CLAYSON FAMILY

Eh...

2010-04-10T10:55:00.002-06:00

I really don't blog anymore... just thought I'd let ya know...

Wow...

2009-05-28T20:15:00.004-06:00

It's a girl!!! Due date is sometime this August...
Name will be Alison Clayson
Weight: I have no idea... and for someone who has had such big babies, this one will be the biggest, but also very very small...
Height: 4'8 as in 56 inches long.... again, seems huge, but trust me... this girl is tiny...
Proud new parents to be: Ed and Joey... and I guess Janie and Kent Hall... 'scept they're getting a boy... a very very cute boy, I might add...

So there ya have it... any questions?

He's doing what???

2009-05-23T14:29:00.000-06:00

So this is what I came home to the other day. Yep… that would be my youngest son mowing the lawn in a cape. I really have no words to describe the situation, other than he is 14, and his sister dared him to do it. What a great kid… what a great personality… and it made the neighbors’ night. Trust me. I am still hearing from some of them…

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Newest Clayson...

2009-04-12T22:17:00.006-06:00

She's now a month old, but I thought I would through up a few pics I stole from Angie of the newest Clayson.... she is adorable.

Irelynd Lola Clayson

Good job Ange... oh, and Mike...

We're back, eh?

2009-04-06T14:13:00.017-06:00

So we're back from Canada, eh? I have to say eh, cause of the Canadian thing, eh? Apart from the cool weather, and lots of rain, we had a great time. Vancouver is a beautiful city. We stayed in the Sheraton Hotel, downtown. We were on the 26th floor. Breathtaking views of the city, and the water. The entire outside wall of the hotel room was made of windows. Stunning.
Here's a look...
View from the front of the hotel. This city reminds me of parts of Europe...
While we were there, we drove out to see the Vancouver Temple in progress. The location is beautiful. The temple is nestled in a highly wooded area, in the suburbs of Vancouver, approximately 30 minutes out of downtown Vancouver. It was worth the drive, even though we were taking pictures in the rain. After we saw the temple, we went to dinner, then stopped to get ice cream at the Marble Slab (like ColdStone). In line behind us were two missionaries and their bishop. We bought their ice cream, and visited with them while we ate. It was fun to see the work in progress. The church is the same wherever you go.
I was excited to see all of the 'hoopla' for the upcoming winter Olympics, but the only thing I saw, other than a few t-shirts in the giftshop, was the Olympic Rings, placed just outside the Vancouver Airport... which we happened upon just by chance...

One of the fun things we did was we actually flew into Seattle, then drove the last two hours to Vancouver. What a beautiful drive. We got to see alot more of the area than if we had just flown the whole way. We love Seattle. One of my favorite places to eat is at Ivar's. Great seafood, just on the harbor. Best clam chowder I have ever, or will most likely ever eat. Made with thick cream... it is heaven. It alone was worth the extra driving. I looked forward to having lunch there on the way home for days. Here's a view from the restaurant window...A picture of me and Ed at Ivar's. It's blurry, but it's the only pic we took of us on the whole trip. Lame... I know... Anyway, we had a good time, but it's always nice to be home.

Lucky, Lucky Me....

2009-04-01T10:03:00.000-06:00

What an amazingly good looking bunch of kids, if I do say so myself. And amazing they are. I don't care if I am their mother... they are amazing. I can't tell you how much fun it has been to have them all together again... even if I only get Joshie on weekends. It warms a mother's heart. They are almost all grown up now, and are such good spirits. And the funnest part is, they all like each other.... I mean REALLY like each other. They are good friends. They enjoy each other's company. They hangout with each other on PURPOSE.... wow... that's all I can say.
I realize the time I have with them at home will be short lived from this point on, so I plan to enjoy the time I have left. Tyson starts LDS Business college on June 8th... 2 days after we get home from a family vacation we have planned to Catalina Island and parts of Mexico. Ed and I had a feeling that if we were going to do it, we better get after it now... cause change is just around the corner. We can feel it. Will I elaborate at this point? Ummm, no... but just trust me... change is a comin'. So that is my report. My boy is home, for now, and we are happy.... the kids are happy... and he is happy.

An important announcement...

2009-02-17T19:23:00.003-07:00

All right ya'll... listen up... cause I hope to only have to say this once... My most amazingly awesome missionary son will be home in just 7 days... yes, you heard me right... 7!!! He flies in from Houston on February 24th at 6:53 pm... But here's the part that I really want you to pay attention to:

His missionary homecoming report will be on March 8th at 9:00 am... (sorry about the 9 am part).
The church is on about 243 south, and 200 east in Tooele.
We would LOVE for you all to attend... Sherrie, Lisa, Chris, Amy... and the rest of you that didn't get an official invite on facebook... which would totally be your fault for not joining facebook... but that's another matter...
anyway... consider this your official... We love ya... Joey

My poor baby...

2009-02-04T14:54:00.003-07:00

So my Joshie had his wisdom teeth taken out today... he was very very brave... sort of. He was so freaked out about having an IV, that he was literally making himself sick. He told me he just KNEW this was going to be the worst part... and I said Bud, if that's the worst part, this will be a piece of cake. First thing they did was give him some good ol' laughing gas... which settled him right down. He didn't care at that point if he had an IV or 20. No big deal. Like I said. He really should listen to me more. I am very very wise. Anyway... whole procedure took about 45 minutes. When they brought me back to his little recovery cubbie, he was already awake, and grinning... even gave me a big "thumbs up" which really made me laugh. He kept talking to me, but I could not understand a word he was saying... which would crack me up. So then he would start spelling things for me with his fingers.... HILARIOUS!!! Where is a video camera when you need one... that's what I'm askin... anyway... hang in there Joshie... you'll be good as new in a few...

A break...

2009-01-28T06:24:00.003-07:00

Well, I'm off.... to St. George... for a much needed break with the girls...
What will we be doing? Who cares... that's what I say. Just a fun little get away. So I'll see ya when I get back.... and do please try to remember not to have fun without me.... you know how I hate that...

We're so proud...

2009-01-16T20:50:00.002-07:00

Go Mikal!!! Go Sha-Ronns!!! Just a little shout-out for Tooele High's drill team. They took first place in EVERY event last weekend for 4-A high school state comps... Solo's, military, props,... everything. Mikal showing off her trophy for her first place solo.... you go girl... you totally rock. We love you....

It's a virtual forest...

2008-12-30T10:09:00.001-07:00

It’s time to start taking down christmas…

It always makes me a little sad that the season is over, but it is always nice to get things put back in order. I thought I would take a few pics (since nobody except Heather ever makes it down to Tooele) of all the trees that make an appearance during the holidays… as you can see, I might just have an obsession…

I think my favorite is the tree in the formal living room… though it alone takes me several days to finish. So many trips up and down the ladder… but it is worth it.
I also love having a tree in the kitchen. Grab a good book, light the fire, and snuggle up on the most comfy couch in the whole house…
The tree in the family room is the one that the kids decorate… it is always the most fun. It is full of memories. Every ornament made in school, or given by a neighbor, not too mention the many many ornaments collected by the kids. It is tradition in our home to let the kids choose their own ornament every year. We put their name and date on it somewhere. The idea is to eventually let them take them with them when they get their own homes with their own trees… but to be honest, I don’t know if I will be able to part with them. I will cross that bridge when I come to it…
So I’m off to start dismantling… hope to be done by Valentine’s Day…

Sleep is over-rated...

2008-12-28T15:18:00.002-07:00

Says the girl who isn’t getting any… I seem to have found myself with two adorable little gremlins in my bed. The kind that toss and turn and kick and prod and want to sleep on top of, if not underneath me all night. That kind of gremlin. You wouldn’t think that little somethings so small would require so much of my king-size bed…leaving me with so little. But they do. And they did. And I am stiff and sore, and oh so tired. And the best part is… I have 3 more nights of this to look forward too. For some unknown reason, these particular little gremlins insist on MY bed… no other will do. Apparently I am the big winner. My husband (who slept downstairs in the spare bedroom) thinks this is hilarious. “Wow, you look comfy”, was my greeting from him this morning… ha… shows what he knows. But here’s the thing… I happen to adore these little creatures. My two little nieces, whose most favorite thing in the world is to stay at Joey’s house. It might have a little something to do with being spoiled rotten while they’re here. That is my job. My duty. And I take it very seriously. So to my little sis I say… enjoy your break while you can… you owe me.

Happy Birthday little bro...

2008-12-27T10:46:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday to you....
Happy Birthday to you....
Happy Birthday dear TROOOYYYY...
We sure do love you...

Yep... the little bro is 40 today. 40. I love saying that. He hates hearing it. Bummer...

2008-12-24T22:41:00.002-07:00

I wanted to share a breathtaking recording of O Holy Night… which was recorded by a friend of mine and my husband’s. Kenneth Cope is truly a gifted man. The artwork is by Liz Lemon Swindle… I can’t really say that I know her, though we have met. Her depictions of the Savior are truly amazing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do… Merry Christmas from me to you…

Christmas in Ogden...

2008-12-21T09:06:00.001-07:00

So I really seem to have tradition on my mind... or at least my blog... this year, but hang in there with me for another Christmas memory. If you've ever been in the Ogden, Utah area at christmas time, you may have heard of Christmas Village. I know that Temple Square gets all the 'claim to fame' during the holidays... but hey, it's got nothin on Ogden's City Hall. Both are amazingly beautiful in their own way. Temple Square in a very classy, winter wonderland sort of way... Christmas Village in a "I've somehow taken a wrong turn, and ended up in Santa's Workshop" sort of way. ( I should mention that Christmas Village encompasses a full city block, so it is truly something to see...)

I haven't been to Christmas Village for years. I had a strong desire to see it this year... through the eyes of my two nieces. I wanted to see the magic through their eyes. So Jordyn and I drove up yesterday, went for pizza at another Ogden landmark, Tony's Pizza... (anybody who is anybody from Ogden knows about Tony's Pizza...) then bundled up to go see the lights. My nieces were so excited to see everything, though Dantley did keep asking when we were going to go into Christmas Village. She had a hard time grasping the concept of going to, as opposed to going into... and hey, who could really blame her... the temperature was hovering in the 15 degree range... a yeah... BRRR....Anyway, there were tons of lights and displays to see, as well as Santa and Mrs. Clause and the Grinch wandering around, plus some live entertainment in the apitheater. Here's a few pics...

Sarandon and Jordyn all bundled up...
Little Miss Dantley being a good sport. I was actually trying to take a picture of the very very sad, pathetic face she had been displaying moments before... but out comes the camera, out comes her smile...

What??? Is that a lovely display of a child in bondage? Why yes it is... it took me a minute to realize this was Hansel and Gretel... but give me a break... my brain was frozen... Ha. So there ya go... another tradition revisited this year. Glad we made the effort. Be even gladder when my toes thaw out...

Tradition... to the next generation...

2008-12-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

I read an article in Woman's Day mag last night that cracked me up... it was titled 'Here's to a year of NUTCRACKER moments'. As in a special experience you can't wait to give your kids that bombs- or at least, unfolds in a way you didn't expect. The author calls it being 'NUTCRACKERED'. She says when visions of sugarplum fairies dance in a mom's head, logic doesn't stand a chance. All I was thinking was that my turn had come at last to enter the theater holding hands with a wide-eyed daughter decked out in velvet, crinoline and black patent leather. The first strains of Tchaikovsky will play. The curtain will rise. So will the goose bumps... and then there is reality... Please bear in mind that this poor author's daughter was only 3 years old... and her son was 5. Not many kids that young have the attention span to sit through a ballet without getting restless, getting bored senseless, or falling asleep... all of which happened. Her expectations were too high. Now anytime she plans something special where her bubble is burst is called being nutcrackered... too funny. The Nutcracker holds a very special place in my heart. The very name means tradition to me, my mother, and my daughter. When I was a little girl, I would often find Nutcracker tickets in my christmas stocking. Not every year, but several times. My mom was trying to raise 4 children alone on a very fixed income, but she managed to scrape enough together to provide me with some very special experiences. When I was married and had 4 kids of my own, she wanted to pass that tradition on to them. She wanted to be the one to take them to the nutcracker for the first time. I was welcome to come along for the ride, but had to pay for my own ticket. My 2 oldest sons were good sports, and made an effort to act like they enjoyed it. My daughter and youngest son (who was 4) were mesmerized. 4 years ago mom was fighting colon cancer, and I had a prompting to take her to the Nutcracker... my treat. I bought 3 front row tickets, and took her to dinner afterwords. What a special night. She died the following September. I will never regret the money that I spent that night. Some might say frivolous... I say priceless. I couldn't bring myself to go the following year without her. My daughter asked a few times if we were going to go. I felt bad having to tell her no. She enjoys it as much as I had as a child. The next year just the two of us went. It was an emotional experience for me, but in a good cleansing way. This year my sister's oldest daughter is 5. Old enough to have her first time. I know that if mom were here she would have wanted to buy her first ticket... so I did it for her... (of course if Heather wanted to come along she would have to pay for her own... fair is fair after all... ha). What a magical night. Sarandon was anything but bored. She was literally on the edge of her seat, and a few times started dancing right along with the ballerinas. I won't say my emotions didn't get the best of me, cause they did. Mom was there. I could feel her presence. How glad I am that being NUTCRACKERED has better memories for me... though I do remember taking the kids to Disneyland for the first time... I was so excited. I couldn't wait to share that with them. And what happened??? NUTCRACKERED. Yep... they were little dream killers... " is this it? Where are all the good rides...?" Phrases that still haunt me to this day... but that's another story...

