Top news stories since our last newsletter.
NEW POPE: In a shocking move, Pope Benedict XVI becomes the first pope to resign in almost 600 years. A month later, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is elected his successor, taking the papal name Pope Francis.
BOSTON MARATHON ATTACKS: Two bombs explode near the Boston Marathon finish line, killing three and injuring more than 180. A dramatic hunt ensues, ending four days later with the capture of suspected bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
MANDELA DIES : Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s former president and an international icon of freedom, dies at age 95.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: A partial federal government shutdown goes into effect as the new fiscal year officially begins without an agreement on legislation to keep the government funded. It lasts for 15 days.
OBAMACARE ROLLOUT DEBACLE: Technical problems plague health insurance exchanges that open online as part of the rollout of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare.”
SYRIA CIVIL WAR: Fueled by the Arab Spring, Syrian protests have devolved into a brutal civil war with more than 2 million refugees and 120,000 others killed in a country of 21.1 million. The use of sarin, whose prohibition Syria had agreed to in 1993, nearly brought direct U.S. action. Peace talks have been scheduled for January 2014.
MISSIONARY SERVICE SURGES: The number of missionaries in the field has grown from 58,000 to 80,000, and 58 new missions have been established, since Pres. Monson announced the lowering of age for missionary service.
LDS CHURCH STATEMENTS ON SAME SEX MARRIAGE: “Regardless of the court decision, the Church remains irrevocably committed to strengthening traditional marriage between a man and a woman.............” “Changes in the civil law do not, indeed cannot, change the moral law that God has established.”
TYPHOON WALLOPS THE PHILIPPINES: More than 10,000 Filipinos sought refuge with 4,000 of their Mormon neighbors in 200 chapels of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
CHURCH MILESTONE: President Thomas S. Monson announced at our last conference that the LDS Church had hit the 15 million mark.
LDS Church celebrated its 100 YEARS OF BOY SCOUTING: President Monson told the crowd, “If ever there were a time when the principles of Scouting were vitally needed, that time is now.”
NEW VERSION OF FAMILYSEARCH.ORG: Makes family history research more interactive and conveniently collaborative, with added social media, photo and story elements.
Just a few of our
HINCKLEY FAMILY HEADLINES
Since our last newsletter we have welcomed several new babies; celebrated several baptisms and sent out several new missionaries; we have at least one new Bishop; at least one engagement, one marriage, and one 50th wedding anniversary! There are several who are now in the family who are home schooling; many have taken exotic trips and others have gone on pioneer treks; we have one new author; and a few brave women who will attend the UN to fight for the family.
Read all about these and many other great family stories in this issue of
Our Family Circle!
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: We celebrate all that is good and wonderful about this amazing family. And one of the truly great things about many in this family is the way they deal with serious challenges, disappointments, and heartache. In our family right now there are those who face challenges that would make others faint. The difference of course is a foundation of faith in the Savior as described in Hymn no. 50, How Firm A Foundation. In this regard I am so grateful for the examples of Mother & Father Hinckley, my siblings, their spouses, and so many valiant individuals of subsequent generations.
HOW FIRM A FOUNDATON
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home or abroad, on the land, or the sea,
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
Elder Bednar provided this wonderful counsel for those of us who are fearful of
the challenges we face in life.
the challenges we face in life.
Fear Not, I Am With Thee
Taken from a talk given at Brigham Young University-Hawaii on December 15, 2012
Stonewall Jackson was a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Many military historians consider General Jackson to be one of the most gifted tactical commanders in U.S. history. As a young man he fought in the Mexican American war, and during the Civil War he served with General Robert E. Lee and commanded confederate troops in a number of key battles with Union forces.
Once as General Jackson was discussing strategic options with his associates, a commander began his recommendation with the statement, “I fear we will not find our wagons tonight.”
Stonewall responded to the words, “I fear,” in his colleague’s observation with a penetrating truth that ultimately became the general’s trademark: “Never take counsel from your fears” (Mary Anna Jackson, Memoirs of “Stonewall” Jackson, 1895, 264). That is the simple principle I want to discuss with you today: never taking counsel from your fears.
We live in a world that grows increasingly confused and chaotic, ever more evil and dark. As we consider so many of the things that are occurring all around us today, we could perhaps find ample reasons to be afraid, to hesitate, and to wonder if things in our lives can indeed turn out the way we have long hoped they would turn out........some......may question or lack confidence in your own ability to succeed temporally and spiritually. Or perhaps you wonder if the Lord’s promises of support and guidance—which you readily recognize and acknowledge in the lives of so many other people—will likewise be evident in your life. You may be uncertain about pursuing an opportunity because you cannot foresee all of the details about how things will work out, and thus you are reticent to start and take the first steps on that path. Or you may be so concerned about making a mistake that you fail to act in faith and press forward, and you thereby increase the likelihood of the very failure you fear.
To not take counsel from our fears simply means that we do not permit fear and uncertainty to determine our course in life, to affect negatively our attitudes and behavior, to influence improperly our important decisions, or to divert or distract us from all in this world that is virtuous, lovely, or of good report. To not take counsel from our fears means that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ overrules our fears and that we press forward with a steadfastness in Him. To not take counsel from our fears means that we trust in God’s guidance, assurance, and timing in our lives. I promise each of us can and will be blessed with direction, protection, and lasting joy as we learn to not take counsel from our fears.
As we exercise faith in Christ and trust in His promises, we can walk into the dark with the absolute assurance that our pathway will be illuminated—at least far enough to take the next step—and then the next step—and the next step.
Prophets repeatedly have emphasized the truth that our faith in the Lord can and will replace our fears.
• Joseph Smith declared, “We have nothing to fear if we are faithful.” (Joseph Smith, The Personal Writing of Joseph Smith, 319).
• President Howard W. Hunter explained, “If our lives are centered in Christ, nothing can go permanently wrong. I am aware that life presents many challenges, but with the help of the Lord, we need not fear. If our lives and our faith are centered on Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong. On the other hand, if our lives are not centered on the Savior and his teachings, no other success can ever be permanently right” (Howard W. Hunter, The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, edited by Clyde J. Williams, 40).
• President Gordon B. Hinckley testified, “.....Let us recognize that fear comes not of God, but rather that this gnawing, destructive element comes from the adversary of truth and righteousness. Fear is the antithesis of faith. It is corrosive in its effects, even deadly.
• “‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind’ (2 Timothy 1:7). These principles are the great antidotes to the fears that rob us of our strength and sometimes knock us down to defeat. They give us power.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Faith: The Essence of True Religion, 13-14).
• The Savior reassured His disciples, “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).
KAY & NED – We loved the family “campout” Aug. 1-3, organized by Spencer and Ann. Our Arizona trip around the first of July was memorable, especially in Anthem with Angie’s family; (baby Weston was the main attraction at his new home on the Fourth; fireworks were exciting, too.) They drove all the way to our frontier home for his blessing and Thanksgiving, gratefully celebrated with other family members; family bowling was fun – Kay won, but the grandkids stole the show. November ended with Gabriel’s baptism, complete family photography, and a feast at Barbara and Quinn’s home. Our church callings changed in Dec. – Kay was released as Primary music leader, and called as welfare specialist (family preparedness), and Ned was given additional responsibility as High Priests group secretary. The children miss Sister Cannon!
ANGIE & CHRIS MEE – “2013 was full of Mee-mories. In March, we decided we were done living in Podunkville (45 min. from the nearest grocery store)…and moved to the lovely community of Anthem (far north Phoenix), which is about five minutes from Chris’ work. Closer to work, closer to civilization, but twice as expensive. It is worth it though! We love it! In May, we started feeling the heat…aahhh…summertime in Phoenix is h, e, double hockey sticks. We decided too much sunshine is depressing. The summer did bring great joy to our little family though, in the form of a screaming little bundle of joy. Oh Weston, Weston, how we love you and your loud ear-piercing screams (seriously, he is by far our loudest child yet). Sooo cute though. Nina started doing a little preschool co-op with some other kids at church. She had her first experience using scissors, which resulted in a major meltdown of frustration because she couldn’t do it just right. Oh Nina, Nina, how we love you. Miri went through a brief few weeks of the terrible twos, throwing tantrum after tantrum, but she gave us the best Christmas present ever: she decided to use the potty. Oh Miri, Miri, how we love you. She has become a potty training superstar! It is lovely only having to worry about one kid in diapers. We are absolutely loving the Arizona winter; I have never enjoyed a winter this much in my entire life! It is perfect! You should all really come visit us!”
