(WE ARE A FOREVER FAMILY)
Volume XXVIII
Number 5
May 2008
Editor: Ted
Publisher: Nola Myrl
Webmaster: Jeremiah
FIVE SEMINARY GRADUATES WITH PERFECT ATTENDANCE
Imagine, if you can, getting up at 5:30 each morning (or earlier) five days a week, nine months a year for four years and attending Seminary without missing a single day That tremendous feat was accomplished by not just one, not two, not three, not four, but all five of Blake and Paula’s children. First there was Myles followed by Eric, Angie, and Katherine. The quintet was completed when Alex received his graduation certificate this month. Our congratulations go to all of five for this wonderful accomplishment!
TAYLOR RECEIVES HIS MISSION CALLBulgaria, Sofia Mission – that’s where Taylor will be serving. He enters the MTC in October. (See his letter for more information)
KYLE AND ASHLEY NUPTIALS
Saturday, May 3 – that was the happy day when Kyle Christensen and Ashley Moore were sealed forever in the Oakland Temple..
A pre-wedding dinner was hosted the previous day by the groom’s parents, the reception was held that evening in Concord, and an open house the following Friday in Grass Valley.
The happy couple honeymooned on a cruise to the Caribbean and will be making their home in Provo where Kyle will be attending BYU and Ashley will be teaching at an elementary school in Payson.
TWO DOWN, TWO TO GO
Even with the marriages of Briana and Craig in March and Kyle and Ashley earlier this month, we are still only half way through the marriage season. Next comes the wedding of Amy and Jeff in the Sacramento Temple on June 7 and then on August 8 the marriage of Lindsay and Todd in the Oakland Temple. (Editor’s note: I’m sure that their wedding pictures will be much more formal.)
URGENT INFORMATION NEEDED FOR UPCOMING REUNION
The general chairman of the upcoming reunion informs your editor that he needs to know from each sibling who from each of their extended family will be attending the reunion. Let him know as soon as possible who will be bringing tents and who will need a room. This is necessary to reserve the proper number of rooms. He will be sending an email to the siblings to this effect, so please reply with the information as soon as possible.
COMING IN JUNE…
Myles Christensen - Birthday Jun 04
Blake Christensen - Birthday Jun 05
Alyssa Christensen - Birthday Jun 07
Abigail Jones - Birthday Jun 08
Stephanie Christensen - Birthday Jun 24
Todd Miller – Birthday Jun 26
Cindy Christensen – Birthday Jun 27
Brent/Linda Christensen - Anniversary Jun 29
LETTERS
DOODLES BY DAD
Another great month – and another one on the horizon. In fact, this entire summer is going to be filled with one wonderful event after another – Amy and Jeff’s wedding in June,, Grandparents’ Week in July, the BIG reunion at the end of July and beginning of August, and Lindsay and Todd’s wedding in August. And what makes those events so great – the opportunity of being with family!
We had a great time in California at Kyle and Ashley’s wedding – the pre-wedding dinner, the wedding itself, Vicki and Wally’s lunch afterward, the reception, and then the open house a week later.
(Isn’t this a great picture? Not one of those great-grandchildren is smiling, but Grammy and Grandpa have big enough smiles for everyone!)
Shortly after we returned from the wedding, we were in charge of a party for the staff of volunteers at the Developmental Center. Nola Myrl was really the one in charge and had all of the details worked out. It went over just as she had planned. She really did a great job.
We had a wonderful time on Memorial Day. For only the second time we had the opportunity to spend the day at the cemetery in Price. My mother and father and many of my father’s siblings and their mates are buried there. Ross and Peggy, Ray, Rosalie and their daughters, Deedee and Karen were also there.for the memorial ceremony put on by the American Legion. Afterward we all went up to Ray and Rosalie’s place for lunch and a very nice visit.
From there we drove over to Loa where we spent the next couple of days cleaning up the Old Corral – and believe me, after having nothing done to it for two years, the lot really needed it. We raked, weeded, raked some more, burned weeds, used the weed eater, raked again, sprayed Round Up, and then collapsed! But I must say that our work really paid off. I think the next time we go down, we may actually have time to relax, to go ride our bikes, or even to go fishing.
We continue to enjoy our assignment up at the Developmental Center. The residents there are all adults between the ages of thirty and sixty but mentally they’re all four years old or younger. Those of you who have children know how easy it is to fall in love with babies. And that’s the way it is with those “children” up there. I’m happy that we are able to help them even in some small way.
We look forward to seeing most of you next week at the wedding.
Love,
DAD/GRANDPA
THE HOMESTEAD
May 31, 2008
The Homestead,
Dearest Family,
May has flown by like a dream. Yet I can remember it has been filled with many pleasant experiences. To start off with, we were in California for the lovely wedding of Kyle and Ashley. Every detail went smashingly well, even if we did lend our awkward limbs to helping with the decorations at the Nevada Ward house on the 9th of May. It is such a rewarding experience to be in the Temple with our grand children and know that they are starting out in marriage with the blessings of the Lord. And if they will do their part well, they can be together forever.
We spent the time in between the wedding and open house at Mark and Barbara’s. They were good enough to put up with us for the week. A mother’s heart swells with (holy) pride when she witnesses her sons honoring their callings and serving the members of their ward with such love and devotion. Bishop Mark is no exception.
Upon returning from California, I hit the ground running, trying to tie up all the loose ends for the Developmental Center dinner party for all those called to serve there. I had made food assignments, except for the chicken stew that I was in charge of. We had they make their own Hawaiian haystacks followed by cake and ice cream. Dad and I lead them in several of our games. After we had played several games, we ask if they were tired and wanted to quit, but no, they wanted to play some more. They had a great time. And I’m glad that assignment is over. We have a staff of over 90 workers for the Sunday meetings and the Wed. night activities.
We had our monthly Temple/ice cream night on May 20th. We still have 9 grand kids around for the summer, so it’s great fun for us. They put up with the old folks and pamper us.
On the 21st, we headed for Loa. The poor corral had been neglected for two years as we were in Ohio last summer. We racked old weeds and burned them. Dad used the weed eater and shovel to dig up the huge clumps of dandelions. We borrowed Uncle Spencer’s little trailer and cleaned out the granary then hauled away the junk and the green weeds to the dump yard. We worked very hard (well, as hard as old folks can) We had to be back for Sunday as I had to teach and Dad had to speak in two different wards. But Monday morning, we were on the road again. We went to Price to put a little floral remembrance on the graves of Grandpa and Grandma Christensen. We met up with Ross and Peggy, Ray and his two daughters, Denise and Karen. We enjoyed the little tribute to the veterans given by the local American Legion group. Ray invited us to come to their place for a lunch. We spent a couple of very pleasant hours eating Rosalie’s lovely lunch and reminiscing. Then it was on to Loa again. We spent Tuesday spraying the little green weeds and more weed eating. Anyway, the bocce ball court is ready for a tournament as is the horse pits. We had to be back for the dance at the D.C. on Wed. night so we got home in time for that.
The tee-shirts all have their numbers painted on the back now. It should be fun to see us all together in our rainbow of colors. I can’t put on the last three....94-96, until I get some firm dates on when Tamara’s, Kathryn’s and Heather’s baby are due. They are all so close on the due dates.
It is always enjoyable to hear what’s going on in everyone’s lives. You are all the blessings and joy of our existence. You make all the work and planning of our earlier lives so worth while. Go forth in strength and knowledge. Serve one another, and always ALWAYS, show respect for each other.
See many of you in one more week as we journey again to the land of sunshine for the wedding of our sweet Amy and Jeff.
Hugs and kisses for all, Mom, Grammy, Grammy-Great
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES (Vicki and Wally)
May 30, 2008
Dear Family,
It’s been a busy month, with one more event filled day left. We’ll be celebrating Owen’s 1st birthday tomorrow and we’ll update y’all with photos.
