LOCAL, NATIONAL, & CHURCH HEADLINES
Top news stories since our last newsletter.
It was a tough year in news around the world: A deadly contagion spread fear across borders. One airline was hit by two disasters that left hundreds dead and missing—including one tragedy that remains a mystery. Conflict and a new brand of terror roiled Iraq and Syria. But there were moments of inspiration, too.
UKRAINE: Anti-Russian protests in Ukraine ultimately led to the Russian invasion of Crimea - and what some are calling a new cold war with the United States.
LENO: In February, 15,000,000 viewers watched Jay Leno end 22 years as host of “The Tonight Show.”
MALAYSIA AIR: The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with 239 people traveling from Kuala Lampur to Beijing.
KIDNAPPED: 200 Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists - most never to be seen again.
LEBRON: Basketball star LeBron James left the Heat in Miami to return to his home state Cleveland Cavaliers in July.
EBOLA: Ebola outbreak in West Africa became a full-blown epidemic.
Elections: Midterm elections in November gave Republicans control of both the House and the Senate.
CUBA: President Obama re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba after more than 50 years. Congress deeply divided over Obama’s Cuba.
ISIS: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria emerged as the terror successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s al Qaeda in Iraq.
Robin Williams: One of the most beloved American comedian-actors of the last few decades, took his own life at his home in Tiburon, California, at age 63 on Aug. 11.
Rosetta mission: The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission achieved something no one had ever done: Sending a lander onto the surface of a comet’s nucleus.
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS: The visit of a member of the First Presidency to the Vatican, the release of a full-length feature film in theaters nationwide and the publication of topical essays addressing “delicate issues of church history” are among the top stories involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2014. Also in 2014, four speakers in the October general conference gave their addresses in their non-English native language. The church continued to build temples, expand missionary work and provide humanitarian aid around the world. A handful of Latter-day Saint athletes won medals in the Winter Olympics.
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JUST A FEW OF OUR HINCKLEY FAMILY HEADLINES
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Gordon Searle
1968-2014
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Since our last newsletter we have welcomed several precious babies; celebrated a number of baptisms and Eagle Scout awards; currently we have many missionaries in the field; we’ve had one marriage, and most unfortunately one death; the number of homeschoolers in the family is increasing, and several of the younger children are participating in language dual immersion programs, and a number, even some of the adults, are studying ASL; many have taken exotic trips and several families have relocated; we have a number of marathoners & bikers; many of the younger generation are involved in video games, and some of our seniors have actually converted to smart phones. Read all about these and many other great family stories in this issue of Our Family Circle!
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A Note From The "Editor":
The tradition of a newsletter “editorial” or “message” began with the earliest issues of Our Family Circle and were written by Mother Hinckley. And we have honored that tradition in the ensuing years. But the responsibility for it is now rotates between the aunts and uncles. This year JoAnn and Earle have shared some great thoughts on the power of the Scriptures in our lives. The title of their article immediately brings to mind a favorite Primary song: “Scripture Power” by Clive J. Romney. It gives me a thrill each time the children enthusiastically thrust their scriptures high above their heads and sing (shout) the words “Scripture power...”
SCRIPTURE POWER
Because I want to be like the Savior, and I can,
I’m reading His instructions, I’m following His plan.
Because I want the power His word will give to me,
I’m changing how I live, I’m changing what I’ll be.
Scripture power keeps me safe from sin.
Scripture power is the power to win.
Scripture power! Ev’ryday I need
The power that I get each time I read.
I’ll find the sword of truth in each scripture that I learn.
I’ll take the shield of faith from these pages that I turn.
I’ll wear each vital part of the armor of the Lord,
And fight my daily battles, and win a great reward.
Scripture power keeps me safe from sin.
Scripture power is the power to win.
Scripture power! Ev’ryday I need
The power that I get each time I read.
POWER OF THE SCRIPTURES
We both thoroughly enjoy spending time with the scriptures daily. We were recently reminded in a sacrament meeting of the importance of scripture study and about the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty. Because of the overly strict treatment by Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian, the second in command, led a mutiny on Her Majesty’s Ship Bounty in 1789. After sending Capt. Bligh and his supporters out to sea in a boat, Christian and his mutineers returned to Tahiti where they had previously spent five months enjoying Tahitian hospitality, especially the women. One of the mutineers was John Adams, also known as Alexander Smith. He was a typical seaman -- strong, tough, and illiterate. After returning to Tahiti, Christian, with Adams and seven other mutineers, set sail in 1790 in search of a safe haven. They took with them a few Tahitian men, women, and a child. Some of the mutineers opted to stay in Tahiti and were eventually captured and returned to England where three of them were hanged. Captain Bligh had made it safely back to England. Christian, with his crew and Tahitians, found and began settling the remote Pitcairn Island. At first the island seemed a paradise, but with no law to guide them the people began to be wicked and depraved – with rampant murders, sexual abuse, drunkenness, and suicides. Within just a few years Adams and his friend Edward Young were the only men left on the island with the women and children. Adams discovered a Bible and a Book of Common Prayer from the remains of the Bounty (which had been burned). Young taught Adams how to read, using the Bible, before Young passed away from an illness. Adams continued to read the Bible in its entirety, was deeply touched and inspired by it, and began to teach it to others. He began to hold daily Bible classes and taught the children and some of the women how to read. When Pitcairn was discovered by Americans eighteen years later, the ship’s crew was shocked to find all thirty-five people to be English-speaking and devoutly practicing the Christian faith. They had a time for daily prayer, said grace before meals, and had Sunday worship. They did not steal or lie. John Adams had made the people into a god-fearing and loving community as their leader, teacher, and pastor. Adams was eventually granted amnesty and continued to act as the patriarch of the island until his death.
The scriptures were the key to the transformation of the Pitcairn community from a degenerate society to one of righteousness and unity, based on the teachings and commandments in the Bible.
Elder Sterling W. Sill stated that it is very probable that the holy scriptures are the greatest resource of our world.
President Ezra Taft Benson taught that when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, testimonies will increase, commitment will be strengthened, families will be fortified, and personal revelation will flow.
According to President Spencer W. Kimball, “if we will pursue scripture study in a determined and conscientious manner, we shall indeed find answers to our problems and peace in our hearts.....we shall experience the Holy Ghost broadening our understanding, find new insights, witness an unfolding pattern of all scripture, and the doctrines of the Lord shall come to have more meaning to us than we ever thought possible.”
The Prophet Nephi said “feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2 Nephi 32:3)
Elder Joe J. Christensen has asked if we sometimes merely nibble rather than feast on the words of Christ in the scriptures. If we haven’t already started a regular daily scripture reading program, said Elder Christensen, start today, even if it is just a few pages, and see how much better you feel about yourself. Impressive personal revelations and increased spirituality are directly associated with reading and pondering over the scriptures.
Love,
Uncle Earle and
Aunt JoAnn
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Kay & Ned – Teaching 11th & 12th grade English, meeting with DUP women, fulfilling ward and stake emergency preparedness callings, serving in high priests group leadership, getting worn out by yard work, traveling, hosting at the Ogden Temple open house, and socializing with dear friends and family, all kept us busy in 2014.
Our Hinckley Family get-togethers were especially meaningful and memorable. Gordon’s memorial services touched our hearts, and strengthened our commitment to eternal family; we love you, Sarah and children!
Cannon Family activities with our children and grandchildren included a campout in cabins at scenic Defa’s Dude Ranch, Duchesne County, 80 miles from Salt Lake City. Fishing, hiking, games, talent show, campfires … so fun!
For spring break we explored the remains of pioneer town Iosepa (“Joseph” in Hawaiian) in Utah’s Skull Valley – poignant, to say the least. We walked the vast Bonneville Salt Flats, attended Church in Wendover, and toured the museum at historic Wendover Airfield. Our late-summer retreat was at our favorite spot on the Oregon Coast … you guessed it: Cannon Beach!
Due to Angie’s high-risk pregnancy and delivery, we spent six weeks total on three trips to Anthem, Arizona. (Our granddaughter Vera was a great help with the three children during the first stay.) We celebrated the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and fun birthdays with them. Despite the challenges we faced as seniors helping with children and housework, our love for them grew. It was a privilege to see many miracles first-hand. The final return trip included Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, the Musical Instruments Museum, Sedona, Grand Canyon South Rim, and nostalgic Highway 89.
We love and admire each of our children, their spouses, and grandchildren; they are all blessed with unique talents and gifts from Heavenly Father. So grateful!! – Ned & Kay
Curtis & Tricia Cannon – We moved from South Jordan to Kaysville in August. It was nice to settle with more space on a large piece of property. Our Kaysville neighbors are nice and helpful, and the school teachers are all good.
Curt’s shoulder improved by October, after being off the overtime list for six months. Curtis is grateful he can use it now. Tricia is happy with the progress she has made on positive, spiritual change, through attendance at classes and studying at home. Elijah earned his Eagle and chose to attend a Salt Lake charter school with student-choice emphasis. He rides the FrontRunner and Trax to school and back. Caleb was in “Fiddler on the Roof” at Herriman High and “West Side Story” at Davis High. Vera has been taking ballroom dance classes, and recently won a medal. Hyrum, Jaynie, and Brigham also adjusted well to the move and their new schools.
