Entrepreneur Sage

Just wanted to let you all know that Sage has started a little business. You can go to her website to get a peek at what she's doing. And if any of you are interested we'll bring some out with us. We can't wait to see you all! YEEEEHA! Also, I've been attempting to update our family blog. Still behind a bit, but it's getting more current every day... Here's a link to the blogs. (They are also on the side of the DeLaMare Doings homepage).

LOVE YOU ALL!

snazzygirlhair.blogspot.com
7hikers.blogspot.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELE!!!!!
Just wanted to let you know that we are thinking about you and hope you had a wonderful day!
We love you!
The Bountiful Clan

Hospital Hill 10K

So on Saturday I ran my first 10k It was 6.34miles. And not only was it 6.34 miles it was 6.34 miles of HILLS!!!! It was so much harder than I thought. My goal was to finish it in under an hour and my finish time was 59:38. I reached my goal, but it was a struggle from mile 4 on.

I started too fast and was beat after the first 4 miles. I'm a solid 9.5-10 minute mile runner, but i did my first mile in 8:20 and first 2 miles in 17 min. Then we finished 4 miles in 36 min. So the last couple miles were pretty hard!!

I ran with my friend Michelle, and she literally talked me through the entire last mile! She's been an endurance athlete her entire life, so she did great! I plan on running it again next year and hopefully enjoying it more.

I plan on doing a 1/2 marathon in October, one without so many hills! But overall I'm pleased that I finished and in the time I wanted.

Andrew and the kids were waiting for me at the end! I just wanted to share with you! Love you all, hope everyone is good!

Aww, Thanks!

Meredith you are so sweet. Thank you. How did you know that I always wanted an ode to me? And here I thought I was going to have to write it myself. But now my life is a little more complete. I had a lot of fun with the kids and they were honestly really good. But I will say being a mom is hard work even if it is a pretend part-time one. My hat is off to all you mothers for all that you do on a daily basis.

In other news I have been officially accepted to Missouri State University for the Fall, studying accounting. Who knows, maybe this degree will stick this time. I was also awarded an out-of-state tution fee waiver which is about $5000 savings. Which is a blessing so I don't have to take out quite as much loans. Believe me no is shaking their head as much as me that I have decided to become an accountant. Especially since I always hated math but when I started to do it I realized I was actually kind of good at it. It makes my OCD detail-orientated brain happy to have everything balanced and in its place.

My ode to Diana!

So there's NO way I could have taken a little trip to help out a friend if it weren't for family! And I mean Diana. I should give props to Ben though because he took time out of his busy schedule (heehee) to take me to the airport! And for those of you who wondered or had doubts, we had a lovely conversation that Ben participated in. It was fun to talk to him. Really!

But to my dear dear dear (is that enough? maybe one more) dear Diana. In case you all forgot because she has been hiding out on the East coast, she is AWESOME! Yes I did mean to capitalize all of those letters. Anything less just wouldn't do justice. Diana stepped up and played mom for 3 and 1/2 days. She got Parker to and from school, Bailey to and from the sitters, and she made dinner for my family. And if that wasn't enough. Today both kids basically had meltdowns, Bailey was up most of last night (Andrew took care of that) so she was exhausted and they thought it best she stay home. Then Parker woke up with a fever! So he didn't go to school either! I mean it's one thing to stay all day with 2 kids it's another to stay with a sick kid and a ridiculously tired and crabby 2 year old. But she did it and did it well, the house looked better than it does when I stay home with sick kids! She was amazing, and I am so grateful for her willingness to help us out. THANK YOU DIANA!!!

I went to Alabama to spend time with a friend who needed help with her 17 month old and her new baby that has downs syndrome. She has no family around and not a lot of support. And here I have all this family support that allowed me to go! I am so grateful to be a part of this wonderful family. You have all loved and supported us in so many ways, I feel so blessed. I love you all so much.

Thank you for all you do!!!!!

PS After Andrew read this we were talking about it, and I failed to mention that this one the busiest weeks at work that Andrew has had since he started. His exact words were "She saved me." He was speaking of Diana of course. Just thought I'd add that little tidbit. Andrew couldn't have done it without you! Isn't that nice to know?

