Holly's Times

Baby Blankets Galore!

2010-02-26T13:56:00.011-07:00

This February, Ashley, Cami, and I had lots of fun making baby blankets! My two sisters and my sister-in-law recently had babies! Being the non-sewer that I am, I decided if ever there was a time to celebrate and give sewing another try, now was that time! Ashley and Cami love to sew, so they were thrilled by the idea. It was a rewarding experience working on this project with my two oldest daughters.

These are the blankets we made for Makinlee, Gilbert, and Rodney.

And we didn't stop there! The sewing continued. We signed up for Disney's Give a Day, Get a Disney Day and the service we chose was to donate blankets to the Linus Foundation. My first thought was to make the easy no-sew fleece blankets. But fleece was more expensive than flannel and we would have had to donate 2 fleece blanets for each person instead of just the 1 flannel blanket. So we sewed some more, 8 more. (Make that 9, we gave one as a gift to Marye Eby for her little Porter.) They turned out super cute, even if I do say so myself.

Here are the 8 baby blankets we donated for our day at Disney Land!

Thank you, Ashley and Cami for all of your help sewing. Perhaps we should find another project to work on together!

February Focus (or my goals part 2)

2010-02-01T15:48:00.006-07:00

Another one of my New Years Goals is to take better care of my body.

Heavenly Father has blessed me with a wonderful body but I am sorry to say I have abused it for years, although not intentionally. In the March 2008, General Young Women's Conference Sister Dalton,then a counselor in the YW's General Presidency (now the President), spoke about the importance of taking care of our bodies. She said most, if not all of Satan's attacks are directed at our bodies. He wants to get us addicted and cause us to defile our bodies. I hadn't really thought about that but I see that it is true. I don't smoke, drink or use drugs but I have given in to the temptations of overeating, eating the wrong kinds of foods, and neglecting to exercise regularly. This has impacted how I feel about myself and how others see me and therefore has affected my service to my family, others, and Heavenly Father. Satan is sly. Overeating doesn't seem so bad and yet it hurts my temple, the house of my spirit. I am going to stop letting Satan get me on this one! I am going to repent and ask Heavenly Father to help me change! I am going to take care of the precious gift Heavenly Father has given me: my body and become a better instrument in His hands!

My plan is tow fold:

1) Fully live the Word of Wisdom-not just the "don'ts" but the "dos" too!

That means whole grains for me- no more of the empty calorie white stuff, LOTS of veggies and fruits, and meat sparingly.

Along with the white flour and rice, I'm cutting out refined sugars, too.

And I'm saying goodbye again to soda! :-( (Giving up caffeine- free Diet Coke just may be the hardest thing I do! Is it really that bad for me? Mostly I want to give it up cause it's seems like such a waste of $$$$. I'm tired of contributing to the Coca Cola Company.)

2)Exercise daily

I want to walk /run 1000 miles in 2010!

Lofty I know, especially since I only managed to walk 12 miles in all of January-it was too cold - that is my lame excuse!

February I really need to get my act together and pound some pavement! (I figure I'm going to need to log 4 miles most days to reach my goal.)

I want to run a 5k, I'm thinking the Running With Angels 5k . I read Pamela Hansen's book by the same title several years ago and loved it! Now I want to follow her example.

And I want to master Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred! I tried it for the first time this morning and I could hardly do level 1! It was only a 20 minute workout, that was even cut a little short because Faith pushed a button. I was all too happy letting her skip me to the cool down! It was a challenge! Josh did it last night and warned me that it was hard (of course he used 15 lb. weights and the weights I used were only 3lbs). I've got a long ways to go to master all three levels of this video workout but I can imagine how much better I'll look and feel when I do!

I've had a lot of fun eating more healthy during January. I've tried some new foods like tofu, sweet potato soup, flax seed, and brussel sprouts. I've made bread with a mixture of whole grains . Who knew I could and should make bread with other grains besides wheat? I've grown and eaten bean and radish sprouts and I now feel a sense of accomplishment when I eat a serving of spinach for breakfast either blended in my berry smoothie or scrambled in my eggs. I've never been good at eating my green leafy vegetables before.

My focus for February is to continue the healthy eating while eliminating the unhealthy. I told the kids and Vaughn I was going the whole month without sugar or soda. The kids will hold me to it! Thankfully February is the shortest month! I'm also tackling my lack of exercise problem! I've got to start logging the miles, training for my 5k, and making some progress in my fitness with Jillian.

Here's to a healthy month of February!

Memorize and Repeat!

2010-01-27T22:37:00.006-07:00

I found this great quote on a blog I often visit: ...and Spiritually Speaking.

Commit this to memory!

“Everything works out in the end.

If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end."
(then just keep repeating it, until you believe it:)

I got a good chuckle out of this ...and yet I think it might actually be true! Sometimes I feel like things will never work out but looking back I see they do.

My Goals for 2010 -and the rest of my life! (Part 1)

2010-01-15T11:20:00.005-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about goals this January. In the past I've set a lot of goals and achieved some of them. Sometimes, discouraged by my lack of progress I've temporarily given up on striving towards my goals. Ultimately, I know that goals are key to helping us reach our potential as children of God so I've set myself some lofty ones.

Since this blog is about me --Holly's Times, and since I'm going to be intently focusing on my goals, I've decided to blog about them. I'll do it in installments otherwise this post would be way too looooonnnnng!

First and foremost I've decided that I want to be like the prophets, Enoch and Abraham. " Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5: 22, 24) and Abraham "[sought] to be a greater follower of righteousness and to possess a greater knowledge" (Abraham 1:2) . This is what I want!!!!!!

I want to walk with God.

I want to be a greater follower of righteousness and to possess a greater knowledge.

The way I am going to strive for these goals are:

Pray more, pray a lot, pray, pray, pray.

I'm going to pray on my knees, I'm going to keep a prayer in my heart. I'm going to stop hearkening to the evil spirit and neglecting to pray. I am going to pray!

Keep a Prayer Journal

While thinking about how to improve the quality and effectiveness of my prayers I realized that I have taken the awesomeness of prayer for granted! If I were given the opportunity to have an appointment with someone of importance in the world, I would prepare for my appointment. I would write down the topics I would like to discuss with this person so I wouldn't forget and during the interview I would be sure to take notes. When I pray I have the opportunity to talk not to an imperfect mortal, but to an Omnipotent God who knows all things! And yet, inspite of this wonderful blessing of being able to talk with God whenever I want, I have fallen into the trap of vain repetitions and an often meaningless ritual.

