Christmas Faces...

Here's just something to post because its been a little slow on here what with the holidays and all :)

Yay Something New to Post!!!

Happy Birthday Dayna! Dayna turned 10 today! We hope your birthday was lots of fun and we also hope to get some pictures we can post soon! Happy Birthday Dayna, we love you!

Lauritzen Family Christmas

To view full sized pictures click here

Merry Christmas!

Sorry I have been away for so long! We are just partying it up here in California! Well, mostly. There has been some work, but mostly fun! We had a great Christmas today with the our whole family together for the first time in five years! For more about our Christmas go to....

Blair Family Blog

Hope your Christmases were great! Send pictures so we can post them!

Heidi's Line...

"Little full, lot of sap." That was our favorite line this year from National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation". That's Jason's and my traditional Christmas Eve movie after kids are in bed (because it's WAY too crude for little ones to be watching--we have to edit it for ourselves, but it's pretty funny, too). After buying our first real tree this year we had a very similar experience to the Griswolds with getting a tree that's probably a little too full and does have a lot of sap. We probably quote from "A Christmas Story" more than any other movie, though. "Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie, I triple dog dare you, you'll shoot your eye out", etc. Every time I watch Ralphie come down the stairs in his bunny pajamas, I hear mom laughing. She loves that part. Also, who among us doesn't find ourselves singing "Jingre Berrs"?

Other "must sees" every year for me are "Charlie Brown Christmas", "Home Alone", "It's a Wonderful Life", "Miracle on 34th Street" (and it has to be the old version with Maureen O'hara), the George C. Scott version of "A Christmas Carol", "The Bishop's Wife", and "White Christmas". Luckily I own all of these movies because they don't show them on t.v. anymore. It's always the horrible Patrick Stewart version of "A Christmas Carol", or the claymation movies every night. I wish we could all get together and watch these movies with some Spanish hot chocolate. I miss Amy waking everyone up and hitting the broom against the ceiling to get dad up. It's fun to see that same excitement in my little ones.

Teresa's Line....

Oh I have SO many favorites, but the one I use most is "Fragile... must be Italian". Every time I see the word "Fragile" I have to say it... its a horrible impulse. It used to drive Keith crazy because he didn't see the movie until this year and didn't know what I was talking about. :) My favorite "movie" though is The Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Its the one thing I have to watch every year... OOH and The Grinch! That one is great too :)

Mindy's Line...

The line I use the most is "I can't put my arms down! Ralphie!" from A Christmas Story. It's hard to choose a favorite movie. There are so many good ones. One Magic Christmas was a favorite when I was young, but I can't even find that at video stores so I haven't seen it in many years. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's a Wonderful Life are all great must-sees every year. I just love Christmas!

Question of the Week....

What's your favorite line from a Christmas movie, and what is your favorite Christmas movie?

Amy's Catch Up...

I have been trying to finish a quilt and have not been able to devote much time to the computer lately. So I have lots of catching up to do. The oldest person I remember was either Delos or Eugene, Dad's uncles. I remember going to visit one of them in a nursing home once but I don't remember which one it was. Do you remember, Dad? I don't know how Mindy can remember Grandma Margie necause I don't at all.

I am with all of you on how the world has changed. It is becoming so uncomfortable to be in the world I don't know how anyone can stand it without having a lifeline such as we have in the Gospel. I come across so few religious people these days, even here in Kentucky. I think the music has changed dramatically. I used to say, as we all do I think, that I would always keep up on the latest trends in music and be a "cool" parent. But the music these days is so blah and boring or really crude. I have to look up the lyrics to any song Alex wants to listen to because there is so much trash out there that he sometimes doesn't recognize. Parents are more afraid of their kids these days. I think it is definitely hotter in the summer, maybe that's because of where I live. I remember thinking gas was cheap if it was under $1/gallon. And I don't remember cars being as important a status symbol as they are now. I mean, I know they were, but I think it has gotten worse. The only thing that I know for sure has changed for the better since I was a kid is me!

I have 2 "weddings" under my belt and still no honeymoon. Not even wedding pictures. We have talked about maybe taking some sort of vacation, just the two of us, but I don't know if it will ever happen. By the time we have all our kids raised Payne will be almost 70. Maybe when Alex is old enough to be left in charge for a few days, we'll see. But I am all about the small wedding and just a night in a hotel. I think paying a lot for a huge wedding is really stupid. What a waste for one day!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to Kristi and Lloyd! They have been married for 24 years today! I asked my mom to send me a picture but she hasn't, and who knows if she will. So I just posted it anyway. Maybe I can talk her into sending me a picture and then I can post it later since we don't have a lot of special days this year! Only Christmas, Dayna's birthday and their anniversary. Anyway, congratulations mom and dad! Hope your anniversary was full of fun and no Christmas shopping.

Jeny's Honeymoon...

We kinda had a honeymoon in Salt Lake City, Utah. We got married in West Jordan, so we didn't go very far. We stayed at the Little America hotel in the honeymoon suite, and for our 20th anniversary Mark took me back there, and to walk around Park City, just like we did on our first honeymoon. We have a few really funny memories of those first few days, including the alarm clock going off (we didn't set it, but I guess we didn't un-set it either) and the song that was playing was a Weird Al song called "My Name is Puka" (remember "my Name is Luka?). We also turned on the TV (yes, we really did) and it was on the sci-fi channel playing "the Stuff", a very poorly done movie that I'm sure Dad has seen, and would have been a great Mystery Science Theatre 3000 episode.

Heidi's Honeymoon...

Jason and I went to Salt Lake City for our honeymoon. We were poor, but not too poor to do something. We went swimming in our hotel pool a couple times, visited the Hogle Zoo, went temple hopping, and went to Lagoon. We got rained out of Lagoon at about 6:00 that night, but we were newlyweds, so we really didn't care. Between the free continental breakfasts at the hotel and our cooler full of food that everyone gave us for our wedding I don't think we ever had to pay for food. That was nice! It's weird to try and remember a time when there were no kids around. It doesn't seem like my life I'm remembering.

Teresa's Honeymoon

Well, we didn't really have a honeymoon cause we both had to work on Monday. (We were very poor and needed every dime) We did a couple years later get to make up for it though. We went to Devils Den State Park for Keiths birthday/make up honeymoon. We got to rent an old cabin and go hiking in caves and see bats hibernating. It was so neat. Hopefully we'll be able to take vacation one of these days out of state by ourself. It would be cool.

Nickell's Honeymoon!

I am so excited to finally have a question of the week that I have an answer for! Yay! We did go on a honeymoon. We went on a 4 day cruise to the Caribbean and it was incredible! We suggest it to everyone getting married because it isn't very expensive and you don't have to worry about meals or things to do. They have shows every night. We went snorkeling and visited the Mayan ruins. We even got to talk to the LDS tour guide for the ruins. His name was Mosiah, and his shirt was so thin you could see his garments through his shirt. He was the branch president in Cozumel Mexico. He told us about the baptisimal fonts and all the symbolism on the buildings. It was so interesting! We absolutely loved it! It was so much fun. We can' wait to go back.

Mindy's Honeymoon.

We did go on a honeymoon. We spent 3 nights in 3 different theme rooms at the Center Street Bed and Breakfast Inn in Logan, Utah. We liked it so much that we went back for our anniversary for a few years after. But it was bought out by the same company that does the theme hotel in Salt Lake, and went downhill really fast. We tried a couple of other places in Logan after that, but it was never the same.

