I've kept journals since my teen years, placed pictures in albums before discovering scrapbooking. During my college years, there was an assignment to write up a personal history. It was a fun challenge to remember and organize a written memory of my life to that moment. I started a family blog (BlackhamBoys) and had my more targeted JenBsJourney to record my weight/fitness/books/tv topics. I also added a couple family history blogs for the Westra family. So why this one? Maybe mostly for myself; an organization of my personal history, text and links, all in one place. More condensed, an overview of everything. I've been reading a lot of memoirs, and it's interesting to see how people recount their lives and memories. It's encouraged me to reflect on my own memories, and think about my story. Nothing interesting enough for public consumption, but hopefully something that decendents might deign to read. My great-grandmother wrote her history up to her marriage, but then didn't continue after that, and I would have liked to read about the rest of her life, in her own words. So this is my ongoing attempt ...
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Autobiography - Birth to Marriage
I try to reflect on my earliest memory, and I think it must be of preschool when I was five years old. Nothing definite, just vague recollections of the home where it was held and having fun there. We moved to Utah shortly before I turned two, so I have no recollection of Richland, Washington where I was born November 10, 1970.
I was the fourth child to my parents, J. Lamar and Marjorie Westra, with two brothers and a sister ahead of me in the family. My mother has told me that as a young child I was afflicted with a skin condition that gave me a scaly look, and they called me their “lizard baby.” While this was never anything major, I continued to have skin problems and rashes throughout my life.
Our new home in Utah had a fireplace in the living room, and at the age of two my chin connected with the hearth and was cut quite badly. Mother was gone at the time and Dad cleaned me up and placed a Band-Aid over the cut. When Mother returned, I believe they took me to the doctor, as the cut should have been stitched, but by that time it was too late. I still carry the scar but I do not think stitches would have made it any less noticeable.
At a very young age I grew attached to my thumb and a blanket. Mother comments that I never let the blanket out of my sight, and as it would start to come apart she would have to repair it with one end at the sewing machine, and me at the other end, never letting go. Although I was too young to remember my blanket, I do recollect another item that was special to me, a little panda bear that I named “Me.” I loved the confusion I would cause when I would tell my parents that they left “Me” in the car or forgot to kiss “Me” goodnight.
At the age of five I was enrolled in pre-school. I remember that we wore aprons so that we would not dirty our clothes during messy projects. It was fun and I was excited to go to kindergarten. I can recall the day I went with Mother to see the classrooms, which were almost more like an indoor playground. The first room we looked in had a huge slide and I was devastated when I discovered that I was to be in the other classroom, a room without a slide. My classroom did have some large barrels with a door cut in the side, lined with colorful, fluffy carpet - they were almost as good. The year I entered school we had an addition to our family. A little boy named Shane, who being born in 1976 was our centennial baby. Although I was almost six years old, I cannot remember anything about his birth. My parents have said that I offered to bring up the high chair from storage as soon as he came home from the hospital.
When I was in first grade, my sister Wendy had the job of meeting me by the first grade door every day to walk home together. One day at recess she said I had to meet her by the flagpole, which was at the other end of the school, and seemed very far away for so little a girl as me. I begged her to pick me up at my classroom as usual but the recess bell rang and our conversation had to end. After school I mustered up my courage, and walked to the flagpole. Wendy must have taken pity on me and gone to my classroom-- but we never connected as I walked inside the school and she walked outside. I think we both kept moving from one meeting place to the other, consistently missing each other, until Wendy finally gave up and went home. I was left stranded and weeping at school. A friend of my brother Chris was still around and rescued me, placing me on his bicycle and taking me home where we met up with my mother and Wendy coming back to school for me. I felt I had been rescued by a prince charming and this first crush lasted for years.
In second grade my mother was pregnant again. This time I was much older, and really looking forward to the new baby. I wanted a little sister that I could dress up, do her hair, and be the perfect little mother to. I got my wish as my parents brought Kellie Sue home from the hospital. A baby, a baby, a little living doll. I would always want to hold her and would never let her cry for a moment. Then the trouble started, mother and dad were upset and worried and the baby was taken to Primary Children’s Hospital. I remember in school telling my teacher that my baby sister was sick and might die. I was called down to the principal’s office where Grandma Norman was waiting to take all but Shane to the hospital - to say goodbye. I could tell Mom and Dad had been crying by their eyes, we put on little robes and were allowed to see the baby. She had tubes all over her little tiny body; I touched her hand, and then suddenly I felt dizzy and I had to leave. At home Wendy and I went to the pick up Shane from the neighbors, and I remember feeling very grown up as I explained to him that Kellie had gone to heaven we couldn’t see her anymore. There was a small funeral, and I took a little white plastic basket, I think had been on a birthday cake, and asked if I could place it in her hand. I thought it went well with her tiny white dress.
During this time in school we had a reading program with a challenge to complete a certain number of books/pages by the time the school year ended. I don’t know whether Kellie’s death pushed schoolwork to the background or if I just was not able, but I did not reach the goal in the reading program. After that, or in response to it, I began reading all the time and books became my passion and escape. Books nearly always had a happy ending, and I would rather read than play. Mother would sometimes come and take my books away so that I would go outside and play, but I was always in the middle of four or five, and mother could not find all my hiding places.
When I was eight or nine years old I was enrolled in piano lessons, baton and girl scouts. Wendy and I would ride our bikes to piano and wait during each others lessons. I loved the ability to play piano but I did not like to practice. The neighbor across the street was offering baton lessons and Wendy and I both participated in that as well. It wasn’t really the fancy baton twirled with fingers, but just by a twisting of the wrist. We had shiny little red outfits and marched in parades. When we outgrew the baton lessons, Mom enrolled me in a song\dance group by the name of “Carousel Kids”. I loved singing, and as young as first grade I remember having dreams of everyone else forgetting the words, leaving me to sing a beautiful solo. I would get my chance in the future.
In girl scouts, we met at a neighborhood church near our home. The traditional "brownie" uniform before the real green girl scout one. The highlight of girl scouts was singing in the big Christmas tree at the mall-- that was always such a thrill. And of course, selling girl scout cookies. I was never much of a salesman, but I remember once that Mom was a troop mom, and during girl scout cookie time our house was full, floor to ceiling, of girl scout cookies.
I was a little afraid to enter third grade because my teacher, Mrs.Bullock, was known for being very mean. If you did anything wrong, she would make you write “I will never ...” whatever the offense was, one hundred times. She became one of my favorite teachers and I believe I was the only child who never had to write “I have nevers” although I did have a close call for stepping on toes in line after recess (but it was Tuesday Toesday). Perhaps my favorite thing was reading time. Although I could read myself, I loved story time and the books that were read to us were always extra special. My particular favorite was a book “Sonny Elephant,” and when it wasn’t being read as a class I would check it out of the school library to read over and over again. As I grew older, I continued to read it at least once a year, and when I was no longer in elementary school I would have Shane and Derek check the book out for me, as it was so old it was not available at any other library. Years later my mother would happen upon it at Woodstock’s library sale, and she purchased it remembering that one of the kids had liked it. It is still in my personal library.
One day at recess while playing on the huge tires, I was pushed off by a rather wild boy in the class. I landed on my left arm and was in quite a bit of pain. My parents took me to the doctor and while it was not broken, the doctor gave me a kind of splint that was a half cast to wear for a couple weeks. One the last day of school the boy who pushed me apologized. I was never seriously hurt during my childhood, but Chris had his hand badly burned, Wendy stepped on a rusty nail and Shane was knocked unconscious after falling on ice that Chris was attempting to make into our own family skating rink. My father and Chris were the only family members I can remember actually breaking bones during my childhood, Chris had broken his leg twice, and Dad broke his arm/wrist twice. Mother remembers the first time Dad broke his arm because Shane was just a baby and consequently she had to change all the diapers herself. When I was in college, Dad broke his wrist roller blading up in the mountains. That was a very bad break and instead of a cast, the doctors had to put in pins that went right through his hand and arm.
