blogginwiththelondons

Delemia of a School Librarian

2012-01-24T11:52:00.003-07:00

I.LOVE.BOOKS. Especially children's books! This is why I love my job so much. I get to read children's books to children, I get to select children's books for our school, and I get to work with the kids in the media center.

Awhile back I selected this book:

"Its A Book" by Lane Smith! I absoutley love this book, comparing reading a book to the digital age we live in of texting, facebooking, and blogging. It is hilarious! So what is my delemia? Well there are 3 characters in the book, Mouse, Monkey, & Jackass. I have no problem with the names or with saying Jackass as a name. However, in the last page of the book Mouse says,"It's a book, Jackass!" It reads like Mouse is calling Jackass a Jackass, instead of by his name. Hence my delemia......to read it outloud without sarcasam!

I tried with a 6th grade class........did not work.....they were laughing throughout the whole book! I gave up and just put it on the shelf for kids to check out. Now the book is always checked out (which is great) but, I am just waiting for a parent to come in and talk to me about the book! Did I mention that one of the greatest things about my job is that I get to work with the kids, but I don't have to deal with the parents......those days could be history!

In Love With FALL

2011-11-04T01:24:00.003-06:00

I. Love. Fall.
There, I have said it! I love the crisp, cool air, the falling leaves, the beautiful rich fall colors, football, wearing sweaters, and most of all the perspective that fall gives me. For me, there are two feelings that come with Fall.
First is CHANGE:
I see, feel, & smell so much change around me that it makes me want to experience actual change in my life. Some people like to make changes in their lives when a new year begins, but I think Fall is a good time for change. So I am going to make some changes now, and here are some things that I want to improve on.

* I want to be more kind.
* I want to go to bed earlier.
* I want to be more productive.
* I want to be a better visiting teacher.
* I want to be a better friend.
* I want to study the scriptures more.
* I want to be healthier.
* I want to be closer to the spirit.

Wow! Kind of a lofty list, but I can do it!

The second feeling that I get with Fall is GRATITUDE:

* I am grateful for the beautiful place that I live, and the freedoms I enjoy!
* I am grateful for good, thoughtful friends!
* I am grateful for health, mine and my loved ones!
* I am grateful for opportunities to work!
* I am grateful for talented musicians, and artists who inspire me!
* I am grateful for my home, and the love, safety, and joy I feel here!
* I am grateful for parents who loved me, and raised me in the gospel!
* I am grateful for older brothers who tortured me, and raised me to be strong!
* I am grateful for the best husband in the world!!
* I am grateful for our three beautiful daughters!
* I am grateful for Laughter!
* I am grateful for Love!
* I am grateful for Forgiveness!
* I am grateful for Joy!
* I am grateful for the Priesthood of God!
* I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
* I am grateful for a living Prophet of God!
* I am grateful for the Book of Mormon!
* I am grateful for my Testimony!
* I am grateful that I am a Mormon!

This list of gratitude could go on and on....... but now you may understand why I love Fall so much!
It is a time of shedding the old me, and starting from scratch, like a bulb underground. Growing, and changing from the inside out. So when spring comes I will be renewed, a better me. Striving to become all that is possible!
It is also a time of reflection on all that is good in my life, all the blessings I enjoy, all the opportunities that are mine. All that I am now, because of where I have been before!

I. Love. Fall. I'm just sayin.....

Summer With The Londons

2011-07-31T20:04:00.010-06:00

Summer is a busy time of year for us. We started off the summer with taking a family trip to Las Vegas and St. George. Nicole was even able to get work o ff early and come play in Vegas with us! In St. George we were able to see The Little Mermaid and Grease at Tuachan! We had a great time together!

Nicole, Megan, and I at The Little Mermaid!

We started off July with me, Mom, and Dad heading up to Girl s Camp! This was SYCA year at Camp so it was the last time that I got to go. I was a litt le nervous going up because I wasn't going to be with the ward this year, but it was still so much fu n! Our Camp theme this year was Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful. By the end of the week everyone at camp had become their own kind of beautiful. It was so great to have both of my parents at Girls Camp for my last year. They were both worki ng with the stake too so I got to see them a lot more. My dad was a stake camp daddy so it was even better when I got to direct my jokes at him! The week was so much fun and I got to know the girls my age and in my ward a lot better. I am so glad that I have been able to go up to Cam p for the last 6 years! It has truly strengthened my testimony of the gospel!

The ward playing extreme volleyball! We got pretty good at it by the end of the week!

The SYCA'S leading the music! It was so much fun!

Josie, Krista, and I on the first year hike!

One of the SYCA'S pranks on the camp dads was spraying them with silly string!

Our next adventure was Moon Lake. The week after Girls Camp we headed off to Moon Lake. Mom, Megan, Chelsea, Coco, and I left Tuesday. On Thursday Nicole and Dad came up to join in on the fun! We all had a good time hanging out! Even Co co had fun up there! She enjoyed all the attention she got as well as the many different smells up there, roaming free in the cabin, laying on any open bed, and of course going bye-bye in the car! I even left $10 richer because I went under the i ce cold water for 3 seconds! Including the $10 I also left with a bad sunburn on m y back...opps! All in all it was a super fun week!

Coco cuddling up to Dad. She loves her Shane!!

We buried Megan on the beach. I think we all took turns getting buried! It was very sandy after...

The family before we left!

After Moon Lake I got to take a break from camping for a week before I went to OYA. OYA stands for Outdoor Youth Adventures. I went to that last week! It was so much fun! On Monday my friend Alie and I headed up to Rexburg where we got on a bus for about an hour and went to Badger Creek where we actually camped! It was such a great experience! We were in group F which in my op inion was the best group there! Go Supermegafoxyawesomehotts!! :) On Monday we just spent the day mostly getting to know our group. Tuesday is when we started doing more activities. We started off Tuesday w ith doing the spider's web, the pirate ship, and the thing I don't remember the name of! After we were done with those we headed over to the Giant Swing! I loved that one! It was so much fun!

On Tuesday we also did the rock wall and zip line. As well as the John Colter relay! On Wednesday we started off the day with the blind walk. When we were done with that it was time to go get ready for river rafting! That was probably my favorite thing we did all week! I had never gone rafting before and it was a good river to

be on! After rafting we did the power pole! The power p ole was lots of fun too! After we finished the power pole we went to the prison wall. This was a flat wall that our whole group had to go over. You could only help 3 people on top and 3 o n bottom. This one was a little harder for me but it was sti ll pretty fun! Thursday we got to start off the day with a shower! It was worth waking up at 5:30 for! We went horse back riding after breakfast that day. After horse back riding we went to the Jungle Jim. That one wa

s both fun and challenging for me. I realized this week that I don't have that much upper body strength ...haha. We also went on our hike on Thu rsday. The hike was pretty challenging for me too with my asthma and shin splints, but it was stil l really great! It was so pretty up there and I really got to see the beauty while on the hike. Thursday night we had a hoedown!! That was lots o f fun!! It was such a great experience and I am so glad that I went even if it was a challenge! I am so glad that I was put in the group that I was

in! They were all so n ice to me when it was harder for me to do something! I felt the spirit so strongly up there! It was so great to be around people who have the same standards as you do!

Me on the rock wall!

The whole family!!

Me on top of the power pole!

The pretty stream on the hike.

Alie and I waiting to go on the Giant Swing!

Me on the Giant Swing!

Me on the Jungle Jim!

The summer has been great so far, but we still have a month left! It's gone by way too fast...I don't know if I'm ready to be a senior yet!! Any way it's been so much fun and I wouldn't change any moment of it!!

We have it All.....

2011-03-31T00:17:00.010-06:00

Our human bodies are so funny...it seems that there was only one time of the year that I could get pregnant and have it stick. There were lots of fertility drugs, 5 pregnancies (that we know of.....yes you can miscarry before you even realize you are pregnant...who knew?), resulting in 2 miscarriages, and 3 beautiful daughters!

First came Nicole, born on March 19th! Next came Megan, born on March 30th! (2 years after Nicole) Then came Abbie, born on January 31! (2 years after Megan). I had always wanted 8 kids, then as I got older I decided 6 would be okay, and finally by the time I got married I really wanted at least 4. In the end, I just feel so grateful for the 3 beautiful girls that we have been blessed with. I couldn't be happier!! These girls are Amazing!!

Since they have all celebrated big birthdays recently I wanted to just tell them how precious they are to Shane and me.

Nicole: You are a real adult now (21) You have traveled the world to places that I only dream of going! You are a leader (and sometimes the "ringleader"). You are beautiful, fun, protective, smart, and of course...."happy, happy, happy"! When I think of you as a baby/toddler, I think of your beautiful dark hair, and big brown eyes. Your knocking on the bathroom door looking for your "Pops", walking around talking nonstop, rolling your eyes, playing up to the camera, grounding your little sisters, and running away (to Pops), You made it through your teenage years having your heart broken, and breaking hearts along the way.You found that through trials your faith and testimony grows. You made good choices which has strengthened your amazing testimony and has led you to where you are today! We are so proud of you!!

Megan: You are 19 now! Wow, you have almost survived your teenage years. You have such a open, loving , and tender heart! I wish that I was as compassionate as you are! You are also very brave, and determined ,you do things that are challenging and even if it scares you, you just press forward. I also admire how strong your faith is. You know that when you pray Heavenly Father is there, and you know He will guide you! Many people do not have that kind of faith, and so they will never have the adventures you have! When I think of you as a baby/toddler, I think of your beautiful curly blond hair, your BIG beautiful brown eyes. I also think of how much adventure and mischief you would get into.....escaping from the nursery at church, throwing the "balls" (eggs) you found in the fridge onto the floor, trying to jump into the swimming pool by yourself, and always wanting to be my helper. Your teenage years found you coming out of your shell, and singing your way through High School. Now you are completing your first year at college, and you have so much adventure, fun, and love ahead of you! You are beautiful and we are so proud of you!

Abbie: For being 17, I am amazed by you.....you have it all. You are smart, beautiful, daring, strong, and loyal. I admire how independent you are. I love how playful you are, and I absolutely love your sense of humor! When I think of you as a baby/toddler, I think of your beautiful blue eyes, and your beautiful smile that would light up a room. I think of you and your playmates Zack, Josie, Britt, Alie, and Pops. I think of you and Josie playing till you both just fell asleep with Barbies in your hands. I think of stitches, cute freckles on your little nose, and more personality than most adults have! You have grown into a beautiful young woman, with only 1 more year of High School ahead of you! There have been more stitches, alot of laughter, and so much love along the way! I love how you are so self motivated, how you stand up for what you believe in, and how I see your testimony growing! You have so much adventure ahead of you (just don't involve the law), Your future is bright with Love and Success!! I am so proud of you!

My favorite things about our girls?? The traits that they share....they are so loving and loyal to each other, and they are continuing to grow in the gospel! What more could a parent ask for?
We have it all!!

!

Obviously Change is Not a Constant on this Blog..

2011-02-02T21:14:00.003-07:00

But we're all alive, happy, healthy, and loving life.

Shane: working, doing all of our taxes (for free even-well who am I kidding, he does my taxes he knows how broke I am), cursing the puppy, secretly loving the puppy, laughing at his girls, taking care of us all and loving whenever the whole family is all together

Robyne: working, reading books, loving her "lil pup", answering phones (since Megan and I have moved away her roles as driver and errand runner have been replaced with phone operator), taking care of the home, spending far too much time at Hillcrest, and loving her family

Abbie: Celebrating her birthday! Happy 17th girl! Actually due to some mistakes in scheduling she actually has been able to celebrate her birthday more in the last month then some people ever celebrate birthdays in their entire lives... well that was sad. Anyways, she is also busy going to school, being a social butterfly with her friends, getting ready for Renaissance feast and looking forward to the Sweethearts dance.