Jordyn and mom in 2004

Sarandon... isn't she adorable?

Sarandon and JordySue...

Me, Heather, Sarandon, and Jordyn...

This is a clip of mom's favorite number from the ballet... the Grand Pas de Deux . She thought it was breathtaking, and it is. Listening to it now is like having her arms wrapped around me. Enjoy...

Am I a Grinch? Nah...

2008-12-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am the opposite of the grinch... though if you asked my kids, they might tell a different story. Anyway, I absolutely love the holidays. House is decked out inside and out...finally...(maybe I'll take you on a V tour someday). I have a total of 14 trees on the main floor of my home . I know this because my nephew announced it to me the other day... as in "Did you know you have 14 christmas trees in your house?" Actually, I think he said like 29, or something insane like that. He was counting things that were soooo obviously not christmas trees... but related to the pine family in general... as in wreaths, and garlands wrapped in the light fixtures...sorry Payton, but that doesn't count. I love all the sights, sounds, and smells associated with the holiday season. I love the traditions. I love to match my wrapping paper, as in I need like them to coordinate. Not only that, but I like them to coordinate with the tree that they are under... there, now you have had a small glimpse into my OCD world... (ok, not really ocd... but I do get teased about it). I came across this fun test on My Crazy Life With a Toddler, and thought I would check it out. I was pretty sure I wasn't a grinch, but needed validation... just had to make sure. Here's the consensus...

You Are the Furthest Thing From A Grinch

You love and live for the holidays. You even love the Grinch!

You're in the holiday spirit year round... because you're all about celebrating and giving.

Are You a Grinch?

So are ya? Take the test and find out.

Let me know what you find out. It's always nice to know what kind of riff-raff I am associating with...

I want to go back in time...

2008-12-12T09:31:00.004-07:00

but just for a visit every now and again… Look at the excitement on those babies faces… they are precious. It seems like only yesterday that they were that small… and innocent. Those babies are now much bigger… and smarter… and not so much in awe and wonder of this magical season. The oldest is now 21, and the youngest was 14 a few days ago. I’m not saying that I would go back in time indefinitely. I wouldn’t. I love the time in life that I am in right now. For everything there is a season. Having older kids has it’s perks. I have a lot more freedom now. We have a lot of fun together. They do their own laundry. But every once in awhile I have a brief longing for days gone by…to see those precious babies again…

2008-12-08T09:58:00.003-07:00

My baby boy is 14 today... 14. That's pretty old for the baby, don't ya think? I look back at pictures I have around the house, and it's almost surreal... like were they ever that little? Sometimes it seems sooo long ago, and other times it seems like just yesterday. What an adorable little guy he was... so full of it... we never ceased to be entertained by the things he would say. Now don't get me wrong... he is still adorable, but in a BIG clumsy teenage boy sort a way. His voice is in the process of changing... and he now uses a razor. Yep. One of his proudest moments was when he realized he was taller than I. It seemed to have happened over night. He used to compare heights constantly. I would always say, "Not yet, bud." Then one day, not only was he taller, but by several inches... literally overnight. That's how it seems to happen. So for you young moms out there... enjoy every precious minute with your babies... cause one day they're going to be taller than you. Happy Birthday Colton...

I remember when...

2008-12-06T00:32:00.003-07:00

“I remember when… we decorated our house (or tree, or apartment - or whatever else!) for the holidays”.

My mom was THE master of tree decorating. Known for it for miles... well, maybe not miles, but still... anyway... our tree was always a masterpiece. Took forever to decorate. She was fanatical about the wires from the lights not showing... so you had to wind in and out of every branch, tucking here and there to disguise them. I have inherited this problem obsession. No two similar ornaments can hang too closely together, and ALL ornaments need to have equal spacing between them. This is paramount... I mean very very important. Does it take some time to set up the tree? Yes, it does. Now this might be manageable if I didn't find it necessary to have 3 full size trees on the main floor of my house... (which I do), and bear in mind that the mack daddy tree (my pride and joy) is 12 feet tall. Yep. Have I put it up yet...ummm.... no. I have saved the worst for last. It requires many many trips up and down the ladder. But it's worth it. I remember the first time my mom called to tell me that she had a genious idea. She was tired of dealing with the lights every year, and decided to just wire them on... and put the tree away with them. Aha, I thought... BRILLIANT!!! And it was. We were doing this for years before some OTHER genious started marketing pre-lit trees. Oh, to go back in time... we could have made millions.

Announcing...

2008-12-01T11:17:00.004-07:00

Here 's a fun little diversion that I had absolutely no time for this morning... but did anyway... thanks On The Verge...I'm always looking for a new way to procrasitinate doing the things I should be doing. Anyway, I made a virtual baby... isn't he cute??? (Did I hear you say creepy??? Shhh.... you should never tell a new mother that her bundle of joy is creepy... he is Bee-utiful... and looks absolutely nothing like any of my 4 children as babies)...check out how he follows the cursor around... ohhh... cute....

missionary report...

2008-11-25T13:00:00.004-07:00

Just a quick update from Ty...the birthday boy...

So what the heck happened. All i could do was call this telelphone number that is free, call "tell me" and it seemed like a close game at half.. but then i called again and we got creamed. I was not happy. I was nervous here before the game, Elder COoper said he had never seen me like that. ha. But i still refuse to talk about byu with anyone. I still wear my byu watch and pin, but i dont talk about it. It pretty much made me sick. Im kinda glad i wasnt home for it because i would have been much more upset im sure. But Saturday here was awesome. We started going to the pulga again. The pulga is a flea market around here that we sometimes go to with a little table/booth and talk to pppl. We teach them a little and have some free pamphlets and stuff, but the purpose is to get referals, or in other words, to find ppl that will let the missionaries come by. Its kinda hard cause ppl are in a hurry, they want to shop and enjoy their saturday and its noisy. But we went and it was good. THere are 3 shifts that are 2 hours each. The first shift got like 5 refs. 2 elders from the other zone. The middle shift, 2 from our district got 4 more, so that put us at 9 for the day. THats not bad, 9 people/families that want the missionaries to visit. And me and elder cooper did the last shift. We are both pretty competative, so we decided that we would get more that 9 just by ourselves. Ha. that was our goal. Well, i dont know what happened, but we did pretty good, cause he got 5 by himself..and i got 16. it was fun, he was shocked. He was like, what are you doing man? 16? 5 other missionaries combined got 14. I told him that i was just talking to them, being me, and just bearing my testimony. I really love spanish ppl, its alot easier for me to talk to spanish ppl about the gospel. I just feel at home with them. THings are going well here, im happy, i had a good bday cause the ward took care of me, i had 3 cakes. I loved it, but it was really funny, cause my comp only has like8 days left and he wants to look good for the girl that is waiting for him, so he didnt like all the cake. But it was good.

Nope, I'm not proud at all...

GO MIGHTY COUGARS!!!

2008-11-22T10:27:00.005-07:00

Here we go, here we go...
That day is finally here...
that oh so awesome game of the year...
how's it going to end, you ask?
Let's only pray that the Cougs can pull this one out...
They are not favored to win this year. But anyone who knows anything about this rivalry game knows that statistics don't matter.... AT ALL...
It doesn't matter who has had the best season...which by the way, is pretty evenly matched this year. Utes perfect season... BYU one loss... pretty impressive for both, eh?
So it all comes down to emotions. Always does. Who wants it the most... who can keep thier heads in the game... stay focused... keep mistakes to a minimum...THAT is what will determine the outcome of the game... and win all bragging rights associated with it.
So for all you COUGAR fans out there, let me hear your mighty roar!!!
And let the game begin!!!

RAH, RAH, RAH RAH RAH...
RAH, RAH, RAH RAH RAH...
RAH, RAH, RAH RAH RAH...
GOOOOO COUGARS!!!!

Happy Birthday Tyson...

2008-11-21T14:32:00.003-07:00

Isn't he adorable??? Just look at that face... precious! And that sweet little boy is 21 years old today... 21!!! I cannot believe that I am the mother of a child that old... I am not sure how this could have happened... it truly confuses me... cause I know that I'm not that old...sometimes time just doesn't make sense...

Have you been waiting???

2008-11-20T21:55:00.008-07:00

Have you been waiting??? Are you there right now? It is 10 o'clock here in Utah, but 6 minutes ago, in the eastern part of the country, film started rolling... finally...(yes Robyn, I know you are taunting me...)
Ok, I gotta fess up here... while I am excited to see this movie, I had absolutely NO desire to see it at midnight... I want to see it when I am awake, and can enjoy it properly. JordySue and I will be in our seats for the 5:30 showing tomorrow night, then off to a great dinner after that. We are taking along a few 'twilight' fanatics with us... Lindsay, Porshae, and fun for me, my roommate from college, Dawn. She is from Washington... ya know... up there where Forks is??? Makes her almost neighbors with Edward...right? And speaking of Edward... have I mentioned that I am a JACOB girl??? Yep... I know... we are a very rare breed. That boy makes my heart pitter patter...anyway... enough about Jacob... I do need to get to sleep tonight...hehe..sweet sweet dreams, my little wolf boy...I'll be seein' you tomorrow...

A real fighter...

2008-11-20T09:34:00.001-07:00

So winter time has set in at my house... ok, not really, but we have had some VERY cold days... snow even. The winter frost has done her handiwork...

Look at this poor poor planter box...

and this sad pitiful peony...

and how about my gorgeous tomato plants...

Yep... she has really done a number on my garden... except for...

TA DA!!!!! Take that would ya frost... I am not going down without a fight!!! Isn't it gorgeous? I love a flower with spunk =)

I know, I know... you're telling me to take pity and put the garden to bed for the winter all ready...

I have won a MAJOR award!!!

2008-11-17T19:56:00.005-07:00

See it??? Right here on the left? Isn't it beautiful??? I am sooo excited... imagine, me... winning such a prestigious award! Ok... it is possible that I am making a bigger deal over this than I should be... but I am pretty jazzed...so thanks Christine... you made my day! (go check out her blog... she is one of of my favorite new blogging buddies).

So here's the scoop on the bestowing of this grand award business...

The qualifications to receive the award are:
A. Display a cheerful attitude.
B. Love one another.
C. Make mistakes.
D. Learn from others.
E. Be a positive contributor to the blog world.
F. Love life.
G. Love kids.

The Rules:

1. Must link it back to the creator.
2. Post the rules.
3. Choose 5 people to give it to.
4. Recipients must fill the characteristics above.
5. Create a post to share this.
6. You must thank the winner.

So here's the hard part... choosing 5 blogs to bestow this amazing honor on... and the winners are:
1. What is done in love, is done well
2. On the verge
3. From Melissa's desk
4. Cinnamon, Spice, and everything nice
5. The Junk Drawer
Check them out... good stuff I tell's ya...

Roadshows...

2008-11-15T17:02:00.026-07:00

And the winner is..... ok, there wasn't a winner... no awards at all, but if there had been...
Our stake had roadshows this week. The theme was Disney movies... but then got changed to Animated movies... for fear of copyright infringements...yeah, I think we would have been safe, since they were original scripts and all, but I guess you never know... anyway, our ward chose Aladdin...the story line went like this. Aladdin is welcomed home by his father the Sultan (I know... Aladdin was a beggar boy, but there is a twist here...) from his two year 'mission'. The Sultan has hand picked 3 beautiful girls(also known as the Chica Mamas) for Aladdin to choose to take on a date. It becomes very apparent that Aladdin is more interested in the servant girl... Jasmine. The Chica Mamas become very conniving (with help from Jafar...who's costume had an uncanny resemblance to the devil...haha) in their attempts to win Aladdin's heart. They set Jasmine up, make it look like she has stolen their precious things...(ipods, cell phones, etc.). Jasmine is sent to prison. Aladdin works with the Genie to prove her innocence... she is released from prison... the 3 Chica Mamas are taught the gospel by some wandering missionaries, and everyone lives happily ever after.... Ta Da!!! I have to say the kids did a fabulous job. Their costumes were adorable. The music was good. And the choreography was second to none.... Broadway quality, baby...

