Describe getting a Christmas Tree with your family as a child. How did you decorate it, when did you put it up etc.

I always loved getting the Christmas Tree with the family. We would go to a tree farm and spend a long time walking around looking for the perfect tree. Once we found the tree we wanted (and we all agreed on it) we would start cutting it down. Often times dad would get it started and then us kids would take our turn with the saw. The tree farm we went to in Washington had a little log cabin that we would go in and enjoy some apple cider and treats.

Once we got home dad and mom would get it in the tree stand and put the lights on it and then it was time to decorate it! Dad always turned on Christmas music (on the record player) while we decorated. We each had our favorite ornaments that we would put on the tree. We also would set out the nativity sets, the village and other decorations. It was an all evening affair. Our tree had colored lights and did not have a theme. Our tree had all the ornaments that we had collected/made throughout the year. I loved it because it had so many memories.

Usually one night (or multiple nights) before Christmas all of us kids would sleep downstairs in the room with the tree. I loved this tradition. It was a fun time to talk and laugh with my brother and sisters. When we all gather together at Christmas time we still carry on this tradition and now it is with siblings, spouces and nieces/nephews.

I remember one year when we went to cut our tree down I don't think we brought a measuring tape with us so we couldn't make sure the tree would fit in the house. we have a peaked ceiling and when we found the perfect tree we figured it would fit in the house. It didn't look too big. Well, when we got home and brought the tree in the house it went almost to the top of the peaked ceiling and was REALLY wide. We had to open the pocket doors so that the tree could branch out into the family room and living room. I actually think this was one of my favorite trees because we could enjoy it in both rooms! :)

One of my favorite things to do is sit in the room with the Christmas tree...all the lights off except for the tree lights and read Christmas stories...or just sit and ponder on the reason we celebrate Christmas. I love fresh trees! The smell is the best!

Describe a Trip Downtown

When I read this question I thought of a few "downtowns" from my home in Washington. The first one is Downtown Silverdale. This is the the older part of Silverdale. It's not big but it sits right on the waterfront. On sunny days (especially Sunday afternoons or nice evenings after dad would get home from work) we would pack a dinner and go to the waterfront. I always enjoyed combing the beach when it was low tide looking for shells, baby crabs and whatever else I could find. We would sometimes bring a football or frisbee and play catch. We just enjoyed the beauty that surrounded us! The waterfront is one of my favorite things about my hometown!! There are a few shops in downtown but we didn't usually go through them.

Another "downtown" that I thought of was Seattle! If we were going to Seattle to just enjoy the city life we usually rode the ferry boat across the sound and would walk around in Seattle (it's easier than driving and finding parking). We'd walk up to the space needle and walk around that area, we usually rode the monorail, and walked along the pier. We would also walk through and window shop at Pikes Market. After I graduated from college my parents took me to eat at the restuarant at the top of the Space Needle. That is a special treat! It is a revolving resturaunt with a fabulous view! I never really get bored of going to Seattle. I love to people watch and there are always interesting people walking the streets in Seattle.

The last "downtown" that I thought of was Downtown Poulsbo. I love going here with my mom. Their downtown is down in the Norwegian style. They have lots of fun little stores to walk through. Our favorite is the Norwegian bakery! :) YUM. It is a fun and friendly atmosphere. The sidewalks are always busy and it seems as though everyone you pass has a smile on their face.

Describe a typical day during your Junior High years

This is a hard one for me! I don't remember much about my junior high years! I enjoyed them and had fun with my friends but nothing really stands out. When I got to school I would usually hang out in the cafeteria until the bell rang. I always worried about being late to my classes so I didn't visit much in the hallways between class time. My friends and I would write letters to each other. During my junior high/high school years a good friend of mine became anorexic. She confided in me with her feelings and what she was dealing with. We exchanged multiple letters with each other each day. After school I usually rode the bus home. We lived at the top of a hill and the bus dropped us off at the bottom. When it was raining or really hot (or my mom just felt like being nice) my mom would pick me up from the bottom of the hill so I wouldn't have to walk up!

Did it snow where you grew up? If so, what did you do in the snow?