Megan: Busy going to school, driving home for all her friends mission farewells, freezing at snow, hanging out with her roommates, and loving living in a cute little apartment-even if it is in Ephraim. She is doing great at college and has big dreams for her future, that I know she'll achieve.

And me. Well I'm back in the USA. Not always my first choice to be now, but it's home and I LOVE that. I'm going to BYU, living in Provo (most of the time), catching up for lost adventures with my friends here, and studying way too much. Honest.

Oh. And the dog. She has learned to sit and lay down. And when Megan and I are gone she howls whenever the phone rings. She likes us all to be together at home. It's adorable.

And she sometimes she wears sweaters. Although that says more about mom then the dog ;)Life at the Londons is good.

(Hopefully the parentals will post more later... I just wanted to see how long it would take them to notice that I posted here)

-Nicole

Changes.....the one constant

2010-09-02T07:21:00.012-06:00

Change...its what life seems to be all about! People say, "I need a change", "I feel things changing", "change is for the better", "times are a changin"', "time changes all things" .....I could go on and on, but I think you get the Idea.
Our lives are always changing, and that is good! Change = Growth. But, sometimes I forget that change can be awkward, and difficult. Here are a few of the changes in our lives the past few months.....

Megan graduated from Hillcrest High School in June. Her summer was filled with "change"...she had her wisdom teeth out, all four impacted...then about 4 weeks later she had her tonsils out! During this time she was also packing/shopping for college, and reorganizing/cleaning out her bedroom, and basically spending any free time partying with her friends before they all went their separate ways for college/missions. Her summer ended with a trip to Washington D.C. with Mom & Dad.

We had an amazing trip and enjoyed the alone one on one time with Meg, before we moved her to SNOW College. SNOW is in Ephraim Utah, about 1 1/2 hours south east of Sandy. Just far enough away for her to be independent and close enough to be able to come home once in a while! Megan is loving college, her new friends, and the fact that she still has her own room.

Abbie had a great summer, very busy! She went to girls camp and had a blast! She went to Moon Lake with some friends and had a great time there also. Abbie got her license and since then is hardly ever home. Especially since Nicole has left and Abbie is now driving the Mazda.
Abbie is on the tennis team and is busy every day with either matches, or practices. Abbie is also involved with the school play/musical this year. Abbie has always been the most independent child and has such a zest for life....she keeps us going here at home!

Nicole had a busy summer working and saving $ for her semester abroad studies in London! She worked hard all summer. In her free time she spent with friends, and mostly with her family! It was great, we loved having her home and it was great that she actually wanted to spend her time with us. Maybe she thought that she would get sick of us and it would be easier for her to leave for 3 1/2 months. There was also alot of preparation for her to pack up her college stuff, pack up for London, and also pack up her room for being gone again. She is now Loving London and having great experiences that are changing her life!

As for Shane & I, we are also keeping busy, changing, getting older, wiser, poorer, (ha,ha)
Life is good and the one thing that hasn't changed it that I still LOVE this man and our girls!

Life is changing...it's getting better all the time!

California...a big state

2010-04-08T07:27:00.018-06:00

It seems that when it rains it pours, well, sometimes. Like when all the really good movies come out within the same 2 week period, or all of the family's social demands fall within a 3 day period, you know stuff like that. So it was with my recent trips to California. Shane and I had been planning all year on chaperoning Hillcrest HS Performing Arts Tour to Southern California the week before Easter. I have done this for the past 4 years, and this would be Shane's second trip as a chaperone. I have loved this trip! The kids are amazing and supportive of eachother. They know how to work hard and play hard (very important in Disneyland). But while planning for this trip my dear sweet Grandma Jessie passed away so I took a quick trip to Norhtern CA for her funeral, it was a beautiful service, and it was great to see my family...and spend time in San Francisco exploring with my sister-in-law (she always has the best ideas of where to go)

This is an older picture from a different adventure, but just so you know she is very fun!!

I returned from my Grandma's services on Sunday and we departed on Monday for the Performing Arts Tour in So. California. I wish I could say I hopped on a plane for that trip, but it was not to be......instead it was a lovely bus trip leaving Utah about 7pm Monday night and arriving in San Diego about 7 am Tuesday morning! Lots of fun but almost no sleep!!
We had breakfast and then toured the USS Midway. The kids also performed on board.

As you can see this first day of tour, was also Megan's 18th Birthday!!! She wore a crown and a "Birthday Princess" sash all day. We celebrated pretty much the whole trip though!! I still can't believe she is 18 and graduating so soon! Do I feel old? no, not really....I just feel time is slipping away and just yesterday she was a baby! I sure do love her and am proud of her!!

After leaving the Midway we went to the beach, it was beautiful weather and you could sure spot the "white" Utah kids in the water, ha, ha. It was a great afternoon in the surf and sun!

Megan performing on the USS Midway.

Singing karoke on the cruise Tues. night!

Choir performing at Disneyland.

VE performing at Disneyland!

Sisters watching the performance!

More birthday celebration @ Rainforest Cafe.

Mama & Papa London
Tour was an awesome experience. We were able to go to San Diego, Disneyland, and on the way home we stopped in Las Vegas to see "The Lion King" it was great! We arrived home early Easter morning. In time to come home and take a short rest before having a great Easter with the Child clan.

Happy 20th Birthday Nicole

2010-03-20T10:19:00.009-06:00

Nicole isn't going to be very happy about the picture chosen for this blog. My answer to that is "TO BAD."

This picture has always been one of my favorites because it shows me the true side of this amazing young woman. Nicole is usually seen with a smile on her face, or dancing (mostly in the car), singing or laughing (especially when 30 Rock is on). However, she has always been one that has knows what it is like to feel the spirit and has taken the time to reflect on it.

Whether its the sacrifice experience at girls camp, or kneeling in ward prayer pleading to spare Jared and Karen's lives, or sitting by her "pops" bed reading him a book while he prepared to leave us, or talking with her with other grandparents or simply reflecting on her life..she knows and appreciates her relationship with her Heavenly Father.

Well now she's 20, been away to college, and this fall leaving for a study abroad to London. She's growing up but we know that she will continue to be amazing and are grateful for her in our family.

We love ya "Collie" or "T......" HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Dad, Mom, Megan & Abbie

By the way...pictures of her birthday night out with her friends are below:

Isn't this an Honor Code Violation??????:)

Chocolate and friends...pretty much Nicole's idea of the perfect evening!

The Legacy Continues

2010-03-11T20:08:00.008-07:00

Last July we were in California for Robyne's mom's birthday (won't say which one...don't want to get in any more trouble than I'm usually in). While we were there we took the girls to see their only remaining great-grandmother who was living in a care center. While she was in frail health and suffered from Dementia, we still had an amazing time visiting with her.

Yesterday she passed away after a very long and rewarding life.

Robyne and I had the opportunity to spend some time last night reflecting on the different experiences we've had with her. She talked of spending time with her in the summer, her delicious cooking and the support she felt from her grandma as she left on her mission. My first memory was visiting with her after our engagement and the ice cold Coke she brought me in a in what had to be a gallon size glass. Tender tears always accompanied Robyne's reflections along with a tender smile and eyes filled with love.

One of the attributes I love most about my wife is her unconditional and genuine love she has for everyone, especially her family. Robyne has had an amazing relationship with her grandparents throughout her life. She loved them deeply and they did her in return. Every time Robyne and her grandparents were together, laughter, smiles and love was always abundant. They enjoyed the time they spent together.

My parents were the same age as Robyne's grandparents and she always treated them in the same way she did her own parents and grandparents...loved them unconditionally.

As I've reflected on the lives of those we've lost over the past few years I've often thought of what I cherish most about them, and how its made me a better person. I also have reflected on how best we can keep their individual legacies continuing within our family. Tonight as I looked over this picture I realized again that those legacies are still alive and well with my wife and daughters. It is seen just as clearly in their faces as it is in their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. For that, I am eternally blessed.

Four Generations

The Hectic Days of Winter?

2010-02-13T17:07:00.030-07:00

We've all heard about the "Lazy Days of Summer" so does that mean that winter is the "hectic" time? I've been thinking about that quite a bit lately as it seems that there has been A LOT going on since the holidays ended. Let's get caught up to date:

ABBIE TURNED16!

Yes the youngest of the family is very accommodating to drive us anywhere we would like to go. She hasn't gotten her final license, but that is coming very soon. She had a quiet Sunday birthday at home with the family and a "wild and crazy" "Sweet 16" party with her friends. The party included a trip to get pedicures, Robyne's car not starting, dinner at the house, and a night of movies, laughter, girl talk and fun.

Food, Fun and Laughter.

Abbie is an amazing young woman and we love having her around. Her sense of humor is always keeping us on our toes and she really loves life. She's been actively involved in a number of things this year including choir, drama and is loving the high school experience. It's weird to have our daughters grow up, but each year brings even more fun with them.

Renaissance Faire!

If you live in our neighborhood you know that every February Hillcrest High School (HHS) puts on a Renaissance Feast. Well, with the change of choir teachers came a slight change to this tradition. Basically what happens is that the school auditorium is converted to a medieval castle, with royalty and common folk dressed for the time period. There is good food, good music, and of course a good play.

Robyne, as the official "Choir Mom" for HHS was responsible for the food, choir kids, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Suffice it say, she's been very busy. However, she was able to dress to the time period as the official "Mother Wench"...see below:

Momma Wench...isn't she cute?

Megan, as a member of Vocal Ensemble (VE) was able to be part of the royalty group and she portrayed the Sorcerers. She and her Knight (see below) cast spells on everyone throughout all three nights of the event. She was amazing and we never thought we would see the day when Megan would be so outgoing.

Sorcerers and The Knight of M&M

She even put a spell on her Bishop!

The Entire Royalty Court (except the foxy Momma Wench)

Abbie did an amazing job as one of the Nuns of the Castle and was very serious in her role and very reluctant to have the her picture taken. Rumor has it amongst the people during that time period they thought a camera was something that "stole your soul". You can see as a Nun she would have a big problem with that. Isn't Sister Abbie Paige cute:

Now as for Nicole, she was part of the Royal family a couple of years back. Now she's just one of the "towns folk" that are out causing problems. She brought her roommate Rachel up from Provo for the fun and festivities. You can see below what happened...

Went to Boston and Naomi's birthday party on Super Bowl Sunday...aren't they cute!

Aunt Robyne sure does have fun playing with them

As for me, I was busy everynight trying to pick up the Momma Wench!

PS I did have my Colonoscopy in January, but didn't really think you'd like to see the pictures. By the way, everything was great and don't have to worry about it for another five years.

Yes, We're Still Around!

2010-01-30T11:11:00.022-07:00

Robyne has had a busy year since school started last September and so I (Shane) thought I might try to update the blog (this should be interesting). You can read her previous posts to get a flavor of what her life was like a couple of months ago...trust me, nothing has changed (in fact, she may be busier now).

We had a great holiday season and it was exciting to have all of us at home together again. Holiday traditions are something we've always cherished as a family. However, due to my mom passing away in August, the Christmas traditions changed. For all but two years (mission) of my short life (work with me here), Christmas eve and day have always involved my parents, and all my siblings, in one way or another. This year we all either developed new holiday traditions, or at a minimum modified the ones we always had. Thanks to my sister and her family for letting us share part of theirs

Below are a few of the pictures that show what our Christmas was like:
.