With a prayer journal I hope this can change. I will write down those things that I want to talk over with Heavenly Father so I don't forget and I will listen and record the promptings I receive.

Record for my posterity the meaningful experiences I have had with prayer.

Remembering these experiences will help strenthen my faith and possibly help my posterity. Making the effort to record them may also show Heavenly Father how much I do value these experiences and then perhaps He will bless me with more!

Study, study, study the scriptures and the words of the prophets.

I want to become a gospel and scripture scholar. The definition of scholar is "a learned person; someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines". I don't want this for show but to show God I value His word and to know Him better.

In summary, I see these aren't really new goals: praying and scripture study-they are the basics that I have been trying to do all of my life, but I am still excited to rededicate myself. It will be awesome to strive to be like Enoch and Abraham! And what could be more wonderful in this life than to walk with God and be a great follower of righteousness and possess great knowledge?!

I'm off to post these on my mirror so I won't forget!

2010-01-08T12:34:00.003-07:00

I cleaned out the fridge this morning and found a lot of apples that no one wanted to eat anymore due to a bruise here or a blemish there. I googled" healthy apple recipes" and stumbled upon a great website : Meal Makeover Moms http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/.

It is my New Year's Resolution to eat more healthy, AND (even harder), help the kids and Vaughn to eat more healthy! Meal Makeover Moms may be a great tool in helping me achieve my goals.

This is the recipe I am going to make:

Apple Blueberry Walnut Crisp

Makes 6 Servings
Ingredients
3 large Red or Golden Delicious apples (about 2 pounds), unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 pint blueberries (1 cup) or 1 cup frozen wild blueberries
3/4 cup walnuts, very finely chopped
1/4 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the apples, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl and toss to coat. Gently toss in the blueberries.
Place the apple mixture in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish and set aside.
To make the topping, combine the walnuts, oats, brown sugar, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the canola oil and stir until the dry ingredients are well coated. Spread the topping evenly over the fruit mixture.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and the topping is golden brown (cover with foil if the topping browns too quickly). Serve with lowfat vanilla frozen yogurt or a dollop of light whipped cream.
Nutrition Information per Serving: 260 calories, 16g fat, (1.5g saturated, 2.3g omega-3), 105mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 4g protein, 10% vitamin C

Saying Goodbye to 2009

2009-12-31T14:07:00.011-07:00

2009 has come and gone. It has been a good year for our family, perhaps a tad too busy for my liking and that explains my lack of blogging, but looking back I see how truly blessed we have been.

January found me happily caring for my sweet newborn baby Faith (and recuperating from a C-section). I tried to keep everything else to a minimum so I could have plenty of time to just enjoy my baby!

In February we blessed Faith, said our last farewells to Great Grandma Spendlove, who returned shortly after to her heavenly home, and celebrated Xiaoyi's (our foreign exchange student from China) 16th birthday! We also had the privilege of going as a family to the Draper Temple Open House. It was a neat experience for Vaughn and me to share with our children and non-member Xiaoyi the beauty and importance of the temple. I attempted to participate in our neighborhood's Biggest Loser Challenge but I found it to be frustrating because I couldn't make enough time to exercise! I struggled to keep up with nursing a newborn, caring for 8 other children (Xiaoyi included), the housework, laundry, and meal preparations.

By March I figured out how to make time for walking. Vaughn and I had a contest to see who could log the most miles on our ipods with nike plus. I had to be creative and entertain Enoch and Faith in the stroller while I walked, or get up super early, or walk after everyone was settled for the night. I logged 72 miles, not enough to beat Vaughn, who had LOTS of free time to walk ALONE, but an accomplishment nevertheless! I still struggled with my daily chores but the walking helped me to feel good in spite of being overwhelmed.

Bad weather interfered with my walking and in April I struggled with depression. (I should learn from this!!!!) As Activity Committee Chair I pulled off a successful ward Easter Egg Hunt with LOTS of help and support from my awesome committee.

I felt better in May but I longed for solitude-a luxury not easy to come by as the mother of 9 (including my Chinese daughter)! Enoch turned 3 in May! (Amazingly enough I even posted about it.) Josh turned 14! And Ashley received two awards at Maeser's Award Ceremony: Top Latin Student and 11th Grade's Top Socratic Seminar (History and English) Student! Another highlight of May was our annual family vacation to Bear Lake over Memorial Day weekend. As always it was a lot of fun to stay in Grandma's and Grandpa's house and play and swim with all of the Kearl family.

June brought relief from the stress caused by school (except for Cami's summer school) but it was still a busy month. Rebekah had a birthday and turned 7! We took a little day trip to Silver Lake. Rachel went to Bear Lake with Aunt Amy for a week. Xiaoyi returned to China. Uncle Will and his friend Steve came to visit from Texas and took everyone (but Grandpa and Grandma Spendlove-they were still in Europe) to dinner at KFC! I was in charge of a ward breakfast in conjunction with the primary's bike parade. Ashley, Cami, and Josh went to Youth Conference. Josh had Scout Camp. We helped build our ward's float and then we (Vaughn and I) were put in charge of getting it to and from the parade route (not an easy feat just ask Vaughn) and making sure we had enough people to pull, ride on, and walk with the float for the two Lehi parades. I was really grateful to have that whole project done!!! And Grandma and Grandpa Spendlove returned from their mission to England!

July brought a trip to Yellowstone for Josh with the young men and leaders; a Spendlove family visit to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House; my Seminary Council Reunion mainly made possible due to Facebook; girls camp for Ashley, Cami, and Vaughn. (Yes, Vaughn, he loves to volunteer at girls camp as a priesthood holder every year); our 19th wedding anniversary; a Kearl family cookout in the mountains; an awesome Spendlove family vacation including a day spent enjoying the amusements of Park City and a camp out at Heber Valley girls camp. July was a fun month!

We began August at Bear Lake for Raspberry Days and lots of time at the beach! I found my turns on the wave runner to be exhilarating! Our last blast of summer fun was a spur of the moment camp out in the backyard. Vaughn and Faith passed on this one but the rest of us had lots of fun! The rest of August was spent preparing to go back to school-lots of school shopping, assessments, and meeting of teachers and then all too soon school was in session. Also in August was the blessing of being able to attend the dedication of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and the surprise of ward boundary changes, we suddenly found ourselves in a new ward.

