Family Fun in Utah

It was wonderful to help decorate for Shalee's wedding reception in Draper, UT. We had a nice reunion with Sue's family, who we grew up with in NJ. Everything was so organized and the colors just popped. It's always fun to see my little brother Chip's family when we visit Utah. Morgan and Alexis didn't do there traditional sleepover because school had already started. We'll make up for it next year. Morgan did make a new "cousin" friend - Tiffany (Sue's brother Kevin's daughter). They met and two seconds later they were glued as friends forever. Shalee looked beautiful and we are glad they live close to us in Washington.

Being at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Provo is great when you can share the house with cousins. Morgan (in the middle) with her favorite Oregon cousins, Jessica (blonde), Brooke (Brunette) and Logan (laying down). We have been lucky to live by Jim's youngest daughter Julie and her husband Bob for the past nine years. It's been fun to have "family" by us. We are sad that they have now moved to Utah but we are happy that we will continue to see them in the summers when we visit. Highland is lucky to get this great family - they laugh a lot and enjoy being with each other. We will miss the impromptu talent shows, sleep overs and Thanksgiving dinners together. Our best wishes to them in their new home and in making new friends.

This is the Place Heritage Village in Salt Lake City was really fun. Here Morgan (front white shirt) and Lauren (back tall one) had to recite their times tables in a school house being sure to do it properly - notice the hand positions and standing when speaking. It was great because the teacher stayed in character the entire time. Next to Morgan is her new friend Alli from Florida. As a matter of fact we all fell in love with this young lady and offered to adopt her but she she said she wasn't up for adoption.

Morgan was thrilled when she found out she could go horse back riding at the Heritage Village. She rode Banjo and even though they only went in cirlces she was happy to have her cousin Josh and Alli ride with her . Lauren was a good sport since you could only ride if you were under 12. There were over 50 homes/buildings and activites to do. One of the favorite was getting ice cream at the Hotel Utah. What a great way to show how Salt Lake looked when the pioneers came and settle it. Great day with my brother Mike and Sue and Josh and their Florida Friends Kerry and Alli. It's always great when our kids can make memories with family.

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Later that evening Tara came up from Provo to have dinner with all of us at the Mayan. It is an amazing place. It has been renivated inside and the diving show is breathtaking. It's like a dinner and a show at family prices. Best deal in town and the food is yummy! We sat right by the railings and the divers looked like they were coming right at us - we were all holding our breaths until they hit the water which was only seconds but it felt longer! It was great to have Tara for another night. We had been in Provo for four days and went to Seven Peaks, did some shopping, had lunches together and she showed us her office and we met her boss Janet and some of her co-workers. They love her at Vitalsmarts and she enjoys her job. If they would just relocated to Oregon it would be perfect - well for me anyway.

East Brunswick, New Jersey Reunion

To me this picture is priceless. These are many of the youth that my brother and I grew up with in the East Brunswick Ward. We saw each other twice on Sundays, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Nights. Mutual, Seminary and Primary if we had a calling. We girls had sleep overs, some dated in our group and Mike (aka Eugene) and Sue and Jessie and Melanie even got married! We went to the beach together, we had parties and dances at each others homes. We went to different school but it didn't matter - we had the activities of the week to look forward to. Along with my family these were the people who helped me through all the bumps in life. I hope I was there for them as they were for me. Seeing them again made my heart sing. I felt like I had come home. So many memories - we were very blessed to have each other. In the picture is from left to right: Doug Farrer, Shalynn Murphy, Ken Yourstone, Mike McNall, Debbi McNall, Naomi Hosfield, Sue Yourstone, Liz Farrer, Sue Casey and Brian Murphy. Missing is Nathan Hosfield, Melanie Hosfield, Clarke Farrer, Ron Casey, Rick and Lynette Turley, Donna Brazier, Jessie Anderson, Bob Peterson, Wayne Park, Sandy and Debbie Johnstone, Brian Petrone and Ken Fickling. Just thinking about all these people makes me smile.

Lauren - Amazing Grace

Lauren found out that she made the Concert Choir. This is a huge achievement in her life. She has been taking voice lessons for two years now and is excited about this new opportunity. She performed Amazing Grace at a recent performance and we wanted to share it with you (as soon as I figure out how to add the music I'll add it). There is a magic that happens when Lauren sings, the smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes touch us and the words and the music penetrate our hearts. Lauren's Grandmother Jones and Grandmother McNall-Campbell are beautiful singers - so the tradition continues!

Kirby's mutant potatoes

This spring Kirby planted two varieties of potatoes next to each other in our garden and probably due to the strange warm then cold then warm again weather that we had this year, the plants flowered twice and we were surprised with a bunch of lovely red russet potatoes. The skin is red and thin like a red potato but had the large shape of the russet. We bake some and made others into french fries. Our favorite was the one we baked. The flavor was that of the russet but the texture was more like a red. We've saved some of the less mature ones to replant to see what we get next year.

Tara's Visit Home

Tara came home in July to visit and we were able to take all the girls to the beach. The Oregon coast is beautiful but it can be windy and the water is freezing. We were lucky to catch a

sunny day at Seaside- around 70 degrees. Kirby, Lauren and Morgan had fun flying a kite - Tara, Keri, Ashley and I relaxed and soaked in the sun. We had fun in the arcade and the rides. We always go to the Carousel Mall and ride the Merry Go Round. They have a hat shop that we love. You can find birthday hats, pizza hats....crazy hats - along with cowboy hats, straw hats and visers etc. It's always fun!

Here we are

This is my launch of blogging about our family for family and friends. I have really enjoyed reading other blogs and how connected I feel to them. I've got a lot to learn to get up to where I want to be so be patient - this will be fun.

This is our Christmas 2007 family picture. Tara 27, Keri 25, Nathan 22, Ashley 21, Lauren 16 and Morgan 7. Can you pick out who is who? In the upcoming weeks and months we'll get you familiar with the five girls and Nate.

Today is Ashley's 22nd Birthday. Kirby and I took her and Steve to PF Changs (next time I'll bring a camera). Steve surprised her with a "skydiving" adventure next Thursday. It was an exciting moment since he pulled out a little red box and his card said they were headed to new heights and we were all a bit shocked (well, 'bit' is an understatement). He had to encourage Ashley to open the box and inside was a little blue guy with a tiny parachute attached to his back - hence the skydiving adventure. Ashley is working as a Massage Therapist at an athletic club near our home. She just moved into a townhouse with two others girls and has had a great time decorating her new home. Happy Birthday Ashley - We love you!