As you can tell I am not very good at keeping this thing current.  Honestly I forget I have it sometimes.  So, what has happened in my life since I last posted?  Well, the biggest change is that my Brother Bryan died, and now I struggle a bit with figuring things out.  Life keeps throwing curve balls at us and this one has taken quite a bit of time to recover from.  I still don't feel like I have mastered that recovery part of it though.  Losing a brother is a difficult thing for anyone, but losing a brother to suicide just compounds the matter even more.  Has there been any good come from it?  I would have to say a couple of things for the good have come along...I was reconnected with one of the best people I know, and now find myself living with a her and her son.  That has been a great thing for me, and hopefully it has been okay for her.  Next, I was given the courage to say when and quit my job with the Balsz School District.  That was difficult for me to do.  I always wanted to work there for 30 years, but it just got to hard and after Bryan died I realized life was just to short to live with some unhappiness.  So....I ventured out and got a job in the Mesa School District.  It has been a bit difficult at times, but it is so worth it.  Finally, I think in some ways our family has grown closer together.  I learned that we will for sure along side each other no matter what the circumstances are.  We all learned a ton about unconditional love, and we have built better relationships with each other as we all walk this path.  Poor Mom, though, she doesn't know how to help us all and really she can't.  This is something we all have to walk through at our own pace.  Best news though is that mom and dad have decided to go on a mission.  They have put in their paperwork and are waiting to receive their mission call.  It is our turn to help them out now as they go on a mission.  Enough for now....

December 2008

December has arrived and I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. We celebrated Hyrum's birthday, and prepared for Uncle Brent's return home to his family. Aunt Wendi is going to miss Mal"dom" calling out her name as she comes through Grandma's door each day. I will also miss my dates with Gage, and yes Gage I will drive to Tucson to go on a date with you.

I really enjoyed having Jeff and his family stay here during the Holidays. The Colorado Egnew's are fun to be around. I enjoyed my date with Jayden and Gage at the movies. We went to see Desperaux, and then we had lunch. It was fun spending time with the two of them. Gage didn't want to be left out of a conversation and I had to remind myself that he is only three years old. The family spent Christmas Eve at Mom and Dad's. We had dinner (and lots of leftovers), played the present game, and Grandpa read the Christmas Story. As he was reading from the Book of Mormon, (Samuel the Lamanite's Story) Addie said, "Yes Grandpa, we know Samuel. He was a Lamanite and stood on the wall preaching that Jesus would come. The people shot arrows at him and none of them hit him!" Our jaws dropped, I chuckled, and Grandpa kept reading. I was sure impressed with her knowledge of the gospel.

It has been a wonderful year because of all of you. I am awed everyday that I spend time with your children. They have been taught well, and I am so proud to be their Aunt. You, my brothers and sisters, are great parents. Thank you for letting me interrupt your lives this year. Hopefully I can do so again this next year. Please know of my love for all of you.

November 2008

This month is a special one with Tessa, Liam, Clark and Grandma Mann's birthdays. It is also a time when we can remember those Veterans who have sacrificed their lives, time, and family life to provide for the freedoms we enjoy. Those of living here continued the tradition of going to the Veteran's Day Parade. Mom and I went early to save everyone seats close to the action. Dad, Gage, Addie, Jessica and Paul came over and met us there. We called Uncle Hiram and Uncle Troy to thank them for what they do for us. Aunt Wendi also continued the Veteran's Day hat collection and bought a few American Flag Cowboy hats to keep the sun out of our faces. We really had a great time together.

About two weeks before Thanksgiving I was talking with Holli on the phone. She sounded a little homesick, and I needed a break from school, so I bought a plane ticket and went to the Cahoon's for Thanksgiving. Troy, Holli, and the boys came to Denver to pick me up at the airport and then we went and spent a couple of hours with Jeff, Jessica, and the kids. They were going to be gone for Thanksgiving so I wanted to be sure I saw them. I took the kids the Walle video and hoped they didn't have it yet.

Troy and Holli wanted me to experience the cold winds of Cheyenne and when one came up I told them they were nuts! I don't know why they wanted me to be so cold! Holli fixed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and ended up with a ton of leftovers. Too bad neither she nor I like leftovers. Poor Troy, he'll end up with Turkey sandwiches for a year! We were able to squeeze in some fun trips to Loveland, a walk through the big mall of Cheyenne, (you all need to experience the huge mall there!), a few dinners and lunches out, and buying a Christmas tree. This will be a memory I will have for a very long time. Saturday night we went to the Cheyenne Christmas Lights Parade. It was extremely cold, but we did have a good time. I loved spending time with the boys watching the parade, fighting with swords, and freezing under the blankets. After the parade we drove to Denver to stay at a hotel so that Troy could take me to the airport at 4:30. The time went by quickly, and before I new it I was headed back home. I was a little sad at leaving the Cahoon's but I was glad to get back to the warmth of the Arizona SUN!

