The Hinckley Herald 2011

Harold & Diane: It’s always difficult for us to see a good year come to an end.  2011 brought many blessings to the Hinckley family.  We consider it a wonderful year when there was no major medical incidents, tragedy, illness, or injury.  We also feel blessed that after nearly 15 years all of our children are again living in the Salt Lake area.  Curt and Allison and their children have moved here from Texas, and are now living in a nice home in Sandy.  

As for us, we are just plodding along as old couples do.  Diane is doing well physically, but does get discouraged from time to time about her forgetfullness.  She gets pretty anxious when left alone for long periods of time, while I’m out doing Church work, but our children have been great so far as coming to visit her and stay with her when I’m away; and she really enjoys their visits.  They often take her to dinner or to a movie, or shopping (which she still enjoys doing).  Just the two of us go to movies regularly--right in the middle of the day, when the theatre is almost empty.  We’ve seen some really good shows and some real “clunkers” the past 2-3 months.  Some of the better shows that we could recommend are:  Mission Impossible; We Bought A Zoo; War Horse; Sherlock Holmes; and Footloose (3 times).

We’ve actually had a pretty busy year.  We kind of kicked off the year spending a week in So. California at Disneyland, and other “must see” and “must do” locations with our entire family.  It was a blast, but exhausting.  Then we took a couple of small trips during the year just to get out of town for a couple days to relax.  We also enjoyed the great cousin get together.  How fun it is to see how every family is growing, changing, and aging.  What a great crew the “cousins” are !  The older set; Arza and Erma’s children and spouses had some great activities as well during the year; and we express much appreciation for all those who made these activities memorable.  I hope our generation continues trying to do things together; even though its sometimes hard getting us all together, afterward it is always so nice and revitalizing. 

To end the year, we get pretty caught up in the Holiday stuff, and from about the first of November we get quite focused on a dozen things that have to be done, and have little time for anything else.  This past Season, for some reason, seemed to be a bit out of control.  We took on some Ward projects, Sub for Santas (4), decorating, gifts, baskets, delivering, visits to every home in our Ward, tithing settlement, full Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas eve dinner, Christmas day dinner--all great experiences, but highly time consuming and very tiring.  Diane was a good sport through it all, but may not be quite as supportive next year.  Our blessings in 2011 were many, and our burdens and problems were few.  Thanks for all you do to make this Family Circle what we all expected it to could be when it was started.  We love you all.

Allison and Curt:  The McDaniel’s are finally BACK IN UTAH!!  Right before Christmas, we packed up our home in Fort Worth, Texas, and made the big move to a home in Sandy.  It has been quite a few crazy months for our family and we are looking forward to relishing more family time and enjoying the beautiful environment here!  We have traveled a lot this year - primarily back and forth to Utah/Texas but also with our entire family to Disneyland, which was a GREAT TRIP!

Curt & Allison... had another great trip to Mexico this past year, but spent most of our time at TCU games and watching the Dallas Mavericks win a championship and the Texas Rangers almost do the same thing.  Curt’s job changed, which is what spurred the move to Utah, and he now works for Channel 4 KTVX.  I (Allison) ended my employment with Sandler Training, but loved it up until the very end.  In any other spare time, Curt enjoyed being a part of an improv comedy troupe and Allison enjoyed her calling in RS and helping with PTA/Booster Clubs.  We hope to find new friends and places to go for date-nights here in Utah!

Dru... Is now a Sophomore at Alta High, and is looking forward to getting his license.  He’s begun looking for a job here in Utah so if you know if anyone looking to hire... ??? :)  As the only son in the family, he’s been a real trooper being around so many girls in the house and we are proud for how he’s handled this chaotic past year!

