Slice of Life #19 - "Get Into My Car"

The year is 1993 and I was 15 when I started to learn to drive my dad would take me to large empty parking lots and have me practice on a Sunday afternoons.  We would use his car which was a Pontiac but I don't remember what model.  And then as it got closer to getting my license we used the Nissan mini-van that we owned.  Of course a month before I got my licences they sold the mini-van and got a large blue suburban.  Which I drove a lot.

But the month before I was to turn 16 in 1994, My grandfather had some health issues and gave up his drivers license.  That summer, my sister and I moved in my my grandparents, since my parents were moving into a small 3 bedroom apartment and with 6 girls it just wasn't going to work.  So I got to drive grandpa's car.  He had  a 1984 Century.

In Oct 1994 I was in a car accident that wasn't my fault and totalled the car.  He then bought this 1986 Ford Taurse with all the bells and wistels.  I drove that until I left on my mission and while I was gone it died.

When I got home from my mission I bought my first car.  A 1999 Toyota Corolla.  I loved that car!  Of course I had driven Corollas on my mission.  We sold this car in Jan 2009, just before the twins were born because we couldn't fit 4 kids in it.  We bought a 1998 Dodge Caravan.  And it is alright to drive, not my favorite.

 What  I would really like to drive is a 8 passenger Toyota Sienna.  I love the space in that thing.  One day  That is my dream car right now. And someday that may change.

We own a 1994 Honda Civic and I have never driven it.  Dan got it when he got home from his mission in 1994.  It is still running good and he plans to drive  it until it dies.  The reason I have never driven it, is I have never learned to drive a stick.  My dad bought his first stick in about 15 years when I bought my Corolla.  So I never learned, as I had my car and never needed to borrow Dad's car.  And with 4 kids under the age of 5 it is hard to get out and have Dan teach me.  Maybe someday we can still do it.

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Slice of life #18 ~ Random Picture day

This weeks Slice of Life is Random Picture day.  Because I seem to have lost a scrapbook with a lot of my old pictures from me as a child (think it is in one of the boxes that I haven't ever unpacked).  I chose a picture that I had scanned into my computer.  This is when I was about 10 day old.   I was born at 28 weeks and my twin sister Lynnette didn't make it.  I weighted in at 1 lbs 14 ozs and 12 inches long.  I was in the hospital for 12 weeks after I was born before my parents could take me home.  This is how my Mom and Dad got to hold me  at first.

There is a story about my birth.  My parents were living in Rexburg, ID when they found out they were having twins.  They found out about 2 weeks before we were born.  My Mom was going into labor just after Mother's Day and the Dr's knew they didn't have the set up to handle preemie babies(remember this was 1978) so they sent her by ambulance to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City.    The only ambulance that was available was a brand new one that had no radio.  The ambulance goes speeding down I-15 to Salt Lake City, and the Highway Patrol is trying to get a hold of them to find out what the emergency was,  and can't because there was no radio.  So the Highway Patrol thought it was a stolen ambulance.  And they then got enough cops there to surround the ambulance south of Pocatello or so.  When they found out what was going on, they called a helicopter from Salt Lake City to come and get my parents.  They got my parents to the hospital and I was born at 10:10am.  My parents had lost a baby just nine months before I was born, so when they told my mom that there was a good chance I wasn't going to survive, she just knew that I was going to.  I have 4 younger sister that were born in the 7 years after I was born, and my mother was on bed rest for most of her pregnancies to help them from coming early.  When I was born my lungs were not fully developed, and I have a hearing loss and wear hearing aids in both ears that is said to be a side effect of being born so early.

It has been 32 years since this day, and I am grateful, that the medicine and technology was around to help keep me here on this earth, even though it has come a long ways in the last 32 years as well.

Ruth & Irene 7 days old

In Jan 2009 when I gave birth to my twins, my husband didn't want to be in the room with me.  He didn't like the thought of them cutting me open for a c-section, I was privileged to have my Mom in the operating room with me, and I think she enjoyed getting to see the birth of the next generation of twins, born from one of her twin daughters.  I love you Mom and Dad, Thanks for being there for me!

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Slice of Life # 17~ Chores

This weeks Slice of Life prompt is chores.