Perspective

This is worth watching. I've followed Stephanie's blog for a while now, and she is such an inspiration.

nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

I don't know her personally, but have a couple friends who do. What a woman!

Thanks everyone for your love and prayers. Rich went back to work yesterday. His back and cracked rib are giving him the worst pain at the moment. He told me he has to stand up every couple minutes to stretch his back, but that aggravates his rib. He just can't win. We sure love you! And hope all you wonderful women have a fantastic Mother's Day.

All my love,

Amy

it's a bird, it's a plane, it's...

not superman.

So, Friday we took off to Knolls (which is in the middle of nowhere) for a little fun. Unfortunately, it was short lived. Rich was having the time of his life on his motorcycle, and it ended when he came over the crest of a sand dune going too fast. His front wheel sunk and he went flying over his bike, and then the bike rolled over him. His back was hurt and entire torso is bruised up badly. The worse part was his shoulder that was dislocated and his clavicle that was munched.

It's been an intense couple of days, but we feel abundantly blessed that he came out of it as well as he did, and consider it a miracle that the kids and I were able to load up the trailer and get him home so quickly and smoothly. The Lord is aware of us. We have felt the spirit so strongly as we've gone through this experience... and it's not over yet. Tomorrow we'll schedule Rich for surgery. He's currently in bed, still rubbing sand out of his eyes and waiting out the day. Last night our Home Teacher and Stake President (who happens to be our next door neighbor) gave Rich a powerful and tender blessing. We feel comforted and taken care of. I'll post more as things progress. Please keep him in your prayers. We love you!

Amy
(There are more photos on 7hikers.blogspot.com)

Before

After

Natalie's Music Competition

I want to thank Natalie for inviting us to attend her state violin music competition. As I listening to the violinists that preceded her it seemed like they were focusing on playing music that emphasis technical difficulty or expertise. When Natalie started to play there was very profound and beautiful quality to her music. It may have been the violin she was playing, her selection or Natalie herself but the sound was so much more heart felt. Her playing was simply a pure sound from the soul. I was very moved in my feelings by her playing. This is a rare gift of playing from the heart and I hope she continues to play and enjoy her music throughout her life. Again thank you Natalie for giving us the privilege of hearing you play.
Thumbs Up! Grand Dad

Birthday Picture

Mom's Surprise

I want to thank each of you for coming down and surprising your mother and grand mother. She was truly surprised. She has talked about a great deal since. As you begin to have children grow up and leave home and have their own it is a great blessing to see how well they do and stayed tied to their family. We feel very blessed by each of you and will do anything in our power to be of help whenever needed. Again thanks so much. Dad

First time!

I'm trying to figure out this thing called Blogging. The other day I came across this photo of the USS J.F.K docking in Malta and thought it was very cool. This shot gives a good relationship of its size to something else like buildings, cars etc.

Dave

Birthdays, Bowling and Baptism

Okay so this will be a large blog but mostly due to pictures. We've had a few crazy weeks. My Parker of course turned 8 on the 11th. We had a fun day with him and then the next day we had a party for him at the bowling alley with his friends. Gotta tell you it's the way to do birthday parties. I just reserved the lane and brought my own cake and drinks. It was fantastic and very affordable. And everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. Even Bailey bowled! That was fun. Diana you'll have to go bowling with Parker sometime. He might challenge your 148 (with bumpers of course!

Then on the 13th we had 2 events. Parker was baptized and it was wonderful. Karen, Natalie and Hunter did the musical number and it was beautiful! Thanks guys!! It was a special day and we are so grateful for all the support we had!

After we had a lunch for Parker's baptism, we celebrated Bailey's 2nd birthday. It was so much fun!! All the Grandparents were there and they spoiled her rotten, but oh what fun. She got dress up clothes and baby dolls. She had so much fun and it was such a GREAT time! I thought I'd share all the cute pictures with you!

And a big happy birthday (some belated) to Seth, Ava, Sage, Colton, Taylor, Amy, and Mom! I think I got everyone! We love you!