Lindsay... Is also now a Sophomore at Alta High and LOVES being part of an amazing orchestra program.  She was really well-liked at her old school and had lots of great babysitting ‘clients’... so she is missing Texas a little, but admits she loves being here and really likes Alta.  She got contacts this past week from Sherm Pierce and thinks her Mom has the neatest cousins ever! :)

Sara... Is in the 8th grade and is also just getting her feet wet.  She had an incredible year - Honor Roll student, YW youth presidency, and her most favorite, Captain of the Cheer Squad at her middle school.  She is anxious to get back into her cheerleading and making lots and lots of friends!

Kate... Is in the 3rd grade and does really well!  She’s a natural at reading and enjoys playing with her friends.  She loved Girl Scouts this past year and spending every spare moment in our swimming pool.

Adam & Kate: When I heard it was already newsletter time again, my first thought was to submit the exact same report from last year, but I guess that’s not very exciting. Truth be told, neither was this past year.  I guess that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Let’s see:  same house, same jobs, same cars, same hobbies, same weekend getaways.  Still no kids;  same cat.  Kate continues to sweat it out at Pilates four nights a week, and I seem to be putting in more and more time on the racquetball court.  For some reason getting a five on five basketball game together now days is pretty difficult.  It was a tough year on Kate’s side of the family - two of her grandparents passed away.  The circumstances could have been better, but it was nice to spend some time in Idaho with her family.  With the down economy, we consider ourselves very fortunate to be been gainfully employed.  Kate is going on three years at the Chapman Richards Real Estate offices and she really loves the people she works with.  I’m closing in on my 15th year with Priority Dispatch Corp.  Had you told me back in 1997 I’d spend most of my adult life here, I would have thought you were up in the night.  I work with good people and it’s been a great ride.  We both love spending time with our nieces and nephews.  It’s exciting to see them all growing up so fast and developing their own unique personalities.  Maybe one day Kate and I will grow up and try our hand at raising some of our own.  Having Allison and Kurt and the gang move to SLC will be great.  Our family already seems so much bigger.  It’ll be great to have them all around.  Like most everyone else, I get pretty excited at the thought of a new year with new challenges and opportunities, and this year is no different.  Wishing all of you the best in 2012!

Angel & Brian STEVENS: Brian is still a Captain at Skywest Airlines but hopes to be working for Delta or Southwest Airlines within the next year. He’s the Assistant Clerk in the ward, which is a calling that he can do whenever he has time. That works out good since his schedule is always changing and he’s typically gone at least four days a week. 

I still do work online for a few hours a day, which I still can’t stand doing. I’ve also been the 2nd counselor in the Primary presidency for about a year and I volunteer in each of our kids classes at school. 

Emily is almost 11 and painfully shy. She loves reading and is a perfect student in class. She’s a great kid at home too! 

Jill is 8 and is our little firecracker. She was baptized in October and it was such a special experience for her and for us. She loves all things electronic and playing with friends. Her favorite ‘subjects’ at school are recess and lunch, which cracks me up because she just came in second in her classroom spelling bee and she’s super smart in math! 

At the end of last January we got to go to Disneyland and Sea World with the whole Harold Hinckley family. It’s so much fun going places with them now that they’re older and can do more! That was their first time to Sea World and they absolutely loved it! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for sponsoring the trip! We decided this year to take advantage of the hotels Brian stays at on his overnights, so during the summer I took the kids and we met him in Grand Junction, CO, a couple days in San Francisco, and a day in Los Angeles where we rented a car and took the kids to the Santa Monica pier. Oddly enough, it also occurred to us that none of us (including me) had ever flown on one of his flights! So the one to Grand Junction was our first time flying with Brian as the pilot - it was awesome! And it was a fantastic landing. ;) The girls loved seeing all the sights in San Francisco and going to the beach in Los Angeles. They are awesome little travelers and we had a great summer traveling with them. But mostly I’m just so excited that they can carry their own bags now! And they’re pros going through airport security!  

They started at a new school in the fall, which is much bigger than their previous school. They were super nervous but both made fast friends and have great teachers. Emily even got an award after the first month of school for being such a good kid in class! 