Spencer & Ann Cannon Fam – Alexander Pope coined the phrase, “Swift fly the years.” 2014 was certainly no different. Last spring my sweet wife, Ann, and the kids decided to take up the hobby of raising chickens. Eight chicks were purchased for three dollars apiece, along with a fancy coop and feeding/watering devices. The birds, each bearing a name given them by the children, grew into full-grown birds. The expense seemed to be well worth it as the children loved taking turns feeding and watering our new pets. This past September, as these chickens were just starting to lay eggs, our favorite pet of all, Joey (Australian sheep dog), found his way into the coop one night and killed them all.
The next morning, under a beautiful sunrise, we gazed across a back yard that looked like a pillow fight gone bad – or an early snowfall, as white feathers were everywhere. We raced out to discover only death and carnage. We found Joey had lined them up like a true bird-dog, waiting for his master’s approval. We were devastated at the loss of our beloved birds we had spent all summer caring for.
After quickly cleaning things up, my wife was determined to find another eight chickens before the kids got home from school, in hopes of sparing them some pain. Sure enough, eight new beautiful chickens arrived that afternoon. We immediately went to fixing fences to ensure the coop and run were completely protected. Things were going to be okay…. or so we thought. Over chicken-soup dinner that night, Bryon, our oldest son, came racing inside, bellowing that Joey had killed all the chickens again.
We again went through the terrible process of cleaning up the massacre, but this time pushing through it in the dark of night with background sounds of kids sniffling and crying. This whole chicken thing began to feel like a bad idea…. Luckily, we found four of the birds had survived the attack. Though they bore heavy damage and I’m sure a broken spirit, we tended to the wounds, and over the next few weeks nursed them back to a degree of health.
After that fateful Saturday in October. I was at church meetings and received the following text: “An eagle came down and killed the chickens.” Ah, snap! I didn’t expect an aerial attack!
Eight more birds arrived later that week. New fortifications were installed that would rival Fort Knox. My sweet wife, with her indomitable spirit, continues to amaze me. As they say, “Success is not how many times you fall down, but how many times you get up.” Or in our case, “… is not how many birds die, but how many birds you buy.” It was also a spiritual lesson to me that as a father, I need to make sure my own home is secured, protected and proofed against all the dangers of this world. Like Captain Moroni, I need to be proactively one step ahead of the adversary in all things.
In other news: Our oldest son Bryon graduates from high school in May and is looking forward to full-time employment somewhere this summer to start saving some serious cash for a mission in the next 12 months. Preston (16) continues to be a tender-hearted soul to his pets and friends. Emma (14) is moving forward with her gymnastics. Though she has battled injury this past year, she is determined to move ahead in level 9 this spring. Porter (9) can’t help but love hanging out with the Young Men and Young Women in our ward. He insists on coming with Dad and the older kids to all the campouts and activities. Alem (9) is becoming a fantastic student. Grace (5) loves Tae Kwon Do and is determined to play football someday.
All-in-all, everyone is healthy and navigating through these sometimes challenging years with a good degree of success and happiness. What else can one ask for. We wish all of the aunts, uncles, cousins and children a wonderful 2015.
Quinn & Barbara Cannon – Quinn recently advanced in the Priesthood to the office of High Priest and serves on our Stake High Council. Barbara enjoys serving as the Visiting Teaching Coordinator (secretary) in the Relief Society. Dallin (11), Gabriel (9), and Camille (4 ½) all have excellent teachers at great schools, are doing well, and are growing up fast.
2015 will also be a big year for us – we would venture to say huge! First, Quinn will finally graduate! In May, he will receive his PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) from the University of Utah. It has been a long, challenging road, but Quinn has worked very hard and done very well. Barbara and the kids are excited to have more Quinn/Daddy time on a regular basis, once Quinn is done with school. His schooling has been a long, challenging road for them as well. We realize that we have been very blessed with much heavenly help through this difficult time, for which we are grateful. We have had many good experiences and have met many wonderful people during Quinn’s school years.
Quinn has several pharmacy job possibilities, which is the second big excitement for the year. The third much-anticipated event is finally being able to settle in one place for a long time! We have moved a total of eight times in our 13 ½ years of marriage and are ready to put down some roots once Quinn has a job. We anticipate moving to southwest Utah or central Arizona. We will miss living close to family and friends on the Wasatch Front, but won’t miss enduring the cold northern Utah winters! The fourth big event will be buying our own property, on which we eventually will build a house we designed. We are excited to finally own our own place! The fifth exciting event, for which Dallin has been preparing, is his 12th birthday in November, when he receives the Aaronic Priesthood and gets to enter the temple to do baptisms for the dead.
Katie & Jared Costley – Our family has been busy this year at home with our three little ones. Jeremy and Jonathan are now four years old and having a blast playing together every day. They rarely have any conflict with one another; their personalities are so similar, and the twin bond is definitely there. They busy themselves all day playing with airplanes, cars, and their best friends, the stuffed bunny rabbits. Winnie the Pooh is another best friend. They could watch him every day and never tire. They enjoy going to Joy School twice a week, especially when mom is teaching. They love Primary and most importantly, the treats they get in class.
Eli is now 1 ½ and making all sorts of trouble getting into things, climbing, throwing everything and terrorizing the twins. We love him. He really is such a light in our home. Besides being a terror, he is also the most loving, cuddly, and kissing child ever. He’s grown so big – almost fits into the twins’ clothes. Soon it will look like we have triplets.
Jared has been working hard at Hill Air Force Base as deputy program manager and temporary program manager. It’s been double the work, but he’s juggling it all wonderfully. He is now working for Israel to keep their F-16 planes in good shape. Last January he and co-workers went to Israel on business. Jared said that it was the most fascinating place he’s ever seen. For the past several weeks he’s been busy organizing another business trip there. Katie is a little nervous that he’s going back, but is reassured that Israel has the most sophisticated intelligence force in the world. Besides being very busy at work, Jared is also the executive secretary to the bishop and, until recently, a Sunday School teacher with Katie for the twelve-year-olds.
Katie loves her life staying home with the kids, wanting to keep them home forever; but soon she must allow them to go into the world, and enter the school system. Besides chasing Eli, she enjoys reading, teaching Joy School, painting, and drawing with the kids, and cleaning the house, then cleaning it again and again (smile). She enjoys her callings as Sunday School teacher and enrichment committee member.
Life is a beautiful gift and we are striving to appreciate every minute of it.
Angie & Chris Mee – In the words of Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The year 2014 will go down in the books as a year of caos for the Mee family...and no, it is not chaos misspelled, but rather the acronym C.A.O.S. for Chronic Abruption Oligohydramnios Sequence. The chaos, or CAOS, all started in June when Angie, thirteen weeks pregnant, was rushed to the hospital for major bleeding. The baby was given a 50 percent chance of survival. Angie was put on modified bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. With each doctor’s appointment, things were looking worse and worse for baby. By the time Angie hit 22 weeks, baby was five weeks behind on growth, with very little amniotic fluid remaining, and showing signs of brain sparing. The doctors said she would be lucky to make it to 24 weeks, and even if she did, she would be too small to survive. As a last-ditch effort to get the baby to 26 or 28 weeks, our specialist recommended that Angie stand in a pool for 30 minutes every day, and be on oxygen 24/7 to boost the placenta and intake of nutrients. Okay??? Angie never imagined she would be hooked to that oxygen machine for over three months! To everyone’s surprise, the oxygen, pool therapy, prayers, and priesthood blessings resulted in a shocking turn-around for baby. With each passing week, the specialists were astounded that our baby girl was still growing...slowly, but surely. They said that in their combined 50 years experience they have never seen such a miraculous turn-around. Angie made it to 35 weeks when she started having major bleeding again. The doctors all agreed it was time to get baby out. Within an hour after rushing to the hospital, Lucia was born via C-section, weighing exactly 3 lbs. She made it! She actually made it! After months of agonizing and worrying over our baby’s survival, she finally entered this world. With her great big eyes and a head full of dark hair, she was absolutely beautiful...perfect in every way. She spent the next five weeks in the NICU and was able to come home on Christmas Eve. It was the happiest ending to the hardest year of our lives. We can’t imagine a more perfect Christmas gift. The kids were thrilled to have her home. She was definitely their favorite Christmas present...and the only gift that has kept their fascination for longer than a week.Two weeks after Lucia arrived home, we made the long trek to Illinois for Chris’s new job. Crazy, right? He is the Budget Analyst for the new federal prison in Thomson, Illinois. So here we are, in a vacation rental, in the middle of nowhere Illinois, wondering what this new year holds in store for us. At the end of the day, as we put our little ones to bed, we feel there is nowhere else on earth we would rather be than right here sitting on the edge of Nina’s and Miri’s beds, singing Primary song after song, or snuggling Weston in the rocking chair, stroking his lil’ pumpkin head, or holding sweet Lucia, still in complete awe of this tiny, but mighty spirit. Truly, home is where the heart is.
Chris & Angie’s thank-you delivered Dec. 13th to the 40 ward families and neighbors who helped them through the pregnancy ordeal, included the following:
The Light of the World On December 13th, Christians throughout the world celebrate the life of Saint Lucia, or the “Saint of Light.” Lucia was a young woman who devoted her life to God and the poor during a time when the rulers of the land did not look favorably upon Christianity. She gave her entire dowry to the poor and smuggled food to the Christians who were hiding from Roman persecutors in dark underground tunnels. To light her way, and free her hands to carry the bread, Lucia wore a wreath of candles on her head. When the man she was to marry discovered her Christian actions and beliefs, he denounced her to the authorities. Lucia was put on trial, where she refused to deny her Christian beliefs, and ultimately died as a martyr. In life and in death, Lucia reflected the light of Christ. In many countries, St. Lucia Day marks the beginning of the Christmas season, where we celebrate the true light and life of the world, even our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the reason for the season.
