2009: The Year in Review (my Christmas letter)

So 2009 is coming to an end and what a year it has been:

 Another year in Florida for our family. We moved out of the "banana mansion", so nicknamed for it's yellow color and size. As Jessica said when we moved in, "This place looks like a drug lord lives here." And we are still pretty certain, that at one point in time, that was likely the case... We now live just up the road, so to speak, from there in a more modest home with lovely jungle surroundings. Best of all, it put us in the school district so that Stephen and Lars could go to the same high school this year, it left Madelyn in the same school, in fact we are within walking distance of her middle school and we got to stay in the same ward. Great stuff all the way round!

Brooke came home from serving a successful mission in Rosario, Argentina in March. She loved her mission and Randy and I were able to fly down and get her. We had an eventful trip: we lost luggage, were rerouted due to a strike, got lost ourselves, met and visited amazing people, ate interesting things (and some not-so-interesting things), Randy found his driving "home" (he loved the lunacy and fit right in on the roads), and got to see Brooke in a new light (she loved and was loved by the people there). It was an amazing trip! Since her return, she attended a semester at BYUI, transferred to BYU-SLC, got a job waitressing, totaled her car (she was unhurt, gratefully) and moved to Provo, where she will be attending BYU this winter, the job even transferred her to another store so she didn't have to job hunt again. She returns to Utah tomorrow and will be sorely missed!

Jess lived with us for the first few months of the year, earned her EMT, came to love Florida and all it has to offer and just enjoyed being at home for a while. We loved having her here. She returned to the West with Brooke in April. She, however, was returning to work on the Green and Colorado Rivers in Moab for another eventful season as a White Water River Guide. She really loves her job. She mountain biked, camped and climbed all over on her off days and loved her time there. She transferred to UVU in Orem and enjoyed her semester there, living with other river guides and rediscovered her love for cooking. She is back home for another break with us and will be taking online courses and working while here, in addition to putting in time at a local climbing gym. We love having her with us again.

Stephen decided he really needed classroom structure (a decision he needed to come to on his own) and that he wanted to be a real Senior in high school. This after a year of being an internet student, of sorts. He learned a lot about himself and really honed his guitar skills and is even discovering the piano, on his own terms (he never was very big on piano lessons when he was little) and is quite an amazing musician. He earned his Eagle in scouting and returned to traditional school at the high school Lars was already attending. He has made many new friends and gotten involved on the wrestling team, which he has enjoyed (we are currently hoping to get a waiver from FHSAA so that he can actually wrestle competitively as he is a 5th year high school student, he is very good and really wants to get out there and compete at meets). He will be starting a job with a friend of ours that tunes and rebuilds pianos to be player pianos, using a revolutionary product that he helped design, using ipods no less. Stephen is pretty excited about that and completing his Senior year.

Lars is a Junior in the International Baccalaureate program at his high school, it is rigorous and demanding and he threatens to quit about once a month. I always just tell him it is his choice and he then mulls it over and says he wants to stay in. He is the captain of the wrestling team at his high school and has a 17-1 record so far this season, he really does love wrestling. He is a unique wrestler at 6'5" weighing 191. He is long, skinny and really strong. It is a lot of fun to watch him wrestle. He is weighing college options at this time and is leaning heavily towards one of the military academies. He plans to spend a week this summer at West Point's leadership camp for high school students. He and Stephen are quite popular with all the girls around here and they get invited to stuff all over the area by kids from church. They are a pair of real socialites in their own right...

Madelyn is in 8th grade and is involved in the choir at her school. She absolutely loves singing and tried out for and was accepted in the Advanced Choir at her school. She also qualified for State Choir through the competition process and is very excited to be in that this coming spring. She has become an avid reader, she has always enjoyed reading, but this year she has really gotten hooked. She has become a HUGE Harry Potter fan in the process and blew through all the volumes this past fall. She loves her friends and hanging out with them, going to the mall, etc. She is also a big fan of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. She and I absolutely love, love, love riding the roller coasters and have taken advantage of the annual passes we have there doing exactly that! She is already mulling over the direction of study she will pursue in high school and looking forward to that. (I am just in shock that she is already to that point! Where does the time go?)