We had a fantastic year but I hope to report even greater things next year! We miss you and hope to see you at the next family reunion! Thanks to the Cannons for putting together the last one - we had a great time!

Amanda & Brian CLARK: With the lack of change or excitement in our lives, I debated about simply writing “See last year’s entry”. But to save you the trouble of having to find or look up the last newsletter I’ll summarize! Brian is still enjoying work as a designer with Teerlink Cabinet. He has designed some of the most beautiful kitchens and his talents amaze me! He is also still serving in the bishopric which he enjoys. With our youngest entering first grade this year, I decided to return to work. Lucky for me, my kids school was hiring! I am working as an aide and actually like it! I thought being with kids all day would kill me, but I love watching a child’s face light up when “it” finally clicks for them!

Our oldest, Ethan, is 11. He excels at school, loves getting straight A’s and is a great example to the others. He had another stellar summer of swimming and placed first in most of his events, LOVED playing soccer in spring and summer, and is now excited to work on perfecting his skiing (if we ever get decent snow this year)! He earned his Arrow of Light this year and received the “20 patch” for completing not only the required 8 activity badges, but all 20! He also earned quite a bit of money this past summer with his small lawn mowing business. It was a great lesson in hard work and really earning your money!

Megan is 8 and loved her baptism this past year! She has become quite the gymnast - which is more impressive due to the fact she hasn’t taken gymnastics! She’s taught herself everything she knows! Brian made her a beam for Christmas and she is now working on moving her “routines” to the balance beam! This past year she was diagnosed with moderate dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome. This helped to answer some of our questions regarding her academic challenges, and thanks to the help she’s now receiving she no longer cries every morning before school! Although, recess (where she can be with her friends) is still her favorite subject!

Dillon, 6, entered first grade and is already blowing us away with his reading ability! He took Megan’s place for complaining EVERY SINGLE morning before school, which strikes me as odd because he’s doing so well. He entered the spanish immersion class at school and spends his time away from school singing spanish songs while making the most amazing Lego creations! Seriously, this kid just HAS to work for Lego when he grows up! I say it every year, but this kid keeps us all smiling and laughing!

As a family we spent a lot of time camping and hiking, biking, and swimming. We were also able to spend a week in California with my siblings and their families. We had a wonderful time at Disneyland and Sea World and were able to make many memories. It has been a difficult year with my mom’s diagnosis and what it means for our family. It is such a cruel disease, but has helped us grow closer as a family. We feel blessed to be a part of this wonderful H. Hinckley family and then an even larger extended A. Hinckley family! We love you all!

The Stackhouse Family: I continue to work as a registered nurse on the 10th floor at Intermountain Medical Center, here in Murray, where the specialty is solid organ transplant.  Thankfully I am no longer having to work the graveyard shift which has made it a little easier to be a mom when I am here at home.  Chuck is still working for the Gap and has recently opened a new Banana Republic factory store in West Jordan. He has been with the company for 10 years and as much as I hate to admit it, he is still the best dressed in the family.

We still reside in Murray Utah and have grown to love the area. We live within just minutes of the kids school and my work. Chucks drive has also gotten shorten since he is no longer driving up to Park City every day for work. 

Ashlyn is continuing to do well in school, and is loving her Junior year at Murray High. She is currently enrolled in a CNA class and is looking forward to pursuing a career in nursing. She has her driver’s license and enjoys being the chauffer for her and her friends on the weekends. She is working as a courtesy clerk (a bagger) at Dan’s foods. Although she may not like her job she does enjoy spending her hard earned money. 

Caden is currently in the 5th grade, and is continuing to keep all of his teachers on their toes. He is progressing in his school work at his own pace, and continues to learn a little more each year. We are going on his 6th year of private speech therapy and although we were hoping for more progress, those who spend time with him are starting to understand him a little better. He has recently started playing basketball with other kids who have disabilities and we enjoy watching him as he learns a new sport. His little sister, Cortney, continues to be his best friend and is always willing to include him when playing with her friends. 