The summer after third grade, Shane and I got our tonsils out. We went through it together, and that was nice, otherwise it might have been lonely in the hospital all by ourselves. Scott and Wendy had their tonsils out together a few years earlier, and Chris never had his out. The nurse let us pick a “flavor” or smell of the gas to put us under, I think Shane picked peppermint and I chose orange. That particular orange smell can still make me sick to this day. I remember the doctors walking around and talking as they put the gas on and as my world slowly got fuzzy and I woke up in another room very thirsty. As I tried to ask for water I threw up blood, and the nurse caught it in a nice white towel, I always thought maybe they should not have white towels for that job. My throat was so sore, and while swallowing Tylenol was extremely painful, it did numb the pain and make it possible to eat the Jell-O, popsicles and ice cream offered to us by the doctors and nurses. Once when they came in to give us our medicine, they kept calling Shane “Shawn” and I was so afraid they were giving him the wrong medicine and that it might hurt him. I think we stayed in the hospital a couple of days.
I’m not sure if it was the same summer or one before or after that I got the chicken pox. I think the older kids in the family had them, and so we knew I was exposed. Mother wanted to get it over with and she had heard that the sun could bring them on, so as I was still feeling fine and showing no signs of sickness, I was sent out to play. I was wearing a tank top and when the chicken pox did come, I had a “necklace” around my neck and shoulders where I had gotten the most sun. It was painful and itchy but I didn’t have nearly as bad a time as my poor brother Chris. In addition to the chicken pox, his knee became swollen, and he had the flu. Mother took him to the doctor all spotted, on crutches, and holding a throw-up bag -- just in case.
Up to this point Wendy and I had been sharing a bedroom. We would often rearrange the room, sometimes putting our beds together to form a king size. In the evening as we would go to sleep we would talk and make up stories that we had come from another world - we would always begin our play by pretending to wake-up and say “sister, sister, where are we” and then the story would go from there. Being only a few years apart, we did a lot together. We would sing and dance, especially to the music of “Music Machine” and “Xanadu” and called ourselves “The Marvelous Westra Sisters”. We loved the unfinished basement and would roller skate there everyday. Eventually the basement was completed, and with it, a room for Wendy downstairs, and from then on we had our own rooms. Chris had a room downstairs as well, and it had a “high bed” (not a bunk-bed, the room was actually build that way) that required a ladder to get to. Shane and I would occupy this room in later years as well.
Living behind our home was my best friend Missy Yeates. We were the same age and nearly inseparable. We were never in the same class at school until 4th grade, and that was actually bad for the relationship. Their family moved when we were in the 5th grade and I didn’t see her again until my wedding shower years later. While the Yeates lived behind us there was no fence separating our properties and we would play in each others yard all the time. Once after playing outside we went into Missy’s basement to get something, when Missy screamed and jumped behind the couch. She said there was something on the floor in the hall. My eyes were still adjusting from the bright sunlight but after a moment I could see a little animal like a mouse with wings. I was pretty sure it was a bat but I didn’t know what it was doing inside the house. Missy’s parents weren’t home and she was petrified and would not come from behind the couch. I told her to stay put and I ran to my house where everybody was home and as I finally caught my breath, I told them there was a bat in the basement nextdoor. I could tell that they did not believe me, but to indulge me, Dad sent Chris to check it out. Chris humored me further by taking the butterfly net with us. As our eyes adjusted, there was the bat, moved just a little from when I had left, and Missy had not moved at all. Chris, now believing, placed the net over the bat and we both ran home again. Even with Chris’s added testimony Dad wasn’t sure, but he came over with an applesauce jar, in which he caught the bat. My parents were glad that we hadn’t touched the animal because the likelihood of its having rabies was fairly good. Scott took it to school and I’m not sure if we ever heard for sure if the bat was rabid or not.
The following year in school I was in a split class, both 4th and 5th grades together, I was in 4th. My teacher was Mrs. Bjornson and years later when I was married and lived in Midvale I would meet her again in my ward. I loved school and did quite well. Outside of school I had a little business venture to bring in some extra cash. I had a garden and had grown many pumpkins, and I would sell them by the side of the road for Halloween. I did this for quite a few years. Also during this time Mother was pregnant again and I was really looking forward to the baby, due in November, to be a birthday present for me! When I was called in to talk to Mom and Dad I thought I had done something wrong, and I was crushed when told that the baby had died, just shortly before his due date. I think not seeing the baby, or having him home, I didn’t feel as large an impact as when Kellie died.
It wasn’t too much later when Mother did have a little baby, when I was in 5th grade . I always felt like Derek was my baby because Mother announced his coming in a present to me for my eleventh birthday. We knew the day he was coming because he was induced, and I loved telling my class that I would have a new brother that day. Another girl in the class had been cast in a TV commercial and that seemed more exciting to the class, and I was a little upset at my news being overshadowed. Derek was born healthy and we were all so glad to have him. I was in my glory and loved taking care of the baby and being a little second mother to him.
I continued to love school and 5th grade was especially fun. We had a trip up the mountains to Mill Hollow where we stayed a few days. On a hiking trip I found an old ox shoe which was put on display. I entered the “Reflections” contest and won for poetry, even though the poem was actually a song, but I didn’t feel able to write the music down. In junior high and high school I rose to the challenge and wrote a song every year after that, easily winning from the school (often I was the only one to enter for music) and usually went on to region. Recess was always great, playing 4-square, kissing tag, but best of all, on snowy days, we would stamp out mazes in the snow at the back of the playground and play tag there - it was a challenge to not get trapped in a dead end. I also remember my brother Scott had made a “Shocker” in electronics at school, it was a black box with six coins on it and if you touched two coins you received an electric shock, not terrible, but not too pleasant either. I brought it to school and we lined up the entire class holding hands and the two ends touched the coins and the shock went through everyone at the same time.
Scott was always making things like that. For Halloween he made a coffin and wrapped himself up like a mummy to scare the kids, and also “The Great Pumpkin,” a huge paper-mache pumpkin that would be hung by the door each year with a walkie-talkie in it which we could make him talk with. By the time I was twelve I considered myself too old to go trick-or-treating but would have fun being the voice of the great pumpkin. We could also count on him in the winter to make incredible snow sculptures. He showed his artistic talent by making figures, such as a man walking a dog (he made a snow dog too), a fireman, and even Joseph Smith. One year he made a huge fort that looked like a snowman from the outside, but was really hollow and tall enough to stand in. In later years we all pitched in to make huge snow runs that we could ride supertubes down, our own sleigh riding hill. I preferred our hills because they were right in the back yard (the front yard once) so we could slide anytime we wanted, and I never seemed to get hurt like I did when we went sleigh riding as a family.
One of the things we enjoyed doing most was going to our cousins house. My mother’s brother’s family were “the cousins” and their oldest was my age. Mom’s other sister’s family lived in California, and we didn’t do much with the cousin’s on my dad’s side, so “the cousins” were pretty much the only outside family, other than our grandparents that we did things with consistently. Family get togethers were frequent and fun. We loved going to their home because they were “rich” and had so many cool things, like a trampoline, pool table, ping pong table, electric piano, and later a Jacuzzi. We were always a little jealous of their possessions and our parents would eventually buy the things that we really loved, like the electric piano and weight set. But even outside of the toys, we had a lot of fun; sleep overs on their hide-a-bed, and parties at Grandma Norman’s with a school playground near by. We formed a game called “fastys and strongeys” where the girls (the fast-eys) would catch the boys and the strong-eys would beat them up. I think I was a fast-ey.
