Folkman Family

A Comment about Facebook

2011-05-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I stayed in Great Falls for a night, and someone sent me a Facebook message, so I logged on to reply. The next morning when I checked my e-mail, etc., I saw that Facebook had recognized that I was in Great Falls, and told me about a woman who lived there who had been a high school classmate of mine, and suggested I contact her. That kind of opened my eyes to both the wonders and creepiness of constantly advancing social media, and I doubted if I should ever post on Facebook again. Well, eventually I did, of course, but went about two months without even looking at FB. The good old-fashioned blogs and e-mail look pretty good to me right now, but I suppose that Google also knows where this is being typed from. What would George Orwell think if he could see our day? Big Brother is just someone other than who we thought he was going to be, and he has a much more benign and entertaining face than we expected.

2011-05-15T04:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been one year since anyone posted to this Blog, so I thought I'd break the slump. This is Ian and his fiance, CoyLou, then Iantha, Mary Anne, and Tanya at grand-daughter Anna's recent play, a version of Cinderella.

Comment Spam

2010-04-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that we have comment spam on the last couple of posts. Can someone with admin rights remove them? It is just some Chinese junk about hotels and vacations or something like that...nobody I know. Maybe we need to enable moderation of comments to avoid it in the future. I know it's a pain to require someone to approve comments, but I am not sure what else can be done.

My Article has been accepted!

2010-04-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

I just received word today that my article about the 1873 Arizona colonization mission and Frederick Augustus and Charlotte Senior King has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Mormon History, pending getting some revisions done. I'll be working on those over the next couple of weeks, and I'll let you all know when it is actually scheduled to be printed.

Folkman brothers and wives on Sunday evening

2010-03-30T05:09:00.001-07:00

First time we were all together in four years. Had a good visit in Provo.

Pretty good looking wives, don't you think?

Folkman and Robertson Families on Jens' Blessing Sunday

2010-03-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

The Robertsons are mostly on the left, and the Folkmans are mostly on the right. Jens is in the middle of the picture being held by Shala, in front of Adam.

Family History Guest Blogging

2010-03-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'm a regular reader and commenter at a couple of Mormon history blogs, and one of them asked me to do a guest post about Bryant's father (Katie's grandfather), Thomas Lyons, and his family's return trip from Canada via covered wagon in 1914. The posting goes up tomorrow, Tuesday March 16th, at 6:30 AM MDT, 5:30 PDT for anyone who is interested. Here's the link if you want to check it out and even maybe make a comment: www.keepapitchinin.org.

NewFamilySearch or Genealogy Wikipedia

2010-01-27T15:30:00.000-08:00

So I've looked up what I thought I knew about our family in the new NewFamilySearch.org, and found that some well meaning but uninformed individual has substituted a Polish spelling of Folkmann (Folchman) and resubmitted a bunch of the work to be done (again!). Not to quibble, but I've seen the microfilms of the Bornholm parish records, and even though the handwritten script is hard to decipher, I don't think there is any way it could be mistaken for Folchman. Let's just say that my experience with NewFamilySearch has been somewhat underwhelming.

However, that prompted me to do some more research on the Real Folkman's (Folkmann, or Volkmann) and where they perhaps came from in Germany. I found a lot of interesting history about Bornholm online. The Island, although traditionally Danish, and speaking a regional dialect of Danish, has been tossed about between kingdoms and owners a bit like a tennis ball at the US Open. Bornholm also has a bit of a reputation of being a difficult place to rule if you are a foreign invader, and has seen several revolts over the centuries, all aimed at restoring the Baltic island to Denmark.

Apparently, in one such interlude, the King of Denmark ceded Bornholm on a 50 year lease from 1525 to 1575 to Lubeck of the Hanseatic League, a loose coalition of merchant city-states in what we would call Northern Germany today. German merchants and mercenaries from Lubeck ruled the island of Bornholm for that 50 years, which undoubtedly saw a lot of back and forth migration from Germany to Bornholm and back. Later, in the 17th century, Bornholm fell under Swedish rule for a while, but the Folkmann's were firmly embedded in Bornholm by that time.

Doing a google search for Folkmann/Volkmann/Lubeck turned up a lot of hits, including a street named Volkmann, and a number of current residents named Volkmann. That's about as far as I have gotten, but at least it tells me where in Germany we might want to start looking for Volkmanns related to our Bornholm Folkmanns. We know that parish records didn't exist prior to about 1600 in Bornholm, but my hope is that the Lubeck merchants, perhaps motivated by profits, may have kept some better records of who traveled back and forth, and that we might get some mention of Jakob or Thomas Folkmann or Volkmann (but not Folchman).

Still here...

2009-12-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

Most of you should have received our Christmas letter by now (or certainly sometime this week), but we are still here. Needless to say, we've been mostly absent from the blog and facebook of late. Part of that certainly has to do with the fact that Kate got called as Relief Society president in our ward, and I'm still serving as High Priest group leader, so we've been busy recently. I joke about it, but I am starting to feel like the third counselor in RS, trying to help Kate out as much as possible. With working full time, the RS commitment is overwhelming a lot of the time, but she has really put a lot of effort into it, and I hear a lot of positive feedback from other ward members.

In spite of the recession, I am just finishing my best sales month ever at my job, which kind of surprised me, but I'll take it. It sure beats out having a terrible month.

One other quick note before I get back to work. A little over a year ago, I had to quit jogging and playing basketball due to knee problems (arthritis, it appears). I started swimming twice a week, and while that has been good exercise, it's just not as much fun as the basketball. During the summer, I ran across a company that sells orthopedic tights. That's right, orthopedic tights. I shelled out some big bucks in hopes that they would help with my knees doing yard work, but I am now glad to report that I am back to playing hoops again, once a week, wearing the tights. They redistribute the stress to the muscles above and below the knee, and help align your knees better for less pain. I still can't go out and run 3 miles like I used to, nor do I intend to try, but I can go play basketball in the mornings for about an hour, and not have any increased knee pain. As I like to refer to them, they are Batman's orthopedic retirement tights. It's nice to be super again. (Cross posted to the Lyons family blog)

Facebook

2009-06-12T22:23:00.001-07:00

Personally, this old-fashioned blog page makes more sense to me than does Facebook, but it looks like we've all abandoned it.

Tanto Tiempo

2009-05-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody. I have to admit it's been quite a while since I've been on the blog, I need to be better about that.

AJ and I have some big news. My company offered me a job in the Philippines starting this summer so we will be heading overseas. We'll be there for a year to begin with and we may stay longer. We'll see how things go for now. Needless to say we are super excited. We've known for a while but it only became official on Friday so we decided we can start telling everyone. My company outsources several of our manual processes and I'll be overseeing production over there. It's kind of crazy how things have turned out. I think I was the 12th employee hired just a little over a year ago and now we're up to about 70 employees here in Woodinville and 300+ workers via our providers overseas. It's been really cool to work with such a rapidly growing company. I've learned so much and it's been such a blessing and a great opportunity. If any of you are planning on being in that part of the world in the next year, you'll have a place to stay.

This is a shot of our provider's office where our production staff works. So much nicer than our office here in Woodinville. I won't lie though, they don't get paid as much over there.

This is Eastwood City where our provider is located. It's really nice and has pretty much any kind of food you could ever imagine.

Baby Zoey

2009-03-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures of Pete and Becca's daughter Zoey, who came last night! She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She really is amazing cute for a newborn! We'll get more pictures up soon...I'm sure she'll be well photographed.

Congratulations Pete & Becca, welcome to parenthood! :)

A Sneak Peek to some of the videos of A Brand New Year

2008-12-29T15:17:00.000-08:00

Below is a widget where you can watch some of the videos of A Brand New Year.
Nick appears in the segment entitled "Steadfast and Immovable"
Enjoy.

Merry Christmas to all!

2008-12-22T22:09:00.001-08:00

Hope you all enjoy lots of time together! We spent last weekend playing in the snow in Leavenworth, which was very cold, but so much fun. Merry Christmas everyone!

Love, Carrie

Goodbye to Rex

2008-12-19T03:15:00.001-08:00

We need to mention, out of respect, the passing of our great friend Rex, our golden retriever / husky mix, on Dec. 13. He would have been 15 years old in about April. A sad few days for us since. The picture is from Christmas 2007.

Cousins

2008-12-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

Matt and Lorie came to Seattle this week for a Killers and Death Cab for Cuties concert, and so we got the chance to tend their four youngest one night this week. We invited Carrie and Emma over for a chance to get the cousins together, and got this picture of Emma, Joelle, Ashton, and Sage (I think I got the spelling right). Riley was downstairs playing video games with Zach, and these kids were watching Disney's updated Winnie the Pooh series, which I find a big disappointment over the old Pooh stuff with the voice of Stirling Holloway. But then, they don't seem to mind, so you can tell they were having a great time.

It was fun to get to see them, and have Emma get a chance to see her Montana cousins. We hope they come back soon!

Original "Twilight" Screenplay

2008-11-24T13:56:00.001-08:00

I know you've been reading the books, and waiting impatiently for the movie. Well, here's a link to the original, but rejected screenplay. You'll want to look to see what was left out, what was added, and some original takes on the characters and their development.

Right. Go look. I liked this one better than what I saw Saturday night with the family.

A brand New Year

2008-10-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

It's seems like we are always to busy to add anything to the family blog, but I wanted to let everyone know about a new church production that Nick and Demi have been blessed to be a part of. It's called a Brand New Year, a DVD that will go out to wards and stakes throughout North America to be used as a New Years Eve celebration. It's different than anything that has been done for the youth before. The music will be available for downloading on a new site created just for the youth. They're recording the DVD in the Conference Center three days next week, with a crowd of 21 thousand youth each night watching. Nick is one of the Hosts and Demi is part of the choir.

So make sure you watch for it in your wards it will be well worth it, and not just because there's a couple of Menendez's in it.

Emma turned 3!

2008-10-21T22:19:00.001-07:00

It was a fun day, we had cake, explored a pumpkin patch and played dolls. I can't believe she's already 3, it was so nice to have Shane home from work for the day. I hope you are all enjoying fall where you are!

Iantha, Missouri

2008-10-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

Found this picture recently, of particular interest to "some of us". The town is Iantha, Missouri, in southwestern Missouri, and its a real place, not "Photoshopped".

Heber Nephi Folkman Trampled by Horses!

2008-10-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

Our grandfather, Heber Nephi Folkman, survived the Galveston, TX 1900 hurricane, but jhis close adventures with danger were not through.

A couple of years after returning from his mission, living in Ogden, Utah, he was out on a date with our future grandmother, Kathryn Nelia King, and got into a tussle with his team of horses that landed him in the Ogden Standard Examiner for August 4, 1905. I've attached the clip here, but it may not be too readable.

Here is the text: "Heber Folkman, a barber, was painfully but not seriously injured at Plain City, Tuesday evening, by being knocked over and trampled by a team of horses that became frightened while he was untying them preparatory to returning to the city. A young lady, who was in the buggy at the time of the accident, fell into a faint from which she was not revived for several hours.

It appears that Folkman and the lady after being out driving for some time decided to call upon Mr. Folkman's brother, who lives at Plain City. At the conclusion of the visit while Folkman was in the act of untying the horses and after he had assisted the lady into the carriage, the horses became frightened and in plunging forward struck the man with their feet knocking him to the ground where they trampled upon him.

The screams of the woman, who became thoroughly frightened, attracted the attention of some pedestrians who were near by and they rushed to Folkman's aid. Folkman was still beneath the horses, from which position he was rescued.

After the injured man had been made as comfortable as possible a physician was telephoned for. Upon the doctor's arrival a hasty examination revealed a dislocated shoulder, a fracture of the wrist, and a number of minor injuries, which, though painful, are not considered of a serious nature. Aside from a bad fright the lady was none the worse for her experience in the buggy."