Jordyn as a Chica Mama...

Colton playing both a missionary, and a palace guard...

Cameron as the Sultan...(we know Cameron's not in our ward, not even in our stake... but he is my unofficial son, so they let him play)

And Peter as Aladdin, and Jasmine as Jasmine...
Great job guys!

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN...

2008-11-11T21:48:00.006-07:00

So check out the cute penguin to your right ---> See him? Is he not DaBomb? Now I know what you are thinking, and before you start lamenting about Christmas Countdowns starting too early, hear me out.... I am helping... trust me. See, look at it this way... he is not telling you that you ONLY have 42 days left to shop, but that you STILL have 42 days left to shop... see the difference? It's all in your perspective, my friend... I like to think of myself as a glass is half full kind of girl...and yes, you're welcome...

Back

2008-11-10T19:28:00.010-07:00

Well... I'm back. Got home Saturday afternoonish... tired, but happy. When we flew out on wednesday morning it was a near blizzard outside... BUT.. we flew home to 51 degree weather... see? Worked out great. The weather in L.A. was of course perfect. I had a nasty cold for the whole trip, but still had a good time. Sorry Kori about the extra extra loud snoring... =(... she says no prob... she wore earplugs... couldn't hear a thing... then in retrospect says she maybe shouldn't have, just in case I suffocated myself from the congestion... maybe should have listened for you to stop breathing she says... hmmm... cute. Anyway, as promised, I took my camera into Pantages Theater this time around. Turns out I probably should have taken a shot of just the theater so you could see the grandness of it all, but you'll have to make due with our ugly mugs...

So this is Betty, Crystal, Cindy, me, Kori, and Heather...
Betty is Heather's mother-in-law (yep, her face got cut in half... stranger working the camera, ya know? sorry Betty...)
Cindy is Betty's sister, and Crystal works with Cindy. Cindy lives in SanDiego. Mark, Heather, Betty and the kids went for a quick visit, and the girls drove up and met me and Kori at the theater.

Ok, this shows a little more of the theater, but not much... I could have done so much better... so I guess the only thing to do is to go again.... and speaking of going again... Wicked is moving to San Franciso sometime in January, and Phantom is taking it's place!!! Who's in? (K Shan, this is your official invite... sometime in the spring... be ready girl =).

Wickedly Fun Trip

2008-11-04T23:26:00.003-07:00

Well my friends.... I am off to see the Wizard tomorrow night... I can't wait to see Elphaba... I have missed her... like a dear old friend. I really feel like we had bonded on my last trip... If you haven't seen the Broadway production of Wicked, you should... and if you have, you know exactly what I am talking about. I'll bring my camera to the theater this time. The architecture is breathtaking. Amazing. I didn't bring it last time because I was sure they wouldn't let me bring it in... but they would... and I was bummed...
Try to carry on without me, but don't have too much fun... you know how I hate it when people have fun without me...

2008-11-04T10:20:00.004-07:00

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!

Unless you are voting for Obama... then please stay home. =)

Trick-Or-Treat...

2008-11-03T09:11:00.031-07:00

Chandler, Olivia, and Ian

Halloween.... I love Halloween...Here are a few pics of some of my favorite trick-or-treaters in the world...

Roper.... cutest rodeo clown I EVER saw...

on the job training...

Jaelon as Dorothy (and don't forget Toto)

My buddy Camden... check out those muscles...

JordySue...wacky, psycho soccer player... or whatever it was she was calling herself..
and Ed. Have no idea what he is, but this is his costume EVERY year... all that matters is that he is blue... very very blue... right Ed?

Addison... now don't tell me that's not cute...

Kaden as Will Turner... not to be confused with Jack Sparrow... good job Kaden. Will's my man...

Baby Carter... trust me... he's in there somewhere...

And don't forget my Joshie... that's one bad looking Spiderman... (bad as in cool, tough, you know what I mean)...

My poor baby sis...

2008-11-01T19:29:00.004-06:00

Just want to let everybody know that Heather had her apendix taken out tonight just around 7pm... It went really well. Kerry thinks she will be home tomorrow. She is in McKay Dee hospital. I know that she could really use some help with the girls, especially Dant while Kerry is at work during the day for the next week or so, so if you could help out in any way, please let them know...I hope she recovers quickly... she has had such a hard time with her health lately. Maybe you could add her as part of your fast tomorrow... I know I will.

Someone shoot me...

2008-10-31T17:06:00.003-06:00

So I have seriously lost my mind... with the help of Robyn. To see what I am talking about, go to Live,Love,Laugh...

Aahh... Memories

2008-10-31T12:13:00.021-06:00

Thought it might be fun to scrounge around for some pics of Halloween's past of my 4 babies... now that my kids are older, they are "on thier own" if they want to dress up... use their imaginations, ya know? I really had to search... my pictures are everywhere... I wish somebody (obviously meaning not me) would take pity, and organize them for me. They are everywhere... so this is what I came up with...

BOO...

2008-10-30T22:22:00.004-06:00

I've been BOO'D!!!

thanks "On The Verge"...

So here's the deal...
Go to as many of your blog buddies as you want and tell them they have been boo-ed . Have them pick up this picture and add it to their blog and say with the link who boo-ed them . Put the picture in your sidebar if you want so then others know that you have already been boo-ed , if you post lots and it's not on the main page where everyone will see your boo-ed post! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

An interesting take...

2008-10-29T16:07:00.008-06:00

I was sent an interesting email today... a great object lesson on Obama's new wealth distribution concept...thanks Ed Spa-ged...

Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama, I need the money."... I laughed. Once in the restaurant, my server had on a "Obama 08" button. Once again I laughed as he had given away his political preference... just imagine the coincidence.When the bill came I paid cash but decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need (the homeless guy outside). The server angrily stormed from my sight.I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside, as I decided he (the homeless guy) could use the money more than him (the server). The homeless guy was happy... and I felt like a successful politician.At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the recipient clearly needed money more than him.I guess redistribution of wealth is easier to swallow in concept than in practical application.

With that said... here's a cute picture I received today that really sums it all up....

"I was just wondering...

Is this political CRAP almost over?"

Can I get a big "AMEN"?

One Last Ditch Effort To Get The Word Out...

2008-10-27T23:35:00.021-06:00

I'm not one to really talk politics... don't get me wrong, I am a registered voter who takes those responsibilities very seriously... I just usually keep my thoughts to myself. But I find the idea of a man who won't salute the very flag of the country he is wanting to run very disturbing...so I am sharing a few clips that I happened upon... please watch... and please, please vote!
and thanks Melissa, for YOUR great post on the subject...

Woot Woot...HSM 3!!!

2008-10-24T10:25:00.015-06:00

Yes, Yes, Yes... the day is finally here! High School Musical 3 in theaters today. I cannot WAIT to see this movie tonight with Jordy Sue, because as anyone who REALLY knows me knows... Zac Efron is my man...

Ok, that would really be Matthew McConnaughey....

and clearly, you can see why.... (heartbeat,heartbeat... thump, thump, thump)...

There really is a funny story to this obsession with the Zac Man... one night back in May the young women had a mother-daughter party. One of the games we played was a version of the Newlywed game. One of the questions for the daughters about their mother's was 'who is your mothers favorite actor?' I say "oh that's an easy one... Matthew McConnauhey".... again with the thumping of the heart... and Jordy laughs and says... "Um... that's not what I put." So now I am intrigued with who my new love interest might be... and she says "Zac Efron"... well, the whole room busts out laughing, and I say "what... isn't he like... 12???" "Mooommmm...." Jordy says.... "he's like 19, maybe 20...." Oh, all right then...haha...

Not that Zac isn't as cute as a bug in a rug... but Puh-lease...

So there you go... Zac has forever after been my main man...(just trickin Matthew)...

Fun Day in October...

2008-10-23T22:48:00.039-06:00

Fun..... that's what today was.... fun.

Who wouldn't want to go help such an adorable little guy pick out his first pumpkin?

He was so excited to see all the "balls" out in the patch...

My favorite part was the ride back in the wagon...

Tonight some friends and I went to Gardner Village...to see Witch-a-Palooza's dinner theater... our third year in a row... I guess a tradition has been born. Every year we pick up a few more friends to join us. This year we had a party of 10. The theme of the show this year was about Weston the Warlock and his search for his perfect witch, and a trip down his 'memory lane' as he remembered past romances...

a few pics...

Tamron, Heather, and me...

Debbie, Heather, Kori, and Jackie

Sharee, Brittanie, and Christine

And the star of the show... Weston the Warlock.
This guy was a hoot... and an amazing voice to boot.
Kelly DeHaun... member of the Mormon Tab...
He was hilarious. Does he get the girl? Maaaybeeee? Wouldn't want to spoil the fantastical ending for ya'll... and if you haven't been to Gardner Village in October, you are missing a seriously good time. Til next year ladies...

Warning... this post is definately PG13....you've been warned.

2008-10-21T23:24:00.004-06:00

I came across this love poem on another blog last night, and it just plain made me laugh out loud...or maybe made my heart speed up a bit...I know, I know...I am naughty.

I will seek and find you.
I shall take you to bed and have my way with you .
I will make you ache, shake & sweat until you moan & groan.
I will make you beg for mercy, beg for me to stop.
I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I'm finished with you.
And, when I am finished, you will be weak for days.
All my love,
The Flu

Now, get your mind out of the gutter and go get your flu shot!

You were thinking flu all along, weren't ya? I know I was.... ;)

Make sure you don't waste your babbles...

2008-10-21T16:20:00.003-06:00

S0 today is national Babbling Day... Who knew? Not me, that's for sure... but since I have just been enlightened, I figured that I would not let it go to waste. So I will have to think of a few things to babble about. Hmmm... well, apparently I've got nothin... though a very sweet, if not somewhat, well, annoying person that I work next to has been babbling endlessly for hours... someone must have filled her in. But anyway, back to the task at hand... I came across a list of 'National Days' today, and thought I would fill you all in. Tomorrow is national nut day... just want you all to be prepared. I wish I had come across this list a few weeks ago. October 12th was International Moment of Frustration Scream Day. Wow, I could have really used that. I am marking it on my calendar right now, so's I don't waste it next year...Thursday is national mole day, friday national bologna day, saturday punk for a day day... oh wait... don't miss the 28th... National Chocolate Day! I will do my best to give my all in observance of that day.... anyway, just thought you should all know what apparently we had all been taking for granted. Yeah, I'm here for ya...

My unbusy, eventful week...

2008-10-20T12:20:00.005-06:00

So I haven't posted for almost a week. I have been busy. Ok, well, not really busy... but I haven't been at home. Jordyn and I spent 3 1/2 days last week with Debbie and her girls in Park City... mostly just vegging... hanging out... that kinda thing. We really didn't do much of anything, but it was nice to have nothing to do. We did a little outlet mall shopping.... walked up and down historic main street.... played some 'rock band'...(watch out, I am awesome on guitar), and just stayed up late every night watching movies, talking, and giggling... it was a nice break. I took my camera with me, and once again did not get one shot... didn't manage to get the thing out of my purse. That's how it usually goes with me, but we had a good time.
Saturday morning Jordy and I came home. We spent the next two days with Lindsay and Roper. Went to dinner, a little more shopping, watched a movie... and church the next day. Sunday I sang in sacrament meeting. I sang "I Stand All Amazed".... which made me think of Toni... this is her requested funeral song.... I tell her sure... I would love to sing at her funeral... but seriously Toni, we are going to live to be old, shriveled up(but still hot) ladies.... and who wants to hear a shaky, old lady voice sing anthing? But I humor her nonetheless....
And oh, have I mentioned that I haven't seen my husband in almost a week? He flew to Dallas last tuesday... I left to Park City wednesday... he came home friday, hitched the trailer to the truck, and took off deer hunting. I got home saturday. The mighty deer hunter is scheduled to arrive home tonight... can't wait to see him.
So there you have it... my unbusy, but very eventful week... It was great.

Happy news for a good family....