When we lived in California it was a rare occurance to have snow. I remember once when it snowed we woke up in the morning and went in to our parents room to tell them it had snowed. THey didn't believe us and had to look out the window to check for themselves. It didn't snow a lot but enough that we could go out and have a good time in it as a family.

When we moved to WA we did get snow each winter. Not usually many days, and usually it would snow and be gone by the end of the day. I remember the first summer we lived there we would sled down the hill because not many cars could actually make it up the hill. Shortly after that many people ended up buying 4 wheel drives so it was no longer "safe" to sled down. We also enjoyed going into the woods behind our house to do some sledding. I remember playing in the snow with the neighborhood kids (Tova and Kara). One thing we enjoyed doing was getting in Tova's hot tub and then jumping out to do snow angels and then getting back in! :)

Mom would always have hot cocoa waiting for us when we would decide we were too wet and cold to play outside. We'd come in and get warmed up and usually end up back outside.

As a family we also enjoyed the snow! Snowball fights, walks down the street to enjoy the beauty, building snowmen and just having a good time.

As I have gotten older I have decided that I don't like the snow so much. I don't enjoy getting cold and wet and the snow only makes it harder to go places. I do think the world looks very pretty after a snowfall but would rather enjoy it from the inside than being out in the middle of it!

What are you frightened of? Why?

When I first read this question I immediately thought, "that's easy, 'failure'." When I was in junior high and high school I wouldn't try out for the school volleyball team because I was afraid I wouldn't make the team. I have to remind myself that I can't sit back and not go for something just because I am afriad of failing. This is a constant battle for me.

A year ago my teammate Joan transferred to a new school and it left me at my current school with two new teammates. I was worried about having to do the Shakespeare play, broadcast and other activities that we had going with the 6th grade by myself (the teachers hired were new and didn't have any experience with it). I was afraid I would fail at being a 6th grade teacher. but I proved to myself I could do it!

At times I am afraid of where our world is coming to. The family is not a strong central unit anymore. Family dynamics are changing. Kids are spending more time home without mom or dad. Many parents are getting divorced and it's not being looked down on. Same sex marriage is becoming ok in the eyes of many Americans. I am grateful that we have the family proclamation to guide us and help us keep the family unit strong. We have to remind ourselves that if we are prepared we shall not fear. We need to make sure we are doing our part to be prepared for the waves that come our way!

Tell about your Father: personality, talents,temperament, family stories about him, his role in your home etc.

I have many great memories with my dad! Ever since I was old enough to understand the dangers of a gun and how to handle a gun safely my dad has taken me shooting! We started out target shooting. He would often take the young men and young women shooting for their mutual activities too. To this day I enjoy, and look forward to, the times when we get to go shooting. We now go trap shooting and I enjoy that much more than target shooting.

Dad has always been one to love working with the scouts. He loves to go to scout camp and to help in any way needed. He sees the importance with scouting and wants to instill the love for scouting in the young men. He has stories he will never live down, like the dutch oven cobbler!

Dad takes his membership in the church seriously. I often see him studying his scriptures and writing in his journal. He is an example to me in both of these areas. He has always been a worthy priesthood holder and able to give me a blessing anytime needed. He always gave us kids a father's blessing before the first day of each school year. He magnifies his calling and always completes his home teaching.

Dad has worked for the navy as long as I can remember. He was a ship scheduler at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard when we moved to WA. He is now retired and fills his time with working as a drivers ed trainer and a tax guy (I don;t know the term). He also is involved in a corvette club and the gun club.

Dad has always been a tease! I guess that's where I get it from! He always has to one up us so you don;t start something unless you are willing for dad to get you back even better. One night mom and dad were headed to bed and so I went up the stairs before them. I turned on my bedroom light and shut my door (so mom and dad would think I was in my room) but went into their bathroom and stood right inside the shower. I wanted to scare my dad! They came up and dad went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he walked in I came out of the shower and said "Boo." I will never forget how high he jumped and the scream he made. It was amazing! Usually I don;t get him but this time I succeeded!

