2014 - A look back at our Journey

Love our California kids

Happy New Year's everyone and welcome to 2015.  As we start a new year, it's always great to look back and see some of the happenings from the last year.   How did we grow, what did we learn, what are we grateful for?   Here, in a few words and with a few pictures, are some of the things our family highlighted from this last year.

We had a great family vacation to Yellowstone Park with my extended family, and then followed that by multiple days in Utah with Mariann's extended family.   It was great to see all our brother's and sisters and so many of their kids.

In Yellowstone

Hanging out with our Japanese cousins in Orem

Jessica is in the middle of her second year of a three-year master’s degree in Anthropology (Archaeology) and Museum Studies at BYU.   She continues to work at the BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures as part of her program.  This summer she came out to CA for a couple of weeks so that Mariann and I could take a quick vacation trip.   

 

 

As soon as she left here, Jessica went to Chiapas, in southern Mexico, for a month, to help catalog artifacts from a Mesoamerican excavation.  She really enjoyed getting to see some of the sites and artifacts in person that she’s only before seen in books.  Also, this fall Jessica and Kylie got to attend the Salt Lake Comic Convention and had a lot of fun there.

At Salt Lake Comic Con

Kylie graduated from BYU-I with her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Child Development in July.    The entire family came up for her graduation, and spent a few days in Yellowstone as well with our Simpson/Nybo cousins.   That was a lot of fun.  Not only did she graduate, but she also took out her endowments in the Rexburg Temple the day before.  It was great to have so much family there to support her in those two important events.  After that she moved to Provo, next door to Jessica, and is now working with children with autism at Foothill Elementary in Orem.

At the Rexburg Temple

Andy is in his Junior year at Utah State in Logan.  After long thought he decided his love for writing, and literature was strong enough to change his major to English with an emphasis in Creative Writing.  He continues to enjoy all things outdoors, especially rock climbing and trail running.  He also picked up skiing this winter.   He is combining the two things together (his major and outdoor enthusiasm) and is writing an outdoor column for the campus paper.  He is looking into making a career of writing for the outdoor industry.

A little climbing and exploring

Jake has had an amazing year, with many of the ups and downs that come with it.  He continues to improve his skill as an amazing artist.   His pieces have really started to reflect his emerging style.   He is always working on something, and will create art on anything from a pizza box to traditional canvas.  He has really gotten into Reggae music and been to several concerts this year where he has made numerous new friends near and far.  In November, Jake was also involved in a motorcycle accident that burned his legs extensively.   He had to spend most of the month of November in a burn unit in San Francisco.  The skin grafts are doing well.  He was home by Thanksgiving, and continues to get better every day.  He is still his cheery positive self, and loves to laugh and tease.  We feel that Jake was very blessed to only have burns, and not any broken bones, or more serious injuries.  This summer while in Orem he was a big hit with all his young cousins.  They flocked to him every time we were together.  Everyone loves Jake.

Trying to get cool on his fancy heated hospital bed

Stephen is a Junior this year at Granada High School.  He is involved with several groups and clubs including the Red Cross and Hip Hop Club.   He continues to love to dance, and had an active role in the Junior skit for Homecoming.  Stephen turned 16 this year, and so went out and got his first job.   It has been a great experience and he is learning many things about juggling a job, school and social activities.   He is already counting down the days until he is a Senior, but that is a story for next year.  Besides work and school, he loves to long board any chance he gets.  It’s a good thing we live in California where the weather is amenable for this year round.

Homecoming skit/dance 2014

Hip Hop Club

Lindsey is in her last year of middle school.  Her mom is a little freaked out that her baby will be in High School next year.  Just like her sisters did at this same time, Lindsey has started to have a growth spurt.   She has added several inches already this fall and is beginning to measure how tall she is against her Mom and I every chance she gets.  She continues to be involved in drama and has also started to become a very talented artist.    She determined she wants to be a mermaid, and spent as much time in the water as she could this summer.   She even has a mermaid tail.

Mariann and Jeff have had a busy year too.  In May we took a long postponed 25th anniversary trip.  (We've been married 28 years, so it was 3 years in the making).  We feel grateful for Jessica who came out to help with carpool duties and the kids at home so we could go.  We spent 10 days in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  It was a fun trip and we did multiple things we had never done before.

In the US Virgin Islands

We feel very blessed this year, with good family, good friends, the love of God, and the knowledge that He knows each one of us as individuals and loves as all the same.  We know that our Savior atoned for each one of us, and through that Atonement we can all live together again with Him. We love you all.

Happy New Year everyone, 

Welcome to 2015 - I'm sure it will be a great year.