Pop's Favorite Spot

What a silly prompt. I don't know if I have a favorite spot. I am afraid it may be driving in the car... would that seem lame'a (French spelling). lol I have been thinking on this one for a couple weeks and have not yet been able to come up with an actual place that I would consider my No. 1 Favorite spot. I can however think of many places I like to be; in addition to the drivers seat of my car...

How about sitting on the patio on the back poarch, with a cold drink, tunes from Julia's (and Liberty's) window, book in hand and working Le' Grille.

Could be in front of the TV watching any number of sporting events. I even watched the FIFA world cup. It was interesting watching the consolation game and contrasting it with the championship game. (go Spain) one much more loose than the other. Several of my European contact (from work) said Spain had the best team. Go Vikes, Go Twins, Go Phillies, Go Eagles...
I smell a championship on the horizon. oh, Go Flyers. ( not in season, forgot)

Another "series" of favorite spots are anywhere I am actually playing, Tennis, Hockey, Bowling, Basketball, Football, Softball, Pinball... That is ACTUALLY playing for all those WII heads.

And lastly but maybe the most important favorite place (that is not a place) is with Della, Whereever we may be, Movies, Pat's eating calzone, (what zone? Cal zone) sitting home computering together, and especially Kicking her butt in backgammon...

Well, enough for now kiddies. Got to check the scores, and read more in "The Pillars of Creation" Loves to all, Pop.

Slacker....

So apparently I'm a slacker... SHOCKER! LOL So I need to catch up on a few prompts. First things first though is that, WE'RE HERE!! HOLY MOLY THAT WAS A LOT OF DRIVING! We did really really well though. 12 hours a day for the first two days and then 10 the last day. Glad I've already met so many new people who already care for me so much. Ok so back to the prompts I missed.

1) So my favorite spot in Fort Wayne is probably at my computer. It is the place I spend most of my time and it is also kinda my proxy child for now. It is hand built and it is pretty sweet. 4 gig of ram, 2 hard drives (1 300 gb and a 1 tb drive), a AMD Phenom x4 II 3.2 Ghz processor, a Sapphire 4890 video card. It isn't the fastest thing in the world but it does everything I ask of it.

If I could chose a place that isn't in the town that I live in it would be the Sloss Foundry, yes the place that popped my tire. It was incredible! I'll have to dedicate an entire post about Sloss it was that amazing!

2) Chores: so my big chore in the apartment is dishes. I actually love doing them. It is very cathartic for me. Gives me a nice sense of zen, of being alone in my mind and allows me to think about how my life is going at that current moment. It is a great way for me to relax and clear my head. Other chores though, they suck. I don't mind doing them but finding the motivation to get started is hard for me.

Ok well I gotta go get my chair fixed again.

LOVE YOU ALL!

Road Trip Update!

Hey there!

So Brandon and I have safely arrived in Utah to stay with J at the Flewellens and all is well. The drive was beautiful and I was really amazed at the variety of landscapes we drove through: swampy bayous as we left New Orleans, grassy prairies and wide open spaces through Texas turning into deserts and mesas in New Mexico. Winding mountain roads in Colorado (I drove through that, and it was almost scary. I was terrified to cruise down the mountain at 80, but if I lost too much speed then the little van wouldn't be able to get back up the next rise) then huge rock formations and canyons into Utah. Fun times!! New Mexico was probably our favorite- we both would love to live there in the desert, it just felt great. Though we did pass through some pretty podunk rinky-dink towns. :\ It's been so wonderful to see the variety of nature across the country, but kind of disconcerting to see so much poverty at the same time.

We left Mexico Beach Saturday, leaving right on time around 7.30am. We drove to New Orleans to have lunch in the French Quarter. The restaurant we had picked out looked pretty packed when we arrived- just a big open space with as many tables as they could squeeze in there- I thought we wouldn't be able to find a place where Brandon's chair could fit, but we got right in to a little space at the back that was perfect for us. The building was reeaaally old, apparently from 1788 and served greaat Creole. We forgot to order the alligator meat appetizer we were joking about on the way there (I don't mind. It just feels wrong to eat alligator to me) but the food was great- Brandon had a sampler of jambalaya, red beans and rice and gumbo and I had a great corn/fettuccine dish. Brandon really loved it, and I thought it was great too, but I'm afraid the nuance of Creole cooking is lost on my puny po' pallet. Then we walked up and down Decatur St looking for a bakery that sells beignets. ;] Not quite a Benet but close enough to be good for a laugh to bring to the reunion. hahaha. Lots of street performers, musicians, artists, and crazy people. As we were driving out we passed this big ol lady wailing on the keyboard and Brandon asked me for a few dollars to pass her- I scrambled through my purse for some cash and passed what I thought were two ones- my bad. That was an $11 dollar donation to the culture of New Orleans. I felt silly afterwards (wasn't sure why she was hootin and hollering for just 2 bucks, til Brandon told me what I'd done) but hopefully we made her day... .. and not given her a drunken night hahaha.