Elementary school was nearly over, and I began as I started, with Mrs. Diamond, my kindergarten teacher, teaching the sixth grade. By this time friendship groups had formed and my little group, friends since kindergarten and first grade, were still together. We had our own little language “Turkey Talk” that quite a few in the class could understand, but very few could speak; we also played around with “Pig Latin.” We created artificial currency and had our own little world going. In earlier years we had imaginary horses, and would ride them home from school. The number of horses you had was only limited to the number of names you could come up with for them. It was a lot of fun.
In the news at this time was a terrible situation in which some Tylenol capsules were filled with cyanide poison (1982). I believe it was to murder someone, but then in addition to their victim, to cover up or expand the search for the culprit, others were filled and placed on store shelves and innocent people died too. It created quite a panic, and I never dared take any pills after that for a long time. Not long after manufacturing companies started making safety seals which would indicate if packages had been tampered with. I think this was the first time in which something in the national news really scared me.
In sixth grade I got braces, which lasted for a couple years. One tooth was almost completely backward, the braces fixed things but after many years, I'd have issues again and hated my smile later in life. Also around this time the church went through some changes as well. The classes in church had been based on the school system, but at this time it was changed to a calender year oriented system. My birthday, falling in November, separated me from the rest of my schoolmates, who all had birthdays after January. I was in my last year of primary when I was suddenly moved into Young Womens with the older girls, and in Sunday School, I was also moved to the class with kids a year ahead of me in school. While no one was ever unkind, I wasn’t really accepted by that group, and then I was a little alienated from my own classmates as well, and it was quite hard on me.
By this time Scott was nineteen and went on a mission to Florida. He locked up his room tight so that nothing would be touched while he was gone. I wasn’t a very good letter writer and I think I only wrote to him once. I was a little closer to my brother Chris, and even so, I think he only got one letter on his mission as well. Chris was funny, in that he would actually take me and Wendy, or sometimes even my school friends, on dates with him. I believe Mother would let him take the car more often and would not make him pay for gasoline if we girls went along. I remember many dates with Chris and his girlfriend. One rainy day we all went to a movie, and as we had arrived late we stayed to watch the beginning that we had missed. While waiting for the movie to begin again, we put up the umbrella and sat under it and thought we were so funny. A few years later I was double dating with Chris on dates, and he actually asked a couple of my friends out as his date! Chris had quite an imagination, and dates with him along were always a lot of fun. There was a time when all four of us, Scott, Chris, Wendy and I went on a quadruple date.
When Chris was in high school he began “mountain running” and one day as he was leaving, he told me the trail (the Lake Blanche Trail, I still remember) he would be jogging on and what time to expect him back (2:00 pm). The time came in which he said he would return and he was not home. I was immediately concerned and had a very bad feeling that something was wrong. It was a little early to jump to any conclusions, but then another couple of hours went by. Mother was gone on a fishing trip with my grandparents, or I’m sure that she would have shared my concern. As soon as Dad got home from work I sent him and Scott up the canyon to look for Chris. They returned a few hours later, Chris was not with them. They had found the car at the base of the trail, and had hiked a number of miles along it with no sign of my brother. By now it was getting dark and Dad was leafing through pictures of Chris for the search and rescue team. It was not a good evening, and I didn’t know what I would do if something happened to Chris and he didn’t ever come home. I was determined not to go to sleep until he was home safe. I did however, and when I woke up the next morning Chris was home. He had gone up a different, non-populated trail and had fallen off a cliff and broken his leg in more than one place. Someone had found him and even with help, it took them hours to get back to the car. Chris never found out the name of the man who helped him and sometimes we wondered if it was a guardian angel. It was ironic that as the family member who valued his legs and the ability to run, Chris was the only one who ever had a broken leg. A couple years before he had also broken his leg in high school when he fell into the orchestra pit. He was quite impatient to get moving again and usually removed the cast before the doctor had a chance to.
Being twelve, I was old enough, just barely, to go on the Bishop’s Youth Outing. While hiking the many miles to camp with a large frame backpack with a sleeping bag and other supplies I almost wished I hadn’t been old enough to go. The hike was so long. My Dad was in the bishopric and was attending, as well as Chris and Wendy. I was a little upset with my Dad for helping some of the other girls by carrying their packs, when I was his own daughter and I was so tired. It rained most every day but we really had a blast once we made camp. As soon as we walked into camp, Chris walked up to a very large dead tree and stated that before we left, he was going to chop it down. It took a lot of effort, but he did. My favorite part of the trip was playing “Steal the Flag”, the games would last a couple hours and cover many miles. I even found the flag once and helped my team win. The trip back didn’t seem nearly as long or hard as the trip in, and that often seemed to be the case on future trips. I was fairly relieved when I was too young to go on Pioneer Trek though!
Trips were always a little hard for me because I was often afraid I would starve. I cannot remember when it started, it seems for as long as I can remember, my tastes were very particular. I was (am) the most finicky eater I know. It never even got around to taste- sight, smell and texture would turn me off before I would even try a food, and I was (am) very stubborn. I would never even try pizza, hamburgers, and apple pie, and many other foods, all staples of childhood existence. I can remember my mom sitting me in front of a tuna sandwich until I ate it. After a few hoursshe grew tired and left me alone for a moment, and down the disposal it went.
While I dislike a great many foods, I had always had a love for animals (excluding dogs - afraid of them), since a very young age. My family was just the opposite and I had to beg and plead for my wanted pets. I found a stray kitten once, she was black with white paws, until I decided on a name for her I called her “kitsy”, then I decided on “mittens” for her white paws, but she would sneak around like a spirit, so her name turned out to be “kitsy mittens ghost”. I’m not sure what became of her, I think Scott and Chris kidnapped her and dropped her off somewhere far from our house. I was very sad. I also had fish (until Shane “helped” me and poured all their food in at once and they died) and crabs (until Shane, thinking they were like fish, filled up their aquarium with water and they died) and mice and hamsters (starting with two and ending up with a great many). I also had a parakeet, and canaries, and finally another cat.
We (I) adopted a stray cat (Shane and Derek named her Whitney Houston) and she had 4 kittens. Dad and my older brothers said I could keep only one, so I tried to find homes for the others. Our new neighbors, where Yeates lived previously, were a middle-aged English couple with no children. I thought that I might convince the wife to take a kitten, as she was a very motherly sort, but didn’t really think it would happen, because the husband did not seem the type. I was wrong however, and the husband was the one that was smitten; he would come into our yard and “borrow” one of the kittens (always the same one) and they did adopt him, and treated him more as a child than a cat. I kept one of the kittens, naming him “Gurken” (I was taking German in school at the time) and I loved him so. He could sense my moods and would be so loving when I needed it. A few days before my seventeenth birthday, he was hit by a car, I was in the car as a passenger so I know it was an accident and couldn’t have been avoided, but I was devastated. He had to be put to sleep as his injuries were great. It was one of the hardest things I had to do up to that point in my life. Our neighbors who adopted the kitten brought him over to visit me hoping it would make me feel better. My love of animals rubbed off a little on my younger brothers, and my older brother, while not exactly having pets, would sometimes bring home a snake or tarantula spider. I had loved snakes when I was young, and would catch them myself. I can recall chasing snakes at our cousins (dad’s side) in Vernal and finding them in the canal on the way home from school. Wendy told me of a time while walking home from school, coming across a large group of children gathered together; at the center of the attention, I was holding a water snake and grinning. While I was never bitten by one, I did develop a fear of them like a normal girl, and I never liked spiders, especially big ones.