KATIE & JARED COSTLEY – They still live in a lovely neighborhood in Farr West, Utah. Jared received his Master of Business Administration degree as upgrade to his Business Logistics degree, and received a promotion and new position with the US Department of Defense, working for Israel to help maintain F-16 jets. Jared enjoys his calling as ward executive secretary, and co-teaches with Katie in the age-12 Sunday School class. Katie had a 9-lb. baby boy named Eli – a very easy, happy baby, who is quickly catching up in weight with his 3-year-old brothers. The twins, Jonathan and Jeremy, enjoy playing together, talking a lot, and are now both potty-trained; they can spend all day playing with trucks and cars, and listening to Mom read to them.
QUINN & BARBARA CANNON – Dallin is 10 and in 4th grade; though he knows most everything about the universe, he is learning more, and is down-to-earth as an expert in geography as well. Gabriel turned 8 and was baptized 11/30 by Quinn; he maintains his interest in trains, as does Grandpa Ned. Camille turned 3, started preschool, and graduated from Nursery to the Sunbeam Class; her energy amazes us at every turn. They got an orange Tabby cat named Sunset. Quinn is in his final semester of pharmacy classes at the U. The kids enjoyed YMCA Summer Camp while Quinn was on a rural hospital rotation in Nephi. Barbara is the diligent family logistics manager and historian, e-mail and phone communicator.
SPENCER & ANN CANNON – Spencer did the daily P90X workout routine for nine months until his calling as bishop, end of Oct. in Herriman; (think tithing settlement, etc.) They loved the anniversary trip to LV and Celine Dion’s concert. As YM president, he took teachers and priests on a trip to Flaming Gorge for a damn tour, and rafted the Green River. On the annual family houseboat vacation at Lake Powell, they survived a scary, slot-canyon hike, barely escaping alive (Spencer, Bryon, Emma, Porter and friends), grateful for the power of prayer and ingenuity. They hosted our family reunion at a spacious, mountain cabin at the top of Timber Lakes Estates, 7 miles east of Heber City. The zip line was most popular. Bryon got his driver’s license. Preston still sings, and reads several books a week. Emma achieved all-state 2nd place in her age group in gymnastics, and recently earned 1st place in state! Porter and Alem were baptized on the same day – Porter by Bryon, and Alem by Spencer. Porter is ranked green-belt in taekwondo, as are Preston and Ann. Alem is working up to ballet classes. Grace started gymnastics and is a natural. Ann manages her fine-candy product line, and holds the family together.
CURTIS & TRICIA CANNON – Sold two houses, moved to South Jordan, rented to build cash reserve, and got out of a financial pickle. They acquired a year’s supply of food. Tricia published her personal history through their marriage date, and attends the temple weekly. Curtis serves in the ward Young Men’s presidency, and Tricia is pianist in Relief Society and a worker in Nursery. Caleb started Herriman High.School and enjoys friends, Improv, rehearsals for the musical, and stake dances – especially 80’s, ballroom, etc. Elijah and friends make funny videos; with their Istarq’s business they fix Apple personal i devices, and with the profit they buy equipment for their videos; he was accepted at Wasatch Institute of Technology (WIT) and Itinerus (college HS); he plays piano in seminary; he and Caleb play piano and guitar, write and sing their own music. Hyrum received and honors his priesthood; he can do backflips on the ground, and loves school breaks and the film “Cloudy … Meatballs 2.” Vera is in 5th grade, and enjoys reading, learning algebra, cooking and crafts. Jaynie started kindergarten (takes the bus both ways); she likes doing homework for candy, and spends most of her time playing Mommy. Brigham, an active boy with active imagination, loves playing with Legos, and can do a backflip on the trampoline.
RICHARD & LOUISE - 2013 has been an incredibly full year for the Crosbys. As a family we enjoyed a “reunion” in August in Durango, Colorado. Jenn & Mike’s two oldest children, were the only ones absent as they are serving missions; Taysom in Santa Rosa, California (Spanish speaking), and Tucker in Indianapolis, Indiana. Both are doing well. We are grateful to Jenn for spending several weeks with us this summer helping us to collect and organize anything related to our family history. It is all now neatly located in one closet in our home. After 41 years in the janitorial supply industry Richard was more than happy to retire this year, and so far is really enjoying it. Richard’s mother celebrated her 90th birthday with most of her descendants on Thanksgiving day. Louise has enjoyed taking art classes from Del Parson and is now “teaching” an art class for her St. George grandchildren. She was surprised to be juried into the Logan Summerfest Art Fair and actually made a small profit from the venture. The funnest thing about Summerfest though was the surprise visit from several family members.
But our biggest news is...........we have received a mission call to serve in Latvia in the Baltic Mission (next to Russia)! No one could have been more surprised than we were, especially since we had requested English speaking. Thank goodness we won’t be required to become fluent in Latvian, but we do hope to learn enough to be polite. We will enter the MTC on March 17th and be gone for 18 months. We are excited, anxious....and very grateful for the example of our siblings who have already served missions and our missionary grandchildren. Like them we hope to serve honorably and be a blessing to the work in Latvia.
RACHEL & RICH GARNER - 2013 was good to the Garner family. Here it is in a nutshell. We got more settled into our home and the Riverton area. We enjoyed the produce from our first attempt at gardening in the area and spent A LOT of time putting everything up. Richie loves teaching seminary at Murray high school. If he’s not teaching seminary, he’s probably chopping wood, washing windows or taking care of the kids to give me a break. Miles will be 5 soon and is one of the sweetest kids I know. This year he’s enjoyed our neighborhood joy school group and going to work with mom at a private preschool where she teaches. He loves to “do art”, watch movies, and is learning how to ride a big boy bike, complete with training wheels. Gwen will be 3 soon and has lots of personality, mostly the good kind. She’s blossomed into a girly-girl this year and loves dressing up, dolls, and helping in the kitchen. She loves coming to pre-school with mom too. Rachel has enjoyed the part-time teaching this past year, especially since her employers have been so accommodating, but she looks forward to quitting at the end of February to have a baby! We’ve learned a lot about the Lord’s timing this year and are so excited to finally be welcoming another baby girl around March 8th. Love to you all!
ADRIENNE & CHRIS LAMB – John - 4 years old - still as active as ever, but is addicted to playing the WII whenever mom will let him. Gives the best hugs and is mom’s pal each day while the other kids are in school. This past summer he became a great little swimmer and wants to swim any chance he gets. He recently learned to write his name so he could get his own library card! Erma - 6 years old - is full of fun and femininity. Her primary teachers recently asked us “where she came from?” since she loves to say silly things and is much more extroverted than Chris and I. She continues to enjoy gymnastics, swimming in the summer and started the Chinese immersion program this year in 1st grade. It is so fun to hear her come home and count, sing, speak in Chinese! This past year has been a challenge for her as far as her teeth go though - poor thing inherited some “bad” teeth genes - and has had more than a few cavities filled as well as one tooth pulled! Paris - 8 years old - is a naturally good and easy going boy. We enjoyed his baptism last April and are grateful for his willingness to learn and live the Gospel. He’s enjoyed the scouting program so far and recently earned his Wolf badge. He’s kept busy this year with baseball in the spring, swimming in the summer and is currently involved in basketball. Thanks to Grandma Crosby’s art lessons he and Erma have learned a lot and created some wonderful artwork. They both submitted some for the reflections program and won blue ribbons! George - 10 years old - is a good big brother. I am amazed at how tall he is becoming and find it hard to believe that “my baby” will be taller than me soon. He also is enjoying scouts and recently earned his Webelos badge. He also did baseball in the spring, swimming in the summer and tried out tackle football for the first time this fall. He did great and his team made it to the championships! His coach was wonderful! Now we are busy with basketball. Any free moment he can get you will find him playing some sort of video game or reading the Hunger Games series. Kanna - 17 years old - is our year long exchange student from Japan. She is beautiful and a very nice girl and we are happy to have her in our home. She attends high school here and has been making friends although not as quickly or as easily as she had hoped for. It is interesting to have a “typical” teenager in our home. She loves to sleep in and loves hanging out with friends when she can. Adrienne and Chris - 36 years old - We are doing fine. Chris serves as the Elder’s Quorum President and is enjoying the challenges that come with that calling. Adrienne is in limbo as far as callings go right now. Chris works hard to provide for the family and Adrienne does her best to keep up with everyone. Chris recently ran the half marathon and Adrienne ran the marathon last October. We both had great experiences and are happy we did it. Chris’ father passed away in February which was difficult and we’ve had a few other “downs” like our dog flooding our basement, etc. but we love you all and are grateful for the gospel and our heritage.
