Tracey's Graduation Pictures (Heidi & Trace)

Heidi & Trace (Dick)

June 1, 2009
LaVerkin, UT


Dear Family,

We hope everyone is well and that you had a fun Memorial Day weekend. I think this was one of the funnest we’ve ever had. It started with Tracey’s high school graduation on Friday, May 22. It was held at Dixie State College in St. George at 11:00 a.m. Trace and I both took the day off work. After the ceremony and lots of pictures with her friends, I took Tracey to a pretty spot in St. George to take more pictures. They turned out so cute. We went out to lunch at Olive Garden, then took Tracey over to the Alltel store to get her first cell phone. The boys are pretty jealous. She had grad night from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. at the Washington City Community Center. They have several pools, a water slide, lazy river, a climbing wall and Guitar Hero. They also had access to the basketball courts, etc. It was built last year; it’s really nice and big, too. She won $35 in a drawing, which paid for her ticket to grad night. They also gave the seniors a t-shirt, a towel and a small knapsack that had their theme “Catch the Wave” on them.

We left for California at 8:30 a.m., so Tracey spent most of the car trip sleeping. As soon as we arrived at Trace’s sister’s (Stephanie) house, it was time to get ready for a late Cinco de Mayo party in honor of Trace’s late brother (Gordon or “Yo”). It was hosted by Yo’s business partner. All of the adults and oldest kids in our families were there, except Trace’s mom. It was fun getting to know the people who worked with Yo and actually knew him better than we did. They are really nice people and thought very highly of Yo. Sunday we went to church in Mission Viejo. They had a great sacrament meeting in honor of the Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. Several young men and leaders spoke and gave very good talks. They did a great job singing “The Army of Helaman”. After church, we drove to Glendora to spend some time with Adam, Erik and Katie. Erik gave us some juggling tips and Adam showed us video of his debut as Mel Zorro at his latest company party. His original song, “Love is a Warm Tortilla” was great!

Monday we had an Allen Family barbeque and slip ’n slide party, hosted by our niece, Jackie. Everyone was there except one neice who lives in Colorado. That hasn’t happened in at least 10 years! They have a gigantic slip ‘n slide. It starts on a 3’high inflatable deck/slide that water sprays on. You hold an inflatable board, get up some speed and launch yourself onto the deck and see how far you can go. There are 3 inflatable “bumps” to get over, but the slope of the yard made most people (especially the lightweight ones) slide off before the second one. The whole thing is about 30’ long and very fun. That evening, we went over to my Mom’s house for dinner. We ate outside in the shady yard and had a good visit. There are bunnies in their yard. There used to be lizards and frogs when I was little. It’s like a park. Instead of the gravel that used to be on the ground there is grass. They have taken out the old rotting swingset and playhouse and planted a lot more trees. The boys enjoy playing with Naoki, Mom’s Japanese college student boarder.

Tuesday, we went to Lake Elsinore with Stephanie’s family. We filled up their 12 passenger van and half of their big truck. It was a perfect day – not too hot, not crowded at all. Their oldest son, Jared, was visiting from Colorado. He’s in college. Most of us knee boarded. Ethan got up on the wake board, too. Tracey tried valiantly, but didn’t quite get it. The other boys got close, too. Maybe next time. It was so nice to have a day where I didn’t care what time it was. We just visited, took turns on the boat and played with the kids. They made a great big volcano castle and I made a little one with my nephew, Zale (2 ½). He’s a cutie. Wednesday was Trace’s day to get his bank business done with his mom. Tracey and I got to drive Stephanie’s cute yellow VW bug convertible around for a few hours in the morning for some last minute dorm room shopping. That was fun. Have you been to an IKEA store? They are huge! We had lunch there, but didn’t end up buying anything. We didn’t leave until 3:30 p.m. The traffic wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be. I got to drive for a few hours in the middle to break things up. Trace and I listened to a book on CD about a family with an autistic child (“Faraway Child”).

Wednesday it’s off to Girls Camp for Tracey and me. We’re going up to a cabin at Panguitch Lake – about 2 hours north and east of here. I don’t think I’ve ever been there. I hope the weather is okay. We’re planning to canoe and hike and geocache. Fun, fun, fun! The boys look forward to it, too. Four days without girls (mostly Mom) sounds great to them.