As we were growing up (and still to this day) if we got hurt but there wasn;t any blood dad would tell us "there's no blood, so it doesn;t hurt." Not the most sympathetic. Well, this has come back to haunt him many times. Like when he fell off the tall ladder and crushed his heal, or when he fell of the roof and hurt his shoulder really bad, or when he was in the hospital with blood clots. Each time he gets injured we remind him "there's no blood so it must not hurt."

Dad also bets on football games with us! He and I use to bet on the NFL monday night football but last year we started betting on the BYU cougar football. We bet a candy bar each week. Our conversations on the phone cna last a LONG time as we determine who will take which team and how many points the one with the favored team will give the other person. He is a scrooge when it comes to trying to get him to give me points! I have to stand my ground and hope I can wear him down and he will give in and give me some points. :)

Write About Some Places You Went With Your Mother

I have many fond memories of time spent with my mom. When I was a child I remember her taking us to the park to play.  Sometimes we would go to a place called "Playland" where they had all sorts of tubes and slides to crawl on and go down (indoors).

As a youth I remember my mom being very involved in young womens.  Often times her calling was in YW's so she would go to mutual with me.  I always enjoyed having her there.  During my high school years we would go out for ice cream at night or just go look around at stores (Target, Ross, Wal-mart, etc).  

When I was in college, BYU-Idaho had what they called "Mother's Week."  Mom would always make it a point to come visit me during this week!  It was a special treat for me to share a week of my college life with my mom each year.  We would usually go out to eat, go to some performances done by students on campus, play games, and just enjoy being together.  She would always take me grocery shopping too which was a nice treat!

As I have lived in Utah I've enjoyed special visits from my mom.  It became a tradition for my mom to come up once a year and spend a few days in Salt Lake.  We would get grandma and bring her up too and all stay in a motel room where we would pamper ourselves (Kim would be with us too and sometimes Aunt Karen, my cousin Tiffany or my sister Jen would be able to come too).  We really just enjoyed being with each other.

When I go home for a visit to WA I enjoy going to lunch with my mom on her lunch break or going shopping in the evenings when she would get home from work.  We also enjoy going on walks with each other.

My mom is one of my best friends!!! She has always been there for me and I have always known that I can go to her at anytime and with anything.  She is understanding and is a good listener.  I have been blessed to have a mom (and dad) who taught me to be self reliant, to live within my means, to get a good education, to love God, to serve others and to always work on building my testimony. Thanks for always being there mom! I will always need my mom!

Describe your yard as a child. Did you help with yard work? What are your memories? Draw a diagram if you can.

I lived in two homes growing up.  I love the memories from both yards.  In CA I remember playing football with Jen and Brandon.  We would put dish towels under our clothes for our pads and play some tackle football.  In CA it was my sisters (Jen and Kim's) chore to mow the lawn. I remember Jen often convincing me to mow the lawn for her and I would do it sometimes.  I don't remember what I got in return for it...I guess just blessings. :)

On the side of the yard I remember we had a BIG Pompus Bush that we would pull the tall feathery things off of and play with them.

On the other side of the house my brother and I (and neighbor friends) would make clubhouses.

That's about what I remember from my yard in CA

Our back yard in WA has a rockbed "stream" through the middle of it (to keep the yard from flooding).  In one corner was our garden spot.  We would try to plant vegetables but not much would grow for us.  We soon turned to planting flowers there.  In the other corner was where our trampoline was.  We spent a lot of time jumping on the trampoline. We have a nice big deck to spend time on as well.  The days that were really warm outside we would eat dinner at our picnic table. There isn't a fence in our yard (except for one side) in WA.  The back has a hedge to seperate our yard from the ones who live behind us.  We have several rhodedendron bushes in the front and back yard!  I love these bushes when they are in bloom.  They add so much color to the yards.

