New Years!

Just a few fun pictures of our New years Eve bash and subsequent Bowling outing. The newest tradition that has taken hold this year is bowling. It is the second year that we have pulled together 5 or 6 other families and gone It is now a tradition. It is funny because the last two years we have received a coupon for free bowling for 10 people. (Did I mention that Elle and Ava had the high scores).

Amazing!

I am often amazed at my children. All of them are incredibly talented in so many different ways. Today Chloe amazed me. Yesterday afternoon she got a call to sing in church, a song she had never heard before. Her young women's leader came over, they practiced a couple of times and that was it. I watched her sing today and so many thoughts came to my mind. I wonder what the Lord has in store for her and how she will use her talents to share the gospel. What is a head for her in her life? I pray that she makes the right decisions in her life so every opportunity is available for her to serve and share her talents. Chloe you are amazing, and blessed. What must it be like to be you?

To Olivia...THANKS...I LOVE YOU

Olivia-

Thanks for helping me pull down all the outside Christmas lights. Thanks for refilling my drink at dinner. Thanks for caring about me while I have this horrible cold. Thanks for giving me back scratches during scripture reading. Thanks for practicing the piano all week without being reminded to do it. Thanks for doing extra chores around the house. I noticed it all, and it made me feel so loved. I love you.

To Accomplish or To Become

I often wonder if I am accomplishing all that I should be, all that I was meant to do or if I am coming up short. It often bothers me, especially around New Years. This year as I sat down to write out my goals and all that I wanted to accomplish in 2009 I had one of those thoughts that stops you in your tracks. Was I too worried about accomplishing things, than who was I becoming? What would the Lord be more concerned about...what I accomplished while I was on the Earth or who I was as a person? The thought then continued that if I was to accomplish all that I was meant to, I needed to be a certain type of person. In a harsh reality moment, I realized I have been going about it all wrong. I was so concerned about accomplishing what I felt was good and right, I was often not worried enough about who I was as a person. I was stalling myself from progressing. The words of "what type of person" came to my mind----integrity, service, charity, kindness, humility, honor, duty, honesty, holiness, love, hope and a host of others.

In the past two weeks I have had two individuals I know pass away. I was able to go the funeral of one who I went to church with and the other was a mother of 5 who I went to high school with and her brother is a good friend who lives close by. As I sat at the funeral of the 57 year old father who had taught my little girls how to ride a horse, little was spoken of accomplishments....much was spoken of the person he was. Father, best-friend, brother, husband...and all the reasons everyone loved him. Not because of what he accomplished, but because of who he was.

I have significantly changed my New Years Resolutions due to today's and last nights thoughts. David Guy Stuart, 57, of Edmond, Oklahoma, was born Dec. 5, 1951 in Pittsburgh, PA, and died Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008. Memorial services will be held at 2pm Tuesday, Dec. 23, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 5020 NW 63rd, in OKC. Family visitation to be held at 1pm prior to the services. Survivors include his wife Melissa four children, James and his wife Allison, Jeff and his wife Julie, Scott and his wife Stacy, and daughter Hillary grandchildren Aidan, Ethan, Kodie, and Jante siblings, Suzanne, Andrew, Brian and James. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Edward and Geraldine Stuart. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:Make-A-Wish Foundation (http://www.wish.org/)

Christi Rae Hales 1970 ~ 2008 Christi Rae Hales, 38, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma passed away on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 in the OSU Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Christi was born December 2, 1970 in Rota, Spain to Frank Gerald and Toni-Rae VanHarten Hart Jr. She and Robert Hales were married August 16, 1994 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Christi was a Silver Director for Heritage Makers and was passionate about keeping memories. She loved dance, ballet, and survived three bouts of cancer since the age of 14. Christi is survived by her husband Robert Hales; three sons, Alexander, Nicholas, and Spencer; along with two daughters, Abigail, and Isabella, all of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She is also survived by her parents Toni and Gerry Hart, of Southaven, MS; four brothers, Gerry Hart, of Edmond, OK; Michael Hart, of Southaven, MS; Jonathan Hart, of Minneapolis, MN; and Patrick Hart, of Noblesville, IN; her sister Jenni Hart, of San Diego, CA; her paternal grandfather Frank Hart, of Highland, UT; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and a host of friends. She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents Tony and Inez VanHarten; and her paternal grandmother Alta Marshall Hart. Funeral services will be held on Friday, Jan. 2, 2008 at 10 a.m. at the Spanish Fork 12th Ward Chapel, 1150 E. 1240 S., Spanish Fork, UT. Family and friends may call/ gather at the church from 8:45-9:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at: www.walkerfamilymortuary.com

My Wife is a Homeless Person

For the full story you will need to connect to my wife's blog. But I have to give my part of the story. I slept in this morning and I woke up to Gale standing at the end of the bed. I looked at the clock and it was around 9:00am and even the girls weren't up yet. Such bliss sleeping in! I asked Gale if she just got up and she responded with, "No, I have been out shopping for the holiday store all morning." I chuckled a bit and said, (Now before I write this you have to realize my wife is beautiful and she is one of those who is naturally beautiful) but I laughed and said, "you look a bit homeless this morning with your crazy hair." She burst out laughing and said, "You're the second person to tell me that today!" She then proceeded to tell me the story that you can read on her blog. I made her let me take a picture, but I will just have to see if I can actually get her to let me post it.

New Years Resolutions

I love New Years. In fact I am tempted to say that I love New Years almost more than I love Christmas. Something about having the chance to start all over and accomplish those things that I always want to accomplish, yet slip away from me.

Gale always laughs at me as I start writing down my New Years Resolutions in November. This year though I have got it down. I broke my New Years Resolutions down into quarters. So that way I am not trying to accomplish them all the last few months of the year.

I would love to write them all down here, but many are to private. Family Secrets!

This year we started a new tradition. On New Years Eve we wrote down all the goals that we want to accomplish for 2009. I am putting them in a special container and sealing it up and then on New Years Eve next year we are going to open it up and see how we did!

Our family didn't get as much family time this New Years Eve as I had a church New Year's Eve youth dance to go help chaperone. We decided to make it a family affair, so we took all the kids and had a good time. I will admit I usually like to welcome in the New Year in a little bit of a more quiet and solemn, thoughtful way----but the girls all had a blast, so I did too. I must say that little Ava and Elle can sure dance up a storm....they even can pull a Beyonce'!

Twilight

My life has been invaded by the Cullen Family. The comments in our home, the music we listen to and everything else revolves around the books and the movie. My seven year old told me the other day that she is in love with Edward Cullen. "How do you know about Edward?" I ask....well, Elle replied, "Olivia has a poster of him in her bedroom and I stare at him." The wonder of having older sisters! I keep on waiting for Gale to ask me to go outside and stand there for five minutes before coming back in and kissing her!

I must admit I am a bit out of the loop. We were driving home the other day and some classical music was playing on the IPOD. Chloe and her friends were in the car, so I laughed at them and asked them when they started listening to classical music? They looked at me disgusted and said, "This is the soundtrack to Twilight, this was the song that was playing during the Prom scene." Shame on me for not knowing such information!