Question of the Week...

Here's a short one for this week:

Did you have a honeymoon? Where did you go?

Mindy's Catch Up...

The oldest person in the family that I remember was Grandma Margie. I don't remember anything of her except for that deathbed visit that Jeny wrote about. I must have been very small, but I do remember seeing her in the hospital with lots of wires and tubed coming out of her. It must have been a traumatic experience for me, because I don't remember much of anything from my really young years. Mom, when did she die?
Everyone else told how the world has changed. I agree that even kids don't have as much time as we did when we were kids. It seems like they get home from school and I'm on them right away to get homework done, practice piano, then we eat dinner and it's bedtime already. Technology has come a LONG way. Remember Kristi and Lloyd's first mobile phone? Big, clunky thing compared to what everyone has now, and they were considered rich for even having a car phone!

Baby Leah

I got to meet Leah tonight. We took her newborn pictures. She wasn't very happy for most of them, but we still got some really cute ones.

How the World has Changed for Heidi

It's all about perspective! The world probably isn't too different now from what it was 25 years ago, but it sure seems that way to me. As a child, everything was beautiful and I wanted nothing else but to travel. I wanted to see everything! Ok, I still do. I never paid attention to politics and still try to avoid it when I can, so I'm not sure how government was back then. I do remember Reagan was great and very well liked. I remember AIDS was a relatively new thing and a big topic of discussion. I think Greg Louganis was responsible for that. One big thing different about the world then was that time moved more slowly. I had all afternoon and summer to coast bikes and scooters down Rusty Hinge. Now there aren't enough hours in the day to get anything done and I'm always behind. I miss time. I miss it a lot. It just seems to me like the world is falling apart a lot faster now than it was then. We've been seeing signs of the times for a while now, but they are more frequent now. California is burning up and will be gone soon. Time to get out, Kristi.

I think we didn't get the response from last week's question because we had already talked about our grandparents. Also, lets face it--it's December. You want to know how many millions of things I should be doing right now rather than writing this?? Better get busy.

Jeny Playing Catch Up

I think everyone is just pretty busy and that's why we didn't get any responses, but since I jsust sit around most afternoons trying to think of things to do to keep me busy, I'll give both of these a try.

The oldest relatives I remember are either Grandma Margie or Grandpa Black. I don't know which was older, they both were just super old.

I remember visiting Grandpa Black, but the memories are a bit fuzzy (since I was so young, not because I'm getting old!). He seemed really skinny, and was very kind. I remember playing hide and seek in his house. I think Lori and Kristi suggested this game so I would go hide and they wouldn't have to play with me anymore. I hid in a trunk at the end of a bed, and once inside I couldn't get out. I do remember feeling a lot of panic. I banged on the top, and I'm sure I was crying. It seemed like forever before someone came to rescue me, and that someone was grandpa Black. He was the only one that cared that I was stuck, because he loved me.

I went on a trip to Montana with Grandpa Breckenridge when I was a young teen to visit Grandma Margie. Supposedly I look a lot like her, but when I saw her I did not want to look like her. She was old and in the hospital with tubes everywhere. She had all these super old and crazy family people around her, and one of them kept telling Grandpa that I needed to leave because I would get Grandma sick. I think that was Aunt Ida. I wasn't sick, Ida was just a bit . . . eccentric. Grandma Margie didn't really say much, and died very soon after we got home from that trip.


I don't know what to say about how things have changed since I was a kid because everything has. We used to walk to school with our legs. The only time we got a ride was when Mom heard a siren and thought we were dead on the side of the road. We walked home from school and went to Primary on Wednesday after school. Sacrament Meeting was in the evening on Sundays, a few hours after Sunday School. We didn't have computers or video games - we actually played outside a lot. We even played outside when it was raining sometimes. I loved that! We used to sleep outside sometimes, and I don't know if parents now would even consider that. Too many weirdos. We had about 5 channels on the TV, and 2 of them were public television, so we didn't ever watch them. We changed the channels on the TV by getting up, going to the TV and turning the knob. The first time we had a remote, it came with a very long wire attached to the VCR. I remember for about the first 2 years of school I always wore a dress, and so did everyone else. We got chicken pox, Kristi got measles and I got the mumps, and we survived. Mom didn't work outside of the home, and neither did most other moms. That was very comforting to me. Swear words included "butt", "shut-up", and "stupid". I didn't really know there were other bad words until I hit junior high. We very rarely ate out. In fact, I remember visiting McDonalds as a family and being a little embarrassed because Dad made a bit of a fuss about how much it cost, but it was a real adventure!

How the World has Changed for Teresa

I don't really know if the "world" has actually changed in 24 years. I know my views on the world have changed as I have transitioned into adulthood and now have my own kids. My biggest shock factor since becoming an adult is not being tied to the military. Most of my memories are living on an air force base or in an air force community. We were always allowed to go outside and play by ourselves and pretty much go wherever we wanted (as long as we told mom first). We never worried about bad people trying to pick us up, social inappropriateness, or any kind of danger. But like I said, that's probably because we lived on base. I won't let my kids play outside alone cause it scares me to death. Granted, we don't live in the best neighborhood. I remember we were aloud to say the pledge of allegiance in class and when something bad happened, we bowed our heads in silent prayer, not a moment of silence. Religion wasn't taboo when I was a kid. TV is the biggest difference I think. I remember people talking about sesame street being inappropriate for kids, but sexy beer and tobacco commercials were not, and it's just gotten worse. On the bright side, gas is cheaper now than it has been since I started driving! That's awesome :) We didn't have internet when I was a kid. That's a pretty big one I almost missed. My kids love the internet. Derek loves the Gabba Gabba and Cars movie sites. He plays the games and watches little video clips. Internet is very cool. I have noticed (this may be just lliving in the south) that people just dont go outside... at all. The adults stay inside, therefore the kids stay inside. I dont think I could have dealt with that. I really liked being outside. (Not to camp or anything though, I never have liked sleeping with bugs). I guess alot has changed since I was little, but when you're a kid, your view on the world is a little convoluted, so I can't really say for sure.

Question of the Week...

Nobody responded to last week's prompt. Let's see if you like this one more.

How is the world different from what it was like when you were young?

New Header.

I was taking pictures of my Christmas tree so I could post some pictures on my blog, I took a picture of my favorite ornament, and I loved it. I thought it would work great for a header. Since I already made a Christmas one for my blog, I decided it should be the header for this blog. What do you think?

So Weird

Okay, the strangest thing just happened. Payne was looking for our family website and he typed in lauritzenfamily.blogspot.com

by mistake. You need to check it out. If you look at the right side there is a Kristi and Lloyd blog, but it's not our Kristi and Lloyd. It goes to the Payne Post, and one of their kids is Kylie. And they're LDS. Do we know these people?

Sisters

Shannon met her sister last night just after we got home from the hospital. She didn't quite know what to think, at first (most likely due to the fact that we were all standing around with cameras and she felt the anticipation). She quickly warmed up to her and is very much in love with her now. All day today she has been telling me that "she loves her Leah." She even gave her a kiss and said, "I love you" without any prompting from us. The other picture is just to show how dang skinny Leah's little legs are. She is tiny!

Leah is Here!!!