Things apparently all turned out well, as just about 9 weeks later, Heber Folkman and Kathryn King were married on October 5, 1905, and later moved to Jerome, Idaho, where Dad was born and raised.

Heber Nephi Folkman and the Galveston Storm of 1900

2008-09-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

Our grandfather, Heber Nephi Folkman, was called to the Southwestern States mission in December of 1899, and arrived in the mission field later that month. He kept a journal for his entire mission. Some days it was quite detailed, others days less so. As I recently found the missing pages that talked about the hurricane of 1900 that was so devastating, I thought I would share some of the story of the summer leading up to the storm, and his full entries for the storm and its aftermath. Grandfather and his companion, Elder Dana, worked in Eastern Texas for several months, and then were called with Elders Norton and Kirkpatrick to labor in Galveston.

Elders Folkman and Dana arrived in Galveston on the 31^st of May. He had never seen the ocean before. “I seen the Ocean for the first time in my life it is quite a site to see the waves roll up on the shore one after another never seazing like they were mad because they could not go on but had to go back to the Ocean to be met by another which when they would meet the roar would be as loud as many Lions coming to gather in battle.”

After visiting the mayor’s office and the chief of police to get permission to proselyte and a promise of protection, the elders divided up the city and set to work. Their day normally consisted of tracting in the morning, visiting 50 to 75 home on average, then spending the afternoon in studying and resting during the worst heat of the day. In the evening, they tried to hold street meetings, or get the local churches to grant permission to meet in their houses of worship. The work, however, was not productive, and the local ministers turned down their requests. Hardly anyone they contacted while tracting had any interest, and their street meetings drew little attention.

Heber said in his journal on June 6^th, “The people generally in the City don’t care much for religion is all they care for is making money and have not time for to listen to the gospel.” Indeed, Galveston at the time rivaled Houston in shipping and commerce, and had more millionaires per square mile than Rhode Island [1]. Often, in the cooler evenings or on Saturdays, Elder Folkman and his companions would walk down to the wharf and watch the ships loading and unloading cotton, cement, wheat, and other commodities. They also visited the beaches on the Southeast side of the island, landlocked Utah boys fascinated by the constantly rolling waves.

On June 8^th, he noted “They are very wicked in this city they don’t care for religion and especily Mormonism. We receive poor treatment as a rool.” They had taken lodging at a boarding house for $8 a month, with permission from their mission leadership, but were expected to try and find “entertainment”, someone with whom they could stay without charge. This, too, proved difficult. On June 13^th, the elders received a letter from (mission) Pres. Jos. G. Duffin reminding them to “leave their room, and go out and depend on the Lord to open up the way for us to get entertainment.”

One promising lead pointed to a family of Mormons in town that turned out to be “Jospehites”, members of the Reorganized Church, later the Community of Christ. Elder Folkman said “but they did not bleive in any thing we tried to get an invitation to stop with them but we did not get it.”

On June 18^th, Elder Folkman noted that “the people are very bitter they will not talk to us they think we are here after the women…”. A newspaper article later in July called the Elders “pimps” and much worse that Elder Folkman chose not to record.

Tracting on June 22^nd found a 79 year old woman, Mrs. Nunn, who had joined the church many years before. Her last contact with the church had been in 1856, with Elder John Taylor. They spent some time talking with her, but her family did not approve of the Mormon missionaries, and they continued looking for a place to stay for free. She seemed firm in the faith to them, and they occasionally visited with her.

Heat and mosquitoes were also a problem. Elder Folkman and his companions often retreated to the beach to cool off, noting that “it is fine bathing when the waves are large the rougher the sea the nicer bathing.” Often, the mosquitoes made sleeping difficult, and the heat made the work challenging. In August, Elder Folkman talked about being laid up with the “summer complaint”, almost certainly malaria. Later in his mission, he writes about taking quinine to calm the chills.

After July 4^th, they gave up the rented lodging, and got temporary housing with a family for a few weeks, and then found another house that would take them for a longer time a 712 29^th Street, near the high ground at the center of town, and near the water works building. The home was owned by an older woman, Mrs. Daniels. But the work continued to unfruitful, and Elder Folkman’s journal often records reports like “Went out tracting visiting 60 families met with no success” or “Went out tracting finding the people about the same.”

Elders Dana and Kirkpatrick were transferred, and Elders Larson and Hunstman replaced them. In August, they were able to get a few appointments to teach, but little came of them, and on August 17^th, sold the only copy of the Book of Mormon that they were able to place all summer. After a break for the Labor Day holiday, the routine started again, with similar results. On Friday September 7^th, they contacted 83 families, then spent the rest of the day in studying.

Saturday, September 8^th brought a change:

“Could not work on account of storm could not go out of the room and at night the water from the Bay (Galveston Bay was only 7 or 8 blocks north of their house, the water being pushed by a strong north wind [2]) came up all over town we had to get out of the room and move up the stairs it was 4 feet of water in the room and the wind so strong that it was blowing houses down all over town the people all moved out but us Elders and the Lord spared us while the city was half destroyed.

“Sunday Galveston Sept 9. Still on the (curb?) after one of the most terrific storms that ever pased over the country the sight that my gaze this morning was terriable over half the city destroyed and the other very badly damaged the water and wind to geather played havock the report is the loss of life will be in the thousands they are hauling them in by the wagon load food and water scarce as the water works system was destroyed and a good many cisterns filled (presumably with sea water).

“Monday Galveston Sept 11 (certainly the10^thbut incorrectly dated in his journal). Went round to see the sights it is terrible to behold they are hauling in dead bodies by the wagon loads they have had to resort to sinking them in the sea to dispose of them they are in such a condition that they can not keep them so they take them by the ship loads and take them out in the sea and sink them rich and poor white and black. I see many bodies lying amongst the timbers and where they had lodged we tryied to get a boat to take us to Houston they wanted $5.00 a head for 25 miles and we desided to wait another day and see if we cant go cheeper we cant walk out for both bridges are washed a way so we have to do the next best.

“Tues. Galveston Sept 11-1900 went to the warf and got a chance to go to Houston by ship went back and got our grips just got back in time to catch the boat we left at 10:30 AM arriving in Houston at 6.30 PM went and got a room at the Capitol House the fare from Galveston was $2.50.”

Word was just beginning to get out from Galveston about the terrible toll the hurricane had taken. The missionaries would have been among some of the first people to arrive from Galveston since the storm. Tuesday also was the first day that officials from Houston were able to see firsthand the destruction and loss of life. The more accurate reports were labeled fantastic and unbelievable in Houston, which had received some wind and rain, but not the full power of the storm. Elder Folkman’s journal continues:

“Houston Wednesday Sept. 12-1900 Went to breakfast then took in the sights met a Mr. Daniels son of the Lady that we was rooming with in Galveston he was glad to see us to learn of his mother he invited us to take dinner with him at the hotel where he was staying.

“Houston Thursday Sept. 13-1900 Went to the PO received no mail spent the day in looking round the excitement is great here yet from the storm they are coming from Galveston (line missing).”

On Friday, Elder Folkman and his companions ran into two other missionaries who were looking for them, and talked with them late into the night. Elder Folkman and his companions were to start for Austin County for a mission conference, a distance of about 160 miles, which took them several days on foot.

The great hurricane of 1900 took an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 lives in Galveston and the surrounding areas. The storm surge, little understood at the time, was magnified by the fast moving northbound category 4 or 5 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph, and gusts of perhaps as much as 200 mph, from the northeast, piling up a huge wave of water. The storm surge was at least 20 feet, and some estimates put it as much as 30 feet or more, surmounting the highest point of land in Galveston by several feet. The surf on the Gulf Coast side of Galveston smashed buildings, homes, and a beachside streetcar trestle into a moving wall of debris that crushed everything in its path as it cut halfway across the island city.[3] No word is given if Sister Nunn, the elderly Mormon woman the missionaries met, survived the storm. Her name does not appear in the list of casualties, either.

Trains were swept from their tracks and all their passengers drowned. Soldiers at one of the low-lying coastal forts on the east end of the island mostly drowned, firing off their cannons at the height of the storm in a desperate cry for help. People who took refuge in the strongest homes and public buildings found the wind, water, and debris destroying even large brick and cement structures.

The storm was only vaguely forecasted as a slight storm by the US Weather Bureau, but recorded as a major hurricane by their Cuban counterparts. Hurricane alerts were not allowed to be declared by local officials, and had to be cleared through headquarters in Washington, DC. By the time the national offices of the Weather Bureau began to be aware of a major Gulf Coast storm, telephone and telegraph lines were already down from Galveston to the mainland. [4].

Elder Folkman finished his mission in March of 1902, still suffering from the effects of malaria. He and his companions found much more fruitful ground in Eastern Texas, baptizing many and working with others who had previously joined the church. By the time he passed through Galveston shortly before his return to Utah, he pointed out to the one or two new members of the church in the city the house where he had survived the storm, one of the few to not be heavily damaged or destroyed. He returned to Utah, married and moved to Southern Idaho, working in various jobs. He died in 1947 at the age of 78.

Source Notes:

Isaac’s Storm, Erik Larson, Vintage Books, 2000
ibid. A combination of a strong north wind as the hurricane approached and the storm surge from the south pushed the shallow waters of Galveston Bay on the north side of the city to meet the onrushing 20 to 30 foot surge from the Gulf of Mexico.
ibid.
ibid. Changes were made to allow local offices of the Weather Bureau to give major storm warnings as a result of the lack of warning for this storm.

Peach Days Parade in Brigham City

2008-09-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

We took this photo after the Peach Days Parade on Sept 6 in Brigham City. (The peaches are wonderful this year, by the way.)

The Sons of Utah Pioneers have this handcart and usually enter it in the Peach Days Parade. This year Linda and Steve's family agreed to "staff" the handcart, so after Linda ran her 10K in the morning, she immediately changed clothes and joined the rest of us for the parade: Mark, Amanda and friend Frank, Steve, Ethan, Spencer, Grandpa, Linda and Anna. (Kimberly had a conflict and couldn't be there, and Grandma Iantha was staffing her Senior Center booth on the courthouse square.)

Labor Day

2008-09-02T13:34:00.001-07:00

Labor Day here was fun. We tried to get everyone together to go hike to the Ice Caves at Big Four, which we have done a few times before. It's pretty spectacular, but the bridge was washed out, which would have required wading a knee deep river. None of us were very prepared to do that, so we hiked to Boardman Lake instead, about one mile up through old growth forests. Carrie and Emma, Zach, Luke and Lindsay, and Kate and I all did the hike. Earlier, we got Pete and Becca to meet us for breakfast, but they could not go on the hike with us.

Emma had a great time, but she mostly did the hike on somebody's shoulders. As you can see, it was fairly cloudy to start, but the day ended as sunny, but never all that warm.

Zach got his Drivers License Back! or "Why Body Shops and Insurance Companies are a diabolical alliance!"

2008-08-29T10:39:00.001-07:00

Fortunately, Zach, and the driver of the car he hit, are fine. No airbags deployed, no police issued any tickets, but we do have an appointment with the insurance adjuster today.

For those who have not heard, Zach is completely free of the episodes that caused us such anxiety over the last year and a half. The most recent neurologist says they never were seizures, and he shouldn't have issues ever again.

We've often given our cars nicknames. The 1978 Toyota Celica with bullet hole rust was the Toyolet, the 1992 Subaru we inherited from Peter was the Superpoo. Our Impala was from day one "The Impaler", and now it has lived up to its name!