2008-10-14T20:01:00.005-06:00

I have just been sitting here thinking that life is full of ups and downs... highs and lows... happiness and sadness... you get where I am going here... anyway... it is time for some sunshine for my sweet friends family, and it came on Sunday afternoon... times two. Brenton(4 lbs.) and Brinlee Oborn(4lbs. 1oz.) were born on October 12, 2008, at 4:25 and 4:41 p.m. respectively, exactly one month to the day that their amazing grandpa left this earth. Nothing like a newborn baby to put some perspective back into your life. What amazing, sweet little spirits... I can't wait to meet them tomorrow. What wonderful parents they have been given. What a great extended family they have been born into... couldn't ask for a better support system. Look at that look of pure joy on their proud daddy's face. It just makes me smile...I love this family like they were my own... and I am so excited for them. Congratulations Brandon and Rebecca...ya done good.

Tyson's hurrican report...

2008-10-09T13:23:00.000-06:00

I cant believe BYU! i was soooooooo excited when i heard the news about the cougs kickin UCla! thats awesome. i cant believe it, and the cowgirls. man alive i miss it somtimes. I heard the broncos are doing good tooSo we are finally returned almost back to normal. I am we got back on Friday to our apartments. Ike hit pretty good in some parts around here. It was pretty crazy.We spend about 5 days living in the sugarland stake center, without any power. It was the most different week of my mission. We spent the whole time doing service and helping ppl. Moving fallen trees that have fallen on ppls houses and in their yards.We came home really tired everytime. It was cool, they sent us all over. I got to go back to texas city and league city and i saw some ppl i know, and some ppl i baptized. It was pretty sad to see how Ike just completely turned some ppls lifes around. Flooded and beaten down houses. But its great to be able to help them and see a little light enter their lives. its amazing how organized the church is. We were the only ones out there cleaning up for a long time, and the only ones doing it for free. It was great to help out. and it was actually kind nice to get a break from normal life and change things up for a week. Living in the church. Showering in the baptismal font.. hmmm.. yep. Not many ppl can say they have done that..(with permission i might add, ha)But things are good here. Two of our investigators made it to church this week. Marlen (from el salvador) and Alex(from mexico). They are both good and i think they might have baptismal dates by the next time we talk. THey are awesome. We had such a good lesson with Marlen. Its great to be able to speak spanish.. and speak well enough that i can say really anything i want.. not to brag, but ive been out a while and am still learning, but i speak well. We were talking to here about Moroni chap 10. we went over moronis promise and talked to her about it. It went great, she really understands that she can read the book of mormon and have faith and pray and know its true. Then i asked her a question. I will try to translate it to english, but it sounds better in spanish, I said, If you could make a promise with God, a covenant, just between you and him,and you would promise that you will follow him, that you will take his name upon you and that you will obey him... and he would promise to give you the holy ghost, to lead and protect you, always, and that he would make you completely clean..and would give you a way to always stay clean.. what would you do?You can guess what she said, So then we explained baptism to her, how it is the gate to enter on the path to God, and she can make that promise with God. Then i asked, What would prevent you from making that promise with Heavenly Father? Nothing. It was cool. She is ready and really understands what she needs to do. SHe loved church. She is doing great. I love my mission. This is the best thing i can be doing right now with my life. Sometimes, it is so hard, i almost want to give up or take a break, but i cant, there is too much to do. Before my mission, i really wondered if i could do this. I barely understood the gospel, how was i supposed to teach it to others?I saw missionaries and never realized i could do what they do. It scared me a little. But here i am. I am a missionary of my Saviors church, i love it. There is nothing better than this.

So I am a mermaid....

2008-10-06T19:28:00.003-06:00

Hmmm.... so I am a mermaid.... makes sense.... considering how I hate my hair to get wet, and I don't love the ocean....course, it's not the actual ocean I am opposed to... it is the feel of the sand on my feet and hands that I dislike. I guess Ariel technically doesn't spend much time on the beach, does she?
You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

JordySue and RiRi

2008-10-04T21:30:00.003-06:00

You tell the story... I got nothing....

Go Cougars....

2008-10-02T13:35:00.006-06:00

So I have had a few funny encounters with Ute fans lately here in Tooele, both at Walmart.... last week I was coming out of the store. Getting out of a van parked right next to my car was a woman with a few small children. As I approached and opened my trunk, the woman said to her young son...
lady.. "go ahead, tell her"
little boy.."I like your BYU sticker on your car"
me... "thank you... Go Cougars!"
little boy.... big grin
lady..."he loves the cougars, but his dad is a UTE fan"
me.... "Oh no.... Booooo Utes"
at this point, the dad comes around from the other side of the van...
dad..."That's not very nice.... I don't boo the Cougars..."
me..."then you're not a real UTE fan..."
haha... this got a good laugh from his wife...and me I might add...

Other story... I am in line waiting to pay, and this girl, maybe 11 or 12, is helping her mom put groceries on the counter... this girl is wearing a BYU t-shirt... she pulls out a half gallon of UTE icecream and with a VERY disgusted tone says....
girl..."Mom... don't buy THIS icecream... you need to buy the BLUE kind...
mom..."no, this is the kind we want to buy..."
girl.." No, I'm going to go hurry and trade it..."
mom..."leave it alone, that is the kind I am buying"
girl.... "I won't eat it..."
mom..."fine then, don't"
girl..."please mom? Let me trade it..."
at this point the mother notices me, and can see that I am very amused by the exchange. She says "my daughter is confused... she's the only one in our family who likes the cougars"
I tell her that I am with her daughter on this one.... and then I tell the daughter that I am very proud of her courage to rise above her upbringing.... haha....cause that takes courage to stand up for the right when you live with a bunch of 'heathens'.... sorry Kelly D...
Anyway... our Cougars are having a heck of a year so far.... ranked 7 and 8 in the polls.... WooHoo! Tomorrow Ed and I will be driving up to Logan to watch the Cougs take it to the Aggies.... whom any other weekend we would totally root for.... then a relaxing weekend of conference... I love conference... I think I have mentioned this before... I get this love from my mother... so we will enjoy it together.

Fall...

2008-09-29T13:18:00.006-06:00

I love this time of year.... I love everything about it. The weather, the changing leaves, the crispness in the air, kids going back to school (what's not to love about that...) tomatoes from the garden, apples ripening, my list goes on and on....
my mom used to always complain that our fall kept getting jipped. (how do you spell jipped?) We kept going from hot summer straight to winter snow...but in the last 3 years since she has been gone (and yes, it has been 3 years) we have been blessed with beautiful falls... I think that is no coincidence. I think that is her gift to us... so I will not take it for granted..... thanks mom.

Girl Trip anyone?

2008-09-20T20:29:00.008-06:00

So my friend Kori is a travel wizard... She is the best at putting together travel arrangements. She is a travel agent who specializes in premium cruises. Anyway, she is embarking on a new venture (adventure) that I am really excited about... because I get to go. She is going to put together hosted girl trips... did ya hear me? Girl trips... the kind without husbands or kids.... doesn't that sound like heaven? It is... trust me. And Kori knows her stuff. My friends and I have actually traveled on many a girl trip together, and Kori is always in charge of the arrangements. Anyway... I would like to help her get the word out. She would like to take a small group of women (6) for her first trip... just to get her feet wet. After that, the groups will be for 20. She would like to take a group to Santa Monica, Hollywood, Universal Studios, and best of all... to go see Wicked at the Pantages Theater... sign me up. I am going. Who's going with me? This will be a 4 day/3 night trip which is all inclusive (minus personal spending money). The projected cost is around $800.00 per person... depending on airfare. It includes airfare, ticket to wicked, entrance into Universal, hotel costs, and meals... yes, you heard me... your meals are included. So, if you would like more info... please leave a comment. If you want to see what she is all about, please visit her blog... I'm escaping...which is one of my favorite links... and let her know what you think. Future trips she would like to pull together would include Branson Missouri, NewYork City, cruises, etc... And if you would REALLY like to help her get started, please add her to your blog's list of favorite links. Let's get the word out, and help a fellow sister get her business going.... better yet, come with us.

Tyson update...

2008-09-14T12:55:00.002-06:00

One quick message from Tyson's mission pres....

Dear Parents & families:
>
>I have been in touch with all of the missionaries today and all are
>fine. They are now involved in clean-up efforts and are enjoying
>being of service. Thank you for your prayers and concern. We have
>been blessed.
>
>With love,
>
>Pres. Allred
>
So my baby is fine.... Joey

Life is precious...

2008-09-14T12:29:00.004-06:00

We lost a very dear friend on Friday afternoon to a tragic auto accident. Brent Oborn was one of the very first people that Ed and I met when moving to Tooele. His wife Debbie has been one of my closest friends from that time on. They managed the apartments that we moved into when Ed graduated from BYU, and we have remained very close since. As I sit here in shock and disbelief, my mind keeps thinking how precious life is, and how we just can't take anything for granted...savor every moment... don't let the small mundane things get you down, and rule your life. Enjoy what you have... cause you don't know what tomorrow will bring. My heart is breaking for my sweet, sweet friend who is now wondering how to go on... and my thoughts and prayers are constantly with her, and her 8 beautiful children. I can't begin to comprehend what it would be like to lose a spouse, but I have been thinking about my mom alot the past few days... and how she struggled after losing her sweetheart. One of the things that she talked to me about just days before her passing was how hard parts of her life had been... but that she had agreed to those trials in the pre-existence, and had even been excited to take them on... she said that she had agreed to come to earth to do "the hard stuff"... and she wanted me to know that her battle with cancer was really hard, but that she wasn't complaining, because she knew she could get through it with the Lord's help. She was such an inspiration to me, and I will never forget that conversation we had that day. Debbie... I just want you to know that your Heavenly Father loves you, and knows that you are "doing the hard stuff" right now... and he will help you get through it, cause that was the deal. You do as much as you can, and he will help you with the rest. For the rest of you out there.... don't take one second for granted... live as if you don't have tomorrow... and remember that I love you... Joey

Coming along nicely...

2008-09-12T08:28:00.004-06:00

Well, the swelling is almost gone, and the color is deepening...
So this little boy did give me some resistance about the picture today... I said "come on bud... people are waiting for this, don't ya know? (haha)..don't you know you are famous?" He just laughed at me and said the pictures always come out goofy looking... So I told him to stop looking so goofy then....and he says "It's your fault mom... you're just not a very good artist.... What? What is that supposed to mean.... am I not a good photographer, or did I not do a good job in the actual designing and creating of the actual product being photographed??? Hmmmm... something to ponder.... it did make me laugh... and excuse me, but anyone who really knows me knows that I am a FANTASTIC artist! And I have adorable children... what does he know anyway... Joey

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-11T11:17:00.004-06:00

So for everyone out there worried about my missionary and hurricane Ike, I am posting this map so you can see where he is (his area is marked with the red A). He should most likely experience extreme winds and rain, but nothing too serious... now check out where Texas City is... right along the eastern side of the coast... that is where he was before his last transfer... please pray for the missionaries in that area. They are part of Tyson's zone... his mission president is keeping the parents informed of all happenings out there, and I am sure those missionaries will be moved for a bit... anyway... just thought I would share, cause we have had many concerned inquiries.... Joey

Day two...

2008-09-10T21:48:00.004-06:00

Day two of the eye saga.... so the swelling has gone down quite a bit, but is starting to turn a lovely shade of lavender.... with some nice hues of burgandy on the lid... at least he's smiling today, right? He is totally humoring me on this photo logging thing... thinks I'm crazy...hmm..whatever. No comments on the crazy please... Joey

My poor baby...

2008-09-09T17:17:00.002-06:00

What's up with 2 posts in a day, and like 4 in a week? Yeah, I know... weird... but this just happened to my baby boy about an hour ago... Trampoline incident... quite the goose egg... we will have to watch how this thing colors nicely... Joey

Tyson the writer...

2008-09-09T15:27:00.005-06:00

So I just have to post a bit from Ty's email a few weeks ago.... He has a gift for writing, which was apparent clear back in elementary school... Mom used to be so proud of anything that he wrote, and would gush on and on about how it is in his genes... his grandpa Linton was a gifted writer as well.... anyway, she used to always tell him that's what he should do when he got older... and he would just kinda shrug his shoulders...
anyway... it looks like he may finally be realizing what we already knew... who out there is dying to read this "Brotherhood of the Cloak" besides me???? Anyway, I know his Grandma Jeri is bragging him up to anyone up there with her who will listen... you know how she was... ;)
and sorry about his typing skills... he is obviously much too busy to proofread...

i dont remember if i told you about this or not, but when iwas with elder griffin i started to write a story.. Elder Griffin lovedstories. I started doing it with my extra time at night and during lunchsometimes. Its called the brotherhood of the cloak. It really wasntanything big... but then elder griffin loved it, i mean, loved it. Hewould always beg me to write more story. Anyway, he loved it. THen hegot transferreed,and the story stopped. I didnt think much about it. Well, about 2 weeks ago i mentioned it to elder cooper and he said hewanted to read it. And guess what.. he loves it too. REally. Not onlythat, he read it all, and now the rest of my district is reading it. I know its hard to imagine me actually writing a book, but it comesreally easy, i just sit and write.. and i dont even like to read books.ha. i know, it doesnt make much sense.. but im using a standard schoolnotbook.. like the one with lined pages..and im on page 168 right now!ha. Again.. i know .. its weird.. but they love it. THey all talk aboutit and even quote it. its pretty funny. so i guess i may have to keepwriting a little more and see what happens. Thats what we did for thelast hour of Pday last week, read the BrotherHood of the Cloak. ha. theweird things that happen in a missionaries life... i love it.

