Emptying the Nest (part 1 of 3)

It's time to let go of our last child. We've felt this moment coming for a long time, though it doesn't make it any easier. We have 5 children, born within 10 years (August 1980- October 1990). I can't believe how quickly the years have passed. From the moment we held our first precious newborn, Brandon, until we saw our last one graduate and apply for college, it has been the most the most joyful, rewarding and growth filled time of our lives. We have had our share of challenges and heartache just like most every family but the promise of being an eternal family has only strengthened and solidified the bond Garth and I share with each other and with our children. I can't even begin to imagine trying to raise a family without the blessings of the gospel.
My heart is full and the tears are beginning to spill so I will switch gears and share our memories of the last few days with our girl.

Marissa and her dad taking off for one last bike ride the night before we left.
Brandon and Marcy had stopped over to bring Marissa a going away gift.

We woke up later than we meant to on Sunday morning. As soon as I stepped out into the hallway, lo and behold, there was Danielle. She had been up feeding Bennett and decided she would come over and give us a hand. I think she knows us too well. We not only run on "Mormon Standard Time", we also run on "Hadley Standard Time". A double whammy..haha.
In addition to helping us with all sorts of last minute stuff, I also asked her to snap a few pictures of Marissa getting ready. As you can see, she took full liberty with the camera. Hey, that's what sisters are for...good times, right?!



Packing the last bag. It actually doesn't look that full...are you sure you got it all, Marissa?!

One last outing with Nando. She is going to MISS this dog.
Thank you Nando for being such a faithful friend to Marissa, always ready to go for a run or walk with her. :)

7:30 am Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
Rental car loaded and ready to hit the road. The $5.00 cartop carrier came in handy after all.
(Danielle and the boys decided to join us at the last minute. We took Ethan with us and she and Bennett flew down Monday morning at 9:00 to meet us).

Ethan was such a good traveler. The farthest he had ever been was to the coast. I think we figured he traveled about 14 hours that day with only a few stops along the way. When we did stop, he was all over the place running and having a good time. Grandpa would toss him up in the air sometimes and that would bring on the squeals! :D

"Grandpa, you're the best"!!!!
Garth took Ethan over and let him touch one of the semi's at a rest stop.
Life doesn't get any better than this, right Ethan?





(part 2 to follow)

New Haircuts

Haircut time = Picture time
Too bad we forgot the "before" pictures.


Marissa's self portrait

Blue-eyed beauty




Joanne's self portrait

Good to remember what it's supposed to look like....cause you know it never will again!!! ;)

Back in Town

Remember Elder Wood and Elder Wray? Two of our many favorite missionaries over the years.
They were serving in our ward when Jason left on his mission. A blessing for Jason because they were always calling on him to go along and help them teach.
Thanks for being such a good influence on our son.

Jonny (it's hard to switch over from "Elder") Wood and his family came up to visit his mission area recently. We lucked out and got to have them over for dinner on Sunday the 16th. It was such a treat to be able to have him and his family in our home.
Left to right-
Doug, Carrie, Jonny, Taylor and Sean Wood

What a great family!
Now we know why you were such a "topnotch" missionary. Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. ;)

Happy Birthday Brandon and Ryan!!!!!

On the 14th of August we celebrated Brandon and Ryan's birthdays. Brandon turned 29 on the 14th and Ryan turned 28 on the 28th.
Where have the years gone? It seems like just yesterday that we had two little blonde boys running around and bringing us so much joy and laughter.

Danielle, Bennett and Ethan came over in the afternoon to help us bake cakes and prepare for our get-together that night. Bennett decided he needed some "snooze time" on mom's shoulder.

Ethan was cuddling with Marissa. This was the last time we would all be together before Marissa left for college. Ethan was probably thinking how much he would miss playing with Marissa when he came to Grandpa and Grandma's house. :(

Brandon with his birthday balloons at Red Robin.
Let the singing begin......

Isn't this fun Ryan?!
Hey, the up-side is you get an ice-cream sundae after they thoroughly embarrass you.

After dinner we came back over to the house and had birthday cake. I decided to break tradition and make something other than angel food cake. Brandon had a banana split cake and Ryan had an earthquake cake. I think they were a "hit". The last time we had angel food, Ryan was trying to figure out just exactly how MANY of them we had eaten over the years. Okay, so maybe we need to mix things up every once in awhile. haha

Marcy and Brandon.

Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words

We just got pictures in the mail from Elder Hadley so I thought I would share a few with those of you who may not get around to checking his web page.
He is loving his mission, though he would be happy to share a bit of the extremely HOT weather Arizona has.


One very happy missionary...

Mission area with Squaw Peak in the background.

Part of my zone in Phoenix.