We drove northwest to Marshall Texas, stayed at a cheap Motel 6 where the AC would literally roar to life every few hours and wake us up. :[ Then continued across Texas to Abilene, where we ate at this family owned Middle Eastern restaurant. The dad took orders and ran the place while his wife cooked in the back and his poor son sat miserable, head down, at the counter. It was a weird experience. I asked him what he suggested and he acted surprised, like I was stupid for thinking he could tell me what I would like. Then when I asked about a different dish he seemed offended that I wasn't taking his advice. So then I was offended that he'd treated me so rudely but Brandon told me I was just being culturally insensitive. But then he gave us a free appetizer, so I guess it all worked out in the end. We drove on to Albuqurque and stayed at another cheap Motel 6, where the room next to us housed both crying children and a loud tv show Brandon suspected of being... unsavory. :O I bet Brandon he wouldn't be able to wake up and be in the shower on his own, but he slept poorly on account of being hungry and I lost. (Well, not really, I'd bet him a blizzard, but Brandon can never finish his and I end up eating the rest. heh heh heh). So we woke up early and head out in time for a stop at Waffle House (you can't pass through the South without going there) then drive on through the SW corner of Colorado and into Utah. In Prove we drive around not finding the Flewallen's then give up and go to wait for J to get off work to follow her home. She helps us get set up then we go out for some great pizza and to buy Brandon a pillow (we left his in Albuquerque. :[ oops).

We've been listening to The Host along the way (Mom, did you ever finish that?) and keeping surprisingly entertained on the looong drive. A little nervous about the lack of firm plans for the reunion. :\ If it's just a make-your-own-play-date kind of reunion I feel a little out of place, not knowing who the heck I'd want/need to hang out with. Ah well. We'll see and play it by ear.

Sorry this post was so long. Hope you can forgive me.

Eventually I'll get around to posting pictures. You know, the half-blurry, taking it with my hand out the car window kind. :]

Don't Forget To Be Awesome!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Liberty

Chores

I guess I need to write about chores. It seems that anything that has a deadline and that can be procrastinated upon can be considered a chore whether it is taking a shower, preparing a lesson, creating a menu or washing the dishes. If one waits till the very last minute then the adrenaline takes over and it gets done very quickly, or the spouse gets sick of waiting and does it himself / herself. hahaha. I grew up in a household of 9 children, I was the oldest and they just kept coming and coming and being born!!! As the oldest, i was given the chore of being The Responsible one while my mother was busy being pregnant or recovering from being pregnant which was (as I determined) about 6 full years of my childhood. Much of this time she was president of something or other at church or PTA or other school auxiliary and I was left in charge a lot. She cooked as well as I do (i.e., not much at all - now you know where I get it from) and the only time she cleaned was 5 minutes before the Home Teachers came. ("Quick!!! Shove everything under the couch!! NOW!!") So I know my skills are lacking. My greatest teacher is Gramma who taught me how to deep clean everything when we used to visit her in Florida. I can DO IT, but it requires great concentration, effort and energy and by the time I am done, I am in the throes of a massive allergy attack from the attacks of the disturbed dust bunnies.
My Most Hated Chore growing up was dishes. Dishes for 11 people without a dishwasher is a daunting task. I despised it and hated it when it was my turn. I always thought I would grow out of it and be PERFECT when I was an adult (as if all children go from larval form and metamorphosis into perfected adults) and always brush my teeth, always keep the house clean and never lose my temper. I was adding GUILT over my non-clean house onto my already massive pile of guilt when Jane told me to let it go. It liberated me. It stays cleaner longer now that there are fewer squidlets at home. One day it will always stay clean and Benet and I will long for it to be messed up and noisy with you visiting us.

weekend extravaganza

  
    Hey fam bam! Wanted to share our mini vacation with ya'll. Tryna hook you up with our Vernal bonanza. We also played this sweet card game called 'Bohnanza" it got a little tense, ;) but it was mad fun. Julia got to experience the Moho competition. (like when we played monopoly new year's eve and all hated each other the rest of the day). So it was cool hanging out with each other, bonding hehehe and what not. : ) Sorry the video sucked like Liberty and Brandon's first video but.....ummm.....it was a long day with spartucus.  Hope everyone is doing well and njoy our beautiful faces and oh don't drop the soap ^_^

ummm....test....testing 1 2 3. ok : )

-Julia and Indira-

over.