Christmas eve PJ's from Santa..."Life is Good"

The "Three Wise Men" bringing Gifts...fun new tradition and a very handsome group if I do say so myself.

Fun new game...pretty fun time and don't they all look happy!!!

Christmas morning festivities...yep, this Santa doesn't shop for girl clothes. Primary reason, is to maintain Santa's sanity, everything is cheaper the week after Christmas, and finally, they enjoy shopping for themselves. Also, don't worry, there are actual presents to open!

Modifying two past Christmas traditions into one. My parents always a big stocking at their house the Santa would fill with a present to be opened on Christmas eve. Also, when the kids were little and Robyne's dad was living with us, we would take everyone to "All A Dollar" to buy Christmas presents. The kids loved doing this and some of the presents they gave were great. So this year we got our own big stocking and each of us bought "Dollar Tree" presents for each other which we opened on Christmas night. We had a blast with this tradition and will be keeping it going.

Bought a kit to make a Ginger Bread House but didn't get around to making it until Christmas night. Lots and lots of laughter and I thought the finished product of cute. Major earth quake in "Ginger Bread Land" destroyed it immediately after this picture was taken!

Yes we sure did miss our parents/grandparents this Christmas, but felt them right there with us most of the time. I'm also confident that they were excited to see our own traditions begin to develop. It was great Christmas and so far 2010 is going great...

PS This was my first December in six years that I didn't have to conduct Tithing Settlement. Many have wondered how we're holding up since my release and if I'm missing the hectic schedule. The following pictures should help "lay to rest" any concerns you may have:

The doctor says I'm doing great and thinks that smile on my face says it all!

Wishing you were here.....

2009-12-16T23:57:00.003-07:00

I absolutely LOVE Christmas!!!!! As I am sure you know , ha, ha. Our Christmas' are pretty traditional in that we love to be together as extended family, there is always lots of yummy food, we love Christmas music, and did I mention the yummy food??? We also have our own traditions that Shane and I established in our own home, traditions that our girls count on and love. Traditions bind us together as a family...extended and immediate.

This year will be different for us, as our Christmas Celebrations have always centered around Shane's parents. EVERY year since we have been married (that is 21 years) we have had a huge Christmas Eve dinner with the whole family all 6 kids, spouses, grandkids, great grandkids, my Dad, and usually other family members, friends, or in-laws. We had a wonderful Christmas Dinner, sometimes played Christmas songs on the Chimes, the kids always acted out the nativity, and there was always a small gift in the "Giant Sock" for everyone from Santa. On Christmas Day we each did our own family stuff before heading back to Grandma's for Christmas Brunch and to watch them open their presents.

This year is our first Christmas without Barbara. Our second without Delbert and Dad. This year will be different. Of the 6 families, 4 want to start their own Family Traditions for Christmas. This year will just be us and Debbie's family, I am so grateful that they still wanted to do this together, in the past year and a half so much has changed and I 'm just not ready to change Christmas Eve yet.....maybe someday.....maybe.

For now we will enjoy being together with Deb, Jim, Jenny, Scott, James, Anna, Lisa, Clayton, Houston, Benjamin, Chris, Liz, Matt, & Zach. I can't wait!!!! I am so excited for Christmas Eve!!

It is exactly 1 year ago today that my Daddy died, it has been an emotional day. I know he still watches out for me, I feel him, sometimes I hear his voice. I miss him so much, but I am so grateful for the knowledge that I will see him again! I am happy that he is no longer in such terrible pain! So while we celebrate a different Christmas this year, we focus on Him whose birth, life, sacrifice, and resurrection make our lives complete....even Jesus Christ! Through Him we are able to overcome all things and return to our Father in Heaven. This I KNOW to be TRUE!

Feelings....

2009-12-11T17:43:00.009-07:00

My family keeps asking me when I am going to update our blog. I looked back and I realized that I blogged twice as much in 2008 than in 2009, is this because I have become a slacker???? That is the question I asked myself today, but in asking the question and looking at the last year, I realize that if I said I am just being a slacker, that would be a cop out! So the real reason that I have had a harder time blogging is because of all the feelings....and the emotions that go with them. I don't want to keep expressing them, but I can't help feeling them, and when I write they sometimes pour out of me like a waterfall!

Experiences we have in life change us, there is just no getting around it, we all change! The way we look at life and such changes also. I guess after an emotional year I look at things more emotionally (in my case this means more tearfully) I have always been easy to cry, but sometimes this is ridiculous! Don't get me wrong I don't sit around crying buckets every day, I just tear-up more easily as I think of, watch, and experience life itself! I guess I haven't blogged as much because I don't really want to feel all the feelings again as I write about our family experiences.....does any of this make sense??

So it is December 11, 2009. I am sitting in my favorite recliner by the beautiful Christmas tree. I absolutely love Christmas :) the smells, the weather, the family and friends, the shopping, the music.....I especially love the music...like start up the day after Halloween and listen constantly until January 2nd, and sometimes even a little in July when it is so hot you can fry an egg on the concrete....THAT KINDA LOVE There is so much meaning to Christmas Music that it can make any season a Happy Season!!! Lately, the past few months have been busy, busy, busy, as I am sure your lives have been busy too,(I am not trying to say that I am busier than you..I hate it when people do that) Anyway I will finally try to give a little recap!!!

The school musical was in Nov. The kids did an awesome job, All the kids (about 120 girls and 45 boys). The musical was "Curtains" an edited version of course. I had to be one of the parents who approved of the script, be over the parent seamstress ladies, and over the student ushers. It was a busy time as there were about 12 moms who sewed 120 prairie dresses, 30 dance hall dresses, 30 mermaid costumes, and 30 pair of chaps. I did a little sewing myself it was funny, stressful, and frustrating (the sewing) I also delivered all the sewing material to the moms, picked up the finished products and fit them to the girls at school. I spent so much time there that it was like being in HS again a terrifying thought at my age!! Anyway it all turned out Amazing and it was well worth all the time and work put forth by all! These kids are amazing!!! They make me want to cry, pull my hair out, and laugh all at the same time!

We also had the Fall Choir Concert, planned the Performing Arts Tour, and had the Canyons Invitational at our High School.

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year with Deb & Jim, Chris & Liz, Matt, Zach, Scott, Tim & Vanessa, Nichael, Chloe, Natalie, and the 5 of us...it was great to be with family and enjoy the kids. Black Friday Shane & I were up at 4:30 to go shopping, later we hit a movie with the kids, and decorated for Christmas the next day!

So far December has brought....Snow finally!! We had 4 other families in the ward over for "Cookie" night. Where we make and decorate Christmas Sugar Cookies from scratch....it is so fun to watch the kids from 2 years old to 52 years old eating the dough and decorating. We took the girls to Festival of Trees...this year there were 4 extra daughters(Stacey, Rachel, Michale,and Gwen) as Nicole's friends/roommates came with us! It was great!! Last night we went to "Zoo Lights" and once again there were 9 of us....Kendra, Megan's friend, and Rachel, Gwen, and Sarah came with us. While Shane & I were standing in line for hot chocolate, the girls huddled in a circle and sang "Hokey Pokey" Shane commented on how boring our lives could have been with all boys instead of girls...ha,ha.
We also had the opportunity to hear Megan sing in the JSMB, Church History Museum, and in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. Tomorrow night the choir will sing Forgotten Carols with Michael McLean....and it is the ward Christmas Breakfast.
Whew....we are not even half way through December! Here are a few pics....
Enjoy!!!

"Release"

2009-09-29T21:30:00.003-06:00

Six years ago our lives changed forever! Change is tough sometimes, but change is good. I love change, I love when summer changes to fall and there is a crispness in the air, I love the smells of fall when my neighbors start to burn wood in their wood burning stove. I love the frost on the ground, the first skiff of snow in the mountains. I also love the change from winter to spring, the air smells fresh and clear, my daffodils and crocus peek out from the last bits of snow, and as it warms the tulips burst out with flies, bees, and other insects that have been gone for the winter. I love the birds singing, chirping, and even screeching. I have always loved the change of the seasons!

Our lives have seasons too. Six years ago our family entered a new season, a season of service, sacrifice, joy, growth, fun, tears, and lots of laughter. It was the season of a Bishop. Shane served faithfully and whole-heartedly, and as a family he included us all in many acts of secret service. The past years have brought much growth. Nicole was 13, Megan 11, and Abbie was only 9 when we began and they hated having their daddy gone so much, but they adjusted as we all do with changes. They were able to have special experiences with their Dad as their Bishop. He was able to go to all of their Girls Camps, Youth Conferences, and Pioneer Trek twice. As part of his calling he had alot of interaction with the youth of the ward, and many traditions were started such as Bishopric Breakfast at almost everything (Ward Camp Out, Girls Camp, Camp Helaman, and once a year for the Primary) That was alot of cooking for those men! (Oh yeah and the Oreo Bar!)

During this time the girls and I bonded in a way that I don't know we would have otherwise. There were long Sundays without Shane, many weeknights with only us girls, and some unique feelings that come with being in the Bishop's family. It can be hard when people are afraid of socializing with you, or expect something from you because of the calling your Dad/Husband has, and it can be lonely sometimes. So we grew closer, and as sisters they grew closer, and sadly sometimes Shane felt left out!

Change is a constant in life, the girls are now 19, 17, & 15. Nicole is in her second year of college. Megan is a Senior, and Abbie a Sophmore in High School. We have lost six family members in the past 3 years, we have seen family members baptized, recieve temple endowments, and be sealed for time and eternity in the House of the Lord. We have made time for some great family vacations, Yellowstone, Disneyworld, New York, Nauvoo, San Francisco, Disneyland, & St. George and have made great memories.

Has it been hard to have my husband gone so much? Well, yeah, sometimes...but I would never change the experience for anything!! We have been so blessed through it all. We have been sustained through our trials, we have enjoyed good health, we have grown closer. Our testimonies have grown so very much. It has been quite a ride....and now that ride is over. While we will miss the blessings, we feel grateful for the opportunity to serve....and we are all walking around with big smiles on our faces!!
Shane / Daddy is HOME!!

Goodbye Summer, Hello BYU

2009-08-29T21:21:00.002-06:00

Summer is officially over come Monday! And here is how I've been enjoying the last few days of summer....
-Packing/Transporting/Moving all my stuff (I think it multiplied somehow..) into my new home away from home here at Liberty Square in Provo
-Buying a step stool so I can actually get on my bed here... it's really tall, and lets face it-I'm not
-Enjoying a grasshopper cupcake from the Sweet Tooth Fairy, seriously the best cupcake I've had in a VERY long time. If you're ever in Provo I'll take you there, and by take you there I mean drive with you, not pay for you, lets face it I'm a poor college student!
-Decorating, under the direction of B and Gwenie, our new apartment
-Buying books with my mom, well... mom bought them technically... Thanks :)
-Waiting in line for 4.5 hours just to get a parking pass-but I've already learned what happens when I don't have one of those. And so far I've LOVED having a reserved parking space, it's so nice!
-Battling the super S l o w internet at this place. Oh well, at least it works, for now.
-Going over each outfit for the girls for "runway Sunday" Oh my heavens....only at this school.....
-Painting nails with the girls
-Cooking breakfast with the girls
-Shopping with the girls
-Moving furniture with the girls
-Telling about our summer adventures and catching up with all of the girls! (I really missed these girls!)

Although things have been rough this last year, I really feel like this school year is going to be great. I'm excited for my classes, my apartment, my roommates, and my life. Who knows what this year will bring? No matter what though, I'm happy and looking forward with a positive attitude though that this year will be amazing.