BEN & BECCA - Ben continues to work in the English department at Iowa State University and plans to begin the tenure process this summer. He also continues to serve in the bishopric. Becca continues to work as an RN on the cardiac floor at the local hospital. She continues to serve in the primary. Izzy just turned 11 and is enjoying 5th grade. Her time is dominated by reading, ballet (performed for her second year in the Nutcracker), piano, and Netflix. Theo, 7, loves school, continues to enjoy chess club, and spends every minute he is allowed on his DS. Adeline, 3, continues to be our most independent (polite euphemism for insubordinate and sneaky) child, but she does it while being so affectionate and cuddly. She thanks Heavenly Father every night for “hugs” and “kisses.” So we’re leaning towards keeping her. Alec, 18 months, is a normal 18-month old boy who grunts a lot.
RUSS & NAT - Happy and healthy is our report and for that we are enormously grateful. Russ continues work at Sunwarrior serving as the company’s operating manager. The company will be relocating to St. George in the coming months in preparation for its continued growth...very exciting. At the ward level, he enjoys teaching the Gospel Principles class. Natalie is the constant in a very busy home but dreams of escaping often. Church duties also keep her busy as she serves in the Young Women’s leadership. Zadi is 17 and when she is not schooling or working, she is sleeping or shopping…with a few dates in between. She is prepping for a mission in the near future. Liesl (9) has changed the spelling of her name to Liesel. She is quite independent, is happy to be out of home school and back in public school, and is currently taking acting classes. At the time this newsletter is in circulation, Tess (8) will be baptized…it is all she talks about but usually in the context of how beautiful she looks in her baptism dress. She also spends all free time with her art and considers herself a ‘Louise Crosby’ protégé. Josephine is our caboose (4), she is either hot or cold, no in-between with this one. She speaks little except when she is mad (all too often) but she is also a certified cuddler. She loves puzzles and can get around an ipad with precision. We count our blessings daily.
JENN & MIKE - Once again Mike and I had the opportunity last summer to be a ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ for trek. Tucker and Ilah also participated, but were in different “families”. I am so thankful Heavenly Father provided this opportunity for us and didn’t even mind the 8 ticks that came home attached to my body. Mike was called from the High Council back to the ward to be the Young Men’s President again. I am enjoying learning all about familysearch.org as I teach the family history Sunday school class. Over Christmas we moved into our new middle school building which is not your typical school set up. I am still getting used to it, but it is beautiful. AND most importantly, we are so happy that the pungent odor that greeted us for two and a half years from the dog food plant next to our warehouse school is only a memory.
Henry played Jimmy (the male lead) in his school’s production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Henry and Mike enjoy bike trips together. Ilah was inducted into National Junior Honor Society this year, and played Tweedle Dum in the school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. Both are active in sports and play musical instruments.
2013 was a land mark year for Taysom and Tucker. Tucker received the National Scholar/Athlete Award and graduated from High School and Seminary. He received his Eagle Scout award, and worked all summer in Montana/Yellowstone Park to earn money for his mission. Received his endowment in the Kansas City Missouri Temple, and is now serving in the Indiana Indianapolis mission. Taysom also received her endowment earlier in the year and has now been serving for 6 months in the California Santa Rosa Spanish speaking mission. Both missionaries are enthusiastic about the work and are totally loving their missions.
As a family we enjoyed a relaxing and fun spring break trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama where we rented a vacation home just 2 blocks from the beach. It was wonderful to spend that time together as a family before missions. We also enjoyed our Crosby family get together in Durango Colorado, and being with the extended Crosby family at Thanksgiving to celebrate my dad’s mother’s 90th birthday.
Sue & Jack: Again our family has been truly blessed this year. Jack and I are in good health and ‘...living the dream’. No, we are not wealthy. No, we are not able to do all we would like to physically, but we have become more aware of what ‘living the dream’ really means: our love for and faith in our Heavenly Father has increased, we have more gratitude for our children and their families, we are in excellent health for two old people, and we have a truer understanding and appreciation for the great ‘plan of happiness’.
Jack and I are enjoying our retirement though it is not as relaxing as we thought it would be. We keep plenty busy. We do miss the excitement and challenge of our working days; but we remember that there is a time and season for everything. We are loving the season we are in and have pleasant memories of seasons past.
We have loved being service missionaries in the dry pack cannery, which is now called The Home Storage Center because we no longer ‘can’ food, we just sell it. We never considered such a calling and were quite leery when it came. But we have come to love it and the fine people we work with – good people, every one of them. We love the work which, at first, we thought we could never do; but we’re doing it and we know it’s because the Lord has blessed us.
We enjoyed a long over due vacation in San Diego during June – a gift from Jack’s brother who lives in California. He and his wife were unable to use their timeshare slot and offered it to us. It was an offer we couldn’t refuse. Seven days of perfect weather in which we enjoyed all the offerings of this amazing city including the zoo, Sea World, the Midway, a dinner cruise, Mormon Battalion visitor’s center, Coronado, Old Towne, and of course a session in the beautiful San Diego temple.
Evan (Sabrina & seven children): Evan and family are finally comfortably situated in their newly remodeled home! Between going to school full time and to work, Evan put of a lot time, blood, sweat, and tears into that remodel. He and his family did all the tear down, clean up, and painting. This work took a huge chunk out of the final bill, but it took a huge chunk out of their time and sanity as well. Their charity was severely tested as they endured faulty contracting which caused many delays. It took nearly a year to complete the job. But the home is now beautiful and well worth the wait.
We feel grateful and blessed this year as our fervent prayers in behalf of our grandson, Bennett, have been answered in such a way that we can never doubt the reality of miracles. After a month at Primary Children’s, grappling with the ravages of meningitis, one stroke, two surgeries, a number of MRIs, short term memory and vision problems, along with many tentative weeks at home, the healing process is moving along and he is doing very well as he is back in school, hobnobbing with friends, and fulfilling his priesthood duties. We thank each of you for your prayers in Bennett’s behalf. Evan and Sabrina live in a very supportive ward filled with good people who came to their aid on a daily basis during this critical time; fasting and praying as a ward, babysitting, meals, and even house cleaning. The young people of the ward spent their activity night pulling rocks out of their huge new yard in preparation for laying sod. We are very grateful for these good people.
This past fall, Evan graduated from Weber State with excellent grades. We had a fine celebration for him, and his graduation gift was a pair of tickets to see Brian Regan at Energy Solutions in February. He loves Brian Regan’s clean comedy and is very excited to go. He has been making application to various PA schools with little success, but we are confident that the right school will present itself at the right time.
Sabrina is still working at McKay-Dee in Ogden as a much respected labor and delivery nurse. Evan and Sabrina’s children continue to dazzle us with their acting and clogging talents along with their growing ability to play the piano under the tutelage of their teacher – Aunt Merica.