Moving - Take 8 (I think)

I think this will be my 8th move since I have come home from my mission. And I'm not counting all the times I moved back to mom and dad's during the summer. So here I go again. My roommate Tracy moved into her apartment last Saturday. So my living room is empty except for a couple of chairs, my TV and an exercise ball. Yes I am living the good life. I also have pile of stuff that I'm going through spread out all over. I have saved the craziest things. I found a bowling score card that I had saved because it was proof that I actually scored an 148. I can remember that I was so proud of myself. I even did it without the bumper lanes down. I'm usually happy if I broke a hundred. So silly and yet I'm going to continue to save it. Moving is always this weird point in life. Because there's this part where I'm very excited to move on to something different and yet sad all at the same time. I only have 2 1/2 weeks left. Very weird place in life.

I have to share this conversation that I had with Parker the other day because he just made me laugh. It went something like this.

Parker: Hi, Diana. When are you coming to my house?
Me: In a couple of weeks.
Parker: Good, because I want to shoot you.
Me: Um, you want to what?
Parker: Shoot you. I got a new nerf gun and they shoot really fast. So I'm going to shoot you.
Me: Oh, OK. What if I shoot you first?
Parker: Well then I will hide and get you first.
Me: Good thing I'm a good finder then.
Parker: Oh I'm a very good hider. But I will give you a hint. I will be in my room. (Pause)OK bye Diana.

Happy Happy Birthday Meredith Dear!

So glad you've had a wonderful weekend with a successful surprise party and fun with friends. Hope today is lovely for you! And don't worry, 30 isn't so bad ;) You're still a spring chicken!!!! We love you and miss you!

Thank Goodness for Facebook

I'm not the most frequent user of Facebook but I'm glad it exists. When I heard about earthquake in Chile yesterday I was worried about my trainer from my mission who lives in Santiago. Yesterday afternoon she was able to post on Facebook that she and her family were OK. I heard from her about the 6.3 earthquake that hit northern Argentina. So I was able to check on my other companions from Argentina and make sure they are OK too. I really hope that Mother Nature decides to like us again someday.

A Birthday Surprise

In my almost 30 years I can honestly say that no one has ever been able to throw me a true surprise party...until last night. The plan was to have a combined birthday party with my friend Candace, tonight. On Monday Andrew told me he wanted to take me out on friday. So I got a babysitter and assumed we might be meeting some friends from work that couldn't come on Saturday. However the plan was changed with out my knowing it and I was taken to a surprise party just for me. Everyone who I thought would be there Saturday was there last night. We are still having a party for Candance tonight and all of her guests will be there. I was honestly surprised and couldn't believe they pulled it off. Some friends got some great pictures so I'll post those soon, but it was a lot of fun. I'm still having a hard time with 30, but I feel very loved!

Thank you John and Carolyn!

We had such a fun evening with the rockets you sent Seth for his birthday. I posted some photos on my blog, if you want to see the kids making them blast off! We love you!

You're Welcome!

I am more than willing to share the winter weather. We were suppose to get another snow storm last night but it went more north. So I guess we can share winter with other areas and not keep it to ourselves. I have to say that I am glad that the turn lanes are back although I wish the sidewalks would hurry up and make their appearance so people will stop walking down the sides of the roads. Enjoy all your pretty white snow. We are in the ugly muddy ice crusted mini mountains everywhere you look stage. I really am looking forward to spring this year.

PS I can't believe how big your kids have gotten! I can't wait to see you guys again.

Thank you Diana!!!!

You must have done a snow dance or something, because this morning I woke up to the sound of the plow rumbling down the road! WAHOO!! Utah has been sooooo dry this winter, and today we are finally seeing some flurries! I bundled the kids up with coats, hats and gloves and sent them off to school only to find that it was a completely different weather system in the valley. Just some sprinkling rain here and there. So, the snow is pretty localized to the foothills, but at least it's something! Have you had any more crazy weather in DC?

Well, Rich and I are off to Blue and Gold with Luke. Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

This is our neighbor Gryffin. He and his sisters are pretty much part of the family :)

Sometimes Being a Grown-up Can Be Fun

I usually think being a grown-up is over rated but every once in awhile it does have its perks. Like being able to drive to Baltimore to go see an Irish rock band on a work night. I'm such a rebel. But how could I possibly turn down the opportunity to see a band that includes a fiddle, banjo, accordion and a tin whistle. So much fun. And I'm going to do it again in March. Yep, young and exciting, that's me. Except I am sooo tired today. I can't possibly be too old to do this anymore, right? Well, I will just ignore that possibility for as long as possible. I love any type of live music too much to stop going to concerts but I might have to look for ones that actually have seats.