I also disliked bees, probably due to the fact that I was stung many times as a child. I spent a great deal of time in an orchard near our home gathering asparagus, and encountered many bees there, but also I would sometimes provoke the bees, and once was very surprised when I was stung when instead of flicking a bee off my leg, I smashed it with a ball. Once while on a mini family vacation at the Homestead Resort, I was stung twice in a matter of minutes while collecting tennis balls from a wooded area. Wendy was very lucky, and I can only remember one bee incident with her. Our family was climbing the “U” above the university when she suddenly started screaming in such a way that we all thought for sure she was dying. She had been stung by something, not a bee because she was stung twice, but it was very large and black. As I grew older I learned to avoid bees and really became quite afraid of being stung. Once, Grandpa Norman, Dad, Shane and myself were at the far end of the orchard picking up some old concrete for one of Dad’s projects, when we disturbed a wasp’s nest and we were surrounded. I was the only one to escape without injury, and poor Shane got the worst of it as wasps had gone down his shirt and under his arms and stung him again and again.
My father had many projects while we children grew up. He was very good with his hands and loved to work in the garden after work. I remember he built a shed in back of the garage with a dark root cellar, and he also finished the basement and created a large fireplace from rocks gathered from the mountains. He also used rocks outside cementing them in attractive rockways or into steps, and even a waterfall. We children would go with him to the mountains to collect the rocks, and I remember finding a little, old adobe house in the canyon.
I remember the floods of 1993. They did not affect me or my family directly, but they were close enough to cause some concern. I was only twelve or thirteen and wasn’t much help, but I remember going with my father and brothers to fill and move sandbags in an attempt to control the water. The water would run down the streets and through houses like a river, and while it didn’t look dangerous, we were told to stay out of the water because grown men had been swept away in its current. Looking beyond the danger and the loss of property, it was actually fun to gather together to help as a community. I think this is why I was allowed to attend (not for my strength) , for I remember in the time it took me to move one bag of sand, the men and boys had moved several.
We all had our chores growing up. While most kids loved Saturdays to watch cartoons, we had to work. We all took our turns cleaning the bathrooms, mirrors, loading the dishwasher and doing the laundry. Generally the jobs encompassed a certain age, and we were always a little excited when the younger kids became old enough to work too. Poor Derek, being the youngest had no one to pass work on to. Dusting was generally a job for the younger children, but we would all gather after the white plastic couch had been dusted with pledge, and would slide down it into the wall. We had a large, round, “star” chart in the summers that monitored our helpfulness. Jobs would get us a number of “stars” until we reached a “big star” in which we would receive a dollar or something of equal worth. One of our favorite things was a box of sugar cereal which we would each write our names on and guard jealously. At the center there was a big star that would have an even better prize.
One of the jobs that became mine almost exclusively was filing coupons. Some of the stores were “doubling” coupons in which they would redeem the coupon and then the store would give the amount of the coupon off again. Mother became quite adept at using this to her advantage and would often get products free or even a little profit, especially when combined with mail in rebates that we participated in a similar setup. Mother began to acquire to coupons that neighbors did not use and we soon had a full fledged operation going. Shane would collect them, sometimes up to twenty packets of the same coupon insert, mother would cut them, and my job was so sort and file them in one of the 10-12 shoe boxes they were organized in. Although I didn’t love filing coupons, it was better than cleaning the bathrooms, and I, like Mom, got a kick out of the savings. I expressed an interest in grocery shopping and often helped out with that as well, and probably knew more about prices and handling household finances than most kids my age. It was a sad day when the stores stopped doubling coupons. I do recall one morning Mother coming into my room with all the energy of a little girl saying that one store was doubling again - she was practically jumping up and down. The shampoo’s, laundry detergent and many other products that we got free or close to it lasted us for years and years.
In addition to coupons, another job that was of interest to me was the making of fruit “leather” and dried fruit. When I was younger I really loved this fruit leather, but the kids at school loved it even more, and I could trade it for nearly anything, even Cheetos and DingDongs. As I grew older I learned how to make it, and would experiment with different flavors and various ways to make it differently. Mother and I even put our heads together and designed the perfect frame that would make the process easier, but we never got around to actually making it. During the summers the fruit leather would always be drying and we kids loved to take it right off the frames and eat it still warm from the sun.
After we had completed our jobs, we had time to play. I remember going out the morning after the 4th and 24th of July celebrations and collecting any fireworks that had not gone off. We also took sparklers and broke them into jars or cans to get a bigger “sparkle.” I was a bit of a pyromaniac and once started a small fire on the front porch by popping an entire roll of caps all at once with a large rock. Summers were full of fun, playing basketball, making “muddy mess” and “tunnel town” in the sandbox, resting in the tree house high up in the cottonwood tree, roller skating and riding bikes. The older boys got bikes that they rode everywhere. The longest trip they made was from Salt Lake to Alpine for our family reunion.
We had family reunions quite often on my mother’s side of the family. My great-grandmother Bohne was still alive and the reunion consisted of all her children and their families. It was a great many people. The reunions were held in Alpine at the property of one of my Grandma’s brothers. He had built a large three-story house with a curved staircase that we kids loved to play on. Another house next-door was also owned by family and there were enough beds for the adults, with all the kids sleeping under the stars. There were games, horse riding and talent shows, but the highlight every year was a trip to a natural water slide we called “sliding rock.” The water was cold but we loved sliding down the rock to the pool at the bottom. In later years the land was purchased and we were not allowed to go, but we would spread plastic across the grass with a hose of running water at the top, but it wasn’t quite as fun as the natural slide.
I was a little scared to make the move from elementary school to junior high. Scott had been on his own, but he was in 9th when Chris entered as a 7th grader, and Chris was there for Wendy, but I was just a little too late and Wendy was no longer at Bonneville when it became my turn. Junior High School was quite a change from Elementary school. There were now seven teachers instead of one, it was much further away (although I was still considered close enough to not have bussing privileges, but I took the bus anyway) and no recess. Grades became a little more important in that in just two years they would count toward possible college scholarships. Being the fourth child I was influenced by my brothers and sister before me. They all had their particular talents or strong areas, and I felt I had to do just as well as they did in everything. Grades had always been important and we all excelled academically - I found that school came very easy and it was not difficult at all to make the grade. Scott set the stage by getting good grades, and he also excelled in art and drawing. Chris kept up with the grades, and added running and soccer to his repertoire. When Wendy came along, she did well in academics, started running track and cross-country, and also became interested in music and drama.
By the time I entered 7th grade I felt I had to do all these things as well. I probably would not have participated in track on my own, because while I had an affinity for it and did quite well, I did not like to run. I would get physically sick before meets and especially before my races. Bonneville had a great track team, and while I was there I ran the 400 meter, 200 meter and 800 meter relay. My relay team set a new record each year. The teachers, remembering Wendy, literally forced me onto the track and cross-country teams. I was only a sprinter however, and after a pitiful performance in cross-country, they let me off the hook where distance was concerned. Whereas Wendy and Chris continued running into high school, I quit as soon as I could. The running however, did get me into good shape for soccer, which I did enjoy very much. We had a great team and were pretty much undefeated. I had quite a bad tumble during a game which caused my knee to fill up with blood. It was very difficult to walk for a few weeks and I had to wear skirts because my knee was so large I could not get pants over it. The swelling went down on its own, but the doctor warned if it happened again I might need an operation. I also injured my finger during a softball game, and while it is still crooked to this day, it did not interfere with track or soccer. If our high school had a girls soccer team I think I would have continued, but as it was, soccer ended about the same time as track.