Opps

I inadvertantly deleted the "Contributors"...  Sorry I won't do that again...   I was trying to add me...  :(
Lowly Pop

First Pop Post...

Who am I?  That is a pretty good question.  I have a pretty good idea, but do you really know who I am..  ha.  I will write a brief history, and you may ask questons, as you may want to inquire into more detail.  But I suspect that in time by way of the Clog, (my phone keeps coming up with this when I text) more info will be forthcoming...  :)

The youngest of 9 children I would often find myself persecuted and beat upon, but there were plenty of perks to being the youngest too, so eat your heart out!  I grew up in southern Minnesota, some of my earliest memories have a lot to do with being outside. in the summer playing at the parks, lakes and helter shelter Primary events in Austin.  In the winter, skating, sledding and when lucky an occasional snowmobile ride or pull on a rope and innertube.  The parks were very close to our house, I played hockey or just skated and bowled all winter, and baseball, football in the fall and a myriad of assorted summer games.

   I lived in the same house till I left for college.  I drove the Blue Flame to Rexberg, ID. (where I learned to play Backgommon)  I drove out with a girl from the ward. We had a good adventure as we experienced minor car trouble in Rapid City SD. (alternator went out).  That is when the adult adventure sort of began.  Having to be responsible and feel the full weight of my decisions; it was fortunate to have left the state and all my gentile friends, ha ha.  (especially after hearing stories about their college experiences v. my own).  I somehow managed to serve a mission to Japan, 1981 - 1983 and that fall, '83 I met Della.  Not quite really knowing the full impact that meeting would have on my life.

Well the rest is History.  Lots of things not mentioned.  I'll throw in some randomness, but not to drag this out.  Played a lot of Pinball, (a by-product of bowling ally living) some original table "fooseball"  ha ha  not the kind in Waterboy...  softball, working as a park and recreation director was fun.  First real concert, Rush "Hemispheres" tour, still one of the best being I was right up front.  First professional event, cub scouts 1969 Twins game, Harmon Killabrew hit a homerun.  Best friend growing up, Edsel, and Ellard.  Best friend now, Della

I will catch up on this clog thing.  I love you all so very much,  I am certainly not worthy of all your collective greatness,  but am truely thankful for the blessing of such greatness in my life,

Love,

Pop

My Local Spot

Well my favorite local spot is kinda obvious... it is my studio. I love to be out here working and putting my creative energies to use. I have to admit, though, since changing to watercolor I love using daylight and so coming out here at 2 in the morning does not seem helpful to me. I need to find a way to get around that. With oil painting, it was okay because the oils are opaque. Watercolors have transformed me as an artist and I need the light. Starting to work at a real job has been kind of challenging because I need to focus on making time to go out to the studio on a daily basis. So far, I have gone out there 2-3 times a seek. Once I get situated into a more regular schedule, I hope to go out there more often. As they say: This is where the magic happens.

Road Trip part 2: Mexico Beach

Hey team!

So we're enjoying beautiful Mexico Beach and spending time with all of Brandon's family. It's a little awkward for us because while the rest of the family wants to spend all day on the beach, it's just too hard for Brandon to head out there all the time. Instead we're spending a looot of time on the pier, it's accessible and still wonderful to hear the sounds of the ocean and the fabulous breeze and warm sun. mmmmmm. We made another vlog out there for you all (and another from Sunday night, for that matter) that you can find on Youtube, linked here:

Tuesday morning on the beach

Sunday night 'adventure'

Now the rest of the clan has gone to Panama City and Brandon and I are relaxing- we found a little Ice Cream Shop that offers free internet and wifi, so thats nice, considering we're roaming on our phones out here. We're trying to get that sorted out now and enjoying a delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake. Yum.