We finished a patio under our barbeque with 16” x 16” pavers before we left on our trip. It took two separate trips to Lowe’s to get it all. It was heavy. The boys did most of the loading, unloading and lifting, except for the final step which Trace did. That was great for our backs. Those things weigh 25 lbs. each! It looks nice now and should cut down on some of the mud the dog tracks into the house. We also camoflauged the dog run with a long reed mat. It looks 100% better. Sam thinks we need a few palm trees next to it. That was kind of funny to hear from him. : )

The other big news is that I am now the Administrator at my office The full-time lady got laid off due to the economy, so now I am doing both of our jobs (running the whole office) part-time. My boss (Chairman of the Board) told me to choose the three most important things and make sure they get done. The rest is just icing The hard part is that we are in the process of planning two big events right now. One is a Golf Ball Drop Fundraiser at the county fair (August) and the other is called the Day of Caring (September), which is a day of service to the community. I have a hard time just working my 4 hours a day. I really didn’t want a job with any stress attached to it, just a little income and time with adults. I really liked the lady I worked with. I used to look forward to going to work. We’ll see how it goes. Trace is really busy at work, too. I keep trying to remember to be grateful that we both have jobs.

Tracey is looking for a job. She had an interview at Buckle (a clothing store in the mall) today. She thought it went well. She should know the results in a few days.

Take care. Love,
Trace, Heidi & kids

Adam Pope (Dick)

Greetings Rockin' Pope Family, I wanted start by saying how great it was to visit with so many of you while I was up in Utah at the beginning of the month. Dad and I managed to travel the whole state in two days, going from SLC to La Verkin to see The Allen Family, then back to SLC to visit with The J. Howe Clan and finally back up to hang out with the Richmond Gang. Of course there were many folks we missed in between so we'll have to make another pass soon. The next weekend I headed out to California for some birthday celebrations. On Saturday I went to Disneyland with my best friend who shares my same birthday and was also Goofy at one time. It was fun to reminisce about the costumed days gone by and ride the various mountains of Disney adventure. That night I had a Kung Pao Chicken dinner from my favorite Chinese restaurant with my Mom that Erik also attended and we played some guitar while we waited for dessert. Then Erik and I met up with a bunch of my high school friends to go see the X-Men Origins:Wolverine movie and laughed into the wee hours of the morning. The final event was a lovely Mother's Day breakfast at Mimi's Cafe that Erik's wife Joy joined us for, which was very nice. Returning to Arizona I had to prep for our quarterly company party. This event was going to be Mexican themed/catered so we called it our Friday Fiesta! I had been sending out faux-bios and advertisements for a "Special Musical Guest" named Mel Zorro, who was formerly in an 80's heavy metal band called Chicks N' Salsa, to get people more excited for the performance. Clad in leopard print pants and shirt, wild hair and lots of metal jewelry I took the stage as Mel Zorro and brought up some of my co-workers to play my former band members: Monty Zuma and Frankie Flan. We performed two silly acoustic songs, one called "Rock That Guac" and a love ballad entitled "Love Is A Warm Tortilla". It was a very fun show with a lot of good audience participation. I've included some pictures with my entry since words can only say so much. I have just now returned from another trip to California visiting Erik at his home in Glendora. It was great to have an extended Memorial Day weekend to really relax and have fun. Also along for the trip was my dog Murray who enjoyed getting to know the family and exploring Erik's backyard. We spent most of the time playing this great musical simulation video game called Rock Band 2 with Katie. We called our band "The Jombies" with Erik on guitar as "DieterX", Katie on drums as "Rimmbie" and yours truly on vocals as "Bimbee!". We pretty much played night and day for the whole 3 day weekend aside from the occasional break to bar-b-que some hamburgers or watch a wacky kung-fu film from the 70's. We also had a nice sibling family gathering with Heidi and family at a skateboard park just down the street from Erik's house, where Erik taught us how to juggle and even took a few turns on the concrete ramps of the skate park (truly a more daring fellow than I). On the way home a nice police officer decided to give me a speeding ticket, so that I would never forget the magic of the weekend (Thanks a lot). Summer fun at its finest. I hope you all are enjoying these summer days as well. Talk to you next month.