Weekend with the nephews....

2008-09-08T19:45:00.020-06:00

So how cute are they? We had Payton, Tate, and Brock for the weekend while Mike and Angie went to Park City for a credit union convention.... (I had to swipe this photo from Angie's blog cause these boys didn't hold still long enough for me to take many pictures....)
Brockie thought it was great fun to sit under the tramp and throw rocks up at Tate while he jumped...

Jordyn and I took Tate and Brock to McDonald's one night while Payton went swimming with Colton and Cameron...

So much energy in two little boys.....

Jordyn is trying to get Brock to go up to the top, but he said it was scary.... scary? I didn't think Brockie was scared of anything.... turns out he changed his mind, and was up at the top within minutes...

TaterBug waiting with great anticipation for me to get his happy meal toy open....

Nightime fun on the tramp....

That's a lot of bubbles for two little boys... they giggled, and they giggled... and then giggled some more.... how cute is that?

Uncle Eddie took the boys up to the reservoir (half a mile up the road from our house at the mouth of Settlement Canyon) to throw rocks in the water... they came home filthy, but very happy... Tate was very impressed by our close proximity to the canyon, and must have told me a million times that I lived in the mountains... this is very, very impressive to a 4 year old....

Sunday we took the boys to church. After sacrament meeting was over Payton asked me if we were going home now... I told him no... he said "We have to go to class?" I said yep, and got a big "Oh man!" outta him.... but he survived the ordeal.... didn't ya Pate?

Anyway....We had a great time, and I think so did Mike and Ange.... Joey

My new toy...

2008-09-06T21:24:00.007-06:00

How fun is that? Way..... Joey

Labor Day Fun....

2008-09-02T10:11:00.010-06:00

So take a good look at the jet skis..... this was supposed to be our fun Labor Day.... jetskiing at Utah Lake.... but did mother nature agree? Swearword no.... 62 degrees for the high, with rain, no less.... so what did we do instead?

We went bowling.... yep...bowling.

We did have a good time... though we were disappointed....

So.... it was me, Ed, Troy, Josh, Jordyn, Colton, and Cameron. Don't have many pictures to share, because my children would not cooperate... so just pretend that you see a picture of Josh and Colton. And sorry about the blurry Troy... he was also trying to dodge a picture.... I surround myself with trouble makes, I tell ya...

Oh well.... at least WE had fun.... Joey

Family Night Fun...

2008-08-31T15:10:00.014-06:00

Last monday night we went to Melody's for a family night swim party.... Just a few pics of the night....

Thanks Melody..... we had a blast! Joey

Back To School...

2008-08-24T18:13:00.016-06:00

So, it's that time of year again... woo hoo!!! Sorry kids... can't help it. You will one day understand my rejoicing....until that happens, accept my apologies... ha. Anyway, Jordyn and Colton started school on thursday the 21 of August. I know... thursday... weird. Anyway, Jordy is a sophmore, and Colton is a mighty 8th grader... big man on campus. 9th grade is in the high school in Tooele County. I was at Education week when the big day came... so they were very helpful, and took their own pictures by the front door... tradition, ya know?

I know, I know... they are very cute... and very accommodating to do this for their crazy mother... which is exactly what little miss Jordyn said... ok mom, but you are crazy. Whatever...
Ok, so now about me, and my fun week....
We stayed in the David John building at Helaman Halls. This is always fun for me, since I stayed in Helaman Halls as a freshman at Byu... always brings back lots of memories. In fact, my first roommate at BYU stayed with me in my dorm on sunday night....that was fun... just like old times...She lives in Spokane, Washington, so I don't see her often...love ya Dawn...
Anyway, Education Week is always an enlightening and spiritual week spent with the best friends in the world... The day starts early, and ends late, with no stops in between. Classes start at 8:30 in the morning, and the last class ends at 9:25. The only way to have a lunch or dinner break is to skip a class, or eat as you walk from class to class... we took a break each day to either have a good lunch or dinner with each other... the rest of the time we packed snacks with us to get us through.

This is Toni and I at a class entitled "Humor in the church." This class had us laughing so hard by the end, because the instructor was anything but funny.... he was actually pretty droll...which really cracked us up...but it was a good diversion for an hour... the class we had attended the hour before had us in tears...

Toni and Kori in the same class....

Me, Suzette, Kori, and Toni in a class about deciphering the words of Isaiah... this class amazed me. The instructor broke it down verse by verse... you should see my scriptures... marked up like crazy... I went back and read those chapters again later, and thought, "I never would have gotten that..." Isaiah for dummies.... perfect... ;)

Toni, me, and Suzette in a class about Revelations. This class was taught by David A. Christensen. This is the cutest older man alive.... personality wise... he was so funny... but made those scriptures make sense as well... not quite as marked up as Isaiah, but almost. I hope he is a presenter again next year, but I hope he teaches a new topic... I would love to sit through his classes again.

I wish I could make this picture a bit larger... I tried. It just gets blurry. It is Kori, Suzy, Chantelle, me, Toni, and Colette at Los Hermanos. Chantelle was one of our young women in the 19th ward. She is now in her junior year of college at BYU. We have remained close with her, and took her to dinner. She is putting in her mission papers this October. She is an amazing young woman. Colette on the end was just baptized a member
in May. This was quite an experience for her. It was fun to see her learn and grow. But I think we wore her out. She suffers from Fibromyalgia... so this was quite alot for her to handle. I hope you recover from your week Colette...

This last picture is of us at Stevenette's Malt Shoppe.... which is a college hangout that I wanted to revisit...just for old times sake...Wednesday was Kori's birthday, and Miss Heather Park (Martin) drove down with the kids to have lunch with her mom. We ate at Mimi's Cafe. I wish I would have remembered to take my camera out and get a shot, but nope.... had it with me though, if that scores any points...Happy Birthday Kori... ;)
Anyway, I am home now, and pretty tired...but it was well worth it. Til next year ladies! Joey

Happy Mom...

2008-08-16T21:54:00.005-06:00

So here is a picture of a VERY happy mom, who is leaving her clan behind for a very much needed break at BYU education week!!! I needed to take a before shot, because I will look exhausted by the end of the week.... yet will be rejuvenated and ready to tackle the world... see ya next week... Joey ;)

WOW how time flies....

2008-08-14T08:56:00.009-06:00

So my good friend Suzette did a fun thing on her blog.... she just had her 19th anniversary, and posted a few pics of their wedding..... and I was thinking.... my bad... I just had my 23rd anniversary on July 26th, and didn't even mention that in my update... so I thought I would do it now....just for fun.... ;)
So... I have been married to the crazy man I married for 23 years.... can you believe it? Time flies... and we still like each other and everything (most of the time).... so here are a few pictures to laugh at.... ( I know... we were babies)...

The picture in the middle makes Ed and I laugh.... it was my mom's favorite.... she thought I looked so innocent...but Ed thinks I am thinking about things to come...not so innocent... who knows... it was forever ago....
Anyway, Happy Anniversary honey.... I still love ya... Joey

MY BEAUTIFUL GIRL!

2008-08-02T16:45:00.004-06:00

So my baby girl finally has her braces off!!!! And just in time for school pictures.... whew.... she was really hoping.... ;) Anyway, she is a cutie, isn't she? Joey

Serious update on the Clayson's

2008-07-28T08:22:00.016-06:00

I have been such a slacker lately... so I have alot to update...hopefully this doesn't end up being too long... anyway....

1. My Joshie turned 18 on May 3rd... where does the time go, I ask ya? I only have him at home for 3 more weeks, then he is on to a new phase of his life... he is moving to Spanish Fork with Steve, will be working at the Spanish Fork credit union branch with Mike.... half a block away from Grandma's house.... fun times.. he is really excited, but not nearly as excited as Payton is... he has been counting down the days for a while now.... anyway, here is a picture of my cute birthday boy with Mikal... He plans on attending UVU for a semester before his mission....

2. Again about Josh.... he graduated fromTooele High School the end of may....he has always been a very good student, and graduated with 50+ hours of college credits earned through the high school college program...it should only take him one semester in college to earn his associates degree... way to go Josh!

3. Our family went down to Manti in the middle of June for the pageant... we pulled the trailer and four-wheelers down and camped for 3 days....tradition for we Clayson's. The weather was beautiful... not too hot, not too cold... pageant was as great as it always is... Ed, Colton, and Troy had a lot of time for fishing... and the fishing was great... don't know how many they caught...way to many to count...but they only kept a handful.
Here is Troy with his "I am so sexy pose"....

Jordy Sue with her "don't mess with me stance" such a little princess...
I would go 4-wheeling with her, and would try to avoid the mud puddles... but not this little girl...right through the middle, full speed... that is not my child...anyway, we had a great time....

4. I started a new job on June 23.... working for O'currance Teleservices taking inbound sales calls for a company called Infinite Mind EyeQ. It is a reading and comprehension program. I trained for 4 weeks in their West Valley office before being sent to work from home... yep, from home. I take the calls through my home phone line. I really like it so far, other than I am working way too many hours. I have not given up my job for the chiropractor... I really like my job there, but this new job pays alot more. I thought once I was through with training, and was set up from home, and could see that it was the real deal (which it is), that I would let the other one go.... but that is going to be much harder to do than I thought... I feel like the people that I work with are family....makes me sad to think about quitting... so here I am, working around 65 hours a week.... insane.... don't even ask me why...cause I don't have an answer...

5. Jordy had her 15th birthday on July 2....again, where does the time go? I swear it seems like only yesterday that I finally had my little girl.... and she is my girl....(other than that 4-wheeling in the mud thing) we have always had a lot of fun together...her favorite thing is for dad and the boys to go away for the weekend....leaving us to play... and play we do... Happy Birthday Jordy Sue... I love you little girl...

6. We finally got the stamped concrete patio poured in the backyard, and got the sod in... the only thing left to do is seal the concrete with a gloss finish, and put the stairs back on.... it is gorgeous.... but I am sooo impatient for the all the perennials, bushes, and trees to fill in and mature...We have worked so hard trying to get this backyard in...big job when you are cutting into the mountainside...Thanks Ed... it is fabulous... ;)

well, I think that should just about catch me up....I should do a better job now that I am on my computer at home for 6 hours in the morning.... fun job that pays me to blog, IM with friends all morning, and play a few rounds of spider solitaire, all while still in my jammies.... ;) Joey

2008-07-10T17:34:00.003-06:00

Just a really quick blog here for all you Tyson fans...and who wouldn't be, I know...
his address has changed... it is:
7310 corporate #207
Houston, Texas 77036

He has been called to serve as Zone Leader. This is really not so surprising, but what is kind of surprising is that he has not served as a District Leader yet. His mission president says he needs him now. He is a little nervous, but will do an amazing job. He has not done anything but above and beyond in his duties to his Heavenly Father. We love you Ty....

2008-07-05T17:59:00.006-06:00

Ok, so I have been insanely busy....I am so embarrassed by the time lapse between blogs... and I got to be honest with ya... the only reason I am blogging now is because my good friend Heather has called me out on her blog. Yep, I have been tagged (like a week ago), so here goes...
3 joys-
snuggling up with a good book
listening to really good music(and maybe dancing, and singing in the mirror)
spending time with Sarandon and Dantley (ok, and Heather...and maybe Kerry ;)

3 fears-
not being a good mother
falling down and breaking my two front teeth (true phobia...stop laughing)
I used to be VERY afraid of moths... but I kicked that phobia....

3 current goals-
having no debt
finishing landscaping the yard (almost there)
losing those obstinate 20 (really 30) pounds

3 current obsessions(collections/preoccupations)-
my new job...and still working my old job, so I am basically just trying to find time to sleep.... ;)
working out on my new elliptical trainer
keeping the hundreds of flower beds in the yard weed free....