First district.
Elder Welling, Elder Gomez, Elder Ahern and Elder Hadley





Fun after district meeting.
Elder Gomez, Elder Ahern, Elder Welling and Elder Hadley





More fun after district meeting.
Elder Welling, Elder Gomez, Elder Ahern and Elder Hadley





PEZ (Phoenix East Zone)
Elder Welling, Elder Gomez, Elder Ahern and Elder Hadley





My second district.
Elder Ahern, Elder Edmonds, Elder Hadley and Elder Gomez





Elder Hadley and Elder Craig





Elder Hadley, Elder Porter (companion in MTC) and Elder Aicher

At the Mesa Easter Pageant.
Elder Gomez, Elder Hadley, Elder Turner and Elder Ringwood

Elder Hadley's first baptism in the mission field.
Elder Gomez, Elder Hadley, Carolyn Guererro and Gene

Another baptism.
Elder Riley, Elder Poole, Elder Hayes,Leah, Guy and Elder Hadley

Cool drawing from Elder Lino.

The "infamous" bike crash. Actually this is a staged repeat.
I was speechless from the initial accident and far more so after he decided to record it.

Elder Hadley?!!?
WHAT... or should I say WERE you thinking?
(The real question here is, did he learn this on his mission or is it something he picked up at scout camp? I wouldn't be surprised either way.)
You sure know how to worry your mother!

Self portrait on an overpass over Hwy. 51

Elder Hadley's view of his shirt pocket.

Luchador mask.
Remember "Nacho Libre"?

They grow really big lemons in Arizona!






Creative bike parking

On top of Camel Back Mountain with his district in Mesa.
Sister Dorius, Sister Edghill, Elder Green, Elder Hayes, Elder Hadley and Elder Weber

Elder Hadley and Elder Hayes (his current companion)

Elder Hadley hit the SIX month mark on July 7th.
He celebrated by burning a tie ( a common practice with missionaries).

Waiting (looks more like hanging) at a member's home.


Priceless pictures.
We love you Elder Hadley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Memories of Lost Lake

Annual camping trip to our favorite place. :)

Danielle caught us just as we were leaving the driveway Friday. Three distinctly different expressions...
Marissa- "TWO days camping with only my parents?!"
Joanne- "I'm so excited to get away and enjoy the great outdoors!"
Garth- "No pictures. If I look away the camera will eventually disappear".

We've been to Lost Lake for so many years now I can't even remember when we started. Located on the east side of Mt. Hood, it's about a 100 mile drive from our home to the campground. With an altitude of approximately 3,100 ft., we were anticipating a pleasant break from the excessive heat wave we've been experiencing this past week. On the first campground loop we drove through we found a spot we loved. A-18 for anyone going that way.
This site was surrounded by woods on two sides and reasonably distant neighbors on the other side. Jackpot!

Driving the Toaster inspired us to "micropack", making set up alot easier than previous years. We were a bit hot but we figured it was mostly due to getting everything done. Eventually we drove down to the store by the lake to pay for our two night stay. Next we went down by the lake and watched people out in the water for awhile and decided we would rent a boat once things cooled off a little.
Looks like paradise wouldn't you say? (snort, snort, chuckle...)

Oh, and it WOULD have been...save for two things, two VERY ANNOYING things!!!
1. Meet Mr. Fly (present but not pictured are Mrs. Fly and the whole stinkin extended fly family which I am quite sure numbered in the 100's of thousands.

They not only swarmed and crawled all over us (including our eyelids and lips), some of them had the audacity to bite us. That brought on the slapping and swatting like nothing else!!!
Here Marissa is trying to give her dad a "moment of peace" with a rubber spatula.

Oh, and lest we forget....
2. Meet Mr. HEAT. Apparently (according to Garth), you only drop about 3 degrees in temperature for every 1,000 feet you climb. Okay, this is a big problem obviously. We left behind 102 degree weather and...let's see....we climbed almost exactly 3,000 feet, so....yep, you're right Garth. According to the gauge on his watch it was 93 degrees at our campsite.
Hmmmm. Air-conditioned comfort of home or camping in sweat soaked clothes?
Choices, choices.
Another little reminder of just how hot it was-
as we sat playing a game at the picnic table, the fire pit started smoking and coming back to life from the night before. Crazy!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Right?
And when on vacation, do what's most fun.
By bedtime, we were pretty well decided on our course of action. A one-nighter it would be.
Garth cooked yummy hamburgers for dinner, built a blazing campfire so we could make S'mores, and when that died away, we sat and watched the stars begin to fill the night sky.
Oh, how I loved smelling the woods and the campfire. Listening to the noises throughout the campground brought back sweet memories of years gone by when our family was younger. I savored each moment left knowing we would likely leave by morning.

One last shot of the view looking UP. Aren't those trees amazing? Wish they could share stories from all the fun campouts held under their branches. :)

Marissa packing up her tent. Not visible in this picture, a very cute smile on someones face.
She was excited to be going home a day early so she could "hang out with friends".

It's all good. We had fun spending time together and I'm glad we went. Next year I'm hoping at least "two things" will be absent when we arrive..... ;)