September brought Cami's 16th birthday and her first date to Maeser's Homecoming Dance! It was also the month I trained at Velocity during their Pound for Pound Challenge (Velocity donated 1 pound of food to the food bank for every 1 pound we lost.) I lost 6 pounds and saw a lot of fitness improvements. It was a lot of hard training but I loved it!

In October we got to go as a family to Vaughn's mission reunion and meet Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve, Vaughn's mission president in Bordeaux, France 20 years ago; Ashley retook the ACT test after MUCH preparation and improved her score by a considerable amount; Cami, Josh, and I biked the Provo trail with Grandpa Spendlove; and of course we celebrated Halloween!

November was a birthday month: Rachel turned 9, Ashley turned 18, and Vaughn turned 29 again! Cami's good friend, Jared died and we mourned his passing. We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Moore and Kearl families and keeping with tradition we saw Fantastic Mr. Fox with the Spendloves. I went the day after Thanksgiving with my brother, Rich and his wife, Amy,and my sister, Jodi and her husband, Naaman, to Nephi to visit my sister, Marci, who had her sweet little baby, Makinlee, 3 weeks early! Ashley and Cami were good enough to tend for all of us (11 little kids) while we made this excursion. Saturday night Jodi and I made an extra trip to Nephi to spend the night with Marci in her hospital room when we found out Makinlee was having difficulties and needed to be transported to a hospital in Provo. We didn't want her to stress and worry alone. Then Sunday morning after an uncomfortable night spent in a hospital recliner, I wrote a talk in the hospital parking lot and drove home just in time to speak in Sacrament meeting with the family in our new ward.

The craziness has continued in December! An opportunity to take a CNA class for free presented itself and I seized it! During the first 3 weeks of the month I spent 54 hours in class and 24 hours at a nursing home doing clinicals. I was super busy but I loved it! It was a thrill to be back in a learning environment. I did miss class one evening in order to celebrate Noelle's 11th birthday! I took my final and finished the course on the 17th. Then it was a mad rush to make up for lost time and prepare for Noelle's birthday party with friends, Faith's 1st birthday, and of course, Christmas! (I'm thinking that since December 21 was kind of a blur, I shouldn't have to add another year to my age! Am I right?) Thankfully, we had a very merry Christmas! And life has finally slowed down enough for me to catch my breath just in time for 2010!

2009-07-28T23:37:00.005-06:00

My mom knows I love to read so she often gives me books as gifts. This past Mother's Day she gave me My Dear Sisters by President Gordon B. Hinckley. It is a sweet inspirational book full of beautiful art and uplifting quotes for women from President Hinckley. I reread it recently and his following words really make me want to be better:

"You have the potential to become anything to which you set your mind. You have a mind and a body and a spirit. With these three working together; you can walk the high road that leads to achievement and happiness. But this will require effort and sacrifice and faith."

I'm not sure what I want to be???

I do know that I have a long ways to go to reach my potential and I want to stop wasting time in mediocrity and get on that high road that leads to achievement and happiness.

Now, to muster up the faith and make the effort and sacrifice required....

Charity in Action

2009-05-22T00:19:00.006-06:00

Sometimes life is hard! And a helping hand means so much!

I caught Tyler with my camera but there have been so many others who have served me and my family through the years. I am very thankful to all.

" And behold I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." Mosiah 2:17

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Matthew 22: 37-39

I Can't Believe Enoch is Three!

2009-05-18T16:30:00.006-06:00

On May 11, my little guy turned 3! Where does time go? It doesn't seem that long ago that he turned 2, or was born for that matter. What a joy he has been to our family! We still can't get over how cute he is.

Enoch admires his big brother Josh. He enjoys chillin with his big sisters, Ashley and Cami, and he loves to play house with Noelle, Rachel, and Rebekah. It breaks his heart when they go outside to play with their friends and he has to stay inside.

Enoch is gentle and loving to his little sister Faith. When she cries, he says, "Don't cry, I'm here, I'm here." He constantly smothers her with love and says “Oh, she is so cute, she is so cute.”

Enoch is affectionate. It fills my heart with joy when he comes up and says, "Mom, I love you." He is a singer. He bursts into songs like "I Am A Child of God" "Three Little Speckled Frogs" and "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock" throughout the day. He loves books and is always looking for someone to read to him. He knows the alphabet and loves his letters.

Enoch is a very important part of our family! I am thankful to Heavenly Father for him.

Dry Bones! Not Me!

2009-05-15T18:13:00.005-06:00

I linked to an uplifting post today of Nurture Mama entitled:

Be a Joyful Mama

"All of you are children of the Most High." Psalm 82:6

"Be a joyful mother of children." Psalm 113:9

"Children are an heritage of the Lord" and "Happy is the [woman] who hath [her] quiver full of them." Psalm 127: 3, 5

It is not always easy to be a joyful mother of children but the world is a happier place when we are!

I am recommitting to be "a joyful mama!"

Besides what is the other option? An all time favorite funny verse tells me:

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Proverbs 17:22

Who wants dry bones?!

The Ultimate Career

2009-05-08T00:38:00.009-06:00

I found this quote on a blog entitled My Lady which I stumbled upon. It has caused me to wake up from a worldly stupor:

"The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only-- and that is to support this ultimate career."

-C.S. Lewis

I have been struggling. Satan has tried to make me feel I am missing out because I have chosen to be a homemaker for these many years instead of pursuing a career outside of the home. This quote has reminded me that I have no reason to feel bad about my choices. I have the ultimate career!
What a blessing it is to have the title of Mom and Homemaker! Now it's time for me to stop taking this marvelous opportunity for granted and to rise to the great responsibility!

A Post Dedicated to Grandma Moore, Mom, and Ashley

2009-05-01T23:00:00.012-06:00

"I sometimes wish every girl had access to a sewing machine and training in how to use it. She could then make her own attractive clothing." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

Ashley went to Prom on April 25 with Bronson Whitmore. She had a great time! It was fun to watch from the side lines as a mom. However, my most favorite part of it all was being able to help Ashley sew her dress.