Meanwhile, we had just fixed the right rear fender. A lady backed into me in the Lowe's parking lot the week before Tom and Jamie's wedding, leaving some scuff marks, and a dent just a little bigger than the palm of your hand. I took it to a body shop for an estimate. They promptly reeled off a quote for $2,400! I couldn't believe it. Her insurance company surely would have paid it, but I just could not bring myself to claim it. One of my coworkers has a body pulling tool, and in an hour on a Friday night, we pulled the dent without leaving anything but the slightest crease, only visible if you get really close and know it's there. I gave Don a $100 Starbucks card, and I'll do some polishing by hand to fix the scuffs, but $2,400? Give me a break. The lady was more than happy to pay for Don's Starbucks card.

My guess is that this one is worth $3,000 to $4,000, and may actually prompt the insurance company to total the car. I've looked online, and I can buy the parts for about $600, and then just need to get it painted. The body shop, I'm sure, will quote over $1,200 for the parts. If they total it, I'll buy it back for salvage, do as much work myself, pay off the loan, and not have to deal with the deductible.

Just doing my part to keep the cost of auto insurance down.

What we've been up to in June

2008-07-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

June was a busy month for us! First was Zach's 16th birthday. A couple weeks ago Troy spoke in church, Zach blessed the sacrament, and Josh passed it. I was a proud mom that day! (I should also mention that Josh turned 13 in May, so we've got two teens in the house.)

Then we had Cub Scout Day Camp. I think the scouts all had a great time, and my family and friends made up 1/2 of the staff, so we had a great time too. My mom came all the way from Utah to help out, which I appreciated so much. She taught a craft class every day, Troy taught Chess and Ping Pong Cannons, and Ian taught the Whittling class. I got to boss everyone around and make sure all the classes were running smoothly.

After camp I started my new job. I'm now the Brand Logistics Expert at Gap Kids & Baby, which basically means I'm one of the managers. I love the job, the people I work with are the best.

Then we had Sophie's school play, The Little Red Hen, and her dance recital, which was adorable. She took both tap and jazz this year, and got to dance in 3 of the recital's numbers. She's growing up so fast! (I'm still waiting for pictures from the recital, I'll post them later.)

Then I got called to be in YW, just in time to go to Girl's Camp. The Girl's Camp was in the same place as the YM's Scout camp the week before, and the girls got to do all the things the boys did, which was pretty cool. We hiked Mt. Yale, one of the 14ers in the Collegiate Peaks, and also went rafting on the Arkansas River. When the Scouts climbed Mt. Yale, Josh was the first one at the summit. Our bishop said that Josh practically ran to the top, they were all amazed. I was very proud of him, especially after climbing it myself. It's a tough hike, very steep, and is a Level 2. About half of the YW made it to the top. The group of YW I was with didn't, but it was close, just 500 feet shy of the summit. There were thunderstorms coming in, and the remaining 500 feet was very steep and you had to climb over boulders, so it was a tough call to turn around but we had to keep the girls safe. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, besides giving birth.

Troy came up for the rafting trip, which was on the Arkansas River. We went through Brown's Canyon and about 10 rapids and suck holes. The water was really high from all the snowmelt, but we wore wetsuits so we didn't care. It was so much fun! In most of the pictures I look like a drowned rat, but it's hard to smile and look relaxed as you go through class 4 rapids! I really did have a great time.

Hope you're all enjoying the holiday weekend! Ian's here, we had a BBQ, and we're off to a concert and see the fireworks.

Zach Update

2008-06-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

At the risk of alienating Zach, but in the interest of keeping you informed, I'll give you a quick update on Zach's health issues, which is good news. No pictures, though.

After almost a three month wait, we finally got Zach back in with his doctor at the infamous HarborView Medical Center. The doctor apologized (!) for not getting back to us sooner, and also apologized that one of the residents that saw Zach while he was in for his tests didn't call us. I think he also apologized for two or three other things, plus just general apologies as well. That's more apologies from one doctor in one visit than I've heard from all doctorrs in the entire rest of my life, I believe.

Bottom line, he said that Zach was not having epileptic seizures, and the episodes of dizziness, partial loss of sight, etc, probably were related to some anxieties exacerbated by his depression, and that he was often holding his breath, which brought on the heart rate increases. Kate had observed a little of this, but it was a revelation for Zach. Good news, since that day, he has been aware of the breath holding issue, and has controlled it himself, and has not had any episodes for 5 or 6 days now. Needless to say, we are thrilled, and he is too. Driving is going to come back into his immediate future, but he is more excited about that than Kate and I are. He still is in some counseling for the anxieties, but he is happier than he has been for a year, I think.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers over this last year. He is through with school for the summer, and working at the family business, Sears, in their lawn and garden to earn money for school in the fall. We'll keep you posted.

Kevin

Aunt Retta & Ethelyn

2008-06-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

Grandma Doris gave me a book of greeting cards she and Grandpa received the first 7 years or so of their marriage. (I think it's an old greeting card sample book from King's that she pasted their cards in.) I love to look through the old cards, and it's fun to see the little notes Grandma and Grandpa wrote to each other. I recognize some of the names, but most of the people who sent the cards are unknown to me.

After reading Dad's post, I knew I had seen Aunt Retta & Ethelyn's names somewhere. So I got the book out and found this little Christmas card. Thought you'd like to see it. If we get together for a family reunion, I'll bring the book so everyone can enjoy looking through the cards.

Busy Summer Time

2008-06-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

Apparently we are all pretty busy these days, as the Blog posts have been few and far between. But I enjoy seeing everything that gets put up. Thanks Linda and Kevin for your recent posts. Today (Friday June 13 -- oops, I hadn't noticed!) I'll be flying to Seattle where I will meet Iantha. She has been in Denver herding 150 Cub Scouts with Mary Anne (and Ian, as well, I hear). Iantha and I will show up at Tom's wedding on Saturday, but we have to return home to Brigham City on Saturday evening.

By the way, Kevin, where did you find that old picture of Dad and us on the Blogsite? I don't remember having ever seen it before you posted it. Would you please send me a scan of it?

Here's a blurry old photo I found recently in a box with a lot of Mom and Dad's letters and birthday and Christmas cards in it. If anyone has time to read through the letters looking for anything of interest, speak up.

This photo shows our great-grandmother, Charlotte Emma Senior King, the elderly lady in the front, and standing behind her over her left shoulder is her daughter, Grandma Kate King Folkman. Next to her, in the hat, is Grandpa Heber Folkman, though you can't see much of his face. Most of the girls in the picture would be various Great Aunts to Kevin, David and I. The youngest girl at the back of the photo is probably Aunt Merlyn, who lived in Sparks, NV, at the same time that Mom and Dad lived in Reno. The big guy on the left is Wilmer Rigby, who married one of Grandma Folkman's sisters, and settled in Idaho where they have a lot of family under the Rigby name.

When I was young, I wasn't very interested in all this, but as time goes on and no one remembers these people any more, I have become more interested in these things. On the Saturday before Memorial Day we put flowers, as we always do, on Grandpa and Grandma Hunter's graves in Logan Cemetery. Next to them is a family that I thought no one would still remember, as they have no descendents, but we knew the mother of the family as Aunt Rhetta. I wonder if David recalls visiting her in Logan when we were very young. Her only child, a son, was killed in WWII, shot down over Holland, and his body not recovered, as far as I know. She gave me a really "neat" hand-tooled leather belt that had belonged to him, during a visit when I was probably about 10 years old. Anyway, while we were there cleaning up the grave sites, an elderly woman came over to us and asked who we were, and I was very surprised to learn that she was a niece of Retta from another side of the family, a different wife of Grandma Mae Smeath Hunter's father, I believe, and we visited for awhile about things. She mentioned names I had long forgotten, such as Aunt Ethelyn, with whom Retta lived in her last years. The woman's married name is Jensen, but we were both surprised to find someone who still remembered those ancient days.

We also took some flowers down to Mom and Dad's graves, as we hadn't been there for quite awhile.

-- Robert

2008-06-12T13:36:00.001-07:00

Valentine Family Vacation

2008-06-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hello, family! Just wanted to say hello, since I haven't for a while. Our family just got back from a trip to California and we had a great time. We drove through Reno on the way west so the kids could see the apartments where Grandma and Grandpa lived, the Federal Building where Grandpa worked, and the famous downtown Reno lights. Then we visited Martinez/Pleasant Hill to show the kids where their mom grew up in California, did all the touristy stuff in San Fransisco, headed south to Disneyland, hung out at the beach, and visited Sea World in San Diego. We decided to go all out and do everything we could in 10 days because this may be the last vacation we take with all seven of us together before kids are in college, starting careers, getting married or going on missions. That thought is very hard to grasp, but is a reality nontheless. Amanda will be a senior in highschool this year, so next summer her schedule may not permit a big family vacation with us if she starts college right away. Anyhow, it was great fun. Love to you all!

P.S. If anyone would like a photo of the building where Grandpa worked in Reno for family history purposes, I have one.

Small World, part 2

2008-05-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

I asked a few questions of my brothers, and also of the researcher in Texas who has a copy of Heber Nephi Folkman's missionary journal, and it appears that our cousin Alan's oldest son, Kevin, married an Odom from Texas while he was at BYU. Other members of her family recognized the Folkman name, and Alan apparently provided a copy of HNF's missionary journal to this graduate student who knew the Odom's, which is how he got a copy, and recognized my story about the Galveston hurricane. I still plan on getting a copy of those particular pages to my friend who posts about early Mormons of not such huge importance, but who have fascinating stories anyway. I'll also post those excerpts here for anyone to read. Meanwhile, if you are interested, this is a great book about the whole storm, and how it changed the US Weather Bureau forever.

Small World

2008-04-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

From time to time, I read and occasionally comment on a couple of LDS-themed blogs, and have done so for about a year and a half now. It's an interesting diversion during the day, and rarely takes up any time. However, on one of them, there is a woman who has been doing some interesting posts about little known pioneers and others from Mormon History. She's done several at Times and Seasons, and one in particular caught my attention. She was talking about a missionary who went missing in Alabama in 1888. Southern States Mission President William Spry, later governor of Utah, sent a James Tilman to try and find out what had happened to the missionary. Tilman, a southern native, traveled undercover, and was able to eventually find the body, buried in a paupers grave, that could be identified as the missing missionary.

Ardis Parshall, the writer of this post, was trying to find out about Tilman, and said that later in the 1899 to 1900 time frame, he may have been in East Texas with a family by the name of Odom. That made me think about Heber Nephi Folkman, and his mission to Texas, so I was going to offer to search through HNF's missionary journals, of which I think Robert, David, and I all have copies of, to see if there was any mention of James Tilman. However, when I posted that my grandfather had been in Galveston for the great hurricane in 1900, someone piped up that he thought he knew who my grandfather was, and even his birthday. Turns out that Heber Nephi later found the children of the original Odoms, and got them baptized. I'm not sure where, and I'm trying to find out, but apparently Heber Nephi's missionary journals exist in a copy somewhere else that this other person has read, and was very familiar with. He said that in East Texas, Folkman was a name held in much reverence.

At any rate, Ardis wants to post about the missionaries who were in Galveston for the storm, and the records indicate that there may have been three others besides Heber Nephi. I'm going to try and dig out my copy and forward a scan of it to her, but she also thinks that the originals, or at least a copy of them, should be in the church archives. Not a bad thought, but a small world indeed.

2008-04-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Carrie and Shane took Emma to the Seattle Temple the other day to get some pictures, an unusually nice day for this April, so having only one grandchild to brag about, I thought I'd share it with you all.

Kevin

2008-04-01T14:02:00.001-07:00

Zach will probably kill me for this, but we haven't much talked about his issues, and I thought you should all know. Zach spent from Thursday morning till Monday evening at HarborView hospital in Seattle (the inspiration for the hospital in Gray's Anatomy, I believe). It's your typical big city hospital, with the major regional trauma center, metal detectors at the doors for after hours visitors, and $4 an hour parking for everybody.