August - October 2008

Now you could say that the traveling came to a quick halt during these months. I was back at school, and helping with the Varsity Volleyball team at Camelback. There wasn't a whole lot of time for travel. During the month of August Brent, Frank, Elizabeth and Mom all had birthdays. Bethany and the boys moved in to mom and dad's while Brent was away with his training. Mom and I did manage to squeeze in a few ASU Fall Ball games at the softball field. Once again these games helped me to relax and not think about things. I did enjoy texting with Hannah quite often! She let me know when it was too cold, and I, of course, let her know that here in Arizona the weather was just great. You could wear shorts and tan all through October.

September came was very busy with Volleyball games three nights a week, and quite a few birthdays. Audrey, Mark, Mary Ann, Davin, Shelby, Annabell, Paul's Jessica, and Mark's Jessica. We also threw in Mom and Dad's 44th anniversary. I don't have trouble keeping track of how long they have been married since that will also be my next birthday. Mom was gone visiting all of you during this time and Dad was in Colorado and Utah. Bethany and I braved the big storm that had winds of over 100 mph. I lost some tree limbs and the roof off of the food storage shed. It was a little scary, but we survived it all.

October also brought Hiram home from Iraq, and we are all very grateful for his safe return. I know that Mary Ann and the kids were so excited for this day because of the count down they had going on for the last 7 months. We also enjoyed many birthdays this month. Cameron, Ella, Bryan, Paul, Madie, Jayden, Jeff's Jessica, Zach, and Gemma. What a busy time this was. I think we try to squeeze a ton of birthdays in these 3 months. I survived the first quarter of chaos at the school and really enjoyed my two week break before the next quarter started. Can't wait for the next break to come!

July 2008 (North Carolina, Denver, Cheyenne, South Dakota, and Utah)

July was another busy month. A few days after returning from Florida, I once again packed my bags and headed to the East Coast. This time I went to Jacksonville, North Carolina to spend time with Mary Ann and the kids while Hiram was deployed. Mary Ann and the kids picked me up at the Raleigh Airport and we drove home. I was so excited to see Meridith, Davin, and Annabelle. My goal was to let Mary Ann escape alone every now and then while I spent time with the kids.

I met some of Mary Ann's friends and their kids. Athena is really a good friend to my sister, and I am thankful that Mary Ann has a good friend to talk with and do things with while Hiram is gone. It makes life a little easier during this time. We went to the beach on base several times. The first time there Mary Ann said her kids never go in the water because they are afraid. What did Aunt Wendi learn from this? Mary Ann doesn't know her children very well. We were in the water the whole time! I loved it! Annabelle is not afraid of anything, and once Davin and Meridith are comfortable and know that you aren't going to let them drown, they relax and jumping over the waves. We really had a lot of fun. The beach on base has big shells, and yes we collected a few of them along with some pretty rocks for Aunt Wendi to use as a writing assignment in her class. Thanks kids for helping me find some good ones!


One day we drove down to another little town to go to the Aquarium. That was loads of fun. The kids were in heaven watching all the fish, looking at Jelly Fish, climbing on the Alligator, and taking pictures in a crab. We all learned a lot about the ocean that day. After our adventures at the Aquarium we drove around to find a new beach that they could go to. We got lucky and found a great one for the kids. After spending some time there we hit the shops around the beach. Yes we did find a few items we couldn't live without.


On the Fourth of July, Uncle Bryan drove down to spend the day with us. His family was in Tennessee and he had the day off work. Thank goodness for Uncle Bryan. He worked very hard trimming the yard, playing with the kids, and entertaining his sisters. We took the kids to a carnival where we rode ponies, a ferris wheel, and climbed up and down the slides. This was a little pricey so we then went to the Base for some food and fun there. After a couple of meltdowns, we headed for home. The neighbors put on a wonderful fireworks show for us all! We ate the doughnuts Mary Ann had made earlier in the day, and talked about losing the bunny. Bryan and I took the kids to the beach so that Mary Ann could escape for a while. We drove down to Emerald Beach and walked forever in the sand. Bryan was so good with his neices and nephew and even his sister. As we were walking back to where we got on the beach it started to rain. Bryan ran ahead and got the car and I brought the kids, cleaned their feet and made it to the warm car.

