New FHE Poll -- Name the Baby!

For this week's FHE poll, we want everyone to weigh in on what we should name our new baby girl. You never know, we may accept your advice. The most common question we get asked is "what are you going to name the baby?" Then people follow up with "are you keeping with the apostle tradition?"

The answers are, "we're not certain what we're naming the baby" and "we may or may not keep with our tradition."

We didn't come up with Holland's name until after he was born. The entire pregnancy with Holland, we planned to name him Bridger. That obviously didn't stick.

So the sky's the limit. It could be a church history name, a family name, or a name with no real significance. The only criteria is that Holly and I have to like it. Packer and Holland have asked if they can name the baby and we've told them "absolutely not...you'll have your chance to name a baby when you're married."

So let the guessing/suggesting begin!

Update From Down Under

This is a picture of One Tree Hill that is near our office and some missionaries are using it as their screen saver.

Auckland is famous for beautiful cloud formations and this makes for really spectalular sunrises and sunsets.

Update From Down Under

This is the view of Mount Rangitota Island that we see from our living room and balcony. The island is uninhabited but is a popular tourist destination. To visit the island, it's necessary to catch a ferry boat from the Devonport Wharf that is about 5 - 7 km from our Mon Desir apartment in Takapuna.

The channel between our Takapuna Beach and Rangitoto is the route taken by the large cruise and cargo ships to the ocean. Two nights ago we watched as the Star Princes cruised past our beach.

This picture was taken in Vail at Tiffany's wedding reception. The photo preceded us to New Zealand and had been edited to eliminate the legs behind us.

We attended a 7:00 AM planning meeting this morning at the the East Coast Bay Ward that meets in Sunset Road Chapel. In reading the ward program I realized how different we Americans are even though we share a common language.

The ward bulletin had an announcement for the ward choir that said: "An injection of new blood is needed in the choir - we are launching a choir improvement campaign - practices are at 12:15 PM Sundays in the YW's room. The practice for today has been canceled!"

The bulletin also announced "Congratulations to the ECB Ward YM who came in 2nd in the Stake Dodgeball Challenge."

As I prepare for the Annual Public Affairs training meeting that I will conduct on May 12th and 13th, I have gained an increased appreciation for President Monson who reads the sustaining list of new General and Area Authorities at General Conference. The training meeting will be attended by our Area Presidency and 3 - 4 Area 70's plus several stake presidents from the islands. I have been instructed by President Condie to introduce each attendee myself rather than having them stand to introduce themselves. There will be between 30 and 40 in attendance and following are some of the polynesian names: Taumoepeau, Fineanganofo, Tokalol, Uele Va'aulu and the winner is - Tuahivaatetonohiti!!! I'm told the pronunciation is really very simple. All I have to do is: remember to pronounce each and every vowell.

In the category of things that never change, I saw a license plate frame on a mini van at Church this morning that said: Top of plate - "Mums Taxi Service" and bottom of plate -"On Call 24 hours/7 days." I think Shannon especially, can relate to that.

Jason's Mission

Still no call in the mail. Maybe tomorrow.....

Dallin - election

Today was the student council election for Dallin. We won't know if he won until tonite. They are announcing the winner at the school dance. I still have to figure out how to post the pictures he used on his poster. Let's just say that he went with the "Blades of Glory" theme. He's wearing a very special blue leisure suit, a brown wig, a head sweat band, and has a pair of skates slung over his shoulder. None of this was my idea. In fact, none of us have even seen the movie, except for Brandon who told us that it wasn't very good. The caption on one poster says "If you can dream it, you can do it! Dallin Wardrop, Jr VP" The other poster reads "Capture the Dream! Dallin Wardrop, Jr VP" Of course, it was important to put his name on the poster, as he was so disguised that I'm sure no one could tell it was him!

