Love Makes a Family! We Are Family!

One of our fun Christmas activities was to take pictures together! They're crazy - but we made memories for years to come!

David Graduates from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego!

David graduated December 12th from MCRD! He entered boot camp on September 15th and we are so proud of him for his accomplishments! We all went down to San Diego to celebrate with him and to spend Family Day and his Graduation Day together! Now I can say that I offically have 2 of my 4 children in the Military! Lisa is in the Army and David is now a Marine! A mother couldn't be prouder of her kids, than I am of mine!




Not only did Ricky, Rob, Ren, and me go down, but so did Micah, my brother Bob, along with his son, Nathan and his wife Rachel and their little girl, Savannah! We had quite a little group there for David! We are so proud of him! He looks great and he's happy!

Happy Thanksgiving! Be Grateful for all that is yours!

(Image courtesy Thanksgiving Corner, FREE Thanksgiving wallpapers are available here as well as Christmas wallpapers.)

There are so many things I'm Thankful for! One thing I like to do every year is to make a list of all of the things I can think of that I'm grateful for, and see how many I can get. It's not hard to get over a hundred! Maybe we should all do that so we really see how much we have!

Someone once said that the more gratitude a person has, the more unselfish, thoughtful and kind they are. They can be seen doing those quiet good deeds for others that are never known by others. They are those good people who have learned to love their neighbors as themselves! I hope that's the kind of person I'm becoming!

My New Passion!!

This is what I love doing in my spare time!
I was able to learn the New Family Search
through a friend and I have been spending
3-4 nights during the week searching for and
double checking completed work for my
ancestors! I love it! I think I've caught the
Spirit of Elijah and the importance of
linking families together!

The Hawaiian Royal Canoe in 2008

This was me 31 years ago on the Hawaiian Royal Canoe as the Queen!

Not much has changed from 28 years ago has it?! This picture to the right was just taken (Oct. 2008). I was a little surprised to see that the Polynesian Cultural Center had a lot of the same types of dances and costumes at the Canoe Pageant and the Night Show. I guess culture doesn't change, so of course there wouldn't need to be changes! I sure felt like I had gone back in time 30 years while I was there! Thanks to a thoughtful friend for the tickets and the company!

Just Joan just in Hawaii! Alooooooha!!!

Blessings come in many different ways! One of the most recent in my life was being able to spend a week in Hawaii relaxing, getting in touch with my roots, and doing family history and temple work! I was able to stay with a dear friend, Lani Gilbreath, who is gracious, sweet, and selfless! What a week! I will never forget the overwhelming feelings of love and service as I was able to link some of my generations of family together and do work for them - work that they couldn't do for themselves!

I was also able to visit my old stomping grounds: BYU Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center! What feelings of nostalgia, as I looked back and reminisced about my time as a student there and working at PCC so I could learn about my Hawaiian heritage! I really believe that our connections with those who have gone before us is much stronger than we can ever understand! I have truly felt the Spirit of Elijah this past week and am so grateful that I listened and followed those promptings to go there!

Lisa graduates as a Russian Linguist in the Army at Presidio of Monterey!

Just 3 days after David joined the army, Lisa graduated as a Russian Linguist in the Army! We were able to go down for her graduation and celebrate with her! She gave a speech with another girl in her class as they both spoke and translated for each other! It was a wonderful, witty, and clever, speech! Her teachers told us how she speaks like a native and how hard she's worked! We even heard that in 26 years of hearing graduate speeches in Russian, none could compare to Lisa's! What a wonderful accomplishment, Lisa! Soon she will soon go to Texas for more training, and eventually will be sent to Germany. There couldn't be a mother that's prouder of a daughter than I am of Lisa! I love you sissy!

David joins the Marines!

David joined the Marines and took his oath and was sworn in on September 15th! We are so proud of him! He will do a wonderful job as he serves! It's a bitter-sweet time for us. We love him so much, and will miss him so much, but how can we feel sad when he is doing what he believes in as he stands up for liberty and freedom for all! He will be spending the next 3 months at Camp Pendelton in San Diego and will graduate and then be able to be home with us for Christmas! We love you David! We are proud of you!!

My new 2nd Grade Class!

School just started and what a great bunch of kids I have again this year! They are bright and fun and sweet! I'm excited to be able to teach new things to them and to see their minds expand and their hearts open wide!!

One Week left before I go back to School!

After teaching 23 years of 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, I finally went down to teach a lower grade. I taught 2nd and absolutely loved it! I love the sweetness of the kids, their smiles and laughter, their unqualified and unlimited love and adoration, and just the simpleness of their world! I also loved singing with the guitar everyday with them, doing puppet plays and skits, reading them book after book and watching them become life long readers, and dancing with them!!! How lucky am I?!! It's almost time to go back!

Lisa is in the army and David just joined the Marines!

My 4 best friends - my kids!

It's a Wonderful World!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of years that really are a big part of my life. They are mostly with my kids or with my students at school. Life is what we make it, and no matter how much adversity there is, there is always a silver lining through it all. I've found it!

Here are Ricky, David, and Rob in front of the Eiffel Tower.