While my athletics were pretty much associated with junior high only, my love of singing and drama got a good start and continued into high school. While in seventh grade I was as a leading role in my first musical. The following summer Wendy and I were in the chorus of a community production of “Annie”. After playing a lead, it was a bit of a let down to only get a chorus part, but I found that often chorus parts left more time for fun and goofing off back stage. My ninth grade year the high school did “Annie” and I was cast as a lead orphan this time. We spent a lot of time at the high school and a little group we called “The Thumper Club” was formed. During the rehearsals when our groups were not practicing we would get together and play “Thumper.” It is a game with signs/actions, and as we played we got better and faster and were constantly making up new versions. This group was always present for the next few years and made the transition to high school very easy.
I had already spent a lot of time at the high school and had many friends who were in the higher grades. The transition from Junior High to High School was practically non-existent. The summer after my ninth grade year was spent in another community show with my friends John and Chris from the Thumper Club in a production of “The Wizard of Oz”. We were the Tinman, the Scarecrow and Dorothy respectively. Shortly upon the conclusion of that production I was cast as Little Red Riding Hood at the Hale Theater, a new, little “theater in the round” that soon became very well known for quality productions. “Little Red Riding Hood” lasted into the school year, and when it ended I participated in the school production of “Gypsy.” I loved drama and was never long between shows, and I was back to Hale Theater for “A Christmas Carol” and “Cinderella”. During my sophomore year I had the distinction of being cast in the school’s “Little Theater” production of “See How They Run”. The little theater was generally reserved only for seniors, and sometimes juniors, but I loved the part and won an award for “Best Character Actress in a Nonmusical” from all the area high schools.
I turned sixteen my sophomore year and was officially able to date. I had been asked to Homecoming prior to my birthday and my parents had consented to my going as it was a group date, not a single one.I was also old enough to drive, but unlike most kids - I didn’t want to. I had taken Driver’s Education, and completed the course in December receiving my learners permit, but I was still very afraid. My parents had two cars and they were both stick shifts. I felt it was too much to learn the rules of the road and how to shift at the same time. My parents actually had to force and trick me into driving and getting my license. I think they may have threatened that I could not be in any more plays.
. When I was young I would dream about my future employment. As I would shop with my mother at the grocery store, I would stay and watch the ladies decorate the cakes in the bakery. I wanted to do that when I grew up. I also loved wrapping presents, and thought I might get a job at a department store in the gift wrap department. I actually did earn a little money wrapping Christmas presents for a neighbor who did not have the time. When I was quite young Mother said, I loved peeling apples and wanted a future in that - a professional apple peeler, imagine that. As I turned sixteen I started to look for a job- other than babysitting, which I had been doing since the age of twelve. I started working at Skaggs Alpha Beta as a bagger, and took a second job at a fast food place. Working two part time jobs became the norm for me, and while I often worked over 40 hours a week, I never really had a full time job.
During my junior year I was even more active in drama and music than ever. I played the leading role in “Oklahoma” and was again in Hale’s production of “A Christmas Carol” and rehearsing for the show that followed it. During Christmas I was also in the concert choir and Madrigal singing groups. I did have to give up my piano and singing lessons at this point as I barely had time to attend lessons, much less practice. I kept very busy and some of my teachers watched me for fear that I would have a breakdown from the stress. I loved it, and found that I did better when busy than not. I was also taking early morning seminary and an Advanced Placement class for college credit. I didn’t work during the school year, but instead put all my attention outside my activities on schoolwork. My parents hadn’t really saved a college fund for us (although they had matched some of our savings as enticement) so I knew I had to pay for college myself. Rather than working during school I was determined to get good grades and get through college on scholarship. I had resolved this early and had been quite devastated my first quarter of ninth grade when I received a B- in type. This was the lowest grade I ever received.
During my junior year we also had a health scare. I was aware of some lumps in my neck and my mother felt they should be checked out by a doctor. He gave us a diagnosis of lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes, and it was not a good diagnosis to have. The next day we went to Primary Children’s Hospital for further testing, and the second opinion negated the first. It was a horrible couple of days when the prospect of dying young seemed a little too close. When it was over it was like having a second lease on life. The only other health problem I had was ingrown toenails. I can’t remember when they started, but I always seemed to have one. Because of this, I often walked with a limp, although which foot I favored would change back and forth. They were extremely painful and I became quite quick on my feet so that my toes would never get stepped on. I finally had enough and had a minor operation to clear it up completely. I had to make a number of trips prior, and each time was very painful. The nurses commented on my white complexion, and they had to use the smelling salts to revive me at one time. Although they looked terrible, my toes seemed to be clearing up, but a few weeks after the surgery I was in such great pain that it was obvious something was wrong. Unfortunately the problem began on a Friday afternoon and the office was closed, so I had to wait until Monday morning to be attended to. It was one of the most painful times of my life.
Senior year was full of ups and downs. I played the lead in the school musical again, and like the year before, participated in Choir and Madrigals and “Christmas Carol” at Hale Theater. I was taking two Advanced Placement classes this year, and pulled straight 4.0 every term. Part of my determination to do well in school and drama was a goal I had placed as a young girl. My brother Chris had been Sterling Scholar for business and my goal was to be the Sterling Scholar for Drama my senior year. It is likely that any other year I would have been a shoo-in as the school’s candidate, but a year or so earlier a girl had moved here from California, she too excelled dramatically and academically, and the nomination went to her. I was crushed. It didn’t matter that I had received full scholarships to Ricks, BYU and Snow College, I hadn’t achieved my goal.
I wasn’t sure where to attend college. Scott and Chris had chosen BYU and Wendy had gone to Snow college. I was leaning a little more towards Snow, based on the favorable accounts I had received from Wendy. My decision was made when I received a call from the scholarship committee from Snow offering me an Honors scholarship that would cover my housing costs, in addition to the academic scholarship paying tuition and fees. My strategy had paid off, as the scholarships were worth more than I ever could have earned working during the school year
My leading man from “Oklahoma” became more than just a friend during my high school years. The crush had begun during “Annie” and as we were both members of the Thumper club, we spent a lot of time together. He had asked me on my first date, and we attended the Homecoming dance together every year, as well as other dates and dances in between. I liked the idea of having a boyfriend and when we broke up during my senior year, I took it badly. I wasn’t good at being alone. I was not alone for long and was soon dating another boy from a different high school. We became quite serious and dated all summer. When college began in the fall, it was very difficult to leave to separate schools. Not many months into the school year that relationship came to an end as well, and I was truly devastated. Not learning my lesson, I became involved once again, this time with a returned missionary, and once again had my heart broken. I felt like a failure at love and relationships and was determined not to be hurt again.
Despite my broken hearts, I loved Snow college. I went down not knowing a soul, but in a way it was fun to start fresh. I lived in the dorms and got along fine with the roommates I had been placed with. Wendy had been in a singing group, the LD Singers, of which I became a part, and it was like suddenly having fifty friends all at once. I played Sister Margaretta in the school's production of “Sound of Music” and became interested in psychology as my major. Near the end of school, I was approached by my psychology professor who owned a house he rented to students each year. He said it was mine if I wanted, and I could choose whomever I would like for roommates for the following year. It was a three bedroom/one bath home, and there were seven of us. I was in LD Singers again, as were four of my roommates. Over the summer I had nursed my broken heart by changing my outlook and trying to regain my self-esteem. I had never enjoyed dancing, but I overcame my fears and attended the church sponsored dances quite often and always came out with a date or two. I also started initiating parties and get-togethers, keeping myself so busy and involved that I didn’t have time to be sad. Back at school our house became quite a social hub as well. We attended the school dances every weekend (Snow was so small that there wasn’t too much else to do) and I even competed in the Miss Snow Pageant. The year was full of flirting and fun. The only downfall was that having seven cute girls living together we often had conflicts of interest with boys. I remember one fellow went out with five of us, and we laughed and compared notes as to his lines to try and get a kiss.
