Update from Eric

First of all, my teenage years were kind of a mix of good times and not so great times. Probably like anyone else. Like Trina, after high school was much more enjoyable for me. The YSA and college years were great. But being a teenager was not so bad.

>First off, I had a great family. I made movies and played with my brothers and sisters at home.
>I followed the Portland Trailblazers as they made it to the NBA finals in 1990 and 1992.
>I was a Boy Scout and got my Eagle award when I was 16. I enjoyed going to Scout Camp and spending time with my friends like Steve Ramos, Shane Blanchard, Scott Wirfs, and Max Walker.
>I was in the regional dance festival in Portland along with several of the girls and guys in the McMinnville 2nd Ward in 1989 (I think...). Around that time I started going to stake dances, which I really enjoyed.
>My junior and senior years I hung around with Nathan Dille a lot, and our senior year we were on the McMinnville High School swim team together.
>And I was in band, which I mentioned before.
>Earlier in high school I was on the speech team and involved in drama. Good times there. I mainly competed in humorous interp and after dinner speaking, but I never did give one of those speeches after a real dinner.
>And I wrote for the school paper my senior year. It was a good time. I wrote a few poems in addition to articles and editorials. My editor didn't like it when I called myself "Staff Poet". No sense of humor.

And an update on the family website:
It is coming soon. You will know when it happens.

I didn't write the questions.

I got these questions at Enrichment Night and I'm not sure what all of them are. I didn't even choose this new one, Clarissa did. Anyway the point is to trigger your thoughts, and remember Trina, you started college at 17, so you were a teenager. I know what you mean, though, I didn't have much of a teenage social life when I was in high school, but I'll think of something to write about. I can't say that I didn't have a social life as a teenager because I met your daddy when I was still 19. That seems incredible, I was just a baby.

Thanks, Jared, for the research, I don't know when we're going to be able to afford that equipment, and I'm sure it's getting better and the price is coming down. Maybe we'll get a DVD burner when we get our laptop, but that may take a few years.

Love ya,
MOM

I did some looking around at my store to figure out what it would take to turn all those old movies into DVD's. So I guess this message is directed at Mom and Dad. Option one would be to buy one of those combo machines with both a VCR and a DVD burner. Option two, which I recommend, is to get a capture card for the computer (lets you hook up a TV antenna or a VCR to the computer and save video files) and get a DVD burner in the computer. This option will probably come out costing less, and it will give you the chance to edit the films, change what order they're in, add menus, and whatever else you feel like adding. DVDs can hold computer files too, pictures and GEDCOM and whatever. The software really isn't difficult to learn -- even my children's grandparents could learn how to use it. And with as many home videos as you have, it would be tons cheaper than going to one of those companies to do it for you.

National Voter Registration Week

I just spent 2 hours in a rather boring Elections Assistance Commission meeting, but did learn one thing - this week is National Voter Registration Week. So if you haven't done that paperwork yet, then GET ON IT! I've registered to vote here in DC, but haven't gotten my precinct card yet - I've tried calling the Elections office, but they have this habit of not answering their phone. So I'm going to go to their office in person ... they should have just picked up the phone when I tried calling them.

Anyway, so go register to vote, or get your absentee ballot sent to you. Mindy, you should still be able to vote absentee because you're still legally a resident of Oregon. And for kicks, when you answer Mom's question about your teenage social life, tell us also what election you first voted in, and who you voted for President. Or something. The first election I could vote in (because my birthday was too late in 1990) was 1992 - Bush the First vs. Clinton, I voted for Bush, Clinton won.

K - gotta go - another meeting out of the office in about an hour and a half, that goes until about 8 tonight. Have a good one. Oh - and Mom's new question about a teenage social life - pff! WHAT teenage social life? Okay, so that's exaggerating but not by much ... my college and YSA social life was much, much more involved.

Update

I talked to Joy today and everyone in her family is fine. They didn't even lose power at any of their homes. During hurricane Francis they had some flooding in Tampa but not where she lives. She appreciates all our concern.

Love ya,
MOM

WOW

That last question got lots of responses. We laughed so hard when we read Jason's, it was wonderful. This is turning itno a really fun project.
Let's see how you do with this assignment.
Tell about your teenage social life. Tell about your friends, dances, movies, dating, outings,and church functions.

There I wrote, happy now

I wish I could play the acoustic guitar so I don't always have to sing a cappella. (HINT: I need one to learn on. Christmas isn't that far away.) It would be helpful to do my own accompaniment when I enter the Cricket Country Showdown next spring.

My Musical Talents

I concentrated more on singing than musical instruments. I was the only kindergartener in the school talent show; I think I sang "I want to be a mother." And I was in the Children's Chior when I was about ten to when I was twelve. We were in "The King and I." I've also sang in "The Messiah" two years in a row; I missed last year because I was in Florida.

I never learned to play the piano, mostly because everyone else was on it, and I couldn't play it as well, so I didn't like to try it when someone else was around. I do know how to lead music, though. If I could choose an instrument to learn, I would like to try the flute or the violen, but I'd probably have better luck learning to play the kazoo.

Emily

Favorite weapon of musical mayhem

Hey all! I had to chuckle when I remembered my favorite musical instrument. Bearing in mind, I cannot read music much less carry a tune, I must confess to having tried many instruments in the past. I tried acoustic guitar when I was 8...Didn't really move me. Drums when I was 19-20, it was great as stress relief but unless there is a troll thrash speed metal punk band looking for a spastic drummer out there...You get the picture. I attempted the Oboe when I was 23....It was difficult to play as my lips vibrated and I couldn't stop laughing, but I did try for 2 months, little success but I was a happy fellow during that time. I have an old harmonica of my dad's that I try ever now and again....Still trying.
Were I to choose a instrument to learn to play, I would be hard pressed to decide. I have dreams of playing a bamboo flute, hearing the soft haunting notes that shake my soul and the lilting pitch that brings a suspicious moisture to my eyes.

Jason Aimoto

Mindy's Instruments

As everyone knows, I've been able to play the piano for years. I was in the 6th grade when I played Fur Elise in the school talent show .. meaning that was TEN years ago! I can still play that song from memory. I can also sing, and I play the computer too (or does that count?). An instrument I would love to play is the harp. My friend Jenna was taking lessons a while back, and I played on hers a little .. it'd be tough, but unique and very fun. The violin is very pretty too, and if I had the chance I'd like to learn that as well.

Mom and music

When I was a little girl my brothers had music lessons from Mr. Samuelson, a very kind old man, in Bellingham. I always wanted to go to. I remember one time I got to go, not for violin lessons but for voice lessons. I don’t know how old I was but I know that he thought it was very funny when he played a note on the piano and sang it. I tried to sing what he sang rather than what he played and I couldn’t go that low. I was embarrassed when my dad teased me about it. I don’t know why I was never allowed to learn the violin. When I was in the 8th or 9th grade we lived in an area where they started instruments in elementary school. Cheryl got to take violin and I was jealous once again. Finally, my turn came, not to learn the violin but the piano. Our seminary teacher said his wife would give free lessons to whoever would lead the music in class. I volunteered very quickly and got a start in learning to play. As you all know I’m not very good at it but, since one of my top 100 things to do is play ten songs on the piano, I’d better start practicing. I think learning the piano will be plenty for me.

Jared can play the clarinet, and the piano, and the harmonica, and the vocals. I've played the organ too, but I like the piano much better. I have also performed on the maracas and on the drums, though I'd definitely like to expand my percussion skills because I want to put lots of percussion in the musical I'm still working on (it's now almost three years in the works, and a long way to go yet). I'd also like to learn guitar, and I've always liked the violin, or any bowed instrument really. No real plans to learn them though. I've got too many other things to learn above them, like Spanish and Urdu.

I got A's in my senior project and my project management class last term. I have four classes left to finish. Currently I'm in Unix and Career Development, and I've got Humanities left plus one five-hour elective. Probably Windows Networking.

Instruments

I can play two instruments with some proficiency: the piano and my voice.

I've always wanted to learn how to play the violin and the saxyphone.

Lately I've been picking up my roommates guitar and playing around with it... it's pretty fun. If I'd play with it on a regular basis I'd probably learn to play it by the end of April... or whenever we decide to no longer be roommates.

In other news, my life is going fine. I got my first pay check today. Of course, it was only for the first three days of work, but that was cool. I've got a definite 30 hours per week after this, so I'm excited about that... and I should have my schedule set up in the next couple of weeks. I don't get out and do a whole lot during the week because I have been pretty tired by the time I get home. I usually just hang out with my roommates, but that's fun. Sorry, I don't get on the computer a whole lot anymore... but that's life without your own computer.

If you really are dying to hear about my life try calling me... I even sent you my phone number twice.
Love,
Tawnia

Instruments (and in-laws, if you insist)

I just sent another invite off to Adam. Thanks for the nagging Treen.

On my birthday, Amanda said she reads the blog, so she is participating, if silently.

I played the trumpet and french horn in school. I also have toyed around with the saxophone, all those brass instruments (baritone, trombone, tuba, bugle, etc.) and the accordian, piano and guitar. I would like to learn the guitar and the harmonica, so I can play the music from those public service messages the church used to put out. Oh and I sing, and that is my very own instrument.

Have a lovely weekend all!

Eric

in-laws and instruments

Well, we know that Laurel, Jason and Michelle have access to this here blog and have even posted a couple of times. Adam still can't get into it. New invitation for him, Eric? And what about Amanda?