We echo the words of the Savior when he said, “Ye are the light of the world…” You truly have been a light in our lives as we have welcomed our baby Lucia into the world. We are eternally grateful for your kindness and Christ-like service. Thank you for everything. May your Christmas season be beautiful and bright as you continue to reflect Christ’s light.
Love, The Mees
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So...things didn’t go quite as we had planned and hoped for in 2014. Life is like that I guess, and that’s where faith comes in. “Trust in the Lord....lean not unto thine own understanding.” And though it may be a while before Richard and I see fully the purpose in our “mission” experience, we have found comfort in a Mormon Message called “Wrong Roads” illustrating that sometimes in our journey through life we can get from point A to point C only by taking a short side road to point B. We are grateful to know that the Lord is mindful of us, and in charge of this refining process, and very grateful to Him for the many blessings of 2014, only some of which are: the loving support we have received from this family, and dear friends, both before and after Latvia; serving again in the St. George Temple as ordinance workers; the Wallace family’s move to St. George – oh how we love having them here; Taysom & Tucker’s missionary service; Taysom’s honorable release; Russ & Natalie’s new home and Sun Warrior’s move to Dixie; Tess’s and Theo’s baptisms; Ben’s achievement of tenure; Becca’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Upper Iowa University; the birth of our 20th grandchild Lindy June Garner; and most recently the news of Adrienne’s pregnancy.
As we move into 2015 we realize we are not now and never will be at the end of our challenges in this life, but we are resolved to remain steadfast in our commitment to live the Gospel, regardless of the challenges. This is what we pray for, for us and for our loved ones, each and every day.
Rachel & Rich GARNER - We welcomed Lindy June Garner on March 8, 2014. We were so ready for her to get here and she has been such a welcome addition! It’s hard to believe that by the time this newsletter goes out she will be almost 1 year old! She can definitely be spunky, but overall has a really sweet personality. Her favorite thing to do is “dance.” Gwen will turn 4 this upcoming year. She is a sponge and soaks everything up. Don’t say anything around her you don’t want repeated, verbatim. She loves going to sunbeams and joy school in our neighborhood. Miles is 6 and has had a pretty eventful year. He officially started kindergarten, fractured his humerus and is currently doing physical therapy for his eyes (a problem we were glad to have caught early). Rachel is still scratching her head trying to figure out this whole homeschool thing, but truly enjoying it. She is currently taking a photography class to try and develop a talent for something she really loves. Richie is still teaching seminary; this year at Murray middle school and the early morning class at the high school. He also started a Masters program this year in business. When he’s not teaching, studying, or preparing for his Sunbeam’s class, he likes building fires to keep our house cozy. Love to you all!
Adrienne & Chris Lamb – The Lamb Family has had a fun, full, busy year. George - 11 years: George earned his Cub Scouting Arrow of Light this past year and participated in his final Pinewood Derby as a Cub Scout. He “graduated” from elementary school and began going to intermediate school for his 6th and 7th grade years. He loves going from class to class and feeling “grown up”. He began taking band this year and is learning the Baritone, which he enjoys. He continues his guitar lessons and I love hearing him play songs like “Ring of Fire” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. George has also participated in basketball and football and has been blessed with incredible coaches that truly inspire and love the boys. Paris - 9 years: Paris was also busy in scouts earning his Wolf Badge, now working on his Bear and having fun in the Pinewood Derby and Raingutter Regatta. Paris is now in 4th grade and is enjoying it. Paris also participated in basketball and experienced his 1st year of football with his dad as one of his coaches! He continues to take piano lessons and I was pretty impressed with his version of “Carol of the Bells” at his Christmas recital. Besides all of that Paris’ passion has become coding or programming through the 4H program here. Erma - 7 years: It is wonderful to have Erma in our family - she adds femininity and just the right amount of drama. Erma is now in 2nd grade and continues with the Chinese Immersion program at school. I am amazed each time I hear her converse with her teacher. Erma began piano lessons this year and it has been fun to watch her progress. She continues in her gymnastics and I still can’t believe that she can climb the rope all the way to the ceiling at her gym! My favorite part about Erma is watching her pretend play on her bike, with her dolls, or with her friends - love it! Looking forward to her baptism this year! John - 5 years: John continues to be our “spitfire”. He started preschool this year and is enjoying it. He loves his boots, riding his bike and playing with siblings or friends, but his absolute obsession is the video game called “Skylanders”. He would play it all day and night if I would let him. He may be feisty, but he is a tender little guy and I do love his hugs! Chris and Adrienne - 37 years: Chris continues to serve as EQ President. He also continues his work as the Sleep Lab Manager for a local doctor in town. He loves his work, but the constant changes in insurance and healthcare are worrisome at times. Chris could not be “outdone” by his wife and began last year by running a half marathon in January, another half in late summer and the St. George Marathon in October - what a stud! I love him:) Adrienne now serves as a counselor to her sister, Jennifer, in the Primary! I never thought I would be that lucky! I also started a part time job at Chris’ office scheduling patients which has been fun for me. I participated in a Spartan race in April and the half marathon in late summer with Chris which was fun. We’ve hosted exchange students and have tried to keep up with the kids. We’re also expecting a baby in June and hope that this baby will survive. We love you all!!!!
Ben & Becca - The Ames Crosbys have had a year filled with new milestones. Izzy (12) has entered Young Women and loves every moment of it. We are so proud of how ambitious she has become in school, turning her weaknesses in math into strengths, while maintaining her love of reading. She also continues to pursue piano and ballet, taking four or five dance classes per week. She also received her first iPod. So she belongs to Apple now. Theo (8) was baptized this year, and he loved the opportunity to go to Utah to have the ordinance performed with grandparents and cousins all around. He is loving his first basketball league (with his Dad as coach), and he continues to do well with piano. Adeline (4) has begun pre-school and loves the opportunity to do so many new things with so many new people, whose names she does not know but whom she insists are her best friends. She is our most social kid. Alec (2) brings up the rear. Fulfilling the birth order stereotype, he can do no wrong. Every gesture, smile, word, dance, and fart is just perfect. No wonder he seems to think life is so much fun. Ben and Becca are now ASL interpreters for a deaf family in the ward. They received this calling having no ASL experience whatsoever. But they embraced the opportunity enthusiastically and have been studying steadily for more than six months now. They love communicating with deaf folks - and with each other during dinner when they want to keep the kids out of the loop. Becca continues to work as a RN on the cardiac floor at the hospital. Ben continues to teach rhetoric and speech courses in the English department at ISU, and he just received word that he will be granted tenure beginning next year. Life has its challenges: weather, aging, clutter, ISIS. But despite all of the chaos and frustration of modern life, the state of our union is strong.
Russ & Nat - The Russ Crosby family feels ever so fortunate for our continued good health, employment, and overall general happiness as experienced in 2014. Russ’s work commute was shortened considerably as Sunwarrior now resides just 7.2 miles away from our Washington, Utah home. Biking to and from the office has become a highlight on many days. Russ was afforded a business trip to China this past year and while there, traversed roughly six miles of the Great Wall. Both Russ and Natalie are engaged in various school course work, even at our advancing ages. Natalie is working toward an EMT certification which has been a goal of hers for over a decade and the children love being mom’s “patient-in-need.” Zadi (17) is all but done with her high school career and is looking adult life in the face. Full time work and college classes are on deck to which she is somewhat apprehensive though excited. She looks forward to participating in an outreach program in Lithuania in which she will help young people learn English. Liesel (10) is entering young womanhood as exhibited in her dress, attitude, and maturity level. She constantly seeks opportunities to babysit and subsequently loves to count her growing cash reserves. Mom and Dad are hoping this entrepreneurial spirit continues. Tess (8) values control of the family laptop above all else. Sacrificing sleep and food if need be. This is not all bad as she loves consuming information pertaining to anything animal kingdom related. She is now in her second year of Chinese immersion and can fully converse in the language which is impressive, yet hilarious to hear. Josephine (5) is as sweet as ever, though fiercely independent. These character traits can be conflicting at times! She loves school, board games, Bronco the cat, playing with friends, and fishing in the city pond with her mom.