I left Snow with mixed emotions. I had loved my time there but I was ready to move on. While nearly all my friends were going on to Utah State, I had been accepted to BYU on scholarship, and I was going to be on my own again. I found a little house to rent, again with roommates I did not know, but while I had loved living with friends, the closeness created a lot of problems that did not occur with acquaintances. My summer was to be quite short, as Snow let out late and BYU began early -but I made the most of it.
The fun actually started on a weekend near the end of the quarter while home from Snow when I attended the Singles Ward. Scott had been attending the ward for sometime and had a good memory for names and knew everyone in the ward. I remember seeing a darling guy and asking Scott who he was, to which he replied “I don’t know, he’s too short.” It turned out that it was the first week this fellow had attended the singles ward-- it was his first Sunday home from his mission in fact. I did not let Scott deter me and I found out his name, Grayson Blackham, and then I realized why he looked familiar to me. I had known his little brother Kolby, who had been a year behind me in school; and I used this as a line to introduce myself. I tried to find a reason to talk to him every Sunday. He seemed very shy but I was confident that I would end up going out with him eventually. At a fireside a couple of months later I made my move. I again inquired after his brother, who was now in the MTC, and I brought up the fireside play at Hale Theater that I knew Kolby had been acting in prior to his mission. I asked Grayson if he had seen the play, and expressed my desire to see it again. Grayson took the hint and asked me to the fireside for the following week.
The following Sunday was June 16, Father’s Day, and therefore the fireside was not playing that day. I was not about to let all my hard work go to waste, so the date became going to a family party at my cousins. Our first date poor Grayson was accosted by the entire family, including cousins, Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents. The summer became full of Grayson and little by little I found him doing the little things that I had always dreamed about in my Mr.Right. I came out from work one night to find him standing by my car in the pouring rain-- and we danced. I shared a special story about caterpillars and butterflies, and received a package with a quote from the book with two little caterpillars on a branch. Coming home from school I found eleven roses strewn across my bed, with a note, when followed, lead me to him, holding a rose to make a complete dozen. A stuffed teddy bear, breakfast in bed, pictures at the machine at the mall. Little things, unimportant things, but a list my young romantic heart had dreamed up that previous relationships had not come close to fulfilling. I in turn would frequent the restaurant where he waited tables, alone or with Derek as a “date”, leaving a tip of kisses(Hershey), or a $100,000 bar. Giving his room a heart attack, leaving lipstick kisses on his window. I’m not sure what was more fun, the giving or the receiving.
Summer was too short, and soon it was time for me to leave for school. While still fairly close, BYU was still long distance by telephone. We used to “love buzz” each other, calling and letting the phone ring only once, to indicate love, and that we were in each other's thoughts. Even when Gray began working at United Parcel Service at 3:00 am, he would receive a love buzz nearly every day before he went to work. We were not good at being apart and Grayson would make trips up midweek, and I would come home every weekend.
During the weekends home, we spent the majority of time at Grayson’s house. As we spent more there, I became more aware of his father’s illness. While Grayson was on his mission, his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Because of this, he could slip into an acute case of hypoglycemia, which when his blood sugar dropped too low, would cause him to lose consciousness. Grayson had alerted me to some of the danger signs to look out for, and where the medication was kept. One afternoon while his dad was out feeding the rabbits, I became aware that he needed help and notified Gray. The medication came in two forms- Grayson grabbed a shot and I grabbed a tube. The shot did the trick, and it was lucky we did not need the medication I had brought out, as I had accidentally grabbed the de-worming medication for the family dog.
Grayson’s father needed constant care at this point, and I was amazed at how the family rallied together. Gray’s mother was working full-time at this point, and therefore could not be at home, so her family, her mother and sisters, would take turns being with Gordon during the day. Special family meetings and fasts were held, and I felt such a sense of family, I knew then that I would be honored if I was asked to become a part. His father died a few months before our marriage and I always felt very lucky that I had received the opportunity to get to know Grayson’s father before he passed away.
When school began, I started receiving notices about graduation. Although I was just starting my third year of college, at this point I had as many credits as many seniors. Both Snow and BYU had a flat tuition rate and I always took as many courses as were allowed (and sometimes more) to get my money's worth - in addition, the Institute classes taken on the side at Snow, here counted as actual courses. I had worried that BYU would be more difficult than my experience at Snow, but I found the classes to be on similar levels. Unlike Snow, the computer lab at BYU was not free of charge but cost for every hour of use. Back at home Shane had talked my parents into getting a new computer and I was able to take the old one to school and I don’t know what I would have done without it..
While I did have an academic scholarship, my housing, books and fees were not covered. During the summer I had worked at Mervyns and managed to save a little money for school for these expenses. I had worked at Mervyns off and on for a number of years - I could come home from Snow college and have an immediate job, even just over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. I also worked a little during my college years. At Snow I worked as a tutor, both one-on-one and group study, and at BYU I was asked to be a teaching assistant in a class that I had done well in my first semester. Chris was a graduate student in psychology at this time and together we actually taught this course for a couple of weeks while the professor was starting a language program in Russia. My job mainly consisted of grading papers and tests, but it was work that I could do on my own time, which was the only way I could fit it into my schedule. I was very lucky to find such work to help bring in some extra money. I was able to graduate from college without incurring any debt. I actually had to pay $250 when I only received a half tuition scholarship for summer semester, but that was the only tuition I ever paid.
Grayson and I practically had the wedding all planned before he actually asked me to marry him. Our engagement occurred March 19, the night before my brother Scott was getting married. On July 22, 1992 we were married in the Jordan River Temple. I was the only bride that day and got plenty of attention from the workers. We had a wedding lunch, then went off on a little honeymoon (downtown and then Park City) and had the reception that weekend. It was nice to split the wedding and the reception, which was held in the Westra backyard. Then it was time to start our lives, together.
Friday, September 20, 2024
Autobiography ~ Marriage & More
Autobiography Outline
Baby
- 1970 Born in Washington, lizard baby
- 1972 Moved to Utah, cut chin on fireplace, “me”
Preschool
- 1975-76 (5) Shane Born
Elementary School
- 1976-77 (6) Kindergarten
- 1977-78 (7) 1st Grade
- 1978-79 (8) 2nd Grade-Girl Scouts, baton lessons, Kellie dies
- 1979-80 (9) 3rd Grade- Mrs Bullock “I Will Not”, Reading, “Sonny Elephant”,Tonsils out,
- Chicken Pox? Carousel Kids
- 1980-81(10) 4th Grade- Split 4th/5th class, Cory Dies, Selling pumpkins, Mrs Bjornson, see again in Midvale years later
- 1981-82(11) 5th Grade- Derek Born, cousins and their toys, Reflection contest, Mill Hollow, Scott’s Shocker and Snow Sculptures
- 1982-83(12) 6th Grade- Paper money, turkey talk, braces, Tylenol scare, Great Pumpkin, Scott on Mission, Bishop’s youth outing, change in church system
- General: Animals (pets) “Kittsy Mittens Ghost” + fish, crabs, (later hamsters, mice, parakeets, canaries), finicky eating habits, job chart, coupons
- 1983-84(13) 7th Grade- “Teen and Annie”, track team, soccer, floods
- 1984-85(14) 8th Grade- Chris lost up mountains, taking us on dates
- 1985-86(15) 9th Grade- “Annie, Wizard of Oz, RRH”, Chris Bennett and Thumper club, Ingrown toenails
- 1986-87(16) Sophomore Year- “Gypsy, See How They Run, Christmas Carol, Cinderella”, first jobs at Skaggs and Miers Chicken, First date, drivers license
- 1987-88(17) Junior Year- “Oklahoma, Heidi, CC, I Came To Your Wedding” Madrigals, California trip, painting, AP classes, Cancer scare, work Shopko and Skippers
- 1988-89(18) Senior Year- “42nd Street, 10 Little Indians, CC”, Madrigals, Sterling Scholar, breakup Chris/meet Alan
- 1989-90(19) 1st Year Snow-- Breakup Alan, meet Rob, LD’s, Sound of Music, Psychology, work as tutor, Summer of dances and parties, work Mervyns
- 1990-91(20) 2nd Year Snow-- White house and friend roommates, LD’s, Chris and Sandy married, Dad breaks arm, meet Grayson
- 1991-92(21) BYU -- Computer at school, work as teaching assistant, Engaged, Summer School, Gray’s Dad dies, Chris and Sandy have Conner, Married
Married Life
- 1992-1993 Basement Apartment -- Gray UPS, Roadway and SLCC; Me school (graduation) and work Mervyns and AT&T; Wendy and Rick married. Gray in Elder’s Quorum Pres and me Beehive advisor; possible Idaho venture; start work with Mcmullin; new car and truck; Kolby home
- 1993-1995 Midvale House -- Gray teach Sunday School, Elders Quorum Pres; me MiaMiad advisor; AT&T, Travelers and Granite Services; Infertility, Shawn and Lorrie Crosgrove, new baby on the way. Building new house.