Rich- do you miss this?

So we got our first ice for the season...Rich do you miss this craziness?

Happy Birthday Karen!!!!

Hope your day has been WONDERFUL!!!!! We love you! Here's a photo from Rich's birthday. He enjoyed talking to all of you the other day soooo much.
LOVE YOU.

Speaking of snow

We woke up to the most lovely storm. The flakes were huge! Rich and I were just talking last night about our hope for at least one more good storm this year. So, can you just send the next blizzard our way! It is so much fun to play in, and the perfect way to get out of school and work for a day. I agree that the shoveling can be a complete pain, but it does get you outside breathing that fresh clean air. It's always so crisp and pretty after a storm. Our new house is in the foothills, right next to the canyon, and it's uncanny how much snow there is, but we are loving it. Now, if we lived in DC and didn't have the plow system that Bountiful has, I may be singing a different tune. They are totally ready and out the second the snow starts to fly. It would be crazy otherwise. I can't believe your photos!!!! It's been fun to read your posts. They crack me up!!!

So, here's a photo that I dug up that I took one morning last MARCH. I keep wondering if the snow will keep falling well into the spring again. I am sort of crossing my fingers, since SNOW = MORE SKIING :) We shall see.

No driving the little toddler car around that day! These photos of Ava jumping around to stay warm, were also taken last March.

Hope everybody has a happy WARM (at least in your heart) Valentines Day. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

A fun Video

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICH! Hope you had a great day.

Diana we are glad you currently have power and that you are surviving. We hope that continues, since you're suppose to get 30 more feet, opps I mean inches. Still might as well be feet. Isn't it interesting that the DC area that hosts our nations leaders is having the worst weather in history? Just an interesting observation.

We just wanted to share this video with you because I thought it was a great one of the kids. It was really funny to watch. They just kept at it over and over. It also gives you a little idea of the upstairs of Ed and Linda's new house, which is where this was taken!

Well I Survived a Blizzard... Again

Is it possible to be traumatized by snow? Because I'm pretty sure I will never look at it the same again. I used to like it. It was pretty and white and peaceful and fun to play in. But now, now there's a part of me that just wants to cry. Maybe with time and distance our relationship can be repaired but for now the damage runs deep. Plus I'm developing a severe dislike for shoveling. I have been sore all week. Until now I have never really appreciated the importance of snow boots and really wished I had some. Although taping your feet in plastic bags works remarkably well.

The storm today was crazy!! It was an out and out blizzard that dumped another foot on us. Looking outside when the wind was gusting it was a complete whiteout. I can now say that I have officially lived through a blizzard (safely inside my house with the power on). I know, I really have faced great hardships in my life.

Just because I love all bad disaster movies does not mean I want to live one out myself. This is the closest that I ever want to come to a disaster zone. Trying to drive on these roads is horrible. First of all most of the side roads are still not plowed. So when you end up driving on these roads you realize that these are not really roads any more instead they are snow packed, pot holed, free for all, general suggestions. Roads that were previously two way, two lanes are now one-way chicken playing paths. The one question you repeatedly ask yourself, "Is today the day I die?" And you know the answer deep down is "Very possibly."

All I can say is I'm hit with the realization once again that I so did not read the fine print before I agreed to be born in this last days thing. I have some strong objections because I'm pretty sure that this was clearly not explained to me. Or I suppose it's possible that I might have been distracted during that class wondering if chocolate really can be as good as they say. Good thing it is. But don't worry, I will be filing a complaint with management when I get there.

P.S. The East Coast was suppose to have Stake Conference broadcast to us from Salt Lake on Sunday but it's now cancelled due to the end of days weather.

Snowpocalypse Update #3 (This is the last one I promise.)

OK after this I promise I will be so done with Snowpocalypse. Luckily I'm still one of the privilege few that has power even though every once in awhile the lights will flicker as if to say I have the power and you are at my mercy. Part of me would like to believe that having power is one of those little blessings because I am Heavenly Father's favorite. But the truth is I really don't think He wanted to listen to me whine. Let's be honest, there would be whine, lots of it, and I wouldn't rule out the occasional foot stomping. Sad but true.