Randy and I have had a great year, all things considered. We picked up Brooke, as noted, survived septic tank problems (really ugly in a 6500 sf house), attended girls camp and high adventure with the Priests (respectively), served as trek parents for our Stake Youth Conference (can I get a 'holla' from the Goble family?!), moved, sailed the Gulf Intercoastal with friends, I took the kids on a trek of a different type as we criss-crossed the country visiting friends and family over the summer with Randy joining us off and on, then settled down in our new place and stayed busy with work and church throughout all the craziness of the year. We are also grateful to report that we are healthy and happy.

Looking back, there were good times, bad times, funny times, annoying times, but all in all it was far more good than not and a great year when all was said and done. I am grateful for all the family and friends that we have seen, visited with, kept in touch with (thank you facebook and blogs) and been grateful for as a part of our lives. The gospel remains central in our lives throughout all of this and we are grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope the past year has been a good one for all of you too!

Santa Baby Rant

What is wrong with people that need to make an extra buck for the holiday’s so badly that they have to ruin Christmas standards with their ‘spin’ on it? You may wonder who got under my skin on this one… Specifically, Taylor Swift and her remake of Santa Baby (and I usually like her, but…).  Really Taylor? You didn’t make enough money this year when they named you entertainer of the year? Honestly, I was there on your side when that pompous fool, Kanye, ruined your moment at the VMAs, but now you have trashed this song for me… Whatever…

The original Santa Baby is a classic, sung in a very bluesy fashion, by Eartha Kitt, a real gem. With backup singers boop-booping along with her, done in a way that makes one think of a penthouse in Manhattan (think Marilyn Monroe in How to Marry a Millionaire) that has a list of Sugar Daddys ready to cater to her every whim. I am sorry, but when I heard Taylor Swift’s version, that image was crushed under the heel of this hillbilly remake, complete with twanging guitars. Now I am picturing some red-neck woman (can I get a ‘heck yah!’), in curlers and a ratty robe, with her half smoked marlboro dangling from her lips, sitting in her trailer that really just needs functioning indoor plumbing! No really, that is what I pictured.

My night was ruined… Thanks for nothing…

Yellow = Fun Seeker

So years ago, I was fortunate enough to get to go listen to Taylor Hartman, Ph.D., author of The Color Code. I had so much fun learning about what the different personality traits were of the colors. What I remember most from the evening though was Dr. Hartman listed a bunch of traits that if you matched them you were to keep your hand up and take your hand down if it didn't describe you. Well he went through this lengthy list and by the end I still had my hand up, he had listed the principle traits of a dominant yellow personality. Not only was my hand up through all of this, at the end, I was the only one in the room with their hand in the air. Now, he had not mentioned that the list was about the yellow personalities, but when he was done he looked at me and said "Hello, Fellow Yellow!" and started laughing.  I loved it!

My daughter reminded me of The Color Code yesterday so I looked for it online and found a free test that you can take (with the option to pay to upgrade and gain more insight into your results) and sure enough, I am still a yellow 66.67% to be exact!

For those who want to know what the heck I am talking about, here is the description I got at the end... 

Basic Analysis

Congratulations, you are a Yellow.

Yellow:	67.66%
Red:	??? %
Blue:	??? %
White:	??? %

Yellows (Motive: Fun)

Yellows are motivated by Fun. They are inviting and embrace life as a party that they're hosting. They love playful interaction and can be extremely sociable. They are highly persuasive and seek instant gratification. Yellows need to be adored and praised. While Yellows are carefree, they are sensitive and highly alert to others' agendas to control them.Yellows typically carry within themselves the gift of a good heart. Yellows need to look good socially, and friendships command a high priority in their lives. Yellows are happy, articulate, engaging of others and crave adventure. Easily distracted, they can never sit still for long. They embrace each day in the "present tense" and choose people who, like themselves, enjoy a curious nature. Yellows are charismatic, spontaneous, and positive; but can also be irresponsible, obnoxious, and forgetful. When you deal with a YELLOW, take a positive, upbeat approach and promote light-hearted, creative, and fun interactions.