Lots of May highlights: not the least of which was Kyle and Ashley’s wedding. The newlyweds were picture perfect as the attached photos will attest to. It was wonderful sharing their happy day, reception and open house with loved ones. Wally and I had to leave the wedding dinner early to get into the Interstake Center and host another one of our regional Latino dances. It always starts out slow, but we had a nice crowd by about 10:30pm or so. We got home in time for a few hours of sleep and then we were off to the temple to see the beginning of the Kyle and Ashley family. A fun day for all!
Sunday evening I took a friend back into the Interstake Center to hear Jenny Oaks Baker (daughter of Dallin Oaks) play a Mendelssohn violin concerto. Amazing! If any of you get the opportunity to hear her-go! I got goose bumps listening to her and I am not easily goose bumped!
I have begun working part-time for Diana McClun, our local quilting guru and a good friend in our ward. It’s not many hours a week, but enough for a bit of “mad money.” She wants me to help her again next year at her quilting seminars, and I will probably help her with 4 of the 5 sessions.
Wally and I worked our way up the countryside on our way to Kyle and Ashley’s Open House. We stopped at several Longs’ stores in the Gold Country and even spent a bit of time at Sutter’s Fort historical park.
We enjoyed having the kids over on Mother’s Day for a tasty dinner made by Wally. It’s fun to be together and I dream of someday having all my children close by (I can dream, can’t I?).
On May 7th, my big quilt show (“A Story to Tell”) finally came to pass and it was a great success. Many ladies from the ward (and other friends) displayed quilts, photo albums or scrapbooks. After a lovely dinner of salads, each person took a few moments to “tell her story” about her display. Each story was different and it was very touching. I had a display of 4 generations of quilts: one quilt from my great-grandmother Sumsion, a quilt from Wally’s grandmother Jones, and one from Granny Rees, the quilt Mom made for Grandma Christensen’s 80th birthday, and a quilt I had made and just finished hemming a couple of hours before the show. Mom and Aunt Rhoda were able to join us and that made the evening even more special to me.
I found out personally how well Craig’s List can work when I listed our VW Golf for sale one Monday morning, had 50 emails by Monday afternoon, and sold the car by Monday evening. It was the most painless car sale we’ve had yet.
Wally and I spent May 17th with Jen and Drew “car hunting.” We all rode up to Santa Rosa together to look at some cars on our friend Al’s used car lot. Jen test drove a few and while she thought about it, we all went to Costco for lunch. After talking to Ben, they decided to lease a new VW Jetta, instead of taking their chances with a used car. We enjoyed spending the day with them.
Wally and I spent most of Memorial Day outside in the yard. Wally continues to wrestle with the block wall and it’s getting closer to being done. With mandatory water rationing going into effect this summer, our dreams of a nice green lawn might have to wait until water is more plentiful. The Towells suggested we put in a bocce ball court. Ha ha
Drew comes to visit Gramma Vicki a day and a half a week and we have fun together. I also try to get Wyatt for a few hours each week and wish I could do the same for ALL my grandchildren! I watched Wyatt and Owen last night so their folks could go out and celebrate Mommy’s birthday.
Other May activities included a “ladies only” dinner at Kit Sansome’s home to celebrate Diane Palaski’s upcoming wedding; Vicki donating blood (on purpose), going to the mission-wide Latino festival at the Interstake Center (I really do not live there…it just seems like it sometimes), and “passing” my semi-annual dermatology exam.
I am reading the biographies of President Hinckley (while I’m on the treadmill) and of John Adams (while I’m not on the treadmill) and have been struck by them being men “for the season”- men who were groomed by their life circumstances from an early age to do what they were called on to do. Both amazing, brilliant men and, I feel, men blessed by God to accomplish what was needed at the particular times they lived. I highly recommend both books.
Enough rambling. You get a gold star for sticking to the end (unlike the M&M’s Cheryl offered last month for those who read all of her entry!). I hope to see most of you at the reunion. Wally and I think of you all and pray for your health and happiness.
Love and Hugs,
Vicki and Wally
TEXAS TIDBITS (Blake and Paula)
Dear Family,
I've got a few minutes to dash this off before we head to Seminary Graduation. It's been a crazy weekend. Angie, George and Tommy flew into DFW Wednesday evening and were greeted by Kathryn and Tyson. Angie spent the night in Denton with the Coopers and then they came to Waco on Thursday. Myles, Jill and family arrived Thursday afternoon. Eric, Christine and the boys came Friday.
Alex walked the stage Friday evening, along with 450 others seniors from Midway High School. We had an enjoyable Saturday, swimming at the pool of some friends and having a combined birthday dinner for Eric, Colt, Myles and Blake, plus Alex's graduation party. Sunday saw us taking up a whole row on pews. It was a wonderful sight.
Eric and Christine and Kathryn and Colt return home this evening. Myles has some business in Wisconsin (I think) so Jill and the children will stay here for awhile. Angie and her boys fly home Monday evening. It's been a joy to have them here, if only for a short time.
I've got to get going. Alex joins his brothers and sisters in having 100% attendance at seminary all four years.
We love you all,
The Texas Tribe
Blake Paula and Alex
UP THE RIVER (Mark and Barbara)
May 31, 2008
We just returned home from the adult session of Stake Conference. Elder Richard Hinckley is our visiting authority. He is a delightful, down-to-earth enjoyable speaker. I got to speak during the Leadership session on a specific challenge our ward faces and how we are addressing it. I spoke about the challenge of being a small ward and the opportunities for missionary work and reactivation that that affords us. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s session.
Barbara & I put up some decorations for a reception in Nevada City. Layne and Taylor will be taking them down for us in probably an hour from now. (Thanks, guys). We drove up Thursday night arriving around 10 p.m. We had a new design for the awnings that cover the BBall standards, and since I was working both Friday and Saturday (due to Memorial Day), we decided to go up Thursday night. It turns out that nothing went well the first time and it took forever. We finally got one assembly done, but not until Cheryl showed up to teach seminary. We worked all night, leaving for home at 6:30 a.m. At 5:15 Barbara followed me outside to cut a board with the chop saw. Only after making the cut did we realize we had just let the door close, locking ourselves out. Both our phones and car keys were inside – how frustrating! Fortunately, a brother showed up within 10 minutes to teach the early seminary class. Also fortunately, there was no traffic that morning and we made it home in time to shower and only be 5 minutes late for work. Barbara did the driving so I was able to get a few hours of sleep in, but it was still a miserable day trying to stay awake at work. So then last night, we drove back up to do it all again. This time we worked from 9 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. (the new design is supposed to make it easier – just not the first time). We also put up Japanese lanterns. This morning, we arrived home at 6:30 giving me 45 minutes of sleep in bed before heading off to work. It was another difficult day. And then I had to finish my talk. But poor Barbara didn’t get much sleep either. I, at least slept in the car for 2 hours. She got 3 hours of sleep before loading back in the car and heading up to Cottonwood to see Andy and Alan. And then drove straight to conference while Logan decided to stay the night with Alan. I think we will both sleep well tonight.
We are gearing up to move the office in June. We are targeting the 23rd as the start date in the new office. It will be exciting, but there is still so much to do, as Layne well knows. The first part of the year has been a little slow, but May has ended like gangbusters. It’s been hard to catch a breath.
Two weeks ago Barb and I flew to Denver and then drove 4 hours to Alamosa and LaJara for Briana’s and Craig’s Open House. Donald and Anne Shawcroft were very kind to let us stay with them. We had a great time. We got to herd cows on horseback, help with some branding of calves, help with repairs on the irrigation ditches and help “cut” the calves from the cows before loading them for the journey to the mountains for the summer. Some City Slickers would pay to have a vacation like that and we got to do it for free. Oh, and we got to see Briana and Craig also. BONUS!