She is finally here! Leah arrived last night, December 3, at about 7:30. She weighs 6 lbs 9 oz and is 21 inches long. Holly will send more information when she feels like it.

Happy Belated...

Jordan turned 20 on Sunday. I didn't forget, I just didn't get around to posting it. Anyway, happy birthday Jordan, we all love you and hope your birthday was full of fun!!

Question of the Week

Thanks to Heidi and Tere for last week's question of the week. I somehow hurt my back last Sunday and have been down in bed ever since. My family did Thanksgiving dinner, pies and all! It was great, but all I could take just to sit at the table to eat it with them. Thank goodness for good drugs. Anyway, I probably still shouldn't be sitting at the computer to write this, so here's the question for this week:

Who is the oldest person in your family you remember knowing when you were a child? What do you remember about that person?

From Lori

Hey, that baby counter on the Emerson blog is just MEAN! It says, "I should be here by now." Yeah, like Holly hasn't already been thinking that for the last few weeks! Make sure to let us all know when Mom & Dad's #32 is here...we're thinking about you Matt & Holly!

Happy Birthday

This picture is super small, and I plan on changing here in a minute, but I wanted to get this post up quickly since yesterday was Jason's birthday! Happy Birthday Jason, we hope is was a great one!

http://familyheninger.blogspot.com/

Check out this blog!! You may recognize the handsome Doctor who is assisting with the tooth!!! :)

Christmas Season is Here!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving Day! And we hope everyone else did, too. Alex ate until he was on the floor and couldn't move. I didn't really feel like eating much after cooking all day, but I forced myself.

We were expecting some company but they didn't show, so it was just us, which was just fine with me.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to Amy and T. Yesterday was their 12th anniversary. I didn't even have time to think about the blog yesterday. Sorry. But we hope you had a wonderful day! Congrats on 12 years!

Happy Thanksgiving. We love you!!

Lori Feels Closest To....

Okay, I guess I'll bite. Since I seem to be the most proficient at hurting people's feelings without meaning to, I begin this with the disclaimer that I love ALL my sibs -- ya'll are my crew!

Kristi - she and I were nearly inseparable (much to my chagrin many times) growing up. One thing I knew though, if anything needed fixing, talking about or hiding, she was there by my side. She defended me when the bullies in West Jordan wouldn't leave me alone, karate chopped my back when I needed to wake up for something, and let me know which boys secretly had crushes on me (this was highly important information). She was the fun, popular one who knew how to act around people not in our family - thus I never had to really learn that particular skill. I loved and needed her all through my growing up years! Now I need her for her quirky sense of humor!!

Jeny - was the special child. In Mom and Dad's eyes she could do no wrong so she became our "blame" dummy. She took it with grace and could turn on the tears so well that even when the blame stuck, she rarely got into trouble. She had a very strong sense of right and wrong and did not tolerate some of the antics Kris and I tried to get into. We were often "sold out" by this sibling simply because she couldn't tolerate even the slightest infraction. She was the "good girl" I always wanted to be but could never quite get there. I was not a happy camper when she got older and started being able to sing better than I did - but she did it none the less!

Amy - I hated her with a passion (and I think she, me). When Mom and Dad brought her home, they kept saying she was the most beautiful -- alas, I lost my position and I was not happy! She followed me everywhere always asking questions and looking at my "stuff". She burped and farted when people were around and was constantly chewing on some candy or another (usually close to my face) which I hated. My gosh! I've turned into my sister when she was little!!! Then she grew up [or maybe I did]. Amy came to live with us a couple of times and we grew very close as we each struggled with our adult lives and counseled together about the meaning of it all. I finally saw this sister as the lovely spirit she truly is but sometimes hides from others.

David - if you could have seen Dad the night he floated into the Davis' upstairs bedroom waking us up singing "it's a BOY"! All of us cuddled and coddled him until he became an annoying little nuisance. He took a lot from Dad being "molded" into a boy and I used to go into my room and cover my head with my pillow and cry and cry while he was undergoing that "molding". I wanted to stop it and didn't know how. I felt so proud of him the day we took him through the temple before his mission. David was just 'this kid' until he came back from his mission. I was gone from home, but all of a sudden I was hearing about this Spanish speaking, guitar playing ladies man at Rick's and I couldn't believe it was my brother! He has turned into quite the accomplished professional and family man!!

Mindy - she was "my baby". I was still the age where I wasn't "burdened" with the babies in the home. I wanted to do everything for her. I changed diapers (for those of you that haven't done the cloth diaper thing, this is no mean task!!!), held and rocked her, sang to her, took her out for walks in the stroller, etc. Even as a small girl she was quiet and we all felt she was fragile so we protected her as much as we could. She was my model when I went through my photography phase and when she got older she would sit on the toilet and watch me curl my hair and put make-up on. That usually ended with me curling her hair and putting make-up on her. She loved it...Dad did not! Well, all grown up now she doesn't need hair curling or make-up as she's grown into such a beautiful natural woman who is anything but fragile. She has proven over and over that she is strong, talented, untiring and fully capable of protecting herself! (Something, I'm sure, Jason is quite grateful for as I believe more than one of us threatened him when he married her!)

Heidi - was the clingy twin. She was never more than a foot away from me when I was home. This is where We-lo originated, because Heidi would call me from her crib over and over until I came to get her out (truthfully, Holly was already half-way out already or had climbed into Heidi's crib). Say "Lo-wee" over and over again. It eventually comes out We-lo. Heidi would sit still for hours while I curled her hair and took pictures. I was not yet at the point of resenting my younger siblings and all the responsibility it meant having them around, but I was getting there and the girls made it easier because they were so likable. Holly would do something crazy then Heidi would sit quietly and bat her eyes and get them out of all sorts of trouble. When the girls came to stay with us, Heidi was always helping out in the kitchen. My lack of a testimony frustrated her beyond speech and I could tell it hurt her deeply that I couldn't believe anymore the way she does. I'm sorry for that. She has turned into exactly what she always wanted to be: a very talented, thrifty homemaker, an involved mother, and the beautiful wife of a professional man.

Holly - was a lot like Kristi. Taking risks and enjoying the adrenaline rush of it. She was the twin who loved her twin-ness but celebrated her individuality. She came up with some wild schemes and I'm sure got Heidi into more trouble than she deserved (yeah?). Once We-lo was born, Holly made it a common annoyance and laughed when it made me mad. She used to think it was hilarious to wait until I was almost finished with her hair and then flip her head which would make the braid come undone. Then she'd just giggle as I yelled at her. I've loved engaging in medical lingo with her after her unbelievable foray into Emergency Medical services. And then being able to speak Spanish with her after her mission. We got to go visit her once while she was on her mission too. Now she's found Matt and life has made a 180! She's the happy homemaker and mother of almost two!

Matthew - I was SO angry when Matt was born. I couldn't believe I was going to have yet ANOTHER sibling to take care of. To top it off, he was funny looking - my how that's changed! He was another tag-along who seemed to go everywhere I went. There's nothing like your 2-year-old brother showing up buck naked to your 16th birthday party (my first "date"). Or your 4-year-old brother yelling at the top of his lungs, "Why are you kissing my sister?" Matt has always been tender-hearted and has the uncanny ability to see situations from several vantage points. His long armed hug has a way of calming the savage beast in me and I love him so much for that!