Zach, as most of you know, started having trouble with scleroderma several years back. It's an autoimmune disease closely related to Rheumatoid Arthritis, and in fact was diagnosed as that originally. It's potentially serious, but his case was mild and "superficial", which means that it only affected the bones of his right hand, and some slight discoloration and thinning of the skin on his right arm and shoulder. It took 6 years to get that diagnosis, and then 2 years of medication got it under control and in remission. He should, if the general history of this disease holds up, not have a problem with it ever again. We all hope.

Last spring, Zach started having what he described as "head rushes" or lightheadedness. While we were in Utah last June, he had what Carrie immediately recognized as a short seizure, some slight shaking of his arms and legs, that lasted about 5 seconds. That prompted a quick trip to the emergency room, but a CAT scan and MRI showed nothing wrong, so we started on a long round of diagnostics and tests. We spent a couple of months chasing heart related problems, but nothing showed up, even with wearing a monitor 24 hours a day for 3 weeks. We finally got him into Children's Medical Center's neurology group, as he was already a Children's patient for his scleroderma. They began a series of tests, which ended up with a 24 hour EEG test, that showed he was having mild seizures of an indeterminate nature and cause.

We've tried several different medications since last fall, one of which he was allergic to, and another that aggravated a previously unknown tendency towards depression, and really put him in a tailspin for a couple of weeks. The current situation is that he spent the last three months in Bellingham going to school up there, and continuing to have minor seizures. Since the seizures cause a short loss of vision and balance for maybe 5 seconds, he has been unable to drive, which really sucks for a twenty year old. A lot of his life has been on hold while we deal with this issue.

As he is now twenty, Children's wanted to transition him to an adult program, so that's why we ended up at HarborView. The head of the Neurology department there said he wasn't sure that he was having real seizures, so they brought him back in for an extended test. Now, normally Zach has the seizures while he is doing things, like watching TV, or playing video games, playing scrabble or card games with the family, or other times when he is engaged and active. He never has them at night, and almost never when he is lying down. As you may have guessed, the extended EEG required him to stay in bed, and not move around. As a result, he registered very few episodes while he was in that part of the hospital, so the doctor decided to do the whole cardiac thing again, and moved him to the cardiac care unit. Both wards were filled with interesting people, as you would expect from a large, public hospital. Stories for another day. End result, we know there is nothing wrong with his heart, or the veins and arteries leading to his head, but we know it at a much higher level now. Sigh.

So after finding nothing, he was released last night, and is back at school at BCC here in Bellevue today. Still can't drive, and is looking for part time work. About the only negative involved in all of this is that he can't drive, and he can't (or we can't, and the doctors can't) seem to figure out what is causing this. I suspect there are more tests in his future, but your thoughts and prayers are all welcomed.

So his heart is fine, and we are all trying to figure out what is going on in his brain, but really, how different is that from any other 20 year old?

Zach, just thought we'd share, if you read this. And my apologies for sneaking this picture while you were asleep in the hospital the other afternoon.

Way to go Steph!

2008-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure Stephanie is modest about the work she does, but it's nice to read about it. I know our family has new respect for the ski patrol ever since Josh broke his arm while skiing 2 years ago. He went over a jump going faster than he thought and collided with another skier. They thought his arm was dislocated at first, but then realized it was broken and took great care of him. It turned out he had broken part of the growth plate and the orthopedist said if they hadn't been so careful with Josh getting him down the mountain, it could have been worse. He healed up nicely with no long term damage and has been skiing ever since.

Letter to the Editor

2008-03-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to forward the Letter to the Editor that was sent by the father of a young skier that Stephanie and her team recently saved. Stephi was first responder and because of her quick actions this young man survived some horrific injuries, including ruptured femoral and renal arteries, a closed head injury, multiple spinal fractures etc. She received the Park City Mountain Resort's 'Patroller of the Year' award and other recognitions from the ski patrol as well. She loves her job, tough as it is sometimes.

Letters to the Editor
They turned potential disaster into a miracle
PR
Article Launched: 03/15/2008 01:00:00 AM MDT
Editor:
As a frequent skier at our three resorts, I often fail to notice the ski patrol doing their job. Only the sound of the Air Med helicopter makes me think, but only for a few seconds, about the work that these professionals are performing. On Tuesday, Feb. 26, my cell phone rang while I was approaching the top of the Motherload lift at PCMR. My oldest son explained that his 22-year-old brother had fallen down the Hour Glass at McConkey's and was seriously injured.
I rushed to the base of the McConkey's lift and was able to speak to a patroller who was helping coordinate Cameron's evacuation. His vital signs were very weak and he was in considerable pain. The patrol had arrived within minutes of a 911 cell call and they began to stabilize Cameron and get him on a backboard for the ride in the toboggan down the steep chute. Within a few more minutes I could hear the sound of the helicopter's rotors racing up the canyon and landing on a flat spot at the bottom of the Sampson trail. I skied toward the flare that the patrol had lit to guide the helicopter in and was met by the ski patrol and the medic on the heli who provided me with an update on Cameron's condition and was told I had only seconds to see him as he was swiftly transferred aboard and rushed to the U Medical Center ER.
Cameron was diagnosed with multiple internal injuries and had two surgeries within 14 hours. Miraculously he is back at home convalescing and he should have no permanent injuries.
I would like to recognize Patrollers Stephanie Folkman, Kevin Hammonds, Andy VanHouten, Zack Zane plus the Air Med Crew of Beth Fischer, John Cooper and Dan Yeoman along with the U of U ER team, Trauma team, Neuro team and anyone else who I may have missed. Your professionalism and dedication turned what could have been a disaster into a miracle for our family. Kenneth J. Block Park City

Aunt Marjorie Folkman Newman

2008-03-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

Pre-comment: When I say "Dad," I'm referring to Robert Vaughn Folkman, the father of Kevin, David and me.

Just a note to mark the passing of Aunt Marjorie in Jerome ID. She was Dad's younger sister, and the last member of Dad's family still living. Her husband, Tommy Newman, passed away only 56 days earlier after being married more than 60 years.

An interesting fact: I believe she was the last living grand-child of the Folkman pioneer family that settled in Plain City, Utah, in 1857-1858. So, a generation is now completely gone.

Seattle Snow

2008-01-28T11:24:00.001-08:00

We had a snow day today, and school was canceled. Most of you from Idaho and Utah will laugh, as you can see the grass through the snow, but we had fun. Here is Emma out sledding.

Highland Folkman Update

2008-01-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

Just an note from the Southern Folkman's. Dave and I are going to return to Nauvoo for the summer. We will be serving as "parents" to the work crews assigned to the pageant. Approximately 20 young men 17-21 years old either just preparing for missions or just returning. 12-16 hour days setting up and tearing down the stage, lighting, sounds, props etc. plus missionary prep lessons, district meetings, temple baptisms and every other activity praiseworthy or of good report. Kris and her family will be returning as cast members for the first two weeks in July. We will have an apartment furnished for us by Pageant so we are hoping that some of our other children and their families will be able to make the long trip.

David is still working for Lowbook Sales and I am still working with my contractor while trying to establish a new business, roof deicing systems. I have partnered up with Matt and Tiger and the market is fresh and new and there is a great need for what we have. It is just getting the first two or three installations in an area that is difficult. Old problem, new solution ... takes some time to educate the buyer. We do have the new Aspen Grove lodge as an installation but have been battling weather and a construction foreman who doesn't seem to understand that our product goes on after the roof is on the building. He wanted us up there in November when there wasn't even a roof deck on most of the project. It is kind of like installing carpeting when the floor isn't installed. Anyway, we should start in earnest this following week.

Stephanie was recently featured in a chapter of a recently published book written by a guy who is a free-lance writer for Ski Magazine and other sports type perodicals. She is "Dynamite Girl". Her name is changed to Jackie, and she offers the disclaimer that the colorful language and some of the events in her "life story" were subject to literary license, but it is definitely Steph. This guy interviewed her last year and went with her as she did avalanche control, ended up putting her in his book about extreme sports.

We have a gaggle of scholars in the form of extra smart grandkids. Nick, Demi, Avery and Riley all carry 4.0 GPA's (got it from Grandma). Additionally we have three guitar players, one cello, one bass and two mandolin players between them. Nick plays cello and bass in the concert orchestra. Avery and Riley play guitar in their school's jazz band. Riley and Demi also each play the mandolin. David has taken up the mandolin in an effort to keep up the the grandkids. Me, I'm sticking to the bagpipes and hope to improve my skills this summer because some of the young men on the work crew are also the bagpipe players for the pageant and I hope they will let me practice with them. I learned a lot from the players last year and hope to pick up some more this summer.

Sophie's New 'Do

2008-01-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

Sophie cut her hair for Locks of Love! Doesn't it look cute & sassy?

http://locksoflove.org/

Brigham City Folkman's Christmas

2007-12-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

Greetings from all 21 of us to the rest of the Folkman Families. -- First time my family has all been together for Christmas in a long time, and of course Adam and Shala's Robert G. hadn't been there at all in the past. Thanks to everyone for coming and for your help with the wonderful dinner. We had a great time.

A Christmas Story

2007-12-21T20:58:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hi Family!

We're leaving in the morning for Utah. We're all looking forward to it. The kids can't wait to spend the holidays with all the grandmas and grandpas and cousins. I still haven't seen Adam and Shala's new baby, so I'm looking forward to that. Most of all, it will be nice for Troy and I to have some time off from work and be with the kids.

Hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas!

Love,

Troy, MaryAnne & Kids

Grandpa and Grandma Hunter

2007-12-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a recently found picture of Grandpa and Grandma Hunter taken on March 7, 1969.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

One of my mission companions had this posted on her blog, and I laughed so hard--it was adorable. So here we are, Shane Carrie & Emma, the Christmas elves...dancing away.

Click HERE, and wait for the fun... :)

Back From Mexico

2007-12-06T22:37:00.001-08:00

Jake here. It's been a while since I've blogged, but I just got back from a few days in Mexico with AJ's brothers and her dad. We drove down Baja California into a little fishing village called Erendira. We did some fishing, diving, surfing, blowing stuff up with M-80s and shooting Roman Candles at each other. Here are a few photos from the trip. I'll post a video of me in a parachute tied to the back of a pickup truck later.

These are from the day we spent fishing.

This is a taco shop. We ate loads and loads and loads of fish tacos. Very tasty.

This is where I took the best dump of my life. You just can't beat that view while taking care of business. It's actually several images I Photoshopped together into a vertical panorama.

2007-11-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

So I finally figured out how to add myself to this blog. Since it has taken nearly a year to do, I have little time to post something now. But I hope this will be a start to keeping in touch with every one. Lindsay and I are doing great. It has been a long year thus far. I started back in the window tinting business at the beginning of this year and have been working hard at getting that going. Lindsay has been busier than every doing dance this year. We are hoping to start her own studio in the following year. As for the kids, Mekhi and Ava, they are growing too quickly. Mekhi is four and a half and is in preschool this year. He loves school and socializing. He is not taking after me. If I can get him obsessed with golf then that will be a start in the right direction. Ava is two and a half and she is a little princess (and Diva at times) and loves to be treated like one. She loves dollies and doggies and can not get enough of them. We still have our two corgis, I think. Since kids have been here I haven't really noticed if the dogs are still around and if they get fed. I do know that they are not getting bathed. Anyway, like I said, I hope this will be a start for me and keeping up with all of you.

October Fun

2007-11-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy month! Ian and I ventured east to Bloomington, IN, and Chicago. We went to Bloomington to see one of our favorite groups, Nickel Creek, perform and then hung out in Chicago the next three days. It was fun to see where Troy and I used to live, take the train into the city, and eat Chicago's best pizza. We were on a quest to find the best live blues music and found it at the House of Blues, imagine that. We had a blast, ate the best southern food and heard an awesome blues band. They could have been the band "nobody leaves this place without singin' the blues" from Adventures in Babysitting.