Tracy and I dug out my car after a couple of hours. I have acquired a deep respect for those who shovel snow on a regular basis. It is officially on my least favorite things to do list. I'm really hoping that they close the office tomorrow because I really don't want to give up my parking space. We worked hard on it. I have my priorities straight. But here's a few more pictures to document this end of the world storm.

P.S. This is a link to my friend Katie's blog where she recorded our text conversation while I was waiting in the line from Hades the night before the storm. I found it to be entertaining. You might have to copy and paste to open.
http://ihadtoleave.blogspot.com/2010/02/apocalypse-now.html

Snowpocalypse Update #2

Well I survived the night. I'm one of the lucky ones who have power. It went out last night for awhile but came back on and has stayed on. It is insane! I have never seen this much snow. And I'm not even where the heavy snow is like in Maryland. Some places have had more than 30 inches with some close to 40 predicted. Craziness! But fun watching it come down. It is just beautiful. Late last night it didn't look like it was snowing all that hard but this morning it has been coming down hard with more to come. There is probably 2 feet outside our door right now and it keeps piling up. I can't find my camera battery charger so all my pictures for now are from my cell phone. I'll take some of Tracy's pictures once she uploads them. But here's a couple of pictures so far.


Our backyard Friday afternoon before it really started snowing.














Our backyard Saturday morning when it starts to really come down.

Our parking lot in front of the apartment. My car is next to the truck, in front of the sign. (At least I think that's my car.)

Snowpocalypse Update #1

So they forecasted the snow to start at 10am and when we looked out the window at 10:08 it had started to snow. If the forecasters were right about time could they also be right about the 30 inches of snow?? Holy cow, I have never seen that much snow before! The office closed today at noon so I came home and prepared for a very long weekend.

It's a little after 9pm and there about 6 inches of snow outside and cable just went out for the third time. Its going to be a very long and cold weekend. You can't freeze inside your house right? I have blankets and lots of layers of clothes to put on if or probably when the power goes out. I keep looking at the trees outside our apartment. They are covered in this wet heavy snow and are starting to sway. Oh yeah! The cable just came back on for a few moments anyways. Anyways I really hope a tree doesn't decide to fall through my bedroom window. And there goes the cable again. And the really heavy snow doesn't start until later on tonight.

OK the race is on to see if I can finish this post before the power goes out again. The weather committee has it in for me I'm convinced. Ever since I left Missouri there have been these weather "incidences." It's not paranoria when it's true you know. First there was the St. Louis tornado when I left the state. That was followed by crazy t-storms all the to DC. Then there was that other "historic" ice storm which took me 5 hours to get home. Then I had to count money on a boat during the Regatta with Hurricane Hannah coming in. And now one of the worst snow storms in the history DC. The weather committe has it in for me. OK the power is about to go out again. Please pray that I don't end up freezing or having a tree crash on me because that would be an embarassing way to go.

Photos

Here are some photos we would like to share/ Mom & Dad

Top Cat, Fevers and Taxes

First let me say I'm loving all the DeLaMare blogging going on! Fantastic! Amy thanks for sharing pictures!

So this has been an interesting week. The GREAT news is Parker was picked as Top Cat for the Month. This is one child out of each grade that is picked because he has stood out, they look at things like classroom behavior, being a good citizen and working hard. Now I have to say in his almost 3 years at William Byrant Elementary this is the first time he has recieved this award. He told us at the beginning of the year that he wanted to be top cat. And he succeeded. There is a little of a back story. Over the weekend Andrew and I were both very frusturated with him because in so many other things he just doesn't try. We have told him on more than one occasion, he doesn't have to be the best at things but he needs to try his best. So after a VERY frusturating weekend, we found out that he is trying his best at school, and it was a good thing to learn! He has this way of surprising us.

Then on Thursday he started running a fever and has missed 2 days of school. Fun Fun days!!

