya don’t throw a fit.”
So, quickly enough, it had variable-to-no success, although it became such rote over the days, weeks, months, seasons, years and decades that it was expressed without any real thought about its meaning and nor exercise in changing eating behaviors. “Ya get what ya get and ya don’t throw a fit.”
Eventually, this saying came to include more than food at the table and spread to other wants that children might express and parents were either unwilling or unable to provide. Or hopes that some chore—menial or larger—would be accomplished as assigned in some kind of timely fashion. “Ya get what ya get and ya don’t throw a fit.”
And it was often received with some derision, meaning that it was not very successful and then, as it was repeated anyway, it was not taken seriously and instead just became the expression of a family joke. “Ya git whatchya git and ya don’t throw a fit.”
We still say it too this day. It gets about as much response: a lot of eye-rolling. “Ya get what ya git and ya don’t throw a fit.”
Ha, ha.
Family sayings stories
Colleen Holmquist
‘When we was first married’, Cary and I lived in Holliday, Utah just doors down from his brother, Chris and sister-in-law, Tricia. Trish is a born and bred Utah girl-which means that she is immersed in the local common parlance. One phrase she used frequently is, “when we was first married.” Coming from a more grammatically strict background, we would smile and twinkle our eyes at each other whenever we heard her say that. Eventually, we incorporated the expression into our own vernacular. Now when we say that, the knowing smiles and twinkles return to our faces and we return to the days “when we was first married” and enjoy the associated recollections of the times, activities and events our growing families shared.
Oh my goochase is the phrase of the day, or of the decade or the last couple decades. Where did it come from you may ask, and if you do I will happily tell you.
O, how many years ago was it...hmm, the year was 1998, and I had my last transfer of the mission. I was to be sent off the mainland to Vancouver Island to serve in the city of Naniamo! And let me just tell you, their bars are by far the best...the dessert not the drinking establishments!
I was thrilled to have this vast change in scenery for the final three month on the mission. I mean, I was going to be on an island! Surrounded by the water and so green and lush...How awesome is that?
I was assigned to serve with sister Anderson who was to be headed home the following transfer. There are many stories to be had from the time I was there...someday ask me about my “throne” or my first rock climbing experience, or maybe about the time we found a check book with several signed blank checks that belonged to another church and returned it to them only to be thanked and told if we continued to go to “that Mormon church” we were sure to go to hell...but that is not what this story is about, this story is about a phrase...and for that I have to move this along.
I wanted to make the most of the last three month on the mission and was so excited to serve the people of Naniamo. The people there were very kind and helpful.
There were so many wonderful members there that wanted to help with the work and make sure our bellies were never empty. Let’s see, there was the DeLerma family. They were cool converts that were so excited to share the gospel. They had to change their names at cleast once because Bro. Delerma’s father had mob ties in Italy. They were also covered in tattoos and in my mind the original “tattooed Mormons”. Their faith was strong and their desire to serve the Lord equally robust. They also had a pit bull that was a vegetarian. He seriously would only eat veg. They aren’t however, where my phrase came from.
I had such a lovely time there and there are many memories I could share, but I digress, we are working on where the phrase oh my goochase came from. So, I shall endeavor to get and stay on track.
There was a young woman, well, really she was just a year younger than me, (though, I suppose at 22 I was still a young woman) who had been called as a stake missionary and she was always ready and willing to come along to appointments and even go door knocking with us. Her name was Emilce Castillo and she was, and still is an amazing lady. Her testimony burned bright and so did those of her family (she had a mom and a dad and one brother and one sister).
Her parents were born in Central America...I cannot remember at the moment which nation (I just used facebook to solve that mystery, Masaya, Nicaragua, and immigrated to Canada after she was born. We often had dinner appointments with them, and her mother even attempted to cut my hair once (that is another story all together and not a super happy one) and there was a huge ice cream battle around thanksgiving that doesn’t really have to do with this either, but ask me some day. Her father was a happy guy always filled with laughter and joy and often he would say what was suppose to be oh my goodness, but with his heavy Spanish accent it always came out oh my goochase. I loved it, because when it was said it was always accompanied with a smile, so I clung on to it and vowed to use it often and over the last twenty + years I have said it...maybe not always in happy joyous situations, but it has just stuck with me!