Editor's Notes ~ May

Happy Mothers Day to all the fabulous mom’s on our list and especially to my dear Mom. She’s done so much to help me and has been an amazing example of what a mom should be. She has truly dedicated her life to her children and extended family. This is our first Mother’s Day with out Grandma Margaret but we need to celebrate the wonderful example she was and what fun she was to all of us. I hope Sunday is a bright sunny day and that it’s a day of relaxation for all moms. I’m so personally thankful to be a mom that it is a great day of celebration for me.

~
Thanks everyone for their great contributions to the PFNL. It is such a great pleasure to see the letters come through in email.

~
Today is Grandpa’s 93rd Birthday. Quite a life time that he has spanned. He has seen many changes in his earthly state. I know he misses Grandma each day but how thankful we are that he has eternity to spend with her.

~
Remember the Briggs/Pope Reunion ~ July 24 in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Keri and David are organizing it. If are planning on going or need further information email her @ dkwendt@mtintouch.net ~ everyone is welcome! I hope you can all make it. We will be camping next to a lake that is just 6 miles from town. They will be sectioning off a large portion for all of us to have our own camping spots. There are also motels in town for those unadventurous types ;-).

~
Congratulations to Tracey on her high school graduation! So glad to hear you’re coming to USU! You’ll have a great support team here.

~
Happy Birthday wishes also to Uncle Dick ~ Adam ~ Russell
Sorry if I missed anyone ~ I don’t have a birthday list yet. Hopefully next PFNL.

Glenn & Pat

1158 W 1050 N
Provo, Utah 84604

Dear Family,

I just got done with a quick trip to Richmond to help Colleen with Dad while Dick went south with Adam for a well deserved break in his routine here. It is so hard to see Dad getting so weak and barely able to get around. Sometimes he can’t get up or walk at all and we have to help him. But I enjoyed talking with him a lot about his mission and other things he is interested in. He can still remember things so well but, due to those strokes, just has a hard time expressing himself the way he was used to doing. He also likes to hear songs I play on the guitar, though, more often than not, it puts him to sleep! But happy birthday to him and to Dick. It’s hard to believe Dad is now 93.

I spent much of the evening helping Chris get all the utilities safely turned on in his house. There are several gas appliances that are tricky to get going, but I think we mostly succeeded. His yard is full of lilacs and some ivy type plants that remind me of spearmint. It smells so good. Now he just has to get all his stuff moved in. But at least there is no deadline to meet and he can do it a load at a time.

Well, that’s about all I can think of at this time. Have an excellent May. Love, Glenn, Pat and boys

Boyd & Diane ~ SandyKay & Cy

As Mom and Dad are in route to their new destination ~ White Sulphur Springs, I thought I would write for them as well as our happenings.

The closing of the house went off without a hitch and with the help of many many family members and friends ~ 430 Beaverhead Lane is no longer the residence of the Briggs family. As I mentioned before, Cy and I have moved down to Logan and are starting to get somewhat settled. I still have to finish a little more work in Montana so we will be making the trek up north I-15 again on Thursday. Cy says that he loves his new house and is starting to get acquainted in the neighborhood. He can make friends faster than anyone I know. He comes home from his bike rides always to report that he’s found a new friend. After I panic and think the worst, he assures me that it is a friend of a friend and there’s nothing to worry about. I have to admit ~ it’s a little nerve wracking for me to let him out of the house in the “big city”. Our neighborhood in Dillon was so great and we knew most everyone and all their kids. This will take some getting use to for me.

Mom and Dad purchased a 5th Wheel Trailer from a man in Vernal, UT and they are really pleased so far. They traveled with Bill & DeAnn to go and get it and had a nice ride down. They were heading to White Sulphur today to get the trailer set up on their lot and then will leave tomorrow to come down here. On Friday they will leave for a trip to the Grand Canyon with their (teamster) missionary friends. I believe they will be riding the train for most of the journey so it should be great fun without the hassle of driving much. They are both really looking forward to it. While Mom and I were in Bozeman last week we found her some really good walking shoes so hopefully she’ll be comfortable and her hip won’t hurt her. Dad’s knees sure took a beating with the move and the thousand trips up and down the long stairs. We hope he can rest up some before he has to do much walking. I’m trying to convince him to have his knee’s operated on this winter. We’ll see if I can get him talked into it.