Erin (Ben and two children): This year I got the best birthday present ever! In November Erin gave birth to a darling baby girl, Eliza, the day before my birthday. This little girl is Erin’s second child. Actually the baby wasn’t and isn’t so little. She weighed nearly ten pounds at birth and has been gaining ever since. Erin now has a girl and a boy. It just so happened that the day Erin went into labor at McKay-Dee, Sabrina was on duty and automatically became Erin’s delivery nurse! Can’t beat that! Sisters-in-law in the same room for the same purpose – bringing a new life into the world. Erin said Sabrina was the perfect nurse, and Sabrina said Erin was a perfect patient.
Like my other daughters, Erin loves being a mother and homemaker. She likes to develop her talents and has gleaned many of them from her very talented mother-in-law. This year she has learned how to matte pictures and gave all of us a matted picture for Christmas. She is always on the run and can’t seem to sit still. She’s always into one project or another. However, she is discovering that two children are a little more challenging than one. It’s making it a little harder to get around, and her time is not her own any more.
Erin’s husband, Ben, continues to work at L3 and has survived two rounds of layoffs and has been assured he will survive the next one this spring. He’s also received two raises since he began his employment there four years ago. He has proved himself quite indispensable. They have even offered to pay for a masters degree if he wants to take on the challenge. He’s having to give that some thought.
Erin and Ben finished off their basement just before Eliza was born. It is beautiful and very functional. Their home has now doubled in size. They are very relieved to finally get this done.
Merica (Dave and three children): Merica and her family are delighted with their new/old home. As reported last year they purchased Evan’s old home, which was our old home. So that ‘old home’ is staying in this old family. Yeh! They have made some really nice changes in it and it’s just right for their family. Merica and Evan are in the same ward which was our old ward. We’re keeping that old ward in the family as well. Both families are dearly loved there. Merica is the choir director and is doing an excellent job. We’ve witnessed her work.
Merica’s husband, Dave, is in the Elder’s Quorum presidency. He is still teaching junior high science. This year he moved to a new school which is closer to home. It saves commute time and miles. Nice.
Merica and Dave’s children are doing very well including our precious James. Being the parent of a child with autism is quite a challenge, but both Merica and Dave are perfect for the job. They love and understand James and rejoice in his every success. He has proven to be a great blessing to our entire family.
For Christmas this year, Merica’s family gave to Evan’s family. As part of their gift, Merica procured and individually wrapped 100 boxes of cereal! It was so funny watching all the Thomas children tearing open those packages. And with so many in Evan’s family, the cereal was very much appreciated.
As stated earlier, Merica teaches piano to four of Evan’s children, who are all doing very well. Merica is a gifted music teacher who is now teaching nineteen students. We see her work first hand because she gives those lesson in our home. We see (or should we say ‘hear’) her students progressing from year to year. She knows just what each child needs. We love going to her recitals and seeing how much the parents appreciate the way she is helping their children to succeed.
Alonzo: Alonzo is still in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. He’s become a very respected chef in the area, and even though his two year ‘stint’ was up in October, he has elected to stay on. After working seven days a week, holidays included, for nearly six months last year, they gave him another chef to lighten the load. This new hire is an award winning chef with close ties to the famous Alton Brown of the cooking channel. Alonzo has already learned a great deal from him and sees this as an amazing opportunity to ‘glean from the best.’ We are happy for him. Unfortunately we don’t see much of him due to his heavy work load. The food business is like that.
During this past Christmas season, Alonzo decided to join the yearly competition among the businesses in the Lava area to see who could design, build, and display the best gingerbread house in the community. Alonzo’s was the undisputed best and biggest and was featured in a local t.v. news spot where he was interviewed and congratulated. He says he’s already planning next year’s display.
Alisha: Alisha is back with us after spending nearly a year in a little rental house just down the street from us. She gave up her room here at our home so Evan and family could move in while their home was being remodeled. I think she is glad to be back. I know we are glad to have her back. She keeps the conversation going at the dinner table – that is if she’s ever at the table. She’s rarely home for dinner because of her huge work load.
Alisha continues to amaze us with her ability to tackle many projects at the same time and do them all with grace and excellence. She continues as a counselor for LDS Family Services and has been the means by which many people have found meaning and direction to their lives. She also continues to be the indispensable office manager at Reading Horizons. We really don’t know what they would do without her. She has her hands in every part of the business and is a major player in its growth and productivity. Because of her great understanding of the business and immeasurable contributions to the company, she has been asked to go with her boss, his wife, and another employee on a three week trip ‘around the world’ – literally. It’s a ‘working vacation’ of sorts – one day at work in one country and several days of play till they move onto the next country for another day of work and several more days of play. Their main ‘business’ will be in Thailand, India, and Israel with stops in Istanbul and Amman. How would it be?
Amie (Chris and almost three children): This past year, Amie was determined to tone up in order to keep her job in the Army. She went to Four Pillars in Bountiful, where the winner of the Biggest Loser worked out, and under the direction of a personal trainer trimmed up beautifully – only to discover she was expecting! Her third child, a boy, will present himself in March – he will be named Carwin Ray Johnson. This will be our fifteenth grandchild.
Amie has become very talented in the art of crochet. She has always admired her grandmother’s talents in that area and has taken upon herself the challenge to do beautiful work like Grandma Erma. I believe Amie may have surpassed her grandma in many areas of the art. She can create her own patterns. For Christmas she created a crocheted cat house which she gave to Alonzo for his cat. It was absolutely darling as well as very practical.
Amie’s husband, Chris, is working for FedEx, and the long hours and hard work has trimmed him up handsomely. So now he and Amie make for a very striking couple.
**************************************
The Thomas family enjoyed a wonderful ‘staycation’ this summer. And after many years, finally got another family portrait taken just after Christmas when Alonzo was in town.
.jpg)
As we look over the past year and reflect on all the blessings that have come to our family, we are humbled and grateful. It is obvious to us to that our Heavenly Father truly is in the details of our lives and that he is guiding us in all we do.
We (Rex and Jean) completed our mission to the Ohio Cleveland Mission in June. We are so grateful for the wonderful experiences we had as we worked with those sweet, humble people in Elyria, Ohio. We had such mixed feelings about leaving them, and yet, we were also anxious to be back home with our family again. Being able to serve a mission together has been one of the highlights of our lives. We are so excited for Louise and Richard since we know what an incredible experience they are going to have.
We have two grandsons who returned from their missions – Tayson Holzer served in the Germany Frankfurt mission until last January and his brother, Parker Holzer served in the New York, New York North Mission until mid-December. We have three granddaughters who are currently serving missions. Hannah Perry is serving in the Georgia Atlanta Mission, Afton Holzer is serving in the California Anaheim Mission and Miranda Robison is serving in the Germany Frankfurt Mission. Caitlin Howell is scheduled to enter the MTC in February, headed to the Georgia Macon Mission. We also have at least 3 other granddaughters who are planning to leave this summer on missions. We are filled with gratitude as we feel their excitement and their desire to serve the Lord. We have a world map in our home that fills an entire wall. We have colored pins showing where our children’s Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, siblings, children, nieces and nephews have or are serving missions. We’re just getting a good start and the map already looks covered with pins.
We were thrilled when Marilee and Andru blessed us with a new granddaughter in December. Her name is Savannah Noelle. She is their fifth child and a real sweetheart. That makes 47 grandchildren – 24 girls and 23 boys. Ben and Sarah are expecting their sixth child in March. This will be a baby boy and we are so happy for them.
We can hardly believe how many of our grandchildren are in college. That indicates just how old we are getting. Matt and Hideko’s son, Brian, is attending BYU. He is studying medicine. Susan and Nelson have three of their children in college – two at the University of Utah and one at Utah State. Tayson and Mataya are going into engineering and Parker is studying Physics. Laura and Lon have two going to Utah State. Kate is studying horticulture and Jessica is going into elementary education. Andrew and Julie’s son, Taylor, is attending the University of Utah and focusing on engineering. Natalie’s daughter, Cami, is going to BYU and headed into Therapeutic Recreation. They are all very serious students who are goal oriented and studying hard and doing very well.