While we were in Colorado, Logan went to his first prom. It turned out to be a double date to dinner and then they went to the ‘Mormon Prom’ with kids from 3 stakes. It was held in the top of the Chrysler Building (actually, in a car dealership’s showroom). He had a great time, except for a painful sore throat, which was eventually treated as Strep before going away.
Barbara finished another semester last week. She had a combined History/English class that centered on the contributions of various women through their literary works. She enjoyed it quite a bit.
We enjoyed Kyle’s open house and enjoyed helping with the decorations. We especially enjoyed having Mom and Dad here for the week. We don’t think Barbara cooked a single meal all week and my tool shed and cabinet are organized (I’m still wondering where to find things). It was so very nice to have them here. We are looking forward to spending more time with them during Amy’s wedding time.
We finally have a functioning kitchen sink. We have use a makeshift bathroom sink in the kitchen since we tore out the old kitchen before Thanksgiving. It is finally starting to look like a home again.
We do constantly pray for you all. We are so blessed to be a part of such a great family.
Love,
Mark, Barbara & Logan
NEVADA CITY NEWS (Layne and Cheryl)
Dear Family,
May was a busy month as we had expected it would be. Of course, there was Kyle and Ashley’s wedding to start if all off. Thanks to all of you who were there to make it a special day for the two of them. The day at the temple was wonderful as well as the reception and the open house. Thank you all who helped at the dinner and the open house. Barbara and Mark did a super job of making the cultural hall at the church here look great. We heard people say that it was the nicest they had ever seen the hall decorated.
As if I didn’t have enough to do I had hernia surgery on the 6th. Things went well and I was back to work in a week with doctors orders not to lift anything over 10 pounds for 6 weeks. Right. Now we are preparing the best we can for Amy and Jeff’s reception. Things are slowly coming together and the yard is starting to take shape.
This past holiday weekend we spent three days with our new friends from Australia. Kyle had us stay at their house for 4 nights when we were in Australia and we were happy to entertain them for the weekend as they were wrapping up a 6 week stay in the states. We spent a couple of days visiting “Big Trees” down on highway 4 (remember the Rees Reunion) and Yosemite. The Yosemite Valley was very majestic with the clouds and drifting mist which would shroud the peaks from time to time. We had a great time. Our friends were very impressed with the size of the sequoia as well as the cliffs and waterfalls in the valley.
Kaitlyn is busy as ever with school. I will be so glad when school is out. Not as glad as she will be. She ended her track season early due to a bad muscle pull. She is looking forward to having some time in the summer to play the piano, read for fun, go to girls camp as well as other fun things.
Some of the biggest news of the summer was Taylor’s mission call. I will let him tell you about that. Everyone have a great summer but save so of the fun for the reunion in July. We look forward to seeing most of you then as well as many of you at Amy and Jeff’s wedding. We love you all.
Layne, Cheryl, Kaitlyn
ACROSS THE CREEK (Keith and Cindy)
OUR MOUNTAIN HOME (Brent and Linda)
Well, its Brent's busy time! He is fried! Adam (Chelsy's husband) is working for him full time--What a blessing! Levi and Kyson still work for him too. Brent is in such a need of a vacation! We are excited to come out for Amy and Jeff's wedding!
Cheyenne got all four wisdom teeth out--see picture. She is going to be in the Junior Miss Pageant on July 17 at Timberline Middle School at 5:30 p.m. if anyone in town wants to come. Cheyenne was also in national news! She was in the background to a news broadcast video of David Archuletta (American Idol runner up)in SLC. I think she can send you a link if you want. On the local news, Fox 13, she was even asked questions about David. She was cute.
Joey is soooo glad to be out of school! There are some pictures attached of Clara at his school carnival. Boy does Clara love carnivals!!!!! She also loves to play in the tub--see attached pic!
This is late, we'll write more next time.
Love to all,
The Brent Christensens
COTTONWOOD CHRONICLE (Scott and Traci)
Dear Family,
We are flying higher than kites around this here household! Our almost empty nest is filling back up!! Scott picked up Alyssa from BYU earlier this month after watching her last track meet at East High in Salt Lake. The following day they drove south to St. George where I met up with them (I was on jury duty so I couldn't leave earlier with Scott) so we could spend the weekend with Alan. We had fun hanging out, hiking at Zion National Park and eating all sorts of foods Alan doesn't get at school. Afterward we brought Alyssa home with us!! It has been great having her home!! She is so mature and responsible! She has been a great help around here and I love being able to resume late night talks with her. Boy, it's nice having some other feminine influence around here too!!
Just a week and a half later we met Andrew at the Redding airport and received him back into our family again!! He is a changed man! He is so responsible and motivated! Wow!! He continues to follow his mission schedule by getting up early and reading his scriptures, then he finds work that needs to be done around the house and jumps right in to get it done. Wow! Much of the time the dishes are done and laundry has been started by the time I get up. One day I woke up and he had already finished most of the yard work I had written down on my list of things to do!! Wow, again! He received a calling at church already; he has been called as a ward missionary and as a Gospel Essentials instructor. Alyssa has been called to be Ward Chorister.
Clayton loves having his sibs home, he even gave up his queen size bed to Andrew! He did really well in all of his events at the League track meet last week. He placed first in his 100m, 200m and 4x100 relay. He placed 2nd in his high jump with a jump of 4'8". He is veeeeery fast and it is amazing to watch him run. His times are faster than most of the 8th graders too so it will be really cool next year to watch him smash all the speed records in the school. He already caught the eye of the high school football coach who wanted to recruit him to play football. He told Scott, "I can teach boys to play football but I can't teach football players to run....." Needless to say, Clayton has no interest whatsoever in playing football, sorry coach. He continues to excel in his classes and really hates missing school. He hasn't said one word about being excited for school to be out even though I know he is looking forward to all the fun events we have planned for the next few months.
The best news is that Alan is coming home too!!! Scott and I leave tomorrow morning to make the looooooooooong drive to little LaVerkin, Utah to pick him up. It will be a quick turnaround trip. We leave in the morning, arrive in St. George Thursday evening then pick Alan up at 0730 on Friday morning and then head straight home to arrive here Friday night. I hope I can handle 24 hours in the car!!! I guess I don't have a choice.......
We are very excited about having our whole family together again. We want to thank all of you for your support and love while Alan has been at school in Utah. Thank you very much, mom and dad, for making the trip to BYU to be with him during the state meet, the BYU invitational and when you were in Hurricane for your reunion. It meant the world to him. His therapist has often remarked how well he expects Alan to do once he comes home because of the incredible family support network we have. This family is remarkable and we appreciate all of your prayers and thoughts on our behalf and Alan's behalf. We feel the eternal connection every time we get together with all of you. It is what Alan missed the most and in his trials has realized is the most important thing he has.
Which reminds me, we had a terrific time at Kyle and Ashley's wedding!!! We are looking forward to being with many of you at Amy and Jeff's wedding in a couple of weeks.
We have been especially grateful for Heavenly Father's acknowledgment of a special fast we had stake-wide up here at the beginning of the month. We were fasting for a cool rain. As we drove home from church that very fast day, it started to rain! It rained just a bit then we had about 5-7 days of heat and then just a few days ago it started to rain and there were reports of snow in the surrounding mountainous areas!! What a miracle!!! I always feel embarrassed when a fast comes to fruition after I have doubted. It makes me aware that I have much work to do yet on strengthening my faith.
Well, I can't think of anything else significant that occurred in the month of May that compares to being with the Christensen family at a wedding and having our children return home, even if for a few summer months!!!!