My time in North Carolina ended all too soon! We drove to Raleigh and got a hotel by the Airport. Bryan came and spent the night with us because he was flying to Tennesee the next morning about the same time I was leaving for home. This allowed Mary Ann some extra sleeping time since we both had to be to the airport at 4:30. What a mess that was! Bryan can fill you all in on my adventures in the Raleigh Airport.


After an adventurous airport experience I made it home to do laundry, clean a little, and spend some time with Audrey and Ashley who had flown in from South Dakota. We had a great time together and Aunt Wendi really appreciated their help. Those poor girls spent a couple of days helping me to set up my new dirty classroom. They cleaned forever! Since they had worked so hard I decided to take them and Madie to Sunplash for the day. They had a great time swimming in the wave pool, going down the big scary slide, floating in the lazy river, and just spending time with eachother. I wondered why it wasn't as fun as it used to be. I must really be getting old!

July also brought our own Egnew Family Reunion that was to be held in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Kari and Bryan were in charge of this reunion and they did a great job of picking out a place. Getting there was also an experience I will never forget. Peggi couldn't come to this reunion so we talked Madie into going with us. Once again the Suburban was loaded with bags, survival kits, and people (Grandpa, Aunt Wendi, Aunt Jessica, Addie, Madie, Ashley and Audrey). Grandpa wanted to drive through his mission so we took the longer route to Uncle Jeff's house. 15 hours later, and the continual playing of the movie Alvin and The Chipmunks, we arrived at Uncle Jeff's. Brent and Bethany were already there, and we had a great night together. The next morning we picked up Uncle Paul at the airport and then left for South Dakota.


Our journey stopped in Cheyenne so that we could see the new addition to Troy and Holli's family. We all welcomed Manti to the Egnew clan at a park. Mom brought pizza for lunch and we enjoyed running around the park, taking pictures, looking at the train, and playing by the lake. The fun ended all to soon, and before Aunt Wendi knew it we were back in the car watching Alvin and the Chipmunks! We added Jayden to our car so that she could be with her cousins. After a few stops along the way (for the bathroom) we finally found our way to our cabin and our family! We were all so excited to be out of a car, and I was really happy about being able to rid myself of Alvin and the Chipmunks for a few hours.

I was very lucky to be able to share a room with Hannah at the cabin. It is our little tradition now. She and I get to be roommates during our reunions, and we have a ton of fun together. I brought each one of us our own portable dvd player so we could watch a movie and not disturb people when they were sleeping. Bryan and Kari had a ton of fun activities planned for us and Aunt Amy was the queen of the crafts. We all made a memory page for a book for mom and dad. Bryan had us drive into town and go to the Mammoth sink hole. We learned about the mammoth and the kids got to experience a little dig of their own. It was really fun. After the dig we took pictures and then headed back to the cabin. Some of us really needed a rest. While we were resting the rest of the family went to the lake and swam, buried people in the sand, and just had a good time together.












As you can see, they all had a great time! We then had to clean the cabin, pack our belongings for the long journey to our homes. Dad and Mom were headed back to stay with Troy and Holli and the rest of us decided home was a good place. Paul, Jessica, Addie, and I loaded the Suburban and followed Mark, Jessica, Abby, Ella, and Marcus to their house. We had a great trip across Wyoming and made some changes in the seating of the cars. The votes came in and the boys ended up in one car and all of the girls ended up in the Suburban. This was exciting because we (the girls) knew that our car would not end up with any unusual or unwanted smells. Of course, the boys had to make a potty stop at a rest stop. Normally this isn't a good thing, but that day it turned out to be a good thing. The rest stop was overflowing with prarie dogs! Madie and Addie became really good friends with them, and Uncle Paul had one climb up his leg. Aunt Wendi was just grateful that she had a camera, and nothing tried to climb up her leg!

Saying goodbye to family is always very difficult. I just want you all to know how much fun I had traveling with you (yes, even with Alvin and the Chipmunks). The time we spend together means so much to me and it really helped me get through a very difficult time. I sure love you and of course I love all of my nieces and nephews!