She decided several months ago that she wanted to make her own prom dress as one of her Young Women Value Projects. I was secretly worried because I hadn't done much sewing since my wonderful grandmother, and dear mom gave up on teaching me many years ago. But Ashley was determined. She bought a pattern while on a shopping excursion with Vaughn and then persistently reminded me that prom was getting closer.

Unable to procrastinate any longer, but afraid to actually begin I helped her make a trial run out of an old orange flowered sheet. Once I could see that we actually could make a dress that fit, I mustered up the courage to begin on the real thing: purple taffeta.

Ashley did most of the pinning, cutting, and sewing. I read the pattern and showed her what to do and how to do it. I am happy to say all of my grandma's and mom's efforts to teach me to sew weren't in vain! It felt great to be able to pass this skill I learned from them on to my daughter.

Now, I think we may have caught the sewing bug! The sewing machine hasn't been packed away yet like it usually is. Ashley and I each have a few projects in mind, Cami has been sewing together all of the jean squares she cut out last summer, and Noelle has been begging to create something, too.

Family Home Evenings

2009-04-29T22:38:00.014-06:00

Family Home Evenings have been very good at our house lately. Not because Vaughn and I have done anything spectacular, but because our kids have.

Josh taught a couple of great lessons, on service and gratitude, complete with scriptures to look up and read, and his testimony. Ashley prepared and presented a touching Easter message.
And Noelle spent the Sunday afternoon before her lesson on the Word of Wisdom, preparing visual aides while everyone else in our household over 8 napped.

Living the Word of Wisdom helps you to be healthy and happy.

Breaking the Word of Wisdom will make us unhealthy and unhappy.

(See Doctrine and Covenants 89)

A Wise Principle For Dealing With Difficult People

2009-04-18T19:25:00.007-06:00

A friend of mine on Facebook posted a link today that I found to be quite useful:
How to Stop Difficult People from Zapping Your Energy and Happiness . Fortunately, I do not have to deal with too many difficult people in my life but for those times when I do run across a porcupine I will now be prepared! Well, at least in theory! (There is the minor detail of actually applying this new info.)

I recommend you read the original post but in a nutshell, this is what I learned from Brian Vaszily:

What zaps our energy and happiness more powerfully and rapidly than anything else is our reaction to difficult people. Difficult people are not responsible for zapping our energy and happiness. We are in control of ourselves. We have a choice in how we respond.

He recommends that we make a list of the difficult people in our lives and then think, of all things: What about this person is worth emulating?!

Vaszily goes on to say: "It is our reactionary egos that are prone to completely trash those who seem to have a negative influence in some way on us. Our egos are primitive; if somebody strokes them, that somebody is good, and if somebody kicks them, that somebody is bad.

This lingering reaction creates the notion of “dislike,” or hate, which blocks our eyes, mind and heart from focusing on anything but the negative. But by focusing on the negative in anyone – “I really don’t like that person” -- we are doing by far the most damage to ourselves.

Honing in on what we don’t like in people (or in situations for that matter) won’t change them, but it does make our lives considerably less peaceful and sucks away our energy and happiness. It becomes a habit that perpetuates the self-damage. Plus it makes us considerably less attractive to others."

So there you have it. Now we know what to do, lets just do it!

2009-04-18T03:27:00.010-06:00

I overdosed on caffeine a few hours ago and now I can't sleep! I haven't done this since my high school days when I worked at a restaurant and I could drink all the diet coke I wanted for free. Rather than wasting my time in bed I decided to make use of this jittery energy and do something? Anything? to save my blog!?!

The perfectionist in me has been stressed out by all of life that I didn't chronicle last year; the overwhelmed me realizes there is no way I will ever adequately "catch up"; the aspiring blogger in me does not want to abandon ship; and so I'm doing the only thing I can do. I'm letting bygones be bygones and moving forward.

I'll just say that 2008 was a year of many afflictions that culminated in the great blessing of receiving sweet little Faith. Would I do it again? Whole heartedly I say YES!!! But I am grateful, very grateful that I don't have to.

Sweet Little Faith when she was 1 month old.

2009 has so far been a little kinder and yet... Heavenly Father has not seen fit to lift all of the heavy burdens. I am trying now to more fully"Come unto Christ" for I truly need His rest!

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matt: 11:28-30

Time to Catch Up!

2009-02-23T10:20:00.011-07:00

Christmas 2008

Santa Came!

The stockings weren't exactly hung by the
chimney but Santa filled them anyways!

Ashley always takes good care of Enoch.
Bekah wants to help too!

What did Santa bring Josh?

Hurry Noelle!

It's a barbie!

Noelle gave Rachel the coveted golden ball!
Rachel also gave one to Noelle. How tricky!

Santa knew Cami likes to exercise!

A Rubiks Cube was on Xiaoyi's list!

Enoch got a new outfit!

Bekah enjoying Christmas!

The only thing that would have made our Christmas better would have been to have sweet little Faith at home with us. She was having difficulties breathing and so she had to stay in the hospital for one more day. I went back to the hospital Christmas afternoon to be with her. Cami came with me to keep me company.

2009-02-13T07:38:00.004-07:00

When I first started this blog I was so excited and had high hopes of keeping an online family journal and I was doing quite well but then the sickness that accompanies my pregnancies hit and I fell into a black hole.

When Faith arrived I emerged from the black hole!! And it has been such a joy to have her as part of our family! But it has taken me awhile to figure out how to add one more person's needs into my already busy life and stay balanced. I still don't have it figured out?! I am beginning to think that I will never figure it out!

So even though life is chaotic and at times I feel like I don't even have time to breathe I am going to start blogging again! Soon...

2009-01-02T18:11:00.020-07:00

Announcing the arrival of

Holly Faith Spendlove

December 22, 2008

1:54 p.m.

7 lbs 3 0z

19 in

American Fork, Utah

It had been a long hard 9 months and I must admit I was thrilled my blood pressure was high and I needed to be induced!

Vaughn had to wear a mask and gown.

The baby was breech so I had my first c-section.

Noelle thinks "Dad looks like a lunch lady!"

I was sad I couldn't hold my baby right away.

Finally!

It was all so worth it!

The weather outside was frightful the day Faith was born so by the time the Vaughn was able to bring the kids to the hospital to see their new little sister they were unable to see her up close because she had been moved to the NICU.

Our Family Welcomes Xiaoyi!