When we moved to WA it became my chore to mow the back lawn.  I hated this chore and often wondered why I would mow it for Jen before it became my chore.  When my parents would tell me it was time to mow the lawn I would grumble and complain.  I remember one time, in particular, when my mom told me to mow the lawn.  I grumbled and said I would do it later.  she told me it HAD to be done by 5:00p.m. (she told me this first thing in the morning).  Well, I played all day and my mom kept reminding me it had to be done by 5.  Dark clouds started to move in and it got later and later in the day.  I finally went out about 4:30 to mow the lawn and as soon as I got out there it started to rain!  My mom stood in the kitchen, looking out the window, laughing because I had put it off all day and now when I HAD to get out there and mow it started to rain.  I guess I learned my lesson that it's easier to just go mow the lawn as soon as my parents ask me to than to put it off because I am not going to get out of it.

The front yard in WA had a lot of trees and bushes on the side.  It provided some good shade and it was so pretty! I love all the bushes and trees in our yard in WA.  It's probably my favorite thing about the yard there.

List Your Aunts and Uncles and Tell One Thing About Them

I have been blessed with many great aunts and uncles.

Mom's Side

Craig and Sue: what can I say!  It was only about 5 years ago that I began to get close to my Uncle Craig.  Craig has become my adrenaline rush buddy!  He goes skydiving multiple times a month and just last weekend he met Eric and I in Ogden to go with us on our first skydiving adventure!  He and I always end up in a water fight when we are together.  We like to give each other a bad time and tease one another!  He and I are currently training to run in a half marathon together the end of August!

Karen and Scott: I love every opportunity I have to spend with Karen and Scott. They live in Arizona so I usually see them when they come to Utah.  Karen has always been interested in what I have goign on in my life and I know she is there if I ever need anything.  We give Karen a bad time because she always freezes when she comes to Utah because it's not as hot as it is in Arizona.  Scott is a quiet man but interested in what is going on in our lives and would do anything for anyone.  I admire their strength as they face the struggles and trials that have been put in their path!

Moe and Theron: I got close to them when I was going to school at BYU-Idaho!  Anytime I needed something I knew I could call Moe.  Anything from a kitchen utensil, camping stuff, or a place to store my belongings during the summer months!  It was nice to have some family in the same town as I was going to school!  I would visit her a couple times a month while there.  Theron spends a lot of his time working up at their farm!  I do remember goign out to the farm once and having a good tim there.

Wally and Gwen: Several years ago Gwen told me that Wally was ticklish on his mustache.  Now everytime I see him I have to tickle his mustache.  Wally will do ANYTHING for ANYONE!  He will give his shirt off his back if that's what's needed.  He is a true example of christlike charity! Gwen likes to do cross stitch and other crafts.  She cares about Wally and will do anything to make him happy!

Dad's Side

Vicki and Chuck: They have always had lots of animals.  I remember them having horses and dogs! We went to their ranch once to ride horses.  Vicki lived close to grandma and grandpa so everytime we would go visit our grandparents they would come to grandma's house too. 

Curt and Suzanne: Curt has a huge sense of humor!  It is nonstop laughs when you are around him.  He has a positive outlook on life.  We went camping with them several times and I remember playing cards, and walking on the trails with him. I remember goign and visiting them at their home in Oregon.  We went to a mall that had an ice skating rink in the center of it.  Suzanne is one of my heros!  She is a breast cancer survivor!  She went through her chemo with a smile on her face and a determination to beat it!  I only hope that if I am ever faced with something like that that I can have the positive outlook on like as she did!

Tell about an embarrassing moment

I try not to place myself in situations where I will be embarrassed.  I don't like to stand out in the crowd (unless I am fully comfortable with the group-AKA my family).  I have thought all afternoon about this question and even called mom.  If any of you think of an embarrassing moment of mine please jog my memory!  Here is what I came up with:

1. It is always embarrassing for me when people find out that my sister Jen would pay me a quarter to smell her farts.  I earned many quarters by doing this!  And, why am I admitting this on here where others could read it??  I don't know!

2. One year for my birthday my mom chose to throw me a surprise birthday party.  I HATE surprises.  Mom and I had gone to the grocery store and I was complaining to her that we hadn't done anything about planning my birthday party.  Well, we got home and I walked in and was greeted by many smiling faces yelling "surprise!"  I was MAD at my mom for doing this because for whatever reason those type of things embarrass me.  I am not a fan of surprises!

