Aaron was ordained to the priesthood Jan 4th. He is such a special choice young man in tune with others feelings and so thoughtful. He always puts others wishes ahead of his own. Sis. Copeland, Aaron's former primary teacher, made an interesting comment to me. She told me that having Aaron in her class; she feels she now knows what Joseph Smith must have been like as a young boy.
School has started and the holidays came to an end all too soon. Back to our busy blessings of life. We all hugged and shed tears and I just ached at the airport sending Jennifer off again. She is so delightful and I love being around her. I feel so blessed to be her Mom because I'll get to be with her forever.
Grandpa Troniers funeral
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Mom with her siblings
Keith, Gilbert and Carole |
I took the shuttle from Sequim to Seatac and flew to SLC. I was so grateful to gather with family. I had a peaceful feeling knowing where Grandpa is and that we will all be together again someday.
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Sharilyn did superbly as Cecily in
The Importance of Being Earnest |
Now the boy she starred with really likes her. He's reading the Book of Mormon and taking missionary discussions. I don't know if it's because he's interested in the church or not ha ha.
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Joe and Sharilyn in "The Importance of Being Earnest",
Sequim High School |
February
So happy that Jen had a birthday party with grandparents in Rexburg! She is the viola section leader in orchestra.
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| Jen's 20th birthday! |
I loved Sharilyn's performance at Solo & Ensemble in PA. She got a superior in her flute solo and the judge gave her many compliments.
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Angela Beck accompanied Sharilyn on flute
Solo and Ensemble
They got a superior rating!
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Our RS Presidency
Rosalind Sorenson, Virginia Skavarek
Clarine Birch and me :) |
March
It's really fun that more and more people are getting email. Such a fun instant way to send letters! My dad suggested we all send a Sabbath message to each other every Sunday I love the idea so he and I have been participating but not so much my other siblings.
Shar and I played two flute duets at the 5th Ave rest home. Next year when Shar goes to away to school I'll be the loneliest flute in town. A funny thing happened. Rachel told an old lady how beautiful she was "You have an inner glow" she told her. The old lady replied in a very loud voice "Oh you're so full of crap. Somebody get me a shovel!" ha ha!
I got asked to be a guest speaker for the stake priest/laurel event. I don't think of myself as a guest speaker but anyway, the church asks things of us to stretch us sometimes. The Lord inspired me in my preparations, giving me what I should say and it went so well. (the message is in my talk journal.)
Sharilyn's 18th birthday!
Andrew had seen these hands in clay from somewhere and really wanted to make one. He had me make some clay and all by himself he made the hand print and also a stand for it!
Sharilyn made a comment about how some people can see auras around others. Andrew came to me privately and told me he could see something around people and he described what he sees and then said that the more a person bears their testimony the bigger their color is. The next day after church I asked him if he saw any colors around people and he said he saw a little around the bishop but nobody else. Then he said "Maybe it was because I wasn't wearing my tie. Maybe I wasn't dressed right." I marveled at this sweet depth of spirit in Andrew that he would think his ability to "see" depended on his own worthiness - which he felt could be improved by wearing his tie to church. I'm continually touched by the pure hearts of children.
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 | | What!! 18 today you say!? |
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Andrea had a bad ear ache in the night. I tried massaging reflex points, baby Tylenol, decongestant and finally heated onion halves for her to put against her ears. Nothing helped so I asked her to say a prayer to ask Heavenly Father for help. I was so touched by her sweetness in first thanking Him for all of our good blessings and for a nice day. Here she was crying in such pain but still first thought to thank before asking for relief. She was able to finally lie down and go to sleep.
At our ward talent night Chris and I did a poem duet "The Whirligig Beetle". We dressed up as beetles. ha ha. Shar & I played a flute duet.
A friend gave us a turtle! Now besides the turtle we have 3 gerbils and a goldfish.
April
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Home made dolls in
Mrs. Wall First Grade class, Helen Haller Elementary |
I've been helping in the school reading program this year. I also helped sew dolls and we gave a surprise baby shower for Mrs. Wall in the classroom.
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 | School Play
Andrew - cow, Andrea - monkey |
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| Emily's 14th birthday |
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| Did you say 14!? |
Jen's graduated with high honors from Rick's College! Chris and I and the twins went to Rexburg for her graduation and to bring her back home.
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Jennifer at graduation speaking as
Division Woman of the Year
Ricks College graduation |
Jen graduated with a double major Phi Theta Kappa and has received a full tuition scholarship to BYU.
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Twins pre-birthday Apr 28
because we'll be in Florida on their birthday
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Headed to Florida 2 days after getting back from Rexburg.
