To a Most Awesome Brother that I Love so Very Much, Larry Happy Birthday!!!

Two of my sisters; Sherry & Cathy My brother Larry and I

I am so blessed to have such kind loving brothers. Happy Birthday Larry! There are quite a few years between Larry and I but we still share a special bond of love, friendship and appreciation.
Larry has a very tender heart and would take in every stray animal that he could. Larry and Linda have helped raise a lot of their grandchildren. Growing up he loved baseball. He was the pitcher on his team and a good one at that. Larry and Denny spent a great deal of time playing catch on our front lawn. They also played a lot of football out there. Larry's favorite major league team was the Yankees. For many years Larry played on and later on coached an adult baseball team.
Our father was an airplane mechanic. One day by accident he was hit by an airplane door. (I'm not quite sure what happened) He ended up in the hospital in traction for quite awhile. Mom did not know how to drive a car. So Mom and Larry would go out and practice driving. He was about 14 years old. Those are special moments that he enjoyed alone with Mom. They learned how to drive together. Then Mom would venture out to see Dad in the hospital.
Larry loved cars and the faster they went the more he liked them. He had a really nice looking 1957 Chevy. He would race with his friends on roads that were rarely used. This scared Mom to pieces. One day we went out to watch him race and Mom said "I can't look." She'd turn her head. Later he bought a brand new Camaro and he loved that car and had it for along time!
Larry drove a truck hauling hay for Aunt Ruby and Uncle Earl. He would bring home all kind of animals that he would find. He had an owl, weasel, bobcat, snakes, lizards, and frogs.
Larry was in the army and arrived in Vietnam on Christmas Eve. He could hear the guns off in the distance. The trip over there was by boat. It took along time for them to get there and once they did he said just walking by a water fountain made him seasick. He drove supplies to the soldiers in the jungle, where they were fighting.
I remember having a pit in my stomach all the time he was over there and nightmares. We did a great deal of worrying and praying. We looked forward to his letters and thank goodness he wrote regularly.
When he came home he didn't tell any of us. He got a taxi from the airport and surprised us. We were all in the living room at night, watching TV. That was one of the best surprises that I ever had. He brought us pretty Vietnam dolls. That was very thoughtful of him.
Larry and Linda were on a bowling team for many years after they were married. It was there Friday night entertainment. They enjoyed the competition and they were really good bowlers.
When Uncle Ray died they had to sell the trucking business. Larry went to the Utah Technical College. As a child he hated school school but he really enjoyed college and did very well in it. The day of his graduation was so a wonderful day.
He went to work for Utility Trailer as a welder.
Larry is very artistic and can make some pretty incredible things. He loves horses and was so happy when they moved to where they had property to have one. Now they have ten horses, eight dogs and two more of their grand children's dogs.
Larry has has a good sense of humor. He loves to read. He enjoyed the Harry Potter series and loves a good Stephen King Mystery.
I love you Larry and hope that you have a great day!

Mitchell Happy Birthday

Mitchell I hope that you have a wonderful relaxing birthday.

Mitchell is always discovering new talents. He is not afraid to try fixing anything. He just digs in and does it. Our home has a lot of improvements thanks to all of his help and expertise. He has visions of what our home could be that I would never have thought of. Thanks Mitchell, I do love our new light in the dining room and french doors the very best.

In the past couple of months he is perfecting his fondant cake decorating skills. His cakes look professional and he is teaching himself. Mitchell I didn't know that you were so creative.

Mitchell is pretty laid back and easy going. It makes it fun to be around him.

One of my favorite days Doug and I have spent together with Mitchell , Janessa and their girls was at Hornings Hideout. It was so peaceful and a haven in the middle of no where. It was like our own personal island for the evening.

I loved seeing the salamanders. I had never seen one before out in nature.

Mitchell loves flying, hang gliding, motorcycling, most anything that takes off fast.

He also loves his family. He is so cute with his daughter's. They do love their daddy.

Mitchell and Janessa are training for Hood to Coast. I hope that it turns out to be a great experience for all of you.

Best wishes today and through out the year.

Happy Birthday to one of the greatest brothers in the whole wide world!

Today is my brother Denny's birthday. Now a days he goes by Dennis but he will always be Denny to me. He has a very soft spot in my heart. In this picture he is with his wife Chris and their daughter Erin, her husband Scott and their cute children. This was taken almost two years ago at a family reunion.
Denny was the boy that all of the younger boys in the neighborhood wanted to hang out with. He was a great athlete and they idolized him. He loved playing baseball and basketball plus any other sport. (I have always wondered how, coming from a family with both of my brothers being super athletic, I didn't get a grain of that talent. I decided that it was because the two of them used it up before I was born.)
He has charisma and I must have been sucked into it because I would sit on the riverbank and clean his fish just to enjoy time with him. We found all kind of treasures inside of those Rainbow Trout.
My fondest memory with Denny was hiking up Weber Canyon above the "Meadows Campground". It was fun just to be alone, the two of us. (Coming from a family of six children and Denny being quite a few years older than I am it didn't happen very often.) We hiked to the top of the mountain and looked all over the Ogden Valley. It was beautiful. I felt so special to be with my big brother and enjoying one of his favorite things in the world, spending time in the mountains.
He was always there for our parents', as they aged. He'd stop by quite often and was always willing to help them out in anyway they needed.
Denny I hope that you have had a great birthday and that there are many more to come.
I love you so very much!