2008-09-16T07:46:00.011-06:00

On August 14 Vaughn, Ashley, Cami, and I went to Maeser's Back to School Night. While Ashley and Cami socialized and I waited in the long lines to pay fees and get schedules, Vaughn wandered around the school. He came across a stack of papers that contained profiles of students from around the world who wanted to be foreign exchange students but still needed host families. A cute girl from China, Xiaoyi, really grabbed his attention. He brought me her profile and told me, "I really think we should do this!" It didn't seem very feasible. Sure it would be fun BUT...We have 7 children already! I am expecting in January! and we aren't exactly made of money! How could we host a foreign exchange student!?!

We called the phone number of the Nacel Open Door Representaive anyways "just to see" what it all entailed and ... it sounded like a lot of work... forms to fill out, a home visit, a background check.... Vaughn and I AVOID extra work so we decided not to bother, "We had enough on our plate already and besides, on Nacel's website it didn't even look like Xiaoyi still needed a host family and if we were going to do this we had our hearts set on her!"

The Rep didn't give up like we had. She somehow managed to get us excited enough to at least fill out the forms. Then she invited herself on over to do the home visit. I had to beg for a day to clean! She wanted to come in an hour! We must have passed the background check because on August 26, Vaughn received an e-mail from Xiaoyi thanking us for being her host family!

We picked Xiaoyi up at the airport on Thursday, August 28 (only 2 weeks after first looking at her profile)!

And I must say it has been a WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE to have Xiaoyi as part of our family! I stongly feel Heavenly Father has had a hand in this arrangement. I am very grateful to Him for making it all work out so well.

Too Sick to Blog!!!

2008-06-16T14:44:00.002-06:00

As much as I have enjoyed blogging, for right now due to "morning" sickness that lasts all day I don't feel up to blogging or anything else. Hopefully I will be able to resume living in a few more weeks.
Yes, if you haven't already heard, this is an announcement! I am expecting my last baby the first part of January!!!

Spendlove Family Dinner

2008-05-19T13:34:00.006-06:00

We had the Spendlove family over for dinner Sunday evening. We celebrated Katarina's, Rebekah's, Enoch's, Derek's, and Josh's birthdays! It was fun to see everyone again! We missed Larry,Venise, and Will.

All of the cousins

Another Softball Update

2008-05-15T22:19:00.002-06:00

Some of us are spending a lot of time at the ball park. It's been fun to watch Cami play. On Monday the Indians won their game against the Blue Jays 13 to 12! On Wednesday it seemed they were going to win again against the Gators. They were ahead the whole game until the last inning and then nothing went right for the Indians. The final score was 10 to 17. Oh, well we can't win them all.

Happy Birthday to Enoch!

2008-05-12T22:32:00.005-06:00

Enoch the day he was born

May 11, 2006

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Enoch!

Happy Birthday to you!

Sweet little Enoch turned 2 on May 11, Mother's Day! What a blessing he has been to our family! We are so grateful Heavenly Father sent him to us!

Enoch blowing out the candles on his cake!

Our Weekend

2008-05-12T09:46:00.018-06:00

We had quite the weekend!

Vaughn lined his sister, Debbie, up with Steve, a friend from work. So on Friday night Vaughn and I went on a double date with them to The Gateway. We ate dinner at Biaggi's Italian Restaurant, and watched Ironman. It was an enjoyable evening for me, except I slept through some of the movie!

That night Ashley went to a school dance with her friends. When she got dropped off at home she found the door locked. She borrowed a cell phone and called the house and she and her friends pounded on the door but nothing woke Josh, Rachel, Rebekah, or Enoch. (Cami and Noelle were tending Preston and Katarina at Debbie's house.) So she got to have a sleepover! When Vaughn and I got home we found a note from her on the door and heard her message on the phone: "Hello, wake up! Come let me in!...."

On Saturday morning, Vaughn went to work. I went to pick up Ashley. And Noelle fell into our deep window well head first! Miraculously she wasn't seriously hurt. She got a bloody nose, and a small cut on the bridge of her nose. Cami and her friend Meeghan were the ones who handled the crisis. When Ashley and I got home they had her all cleaned up and feeling better. Now Noelle's nose is slightly swollen and a light purple in color.

Shaylee, Aubrey, and Chance came to play on Saturday! Everyone was excited except for Chance. He wanted his mom!

Our awesome new neighbors invited us to come over Saturday afternoon for a barbeque. They didn't even care that we had 4 extra kids (Meeghan, Shaylee, Aubrey, and Chance) . They still wanted us to come! We had a great time getting to know them a little better and the food was great!

Saturday evening we went to the park with the Kearl family. Everyone came except Uncle Rich. Grandma Kearl prepared a picnic dinner. Thanks Mom! We celebrated Mother's Day and Enoch's and Aubrey's birthday.

Enoch hanging out in the swing

Rachel (above) and Rebekah eating cake

Enoch enjoying his birthday cake

Josh did 25 push-ups! I can't even do one.

I think I will take on the challenge and learn from Josh's example to do 25 push-ups!

Here's my goal: 25 push-ups by August 1, 2008!

Noelle being pretty even with a sore nose!

Naaman, Ella, Dad and Tyler

Jodi in the background and Mom

Marci and Amy cleaning up!

Kasen wrapped up in his blanket

Mother's Day was great! The High Priests and the Elders ran Primary so I got to go to Sunday School and to Young Womens with Ashley and Cami. The YW leaders prepared a special lesson and light lunch for the girls and their moms. Thanks to all the High Priests, Elders, and YW leaders!! It was a real treat!

After church Vaughn and the children showered me with cards and gifts and I got to relax the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Happy Mother's Day!!

2008-05-11T06:00:00.005-06:00

I Have Been Blessed With a Wonderful Mother!

She taught me to pray.

She took me to church even when it was as struggle with 3 small children.

She taught me the gospel.

She read to me and instilled in me a love of reading and learning.

She always prepared well balanced meals.

She let me sit on the counter when I was little and "help" her make cookies even though now I realize it would have been so much easier to do it without me.

She taught me to work by example, working with me, and expecting a lot. I remember cleaning, and being called back to redo what I had missed, shelling peas for what seemed like hours, weeding long rows of vegetables, picking raspberries, husking corn, washing dishes, folding clothes.... I just didn't get why she liked to work so much?? Now I am grateful she did! (Mom, I now know it is because you worked so hard that you always fell asleep during movies.)