Love,
Traci and Scott
Andrew, Alyssa, Alan, Clayton
THE SPUDNIKS (Todd and Wendy)
Kuna Idaho
Dear Family,
Summer’s unofficially here, now that the Riley and Grant have finished school this week. Thursday was their last day of fourth grade, and while Wendy is excited to have the two older kids home for the summer, they will miss the friends they’ve made this year. Both brought home great year-end report cards, and we were proud of all of their improvements, and especially how much their teachers appreciated their good behavior and helpfulness in class.
At the beginning of the month, for my birthday, Wendy surprised me by taking me on a train ride. It was one of those Murder Mystery Dinners, but set on a train. However, after the nice dinner was served and consumed, we decided to go out to the open air car to enjoy the mountain scenery and watch for wildlife. It was a wonderful birthday surprise!
The middle of the month found me in Hollywood for a conference of bankruptcy attorneys. The conference was held on the same block as the Chinese and the Kodak theaters as well as the Walk of Fame. Besides going to see a movie there just so I could say I’d seen one in the Chinese Theater, I still found myself asking, “What is there to do around here?” I walked up and around the Hollywood Bowl and drove up Mulhulland Drive. But the highlight of my trip was a 20-minute drive down the freeway to the original Tommy’s Hamburger shop that Wally took us to about 30 years ago. You know how revisiting old childhood memories can sometimes be disappointing when compared to the image we had in our mind? Well, this was NOT the case. The place was exactly how I remembered it, right down to the walk up window, the “shelf side” dining, and the sliding top drink coolers. And the hamburger itself? AWESOME!!! I took one of my coworkers with me, and he was also thrilled. I was loving it so much that I even tried to call Brent and Scott to share my experience.
Riley had a great month. Her stepmother’s sister got married in Hawaii and wanted Riley there. So, Riley spent almost a week on the islands, playing on the beach, seeing the temple, taking a helicopter ride (though that made her a bit nauseated), going boogie boarding and enjoying a luau. We missed her while she was gone but were happy she had such a good time.
Grant also had a great month. He finished his first baseball season by having some stellar games. He got to pitch a couple times, hit a homerun, made some great outs at third base, and was invited to try out for the city’s all star team. Though he didn’t make it, he had a lot of fun. His birthday came at the end of the month, and he got baseball and Pokémon stuff, both obsessions of his.
Ethan continues to keep us on our toes. He absolutely loves anything related to trains and appreciates his Mama driving Brody and him over to the tracks where they get to watch the trains go by. He also loves jumping on the trampoline and generally running to and fro as fast as he can.
Brody gave us a scare a couple weeks ago when he fell onto the piano bench and pushed two of his four top teeth back up into his gums. Wendy called me at work and told me to meet her at the dentist’s office. Fortunately, Brody’s teeth weren’t broken and, hopefully, should “rebud.” We’re seeing a pediatric dentist tomorrow to see what else we should be doing. Fortunately, just a week before he fell, I’d taken pictures of the kids to give to Wendy for Mother’s Day. Brody had such a perfect smile that it’s hard to see his one big tooth left protruding down when he smiles!
We send our love to all and hope you have a fantastic summer.
Todd, Wendy, Riley, Grant, Ethan and Brody
THICKLY SETTLED (Jeremiah and Tamara)
May 2008
Let me dispense with what, for us, is the biggest news. Tamara and I have both been released from callings in our ward. The move has very little to do with the uncertainty of our near future and much to do with what is a fairly ward-wide shakedown. Tamara was released from her calling in the Primary presidency and not called to be in the new presidency. She was very broken up about it, having served for almost three years under President Liz Johnson and with some other sisters in the presidency. I think that she liked being in Primary, especially so because we have all of our children in Primary (and Nursery) at present. The "changing of the guard" was very emotional, with a special songs being sung for President Johnson as well as for Tamara and the secretary, Nevila Taylor.
That very next week a member of the bishopric pulled Tamara and me out of Primary and Sunday School. (Tamara will say that it was good timing, as she was not enjoying the way the lesson was going.) Tamara was extended a calling to work in Primary teaching Trevor's Sunbeam class, much to her relief. I was extended a release from my calling as Primary chorister, which has me feeling a little blue. I have had so much fun working with the Primary children, and have savored almost every moment, knowing that I would be eventually released from the only calling I have ever coveted. I accepted a calling to work with the Cub Scouts in our ward's pack.
I thought that I was safe from further change, but a member of the stake presidency tracked me down in Nursery during Singing Time. He asked Tamara and me to drop by the stake offices after church. Well, to cut to the chase, I'm going to be the executive secretary in our ward.
I've set my sights on the end of August for finishing my studies here at Clark. My professor says he'll be working with me to help me get it done, but that it's going to be a busy summer. I've also started to look around for an actual job. (If you know anyone…) I've even had one interview so far. Sorry, Mom, it was here in Worcester. Between school, looking for a job, and my obligations to my new church obligations I'm really stressing out, and I haven't even been sustained yet!
Breathe.
So, there are other Joneses and Jones family doings to write about. Since I'm falling asleep typing this, I hope you'll excuse my brevity. Here we go—top to bottom.
Michaela has heaved a sigh of relief now that she has finished her state mandated testing for the year. She was tested in math, English, social studies, and science, and, apparently, did quite well. (I thought she would.) She was appreciative of the pizza party that her class had in celebration of a successful finish to the testing. She also is glad to spend time on less exacting studies such as vulcanlogy.
Anthony continues to enjoy his Cub Scout activities. He built a birdhouse (with a little help) for Tamara for Mother's Day. The birdhouse, which has a feeder box in front, was installed just outside our dining room window, and has, by our count, been frequented hundreds of times by our neighborhood birds. Anthony was able to finish an entire requirement by completing construction of the birdhouse, and even got a bead toward his Wolf as well as his Bobcat badge at his first Pack meeting.
Natalie's class put on a Mother's Day tea party. All the mothers were invited and the kids had all made a flower corsage out of tissue for the moms. They decorated pots, planted flowers in them and presented them to the moms. At the party, the children sang some songs for the mothers and served the mothers iced tea and muffins. Natalie was quite upset that there wasn't another beverage for her mother to drink.
I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I am quite impressed with Trevor's growing communication skills. Aside from typing his name, which he started to do in instant messages to Daddy's lab months ago, he now can spell out loud, sign, and write his name, as well as write, type and recognize other less pertinent letters and numbers.
Trevor was in heaven this past Memorial Day weekend while he, his brother, and I were on a campout with other men and boys from our stake. We went to Zion's Camp (Camp Onway what was) in New Hampshire to help prepare it for its first year of service to the young women of our stake. Aside from sleeping in a tent, playing with fire, waving around pointy sticks with flaming marshmallows on them, and using a latrine, he had an endless supply of dirt and sand to play in, as well as some toy trucks which someone had previously left at the camp. As I tried to get some good photos of Anthony and the two boys who rode up to camp with us, Trevor sat (not a squat, but actual, full-on sitting) in the powder dirt by the campfire and pushed the toy trucks along roads of his own construction. I know just what to get him for his next birthday—dirt!
Abigail loves to sit in her high chair and watch the sparrows and starlings peck away at the birdseed in the birdhouse. She gets quite animated when blue jays perch briefly on top of the birdhouse. She continues to expand her repertoire of cute little tricks. She loves to sing, and, although you can never understand the actual words, her songs are recognizable. She is jumping—a fact that we discovered while she was singing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam." She doesn't get very high off the ground, but she's definitely jumping.