To answer the question for him ... Adam played the trumpet for a year or two in junior high. I don't know that he wants to play any instruments at all - he seems content with playing Dad's favorite instrument: the stereo.

For any in-laws who don't know, I played the flute and piccolo for 7 years through jr. high and high school, and still have my flute and mess around with playing it every couple of years. My favorite thing EVER to play was the piccolo part in "Stars and Stripes Forever." And of course I play the piano and organ, but everyone knows that. What I WISH I could play ... you'll probably all laugh ... I wish I could play the banjo.

Time for a new question

I'm just going to post the question today and I'll answer it tomorrow. That way I won't influence any of your answers. Remember, we want to hear from everyone. I really thought it was great that Michelle answered the question about interesting places she'd visited. We'd like to hear from people who didn't grow up in our family so we can get to know you better, too. So please everyone take a few minutes to answer these questions. Here is the new one. What instrument do you play or wish you could play?

WTC attacks

I don't remember a thing about the Berlin Wall coming down - just that it did. I vaguely remember the day the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. I still have the front page section from the Oregonian about that.

On 9/11/01, I had taken the day off (I was living in Monmouth and working at the capitol) because Ben and Amanda Brewster were getting married at noon. I got up early to attend the endowment session with them, and Cari and Sara were going to go to the temple later for the pictures. When I got out of the shower, they had the TV on. I think that both towers had been hit, and the first one had collapsed. We watched live when the second tower went down. Drew called to make sure we knew about it. I stood there in my towel watching for a while. Somewhere in there, we all got through the shower and dressed. I ended up not going to the endowment session - Cari, Sara and I all drove to the temple together in time for me to go to the sealing. The wedding was rather subdued, of course. I'm just glad they didn't have their reception that day (it was already scheduled for about 10 days later). The rest of the day, Cari and Sara watched the news footage over and over and over and over until I was ready to scream.

Now I'm in DC with federal politics swirling all around, and the 9/11 Commission report was recently released, and McCain and Lieberman announced new legislation just yesterday to implement the Commission's recommendations ... I deal with the backlash of the World Trade Center attacks every single day as part of my job. Also, I just finished reading a pretty major commentary about it. So it's not "in the past" for me. It's still very much a part of the present.

Where I Was

When the Berlin Wall came down, I don't remember much except seeing news images. I remember being more focused on the Tiananmen Square protests earlier that year, so when the Berlin Wall came down I was pretty startled. It seemed very sudden. As I've read other accounts, I've noted that most other people in the west were very startled by this, but the people in East Berlin saw it coming much sooner and were pushing for it. Of course, over the next year, the rest of the Eastern Bloc came apart and finally the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. Then this led to all the wars in the Balkans and Central Asia over the next decade... and the world continues.

On 9/11 I was up early and in the car, driving to San Diego to teach a class. I listened to radio reports of the disaster the whole hour and a half. I heard the report of the second tower collapsing while driving past the 55 interchange on the 5, so that was about five minutes after leaving the house. It was a PowerPoint class that day at Kyocera, the cell phone factory. We made presentations out of the pictures of the disaster that were coming out of New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. We let out early and I drove home and talked to Laurel about it. That night, with all the air traffic in the country shut down, we were woken by fighter jets doing a flyover. It scared us both half to death.

Concerning heirlooms, memories, and other stuff

Hello, family.

My heirloom is a little cedar trunk I got from Mom when I was twelve. She said she got it when she was twelve. It says, "Bellingham, Washington" on the top. I use it as a jewelry box.

On September 11, I was in bed, and I first heard it from Clarissa when she was shouting about New York being on fire. I don't remember where I was when I learned about the Berlin Wall coming down and I didn't really understand the significance (I was only eight at the time), but I knew it was important. Our encyclopedias became instantly outdated.

And you may be wondering what I have been doing, besides writing fantasy. Well, Jon has been over a lot lately, showing up twenty to thirty minutes early each time -- sometimes before I get dressed. Today we watched "Willow." Next time we might watch "Princess Bride." He hadn't seen either. (I thought everyone's seen "Princess Bride.")

He came over on Friday as well and stayed all day. Nine hours was a bit too long for me. We didn't do much anyway -- canned pears, watched TV, had lunch, went to the park and played cards, sat and talked, or rather I talked while he stared at me. It was starting to make me feel uncomfortable.

And the weekend before that, we went out and saw "Princess Diaries 2." Very funny movie.

He says he'll come again in a couple of weeks; it's the stake service day, and the branch will be going to the cannery.

As to how this will go in the future, he hopes it will get more serious after he finishes JobCorps. And I don't think it will. He gets nervous around Mom and Dad and Clarissa. How would he react with the rest of the family here?

Love,
Emily

Remembering

I can remember learning about East Germany and West Germany. I can vaguely remember seeing the news when the wall came down... but sometimes I'm not sure if I really saw it when it happened or if I've just seen re-runs of the event a lot. I also don't think I realized the significance of what was happening when I saw it... I was only 11 years old at the time.

September 11th -- Yes, I definitely remember that. I was in my bedroom getting ready for work. I had the radio on and was listening to the news, something I normally did. I remember they were talking about a plane crashing into a building, and then as I was listening the second tower was hit. I ran and told my roommate, Kira, and she said she bet it was a terrorist attack. I then had to go to work and pretend like it was a normal day of teaching music. I listened to the radio the entire way to and from work and also on my lunch break, but I don't think the reality of what happened truly hit me until I watched the news that night. My roommates parents just happened to be in town and so we all went to their hotel room and watched the TV. When we finally got home, I remember sitting in the hall. All my roommates had gone to bed and I still had to read my scriptures. I remember praying about what had happened and then I opened up my scriptures and started to read. I can't remember off the top of my head what I was reading, but it was amazing because I read some verses that brought me peace about what had happened that day. It was a testimony to me that Heavenly Father is always watching over us and that the scriptures contain answers for all of our modern day problems.

Anyway, sorry I rambled and I'm sure it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but oh well.
Love,
Tawnia

September 11th

I was going to BYU-Idaho at the time. It all started early in the morning, when Cheme' got a phone call from her dad. She was standing in the hallway with a towel on, since she just got out of the shower, and I was standing in the doorway of my bedroom. We didn't get a lot of information about the towers, but instead heard that there was some sort of bombing at the Pentagon. Rumors were spread quickly, just in the apartment (since we didn't have a tv at the time), and supposedly lots of college campuses were being targeted too. We were all scared, and had an apartment prayer before I headed off to class. It wasn't until later, during my classes that I heard what really had happened. During all my classes we tried to focus on the lesson, but we had the tendancy to have discussions instead, especially in my Russian class.

Next Question

Before I go on to the next question I wanted to answer some of your questions about heirlooms. First of all, I don't know what I have that you kids would consider as heirlooms and want to keep forever. I had no idea that anyone would want my old jewelry box. I've kept if for sentimental reasons. I got it from Frank for our first anniversary along with a watch. I told him those were two things I'd always wanted and never had. As for the old jewelry in it - most of it is broken but I'm sure it could be fixed. I appreciate your telling us what things you want to have so we can make certain not to get rid of them. Many of the treasures I have were given to me by my children so I guess they should go back to the ones who gave them.

Now for today's question:

Where were you and what were you doing the day President Kennedy was shot and the day the first man landed on the moon? I think this question should be modified to add where were you when the Berlin Wall came down and on 9-11? Especially since you kids weren't born during the first two events.

The day President Kennedy was shot I was in school. It was November 22, 1963 and I was in the 8th grade. I remember the teacher crying and having a hard time telling us what was going on. Then a TV was brought into our room and the rest of the day we watched the news. It was a very sad day for our nation,

When man first stepped onto the moon, on July 20, 1969, Frank and I were at Bob Paton’s sisters home. I don’t even remember her name. We were engaged to be married and neither of us had a TV of our own. It was Sunday evening and we’d gone there with Bob to visit and watch the news.

When I heard that the wall came down on Nov 9, 1989, I remember that I was at home in the kitchen. I was thrilled to hear the news that the people of Germany were free. I turned on the TV to watch as people tore down the wall. It was exciting to hear over the next two years as many of the former Soviet Republics declared their freedom and finally on New Years Eve 1991 the Soviet Union was dissolved.

When the terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, I was asleep in bed. Clarissa woke me up with the news that the first tower had been hit. She ran in a minute later to tell about the second one. Since I had to go to work that day, I hurried and got ready and then watched the news on TV. It was a very tearful, stressful day because we couldn't really listen to the news except during our breaks and everyone wanted to know what was going on. The most upbeat thing I saw come out of that horrible day was the way everyone rallied to help and the patriotic fervor that caught hold of our nation.

Mindy's treasures

I'm not considering anything that I have right now heirlooms, for the simple fact that they're just mine now .. and haven't been passed down to anyone yet. Once they're passed down, that makes it official. Besides, there are so many things, I'm not sure what my children will want, and what will be more or less significant. I've got scrapbooks, a couple jewelry boxes, my toy box, etc. And the US quarters .. I don't know if they're definately heirloom material, but I would like to at least have one complete set, and since I don't live in the US anymore it's very hard for me to get quarters .. if someone could be saving me some, I'd really appreciate it. I've got everything through Maine.