Then the whole family had the best Halloween ever. We went to a pumpkin patch and picked out pumpkins, the guys went to several haunted houses and haunted corn mazes, Troy, Zach, & Josh went all out decorating our front yard, Troy and I set up our ever expanding Halloween village, and we had a Halloween party with 5 families and about 15 teenagers.

As for costumes, Sophie was a witch, Michael was "Bug Boy", and Josh was a caveman. (Anyone seen the SNL skit "First Person in the History of the World to Dance"? That was his inspiration, complete with glow sticks.)
-MaryAnne

Picking Pumpkins

2007-10-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Shane, Emma and I found a cute farm not far from our house. We picked pumpkins, saw the pumpkin launch, and visited the animals. So cute-we had a blast, even though it was raining. I also attempted my first theme cake for Emma's birthday today. I got some great ideas online. She had a great day, although really she's still fairly clueless as to what all the fuss was about. We got her to say, "My birfday" a couple of times, but overall just loved the toys and the cake. It was fun for us. :)

Carrie

Peach Days Congratulations

2007-10-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

As a purely recreational runner, my congratulations to Adam, Shala, and Linda for running in the peach days 10K. That's a pretty good run. My last official race was the triathlon I did the weekend before Carrie and Shane got married, and haven't been too tempted to try it again. I guess Maryanne is still running too?

Robert, did you do all the yard work yourself? I'm impressed. We enjoyed seeing the house when we were down there this summer. I'm impressed by the lack of ferns and moss, but you've got to plant some trees.

Kevin

And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to.....

2007-10-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Jake posted this over on the Lyons family website yesterday, so I thought I would share it here.

His comment was "I thought I would beat my dad to the punch on this one."

To which I added: Prov. 22: 6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. "

The Knighting of Elder Eyring

2007-10-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

For those who didn't see this.

Brigham City Update

2007-10-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

We're behind on our posts, so I'll try to catch up. We really enjoyed everyone's updates. It's nice to know what's going on. Especially enjoyed the pictures from Nauvoo. Those are great experiences that David, Kathy and the Kristine and Marcos' family are having.

Here's a quick snapshot of our new home on the north side of Brigham City. We are settled inside, and have the sprinklers in and the yard almost levelled, another 10 yds of dirt coming tomorrow, and the fence is going up in the back. Rex figures he has died and gone to heaven as he gets to take long walks on the country road adjacent to our house every day, quite a change to his previous confinement to the back yard at the old house.

Adam, Shala, Abbie and Robert have have moved into their new condominium in Spanish Fork. No pictures yet, as the outside "yard" area is still under construction, but they are pleased and excited to have a place of their own.

Going back to Peach Days in Brigham City, September 8: Linda, Adam and Shala all ran in the 10K on Saturday morning and all finished strong. No one is more impressed with their motivation than I am. I forget the exact finish, but Linda finished second or third in her age group as I recall, and Adam finished in 51 minutes, well before the parade began, a pretty good performance for a casual runner.

Oh, yes, and of course Mom (Iantha) and Linda's Anna rode on the Senior Center float. Anna is in the pink dress, waving, in front of Iantha in the dark dress and her Red Hat.

So all is well in Brigham. Everyone stay in touch.

Update from Seattle

2007-10-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

No new pictures, but I thought I would update you on a couple of things. First, Luke didn't get his job at the airline in Bellingham, as they had forgotten he would not work Sunday's. However, when he went back to the fish processing place on the Lummi Indian reservation where he has been driving a delivery truck and gutting salmon, they took him back, and put him in the office to do the bookkeeping for them. Needless to say, he doesn't miss scraping fish guts with an ice cream scoop, and this will be good experience for him while he pursues his accounting degree.

Wet weather has come early this year to the Seattle area, so watch for more flooding stories, windstorms, and snow storms. Not quite the nice gentle fall that we are used to here.

Quick note about conference last weekend. For me, it was probably the most personally significant one in terms of impact on me as an individual. There were lots of great talks, but the standout moments for me were Elder Wirthlin talking about charity and service, while Elder Nelson was supporting him while he was having his back spasms, and the news conference Saturday between sessions with Pres. Eyring, long a favorite, and Elder Cook. David, great look with the beard. Now just don't go off all fundamentalist on us. :)

Fall in Seattle

2007-09-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

We are trying to take advantage of the good weather before we lose our chance. We found a favorite park, that has toddler trains to play on only a few minutes from our new house. It's a good way to spend an afternoon.

Love the pageant stories from back East...if you know the dates for next year...I vote anyone who can, let's go back and see the sites and watch the new pageant! A family reunion! What a wonderful experience--we might even be able to get a backstage "look" since we've got such great connections.

Nauvoo in a Nutshell

2007-09-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Now that the kids are settled back into school and our normal routines have started again I finally have time to write about some of the experiences we had this summer while serving as Performing Service Missionaries in Nauvoo. While it meant that we would spend a good share of our summer in Nauvoo and miss scout camps, family reunions, weddings, soccer practices etc., it was definitely worth every minute and every penny.

Mom, Dad, Marcos, the kids and I all started out for Nauvoo June 26th, no matter how many times we make the trip the 7+ hours across Wyoming are the longest, most boring part of the trip. The bright side is it makes the remaining 13 hours easier because you as least have some scenery. We stopped in Liberty at the Jail then on to Far West and then we stopped by Adam -Ondi-ahman and claimed our spot for the Resurrection.

We usually rent a home in Nauvoo but this year we decided to rent a condo where a lot of the cast and crew were staying. Part of the Nauvoo experience in the past has been just surviving rehearsals in the heat. We warned other new cast members about the extreme heat and told them what items to bring with to be prepared for the humidity. We ended up looking like wimps because the weather was wonderful, we actually could have used jackets a couple of times, but of course I didn't bring any.

We made a lot of new friends,and met up with old ones. We were able to go with Nick to do baptism for the dead in the Nauvoo temple which was a wonderful experience. Satchell was able to star as Wallace once again, he, Nick and Demi made many great new friends. We found out that the clothing of the 1840's really suits Dad, but does not go well with my hips. Mom and Dad not only were able to act on stage and do a good job, but they weren't half bad at dancing either. Dad was asked to be in charge of the construction of the Nauvoo Temple that we build on stage, it's actually quite heavy and dangerous, but his construction skills really came in handy.

There was a lot more opposition this year then ever before, we had someone burn down one of the cabins by the wagon rides, another one started by the visitor center, and one in the quarry. As well as graffiti on the church vans. One night a truck load of Mormon haters drove past the condos yelling and throwing fireworks. Dad started helping with Security so we could protect the stage and the Grove over night. He and Marcos spent most of the night driving around on golf carts scaring off raccoons. Dad did such a good job they've asked him to come back next year to help again.

I think the biggest accomplishment this year was the amount of missionary work that was accomplished. I think that was the reason for the nice weather. In most of the pageant that are put on by the church you may get 200 referrals and consider it great. This year we were able to get more than 5000 non-member referrals. We recently heard from one of the sister missionaries who reported that 75% of the referrals are allowing the missionaries to come and share a message. She said normally only 10% would allow the missionaries to come. We had a lot of fun meeting people and sharing the gospel. The kids would have contest with their friends to see who could get the most each night. We've already had several baptism that have come from people who just happened across the Pageant.

I've probably gone on to long already, there is so much I could share about our experience this past summer but it would take chapters. We're glad that we had the experience once again, and that mom and dad were able to share it with us. We look forward to more in 2009 (the"NEW" Hill Cumora Pageant).

We've just started rehearsals for Savior of the World, Satchell (while technically still too young to be in the play) has taken over Nick's role as the Beggar. He's so excited for the chance even though he only has one short simple line. We've had him up at the conference center with us ever year since he was born so this is actually a big deal to him to have a speaking part. If anyone is interested tickets go on sale Oct. 30th but the sell out really quick. Our family will be performing on Tuesday and Saturday nights through November and December.

The other great news about Savior of the World is that it will be preformed in Spanish this Easter season. Marcos has helped with the translation and will help with the production. This is a great opportunity for all the Hispanics in the area to participate.

Sorry I went on so long I guess it wasn't really a nutshell.

Kris Menendez

Which one was Jake?

2007-09-21T13:19:00.001-07:00

Sorry, couldn't resist. By the way, Zach's not the only one having fun with music this summer. He plays bass in a nerd band, called "The Stay on Targets". Recognize the reference, Troy? (Hint, Star Wars, Episode IV). This is a picture of my new guitar, bought from a guy with too many tattoos and too many guitars. I only helped him on the guitar part. Anyway, I am trying to polish (find, cultivate, develop) my jazz and blues skillz. Just wish I had more time for it.

Since we got back from our desert vacation, I've been in rehab for a torn hamstring, and just finally this week got back to running and playing early morning basketball again. Kate's back to teaching, but most of her day is now working as a math coach with the other teachers, on a Microsoft grant that will last three years. She's not having to bring home anywhere near as much work, as she really only teaches two safety net math classes.

You know what Jake's up to, Luke & Lindsay are now both employed. Lindsay is working at T-Mobile, so they get cheap phones, huge piles of minutes, and ridiculously low rates. Luke starts next week working for Allegiant Airlines at the Bellingham Airport, and gets free flights on any carrier flying out of there. So do his parents, we've been told. More on that later.

Carrie, Shane, and Emma beat the mortgage meltdown, and got into their own condo last month, so we miss having them with us, but they're only 15 minutes away, so that's not bad. Tom & Jamie are still planning on getting married, probably next May, and Pete and Becca are doing well. He hates working for Sears now, and Becca got a better job at a local family run appliance store, so Pete's thinking about moving on, after, what, fifteen years of working at Sears?

Wish we could see more of you all, but we do what we can. Post more pictures!

Kevin

Braegger Update

2007-09-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

Loved to see your "brush with greatness" there Jake. I never would have guessed that Gary lives in Utah. Is he LDS too, like Steve Martin and Lionel Ritchie?

Well, it's been quite awhile since we've posted. The biggest change around here is that Ian has been living with us since May. He ventured east in hope of finding a job after graduating from USU, and seems to have found one that suits him well. We'll let him share the details about it, if you haven't already heard about it from our parents. It's been fun having family close by for a change, I think it's been 13 years since we've lived near family. Although he'll still be in Denver, we'll miss seeing him every day when he moves into his own apartment.

What a summer we had; it went by way too fast. One of the highlights was the trip to Bear Lake for the family reunion. It brought back lots of memories and it was great to see everyone. I hope we can all make it out there again in 2 years for the next one.

We also went to Flathead Lake, Montana for a week. Troy has lots of family there and it was one of the most relaxing vacations we've had. It's one of our favorite places. The kids got a little spoiled swimming from dawn until dusk, riding the jet skis, and going on boat rides. I think Zach's favorite part was when he got to jump off a 30 ft cliff into the water and Michael's favorite was beating Troy 3 times in a row at shuffle board (I don't think Troy was letting him win, either). The only downside was all the smoke from the wildfires. We could barely see across the lake because of it, but it made for some gorgeous sunsets.

The last highlight of the summer was our trip to the State Fair where Ian and I took the boys to see Weird Al in concert. It was awesome, we had such a great time. Al puts on a fantastic show and it was perfect for Michael's first concert. While we were at the show, Troy and Sophie explored the fairgrounds. From the looks of her, Sophie had a lot of fun hanging out with Troy; she had a chocolate dipped ice cream in one hand, cotton candy in the other, and remnants of other goodies on her clothes. She was really happy about seeing all the farm animals, it was a Charlotte's Web kind of day for her.

Now we're all back in school and working. Troy's teaching 4 nights a week at the law school this semester, so we don't see him much. Zach is running cross country and Josh is on the track team, so we don't see them much either. Sophie started kindergarten and just loves it, and Michael is adjusting to life as a 4th grader (harder homework and more of it).