I have been working on our taxes. And can I just say, like I do every year, I hate doing taxes. It's a little depressing when you realize that the amount you spent on medical things was more than your tithing and Fast offerings combine! YUCK! The only good thing is that we do get a return, of course it is already earmarked for a specific use. I'm sure it's that way for most. But I sure don't care for it. So Diana I ask you, why do you want to go into accounting? Maybe it's so you can do all of our taxes!!! I'm sure that is your sole purpose to help your family with the headache of taxes. Well we are all grateful!

I thought I'd include a couple of my favorite pics of the kids lately. Keep the blogging coming!

Apparently the End of World is Scheduled for Friday

Soo the beginning of the end (at least in the DC metro area) will start on Friday at 10am and continue until 10pm on Saturday. What catastrophic event is it this time? Oh just ANOTHER blizzard! Didn't I already go on this ride? I guess once wasn't enough so bring it on you 16 to 24 inches of snow with a possibility of more. OK seriously the weather committee is just showing off now. And why does it only snow on the weekends?? That's just rude. I have things to do, you know, with Saturday being a special day and all. Why can't the world ever end during the middle of the week so I don't have to go to work? I don't think that's too much to ask.

I know, I know it's winter and things like this happen but I live in Virginia and did not sign up for this. Don't get me wrong I do like snow. When it snowed on Tuesday it was very pretty and I appreciated it. But I do not appreciate the way they clear roads here or how people freak out about it. But then again since everyone is freaking out then it won't snow at all. Isn't that the way it works? Especially since I was successful on the Great Shovel Quest of 2010. It only took me three stores to find one. I know why I didn't have a shovel but everyone else should already have one. This is February after all.

I also had the misfortune of being sucked into the 5th dimension of Hades this evening otherwise known as Shoppers. I took my life into my hands just trying to get into the store and then it was every man for himself grabbing food. Once I had grabbed my share of the food I had to face my worse nightmare. The line. First you had to figure out where the line actually began which was is a whole lot more difficult than you would think. Then the never ending wait begins. One by one the weak fall away. Including the guy in front of me which actually worked out for me because I was able to snag his loaf of bread. So the wait continues with the occasional child screaming at the top of his voice. And we can't forget the lady in front of the store screaming some very unladylike words and ending every phrase with the request to call the pooolice right now. But I did it. I survived the very worse the 5th dimension of Hades could throw at me. And now I just have to wait for the end of the world tomorrow.

Pressure, Pressure, Pressure!

OK everyone. Here is our first blog. Afraid we might get disowned if one of us didn't get this posted.
Hey all, how do you think we feel w/ a 19 yr. old grandson & everyone else growing up so fast. It won't be long before I will have to look up to everyone of these grandkids.
So, here is the news from down south. Big, beautiful snow Fri. all day thru midnight. John was supposed to go to Lebanon for appointments, but postponed them due to predicted big storm. He would have felt a little silly if it didn't materialize. Anyway, he ended up taking the day off. I got home from seminary just as it started to snow. We hunkered down & enjoyed a beautiful snowy day together. We ended up w/ 5-6 inches of snow & much more where it drifted. The truck does well on our driveway, the car is a little more iffy. Good news is I didn't stuck this go around.
John's calling as executive sec. is one he loves. Being behind the scene & directing traffic in & out of the Bishop's office or member of the Stake Presidency when visiting is just to his liking.
Seminary is going well I think. I just wish I were one of those blessed people who have this natural, wonderful way of relating w/ kids. But I try. I have lost one girl whose parents decided it was too difficult to get her there. We vacilitate between 3-5 kids & sometimes a non member friend attends ( usually when we have food.)
They are really a great group of kids.
The YMCA is fun. I am now teaching Tai Chi & Arthritis Exercise. We will be starting the Silver Sneakers program in March. I have met some really fun & neat people.

Big Air Man

Just going through pictures of Luke flying through the air. I tell you, it doesn't matter if he's on a bike, rip stick, scooter, snow board or skis.... he is always catching big air. Yesterday we went skiing and I took him down his first black diamond run. He was loving it... jumping off little cliffs and completely going for it. He's got no fear and a lot of talent to back it up. Anyway, here's a fun picture taken while sledding at Oak Hills Elementary. Our next door neighbor Brooklyn is in the background.
Love to all!!! And thanks for the updates!

Great to be Eight!

Wow it's fun to hear all the stories. Dave and Karen, Mom and Dad we're waiting for yours!!

