Truth Be Told

I am so grateful for my beautiful family. I love them dearly. I could talk up a storm but it is my own fault I haven't written for a year. I think I will resort to a bullet list of things we did and then add some pictures off to the side. If you click on the pictures, it will take you to our web album.

2010 in a List:

• Charlie was baptized on his birthday, Mar. 27th, 2010
• Charlie attended his first Cub Scout Pack Mtg. and later experienced defeat at the Rain Gutter Regatta.
• The annual Easter Egg Hunt was held at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Homemade ice cream as usual!
• The boys headed to Oregon to sell Pest Control so we had a big feast at the buffet before they banked it!
• May 2010 - Grandma and Charlie played a game of twister at Tyler's Olympic Baseball game. Nothing like a Grandma to play with!
• The first grandchild, Josh, tied the knot with Haley.
• We started the summer out with a hike to the PG falls with Grandpa and Grandma. On the way back down, we watched as a hang-glider landed in the thick shrubs ahead of us, breaking a leg and creating quite an emergency rescue.
• Grandma Green passed away and we drove to Oregon for the funeral. It was wonderful to get together with Dave and Shannon and see the old neighborhood as well as drive to the beach, a family favorite outing.
• Annual Beach trip - Pacific City and Lincoln City, OR
• Sydni and Ilah held a wild and crazy bridal shower for our youngest sis Audri!
• Had a fun Camper to use this year and we headed up the AF Canyon with Sam (Williams) for some good'ol KFC
• I had a hysterectomy and a little bit of a scare when I passed out due to loss of blood.
• First day of school!
• Sydni and Jason are back in Utah and Jay took'em for a ride on 4 wheelers to show them fun can be had in UTAH!
• We headed up to Utah State to see the BYU battle it out! Utah State won by a crazy land slide.
• I have always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore. This was the trip of the year. It turned out to be more than we ever expected. Who knew South Dakota had so much to offer?... believe it!
• Our Short Family Annual Halloween Party had the biggest turnout ever!
• Thanksgiving was always going to be at Lynelle's. It just took our family till the last minute to figure that out! Sometimes I have poor decision making skills. Thanks Lynelle for your hospitality.
• Christmas was peaceful and full of love. I was really grateful for that. I have wanted to see Tilly and Cricket in their Nutcracker performance and got away to do that this year.

2011. The economy has been hard on our family. But, we are pulling together and work is seeing better days right now. School is out! I can't ever remember any of my children being more happy for summer than Charlie. He loves to play. All year I would hear form him how he never has time to play. And, it is true. School was a full time job for him. But I am proud of all his efforts. He is also a little virtuoso on the piano. He can move those fingers and it is really fun to listen to him. I am lucky that he has a heart of gold, and even though he may not want to practice, he does and he usually enjoys once he is there. I have had a great school year. The class was amazing and parents were supportive. I love teaching. I really do. Zachary has lived with us and Curtis moved in as well. Chelsea and Tami have been on their own since the end of last summer. Curtis has moved forward with jaw surgery so he is in braces correcting his teeth position and then will have the surgery in the fall, if it all goes to plan. Tami has taken up long boarding and gave us a little scare when she fell pretty hard causing a concussion and black eye with cuts and scrapes. She needs everyone who reads this to tell her to get a helmet! Chelsea and Zachary (and I think Tami and Curt) are working towards school again, more to come on that decision. Just a lot of this and that right now. All is well in Shortville as we head off to the family reunion next week.


Birthday Wishes: Chelsea turned 24. She is nearing her 1/4 of a century birthday. Really? Can't I just enjoy her being 24 without going and thinking about next year? Chelsea, I sure love you. I love your cute little smirk when you know you said something cute. You have had many struggles in your life. I have watched as your trails have molded you into the young lady you are today. I listen as you try and make sense of your world and what is in store for you. I can only be so grateful that you rely closely on your Heavenly Father. The power of prayer is your constant in your life. You are truly a caring and kind person who wants to do what is right. I know that your struggles have given you humility and perspective. Thank you for our quiet times together, and for being open and very honest with me. I respect you. I love you. I cherish our friendship and your desire to be the best you can. Happy Birthday to You.


What are some of our 2011 year highlights so far? You'll find the pictures in the slide show to the right.

• Charlie enjoyed playing on his first Basket Ball team.
• Zachary made sure the yearly circus trip tradition continued on with painted faces, cotton candy and the works!
• Happy 9th Birthday Charlie!
• Easter came with cold weather! In fact, cold weather stuck around all through May as well!
• Despite the cold weather, The girls managed a trip up the canyon for a bike ride with Charlie.
• Tami took Charlie to ride his long board down Provo Canyon with a bunch of her friends. Gotta Say - He felt pretty special!
• Happy Birthday to Chelsea

No time is like the present. I let the blog go last year. No excuses. Just a lack of interest I guess. It has been a hard year for my extended family. I have to be honest. It is still not as I would like a family to behave towards each other. This has been weighing on my mind for quite some time. The good always comes with the bad and this year, the bad has seemed overwhelming to me. Maybe it is because I am a close second to the oldest and have always tried to keep things running smoothly. I don't know if I ever did, but I liked to think so. I would help others figure things out, make sense of the craziness, or have some kind of comforting words for them and that has always given me a sense (false or real - I'm not debating that) of security. Our family was going to make it because we were always trying. But this past year has brought trials that have seemed to stump even me. And frankly, it just hurts. And there really isn't anything to say or do. We just accept that it hurts, and sit with it. So, I have. I just sit and wait and wonder and every now and then, get frustrated and confused and then remind myself that this time, we just accept that it hurts.