There...hopefully, I've made you laugh and made you cry and made you remember something you didn't remember or didn't even know about, also hopefully nobody's feelings get hurt as is my usual penchant. I love you all (each in your own way) and I'm so glad to be the first of so many incredible Lauritzen kids.

Lori

Oops!

Oh my goodness. I was reading the posts and saw that I DID forget Jeny. So sorry!!! I got interrupted right after I started writing and I guess I thought about what to say and never actually wrote it down. It was funny to read what she wrote about Dave because those are the memories he has. He told me she was always trying to get him in trouble. A few months ago we even had this conversation over at your parents house after Austin hit Dayna who was pestering him. Life repeats itself I guess. I laughed when I read the post and told Dave how she had admitted to setting him up. :)

At least I mentioned you in the first paragraph!! How could I forget one of the ones he feels closest too! Sorry!

-Tricia

About Teresa

Well, lets start at the beginning... I was born November 5th at Penrose... ha just kidding. I was the oldest child, so refer to my mom as far as bossiness and "has to go my way-ness" as far as that's concerned. I was by all means not nice to my siblings alot of the time. I used to come up with evil games to harrass them. We played nicely sometimes, but usually it was at someones expense. As a teenager, I was a bit (well alot) crazy. I was not a smart teenager and made bad choices, but they sculped a large part of who I am now. I did get along great with my siblings then. I have always enjoyed being spontaneous and I like randomness. I don't like every day to be the same. I have an amazing ability to have fun doing anything (literally- even cleaning the toilet) even if everyone else is bored. I really like going to things that may seem dull because its usually alot of fun and there is usually not alot of people. I do enjoy being around other people though. I have always been overly chatty and it's usually about stuff that no one cares about. I love being outside. It is so much fun. It pains me that I have never seen any large wild animals except deer. I really want to see some elk this year and would be super excited to ever see a bear or mountain lion in the wild. Animals fascinate me. If I didn't have any kids, I don't think I would ever be stateside because Keith and I would be bushwacking the amazon or trekking across Australia (which I so want to do- even with kids). For now though, I'll settle for the local state parks which are amazing. This winter we're planning on going down to the delta so I can see a cypress forest! YAY I hope I get to see wild alligators. Deserts are my favorite. The Great Sand Dunes are the best because its a desert in the mountains. In short, nature is amazing and my kids love it too. Then we get to my kids- the whole reason I wake up in the morning. They are the coolest. I love teaching them new things and I love how their personalities mirror Keith and mine. I LOVE hanging around Keith because he is my polar opposite so he keeps me in check most of the time. He loves nature too. Like Heidi, I love to learn. I had the worst time in college because I couldn't figure out what was the most interesting thing to learn. I never did pick a degree. I stay at home with the kids and play all day, but I can't wait to start working. I'm not a good cook but I enjoy trying. I love singing and dancing with the kids- and trying to get Keith to dance with us. I like holidays but not most holiday food. I love chocolate, but not chocolate covered fruit. Cockroaches creep me out and spiders fascinate me. I love dressing up and going out. Oh and reading! I love to read and love to listen to music. Music is great in all shapes and forms. Keith said I hate not knowing stuff- all stuff. If I have a question, I have to have an answer, which is why I love the internet. He said thats the biggest thing that stands out in his head. It also helps that Im married to an encyclopedia when it comes to cars, computers, anything mechanical and outdoors. I like creating things for people. I love costume jewelry and loud clothing. ( I never really realized how hard it is to pick out the bitties of your life) I think I'm done now. THE END

Teresa's Question of the Week....

Tere commented on my post, and since I know many of you may not read the comments on older posts, I would like to suggest that we do what she suggested. She wants everyone to write a post like I did with the random likes/dislikes that you have and describe who you are in a nutshell. I think it would be fun to get to know each other better. So here's the question (questions) of the week on top of Mindy's question of the week: Who are you? What experiences have you had to make you the person you are today? Just write down whatever pops into your head. I look forward to finding out who will come along with me and Tere when we go to Disney World together!!

-Heidi

Kristi Feels Closest To....

Here is my SHORT (for fear of hurting someone’s feelings as I tend to do so naturally) entry about my siblings.

I suppose I have taken so long to write because I have gone through different periods of “closeness” with each of my siblings so I don’t know how to say which one I feel closest to.

Lori was definitely closest growing up. We spent hours singing Barbara Streisand, the Bee Gee’s I think there had to be some Karen Carpenter in there somewhere and talking late, late, late into the wee hours of the morning (until dad stomped on the floor indicating that we were not as sneaky as we thought we were). Don’t worry. I use the same technique on my own chatter bugs! Then she had to go and go to college (the nerve!). I actually didn’t even get my driver license until I was 18 since there was really no need. Everywhere I needed to go Lori went too. I always had a ride so there was no reason for me to get into a car with dad teaching me to drive a stick shift until after she left.

Jeny and I got to be close later, when we both lived in Provo together. We went every morning on a 10 mile bike ride just because that’s how awesome we are. After several weeks of this we decided we were incredibly fit and it was time to show off our “skills” Let’s take our husbands on Saturday and ride our bikes to Bridal Veil Falls. For those of you who have no idea what that means, it is a lengthy uphill ride. So begins the ride where we show off….let me just say…not so much. The guys who never exercise and haven’t been on a bike in 2 years ended up pulling us part of the way up. Not fair! We got up EARLY almost every day to ride these bikes. They must have had better bikes, yeah that’s it, the bike. I have not lived by any of my family in nearly 24 years of being married so the time we spent in Utah near Jeny and Heidi will always be some of the best years. Of course some of the best memories we all have of Jeny have to involve Rummoli!

I got close to Amy when she came to live with us in Heyburn one year. Of course I have memories of her going out with some weird guy, can’t really remember his name but I’m sure he wasn’t the best choice of boyfriends. I’m pretty sure she had really different hair back then, kind of greased all over to one side. Heyburn will never be the same!

David also came to stay with us one summer. And I also remember the barbed wire fence, and the wedding cake with his foot print in it. But, Dave do you remember the game we played…one of us names a product and the other has to think of the jingle that goes along with it? We got stuck for sooo long on Juicy Fruit gum. That was before the days of the internet and now that I think about it, I don’t even think we owned a computer! Also David and I went night fishing once or twice. Once it involved Jeny and an unplanned stop on the way there. David went fishing with us to Island Park. That was an amazing fishing trip! I think David is the sibling whose personality is most like mine.

Mindy never lived with me but I will always feel close to Mindy because she lived close (Idaho while we lived in Layton and Provo) and she came to visit often. I remember her playing with Nickell and Kelsey at the park and thinking she was so tall! I feel like Mindy was always the protected one. She has such a kind heart and she can do pretty much anything so we older sisters always said that the boy she chooses to marry better be prepared for the scrutiny of the Lauritzen family because we are not going to let her go easily. Once at Nickell’s house I asked for Mindy to help me with a sewing problem [ps she was visiting Utah from Idaho] and she said “oh sure let me just go get my sewing machine out of the car” What? You keep your sewing machine in the car? Who does that? Mindy because she can do anything!