So, if any of you can think of a better embarrassing story for me please do share!

Tell about a favorite vacation from your childhood

When I read this question the first thing that popped into my head was camping!  I remember going on several camping trips with my family and I loved them.  We were big campers.  One of our favorite places to go camping was Samuel P. Taylor park (I think that's what it was called).  We spent time at the lake, exploring, going on hikes, cooking together, talking around the campfire and playing games.  Sometimes my dad's siblings and their families would join us on our camping excursions.  

There is one camping trip that stands out in my mind most vividly.  We brought our dog Ben with us and we were in our tent asleep.  Mom and dad were in a tent and then us kids and Ben were in another tent.  Pretty soon we started hearing scratching on our tent.  We thought it was Mom and Dad trying to scare us but it didn't take long for Ben to start barking.  We got worried that it was a mountain lion or a bear.  We unzipped the window and saw that we had several racoons in our campsite.  They were trying to get into our food and they were eating Ben's dog food.  I remember mom describing the way they were eating his food as "little kids eating popcorn." Handfuls at a time and they couldn't get enough.  One raccoon took the gallon glass jar of dog food and carried it up the tree.  It was cute to watch these raccoons in our campsite but they got into our food and that wasn't so fun.

Another family vacation that I remember going on is to Disneyland.  We went to Disneyland a few times growing up.  I don't remember a lot of specific details but I remember driving there and spending time as a family.  I remember one year I was scared of any of the big roller coasters.  My dad MADE me go on the Matahorn and I was so mad at him.  I was scared and I did not want to go on it.  I think I came off the ride enjoying it and being glad that he made me try it.

I also remember going to Hawaii with my parents and my brother.  My dad was there for work for a couple months and my mom told Brandon and I that if we could pay for our plane tickets then we could go to Hawaii.  We spent 10 days on the island of Ohau.  We went snorkeling, shopping, spent time on the beach, went to the Polynesian Culture Center, visited the temple grounds, Pearl Harbor and many other things.  I enjoyed this time in Hawaii with my parents and brother. 

I am grateful for the many times we spent together as a family.  It is spending time with the family that I remember most.  I don't remember specifics but I remember being together, laughing and having a good time.

How many brothers and sisters do you have? Describe them and tell a story about you and each of them.

Jen, me, Eric, Kim and Brandon

Kim: Kim is my oldest sibling and is 6 years older than me.  She and I went off to Ricks College together!  We were roommates for a few semesters where we were able to share in many college experiences.  She is musically talented and growing up I enjoyed listening to her play the piano.  She is always willing to help anyone in need!  She often went up to grandma's house on her 5 day weekends so that grandma wouldn't be alone and she could help her with anything grandma needed done.

Jen: Jen is 4 years older than me and the two of us are most alike.  I gained my love for volleyball by watching her play in high school!  Anytime the two of us are together there is a waterfight bound to happen.  Once when she was babysitting a neighbors kids she called me (I was at a friends house playing) and asked me to come change the babies dirty diaper!  She hated changing diapers.  She's been an example of magnifying her church callings and taking her church membership serious! She loves her Heavenly Father and teaches her children the importance of it.  She's never afraid to share her testimony to family members and friends!

Brandon: He is 4 years younger than me.  We joke that he is my "little 'big' brother" because he's much taller than me!  I remember playing outside with him all day growing up.  We loved to be outside together.  He and I wrote to each other on a regular basis through his whole mission.  He was a great example to me of dedicating two years of his life to serve the Lord!

I am grateful for my siblings and all the many fun memories that I have with them!  They have all taught me so many things!  Family is one of the biggest blessings in my life!  I don't know how I would go through life without them!!!

Life in a Jar

SEVERAL years ago my siblings and I gave my mom a jar with many questions about her family history for her to answer in a journal.  She never really answered these questions but came across the jar the other day.  She's decided that she is going to take a question a day and answer it on her blog.  After reading her first post I decided that it would be a good idea for me to take those same questions and answer them on this blog.  When the questions are all answered I will turn the blog into a book and have a great family history! :) So, that is the purpose of this blog!