3 random surprising facts about me-
I was put in the boys gym class not once, but twice... (Joey.. go figure...)
I had a warrant out for my arrest for failing to register with the selective service... (again the Joey thing..)
Deep down I am very, very shy (true story)

Anyway, there ya go Miss Heather Pawk....tag answered baby... so I tag Suzette and Shan...tag you're it... Joey

JR. PROM 2008!!!

2008-04-28T16:01:00.017-06:00

Well here we go again...another Prom for Joshie... I couldn't get Tyson to go, but Josher thinks he needs to go twice... figures... anyway, we (yep we, he invited Ed and I along again this year..) had a fabulous, but very tiring day. So the day goes like this:

Ed and I acted as chauffers again this year...I guess we passed the cool test once again...quite an accomplishment on our part ... anyway, we took the kids in to Boondocks in Draper, where they played mini golf, lazer tag, and rode go carts. After a wonderful lunch at Arctic Circle, we headed home to get ready for the big night. At 6:30 we picked up Mikal (Josh's date).
This is a picture of Mikal coming down her staircase...her mother and I made her do it twice, because she came down too fast the first time...thanks Mikal, for humoring us. ;)

I think one of my favorite parts of the night was watching Josh give Mikal's 3 year old niece Kamree her very own corsage. Kamree had been sooo excited for prom. Had her own dress and everything. Every time Josh would go to Mikal's, she would have to show him her prom dress...so he decided it would be fun to give her flowers too. I have to say I was quite impressed that he thought of this idea all on his own... a proud mama moment...he's quite the charmer. Kamree is usually quite a talker, but she was sooo shy about the whole thing. It was adorable.

We took the two couples in to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for a very nice dinner over looking temple square...then they wandered around temple square for a while. Mikal says she felt like a princess from "Enchanted". She looked like one, too. Ed and I had a great dinner at Charlie Chow's. Some of the best chinese I have had for a very long time. We then took the group up to the state capitol for the prom. We stayed just long enough to see the juniors promenade...this is a special ballroom dance only the juniors do for the parents. It is a pretty neat tradition here at Tooele High School. Porshae (one of my young women) was crowned Duchess in the prom royalty. This is like being 2nd attendant. Pretty exciting. Way to go, Miss Porshae! Ed and I disappeared, as all good chauffers do, and went to Squirrel Brothers for some ice cream. After the prom, we carted everyone home to our house for some late night video watching....everyone had a great time, but I am pooped. Josh got to sleep in the next morning....but Ed had to have the rental (chrysler Aspen, very nice...we put the very first mile on it) back in salt lake the next morning, and I had a special morning fireside for Relief Society. Janice Kapp Perry was the guest speaker...she was worth getting up for...what an amazing woman. Anyway..it was a pretty fun week. I will post next week and let you know how FLOOR SEATS to Trace Adkins worked out for me! ;)

2008-04-16T14:59:00.002-06:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my last entry...lazy, lazy, lazy. Sorry;(. The past few weeks have been busy. We took the 4-wheelers out over conference weekend and went camping...ok, I didn't technically go camping...I slept in my own bed every night....but Ed, Jordy, and Colton camped. That's what happens when you camp 40 minutes from home I guess... king size feather bed all to myself, and a nice warm jetted tub, or a trailer with a bunch of camp fire stinky people...anyway, I made my choice!
I really enjoyed watching conference. I always look forward to it. I got this love from my mother. I always feel her with me while I watch. We took the satellite dish with us, and watched the sessions in the trailer. This was kinda fun. I did stay home sunday, and watched curled up in my bed, in a very quiet house. Mmmmmm, it was awesome. Anyway, what a thrill it was to participate in the solemn assembly. President Monson is truly a prophet. What a blessing it is to have this personal confirmation by the Holy Spirit. We are truly blessed.
Last week Ed and I spent 4 days in St. George. What perfect weather! We left Wednesday afternoon. Ed had a conference on Thursday, so I spent the afternoon with Sharee (she lives there) shopping and lunching. I had breakfast every morning at the poolside... did I mention perfect weather? Anyway, Ed and I shopped Friday until we couldn't fit one more thing in the car. It was a very welcome break from the cold weather. We did our best to bring some sunshine home with us...lasted a good two days I think, and then yep, more snow....at least it doesn't stick around this time of year. Anyway, we are all doing well...Tyson is having a fabulous time in Texas. He had 2 more baptisms last week. He did have a knife pulled on him by a drunk man, but he swears it was nothing for his mom to panic about...or his Grandma Olive. We both gave him a good talking to about staying out of trouble...but I am sure he wasn't listening to either one of us....
I hope all is well with everyone.... Joey

Fun Week!

2008-03-20T14:26:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I have missed a post or two the last few weeks, so I will try to fill you in. On 2/12/08 my friend Sharee was up from St.George for a business meeting. She came up a day early so that we could get together for lunch...so Toni, Sharee, Kori, Heather, and I went to the Cheesecake Factory...so good....need I say more? Later that night, Kori and Sharee called and said "wouldn't it be fun if we came to your house and fixed you dinner, and watched a movie on the big screen?" Of course I thought this was a fabulous idea! We watched 'Freedom Writers'. Very good flick. I highly recommend it.
On 2/14/08 Heather and Kerry went to Wendover for a little get-away night. I had the girls. We had lots of fun, (as we always do), but I didn't get much sleep that night. Dantley was not content to just sleep next to me...nope, she pretty much thought that under me would be a good idea...and then the kicking...and kicking...she however slept like a rock.

After the girls went home, Troy, Ed, my friend Lindsay and I went to see Lonestar in Wendover! Great concert! They have a new lead singer who started touring with them last September. It was a bit weird at first, but he is really good. Ed likes him better. Anyway, we had great food, and a great time!

Yesterday, 3/19/08, my friend Heather had her second baby.. another boy! His name is Carter LeGrand Martin. He was 7 lbs. 5 oz, and 19 inches long. Born at 1:33pm. He is adorable. Looks alot like big brother Kaden. Anyway, congrats Heather and Mark!I am so excited for you!

Wicked clips

2008-03-02T19:09:00.007-07:00

DisneyLand Girl's Trip!!!

2008-03-02T18:02:00.011-07:00

Oh boy, did we have fun!!! Alot of people have said..."4 women in Disneyland without their kids? What did you do? Did you ride rides? Isn't that a little strange?" I say heck no....it was amazingly good fun... I went with Toni Broadhead, Kori Park, and Sharee Webb. We left monday afternoon, and drove to St. George to pick up Sharee...we stayed the night at her house, and left early tuesday morning to go to Anaheim. That night we went to 'Wicked' in L.A. at the Pantages Theater. This I would have to say was the highlight of the trip. If you don't know about this production, read up. (I do hear that the novel is a little bit naughty, so beware if you go this route...)It is the story of the wizard of oz before Dorothy enters the picture. It is hilarious. The music is amazing. The cast was awesome. I would go again tomorrow if I could. This is a picture of Elfphaba (wicked witch of the west) and Glinda (the good witch of the north) when they were college roommates....yep, that's right, college roommates. Anyway, if you get the chance, go see...and take me with you.
As for Disneyland, we went on Wednesday and Thursday. I would have to say that the Hollywood Tower of Terror was definately the funnest ride there. We rode it over and over again. I am posting the pictures that the ride took of us. We had alot of fun with this. As we stood in line for the ride we would decide what we would all do in the picture....I know....crazy ladies...but we had a blast. We had to ride it one time first to figure out the timing of the camera. I have a real look of terror in that one. The second picture is supposed to be of the 'see no evil monkey...except there were 4 of us, so Toni is smell no evil....Sharee really dropped the ball on this picture...speak no evil...whatever...she forgot...anyway, check out the man on the front row in the 3rd picture of us with our hands to our mouths. He was in line with us, and knew what we were planning, and is watching us to see if we really do it or not...he thought we were very cool. I am sure that's what he thought....did I mention we had fun? We really did an awful job of taking pictures...the one of Toni and I wearing red is in the restaurant in Hollywood before the play. The other is of us in the teacups at Disney. That's pretty much all I have. Sorry....too busy playing to remember I had a camera with me. Anyway, that has always been Suzette's job, and she couldn't come play....:( We missed you, Suzy....
We left to drive home on Friday morning, and drove straight through. Got home just before 10:00 pm...that's a long day by the way... anyway, it is good to have such great friends who let you be who you are, good to have great husbands who let us play without any guilt, and good to be home. Joey

Girls Day Dance

2008-02-24T22:16:00.006-07:00

Just a really quick post this week. It is late at night, and I am packing for my girl trip...(sorry to bring that up, Heather Martin ;), but Josh had some pictures sent to him from the Girls Day Dance. It was last Saturday...His date was Kelsey...the cute brunette in the coral red dress...anyway, they had alot of fun that day. They spent the early afternoon at the institute building playing ping pong, ice hockey, etc....then had dinner at one of the girl's homes, then went to the dance at the high school later that night. You have to admit I have a pretty good looking boy....that's my Joshie.... Joey
(In case you are wondering about the last picture....he apparently received a marriage proposal from Chase...)
p.s. Tyson's new address is 8800 glacier ave #239
Texas City, TX 77591

2008-02-20T16:26:00.002-07:00

Today is officially hump day for Tyson!! Yep, that's right....he has been out for a year now...I can't believe how time is flying. He was transfered last week, and hasn't emailed to give us his new address. I will post as soon as I know.
I am a little behind on the posting this month. Our trip to LongBeach with the kids was alot of fun. We flew out on the 2nd at 6:00 in the morning....Ed didn't want to miss a minute of fun...that day we drove up to L.A. and went to Magic Mountain. It was a blast. Lots of good coasters there, but man, a lot of hiking involved. Needless to say, we were pretty tired that night. Sunday we went to church to a local ward in Anaheim. That was kinda fun...then went to visit some friends who live in close...then watched the superbowl later that night....Go Giants!!! (Josh's team, by the way). Monday was spent at the beach, and then some shopping and then Downtown Disney. Tuesday was some more shopping...Jordyn had to find some furry boots...then we drove up to Santa Monica Pier...and flew home late that night. Fun, fun, fun.We were pretty tired the next day, but it was good to get out of the snow. Anyway, that's it for now. I leave on my girl trip to Disney in a few days....so I will report later... ;) Joey

2008-01-26T16:41:00.001-07:00

We got Tyson's memory card in the mail yesterday, so I thought I would share a picture of him....he is such a serious boy....yeah, what ever.

We had a good week for Jr. Jazz basketball. All 3 kids won their game today! WooHoo! Jordyn even took a shot and scored...her first of the season, after Troy talked smack with her about never taking a shot....she showed you, didn't she, little brother? Anyway, it was a good, if not long afternoon of basketball.

Well, I seemed to have aged another year this week. I must say that I have had better birthdays. It was a hard week for us all, and to top it all off, I was in bed sick for the day. For those of you that know me well, and know how I love to be the birthday "Queen", this was definately a bummer....I hope for better next year.