In general the Boyd & Diane Briggs clan seems to be doing well. Mike and Keri (and crew) came over to help us all move which as very appreciated. Their families all seem to be busy and keeping up with spring time activities. Jake and Seth are doing baseball and Mike’s kids are helping brand and keep up with their ranch chores. KwinLee had a great piano review with an adjudicator. She has a very promising future in music. Spencer (aka Bubba) roped his first calf to bring to the branding fire by both hind feet. His dad was so proud I could hear his buttons popping ~ over the phone line! Kallie Kay is back @ BYU Idaho and the reports are that she’s doing well. She has inherited the trusty Eagle from Grandma and Grandpa. It’s the like the energizer bunny ~ it just keeps going and going. It served Cy and I well these last few years. Roland is breaking some colts this spring and they seem to be going great. We’ll have to get the latest and greatest from the rest of the grandkids next month.

It was very nice to see Adam today and we had such a good visit. It’s been too long and I’m so glad he was able to make the trip up here. Cy had a great time talking with him and wishes he was closer to us to see all the time. I’m sure it brightened up the month for Uncle Dick to have him here.

Love,

SK

Roland (Bill & DeAnn) and his colt ~ Spring 2009

Heidi & Trace Allen (Dick)

May 3, 2009
LaVerkin, UT


Dear Family,

Tracey had her final Orchestra/Symphony concert this week and also her region competition. They qualified to go to State this year. They played really well at the concert. I love it when the entire symphony plays together for the last song. The percussion, woodwinds and brass add so much to the depth of the music.

We enjoyed a visit from Dad and Adam this weekend. Adam flew into Salt Lake on Friday night, then he and Dad drove down to Southern Utah. There was a marathon and two college graduations going on, so they had trouble finding a hotel room. They ended up arriving about 4 a.m. at a bed and breakfast in Rockville that Colleen has stayed at. It was really hard to find on the dark, unfamiliar road. The slept in a little, then came over for a late breakfast. We visited for a while and gave Adam the grand tour of our house. This was his first time here. We moved to LaVerkin while he was on his mission. We went to Sam’s soccer game in St. George, then out to dinner. Ethan had fun playing video games and card games with Adam. Later, Adam and the boys made a short movie together with Sam’s video camera. I (Heidi) had two small appearances. It was a story about the last three peanuts in the world – Adam was the villain, Sam was the cameraman (his hand had a brief appearance – on purpose), Ethan was a Ninja and Andrew was a tough guy. It was pretty funny. We had a little birthday party for Dad and Adam before they headed to a different hotel. They came over again for breakfast this morning before heading to points North. Hopefully, they were able to see Jordan on their way up and will find an opportunity for Adam to see Glenn’s family before he heads home on Tuesday morning. We’re hoping to see Adam again when we go to California around Memorial Day.

Trace’s older brother passed away peacefully in his home on April 21 after a two year battle with esophageal cancer. We are grateful that we (Trace, Heidi and Andrew) had a chance to see him during our spring break in mid-March. His funeral or “celebration of life” was on Saturday, April 25 in Corona del Mar, California. It was interesting to be part on a non-LDS service. The facilitator did a good job, kept it very positive and asked everyone to remember what they were grateful for. All three of the siblings, a friend and niece and nephew spoke and shared memories at the service. It was very well attended – over 150 people. Yo had a lot of friends. His wife, Carol, was very strong. I didn’t see her cry. She also has a big support group of family and friends. We had a nice luncheon afterward near the beach and had the chance to visit more with family. Trace was there for almost a week. I brought the kids down Friday afternoon and came home Sunday.

I won the grand prize in Bunco last month and it wasn’t for low score this time. It was a big black frame from Tai Pan Trading (great store!) with space for three 8 x 10 pictures that says “Life’s Little Blessings.” If I win again next moth, people are going to start wondering if I’m “fixing” the game somehow.

