This year we gathered at Pat & Wally’s for a yummy smoked turkey dinner. Loren, Ann and kids came from WA, Madeleine came from CA and the other kids came from Provo. 😉 We packed the weekend full with a trip to the Museum of Natural Curiosity, decorating for Christmas and then celebrating Christmas with the Grandkiddos since they won’t be here for Christmas. You can never have too many Christmases, right? See Christmas for those pics…
Phillip has had three different poems published this year! He has submitted some of his poems to different publications over the years, but has had a hard time finding a publisher that appreciated his poetry. Nonetheless, he was persistent and his poetic talents were recognized by three separate publications.
Picking Peaches in Late Summer (April in Forage)
The Lepidopterist (October in Sweet Tree Review)
Night Fishing on Boulder Mountain (November in Rust + Moth)
Where is the best place to spend a few days resting and enjoying family after the busyness that comes from two weddings? A house on the beach of course! This time we tried Lincoln City. We just love the Oregon Coast — the whole thing is beautiful!
We flew kites, made sand castles, discovered tide pools, enjoyed good meals, naps, games and lots of stories. The beach is a great spot to bring the generations together!
On Saturday August 12th, Phillip and Andrés were married in a beautiful hazelnut grove. They had planned everything down to the last detail and it was all beautiful. After the ceremony we enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by music and dancing. We appreciate all the friends and family that traveled to Oregon to support them!
Saturday July 22nd Elliot Brown married Jamee McNeill in the Salt Lake Temple. The ceremony was so nice as was the yummy luncheon at the Lion House afterwards. That night the happy couple enjoyed ice cream in waffle cookie bowls with all their friends and family at the Carmelle Reception Center.
After serving the Lord as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Clark came home Wednesday July 12th. It felt like we were waiting forever for the group of missionaries to make their way down to all the waiting families. He looked so good — it’s so great to have him home!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We had a great holiday with family and friends. My favorite parts were having the “big” and the little kids act out the nativity on Christmas Eve and of course, talking to Elder Brown on Christmas Day! Oh, and there was that time that we played in the snow making snow angels and sledding down the neighbor’s hill. Fun.
Clark is doing great on his mission! He is currently serving as a district leader in Tyler, Texas. He and his companion are living with a nice member couple in their home. The deal comes complete with some home-cooked meals, a dog and a piano. He is very much enjoying this nice change from apartment living! He has six months left and is anxious to finish strong. Last week was a bit hard as he said goodbye to 3 previous companions all going home on the same day.
This year we took Elliot and headed to sunny AZ to celebrate Thanksgiving with Tess and Trevor. Madeleine joined us from San Diego. We were a small group but pretty much filled up their apartment! It was fun to “see the lights” at the Mesa Temple. Kinda crazy to celebrate the holiday with people in shorts and sweatshirts.
Loren has taken a job with Counseling and Psychology Services at Washington State University. So Loren, Anne, Kenyon and Emmy have moved to Pullman, Washington! While we miss having them around to read to, hug and kiss whenever we want to, we know that this is a good move for them. I do however need to have “visual” on each of my children so that I can picture them in their lives. So, over Halloween weekend, Alan and I drove up to visit. It was fun to see their “new” oldish house, the park they always play at, Loren’s office, their church, and the Farmer’s Market. We had a great couple of days celebrating Halloween with them. Kenyon loved wearing the Cat in the Hat costume that both Elliot and Clark wore when they were his age. Emmeline was Eeyore and adorable. Of course.