We're excited to head out to Utah to spend time with the family, though still a little worried about the lack of firm reunion plans. :\ we'll see. No matter what happens we'll have a blast with Keato and J. :D

To answer mom's prompt about chores, I hate most of them. I abhor doing the dishes, I don't ever think to vacuum or dust or straighten up, so all around I'm a pretty messy person. But dishes is probably my least favorite chore. Which is pretty bad considering we don't own a dishwasher. :[ I don't mind doing a single day's worth of dishes at a time, but Brandon (the premier dishwasher) prefers to have a big mound to do all at once, so usually he's the one doing them. :p As for chores I don't mind doing laundry. That's a pretty easy one for me. No problems there, just remembering when I accidentally have left a load in the washer for a few days.... oops.

What do chores teach me? Well... it's worth it to have a clean house. We love having everything nice and neat, just hate doing the work for it. So I guess we're SUPPOSED to be learning that even though it stinks if you buckle down and actually do the wok, you'll not only be rewarded with a clean house, but then you'll have less maintenance work to do to keep it that way.

What will I teach my children? Well... I'm sure I'll inadvertently teach them that it's ok to be messy because thats how we'll likely live. But we'll still make them do chores. This will be an ongoing project: Becoming cleaner people so that we live in a cleaner house and making our family be more clean at he same time. And besides that, they'll surely learn that if they don't do the chores then they don't get to do awesome stuff with us. MWAHAHAHAH! (I definitely just tried to spell Awesome as Awesum. Haha. GO SUMNERS!)

Anyway, sorry for the long post, hope everyone is happy and good and we'll talk to/see you soon!

Love,

Lib (and Brandon too)

Road TRIPPPP!

Hey team,

Brandon and I have begun our roadtrip of awesmeness, and we thought it would be cool/interesting to make a vlog for the trip. Mabe that's not so cool, but we're doing it anyway. :D Hopefully future vlogs will be slightly more interesting (with better sound. oops) but we're beginners. ENJOY!

Love, Lib

My favorite local spot

OK there's more to come but I thought this would be funny, hope everyone can appreciate it. Toilets are like water: always taken for granted but when you REALLY REALLY need one.... worth their weight in gold.

-Ster

from far far away...

So hello,
I know, I know, I have catching up to do, I'm on my way. . . p.s. this post will probably be extensive....

A) introductory post (since i never actually made one)
I AM BLAKE, the oldest of 4. 23 years old stationed in south Korea as an airman 1st class (A1C) of the United States Air Force. making small albeit seemingly tedious steps towards my goal of one day becoming a fighter pilot. I've come this far only to realize the length of the journey is..... well lengthly. ha ha ha, yea I've got work to do. I work presently as an electrician's apprentice, you could compare me to the guy in the trident layers commercial, you know, the asian guy at the end with the big frown who says "nobody pays me in gum" that commercial makes me laugh and even now thinking about it makes me smile. so my job is mostly uneventful, not something I chose to do but rather something that was handed to me. (I originally was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician) but by the grace of God and a little luck (heh heh) I am no longer in that incredibly dangerous incredibly deployable career field. My favorite color is Blue, my favorite musical instrument is the Cello (go brandon!), I love pears, I love feeling peace in my heart, I love g-rated movies as long as they're not incredibly simple and babyish. toy story 3 is a great example. I love simply existing on a sensory only level (when time permits of course)
Korea is pretty neat, I've never been outside the United States until now, when I first got here and had the first moments to myself I could FEEL the distance, it was one of those "Holy Crap" moments. But so far I've adjusted pretty well. My follow-on assignment is Aviano Italy, I'll be here in Korea for a year and then my lovely wife and I will be moving to Europe for at least 3 years possibly/probably longer.
I am married to an incredibly wonderful woman, Indira, she made the post that's directly under this one. We are separated only by distance and we've done well to remain as close as we can. It is a constant struggle for to keep heads above the murky waters of loneliness and sometimes despair. BUT technology has allowed us the opportunity to communicate daily often seeing each other's faces, how lucky we are.
I have been called (YET AGAIN) to teach primary, ha ha ha ha, i am truly a child at heart, i guess that's why i get along with little ones so well. I love it of course. the military branch is off base a couple miles away, if I don't ride my bike I'm usually catching a ride with someone. Being in Korea is pretty exciting. the church building is as far as I've gone. I will soon force myself into preparation and planning to go on at least a day trip where I bike around Osan. Osan is about 50 miles south of Seoul which is the capital of Korea. (the biggest splotch of lights)
Some may be concerned about north korea and their shenanigans, let me take this opportunity to tell you that the similarities between North korea and the cold-war soviet union are numerous. of course north korea will never be able to seriously WIN anything. As I say that some of you are probably doubting in your hearts.... LOOK AT THE PICTURE!!!
SEE!! north Korea has invested soooo much of its resources to its military that it can't sustain electricity overnight. Their economy is weak, and probably won't be around a whole bunch longer to cause trouble. I'm not an economic analyst and I couldn't give you any real or accurate figures, but I'd say probably within the next 20 years it'll collapse just like the soviet union did.
So with that being said I'm not really all that nervous being here. It's humid but the weather is nice enough, i prefer Arizona of course for many reasons ;) but I guess it's not all that bad here...
so that's me right now, I'm probably forgetting some stuff......
things i just thought of: I love classical music but I'm also partial to jack Johnson and other acoustical as well as alternative rockings. I love oatmeal cookies and this weakness has already been exploited ha ha ha. I still drink lots of milk, but not nearly as much as I used to. I love traveling with my wife and having adventures. we've been quite a few places in America; all over new york city, Niagara falls, the grand canyon, flagstaff, Philadelphia. and I hope that those cultural and traveling experiences will continue no matter where Indira and I are. I love sleeping, ha ha, preferably in cold environments, or at the very least with a fan blowing on me.
Now I really think that is it. if you have questions for me about Korea or other stuff i didn't think of or talk about put it in a comment and I'll answer it.