Jenn & Mike - 2014 can best be described as the year of miraculous changes. In January we decided that it was time to move back west. So after nine plus years of Missouri life, we started looking for jobs in Southern Utah. During spring break Mike accepted a job teaching 7th grade Science at Lava Ridge Intermediate School in Santa Clara. We put our house on the market ‘For Sale By Owner’ and prayed. Homes in Joplin tend to stay on the market FOREVER. The following day we had our first and only showing; the next day it was sold at our asking price. I soon accepted a job teaching 7th grade English at Lava Ridge as well. We packed up our house, Mike and the kids went to their last youth conference with the Joplin Stake, and we made our way to St. George, UT to live with Mom and Dad. It is a blessing in so many ways, but the biggest blessing in my book, is that Ilah and Henry have this opportunity to really know and love their Grandma and Grandpa Crosby. Although it was a big adjustment, Ilah and Henry are focusing on the good parts of living in St. George… most of the time. Ilah has enjoyed playing volleyball and basketball for Dixie HS. Henry just finished up the swimming season with Dixie HS and started play practice with St. George Musical Theater for The Music Man. We welcomed Taysom home from her mission in Santa Rosa, CA and enjoyed her company for three months before taking her to BYU-Idaho. She loved her mission, and we LOVE having her enthusiasm for life back home! Tucker has eight more months to serve in the Indiana, Indianapolis mission. He will get to be there for the temple dedication! He loves having a comp who enjoys playing ball. Recently they played with some kids at a park. “We walked up with the other set of elders in our shirts and ties and said, ‘You wanna run 4’s?’ (for you older white folk that translates to, ‘Would you like to play 4-on-4 basketball with us?’) Some of my favorite quotes from the game, ‘You’re getting beat by suits and ties!’ ‘I’m bouta start playing for real!’ ‘You’ve got some bunnies!’ It was a blast. Afterwards, of course, we talked about Jesus Christ, and how while playing ball is fun and keeps you out of trouble, the real reason for this life is to follow His teachings.”
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Sue & Jack: Jack and I are ‘still kicking’ in spite of being in our 70s. We marvel at ‘how much water has gone under the bridge’ over those years. The past year has been wonderful, with the exception of having to say good-bye to Sara’s Gordon. We believe the world has sustained a great loss in his passing. We continue to pray for Sara and her sweet family. Jack and I are still serving as missionaries in the Church Storage House in Centerville. We have been there for two years. It’s been a great blessing to us. We’ve loved every moment of it, and have gained a great testimony of the importance of preparedness. We pray that all members of the wonderful Hinckley Family will be adequately prepared for the unsettled times to come. During the past year we have been blessed with a new grandson, the baptisms of two grandsons, seeing two grandsons receive their eagle, and watched with envy as Alisha did an ‘around the world’ tour as a job related perk. On top of all this, our family enjoyed a delightful family vacation this summer which included hiking up to Intermittent Springs outside Afton, Wyoming where Mom used to hike in her youth. We also visited her home in Afton. We spent two nights in the Haunted School House in Bancroft, Idaho, roamed the Mormon ghost town of Chesterfield, Idaho, basked in the hot & Olympic pools in Lava Hot Springs, took a wagon ride from Baker Ranch to a nearby canyon to enjoy a delicious meal in a covered pavilion and play area there, ate a full sized breakfast at the Riverside Inn compliments of Alonzo, and enjoyed a huge zip line complex just outside Lava. The vacation was simply amazing. At the end of December, we endured the angst of having to say goodbye to Evan as he left for West Virginia where he’ll spend the next two and half years in PA school. In June Jack and I decided we should join the ‘modern world’ and got some smart phones – we have yet to find the on button. We love you all. May God bless you and keep you.
Evan Thomas Tidbits:
I, Evan, am in Charleston, West Virginia attending Physician Assisting School at the University of Charleston WV. Sabrina’s parents have moved in to live with my family while I am away. I miss my family terribly, but at least we have a future to look forward to. Sabrina continues as a labor and delivery nurse at McKay Dee Hospital, and runs our house and family so amazingly well. I Facetime home every night to check in, have family scripture study, and family prayer. I love technology. Bennett (15) and Ethan (13) became Eagle Scouts this year. Clara (11) lights up all of our lives and helps us take care of the other kids so well. Henry (9) is Peter Pan in the school play and always bears thoughtful testimonies in church. Jack (5) loves kindergarten. He works hard and loves to play hard. Scarlett (3) is marvelously mischievous. She is also the poster child for Frozen mania. Stella (3) is a wonderful little goof. She and Scarlett play great together and give Sabrina a break from time to time. I love being the dad of this family. They mean the world to me. I’ve been keeping the program from Gordon’s funeral with me. I miss him too. I love my Hinckley family very much even though we don’t see each other as much as we used to. I have especially thought about Sara over the last couple of months. It helps to know the gospel plan, but I still feel anguish at times. Thank heavens for the Comforter. I love you all.
Johnson's:
The Johnson’s had a really great year in 2014! We find ourselves more thankful and aware of the many divine blessings our Heavenly Father sends us. Carwyn Ray Johnson was born in March. He goes by Ray and his older brothers call him Ray-guns. Boys are awesome! Little Ray is a delight in every way and was blessed on the same day as Rex’s baptism. Reed (4) is a real powerhouse. He doesn’t stop...for anything...except maybe pure exhaustion after a day of go go go. He’s in pre-school and loves it. He also has swimming lessons and really just wants to play. His bright smile keeps us all going. Rex (8) got baptized in May. He was so handsome! He did everything perfectly and just glowed afterwards. Mom had tears in her eyes the whole time. Rex has made such a great decision in being baptized. He’s really growing up. Amie decided even with a new baby that it was time to go back to school. So she is a full time student at night at LDSBC in Salt Lake studying accounting and is an “A” student. She actually loves it and everyone has adjusted well. Chris is still very lean at near 40 because driving (and running) for FedEx keeps him in great shape. He dominated the obstacle course at Lava for our family vacation and is looking forward to other great adventures in 2015.
Alisha:
I can’t believe it’s been another year. I still serve as the secretary in the Young Women’s presidency. I’ve had this calling for almost three years and love it. I still hold down two jobs, both of which I love. 13 years with Reading Horizons and 8.5 years at LDS Family Services. Recently some changes in policy at LDS Family Services has prevented me from continuing to teach my anger management class that I’ve been teaching for almost 8 years. In addition to these areas of life, the big new thing I experienced this year was a fantastic trip around the world! Literally. A few years ago I spent a lot of extra time on a project at work. My boss promised me that I would get a bonus up to a certain financial amount. Honoring his agreement with me, in February/March 2014 I began a three week journey to new and foreign lands. I traveled with some really good friends from work. I spent a day in Bangkok, four days on the resort island in southern Thailand called Ko Mook, six days in India, and four days in Israel. I ate some of the most amazingly sweet grapefruits I have ever had, saw a hen gathering her chicks, and snorkeled in unimaginably beautiful waters in southern Thailand; saw a lot of cows, rode an elephant, met beautiful Indian orphan children and kids whose families were in the leper colonies, and served some of those lepers in a leper colony in India; received a priesthood blessing in the Garden of Gethsemane (that was an awesome experience) and saw many places in Israel that I’ve only heard about, including being on the Sea of Galilee when a storm came out of nowhere. It was amazing. Three weeks I will never forget. Hard work does pay off.
Alonzo:
Doing well! He’s still living in Lava in a downstairs apartment. But since the upstairs apartment was recently turned into a halfway house to four rather boisterous convicts, a change in his residence is imminent. He is still head chef at the Riverside Inn in Lava and loves it. If you’re in the vicinity pay him a visit. Another chef has been hired to help with the load. The new chef is excellent and Alonzo is delighted to be working with him. He was originally from a polygamous family in Colorado City but left the community early on. Recently Alonzo has been given the responsibility of managing the hotel as well. So he keeps pretty busy. Alonzo once again participated in the annual Lava Hot Springs Christmas gingerbread making event. Many of the businesses craft gingerbread houses to put in their windows to attract customers. Alonzo worked on his for weeks and if there had been awards given out, his would have won. It was a large 3 foot tall house with many details, inside and out. One such detail was a snowman taking a bath. Cute. After the death of his cat, Alonzo decided to take in a little stray cat which he has grown to love. Alonzo was unable to make it home for Christmas due to impassable roads. He had made arrangements with other employees to cover for him on Christmas, but when he couldn’t get through the snow, he went back and told all of them to go home to enjoy their Christmas while he covered for them which included waiting, bussing, cooking, and tendering.
DeMille's:
It has really been a quiet year for the DeMille Family. Our one major announcement is that we will be welcoming our 4th child, a baby boy, into the family at the end of March. We are very excited for his arrival. but not nearly as excited as our little Emily who finds every way she can to help mommy and the new baby in her tummy. Dave continues to teach science at Kaysville Jr. High. He served in the Elders Quorum Presidency until our ward was split late last summer. At that time everyone was released from their callings and shortly thereafter he was called to serve in the Sunday School Presidency. He works with some great men and good friends in that calling and enjoys it a lot. I served as the choir director till the ward was split, and got an 8 week break from the calling till they called me back to it for which I was very thankful. It is a wonderful calling and I am learning so much. I was also recently called as a ward organist. I spend most of my days shuttling kids back and forth to school. In the evenings I teach piano lessons. I took on a few more students in the fall and have quite the full schedule. I moved lessons from my parents house to my own and can’t think of a better ‘job’ for a stay at home mom.
James (7) is doing wonderful. He amazes me every day as he faces the challenges of Autism. In the last year his ability to communicate has really improved. He speaks in full sentences for the most part now. He is reading about 75 words and his teachers are very encouraged by his math skills. He still attends Spectrum Academy in North Salt Lake. He has taken a real liking to the game ‘Minecraft’.
Matthew (5) is my cute little gentleman. He opens the door for me where ever we go. He attends a preschool close to our home and is doing well there. He loves to play with Legos and usually has one or two lego mini figurines in his pocket. He is excited to attend kindergarten next year.