When I was about 14 my Dad decided that all of us were old enough to start cooking some of the meals and doing our own laundry.  My Mom had gone back to school, and to help ease the burden he wanted us all to do two things besides our normal chores.  We were to each have a night to cook dinner and we each had a day that we did our laundry.  My Dad told us that he wanted us to learn to cook things other then Mac and Cheese, Hot Dogs and Raman!  Since there was 6 girls we each had a night and Mom and Dad cooked on Sunday.  If we couldn't do our assigned day then we had to get one of the other girls to trade with us.  Our laundry day was on a different day from our dinner cooking night, so that we could get homework done and stuff.  If we didn't do our laundry on our day then we had to ask the person who's day it was if we could do a load with their stuff.  I think it worked out pretty well.  I am glad my dad came up with this plan so that we could all learn.  My youngest sister was 8 at the time and I am the oldest of my sisters and I was 14, and my foster sister was 15.  Sweet times.  Now I wish my kids were old enough to do this with, but I know in time they will be and I am going to do this with them.

P.S. The pictures were taken off line!  My dishes never looked that good!

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How old are you?

This is Irene, she is 20 months old.  Saturday night was a rough night for sick kids in our house.  First Irene came and climbed in bed with me at 1:30am and then her big brother Dillon joined us shortly after.  Then my 3 year old daughter came in at 2am crying because she had wet her bed.  I get up and help her and try to get Dillon and Jennilyn back in bed with a lot of fighting and when I got up I though Irene had gone back to sleep on my bed.  While I was trying to get Jennilyn and Dillon back to bed and going to sleep, I notice the TV coming on in my room.  Irene had gotten a hold of the remote and turned on the TV and Blue Ray player and was watching the credits of Star Trek (the newest one) and she was just laying on my pillows watching with the remote in hand.  I took her to her bed and she went right back to sleep.

I just had to laugh that a 20 month old little girl could figure out the remote and just lay down and watch the movie that was in.  Funny little girl!

Slice of life # 16~ Jobs

This weeks Slice of Life is Jobs.

I started working when I was 14.  Cleaning house for a neighbor.  And I have had many jobs sense then.

But I think the crazies time is when I worked 3 part time jobs the Summer of 1996.   The day after graduation I had to be to my first day on the job at 12 noon after being up all night with the High school graduation party.  I worked as a bagger at Smith's food and drug store.  Then I was hired at Madsen dry cleaner in Provo across the street from BYU, I was a shirt presser.  Then I worked doing secretarial work and house cleaning for my neighbor that I had started working for when I was 14.  I did this from May 30~ Oct 15 when I left for college in Phoenix, AZ.  That was one busy summer.  It seems like I was never home, because I was always at work.  But as a bagger, I got to help Marie Osmond out to the car with her groceries, and then in 1999 when I worked at Harmon's grocery story I got to check out Steve Young the football player.  I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to work and help pay my way through school and my mission.  Now that I am a stay at home mom, I miss the friendship and change of pace that work gave me.  Now it seems all I do is take care of the house and kids and I never get to go out and meet new people.  But maybe in the future that will be an option again.

Until next time.
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Look A Like meters

My cousins wife did this, so I decided to see what it said about our kids!
I thought it was interesting that Dillon was 17% more like me.  Jennilyn 3% more like Dan, and the twins wow, Ruth was 6% more like Dan and Irene was 6% more like me!  Crazy!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology

Slice of Life # 15~ School Daze

This weeks Slice of Life prompt is about school.  My oldest starts his 2nd year of Preschool tomorrow.  And the School District still hasn't called to tell me what time they are picking him up.  But that is not my story.  I have a memory that I am pretty proud of in high school.

I was a sophomore in high school and I was in a world history class.  I don't remember who my teacher was, but it was a male teacher.  We had a history torment for a mid-term review in prep for the mid term.  The class was divided into two groups and then we each took turns answering the questions.  I had studied hard, but I tend to forget things when I am under pressure and being put on the spot.  I made it to the 2nd round and then for the final round I was the last one left in my group.  I ended up beating the other team with the winning question being answered. For my prize I got an A on the mid term and I got to play hooky during class the next day while the class was taking the mid term.  I have always been pretty proud of the Title of History Queen that my teacher gave me.  And you held the title until the end of the school year.   Until next week!

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I love to see the Temple!

Yesterday, Dan and I were getting ready to leave for the temple when, Jennilyn told us that she wanted to go to the temple too.  Dan told her she had to wait 9 more years until she was 12.  She then climbed in my lap and said "I want to go to the temple to, Mommy" I told her she couldn't go.  She then told us again she wanted to go to the temple, so I told her we would go tomorrow to the temple and she said ok.

This morning we got up and we got everyone ready.  We rode Trax to Temple Square, as two kids under the age of 6 can ride free with a paid adult.  so we figured it would cost us about the same to drive and park as it would to take Trax.  The kids loved riding Trax.  We got to Temple Square and we met up with Marj Condor, a sister in my ward and a bunch of others.  We were early, so we had to wait for the Church History Museum opened.  We then went in and saw the "I am a Child of God" exhibit, that is getting ready to close down this next week.  Marj and helped to design the exhibit, so it was fun to listen to some of her facts about it.  The kids had fun playing in there.