- 1995-1996 Courtney Court House-- Loki; Landon born
1992 Basement Apartment -- Gray UPS, Roadway and SLCC; Me school (graduation) and work Mervyns and AT&T; Gray in Elder’s Quorum Pres and me Beehive advisor; possible Idaho venture; start work with Mcmullin; new car and truck
1993 Kolby home. Midvale House -- Gray teach Sunday School, Elders Quorum Pres; me MiaMiad advisor
1994 AT&T, Travelers and Granite Services. Wendy and Rick married (June). Westras move to Havenmoor (Nov) Infertility, Shawn and Lorrie Crosgrove, new baby on the way
1995 Building new house. Courtney Court House-- Loki; Landon born; Gray Elder’s Quorum Pres, me in Primary Pres (Primary Pregnancy); Kolby and Jami married (0616); Shane leaves for mission (July) Kaufman and Broad job offer; Start boutique
1996 Pheasant Run House (Dec move in) -- Direct road show; new computer
1997 Clayton leaves on mission (0205) Boutique closed, new boutique (02) Closed on PR house (0211) Long walks, back out, pregnancy and miscarriage (0704) Shane home from mission. Gray possible job change/Pneumonia. EMAIL
1998 Expecting Callahan. (09) Grayson quit job/New job Pentalen. Tend Kayla.
1999 Grayson changes job (01-Hamlet). Callahan born (02-21). Close boutique, start scrapbooking.
2000 Pregnant with Keaton/Keaton born. Wickenburg (02) Lots of Camping. Turn 30 (10 days of Jen’s Bday). Clay and Courtney Married.
2001 Buy Trailer. 9-11 Attacks. Grayson Promotion. Derek leaves on mission (July)
2002 Florida Trip (02) Computer Problems. Scrapbooking (Ivy Cottage, BH&G Article, CK/IMP Work). Only 1 camping trip - Have wave runners (use once). Grayson - Body For Life. Trip to Oregon.
2003 Bishopric Release/Stake Yms. Expecting Cooper. Portland. Week of Fun (Pineview, Park City, etc.) Crafts book work. Cooper born. Derek home from mission.
2004 Sports; Basketball (Landon) & Soccer (Callahan and Landon). Pioneer Trek. Jen - IMP full time.
2005 Medical Mishaps (Cooper broken leg, Landon broken arm, Gray Achilles, many doctor visits, dermatology, baby & family flu). Mexico Trip. Sports: soccer (spring & fall). Finish up work IMP, Hamlet crazy/promotions. Jen Primary Chorister, Grayson/teaching, scouts. Colton born.
2006 Gray and Landon to Cancun, Derby. Gray quit Hamlet/join Symphony. Change. Weight loss. Finish the basement/water damage. Trip to Oregon (Jen too!)
2007 Derbies. Field Day. Symphony Design Center...Skip Oregon. Movies/Dating. Landon braces.
2008 Lots of Derbies and scout stuff. Lots of dates (dinners/movies), a couple hikes, American Idol concert. Gray and older boys to Moab in March, Jensens visit here, then us to St. George (running derby, forgot key to derby box), Moab in Aug/Blackham Reunion/MusicPark/Sand Hill, another St. George trip in Oct - Big River and LesMis. Investment house - finally sold (whew). Purse stolen (left in car during church). Maga Wedding. Field Day (Gray rockets and balloon launch). Swimming lessons. Ice skating.
2009 (FamilyBlogPost) Disneyland, Lagoon, Provo River, Cecret Lake, Family 5k, Gray 1/2 Marathon & Century Ride. Jen soccer (&volleyball,rball+elliptical, etc). Landon broken arm, ref for Junior Jazz. Cal - lots of basketball, new superleague team, play Dwill. Keaton won school art contest, FLY IN HIS EAR. Coop preschool graduation, starts kindergarten. Potty training done for both babies ... NO MORE DIAPERS!
2010 Gray Employment – Symphony to Havenhill. Snowshoe, Mt. Olympus, Marathon, biking in Moab. Moab/Seattle sans Jen/Coop. Disneyland All/Extended too. Braces~Landon off, Callahan on. Landon 9th - had to permit to Elkridge after boundary changes/girlfriend. Cal 6th grade, basketball (Reggie/Utes and Klint). Keaton 4thgrade/basketball and baseball. Coop 1st grade/soccer/broken arm. Colton - second year preschool. No more diapers! Soccer w/Addie&Clay. Lots of swimming/lessons, but WJMS pool closes. Kearns/Grandma’s/Gray&Landon Scuba. Maga moves. Clay&Courtney moved too. Grandma Henry passed away. Grandpa Norman too. Chris/divorce. D&D adopt Ani. Ipod Touch. NETFLIX! Jen starts the family blog, gets a Fitbit.
2011
2012
2013 Jen - weight loss again. New truck for Gray- Avalanche to Landon. Accident in school parking lot. Landon 18 - senior. Cal 14, 8th grade/9thgrade. Keaton 13, 6th/7th, Coop 10, 3rd/4th, Colton 8, 1st/2nd. School Switch, Columbia to Terra Linda. Last “off-track” times - lots of fun places (Classic, Allstar, PlanetPlay, Nicklemania++). Gray- NewYork. Family Seattle/Orcas. UncleEric’s Cabin. Lake Powell. WAVERUNNERS ~ Pineview. New Truck (Tundra). Avalanche accident (parkinglot). Cal-broken foot AGAIN! Colton - broken wrist. Keaton - eyes checked. Coop - extractions. Gray Sciatica. Influenza x4 and stomach flu Easter. Grandma Norman Funeral. Lots of scouts (Snowmobiling, Topaz Mountain, Sand Dunes, + derby/lego derby). Lots of basketball, soccer for Colton. Cal braces off. Olivia mission.
2014 New computer (Mac) for family room. New desk/rearrange rooms. Avalanche stress/waiver. Covered trailer. Family flu, Landon’s wisdom teeth, Keaton scraped up leg. Colton soccer and basketball. Coop, no more basketball. Keaton and Cal - lots of BB. Gray builder’s convention in Vegas. NEW YORK. SEATTLE (x2 for Gray). Lake Powell. Pineview. Badminton. Scouts. Landon graduated. Cal finished 9th, started sophomore. K finished 7th, in 8th. Coop finished 4th, started 5th (some school stress), Colton finished 2nd, in 3rd. Colton baptised. Cal learners/girlfriend. Leg Lamp party and Limo ride for Christmas.