PS: I miss you family-a LOT! Thanks for making this summer so awesome, and such a great experience for me. I'm so much stronger and happier now than I was when I first came back home in April, and I owe that to you 4 and your love and patience with me. Thanks for the meals, the NCIS and 30 rock marathons, the limo ride, staying up with me when I was to anxious to sleep, killing all the moths, supporting my ultimate cake off, sharing your clothes/shoes/jewelry and making me laugh! You are my very most favorite people in the world Mom, Dad, Megan and Abbie-and I'm so glad I go to school close enough to be able to see you! Come check out my new place soon!(And maybe get some cupcakes too?)

PSS: Pictures will come when the decorating finishes and when I actually take the time to get pretty... maybe we'll take some on "runway Sunday"... oh brother-welcome back to Provo

Remembering a Mother

2009-08-23T22:19:00.004-06:00

I have been so lucky to be blessed with the greatest in-laws ever! Throughout the years Del & Barbara have done so much for us and for other members of their family. I can't count the times they helped us out, but mostly they just loved and supported us in all that we did. Of course they were fabulous grandparents, doting on all of their grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Delbert passed away about 17 months ago and we have all felt such a loss, but it was especially hard for Barbara. In February her dementia had got to the point that she needed 24 hour care. We were able to move her into The Stratford which is a memory care unit that is part of The Wentworth. This is the same facility where my father passed away so we were very familiar with the staff and felt comfortable having her live there. On July 25th we celebrated Barbara's 90th birthday, with a big family party held in The Wentworth's Activity Room. She looked beautiful, and was thrilled to be surrounded by her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and her 80 yr old sister, Colleen. A few days later Barbara came down with an infection, this caused her dementia to worsen, she became very agitated and uncomfortable. The infection was treated and healed, but she continued to decline and last Tuesday Hospice told us that it wouldn't be much longer. Shane stayed until about 1 or 2am, and Debbie spent the night there. On Wednesday morning Shane & I went over to be there when the nurse came. Later Shane had to go to a meeting at work and I sent Debbie home to shower and change while I sat with my beautiful mother-in-law. As I sat there I thought of all of the things I have learned from this woman. She blessed my life mostly by raising such a wonderful son. I couldn't ask for a better husband and father for my children. Barbara was always serving others, not only her family, but her neighbors and friends....and there were alot of those. Barbara was always happy and positive, she had a beautiful sense of humor, we all loved being around her. Barbara never spoke ill of anyone in all the years that I have known her she always focused on peoples good attributes. Barbara believed in treating everyone fair....children, grandchildren, she loved us all the same!

As I sat with Barbara I thought of how much I loved her and how grateful I am for her. I thanked her for all of these things and watched her sleep as I held her hand. It was only about 10 minutes since Shane & Debbie had left, it was peaceful and pretty quiet when a faint smile crossed her lips and she drew her last breath. I felt the spirit so strongly in her room, and I felt privileged to be there as she passed through the veil. I wonder how people without the gospel of Jesus Christ feel comfort and peace when they lose a loved one. I know that I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of a loving Heavenly Father, who is aware of each of us and our needs, the knowledge of a Savior who died for all of us so we can return to live with Him again. I am grateful also for the knowledge that life is eternal, that we will be reunited once again with our loved ones! We Love You Barbara and are so happy that you and Delbert are together again!!

What we've been up to...

2009-07-31T11:38:00.004-06:00

11 things that have happened to us all since Mom last posted/or that was not mentioned before:

(brought to you by Nicole)

1-We all went to California for Grandma's 70th birthday-where the highlights were the great party, spending time with the family, riding in a limo and the delicious cake aunt Faye made!

2-Dad, Megan and Abbie all went to Youth Conference... Mom and I went to dinner and Harry Potter!

3-Megan got her beautiful pix taken for the yearbook in her lovely senior dress/drape/type thing

4-Mom was brave and took all of us girls on our annual voyage to Moon Lake since Dad had to go out of town for business that week.

5-Megan got her DRIVERS LICENSE!!! And has loved driving around!!

6-Megan and Abbie are currently at Girls Camp-with Mom and Dad there for a couple days!

7-At camp Abbie is participating in the 4th year-2 night-backpacking hike. She is such a tough girl!

8-I work every day at Fortified Financial, my first real grown-up full time job! And-I really like it!

9-I appealed my lifetime parking ban at BYU parking services and.... I'm only on probation!!! YAY

10-Last Saturday we celebrated my Grandma London's 90th birthday party at a great bash planned by Aunt Debbie and my Dad. It was SO much fun and so nice to be with everyone.

11-For the first time, in a long time, I believe the ENTIRE family is excited for school to start. Abbie is excited to go to high school, Megan is excited for VE and her senior year, I'm excited to live in my apartment and see all my friends again, Mom is excited to get back to the library and Dad is excited because if we're all in school we aren't out spending money! ha ha

For the mean time though-we are loving the summer!

NYC and a Quick Trip to CA

2009-07-09T23:15:00.002-06:00

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These are some NYC pictures from our trip. Then on July 1 Megan, Abbie & I drove to California for Mom's 70th Birthday bash! Nicole and Shane flew in later. We went shopping in Berkley with Faye. She always has fun places to take us and once again she didn't disappoint! Thanks for the fun outing Faye, we loved it! Shane, the girls & I spent one night in San Francisco, we went to a play....Spamalot (not recommended for kids or adults with their teenage daughters) after the play we rode in a stretch limo back to our hotel, it was awesome and a new experience for all of us! We celebrated Mom's Birthday Saturday with a Family BBQ. We made a book for Mom of her life, and memories from all of us, it was great!! Thanks John and Faye for hosting the party and letting us stay in your amazing cottage! Sunday we went to church, visited my Grandma in her nursing home, and visited some great friends in Livermore! It was great to see the Rushings, and laugh with them again! Monday was the long drive home, and just about 10 minutes out of Wendover the Durango broke down....but we eventually limped on home. It was a quick trip, but a very worthwhile one!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

2009-07-09T22:02:00.003-06:00

Well Someone in our home is 50 today. A hint, well it is the only male in our home, yep you guessed it Shane is 50 today and this is what we did. Slept in, went and saw Angels and Demons, visited Shane's mom, and went to dinner at Market Street Grill... yum, yum! Then watched 30 Rock as a family! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY, YOU'RE NOT GETTING OLDER YOU'RE GETTING BETTER!!

Daughters

2009-07-09T21:46:00.003-06:00

Well, we basically have the very best daughters ever!! While Shane & I were in Boston and NYC our creative daughters took sister pictures, and this is just a brief sampling . They then developed, and arranged a wall downstairs with their pictures! Thanks Girls! It was a fun welcome home surprise for us!

Time Flies...

2009-07-09T11:06:00.006-06:00

Okay, so it has been forever since I blogged and many have given me grief about it...so here goes! First I will start with the end of March, March 30th Megs turned 17, I now have 19,17,& 15 year old daughters and I am feeling kinda old. For Easter weekend we went to So California for Choir Tour, Shane and I both chaperoned this year and it was so fun having him there with me. The kids did an awesome job performing (as usual) and their Mass was incredible! We had a great time, and Nicole and Abbie had a great time together at home!

May was the usual, Mothers Day, birthday, end of school stuff! Mother's Day was awesome this year. Besides breakfast in bed my girls surprised me with a great DVD Slideshow that Nicole had been working on of our family life. I watched it with tears streaming down my face, it was beautiful!

Next came Spring Concert, and Pops Concert. Megan had tried out for Vocal Ensemble, and we recieved word that she made it...YEAH Megan!!! She was introduced at Pops Concert and also named as Choir Historian, we are very proud of her:)
I was asked to be the Choir Mom for 09-10, so that will keep me busy and be alot of fun!

June was filled with school ending, a trip to Boston & NYC (for Shane & I)

Trinity Church reflected in Glass

Boston was amazing for me, I hung out with my friend Kathy while Shane had the whole conference to attend, so he didn't get to see any of Boston. Too Bad...now we will have to go again, ha, ha. The best part of the trip was going to NYC no conference there, just FUN,FUN,FUN! We found our little hole in the wall Italian Restraunt (we ate there twice), went to Magnolia Bakery, Serendipity, South Pacific, and The Lion King, (which was the most amazing show), we walked 5th Ave and took a carriage ride in Central Park. The most amazing place we went was the Temple...WOW, you would never know that you are in the middle of a busy city, and it was so beautiful and peaceful, I didn't want to leave! Thanks for the great trip honey, we both really needed it!

OPPS.....WHAT YOU MISSED!

2009-03-21T22:17:00.006-06:00

I Love To See The Temple..

2009-03-21T21:37:00.003-06:00

Today we went to the Temple as a family for the Dedication! It was cool to actually be in the temple! We were seated in the large sealing room, which is huge, (it seats 75, but can seat 100 if you bring in benches) There are 5 sealing rooms in the Draper Temple, but this room is one of the two largest sealing rooms in the church. It is also soooo beautiful! As we sat in the sealing room together Shane realized that the next time that we will all be in a sealing room together is when the last of the girls get married....that seems so far away, and yet it seems like yesterday that they were all little girls! Time does fly!

A Great Week!

2009-03-21T18:10:00.007-06:00

So it was a busy week for the London's. Nicole turned 19 on the 19th and she thought she should recieve 19 presents... so 19 presents is what she recieved (mostly from the dollar store)! It was fun to see her open them and see her expression on her face. She loved every present and the funny thing is that she will use them all, she is just a little kid trapped in a young adult body! She really did get a real present from us, some cash for clothes and such!

Draper LDS Temple

We have been excited since the announcement of a new Temple in Draper, Ut. Especially since we live in the new temple's boundaries. We have had so many incredible experiences being able to serve there during the open house. Shane and I were able to serve as a Host and Hostess twice and also as Ushers. Nicole and Megan were also Ushers and Abbie had the opportunity to go in and clean the temple. In December Megan was asked to perform in a Youth Choir for the Cornerstone Ceremony. The Choir was comprised of 6-8 youth from each Stake in the Temple District (there are 24-27 Stakes in our temple district.) So Friday, the 20th we were up bright and early, before the sun, so we could get a good view of the Choir and the cornerstone ceremony. We waited outside for over and hour and a half, but it was worth the wait! The Choir sounded beautiful and the Cornerstone Ceremony was awesome. President Monson was so cute and generous asking people to come and set the mortar. Check out the next slideshow......

Kids....ya gotta love 'em

2009-02-23T13:44:00.002-07:00

a funny email I recieved today....it made me smile!
JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: 'Mom why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?'

MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, 'If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six.'

BRITTANY (age 4) had an earache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: 'How does it know it's me?'

SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. 'Please don't give me this juice again,' she said, 'It makes my teeth cough.'

DJ (age 4 ) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: 'How much do I cost?'

CLINTON (age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried. When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, 'I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in?'

JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.' Concerned, James asked: 'What happened to the flea?'

The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget.... this particular Sunday sermon...'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust...' He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

Do You See What I See?

2009-01-23T23:28:00.009-07:00

Family.....

So I have been thinking lately about how grateful I am for all that I have....especially for the past few months.
Spending time everyday with my Dad was the greatest experience, what an incredible man he is and I am so proud of him! He passed with a smile on his face and tears on his cheeks. There was such an incredible spirit there and while it was tough to see him go, it was so awesome to spend so much time with him! So much has happened since Dad passed on Dec. 16th......I SAW incredible (sorry I keep using that word) things.