We then walked over to Temple Square and took some pictures with the temple.  Then we got on Trax and rode it home.  Irene feel asleep on the way, but she was up really early.

We had fun.  Thanks Marj for inviting us to join you there to see the exhibit.  I think we will have to do this more often with the kids.

Enjoy the Slide show of some of our pictures!

It was Hot!

I saw this baby bird fall in to the bike tires on Saturday.  It was so hot that Dan could see it panting.  The bird and lost energy.  We left it alone and when we came back from the park it was gone.

Slice of Life # 14 ~ Snakes

I don't like snakes!  


But I do  have a story for snakes.  Two years ago we had been unemployed for 6 months and had to make the decision to move from Hudson, WI to Spokane, WA and move in with my in-laws as this was just months before the government extended the unemployment benefits and ours was running out.  We rented a big U-Hall for the move.  We made the trip with no incidents, but when we went to unload things out of the truck.  I noticed that there was a hole in our box spring that hadn't been there when we loaded it up.  But we didn't think anything about it until later that day when my sister-in-law Shawnda found a snake in the family room.  They grabbed a large garbage can and put over it.  It was just a garden snake.  They took it out to the garden and let it go.  That night my sister-in-law Stephanie was sleeping on the family room floor and she was attacked by a mouse that jumped every were.  This mouse was not a native to Spokane.  All we can figure is that some how the snake and the mouse got into our stuff and got moved into the house.  Since Stephanie wouldn't let her mom kill the thing it escaped and was never found again, but was heard in the walls from time to time.

If you want to read other stories on snakes or would like to share your snake story with us please join us here.

Meet Brian & Sarah

I want you to meet Brian & Sarah.

Sarah and I meet her first Sunday at church when she had just moved to Phoenix, AZ in Oct 1997.  I was asked to give her a ride home from church by the Bishop, and was glad to do so.  She lived in an apartment complex across the street from mine.  She had non-LDS roommates and had trouble with some of them so she would come hang out at my place.  In Feb 1999 Brian moved into the ward.  Sarah and I become roommates in 1998.  Brian and Sarah started dating in 1999 while I was on my mission and got married in Feb 2000.  They were blessed to be able to have their son Nathan who is now 9.  But, they have been unable to have more children.  They would like to have more kids, and their son Nathan keeps asking when he is going to get a sibling.  


If you know someone who is considering adoption, could you please, as delicately as possible lead them to these wonderful people.


To learn more about them please go to ItsAboutLove.org.  And look for Brian and Sarah.


Or you can go to Here to read their Facebook Group page.


We love you guys and our prayers are with you!

Sacrament Meeting

A co-worker of my husbands sent this onto him and I loved it.  I am going to try and find this picture of our home.  I hope you enjoy! 

Sacrament Meeting


 I just kept getting goosebumps looking at this!!! It is beautiful!


"This painting was unique from its very beginning. It would be great if I could take credit for the composition and message it conveys but in my mind, that would be like Moses taking credit for bringing water from the stone in the desert.


"Usually when I have an idea for a painting it starts as a simple seed and it grows as I play with the image in my mind, moving the characters around, imagining the lights and shadows, the values and the colors, eventually deciding on its composition after what might be weeks or even months of pondering and sketches, but this painting was different. There was no seed, no moving of characters, it was totally different.


"I was sitting in church on a Sunday afternoon as the Sacrament was being passed and bang, there it was, the image was instantaneously placed before my mind's eye just as you see it here. This experience has happened to me only three times and it has been very special each time." 
-Doc Christensen

       

-- 
 "He lives, my one sure rock of faith, 
The one bright hope of men on earth" from the hymn "My Redeemer Lives" lyrics by President Gordon B. Hinkley 

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today, I still have a dream."
--Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible." --Christopher Reeve

Happy Birthday Jennilyn!

Today Jennilyn turned 3 years old.  We celebrated her birthday this weekend with a little party and cake and ice cream and some small gifts.  She was really excited to get a purse, necklace, and a bracelet from Aunt Wendy a alphabet book from cousins Sammy and Christopher and a fairy costume from Grandma and Grandpa Burke.  And she got some games from Janet and some games from Mom and Dad.  Papa Jack and Nana gave her some money which we are going out to get a new dress and a sleeping bag for our camping trip next month.

Jennilyn I know you are going to have lots of fun with your new stuff!  We love you!  Thank You for being apart of our Family!

Slice of life # 13~ The Watering Hole!