Happy Fall!
Troy & MaryAnne

Gary Coleman

2007-09-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here I am with Utah's finest celebrity. He lives in Santaquin believe it or not. I sold him two macs.

Jake

Family Vacation (Well, at least two of us)

2007-08-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

Most of you have heard that Jake & AJ are back in Provo, having decided not to reside in Flagstaff after all, and are still deciding where Jake will go back to school (UVSC and Western Washington in Bellingham where Luke & Lindsay are seem to be the top two options). Still, we had fun on the way down, and then Kate & I made stops at the Grand Canyon, Arches, and Goblin Valley on the way back. This picture is of all of us at Bryce Canyon on the way down. We made a quick 1 hour stop there.

This one is at Walnut Canyon near Flagstaff, a set of old Indian ruins (Ancestral Pueblo, formerly Anasazi), pretty well preserved. You have to climb down 240 steps to get the level the ruins are on, loop around a little island in the canyon, and climb 240 steps back up.

We said goodbye to Jake & AJ after Walnut Canyon, and then Kate & I were off to the Grand Canyon, where, in spite of living in Utah all our lives, we had never been. I think it had something to do with the 5000 foot drop to the bottom of the canyon, and six small kids. We camped at the campground, took the shuttle buses to the various viewpoints, and just enjoyed the views. At one point, being the bird nut that I am, I was watching some huge bird soaring around the canyon, probably a thousand feet below us, and couldn't make it out to be any kind of vulture that was supposed to be there. I finally decided that it looked like a California Condor, one of the two or three rarest birds in the world, but I thought that wasn't right. I only knew of them being in the southern California deserts, and told Kate that I needed to talk to a ranger. She pointed out that there was an article in the little newsletter they give you when you enter the park about reintroducing the Condors to the Grand Canyon a few years ago, and that it probably was. It was still pretty cool. They have a 9 foot wingspan, and are very impressive in flight. Last thing that night, I locked my keys in the trunk of the car back at the campground. The only set of keys to the Impaler that we own. That cost us about an hour in the morning, and $60. We got new keys made as soon as we got back to Ogden, and I now carry one in my wallet.

We also made stops in Arches, which I hadn't been to in about 11 years, and at Goblin Valley, where Kate had never been. I'd been there two or three times with the boys and the YM over the years, but it is a pretty incredible place, and way out of the way. Well worth the trip, though. Here is one picture of Kate and I, and another of just the scenery. It was hot there, probably about 105, but we don't know for sure. If you saw the movie "Galaxy Quest" with Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver, that is where they filmed the desert scene.

Kate has more pictures, and I hope she will get some posted, but I wanted to at least say Hi. It will probably be a while before we get back down to Utah, so hopefully we'll see some of you at Christmas.

Kevin & Katie

Wedding & More

2007-07-28T16:48:00.001-07:00

Hi Folkmans...

Here are a few wedding pictures from Luke and Lindsay's wedding. We Reckling's are excited to be purchasing our first home. It is a townhouse in Issaquah. (only about 15 minutes from my parents). It's small, but we are excited to be finally getting into a place that is really ours. We close on Thursday, and then we'll be moving in.

Shane's got less than a month left of school, and then he'll be done! He'll be working as a diesel mechanic with one of the local school districts. He's already part-time there and is excited to be there full-time. The end of school is in sight! We can't wait to have a more calm life. We've been called to serve in the Spanish ward in our stake, and are having fun there. Shane, who speaks no Spanish, is spending a lot of time with Emma in Nursery. I'm teaching a class in Spanish, which has been quite challenging, but also fun. We've only been in the ward for a few months, and our new home is just barely outside of the stake. We're bummed to leave, but are also excited to get to know the people in our new ward.

I hope all the pageants went well, we'd love to come out and see you all acting in the future. Maybe we should all have a family reunion next summer back east, so we can catch a show and visit!

Enjoy the rest of your summer,
Love, Carrie

Cute Kids

2007-06-26T13:29:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I should have commented on Spencer's cute kids. Thanks for posting them, Kris!

Kevin

Wedding Preparations

2007-06-26T13:13:00.001-07:00

You should have all received your announcements and invitations by now to Luke and Lindsey's wedding. Who knew Friday the 13th would be a good day for a wedding? Turns out our temple up here is going to be closed for five weeks, so they had to rush to get this scheduled.

I've been so busy with so many things, I haven't even had a chance to try and put up any recent pictures, but granddaughter Emma is pretty cute! We'll get some new pictures up in the next day or so.

Meanwhile, Jake & AJ fly in from Hawaii tonight, and will spend four weeks with us before they head off to Flagstaff AZ, where Jake wants to continue his education. They've both gotten very tired of Hawaii, and the laid back attitude, and are anxious to get back to the real world. I've tried to remind them that Flagstaff has a climate much like the Wasatch Front, so it gets cold in the winter, and actually snows there. I hope they aren't too disappointed.

Kevin

2007-06-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Since my brothers haven't gotten around to post any pictures of their kids I thought I would do it for them, since they're all sooooooo cute. These are some of Mehki and Ava. I'll send some of Matt's kids next time.

Ava & Mehki

Kris

Disney World Pictures

2007-06-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here's a slideshow with more pictures from Disney World. It's a little long, but there were so many pictures and I already took half of them out. Hope everyone's doing well and enjoying the beginning of summer! -MaryAnne & Family

p.s. For best viewing, click play, then pause it and leave it for a few minutes to load the pictures. Then if you click play again, it should play without stopping and skipping so much.

Baby Blessing

2007-05-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

I know that a potluck where you have to bring your own meat and a side dish doesn't sound like much of a potluck, but we're expecting to have quite a few people (your side dish doesn't need to be able to feed everyone). We'll be providing hot dog and hamburger buns as well as drinks and desserts.

Directions to Church

Directions to our house

Directions between house and Church

Guessing how this works

2007-05-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hey:

This is Dave. I am just trying to figure out how this works. I will be posting more later. Greetings to everyone.

Dave

WDW pictures

2007-05-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

Braegger Family Vacation Quiz

2007-05-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a much needed vacation in Florida and had a fantastic time. We spent 6 days at Disney World, and a day on Clearwater Beach Island. We thought it would be fun to share some of our most memorable moments in quiz form.

Who called granola bars "granilla" bars?
Who won 1st Place for Best Robot Design in Epcot, two days in a row?
Who got kissed by Sleeping Beauty?
In "England", who asked the girl helping us what language she spoke in her country?
How many miles did the Braegger Family walk during their vacation? (a) 25 (b) 9 (c) 16 (d) 49
Who barfed in the middle of the food court during dinner?
Who earned the nickname "Chap" during the trip?
When offered the choice of chips, chex mix, or granola bars, who asked the flight attendant for a "granilla" bar?
Who got stuck in outer space? (a) MaryAnne (b) Josh (c) Zach (d) all of the above
Who said, "I guess God just doesn't like bras"?
Who jumped in the pool fully dressed to save Michael from drowning? (a) Troy (b) Zach (c) David Hasselhoff (d) MaryAnne
Who was the only family member who didn't want to ride "Mission: Space"?
During the "Jungle Cruise", we met a family from South Africa who (a) currently lives in Colorado (b) lives in the Denver area (c) lives less than 2 miles from us

Answers:

Sophie. To save money, we took snacks into the park and Sophie called her favorite snack "granilla" bars.
Sophie again! Her robots were very stylish and colorful.
Josh. We celebrated Josh's birthday while at Disney World, and while getting his picture taken with Sleeping Beauty, she surprised him with a birthday kiss.
Michael.
(d) 49 miles! Josh's P.E. teacher asked him to track his steps with a pedometer and we were more than surprised to calculate the result. No wonder we're so tired!
When Sophie says her tummy hurts, move out of the way!
If we said who it was, someone would be really embarrassed. Let's just say that Splash Mountain, baggy wet shorts, and 100% humidity make for a bow-legged "chap".
MaryAnne. She didn't realize what she said until the flight attendant looked at her funny.
(d) Follow this link for more details http://ms.go.com/retrieve?card_id=0D2A4F4CCF913E028F160050704BD288
Josh. It's a long story, but it was so funny it made MaryAnne laugh so hard diet coke came out of her nose.
(d) MaryAnne. She and Michael have never been so scared! He waded out into the deep end and all MaryAnne could see were his panicked eyeballs above the water.
Troy.
(c) It's a small world after all.

Wow!

2007-04-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, same hair and cheeks! :)

I haven't posted for a while, so here's a little update on the Reckling clan (or as Luke calls us the "Folklings").

Emma is trying to transition into nursery, and it has been a bit more frustrating than I expected. She has never been clingy, and all of a sudden, screams the second I leave the room. I know many people go through this, and it will pass...she loves the toys and socializing--she just wants me sitting there on the floor while it happens. It's fun to see her grow up--she's saying new words everyday. Her favorite phrase right now is, "What is it?", followed by a "Wow". She loves to read "Where the Wild Things Are" and points out Max in every picture. Being a mom is so much fun...I know Grandma and Grandpa love it too!

I am staying busy. I'm happy that there are only 9 weeks of school left. I'm teaching a night class (Spanish 102) at our community college and I am going to teach a couple of summer classes starting in June, also. I love teaching adults, its such a different world from middle school. Next year I'm dropping down to a part-time contract during the day, and I'll still be teaching one class at night a couple of days a week at the community college. I'll be able to be home more with Emma. I'm really looking forward to it!

Shane is 2 quarters away from being done with his diesel program. He has a great job right now working for one of the school districts, and they will convert it to a full-time job once he gets his certification. So next year, he will be home with Emma in the mornings while I'm at work, then I'll come home and he'll work the night shift at work, and I'll be home with Emma. We won't see each other much during the week, but it'll be great to have Shane done with school.

Hope all is well with you! :) Love, Carrie, Shane & Emma

Possible Family Resemblance

2007-04-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, here is a picture of Kimberly Valentine on Christmas Eve in 1993. Can anyone see a resemblance to anyone, other than our granchildren are all beautiful ... even the boys!

Easter Pictures

2007-04-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Emma's first real Easter Egg Hunt. So fun!

Love, Carrie, Shane & Emma

Valentine Family Pictures

2007-04-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Robert and Ethan Robert

Happy Easter

New baby cousin Robert

Spencer and the Science Fair Award

Our 16th Anniversary in January

The view from Stephen's desk at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Ethan's first piano performance. He played "Middle C" and took a bow.

Another family band?

It's a mental sport, so I must be insane!

2007-04-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

I want to thank my dad for putting in the plug for me about the marathon. I am touched! I will be dedicating each mile to the special people in my life, my biggest supporters, and I have to fill 26 of them! So anyone who wants to send me an email to wish me well, I would love it, and you will be remembered while I am running! I will look at my list and it will say, "Mile (6) is dedicated to the Folkman Family Bloggers"! It's going to be a blast, and definitely a peak experience I will always remember.

My only regret is that Stephen will not be there at the finish line. The marathon date changed after I registered, and Stephen was already scheduled to be a speaker at a five-day conference in Richmond, VA. He tried to get out of it, or have his assignment changed to a different day, but it wasn't possible. So I told him he has to blow up a picture of his head to life-size, and have the kids hold it up when I get there. Mom and Dad will be there with my kids, and Ian said he was coming, and I think my in-laws and a few others on that side will be there. It's only a month away!

I'm sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I don't have a lot of time to "play" on the computer. I even have to compete with Ethan for a turn nowadays.

So, to update everyone....

It is "birthday season" at our house. It officially starts each year with Ethan's birthday on March 30. All seven of us have our birthdays between March 30 and August 9. Ethan is four now. His best present this year was his new baby cousin born on his birthday. We were so happy about that! Now Ethan Robert and Robert Grant will not only share the same name, but the same birthday too! Congratulations Adam & Shala! We love you!

