The Importance of being Allen

"It has to be the Altitude!"

2010-05-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well, after 41 years, I have left Sunny California and have now entered Utah! Bob transferred with his job at Watson to Salt Lake City in January and me and the kids moved in March after selling our home, of 15 years, in Ontario. We are now residing in Layton and are settling in. We love our ward and have met some very nice neighbors.

When you think of Utah vs California what is the first thing that comes to mind? Well, for me it was less crime. Within our first 2 weeks here, B's car was broken into (it took 13 years in Ontario for that to happen). The upside was, the crooks who broke into B's car were nice enough to not cause any damage. They just unlocked the driver door, popped the trunk and took his laptop and Garmin. Then, about 2 days later, we woke up Sunday morning and found that our neighbor's wall was covered with grafitti. True, all true! When I woke up Sunday morning to see the grafitti on the wall my first thought was...."everyone will think it was one of our kids since we are the new ones on the block from California!"

The grafitti, took a little more effort for us to remove. After numerous attempts from B and our neighbor, the EQP and other EQ members, B finally found some "grafitti remover" for concrete and that did the trick.

We had a wonderful neighborhood in California and we all were concerned about and helped one another. But it wasn't quite like what I have witnessed here. My brother calls it "The Bubble" and on this occasion, I have to agree with him.

We are really happy here and feel that this is a Great move for us and our family.

C has started school and loves her teacher and all of the "neat" things she is learning. She was so excited to actually have an Art class. The new adventure is that she takes the bus to school every day.

R is wishing, every day, that he could go to school. We did our Kindergarten Open House walk-through and he is extremely excited to start school. He will get to ride the bus also and thinks that is "way cool!"

D is working with one of our very creative neighbors and is learning wall painting techniques. She is enjoying the work and independence with "Skuttle." She will also be starting a second job in the upcoming week. We are very excited for her.

B is still in California finishing her senior year. She is extremely busy with school, Play practice, Swim practice and AP exam study group. We have wonderful friends who have adopted her and she is fitting in very well. We will be seeing her in May for graduation and then she will be ours again!!! YAY!

I am getting used to the Altitude! I felt like I was having a heart attack every time I started walking up and down the stairs. Yes, it is the altitude.....I'm not out of shape, I am a shape...."round". It is fun setting up my new home and figuring out where to put everything. We have lots of storage, and an extra bedroom so you are all welcome to visit anytime.

B is enjoying his work and is getting used to having a YARD to mow at home. The first weekend without snow, B decided to mow the lawn. It took........ ALL DAY! Granted, he had some glitches with his lawn mower but it still took a very, very long time. Now I get to do more of my most favorite task, yard work.....NOT! It is pretty but I will need to learn to love yard work with our new yard.

Here are some pics of the house to date.

Front

Livingroom

Kitchen

Familyroom

Backyard

Come and visit us! We would love to see you. I will try and get some more pictures posted when I get more accomplished. Hope to see you soon!

Awesome August!

2009-09-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well, August has been quite awesome for our family. We temporarily adopted two German exchange students for the month. Our new daughters, Amelie and Lena, were a wonderful addition to our family. We were very lucky to have such nice girls stay with us. They were sweet, kind and very fun. They fit in fabulously with our family. Lena played Wii with Caeley and Ryan and even seemed to enjoy Karaoke too! She watched Jane Austen movies with me and loved to read. Amelie was very fun too! Ryan treated her just like his other sisters. She would read to him and she spent quite a bit of time taking pictures of him and Caeley on her computer then making funny stretchy faces. Of course, Ryan would never want to stop and she was very kind to assure him they would do it again. She seemed to love the pool and even played Ryan's game of "Marco Polo" and "Colors".

Amelie and Lena were here to learn the "American Culture" and work on their english. I never knew that Americans actually had a "culture" but I guess America is different than other countries. The girls got to see the usual tourist places like Disneyland, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain, Downtown L.A., Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the Ocean. They really seemed to enjoy the ocean. We had plenty of really, really warm weather for them and they seemed to just soak it up. The girls enjoyed all of the food that they ate and they seemed to really like my homemade "egg Mcmuffins" and breakfast burritos. I laughed at how much they also liked cold cereal and seemed to enjoy mixing Captain Crunch and any other cereal I had in the cupboard.