I only have two letters from grandparents .. one card from Grandma Beers, and one card from Grandma Palmer. Other than that, I believe I have two items, passed down. I think. The first is a bracelet that I got from Mom .. a soild gold ring, except that its clasp was where the diamond slid under a small loop. I'm not sure who it belonged to originally. The other item is a small golden anchor that I can slip onto a chain and wear as a necklace. It's from Grandpa Palmer, or I just found it on Dad's desk, thought it looked cool, and he gave it to me, and then I just made up the fact that it was from his Dad. I'm really not sure .. he could have just found it from work.

The only thing that comes to mind when I want something from Mom and Dad, is Mom's jewelry box .. the one with the music box in it. I remember opening that when I was a kid, and always looking through the old jewelry in it. (The jewelry would probably be back in style today too!). I'd love to have the piano too, but I'm probably the last in line to get that.

Jared's back!

Actually I got back two days ago, but I'm still recovering from that trip. Working 15 to 18 hours a day with only four or five hours of sleep every night can kind of wear you down. Now that I'm back at my store they're still making everyone work a ton of extra hours, so I get to supplement my 55 hours last week and 65 this week with another 55 next week. And through all of this, I'm still going to school full time, and thinking about my children (since I don't actually get to see them too often) and so I'm not blogging much.

I have lots of family heirlooms. My lederhosen, my mission journals, all the music I've written, three or four scrapbooks ...

Ha ha ha, just kidding. I ALSO have a few things I've inherited. I have Grandpa's tie, and that wooden toy airplane from Wisconsin. And I'm balding. Now there's a family heirloom!

I'm also interested in preserving all those old movies. I know Dad already transferred alot of them to video years ago, but I don't see any reason why we couldn't put them all on DVD now. I don't have a DVD player yet, but I'll still want a copy! I'll become modern someday, I promise!

Life has it's ups and downs

First of all there is a trap door above but it's locked on the inside. It's for rescuing people from the top if the building collapses. They aren't sure why the elevator failed. We now have a key to open it from the outside if it quits working again. I was in the elevator just under an hour and, yes, Mindy, everyone cheered when I got out. Everyone is still teasing me - I should have taken a day off to recuperate or I should sue the company for the trauma or retire early on disability. I was in it a lot today, moving desks and chairs upstairs. I'm so BRAVE.

Love,
Daddy

Eric's heirlooms

My favorite heirlooms are the photo albums Dad made for me when I was young. They only go up to about age nine, but they're great.

I have the boxing gloves chew toy Grandpa gave me as a baby hanging in my room, along with one of his tie bars.

I also really enjoy the Family History CD Mom put together. Reading the documents and looking over the family tree is always a very special experience.

I am interested in what happens to all the movies Dad made, and the movies his dad made. I hope we can preserve them somehow. Also, all the photographs. There are quite a few of them. It actually gets me thinking about all my mission photos that are still in a shoebox ten years later.

About Grandpa Palmer's pictures and things... most of them have been kept by Uncle Gary. I don't know how Trina's working out her claim on them, but I'll be interested to see how that goes down. I figure as long as our family treasures are preserved, copied, and shared, we should have no problems. I know there's a church program (or was it BYU? I think it was the church though) that preserves family histories and pictures. We may eventually want to look into something like that for some of the journals, blessings, photographs, and other original documents we have.

In other news, it's Labor Day weekend! Maybe I'll finally get the family website set up this weekend. Wouldn't that be nice?

Take care all!
Eric

Heirlooms

Well, I don't think I have a whole lot of things in the heirloom department. I have a Christmas Tree Pin that I got when Grandma Beers died. I also have some letters that she wrote to me when I was little. (And if we're making requests for what we want, I would like Grandma's doll trunk in the future.)

Other than that, I have a dress that was my Easter dress at age three (which should become an heirloom for my children and grandchildren.) And of course a lot of other random things from my own childhood.

Mom, what things do you want to pass on from your life as "heirlooms" for us? Just curious.

I know one thing that I can do is give away my thimble collection. I knew an older sister who had collected thimbles and before she passed away she gave one to each of her grandchildren and wrote the story of why it was significant to her and why she wanted it to be their's. I thought that was pretty cool.

Anyway, I would also love a copy of Grandma's story... but that's something I think we should all get. I never did get to finish reading that. (And I don't think I ever got one of those family history CDs. I tried taking one and then you took it back from me because it didn't have Dad's stuff on it.)

Love,
Tawnia

3-day weekend - hooray!

Happy Labor Day weekend, where we don't labor!

Dad, exactly how long were you in the elevator anyway?

Mom, were you planning to put ALL of your vacations here on the blog? Cuz you've been on plenty of vacations, especially since 1973. I thought that's why you were writing a BOOK, to put them in THERE. I'm glad that you got the doll trunk instead of Aunt Cheryl, because of all of your siblings, you're the one that actually would take the best care of the papers inside as well as type them up and share them with everyone else. Maybe Uncle Max would do the work to share them ... but definitely no one else. That's kinda sad to think about, but it's the truth.

Family heirlooms - I have Grandma Palmer's pearls. I have no idea why I have them - she hasn't died, and I got them years ago. I think Dad just handed them to me one day before my mission. What I WANT are the Shirley Temple pictures. And I would looooooove Grandpa Palmer's contact book that Uncle Gary has. From Grandma and Grandpa Beers, the only thing I have is my dollhouse that Grandpa built for me. It's a banged up piece of junk now, the colors are horribly garish by today's standards, and it's completely out of proportion for any dolls. But I will never get rid of it. Yes, it is still my intention to fix it up (new paint, and probably make it 3 levels instead of 2) when I have a daughter, and pass it to her. Aaaaaaand ... where is the blessing dress that all 5 of us girls were blessed in? It wasn't used for Brooke, was it? That's all I can think of for now.

I love my Dad!

I'm VERY glad that there was a happy end to that story .. I love my Dad! How long were you in there? Did everyone cheer when you got out? I did!

Not much is going on up here .. the weather is a lot like Oregon's .. cold and rainy. It's been this way for an entire week. I had no idea that Calgary actually ever had weather like this, it had only been for a day at a time, and half of that day was sunny. Apparently this is fall weather, and then winter comes right before Halloween. Strange to admit, but I'm kinda looking forward to all the snow again (but it means I'm going to have to fix my boots!).

Other than all that, I'm spending most of my time playing on the computer, watching TV, scrapbooking and drawing .. and of course working on my goals (posted on the bbcmeltdown website). I know that I've been saying that my immigration paperwork will go in soon, but this time I mean it .. we're hoping to have it in within the next 3 weeks or so. Wish us luck!

Dad's Adventure

Thursday afternoon about 1:30 I was unpacking maps to take upstairs to install in the classrooms of the new school. I loaded ten maps onto a handtruck and rolled them to the elevator and pushed the button. The door opened and I rolled the handtruck in diagonally with the maps blocking the door slightly. I stepped inside, lifted up the end of the maps and the door closed. Then I thought, I need to push the button to go up. I put the ends of the maps down reached over and pushed the button. Nothing happened. I tried several buttons on the panel, open door, 1st floor, 2nd floor. I called the other custodian on my radio and asked, "Bob, would you like to come push the button on the elevator?" After a few minutes I heard him and several others, including the principal and the electrician, trying to open the door. It was getting very warm so I sat down on the floor where it was a little cooler. As time passed I unloaded the maps and stood on the handtruck to check for an exit through the ceiling. There was none. I read everything on the panel pertaining to emergencies, including pushing the fire button but it didn't work. I was able to open the inside door about an inch and discovered that the elevator had settled about 9 inches below floor level. Talking to the electrician through the door I learned that there is a door release for the outside door about 6 inches from the top. I stood on the handtruck and tried to release it with a putty knife, while others were working on the outside. The people who installed the elevator had not left the key to work this release. The electrician, who is the union president, warned me that I was taking an unauthorized break. After 45 minutes I decided to call home in case I was late getting there. The electrician finally made a makeshift tool to get the door open. When I stepped out I saw the electrician and the superintendent and the principal and two firemen. I figure there were about 40 people there, because I counted 20 and that was only about half. The district office staff was there for a tour of the new building. The superintendent shushed me when I told her there wasn't an escape out the top. The principal gave me some water and potato chips and I downed two bottles of water and took a short break before going back to work. I entered the elevator 5 more times to get the maps and carry them upstairs, but I never shut the door. The elevator is shut down until this problem can be solved.

Family Heirlooms

I'm still working on the last question but I'll move on. Should I wait until we get our own site to add more so I'm not using all of Eric's space? I have one more vacation ready to add and I'm only up to 1975. It's going to take some time to get all our eventful trips in here especially since most of the pictures aren't on my computer. It's a fun project though.

I also finished another of my 100 things I want to do. In "The Room" we have a U.S. map and a world map on the walls. I've marked where every temple is located and the ones I've been to.

In other news. I worked the last 3 days, but for some reason, I don't have to work again until Tuesday. That's when the kids start. I've come home very tired the last couple of days. It's always an adjustment.

Trina asked that I post a new question so here it is along with the answer. Are there any family heirlooms in your possession? Tell about them and how you came to acquire them.

I don't have a lot of family heirlooms but one thing I do have is my mother's doll trunk. It's rather beat up but it was something she always treasured. She kept it on a closet shelf and it always had old papers in it. When she was about four-years-old she got the trunk for Christmas. She kept her special treasures in it, like many of the poems she had written or collected and special letters. After I was married and was visiting my mother, I told her that when she was gone I wanted to have her trunk. It didn't really matter about any of the other things, but I really wanted that. She gave it to me then and there. Cheryl wasn't very happy about it. She said that was something she'd always wanted but since I asked first I got the trunk and it's contents. I have transcribed the poems she wrote onto our family history CD and most of the other papers are still in the trunk along with some of my special treasures.