Anna is 6 and a half, and about to graduate from 1st grade. School gets out the end of May for us. She is a very good reader. Anna is looking forward to her bedroom finally being finished in a few more weeks. She has been occupying a small corner of Amanda and Kimberly's room for a year now. We are in the mudding and taping stage of construction, so it should be ready in a few weeks. I am looking foward to decorating it for her. She will have the girliest, frilly, flowery, princess room I can dream up.

Spencer recently won an award for his science fair project at school, and received the highest rating at the district level. He is getting ready for his first pinewood derby, and is just a great kid.

Kimberly is so ready to be done with Jr. High...
She is excited about her first job when school gets out. She'll be working at Lagoon with Amanda.

Amanda is learning to DRIVE!!!!! Enough said.
Actually, she just got back from a trip to California with her high school orchestra. She had a great time. She has already started working at Lagoon on weekends for the season.

Stephen is very very busy with work, basement construction, his calling as ward clerk, and he always has 2 or 3 other projects on the side such as writing family histories in book form for people, and working on his own writing projects. AND, he still has time to help around the house, and cook, and be the "waterboy" sometimes for my training runs, and be the best husband a wife could ask for! Right now he is on a five-day business trip in Colorado.

As for me, I am busy with running, Young Womens, running, piano lessons, running, PTA, running, etc. We are planning Girls Camp right now, so the girls and I are looking forward to that. It is the week after school gets out.

In general, life is good!!

I love our family blog. I have had fun this morning catching up with all of you! I looked at Zach's myspace page and loved the documentary, and the song. Good luck on the show in May! Ian's trebuchet is the coolest, and I love all the pictures everyone is adding to the blogs. I was so happy to see pictures of Kris and Marcos and their family. It has been so long.

Love to you all!
Linda, Stephen, Amanda, Kimberly, Spencer, Anna, and Ethan.

P.S. In case you don't have my email address...lindamaevalentine@msn.com

Upcoming events

2007-04-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

Since Linda and her family haven't posted lately, I will remind everyone to remember May 19 to keep Linda in your prayers. That's the day she runs the Ogden Marathon, at age 34-11/12, a goal she has had for quite a while. She recently completed a half-marathon and is pretty optimistic she will pull this off. If you are not amazed, you should be.

Trebu-what?

2007-04-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I am in between group meetings right now for school. I just thought I would take the time to post something fun I did over the weekend and in between studying my brains out desperately trying to graduate (I won't believe it until I see it).

Anyway, my friends and I have formed an "adventure team" that plans fun things to do and then ACTUALLY does them. It's crazy I know. So what is it that we did you ask? Well, it all boils down to running-a-muck, and right now running-a-muck that means we built a trebuchet. (I wonder if anyone like my Dad is rolling their eyes right now.)

There was no real reason behind building it, it just sounded like fun, so we did. We tried to model it after one of the famous trebuchet's of history called the Warwolf. You can see how accurate we were in the pictures, it's an amazing resemblance if you ask me. We used left over wood from a house my friend built for his family and a utility bucket to hold the counter weights (dirt and rocks) We were eventually able to throw a potato well over 100 feet (we didn't have anything to measure with but we feel it's close) using the mighty power of GRAVITY! (Some of us could throw the potato ourselves that far, but hey we had fun.)

We decided to name the trebuchet Death, partly because one of my friends just wanted to write it all over it because of how unsure we were of our handy work, the other part is because we did almost hit ourselves. Our release pin was too vertical, which means the trebuchet would release too early, we actually threw a few potatoes backwards. So here are the pictures, one is of myself and my friends, the other is of the trebuchet in action (you can see a potato in the top right corner). I hope you enjoy them as much as I did doing it.

Ian

2007-04-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Zach probably won't get around to doing this himself, but he and a bunch of his friends from seminary and high school have an indie rock band, and are playing their first show in a couple of weeks at a teen center in Redmond. They are pretty excited, although some of you might look at this and think they are a bunch of nerds, playing in a nerd band, and you might be right! Four out of the five are all getting ready to go on missions, and the other one (keyboard player) is non-LDS.

You can also check out their myspace page at myspace.com/stayontargets, where they have one of their songs, and a documentary film that one of their friends did for them. They've been psyched out by the number of hits, and I promise I've only been responsible for about less than ten of them! We'll let you know how the concert goes, and probably post some pictures!

Proud Dad, Kevin

Hello World!

2007-04-01T20:21:00.003-07:00

We thought we'd make our posting debut in style...by announcing to everyone that we recently had our baby! Now some of you may think that this is some sort of April Fools' joke, but as much as I'd like to pull it off, too many people already know the truth. Weighing in at 6 lbs., 13oz., Robert Grant Folkman was born on Friday, March 30, 2007 at 2:53pm. Named after his grandfathers Robert Folkman and Grant Robertson, our precious Robert came to us unexpectedly 10 days early. Thanks to the gifts and hand-me-downs from my dear sisters and in-laws, we didn't look too unprepared when we brought him home from the hospital today. Abbie (2) is glad to have her mom back and her baby brother at home.

Just to catch everyone up on the rest of our lives (as it has been a long time since we sent out an email, not to mention posting on the family blog), I graduated from BYU with a degree in Construction Management in April of 2006. I now work for ArrowStar Construction out of Orem, UT. ArrowStar has three divisions: ArrowStar Commercial, ArrowStar Communities, and Arthur Lewis Fine Homes. While I work with all three divisions developing and implementing business systems, I primarily work as a project manager in our custom home division (Arthur Lewis Fine Homes). As we are not yet a large company, I am also the IT manager. Shala graduated in December of 2006 with a degree in Geology and will be participating in graduation ceremonies later this month. She is happy to be done with school and looking forward to being a full-time mom. She's also excited to be able to spend time scrapbooking. Abbie is a beautiful, happy, strawberry blonde, blue-eyed, 2-year old girl that has spring fever and an Energizer battery. She keeps going, and going, and going....

LOST

2007-03-27T14:45:00.001-07:00

The Folkmans tend to have some nerdy tendencies we just can't shake. For the island Folkmans one of those tendencies is Lost, which happens to be filmed about 30 minutes down the road from us here on Oahu. AJ and I got up really early so as to beat the security guards and snuck onto the set. Below is a photo of Ecko's Church. If you click it, you'll be whisked away to see all of the other fun we had this morning.

Jake

(If you click through, you'll eventually end up on the Lyons family blog, but there is a link there to bring you back here. But if you made it here in the first place, you're probably capable figuring out how to get back on your own.)

Menendez News

2007-03-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

It's seems like forever since we've talked to any of the Folkman family. So much has happened in the past few years, it's amazing how quickly everyone grows up and moves on. Life seems to never slow down for us. Nick is in seventh grade and loving it. He is a great student, he obviously takes after his dad, last year he won the Hope of America award for being an outstanding student. He plays cello and still likes to do some acting, but mostly his life is all about soccer. Soccer is a year round sport at our house he just finish ODP Olympic Development Program and started immediately into spring season. I'll be glad when he can drive and take himself to all the practices. He is also on the track team and in the concert orchestra at school. Demi is our creative child. She loves to dance and takes from Aunt Lindz. She is a very good writer and hopes to publish one of her stories someday. Demi has a great sense of humor and keeps us laughing most of the time. Demi is also a very good student but does not like to be told that she is. She loves to sew, and has become a favorite babysitter in our neighborhood. She is also in the school choir.They say children are like pancakes, you burn the first two. I think that applies in our family we had to figure things out with the first two making mistakes along the way. Satchell was lucky enough to be born third. He probably gets babied a little more than he should but he is a joy to have around. He started Kindergarten this year and you think I would be happy to have the time to myself but I really miss him when he's gone. He's such an obedient child, with a quiet easy going attitude. He loves riding his bike and playing outside with friends, and playing his DS. He also starred as "Wallace" last year in the Nauvoo pageant. Marcos and I are just about the same, just older. Marcos was made a High Priest last year just to make it more apparent that we are indeed getting older. My health has improved greatly over the past year, and we're hoping that I'm going into remission. I look forward to the day of smaller medical bills. I currently service as the compassionate service leader in our ward.We moved to a new home in Lehi almost three years ago and are in the process of selling and building another one in Lehi. At the same time we are preparing to participate in the cast of the Nauvoo Pageant again this summer. It will be our third year that we have been chosen to participate. It has been a life changing experience for us, Nauvoo had become like a second home. Mom and Dad have also been picked to be in our cast. Dad is a little nervous about performing in front of so many people but he'll do just fine. We will be there June 28th through July 16th. We have also still been performing every year in Savior of the World at the conference center. This past season was our families fifth year, and Satchell was actually able to be in the entire show with us. Mom helped with costuming, I think she really enjoyed it. It's been a blessing to our family to have our children set apart as Performing Service missionaries and be able to bear their testimonies to so many people. Sorry this was so long that's what happens when I don't make the effort to keep in touch. Next time it will be much shorter.Kris

Braegger News

2007-03-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Our congratulations to Jake & his wife are overdue, so congrats and best wishes on a happy life together. Congrats to Luke as well. It's about time all you NW Folkmans started expanding the family.

It's been awhile since we've posted anything. Maybe it's because we've been buried under 2 feet of snow for 2 1/2 months? The winter storm that fell a few days before Christmas started it all, securing a second-place tie for the longest record of snow cover in Denver. The record is 63 and we had 6o days of consecutive snow cover of at least three inches. In our corner of the suburbs, it was closer to 80 days, as the last patch of snow in our yard just melted last weekend. It was funny to read Uncle Kevin's post awhile back about the bad drivers in Seattle driving in all the snow and ice. Our streets were covered by at least 6 inches of solid ice until mid-February, making Troy the favorite parent because of his ability to do ice doughnuts in his little sedan.

Josh just wrapped up his theatrical debut as one of "The Sons" in the jr. high production of the Fiddler on the Roof. He was a little disappointed that 6th graders couldn't have lead parts, but took his part very seriously and did a great job. The play was 2 1/2 hours long, and no folks, that is NOT including the intermission. Still it was very enjoyable, even with Michael and Sophie laying across our laps like homicide victims toward the end. We can't wait to see what part Josh will get next year.

Zach is busy being a surly teenager and trying to keep from being grounded so he can hang out with his friends, and keeping his grades up so he can get his ipod back. Michael is busy working on his pinewood derby car, and trying not to kiss girls and get in trouble at school (for kissing the girls). Sophie keeps busy by decorating her room when she's supposed to be cleaning it, going to preschool and ballet, and taking care of her babies. I'll let Troy post his own update when he gets time. I've been busy with Cub Scouts. I thought I was off the hook when they released me from Cubmaster, I should have known with all these boys there would be more to come. I am now a District Commissioner, and Program Director for the District Day Camp. This weekend I'm going to "National Camp School". I was hoping to go to Philmont in New Mexico, but instead I'm going locally here in Colorado. I'm so excited about wearing the FULL scout uniform, which is know to be very flattering on women.

Last night we went to see the Denver Brass perform their annual sell-out St Patrick's Day concert. They performed with the Celtic Colorado Pipes & Drums, an Irish Tenor, Scottish and Irish dancers, and a guest fiddler and guitarist. It was a fun event and they played some of our favorites; Scotland the Brave, Amazing Grace, and my personal favorite, a lively arrangement of Pachelbel's Canon. Imagine Canon with bagpipes, drums, brass, guitar and a fiddle; it seems a little strange but was quite beautiful. (We have the cd if anyone would like to listen.)

MaryAnne

A hug from Washington...

2007-03-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Emma just wanted to give you all a hug.