She made my lunches.

She wrote me little notes thanking me for my help and left them for me to find.

She took me shopping and sacrificed her own wants so I could have mine.

She listened to me.

She put up with A Lot of whining! (Sorry about that!)

She was, oh, so patient! How did you do it, Mom?

She taught me to drive even though that scared her.

She wrote me faithfully on my mission.

She has tended, played endless games, and done arts and crafts with my children.

She has always set a good example and magnified her callings.

She continues to be patient and hardworking.

She doesn't speak ill of others.

She is thoughtful and generous, always giving, always serving. She even gives gifts to her daughters for Mother's Day!

She truly is my wonderful mom!

She is a wonderful grandma!

Thank you, Mom! I love you! Happy Mother's Day!

I Have Also Been Blessed With A Wonderful Mother-in-law!

She raised a great son!

She taught him the gospel.

She welcomed me into her family and loved me as daughter.

She is generous, always giving.

She spent her birthday in 1998, in Nevada, away from the comforts of her own tending 3 little children while I was in the hospital delivering Noelle.

She went back to Nevada in 2000 to help me out again when I had Rachel.

She is always so optimistic.

She is a hard worker!

She (along with Larry) has taken each grandchild old enough on a special trip. Oh, how our children have looked forward to, enjoyed, and remembered with fondness this special vacation!

She loves the Lord and shares her testimony of the gospel and love for Him frequently.

She is setting a great example for her family by serving as a missionary.

She is a wonderful mother!

She is a wonderful grandmother!

Thank you Venise! I love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Ashley's Prom Pictures!

2008-05-06T18:55:00.013-06:00

A cute picture of Ashley and her friends, Stephanie (far left), Angela, and Stephanie (far right), posing after getting ready for Prom at Angela's house.

Silly Ashley!

Beautiful Ashley!

Happy Birthday Marilyn!

2008-05-06T18:48:00.006-06:00

Today is one of my best friend's birthday! Happy Birthday, Marilyn! The crazy thing is we met online of all places nearly 10 years ago! I was living in Nevada. She lived (and still lives) in Alabama. Although we both came from very different backgrounds, Marilyn, a Baptist in the Bible-belt and me, a Utah Mormon, we found common ground in our love for Jesus Christ and the ups and downs of motherhood. I got the chance to visit her and her family in the summer of 2000! It was one of the greatest weeks of my life! We've maintained our friendship ever since through letters, phone calls, and e-mails. This summer the plan is that she will come visit me and my family!! Marilyn, We can hardly wait!

Softball Update

2008-05-05T19:50:00.002-06:00

Yeah! The Indians won tonight! 18 to 1 against the Red Sox! Way to go Indians!

Indians 10 Braves 15

2008-04-30T20:05:00.006-06:00

Her team, the Indians, didn't win the first game of the season but Cami, who was really nervous, still played great! She got on base twice, ran home and scored once! In outfield she made a great stop of the ball. The game turned out to be fun and not as scary as she had thought. But it sure was cold!!!

My Future Missionary

2008-04-28T22:43:00.004-06:00

Josh got into the car today, as I picked him up from school, with his pocket sized copy of The Book of Mormon in his hand. He informed me he had memorized a new scripture and was going to memorize a new one each week. I was impressed. As we drove to pick up Ashley I asked him to teach me this week's verse. "Therefore remember, O man, .... Therefore remember, O man,... for all thy doings.... for all thy doings... thou shalt be brought into judgment.... thou shalt be brought into judgment" (1 Nephi 10:20) He also made sure I understood what it meant: for whatever we do, good or bad, we will be judged, so we should be careful. I agreed with him, yes, we should be very careful. By the time we arrived at Maeser I nearly had it down. (My brain seems to retain a little slower these days.)

Thanks Josh. I am looking forward to next week's verse!

Dad's Belated Birthday Spotlight

2008-04-28T16:11:00.011-06:00

I've decided to try and do a little birthday spotlight on the important people in my life.

Dad just celebrated his birthday on Saturday, April 26!!

Happy Belated Birthday Dad!

HERE ARE SOME GREAT THINGS ABOUT DAD

He is a very hardworker. He is happiest when he has a big project.

He is generous. When I needed money and asked him for a ten he gave me a twenty.

He is so talented! He can make or restore practically anything: robots, old cars, tractors, guns, awesome pinewood derby cars, campers, sheds, garages and a beautiful family home.

He is a Ham Radio Hero

He is quite the teaser! I remember him trying to pay with his "small checks", checking out our new shoes by tipping us upside down, sneaking food off our plates, and sneaking me his buttermilk at a restaurant. That one kind of backfired on him.

He has practically done it all: pilot, fireman, EMT, business owner, gardener, hunter....

Now he is Grandpa!

I appreciate all he has done for me. I now realize all that being a parent requires. It's not nearly as easy as I thought it was going to be!

This little story is one I tell my children about Grandpa Kearl. I think my Grandma Kearl told it to me as a little girl. I always thought it was very funny.

When my dad, your Grandpa Kearl was a little boy his mother bought him an ice cream cone at the little neighborhood store. He ate it as they walked home and upon arriving he sat on the porch outside to finish it. A few minutes later he came inside and gave the remainder of his cone to his mother. He didn’t want it any more. His mother finished it. A few minutes later Grandpa was asking his mom for another cone. His mother didn’t quite know what to think. “But you didn’t want your cone! You gave it to me!” she said. Little Grandpa replied, “I didn’t want that cone because the cat licked it. I want another cone!”

Thanks for the sacrifices you made on my behalf, Dad!! I love you.

Did I mention Dad can be silly?

Forget About Waiting For Mom

2008-04-28T07:25:00.008-06:00

Enoch gave us all a good laugh yesterday. Rachel made herself a peanut butter and honey sandwhich. Enoch saw her and wanted one. I was busy doing something and told him I would make him one in a minute. Then I forgot all about it. A few minutes later I came back into the kitchen and found him hard at work making his own sandwhich. He had managed to pull the loaf of bread and peanut butter to the floor and was spreading two slices of bread with peanut butter. I got my camera and took pictures. It's a good thing I mopped the floor on Saturday night so it was sort of clean.

Yummy!

Spreading peanut butter is hard work.

Ta Da! Enoch's first sandwhich!