This is some of what I saw and did.....walking in the snow with beautiful daughters

A beautiful full moon with rainbow rings around it....my picture didn't turn out but I will never forget it!
Children walking to school in the cold, laughing and seeing the steam flow out from their lips with every breath :)

I also saw..... Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, Joy, Happiness, Sorrow, Mourning, Service, Friendship, and Laughter. And now that his vision is restored....I wonder.....Dad, do you see what I see? I'm sure you do and I am so Happy for you!

A Giant Among Men!

2008-12-18T09:44:00.004-07:00

Robyne's Dad (Bob Hunt) passed away on Tuesday morning after a lifetime of challenges and obstacles. I don't know if I've ever met anyone who has had to endure more than this great man. He always took everything in stride, and worried more about how others were doing than himself.

It has been our privilege for about eighteen years to have Bob either live with us or during the past few years very close to us in assisted living. He has been there to help us raise our daughters, to keep the garbage men in place (many stories about him straightening them out), or help anyone in need. We've loved having him live with us and our lives have been richly blessed by his influence, kidness, concern and his infectious smile.

Robyne has tenderly cared for him during this time, especially these past eight weeks as he has been under Hospice care. It hasn't been easy for her the juggle the demands of being a wife, mother, friend, etc. but she has tenderly cared for him. She has been the perfect example of "Honoring her Father & Mother" as the Ten Commandments instruct us. There have been many trips to the hospital (I'm guess at least five a year...Alta View Emergency knew us well), more doctor appointments than I could count, two a.m. phone calls wondering what time it was, four a.m. phone calls asking when he should be ready for a ten a.m. appointment, unplanned grocery store runs to pick up Ruby Red-Tangerine juice, garlic croutons and rubbing alchol (another story) etc., etc.

Bob loved Christmas and usually called us around 3:00-4:00 on Christmas morning to see if we were ready to start. You should begin seeing a pattern beginning that he generally was up most of the night and slept in the day alot! He was so excited to see the girls open their presents and just as excited opening his. Even while living in Assisted Living we would go get him and bring him over to open Christmas presents. We will greatly miss his physical presenence on Christmas morning, but know his spirit will always be there with us. Sure wish his spirit could clean up the wrapping paper and break down the boxes (another one of the jobs he did).

Bob's life was that of a humble servant who suffered much and complained little. I've always thought that Bob and the Old Testament Prophet Job had a lot in common. They both suffered many trials and obstacles, but they faithfully kept going and have received a great reward. Bob's final moments were while getting his daily bath from a hospice aide (Kim) who so lovingly cared for him. She noticed tears in his eyes and said that she hoped those were tears of joy. They must of have been as he smiled at her and then took his last breath! I'm confident that smile was in response to seeing so many that he loved and who have gone before him.

His obituary is on-line at: http://www.legacy.com/saltlaketribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=121512987 or at www.holbrookmortuary.com.

Thanks Bob for being such a vital part of our lives and raising such a great daughter who we call wife and mother. Thanks Robyne for showing us what it means to love unconditionally and serve unselfishly...we all love you (especially me).

Dad

2008-11-07T12:33:00.003-07:00

What great kids Shane and I have, and what a blessing and comfort they are to me right now. My Dad is now on Hospice and in the process of dying. It is a very bittersweet time for us. Dad has literally helped raise our kids and been a huge part of our everyday family life, so what will we do without him now? It will be so tough, but it brings us so much joy and happiness to know that he will finally be pain free. Our joy for him and his sweet reunion with his parents and close family who have gone before outweighs our loss. It really has been such a great blessing to have so many family members here to visit and say their goodbyes. Sitting with Dad daily has also been a blessing to feel the sweet spirit that is present when the veil is so close. I truly am grateful for the knowledge that families are eternal, I know that our Heavenly Father loves us and knows what is best for us. My Dad is the most humble, sweet, forgiving, and loving man and I know that now he will be free od the aches and pains of his earthly body and enjoy the peace and love which can only come through our Savior.

Thanks so much for the thoughts and prayers offered in our behalf, it really does make a difference and gives us strength to go on. Hope you can feel our love for each of you also!

Family

2008-11-06T11:46:00.002-07:00

Everything is a little crazy, and pretty hard these days at home in Sandy so while I'm here at BYU I thought I would help them out a bit by putting up some kind of blog post so you all know we are still around! I think I speak for my family in this post when I say that we, as a family, are so grateful for family! We have had the opportunity to see so many family members the last two weeks, and we will continue to see many more in the coming weeks. Although the reasons for the visits do not always seem like a happy thing, each visit brings so much joy, and peace. I believe it is one of our Heavenly Fathers greatest blessings that we are sent to earth into families. Families are our cores, our very centers. They shape and mold us into the people we become, and they leave impressions that last generations. It is also one of the Heavenly Fathers greatest blessings that families are eternal. That child and parents, husbands and wives, entire families, can see each other again after this life. Families are truely amazing, and I'm so grateful for mine!

New York Pics

2008-10-19T12:41:00.002-06:00

Our "Real" Family Vacation

2008-10-09T22:41:00.008-06:00

So it has taken me forever to get to posting about our trip to New York, my excuse is that Nicole had my computer so bogged down with her High School Historian pictures that I couldn't download the New York pics....so now that I resolved that problem, I am back! The first stop on our "real" vacation was the beautiful town of Palmyra New York, where we toured all the church history sites and did baptisms for the dead at the Palmyra Temple. The best part for me was the time we spent in the Sacred Grove, individually with our scriptures. The weather was beautiful, with a few sprinklings of rain...this is such a beautiful part of New York! We even got to go to a parade in Palmyra....the Fireman's Parade, it was quite an event!

After a few days in Palmyra we flew on to NYC, we had the best time, we even decided to stay an extra day and go to another show! We saw "The Little Mermaid", "Mary Poppins", and "Legally Blonde", we went purse shopping on Canal Street and that was so hilarious...to go into these little tiny shops,through a secret door, and into the basement to see their knockoff purses, and then to haggle over the price with them was an adventure too! We took a great bus tour of the city, a day tour and a night tour and it was beautiful at night and we learned alot of fun stuff. We went to "The Metropolitian Museum of Art" and "The American History Museum", we went to the Manhattan Temple, Ground Zero, St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ellis Island, and The Statue of Liberty. We went to bed late and got up early every day and we had so much fun together!

We also enjoyed walking through Central Park several times and going to Magnolia Bakery for their delish cupcakes, and frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity, our dinner at Serendipity was also one of the best meals we had in the Big Apple, although we did find the best pizza ever, in a little hole in the wall pizza joint near our hotel, and their pasta was amazing! We went to Rockefeller Center, where there were some great views of the city. It was a once in a lifetime trip as a family....meaning the next time our kids go their own husbands will have to take them and pay for them, but I am sure Shane and I will go again at some point. Ha,ha :)

We were riding the subway back to our hotel one evening, as the doors closed there was this booming voice behind us saying, "Alright, EVERYBODY LISTEN UP! I lost my job and haven't been able to find a new one. I used the last of my $ for the subway ride home,and I haven't eaten since breakfast!" I thought for sure we were all going to be mugged, I was afraid to look back to see if he had a gun cuz he was standing right behind us....then he continued..."So if there is anyone who has any food that they could share with me I would really appreciate it" I looked at him and I could tell he wasn't a homeless man....just someone who was about at his breaking point and was looking for help. We happened to have a box of cupcakes that we were taking back to our hotel, so Nicole and I both decided to give him one, he was very grateful and when we appoligized for it being kind of messy...He just smiled and said, "It is food, God bless you!" I have thought alot about this incident, and about how sometimes our fear can hold us back...when he first started talking to everyone we were all nervous and scared, some people wouldn't look at him, some were trying to figure out what was going on....but as he continued, if you listened you could tell that he was sincere and just wanted some kind of kindness. We all want a little kindness, some tender mercy, but how often do we allow ourselves to be someone elses tender mercy. We often become so busy in our own lives, so wrapped up in our own thoughts,and sometimes our fear holds us back, I just hope I can use this experience to remind me to be more aware of others, to be more kind. Sorry to ramble on, and on...just thinking outloud I guess.

Robyne's Hasn't Got Time...Trek Catch-up!

2008-10-01T15:23:00.001-06:00

OUR FAMILY VACATION?

Family on Independence Rock!

My great wife never has time to catch up the blog so I thought I would help her out with August's activities...maybe then she can keep things up to date. She's been very busy lately moving her Dad, keeping up with the girls, and getting back to handling all the library duties at Silver Mesa.

Our Stake had Pioneer Trek and the entire family was able to go. It was great to be there together, and had some great experiences. It was fun to have all of us there even though the girls were in separate "Pioneer Families" while we just floated...some called us the "grandma & grandpa" of the ward (I didn't like that label).

We all came away with a different experience that impacted us and we certainly learned to appreciate the sacrifice of those who did this "for real." I'm pretty confident that if I was a pioneer I would have probably died somewhere near the eastern border of Wyoming. The thoughts of having to walk through the entire state of Wyoming and it's dreary, desolate, and depressing landscape (not to mention windy all of the time) would have done me in quickly. The only redeeming quality about walking through Wyoming is it's much more beautiful than flying over it (even uglier) as we experienced a few weeks later.

CLIFF NOTE HIGHLIGHTS:

Day 1: Left on Wednesday morning (4:45 am...no, that's not a typo), arrived at Martin's Cove, walked five miles around the cove, re-enacted the Sweet Water River Crossing (great experience), then went to our camp ground for dinner, square dancing (okay, I didn't square dance...remember I'm the grandpa), and sleep. By the time we had arrived the wind had destroyed one of our wards huge canopies we use at girls camp and didn't seem to quit blowing the entire time we were there! During the night Nicole had severe stomach pain which appeared to be her gal bladder; medical staff gave some powerful medication (helped her sleep) seemed better in the morning. Coyote's howled most of the night...they were right next to camp. Did have one of our young women leaders wake up on Thursday morning and ask if she heard the "Antelope that were mating during the night." TRUE STORY!

Day 2: Got on bus, went to Independence Rock for a devotional (each ward separate), then traveled to Six Crossing station to begin walking on the trail (and last flush toilet until you get to the Little America rest stop on the way home). This day on the trail is around fourteen miles, with about a mile along the river. Pretty hard day on the trail and we did have a few causalities along the way...one of them being Nicole. She ended up with a re-occurance of the pain from the night before and Robyne & I ended up going with her along with the Stake President to Lander to the hospital. That was one of the hardest things we had to do in our life was to drive by our other two daughters who were struggling with the last couple of miles on the trail, and seeing their faces as they new something was wrong. Hospital took a long time and we decided that since I still had two daughters and a ward to watch over that the Stake President & I would go back, not yet knowing what was wrong with Nicole. I have a niece who lives in Lander and would come and get the "women folk" (pioneer talk) when they determined something. Very hard for me to leave them there and not knowing for the next 18 hours what was going on.

Day 3: Best day of trek! Walked up Rocky Ridge (most elevation gain on the entire trek) and "Women's Pull." When I walked I generally was at the rear..two reasons. 1) didn't want to leave anyone behind, 2) I was generally going slower than the rest for a number of reasons. Before reaching the summit they pulled off the men and made them leave the women by themselves to pull the wagon over a very difficult part of Rocky Ridge. We had several young women with different problems, and some just broke down. My counselor's and I gave some of them a blessing, and then had to leave them. I will admit that my eyes were leaking when I looked back and saw their condition, and to see my two remaining daughters with their arms around each other and their faces filled with concern. This combined with Nicole & Robyne being gone and not knowing her condition was ripping us apart. I waited with the young men who lined both sides of the trail in respect waited for the young women to arrive. I sat watching the crest of the hill they were to come over and was so happy to see the orange flags of our ward finally come into view. It was so amazing to see these young women pull up those hand carts up the hill and see the courage and determination of our young women and their leaders. Again, eyes were leaking most of the time during this also.