A Job

Well,

I told Mom that I wasn't going to take the TA job and then I had a second job interview at a pre-school. Then I had my little wake up call.... though it was a full-time job (at the preschool) I would only be earning $5.50 an hour. Utah's minimum wage is still $5.15, pitiful, isn't it. So I reconsidered the TA job and decided that it was worth it... and I'll hopefully be getting 30 hours a week and also carpooling with someone which will help save on gas.

Oh, and here's my other dilemna. I am taking two classes through BYU independent study... and I haven't been on to do anything with the classes in about four months. Life has been crazy this summer and I got out of the habit. Anyway, somewhere along the way I lost the number I need to log on to my anat and phys class... Mom, Do you remember a huge box of random things in my bedroom that I left... I was actually going to take the whole box but decided not too. Anyway, somewhere in the bottom of that there should be a 3x5 card that says ASLP and some numbers and then PDBIO and some numbers. It's either there or in my slot by the computer. I also still need lids for those cans I got from you. So is there a package coming my way?

Oh, and your all welcome for getting my address and phone number via e-mail TWICE even though I said I was only sending it once. Pretty funny, I only wish I had done it on purpose. Sorry, this turned out to be more like an e-mail to Mom... but now you can all know what I'm doing.

Love,
Tawnia

Next!

Okay, Mom, what's the next question? You've written tons on your past vacations now (and I hope all this is going into your hard-copy book with the pictures, so we don't have to depend on the blog keeping all this info for us ...). What's the next question for your personal history project?

Eric, don't be disappointed that Clarissa is posting in the sisters blog more regularly than this one. First of all, she was shamed into it. We nagged and threatened her. And also, if you do read a little closer (which you're certainly welcome to do, otherwise we wouldn't have told anyone about it), you will see that the conversation there is rather narrow in scope. It started out as a fitness goals thing, which we refer to as the BBC Meltdown. (Long story.) And from there, it branched out into goals in general - setting them, and reporting back to make ourselves accountable. Not that anyone else should not be setting goals, but well, um, yeah - with all the "you're still a Palmer" hysteria after my wedding, this was a positive response to that. Kudos to Mindy for starting it.

Adam started class yesterday. We have a regular phone now, and I emailed everyone the number. Same ol' at work and church. We STILL have not made it to Fort McHenry. This weekend, maybe?

The Many Adventures of Tawnia the Pooh

Well, I had a job interview today to be a Teacher's Assistant in an Elementary School. So now I have to decide if I want the job or not. I have until tomorrow afternoon to let the principal know. It would be a good way to get my foot in the door for a teaching position because he basically told me that he would hire me if someone doesn't want to come back for next year. I just have to get my certification again, which will take a little effort and some money, but should be do-able.

Other then that I've just been having fun with my new roommates. We get along very well. We have already had a lot of fun just being crazy together. It's great. My new ward is okay so far. I haven't been to any activities because there haven't really been any, but there's FHE tonight. And I need to get signed up for an institute class ASAP... so that I can legally live where I'm living (it's BYU approved and you're not supposed to live there unless you're a student of some sort, which includes institute.)

So there's my life in a nutshell. I am going to go home now and do my laundry. I'm at the library right now, because I have access to the internet here.
Love,
Tawnia

Eric Growing Up

Since this is Eric's birthday I thought I should post some pictures of him.

Brand new


Eric's first birthday



Waiting for the bus on his way to kindergarten


Scriptures for his 8th birthday


Eric's 12th birthday



High School Graduation June 1992

Eric Leaving for the MTC October 1993


The latest picture I have of Eric and Laurel November 2003

Our first LONG Trip:

In 1973 we left our new home in our new car with our new baby and our new tent and traveled for a month. Our first stop was in Utah where we visited my cousin Ilene and her family for a few days. The farthest east I’d been, up to that time, was Cardston Canada and I’d only been to 8 states. This trip added 9 more to my list. When we drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, in Colorado, the scenery we could see was beautiful but as we climbed higher the sky got grayer. First it started raining, then snowing. Fortunately it didn't stick too much so we were able to keep traveling. I promised myself that I’d return other than in June so I could really see the mountains. We finally did that in 2001 on another of our long trips. When we camped in Limon Colorado we enjoyed watching the thunderstorm over the mountains in the distance. Soon the storm was upon us and we got into our tent. Then our tent blew over so I took Trina and ran to the restroom. The storm didn’t last long but our sleeping bags were soaked and our tent was down so we spent the night in the laundry room at the campground. We used that tent for a lot of years afterward and laughed at its crooked poles. As we drove across Colorado and into Kansas I looked back and it seemed that I would never see the mountains again. They were so far away. The prairie was a lot more rolling hills than I had expected and it was beautiful in its own right but I missed the mountains. We went to Missouri and enjoyed seeing the church sites there. At the campground there I saw my first fireflies. We stopped in Hannibal and saw the Mark Twain sites there. Then we went to Nauvoo and saw the sites that were rebuilt at that time. There weren’t near as many as there are today. The streets had all been covered with gravel because they had just filmed the movie Huck Finn (or was it Tom Sawyer).
We drove north to Wisconsin but I didn’t know where to look for my ancestral roots. We stayed with Frank’s Aunt Julia in LaCrosse and visited lots of his other relatives. His Great Aunt Eleanor had a picnic for us in her backyard. We learned a lot about Frank’s family history on that trip. We took a side trip to Madison to visit Frank’s Aunt Eldiva and Uncle Wally. We took a boat ride at the Wisconsin Dells on our way eastward. We left Wisconsin after 10 days and headed home across Minnesota. We saw the Badlands and the Black Hills in South Dakota and went through Yellowstone and the Tetons. Then back down through Utah, stopping to visit some friends in Kaysville. We arrived home tired and happy after our month of touring. Quite an undertaking for a young couple with an 8-month-old baby and no air conditioning. Frank used to tease me about all the baby spoons I’d lost along the way.


All ready to go.


Dinosaur National Monument Utah


Trina on top of the world.


Wind Cave National Park South Dakota


Mt. Rushmore


Setting up the tent in Yellowstone

happy birthday

happy birthday Eric. love you too. you're only as old as you feel.

Happy Birthday

Hi, Eric. Happy birthday!

Unlike the previous wellwishers, I am only twenty-three. However, I can still dump a lot of clothes into a washing machine, heat up meals in the microwave, and name all fifty states and their capitals in alphabetical order (in under two minutes). And I should earn my college degree within a couple of terms.

Eric, you're a great brother. Have a wonderful day and eat lots of cake.

Love,
Emily

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON

When you hold that tiny newborn in your arms this day seems an eternity away. And yet here I am having my second child turn 30. Do you realize that when I turned 30 we were getting ready to move to Oregon with our four little children? My accomplishments of the first 30 years were definitely different than my children's. I still haven't been on a mission or graduated from college and I'll probably never learn to drive a stick shift but I could do my own laundry before I was 30 and cook and clean and change diapers. Life hands out different challenges to each of us.

Eric, I think you've done very well. You almost have a masters degree. You have a good job and you really live quite comfortably. But more importantly, you have a wonderful wife. You've stayed true to the gospel and are growing spiritually. You help keep our family close. You're a son any mother would be proud to claim and I'm so glad you're mine.

I love you,
MOM

The BIG THREE-OH!

Happy birthday, Eric! And I bet I'm the first one to wish you a happy birthday, even though you don't know it because you're probably still asleep. It's 6:30 on the West Coast right now ...

I also paused for a moment of reflection when I turned 30 about all the things I'd done leading up to that point. I had also graduated from college, served a mission, could do my own laundry, and drove a stick shift. I looked at the decade mark as a level. Your 20s are for doing things like getting your advanced education, establishing your independence and self-reliance, and generally figuring out adult life. Your 30s are for applying all that learning and putting it to use, and really making your mark in the world. (Whatever mark you choose to make - some people want to make a small mark, and others want the biggest paintbrush possible to make some kind of sweeping statement.) A lot of people could say that yeah, yeah - Trina's only excited about her 30s because she finally got married. Not so - I most definitely enjoy being married. But I had come to these conclusions right around my 30th birthday, which was a whole year before I even met Adam.

So go forth! Happy birthday!

I love my sisters

I had no idea about the sisters blog until Mindy mentioned it. Of course, I'm not a sister. Really, the only thing that made me sad was that Clarissa has participated in that blog and not in this one. But that is changing too, so no problem. Besides, as the only teenager left in the family, she should be allowed to be the rebel... of sorts.

By the way sisters, I only glanced over it. I didn't really read it much. If you want to make it a little more open and accessible I can add it as a link on the side there, or you can keep it to yourselves which is fine too.

But the point of this is, I love my sisters.

I'm staring down my thirtieth birthday. One more day... a half day now, until I'm no longer a guy in my twenties. Boy, it really makes me introspective. Suddenly I'm evaluating all the stuff I haven't done and haven't become. Of course, I do my own laundry pretty well now. And I drive a stick shift. And I graduated from college. I guess I'm not such a failure after all. Anyway, we're going to a baseball game tomorrow night. That'll be fun. The Angels are on an 8 game winning streak, and won last night with a score of 21-6! Crazy. But the point is, Laurel is going to bake me a cake, and that's what matters.