Trip to Florida (see next page)
May
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| Sharilyn in Irrigation Parade |
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Reading the Hobbit
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Chris at the Hobo dinner. The YW put bibs on us as we arrived.
the bibs were toilet seat protectors ha ha |
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| Emily's carrot creation |
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Sharilyn, Kyle, and Vern Fosket
locked out of car after Band Concert |
I accompanied the band to Port Townsend for Rhododendron Festival. That night was senior ball and the next morning they sailed for Victoria for the Victoria Days Parade. Such a busy time for band. Shar is in honor band, 1st chair flute and piccolo and also in the orchestra for Fiddler on the Roof.
Shar received a $7500 scholarship from the Albert Haller Foundation for the school of her choice. She has been such a great leader and achiever.
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Emily King 3rd Place ($15.00) at Art Show -
Blue Hole Gallery
Photography: Dew drops on blades of grass
(which is next to her with the white ribbon) |
Emily has been on the basketball team so we have gone to many games and still she pulled off a 4.0 in school. We're very proud of her.
Aaron is doing great on trumpet and we loved his concert. He just got a Bach Stradivarius used trumpet that my brother Steve found for him. I went with his class on a field trip to the fish hatchery. Also went with twins on their field trip to Seattle Zoo.
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Joe McDonald and Sharilyn
Senior Ball |
I hosted the seminary breakfast here at our home and also had a YW slumber party here.
June
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| Sharilyn with Honor Society medallion |
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| Sharilyn has graduated from High School |
She is a member of the National Honor Society and Natural Helpers.
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| All the men working in the garden |
Dungeness SpitWe had a fun visit from Aunt Paula. I wish we lived closer, she is a dear person. We went to the temple, Salt Creek, Marimer falls, Victoria, Toll Haven, Spitt... all those fun places that we take visitors.
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| Andrew & Andrea |
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| Andrew |
Andrea at the Spit
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Salt Creek
Andrea, Aaron and Aunt Paula |
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| Marymere Falls, Olympic Nat Park |
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Aaron, Paula, Andrea, Andrew
Marymere Falls, Olympic National Park |
July
Got up at 3am and took Jen to Seatac. She flew to Chicago for a Mythicon CS Lewis conference and through her arrangements, Br. Ward went as well. They were mugged on the street by a big black man but through divine intervention got away with losing only $10.00. The conference turned out to be a great missionary experience for them both. At the end of the conference a couple ladies from Seattle area shook their heads and said to Jen & Br. Ward "What am I going to do? How can I go home and tell my friends that my two most favorite people at the conference were Mormons!" They all laughed and Br. Ward replied "very carefully". She then said "No, I think I'll tell it joyfully!"
Chris sang a solo and Shar & I played a duet at 5th Ave rest home.
Had a nice visit from Mom Clarke. We took her to Leavenworth and Pousbo. It was really cool on Sunday because Br. Stapley was speaking and talked about a mission experience in New England. He was one of Mom & Dad Clarkes elders! Afterward Mom went up and asked him who his mission president was and he said John L Clarke. She then said "Well, you are looking at your mission Mom!"
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| Ooops...somebody cut off Dad's head. |
Northern Cascades Summit
August
We finally got the pool set up now that it's turned to summer. (It's been so chilly) The kids only swam in it one day before having to empty and fill it 3 times to patch over a dozen holes and then it completely exploded and flooded the grass! No worries though! What a fun slip and slide!!
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The twins did superb in the
summer reading program
and earned t-shirts!
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Chris and Aaron had a great experience at Helamon's Camp. Chris has been attending planning meetings all year. Aaron earned 6 merit badges! He also got the mile swim badge in a cold windy lake! Chris asked me if I would come on the last evening and play the part of Mary writing a letter to Jesus. I really prayed and sought inspiration, wanting to portray only what Mary would say and do and not detract. (see "readings" file for the writing) The day after Chris got home from camp, he left for San Jose for 3 days.
While Chris and Aaron were at camp the twins had day camp at the Presbyterian Church. They had such a great time. They made musical instruments and puppets, sang songs and had bible stories.
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| A dahlia from our garden |
Rexburg
I can't believe Sharilyn is now going away to college. I drove with all the kids (except Jen) to Rexburg and then Chris & Jen came 5 days later in Shar's car. We all went to the Playmill Theater and just had such a good time.
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| The girls and their alike red cars |
Sharilyn and Katie Birch will be staying with Mom Clarke who has been so kind and generous to let the girls stay with her.
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Chris having an early 44th birthday
So nice of Mom to do this.