Tracey finally decided on Utah State and was able to get into the housing she wanted. She has to go up in late July for SOAR (orientation and registration). The freshmen also go up a week before school starts for more detailed orientation and activities. She doesn’t know many other people going up, but she’ll have a chance to make lots of new friends. Wish her luck on her AP tests over the next few weeks.

Happy Birthday wishes this month to my Dad, Grandpa, Adam and Russell. Good luck to Diane & Boyd and SandyKay & Cy as they start fresh chapters in their lives in new places.

Love,
Trace, Heidi & kids

Colleen Howe

Hi Family:I am sitting here at the computer wondering what I have been doing over the past month. I need to keep notes on my calendar! Let's see...April was a big dental bill month for me. One crown broke just after returning from a workshop I had been teaching, so had to return to Salt Lake twice for that,paying them $850 for the privilege. Then a cleaning a week later with x-rays - and a mix up with my insurance, so I had to straighten out the bill to become a non-bill. I have never particular enjoyed going to the dentist, but then I don't think anyone really does, right? When I was young and our dentist was in Dillon, MT, he was a "one man band" there in the gray building with the tower...can't remember the name of the building. Anyway, he had two rooms, but only used one. No receptionist, no assistant - just him, the drill and the spit sink. Back then, dental hygiene wasn't what it is today - I mean, we had toothpaste and all that! But I somehow thought if I brushed my teeth before going up to bed, it was still OK to have a few chocolate chips that I had hoarded in my dresser drawer inside some tin foil shaped like a swan. Well, I later paid dearly for those indulgences by having very large cavities filled with the silver fillings, that 40 years later all gave up and had to be replaced by crowns! Ugh. Lesson here is definitely that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.I have been working here on getting some seeds planted in the garden. Peas, carrots, beets, onions, radishes, cabbage...and I moved some of the raspberry starts to make a new row. Dad is wondering how things are coming, so will have to figure out a way to get him outside to see what he can see soon. I may wait a few more days so that more green will be showing.I have been also working on a fundraiser for the Alliance for the Varied Arts here in Logan. It is May 9th, Saturday, and we are offering classes in watercolor, writing, photography and ceramics. Then in the evening, we are having a very nice dinner with folk artist, Eric Dowdle as speaker. So far, class enrollment is not good! Sign ups for the dinner are doing OK, so we will make one last push for attendance this week.Two Fridays ago I was the featured artist during the Gallery Walk at the Needham's Jewelry store in Logan. Five hundred seemed to be the average attendance (including USU art students assigned to come). I had my easel set up and talked to people about pastel. Sold one painting, so that was a fine thing. I really enjoy doing this type of demonstrating. I am teaching here on Tuesday nights, and I enjoy that as well.Recently I babysat Harrison for Jordan and Annie. He is a tractor aficionado, and takes one to bed with him at night. Jackson is enjoying pre-school and transformers and Alex takes it all in with great cuteness.Glenn has been here for the last couple of days while Dick went to pick up Adam at the airport, then drive to Heidi's for a short visit. I will let him tell you about his adventures going and coming. They are back here now (Sunday eve. May 3rd) and we will celebrate Dick's birthday tomorrow and Dad's (Grandpa's) on the 5th. Glenn and I made a chocolate cake from a Daughters of the Utah Pioneers cookbook. We will give it the taste test tomorrow and maybe include the recipe in next month's newsletter. Glenn was telling me that when he was young, he was afraid of wolves. (So was I.) For some unknown reason, we kept listening to recordings of various fairy tales, such as "Peter and the Wolf." We decided that all these old fairy tales are really not good for children! One night Glenn was particularly afraid to go to bed and kept going into Grandma and Grandpa's bedroom, hoping they would take him in. Instead, Grandpa went to the gun cabinet, took out a rifle (unloaded of course) and let Glenn keep it by his bed! Glenn said it helped him feel safe...but he was only about 4 years old or so! No more wolf stories!Hope everyone is well. Stop by anytime that you can. We would love a visit!Love, Colleen and Grandpa