Love,
Eric

Provo

Hello Familia,

Well, I've made it into my new apartment. I got a nice workout lugging all of my boxes and bags up to the third floor of my apartment complex. (Yep, I've made it to the top!) My time down here has been spent scoping out Provo as well as visiting with old friends. I spent Tuesday in Logan with Aunt Marli and then we hooked up with Sam and Deb and the kids (minus Jaron, Daniel, and Melanie who stayed in Ogden) for the Martin Harris Pageant.

Now I'm looking for work. I have a few places where things might happen. It really all comes down to who you know. I have a friend that works at a charter school and they might have a teacher's aide position available. I e-mailed the principal and I'm waiting for details on the job.

Other than that I am just working on getting unpacked and settled. My roommates are awesome and we already have a lot of fun together (and I've only known Jennifer and Stephanie for less then 24 hours.) The other two, Amy and Annie, are from home so I know them well.

I don't care what the family website is called, but at the moment I'm not sure that I can pay any money out or at least not much because I don't have a JOB which means I have NO income. So I guess we can work this out later, but I wanted to put my two cents (or no cents) in. =)

I am glad that we have the blog and I hope we continue to have something like unto it, because I will miss it if it is gone.

Love,
Tawnia

I'll miss you all

Well, this is it. I'm getting ready to go get on the plane right now and I won't be back until Wednesday night next week. I finished my senior project paper (ten pages on Enron) yesterday and took my final in Project Management yesterday as well. And since Trina asked, I'm currently halfway through Unix Networking and I'm ready to start Career Development. Two months from now I'll finish them and I'll have two more classes to go. Networking with Windows (the last in a long long series of networking classes) and one Humanities class. Then I'll get my BS in Technical Management, with a focus in electronics and telecommunications. It is a real bachelor's degree in management.

I'm in!

Hello Family.

I am now in! Let there be much rejoicing.

I never know what to put here ...

So Emily's got a boyfriend, huh? He really must like her .. I remember them talking before she went off to Florida.. and he had let her borrow Harry Potter 5 right after he was done reading it, so she didn't have to wait for anyone else to read it. And writing to her this whole time?? Wahoo! Come on Emily .. of course we're going to be excited. The only person you ever really liked growing up was Robin, and now that he's married, you have no choice but to get over him. Time to MOVE ON! And what is this thinking about forever thing?!? If you aren't ready to make that desicion, don't! Be friends for a while, or date for a while .. and if something more happens, great! Don't jump the gun here, missy. But, I wish you luck either way.

I suggest that Eric send Emily a new invite, so she doesn't have to keep using mom's. She figured out how to make it work on the sister's site that I made (bbcmeltdown.blogspot.com), so just send her a new one, and I'm sure she can actually have her own account (and make sure you send it to her correct email).

Not much is going on up north. The weather has been crappy for nearly the past week, and it doesn't sound like we'll get sun for a few days more. Growing up the rain was never a problem, but now thunderstorms and continuous overcast makes me depressed. But I'll get over it.

Hey Laurel - I'm doing some watercolors again, any suggestions or tips or advice to help me out? I took one watercolor class back in high school, but I don't remember much from it. But the first picture I did (after such a long time) turned out great!

Hello

To Mom Palmer. The contest I went to was more of a science contest rather than a science fair. We were sent into a classroom and given a test over science. It was multiple choice. The questions could were over any type of science from biology to astronomy to geology, ect. They really liked to ask latin animal names and classification. Though I can't remember those now. There was not a national contest. State is as high as they held contests. I participated in several such contest while I was in middle school.

I guess that I don't have any news. I'm doing good. The kids are doing good.

Michelle

I know the answer!

Well Trina, Emily wrote that draft under Mom's login. If you click on the title of the draft you can read the text. (Emily, I suggest you take Trina's advice and not leave drafts in the blog. We can all read it anyway.)

Emily's WHAT?

Um, Mom, did you know that even if you haven't posted something, when you put a DRAFT in the works, everyone can still see the TITLE of it when we log in to post. And the stupid part is, when you start a draft, it gets posted in the order it was started, not actually the order it goes up. So posts can get missed that way if we don't know to go back and look for it. Recommendation - do NOT use the draft feature! And for crying out loud, spill the news - what the hey are you talking about? Is this just another book that's being referred to as her boyfriend, like my car was for quite some time? Or are we referring to an actual person and a commitment?

Jared - I said I didn't know if you and Nathan had website experience, and, well, I didn't. It's not like you post (or email in the past) your class schedule every semester, or even that I'd expect that ... but don't throw a fit for me not knowing something you've never told me. Sheesh.

This is Adam's last week of work at the library - classes start next week. Today, if I haven't been fighting my computer, I've been fighting to keep my eyes open because they hurt. I don't know why - they just do. It's not been a very good day, so I'm going home.

Love, Trina

The New Family Website

Okay all...

I'd like a little more input before I up and buy a name.

Is anyone opposed to insanityinc.net or .org as a family website name, and if so, are there any others in Jared's list, or any others at all that you would like to use?

Let me know... and I mean YOU, unless your name is Jared, Trina, or ...Mom.

Oh, and one of my favorite trips was driving up the California coast with Laurel a few years ago. We visited a lot of the old Spanish missions, and the drive between San Luis Obispo and Carmel (past Hearst castle and Big Sur and all) was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. The green hills on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other... it was a windy road but it was worth the three hours of 30 MPH turns. It was the perfect day for it too I guess. It was the end of January and the sky was beautiful. Maybe I'll scan in a few pictures so you can see...



Okay that's all for now.

Love, Eric

Atlanta

This time it's certain. I think. I leave for Atlanta on Thursday, and I'll get home on Wednesday the first of September.

Emily's Boyfriend

Yes, you read that correctly: boyfriend. The reason why I didn't post this before is because I wanted to talk to Mom about it first.

Okay, last summer I started e-mailing a guy named Jonathon Coultas. We sat next to each other during church when I was here for a few weeks, and then I went to Florida, and he wrote to me during that time. Right now, he's at JobCorps in Astoria. He still writes and calls, and we saw "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" together. We'll probably go out again this weekend.

And he says he's in love with me.

And I have butterflies in my stomach, and I don't know if I'm ready to make this decision, and I like him, but I just don't know if he's someone I could stay with forever. I have never been in a relationship before.

I am also thinking that Southern Viginia University might be a good place to go to school next year.

More travels from Mom

Gee I really got something going here. This is great. You'll forgive me if I take a few more days on this topic won't you? MIchelle, I'd love to hear more about your science fair. Did you get to go to nationals, or was there such a thing? What was your project? I'm sure we'd all love to hear.

Now to my continuing saga - The travels of Evelyn Palmer.

The first vacation Frank and I took (other than going to Phoenix to visit my parents or to San Diego to visit Chet) was in 1971. Max and Jean had been at our home on their vacation trip and then we went to Utah and saw them again. They had picked up Mom and Sylvia in Arizona and we met them in Salt Lake City. Getting to Salt Lake was an adventure. Our transmission was acting up and we drove most of the way through Utah in second gear, going very slow. It was a long hot trip. We got our car fixed in Salt Lake and had a much better time after that. We picked up Mom and Sylvia and took them back down through Utah to the Peterson reunion. We stopped to visit Mom’s Aunt Teeny who was in her 80’s. Mom showed us where she lived when she was a little girl. It was special to be there with her. We met lots of cousins at the reunion. Uncle Ronald was there but there weren’t many others I’d ever met before. The reunion was at Fish Lake, which is on top of a mountain. It was too cold to swim in but some of the cousins had boats we could ride on. We stopped at Bryce Canyon National Park on our way home but we were all too sunburned to go hiking. Then we drove down through Zion and headed on home to California. Mom and Sylvia came with us and when we got back to California, Speedy paid for Mom’s flight home to Arizona and Sylvia stayed with them for a while.

Here are a few pictures from that trip. If you would like Mom's memories of that adventure I can post them or they are on the CD that I made. Does everyone have a copy? If not I'll get you one real soon.

And Mindy too!

My all time favorite place to have traveled had to be St. Petersburg, Russia. Ufa was wonderful too, but I lived there for four months, so I wasn't as much of a tourist. St. Petersburg was absoutely beauitful, even with half the city under construction. I was there for about a week, and saw quite a few of the tourist sites. I spent a lot of time at the Hermitage - several palaces combine to make one giant museum. Trina would have loved it there. Tons and tons of artwork and statues; famous pieces by Raphael, Rodin, van Gogh, Picasso, da Vinci, Monet, Rembrandt, Michelangelo .. and lots more. I even saw the full statue of the bust I had sculpted back at BYU-I. I spent at least six hours there, hurrying a lot of the time, and I still didn't see everything. St. Petersburg was also were I saw my very first snowflake - I'd seen snow before, but this was the REAL stuff. Cutting out snowflakes from paper with all the unique designs .. they were just like that. No wet clumps of ice .. real, true, shaped snowflakes. It was amazing. And then there was the Blinni shack. When I go back, I HAVE to go there again. Blinni are similar to pancakes or crepes, depending on how you make them. You could watch through the windows as they made large, thin blinni fresh on the griddle .. and then put whatever toppings you'd like on it, and then fold it up and hand it out to you. Terra, Diane and I were there our last morning, and so for breakfast we had chocolate/banana ones. Oooohh SO good. Later in the day, after it had started snowing (and snowing and snowing) we got some again, this time with cheese. And although it was cold (since it was November), it was totally worth every bit.