We went to Sams Club (they were shocked at how MUCH there was), the Drive-in Theatre, Huntington Beach, and Bob took them to Universal City Walk, Hard Rock Cafe - for Amelie to add to her Hard Rock shirt collection, Ed Hardy for Lena and Mulholland Drive so that they could take pictures in front of the Hollywood sign.

It was an enjoyable 4 weeks with them. We enjoyed eating the "Haribo" and Chocolate that they brought to us. I even tried to make something out of the cookbook that Amelie gave me, "cucumber salad." They also gave us some wonderful books showing pictures of where they live and what the country and industry is like. After seeing those pictures, I wondered why would they ever want to come to California during the summer when it is HOT, brown and dry! In spite of all of that, they loved being here and we loved having them with us. Now we need to save pennies to go to Germany some day. It was a great experience and we have two wonderful new friends that we will remember forever. Thank you Amelie and Lena for staying with us and letting us get to know you.

Where did July go?

2009-07-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th weekend. We did! We started our day by attending our City's Independence Day Parade. It was fun to see friends and neighbors there. The Parade has become a tradition over the years. It is so nice to see people dressed in red, white, and blue, waving flags, wearing patriotic hats and just enjoying themselves. It reminds me so much of driving through little towns in New York and seeing flags and buntings on every home. It truly is a wonderful way to get into the Spirit of Celebrating our Country's Independence. That evening, we went to Claremont to watch some great fireworks with our friends. It was a really nice way to end the day.

We later took a roadtrip to Utah to visit family, take a tour of Utah State University and attend EFY. It was a very relaxing and fun two weeks. It is always a treat to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. This year, they had visiting chickens and R had a great time watching them. D actually caught a couple and let the little kids pet it. I think that is the first time R has seen chickens in real life.

We went to Idaho Falls one day and saw the "Titanic" exhibit (thank you Callie for posting that on your blog) . It was really good and R can't stop talking about the Iceberg that he touched. He has gotten a little more creative in his storytelling and has now started to tell, anyone who will listen, that his mom and dad were on the Titanic and "they were in the water that was really cold but they didn't die. They are here see! " The kids had fun in the discovery room where they dressed up like pioneers and crawled around through caves and climbed mountains! They had a lot of fun. Even my little niece joined in on the dress up fun. We did take pictures outside of the museum. By that time R was a little spent and began to pout. He had a very observant cousin and she decided that she was not going to let him pout alone so she was his one and only supporter in his pouting protest!

We made a stop at the Idaho Falls temple. In the visitors Center, there is a Christus that is made of fiberglass. We were told that President Hinckley wanted it made so that the children to could touch the Savior and be easy to clean. When we walked in, A immediately ran over saying "my Jesus, my Jesus". R touched his hands and wanted to know why his hands and feet were hurt. The littlest A just sat there on her mom's lap and looked at the Savior almost the entire time until she let us know it was time to eat. I think I had a better understanding of how the scriptures tell us to "become like little children." Wouldn't life be a little simpler if we could all be as satisfied, as humble, and loveable as these little children are.

After the Temple, Kristen took us to a great ice cream spot. It is a dairy farm with a store in front (sorry I can't remember the name right now). The ice cream is made there from the cows on the farm. I would definitely recommend the Huckleberry ice cream. Delicious!!!! There is also a drive through where you can also get fresh milk or have it delivered to your home.

This was a wonderful way to end our day. We had so much fun. Thanks Kristen, A, Melanie and little A for spending the day with us. We look forward to seeing you again sometime soon!

We had a blast fishing! Grandpa and Grandma's friends, the Chatterton's, took us to their daughter's pond. Brother Chatterton was a trooper and saved the day when he caught a fish and was actually able to reel it in. R was excited to fish but when it came to actually touching the fish.... well, he said, "I'm too shy." We'll have to keep trying and maybe one day he'll actually touch the fish. R and grandpa caught a fish but it got away. No, it really did! In the end, R thought that it was time to use his "gummy worms" to catch a fish. So grandpa took a piece of a gummy worm and put it on our hook. It worked! It actually worked! we caught another fish... but the line broke and it too got away. A tip for any of you fishermen who can't seem to catch a fish, use gummy worms!

The Chatterton's grandson, Tyson, took R and C for a ride on his horse. They loved it! He was a real trooper to just pitch in and get the kids on the horse. It was a real treat for them.