p.s. sorry I'm really bad at communicating with everyone.... (is that a Sumner thing?) geeze. lol I LOVE YOU ALL, I LOVE YOU INDIRA.

-Blakester

ummm hi?

Hi everyone....or should I say HOLA nueva familia hehe I'm a little camera shy so bear with me. Still pretty unbelievable that I'm part of another family...it's like I expanded.

Background
uh I'm 26 years old, live in mesa, originally born in Mexico City, I have 5 brothers and am the only girl, and recently got MARRIED!!! I finally joined the club!?
I love my brothers very much and am so grateful that each one of them were able to make it to both the wedding and reception. As u can tell from the pic they are my knights and I am the princess (hahaha) jk ok I'm not :) . I have one brother who passed away when he was 16 and thus he is our guardian angel ( i truly mean that) and is always in my heart wherever I go ( i think he was the most handsome of the group but ssshhh don't tell them).

What i do
Currently I am going back to school to pursue my bachelor's in nursing and then after that go for my master's. I have time since you all know Blake and I have have yet again been separated. I am taking online courses and so far I don't like it, at all haha I don't, but I think because it's new and I'm not use to sitting in front of computer for so many hours on a daily basis, hopefully I will learn to love the flexibility of it. I am also applying for part-time work at different locations, the one I am most hopeful to get is with a pediatric home health agency so pray for me, porfavor.
I also work out on a regular basis cause I like to be fit and have a goal that I would like to achieve before getting pregnant and it doesn't hurt to shed those few extra pounds before I see my love again haha
In case I don't find work soon I plan to volunteer at the children's hospital because well...I have time and need to give back to my community :)

What I look forward to
I look forward to getting to you know through this blog , I may seem closed off and distant when something is new to me ( and you all are still new to me-in a good way), and different (trust me our families are like night and day) but it just takes time for me to open up is all. Not many people get my humor and me (the fact that I'm "unique") so I'm hesitant to just be out there.

I also look forward to spending holidays together and again being a part of your family and traditions.

I ESPECIALLY look forward to seeing Blake again and starting our own little
family....soon....maybe....haha and sharing our lives with you.

Thanks
I'm so thankful you were able to come out to either the wedding and reception or both and get a little taste of my latin family. Thank you Thank you Thank you. <3

Liberty's Study Spot of Choice + Other things

So this is one of my favorite places on campus. It's in the library, and on the first floor are a looot of windows. 3 sides of this area are windowed, and it makes for a great study space. If you didn't know, I'm a pretty huge procrastinator, so usually the day my papers are due I'll camp out along the windows with lappy for a few hours. It's nice and quiet and has a great view.


In other news, I'm probably running late by now- I should be heading over to a friend's house to practice a musical number we're putting together for Sacrament meeting. We're going to do a trio of Count Your Blessings. I love that song, mostly because it reminds me of Sarah and J and I singing. :] Remember when we said we were going to go through the whole hymnbook! But Sarah kept wanting to skip them because they were boring or she didn't know them. Good times. :]

Also Also, Brandon and i leave this Saturday for a three-week-roadtrip-adventure-of-fun-time. O_O We're driving to Florida for Brandon's family vacation then driving to Utah for the Sumner family reunion then driving back home to round it out. All told that's about 80 hours of JUST driving. eek. We checked out several audio books but could reeeaaally use ideas to keep us occupied for that time. We're thinking of making a VLOG just for this trip. Your thoughts?