So I had this realization last night that Parker will be eight in less than six weeks. By the way we are planning his baptism for Saturday March 13th at 10:00 am, and if you guys can make it we'd like Stewart and Dave to be in confirmation circle. Rich if you were here we'd want you too! Dad too of course.

Anyway it's a little overwhelming to think that he is old enough to be baptized. I'm sure you all wonder how Ben is old enough to serve a mission and Taylor old enough to drive and Sage is a year from YW!!

Is it just the oldest that surprises you sooooo much.? Or is it every child?

Eight just seems so grown up, out of that little kid stage. It's just a hard thing to fathom. There are times he seems so grown up and other times he is still just a little kid. It's just so crazy!

Time goes sooo fast!

Hey All! I guess its my turn to post updates from the Chase side of the world. Stewart is still serving as Stake Public Affairs Guy, I'm trying to get my head around serving as 2nd counselor in the Stake YW Presidency, Ben is serving as a ward missionary, Natalie and Emily are serving in the Laurel's and Beehive's presidency. So can we say meetings, meetings, meetings? :)

Other than wrecking our new car and dating a girl named Emily, Ben is still working and saving up for his mission. His plans are to turn his papers in sometime May or June. He'll be 19 this Friday. Where did the time go? Once he returns from his mission, he would really like to pursue a career with the FBI. It will be interesting to see how the next years will unfold.

Natalie is finishing up her last semester as a Junior. Again, where has the time gone? She is currently working on a violin piece for district and hopes to get a "1" so she can try out for state. She is taking lessons from her cousin Michelle Goodman and continues to excel and enjoy music. She wants to pursue biology with an emphasis in genetics and music degrees. She is taking some IB classes this year that have been quite challenging so hopefully she can keep her GPA up with all her extra curricular activities (hanging out at Stake n Shake, boys and going to the Mavericks hockey games)

Emily is loving Beehives and the whole mutual world. She continues to pursue the violin. She doesn't have the passion that Natalie does, but she continues to progress and is becoming a pretty decent player. She could be a great player if only she would PRACTICE! She is sorta looking forward to being in middle school next year. The whole locker and changing classes every period is a little intimidating for her. Other than next years fears, she really loves school and is a hard worker. She is playing volleyball for the community rec center and would like to pursue the sport in middle school and high school. She has the coordination for it and really enjoys playing.

As for Stewart he is officially a proud owner of a Honda Night Hawk. Does anyone want to trade it for a truck or buy it? He wants to sell the motorcycle and get a truck. Ever since his motorcycling camping escapade ended in a near death experience, we or it should be said I feel very strongly that he should pursue truck camping. Camping gear has a little harder time getting sucked up into a tire in a truck than in a motorcycle.

As for me, I have put off school for this semester and am trying to get used to this calling. It has been quite demanding so far and there is a lot going on. The plan is to pursue it a little more aggressively next fall. I am still working and loving it! The kids in my school have a lot of struggles economically, emotionally and physically. I have come to really love these sweet kids regardless of their struggles. I am starting next month to do interventions with a few third graders who struggle with reading. I am looking forward to helping these kids and learning a lot myself.

I hope all is well for everyone! All my love-

Michele

Showing Mom and Dad how to Blog

So I'm showing Mom and Dad how to Blog so that they can contribute.

Hi all you fantastic DeLaMares!

Amy here. I just wanted to say THANKS Meredith for starting this. Rich and I have wanted to get more in touch with all of you, and this will be a perfect way. We hope everyone will take time to share thoughts and updates on their lives at least once a month! Come on everybody, we can do this!

So, for a little glimpse of life in snowy Bountiful... At the moment we've got 1/2 the neighborhood (including Sage, Luke, and Ava) outside sledding in our yard. It is such fun to have a home that everyone congregates in. It is absolute chaos at times, and we go through a ton of food feeding everyone, but I truly love having a home full of kids having fun.

Rich is finishing up a talk he has to give tomorrow in Sacrament Meeting. Seth, who has had a digestive problem that we can't seem to whip is hanging out on the couch while watching Goofy. Elsa is sweetly sleeping. And I've been up to my eyebrows working on Primary projects. I'm the 1st counselor, and LOVE it! Our President is the neatest lady on the planet, and I feel so grateful to learn from her.