Day 3 (continued): After Rocky Ridge I was able to meet up with Nicole (she was released and okay..turned out to be a virus) and Robyne and we walked back a couple of miles from the end (Rock Creek Hollow) with our young women's president to meet up with our ward. It was so neat to see Nicole and her sisters run to each other with hugs and also her "trek family" do the same. Then together we walked the final few miles together (after yet another Bishop's teaching moment...sure appreciate putting up with me during those discussions..my youth are great). Rock Creek is my most favorite part of trek because it has some beauty, there's no wind, and the creek runs through it. We all went down to the creek to cool/clean off and then finished the night with a great testimony meeting.

Day 4: Final devotional with the Stake which was great and then boarded the buses for home. WE did stop at Little America for a bathroom break and ice cream.

Trek is a lot of work, costs a lot of money, and may not seem worth it. However, I learned so many great lessons on this trek and so many lives change. I personally learned how difficult it is to have your family separated and having to decide who needed you the most. I learned how hard it is as a parent to let your children go through struggles so they can grow and develop. I also learned that the spirit has an amazing way of touching lives and teaching some powerful lessons. Among the lessons I saw taught were leaders learn that we can only do so much and then the youth have to decide. How you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. How beautiful the end of a journey can be after you've sacrificed so much to get there.

Glad we went, but sure was glad to see the shower, air conditioning and to replace my sleeping bag and thin ground mat for a mattress.

SUMMER......PART 2

2008-09-06T11:56:00.002-06:00

Okay so here we go again...trying to catch up the blog with the actual life we live! A few days after Megan and I returned from VA it was time to go again....this time on our annual camping trip to Moon Lake. Moon Lake is a beautiful place in the Uintah Mountains, a beautiful blue lake surrounded by trees, mountains and along one side...a sandy beach and maybe 20 something cabins. These cabins are nothing fancy.....they were built in the 1930's I think, and the bathrooms fit a toilet, small sink, and very small shower. The walls and the floors are slanted and there is usually a bed in the dining area. There is usually no counter space in the kitchen and the ovens are to small to actually cook anything in them, but we love going up there every year with a couple of families from our ward....no phones (or cell service), no traffic (unless you count the deer, and sometimes cows that wander through the camp sites) We have been horseback riding, hiking, swimming, rented paddle boats and even a motor boat. Some people fish, or just sit on the beach and visit and it is just very relaxing! It is "Tradition" for us now! Nicole and I drove Big Red up there a day earlier than the rest of the family, and it was great to spend some one on one with her. I even let her drive the truck from Duchane to Moon Lake! The next evening Shane, Megan, and Abbie arrived in time for dinner, and the next few days were spent relaxing, enjoying friends and family, card games, smores at the fire every night, and watching the wildlife!

Utah Michigan Football Game

2008-09-03T14:41:00.000-06:00

Robyne & I had the opportunity to go with the football team to their game at Michigan. We were able to travel with the team on their airplane, stay at the same hotel, and travel in their escort to and from the stadium.

We had a great dinner on Friday night with some other guests and University of Utah PR staff. Robyne was able to meet one of her favorite former basketball players (Jimmy Soto) and his wife.

The best part was being at Michigan's stadium ("The Big House") and watching the game which the Utes won 25-23. There were around 109,000 people at the game and we were packed in their like Sardines. Poor Robyne had to find a less confining seat for the last half of the game and ended up on a seat next to an usher. She probably had the most comfortable seat in the house.

The funniest part of the trip was getting on our Jet Blue plane whose name was "100% Blue." The Utes (Red & White) getting on a plane saying that to go play a team called "Big Blue" and BYU being Blue & White. Okay, I thought it was funny!

It was all worth it.....GO UTES!

Crazy July!

2008-08-07T12:28:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th of July!

I was a little worried about July going into it, but living it was something else...in a good way! The girls started out with celebrating the 4th in Provo at Stadium of fire...they had a great time.A little guy in our ward, who had just been baptized called and invited Shane and I to come and do fireworks in their driveway with his family, we had a great time! Thanks Nicholas!!

The next Monday was Girl's Camp. We went to Heber Valley Girls Camp for the first time and it was awesome. There was a challenge course with a swing on it..It was a blast, that is me on the swing! On Bishopric Night, Shane and Nicole joined us for dinner, and testimony meeting!

We had never been to a Girls Camp with cabins before, so that was really nice, and the Stake did all the meals, it was great! As a camp director I didn't have to worry about all the equipment and all of the meals, so camp was alot easier for me this year. There is a lake up there and we were able to go canoeing, our stake property does not have a body of water, or a river so we had a great time at the lake. The challenge course was the best though, the girls learned so much as they learned to work as a team...I loved it!

We returned home from Camp on Friday and the following day Megan and I left for Virginia. She was going to EFY there and I was going to visit a few people from my mission, my only regret is that I didn't take many pictures... I was to busy visiting! On our drive down to Buena Vista I took Megan to Monticello, (the home of Thomas Jefferson) it was really interesting. Megan had a great time at EFY, she was in Buena Vista at SVU. SVU is a private college which is owned by members of the church. It has the same standards as BYU and all the professors are LDS. It is the members in the east coasts answer to BYU, although it is not owned by the church.

Megs at Monticello

Spud & Janice Butterworth

I drove to Roanoke and visited with some of the greatest people I have ever known! The Butterworths! Sitting in their home visiting, the years just melted away and I felt like it had been no time at all since I had seen them instead of the 25 years that it actually was! They took me to dinner and I just didn't want to leave them, but I had to drive on to West Virginia!

My missionary trainer and one of my bestest friends, Janice Louise Kay Wilkinson Rymer, lives in West Virginia now. Janice and her great family welcomed me into their home for the rest of my stay and it was great! Janice has three great teenage boys, and two adorable little girls, and I had alot of fun with these kids! It was great of Janice and Greg to let me stay there and hang out with all of them! I didn't get to see much of Greg as he was off to Scout Camp, however the boys had to come home to go to Youth Conference, so I saw a little of them and they were so fun!

The Rymer Boys! Anna

Elizabeth At the Washington DC Temple

After picking Megan up to head back to the Airport in DC, we swung by the DC Temple for a stop in the Visitors Center and to take a few pics! It was a great trip and we both had a blast! Wow! I will have to blog the rest of July later...sorry this is so long!

Flordia trip

2008-06-28T14:37:00.000-06:00

I decided to try and figure out this whole blogging thing before I get my own when i head off to Provo in a few months. So, I'm going to tell you all about the fun vacation I got to go on with my dad last week. My dad has buisness meetings in Ft. Lauderdale Flordia and invited me to come with him as sort of a post graduation/need relaxation vacaction and it was so much fun. We flew out on Sunday and arrived in Orlando late that night. Monday and Tuesday we spent the days traveling Everest in the Animal Kingdom, watching fireworks and going on our favorite classic rides in the Magic Kingdom and riding on our favorite haunted elevator at Disney Studios. It was such a blast and so much fun to go to Disney World again. Its one of my favorite places and i always feel like such a kid when I'm there. We had a blast! Tuesday night we made the three hour drive from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale. Although the drive was long it was very eventful. After a long stretch of nothing but Flordia swamps we finally saw an exit and decided to stop to use the bathroom and get some food. The small town we stopped at turned out to be Yeehaw... the name says it all. It was the most disgusting place I have ever been but a rest stop I will never forget, even if I try. We were pleased to find that the hotel where my dads conference was is quiet the opposite of Yeehaw when we arrived though. Its called the Westin Diplomat and it was extremely fancy. It was right on the beach with private access to the beach from the two huge pools. Our room was on the thirty fifth floor, the very top, and looked right out onto the ocean, it was so beautiful. Wedensday, Thursday and Friday my dad had meetings all day and I spent my time laying by the beach, getting a pedicure, shopping, napping, taking bubble baths and just relaxing. I loved it! When my dad wasn't in meetings we had fun going out to eat, doing some shopping, drive by the coast, watching movies and just spending time together. Saturday we packed up our bags and came home. It was so nice to spend this time with just my dad. I'm so glad that I have such an awesome dad who would let me come! Thanks dad, I love you!

I'm Back

2008-06-17T14:58:00.000-06:00

Today was great.....I got my stitches out and now I am able to type again. I have decided to go private due to some jerk out there who thinks that they can leave disgusting comments on my blog, so to any of you who know and love us send me your e-mail address and I will invite you to view and comment on our blog. I hated to do this, cuz it is an extra step for you, but it is a cruel world with some disgusting people out there. Nothing this person could say could hurt me, but I won't have my daughters subjected to this kind of garbage! So "I'mbetterlookingthan you" eat your heart out. Just so you know......a beautiful person is beautiful inside and out and you need to examine your heart and mind!

Shane's Update While Robyne is Recooperating!

2008-06-09T21:11:00.000-06:00

Nicole Prior to Graduation
Nicole with Diploma...she did it!
Girl's after Graduation!
Megan at singing at Spring Concert.
Abbie's last soccer game

This is really Shane and he has never created a blog post in his entire life! Sorry the pictures are first, I will attempt to figure that out next time I post. Robyne had surgery last Friday and isn't supposed to use her arm (it's in a cast). Of course, we shouldn't be to surprised that Robyne is pushing the limit on "acceptable activities". Good thing she still has some pain meds! She be out of her splint next week and will also have the stiches removed. She is really doing pretty good.

Now on to our update...hope you don't fall asleep with boredom:

ROBYNE & SHANE: Celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary on May 27th..can't believe she's put up with me that long. We went to dinner at Ruth's Chris that night and then took a drive and ended up driving through the Salt Lake City Cemetery. It was right after Memorial Day so it was beautiful. Okay, it wasn't exactly the most romantic night but I did take her with me to Florida the month before!

NICOLE: She graduated from high school last week...seems like yesterday that she was heading off for her first day of Kindergarten. She's been busy very busy this year, especially this past month. Between being an SBO, in the schools Vocal Ensemble, and finishing the Historian's scrap book she hasn't had a lot of spare time. Robyne & I were chaperone's at her Grad Night Party which was an exciting way to spend the hours of 11:00 pm until 6:00 am! Nothing like staying up all night with 250 of your favorite 18 year olds. We survived and even managed to have a little fun. We attended a lot of concerts and other activities for her during the past month...we sure are proud of her! To show you how I would do anything for her I even stayed up with her until 2:00 am last Friday morning to help her register for BYU (oh the pain). I never though the day would come when I would be sending money, let alone my daughter, to BYU but that happened on Saturday also. Oh, the things we do for our kids...jk.

MEGAN: Finished her Sophomore year and was selected to be in Hillcrest's "Chorale" singing group during her Junior year. She is pretty psyched about that! I think she's been the most upset about Nicole graduating than any of us...she's loved having Nicole around this year. However, she is going to have a fun time next year being the only London girl at Hillcrest. She has a busy summer with girls camp, trek, and efy. She is going to Virgina (Southern Virgina University) for efy in July. Robyne is taking her out and will go and visit an old friend/missionary companion while Megan's at efy. Her number one assignment from her Dad this summer is to get her "Learner's Permit" so we don't have to drive her to all of her activities.

ABBIE: Finished eighth grade this year and is looking forward to summer. She's off to efy next week at Utah State with several of her friends. It should be a pretty wild time for them all. She scored the wining goal in her last soccer game on her Sandy Recreation team. This was her last year that she can play in Rec Soccer...she's now to old! What a way to finish. She has been so understanding this past month with all of the events Nicole & Megan have been involved with. We sure are glad we have her...she makes life so fun!

