Thanksgiving 2014 (for devices)

Thanksgiving 2014

I am grateful for my family.  Each one of them is a wonderful part of my life.  I would like to list each member and tell why they are important to me.

First of all, my wonderful husband.  He makes me laugh everyday.  He is kind and good to me.  He is the best travel agent in the world.  We have gone so many places because he is able to find the best deal and figure out the timing and connections.  Traveling with Jerry is the best.  He has just the right mix of explorer and homebody.  We can go, go, go, but then we can also enjoy resting and relaxing.  We love to visit friends and family and explore new places.  I love him and am so grateful we have had 40 years together.

 
 
 
Next is my mom.  She is happy and cheerful and makes the best of every situation.  She has taught me so many things like sewing, cooking, gardening, a love of music, how to keep a home, and how to take care of a husband.  She has always been a good example to me.  She just celebrated her 85th birthday, and is going strong.  She's the best mom in the world!!

Chuck (AKA my personal answering machine) has a sense of humor and enjoys a good laugh.  He has definite ideas and makes decisions based on objective evidence.  He is analytical and thinks things out.

He is a good husband to Mom and I really appreciate the way he makes sure she takes care of herself.  He takes her to the doctor and hounds her to make her appointments.  They go to the gym together and work out.  Chuck is a great Guy!!



I love my children!  They are all musical, witty, creative, and have a sense of humor.  They are also faithful members of the church.  Here is more:

 






Heidi is pretty, independent, smart, and an avid reader.  She is an algebraic thinker who can solve real life problems with equations, which is a mystery to me.  She is a dedicated early-morning seminary teacher and her students love her.  She loves Mickey ice cream bars!

Chad is an innovative entrepreneur.  He is financially sound and finds ways to work smarter and not just harder.  He is family-oriented and enjoys the time he has with  his wife and children.  He looks for opportunities to play practical jokes on people, often using dead animal parts, and as a result making cute, tall girls cry. 

Desiree has a quiet strength and is thoughtful of others.  She is a peacemaker.  She is patient by nature (which is lucky since she is married to Chad.)  She has initiated the planning of our family reunions and other gatherings in their home.  She is organized and often willing to host the whole family. 








Jared is happy, smiling, and a friend to all.  He loves a being in a group and often ends up being the life of the party!  He is an analyzer and has a mathematical mind.  He has honed his camping skills to a science.  He is proud of the huge tent he has nicknamed the Taj Mahal.  His scouts are jealous, but his family is grateful!!

Courtney is creative, fun-loving, and a great cook.  She is theatrical and is really good at charades.  She loves to rearrange the furniture (much to Jared's chagrin.)  She enjoys crafts and refinishing furniture to create a shabby chic look from it.  She is hospitable, inviting family and friends to her home, sometimes on the spur of the moment.  She is good at telling a story and acting it out--ask her to tell you how she and Jared got together.

 Dusty is a true diplomat and weighs decisions carefully, considering every option and angle.  He is a good cook, and we have all enjoyed his grilling abilities.  He is athletic and our most muscular son.  He has participated in many 5K and 10K races, along with Tough Mudder and Triathlons.  We are right behind you, Dusty (in the dust.)

Megann is fashionable, and loves to decorate her home, Dustin's classroom, or any place that needs a little touch of class.  She is good at arranging flowers also.  She is a manager and an organizer, especially when it comes to keeping Dusty at the right place with everything he needs to be successful there.  She is determined and eventually gets what she wants and needs. 










Byron is a wizard with words!  He has written at least one novel for the young adult market and is working on others.  He has a quick wit and often surprises others with his clever come-backs.  He is a gifted, creative teacher and has presented at a national conference.  He enjoys helping others improve their singing and when you hear Maren sing, you will know that he is successful at it.

Jemayla is cheerful, fanciful, and loves to move to music.  She is known in the family as the most healthy eater and inspires us to eat more vegetables.  She is a master at behavior analysis and has Maren (and Byron) trained.  She enjoys making crafts and creative gifts.





All of our daughters-in-law are amazing!  They are great moms, and excellent homemakers.  The are intellectual and we find it interesting to discuss issues with them.  Service is a central theme in their lives.  They each have a strong testimony of the gospel and show it in the everyday lives.  They are creative and musical, encouraging their children in the arts as well as other academic subjects.  Jerry and I are so blessed to have them in our lives!

Our Grandchildren are the Best!!!

I am so grateful for them!!

 Eli is an athlete and likes to do tricks.
When he hikes, he likes to be in the front.
He likes to pick songs out on the piano. He
is driven to doing better and better.

Elaina is sensitive and loves to color. 

She always uses the stencils when

she is at my house and makes beautiful

designs.  She is a Jazz basketball fan and

even has Gordon Hayward's autograph. 

 

Joey (AKA Everest) is an artist and a projectionist.  His new website tells when the next movies are coming out and posts his newest artwork.  He plays basketball and the piano.

 

Katelynn (AKA Katie, Izzy, Kate) notices things, like when her sister gets a new dress that Grandma made and she didn't --yet.  She is a cuddler and likes to read before going to bed.  She loves Grandpa!!

Libby loves life and is determined to make the best of it.    She is a singer and loves to watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast after church. She has even seen them in person!  She wants to be a doctor when she grows up and is willing to practice on me whenever she gets the chance, hence I have had shots, my blood pressure taken, and my heart checked.  A-OK so far.

Benji plays basketball, football, and video games.  He is good at all of them.  When he plays the piano, people stop and listen--he's that good!   He is kind-hearted and likes to help others. 

 

 

This is typical for Luke-bravely pushing the envelope (ask your dad what that means, buddy.)  He plays basketball, the piano and loves Minesweeper

(a computer game for those of us over 40.)  He is great on the trampoline too! 

 

 

 

Lilly is using my stamps here.  She is independent and likes to do grown-up things, even if the grown-ups in her life think she is not ready for them yet.  She usually proves us wrong.  She loves horses and animals of all kinds.  She is thoughtful and caring and takes care of those
around her.






Mackenzie is an artist and an athlete.  She likes to play volleyball and she likes to dance.  She is patient.  She has lots of friends and is a social gal.  She sometimes seeks her quiet time and then after awhile, all is good with the world again.

Alexis is a dancer and has the moves.  She likes to sing and we find all sorts of new songs on our Spotify when she leaves our home.  We don't mind.  It keeps us young.  Lexie seeks action and often seems to have an ulterior motive.  She's a step ahead of most people, especially her grandparents. 

Maren loves books.  She is happy when someone is reading to her or when she is reading to herself, making it up as she goes.   Hiking and running are high on her list of favorite activities, especially when she is in the lead (or holding the phone to take the video.)  She has recently become a big sister and sings original songs to Hazel, like "I Don't Care!"

Des holding Hazel at our house.

 Hazel  is our newest grandchild.  She is sweet and has the cutest chubby cheeks.  She is alert, which is good, seeing how she has Maren for a big sister. 

This is the charming manipulator of the bunch.  She used to say her name was Jordyn Princess.  Now she just assumes everyone knows.  She writes notes to people and folds them in the most interesting ways.  She loves to color and draw, especially with markers.   To say she loves preschool is an understatement!


All of our grandchildren are smart, and good readers, scientists,  and mathematicians. They are singers and love music.  They are creative and always amazing me with the new things they come up with!

I am grateful for my family--each and every one of them!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!