Laura, Marilee, Natalie and Dustin’s wife, Sara, are homeschooling their children. The children are all doing so well and seem to be thriving. This takes so much dedication and work on the mother’s part, but we see amazing things happening with their children. They are all very bright, capable and confident young people. If there are any parents looking for a good book to read along these lines, we would recommend the book, The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer.
In December we all met at the Sandy Cemetery on the anniversary of our sweet Tiffany’s passing. We paid tribute to her and then we let off quite a number of Chinese Floating Lanterns. It was a tender time for us as we remembered her wonderful life.
We have a fair number of special trips that were taken by our family members during this past year. Hideko and Brian went to Japan and had a wonderful time visiting her Mother and sightseeing. Susan and Nelson’s family went on an Alaskan Cruise which they loved. Laura and Lon’s family spent a week in California and had a great time. Andrew and Julie’s family all went to Italy and had a delightful time. Ben and Sarah, along with her extended family, went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They loved being able to get away and just relax and have fun.
Marilee and Andru are building a home in Charleston, S. C. and hope to be able to move in sometime this spring. That will be wonderful for them and it will save a three hour commute each week for Andru. We are very excited for them.
Marvin and Ben are now in the business of building swimming pools in Henderson, Nevada. This holds great possibilities considering how many people there are who want pools there. They feel good about this venture.
Matt and Nelson are both on the High Council. Susan is the Young Women’s President. Lon is the Scoutmaster and Andrew and Julie are both in the presidencies of the Young Men and Young Women. Ben is in the Bishopric, Janiel is the Relief Society Secretary and Bill was just released from the Elder’s Quorum Presidency. We have several who are in teaching positions or involved in the music. We are so grateful for the dedication and willingness of our children to serve wherever they are called to serve.
Laura and Natalie are both going (at their own expense) to the UN in New York this March as volunteers with Family Watch International to do all they can in the fight for ‘family’. We are so proud of them for being courageous enough and willing to take a stand against all that is taking place when it comes to the all-out attack on the family. We will be anxious to hear all about their experience. To learn more, go to familywatchinternational.org and sign up for their emails or even better, order the book Stand For the Family, by Sharon Slater and learn what you can do to help.
We are blessed with some very talented grandchildren. It’s so thrilling to see our children and grandchildren surpass us in every area. We love it. In Matt’s family, we have Rachel and Ashley who are great on the piano and Reagan has really taken to wrestling. In Susan’s family all of her children play the piano very well and then they all play at least one other instrument very well. They have a great family band. Tayson is quite gifted when it comes to arranging musical numbers. Tayson is also very involved in Family History and is currently working on writing Rex’s Life Story. We are so grateful that he wants to do that. In Laura’s family there are Truman and Emma who play the piano beautifully. Kate does amazing handiwork and beautiful craft work. Truman is also in the a’capella choir at school and they have had some terrific performances. Andrew’s son, Tate, earned the necessary money and bought his own horse. He is quite the horseman – very capable and very knowledgeable. He is also, very skilled in finding names to take to the Temple. Marvin’s son, Caleb, has started playing the cello and is really enjoying that. Marilee’s children, Annalee and Samuel, both play the piano and are doing very well. Natalie’s children, Cami, Danielle, and Ira, all play the piano beautifully and Ira also plays the trumpet and is very good. We love getting ready for each day, listening to the sound of music as they do their piano practicing. Ben’s children, Hyrum and Caroline, play the piano and love it. Hyrum, also has his own little business where he has made a good amount of money cleaning out people’s garbage cans. It’s really quite impressive. Dustin’s, Lily, age 12, plays the piano and she recently spoke in Stake Conference on Family History. She was calm and confident through it all. We were very proud of her.
We love having Natalie and her children living with us. They bring a lot of life to our home. They are delightful and we’re sure it’s helping us stay younger than we would otherwise be. We are so impressed with Natalie’s over-all attitude. She is very courageous and strong and at peace with herself.
We are so grateful for our wonderful family. We don’t know why we deserve to have so many wonderful blessings. Our family spent months planning and preparing for our 50th Wedding Anniversary. They really worked hard to make it all very special for us. We so appreciate all their efforts. It was so wonderful to have all of our family here for the celebration, except for the missionaries of course. This would have to count as the hit of the year. We can’t help but look at our family and count our many, many blessings. When we first married 50 years ago we had no idea what was ahead for us. Now we look back over those past decades and we are just in awe of how it has all turned out. We think of the many answers to our prayers in behalf of our family and we are so grateful for the way they are living their lives and the way they are raising their own families.
We so love all of our extended family. We loved the Hinckley Family Reunion that the Lon Hinckley Family put on. It was terrific and it brought back so many special memories. We constantly marvel at your strong wonderful examples. We feel blessed to be a part of this family.
Harold and Diane: Our entire family traveled to Southern California this year, which was a lot of fun. Our grandchildren continue to be enthralled with Disneyland, Sea World, Universal Studios, etc. so we all had a great time. We are also very happy for the neat things going on in the extended family, such as missions, callings, babies, etc. The Cousin Connection was fabulous, so we are thankful for the Lon Hinckley family’s efforts.
A lot of our focus this year has been on the care of Diane and her Alzheimer’s disease. It is a blessing to have our entire family in the SL Valley because they all contribute to caring for their mother, but we will eventually be bringing in additional help. We have tried to not make things too public, but feel that at this time, it’s appropriate that our entire family knows. About 4 years ago, Diane was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and unfortunately, the disease has progressed rapidly. She is still physically pretty strong, but her mental and cognitive abilities are gone. She can’t read or write, name her children, shower or dress herself… pretty much anything without substantial help. Please don’t think I’m telling you all this so you can feel bad; not at all. It’s just simply something that we thought you should all know, because Diane (and probably I) will not be able to fully participate in all future activities and programs. Not that we wouldn’t want to, but rather that it’s just a bit awkward and embarrassing for her to not feel comfortable.
We love this extended Hinckley family and thank you for your love and support as we head into a wonderful 2014!
Allison and Curt McDaniel Family: Like many, we are grateful that 2013 is behind us. Allison was hospitalized twice this past year, but is now cancer-free and plans to return to work this coming year. Curt is still working as a Sales Manager at Channel 4/ABC TV and doing really well. In his spare time, he trained and competed in a few triathlons, traveled to Texas and California a few times, and did a great job as the foundation of our chaotic family. J Dru and Lindsay will be graduating from Alta High this summer and are looking forward to college experiences and getting better jobs. Lindsay had the fantastic opportunity to travel to the Meditteranean this year and Sara will be traveling to Panama this summer. Sara has been 100% focused on being a cheerleader, first with a competitive gym in Sandy, but then making the varsity squad at Alta as a Sophomore. All of our kids are great students, have great friends, and enjoy the experiences that come with high school – dances, assemblies, sports, activities, clubs, etc. Kate started the 5th grade in the Gifted/Talented program and loved spending her summer with us in Utah.
Angel & Brian Stevens Family: Every year we joke that we could seriously just put “see last year’s entry” because nothing has changed. And this seems like another one of those years! Brian is still with Skywest Airlines. I still work at my daughter’s elementary school. We still have just two kids. We haven’t moved. There have been no major illnesses/surgeries. And we still haven’t won the lottery. Although it’s kinda boring, we feel very blessed. Emily is almost 13 and LOVES being in middle school and Young Women’s. She loves doing super silly dance moves and cleaning/organizing her bedroom. Jill is 10 and LOVES to make a mess and leave it. Jill got a stray cat for Christmas and it’s basically the love of her life.