Milt & Stacey ~ Letter from Reese

Photo Self Titled ~ Fernando is my homeboy

Photo Self Titled ~ I’ve always wanted two of me

Photo Self Titled ~ Rocks Break when thrown with force

Photo Self Titled ~ Ultima Esperanza ~ Pday well spent

~

well hello family.Another week gone by, we have been tracting up a storm, about 4 hours of knocking doors every day, and we have in 4 weeks, managed to get into ... one house. Talk about refiner’s fire. We built a little septic tank for a member who had her husband leave her when the house wasn’t finished. We had to use a little ingenuity seeing as me and elder Jesperson haven’t quite finished our general contractor’s licenses but by the end of my mission I have a feeling that I’ll be close. Gabriel has been struggling getting adjusted to the routine of Mormon life. He was getting frustrated by everyone asking him where he was last Sunday, but with time and patience he’ll get into the groove. (He went to visit some family in bariloche) we have been moving closer to putting a baptismal date with one of my good friends alfredo moreno. It’s a big change for him to get involved with a church and he’s been progressing a lot in the past week as he’s finally sat down and started reading the book of Mormon. I had a good experience reading the DyC the other day because i realized that all the scriptures are truly related by the fact that they were written by one person, Jehovah/Jesus Christ/God, through many different persons hands. in DyC section 88 i think at the end Christ talks about when he washed the feet of the disciples and gives the reference as the thirteenth chapter in the testimony of john or something asi... interesting to me. I’m glad to hear everyone’s well and that the life is progressing. ... the way time goes as a missionary is... indescribable... like a speeding bullet in slow motion.i miss, love, pray for you allyour Son/golden child/lil´bro/Big´broElder Briggs

Aunt Elaine & Uncle Glenn

DEAR ALL OF THE PFNL READERS.
THIS IS HIYAALL FROM THE SHIELDS FAMILY IN LAYTON.
WE HAVE BEEN HAVING NICE WEATHER TILL THE PAST FEW DAYS AND HAVE SOME NICE SPRING RAIN OUT THERE TODAY. SPRING'S ACOMMIN' FOR SURE..
SORRY TO REPORT DAVE HAS HAD ANOTHER HOT SPOT IN HIS HIP AND PELVIS FROM THE CANCER. THE DR. WILL BE DOING A 'PET-SCAN' ON THE 13TH OF MAY. PRAYERS ARE NEEDED.
HE HAS A GREAT ATTITUDE AND IS SO FUNNY. HE IS WORKING EVERY DAY AND HE HAS A SMALL STOOL WITH WHEELS HE CAN SCOOT AROUND ON. HE WENT TO THE MICROWAVE THE OTHER DAY TO HEAT HIS LUNCH AND IT WAS DEATHLY QUIET..HE LOOKED AT THE BOYS IN THE LUNCH ROOM AND SAID ''WHAT'S THE MATTER, HAVEN'T YOU SEEN MEALS ON WHEELS'!
RON'S 16TH GRAND CHILD WILL BE BLESSED THIS FAST SUNDAY. SHE WILL BE NAMED ELIZABETH ELAINE AFTER THIS ELAINE AND CALLED 'LAINEY' FOR SHORT. I FEEL HONORED.
THAT MAKES 16 GREAT GRANDKIDS FOR US UNTIL YONGYI AND JENI HAS THEIR ADDITON IN LATE MAY AND EARLY JUNE. OUR FAMILY IS GROWING.
UNCLE GLENN AND I ARE GETTING ALONG PRETTY GOOD FOR OLD FOLKS. WE MOVE AROUND BUT NOT FAST.
WE ARE PLANNING ON DECORATING GRAVES ON MEMORIAL DAY. IT TAKES US 2 DAY TO DO IT BUT WE DO IT!
SORRY ABOUT GRMPA BRIGGS PASSING. HE WAS A STALWART OF THE ''BRIGGS BUNCH''
HOPE REESE WILL BE FEEELING STRONGER SOON. I KNOW HOW HE MISSES MARGARET..WE DO, ALSO!
HAVE A WONDEFUL SPRING
WE SEND OUR LOVE=2
0TO ALL
UNCLE GLENN AND AUNTIE SNERT [ELAINE]