Brandon - Master of Ceremonies

Just a fun little note I thought I'd share:
Brandon has been the M.C. or host of three big events at his school.
1. Last week he hosted "Who's Smarter Than An Eighth Grader?"
This was a competition between the students and teachers. Brandon planned and came up
with most of the questions and then went on to M.C. the competition.
2. Also, last week he M.C.'d for the annual students vs. faculty basketball game
3. Last night he M.C.'d for the "Dancing with the Student Council" competition. He was
originally one of the contestants in the competition, but his partner got sick, then the
alternate pulled a muscle, then the second alternate couldn't make it to the competition!
So, Brandon wowed 'em as the M.C.
He did a great job!
He also does the morning announcements everyday at his school.

FHE

Wow Mark!
Thanks for going to a HUGE effort on the FHE poll. It was so fun! I certainly thought that Mom would be the one with the most correct answers. (Maybe her memory has dimmed just a bit!) ha ha!
Anyway, it was really fun. The Fiddler on the Roof thing really threw me. What was the deal with that Mark?
How was everybody's anniversary? For our 25th, Lon and I spent the day at the University of Utah Hospital meeting with doctors and having tests done. Yeah! We did go eat at Market Street Grill afterwards.
Suzi, I'm sorry to hear about Harley. Had she been sick or was it old age?
We love you all!

Answers from the FHE Poll (The Anniversary Quiz)

The answers to the Anniversary Quiz are posted below. Grandma sent very detailed answers to her questions, so I've included her text in it's entirety -- it's very fun to read about their courtship nearly 50 years ago.

Here are some interesting statistics:

Sheryl knows us all the best -- she got 53 out of 60 correct!

(Grandpa got 49/60, Grandma - 47/60, Naylors & Shayna - 46/60 each, Brandon - 29/60, Dallin - 25/60, Travis - 23/60, Weston - 15/60)

The topic we know the least about is each couple's first kiss (probably a good thing)

The topics we know the most about are couples' first jobs and first residences

The couple we know the most about are Shayna & Jordan -- 75/90 correct guesses for the newlyweds

The couple we know the least about are Mark & Holly (48/90 correct guesses) -- we've been leading secret lives....

I've entered each question as a separate post to make it easier to make comments on individual questions (if someone so desires).
I've added some of my own colorful commentary in BLUE.
If the responders name is in RED, that means they got the question wrong.

1. Across what crowded room did each couple first see each other?

G&G – At Jordan High School on the school Debate Team. David was a senior and I was a Junior. He was definitely a STUD - with bulging muscles and blond hair. He was quiet and shy but he made my heart stand still.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – In the computer lab in the Jesse Knight Building at BYU (he was wearing a UCLA sweatshirt, she was wearing a light blue sweater, navy blue pants with shoes that tie up the ankle)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – The BYU cafeteria -- the Cougareat (I think they were singing that song from Grease)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – The milkshake line at the Cougareat (she hit on him claiming she knew him from somewhere)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – The Marriot Center at BYU (he was the Fiddler on the Roof and she was watching longingly from the audience)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – The Joseph Smith Building's auditorium at BYU (an Economics 110 class)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

Several people guessed that Barry was the Fiddler on the Roof -- now there's a show I want tickets to!

2. Where was each couple’s first date?

G&G – I actually asked him out first to the girl's choice dance at Jordan High School. He had already been asked to a dance at another high school that night, but he turned around and ask me out to another dance the next week.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – Playing in a racket ball tournament (she had never played before, but the court was already reserved)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – A BYU football game
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – He bought her at a slave auction and took her on a picnic
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – A BYU awards banquet, then Homecoming the next night
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – A get together at his friend's house (Brian's) then to Glazies Donuts -- they drank hot chocolate and talked until they got kicked out
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

So grandpa's date to the girl's choice dance must have bombed…thank goodness, or we may not all be here today!