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| Love that lighthouse Sequim shirt! |
 | All they want for Christmas
is their two front teeth! |
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It was just so hard to leave Sharilyn behind. She sobbed and we all cried and hugged. Andrea especially clung to her and didn't want toleave her. Shar is like a second mother to Andrea. Oh how much I will miss her. She loves to be home and talking to me and being with us and we will surely miss her. So hard.
Provo UT
From Rexburg we drove on to Provo and found Jen's apartment. We filled her space with her things and got her computer set up. We found Dannah and helped her set up her computer as well and took her to dinner with us. We did the best we could to help Jen feel at home in a place that is not. We clung to precious time before that tearful, knot in the stomach parting farewell. I find myself understanding more deeply the song "sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the years". Leaving Jen and Shar behind is just so hard. Jennifer will have to rely on the Lord to be with her and help her through a day that has no Mom or Grandma in it.
I just love what Jen said about all this. "I feel like I'm in a baseball game and that Ricks College is home plate. Even though I was nervous about my turn up to bat, I've hit the ball and am now on 1st base. I have more bases to run before I can return home where I will be more comfortable." She is so great with words!
To her words I add "Safe!"
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Checking out Jen's Provo apt.
481 N 500 E |
September
 | | Emily 9th grade |
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 | | Aaron 7th grade |
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 | | Andrea 2nd grade |
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Chris's 44th birthday
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For Chris's birthday we went to a beach on the West Coast with buckets and shovels to build as he said "an industrial size sand castle!" :)
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Yay! Sandcastle on 2nd Beach!
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Cool reflections!
Second Beach, LaPush |
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Emily rescued Andrea from a rogue wave at sea
Oceanside WA |
Bike ride to devil's Punchbowl, Lake Crescent, Olympic Nat Park (devil doesn't deserve a capital letter.)
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Beautiful apples in our
beautiful backyard |
Sure have learned a lot about gardening this year. Like you have to pick zucchini or they just get bigger and bigger instead of making more. And two rows of radishes is way too much but when they go to seed it sure makes tall pretty flowers. Our corn is just coming on and I had always thought corn came on in spring.
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| Andrea's new perm |
October
Chris cut a hole in the house under the deck and made a door. We are making a root cellar under the house to put our potatoes, carrots, onions, squashes etc.
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| Aaron Cross Country |
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Aaron Cross Country, 1st Place
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Aaron is a runner! He keeps coming in first for Sequim with the last race his one mile time was ...wow this needs a drum roll... 6:03!!!!!
Aaron is loving Jazz band. He's amazing on the trumpet. Jazz band is every tues and thurs at 7am. Chris drives Emily and Brian Gilliam to seminary then comes home & picks up Aaron and takes him to Jazz band and then just goes into work.
Emily's science mid term progress report just came in - straight A's!
Jennifer is doing well at the Y. She is in the string orchestra and was invited to be one of 5 violists for the Homecoming spectacular. She felt honored because there are so many violists at BYU.
Sharilyn is majoring in Elementary Education and is loving concert band, flute choir, pep band and Spanish.
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Andrew by our fountain
of pampas grass |
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Our cute trick-or-treaters
Andrew, Aaron, Andrea |
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| Captain Underpants and Mr & Mrs Squash |
November
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| Heath & Hunter Gilliam, Andrew & Andrea King, Katie & Jessica Billings |
3 sets of twins all preparing for baptism in the Sequim 1st ward. So unique! A set of boys, girls and girl/boy! I took their picture and wrote a little paragraph to send to the Church News and also the Friend magazine where they feature "friends around the world" but it wasn't accepted. I was sure they would but they didn't and I was sad. :(
Several exciting things from Jen. Every time she calls it's something so exciting! She & Joey won the Ethics Bowl at BYU! She'll go to nationals in DC. She is an English major and she teamed up with a music major and they beat all the religion majors haha.
Another cool thing was the CS Lewis Conference honoring his 100th birthday. She got asked to give the opening prayer and sit on the stand. Neil Maxwell was speaking!
Jen went to an English Society meeting and was invited to become the Vice President of the BYU English Society next semester. My goodness! I think she has made more advances in just a couple months than most students do in the whole four years.
Jen's Milton teacher (a new teacher from Oxford) was so impressed with her thinking and work that he walked her home and told personally invited her to a new class they were adding to the curricula that he's teaching. I think it's Shakespeare.
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A little stick pulling
Andrew and Emily |
It was a quiet Thanksgiving here. Everyone seemed to have plans so it was just us. I'm really glad Jen was able to be in Rexburg for Thanksgiving.