Kate and Adam Hinckley: The past year brought some minor health setbacks – apparently the result of being in your 40’s. Who knew? Last year offered plenty of opportunities to work hard, play hard, and spend some quality time with the family. It’s been great to have everyone back in the valley so we can watch all our nieces and nephews grow. They’re all just “good kids” and we’re very proud of all of them. Kate is still at CompHealth and seems to enjoy it. She spent most of the year working with their Activities Committee, and must have done a good job since she was recently promoted to the Senior Program. I just wrapped up my 16th year with the same company, and I’m still enjoying the ride. I’ve been very fortunate to work with some good people in a fun environment for longer than I thought was possible these days. We had the chance to go sailing in the British Virgin Islands this past fall. Other than a little sea sickness and some jellyfish stings, it was a blast. We recently moved back to a rental home in the Avenues while we patiently wait for our next dream home to hit the market. When it does, we’ll be ready. The highlight of our year, though, was Kate’s little sister’s wedding. They asked me to marry them, which was a unique and fun opportunity. Everything seemed to go to plan and I think everyone enjoyed the event.
Amanda and Brian Clark Family: It has been an extremely difficult year with my mom and her declining mental health, and it’s tough to find a silver lining in this particular trial. So far we have discovered the rich Christ like love that comes when you truly serve from the heart. We love her so much and have treasured the opportunities to help care for her. Thanks to all the family for your love and support.
Brian: Still with Teerlink Cabinet and enjoying his work. After 5 years was released from the bishopric…only to be called right back as Executive Secretary! He took the kids skiing, backpacking and enjoyed scout campouts with Ethan.
Amanda: After a year of working full time, was finally able to go back to part time! And couldn’t be happier!
Ethan, 13: That’s right, we got ourselves a teenager! He started junior high this year and enjoys 7th grade so far. He still loves sports, especially soccer (Go Real!), and is a voracious reader! He participated in Pioneer Trek this past summer, and enjoyed a few scout camps - especially the ones to Moab and Crystal Hot Springs.
Megan, 10: A fun highlight this year was getting to be the Channel 4 weather kid. She had so much fun and did an amazing job! Tolerating 5th grade. Our creative genius who amazes me every day with the things she makes!
Dillon, 8: Baptized this year! Such a wonderful occasion! He is doing great in 3rd grade, but says he only goes to school to see his friends! Still obsessed with Legos but now has to split his time with his new love…Minecraft! He also took 1st place in his first Cub Scout pinewood derby.
Andrea and Chuck Stackhouse Family: Chuck continues to still work for Gap Inc. as their retail manager for the outlet store in Lehi, Utah. He has recently started coaching adaptive teen basketball. Although it has just started I can tell Chuck will enjoy getting to play basketball with these kids as they learn from him and he learns from them.
I am working as a home care nurse for Good Shepherd Home care and Hospice. Work is keeping me very busy these days so I have very little spare time. Along with all the responsibilities of being a mom I enjoy helping care for my mom whenever I can. I personally want to thank all of my aunts and uncles for being so supportive, patient, and helpful when it comes to my mom and her health.
Ashlyn just completed her first semester of college and although she complained about it I think she enjoys it. She hopes to graduate as a radiology tech. She has been working at Dan’s for the last 3 years but hopes to have a new job real soon. Caden is in his first year at the Junior high school but the fellow students have been very accepting of his Down’s Syndrome. Caden enjoys going to school and although he may not be learning a lot he sure enjoys the social interaction. Caden plays adaptive basketball and really is becoming a good player, and one of the best shots on his team. Cortney is currently in the 5th grade. She started at a new elementary school this year and has really enjoyed making new friends. Cortney is very involved with her Company dance team. She currently spends three nights a week at the studio practicing for her upcoming competition season.
Ann and Justin Hamilton: Married life is nowhere near as easy as my parents made it look, but it is starting to settle in to a good rhythm for us after one tough year. Justin finally found employment at Pyramyd Air (yes, that’s how it’s spelled) the largest Air Gun retailer in the US. He’s a natural salesman but I think he just really loves talking about guns all day. Although some days I think it is just making him miss the Marine Corp even more. I’m still with Great Mountain West/G54 Design Apparel. After 7 years there, I’m really enjoying what my position is turning into. I get to do a lot more with design and color selection so it keeps things interesting. Justin and I will have closed on a new town home by the time you read this. We adopted a shelter kitty this year. Her name’s Norah and we pretty much treat her like a human…to the point that it’s kind of pathetic and making us think we should probably just start a family. We were so lucky to have been in an incredible ward this last year! We are so nervous for our new ward but excited to see what ways we might be able to serve.
EARLE AND JOANN PEIRCE: We are finally seeing that life does slow down some. We look forward to our daily naps, Turner Classic movies, and reading obituaries to see who else we know our age has graduated. We’re most grateful that our health has been fairly good. As with most older people, we have to deal often with the reminders that our bodies do age and we do have some aches and pains and memory loss that remind us of our mortality. JoAnn had some throat surgery earlier in the year that caused some concern, but all seems well at this moment. We are still serving at the Draper Temple, also serving in the ward as assistant ward mission leaders, Earle in the Sunday School Presidency, and JoAnn will be released this week from Primary (she thinks). We are leaving this coming week for Maui, HI for ten days to celebrate Earle’s 80th birthday. We’re grateful to reach this milestone and excited to leave all the snow behind and enjoy the beauty and warmth of the island. We had never traveled in Texas, so in April, we decided that we would check some of it out. We loved the River Walk and the Alamo in San Antonio (quite romantic) and Earle loved the bats in Austin. We even liked Johnson City (LBJ’s country). Ed was in charge of our Peirce Family get-away this year. We stayed in a lovely large cabin in the mountains near Coalville for three days. The cabin had pool, ping pong, and foosball tables, an outdoor hot tub, theatre room, large area where we had our Peirce crazy Olympics, as well as other games and activities. We really had a marvelous time together. One downside however, was that Garrett, Ed’s oldest child, had to have an emergency appendectomy the morning of our first day. The sweetest experience of our year was traveling in September back to our family beginnings in Phoenix, AZ to bring our second-born child, Steven, (his remains) home to Utah. Steven would have turned 50 years old on September 12. Our children and grandchildren gathered at the Larkin Cemetery in Sandy for a special memorial to remember Steven’s short life. Each family brought a bouquet of flowers for the gravesite as well. After the memorial, we went to our home and had a 50th birthday party for Steven! This past December, our entire family was together again for Christmas Eve for the Peirce family talent show, nativity enactment, games, gifts, and dinner. Santa even managed to find Nathan and family who came from Colorado for Christmas this year. We delighted in watching the excitement of his children on early Christmas morning, as well as enjoying some of their Christmas morning traditions. The Lon Hinckley family handled the Hinckley family reunion so beautifully. We loved it and loved seeing all of you....even though we did not have a chance to visit with you all. Having Jean and Rex return from their amazing mission was a highlight also. Celebrating their beautiful 50 year marriage with Jean’s siblings and their spouses at our home was so much fun! Jean and Rex truly are a remarkable couple!!
ED & MARSHA AND FAMILY: Ed continues working the nightshift at the main Salt Lake Post Office as a mechanic. Because of the massive changes and downsizing in the postal service, he is grateful that he still has a job. Marsha and the children are very excited about returning to the Philippines for 6 weeks this summer. Because of work, Ed will go only for a week. He loves the Philippines also....he served his mission there and spent some military time there as well. Ed is the Peirce Family movie aficionada. His favorite activity is to take Marsha to dinner and a movie. Marsha continues part time as a special education teacher at the elementary school. She is a natural homemaker and loves to cook...with a lot of attention to the presentation and detail. She is very involved in her church and has a nice group of church friends that she entertains often. Garrett is in the 7th grade and goes to a new charter school. His passion in life is the computer and computer games. Meadow is in the 4th grade and is very artistic...loves paint, markers, crayons, oils, etc. She also has a passion for the computer.