Walking Down Memory Lane with the Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday Lindsay!

Lindsay you were such a sweet sister to Hailey when she was born. You were very concerned when I was giving Hailey a bath and she was screaming her head off. You were not very happy with your grandma for making your little sister so unhappy.

Nothing could be more precious than the love of a sweet little baby straight from our Heavenly Father.

I't was hard for you and Ashley to believe that your Mother and I were encouraging you to bump your Aunt Allyson on her head with a birthday gift. I would really like to know where that tradition started but we use to do it at everyones birthday party when I was growing up.

What a cute birthday girl you are. Your Mother and I had fun making this cake for you, we didn't know that your father was a cake expert. This was a really fun day. We enjoyed having all of you live in Hanford.

We love you soooooooooooooooo much!

Uncle Mark sure enjoyed visits with you and your sisters.

It is always fun at Chuck E Cheese.

Are you practising to be a telephone operator?

The best days of the year are when our family come to visit.

Slip sliding away!

Isn't it great to have cousins?

On top of the world!

Lindsay I love all of the great treasures you and your sisters make for us. You're a very crafty girl.

My favorite thing is to see all of you cousins playing and having a great time. I'm glad we usually are able to get together at least once a year.

What a special day that was when you were baptized. I'm glad that we were able to share it with you.

I loved the cookies and the great message it they send. Your Mother and Aunt Heather were busy.

Rose enjoyed playing with you.

You are growing up into such a wonderful sweet little lady.

Byron we hope that you have a great birthday!!!

Byron I hope that you have a great relaxing birthday.
Byron made possible two amazing trips for Doug and I. Both trips will always be a treasure. His love of Family History, knowledge of Church History, research and itinerary made our trip to Wyoming such a great experience. I appreciate how he and his parents indulged Doug and I while we enjoyed reacquainting ourselves with Opal, Kemmerer, Lander, and Fort Washakie. Following the Mormon Trail up through Martin's Cove was a remarkable experience. What an awesome opportunity we had to really relate to our ancestors and all of the pioneers.
Byron had really research all of the great landmarks that we stopped at. We enjoyed his company and that of his parent's.
The trip to Wyoming was a truly spiritual and humbling experience.

The second great trip was to Hawaii. This time the itinerary was put together by Byron's Father. (Byron learned from the best) This trip feels like it was a dream. We were able to see so many wonderful historical places and feel the spirit of the islands and have fun. Sharing these days with them was wonderful.

Thanks Byron and Tricia, Sharon and John for putting up with this slow, unusual couple and for all of the fun family road trips. We do live in an amazing world.
Byron hopefully fun is on your birthday itinerary.

Hanging Out With 2 of Our Sons

It has been fun having time to spend with Mark and Adam. It has been nice to have time to sit and visit. They are both wonderful and I love them very much.

New Dress

New dress Mark picked out for me. He is trying to get me hip.

Last week we enjoyed some great time with Mark

This past week we were able to enjoy some great time with Mark. He is quite the fashion consultant. We went shopping and I got some great new tops and a dress. Between Mark and Doug I was constantly getting new clothes to try on brought into the dressing room by the sales clerk. I was amazed to find that I have gone down several sizes and the styles they chose and colors made it hard to decide what to keep and put back.
We had a lot of great talks and down time. I'm so grateful that he came. He gives me new insight and I hope that he takes new insight from us. I am very grateful for him.

General Conference the BEST weekendS of the year!

I love and look forward to General Conference every year. It is so uplifting. I always feel renewed and ready to move forward for the next six months with a reverence and renewed dedication. I love the Prophet, Aspostles and all who spoke. Each talk was AWESOME and I could feel the Spirit of the Holy Ghost so strongly. We are so blessed to have this opportunity every six months.
I am so grateful for my testimony and the roots of our ancestors. I love Church History and I am strengthen by their faith, courage and sacrifices for us. It makes me sad that often it is taken for granted. We are so blessed.
With tomorrow being Easter my thoughts the past couple of weeks have been on the Savior. I am so grateful for him and the life he gave for me. It is easy to serve knowing that I can give back a little of what he has given, his WHOLE life.
I am humbled blessed.
My family and extended family are such a blessing to me. I love each and every one of them with all my heart. They make me a better person and teach me much more than they realize.

Jessica we are so excited for you!!!

Last Friday Jessica Rodriguez (Leticia & Ernesto's daughter) found out that she won a Boswell Scholarship. She isn't sure if she will go to U C Davis or UCLA.
We are so excited for her!