Heidi was very young when I got married but I still have a book she made for me after we moved to Heyburn. Thinking back on the relationship we had I want to say I didn’t know my younger siblings very well and that may be true. But I remember so well getting that book from her. It made me cry when it came because I missed her so much. She drew pictures of us having picnics under the trees that used to be behind the Rusty Hinge house. Heidi, Holly, Matt and I used to go in the back and pretend we were fishing in the little puddles of water that were back there sometimes. She said she missed doing that. I missed it too. Then we grew up and lived in the same ward for a little while then very near each other in Provo. I loved being close to Ashley when she was a baby and toddler. Heidi and I used to go on walks and when we finished she would always say “that feels great, doesn’t it make you feel great?” and it never did feel great to me. It always made me feel worse but I know it’s good for me so I kept doing it. Ugh And I remember when we learned to make this really yummy strawberry drink from someone in her ward with just strawberries and cream.

Holly and I are naturally close because we like to look at reconstructive surgery books together. You know the kind, where there are severed hands and fingers and they show the tendons being reattached and stuff. It’s sick and wrong but I like it and so does she so we get along. And if there is something that is really disgusting but I think it’s cool and there is not another person in the world who thinks it’s cool, Holly will. We also like to fix things that normal girls don’t like to fix. Basically, we are the tomboy twins. You have to have someone to be a tomboy with and Holly is my someone. We played tennis until she got better than I was now she plays with Jordan. Then Jordan sort of stole her from me. Because, you see, he can smoke through the Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit game and I…..don’t play it EVER. So game over. Jordan wins. But I’m just going to say this because nobody else has and I’m sort of shocked Holly…French silk pie. Yeah that’s a large part of what we have in common too. We like to eat chocolate.

Matt, my Ethiopian brother. Perhaps my closeness for Matt developed while we were cleaning the powdered milk out of his hair [remember when they made it ‘snow’? Of course you do how could you forget?] or another of the many messes the triplets made. Yes I said triplets because that’s what it felt like sometimes. Matt was tall and Heidi and Holly were short so they looked like they were the same age. I’m pretty sure they got each other into trouble like triplets. How could you ever get mad at those eyes though? I also remember that he used to cry so hard that he would pass out. Mom was crazy with panic, blowing on his face, yelling at him to breathe and dad would calmly say just let him pass out, he will stop crying when he passes out and then he will take a breath. I remember Matt always being the most willing to show outward love. He still is the hugging-est one out of all of us. I have often wondered where that came from! I have videos of Matt visiting when my kids were little and he was very young and I love it because that is the age I remember him the most.

That’s it, and I know dad thinks we don’t have a good relationship because we don’t live near each other and we don’t get together too often. But I think we all have a unique relationship because I bet that if we pick up the phone we could start talking about something or nothing at all and go on for 3 hours as if we lived in the next town and got together once a week or more. We just pick up right where we left off. I’m not saying it’s ok not to get together, we really need to have a reunion, but I think we are all very close in our own way. I know I have a deep and abiding love for my family and especially all my siblings. I am grateful for the examples and the expectations that have been and are being set. I am especially grateful for loving parents who raised us in a home where our family was important and making memories was a priority. I am grateful for having been raised in a home where testimony was nourished young and often. It may not be the typical family with the typical relationships. But it’s our family and I love it!

Dad's Siblings

I realize that I am slow in getting this included in the blog, but here goes.

I am the oldest of five children. The next oldest is my sister, Lynne Lorraine Brown, who is three years younger than I. My clearest memories of Lynne is that when we were young we fought incessantly. I don't remember ever having any kind words for my sister, or she for me, until we were both married and had children of our own. In particular, there was a time in Fairbanks when Lynne (about age 6) had some jelly beans and I (about age 9) asked her for some. She refused, so I stole some and hid them inside my school lunch sandwich wrapper. Of course, I got found out and was punished, but that only added fuel to the fires of our dislike for each other. I remember one time my mother told me that some day I would love my sister with all my heart, and I thought Mom was nuts. That could never be. But, she has proven once again to be right (don't you hate that, when your parents are right?). Lynne is now a mom, with two daughters and two grandchildren, and I do love her intensely. She is a good lady who tries hard to do what is right.

My next sibling is my brother, Robert, who is eight years younger than I. Robert was born while we lived in Fairbanks, Alaska. He is enough younger than I that we never had much in common until later in life. I have always had a special respect for him because he served a mission to the Navajo indians, where he was treated rather badly by those whom he was trying to help. Had his Christmas box from home stolen out of his apartment. Had his camera stolen. Etc., Etc.

The same is true of my brother, Mike (that is, that he was enough younger than I that we didn't have a lot in common). He, too, was born in Fairbanks. My earliest memory of him is when I was in high school in Mullan. Mike was only in about the first or second grade. He had some kind of seizures where he would crouch down on his haunches, with his hands clenched into fists and his eyes closed, and he would start to cry. Nothing could get through to him when one of those hit. They were very infrequent and disappeared within a couple of years, but it was terribly disconcerting to have him doing that for 10-15 minutes at a time, and not being able to make it stop. It bothered me especially when I was babysitting and I couldn't do anything for him. I confess that I even tried slapping him on a couple of occasions, but I might as well have been blowing on his face. He was completely unaware. And, he never had any memory afterward about what had happened. Wonder what caused that and why he outgrew it?

Jon was a kind of surprise. He is 15 years younger than I. He was born in the Wallace, ID, hospital, which is now gone. Jon was my favorite in the early years of his life and when I went on my mission, I was particularly upset to have to leave my neat little brother who was only four. That sadness was compounded when I came home two years later and found that he had become a rather pesky and obnoxious kid. I was disappointed.

But, I have come to love all of my siblings with a very deep love. I think most of you know that Mike publishes "The Lauritzen Ledger" every quarter. He used to do it every other month, but cut back some. He has been doing that faithfully for 24 years. It used to be just a newsletter with nothing but print. But now, it includes a lot of very interesting photographs, too. I have a copy of every issue in my Family History archives. Anytime you want to read them, just drop in. It is a clear testimony of the bonds that exist between us all.

Perhaps the highlight of my sibling relationships was the trip that Robert, Mike and I took from Springville, up through Glacier National Park, into Alberta, through Red Rock park, Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, the Columbia Ice Fields, and back through Yellowstone National park. This was in 1963 after I got home from my mission. I wanted to see some of the scenic wonders of Alberta that we were not allowed to visit while I was a missionary. Some bonds were built then with Robert and Mike that have only grown stronger over the years.

I feel particularly blessed to have the loving relationship that exists with my siblings. I only wish that my children were universally as fond of each other as I and my siblings are. There is nothing that provides a sense of security like knowing that you have a strong family and that you can depend upon each other any time.

Grandpa Lauritzen

Be Happy

About 2 weeks ago, I entered the following into one of my "daily" slots in my online gratitude journal (see http://www.butterbeehappy.com/honeycomb.php): I am so grateful for children that have learned to live their lives and behave authentically and not just to please those around them. Tere's most recent post on her family blog is an excellent example of what I was thinking. She is (as are all my grown children) an amazing, thoughtful, beautiful person who behaves with purpose and an understanding of who she is far more than someone twice her age. The spirits entrusted into my home have proved themselves to be wholly and delightfully individual.

--Lori

Just an Introduction

Hello Lauritzen family. I feel the need to introduce myself since none of you seems to know who I am. My name is Heidi--not twin. All throughout elementary, middle and high school I was thought of by friends and teachers as half of a whole, never as a complete person. It never occurred to me that this was true of my own family!! So you get to sit there and read about ME now and learn who that mysterious sister of yours is.