LYNDA & SCOTT AND FAMILY: It has always been our dream to take our family to Hawaii and we did it in 2013! We spent eight incredible nights in Maui: visited many different beaches, enjoyed every beautiful day snorkeling; seeing many sea turtles and all kinds of fish, boogie boarding, diving for urchin shells, relaxing, eating fish tacos or burritos, and just simply enjoying our time together. Three of us had a close encounter with some sharks, which shook us up...what a memory though! Scott continues teaching Gospel Doctrine and Lynda teaches in Young Women’s. In October, Eric proposed to Megan Dietz. He proposed to her while they were looking for what she thought were just pumpkins in a pumpkin patch. Eric led her to carved pumpkins that read, “Megan, will you marry me?” Of course, when she figured out what was going on, Eric was on one knee with her ring. We love Megan and are very excited to have her in our family. They will be getting married on June 7, 2014.
NATHAN AND ROBYN AND FAMILY: This was definitely an in-the-trenches-year for us. We worked on several continuing projects and fought a few fires too. Our kids span all age groups. With so much going on, we shelved most of our plans for big vacations. This was a year to finish things we already started. Collin and Randy, after many years of training, successfully tested for their junior black belts in February. In August, Nathan followed suit and successfully tested for his black belt. During the summer, the family finished our Mormon Trail project. Nathan and Collin bicycled the last 150 miles from Granger to This is the Place Monument. And on the home front, we finished a landscaping project that was seven years in the making. The most peculiar aspect of our daily routine is the fact that each of the five children attend a different school. Cora attends a mother-run preschool twice a week. She can spend hours with her dolls and coloring books. Sydney is our only child in elementary school (4th grade). She loves being part of musical productions. She also started karate this year. Owen is in middle school (6th grade). Owen took up both the piano and violin this year. Randy attends Liberty Common High School, a charter school. We are impressed with how much he is learning there. Collin is a junior at Fort Collins High School and has become interested in math and engineering. His dad has started taking him to college visits. Nathan neglected his back health and learned a hard lesson by getting a herniated disc. He has been dealing with ups and downs for several months and is scheduled for surgery this next week.
SHANNA & TOM AND FAMILY: Tom: Scout master, Riverton City Stormwater Manager, bicycling to work most days, Shanna: Pre-school teacher, triathlete, taxi driver to kids, den leader, Sage: (16 years old) High school dance company, piano, straight A student, earned YW Medallion, Tanner (13 years old) Percussion in school band, basketball, tennis lessons, Minecraft video game, Brynn: (9 years old) Tumbling, flute in school band, sings in ward choir, likes to be silly, Grace ( 4 years old) Preschool, soccer loves to be different animals, has a six pack physique from all the jumping around.
SHERMAN & JOCELYN AND FAMILY: Sherman experienced the most change last year: First of all, he quit moonlighting at J.C. Penny, and is now 100% at his office. It was a scary step financially, but we have enjoyed having him home more often. It is also nice that he can set his own schedule. In July, Sherman was released as Executive Secretary and called as the Elders Quorum president. It was a bit overwhelming for him at first, but he is settling in to it and even getting used to the last minute calls for help moving people out of the ward that no one even knows. Jocelyn’s big change was a new calling also. Last January, she was released from the primary presidency and called as a Relief Society instructor. It is a big change going from teaching children to teaching adults, but it has been a good change. She loves the study and preparation that goes into it, but doesn’t always love the teaching part. The nicest part is that she only has to teach every other month. Braden turned 12 in May and has received the Aaronic Priesthood. It is so fun to watch him carry out his responsibilities - he takes them very seriously. He also started middle school this year which to his mom was a very big step. He was nervous about it, but seems to love it now. Landon is in the 5th grade and still in the Chinese immersion program in his school. It still amazes us to hear him speak and watch him interact and communicate in Chinese. He is doing Jr. Jazz this year and loving it. He doesn’t even seem to mind that he is the shortest person on his team. Maddie started first grade this year and is also in the Chinese immersion program. She was really nervous about Chinese, but has really embraced it. She loves to sing and anything princess. Megan is 2-1/2 and rules the roost. She is a happy little girl, and continually makes her mom smile. It was hard for her to let all her siblings go off to school without her, but I think she now realizes that she enjoys having mom all to herself.
BRIAN & BECKY AND FAMILY: We started out 2013 by receiving a wonderful gift, our second girl, Abigail . She is so cute, you gotta see her. She is crawling as we write this entry. She is getting into everything. No one can make her laugh quite as much as her big sister, Ella. Ella is now 3 and has just started dance lessons. She is quite the chatter box and her command of the English language is exceptional for her age. She makes us laugh with some of her mature-ish phrases and gestures. She is a demonstrative and loving child. We love her affectionate hugs and kisses and “I love you”s. Her mother, Becky, is a rock star Mom. She has put on hold her dream to visit Antarctica, to take care of these rascals. She loves her children very much and is always there to make sure things are okay. Amazingly, she does find the time to prepare for her Relief Society lessons. Brian is still in limbo. We shall see what happens with him. In the meantime, he is working full-time with the State and is taking networking classes. He is also in the Elder’s Quorum Presidency. He has little spare time.
Lon & Stephanie
Our children treated us to a sleigh ride, dinner and overnight stay at the Homestead!
Stephanie (Aunt Steph/Gramma Steph)—ward music chairman & choir director / has had some amazing experiences leading the choir / had so much fun attending BYU Education Week classes of Dr. Jaren Hinckley on Profound Music of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque Era, & the Romantic Era with Lissa and Camille / played Bach in organ recital in Assembly Hall / led the discussion on A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, by Donald Miller in book club—“Are you living a good story?” / still chairing the Salt Lake Area of UFMC (Utah Federation of Music Clubs) / still teaching lots of wonderful students (13 grandchildren, 3 adults, 13 neighbors) / plays the piano!
Jonathan & Audra
Jonathan (Dad): High Priest Group assistant / keeps everything running around the house / KSL.com-user extraordinaire / chaired the Arza & Erma Hinckley Family Cousin Connection at Ensign Peak—weather miracle—amazing event!
Audra (Mom): Wolf Den Leader / Stake Nursery Leader for weekly “Sisters & Scriptures” meeting / bookkeeper for Dirty Devil Disposal / loves handwork & baking!
Surprised their children with a trip to Southern California!
Stephanie: Sophomore at Skyline High School / driver’s license in hand / has fun with great friends / plays the piano!
Rebecca: 7th grade at Wasatch Jr. High School / loves Young Women / cross-country runner / flutist / plays the piano!
Rose: 4th grade at Morningside Elementary / French Immersion program / loved meeting “Sleeping Beauty,” whose real name was also “Rose” at Disneyland / not a winter-sport kind of girl / plays the piano!
Bryant: 2nd grade at Morningside Elementary / friend to all / thoughtful & kind / loves swimming and soccer / baptized on October 12th, plays the piano!
Jaren & Jane
Jaren performed in Assisi Italy / had his text book published: The Educated Listener: A New Approach to Music Appreciation / ward music chairman & ward choir director / BYU Education Week presenter / invited to speak at Women’s Conference at BYU May 1-2, 2014!
Jane was Jaren’s number one groupie on the trip to Assisi, Italy / Relief Society president / keynote speaker at All Things Austen Conference at Covey Center for the Arts / taught a class on Gothic Novels & Gothic Revival Architecture & a class on Jane Austen novels and their film adaptations at BYU.
Emma (12) gave her second sacrament meeting talk after her first Girls’ Camp experience (gave her first sacrament meeting talk when she was 10 in Vienna) / started 7th grade at Provo High School / plays the french horn / plays the piano!
Cate (11) climbed to the top of Aspen Grove’s climbing wall / enjoyed floating in the Great Salt Lake with her cousins / got glasses / plays the piano!
Ian (8) was baptized in between conference sessions on his birthday, Saturday, April 6 / enjoys playing baseball / draws comic strips in English and French—to his French teacher’s delight / plays the piano!