Emily (3) keeps us moving. She talks all day and expects everyone’s full attention. She is a big helper and loves to learn how to do things that mommy is doing. We recently had the opportunity to visit Cove Fort on a trip down to St. George. We were able to tell the kids all about the Fort and how Grandpa Ira built it many years ago. She calls it her castle and reminds me every morning that Grandpa Ira built it for her.
Chipman's:
The Chipman family is doing well and is making the adjustment going from one child to two. Parker (3) is in pre-school and Eliza (1) is happy and excited about life. Ben has survived several layoff rounds at L-3 Communications and the company is doing better and has even started hiring again. Erin is reading ever more books and working hard taking care of two energetic and determined children.
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Rex & Jean: With another year behind us, we feel so very blessed as a family and as a couple. As we look at each of our children and their families, we are amazed at all they do and all they accomplish and contribute to the building of God’s kingdom. We are finding ourselves more in the background rather than on the front lines when it comes to church callings and service. That feels kind of strange to us. Jean is the assistant Primary Activity Day Leader and a Visiting Teaching Supervisor. We were able to go to South Carolina and have a wonderful visit with Marilee and her family earlier in the year. It was so good to see them and to see their new home and their new baby. We just came back from Henderson, Nevada having visited with Marvin and Ben and their families. It’s good to see them doing so well. We love it whenever we are able to get together with our siblings. They are each such amazing examples of faith and courage in the face of some very real challenges. We love being a part of this wonderful family.
Matt & Hideko Howell: Ashley, our youngest is now in eighth grade, the last of our children in middle school. She is very social and loves to spend time with her friends. She is doing very well in school and in her piano lessons. She is enjoying participating in Young Women’s. Christian has grown up this past year and is looking more and more like an adult every day. He is a sophomore attending Corner Canyon High School. He has participated on the school track team and is currently part of the robotics team. He is getting closer to having earned his Eagle Scout. Reagan is a junior in High School at Hillcrest High. He is one of the leading members of the school robotics team and that keeps him busy almost every day. He finished his Eagle project and hopes to have the final paperwork done soon so he can receive the award. Last year, he also participated on the wrestling team. Rachel graduated from high school this year and spent the summer and fall working. She is now at the University of Utah and seems to be enjoying it very much. She is the ward choir pianist and the Relief Society pianist, as well. Brian is putting almost all of his time in to his studies. He is majoring in chemical engineering and doing very well at it. He is trying to decide what graduate studies he wants to pursue. Matt and Hillary are doing fairly well. Between working, running the house, shuttling the kids around where they need to be and all the rest of the responsibilities of life, it can be hard to keep up. But we are very proud of our kids and what they are doing. Hillary is serving as the Webelos leader and as a primary teacher. Matt has been on the stake high council for almost two years.
Susan & Nelson Holzer Family: Reached family goal of indexing 25,000 names. Susan: released after 3.5 yrs as the Young Women’s president, produced 50 family newsletters – one per week – no small feat! Nelson: finished Lotoja, a bike race from Logan to Jackson Hole, a distance of 206 miles, with Susan helping as support crew, Wimbledon biking ‘The Bobsled’ with Taft and serving on the High Council. Tayson ran his first marathon, was called as Stake Family History Director (set & accomplished ward indexing goal, composed & arranged music, and spent countless hours interviewing, videoing and writing up Rex and Jean’s personal histories. Parker was called as Elder’s Quorum secretary, continues to be a great member missionary, set apart as a temple ordinance worker, serving as county and state delegate, and dating lots in his spare time. Afton completes mission to Anaheim, CA and is now working at the Lion House Pantry & Mrs. Cavanaugh’s for the Holidays. Mataya left for her mission to Calgary, Canada. Casia graduated from Woods Cross high school, worked for the summer at Oakcrest Girl’s camp and was hired to return this year as the head cook and played in USU’s marching band for the bowl game in New Mexico. Taft took state in doubles tennis, took trip to Europe with Nelson, turned 16, started driving & dating:), got job at Nielsen’s Frozen Custard, received his patriarchal blessing and has become quite talented at word-working.
Laura & Lon Perry Family: Laura spent a week with Natalie in New York at the United Nations fighting for the family and having their eyes opened wide to the overwhelming animosity that exists towards traditional marriage and family and the many laws that are being put in place to weaken and undermine them. Laura loves teaching the Webelos and is a very talented crafter. She has also been very active in educating others about the dangers of government programs such as Common Core and the threat pose to our children and our freedoms. Lon, the world’s greatest scoutmaster, loves his calling! Compared to the stress of work, camping with the scouts is rather therapeutic! Hannah spent the whole year in Georgia on her mission and couldn’t be happier. Kate finished her 2nd year at Utah State. Taking a break from school she worked 12 hr graveyard shifts at a packaging company and with $ in the bank she is looking at returning to school. She loves all forms of art and has proven very talented in this area. Jessica finished her 1st yr at USU and is now serving a mission in Indianapolis, IN. Things were a bit rocky in the beginning with her first comp, but she is now doing great! Truman was super busy this year with Madrigals, the Peter Pan play, hanging out with friends and studying. He felt quite honored when he was selected by his peers and crowned Homecoming King! Stanford turned 16, got his license and a job at Chick-fil-a. He is taking some classes at the high school and studying at home to CLEP out of college classes, but still likes to have plenty of time for listening to music and playing games. Emma (13) takes orchestra and German at the school and then does math, science, and English at home. She had fun acting a part in a radio murder mystery show. For her birthday, she got Siberian husky but because he bit several friends she had to let him go.
Marvin & Heather Howell: 2014 was a great year for our family. During 2014 we started to feel adjusted to living in Nevada at least as much as anyone can with Summer temperatures reaching 114 degrees. We have been blessed with great neighbors and new friends. Marv has been extremely busy this year with the startup of the new swimming pool business he and his brother started. They were able to meet all of their projections for their first year in business and things are looking very good for 2015. Marv serves in the primary and loves teaching his class. Heather has stayed really busy trying to keep up with 3 boys, who never seem to slow down. Heather has been teaching in a co-op preschool for both boys, which has a great, but very busy. Heather was a nursery leader in Primary, with about 20 kids, so Sundays was not a day of rest for her. Heather has been so grateful to have our backyard completed with a trampoline and swimming pool so the boys have a place to hang out with their friends. Caleb’s friends are always amazed that his mom can do back flips on the trampoline. This last year when Caleb had some friends over in the backyard, Heather was on the trampoline and his friend saw her do a back flip and said “I didn’t know moms could do that”! One of our greatest highlights of the year for Caleb to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. Caleb has enjoyed passing the sacrament and fulfilling his other responsibilities that come with Priesthood service. Marv has loved Teaching companion. Caleb loved playing a couple of seasons of soccer during the year. In addition to taking Cello at the Middle School, Caleb has started taking private lessons and got his very own Cello. Dax turned 5 yrs old and is in pre-school. He loves pre-school and his pre-school friends. He loves to read books and jump on the trampoline, but his all time favorite thing is to swim in our new pool. He has easily spent twice as much time swimming as any of the other children. Dax loves his CTR primary class and his CTR ring. Dax seems to have an extra good memory and his favorite game is the memory game. Carson is 3 yrs old and is also in pre-school. Carson never wants to go to pre-school, but every time we pick him up he has had a lot of fun and very happy that he went. Dax and Carson are inseparable, and their favorite thing this year was the Log Ride at Knotts Berry Farm. They loved all the other rides until they found the Log Ride. Once they found this, they rode if over and over again. We didn’t count, but they easily rode it 25 times. Dax and Carson, love to jump on the trampoline, ride bikes and swim. As a family, we feel very blessed to have the gospel in our lives and know it is true.
Andrew & Julie Howell: Andrew is working for Hibu, he is going on 14 years with the company. Julie is still running and is getting ready for her 4th marathon in May. Taylor is a Junior at the University of Utah and is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Caitlin is up at Utah State University and hasn’t quite decided on her major. Tanner is a Senior at Corner Canyon High School. Tate is a Freshman at Corner Canyon High School
Marilee & Andru Blomquist: We felt like 2014 was a year of many big blessings. We started the year with a sweet, new baby, Savannah. Our first year of homeschooling was better than expected. We decided to try selling our home in Greenville by owner. We put the sign up on a Friday and the following Wednesday we had a cash buyer! Our beautiful new home was finally completed and we made the big move in July. Being together as a family full-time is such a blessing! Natalie and my parents came to visit shortly after our move and were so helpful in getting us settled. Leaving Greenville, SC was especially hard on me (Marilee). I moved there right after I graduated from college and truly feel like the ward there is family. But there are so many blessings here in Summerville. My number one favorite is having Andru home every night instead of only on the weekends! It is also really nice to have a bit more space in our new house. About a month after our move I was called as the RS secretary. A perfect calling to help me quickly learn all the names of the sisters in the ward. Two weeks after we moved in Andru was called as 2nd counselor in the Bishopric. Andru continues to be very busy as the VP at Crescent Homes here in Charleston, and has been very instrumental in growing the company. Annalee is really thriving here! She is one of 5 Beehives, where she serves as the 1st counselor. These girls are all best friends. We often have a houseful of great kids on Friday nights eating lots of pizza! Samuel is in boy heaven here. Our neighborhood has access to the beautiful Ashley River. He keeps close tabs on the tide charts. As often as he can, he is down at the river at low tide scouring for sharks teeth, crabs, and any other critters he can find. He has only spotted one alligator so far. He’s a regular little Tom Sawyer. Lauren was our toothless wonder! She was missing 4 front teeth on the top for months. She joined Annalee and Samuel in piano lessons this year. They also attended Huck Finn School where they learned woodworking skills and built their own wood ships and a cool wagon. Her favorite pastime is riding her bike. Lydia and Savannah are best of friends. They keep each other entertained while I work with the big kids on school. Lydia just cut off 10 inches of hair to donate to Locks of Love. Savannah is finally starting to walk. We love you all and feel so blessed to be part of this great extended family. If any of you want to come visit we’d love to see you. Charleston is beautiful and full of amazing history!