As a child, I remember feeling very lonely. Many journal entries are written about how I spent the day with my best friend, the only one who understood me, B.J. It is sad that I had eight brothers and sisters and yet had to resort to playing with a dog to feel as though I had a friend, but it's true. No wonder I am still a HUGE dog lover. Did anyone know that? I don't think there was a day when I enjoyed having my hair long. It was a huge relief to get it cut. I enjoyed singing and playing the piano (still do). I was never as good as most of you, but now I can say with confidence that through perseverance I am now better than all of you with the exception of Kristi. In fact, I am the substitute ward organist and played just last Sunday. Did you know that? I love to cook. I'm not creative like Kristi or Amy, but I can still outdo Amy in a pie baking contest and I know a good recipe just by looking at it. I enjoy the outdoors very much and wish like crazy that it was easier to take a two year-old on a hike. Bet you didn't know that. I also have an obsession with reading. It's a good thing we have public libraries or my family would be broke from buying too many books. I have also dabbled in writing a little and am currently part of the writing group in my ward. We have a blog and are given a prompt every month to write on, much like our family question of the week. I have served in the primary pretty much ever since turning 18, but I am now serving in YW, and I couldn't feel more out of place if I were called to serve in the priesthood. I substitute taught gospel doctrine a few weeks ago and didn't die. Actually, I enjoyed that. I'm a thrill seeker. I love, love, love roller coasters and have even been parasailing. I love Italian food, going for walks, singing with my kids, watching movies with my husband, playing Settlers of Catan, DOGS!!!, cleaning my house, fixing up my house, and Christmas. I feel a constant urge, like Kristi, to learn. I would love to go back to school to study interior design, landscape design, architecture, astronomy, etc. So many things to soak up and not nearly enough time. It makes me proud (I know, the universal sin) when my husband answers a page and says "Hello, this is Doctor Parkinson". It has been a long, very difficult road to get to where we are now and I need to be proud of him.

So now you know a little more about me. Should you have any questions, please ask. I would very much like my own family to know me as an individual. Not to insult Holly by any means, but I am not she, nor is she me.

Hooray!

OK, after much prodding from my annoying boy, we have created a blog. The conditions are that he has to do all the work, and I must approve anything before he posts it. Here's the address.

http://griersonfamilyblog.blogspot.com/

thanks.

Dave's Siblings-From Tricia

Let's be honest, Dave is never going to answer this so I can give you my version of what I think he would say. I know that as far as feeling closest to any one of his siblings he would say Kristi and Jeny. I think he feels most comfortable around them because they get him. He's shared many memories with me over the years about each of you.

Lori- I know he enjoyed the time when Lori and Jose first lived at home. I think Jose kept him laughing and Lori's reactions to whatever it was Jose was doing was even funnier to him. He said she had some pretty awesome faces.

Kristi - Dave has lots of memories of Kristi from when he stayed the summer with them. I've heard the 4 wheeling story several times also one story about how she set him up on a date with a one armed girl and never told him. I know he thought it was cool that she would let him hang out with her and Lloyd a lot, he felt "part of something"

Amy - Dave said when he was younger he and Amy were super close sharing lots of secrets and inside jokes. He talked a lot about their time at Ricks as well and how they were constantly together

Mindy - with Mindy he talked about how different they were. He said she didn't like him much growing up. Perhaps he was a bit of pest.... He mentioned that when he was at Ricks the same time as her that he thought it was cool that they would get together every now and again, something they never really had done at home.

Holly - I'm afraid it's the same with both Heidi and Holly... I hear a lot about how they think he was always beating them up and being mean. He doesn't remember that at all. He remembers a lot of Barbie's and staying away. He used to always brag about their singing and how he thought they should have been in Sister Act II

Matt - Dave has quite a few memories of Matt. Dave thought it was cool to have a little brother. Before we were married he told me of a time when he was babysitting and thought he lost Matt. He said he was sick to his stomach looking all over for him and finally found him hiding out in the tomato's. He remembers a Christmas where he got him a baseball glove and forgot to give it to him and also a time when he told Matt to eat's "stops it" and made him throw up.

That's it. They are his memories, just coming to you by a third party. :)

Nickell-Catching Up!

So I kept meaning to write about my grandparents. And I just kept forgetting. So here we go, and I am only going to write about the Lauritzen grandparents. I remember the Rusty Hinge house as if they still live in it. The really long kitchen with the window seat in the back. I remember going to their house and watching movies. We got to pick them out from Grandpa's super organized list of movies. I idolized him for that list. I also remember feeding the rabbit on the side of the house and playing with Tere in the playhouse in the backyard. I miss that house so much, the giant hill that we would play on the slip and slide, and the hot tub. Ah...good times! The thing I remember most is the barbie house with the green roof that we would play with in the garage. I was lucky enough to inherit that house, and I so badly wish I still had to to give to my daughters. I also remember kneeling at the dining room table in that house to say the dinner prayer. Grandma and Grandpa are always so good at remembering to let people know how much they are loved! I love you guys!


As for my siblings. I actually don't feel super close to any of them. Everyone was still little when I moved out. But I would say that I am equally close to all of them.

Oops!

I tried to put a video on this blog but I guess the file was too big to email. So check out mine!

-Amy

Heidi Feels Closest to....

This could be a touchy subject! Of course I feel closest to my twin. We did everything together, had the same friends, ate the same foods, lived the same life for a lot of years. Even now I struggle to go places alone, from the simple trip to the grocery store to the scary flight into Colorado Springs. We are very different, but still needed each other. It has nothing to do with weird psychic vibes or anything like that, we were just accustomed to each other's presence to the point where it felt wrong to be without her. Matt was almost as close to me. The three of us were quite a team. I feel really bad for mom. We had some good times, though.

I guess a funny memory to share would be when the three of us got into some laxatives. Matt gave me and Holly these little pink candies and told us to try them. I chewed one up and told him I thought they were gross. He said to try sucking on it, but that only tasted worse. Pretty soon the three of us musketeers were all sitting naked in the bathtub together after a dose of ipecac, vomiting into a big pitcher that I'm pretty sure mom still uses. I remember that sick feeling so well!

Remember sitting by the Christmas tree and making funny faces while looking at our reflections in the ornaments? Does either one of you still do that, maybe with your kids? So funny. Hey, I have a question--remember the fun clubhouse dad built in the bedroom upstairs that we slept on top of? Does anyone have pictures of that? That was a blast.