Love you all
(Now very late)
Liberty

Favorite Local Spot

Julia here with my favorite local spot-hangout place.
 Provo, Utah - Hmmm, my favorite local hang out spot. Dang it, there are probably a lot of cool hang out spots but I just don't get out much especially right now for the summer. :( but i guess it would have to be either my apartment (because I'm always hanging out there) or the malt shop. The malt shop is basically the malt shop, and they have good shakes except the dining area is absolutley disgusting. of course I've only been there at the end of the3 day when they are about to close up, but it's always gross. wow, I gotta find a better place to hang out.
Maple Shade, New Jersey - So many to pick from. Probably my favorite place to hang out is KatyD's house, or PJ Willihans for their awesome wings with Alaa and Rob and Hannah, or in our backyard at the house, grillin some steaks and listening to a little Neil Young. I would have said Wawa, but that's not a "hangout" haha,, but still one of my local loves!
Wow, my local hangout spots are pretty lame, I hope you have better ones.
-J

WELCOME TO THE PIRATE PRINCESS!!!

Oh beautiful Pirate Princess with the dazzling smile, saucy eyes and ebony hair! Next to your glorious white gown our shirts are even more scabrous than usual. We welcome you to our Awesome Sumner Family and look forward to learning about you and reading what you have to say. I hope you have a fun time with this family. We love you much and welcome you totally!! Love, Yer Momm.

And then there was one...

Keaton here with an update on my life.

     Three weeks ago I attended NJ Boy's state in Rider University. That was quite the experience and it was interesting trying to get things done, organized and fixed in our little mini-city. I now know that I'd rather not get in to politics. But overall, it was a great experience and I had a great time. The following week (two weeks ago) I had to myself. I was able to relax, go to a couple parties and have fun. Then Saturday rolls around and I realize that I still need to pack for scout camp. I had to pack enough clothes and camping stuff to last a week. Packing was the easy part. After I was finished packing I decided to do a major overhaul of my room. I started with getting rid of the things that were on the floor that were easy to put away. Eventually, I had a large pile of big things and the rest was carpet that's when I found a black light. I decided to see if it still worked. It did and to use it I put it under my clutter-free bed and look around. That was when I remembered that I vomited in my bed like 6 years ago (Yes I did get a new mattress after that.) To my utter amazement, I learned that vomit stains glow green when a black light shines on it. I then proceed to move the bunk bed completely out of the way and attack the wall. After a great struggle I triumphed over the stain. By then, we had company over because Maple Shade fireworks were that night (They were amazing!!!!) I was unable to finish my room, although I did manage to put the bunk bed back into place. The next day (Sunday) I went to sacrament meeting at church and then left and headed for scout camp. The drive was long and the back seat was crowded, but I was fine. I arrived at scout camp in time for dinner and was reminded that the food was... well lets just say it wasn't that good. I set up my gear and in no time at all, was set at camp. The next day I was woken up at 5:30 to do the polar bear swim and to inspect for trash, it was unbearable. Then it was time for breakfast and had what was supposed to be eggs, but I'm not so sure that it was. Then I went throughout my classes of the week. My first class of the day was archery, I didn't get to shoot the first day, but I got most of the boring requirements out of the way. The next day I was able to actually shoot, and for my first time shooting a bow, I did really really well. I got a score of of 245 out of 300 and one of my shots hit the bullseye! The rest of the week I was able to make a string, make an arrow and was the first to pass the oral test. Then came climbing. Again, the first day was filled with boring stuff like tying knots and being told obvious safety rules, but it quickly got better. I was able to climb every wall with ease, except the hard wall, that was really hard, but I did it! And on the last day, we all did a flying squirrel thing where everyone else pulls you up and you go flying. Then lunch came, we ate and it was sub-par, but it was food. Then it was free time, or so it was supposed to be. I had more merit badges that I was assigned to take, luckily I had a laid back councilor for that and we got it done in one day. But then I discover that my scoutmaster signed me up for two more merit badges for the rest of the week. I was able to get them done despite my frustration. Next was environmental science, man that class was boring. That was the only class that I fell asleep in, but I still managed to complete the requirements. Then came rifle shooting, I was excited until I discovered there was going to be a test the next day on everything you need to know. I was a little worried, but our troop was able to require to book so I could get the answers. I ended up getting only one wrong on the test.  Finally I got to shoot the rifle. Six shots, two targets. The goal was to get five clusters of three shots. My first six targets had clusters of threes while some other people only had one or two or none at all. Then you had to get five clusters of five. Unfortunately, I ran out of time  for that day and only had two clusters of five. The next day I was right back with 3 of my first four targets being clusters of five, I was done the shooting portion way ahead of everyone else in my class. Then I spent the next 58 seconds showing different shooting positions and the rest of the day cleaning my rifle. The last day I was free to shoot the entire class. They gave me a target to shoot to join a junior rifle association and I scored 50 out of 50. Then they gave me spinners to shoot, it was way too easy and I did it perfectly the first time I tried. So to satisfy me, they gave me a sheet of twelve smaller targets to shoot. The paper was the same one they used to practice in the US Army. I shot five shoots at each of the twelve targets and got 8 bullseyes and missing the outer ring of a target only once. Finally I got to eat dinner. Again the food was sub-par, but it did its job. Then I had free time again, and by free time, I mean merit badges, but the class was pretty cool. It was leather working. Over the next few days in that class I stamped, stained, edged, painted and snapped (putting snaps on the leather so it would stay together) a piece of leather into a really nice key chain. Then we had troop time and went to bed. At the end of the week, when scout camp was over, we all headed up to Palmyra, New York and was the Book of Mormon pagent. It was amazing. Then on Sunday, we went around all the different historical sights of the Church's history. It was awesome and unbelievable. When we were done sight seeing, we had lunch and set off on the five hour drive home. Eight hours later we arrive at the Church in Cherry hill, put our troop gear away and go home.