Yea! Time for bed…
Love,
The Woosta Jones Clan
MYLES AND JILL
BEN AND JEN
ERIC AND CHRISTINE
KEEPING UP WITH THE YOUNGER JONES (Dan and Amy)
Last week we got a nice surprise. Dan's MCAT scores were posted a day early. He got a 27P. I am so proud of him! For those who want a break down of his score:
Physical Science:8 Verbal Reasoning:9 Biological Science:10 Writing:P
This is the exact score he got on his practice MCAT, which is pretty great. This means that Dan is no longer provisionally accepted to the California School of Podiatric Medicine but is officially accepted. Last years average MCAT score for the school was a 22 so I think they will be very happy to get his score of 27.
Owen is in the process of learning to walk. He pulls himself up and cruises around and I have even caught him standing for a few seconds in the middle of the room. Although he does these things he still very much prefers to crawl. . . and fast. He started out crawling with the army man and that lead to standard crawling which has morphed into the Mogley.
Wyatt loves to look at Dan's anatomy book. He is fascinated with the bones and all the other cool pictures. This morning after Wyatt and Dan had looked through the Anatomy book, Wyatt came downstairs and wanted to draw. He got out paper and a pen and started drawing. "My brain, mom-mom, my brain," Wyatt said, pointing to his picture. Sure enough, he was drawing a brain. The drawing is quite light, but look for yourself.
Love,
Dan, Amy, Wyatt, and Owen
ANGIE AND CHRIS
We are here in Texas with everyone for Alex's graduation. Unfortunately Chris wasn't able to come. We had to celebrate our 5th anniversary before I left because it was the night of Alex's graduation. Sad.
I flew by myself for the first time with Tommy and George. The first hour Tommy was fussy and I was thinking I would never do this again, but he finally fell asleep, so it wasn't too bad. George was great. He watched movies the whole way.
I started teaching a music class at the Art Center this month. It's called Music for Little Mozarts for 3 1/2 to 5 year olds. I have 4 really cute kids in the class that listen so well. It's a lot of fun.
Tommy has just started pulling up and he's really wobbly because he's just barely sitting up. Luckily he's got a hard head.
George is starting to say Spanish words out loud, and he likes to ask how to say this or that in Spanish. I need to carry a dictionary around with me because I have no idea. I only have a few more weeks left in my Spanish class. I'm practicing my Spanish on the nursery kids that I'm teaching.
See you all at Amy's wedding.
Love,
Chris, Angie, George and Tommy
HEATHER AND ZAC
Hello Family,
It is in prevention of my joining the family delinquency list that I sit typing my WAAFF letter at 11:22 pm on Saturday night when I should be working on my Young Women's lesson for tomorrow. Oh, well....it's been a busy week...and month for that matter. We had a great time taking part in the festivities surrounding Ashley and Kyle's wedding earlier this month. (It actually already feels like much longer ago than that.) We were able to take a few days in between the Concord and Nevada City receptions to take the kids to Disneyland. We all had lots of fun of course and severely wore ourselves out. Max loved the Disney characters, Maddie was terrified by them. We were also able to spend an evening visiting a good high school friend of mine who lives in Southern California. It was mostly just nice to be together as a family for a full week!
For the next couple weeks Zac worked on an ophthalmology rotation. And I just tried to get organized after one trip and ready for the next. I have loved getting to do a little yard work. Last week Zac and I flew up to central Oregon for a couple job interviews. We really enjoyed our trip. (Thanks to Jessica and Caleb for watching our kids...and to my other siblings who helped!) We are somewhat interested in the position in John Day Oregon, but it's still early in the interview season. We have other places to look at still, so we're still just weighing our options.
We look forward to seeing many of you next week at Amy and Jeff's wedding. I really need to get working on my Young Women's lesson now, so I'll sign off.
Lots of love,
Heather, Zac, Max, and Madelyn
PS- I had my ultrasound this month too. Everything with baby Bailey looks good, but we're not finding out the gender, so we don't have any exciting news to report in that regard...four more months.
NELSEN NEWS (Amber and Branden)
Hi Family,
Here are the May highlights for the Nelsons:
- We enjoyed seeing lots of family at Kyle and Ashley's reception.
- We celebrated our second anniversary on the 5th.
- I taught my last piano lesson and none too soon. I was commuting down 45 minutes down and an hour back from San Rafael every Wednesday. Not worth it with $4 a gallon gas!
- Our baby became a toddler as her wobbly steps turned into full-scale walking.
- Nora visited the doctor three times because of a persistent fever. After a very traumatic series of shots, blood draws, antibiotics, and a catheterization, she is finally feeling and acting much better!
- Branden completed his first semester, passing with outstanding grades! (Of course!!!)
- A "quick" fix-it job on our tub pipes ended in gallons of water gushing out of the spout even with the knobs turned off. After waiting three hours (with our entire building's water turned off!) for a plumber who was always "on his way" we finally got someone to come out at 10pm, rip out our tiles and completely replace our pipes, for only $1700. :( We sure scored points on that one as apartment managers! Whoops!
- Our only computer crashed twice.
- Branden's parents drove in from Utah for a week. It was great to see his dad up and walking around so well after an emergency surgery a few months ago to remove a cancerous tumor from his around his spinal cord.
- We put together our first event as ward activities co-chairs, a Memorial Day BBQ and swim party.
- We broke down and bought a new computer so that I could spend the last week of Branden's break frantically writing my freelance writing assignments. :(
- Branden's cell phone unexpectedly flat-lined.
- After a quick walk around the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, we decided the building's architecture is much cooler than the "art" it houses.
We love you all,
Amber, Branden, and Nora Monet
AMY (and Jeff)
Dear Family,
Where did May go? Time has really flown by. This month has been busy of course getting things ready for the wedding. In fact, right now I am in the middle of packing and moving my stuff to our new place.
Just a few days until I head to Nevada City and a few more until Jeff and I are sealed. We are both very excited and ready to be married. I feel so grateful to have found such an amazing guy as Jeff. He's special and he has a combination of wonderful qualities unlike anyone I've ever met.
Okay, enough mushy stuff. Let's give a quick recap of this month. Of course it started out with Kyle and Ashley's wedding- congratulations to them!
I had a birthday this month and Jeff took good care of me. When I got off of work we went climbing at the indoor gym in Provo and afterwards we headed over to Taco Time for the obligatory Cinco de Mayo meal.
Other exciting events of this month: selling a washer, buying a washer and dryer, having a dryer break; searching craigslist everyday for furniture for our apartment; early morning runs now that it's light earlier; another visit to the "human slingshot" (one of our first dates last year); sending out wedding announcements; attending the temple; removing links from our wedding countdown chain, etc.
My brain is kind of fried right now, so I think I'll close. I look forward to seeing those of you who will be able to make it to CA for the wedding. I am so grateful for each of you!
Love, Amy
STEPHANIE AND CARTER
I am too tired to make actual sentences and nice transitions so here are the highlights of our May in Philadelphia:
- Carter had his white coat ceremony and is now "Student Dr. Christensen."
- Stephanie enjoys her work at the babysitting room of a gym and the benefits of a free gym membership.
- Reese had an ear infection and got two new canines.
- We enjoyed the sites of the Philadelphia area with fun day trips. We spent a day in Amish country, Lancaster County, and we visited the Italian Market festival in South Philly.
- We also bought a seat for Reese that we put on the back of Carter's bike and went on a little family bike ride for Memorial Day. Now all we hear from Reese is "bike, bike, bike" all day long. Since then we have gone on rides every day. I can tell we are going to get our money's worth from that bike seat.
- We have enjoyed perfect weather recently.
- Reese has taken a serious interest in coloring. We lay out big sheets of butcher paper and she can occupy herself for at least an hour by just coloring.
- Stephanie has been hard at work planting flowers and is down right giddy over the dead spots in the lawn filling in since we seeded it.
- Carter has been living in the basement lately as he and a classmate are studying feverishly for the first part of the boards. He plans to take the test this Friday which is semi-early but he is looking forward to having it done with.