Amy's Brothers and Sisters

I love this question because we are not an expressive family in that way and this gives us a chance to be. I don't know why but we always have a hard time showing love and affection for one another, even though it is there. I feel close to all of my siblings in one way or another. I feel like I can call any one of you and any time for a chat and be comfortable doing it. I guess that comes from being somewhat in the middle, I got to know everyone. Lori has been a lifesaver a few times for me. I have lived with her twice and enjoyed really getting to know her both times. My fondest memory of her is when she was home from college and took me to see Yentl. That will always be one of my favorite movies. Kristi is just fun to talk to. She is so strong and sure in her convictions and beliefs and always makes me laugh. Jeny makes me laugh until I cry! We shared a room for a lot of years and have so many fond memories together. I love to reminisce with her. My favorite memory of David is when we were at Ricks together. We were so close, we talked on the phone for hours at a time and we were always glad to see each other. I will always cherish those few short months. Mindy and I did share a room for a short time but I don't remember much of it. I remember her sitting at the corner desk brushing her long beautiful hair or doing something with her oboe. I also remember her liking a freshman and thinking he was a jerk and not good enough for her. We never thought anyone would be and then Jason came along and proved us all wrong! Heidi and I never were close until she moved to Virginia. We have spent so much time together since then and I call her a lot now. She is a lot of fun and I love to visit with her family. And she has really good recipes! Holly and I have always been pretty close. She came with Mom to help out when I had Josh and was at my house on 9/11. She also came and stayed with me after I had surgery once. We love to spend time together eating and watching movies and playing with babies. And then there's Matt. I feel especially close to him I think because we understand things about each other that most of the rest don't. He is a good man and I love him to death! I love all of you to death. I think I was blessed to have something in common with all my siblings so I would have friends wherever I go, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Mom's Grandparents

Let see if I can remember that far back. I remember a lot about Grandma and Grandpa Black. They lived by us most of the time. Grandpa was always very quiet. Never talked unless it was absolutely necessary. I always loved them a lot. Grandma was so much fun. We played flinch and rook. She got me interested in Genealogy. Her parents owned a candy store for the colonies in Mexico so she made really good candy. I remember skating on scrubbing brushes to clean the floor once with Mike while she was gone once and we had to wash. It was kind of a lot of floor. She could do just about anything. They had milk cows so people would buy it from the house to ge bot raw milk. If you don't know what that is it's milk that hasn't been heated and pasturized so the milk and cream separate. I love that. It just tastes so good.

I remember how shocked she was when my best friend and I took her to South Pacific. She thought that was a downright dirty show. And was shocked that we liked it. We lived with them while my Dad was on a mission. Or at least in a very small 2 room trailer behind their house. Then Nyta's husband was killed and they came too for a couple of years. Grandma loved watermelon and corn. They always had bread(homeade whole wheat bread) and milk for supper with green onions and radishes. . You break it up in a bowl and pour milk on it. Not th onions and raddishes. you dip them in salt and eat them with it. She made the big meal at noon as most farmers dol

I hated it when they cut the chickens heads off and then we had to pluck them.

My Breckenridge grandparents I didn't know very well. I saw them probably 5 times They came down sometimes and I can only remember going up twice. When I was little they only had an out house. I couldn't use it. So Dad had to drive me into town to go at the gas station.

It was probably 25 miles or more.

She was always embroidering. the trouble was she didn't use good material and her stitches were quite large.

She came to visit up in Va. when we lived there. What a shock that was. My aunt called from Dulles Airport. It was in the night. We went out to get her and she stayed for quite a while until my aunt who was afraid she would give us some of her money insisted she come home. When we moved to Fremont we got a house with a bedroom and bath on the main floor and hoped she would come out to live with us. But I don't think I ever talked to her again. Aunt Ida wouldn't let her call or accept my calls. She was very gentle and loving.

I can't think of much more.

My Sibs-A book by J. Grierson

This one could be a bit harder than last week – just because there are so dang many of us!

Lori – mostly I remember Lori being a bit . . . OK a LOT bossy and dramatic. She liked to sing (as discussed in former posts) and always had the radio on. She could get the rest of us panicked like nobody I’ve ever known (i.e., the gas pipe gymnastics). She also made Christmas morning very fun by thinking of clever ways to wake up Mom and Dad (the heater vents – great idea!) When we switched bedrooms around (can you hear Mom’s groan?) I usually went with Lori, and Amy with Kristi, but the switch never lasted long. Lori was the beautiful older sister that I wanted to be like, but knew I never could. She had the best looking boyfriends, although I didn’t like them very often. Especially Ned – grrrrr. I remember Lori trying out for every play, and I remember feeling anger when she didn’t get the parts she wanted. When she was in “Star Child” I remember thinking afterward that I didn’t even think of her as Lori, she was (Insert name here, I cant remember the character’s name). She was GOOD!

Kristi – I remember her sleeping all the time. She was the most tired and skinny person I knew. Kristi was always my idol because she could do anything and she was cool. When she tried to kick water at someone at the junior high and flipped her kneecap out, I remember feeling absolute panic. I ran around to get help, and it seemed I just kept running in circles. The paramedics made me stay away from her, which I resented them for, and they wouldn’t let me ride in the ambulance with her. Sad. I also relate certain songs to Kristi more than I do to any other sibling. She just had a certain way of singing them that burned them into my head forever. Choir trips were also very fun with Kristi, and she had a certain unspeakable nickname in choir which got transferred to me once she graduated. Although the name wasn’t very nice, I was proud to have it because it had belonged to her.

Amy – Throughout our lives, I would have to say Amy and I have been closest. Mom thinks we hated each other, but it was just our special way of showing our love for each other. We played Barbie’s, Fisher Price Castle, Batman, Smell ( a little weird and I’m not going to tell you about it), beat the bird, and just had fun together. We also would go out for walks late at night in our pajamas. We thought that was fun. Of course, most days she had to go “tell on” me for something that I didn’t do, but I got her in trouble plenty, too. She would usually eat the nastys at dinner that I didn’t like, and I would eat hers, if she was being nice to me at that point in time. As teens, we had way different tastes (Ro was just yucky) but we still were friends, and we both agreed that the guy on the back of our bedroom door was super hot – right Amy? I think we still have a pretty special bond. I love to hear from her – she’s usually the one that calls and I’m sure glad she does!

David – Dave was a pest, always, unless he was letting us put make-up and dresses on him. I honestly don’t remember much about David, except trying to get him in trouble. I was pretty mean. I would hit him over and over until he hit me back, so I could go tell Dad that he hit me, and Dad would get mad at him for hitting a girl. I have a good memory of Dave, though. Once Christmas I couldn’t think of what to get him, so I decided to get up way early and do his paper route for him. I hated folding the papers, and it was super dark and cold, but I was so excited to do it for him that I didn’t even really feel the cold. Dad drove me around – so really he did the hard part because I had no idea which houses to go to. When I got home, we put a big sign on the door that said I had done it for him, and I felt great! I think that was the best Christmas gift I have ever given. It still makes me smile. Dave now makes the best breakfast I have ever had and I think he’s a pretty nice guy.

Mindy – Mindy was always the nice, fragile one. I don’t know why I remember her as fragile, but that’s what my memory says. I remember telling her that Grandma Breckenridge had died, and she broke down and just started sobbing. Do you remember that, Mindy? We were downstairs near the food storage area. I felt so bad for telling you! As I was getting ready to leave home, and everything about home was driving me crazy, Mindy was in her awkward years. It seemed to me that she was always whining and needed to know everything about everyone. I’m sure it was more me than her, but that’s what I thought. When she came out to visit me at BYU, I was determined to have fun with her, and discovered that she was really great to be around. We had a really good time! Now I hate that Mindy is so far away. I didn’t go up to Pocatello as often as I would have liked, but it was sure fun when I did. I love her family a LOT! Great kids, great husband, and she can do anything!

Heidi – it’s a bit hard to write about Heidi when I lived at home without writing about Holly. They were always together and always the same. I babysat them constantly, but it wasn’t usually so bad. I had a great time dressing them up in whatever, doing their hair (that was the best!!), playing in the sandbox. Heidi was usually the male figure when we would dress them up. I was a selfish teenager then, and didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to what the younger kids were doing. Now I’m just amazed at what Heidi can do. She teaches piano lessons ( I didn’t even know she could play) and likes to do electrical work. And she makes the cutest babies ever! (sorry, Kristi, yours were not as cute).