It was another HIT for EFY this year. B and cousin T as well as our friend A attended EFY in Logan. They did not want the week to end. The girls had some wonderful experiences and met a lot of new friends. It was very nice to hear about their day every evening over ice cream sandwiches. There is nothing like ice cream sandwiches to induce storytelling from teenagers. A tip for parents, just put out some food, sit down and watch them eat. Soon you'll be learning a lot about your kids. They had a wonderful experience and can't wait to go next year. I am so glad that they have this opportunity. It was the highlight of the summer for them.

It is always fun to go to grandma & grandpa's house. I just didn't want to leave. It was beautiful and there was plenty to do and EAT! The kids really enjoyed themselves. Even as we were driving through Victorville, we still wanted to turn around and go back. Alas, we trudged forward. We made it home and had new adventures awaiting us there. We had some new guests to meet and a house to prepare for their arrival. So, tune in to the next blog to find out how the month of August is going.

Where did your month go?

Last Week's Activities

2009-06-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well, last week we had some fun activities going on. I needed to find some ways to keep the kids occupied while B was off at Girl's Camp. Here are a couple of our excursions!

We went to the Queen Mary and watched C perform for the last time of the school year with her Egyptian Dance group. Her 4th grade teacher, Ms. Sabet, has been teaching the girls after school and C has really loved being involved.

Webb School Paleontology Museum in Claremont

Posing in front of a REAL Dinosaur. Alexis isn't too fond of it though!

Look out!! You might become LUNCH!!!

A Giant Alligator Skull... "So Cool!"

Digging for fossils

Alexis & R really liked this one. C & Becky were trying to determine which sound was "friendly" or "fierce."

We had lots of fun and plan to go again before summer is out. R just loves to learn about Dinosaurs and "holcanos" (volcanos). Maybe he'll be a scientist when he grows up!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Dad! I hope that you had a wonderful day. Today during sacrament meeting we had two really good speakers. While they were talking about their fathers, I was able to think about some of the things I remembered about you while growing up.

Contrary to what mom says, "you kids only remember the bad things," I don't remember the bad things. I remember our trips to Palm Springs and swimming in the pool with you throwing me up in the air and landing in the deep end. I remember how fun it was to have "room service" bring us breakfast on our last day there. I remember driving to Idaho and stopping over in St. George (when it was just a little town with nothing more than a few shops and the temple) and you taking a nap in the middle of the night on the temple lawn. I remember family reunions and us kids trying to tape you and Uncle Philip & Uncle Keith snoring to see who was actually the loudest snorer. Amzaingly, we you all stopped snoring as soon as we got into the room to tape you. Guess what, I married a man who snores as loud if not louder than you!

I remember you coming to my Freshman Home Economics "Brunch" and eating what we had prepared. I loved cooking and having you eat the food I had prepared. You always told me it was delicious!

I remember all of the nights I would come home from Baker's Square and you would come into my room and count my tips with me. I had more fun doing that and listening to you tell me how I should put so much into my jar of spending and how much I should save. I'm pretty sure that is why I love putting money into my savings account today. Every time I go to the bank I have flash backs of counting my tips with you.

I remember how you always were able to fix things for us. If I had a school project, I could go to your workshop and find something to use. Like when I had to do a mission project and I used scrap pieces of wood to make a fence, saw dust for the ground and your soldering tool to make little metal balls that I put into tiny baskets.

I remember watching you make things and paint the house and how you were always such a perfectionist. How everything always looked so nice, and PERFECT! This has been somewhat of a downfall though, because you have set a standard for my husband that he was never even aware of!!!! ha ha ha

I remember you coming to my aid in High School with Mr. Petralia. I was so glad that you didn't completely take his side and that you were willing to show up and support me.

There are many other things but what I love the most about you dad is the fact that you always know what to tell me to make me feel better. Specifically with my last pregnancy and we were worried about Ryan and what the doctors had told us. You quoted a scripture about faith to me. You also told me that all would be okay and that you and mom were praying for me, the baby and our family. You had faith when I did not. You were strong when I was weak. You have always showed me that you love me no matter what and I love that you love my family as well. You said that Ryan would be "perfect" and he is just that.

Thank you for being such a wonderful father and dad. I love you very much! Happy Father's Day DAD!

Please don't touch the Pinkle!!!!!