Cortney is in the 3rd grade this year and continues to grow up too fast. Cort likes to do just about anything, especially if it is with other kids. She is the only one of our children who likes school and is genuinely disappointed when they have a day off. She is a brownie with the girl scouts and is currently in the lead for most cookies sold out of her troop. She will try again to hold that title this year when cookies sales start. She is begging Chuck and I to put her in some more extracurricular activities, but with mine and Chucks busy schedules we have yet to do so. She is an amazing sister to her older brother Caden and we excited to see what all she will accomplish this year.

We have had an uneventful year but ‘no news, is better than bad news,’ right? We hope all of you have a safe and happy year.

Love, The Stackhouse family

ANN: I believe my last update said I was going to buy a new car, start running, and get married...in that order.  I’m a slow mover because the only thing I have accomplished from that list in the past year is meeting the man I’m going to marry. His name is Justin Hamilton. (Some of you may have met him at the last Cousin Connection) We met in my old singles ward, of all places. He is from the Holladay area, went to Olympus High School, and served 5 years in the Marines and I am head over heels in love with him. That is the biggest news of my year/life. I’m still working for the same company (G54 Apparel) and I’m still living in the Olympus Cove area. I still have the same car. And I still don’t run.

HAROLD & DIANE: As we have reviewed the past few days the events of 2010, we feel blessed. Our family is still generally healthy and well. We’ve had no major accidents, injuries, or life threatening illnesses--unlike other families. We are indeed blessed and our hearts continue to weep for some of the challenges some of you have and are facing. In that regard, its been kind of a rough year for the family in general, but still we are all blessed.

As perhaps most of you know, Aunt Diane was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease earlier this year, which has caused us many sober moments. We spent months visiting every Doctor and Specialist we could find in hopes of finding some cure--but that’s not to be. We have done and are doing everything the Doctors have asked us to do to slow down the debilitating process. She remains physically very healthy and strong, but mentally she doesn’t process things at all well. She can no longer drive, so we got rid of our 2nd car, and I am now the “designated” driver for all travel and trips.

Regarding trips--shortly after her diagnosis we decided to do a bit of traveling, so we finally went east to visit the Church historical sites, and it was a great experience. I’m kind of upset with myself that we hadn’t done this years ago. We visited Winter Quarters where our dear friends, the Brewsters, were running the Visitors Center there. What a great Visitors Center. Then we visited the Temple right over the fence from the Visitors Center. In the following days, we visited Carthage Jail, Liberty Jail, Independence, Nauvoo and the Temple. What a fun trip. After the first 2-3 days Diane was exhausted, so the last couple days she mostly sat in the car while I did all the touristy stuff. We have already planned for a couple trips in 2011. The first trip is to Mt. Rushmore. We’ve never done that before and Diane would like to see it. As soon as the weather gets decent we’ll head east. Then she would like to visit Boston, Washington and New York again--so this summer we’ll head east even again.

We express our love to each of your--our family ! There is no family like it in all the World--of that I’m convinced. Thanks for not only what you do, but mostly for what you are !

P.S. Diane just reminded me that I missed one upcoming trip this year. We are taking all our children and grandchildren to Disneyland, Sea World, Universal, Knotts Berry, the beach, etc. in just a few weeks from now. That ought to fun and chaotic, but memorable.

Allison and Curt: We never have a dull moment down here in Texas! And though we always miss our families back in Utah and Idaho and fly back as often as possible, we always have a full calendar here keeping us busy. Curt works in Advertising for WBAP Radio and I continue to work for Sandler Training. We keep a good balance in our world and have lots of fun going to drive race cars, zip-lining, improv comedy classes, Mavericks/Stars/Rangers/Cowboy/TCU games, and using season passes to Six Flags/Sea World. Our volunteering efforts with the Discovery Training program is also close to our heart and we are humbly grateful for the chance to see lives transformed on a monthly basis! Otherwise, our primary focus is always on our amazing 4 children!!