3. Where did each couple share their first kiss?

G&G – At the Interscholastic Debate Championship at Weber State University. We were staying at Ben Lomond Hotel in Ogden (the most beautiful and expensive Hotel in Ogden). After the last competition of the day, he walked me back to my room and kissed me at the door. It was very romantic.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – It was definitely not on the first date!
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – Somewhere in Provo
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – After the Freshman Dance
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – A party in Bountiful, Utah
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – At her apartment at Raintree -- he said it was like kissing a wet noodle and she said he kissed too hard...needless to say, they didn't like their first kiss, but they still liked each other
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

Grandpa -- you need to brush up on your children's intimate encounters. HaHa!
I still have most of you fooled -- many of you guessed that I was the one that did not kiss on the first date -- you'll never know WHEN I first kissed Holly -- and NO, it wasn't at the alter!
Who would have thought it was Lon that was not willing to kiss on the first date?
Who else is dying to know if Shayna and Jordan have made any improvements in this area? (Just kidding guys!)

4. Where did each couple get engaged?

G&G – After a University of Utah football game we drove up to the "This is the Place" Monument. David had picked out the ring himself. It was a beautiful emerald shape diamond with 2 emerald shape baguettes on the side. It was one year almost to the day, since he was
baptized in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. We planned our wedding for March 18th because it was a break from University.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – Santa Claus brought the ring to her -- it was wrapped up with frozen banana bread
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – At a jewelry store in University Mall
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – In the parking lot of Sierra West Jewelers
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – At The Roof Restaurant (at the engagement table)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – In his hometown by the duck pond
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

By a show of hands, who thinks Barry & Terry need to re-propose to their significant others -- come on, you don't get engaged at a jewelry store!
Sheryl definitely needs to share her engagement story with her children...all but Shayna got this wrong.

5. Where was each couple’s first residence?

G&G – 450 Jackson Street, Midvale, Utah. We rented a basement apartment in a brand new home and our landlord was Johnson. It was a very large apartment. Richard (R.S.) Peterson our favorite high school teacher - College prep chemistry and physics) and was our first
bishop and David was called to be the Deacon's Quorum Advisor. This was a big job for a new convert without a mission experience. I was the Jr. SS Coordinator, similar to Primary President before the block meeting schedule began in the 1980's.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – His grandma's house in Salt Lake -- grandma and his aunt checked up on the newlyweds every day, so the happy couple moved into their friend's basement in Sugarhouse
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – Plymouth, Minnesota (at the Brown compound)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – Provo, Utah (at the Willis compound)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – Wood Ranch apartments in Simi Valley, California
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – Provo, Utah (in the basement of their old singles ward's first counselor)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

6. What kind of car did each couple drive as newlyweds?

G&G – 1956 Chevrolet Impala four door hardtop - teal green and white - One that has become an antique classic collector's item.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – A Chevrolet Malibu
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – A Ford Fiesta
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – A Honda Accord
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – A Jeep Cherokee
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – A Ford Truck
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

Who ever knew that Sheryl's dream car was a Chevy Malibu? No wonder it was love at first site, Lon was driving her dream car!