- Our ward experienced some dramatic changes with the move of 12 families out of the ward and no new move-ins as of yet.
- Stephanie got called to be 2nd counselor in the Relief Society Presidency but is still doing double duty since the Young Women's Presidency has not yet been reorganized.
Carter, Stephanie, and Reese
KATHRYN AND COLT
Hi Family,
Here's what's been going on this month:
• We had the ultrasound. We're having a BOY!!
• Colt turned 25!
• bought a canoe
• went camping for Colt's birthday
• fishing on the lake with the canoe
• went to Cracker Barrel, the Fort Worth zoo, and the Narnia movie for Colt's day off (his birthday)
• Alex graduated from high school!
• we're all together for graduation and the weekend in Waco (except for poor Chris stuck in California)
• Tyson's talking more and more everyday, and he's the joy of our lives.
We love y'all,
Kathryn, Colt, Tyson, and baby boy
JESSICA AND CALEB
Hi Everyone!
May has been a great month. Most importantly, Thomas learned to walk!!!! Oh yeah, and Kyle and Ashley got married. That was pretty cool too. Their wedding was wonderful! And I'm so glad to have Ashley as a sister-in-law finally.
Caleb and I loved our trip to California. We spent a day walking around San Francisco. That got us really excited for our move to Boston since they're both big cities. Speaking of Boston, we found a place to live out there for the next three years. It is in a suburb called Brighton that is about 5 miles from down town Boston. So, if any of you come out to Boston, you can stay with us and have someone to show you around (once we know our own way around, that it. I hear it's crazy!)
Our big adventure this month was having Maddie and Max stay with us for three days and nights this week. It's lucky for me they're such great kids. And it gave me an excuse to go to the park everyday, set up the blow-up pool, and eat lots of ice cream! (Heather, I hope you're not reading this.) We had a fun time. It's fun to see Max, Maddie, and Thomas get really excited when the others wake up in the morning to play with them. I'm glad they each love their cousins so much.
We're excited for Amy and Jeff to get married next weekend!!! Yeah!!!! We love Jeff and can't wait to have another big bro!
Love,
Jess, Caleb, and Thomas
SAMANTHA
Dear Family,
It's officially summertime in Provo. Well, between all the random thunderstorms, hailing, and rain we've been having. Today was a beautiful day and I enjoyed reading up on my Sunday School lesson on the lawn in front of my apartment this afternoon.
I always seem to break things down into categories or lists for the WAAFF; I guess that's the easiest way for me to remember things:
Work: I finished up at Student Employment and got a job as part of the grounds crew at the Mount Timpanogas Temple. It's a lot of fun working up there with one of the girls in my ward and being outside all day (except for a day or two when I had to work with the sprinklers in the cold and plant flowerbeds in wind and a light rain). I love driving the lawn mowers, tractor, truck and trailers, and the John Deere. It's different from just about every other job I've had; I think that's why it's so refreshing.
Church: I'm the ward choir director and a Sunday School teacher. Tomorrow is my first lesson (#20), and the choir is singing "School Thy Feelings" a week from tomorrow. I'm excited to work with the choir and talk about and sing hymns that we don't often sing in church. Sunday School... will be interesting; I'm a bit nervous. I'm attending Institute, and loving it. Our stake has great attendance, and our teacher is really engaging and excited about teaching the Old Testament.
School: I'm done! :) But I don't want to get too lazy, so I went to the library this week and checked out some books (The Jungle Book, Walden, Gulliver's Travels, and The Prince). I'm not sure I'll finish all of them before they're due, but I'll take a crack at it.
Other than that, I've been able to see my Jones cousins a bit, and I went to another Tally Hall concert last weekend. I cook once every two weeks for my dinner group; it's really nice to come home to dinner after a long day at work. The date scene is pretty slow, but it's fun to get to know some of the people in my ward and make new friends.
Well, I better get back to my lesson, and getting the scores prepared for the choir. The reunion is coming up and I am pumped to see all of you! I just requested the time off from work, so I'm sure to be there. I can't wait to wear my t-shirt -- #28! We have the coolest family.
Love,
Samantha
CHELSY AND ADAM
Hello everyone,
Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day. I had an ok Memorial Day, I was working all day, but I was kept busy and it went by fast.
There hasn't really been that much more happen this month then normal. Adam started working for Flying Wrench Mobile Repairs and is enjoying learning new things. Adam and I are just working hard saving up money for when we are going to school and doing students teaching.
I have also found out where I will be doing my field experience for next semester and my students teaching in the spring. I will be at Windsor Elementary here in Orem, in a 4/5 grade class. I am looking forward to working with my cooperating teacher, and finishing up school.
Anyway, everybody have a great summer.
Love, Chelsy and Adam
KYLE AND ASHLEY SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S-S-I-N-G; FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MARRIAGE...
Hello Everyone,
Well, we are back from our honeymoon (and have been for a while I guess) and are doing great. For our honeymoon we went on a 4-night cruise to Mexico with stops at San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada Mexico. We had such a great time and for anyone who hasn't 'cruised' before we would highly recommend it. We only got a little sea-sick the last night when the sea was a bit choppy. The food was absolutely amazing!!! I think I would go again just for that!
We really want to thank everyone who made it to our wedding/reception/open house or even if you couldn't make it...it's the thought that counts I guess. We really appreciate and love all of you.
So, now we are back in good 'ol Provo working for the summer. I am working for Best Vinyl installing fences. It is a hard job but I will say that I do enjoy it. The guys I work for and with are awesome so it is great. My first day of work was in Plain City (about 15 minutes north of Ogden) and I started at 6 am and didn't get home until 10 pm so it was a long day. All days aren't that long but I average about 60 hours a week but I get paid overtime which is really nice.
Ashley is working at APX Alarms and is in the process of looking for a new summer job. Hopefully she will get a life guarding job at Helaman Halls. Anyway, we are doing great and look forward to seeing some of you at Amy's wedding and the reunion!!
Love,
Kyle and Ashley
Y of I - Lindsay (and Todd)
BRIANA AND CRAIG
Hi Family!!
Sorry it's been the longest time since I wrote, but this month I even have pictures! I have some of our reception, some of Craig's birthday, some of working this summer, and I'm not sure what else. But I hope you have fun looking at them.
I am having a blast on the ranch! I've branded cows (it's really not as bad as you might think), I've been riding horses a lot, driving tractors, etc. I love it! It's hard work but it feels great when you see what you've accomplished, and you just feel good (after a good shower). The one problem is that it keeps me so busy I don't have time to get anything accomplished! But I have to go now, but I love you all, and I can't wait for the reunion!!!!!!
All our love!
Briana and Craig
ELDER ANDREW
(This is the final letter which Andrew wrote before he was released)
Well my dearest family, this is the last time I'll be e-mailing you. It doesn't really seem like it even though I know it as a fact. The feelings haven't hit me just yet which I'm grateful for. I know I've got another week left in me so I'll give it all. That's what I promised the Lord and that's what I'll do.
This week has been pretty good and we're continuing to see blessings. I don't know if I told you but Elder Arnold taught us a good lesson to teach members and that has been going really well. We've done it a couple times and have seen a lot of success from it. We have a lot of plans this upcoming week so I think it's going to go by pretty fast sadly. I'm really ready to come home but it feels weird leaving what's been my "home and family" for 2 years. I was thinking, you know they send you to the MTC to prepare you to be a missionary so why don't send you to the Member Training Center before you come home? Then I realized the mission IS the member training center. This is preparing us for the rest of our lives! How to be a leader, a servant, a parent, companion, friend and teacher, everything! Wow!
I just want you to know that I love the Savior and his gospel. God our Father is always looking after us and blesses us so much. I know He loves us without a doubt and that He does know every trial and hardship we go through. He wants more than anything for us to succeed in living the gospel plan and Christ has provided and shown us the way. I know the restoration did happen and that Joseph was called as a prophet and I know President Monson is the Lords mouthpiece today.