Update from Jared

Now I have alot to update on.

I am NOT going to Atlanta next week. They extended it to two weeks and I can't miss that much class. So I bowed out, along with pretty much everyone else who had been selected. Myron (the district manager) must have felt like an idiot when all his personal first picks said no because he changed the time.

Interesting places I have been ... Germany. I love the culture, the food, and especially the people. Germans are really nice, sort of like Texans, not like the nasty rude French people and Utahn people.

Trina, you said you didn't know if Nathan or I knew anything about running a website? I've taken more computer and networking classes than everyone else in the family combined. And Nathan was writing HTML code back when the rest of us were still trying to figure out what the internet was. We've both had our own websites before. It took me about 30 seconds to generate that list of possible website names. I've debated pricing structures back and forth with Eric. Yeah, I know what I'm doing here. But I choose not to take a major hand in this project because I've already got a zillion things on my plate. End of rant.

From Emily

Hello. I still have to use Mom's because I don't have one of my own.

Clarissa and I will be going to college together; if I take the right classes, I should be able to get an associates degree by this spring, maybe sooner.

I am in favor of having our family website be insanityinc.org or net, too. Or should we write out insanity incorporated? And we could have nicknames, and maybe come up with new ones every year, like we did with the T-shirts.

Interesting places I have been include Yellowstone (gysers, bison, waterfalls, petrified trees, hot springs), the Grand Canyon, Wisconsin (the land of my ancestors), Disney World, Martin's Cove in Wyoming, D.C. (I loved the Air and Space Museum and American History Museum), New York, Waterton NP in Canada (where we saw bears -- and I think one might have been a grizzly), Hollywood, Nauvoo, the Denver Mint, and Silver Falls State Park. I have been to a lot of places. Hooray for parents who love to travel!

Love,
Emily

Interesting Places Continued:

Another trip I took with my parents was when I was 16. We were living in Everett, Washington and Ray lived in Lompoc, California. He sent Dad a letter with a check for $50 and said, “Here is the gas money come down and see us”. So we did. The highlight of that trip was going to Solvang, a Danish community near Ray’s home. It was wonderful being there with my mom as we looked through all the little shops. When my mom was a young girl she was supposed to go to Denmark. Every year her aunt traveled there and took one of her nieces or nephews as her traveling companion. My mom was supposed to be the next one to go but her aunt’s health didn’t allow her to go to Denmark anymore so Solvang was the closest Mom ever got. I love Solvang and I’ve been there a few other times. We stopped there last summer on our way to San Diego for the reunion and it’s bigger and better now. But seeing my mom on her “visit to Denmark” was really special.

Michelle's two cents

Well it looks like a lot of exciting things are going on in the Palmer family. We are doing great here. Clarrisa="Congratulations!" Good luck in you college endeavers. Jared was selected from his Fry's Electronic's to fly to Atlanta, Georgia next Thurday, August 26 to help open a new store. He will help with training of new employees and he will help work the grand opening. He was the first person from his store who was invited. This will means tons of overtime pay and a much bigger paycheck that week. He will fly home Wednesday, September 1.

I guess if I post I have to tell a traveling adventure. When I was 12 (I believe) I went to San Antonio during the 100th Fiesta. No it wasn't a family vacation. I won first prize at the regional science contest and went to state. That was the biggest fiesta there ever. Street performers, authentic Mexican food, live music, fireworks, ect. I also saw the Alamo (several times over the years) and looked down one of the actually canons used. Of course, you can't go to San Antonio without riding the ferry down the river walk. I went with the Math teacher and 3 other students. The highlight of the trip was winning 1st at the state contest for the team catagory. I ranked 11th for individual. When I was a week shy of my of my 16th birthday, I was in San Antonio again for EFY. Then I stay an extra week with my 67 year old aunt. This time I went to Sea World, Six Flags, and tubing down the Guadalupe river. It is a great vacation spot for family or a romantic get away. It is one of my favorite places. Other fun places I have been are camping, rock climbing , and swimming at Turner falls in Oklahoma and Cape Canaveral and Cocoa beach in east Florida. That all for me.

Mom's story

You know what, Mom? I don't think you've EVER told that story. I just knew that your family was sealed in the Cardston Temple when you were 10. No details. So thank you for finally writing it down.

Most people would think my traveling adventures have a no-brainer for "most interesting" - Australia. But not really because it almost wasn't a vacation - it felt at the time, and still does, like I actually lived there for a short period of time. I had a "regular life" in Sydney with living in a home and being involved in the ward and that sort of thing, rather than just touring everywhere. And quite frankly, I prefer to be an American instead of an Australian. (It is still fun to pretend sometimes to be an Aussie.) I did absolutely love the Sydney Opera House. The beaches there are amazing - the ocean is SO BLUE! The animals in the zoo were fabulous - while walking through the bird section, I thought how much fun it must have been to be God and actually MAKE the birds with all the colors and shapes and sizes. The colors of the birds there were so bright - not the typical browns and muted tones of birds in North America. I'd never seen anything like it.

And I've had PLENTY of interesting adventures in traveling around the US. I'm looking forward to a heck of a lot more now that I have my eternal traveling partner. He's fun to travel with, like when we went to New York for Memorial Day, and went to Sleepy Hollow just because he found it on the map when he was navigating. He fits in just fine with our family's Road Warrior mentality.

Love, Trina

P.S. Oh, and Clarissa - it's COLLEGE, with an E. Collage, with an A, is that art thing with lots of random pictures.

Where are some of the most interesting places you’ve traveled to?

This is what I wrote for today's question. Do you want me to put my answers on here? If you think it's too much for the Blog, I'll understand.

I could write a book on this question. I know I won’t finish answering it today so I’ll write on it every day until I get it all done.
When I was 10 years old our family took one of our few vacations. We drove to Cardston Canada to be sealed in the temple. Our drive took us through Glacier National Park. The view was incredible. I remember the road along the cliff as we climbed through the mountains. Looking over the edge I could see the road we’d been on and the tiny cars as they climbed. I’m so glad that we drove east to west when we went back there this summer. It’s much less frightening. I remember when we saw a bear sitting in the middle of the highway. Larry said that it came up to the car and tried to stick its nose in. He leaned away and rolled up the window. I don’t remember that so he must have been in the other car at that time. Dad took a picture of an animal on a wall that none of us could recognize. Years later I figured out that it was a marmot. The scenery in the mountains was truly awe inspiring both when I was 10 and when I was 55. I remember approaching Cardston from the south you could see the temple way off in the distance, with the mountains behind it. This summer when we came in from the north you couldn’t really see it until you were almost there. It seemed a lot further from the mountains when I was little. I guess it’s partly because I had never been onto the prairie. I’d never been anywhere where the mountains weren't close and very visible. Seeing them from far away was strange to me. When we got to Cardston we took two or three rooms in the motel there. It was late in the afternoon and was very hot. We went to a swimming hole at the river and played in the water so we could cool off. The highlight of the trip, of course, was being in the temple. I remember going to the nursery and reading books and having to be quiet for a very long time. Then changing into white clothes and finally we walked up the stairs and into a beautiful room where our parents and Larry and Max were waiting for us. We crowded around the altar and were sealed to our parents all at once. They had never had so many children sealed at one time. After the sealing, by President Ursenbach, we were asked if would like some time alone for a special family prayer. We were shown to a small room, I think it was an office, and had a special prayer. I remember being a little afraid to open my eyes during the prayer because I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the angels that I knew were there. I’m sure my sister Carol was there, as well as others. When we went to the Cardston Temple this summer one of the counselors showed us a couple of the sealing rooms. I would like to go there with Max because he would probably remember which one it was. Also, at church in Calgary there was a man there with the last name of Ursenbach. I asked his relationship and he said that his grandfather had been the President of the Cardston Temple. My dad was truly impressed with him. He must have been for me to remember the name 45 years later.

Here at last

I'm here! My big news is that I start Collage on September 27. I register on Monday. That is all.
Clarissa

I Vote for Insanityinc.net or org

That's quite a list, thanks Jared. It looks like you've been doing your homework on this project. It's going to help me reach one of my goals, that of setting up a webpage. I can at least learn how to put things on a page and then I can set up my own. I want one for my genealogy, that everyone can visit. I think I can get one through the church site.

As for my goals, I think I'll post the whole list on the site. I have several that I'm working on at the present time. One is to try a new recipe every month for a year. I figure if I don't put a time limit on it I'll never know when it's done. I also try not to write goals that I really don't have any control of. I would like to put that I will be in a temple session with all of my children at the same time but that's up to each of you. I can't force you to remain worthy to be there. It looks like a strong possibility at the moment but I don't think it should be on my list. These are personal goals.
Some of the others I have are:
Visit all 50 states - so far I've been to 38.
Go through 50 different temples - I'm at 25 now.
Go on a mission.
Find Egbert's parents.
Weigh 130 or less.
I have several places throughout the world that I want to see.
Right now I'm working on writing my personal history. In Relief Society this month we made a jar full of questions. Each day you pull out one and answer it. When you're done you have an interesting history of your life. Today's question is going to be fun. Where are some of the most interesting places you've traveled to? ***Brain storm*** maybe I should post the questions on here each day and we could all answer them. That would keep the conversations going.

Eric - Clarissa needs another invitation.