So that's me and what I've been up to. Sorry it was really long, but that's how it turned out.
                                                         -Keaton Z. Sumner

Wherever We Are Is Home

We have lived all over the country and raised all of you everywhere. Even though Pop is from the Minnesota midwest and I am a daughter of the desert, wherever we are is home. We have tried to make our family be the home so there is no longing or whining in our heart to go home that you hear in our voices. We have adapted to the circumstances we find ourselves in and rolled with the punches. The only thing we did not let you do is speak with a Southern accent or pee off of the porch, although a y'all can drop off our lips occasionally.

Who the Heck am I?

So who is Brandon? I am a 23 year old male who was born in Fort Knox, KY. I was born there because my father was in the military until my grandpa lost his legs in a construction accident involving a grater machine. I was born with Muscular Dystrophy, a disease which causes my muscle tissue to not produce a substance known as dystrophin. This causes me not to be able to produce new muscle tissue in any meaningful way. I grew up in Indiana and LOVE it here (no offense NJ). I am currently studying mechanical engineering and am loving it. Some may not know but I play cello and sing in the ward choir. I currently work at TouchPlate Lighting Solutions making replacement parts for older systems. Kinda boring but it pays well and they are super flexable. If you have any questions just post it as a comment and I'll be happy to answer!

How does this work?

*tap tap tap*  Is this thing even on???  I don't want to say anything on there, honey.  They are going to think I am a nube!  (Momm is trying to show Pop how to create a post)

MEEEE!

Remember when I would sing ME about once a year or so and all of you would giggle and squeal in delight? What joyous times we all are. So this is The Momm. It is hot as blazes outside. We are currently at 106 degrees in the freakin' summer and it is NOT a dry heat. ugh. I recently graduated from The Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts and am pursuing various galleries trying to get my art career off of the ground again. A few nibbles, but no bites as of yet. In November, I must begin payments on my massive student loan debt and to that end have started a meaningless part-time job at (drum roll) OLD COUNTRY BUFFET as a cashier. This involves time clocks, resolving money balances and being nice to people who are jerks and working on Sunday which they PROMISED me they would not do. :P Happiness is a choice. I am choosing to be happy because i have 4 spectacular offspring with two of them married to wonderful spousal units and a best friend for a husband.
Benet and I are having a blast. Things are wonderful. And by the way, I AM REIGNING BACKGAMMON CHAMPION!!

And Liberty too!

Hey Team!

Well- this is Liberty. We live in a tiny (but handicap accessible) apartment in Fort Wayne, IN. I have three jobs on campus- listed in order of worst to greatest below:

I work 10 hours a week at the school's library, 'Saving Information from Extinction' for the mDON program. This is the worst job because it's boring, tedious, pays only minimum wage and I'm hidden away in the back with only a very thin, high window as a view to the outside world. On the plus side, I set my own schedule, and my boss is a pretty chill guy who has a crazy unkempt beard and wears a tie-dye tshirt EVERYDAY.