Rebekah Happy 14th Birthday

I think this is a pretty picture of Rebekah taken at a museum. She is at that wonderful age of 14 where Stake Dances become one of the most important days of the month. Watch out boys here she comes!!!

Rebekah loves babies. Here she is holding precious Hailey. That love of babies has gotten her a lot of babysitting jobs and will make for a wonderful Mother some day in the farrrr off future.

Rebekah has a very sweet sincere spirit about her. She knows the scriptures. She is careful to follow the church guidelines where dress standards are concerned. In this picture I think she sparkles with confidence and the light of the gospel.

I love this picture Rebekah and her cousins are out cold. I can now see why Heather never got any sleep when her children would crawl in her bed.

Three years ago we were able to have Rebekah spend some time with us during the summer. It was fun to have her all to ourselves and to get to know her better. I enjoyed teaching her how to cross-stitch. Rebekah is very giving. She had something for everyone in her family by the time she went home.

It is always so hot in Corcoran during the summers and so a dip in the YMCA pool was a great way to cool off.

Doug and Rebekah before we left for the airport.

4th of July fun with fireworks.

I love Rebekah's smile and laugh, she likes having a good time.

The Couch Family were with us on the 4th of July we went to Hanford to enjoy the fireworks display that they set to patriotic music. It is always a lot of fun.

Rebekah and Camille making crafts at our family reunion in the Sequoias. It is nice to have cousins some what close to the same age and time to spend together.

Rebekah and Heather enjoying the view of Central California on top of Morro Rock in the Sequoias.

Rebekah and the gang hiking to Silver Falls.

Here is Rebekah with cute Jade. On her birthday she chose to spend the night babysitting Jade and Tavis. I think that is great!

I feel that Rebakah and Heather have developed a sweet relationship with each other.

What a fun opportunity last Easter to spend the Saturday before with the Jamison's, Couch's, and Adamson's. We had a fun Easter Egg hunt and enjoyed just being together at the Sherwood Park.

Rebekah we appreciate the special sweet Young Women that you are and the time that we are able to spend with you. Always let your countenance shine.

Love,

Grandma and Grandpa

Happy 22nd Birthday Adam

Happy Birthday Adam!!! It is great having you in the U.S. and being able to talk to you at least once a week. We are glad that you are enjoying school and doing well.
Adam is easy going. He enjoys spending time with friends. He loves the TV shows 24 and Smallville.
He has really matured in the past two years and learned a great deal about himself and serving others.
His testimony has really been strengthened. He has learned great people skills and how to budget money.
Doug and I were shocked how he will go up to stangers and start speaking to them in Portuguese if that is what they are speaking. He use to be pretty shy about speaking to people he didn't know. Now he will go up and talk to anyone. It is great to see his confidence.
Adam we hope that you have a fun evening.

Paul Happy 25th Birthday!!!

As a birthday present we shaved a few years off. This is what you will look like in the Celestial Kingdom. We hope that you have a great birthday. We really appreciate all that you do for your family. We know that you work very hard. Hopefully you can have a few hours free of stress to relax and enjoy.
I really enjoy listening to you explain the scriptures. You explain complex subjects in very simplified terms that help your children remember and understand.
I'm looking forward to watching you do "Tubby" again. You are quite the comedian.

Bradley Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Bradley!!! I love this picture.

Heather, Elizabeth, Bradley & Tricia at the Planetarium in the New Gate Mall in Salt Lake.Enjoying a stroll in Oregon. Bradley is such an easy going little boy.

He loves squirt bottles and snatches it whenever possible from his mother.

Better watch out he has learned how to use the keys. He'll be driving before we know it.

Fun with Myles (Allyson's son) and Rachel (Heather daughter's nice looking legs) in the sandpile in his backyard.

Karl Adamson Family Reunion: Bradley with having fun with swimming with his mother. Camille is in front and Robert Adamson and his baby in the back. Mary Ann your pool was a hit.

Jade (Jared's daughter) and Bradley. It is fun having cousins so close in age. I loved watching them play together in Oregon. I wish I could get the video to work. They were so funny.

Bradley's car for now.

Bradley and Rebekah (Heather's daughter) going for a ride.

Bradley with his family in Oregon.

Bradley and Tavis enjoying a bounce house.

Yum, these beans are delicious!

More fun in the pool. Ryan Binks is behind them.

Bradley loved his freedom of being able to climb on a train at a really fun fast food restraunt in Salt Lake.

Bradley is at the height of heaven being one of the gang enjoying the top bunk of the cabin.

Bradley on the go while his brother's are posing by Mary Fielding Smith's headstone in the Salt Lake Cemetary, what an amazing place, very sacred ground.

Bradley and Camille

Tricia, Doug & Bradley at Thanksgiving Point last summer.

Those beautiful blue eyes can just melt you. Bradley is a lot of fun to be around and Doug and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him better during the holidays. He his pretty happy go-lucky temperment. I hope that you have a fun birthday Bradley.