2009-05-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well, the moment has finally arrived! I have become one of those mothers who looks at their little boy and says..."please don't touch the pinkle". I am just dumbfounded with the whole thing of why little boys have to touch their "pinkle" as we call it. It's not going anywhere, it certainly won't fall off, however, I do tell him that from time to time when I become really irritated with the behavior. So can anyone explain to me why,Why, WHY, does he have to touch his "pinkle"? I just don't understand.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day I had today. No breakfast in bed but I did get to watch my girls put together the Ham and Au Gratin Potato dinner together. D handled the rolls and they were delicious! It was wonderful hearing my two younger children sing with the Primary. R kept waving from the stand to me and others in the congregation! C was very good at singing the songs. I got a little teary as they sang "I Often Go Walking." There is something about that song that gets me every time.

Today I was able to reflect on what I had learned from my mother. I know she sometimes thinks that we only remember the bad things. When in all actuality, we really remember the good things. Just a few are cookies, homemade bread, always having her there when we came home from school and when we were sick, laying on the couch watching "The Price is Right" which she still watches to this day!

I guess it takes getting older and having kids of your own to really make you appreciate your mother. I love my mother and I am so grateful for all that she has done and continues to do for me. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Shall We Dance???

2009-05-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Theme was "The Jungle Book" for our multistake LDS Prom. We had a lot of fun finding a pattern and then picking out the fabric. We finally decided and the wonderfully talented "Aunt Sandra" offered to make the dress. It was simply beautiful and it fit perfectly. The decorations were amazing and it was a fun time for all.

"Tradition"...It's Fruitcake Time.... Are you ready Dad?

2008-11-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

Today is a new day! I am getting ready to make Grandma Condie's "Fruitcake". I have been attempting to master the art of making fruitcake for my Dad and Uncles for a few years now. Every year, Grandma Condie would make fruitcake for her sons. I have fond memories of Christmas Day watching my dad open his fruitcake and put it up to his face smelling it with his eyes closed. I almost wanted to have a taste but I knew it was his special gift. He would take it to the kitchen, unwrap it and very sacredly slice a piece off. He would then slather butter all over it and take a bite. Dad would have a slice every day until it was gone. He would always wish there were more but he'd have to wait another year for his favorite fruitcake.

My first year at college, I spent Thanksgiving at the Farm. I was home sick so grandma quickly put me to work helping her make the infamous fruitcake. It took my mind off of home and I enjoyed spending time with her. I knew how much this cake meant to my dad and I quickly began to learn how much this gesture meant to my uncles as well. Uncle Clair told me how his chioce of birthday cake was his mom's fruitcake. I didn't know it then, but I was learning a different side of family history surrounding this little, brown, fruit filled cake.

As Grandma set out the ingredients, I could see many things that I liked, such as, raisins, dates (yum yum), and many normal things like flour, eggs, shortening, sugar, etc. There were some new things I had not seen before, citron and currants. I didn't much care for the citron but I trusted grandma when she said "this is what makes it fruitcake". Once the cakes were baked, grandma wrapped them in foil and placed them into a crock to "settle" for a few weeks down in the basement. I teased Grandma by saying, "you mean it needs to ferment?" She was not happy and insisted that it was "settling."

I have fond memories of that first Thanksgiving away from home. I really enjoyed learning more about my dad and uncles and being a part of something that was so special to them.

Grandma has passed on and her crock has been passed on to me. I have often heard my dad say how much he missed having fruitcake at Christmas. A few years ago, I thought I would try my hand at making fruitcake in the hope of carrying on Grandma's tradition. Good thing Aunt Chris had the recipe. I have been honing my fruitcake baking skills for about 5 years now. I love doing this for my Dad and my uncles. They are always so kind and grateful, even when it is a little dark - you know, slightly burned.

My Brother, Steven now joins in the tradition of getting a fruitcake every year. He seems to enjoy it as much as my Dad does. I have learned that Spencer, one of Mike's boys, liked to eat the fruitcake with Uncle Clyde.

It's tradition and I look forward to making fruitcake every year at Thanksgiving. Grandma would be proud that I try to let it "settle" for about the same time that she did. This is just one great part of Holidays, doing things that have meaning to us and others because we love them.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Tradition Making!

A Season of Thanks Giving!

2008-11-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened so far this month. We have been a part of history in the making, at times we have had to reach inside of ourselves and find the strength to push forward in defending what is morally correct but socially unacceptable, we have found more opportunities to teach our family about the Gospel, democracy, love and charity. We have gained a stronger testimony of the "Plan of Happiness". We have felt an even stronger urgency to be prepared in more ways than what we had expected. What an amazing month it has been, so far. We have had the opportunity to share and discuss what we are grateful for. We are so happy to have family, friends and the Gospel in our lives. We look forward to the future and hope to keep the momentum going.