Natalie Robison Family: Natalie taught the 17-19 yr olds in Sunday school until they all left on missions and is now teaching the gospel doctrine class. In March she spent a week in NY at the UN with Laura fighting for families alongside some other amazing women! It was quite an eye-opener! She also spent a week in South Carolina visiting Marilee and her cute family in their new home. Natalie is loving being a mom to teenagers! Her kids are amazing and bring her so much joy! Miranda finished her mission to Frankfurt Germany and got home just 3 days before Cami left to enter the MTC for her mission to Fort Worth Texas! We all lived it up those few days with everyone home! Miranda jumped right in and joined the institute council and the singles ward and got a job teaching music to children until going back to BYU this winter, where she will be auditioning for the music program and majoring in choral education. Cami finished her first year at BYU and did a study-abroad program to Uganda for 7 weeks during the summer and then left shortly thereafter on her mission which she absolutely LOVES!! Danielle turned 16, received her patriarchal blessing, earned her YW Recognition Award, is driving, working at Chick-Fil-A, singing in Madrigals & Acapella and is working on college courses from home. She loves hanging out with friends and seems to always have a date or two lined up! Ira (14) was stoked to go to EFY for his first time and LOVED it!! Last spring he was in the play Aladdin. In the Fall he was in the Sound of Music playing the part of a Butler and a Nazi. He loves his choir class and has developed a wonderful tenor voice. He is also doing online college classes. He went white-water rafting and completed a 100 mile bike trip with the scouts. A highlight for Ira is being able to serve as a youth counselor in the SNAP (Special Needs Activity Program). He has a buddy he attends with each week and has really been touched by the sweet and loving spirits that these individuals possess.
Janiel & Bill Pyper Family: Life at the Pyper home is always fun and exciting! This year’s big accomplishment was teaching all four of our children how to ride a bike without training wheels. With the help of a balance bike, we had them all trained within a few months. Watching three 3 year olds and a 5 year old racing around without training wheels, while mom went on her daily walk, brought a lot of attention. It is a fun sight to see. Janiel loves the opportunity to be home with the children. It’s a dream job! Much of her day is spent working with the triplets on teaching them to read and volunteering in Alexa’s kindergarten class. It is so fun to teach children and not have to deal with the demands and pressures of being a full time school teacher. She is currently serving as a Relief Society teacher, which is a favorite calling that she seems to keep getting over and over again. :) Bill continues to work for Park City Fire District as the in house CPA. He has been serving in the Elder’s Quorum Presidency for the past few years. During the summer Bill and I tackled a paver project in the backyard. Much to our amazement and with the help of our neighbors, it turned out well. Our oldest daughter, Alexa, started kindergarten this year. She has read nearly all of the Boxcar Children books and is almost half-way through the Book of Mormon. She often stumps me with her thoughtful questions about what she has read. Alexa also loves playing with her siblings, helping Dad and the triplets plant the garden and being involved in anything and everything she can. Emily and Alexa are best friends! Emily loves playing dress-ups and gets Alexa to join in every time. She is naturally coordinated and not afraid to try new things. As soon as she saw Alexa learning to ride a bike without training wheels, she insisted that she was old enough to do it. After some convincing, we decided to let our little 3 year old give it a try. She had it down in no time at all. Jonathan is our funny, academic child. He loves to ask questions, count, practice addition problems and read. He has a great sense of humor and keeps everyone laughing. When asked what his name is, he replies, “I’m Jonathan William Pyper SENIOR!” He never fails to get a good laugh with his added “Senior”, which eggs him on even more. He loves his name and shares it with everyone he comes in contact with. If David is ever missing, we know just where to look. He is down by our side. As our little shadow, it is easy to forget that he is right there. He is our right hand man that is always looking for ways to help his mom and dad. If we drop something, he is quick to pick it up. He watches everything we do so he can learn how to be a dad.
Ben & Sarah Howell Family: 2014 was a great year for our family! Little Samuel joined our family in March. Ben and Marvin’s business venture, California Pool’s, had a great year and kept them busy. We also have enjoyed some fun time together on several family vacations including Arizona, California, Utah, Hawaii, and Mexico. With a busy work year, to say the least, Ben has enjoyed and appreciated a less time demanding calling at church – Bear Leader in our ward. The scouts seem to really enjoy him and the magic tricks, rope tricks, and cooking skills Ben has taught them on Tuesday nights. Sarah continues to love being a Mom! She keeps reminding herself that it’s good to be stretched as she continues another year of teaching Relief Society! She loves her morning walks each day with Isaac and Samuel and chats around the dinner table as a family. Hyrum has enjoyed all that comes with being 12! He looks forward to scout camp outs and Young Mens/Scouts. He is thrilled to be back in lacrosse season playing defense. Not so thrilled to be continuing with piano. But, we promise him he will appreciate it one day, especially in the mission field. He continues to enjoy reading and is having some good leadership opportunities as the Deacon’s Quorum President! Caroline is 10 and such a great oldest sister! She has quite a knack for doing hair, a skill that comes in handy with two younger sisters on busy school mornings! She is quite a self-taught gymnast and was thrilled to take gymnastics this last summer with her two little sisters. She also has an ability to run quickly and is getting harder to outrun. She’s great in the kitchen, and can whip up some yummy homemade mac’n cheese for her siblings on Saturday nights. We love hearing her play duets with her piano teacher! Grace turned 8 last year and was baptized! We were so glad that both sets of grandparents could make it! The first time in our family’s history! Grace’s imagination continues to amaze us. She loves to play school and keeps a tidy classroom in the play room upstairs. Like our older children, Grace has had some great school teachers, and she is always imitating them as she plays. She is so sweet with her three younger siblings and loves it when she can get them to play school with her. Eliza is 6 and such a happy soul! She enjoys being outside and loves reading with Mom each afternoon. She’s quite athletic and has a bundle of energy. She’s eager to start playing the piano like her older siblings. Sarah so appreciates Eliza’s willingness and excitement to help with baby Samuel however asked to. She is well known for the smile she always carries on her face. Isaac just turned 4 and finally warmed up to Sunbeams as January came and time to advance to CTR 4. He enjoys the co-op preschool he participates in twice a week in addition to playing with his trucks in the dirt and doing puzzles with mom. He still naps in the afternoon and loves waking up to all of his siblings home from school. Samuel is now 10 months old. He is such a happy, fun and calm baby. His smile melts our hearts. He certainly receives a lot of love from so many older siblings. We just can’t get enough of him and can’t believe he is already beginning to crawl.
Dustin & Sara Howell Family: This year has been an interesting one for our family. One of the most notable things that happened was finding out that we are expecting a new baby! It’s a little girl, and she’s due anytime now. As with all of the previous pregnancies, it’s been a pretty rough road for Sara the entire way, but she presses forward in a courageous way. We are still homeschooling and loving it. Lily (13) is our resident historian. She enjoys baking, reading, sewing, crocheting, and babysitting. Arza (11) is fascinated with science, inventors, and electronics. He loves inventing and filed for his first patent this year. Simeon (8) was baptized last March. He loves building, drawing, and creating things. He also loves to study animals, and is a wonderful helper in our home. Peter (5) enjoys a little bit of everything. He loves learning about space and science with Arza, eating the food Lily bakes, and drawing and playing animals with Sim. He is also currently infatuated with Star Wars and Angry Birds. With the newsletter going to press we just received word that Dustin and Sara have a new baby girl! Her name is Sela.
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Harold & Diane: Generally 2014 was a good year for our family. Obviously we experienced some bad, but a lot of good. We are most blessed. Because of Diane’s health issues we haven’t been quite as busy as in years past. Now the minute I make that statement, I look back on, what now seems to have been a fairly busy year. We continue do much as a family: family trips, together every holiday, many birthdays (I have no idea how most of you do this birthday thing with so many more grandchildren than we), a variety of performances, competitions, programs, and on and on. It’s all a lot of fun, and it does keep us from stagnating too much.
I spent a good part of the year remodeling our entire downstairs, so it could be a stand alone apartment that I could rent or use to have a live in care giver for Diane. We made some attempts to find the right person, but didn’t have much luck. If any of you know of someone that would be interested, capable, and available for something like this, please let me know. In the meantime, we’ve rented it out to a nice divorced gentleman and his teenage daughter.
We are so grateful for the love, support, and strength we feel and receive from each member of our family and from each of you. Where would we all be without this Family Circle?
We look forward to a great year, and wish each of you a wonderful New Year.