Aunt Patty holding Wendy, Mom, Annette, Emily and Jaclyn

This weeks Slice of life is the watering hole.   MMM... As I thought about it I thought of this picture I had.  I was 4 years old in this picture.  My mom is taking my wet cloths off me.  We had gone to Southern California to visit my Great-Grandpa and Grandma Cronce who would spend the winter there.  We had gone to the beach, and apparently my sister and I got swept away by a wave.  And we got wet.  I vaguely remember this happing as I was only 4 years old.

But I think the thing I remember most was when I was 14 we went to California to go to Disneyland.  We spent a day at the beach and I fell asleep without sunscreen on.  I was in pain with 1st and 2nd degree sunburns.  We then went to Disneyland, and swimming in the pool helped take the sting out of the burn a little.  I also had to wear my swimming suit all under my cloths at Disneyland as I was so burnt on my back I couldn't wear my bra.  I have never done that again.  But when it got better I sure had the best tan of my life.  But I don't want to do that again just for a tan. : ~)

Until next week!

Now you can share with us your favorite Water Hole experience here.

Huh?

She can sleep anywhere!

Slice of Life # 12 ~ Fire

This weeks Slice of Life is Fire.  I do enjoy a good campfire.  I also enjoy a good campfire program.  You see, I grew up the daughter of a professional Boy Scout.  So every summer until I was 12 my Dad was the Camp Director at different camps, but I remember him at Maple Dell in Payson, UT the most.  On Monday and Friday nights there was a campfire program that we would go to with him.  What great memories sitting on the hard benches sing songs and watching skits.

I am looking forward to going camping next month with my kids for the first time since I got married 6 years ago and letting them see the campfire and enjoy making smores with them.

Until next week.

Slice of Life #11~ Dancing!

Dancing is this weeks Slice of Life Prompt.  I would have loved to posted a picture from one of the 4 High School Dances I went to, but the scrapbook that they are in is not accessible to get to at this time.  Once I move into my own home and can really unpack everything then I will be able to scan all of those pictures, boy I hate apartment living!

Now Onto Dancing.  I remember Dancing with my Dad and Grandpa Alcorn at the Hulse Reunion each summer in Ririe, ID.  I also remember going to Stake Dances from 14 until I was 18.  I would usually go with a few of my friends.  I remember being really excited to be old enough to go.  I also remember going to Sadie Hawkins with my foster sister Arvella the fall of my 10th grade year, I was still only 15 and she was 16 and since my parents wanted her to go with a group they allowed me to go with her even though I was not allowed to date.  I went with David White, a long time friend who sadly I have lost contact with over the lat 7 years.  Then I went to Morp that next spring with my friend Tawnay so she would have a group.  Again I still hadn't turned 16, but since it was a group my parents let me go. and I went with Devin Dewitt who was a friend in a couple of classes even though he was a senior and I was a sophomore.  I haven't seen him since he graduated 16 years ago.  I went to Preference my Junior and Senior year. Preference was girls choice Prom.  I took Mike Simpson to my Junior and David White my Senior.  My Group my Junior year included my friend Jennie and my Senior year include both Jennie and Elizabeth.  I never did go to Prom during High School, in fact I was the only one out of my 4 sisters and I that didn't go.  I always wanted to go.  I also went to institute dances in college.  I would load up my car with a few of the single guys in my ward and we would drive the hours drive from Phoenix to Mesa for the Dances.  I do have a picture some where of a group of us girls at the New Years Eve Dance just before I moved back to Utah to get ready to go on a mission.

But I think the Dance that I have to remember the most is 6 years ago I was the Activity Chairman in my ward and as a stake they decided to do a dance the Friday before Valentines.  Dan and I were dating at the time.  I was asked to do the decorations for the dance.  Our Theme was "A family that Danced together Stayed together".  Dan came and help me and the other Annette who was on my committee decorate.  They offered some Dance lessons an hour before the dance started, so Dan and I did some of those.  Some of you may not know this, but Dan took Ballroom while at BYU.  But since it had been so long he was a little rusty.  I think maybe we will take some dancing classes together in the future.  They even took pictures, and we had our picture taken (and of course that picture is packed away too).  At this point Dan and I had been dating for 2 months, but it wasn't serious, no kisses, just holding hands.  I had a cousin who wanted to set me up on a date with a friend, but I was hesitate to do it as I didn't know were Dan was thinking of taking our relationship.  So after we got home from the dance I had a talk with him and asked him were he thought our relationship was headed and I told him why I needed to know.  That night before he left we had our first kiss.  We were engaged 6 months later, and got married 2 months after we got engaged.  That dance will always be in my memory as  it is the one the changed my life forever!  I love you Dan!  Thanks for being there fore me!