2008-08-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

There was a very nice exhibit on the "Emancipation Proclamation" with a timeline on the wall. There were actual uniforms of Soldiers and actual letters from Abraham Lincoln that we got to read.

2008-08-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

Us girls really liked seeing the beautiful dresses that the First Lady, Nancy Regan, wore on occasion during the Presidency.

2008-08-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

We learned quite a bit more about President Regan. B really liked the fact that he was lifeguard and used the money he earned to pay his way through college.

A little taste of Political History

2008-08-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

It was Dad's Birthday, August 30, and we took a family trip to the Ronald Regan Library. We had a really nice afternoon. There was a lot to see. What an opportunity to teach the kids about Politics in a different setting where they could really see and learn more about this President. It brought back a lot of memories for me. I remember the Regan/Bush campaign and it was fascinating to see some of the historical moments that he was involved in while as President. It was a very touching experience. I found myself wiping tears from my eyes on more than one occasion. It helped me to put things into perspective for this election year.

Back to School - Whew!

2008-08-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the first day of school for D,B & C. I am now down to 1 at home and babysitting. I feel like I can actually get something done now. B - is a junior in High School and excited to start swimming again. C - is in 4th grade and excited to meet her new teacher. D - is in her 3rd term of College hoping to get the classes she needs. Too bad all the courses she wants, this term, are full. She has to spend her days at school going to each class to try and get on a waiting list if someone drops the class. Let's keep our fingers crossed that she'll succeed!

Pickles, Pickles, Pickles, Oh My!

2008-08-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

C and I spent an entire day making Bread and Butter Pickles with cucumbers from our garden. We peeled little pearl onions and cut up cauliflower. She had fun stirring the pickles while I got the bottles ready. Yum! Yum!

2008-07-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday evening, we went to the St. George Temple and walked on the grounds, listened to the Cicadas and watched "A Pioneer Miracle" in the visitors Center. What a wonderful spirit there was. I forgot how tired I was and actually had more energy to walk around Main Street and see the cute shops and Bronze statues. The kids took another picture with Brigham Young.

2008-07-23T19:40:00.001-07:00

Here is another picture of the kids at the Brigham Young Home. We had a really nice tour. The home was great and there were new things that we were told from the last time we went there. Beautiful Day. We almost wanted to stay for a longer vacation.

2008-07-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

We made it home today. 1 day later than planned. I just couldn't bring myself to drive all the way home without falling asleep. So we stayed the night in St. George. Do you know how St. George got its name? Well, we learned how today at the Brigham Young Home. George A. Smith planted potatoes for all the saints and he ate the skins while he had his family members eat the inside of the potatoe (thinking there was more and they would get more nourishment) Well, 5 of his family members died from scurvy while he stayed healthy and strong. So he then took up telling everyone and anyone who would listen to him that the skins had vitamins and nutrients. Brigham Young jokingly told him that he should name St. George after George A. Smith because he was nicknamed the "Potatoe Saint". Well there you have it, he named St. George after George A. Smith, the Potatoe Saint.

2008-07-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

More of my YW in their families. They all had such a great time! I wonder if the Pioneers were this happy to be off and Treking?

Pioneer Trek 2008

2008-07-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Our Stake put together a Pioneer Trek for the youth and it took place July 9 through the 12. The night before, the youth were put together in families and created a family flag and got to know each other. This is a picture of B's family

Sunday Pictures at Grandma & Grandpa's house

2008-07-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

All the grandkids! It was a work in progress but we did get some cute pics of everyone.

In The Beginning

2008-07-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my family bloggers! I have recently been convinced to create my family blog by my sister Amy and my sister-in-law Wendy. What other trouble can we get into when we are together?
We have all gathered at Grandma & Grandpa's house because B & T went to their first EFY in Logan. Amy joined us to show off the new "Peaches & Cream" Ms. Alice. We have had fun and time goes by too fast.
All of the cousins have had a great time playing with each other at "Logan Park". It is even more fun to tell the kids how we are all related. I guess they just can't picture us old folks actually being brothers and sisters.
This has been a whirlwind Month since we just got done with a Stake Pioneer Trek, then shipped B off to Logan for EFY. We left on Monday the 14th for Logan and will leave on Tuesday the 22nd, and start Girls Camp the following Monday. Then School starts again. WOW! A busy summer month of July.
Well this is just the beginning and I hope to get better at it as time goes on.