I love you all and can't wait to hang out and tell you all about everything (not that I haven't been doing that for the past 2 years) and just be together again. Love you and I'll see you later!
Love,
Elder Andrew
THE BRANDON SHOW
Dear Family,
I am once again writing to you on the last possible day I can. I hope someday I can be forgiven.
Things are tough or were this month. My best friend left on a mission and there were a lot of things going along with that which made it hard. I also ran out of work again because the Draper Temple project is coming to a close and I guess there isn't enough work to go around. So that is something that I’ve probably got to get going on is getting a new job, even though it's nice to have a break.
Other than that I'm not up to much.. I am excited for the family reunion and to see my art on so many hundreds of shirts.
I am sad I couldn't make it to Kyle's wedding but I get to see him and Andy again in a couple of weeks and that will be cool.
I am signing off but I wish everyone the best of luck... if you ever need it with anything I guess. huh... I guess I should've said best wishes.
Brandon
ELDER TYLER
Hello all,
I will start off by saying I am sorry, family, for not being able to write letters, or more emails, but I just don't have time any more because we have so much to do on our p-days now. But I will still try.
No baptisms in sight yet. :( Oh well. As long as I am trying my hardest. We have had the chance to meet with the Dickenson’s again. :) FINALLY!! They are so busy. Hey Dad, Mr Hillary Dickensen reminds me of Roger Liston. :) I think it's cool. He is really into the gospel, his wife Kelly is into it too, but she is always so busy we have never really had a full conversation with her, just her husband Hillary and her son Corey (10 yrs) we gave them a Copy of the Book of Mormon, and he said that he is exited to read and study. :) So hopefully that goes well. He is quite a well educated guy.
Yesterday, Elder Clark and I had the opportunity to host 2 funerals yesterday.(the reason the email is a day late). A member in the ward had lost her husband and her mother this winter, and yesterday was when we buried them. Elder Clark and I sang Redeemer of Israel. He dedicated one of the plots , and I got to dedicate the other. It was a great experience.
I don't know if I every mentioned that we hold a weekly hockey night. Every Friday, we get together with a few members, and a whole bunch of kids in the neighborhood and play ball hockey. It is a blast. Sometime I will send some pictures of it. :) It is always so much fun. Seeing as I am from the states I am not really good at hockey, and so when I play a lot of the time I just kick the ball :) its funny :) but I am getting better at using the stick. All the kids call me jumping man, or soccer guy, cause I am always jumping around and kicking the ball and stuff. But I still use my stick too :) anyways, that it lots of fun. It really is good for the kids too, because it helps them see that the church is not boring, and that we (missionaries) are normal people that like to play sports and stuff. There is a 30 yr old guy that comes with the kids to play too! He is cool but sometime we have to remind him to watch his language. :) I think it’s cool when he comes.
I guess overall things are still going well and that work is progressing ,slowly but surely. I love being able to have the spirit so strong all the time. :) Even though it’s tough sometimes. Like today, I have been sick for a couple days, and my companion agreed to go running with the president again today. We are going to run 10K's!! That’s like 6 miles or so.(just like last week)
Oh, well,. There’s not much I can do about it but bite the bullet right? :) Who knows it might be good for me. Well thanks for all your support.
Until next time
Elder Tyler Christensen
COLLEGE TRACKSTER (Alyssa)
Hello, family!
The first part of May seems non-existent. I can hardly remember any details up until about last Thursday, when Andrew came home! I know for sure that I competed in 2 meets the last few weeks I was in school and did very well in both of them. I got Personal Records in both races at booth track meets, so I had a great last few weeks. I wish I could have kept going because I was improving every week and I could feel that I was having a huge breakthrough in my training. Well, I'll save that for next year. :) heehee
At my last meet, my dad came and picked me up and took me down to St. George, where we met with my mom and we visited Alan! It was a great visit. It was the first time I had seen him in almost a year. He is so changed. We spent the weekend with him and then headed home.
I can say, it is great to be back... but I miss college already! I can't wait to go back and have fun and run with my teammates and hang out with my friends again! I was here less than a week before I started missing it. But, I am grateful I got to come home... this is a big summer for our family! I got home from college, and Andrew just came home last week... and Alan is coming home this weekend! The entire family will be back together after 2 years of apart-ness! Wow! It is going to be great to have a full house again! It has been so much fun already to hang out with my brothers. It was like Andrew was never gone. He is fitting perfectly back with the flow of things around here. It was so awesome to welcome him home, and now he is home... yay!
I got a job at Eddie Bauer and am waiting to hear back later today about my hours, so that is exciting! I have a few friends that work there, so I think I will have a blast!
Love to all, -Lis
TAYLOR
Hello Family,
If any of you haven’t heard already I received my mission call!!!! I've been called to the Bulgaria Sofia mission!!!!! (If you don’t know where that is it’s next to the Black Sea, Turkey and Greece). I will be speaking the Bulgarian language which sounds like Russian mixed with Greek (at least that’s what I think). Imp very excited but I don’t leave until October 1st, so right now I’m just working and earning money to pay for it. I miss being at school up in Idaho. I really love BYUI, but I also love being home with my family and I'm excited for Amy's wedding!
If my stake president has time to meet with me I will be able to go through the temple next week and then I will be able to sit in on Amy and Jeff’s wedding! I really hope I get to!
Last Monday and Tuesday my parents and I went to Yosemite!!! It was extremely beautiful because of all the snow has melted and there are waterfalls everywhere!! It was so lush and green! I kept thinking I was going to see a unicorn because it was like a wonderland! haha... anyway... we went with A family from Australia that knew Kyle from his mission. They had two little girls that thought that bears where everywhere here and were always afraid of getting eaten. It was quite funny. By the end of the trip I was almost speaking in Australian accent (not on purpose though).
Well...that’s about it!!!! I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Taylor
JOKES, JOKES, AND MORE JOKES
JEWISH MOTHERS...
MONA LISA'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"After all the money your father and I spent on braces, this you call a smile?"
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS' JEWISH MOTHER:
"I don't care what you've discovered, you didn't call, you didn't write."
MICHELANGELO'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"A ceiling you paint? Not good enough for you the walls, like the other children?
NAPOLEON'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"You're not hiding your report card? Show me! Take your hand out of your jacket and show me!"
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"Again with that hat! Why can't you wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"Next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss your allowance good-bye!
THOMAS EDISON'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"Okay, so I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb. Now turn it off and go to sleep!"
PAUL REVERE'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"I don't care where you think you have to go, young man, midnight is long past your bedtime!"
ALBERT EINSTEIN'S JEWISH MOTHER:
"Your senior photograph and you couldn't have done something with your hair?"
MOSES' JEWISH MOTHER:
"Desert, schmesert!! Where have you really been for the last forty years?"
BILL GATES' JEWISH MOTHER:
"It would have killed you to become a doctor?"
DEFINITIONS NOT IN DICTIONARY
ADULT:
A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.
BEAUTY PARLOR:
A place where women curl up and dye.
CANNIBAL:
Someone who is fed up with people.
CHICKENS:
The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.
COMMITTEE:
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
DUST:
Mud with the juice squeezed out.
EGOTIST:
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
HANDKERCHIEF:
Cold Storage.
INFLATION:
Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.
MOSQUITO:
An insect that makes you like flies better.
RAISIN:
Grape with a sunburn.
SECRET:
Something you tell to one person at a time.
SKELETON:
A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.
TOOTHACHE:
The pain that drives you to extraction.
TOMORROW:
One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.
ANONYMOUS QUOTES
• You can get anything done if you don’t care who gets the credit.
• Footprints in the sand of time are not made sitting down.