Just in case any of you haven't heard, we are having a celebration of Steve's life at Heather's church on monday, January 28 at 1:00pm. The address is 4000 s. 1150 w. in Riverdale. I believe 1150 w. is also known as Parker's Dr. The easiest way to get there from the south is to take the 31st street exit, get on the frontage road(which is Parker's Dr.) and double back to the south. Anyway, it will be casual dress, and there will be a luncheon provided by Heather's ward. I want to thank everyone for their love and concern, and prayers on behalf of our family. We couldn't get through this without you. Joey

2008-01-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

I wish I had not so sad news this week, but for those of you who knew my brother Steve, he passed away this last week on January 16. The circumstances of his death were tragic (not a suicide), and saddens me more than I can express in words. I am not yet in a place where I can talk about it without falling apart, but maybe soon. As Heather and I have been getting an obituary ready, I came across this picture, and thought I would post it. He was such a beautiful little boy. I know that Steve is now happy, and with his earthly and heavenly parents, and can finally progress, where he just couldn't in this life, but it is still so hard. We love you Steve. Joey

2008-01-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Cold, cold, cold......that's really all I have to say for this week.......Brrr. I think all of Tooele is frozen. It has been a pretty uneventful week full of work, basketball games (all 3 kids are playing), and the usual mom stuff. I am very happy, and a little embarrassed to admit that the highlight of the week was finally getting all of the christmas put away on saturday night. Hey, I say I put it all up, someone else should have to take it all down......unfortunately, I am the only one who sees this reasoning. The rest of the family thinks "the crazy lady put it all up, she can take it all down"....and so it goes....Anyway, we are all doing well. Hope you all have a great week! Joey

From Tyson last week:

yep things here are pretty good, still warm, usually about 65 70 here, no snow, not too much rain,.. its pretty sweet. we just got out of a funeral. one of the converts from about 4 months ago died from cancer,.. and so the missionaries in the ward were asked to usher, and they volunteered the rest of the District as well. It was ok, but kinda long. Its weird when i really sit down and think about how much time i actually spend in the church and talking about it. ha. but it was good, him being a convert, there were plenty of non members there and there was lots of plan of salvation talk. i felt like alot of ppl were comforted and feel alot better, and hopefully learned something goodabout us and felt the spirit. tomorrow we will have interviews with pres again, i like those, i know there are some missionaries who dont look forward to them, but when he doesnt have anything to yell at ya for, you dont get yelled at. this last week at church was really good, this new family that we have been working with, la familia perez, came to church. its a family of 5 and they seemed to enjoy church. i like them alot and have faith that they will go far. they are awesome and im really exited to work with them,. the work here is going well and seems to be picking up. i was sick this last wendsday and thursday... we are at Chili's(not as good as applebee's) and i think it was the spicy buffalo wings that got me. i felt horrible for about 2 and a half days and prety much stayed in bed. i hadnt been that sick in along time, and i lost almost 10 pounds, which is annoying, cause now i have to go back to the gym and work it back on, i feel super skinny. but im fine now.things here are good, the ppl are good, the food is good and the spanish is good. love ya

2008-01-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, not alot to report this week.... we did have a horrible wind storm friday night that caused some damage in the yard. Not to the house...thank heaven's, but with things like the barbeque grill blown off the deck, patio table damage(repairable), and the saddest of all....the BYU flagpole is down.......leveled......dead. This is very sad news..... we had one man in our ward ask Ed..."so when a BYU flag touches the ground, do you have to burn it? And if so, can I be a part of that?"...Thanks Rob, way to kick a man when he's down.... ;) Anyway, not much else has gone on this week.... I am posting part of Tyson's email from last week..... Joey

christmas was very good but a little differerent. i like to consider myself pretty tough, and i dont get homesick.. but i couldnt help but think about home and going to grandmas and seeing the cousins and everything,. but i never got homesick or sad. i love it out here so much. i really feel like if i wasnt here, i would hate myself, i would just have an emptiness for the rest of my life. i love working with the ppl here so much. especially the spanish culture. they are awesome. we had some killer french toast for breakfast on christmas and some good food with other members for dinner. wayyyy to much food hah! im shocked im not fat. i finally got your package. ha, thanks, i like the scripture case alot. its perfect. it looks really nice. and the food is all good, and yeah, the other guys in the apartment thought it was a tad odd that i got baby food, but i was pretty exited for it. ha, so they just laughed. we as missionaries were taken care of for christmas. 2 reasons i think, there are alot of parents with boys on missions, and we are partially in an english ward... so they know how to do christmas and they have money. i did have a question about the cd you sent me though... haha. im not exactly sure what to think about it,. cause yeah, its pretty country, and also its all about women and love and junk like that,. but the elders in the apartment and i were laughing pretty good at it.. but im not sure if that was the intent or not. anyways, as far as the official rule go's for the mission on music.. its pretty vague, it just has to bring and spirit and be appropriate. which leaves a wide range of music. but anything like himns of course is ok. but also stuff like the tribute to the prophet and even stuff like the best 2 yrs soundtrack. (both of which i have)the work here is picking up. we are really working hard. we just finished our 100% week. i think i told you about that. I called it Heaven week, like "hell week" in high school football, where we just wear ourselves out. and it helped alot. the rest of the missionaries followed it well and we are seeing alot of lessons taught. for us in particular, we usually have anywhere between 1 and 3 new investigators each week, and we had 8. thats a great jump. i could say i would like to keep it up there, keep this pace of working hard and such, but i want more. i know we can do more and work harder. i want to see more baptisms here. the average here is low, i want to change that, and i know with hard work and obedience, along with working more with the members, we can change that.we are currentyl teaching about 23 to 29 lessons(good lessons with good ppl), which leads lessons taught per week in the mission, or atleast its high. i love it down here. come feb i will hit the yr mark. weird. i dont want to be on the down hill, once that happens the time is going to speed up.. i dont want that. well, i guess i wrote enough, thanks for everything,. go cougs!! i will be sending home a memory card within the next few weeks. enjoylove ya!

2007-12-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, another year has almost come and gone. Today is Christmas, and I am exhausted. We have had a busy, crazy week. We took the kids to Las Vegas to watch BYU play in the Vegas Bowl against UCLA. Talk about a nail biter, but more on that later. We were gone from the 21-23rd. Then later on the 23rd we had the Clayson family Christmas party with Ed's family. Had a very nice dinner (thanks mom), and exchanged presents. We had fun, as usual, but I have no pictures to show for it.....maybe Angie will donate a few....
I also have no pictures of Christmas....I am such a loser when it comes to that sometimes. I didn't even get any of Sarandon and Dantley today. Heather, any to share? So I guess the best that I can do is post the pictures from our Christmas card. I guess you better take what you can get. And don't let those smiling children fool ya, either...they were not happy children...they were complaining the whole time...."I'm cold...there's snow in my shoe....blah, blah,blah..."
Anyway, the highlight of our day today was a phone call from our missionary. He called us from a members home. They were fixing him french toast for breakfast...It makes me happy to know there is a mom out there somewhere looking out for my boy. He is doing well, and loves what he is doing. His attitude is always positive, and he looks for the fun in any situation. I know that alot of the people he has taught have been drawn to this trait. He is truly doing his father's work, and takes it very seriously...I am a very proud mom, and have been missing him alot today.
Well, Santa treated us very well this year. For the second year in a row, we stayed home for christmas day. Heather and her family, and Troy came to our house for dinner. It was nice to just relax and enjoy each other's company. Of course the Wii that Santa surprised everyone with might have done some of the entertaining. The other present the kids were surprised with will be enjoyed in February, when we fly to Long Beach, CA for a much needed winter break.
So back to the game....I knew you were all waiting for me to get back to BYU football....we had a blast. We left early friday morning, and stayed at the Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas. We drove down with the kids, Troy, Mike, Steve, and Rick (Angie's uncle). We played around that night, and had a nice prime rib dinner (ok, Mike whined about dinner...they didn't have corndogs...) Saturday we shopped at the two outlet malls in Vegas. Troy poked fun at this a bit...."I can't believe it is 3 days before Christmas, and you guys are going shopping....." Troy, have you ever been with the Clayson Boys when they haven't gone outlet shopping? Anyway, there are a few traditions that have been born on these Vegas trips...that is one of them. Another is eating at an In'N'Out Burger before the big game. This is very important. So is going to the 'pink' 99 cent store. Yes, we have dollar stores in Utah, but apparently this one is WAY better.
Troy did buy some very nice strawberry body wash, which he left in my car, and I later wrapped up and gave him for christmas....best present ever...anyway, we did make it to the game, we did win 17-16 with a blocked field goal for UCLA's almost win in the last 3 seconds of the game...(my heart has finally started beating again), and we had a blast. Troy said if we had lost, he was going to take a taxi back to Utah to avoid riding with Ed....
Anyway, all is well with the Clayson's. Tomorrow it is back to the real world. I will probably get more rest at work anyway... Joey

2007-12-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I haven't been the best at posting Ty's emails the last 3 weeks, but in my defense, my life has been crazy busy at work since the week of Thanksgiving....since our receptionist quit, and me and one other girl have had to split the front desk duties for the week, and still find the time to get our own jobs done....so you will just have to give me a break.....please.... ;) anyway, Ty was finally transferred to a new area. This was pretty exciting news, as you will read. Joey
(sorry about his spelling.....I don't think he proof reads....anyway, that should keep you busy, Heather...haha)
From November 19, 2007
go cougarsoh my fricken gosh i have so much adrenaline pumping through me rightnow... too much stuff going on! im going to lose it!and i got news,,.IM GETTING TRANSFERRedyeah, about time, 7 and a half months here, 5 transfers,. i found outthis morning, i am pretty exited. this was an aweseom area, good ward,good companions and some way good recent converts, .. with 2 baptismsthat i will get to come back and see. but i wont find out where imgoing till wendsday.. man im so stoked! too much stuff to think about!transfers.. byu.. utah.. thanksgivin.. bday.. scriptures! ah i love itgo cougars i dont know what to think about the cougs utes game.. im soscared, i made it throughtr the other games pretty well, but this oneis already gettin to me,... i got too much blue clayson blood in medang it!thats cool that beck is going to start, man i hope he does well, weneed another good qb int he nfl.go cougarsabout tthe scriptures, im thinking black or blue... suprise me.. sograndma tells me taht shes sending somehtin, i think she said that shesent it to the office, thats good, cause im outta here! im glad imleaving, a change will be very good, and i knwo i left this areaalllllooooooooot better off than when i got it.go cougarsso for my day i will be getting transfered and a new comp and newarea... everyone in my district is guesssing that i will english.causeeveryone that is spanish has to spend their time over in englishatleast for a little while. my comp was there for about 8 months. butmy Zone leader was only in it for 2 months,. i hope i never have to ..

From November 26...
2525 st christopher ave #1615League City TX 77573thats the new address, im down more in the small city now, its weird. im so used to being right smack in the middle of everything, now we are about 45 minutes away from houston.my companions name is Elder Marsh. its funny cuz i took his spot when i got to my last area, he was the elder i replaced. now im here with him. because he was elder griffins comp and mine, i heard plenty about him, mostly good things, elder griffin always told me that me and marsh would get along really well.... and we do. ha, we are going to have so much fun this transfer,. he has been in the mission about 4 months longer than i have, and is the District Leader. Hes way cool, and he loves me, he tells me all the time how he has missed having a funny comp. He is a good missionary. but i think him and his last comp were a little disobedient, and me being with him will make him a better missionary, he has already told me that i have. its kinda funny that he is district leader, but i have to control him somtimes. ha. but hes not that bad, we get along way good. i just think pres. is figuring out that if he puts me with a cool comp, that is good, but has some problems being obedient , that i will fix them, and they will still have fun. it worked with E. Hildreth.so to be completely honest, my bday sucked, ha, like the worst one yet. pretty much cause i spent it with alot of ppl i ddint know, and it would have been was awesome to have spent it with my odl ward and converts. but thats ok. i did get the package from dad with the trail mix and folder and stuff, thanks. i love all the food, especailly the pistacheos(spelling>?) , its all good thanks.so my new area is waaaaaay different than my old one.1st. we have a huuuge area, and a car, im talking like 4 towns big.2nd. i live in an apartment that house 4 missionaries. its way fun, the other two missionaries are way chill as well.3rd. our complex has its own gym. its not that big, just a bench machine and a few treadmills, but of course i still love it,. i am buying some protien powder today, and i will see what i can do..so things here are very good, and we had a good thanksgiving.now... on to the important stuffGOOO MIGHTY COUGARS!!!heck yeah@! man i was soooo scared, we were home for lunch and planning session during the 3 and 4th quarters of the game, so i would call a news station called "tell me" and check the score about every minute. i cant wait to watch the game. 10 - 9 with like aminute left. thats nuts. ha. i was soooo exited. man oh man.so what is byu ranked now? what are all the utes fans saying? ppl down here are happy and sad, i guess texas a&m beat the longhorns. by a few td's.i havent got a packagge from grandma yet, so soon hopefully. if she sent it to the office or mission home, it could be a while untill i get it, we live a little ways away from the office. so when you send things, probably better that you send them right to me, so i get them a few weeks earlier. atealst thats what my comp tells me.thanks for everything. love yaust brown. ha.racist.and since i wont be here in this area, i have no idea yet whats upwith thanks giving. im hoping for some good turkey though.go cougars!wow, thats soooooo sweet that the cougs are ranked, .. jsut anotherreason for the utes to hate us.man i hope we win!thanks for everyting, love yaPS.. go cougars!