Dru (my bonus son) lives in Boise but did spend one year living in Texas with us, playing basketball/football at Jr. High, and trying to adjust to a house of sisters. He’s looking forward to driving soon and we are glad for when he can visit. Lindsay is loving high school!! She makes friends so easily and teachers love her. She continues to thrive in her orchestra with violin and helped coordinate the orchestra’s first ever entry into the Homecoming Parade. Lindsay is always babysitting but is looking towards getting a real job as she intends to buy a nice car when she’s 16 soon.

Sara graduated into Jr. High this year and is doing awesome!! Good grades come easily for her and she jumped into everything she could: orchestra, Whiz Quiz, Student Council... and then also started Young Women’s this year with a bang. Loves the activities, Personal Progress and her leaders, giving110% in everything; including her passion about fashion. We are currently keeping Forever 21 in business! Kate (my bonus daughter) turned 8 this year on New Years and she still brings lots of sunshine and spunk to our family. She is our social butterfly who relishes going to Girl Scouts each week and spending time with friends. We are fortunate to be her primary household and love seeing her ace school and volunteering in her class!

Adam & Kate: Kate and I enjoyed a relatively peaceful, predictable year. She continues to enjoy her work with Chapman/Richards Realty group in Holladay. She religiously attends Pilates twice a week and she still enjoys learning and experimenting in the kitchen. Her little brother and sister-in-law provided a little excitement this past November by giving birth to a healthy baby boy - just the second grandchild on her side of the family. And she continues to try to convince me that we don’t have the meanest, grumpiest cat in the world.

I just rounded out my 13th year working with the same company (Priority Dispatch), and given the economic climate of 2010, I consider myself very fortunate. I’ve been able to curtail business travel a bit in recent years, but I did have to brush up on my Spanish recently as we pursue some contracts in Puerto Rico.

For entertainment this past year we didn’t really wander too far off the grid. We enjoyed some time off in the usual escapes (Cabo, Scottsdale and Vegas), and of course we promised ourselves that next year we’d get a little more creative.

We both enjoy the arrival of a new year and the time to reflect, refuel, set some new goals and refocus on making each year better than the last. Happy New Year everyone!

Angel & Brian: Brian’s contribution: “I’ve turned one year older and 10 years wiser. That is all.”

My contribution: We just moved at the beginning of December from West Jordan to........WEST JORDAN!! We now live around 90th South and 5200 West. We’re pretty excited but it’s taken us a while to actually get MOVED IN. We’re finally getting stuff up on the walls so it’s starting to really come together - yay!

For my big 4-0 birthday in September we went to New York City! We did ALL the touristy stuff: took a stroll through Central Park, rode the subway, went through the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Natural History (which was under construction so 50% of it was unseeable), rode the subway, went to the top of the Empire State Building, rode the subway, went to a Yankees game (I liked it a LOT more than I thought I would), rode the subway, went to Ground Zero, wasted more time on the subway, saw the Statue of Liberty (it was raining cats and dogs that day so we decided that viewing Ellis Island from the boat was good enough :), wasted more time on the subway, went to Times Square (the ball that drops on New Years Eve is WAY smaller than it seems on t.v. :), wasted more time on the subway, ate at the restaurant featured in Seinfeld, ate at Gray’s Papaya (for any romantic comedy movie fans :), wasted more time on the subway, and saw two Broadway shows - one of them being Wicked. TOTALLY WORTH IT! Wicked and the Yankees game were the highlights of our trip, and the subway was definitely the LOWlight of our trip.

Brian is still a Captain at Skywest Airlines and I still do online data entry.

Emily is in 4th grade and is all about friends, school, and accessorizing.

Jill is in 2nd grade and is super smart, super affectionate and loving, and super generous. She lost 6 teeth within the span of a month or so and tends to whistle when she says her S’s. She will turn 8 in September and is a little nervous about being baptized. She doesn’t like being the center of attention so it could be interesting.