An Addendum

2008-04-26T08:50:00.005-06:00

In all fairness to Ashley her prom dress wasn't as bad as I made it sound. Vaughn and I happen to be super picky about modesty!

I've Learned a Valuable Lesson

2008-04-25T18:04:00.004-06:00

Ashley decided yesterday to go to Prom tonight with a bunch of friends. They all went shopping last night for Prom dresses. I don't know what I was thinking letting her do this with friends. I guess I was a little relieved I didn't have to take her because I already had plans and frequently I let her social life change my plans and I didn't want to have that happen again. So I let her go.When I picked her up last night and saw the dress I wasn't too thrilled, but the receipt said in big bold letters NO RETURNS! Vaughn was less thrilled and put his foot down and said she couldn't wear it without some modifications. Needless to say that didn't go over too well. We had a very unhappy daughter last night and this morning. I spent the morning modifying the dress. Fortunately my neighbor, Lisa Ivie, who is talented at sewing was able to tell me what to do. I actually think it looks great now! It even got Ashley's approval when I took it to her after school. What a relief! So the moral of the story is : Don't let your daughter go shopping without you for her prom dress. I am sorry I had to learn the hard way with Ashley but hopefully it will save me from future anquish with Cami, Noelle, Rachel, and Rebekah.

Spring Break

2008-04-23T17:40:00.007-06:00

Spring break passed a little too quickly for most of us but we sure loved it while it lasted!

Ashley spent many hours during the break working on her quilt. She finished all but the binding. She even was available to take a few babysitting jobs (a rare thing- she usually has to much homework and a full social calendar) and earned some money. Ashley was the only one excited about returning to school, not necessarily to attend classes, just to see her friends.
Cami spent a lot of time practicing softball, reading Harry Potter, and of course babysitting.

Josh was fortunate enough to have a Scout trip to Goblin Valley. He did lots of hiking with his troop.

Josh is ready to go to Goblin Valley!!

Noelle, Rachel, and Rebekah played to their hearts content with their friends without homework getting in the way.

Enoch enjoyed having all of his fans so readily available. He did his best to get in on the fun. Jumping on the tramp is now one of his favorite activities.

All of the spring break action wore Enoch out. He fell asleep at the dinner table.

Playground Fun

2008-04-16T10:50:00.009-06:00

There is a playground at the ball park. So on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings while Cami was practicing softball, Noelle, Rachel, Rebekah, and Enoch braved the cold wind and had some fun.

Noelle

Rachel

Enoch

Rebekah

Rachel and Enoch

I Love living close to the Temple!

2008-04-16T10:40:00.007-06:00

I got to go to the temple early yesterday morning.! I found the peace and some of the answers I was looking for.

Squeazing In Some Fun While We Have the Sun

2008-04-16T10:17:00.005-06:00

I had promised Cami and Josh a bike ride on Monday so in spite of the ache in my heart for my friend we filled up our water bottles, strapped on our helmets, and hit the road on our "bikables" (Enoch's name for bicycles).

This is one of my favorite spots on the trail. It's even prettier when the plants are more green.

I made Cami and Josh stop and pose.

We had intended to ride to Utah Lake (9 miles) or at least to Willow Park (7 miles) but the wind was blowing and by the time we made it to the little park we went to on Saturday (4 miles) we were ready for a rest. Well, at least Cami and I were ready for a rest.

Josh could have gone on and on. I now realize all of those stops we made on Saturday were actually helpful, yes I will admit it even to impatient me. The ride home was easier. The wind was helping us. Even still, Josh left us in the dust.

Don't Leave for Tomorrow What You Can Do Today

2008-04-15T13:08:00.006-06:00

I am feeling sad. I just found out yesterday that a dear friend, who has already endured a year of Job like trials recently lost her husband. He was killed in a car accident.

As I've been pondering this tragedy I was reminded of Elder Claudio R.M. Costa's talk in October 2007 General Conference entitled : Don't Leave for Tomorrow What You Can Do Today

Elder Costa quotes a text posted on an airline communication board by the husband of a flight attendant who was killed in a devastating aircraft accident in July 2007 in Brazil.

The text epresses the urgency of not leaving for tomorrow what we can do today. It is based upon a poem by Norma Cornett Marek.

"Tomorrow Never Comes"

If I knew this would be the last time I would watch you sleep,I would hug you tighter.
I would plead with the Lord to protect you.
If I knew this would be the last time I saw you walk out the door,I would hug and kiss you and call you back to hug and kiss you one more time.
If I knew this would be the last time I would hear your voice in prayer,I would record every gesture, every look, every smile, every one of your words,So that I could listen to it later, day after day.
If I knew this would be the last time, I would spend an extra minute or two to tell you, "I love you," instead of assuming you already knew it.
If I knew this would be our last time, our last moment, I would be by your side, spending the day with you instead of thinking,
"Well, I'm sure other opportunities will come, so I can let this day go by."
Of course there will be a day to revise things,
And we would have a second chance to do things right.
Oh, of course there will be another day for us to say, "I love you."
And certainly there will be another chance to tell each other, "Can I help with anything?"
But in my case, there isn't one!
I don't have you here with me, and today is the last day we have—our farewell.
Therefore I would like to say how much I love you,
And I hope you never forget it.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old.
Today might be your last chance to hold tight to the hand of the one you love and show all you feel.
If you are waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
Because if tomorrow never comes, you certainly will regret for the rest of your life
Not having spent some extra time for a smile, a conversation, a hug, a kiss,
Because you were too busy to give that person what ended up being their last wish.
Then hug tight today the one you love, your friends, your family, and whisper in their ears how much you love them and want them close to you.
Use your time to say,
"I'm sorry,"
"Please,"
"Forgive me,"
"Thank you,
"Or even,
"That was nothing,"
"It's all right,"
Because if tomorrow never comes, you will not have to regret today.
The past doesn't come back, and the future might not come!

My friend's experience has reminded me how precious and uncertain our time together in this life is. We need to make sure we use the time we have to show our love for each other and to do God's work. We should live so as not to have regrets.