• To be effective, a committee should be made up of 3 persons. But to get anything done, one member should be sick and another absent.
• Some people bring happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.
• A fool and his money are welcome everywhere.
• There is no right way to do a wrong thing.
• Do it tomorrow – you’ve made enough mistakes today.
COROLLARIES MURPHY’S LAW:
On Using the Telephone:
• The length of the call will be doubled if you decide to remain standing.
• That amount will be doubled again if you have to go to the bathroom.
On Meetings:
• The only meeting that will ever start on time is the one for which you are late
More Corollaries:
• The greater the value of the rug, the greater the probability that the cat will throw up on it.
• If your looking for more than one thing, you'll find the most important one last.
• After you bought a replacement for something you've lost and searched for everywhere, you'll find the original.
• No matter how long or how hard you shop for an item, after you've bought it, it will be on sale somewhere cheaper.
• The other line always moves faster.
• In order to get a loan, you must first prove you don't need it.
• Anything you try to fix will take longer and cost you more than you thought.
• If you fool around with a thing for very long you will screw it up.
• If it jams - force it. If it breaks, it needed replacing anyway..
• A Smith & Wesson beats four aces.
• In case of doubt, make it sound convincing.
• Never argue with a fool, people might not know the difference.
• Anything dropped in the bathroom will fall in the toilet.
• Any time you put an item in a "safe place", it will never be seen again.
• Your best golf shots always occur when playing alone.
• The worst golf shots always occur when playing with someone you are trying to impress.
• The cost of the hairdo is directly related to the strength of the wind.
• Great ideas are never remembered and dumb statements are never forgotten.
• The clothes washer/dryer will only eat one of each pair of socks.
• When you see light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel will cave in
• Being dead right, won't make you any less dead.
• Traffic is inversely proportional to how late you are, or are going to be.
• If authority was mass, stupidity would be gravity.
LOOKING BACK AT THE MONTH OF MAY
PRICES AND EVENTS IN 1958
- Recession starts to bite in America with 7.0% ( 5.2 million ) people unemployed
- The average wages per year is $4.600.00
- The average cost of a new home is $12,750.00
- A Gallon of Gas costs 25 cents
- Oldsmobile, Super 88 costs $2,958
- Philco Black and White TV 20 inches costs $229.95
- Bananas costs 27 cents for 2 pounds
- Campbell’s Tomato Soup is 10 cents
- Sirloin Steak is 55 cents per pound
- The Wham-O company introduces the Hula Hoop
- Alaska becomes the 49th State
- The Microchip ( the magic chip that makes all our PC's work ) first developed in US by Intel
Mark jumps 13’9” at North Coast and becomes the first vaulter from Del Valle to qualify for the state meet.
Scott and Todd come down with Chicken Pox
30 Years Ago:
Dad attends a $100/plate fund raiser for Congressman Pete Stark and meets him and Andrew Young, ambassador to the UN
Dad and Todd celebrate Todd’s 12th birthday by playing miniature golf and then going to A&W for hamburgers. Whenever any of the boys became 8 or 12, Dad took him out for a special celebration. This was the last of those special events.
Sherri Fosdick, a girl who has been living with us for several months under the church placement program, refuses to abide by the rules of our home and leaves us and the placement program.
WC II Ward held a very successful track meet for ward members under the direction of Nola Myrl. (Ed. note: this was most successful ward activity I have ever experienced.) Keith was the star of the meet, winning the 50, 100, 220, long jump, men’s relay, and family relay.
15 Years Ago:
We travel to Texas to visit with Blake and Paula and on the way we stop in Moore, OK and visit Terry Thompson and his wife, Tammy.
10 Years Ago:
The headline article in the Salt Lake Tribune on May 3 was about an interview with Elder Jensen, a member of the First Quorum of Seventy and of the Church Public Affairs Committee. In the article he decried the apparent demise of the Democratic Party in Utah and the fact that the Republican Party in Utah is essentially the Mormon party. He pointed out that this is bad for Utah and for the Church on the national level. The Republicans take the state for granted and the Democrats write the state off. Also, with such an overwhelming majority of state officials being Republicans, the system of checks and balances normally present in a two party system is absent and government suffers as a result. He specifically addressed the perception that many have that one cannot be a Democrat and still be a good Mormon is “wrongheaded and should be obliterated.” He further stated that merely because one party has certain planks in its platform does not mean that we cannot support the general aims of that party. (His remarks clearly have the blessing of the First Presidency)
MEMORIES
MEMORY BY DAD/GRANDPA
A couple of days ago we pulled out our video camera and I was struck by the difference in size between our current video camera and that of our first “portable” video camera. That camera , as I recall, was very expensive but it was portable; however, I use that term in a very loose manner. The camera itself was about two feet long, eight inches high, and about six inches wide and was so heavy that I used it, I had to carry it on my shoulder. It was considered portable because it came with a battery that could transported. The only problem was that it was so large that it had to be carried in a full-size suitcase and had to be connected to the camera with a long cable. It actually took two people to operate the equipment, one to carry the camera and the other to carry the battery.
While it was bulky and onerous to use, it did provide us with the opportunity to take many home movies which we otherwise would not have had. I remember the boys making a movie emulating a TV broadcast. Do any of you boys remember that?
MEMORY BY MOM/GRAMMY
(Editor’s note: Grammy says she can’t think of a “Memory” for this month. Does that mean she is starting to lose her memory?)
MEMORY BY LINDA
MEMORY BY TAYLOR
One of my favorite memories with the cousin's was when we made a movie at Grampa and Grammy's Walnut Creek house. The movie was about a raccoon that a scientist (Alan) was working on and it turned into a killer raccoon! DUN DUN DUN!!! I know intense huh? For the movie we used a stuff animal (I believe it was that terribly scary raccoon from...Pocahontas. Yes, the Disney movie). ...anyway, It was just a ton of fun! There was this one scene where all the littler cousin (Spencer, Clayton, Morgan, Grant.. etc) were walking in a field and this fur ball flies through the screen and attacks them. The plan was that the first cousin would catch the stuffed animal and act like they were being attack by the killer raccoon, then they would fall to the ground and toss up the raccoon to another person. The next cousin would catch it and do the same thing...and so on and so on. The idea was to make it look as though the raccoon was jumping out of the grass and taking people down one by one....(to me this was going to be a most terrifying scene in our horror movie)...
And so the actors took their places, the shot was framed, and the word was said..."ACTION!" What took place after that was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. The little cousins ran into the field in a single file line screaming in a very lackadaisical way. Then the stuffed animal was tossed. Morgan, being at the front of the line, caught it. She looked at it not knowing what to do. There was silence for a brief second then she fell to the ground. Then all the other cousins behind her (still in an orderly line and not screaming and running around like they were going to die) dropped to the ground as if they had fainted or just couldn’t take a nap fast enough.
For those cousins who where there (Kaitlyn, Alyssa, Alan, Logan,...etc I can’t remember all) I think you will remember that it was hilarious. The rest of the movie was funny too. I can’t remember if I have it or if Alyssa and Alan have it....or maybe even Logan. Anyway...I'll have to post it on YouTube or something.
THE END!
TRIVIA QUESTION
LAST MONTH’S QUESTION:
One person in each of the three pictures has something in common. Who is the person in each picture and what is the thing they have in common?
And the winner is: Actually, there was no winner to last month’s question, so we’ll just carry the same question over to this month. However, I will give you a hint. The people who have things in common are: Todd, Angie, and Linda. Now, with that hint, send your answers in. If you are the first one, I will make your special fudge when we are down in California for Amy and Jeff’s wedding.
REMINISCING
JUST FOR FUN: CAN YOU REMEMBER WHEN AND WHERE THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN?
CAN YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF ON ANY OF THEM?
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