We've got a full summer of activities between girls camp, trek, business trips, and a family vacation. We are heading to New York in August for a last hurrah prior to the kids getting back to school. We've always wanted to go to New York and do everything that is there...should be interesting!

Good news is that Robyne should be back soon with an update. Who knows, maybe I'll even chime in from time to time.

The Rest of the Story...

2008-05-12T11:55:00.000-06:00

Some great friends moved from our neighborhood to Seattle, WA. We missed their great sense of humor,funny stories,and even the Mr.'s teasing. So Sid, Sue and I decided to go visit them, and we probably had way toooo much fun! Here is a briefing on my latest west coast adventure!
We flew out on May 1st and were greeted by the smiling face of our own "Wandering Nana", of course it was great to see her again! She had picked a few places to take us so we headed out, but not until we stopped for lunch at a great little place, (where I tried to steal a cane for our hostess.) We headed out to the Seattle Temple,and it was beautiful! We also went to Picnic Point, and Edmonds Beach. We were able to collect sea shells and pretty rocks, now if I were only creative enough to figure out a way to display them! We went to dinner at a great little restaurant at the beach where the Clam Chowder was to die for! The Mr. was with us, a very patient man with 4 chattering women, so when the server asked where we were from he said "Texas". I was just dying!
The next day after Mr. went to work, we set off for a full day of fun and adventure! We went to a beautiful valley where they grow tulips and daffodils, at first we thought that we had missed the blooms...but we came across a beautiful place with multiple colors in full bloom, it was so pretty! We continued driving to a place called Deception Pass...WOW you can see from the pics in the slide show that the bridge is amazing, we stood on the walkway taking pictures of the ocean on one side and the fresh waters on the other side then we hiked down a trail to a beach below, it was a beautiful place. We then drove on and took the Mukilteo-Whidbey Ferry, and went on home! Our great Hostess made us this wonderful Shrimp Dinner, with rice and green salad, it was awesome. After eating we all loaded in the car and went to see Seattle by Night, by the time it got dark it was late and we were getting pretty goofy. Mr was driving us around and when he saw something he thought we would want to take a picture of he would stop...sometimes in the street. We couldn't take pics that fast, so he was kinda frusterated with us. He took the Pikes market at night picture. When we got near the Space Needle, we couldn't get a pic from the angle we were at in the back and one of the camera's was on the blink, so he pulled over and took his camera and stood in the middle of the street to get a picture...there were cars coming and the Mrs. was calling to him to get back in the car, meanwhile we were trying to get a picture of him standing in the middle of the street, and we were laughing so hard that I almost couldn't breathe, finally he gets back in the car and we look at the picture...we couldn't even see it and we started laughing again when Sid said, "Well,was that worth risking your life over?" Poor Mr. had to put up with our crazy laughting fits.
The next day it actually rained, but it wasn't to bad! We went to the Locks, it is like a little Panama Canal, it was really neat to watch the boats enter and the water level drop way down, the gate opens on the other side and out they go! We had lunch at Pikes Market, then went and rode The Duck. The Duck is an amphibious vehicle that drives on land and is a boat in the water. We had a great tour and saw all the famous sites of Seattle, it was alot of fun. While we were waiting to load the Duck we saw some interesting activity going on in the parking lot next to us...there was a truck parked with a camper on it, people were standing outside and they were wearing animal tails, noses, and some had full animal costumes on. They would use the camper to go in and change clothes, we thought it might be some activists or something, so I asked a guy? okay he was 1/2 guy and 1/2 squirrel, and he handed me a flyer!!! No they weren't dressed up like this for some worthy cause, like PETA or Save the Squirrels.....they were a social group. Yes people who have normal lives in the daytime, and evenings and weekends they dress up in animal costumes and go out in public places, this is how they get to meet new people...I guess with the same interests????? as they have. Anyway it was sooo strange, I think they called themselves the Seattle Furrys...it was nutty.
All to soon it was time to head to the airport,it was sad to say goodbye to Mr & Mrs, although Mr was probably relieved to get back to living with just 1 woman. They were the BEST Host and Hostess! This trip was rejuvinating for me, we kept busy, and laughed so much...I really needed that! Thank You Mr & Mrs, I sure do miss you guys!
Remember...don't feed the "animals."

Coast to Coast part 2

2008-05-12T11:46:00.001-06:00

Coast to Coast Part 1

2008-05-05T11:49:00.000-06:00

April was a busy month for me. First Shane had a conference in Orlando, so I went with him for a week...it was so relaxing, just what I needed (for some reason).
Have you ever had a premonition? Well while waiting for our flight out to Orlando, we were sitting at the gate waiting, there was a family sitting behind us with 6 kids, but the kids were running around wild...the mom was sitting there putting on her make-up while the baby screamed, and the other little ones just ran around. There was one teenage daughter and the other 5 kids were probably 9 and under. The dad was standing clear over by another gate, probably pretending he didn't know the family. Anyway...this family...we referred to them as the "Bumpus" family, were out of control. Shane turns to me and says..."Just watch they will be sitting right behind me." I just laughed. I figured maybe they were on some other flight as there were other gates close by. But they were on our flight and they boarded shortly before we did, as we were walking down the aisle, we were getting closer and closer to them and Shane was actually right, but they were not only behind him they were also right next to him. I had the aisle seat across from him. The mom, who was rather large (the seatbelt didn't go around her) was right by Shane in the middle and her teenage daughter was by the window, behind them were 2 boys about 9 and 7, behind them were dad holding baby,and a little girl about 3 and then in the middle seat behind him was the other little girl about 5 (yes in the middle of 2 complete strangers). When we got down by our seats they had the aisle blocked as they tried to figure out where there seats were, the jerky husband starts yelling and swearing at his wife...finally they all sit down, but musical chairs were played many times throughout the flight...except of course dad bumpus stayed right where he was the whole time. So every time a kid needed to go to the bathroom mom would get up and have to take them...which meant Shane had to get up also. He put on his noise reduction headphones and tried to watch the movie, but mom kept poking him to ask questions like if she had to pay for the sodas? is there any free snacks? She did bring snacks from home..it was beef sticks and pepper-jack cheese sticks which the whole plane could smell.The baby was screaming so Dad yelled at the baby to "Shut Up" finally he passed the baby up to mom (over the seats) this happened several times as each trip to the bathroom she gave the baby back to Dad Bumpus, finally the baby fell asleep on moms tummy there was probably 3 inches between his head and the seat in front of her. When the baby awoke, she stood him on her lap and he started pulling the hair of the man in front of her. At some point she poked Shane and explained that this was the first family vacation they had ever taken, (surprise), she and her teenage daughter were terrified to fly, the 2 boys behind them were both ADHD, and she has a psycho ex husband living in Missouri. Shane wanted to say that everyone on the plane had already figured out the little boys problems,WHY NO MEDS???. I was so proud of him, he was so patient with all of it. Everyone behind and about 5 rows in front of us kept snickering and giving him sympathetic looks. I was having a hard time controling my laughter, and the funny expressions Shane kept making! As we landed one of the boys asked if they could go swimming tonight, Mom Bumpus replied that they would have to see, cuz mommy and daddy had to go to a presentation for a few hours that evening...YES they were the guests of some lucky timeshare group! Mom told Shane that they were flying home the next Wednesday....guess what? So were we!

So all week long we joked about the Bumpus family with some of Shane's co-workers. They laughed, but they weren't on our plane going out so they really didn't get it, however they were on the same plane coming home so we told them that the Bumpus family was also going home that day and maybe they could see for themselves.

We sat at the Orlando airport waiting for our flight,visiting with Shane's co-workers and wouldn't you know it along came the Bumpus family, yep, they were all there noone had gotten lost in Disney World. We were just dying...Shane turned to me and said, "If the flight is oversold, I'm staying and going on the next one!" As everyone was waiting, the kids started running around and 2 of them were screaming, Dad Bumpus was his usual unhelpful self, and mom bumpus looked like a tornado had hit her, she just sat there. Everyone at the gate just kept looking at them probably wondering if either one would do anything about their children. Shane's coworkers now were getting nervous. The Delta employee stood up to the microphone and announced that the flight was oversold and they needed 2 people to stay overnight and go on tomorrows flight, I jumped up immediately and started for the counter, but 2 other people ran and beat me to it. I told the girls with us that I thought they would be the lucky ones this time to sit among the Bumpus family, and low and behold....I was right! Shane and I had a good trip home, away from the Bumpus family, but laughing at our friends who sat among them!

The trip was a great one, we spent time at Sea World, and the "Happy Place" of Disney World. I spent time reading and relaxing. Life is good! And to anyone reading this...Yes, I do know what it is like to travel with little children and have them act up...I guess I just wouldn't take my family on a 4 1/2 hour flight, with nothing to do to keep them occupied, for our 1st family vacation.....it would have been the last vacation they ever took!

Stay tuned for part 2 of Coast to Coast

More Spring Break Pics

2008-04-05T22:58:00.001-06:00

Spring Break with 180 of my closest teenage friends!!!!!

2008-04-05T20:52:00.000-06:00

Nicole's birthday lunch with a bunch of friends...this is me talking to her future roommate and friend Rachelle. We are on the pier at Seal's Beach, CA.

Abbie & Megan @ Disneyland!
VE Performing at Disneyland....Nicole is the beauty in the middle!
Oh so seriousssssss......
Jeff, Nicole, & Pascal.

So Spring Break a time for fun, family, relaxation......NOT!! Seriously though it was a great experience. I chaperoned the Performing Arts Tour for Nicole's High School. I only had 6 girls that I was in charge of so it was really a breeze and I did have a blast. This year Shane, Meg, and Abbie flew down so we could all be together for Nicole's 18th b-day, and to see her perform at Disneyland, so it really was great! The buses left the school at about 7:15 pm on Tuesday March 18th and we arrived at Seal Beach at about 7 am on Wed the 19th (Nicole's b-day). The bus ride was long and not very comfortable, but I survived.....it was being at the beach so early that was kinda weird for me.....anyway after Shane, Meg and Ab had a good nights rest in their hotel they came and met us at the beach and we all shopped and had lunch together (with several of Nicole's friends and choir kids). We left the beach and the buses went to a grocery store....it was hilarious.....180 teenagers, 30 chaperones and 4 bus drivers, all going into the Food For Less at one time....the checkers were freakin out! The kids had been given $5 each for breakfast food for 4 days...there were 6 to a room so if they put their $ together they would have $30. It was so fun to see them in their groups figuring out what they wanted and would need. Our hotel rooms had microwaves and small fridges. It was so funny to see the boys getting all the big breakfast items....eggs, sausage, frozen waffles ect. and the girls getting cold cereal, fruit, jucie, and granola bars. After leaving the store we went to the Hotel to check it. I cannot believe how organized it was. The Choir Director's wife went a day early to make sure everything was in place and along with the Choir Mom (Head Chaperone) everything went smoothly.

After a few hours rest we dressed, had Pizza and went to " WICKED", we saw this same show last year, but it was awesome to see it again. It is such a fun show to see and I was glad we had extra tickets so Shane, Megan, and Abbie could come too! You can bet we all slept good that night.

The rest of our days were filled with workshops at Disney, and performances at Disneyland. It is so fun to go with these kids, they are such great kids and they are really supportive of eachother, it is as much fun to watch the kids watch eachother perform as it is to watch the performances.