Just writing this made me think of all the fun, happy, crazy, scary, sad, and every other emotion from my mission. I increased my testimony, I made life long friendships, I saw people enter the waters of baptism and, oh my goochase, those 18 months were life changing!
I asked the kids if we have a phrase that they feel they hear quite often. Scott said: “Even a pregnant nun has a good excuse.” “You’ve got more excuses than a pregnant nun.” “Making a windshield for a duck’s butt.” These are not things I say, but they are things the kids have heard plenty. I don’t think I’m qualified to write any story about them. I have always thought they were odd. Troy says them because they are what he grew up hearing his grandpa, Bob Herrin, say. He has no idea why his grandpa said them, just that he did. He would ask his grandpa “What ya doing?” And he would reply: “ Making a windshield for a ducks butt.” He also said “In like Flynn.” The first time I heard a Troy say that I was confused and thought he was making fun of my family or something not good. He couldn’t believe that I’d never heard that.
I still think the sayings are weird!
After listening to the stories today, I was reminded of the phrase mom said to us when we were not pleasing her. It was “wait til the Big Guns get home. It took us years to realize that Dad was the Big Guns!
I also realized that I say: “it is what it is” a lot.
Family Sayings
Daren Flynn
02/28/21
When this topic was suggested today, I immediately thought of the one I would use. It will take a little background to get to the saying which was the one that my Dad used. One that I have never hear anyone else use.
So, a little about my Dad, Willard Flynn.
Dad would not have considered himself a good teacher. But he was. Rather than sit me down for a Father-son teaching session, Dad taught by example.He was a man of action. I learned of honesty, of loyalty, and how others should be treated by observing his actions and interactions with family members and others with whom he had contact.
Dad was a man of action. He liked challenge and competition. He liked to win. Sports were among the activities he really enjoyed. Golf, bowling, baseball, softball, croquet, whatever as long as there was the chance to compete.He worked continually to improve and be the best at whatever sport he engaged. So I learned to accept a challenge and do my best at whatever confronted me. Like the country song says, "do what you do do well son." Dad never said that, but that is what I learned from him.
When I was about seven or eight years old we lived in Cheney, WA. Dad had a horseshoe court set up in the back yard. He had a friend whose name was Owen Cobb who would come over to our place to play the game with Dad. Both men were quite good at pitching horseshoes and their games lasted a long time, because much of the time there were four shoes around the peg. That meant no score since one's ringers cancelled out the other's. The competition was fierce but friendly. Another lesson for a young boy who watched.
Dad taught me to pitch horseshoes by showing me how to hold the shoes and that I should be consistent in the way I released them. I learned about the importance of concentrating on the target (the peg) and following through as well. Those three principles taught by my Dad, I have found are important, not only in horseshoes and other sports, but in all life's undertakings.
Keep your eyes on the goal, be consistent and follow through. Lessons taught, but unfortunately not always carried out in my life.
Another thing taught by my Dad's example is fair play. I learned this when playing horseshoes with Dad. In order to even things up between us, Dad would spot me 20 points and count only his ringers as just one point. My ringers, if any, would score the normal three points while close shoes were worth one point. the first to score 21 points was the winner.
I am now coming to the saying that this writing is supposed to be about. Occasionally, I got lucky and got a ringer. When this happened, I would say, "I got three points." Then Dad would say, "Don't base calculations on your juvenile poultry before the process of incubation has thoroughly materialized." He would then throw one or two ringers on top of mine which cancelled my three points.
What I learned from that is what Yogi Berra knew and expressed it this way, "It ain't over till it's over."
These are great and I still get all smiley re-reading them. This was a fantastic story prompt and we should do it again sometime! —Cary H.
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