Janny (6) 1st grade / started French immersion / made a movie in French with her siblings / loves chihuahuas
Lissa & Vince
The Larissa & Vince Humphries household went to New York, Washington and Pennsylvania for a fantastic vacation this year. It was amazing that everything on the trip worked out. We never lost the kids in the crowded streets and subways of New York because they are all taller than most New Yorkers. SIRI and GPS capability were our salvation on the Washington freeways. We found online “stubs” tickets that were cheaper than the hot dogs for a New York Yankees game. We biked in Central Park, saw Niagara, and watched the Palmyra Pageant. Ten days of great memories!
Lissa teaches 26 cello students, has a calling in the Nursery, and still loves biking.
Vince is still working as a Design Engineer for L-3 Communications, and is in the HP group leadership.
Jason is an Electrical Engineer at Syscon Automation, making everything from yogurt packaging to sewer treatment work better for YOU! / plays the piano!
Blake (nephew) is in accounting at Weber State.
Stephen is in Business at the UofU, works for uncle Joel, and still loves movies / plays the piano!
Camille studies Computer Engineering at the UofU, works as a Research Assistant in the Math department, and is ward organist / plays the piano!
Spencer is a senior at Bountiful High School, snowboards every chance he gets, and has sent his mission papers in to the Bishop / plays the piano!
Alex is a sophomore at Bountiful High School, plays drums, and has a band (search “SRF run away baby” on YouTube) / plays the piano!
Joel & Kim
Joel & Kim moved to Heber / had a baby / bought a tractor
Kim serves as Cubmaster / Joel is Deacons Quorum Adviser
Andrei (13) 8th grade at Rocky Mountain Middle School / deacon / plays undersized Power forward (basketball) / baseball / trumpet / plays the piano!
Mack (12) 6th grade at Timpanogos Intermediate School / deacon / basketball / soccer / trumpet / emerging bow hunter / plays the piano!
Tea (10) 4th grade at Old Mill Elementary / school choir / soccer / swimmer / friends / four-wheeling enthusiast / knits / plays the piano!
Maddie (8) 3rd grade at Old Mill / great student / baptized on August 3rd / swims like a fish / also loves four-wheeling / plays the piano!
Nate (5) kindergarten at Old Mill / loves to build / budding farmer / ice fisherman / soccer
Sam (3) happy to be in Primary / keeps busy / buddy to Nate
Zeke (brand new) full name=Ezekiel Joel Hinckley / eats / sleeps / charms us all
Burt (dog) old / best family dog ever / Gramma even likes him
Cocoa (new dog) hit by car / recovering miraculously
Jessie & Don: It’s been kind of a tough year for Jessie. In June she broke her hip and some of us wondered how she could ever recover. But she beat the odds, and has since attended several major Hinckley family events including the after Christmas dinner and the Cousin Connection. Don still walks over to the Senior Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I asked Jessie how she felt about Don and she said “He is the best caregiver anyone could ever have.” Don said of Jessie: “She’s a wonderful girl.”
Don & Kathy: Even with an empty nest, Don & Kathy keep very busy. We are grateful for the way they care for Jessie and Don and see to it they are able to attend some of our family functions. It was great to see them at the Cousin Connection. Their daughter Megan recently gave birth to a baby girl which has increased their children to two – a boy and now a girl. Mason is married and has a baby. Marshall has graduated from law school.
John & Janette: John is still teaching math at South Davis Jr. High. Their son Adam is a marvelous mechanic and recently married in the temple.
Dave & Danean: Doing very well in his business. Danean is still working. They were proud of their three sons as they all got their Eagle Scout awards on the same day. Their oldest is looking at a mission in a little over a year.
Matt & Rebecca: Decided to sell their home and move to Nashville.
Tom & Tiffany: It was good to see Tom and Tiffany at the Cousin Connection. Still doing well in business. Back in October Tom wrote on his fb page; “Tiffany and I are working on a goal to see every NFL team play in their home stadium. We [still] have a lot of traveling to do.”
Sara & Gordon: Their daughter Kayle married this past summer. Kayle & husband James are looking forward to graduation from BYU Idaho – James in April and Kayle in July. After Kayle’s graduation they will be moving to Omaha where James will go to dental school. Sara & Gordon’s daughter Madison keeps the whole family hopping with her energy. She had trouble putting on weight but medications have helped. Their son Jack is getting ready for baptism. Gordon recently graduated with his masters, paid for by his company. He’s been in four bishoprics and is now teaching seminary which he loves. He’d like to do it full time. Both Sara and Gordon are looking forward to helping Kayle & James move to Omaha this coming summer.
Cousin Connection 2013
The Cousin Connection in 2013 was hosted by the Lon & Stephanie Hinckley family with Jonathan taking the lead. Because the younger/newest generation was invited, Lon’s family thought it would be a good idea to introduce them to their Great Grandfather Arza. None of them ever knew him, and possibly would never know what a truly great man he was without such an introduction. So......we met at a church building just below Ensign Peak, and those in good enough shape made the hike. Ensign Peak was Grandpa’s last big project. He organized and motivated the right people to collect money and restore the monument on the peak, and to build the Ensign Peak Memorial Park. In the Church’s parking lot Lon gave the children rides in the “bumpy wagon” invented and built and built before some of the aunts were even born. The secret was offset wheels on the back end of the wagon.....(or was it an offset axle on the back end?)....which created a very bumpy ride especially for those in the back when the tractor pulling it got up to speed. It was the hit of every party and gathering at the farm. Like a lot of grandpa’s inventions (the zip line, the derrick swing, the 3 story wood slides, and hay barn tunnels)......it wasn’t particularly safe, but boy was it fun! Hopefully this new generation will now remember the bumpy wagon fondly when they think of their Great Grandfather Arza.
Lon and Harold mentioned a few other of father Hinckley’s many accomplishments, and Lon shared the following story. (This is the condensed version. For the rest of the story look in Grandpa’s history.) It was exceptionally difficult for Grandpa Arza as a young teenage transplant from Hinckley Utah, to deal with the more urban sophistication of Salt Lake City. But having learned to drive on his father’s farm in Hinckley he decided one day to impress the kids in his Salt Lake neighborhood, who didn’t drive, by taking them on a ride in his parents’ car.......without their knowledge or permission.....up the nearby canyon. When they got to the end of the road it was too narrow to turn around and they were stuck there for hours while his parents and the parents of the other youth frantically called in the police. Once found and returned to their distraught parents, young Arza was instructed to bring a switch from the tree in the front yard so his father could give him a “whipping”. That night his mother came into the room, cried with him, told him she loved him, prayed with him, and then gave him a brown card with a picture on it of a young barefoot boy looking up at castles in the sky. Around the picture his mother had written the following counsel. “Ambition has made masters of the world out of barefoot boys; It has founded empires and built great cities. Your ambition is priceless. It urges you to greater things, to a higher position in life. Have your visions and make them come true! Listen to the voice of a worthy ambition as it calls you forward to success.” Arza kept the card for the better part of his life and said that it had a more positive influence on his behavior than any form of discipline he ever received.
As the evening came to a close we went into the cultural hall for a sentimental video of father Hinckley and family at the farm masterfully put together by Jonathan. It brought back many cherished memories of special family times at the farm. Thanks again to the Lon Hinckley Family for a wonderful event!
Excerpts from “A Time For Faith Not Fear”
by Elder Larry W. Gibbons
Ensign July 2013
Trials and difficulties are a necessary part of life and not a sign that the Lord has forgotten us or is displeased with us. Life is a test. Trials may come even if we are seeking to put the Lord first in our lives. • One of the reasons we are here on earth is to strengthen our faith. • When the night is dark and the clouds are thick, we have an opportunity to put our hand in the Lord’s hand and rely on Him to help us through. Doing so strengthens our faith. • I have found that usually when we face our most difficult tests, the Lord is there ahead of us to prepare the way through them. “For I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88) • Sometimes–after we have fasted, prayed, and done all we can do to dispel clouds that have not parted; after we have gone into the dark and expected further light that has not appeared; after we have lived the commandments through difficulties that remain unrelenting–we simply need to turn things over to our Heavenly Father. “.....let the Lord do some of the heavy lifting.” - President Uchtdorf • President Thomas S. Monson has said: “Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.”