I also give tours to prospective students through the admissions office as a STAR (STudent Admissions Representative... har har har). This job is ok. The hours are inconsistent, but I'm a student coordinator, so that's a bonus. Sometimes the tours are great and I really connect with the students, othertimes it is super awkward and makes me feel like a dorkus.

The best job is at the Walb Student Union as a student coordinator for the special events office. It's a grunt job, setting up tables and chairs for events, but it pays the best AND there's a lot of downtime. So I'll get paid to man the desk and do my homework or (more often) cruise facebook and online games.

Anyway, I have a lot of free time on my hands now that I dropped my summer class so I'll probably do something crafty. I want to make a quilt but don't really know how. (hint hint! Mom? You got some skills?) We'll see. Maybe I'll just read instead. I never read anymore. :[ But I will be reading a lot on our Super-Fantastic-Actually-Probably-Quite-Grueling-70-Hour-ROADTRIP! To FL for Brandon's family vaca then to UT for the reunion.

Also, I'll probably tend to make really long posts, so I'll try not to do that. And end now. :D

LOVE YOU!

Liberty

Floppsy - Copy of Message given to Shelter

Dear Shelter:
My name is Floppsy Cat because I take 3 steps and then flop over, waiting to be petted.  I am very loving and affectionate.  I am female, spayed and about 7 years old, a couple of years shy of needing my shots.  I come from a home that had two cats and was raised as a kitten with this other cat, but he started sneaking outside, started living outdoors and then left altogether, leaving me alone in the house.  This was fine by me as I prefer being an indoor cat.  I am afraid of the outdoors.  I prefer a quiet household and do not like crowds of people or anything scary.

My problem started three years ago.  I had two girls as pets.  The elder of the two graduated from high school and went on to college which was okay because the younger of the two was the one that gave me the most attention.  Then SHE graduated from high school the next year and went to college in the fall.  I missed her terribly.  To combat my loneliness I created a game called "Hide The Stool" which is great fun and which I still play today.  Just about the time that I would get myself settled down from my doldrums, my beloved Julia would come home from college.  I was ecstatic, but this meant another adjustment for me.  I was angry at her for being away, yet thrilled at her being home. What is a cat to do, you know?  After a couple of weeks of being with her again, however, she would pack up and LEAVE AGAIN!! Oh the torment!! It drove me absolutely neurotic.  The cycle of Julia being gone and coming home and being gone again has continued for years and been very stressful for me.  It got so bad that the last time she was home a few weeks ago I urinated all over her belongings to let her know how displeased I was that she kept leaving me.  Every time she leaves me, I get so upset that I would be unable to urinate in my litter box and would miss "accidentally on purpose" and urinate on the floor AROUND THE BOX so that EVERYONE would be sure to know of my misery.

Everytime my Julia's parents have people come over to the house I hide and then I have to let them know how unhappy I am with their behavior by urinating on the floor around my litter box.  Of course, I still play my "Hide the Stool" game, but it just doesn't give me any joy lately and I have just been leaving the stools around on the floor by the litter box instead of hiding them in interesting places.
Please help me find a new home.
Best regards,  Floppsy Cat   (With help by Momm)

Julia: Take One

I choose you! Blog! Go!
(like a pokemon! haha)
Julia here, just hanging out in Utah, working full time for the summer and living with Cousin Kim (Uncle Wayne's oldest daughter, the red head!) and her family.....even though she's in France right now! I work custodial at the campus library and I'm the student lead of the crew! In the fall, I start my 3rd year at BYU in the Athletic Training Program! I will be observing at UVU (Utah Valley University, the college just up the road in Orem) I just turned 20, I love pulled pork (dang it dad, we never had any! I guess BBQ at the McAvoy's made up for it), Purple Gatorade, dancing, the Swedish Chef and earrings.
I love and miss you all!!!
-J (Julia)

PS-I saw twilight eclipse the other night. Jacob is a hottie, Bella is a two-timing little tramp.

FIRST!!

and so the shenanigans begin   :D

                           -Blake



EDIT:
p.s. i'd just like everybody to know that it's 5:04 pm on wednesday evening and i'm not a freak stayin up all hours of the night, i have to be at work at 6 tomorrow morning.