Love always,
MOM

What's out there

Available:

worldwidepalmer.com
palmerglobal.org
globalpalmer.org
worldwidepalmer.org
palmerglobal.net
globalpalmer.net
worldwidepalmer.net
globalpalmer.com
palmerclan.net
palmerclan.org
palmerclan.info
insanityinc.net
insanityinc.org
insanityinc.info
insanityinc.us
palmerpeople.net
palmerpeople.org
palmerpeople.info
palmerpeople.us

Unavailable

palmerclan.com
palmerclan.us
palmer.com
palmer.net
palmer.org
palmer.info
palmer.us
insanity.com
insanity.net
insanity.org
insanity.info
insanity.us
insanityinc.com
palmerpeople.com
palmerglobal.com

Insanity Inc. goes global!

Instead of names on t-shirts, we have email addresses. How's that for getting into the 21st Century? ... I wrote to Eric about this very thing in February or March or something ridiculous like that, and I've been waiting all this time to say "Insanity Inc. goes global!"

My nominations for the family domain name are: insanityinc.com (or insanityincorporated, if the inc one is already taken, although I can't imagine it would be) OR palmerclan.com OR captainchaos.com. Or .net - that part doesn't concern me so much.

For emails attached to the domain ... I propose that we do nicknames rather than our first names, similar to how we had the t-shirts once upon a time. Jason and Mindy could be "canucks" and Adam and I could be "terroristbait" and Emily could be "Disneycharacter" and ... you get the idea.

I think we should keep the blog as part of the new site, or something akin to it where we can post random news and comments and have conversations and stuff. Maybe a message board so we can have multiple conversations going at once on various topics. (They're called threads.) I also like the idea of everyone having their own folder to post pictures and other miscellaneous things (but mostly pictures, since we live all over the country now). I suggest that Eric remain as Head Technical Administrator of the entire project, with maybe Adam or someone else who knows what they're doing as the assistant. Jason? I don't know about Jared and Nathan, but I'm relatively certain that none of us girls know what we're doing in maintaining a website, or even posting something on one, for that matter.

Money - divide it per family rather than per person. Tawnia would, I guess, be on her own since she's now living in Utah, but Emily and Clarissa could be in with Mom and Dad. So Eric, you get the final number and divide by ... 7, and give us the total, including email costs. If someone can't afford whatever the amount is, we'll work something out. I'd be willing to help cover someone so we can get this thing off the ground. In the future, when it's 3 bucks a year apiece, or whatever, Eric rounds off the figure so we all send him our little dollar bills and NO COINS, and keep what tiny bit of change is left over for your aches and pains of maintaining the site.

I'll shut up now before I get any more wound up than I already am. Besides, it's almost time to go home from work.

Mom - you could make a list of "what my list would have been when I was 20, and all the things I've already done prior to being 50 ..." or something like that. I know it would include going to the Grand Canyon. I did that last year - all the things I did by the time I was 30 - I hadn't intended to go to Australia, or buy a brand new car, or live in Montana, or graduate from college, or go on a mission ... but I did. It was more of an accounting of what I'd done instead of a goal list. Those are okay too.

I'll share the "Trinadam 50 by 50 list" when we have it done. Most of it now is about graduate degrees and traveling. We want to go to Europe before Adam finishes at Georgetown - it's cheaper to fly to London from DC than it is to fly to Portland. That's the big one. When are you going to tell us more of your's, Mom?

Love, Trina and Adam

Plans for a new site

Good morning dear family!

The time has come. We need to put together the family website. I think the blog has done very well, and it has proven to be sustainable. We've used it on a regular basis for the last six months. The problem is, it is running on my Jungle Chicken site, and I want to use the limited storage I have for Jungle Chicken related stuff. So here's what I propose.

We could register a domain name (a .com, .net, or .org) and then have it hosted on a service. The current setup I have is pretty inexpensive. The first year would cost each of us seven or eight dollars, and about 2.50 per year after that, depending on how we split it up. I'm open to suggestions about that. I'm also wondering what names we want to try to get, and what priority they should be in. Please submit your ideas for website names, and we can duke it out until we have something we all agree on. As soon as that happens, I'll set it all up, and we'll have a website.

For an additional per month charge, you'll be able to get a private email account through our site. I can't remember how much that was... I'll have more details as we go.

So let me know what you think. Will this work? What would be a fair way to divide the costs? What should we call it?

The good thing about it is we would all own the site, so I would distribute the login information. Any of us could run the site if we wanted to. We could each have our own folder with our own page and images and what not, if we wanted to (e.g. www.sitename.com/tawnia). Of course, the blogger thing is a bit simpler, but who wants simplicity?

Well, that's all for now. I enjoyed talking to Jared last night and I forgot to apologize for not contributing to his lesson. I hope you'll forgive me Jared.

Love,
Eric

Mom's 100 list

Hey Trina - I have a list of 100 things (well I haven't quite thought of 100 yet) that I want to do in my life time. I've divided my list into sections for family, personal, travel, church, genealogy and books I want to read. Travel is my longest list. I want to see the world. I need to think of 7 more things that fit on my list. I wish I'd started this when I was much younger, because there are lots of things I could have put on it that I've already done. Since I started the list, in 2002, I've completed 10 of my goals. I challenge all of you to come up with your list of dreams and goals. Share some of them with the rest of us, if you'd like. I've been having fun with mine. Some of them are fairly short and others take a long time. Last month I saw where my father was born, visited Banff National Park and went through the Cardston Temple. Three goals on one vacation - not bad.

Good-bye Oregon

Well, I figured I'd better post today because I'm leaving the state tomorrow and don't know when I'll have access to a computer again. Hopefully I'll have a roommate with one in Provo, or at least a neighbor or a good friend, or else I'll hopefully find a lab somewhere that I can use... or I can always go to the library.

Regardless of all that, I'll be driving to Boise tomorrow and into SLC on Thursday. I'm heading down early in the hopes of securing a job before all the masses of college students arrive. At least my applications will be in first. I can't move into my apartment until next Wednesday, so I'm going to be friend hopping until then (I have four different friends that I'm staying with for a night or two.) Oh, and Amy Ward will be with me the entire time as well... and she's going to be my roommate along with Annie Parker.

Okay, I have to go back to packing and watching the Olympics. The important things, you know.

I love you all.

Tawnia

PS You're Welcome Adam

50 by 50 - 2 down

Ya know those goals lists of 50 things you want to do before your 50th birthday ... or 100 by 100, or whatever ... Adam and I were making a combined list the other day (for when HE turns 50, giving us an extra 9 years and 8 months after I turn 50), which is what got me thinking about it. Well, 2 of my personal goals are now officially, by the United States Government, declared successful. I wanted to get married, and live in Washington DC for at least a year ... and this morning, I got a DC driver's license. So my name is now legally Caudle, and I'm a resident of the District of Columbia. Registered to vote and everything! Yes, I do feel a little different today. My name is different, and so is my ID. I've never relinquished my Oregon residency until now.

Okay, I'll be quiet now - I've posted twice in a row now. Remember that this is our FAMILY'S blog, not just mine ... so we ALL need to post occasionally.

Love, Trina (and Adam. Adam says thank you to Tawnia for telling me how to make pork chops on Sunday, because they turned out well.)

Happy Anniversary, Eric and Laurel!

Happy birthday to Bryan, and Happy Anniversary to Eric and Laurel. (I didn't post before about Bryan's birthday because he can't ... you know ... READ. But I did think of him that day.) I love you all! Yay!

The hurricanes, by the time Washington DC got in the way, were just big rainstorms. No big deal - there wasn't even wind. Just, it rained all day. Adam's family was not affected at all by the hurricanes, but are potentially in the path of the next ones that are being tracked off shore right now. What about Aunt Joy? Has anyone heard about how they're all doing? Tampa got NAILED. Today is gorgeous - warm with just a little bit of humidity, and blue skies. Yay for blue skies! It was overcast most of July, and very muggy. Usually August is worse than July, but not so far.

Happy celebrations, and the weather report ... what a fun post. Ha ha ha ... Oh, and my lesson went really well yesterday. How was your's, Jared? I hope I was able to provide at least a little bit of insight.

Love, Trina and Adam

For Michelle

Hey Michelle... here you are.

Samuel the Lamanite, high on the city wall,
Came to warn the people, and repentance was his call.
Arrows could not hit him, for a man of God was he,
And he taught in the land righteously.

Now it's Michelle's turn!

Michelle has a primary lesson next week on Samuel the Lamanite. Does anyone know the seventh verse of "Book of Mormon Stories"? We looked in lds.org's online songbook and they only had the first two verses.

Jared's lesson

I don't have a scripture for you, but I do have this idea: what's the first thing you think of when you think of *a specific individual*? Is it a happy thing? Or does just the mention of their name make you seethe with anger? Well, then you haven't forgiven them yet. That's my personal gauge on the forgive-o-meter when I need to put it into use.

My other note relating to forgiveness is that if you don't forgive, you become bitter and angry and unappealing - I've seen it in a few people and ... eewwwww ... I don't care to be around them at all. The person you hate probably doesn't even KNOW that you hate them, or if they do know, they likely don't care. Or they've moved past it. Whichever it is, they are no longer affected, so the only person you're hurting is yourself. Most importantly, the Spirit of the Lord cannot take up full residency in your heart if you are reserving part of your heart to be angry with someone. You're cheating yourself out of the full companionship of the Spirit by harboring any bad feelings at all.

End of soapbox lecture ... like I said, I have no scriptures right now to back up any of that - just personal experience. Good luck with your lesson, Jared!