Ann & Justin: It has been a year now since we closed on our first home. It’s in Midvale and although we still don’t love the area, we LOVE our place. And we love our ward. We get to teach the Sunbeams which has been a very, um... interesting experience, but I’m sure it must be teaching us something. Some of the things I loved about 2014: taking our DIY skills to a new level and making our own dining room table from scratch, finally conquering my fear of flying (over land at least), volunteering at the Alzheimer’s walk instead of walking it (thanks to Allison), and baking, baking, and more baking. I especially loved when a sweet couple in the ward asked Justin to speak at a Memorial program on Veterans Day in the Midvale Cemetery. It was the first time I had heard Justin speak publicly about his service, or really at all, and it was definitely one of the best moments of the year for me. I just hit my 8 year mark at Great Mountain West and G54 Design Apparel. My position continues to evolve in to new duties that challenge and interest me, so though I’m known to complain about my job, I consider myself very lucky. Justin continues to work for the same company as well, but may be looking for a change in 2015. Our beautiful cat, Norah, turns 2 this year. We’re very proud of the young lady she is becoming. :)
Andrea & Chuck Stackhouse Family:
Chuck is no longer working for Gap, Inc. As much as he would love a change of profession he continues to work in retail. Chuck is now the store director of J.Crew at the factory store in Park City. He has been very supportive and helpful around the house as I continue to juggle other everyday obligations.
I am still working full time as a home health care nurse. When I am not working I spend my time chauffeuring Cortney around to all her dance practices and social obligations. My siblings and I continue to assist our dad with the needs of our mom as she is becoming more defiant and stubborn.
Ashlyn will be graduating soon from Salt Lake Community College and will then have the opportunity to apply for the radiology tech program. She is currently splitting her time with school and her job at Let’s Play indoor soccer. We rarely get to see Ashlyn at home these days but have enjoyed watching her grow up to be an adult.
Caden is an 8th grader at Hillcrest Junior High. Although he may not be a genius he enjoys going to school each day and that is all we can ask for. When not at school Caden is wrapped up in his video games. He continues to play on the adaptive Basketball team where he has made some good friends.
Cortney is a 6th grader at McMillan elementary here in Murray. She has turned into quite the perfectionist (something I think she got from me.) She gives 100% in her schoolwork and has also become a social butterfly. She spends a lot of time at the dance studio, and although she is gone 3 nights a week dancing, she never complains.
Brian & Amanda Clark Family:
Same old, same old…
Brian – Sixth year at Teerlink Cabinet, Executive Secretary in bishopric, Enjoys spending time with Ethan at Scout campouts, skiing with kids, and being in his workshop in his spare time
Amanda – Third year with IHC, Gospel Doctrine Teacher, grateful for every moment she gets to spend with her kids who are growing up too quickly!
Ethan - 8th grade, not loving school because it interrupts time with friends or researching which apple products are best. In September he got his braces on and can’t wait for them to be off! Had quite a scare in May when he went into septic shock, at the ER he was diagnosed with Strep Pneumo Bacteremia, thanks to miraculous antibiotics was able to come home after three days. So very grateful for modern medicine! And prayers!
Megan – 6th grade, not loving school because it’s not as fun as doing crafts, doing hairdo’s, or calling friends; First round of braces on in January, off in July; excited to graduate from primary and enter Young Women’s this year (wait, what?!)
Dillon – 4th grade, not loving school because it interrupts Minecraft play, Lego building, or playing basketball; still the funniest kid I know! He’s in his fourth year of the Spanish immersion program at school and loves it so much he says he can’t wait to take French when he gets to junior high.
Adam & Kate: How is another busy year already history? Kate and I are still filling our time with work and play, although not as much play as we’d like. Kate made the bold decision this year to go back to school and get her Masters Degree. She actually seems to enjoy being back in the books. Weird, right? She’s reduced her hours to part-time at Comp Health, and she’s also turned into a bit of a gym rat. I’m still hard at work with the same company and I still spend time in the northeast visiting clients more frequently than I’d like, but I still enjoy what I do. Our year sort of centered on the remodel of an old avenues home we bought years ago. We’d been renting it out for about a decade and decided to move back in. We didn’t do much of the work ourselves, but after fighting with contractors for several months, I wish we had. How hard could it be? We actually bounced around from one downtown condo to another for a few months while we waited for the remodel to be completed. We might not ever move again. We managed to break up the monotony of work with fun trips to St. George with the whole Harold Hinckley family, South Beach, Cabo, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita, Mexico. We have high hopes for 2015 and we’re wishing you all a happy and healthy new year!
Brian & Angel Stevens:
Brian - 12th year at SkyWest - Captain (anyone have an “in” at Delta? :)
Ward Membership Clerk
Loves cycling (hates hills :)
Angel - 4th year as a teacher’s aide at daughter’s elementary school
8th year at online editing job
Counselor in Primary
Loves my family
Emily - almost 14 years old - 8th grade - starting 2nd year of braces
Hates middle school
Loves to dance
Master of organization
Jill - 11 years old - 6th grade - most likely getting braces this year
Loves dragons
Loves drawing and making comics
Not a master of organization
It’s been a great year! We’ve done tons of fun stuff! We had such a good time on our family trip to St. George in May and look forward to our next family trip in February! We miss seeing everyone and look forward to the next Cousin Connection!
Curt & Allison McDaniel Family:
Whew! 2014 was yet another busy year for all of us! With all that happened, it might be easier to sum it all up by month:
January - Curt completed another triathlon and begins his 3rd year at ABC4 TV. Had great visit with friends from Texas.
March - Sara (16) is re-elected to Alta’s Varsity Cheer squad, lettered in Cheer, and helped her team place at Cheer Nationals in Anaheim. Curt completed the Rockwell Relay
April - Lindsay (18) early-graduated from Alta High and moved back to Texas, where she began working and eventually moves into a cute little apartment.
May - Had another amazing visit with friends from Texas! We joined the entire Harold Hinckley Family for a vacation in St. George.
June - Dru (19) also graduated from Alta High and moved to his own apartment in Draper. Sara traveled to Panama with her father. Allison went back to work full-time at Intermountain Healthcare’s corporate office. Kate is featured as a WeatherKid on TV and visited Utah for the summer.
July - Curt and Allison spent a week in England - visited all major sites, went to The Open (no autographs from Tiger Woods unfortunately) and loved every minute of it.
August - Sara began her Junior year at Alta and Kate began her 1st year at Middle School.
September - Dru enrolled at SLCC and began job as a liftee at Solitude. We welcomed a new pet to the family - an English Bulldog appropriately named Sir Winston. We joined Harold Hinckley Family at annual Walk to End Alzheimers.
October - Allison joined Utah Alzheimers Board as Team/Volunteer Director
November - Traveled to Boise to cheer on our two alma maters (USU vs. BSU) playing football
December - Kate visited Utah for the holiday and all 6 of us took a small trip to Sundance/Heber.
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Earle and JoAnn: First and foremost, we love the Lord, each other, our family, and our extended family. We are grateful for our testimonies, for ‘fairly good’ health, for neighbors we have the privilege to serve often, for grandchildren that make our hearts sing, for callings to serve both in our ward as missionaries and as ordinance workers in the Draper Temple. In January, we celebrated Earle’s 80th birthday in Maui, HI. Our favorite thing to do was to be at the beach in time for the spectacular sunsets and sunrises. For our annual summer family getaway, our entire clan stayed in a large lovely home at Bear Lake with a private beach for boating and skiing, as well as a swimming pool nearby. Then again in September, after 3 years of saving monies for Disneyland, we all made the trip to California. We stayed in a large house with a pool in Anaheim just 5 minutes from Disneyland. Also time was spent on the beaches in that area. Of course, these three events, along with Eric’s marriage to Megan, were the highlights of our year. We always look forward to each time we can be with our family.
Ed and Marsha: The most exciting event of the year was the trip to the Philippines this past June. Marsha and her mom and the kids spent 6 weeks there. Ed joined them the last 10 days. It was wonderful for Marsha to reacquaint with old friends and family, and spend time at the beach. Even though there are many changes taking place at the post office, Ed has seniority (20 years) and doesn’t think his job will be affected. Marsha continues as a part time special education teacher at the elementary school. She enjoys her work with the children immensely and has made some good adult friends there as well. Garrett is 13 and is in the 8th Grade in a charter school that emphasizes not just the academics, but the core values of excellence, service, and leadership. He is a computer whiz! And he loves to play the drums. Meadow is 10 years old. She does very well academically. She loves Oreo, her rabbit. Also, she is an avid player of computer games. She doesn’t like the typical ‘girlie’ things.
Scott and Lynda: Scott continues with Herff Jones (yearbooks) as a salesman covering Utah and Colorado. With his amiable personality, quick wit, and art and layout talent, he is definitely well-liked by the school advisors and teenage staffs. He continues loving his calling as a Gospel Doctrine Instructor in his ward. He loves to play golf. Lynda continues as the Data Processing Coordinator at Mountain View Hospital in Payson. She is the MIA-Maid leader. Her tennis skills now rival her dad’s. Also she has taken up Zumba. They have taken four awesome trips this year: Kauai, HI to celebrate Lynda’s 50th birthday, Lake Tahoe combined with a business trip, Pacific Grove, CA for Wolters’ family gathering, and Disneyland, CA for the Peirce family gathering. Eric married Megan Dietz on June 7 in the Salt Lake Temple with Uncle Lon as the sealer. It was truly a beautiful ceremony and made more special because of Uncle Lon’s humble spirit. A small reception was held in the mountains of Provo Canyon. Lauren is 24 years old and most beautiful. She loves all things country - from line dancing to cowboy boots! She goes to country yard sales to find the right vintage furniture etc. that she can sand, fix up, redo, paint and turn into beautiful pieces of furniture. She lets everyone know she is a country girl and wants a country guy! So we were surprised when she announced that she was leaving small town Payson for Richmond, Virginia where the LDS single adults are more to her liking. Nick is 19 years old and upon graduation was immediately offered a job with Flow Serve (water valves) in Payson. Nick has an impressive work ethic and as a result he has been able to buy a half-ton truck, as well as a jeep for his love of ‘jeeping’ in the mountains near Payson and Moab. He participated in the Jeep Safari in Moab. Dallin is in 9th Grade at Payson Junior High. He is a happy and lovable guy. His dimpled smile melts everyone! He is working on his Eagle Scout award and is an avid video gamer.