Love, Carrie

Twin Sisters

2007-03-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Twin Sisters were a famous California Trail landmark on the southern side of the City of Rocks. This area is 30 miles or so ("as the crow flies") north of the Golden Spike site. A stage coach station was established near here where coaches from Kelton, Utah stopped on their way to Oregon and Idaho before the railroad went to those places. Kelton, now a ghost town (at best) was a thriving railroad stop with hotels, stores, churches, etc. in the 1870s and 1880s.

Holed Up

2007-03-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

Here's Ethan, Spencer, Kimberly and Amanda all holed up.

Climbing Around

2007-03-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

Spencer and Anna

The Old Indian Head

2007-03-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

This great rock can be seen from its WSW side. The old Indian is looking up at the Twin Sisters (not Amanda and Kim).

Saturday Feb 24 at City of Rocks

2007-03-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

Amanda and Kimberly taking a look around. Two heads are better than none.

Iantha and I had Linda and Steve's kids for part of a weekend recently, so we took them to the City of Rocks on the Idaho / Utah border. Had a fine day, cold, but fair weather.

Correction on Mystery Date Revealed!

2007-03-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

Things may have been premature. Luke & Lindsay are getting married on the 13th of July, not the 14th as previously announced. They changed their mind about the date, that's all.

Kevin

Another Wedding

2007-02-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

Since Luke has not announced it here, he and Lindsay Larson are getting married on the 14th of July in Seattle.

They met in seminary in high school, dated a few times, and then she moved with her family to Michigan, and later to San Diego. She graduates from BYU this spring, and she and Luke are trying to figure out where Luke will go next to finish his schooling. For the record, he is attending the community college up here online, while actually living in Provo so he and Lindsay can be in the same state together for a change. He's applied to a number of different schools for the fall, so we'll have to see where they end up.

As parents, we are pretty excited about it. Well get you more details as soon as they think them up!

Good looking bowling kids, Robert. We keep working on trying to get more grandkids, but we seem to be stuck on one. Not that we are at all unhappy with the one.

Kevin

Bowling?

2007-02-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

People still bowl?

Anyway, just wanted to post an alert to set aside July 13th or 14th for a very important event. More to follow.

anonymous folkman

Bowling Night in Brigham City Feb 9, 2007

2007-02-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was bowling night in Brigham City for 9 of the 10 Bob and Iantha Grandkids. We had a great time.

For the record, posted by Robert.

For those unfamiliar, back row, left to right:
Zach the strong (9th grade) (Mary and Troy)
Kimberly (9th grade) (Linda and Steve)
Amanda (10th grade)(Linda and Steve)
Slick (aka Joshua) (Mary and Troy)
Middle row, sort of:
Spencer (blue plaid shirt)(Linda and Steve)
Front row:
Ethan the shy (Linda and Steve)
Sophie (Mary and Troy)
Anna (Linda and Steve)
Michael the unshy (brown shirt)(Mary and Troy)

2007-01-29T13:57:00.000-08:00

just trying out the new blogger.

Luke and Lindsay

2007-01-21T11:25:00.001-08:00

This is actually Jake here. For those of you who are Conan fans, you'll appreciate this, for those of you who aren't, you might just be weirded out. Here's an "If They Mated". Theoretically speaking, this is what Luke and Lindsay's hypothetical first two kids will look like.

And out of fairness, this is what Me and AJ's first kid will look like.

Photo courtesy Lindsay.

Jake & AJ

2007-01-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

I just realized that we haven't posted any pictures from Jake and AJ's wedding on the Folkman blog, so here is a picture of the happy couple at the Oakland Temple. Tom has a bunch more pictures in his camera of the wedding reception in Sonoma, and the open house in Redmond. We'll get some of them posted here in the next day or two.

Kevin & Katie

Snow? Snow?

2007-01-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Family,

I know I am not getting any sympathy from you Utah folks or Colorado exiles, but we missed 2 more days of school last week because of snow, and are potentially going to have another snowstorm overnight that might cancel school again.

Now before you start calling us weather wimps (even though we may deserve it), let me give you some information. First, the snow up here is wetter and heavier than in Utah. Part of that is because we are lower in elevation (close to sea level), and we get the moisture right off the Pacific, making the humidity higher. That's one of the big reasons I gave up skiing. Trying to night ski in the rain wearing a garbage bag (I'm not making this up) in snow that feels like wet cement, is no fun.

Second, since it snows so rarely, there are almost no snowplows or sanding trucks, and what few there are get focused primarily on the freeways. We have never seen a snowplow within two miles of our house here ever! So the snow falls, cars drive on it, packing it down and squeezing the extra moisture into hard snow they call compact snow, not quite ice, but easily polished by car tires, and slippery as snot. And it stays there until the gentle warm rains melt it away. We've had no gentle, warm rains since last weeks two snowstorms. Also, since most of the unplowed streets are shaded by tall evergreen trees (except for the thousands that blew down in the windstorm), the sun, if it does come out, doesn't hit most of the side streets, only the freeways that have already been plowed. So you can't count on a sunny day to clear the streets.

Finally, the only people up here who know how to drive in the snow are Kate and I, and I am not that sure about Kate. Kate has pointed out to me that when it snows, it's not a good idea to go out driving, especially since I am not as good a driver in the snow as I used to be. To which I point out that while she might be right, I am still better than all the other stupid drivers here. When it gets slippery, the only can think "If I just push on the gas pedal (or brake) harder, the extra force will make things better". So if you start to slip a little bit as you start to slide down a hill, the natural thing that most Washington drivers do is to stand on the brake, locking up all four tires, and losing all control while they bounce off cars until they hit the bottom of the hill. Same problem when you lose traction going up a hill, just switch to pushing on the gas pedal more. Did I mention there are a lot of hills here?

Not to mention that it has been unseasonably cold. Can you believe that it gets down to 20 degrees at night, and only 34 during the days? Can you imagine that?

Well, now you have some picture of what our life has been like here the last week or so. Kate and I did go for a walk in the middle of the snowstorm, though, on Wednesday night, and with the snow falling, the streetlights, and the crunch of snow, it reminded us of Utah. It was beautiful.

Finally, why the snow days at school. Take all of the things above, and then consider that all the schools are built on the tops of the hills, and you get why they close schools for snow days. The bad part is that now, with four snow days (and counting), one wind/power outage day, and we won't get out of school up here until the 27th of June in Kate's district, and the 1st of July in Carrie's district. We probably won't have to make up the wind day, as it became a federally declared emergency, but the snow days have to be made up. Who knew?

I'm sure that some of you will think this is trivial and try to top our stories, you whining wimps! Go ahead, we dare you!

Kevin

Power Back On

2006-12-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

Troy and Maryanne,

It looks like fun there. Since we moved from Utah, I have a hard time imagining 32" of snow. I've seen snow like that when we've taken the scouts and young men camping on Mt. Rainier, but nothing like this where we live. If you've got power and heat, that would actually be fun, I think, for a day or two if you didn't have travel plans.

We finally got our power back yesterday morning, for a total of 6 1/2 days without. The generator our friends loaned us really was a huge blessing. It's funny, but since the power has come back on for most (but not all) of the area, Craigslist is filled with folks selling off the generators they just bought themselves. We plan on taking advantage of that, and purchasing our own. One more item of preparedness for next time. And there will be a next time, I am sure.

Jake is back from Hawaii, and we are all getting prepped for the wedding next week. Hope to see some of you either in Oakland/Napa next week, or in Redmond on the 6th for the open house.

Have a merry Christmas, and we'll make some phone calls Christmas day.

Kevin & Kate

Holiday Blizzard

2006-12-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

Glad to hear that the NW Folkmans are all okay! We hope you have power again and are all warm and cozy. What a good lesson about needing cash for emergencies. I think we've got about $15 and a jar of change. Luckily we haven't lost power with all this snow, but your predicament has made us realize we need to be better prepared for all situations. I'm glad I went grocery shopping Tuesday night, because it looks like we won't be digging out until Friday afternoon.

The snow in Denver started falling Wednesday morning and hasn't stopped. Troy had to go into the office for a few hours and since my minivan has new snow tires, he drove that and left his little sedan. It was a good thing he did because he almost didn't make it home. The interstate was snowpacked and there were more abandoned cars than there were driving. Almost every exit was blocked from cars that were stuck in the snow. When he got onto local streets, there were cars stuck everywhere. There was even a city bus that had slid sideways, completely blocking all lanes of traffic. A little further down the road there was another bus stuck. Somehow Troy made it all the way to our driveway, and that's where he got stuck. At least he was home!

The kids and our huskie are loving all the snow. At first, Meka didn't know what to do when she needed to outside. She looked at the 2 ft snowdrift and then at me like, move the snow for me Mom! Finally, I had to pick her up and toss her out into the snow. Then she was happy and ran around like the snow dog she is.

This morning we woke up to about 32 inches total. We have snow drifts in our backyard that are 6ft high, the snow is packed up against our sliding glass door on the deck, and Troy's car is almost completely buried. I think we got another 4 or 5 inches this afternoon. My parents, Ian, Adam & his family, are all supposed to drive out here Friday to spend Christmas with us. No word yet whether the snow will postpone their trip.

Here's a video I made of our blizzard photos. I hope it works!
Love, MaryAnne & Family

Make an online slide show at onetruemedia.com

Powerless in Seattle

2006-12-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

Just to let you folks know, we are still without power at our house, and at my work. We're part of the unfortunate final 200,000 without power. All around us, power is coming back on, but we may be another day or two, due to downed trees.

We got by without any damage from trees or wind, but it got cold in a hurry. With both fireplaces going, we were keeping it about 50 degrees in the house, which was okay for two days, but was no longer fun. Fortunately, one of our friends in the ward got power back Saturday night, so they brought us their generator, and we were able to get the furnace, refrigerator, and a few lights up. We have been cooking on our gas grill outside, which has a side burner, but we also baked a cake, and roasted a turkey yesterday. That has been nice.

Some of the problems we ran into included with the power outages, most of the few stores that were open, could not process debits or credit card transactions, so we had to get some cash. In the future, we are going to keep a little on hand. Gas was also in short supply, as with out power, the stations couldn't pump gas. There were two hour waits on Friday, and almost that long on Saturday. Church meetings for our entire stake were cancelled yesterday to save on gas, and keep people off the roads, as there are still many trees down. I had to detour drastically to get to work today, where we are running some computers off of a generator, but no heat, and no lights. It is probably 35 degrees in here as I type this.

We bought some hand crank radios and shaker flashlights (ie, no batteries to run down), and those have also been lifesavers. We went through half our firewood supply in the first 48 hours. Until we got the generator, we were probably 24 hours from having to seek shelter somewhere else.

But, we are all okay, no damage, just about three days behind on our final Christmas shopping, so we hope to get caught up today. Take care,

Kevin & Katie & family
- Pardon the spelling if I missed anything, my fingers are almost numb while I type this at work.

Late Night Update

2006-12-12T22:37:00.000-08:00

For all of you Utah Jazz fans, I just wanted to let you know that I am still a believer, and was anxious to see Sloan get his 1000th win, especially in the way that they did over Dallas last night. This team, with Boozer and Williams, may be almost as good as the Malone-Stockton years when they went to the NBA finals. It's been refreshing to see them play well the start of this season, and to win over good teams like Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix. Too bad they aren't in the Eastern Conference in the same division with the Knicks and the 76ers, or they might be 18 and 3 or something like that at this point. Wish I could say the same about the Sonics, but they just aren't up to that level yet.

We are just finalizing all of the details for Jake and AJ's wedding on the 30th in Oakland, and the open house up here on the 6th. Carrie is supposed to hear about her National Board Certification early in the morning. I hope that all her hard work is rewarded. She also interviewed with Bellevue Community College about teaching some evening Spanish classes there. She thinks that might be fun.

Well, it's late here, so I am going to check out, but just thought I would say hi, as I haven't posted for a few days.

Kevin