Our First Bike Ride This Year

2008-04-12T22:15:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite things to do is ride my bike on the trail behind our house. It's an escape! Except for when I take little people, then it becomes a lesson in patience.
Today Josh, Noelle, a couple of neighbor boys, and I decided to hit the trail for the first time this year. The little people had a lot of fun and Josh and I worked on developing more patience. We rode 4 miles to a park strategically placed along the trail, took a play break and after some coaxing to leave the park we pedaled home. With lots of stops to look at a moth, pick up a golf balls (the trail passes through a golf course), throw rocks into the river, use the restroom, take a drink, wait for stragglers, get Noelle's pants out of her chain, rest, and walk up a hill it took longer than I had hoped and Vaughn expected. He ended up coming to look for us. He found us about a mile from home.
Josh and I decided next time we'd do it alone.

Ashley admisisse ad Latinam Honoris Societatem (I think it means Ashley is a member of the Latin Honor Society)

2008-04-11T23:26:00.014-06:00

Ashley was honored today at school during a special assembly. She is Maeser Prep Academy's top Latin student!

Via praecessi Ashley! Nos es superbus vestrum!
( Way to go Ashley! We are proud of you!)

She attributes her success to the fact that she already knows what everyone is learning in class because she learned it as a homeschooler. Her teachers were none other than my homeschooling friend Karon Knauss, and myself, her mother. We taught ourselves and our children beginning Latin around the kitchen table.

Today's Scoop

2008-04-10T12:08:00.003-06:00

I (Holly) am super tired because I stayed up too late reading a book about blogs. It was very interesting!
Vaughn is home recuperating from a serious toothache. He had to have a root canal.
Ashley is peeved with us (Vaughn and Holly) because we don't see eye to eye with her on which American Idol contestant should go home tonight.
Cami is taking a math and writing placement test so she can get into Maeser Prep Academy next year.
Josh is in for a surprise when he gets home from school because I am spring cleaning his room today.
Noelle and Rachel are at school hopefully having a great day.
Rebekah is on a field trip to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point with her kindergarten class! She has been anxiously awaiting this event.
Enoch is "helping" me spring clean but it is almost nap time. What will I do without his help?

General Conference

2008-04-08T22:07:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Josh requested that we attend General Conference. Our bishop was able to get us 5 tickets for the Sunday morning session. Vaughn and I were a little reluctant to give up the wonderful, stress-free Sunday morning that only comes twice a year in exchange for getting up extra early, finding a place to park, and joining the conference crowds, but we are glad we did!

Ashley was gracious enough to volunteer to tend Rachel, Rebekah, and Enoch, who were too little to attend. (Being able to sleep in was a big incentive for her!)

Even though we were about as far away as we could get from the pulpit on the far corner of the balcony, Vaughn, Cami, Josh, Noelle (who was so excited to be old enough!), and I appreciated being there in the Conference Center hearing President Monson, the apostles, and other general authorities speak. It was a memorable experience.

After the session we walked through temple square and took a few pictures. (This time we had the battery in the camera.)

Here Josh, Cami, and Noelle are posing in the Hall of the Prophets next to the bust of President Gordon B. Hinckley. Being in the Conference Center, especially in this room, reminded us of President Hinckley's viewing. The Hall of the Prophets is where his casket was displayed.

The temple grounds were crowded but beautiful with all of the lovely spring flowers.

Let's Play Ball!!

2008-04-04T17:49:00.000-06:00

Cami tried out for softball yesterday. She's been practicing a lot but she was still really nervous.

Vaughn and I think she did a great job. We are proud of her for trying out!

General Young Women's Conference

2008-04-03T10:35:00.000-06:00

On Saturday Ashley, Cami, and I got to go downtown to the Conference Center to see the General Young Women's Conference. On the way we treated ourselves to an early dinner at Panda Express.

I was worried about parking but it turned out to be easy. We had a parking pass and we only had to drive around the block once to find the entrance. We made sure we brought the Mazda so we wouldn't have to worry about clearance difficulties. (We learned the hard way in a D.C. parking garage that our 12 passenger Chevrolet van is too tall for most parking facilities.)

The General YW Presidency and President Eyring gave some great talks. The music and surroundings were beautiful. We were however a little bit disappointed that President Monson didn't speak. We got a chuckle after the meeting as President Eyring waved his cane at us as he exited.

We took a few minutes after the meeting to see the Christus in the Visitors Center and I had planned on taking pictures of the girls on Temple Square with all of the flowers but I discovered that I forgot to put the battery back in the camera after I charged it. So we didn't get to take pictures. We still had an enjoyable afternoon and evening together. I am grateful I have such wonderful daughters.

My Dad, The Hero!!!

2008-03-28T22:46:00.001-06:00

Mom called tonight and told us to watch Dad on the news . This is the story that aired on KSL news:

Ham radio to the rescue where cell phones failed

March 28th, 2008 @ 10:15pm
Alex Cabrero reporting

When a woman crashed her car over a cliff in Logan Canyon, witnesses tried to call for help on their cell phones, to no avail. There is no cell coverage in the canyon. But one man was still able to call for help, using old-fashioned technology.

In the same Fish Haven, Idaho room where he grew up playing with radios, Eldon Kearl now seems to have them all. "It's been my hobby, electronics, all my life," he said.

He's particularly fond of ham radios. He can talk to just about anyone in the world with just a little handheld radio. He carries it all the time.
"Lots of organizations are realizing the value of the ham radio in the event of an emergency," Kearl said.
Last week in Logan Canyon there was an emergency. A driver lost control of her truck in the snow, falling more than 100 feet over a cliff. Two of her three passengers were thrown out.
Other drivers stopped to help, but with no cell phone coverage, it was at least a 30 minute drive to make a call. It just so happens that Kearl drove by and had his little radio. "Immediately, I had contact with another ham in Logan," he says.
On the other end was Roger Ellis. Ellis, who says he's still new when it comes to ham radios, was able to talk to Kearl and relay information to dispatchers. A half hour later, help was on the scene.
"It was great. That's the reason I got into this ham radio stuff is for the emergency communications. It felt good," Ellis said.
Even though everybody in the crash turned out OK, there were some injuries, and the Utah Highway Patrol says if not for those ham radio operators getting help so quickly, those injuries could've become worse. But, as Kearl says, "It all worked out pretty good."
Kearl and Ellis have never met, but since they live relatively close to each other, they plan on meeting each other in person soon.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com

Way to go Dad!

A New Adventure

2008-03-21T16:07:00.000-06:00

I am embarking on a new adventure! I am blogging! I am not even sure how to begin or what to do next. Hopefully I will learn as I do.