Sunday was great we slept in then went on a 2 hour Harbor Cruise, where they fed us an incredible lunch! Following the cruise, we went to St. Pious V Catholic Church where our Choir and Orchestra performed Easter Mass. This is the 10th year that our HS Choir has done this and it is an incredible performance. It is standing room only every year, and this year there was a write up in the newspaper about it, and a local TV Station filmed it for a rebroadcast! Our kids were amazing!

Monday found us all day at the park until closing when we met by the California letters and walked to our buses to come home......this was the longest ride in my life...I couldn't sleep, there were kids all over on the floor of the bus, and the air conditioning wasn't working...I was getting claustophobia (not a pretty sight) Finally we stopped, were able to get off the bus, eat, the air got turned on and I was ready to roll. Pulling into the school at about 4:30 pm on Tuesday the 25th.

Would I do it all again.....YEP! Good thing because Megan and Abbie have both told me I have to go with them too! I think I even convinced Shane to chaperone with me next year...Double the Fun!

Missing Dad

2008-03-09T17:41:00.000-06:00

It is amazing how much can happen in one week! Just a week ago we were sitting by the fire visiting with Shane's sister and her family and Delbert & Barbara (Shane's parents) and today Delbert's obituary is in the paper. He had a couple of falls on Wednesday night and by Thursday morning he was in severe pain and was very weak, so Debbie called an ambulance to transport him to the ER. Shane met Debbie at the hospital and I went to stay with Barbara. Finally by 4 p.m. they had him in a room and he was finally comfortable enough to sleep. They had run several tests and we were just waiting to see the Dr Friday morning to hear what they had found. Our phone rang a little before 6 a.m. and Jim (Debbie's husband) said the hospital called and he had taken a turn for the worse...we needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. We told our kids what was going on and we left for the hospital, just as we were pulling into the parking lot we got another call that he had passed away. He passed away Friday morning around 6 am, very peacefully, he was sound asleep and just quit snoring, a nurse who was sitting with him took his pulse and there was none. Boy, what a way to go! I have always thought that it would be great, that when my time came, I could just go in my sleep!

The last few days have been very tender and emotional for all of us. Delbert was 92, but he was very vibrant, healthy, and optimistic until the past few years, when he was in alot of pain from arthritis, had trouble with asthma, and lost alot of his vision due to macular degeneration. I like to remember him how he was before all that stuff. I have known him and loved him for 20 years. when Shane & I married, Delbert and Barbara were "Snowbirds" heading south to St. George for the winters, and living up here in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. When they were home Delbert worked part time in the refrigeration business (yes...Shane's Dad was a refrigeration repair man....just like the Smothers Brothers talked about : ) ) Delbert didn't retire until he was about 75. Dell and Barbara were very social, they had lots of friends and the neighbors on the street were almost like extended family they had all lived there for so long and raised their children. Dell was the ward clerk for 30 years, and he knew everyone! That carried over to every part of his life, he was so friendly,he would strike up a conversation with anyone, and he always had a smile. Dell liked to sing, mostly around home, in the shower, and in the car, to his children, grandchildren, and his wife. Dell and Barbara knew eachother their whole lives and they were so loving and kind to eachother. He always showed her great respect and love!

We will miss him so very much! We are so greatful for the plan of salvation, and the knowledge that families can be an eternal unit. We are greatful that Dad is out of pain, and having a great reunion with his son, Larry, his 8 siblings, his parents, and other loved ones who have already moved on. The funeral is Tuesday March 11th and if you are interested you can read Dell's obituary online at: www.legacy.com/DeseretNews/Obituaries.asp, or you can go to deseretnews.com and click on obituaries.

Until later....Enjoy every moment...Live life to it's fullest and remember what is really important!

Renanisance Feast

2008-03-03T22:59:00.001-07:00

This was amazing the whole auditorium was transformed into a castle of Medival Times. We were served by Wenchs, and we ate with our hands, we participated in a royal toast, and enjoyed great entertainment by the Vocal Ensemble group. You can tell from these pictures that an incredible amount of time and work goes into the decorations, set-up, food prep and costumes. The costumes are beautiful and the kids have to account for their costume, and every piece of jewlery that they wear, and every prop that is used. It runs for 3 nights, it is an amazing experience! I helped with food on the first night, then on Valentines Night Shane & I went together, and on the last night we took Megan, & Abbie. We sat with some Alumni and the Kunzler Girls.....more pics to come of that night!

The London Times!

2008-03-03T22:40:00.001-07:00

How can one family have so much fun? I just don't know but we do, we love our London/Child Family and we always have such a great time with them! Here is a shout out to all the London/Child Family!

My Primary Class

2008-02-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have a great calling teaching the & year olds in Primary, they are the cutest class. There are 5 girls and 1 boy, but he is a very good sport about it. They say the funniest things...I was teaching them about the pre-existence and the big meeting with Heavenly Father when he presented the Plan for Happiness. I explained about how Jesus Christ said He would come and do the Father's will and give the glory to Heavenly Father, and Lucifer (also called Satan) wanted to make everyone do what was right and he wanted the glory for himself. I told them that Satan still tries to tempt us to follow him. One of my little girls just spoke up and said, "My sister follows Lucifer" I cracked up because her sister is the sweetest 10 year old girl, so I said "No way, she is such a good girl" No" she said "She likes to follow Lucifer because she lies to me when she said she would play with me and then she played a game with my brother instead."

A few weeks ago we had a visitor who was staying with her grandparents in our ward while her parents were away for the weekend. I asked her to tell us about her family and she said "I have an older sister and a baby sister, and my mom is 63 and my dad is 65.....oh, I mean my mom is 64 and my dad is 66!" I told her grandpa he looks great for his age.....

Last week a member of the Bishopric was visiting Primary, he was talking to the kids about Joseph Smith being in jail and he asked, "What is the first thing that you think he did?" A little girl about 5 said, "He crawled out the window of course!"

When they spotlighted a little girl they were telling about her 2 dogs and asked her their names, she said their names then said, "But don't pet Rosie on the butt, she doesn't like it and she will bite you...don't ever pet her butt!"

Aren't kids the greatest!!!!

The Storms....

2008-01-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

So we keep getting these huge snow storms they are coming about every other day...this one dumped about 10 - 12 inches overnight, then another 8 - 10 came 2 days after these pictures were taken. That is Nicole's car that is buried in the snow, it took awhile to dig it out. Shane was snowblowing the sidewalk....this year we finally broke down and bought a 4 wheeler with a blade on it for our huge driveway, (I think Shane felt bad that he is not home very often to clear the snow so I have to do it)....now it is way too much fun...we both look forward to the next storm to see who can get to the 4 wheeler first! We are even talking about getting another one, a bigger one so we can have some fun on them in the summer too!

Happy Birthday Abbie!

2008-01-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can hardly believe that my baby girl is 14 years old today. I am starting to feel old :) Yes, Abbie was born on Jan. 31, 1994. We were very excited to get her here....after being on bedrest for almost a month I was very excited to get her here! We like to call Abbie the exclaimation point to our family...she has always been cheerful and made us laugh, she is just so fun to be around. She still comes up with the funniest things. Another thing about Abbie is that she loves her Pops! One day when she was about 4 yrs old, one of my friends called me laughing...she had just driven by and saw Abbie sitting on Pops lap on the front patio, she said Abbie was talking away, moving her hands, and Pops was sound asleep! I went and looked out the front window and sure enough she was still just telling him some story and laughing and he was sound asleep! She loves to spend time with him, she especially likes to go to his assisted living place and play pool with him. We sure love you toots!

Karen & My Resolution

2008-01-21T23:02:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been thinking alot about my friend Karen, this picture is a few years ago at a school function. Karen is an amazing person, she is full of faith,love,and laughter. She is one of the strongest people that I have ever met. We first became friends because our kids were friends, and together with our friend Sid we became a lunch bunch, confidants, and great friends. About 4 years ago we were at a church fireside when Karen and her husband, HG, pulled Sid and I and our husbands aside and told us that she had stage 4 colon cancer. It was a huge shock and we were so worried, but they assured us that they knew that everything would be alright. So for the next 2+ years we went through surgeries,chemo,radiation...(where Karen got her first tattoo:)What a rebel!)We also went through girls camps, youth conferences,trips, and many spiritual experiences with Karen's family....We had some of the best times and lots of laughs! In the physical sense we lost Karen to cancer on June 16,2006, but sometimes I feel her close by, I see her in her son's smile, and hear her in her daughters laughter. Once she told me she wanted to see her 5 children grow up and hold her grandchildren, I assured her that she would see and help her children grow up and probably be the first to hug and hold those baby spirits...Karen is my hero, my friend, and someone that I call a sister, and someday I hope to grow up to be just like her. We still talk often, my kids tease me, but I know she is still close, sometimes I even hear her talk back to me! Its important to never forget those that touch and shape our lives. So for one of my goals this year I want to remember special people and experiences that have impacted my life...who knows maybe I will even blog about it......watch out brothers the childhood memories might become public knowledge!

New Years Day

2008-01-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

Shane's oldest brother Larry and his family have lived in Morgan, UT for many, many years. Several years ago Larry started reserving the bowling alley for a few hours on New Years Day for everyone to come and bowl, eat, and visit, and when I say everyone...I mean everyone...aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, and even double cousins. When the kids were younger we would go to Larry & Lyns house and Larry would pull the kids on tubes behind his snowmobile out in the fields. A few months ago we lost Larry to cancer, and while there are several years between Larry and Shane, we miss him very much! We made it a point to go to Morgan this year to see everyone and to take pictures for Shane's Mom & Dad...they can't travel that far anymore. So here are some pics of Shane bowling and our fam at Larry's grave. Also Delbert & Barbara on Christmas Day! I really feel blessed to be part of such a great family and extended family. They are all so supportive of eachother and always look out for eachother. Lately I have been reading my neices blogs and I love how close they are to eachother, I hope someday that my girls will be that close too!

Nicole

2008-01-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! So I decided that if we have a family blog I should probably say something about myself-this might be the only way you all get to see me! I am a super busy high school senior now. I stay busy serving as the student body historian and singing in two different choirs at my school. I also love hanging out with my friends and shopping, whenever i happen to have some money! I recently got accepted to Brigham Young University and plan on attending there next fall. As for now i'm just enjoying high school!

Christmas

2008-01-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

So here are some pics from our Christmas & New Year Holiday....every year for Christmas our girls get new PJ's on Christmas Eve. This year we found some cute Holiday Panties and decided to get those too....little did we know that a few pair in the pack were kinda naughty! The girls thought it was hilarious and really kept rubbing it in my face, but I showed them...I have already found them and thrown them away:). My Dad, commonly referred to as "Pops" lives in an Assisted Living Home not to far from us. That is him in the cool lookin shades!

Here we go again!

2008-01-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

So if you are reading this you know that I set up a blog awhile back. I had great intentions of sharing our family's lives with friends and family....I worked so hard on setting it up and putting pictures on it....I was probably up until 2am that night. Problem is that I didn't write down my password and then I could never get into the darn thing again! So here we are months later and I have just decided to start over....well kinda....if you want to see what was done before then go to : blogginwithlondons.blogspot.com. As for now...I will try to recap the holidays of 2007! I will start with a great trip Shane & I took with Abbie to San Diego in Oct. Isn't she beautiful! We had a blast...we went to Sea World and San Diego Zoo.....did you know that you can buy elephant poo poo paper! Yes they actually recycle elephant poo and make it into stationary. We bought some and gave it away as a "white elephant gift" at a Christmas Party...it was a big hit! Abbie and I also got manicures & pedicures, we took a harbor cruise and mostly just played around!