We’re all really excited to be going back to Disneyland again in February with the whole family! Grandpa and Grandma (Harold and Diane) are sponsoring the trip and this time we’re going to Sea World also - it’s going to be so much fun!

Amanda & Brian: We have enjoyed another wonderful year! Brian loves his job designing cabinets at Teerlink. He fills his spare time attending meetings or taking the kids skiing. I am still at home supporting him and the kids in anything they need. This past September I had back surgery on a ruptured disk. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a good opportunity for our family to come together and make it through a couple difficult months. I’m feeling like a new woman and although somewhat limited, am trying to pick up life where I left off!

Our kids are growing up SO fast! Ethan is 10 and in fourth grade. He loves sports (swim team and soccer the most), cub scouts, and reading. He is an amazing boy with a brilliant testimony and such an example to the younger ones. Megan is 7 and in second grade. She continues to enjoy the Spanish Immersion program at school and is getting really good at speaking Spanish, but is much better at understanding it. She is so excited to be baptized in April. Dillon, 5, started kindergarten this year and was so bummed it wasn’t all day so he could stay and have lunch with his brother and sister. He is a funny, social kid, who is kind to everyone. We enjoyed a wonderful summer biking, swimming and camping. We are blessed to be parents of such amazing children.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those cousins still struggling with physical difficulties. We’re hoping there’s an opportunity to see all of you soon!

The Stackhouse Family: Chuck and I purchased a house in Murray last January, and after having moved many times in the years we have been married, I hope to stay in this house for awhile. I continue to work at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray on the Surgical Transplant Unit as a Registered Nurse. I am finding my job to be physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding, but enjoy taking care of others in need. Chuck is still the Retail Manager for Gap and Gap Kids in Park City. Although the economy has been bad, Chuck’s stores seem to continue to do well.

Ashlyn will be turning 16 at the end of January, and is a sophomore at Murray High. She has turned into a big help for Chuck and I around the house in watching her little brother and sister, while Chuck and I are at work. She has a true passion for music and any time she can, will add more songs to her already extensive collection on her iPod. She continues to excel in school although she really does not enjoy going, will count down the days to the next school break. I am so glad that she has turned into an older sister for my kids to admire and look up to.

Caden is currently in the fourth grade and continues to progress at his own pace. The simple things that come easy to other kids are generally a challenge for Caden. We continue to actively work with him in helping him spell his last name, count to 5, color recognition, and he is in the very early stages of trying to read. The special education educators that work with him are exceptional, and I am so grateful for all they do. At home Caden is trying to master his skills on the Nintendo Gamecube. Although he needs quite a bit of help when it comes to the games, he will still play for hours if we would let him.

Cortney is a very active second grader. She is so full of energy, that she spends very little time in front of the television or playing video games. Though she is a bit of a clutter collector, she does enjoy spending her time organizing that clutter. I am grateful to have one child that truly loves going to school, I think it has something to do with the fact that she calls me ‘boring.’ Still she continues to be Cadens best friend and although he may not know it yet, one day I think he will realize how truly great of a sister he has. Livin the dream…

Ann: I am still at Great Mountain West Supply (or G54.com) and officially hit my 4 year mark with the company just yesterday! Although I’m always hoping for a change, I am very grateful to be employed. I’ve been attending a singles ward now for a year and a half (The Mt. Olympus 3rd Ward in Holladay) and I really enjoy it. I am first counselor in the Relief Society and even though it’s surprisingly time consuming, I absolutely love it and have felt the changes and blessings in my life as a result. A month from now I will be moving out of my best friend’s condo and into a house with some other girls in the ward. I’m crossing my fingers that this is my last move until I’m married. (I’m sure my brother-in-laws who have to help me move each time are crossing their fingers too) Of course if I want to get married, I guess I should probably try dating first. Maybe this is my year! I’m also hoping to run a 5K and buy a new car this year. Hopefully I’ll do all of the above...Love and miss you all!