June

The first week of June brought with it the end of a very long school year, and a road trip to Utah. The Suburban was loaded with bags, a survival kit (DVD player, movies, food, and water) people . . . Paul, Jessica, Addie, Mom, Dad, and I. We left Phoenix early in the morning and drove to Uncle Mark's house to spend the weekend with them and go to Natalie Egnew's wedding. As you can tell from the picture, we were quite boring and Addie slept for a while. After several stops for food, gas, and a bathroom we made it to Uncle Mark's! We were all very excited and ready to be out of a vehicle.
Saturday we headed North to the wedding reception. It was held outside in Layton. We really enjoyed seeing the beautiful bride, eating the wonderful chocolate covered strawberries, and visiting with our family (Uncle Larry, Aunt Sandy, Aunt Becky, Aunt Laureen, Uncle Gerald, and many, many, more!). On the way back to Mark's house the Suburban decided that the hoses were a little too old and out of shape. One of them broke going through Parley's Canyon and the Suburban over heated. Dad pulled the vehicle off into the emergency lane, and he and Paul got out to check out the problem. They had to hike down the hill to a gas station below and bring water up the hill to help us get back down to the gas station. Dad backed the Suburban down the On ramp and then turned us around to the gas station. The hole was patched, the radiator filled, and we were on our way to the saftety of Mark's house.
Thank goodness for that! We really enjoyed the short time we spent with Mark, Jessica, Frank, Abby, Ella, and Marcus and wished it could have been longer.

Sunday morning dad had to fix the radiator and then we headed home. I had to be to work Monday morning to pack up my classroom1. Thank goodness mom and dad were there to help me get packed. We got it finished Thursday, which was perfect timing, because Friday morning we were packing the car, with our survival kit, and luggage to go to St. George for the Seegmiller Family Reunion. The drive went by quickly and we had a good time visiting with eachother. Saturday we went to a park in Washington for the reunion. I am always amazed at how much Great Aunt Laureen looks like Grandma Egnew. We visited with family there, took pictures, and then headed to the hotel for a nice nap. Later that evening we met Uncle Larry, Aunt Sandy, Uncle Earl, and Aunt Barbra for dinner. That was really the highlight of the trip for me. I really enjoy spending time with my Uncles and Aunts. They are such great people.

We left St. George Sunday morning and headed for home. We needed to unpack, do laundry, and then repack our suitcases. Why? Well, we decided that we had seen enough of the West and wanted some Eastern scenery. Our plane left Tuesday for Fort Myers, Florida. That night we went to Uncle Frank and Aunt Mary Anne's house. They told us they had a surprise for us and to that we needed to leave our suitcases in the car. Of course we did what we were told! That is a first. When we got to the house they told us that we would be going to a place on the beach in the morning. That was certainly a great surprise, and we did enjoy every minute we spent there. I really loved walking the beach at low tide. Mom and I found a ton of live sanddollars, conk shells, and walked with baby sting rays! It was very exciting. We spent our time visiting the sights of Fort Myers (Flee Market, Grocery Store, Shell Factory, Ford and Edison winter homes etc), playing games,giving Uncle Frank a hard time (my favorite past time), and learning how to be kind from Aunt Mary Anne. A lesson I really needed! We also spent a day at Sanibell Island where mom got to play lifeguard and pull a little boy out of the ocean! I can't believe that his parents just sat on the beach and didn't get in the water with their little ones. Good thing mom was five feet away from the little guy.

When we left Florida our plane stopped over in Charolette, North Carolina. During our stop they offered us free tickets anywhere because they were over booked. Dad said he didn't want to stay so we didn't get free tickets! We arrived home safely and a little tired. The last trip of this month was an overnight trip to Uncle Karl and Aunt Cindy's cabin. Karl had the lead role in a melodrama his branch was putting on. He was really good, and looked a little strange with his hair dyed blonde. We had a great time with them, and I really enjoyed climbing all of the stairs. June was a busy month, but one that I really enjoyed!

Oklahoma City!!

The first big trip this year was with Mom to Oklahoma City to watchthe College World Series. We had a great time and really enjoyed experiencing everything there. (Not to mention ASU's winning the whole thing!) My favorite thing is walking up the stairs of the stadium for the first time and having my nose come to life as it smells the freshly cut grass, and the newly watered red dirt field. I felt as if I had died and entered Heaven's ball field every time I smelled that field.

It was really fun spending time with mom, meeting some of her friends from her China trip, and having lunch with the Alabama Softball Team. Mom managed to survive the heat of hte day, and Holli sent us pictures of the two of us on T.V.!

Mom thought she was in the company of someone famous! She can explain that to anyone who is curious. We met a ton of neat people at these games, and sat next to the UofA's pitcher's grandparents. What neat people!

Between games we went to the Brickyard, ate lunch, and took a tour on the mini river. It was really fun, and I have to say that I never thought of school once. Yes, I was playing hooky from school, but I did need a break!