How many people have your name?

This is kind of interesting to know. Go to the web site below and put in your first and last name and see how many people in the USA have your exact name as well. Let me know how many!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Final pre-mission cookout for Squire's

Ron and Janice are going to spend the next two years, after leaving the MTC in Provo, in Samoa, as Church Service Missionaries, teaching English and other duties in the church school there. As neighbors, no one could ask for better, and we know the people of that island will be greatly blessed by their service, as we all have here for many years. Frank and I planned a final get-to-gether for the neighborhood before they left. It was a beautiful January day (high 40's) so we cooked hamburgers, etc. outside and had a special afternoon with friends.

The Squire's were waiting anxiously for news of the birth of a new grandson, Jake and Rachel's first baby, in St. George UT. At 3pm she was dilated to 8 cm's. The big 9# 7oz. boy didn't come until more than 12 hours later, at 3:30 am, finally delivered by c-section. Squire's left Sunday morning after being set apart by the Stake Presidency for their mission. They will spend a few days in St. George with Jake and his family then in Provo with Janice's parents and enter the MTC Monday the 26th. They will be missed by all.

There were lots of other little kids that missed getting their picture taken because they were too busy playing on the mountain or in patches of snow elsewhere. Susie, Sam and Monty Williams and also Bishop Crandell and Alice left before I got the camera out. The food was gone or cleaned up by then but there was plenty of good food and friendship brought by all.

Janice, Sarai and Robbie

Ron and Frank

Monty Hancock, Dustin, Reed Hancock, Janice and Ron

Robbie and Janice

Dawna and Janice

Analise, Paula, Marcie

Ron, Janice, Dawna and Frank

Paula, Analise and Marcie

Paula, Ron, Sarai, and Celeste

Christian Franco, Landon Blackburn and Ellie Hancock breaking the ice on the little pond

Chealynne, Marcie, Daniel and Robbie

Haidyn Franco on the rocking horse

Daniel, Craig, Reed and Monty discussing an upcoming hunting trip into Mexico

Alice, Tyson Franco, Bob, Chealynne and Janice

Shana Clark, Ron and granddaughter Kamarie, and Frank

Final farewell Sunday morning after being set apart at Squire's home

Kristal's digital wizardry

This Christmas Kristal made most of her Christmas gifts to economize and to get back to basics. She had been at our home in October for Kandra's baby's blessing and had taken a lot of random photos around my yard. When I opened my present from her at Christmas, it was this beautiful butterfly collage, matted (in white) and framed in black and was stunning! It took me a minute to start recognizing various parts of the collage--little frogs near a pond, funny troll in the front yard, bee birdhouse, row of flowerpots hanging under the eaves, etc. before I realized all the pictures (including the background) came from my yard. It is amazing what she can do with her photoshop program! Thanks again Kristal for a treasure! Just click on the picture to enlarge it to see the details. You can check for yourself her work at www.joyclan.blogspot.com or kristalsdigitalcreations.blogspot.com

Odds and Ends

Just downloaded this cute picture taken the evening we arrived in St George (Halloween) to stay with Lance's kids while he and Shannon went on a cruise to the Mediterranean. The kids were all storybook characters: Carson was Indiana Jones, Kayla (I don't remember), Brinley a Ladybug, and Hailey a skunk.

Since Gavin doesn't have a lot of hair right now, Kandra was experimenting to see what color might look best on him when he gets some--what do you think?


Recently after a snow storm in Heber Frank came in and said to come outside and see the beautiful flowers that were blooming out front. Very skeptical of what flowers might be blooming at this time of year in Heber, I went out and this is what I found. He really wasn't exaggerating!

Happy New Year!

Now that the holiday rush is over, the presents completed and unwrapped, the company gone and the mess cleaned up (well, the Christmas decorations have not all been tucked away for another year. . .but I've been gone), I thought that its time to get on to the next big assignment--the making of New Year's resolutions! Of couse I look at the Dark Dreary Deep Doldrums of Winter as hardly the time to get overly ambitious and make promises I probably won't keep. . . . Maybe the first day of Spring will be a good time to start them. . . . However, I'll make a list anyway to mull over and who knows what I may actually get accomplished? Here goes: 1. I'd like to spend more time studying the scriptures and other church publications 2. Get back into my exercise routine (which I abandoned a month ago in order to have time to complete Christmas sewing projects), and 3. Work on Family History again. Not a long list but then I don't want to overwhelm myself.

It was great having all our girls and their families here for Christmas--in spite of icy roads, long airport delays, etc. The little ones are so precious and fun to have around. Wendy and Family only spent Christmas day with us since Dave had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas night. Because Lance and family stayed in Utah, we traveled there afterwards to take gifts to them and spend a couple of days, bringing in the new year at First Night in St George then going to their cabin in Pine Valley for fun in the snow (lots of it!) the next day.

It has been fun watching all our kids be parents and see the love they have for their children and also the thoughtfulness and service they give to others. It really pleases us also to see our kids try to prepare themselves for what may await them in the uncertain future. Its actually an exciting time to be alive and we feel so blessed for the health that we have as we look forward to this new year.