and yes, I find it very accurate, from the positive aspects right on through to the easily distracted and "can also be irresponsible, obnoxious and forgetful". Maybe I will get the other info... but then again... there are other things I would rather do anyway. :P

Go take your personality test here, just for fun (cause you know that's the only reason I took it): Color Test

EFY in Gainesville, GA

So this year we finally sent the boys, Stephen and Lars, to EFY (Especially For Youth). They went to Gainesville, GA with their Oveson cousins, Randall and Jacob. Randall and Jacob came in on the night of June 28th, fresh from some camp thing and the boys came in the same day from a camp thing of their own and after church on Sunday the 29th we (the boys, Madelyn and I) loaded into the Excursion and drove up to Suwanee, GA, where my sister Louise lives. The boys got with Tucker and played Rock Band in their family room at least half the night and the girls (Madelyn, Lexie and Em) giggled and had a great time elsewhere in the house. The girls did gripe a bit about not getting to play Rock Band that night, but they had the rest of the week to play so they were ignored. The next morning I apologized to Patrick for how loud we all were the night before, but told him the really loud ones were leaving that day. He looked at me, totally deadpan, and asked "Really? Where are you and Louise going?" Nice... Okay, we are pretty loud. Anyway, we all loaded up, took Stephen for a much needed haircut then drove them the 30 minutes more up to Gainesville and left them. The only thing I heard from them all week came in the form of late night texts saying how awesome EFY was. Meantime, we all had a blast in Suwanee and surrounding. We went to Stone Mountain and climbed to the top then came down for the laser show on the mountainside. We swam, shopped, ate, walked, laughed, talked and just had a great time all the way around. Thanks Louise and fam for the hospitality!
On July 3rd the Baca's took off for the beach and Randy flew up to spend the 4th with Madelyn and me. We went and stayed in Gainesville and saw an incredible fireworks display at Laurel Park over the Chattahoochee River. You could see boat lights all over the river, then the fireworks then a big thunderstorm above in the sky. Randy captured the idea best with Man, Country, then God above. It was awe-inspiring.

The next morning we picked the boys up from EFY where all claim to have had a great time. Although Jacob won the $20 that Randy had offered at the first of the week to the one of the boys that danced with the most girls during the week! Go Jacob, he is also the youngest of the group! They had a great time and are ready to sign up to go to the same place again next year!
We celebrated picking them up and Stephen's 17th birthday by taking them out to a breakfast place the Baca's all love and it was a real hit with us as well! Then we made the long drive home. Fun week! We spent the last few days the boys were with us sending them all off to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and hope they will come stay with us again. We loved the whole week+ with them!

The Adventure Finally Comes to an End

The trip back was long, but once again we added another state to our list of states we have seen. Louisiana must be experienced, because it is too difficult to explain... It was very pretty and very unusual. We drove down through New Orleans, but it was dark so really couldn't get much of a feel for anything. our last night on the road we made it to Pensacola and spent the night at a hotel right on the beach. We got up and swam in the ocean and just enjoyed a relaxing morning before heading on home to Longwood. The trip was long and very memorable. We said more than once, we just wish we could have seen more people. But we truly could not have taken more time! What an incredible trip that was for us, thanks to all who were able to make time to spend with us. You are the reason we make that crazy drive in the first place!