Nathan and Robyn: Nathan started the year with excruciating and debilitating back pain which ultimately ended up with major surgery. He is doing much better now, but did curtail most of his exercise and outdoor activities. To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Nathan surprised Robyn with a hot air balloon ride and a white water raft trip. They also planned and organized Robyn’s parents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration held in Midway. It was a major undertaking, but turned out to be a most memorable tribute for Robyn’s parents and large family. Nathan is still at Intel (engineer) and serves as the ward clerk. Robyn serves as a Cub Scout leader. Collin is 17 years old and got his first job (McDonalds), as well as his driver’s license. He has recently completed his Eagle Scout Project (improving trails at a local natural area). He plays the trombone with the school band and plans on performing with his band in Europe this March. Randy just turned 16. He worked at the Boy Scout camp all summer as a counselor-in-training and dishwasher. He attends a charter high school which has proven to be quite strenuous because of heavy homework. He plays the cello with the school orchestra. Owen is 12 with no fear! The family started to ski this year and Owen immediately was skiing with skill and with no reserve. He plays the violin at school and takes piano lessons. He is a typical boy and loves to play computer games like Minecraft. Sydney is 10. She has started karate and is planning to earn her black belt (like Nathan and the boys have). She loves to sing in the choir at school and also takes piano lessons. Cora is 5. She goes to preschool and loves the new neighbors because they have someone her age to play with.
Tom and Shanna: Happy and hectic describes the Beesley household. But they would have it no other way. They are grateful they have a driving 16-year-old that helps with all the chauffeuring. The highlights of the year were the Disneyland Trip with the Peirce family, camping with family and friends, and the Beesley family reunion at Zions. Tom continues as scoutmaster. Tom is truly an outdoors guy! Loves camping, hiking, snowboarding, skiing, and gardening. Shanna keeps busy with her licensed home preschool. Every year she has to turn people away because of her reputation as being an exceptional teacher. She is the Primary music leader and fabulous organizer of ward and family activities and events. Sage is in the 11th Grade at Herriman High School and is an officer in the school Dance Company. The Company traveled to Florida earlier in the year to perform at Disneyworld. She also takes dance lessons and performs often. EFY was a testimony builder. She loves to read and has a 4.0 average. Tanner is in the 8th Grade. He is part of the Percussion Ensemble and marched with the band at several parades during the summer. He plays sports, with basketball being his favorite at the moment. He is now working towards his Eagle Award. Brynn is in the 5th Grade. She is growing up, beautifully self-assured. She is in the school band and plays the flute. Brynn is a skilled tumbler. In fact, as she flies through the air doing her tricks, her grandmother has difficulty watching. She definitely has music in her soul and doesn’t hesitate to perform. She loves singing in the ward choir. Also, she enjoyed the Wheeler Farm Camp experience. Grace is 5 years old and is in Kindergarten. This year she started a dance class and soccer and is proving to do well in both. She loves people and playdates.
Sherman and Jocelyn: Sherman is the best eye doctor in Draper, says his mother! His practice is growing and he has been able to procure some wonderful eye testing equipment (more than the normal practice would have). He loves his work and loves having Jocelyn assist as his bookkeeper. He continues as the Elders Quorum President. Enjoys playing basketball in two wards. Jocelyn feels challenged with her calling as the ward choir accompanist. She tends her one-year old nephew which she loves to do, but finds it challenging as well. Braden is in the 8th Grade and belongs to the Chess Club. He is a voracious reader. Video/computer games take second place. He is the Deacon’s Quorum President and recently gave his first ‘real’ talk in sacrament meeting and did a fine job. Landon is in the 6th Grade (middle school) in the Chinese immersion program where three of his classes are taught strictly in Chinese. He can only speak Chinese in these classes and is quite fluent. He loves all sports and plays Junior Jazz basketball. He took second place in the Pinewood Derby this year (took first place the past two years). His favorite leisure-time activity is to watch sports on TV. Maddie is 7 years old and in the 2nd Grade. She is also in the Chinese immersion program. She is a friend to everyone and loves to sing and perform for others. Megan is 3 years old and just started Primary. She is the ‘Princess’ of the house – or should we say boss!!! She is adored by her brothers and sister and usually gets what she wants.
Brian and Becky: Brian has had a very busy year working full time for Utah State Work Force and doing an on-line college program in IT networking. He has passed some certification requirements with plans for a change in employment. He serves in his Elders Quorum Presidency and loves to spend time with his darling little girls whenever possible. Becky is a Relief Society instructor and works now and then as a fill-in dental assistant. Her active girls keep things hopping at home. Abbie will be two years old this month. Ella is four and goes to preschool. She has taken some dancing lessons and is now taking a tumbling class. Living in an older ward with few youngsters, everyone in the ward knows and loves these cute little girls. Brian’s family enjoys getting away now and then to Eden or to Hebgen Lake where Becky’s family have properties.
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The Milligan family’s good news of 2014 includes.....but is not limited to the following: Jessie and Don enjoy Sunday dinner every week at Don & Kathy’s home; Don & Kathy are in charge of building a float for the Days of ‘47 Parade; Don & Kathy’s son-in-law (Megan’s husband) will earn his doctorate in clinical psychology this summer; John celebrated his 30th year of teaching; two of John & Janette‘s sons have retired from the military (but one remains on base as a civilian MP); Tom & Tiffany built a new home; Matt & Becca work in Nashville and live on a lake; David Milligan is now able to drive a car with the use of a Bioptic Lens!!! YAY!!!; and Kayle (Searle) and James Cantua are expecting their first child (Sara & Gordon’s first grandchild)! We rejoice with Jessie and Don in this good news and in all the good that is accomplished by their great family.
On the other hand we sorrow with their family and the extended family over the tragic death of Gordon Searle, Sara’s sweetheart, her eternal companion, and a life long friend of the Milligan family.
Sara’s Christmas letter summed up some of Gordon’s most recent and very significant accomplishments with these words: “After serving two years as an early morning Seminary teacher, (which was his favorite church calling ever!) he was released. While serving as a teacher, and working full time to provide for his family, he worked very diligently to earn his MBA, which he received in June. It was a fun competition between Kayle and Gordon to have the best GPA, and also a race who would graduate first. Dad won!!! Our family traveled to Rexburg, Idaho this summer to see Kayle’s College Graduation, and then enjoyed some great family time in Yellowstone. Gordon had the wonderful opportunity to baptize Jack in October. The day after Jack’s baptism Gordon was sustained as the Bishop. Six short weeks later, Gordon completed his Earthly Mission. He will be deeply missed in this world, but we are comforted by his precious spirit in our hearts. Thank you for all your prayers....”
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Some of my siblings had expressed a desire to visit the old Hinckley Bros. farm area near the Salt Lake Airport. (Oh, maybe it was just me.) All access to the property had been cut off many years ago with high security fences and locked gates. It is nearly impossible to gain access to the area.
It was through our neighbor that the problem was solved. I went to visit Norma Ellis in a rehab facility, where she was recovering from serious surgery, and her son Bart was there to see her also. Upon seeing him, I remembered that he had been a security guard at the airport. I asked him if he thought we could get permission to go through the gate at the north side of what was once the entrance and road to the farm. He doubted that we would ever be able to, but that it wouldn’t hurt to ask. He gave me the name of the woman in airport security that might be able to help us.
I called her and explained our history and our wish to stand on the spot one last time. (I told her that we were all old and wouldn’t do much harm.) She said she would present the idea to the head of security and airport management and call us with an answer. I doubted that we would ever hear from her again. About two weeks later I received the call with the good news. Arrangements would be made for us to take “one last trip to the farm.”
On Friday, September 5, 2014 we met outside the north gate of the airport property. A security guard, Pat Jones, was there to assist us. The gate was locked. We followed him in a caravan and drove to a gate on the east side to enter and then drove a circuitous route to the location of the old farm. Once there, Pat informed us that the official name of the road we were now on is “Hinckley Road.” We were able to determine the site of the old farm house, the swimming pool area, the hay barn. We even felt we found a chunk of the pool. Pat said he thought he could locate some old aerial photos of the area which he eventually sent to me and I was able to copy for all the siblings.
After lots of reminiscing and photo taking we were satisfied with our adventure. We met at our home in Holladay and enjoyed fresh corn from our garden as part of our dinner. Homemade cherry chocolate chip and lemon ice cream—Hinckley family favorites--topped it off. We concluded the evening with a movie, on our newly purchased large screen, which we showed in the garage—“Secondhand Lions,” starring Robert Duvall and Michael Caine.
– By Lon