Well if this works so well for Trina ...

I'm teaching a lesson for the Elder's Quorum this Sunday on forgiving others. I'd love to hear some thoughts, experiences, or favorite scriptures.

Next month I'll have more notice and I'll ask for something more specific. Sorry.

By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BRYAN!!!

Emily's Scripture

Hello, family. The last time I read the Book of Mormon, I had a thought, something that hadn't occurred to me the first ten times I read it. (Some of you may have heard this before.)

Alma 2:29-31

"And it came to pass that Alma fought with Amlici with the sword face to face; and they did contend mightily, one with another.

"And it came to pass that Alma, being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this people.

"Now when Alma had said these words he contended again with Amlici; and he was strengthened, insomuch that he slew Amlici with the sword."

What can we learn from these verses? We can see Alma had faith, and he wanted to be an instrument in the Lord's hands in saving the people, and that he was strengthened.

I also think it shows that we can pray anywhere, at any time. Alma was in the middle of a duel and he was praying, and this prayer was answered. I do not think he knelt down; he might not have even stopped fighting. It was an interesting thought and I thought I would share it.

Love,
Emily

nope, not too late

Sorry that I wasn't more clear - the lesson on prayer is this coming Sunday, the 14th. I usually teach every other week, because there are two of us called to teach the class. I will be teaching every week in August (except this last Sunday when we were in Florida, of course) because my co-teacher is on vacation. Anyway, thank you for the verses - they're going to be very helpful. I will be sure to recruit your assistance more frequently. In my setting apart, I was told that my study of the basics in preparation for teaching will strengthen my own testimony of the concepts. These posts are a good start for that, because your thoughts are reaffirming things for me and making me think a little bit harder. So thank you.

The verses that I'm also considering using are Alma 32:27 in connection with the story in Alma ... oh, 20-something, where Ammon and his brother Aaron are teaching King Lamoni's father. Alma 32 says that if you just WANT to know, that's good enough to start. And King Lamoni's father is a fabulous example of how to find out what's true - "If there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give up all my sins to know thee." Or something like that. But the point is made, particularly in an investigator class, where we have one individual (at least, that I know of) who is struggling with the concept of praying to someone/thing he does not quite believe exists.

Some Pictures from Grandpa's homestead

This one is obviously not from the homestead but was taken when they were living there. My dad wasn't in school yet he would have only been 4 years old. Uncle Bruce was 12, Aunt Inez 10 and Aunt Blanche 9.





The trees and the property in front of it were part of Grandpa's homestead. I'm not sure how many acres he had or how long they lived there. I know they moved back to Wisconsin before 1920 because I found them there in the census.



This cabin was on Uncle Elry's homestead, which was next door to Grandpa's. Uncle Elry lived there for a much longer time. I'm not certain when he moved back to the states but I know that Daddy stayed with him for a while on this ranch. This is where my cousin Bill grew up. He's the one who gave me the directions to begin with.

I'll get more pictures scanned soon and post them on here,too. I need to do this more often so I can remember how to do it.

Love ya,
MOM

You make me proud

Can you even imagine what it's like to be a parent and read the last few posts on this blog? To have such children as I've been blessed with who truly love to carry on gospel discussions? What examples you are!

One of my favorite scriptures on prayer is from 3rd Nephi 17: 15-24. I'm sure you all know the story. I especially like verse 17 "And no tongue can speak, neither can be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father."

No, I've never had an experience like this, but I love the way it illustrates Christ's love for each one of us. I know how I feel when I see my children making righteous choices in their lives, so how must he feel when he sees those same things. I'm sure it makes him feel that His effort was worth it, too.

Love always,
MOM

A scripture from Jared

Alma 34 has that passage about all the different situations and places you can pray in, and pray in your hearts, and all that. My favorite scripture on prayer is the one right after that section, the one that gets left off too often. Verse 28 reads:

And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need -- I say unto you if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.

It's not enough just to talk the walk, you have to walk the talk.

My Prayer Scripture

One of my favorite scriptures on Prayer is actually in the Bible Dictionary, the second to last paragraph. It says,

"As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7: 7-11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."

Often when I pray, it's because I want something and so I ask for it, expecting to get it. But that's not the point of prayer. Prayer is to secure for ourselves blessings that God is already willing to give us... and he's going to give them in his time, not our time. How I apply this is remembering to say, I want this... but thy will be done.

-Tawnia

P.S. Treen- sorry if this was too late to get used in your lesson.

Eric's Scripture

One scripture that I think applies is one that I read this morning, 1 Nephi 11:1.

For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot. (1 Nephi 11:1)

As you can see from my added emphasis, the thing that struck me about this scripture was that Nephi had a desire for knowledge and believed the Lord could teach him, and then sat pondering these things in his heart. This verse may not mention prayer specifically, but these are elements that are essential in prayer: desire, faith, and a pondering heart. Perfunctory prayers don't do much. I'm trying to follow this as I read the scriptures-- really pondering the things I read. Prayer before and after reading my scriptures and writing down my thoughts has helped in this.

another conversation starter

Eric, did I say it doesn't rain all the time? It does. All this humidity AND rain, so it's sounding similar to Hong Kong. Nice to know that I have a sympathetic ear. Thanks.

We're hitting a lull here, so I thought I'd recruit you to help with my next Sunday School lesson. I think I've mentioned before that I teach Gospel Essentials at church. My next lesson is on prayer. Please give me your favorite scripture on prayer, how you understand it, and what exactly you're doing in your life to apply that scripture. (If you're not doing anything to apply it, get with it, ya slacker!) As we know, there must be action to accompany the knowledge, because "faith without works is dead."

Happy Monday to All

Happy Monday to you!

Sorry you're not feeling well Jed! I hope you feel better soon.

Tawnia, sounds like EFY was everything you hoped. I'm so glad. Laurel enjoyed talking with you during your stay. I hope the move to Utah goes well.

Sorry the humidity is getting to you Trina! I got two glorious summers of such weather, except it rained at the same time. Yeah. Ninety degrees, pouring down rain. I guess Florida is like that too.

Our weekend was fun. Baseball, Temple, Church, Rachel and the kids and the dog. On that last one, Laurel's sister stayed at our house last night since Loren is out of town. Everyone was pretty well-behaved. The kids are all really cute right now. Lance, the youngest, is almost three. He's talking all of a sudden and it's really cute.

And now, the working week... I only have a few more weeks of school this semester. I'm trying to get it all done.

Take care all!
Love,
Eric

we're drrroooooowwniiiiing

And we're not anywhere near a body of water ... it's THAT humid outside. It seriously feels like you're breathing in too much water. I walk up a hill every day to get to the Metro - I was doing really well in the spring, truckin' right on up. Since the humidity hit, I've gotten slower and slower because I can't breathe. I hate it. On the bright side, it means that I've started showering at night to get rid of the sticky feeling, and I've been sleeping much better.

And the best news of the week - WE HAVE A BED! We spent the first 6 weeks of our marriage sleeping on the futon/couch in the living room. The bedroom was a disaster - cardboard boxes from gifts piled up in the corner, laundry all over the twin-size bed, and boxes of papers and books that still haven't been unpacked (but opened with their contents spewed everywhere). And the living room was always a mess too. We got a bed this weekend. The living room is now really a living room. I spent most of the afternoon yesterday cleaning the bedroom and rearranging things. We got rid of most of the cardboard (saved a couple of boxes to use later) and put away all the laundry. Next is finishing the unpacking and getting framed stuff up on the walls, but at least the mess is under control now. I know, it was hard work on a Sunday, but, well, there are a couple of scriptures that say something about "a house of order" and we're almost there! Yay!

We leave Thursday night for our Florida reception on Saturday. I have a couple more vacation days now (I build up so many hours per month), so we're taking Friday and Monday off work.

Tawnia, good to have you back on the airwaves. When do you leave for Provo?
Jared, hope you and the babies are feeling better now.
Mom, Adam hasn't ever really traveled but that's changing. We'll make sure you have a list of less-known-but-really-awesome things when you come out here to DC.

Love, Trina and Adam

I have returned

Hello Fambly,

Well, I arrived home around 11:45 p.m. after driving for, I'm not sure how long on only three hours of sleep. My advice to anyone else considering doing that... is DON'T. Believe me, it wasn't very fun.

But do you know what WAS fun?? Being an EFY counselor. It was the most rewarding, fun, hard, tiring, life-consuming job I've ever had. You easily forget that there is anything else in life besides EFY because you are busy ALL the time! And when you aren't doing something you're trying to catch up on sleep. I made several friends, and had an awesome three weeks. My girls were great each week and I learned a lot from them. My co-counselors (Edgar (Poe), Jess (Shaniqwa), Katherine (K-Lowe), Jeremy (Papa-J), Josh ( J-dub), and Jeremy (J-dawg or Chewie) were all amazing people who taught me so much. And I also got a new nickname -- Ta-wana or Tiajuana (and K-lowe always adds "the dirty Mexican" to the end of that one.) I also made friends with many other counselors and I'm really looking forward to moving down to Utah now so that I can hang out with them.

I think the best part of the job was having the spirit with me all the time and being able to watch it work in my life and in the lives of the kids. I learned so many great principles and now I just need to keep on doing the things that I was doing there... because EFY is not true, the church is.

I'm sure I'll tell you more details later. I need to go and unload my car now because all I brought in last night was my purse and my keys.

Love,
Tawnia