The Adventure continues - Lake Powell

The last leg of the exodus was a trip to Lake Powell, this was also when Randy actually got to "be" on vacation, no work for that week. We had picked up our boat in Utah and pulled it to St. Johns so we could have it at Powell, it also freed up the back seat area and made traveling far more comfy for the kids. We spent a week on the lake and had a great time. We learned how to wake surf, spent time wakeboarding, waterskiing, reading, hiking, sunning, visiting, seadooing. Who can complain about any of that? We enjoyed seeing Jane and John and their family who camped just around a bend from us. We loved the slide on the back of their boat! Wow was that fun. One of the funniest moments was little Olivia, not quite 2 going down the slide off the top of the houseboat with her Daddy, Rob. We all cheered wildly for her and she went more than once, she was hilarious! She looked a little stunned going off the slide, but when she bobbed back up out of the water after splashdown, all the cheering really boosted her desire to go again. "Do you want to go again Olivia?" "Si!" She is the cutest, bilingual child ever! We even got to see Amy, Matt and Mattie when they brought Jess and her friend, Danielle, out to us. Danielle is a tall pretty blond and she was a huge hit with all the young men in the family. I think she may have been the official teenage male highlight of the trip! We met a family that created a huge slide off a sandy hill into the lake with water pumped up to it to make the ride more exciting, we dragged rafts and tubes over and loved that, I think Kate had more fun than anyone on the slide! When we got off the lake we went back to St. Johns and picked up our things that we didn't want to leave baking in the car at Stateline Marina and spent the night before heading back east with the boat in tow! Yay! (Oh yeah, and we squeezed in one more trip to El Camino)!

The Adventure continues - St. Johns

St. Johns was awesome and my parents were great hosts! Louise and her kids came in one day after us. The rest of my siblings all showed up over the week with many of their kids in tow, with the exception of Steven, but we had been fortunate enough to see them on the way out west, and of course, Eric and Char live there already. We were especially grateful to Richard, Merrilee and family for picking up Stephen en route so he could be with us again. We had so much fun with everyone and we really missed those that didn't make it. Holy Cow! The Ice Cream Social, rodeo, swimming, campfire circle, parade, family dance, boating and you can't forget El Camino! I do believe one of the real highlights of the St. Johns part of the trip was the day we had the pool rented with the Hansen family (Todd and family live in our area in Florida and they graciously invited us to bring our family along and join them for the time they had the pool rented, something they may have ended up regretting). We are so loud that I am sure we shook up the more sedate Hansen clan, they did say we were entertaining. We had belly flop competitions, handstand competitions, played games, were loud and rowdy and had the best time ever at the pool! Everyone, even the much older kids (I'm talking 20's and on up) said it was incredibly fun! We have some real daredevils and not just one character in the bunch (many, many characters...)! They held off the belly flop competition until Randy got there as he worked every day we were on the road except the weekends so he joined us for his lunch break. My face hurt from laughing, my family really makes me laugh. The last night with everyone we just had to play night games, it has become a family tradition (and one of my favorites, a childhood throwback). We played sardines for a while, and tried a few other games then settled into Capture the Flag. By the time we were on the last game, the younger kids were gone to bed, we were down to only 8 players, it was very late (well after midnight so you can understand how nuts this all is) and we ended up with one very unfortunate incident when Nicole went to free Yorke from jail with big Matt as the jailer. She came in low trying to be quiet and out of Matt's sight, but he was going low trying to get between Nicole and Yorke and the score ended up Matt's forearm - 1, Nicole's nose - broken. Janet and Amy looked out the kitchen window when they heard a scream and suddenly saw all of us clustered in one spot with the glow of cell phones lighting up the grass as we tried to get a look at Nicole's nose! Gratefully she has recovered (nose is beautiful as ever, I have seen it in person) and is back teaching school again, but the poor girl was in a bad way that night! Thank heaven we were carrying heavy duty pain relievers, for just in case, cause they may be the only reason she got sleep that night. It was such fun, in spite of the one incident, and we hated to say goodbye to everyone as they all headed home. We did get a couple more quiet days with just us and Dad and Mom which was really great. We took one afternoon and ran down to Tempe to see Grandma Stoker, who is 93, and we enjoyed our visit with her. Then we went to Mark and Alonna's where we enjoyed dinner with many of the family that are in the valley. It was so great to see all of them, especially Justin and Janet who just moved back to Arizona, we had not seen them since we moved away from Temecula and they have 2 more kids since then! Thanks to all who made the whole Arizona leg so much fun!