I'm grateful for the Lord's blessings to our family. I'm glad to know that life is eternal and that we have a little glimpse into "the rest of the story" through the gospel. I'm so glad to know God lives and loves us and guides us and prompts us in our questions and quests and wants us to return to Him someday. I'm glad to know that the one who rules all heaven and earth is a perfect, loving, all knowing Father rather than some space creature. I'm thankful to live in the last days and to know that Jesus will live on earth again someday and all things and all people will be together and filled with happiness and joy. I am counting our many great and mini blessings
December
Jennifer was awarded a $1,000 grant to write a book on the educational philosophies of CS Lewis.
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Ground breaking for the new sawtooth building
Alice, Danell Neibuhr, Emily, Chris, Marilyn Stanford,
Bryan Orme, Gary Baker, Thad Thomas |
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 | Hunting for the perfect
Christmas Tree |
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There were sooooo many things happening this month like a company dinner at our house etc...I will just share one item on this blog. (See journal for the rest)
Our 5th Ave rest home service went so well. Many elderly were in tears and hugged and praised us. One lady told us it was the best service she'd ever been to.
Emily and Andrea gave great talks. Aaron read the words to "Once in Royal David's City" while I played the melody on flute. Andrea & Andrew sang a song I wrote just to throw in something different "You Can Count on Me". It's about being a bright star ourselves. Chris & I sang a duet "Mary & Joseph with Sean Haley on piano. Chris sang with guitar "Angels we have Heard on High" & I did a flute descant with it. Chris sang with guitar in German & English "O Sanctissimo" and I played harmony on flute. Chris, Em & I sang "Silent Night" trio with guitar and it was gorgeous if I may say so myself!
Losing Jen on viola and Shar on flute caused us to rely on the other children & pull them in. They actually wanted to participate and we had a delightful time practicing together and performing!
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| Girl talk |
It's wonderful to have us all home for Christmas. Won't it be wonderfully awesome someday in a heavenly kingdom filled with a forever Christmas spirit to say "We're all here!!"
Aaron's 13th birthday
End of the year FAMILY SKETCH:
JENNIFER
At Ricks College Jen was the Internet editor for the “Scroll” (college newspaper). She was the Woman of the Year in the division of Language & Letters, the viola section leader in string orchestra, & graduated in the top 10% of her class with Phi Theta Kappa honors. During the summer she attended the C.S. Lewis Centenary Conference at Wheaton College in Illinois. She even got mugged in Chicago (on her way to Wheaton).
Jen is now at BYU on a full tuition academic scholarship. She won the University Ethics Bowl (debate), helped with the BYU C.S. Lewis Centenary Conference, is a mentor to a middle school student, and is vice president of the BYU English Society. She just got a grant to write a book on the educational philosophies of C.S. Lewis. Jennifer plays in BYU’s string orchestra and played in an ensemble for the Homecoming Spectacular.
Sharilyn
Sharilyn was in the Ntl Honor Society & Natural Helpers. She was 1st chair flute & piccolo, & played in “Fiddler on the Roof.” She also played the part of Cecily in “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Sharilyn was a teacher’s aide in the elementary school & was chosen as Soroptimist Girl of the Month. Upon graduation from high school she was awarded the Albert Haller Foundation Scholarship ($7500) and is now attending Ricks College. She’s majoring in elementary education. She says her fun stuff includes concert band, flute choir, pep band, & Spanish.
Emily
Emily is a freshman in high school. She played on the girls’ basketball team last year. She won 3rd place in a photography contest & doesn’t like her picture of the occasion on the other side of this sheet because of the orange painting she is standing in front of (She did not paint it). Em has a delightful personality, is fun to be with, & has a quick wit that keeps everyone laughing. She has a 4.0 in school & everyone likes her.
Aaron
Aaron is in 7th grade, an honor student & plays the trumpet in band & jazz band. He has been the 1st place runner on the cross country team this year & runs the mile in 6:03!! He almost has his “Life” in scouting.
Andrea
Andrea is in 2nd grade & loves being in Heidi’s Ballet School. She loves to read & cook & clean & just hang out with Mom as much as possible.
Andrew
Drew is in the same school class as Andrea. They love to be together. He LOVES math! He loves any game with a ball in it or any game at all for that matter.
Chris & Debbie
Nothing much is different since last year except Debbie finished her Vitalist course from the School of Natural Healing & is now working on her herbalist certification. She is in the Primary presidency now - Chris is still stake YM president. **** Our family has enjoyed occasionally performing musical numbers & putting on the church service a couple times a year at a local rest home.
We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!