From December 3...
things are good here, i only so far got the one package, with the quad.. thats by the way, its soooo sweet. cause it went to the mission office, pres and sis allred brought all the mail down from the office to our chapel for our interviews, and they watched me open it, i was sooo happy, pres and sis allred were laughing at how happy i was. it was funny. but its way nice, ive been marking it up and stuff, thanks a ton.
interviews went well, he told me how he needs me to be a leader, although im not in a leadership position yet.as far as how many investigators we have... ha... when i got here there was 1. yeah, 1. thats right. i left my old area with like more than 10 that vould progress, 3 recent converts, and 2 ready to get baptized. here. 1. no recent converts. nothing. my comp straight up told me that he and his old comp didnt work a whole lot. thats pretty obvious. ha. 1 investigator. and the whole time my comp has been here he has never even brougth anyone to church.. that is untill this last sunday. when we had 3. and they are amazing and maybe going to have dates this coming week. it just feels good to work hard, and see the fruits come sooo fast. i love it here. its kind of a weird situation. im still in spanish,. but we dont have a ward, or even a branch,... we have somehtiing called a "group". its about 40 ppl. we are technically part of the english ward here, so i spend alot of time meeting with english ppl. my bishop and everything like that is english. its soooo weird to be in all these english meetings. ha, i miss pure spanish soo much. we eat alot with english members and its honestly kinda awkward sometimes, ha. i miss spansih food too.
so we are going to try and get ymca passes, to the local ymca. im in pretty good shape, but i wanna come home about 190, without changing a belt loop. im at 180. so we will see if they can work us a deal.
we are really close to the coast here, we drive by it about every other day.

From December 11....

yeah i got the package you sent me with the pics and the cd monday after we had went to the library. ha. the cd is pretty funny, my comp was laughing at how the whole thing revolved around byu. ha. i wasnt suprised at all. its funny, sometimes during the cd you all just get talking to each other about nothing, like you forget that the tape is running. but it was cool, cause it felt like i was right back home..good pics. i like em alot,. especially some of the close ups on the cougs. i could find everyone in the pics,.. except josh. did he get to go? i even spotted steve and blain-oso yep. its warm here. it was about 77 when we got outta the car. it is alot different. it feels nothing like christmas, its weird.ok, so the scriptures are from gma. i will thank her for them then.Elder HIldreth called and told me that he had a packafge from gma. so i shojld get it on the 14th at the mission conference.so there were 2 ppl that we have been working with that i helped find. and we have been teaching them for about 2 weeks, and they have come to church. so we extended a baptismal date to them thursday for the 23rd of this month, and they accepted. so we are reaaalllllly exited about that. there hasnt been a baptism in this area for a while.my comp and i are getting along very well, he tells me about every 10 minutes how I am his favorite comp ever. hes too cliniging. ha just kidding, we are like best freinds. its really good. my spanish is good, im still working on it, its still amazing how 10 months ago i couldnt speak hardly anything or understand anythin, but now i would definantly consider myself fluent. and i love speaking it.by the way, i made a christmas card to send out to ppl. so im going to send some to youu guys, like 5 or 6. and let you decide who to send them to. i will send one to grandma and erica and georgio,. but you should be getting that this within this week. its pretty goofy, as usuall.so we are still workin out at the YMCA. i broke my record of bench and put up 185 and then 190. so im feelin pretty hot about myself right now. hagood to hear that things are well at home. i will be praying for the stagg family,. love ya

2007-12-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

So, my baby is 13......boy, that really means that Ed is old...hehe. I say Ed, because I know I am still a young happenin' chick! My kids roll their eyes when I say that, but I do remind them often. But yeah, my youngest has officially entered the ranks of "teenager" (though if I must be honest, he has been driving me crazy for at least a year now....). To make matters even worse, I became the mother of a 20 year old a few weeks ago! Ouch....If my mom were still here, I would really give her a hard time about that! How old she is getting, I mean....not me. Never me. Anyway, not too much going on around here this week. A few weeks ago, I had Sarandon and Dantley for 4 days, to give Heather a much needed rest. We had so much fun. I had 2 little girls in my big bed with me every night....sorry Ed, no room at the inn. Dantley would wake up in the morning with the biggest smile and say Hi Joey.....hi sissy! In fact, Dantley would tell me hi several times throughout the day, but the funniest part was, she always acted genuinely surprised to see me. We had lots of fun playing with the dollhouse, and kitchen set...and watching movies, and going to McDonald's. We all had fun, but I think mostly Heather.

A few days after I took the girls home, we went to Ed's parents for Thanksgiving. This is always an adventure. I can't remember a time that we haven't gone to grandma's and not laughed our heads off at something. This time was no different. Troy was with us, because Ed's mom adopted him as family after mom passed away. Thanksgiving was fun, but the really exciting part of the week was that saturday.......Go Cougs! Sorry all you who might be Ute fans, but whatever. I am sure you have all stopped pouting by now. Hmmm....what was that score again? 17-10? Yep, that would be it.... way fun game. The whole family was there, (except for Tyson, who was calling a radio station in Houston getting updates on the score every few minutes...I am sure that is ok....following mission guidelines and all..... ;). We had a blast. We are all going down to Vegas right before Christmas to watch our Cougs in the Vegas Bowl. Watch out UCLA. The little
guy with the dreadlocks is my nephew, Payton.

Anyway, I can't believe how fast Christmas is approaching. I was very proud to have all 3 of my Christmas trees up and decorated before December 1st. Ed likes to complain about storing 3 trees and all the trimmings, but that's what we built the attic for, right? It's not like he has to help or anything.....because he doesn't. He is not allowed. I am a little bit picky when it comes to my trees. I get this from my mother. Her christmas tree legacy lives on. All the trees are on the main floor of the house. One in the formal living room (this baby is 12 feet tall), one in the main family room, and one in the kitchen. Yep, I said the kitchen. I tell Ed he is lucky I haven't put one downstairs in that family room. I also have smaller trees throughout the house...on the mantel, up on the plant shelf in the entry way, and a few 4 foot trees that are grouped with two of the full size trees. Technically, there are 12 trees, all lit up and decorated. I love it. If I keep it up, we will need to build a bigger house.
Anyway, hope all is well with everyone. I will post Ty's new emails in the next few days. He has been transferred, finally! Joey

2007-11-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Tyson's email 11/13/2007

things here are good. i will find out this monday what will happen with me, being transfered or not, im thinking im gone, but i guess we will find out. this saturday in the planned baptism, but she didnt come to church this last sunday, and she didnt read the chapter we left here and i think its cause her 1st husband is back in town , she has had 2. anyway he is like a pastor at his Baptist/Christian church, and he sure wanted to talk about the bible with us. ha, man o man that guy new his stufff, he was annoying. its kinda crazy to think sometimes that im expected talk with this guy,. who has been studying and preaching for that last 10 or 15 years.. ha. anyway, we did, and we pretty much put him in his place. then i had a talk with susana, and retold her the impotance of joseph smith and the book of mormon, and she told me that she was going to pray about it..then she said something about her husband and his church, and i just stopped her and said, you know what? yeah, he knows alot about the bible, probably more than i do, and he can teach you alot about God, but he cant teach you who God is.. and she kinda looked at me, and i could tell that she was really listening, and then i told her that when i looked deep into that guys eyes, there was something that wasnt there, a complete knowledge that we have, that can only be given through the Holy Ghost. so hopefully she will pray and find out for her self,. i think if everyone would just take the faith they have, use it, put into practice and really expect an answer from God, and then come to chruch and try it, millions would be baptized, but you cant make someone use their faith, you can help em, and show them how to do it. but you can never make them....but yeah things are good, my comps good, he has changed alot for the better, he is starting to figure it out, and is alot more obedient, and close to the Lord, and we are having alot of fun together and teaching alot,..thanks love ya

2007-11-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Part of Tyson's email from 11/06/07

things are good here, we have another baptism coming up. its exiting. susana. a single mom, whose husband kinda left here and now he got deported. she has 3 kids, all way cute. the date is the 18th. she has come along way. my bday lands on the 21st, which just happens to be the date that i could be transferred, so in my interviwes with pres, i told him that if i get moved, to move me somewhere nice.. ha. he luaghed and said he could do that. hes a good guy, i like him alot. and at the temple i saw E. Tall again for the fist time in about 7 months,>>> it was so crazy exiting. we were both yelling and huging and stuff. it was awesome, i love that kid.also, every transfer the mission sends out a news letter thing. it has a letter from pres. some pics and quotes from the mission, pics of the new missionareies and the ones leaving, then on the back, its got names of ppl that baptized, and who got baptized, my name was there(again), and this time there was a little extra box, that said" Congratulations to the missionaries who have baptized each of the last 3 transfers." then it had a list of 8 missionaries, (about 150 in the mission) ,..and i was one of them. it was prety sweet.

2007-11-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Just a quick posting from Tyson's last e-mail.... I will write more later.... Joey

everything is wonderful down here, its sittin about 70's. pretty sweet stuff. not to hot, not to cold, no rain(knock on wood) its perfect. so we went teachin with one of my recent converts and it was amazing. he is so strong in his testimony. we were teaching a couple, one from peru ,catholic, and the other a white guy from virginia who is a jew and speaks a little spanish,. it was good, francisco who is kinda of a shy 19 yr old from guat was sooo powerful. i felt the spirit so strong and the ppl we were teaching did too, at the end of the lesson i asked them how they felt, and she just said interesting.. and i said what? and she was like, he just seems so sure.. like he knows. and iwas like. yeah , hello,. he does. anyway love ya. things are good, we are going to the temlpe on halloween

2007-10-15T13:52:00.000-06:00

Ok, I am really new at the blogging stuff, and have no idea what I am doing. I figured this would be a really good way to keep everybody up to date on what the family is doing, and how Tyson is doing on his mission in Houston.

Ed is still working at the Salt Lake City International Airport as the Facilities Maintenence Superintendant. Does he like it? Depends on which day you are asking...
Ed was called to be bishop of our ward in July. This has been a very challenging assignment. Does he like it? Dosen't matter which day you are asking....the answer will most likely be no.

I am still working as a chiropractic insurance biller for Tooele Valley Spine Center. I love my job! I work with great people, and I get to set my on hours....come and go when I please. Can't get any better than that.
I have recently been released as Young Women's President with the call of the new bishop. Apparantly Bishops and Presidents can't be married. Something about to much stress on the family. Well, I am now Enrichment Leader, and I got to tell ya....my stress level has most definately increased!!! I would take those young women back any old day....

Josh is a senior this year at Tooele High School. He is a great student, and is enrolled in concurrent college classes. He is a great kid, with a funny sense of humor....
He plans to attend Utah Valley University next fall, and live with Steve (and maybe Grandma, if that is where Steve is at the time). Josh is working for Macey's grocery. He is a stalker. Wait, I mean stocker....of the dairy department. He likes his job most of the time. Josh loves to play basketball, and is very good. Unfortunately, Josh is a real little bugger about having his picture taken, so I am going to have to search for something to post.

Jordyn is a freshman this year at Tooele High School. Jordyn is also a great student. She plays the violin in orchestra, and is very talented. She was invited to join the Chamber Strings, which is quite an honor for a freshman, but turned it down, not wanting the early morning practice...she is truly my daughter. She says maybe next year...we'll see. Jordyn loves to play soccer, and is on a rec league. She also loves to play basketball. She is a very active, social thing. There is always something going on in her world.

Colton is in the 7th grade at Tooele Junior High School this year, making me feel sort of old, but it is also very liberating! Colton is a great student, with an almost brilliant mind.....if he would just apply it. I like to think of him as my absent-minded professor. Colton loves to learn, and never forgets a fact. Colton also loves to play basketball. He is learning to play the drums this year in band, which has not been to bad, I am happy to report. He comes home with practice pads, which muffles the sound....bless whoever invented the pads!

Tyson is on his mission in the Houston Texas South Spanish Speaking mission. He left on February 21, 2007. He really had a great time in the MTC the 8 weeks he was there, and was called as a zone leader while he was there. He flew to Houston on April 24th, and has not had a single transfer the whole time he has been there. I guess that is pretty rare. He must really be needed where he is. He has had many baptisms. He finally got a new companion last month. He is really motivated to be the best missionary to ever live....and maybe he is....in my opinion. His spanish is excellent, and he has alot of fun creating new ways to use it, to get a laugh out the people he is teaching. His personality is opening alot of doors for he and his companion. I will try to post part of his weekly emails, to keep everyone up to date.

2007-10-15T12:58:00.000-06:00

Tyson on February 21, 2007, the day we left him at the MTC in Provo, Utah.

2007-10-10T20:10:00.001-06:00

Tyson's first apartment in Houston....smack in the middle of China Town!

2007-10-10T20:07:00.001-06:00

Tyson's first baptism....
Saby

2007-10-10T20:02:00.001-06:00

Ninja missionary....don't ask!

2007-10-09T21:49:00.003-06:00

Jordyn

Freshman picture 2007

2007-10-09T21:38:00.001-06:00

Tyson and crew in Houston

2007-10-09T21:31:00.001-06:00

Tyson at the MTC

2007-10-09T17:27:00.000-06:00

So I guess I will try blogging too.....