Holly – See above. Holly promised me she would never cut her hair. I was really sad when she did. She also was the hobbler at my wedding – I do remember that, and grandma’s remarks about that. Weird what we remember, eh? I remember Spencer asking her to marry him, and every once in a while now he still says he’s going to marry her. My children absolutely adore Holly! She comes up with the most fun/interesting things for us to do. We have gone to the Llama festival, gingerbread house festival, and mining for Topaz just to name a few. She’s just a lot of fun and can have fun doing almost anything. That’s what I want to be like when I grow up. Katie Grierson is sitting behind me right now and said that Shannon is about as cute as a kid can be. I love having her nearby even though I don’t get up that way very often. Its still comforting to know that she’s there when I need her, and we still do a lot of fun things together!

Matthew – Ah, Matt. He was my special one. As a baby I thought he was the cutest thing on earth, and he could do no wrong. I have about a billion pictures of him from birth to about 3 or 4 years old. I remember babysitting him (one of the many times) and he just disappeared. I ran all around the neighborhood looking for him, in a panic, and Sister Borba came out to help me. I ran around the backyard at least twice, then she walked out there and found him in the garden munching on a tomato. He had been hiding from me. Stinker! But the best memory of Matt ever was babysitting (again) and the swordfight. Ask him about it. We still laugh at it! That swordfight kinda sums up how I feel about Matt. I just can’t get mad at him. He’s too great!

I guess I really got lucky having the best brothers and sisters ever! I Love you all!

Teresa Feels Closest To....

I feel closest to all my siblings, but in different ways.

April is my only sister, so we got to do all the sister stuff together- talk about guys (husbands now), share clothes, go out, shop and just hang out around the house. We are SO different, but I still love hanging out with her and talking to her. We played Barbies ALOT and liked to build tents (that I would frequently kick her out of). We have alot of inside jokes that no one understands (even after explanation). "Yay! Memories!"

JD and I are pretty much the same personality-wise so its really easy to hang out with him. I must admit, when we were kids, we (April and I) made his life pretty hard. Hopefully he has forgiven us for that though. He understands all of my jokes and strange outbursts and I never have to explain them. When it comes to doing something outrageous or stupid, you can separate us and still bet that we'll do the same thing.

Nico is my little Nico. In my mind he will always be my little 4 year old. I got to pretty much help raise him until he was 4 because both my parents worked. He was my constant companion when I was pregnant and after I had Derek. The memory thats sticks out in my mind is at my wedding. He was crying at the reception. He thought me being married meant he never got to see me again. SAD

I like the fact that I had enough siblings that I never got lonely and not too many that I felt left out. I did benefit from being the oldest though, because when we were younger, my siblings had to play with me whether they wanted to or not. ha ha ha

Mindy Feels Closest To....

I felt close to different siblings at different times. Probably first in my memory would come the twins because we were closest in age and played together. Dress ups, dancing with Puffy and Matt, Barbies, of course. We also shared the big waterbed and used to play parachute in it when we were supposed to be sleeping. Next would be Jeny right before she went to BYU. We shared a room, right? I got to visit her for a week at BYU. That was a fun time. That was the first time I got to wear makeup, and I was so tall that most of the students thought I was also a student. I think I was 11. Next was Amy. We also shared a room, but not for very long. We switched rooms around a lot, didn't we? She worked at the Margarita, and she let me drive her little Festiva when I was learning how to drive. I almost wrecked it at least once. Amy got my ears pierced for my 18th birthday, the day before my 18th birthday. Mom and Dad were very disappointed in me for that. Before I left for Ricks, Matt and I got really close. We'd take each other to lunch at the mall quite often (either Greek Gyros or Chic Fil A -- YUM), talked a lot and hung out a lot. When I was at Ricks I got to go to Utah several times and visit Kristi and her family. That was always a good break. It is so much fun to be with her and her family. We laugh the whole time. My memories of Lori at home are kind of embarrasing. She used to have me put Noxema on her back. She worked at McDonalds. That's not embarrasing, but just something I remember. Her lovely brown and orange uniform. One time I walked in on her and Kristi changing clothes in their room. I turned bright red and walked right back out. They thought it was funny. Memories with David are of playing (losing at) Risk and shooting down army guys on the hearth with rubber bands. Good times!

Question of the Week...

Share a memory of your brothers and sisters. To whom did you feel closest? Why?

From Tricia

Our primary program was today. I'd not heard this song before but I just love it. Enough obviously that I wanted to share. Hope it touches you like it did me!

Lyrics:

If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example? Would I live more righteously,
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me, would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind if He were never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel? Would I speak more reverently
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me, would my thoughts be clean and pure?
Would His presence give me strength and hope, and courage to endure?
Would His counsel guide my actions? Would I choose more worthily
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

He is always near me, though I do not see Him there
And because He loves me dearly, I am in His watchful care
So I'll be the kind of person that I know I'd like to be
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me.

Holly's Grandparents

Okay, the vitamin C thing is cracking me up. That is everyone's memory of Grandma Breckenridge. I don't remember her on the couch at all. I just remember her in bed with her oxygen. The last time I saw her she gave us all little presents (which I seem to remember her always doing, but I could be wrong). I got some embroidery scissors that folded up and a pencil with a little plastic squirrel hanging from the end. Of course I remember the vitamins, and they will always remind me of her. Grandpa Breckenridge was just as everyone else has said. Mark summed it up best after the funeral when he said, "What I liked best about him is that whenever you went to visit, he always acted as though you were exactly the person he wanted to see at that moment." Heidi and I loved playing dress-ups in the basement with Jennie and Andy. I also loved the sound of the train coming through the window in the morning, along with the nice smell of Utah. I have a memory of sleeping with Grandpa once, and he burped a lot. This is a picture of my favorite "thing" from the Breckenridge house. I used to play with it every time we went over there. I don't remember seeing it after Grandma died, but I took a chance and asked Donna if she remembered it, and she was kind enough to find it and give it to me. It plays "Country Roads" for those of you who may not remember.

As for the Lauritzens, I have about as many memories of Grandpa that I do of Grandma Breckenridge. Of course I remember the blue overalls, the irrigating, and the card shuffler. I also remember him swinging me between his legs. I loved that. And who can forget the bottled rootbeer in the basement? Grandma Lauritzen was the "crabby" grandma who was always on my case about putting on some makeup and not whining about things. I sprained my ankle pretty badly once riding bikes with Laura and Grandma was sure there was nothing wrong with me. Despite that, though, she was as generous as anyone could be and everyone loved her. When I moved to Utah I loved visiting her just to get out of a noisy apartment and to enjoy the quiet of her house (except for Matlock on the TV, of course). By the end she was so blind that when she invited me over for dinner I had to cook it because she couldn't see the oven knobs. The cheese in the refrigerator was always moldy, too, and she never noticed. This picture is of the clock that Mom made. It hung in that house so long that when we took it down there was a square behind it on the wood that had not been sunbleached. The stuffed animals on top were a favorite of ours as kids. I could go on and on, but I think this post is long enough. It really is fun to remember them like this! Oh, remember the handheld electronic baseball game? I loved that thing!