This winter has been a complete party for us. The best so far in our marriage (I just asked Rich if that was an exaggeration, and he agreed that it's been among the top). We kicked it off with a 12 day trip to Florida (over Thanksgiving). The highlight was 3 days on Sanibel Island, aka heaven. We were home 2 weeks to blitz on Christmas before Rich and I went to Spain for a week. He had to go inspect the stone that they are using for the current project he's on. He worked for the first half, and the rest of the time was ours to explore Barcelona. We ate the best food imaginable, walked our legs OFF, and had so much fun together without the kids. What a fabulous trip!!

Christmas break was lovely. Filled with skiing, sledding, indoor soccer tournaments, ping pong, air hockey, board games and lots of sleeping in. It was brutal going back to school and reality. But here we are in the thick of it all again. And we are actually surviving it much better than past winters. The thing that is keeping us sane is our frequent ski trips. My friend Jodi and I take our kids every Wednesday to Alta. They get out of school at 1pm. So we pick them up and head straight for the canyon. We also go every Saturday Rich is available. We just can't get enough. Even Elsa is zooming down the hill. I have a little backpack that she wears with straps. It's like a leash! And on the really steep areas she skis between my legs. It's so cute watching her. One of these days I'll remember to take my camera and snap some photos. But pictures or not, it's going to be a winter that we all remember with great fondness.

My dad tells me every time I'm with him to remember that "these are the days." I do believe that I will look back on these years with Rich and our young adorable kids as being the best days of my life. I love being the mom and I'm trying to cherish the time that Rich and I have with them. They are growing up soooo fast that it's scary.

Okay, I've got to sign off and start making hot chocolate for the snow bunnies trailing in. Love to all! We're looking forward to hearing from all of you. Thanks Daina for the update. You are in our prayers as you move and start your schooling. Accounting!!!! Hats off to you my dear talented lady. That is something my brain just doesn't do. We love you and can't wait to hear more!

The Only Thing That Stays the Same is Change

Well, Meredith you wanted some else to post so I'll do it. My news for the week is that I'm moving back to Missouri in April. For real.

This week has been ...um well, interesting is one way to describe it. Let's just say that this week helped me makes some big decisions about my life rather quickly. My lease ends at the end of March and by Friday we have to make a decision to stay or move. Neither my roommate nor I wanted to sign for a full year so we were looking at alternatives. I already had decided that I would move back to home to go school. It makes the most financial sense for me. But I wasn't quite ready to move back at the end of March. So we were seriously considered extending the lease until July which is the end of the fiscal year because we are coming into busy season at work. It helps that my roommate and I work at the same place.

However this week at work a situation occurred that made it very clear to me that it time to leave and move on with my life. So I'm going to stay through the Ball at the end of March and then I'm going to pack up my car and move back to Mom and Dad's. So the plan is to get a job and head back to school to get an accounting degree. After that I have no idea which apparently is the story of my life. But at least it keeps it interesting.

Music

What do you all think of the music? If there is anything you want me to add all I need is the song name and artist!

Someone else post something

Okay I will not be the only one who posts stuff on this Family Blog. So If you have something you want to share, a comment about something random or just a thought. PLEASE post!! Thanks to Amy for the picture!!!! Oh and if anyone has a blog that I don't know about that they want to add please tell me and I'll add it to our list. Diana don't you have one? Okay everyone I started it, now happy blogging!

More Joining the Fun

So Andrew and Amy are on Board too. Amy you should add some of the family pictures you took when you guys were here. I've been meaning too, they are just on the other computer so I haven't done it yet! I can't wait until everyone is on, this could be fun!

Oh I'm working on putting a playlist together and a gadget that plays music anytime you are on. So if you have some songs you'd like on the playlist let me know! Also if someone knows a better and easier way to do it let me know.

Dave Joined

Hey Dave thanks for becoming a contributor. I gave you admin priviliges, so now you have the POWER to change anything on here! Including kicking me off if you wanted too! Okay so now you have to post something. Pictures are good too or random thoughts and stuff. I hope everyone else follows suit!

So there's something on here

Okay I'm just posting so there is something on here. I hope you all look at this and think it's a good idea! Let me know