2015 Landon left ( Puebla, Mexico). Olivia mission done. Room rearrange. Maga’s move. Durango (traded in Av). Oreo and Joy … and ducks (Andy, Alex, Pedro). Zundel family reunion. Dad/Lamar Heart Attack. Basketball. Biking. Lots of hikes. Pineview. Parkcity. Lagoon. Family Seattle, Gray Europe … more little getaways. Cal 16, dating, driving, working. Coop active, weight loss. Gray family history.
2016 Landon on mission. Cal Senior- Kate. Basketball. Graduation. KFC. Charger. Keaton: Broken wrist, finished 9th (basketball) started sophomore. Basketball team. Early morning Driver’s Ed, Learners and license. A girlfriend? Allergy attack. Coop finished 6th (Shakespeare play) started 7th. Pokemon Go and Cooper go! Ran a 5k, lots of steps on Fitbit. Colton - basketball/two teams. Final derby. Bottle flipping. Grayson: SMOKING. Derbies and Symphony. Menieres and Sciatica. Jen: Zumba. Added in audiobooks. Vegas building convention. Fall Food Tour #2. Pineviewx7. Ducks (Uno+5) and Momma/13babies. Maga’s kittens and chickens and Shadow. PAMMY PARTY. Election year … Trump.
2017 TRAVEL: Mexico (Landon pickup) and FamilySeattle + Gray’sGetaways. Sequoya for Gray. Tundra for K, Charger for Landon. MEDICAL: Some Menieres. Cal ingrown toenails. Landon stomach problems. Pam’s fall, Chris semi-colon. Maga’s Menagerie (kittens, chickens, hamster, dog). Dog bite. Watching Remi. Ducks and GEESE, more ducks. Duck run. Snapchat. Fightlist. BASKETBALL: Cal senior season (graduated). K sophomore. Coop JJ, Colton Wolves and Grizzlies. Boys are dating. Pineview. Ice Obsession. Colton Bday Party!! 43 derbies.
2018 Ducks … started with four, ended with six (one died, added three). Garden. L&S married. Cal&K8 together, Keaton dances (ext-fam Janika, Corin, Conner, Kaden weddings). Gray (and Grandpa’s) garage. Gray’s getaways (seattle x2, Portland, bear lake +) Still smoking + Sous Vide. Alexa/Ring. Switch(jackbox). Segway. Pineview. Landon moved out, room rearrange. Basketball – Colton Wolves and Grizzles, knee pain. Keaton JJ, Cal Men’sLeague. Family 5k (not quite everyone). Hale/Aida. Sol graduate. Colton finished elementary started at Elkridge w/Coop. L&C SLCC, Cal switch to electrical (had quit CaptionCall for UPS). Landon Discover, then switch. Keaton KFC – BUSY. Gray busy Symphony. 45 derbies. Salt obsession.
2019 Cal engaged. Pam passed away. Ducks … ended the year rehoming them. Joy lost then found. Hamster died. L&S added Cherry and Bagera. Monarch. Basketball ~ Colton w/Wolves winter/spring/summer/fall, season with Jags (8th grade team, playing up). Keaton cheering & JJ. Cal some men’s leagues. Durango ~ lease to purchase. RZR. Tundra hit. Coop 16 but no desire to drive. Employment ~ Landon LKL. Cal electrical, and K too (quit KFC), switch to Nike. Gray busy at Symphony. Gadgets ~ Brilliance Switches, RokuTvs, Gray switch to Samsung. Earbuds for Jen (more audiobooks), PlaystationVR and XBOXOne. Thought about new house – L&S put money down, moved in with her mom. MEDICAL: Depression & Anxiety. Cal broken foot. Grandma broken wrist. Movies … L&S pass, take Coop a lot. SCHOOL: Coop Bingham, switch to Mountain Heights. Colton Elkridge? JoelP? Keaton graduated. SLCC(2ndsem). VACATIONS: Cruise, Graygetaways, he and Coop to Seattle, Keaton Disney. Gray/Hawaii. L&S Mexico. Pineview several times. Big snow – school canceled. Gray Keto, smoking/sous-vide/derbies. Jen Zumba. School help. Keaton skydiving.
2020 Had a SNOW day. Coronavirus/Covid! Earthquake! L&S House. Cal - broken foot AGAIN. Cal&Kate Married. Cal & Kate house. Gray Truck-Fordf350. Coop-Job(school sweeper)/long hair, fantasy football win, AGAIN. Basketball - Colton makes high school team as a freshman, attends basketball class. School half online. Jen BLOGGING(WestraWay). Oculus. Gray back to Iphone, K&Jen new phones too. GrayGetaways. Waverunning (7trips). Basement redo (carpet/paint). Maga’s house sold. Puppies next door. Keaton Corolla, Gray switched Sequoia for new Ford-F150. Pinewood Derbies Done (between Covid/ScoutingShifts). Disney+, PingPong, Jen Eye-issues/weight loss (Oct start). Politics/Election.
2021 Router Replaced. Water Heater/Microwave too. Taxes. RZR Retreat. SEATTLE (everyone). Hawaii for G&K (and Cal&K8). L&S Mexicox2. SOURDOUGH (weight gain after loss). Bigger Blackstone & Komodo Joe. BASKETBALL (Colton on HS team as freshman, again as Soph, Cal Men’s League). Monarch (success). PokemonGo, Pickleball, Keaton Skydiving (solo/50jumps). Learner’s Permits.
2022 Colton gets driver's license in Jan, Coop in August. Jen goes Boom. ER for Gray/Landon, carpal tunnel for Keaton, several skin issues (Gray/Keaton/Coop/Colton - wart/Daisy ... dermatologist visits!) New pantry. Keaton recommits to Electrical (school/van), Coop Basketball + Colt/Cal per usual.
2023 (Family Blog Post) England/Paris for Gray, as well as Cali with Landon, then Jen/Colton, then Keaton/Coop. Lots of hiking for Gray and Landon (Timp, etc). Bear Lake family trip, one family Pineview, lots of pickleball, a wiffleball, paddlesmash. Jen - another ER in April, followed by more medical tests. Still sourdough/zumba/books; bookclubs and The StoryGraph. F-day. Landon - new car, Spartan. Ouch knee moving Ana (ACL but not known until later). Cal&Kate adopted Vera, Keaton tried commercial (K2) but returned to Camsen. Billing mess (carpal tunnel surgery). New basement apartment. Snore bedroom in basement. Coop starts at DLP. Colton Metro (three trips), UtahTop50, up for Homecoming King. Eclipse.
2024 Colton's senior season - undefeated in region. Allstar. Then track. Talking to colleges, tour, commitment, graduation. RZR crash (and Jon's stuck). Landon move ... and surgery (ACL/meniscus). Room re-arrange (Colton down, snore up, front room den/library). Keaton - to Daybreak. Little Free Library. Gray's Getaways - Vegas, Mexico (L&Coop&extended) REPAIRS: Truck (need rental car), Durango A/C, Charger A/C, house A/C, basement bathroom (mold), stove & dishwasher repair (ice trays instead of ice maker repair). Colton -root canal/crown. Coop&(&Landon) two concerts. J&G - Come From Away. DiaperHouse Bluey. Gray - running and biking (half marathons and Seattle2Portland, LotoJa, Salt to Saint, Spartan). G&Coop 5k trail run. Coop weight loss. Snow Basin Brunch. Blackham Reunion. Colton to College (new apartment set-up).