7. What job(s) did each couple first have as newlyweds?

G&G – We were both going to school full-time and working. I worked at Haskins and Sells Accounting Firm in downtown Salt Lake City as private secretary to the Senior Partner - Mr.Baxter. He had a daughter my age and I think he kind of adopted me. I became friends with his daughter. It was an interesting place to work. Most of the Partners and Senior Accountants were less active and had word of wisdom problems But the new young accountants were BYU graduates and returned missionaries. It was a very prestigious Firm and did the accounting for the Church and most large businesses in Salt Lake. It was fun to greet and visit with church and business leaders who came into the office everyday. It was also fun to work downtown as this was before there were any suburban malls. All shopping was done downtown. It was especially fun at Christmas time when all the store windows had amazing ani! mated displays in them and Temple Square was spectacular. Later I taught school (1st and 2nd grades).
David was working for the Erekson Brothers Mink Ranch, and was the fastest mink skinner in the state - 55 seconds for each female mink and 70 seconds for a large male. David also was in the midst of his Officer Cadet School (one year course complete with two summer camps and six full weekends at Camp Williams and then he completed Officer's Orientation at Fort Sill in Oklahoma (10 weeks). He began teaching school (math and science) at Mt. Jordan Jr. High School in September, five months after our marriage. He began working as a computer programmer for Hercules Powder Company the following June. He had responsibility for all data reduction programming for Minuteman and Polaris missile static and flight tests. the flight test were at Cape Canaveral (now Cape Kennedy) in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base near Santa Barbara.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – Working for Dave Brown -- she was loading data, he was installing systems and providing service for customers
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – She was the assistant manager at the Limited Express, he was a soup nazi at Eddingtons
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – She was a 2nd grade teacher, he was a disk jockey at K96
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – She was an office manager at an insurance company, he was a marketing guy at a sunshade company
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – He was the A/V guy at the Joseph Smith Building, and she worked for the family business
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

Note to Dallin, Brandon, Travis & Weston -- Barry and Terry have no expertise in skinning mink. This may be something they aspire to do, but they have no formal training in this field.

8. What was the first piece of furniture purchased by each couple?

G&G – It was a beautiful sectional sofa in a rich shade of brown. We had a very large apartment so there was plenty of room for it.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – A complete bedroom set and a hide-a-bed couch -- they got a great deal at Rockwood Furniture and paid no interest for a year (they knew the owners)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – Dresser, microwave, and barstools
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – Hide-a-bed couch and kitchen table from Deseret Industries
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – Couch, Coffee table, and kitchen chairs
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – They've never purchased a piece of furniture because they scored at their wedding reception
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

Grandma agreed to buy something brown for her house? On what date did she convert to an "all blue world"?
Who wants to bet that grandpa can tell us the price of the "beautiful sectional sofa in a rich shade of brown."

9. Where was each couple’s favorite place to eat out as newlyweds?

G&G – Harmons Cafe (became Harmon's Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant) on 39th South and State. The Hot Shoppes downtown. The first Arctic Circle downtown which was huge and had car hops who took our order and brought it out to our car.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – They never ate out, unless their parents were in town to treat them. They lived next store to Baskin Robbins but never went because it was too expensive...they do recall Valentine's day at McDonalds and on very special occasions they would get a Hawaiian burger at Wienersnitzel
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – Any restaurant that had a "buy one get one free" coupon in the Happenings Book (Dave & Melrose had to be willing to "Buy One" so this couple could "Get One Free")
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – When they splurged, they would go to the Spaghetti Factory, but most nights it was melted velveda cheese on Albertson's French Bread
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – Anywhere on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills (especially the Cheesecake Factory)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – The "Taco House" in their own apartment -- you should try their tacos!
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

So grandpa has no recollection of the "buy one get one free" scam that was going on under his own roof…this gives me some ideas for when they return from New Zealand! Unfortunately, he does recall Shannon & Barry living with him, so I guess moving into his house is out of the question.
Here's a question for Sheryl & Lon...did you celebrate your 25 year anniversary by going to Wienersnitzel?
By the way, I want to try Shayna & Jordan's tacos!

10. Where was each couple's first vacation together?

G&G – We only had a 4-day honeymoon because it was between the winter and spring quarters. We headed to Jackson Hole driving up through Idaho Falls where we stayed in the Idaho Falls Temple Hotel. There was a big snow storm which made it difficult to get to Jackson Hole, but we did get there. We took our our endowments on March 17 (the night before our wedding). When we came out of the Temple there was a fresh snow which made the Temple grounds a winter wonderland. The day of our wedding and reception was warm and sunny so the snow melted. It was beautiful.
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Wardrop – New York City (they toured the city and saw A Chorus Line)
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Engle – Ouray, Colorado
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Naylor – Lake Powell
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Brown – Monterrey & Carmel, California
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)
Whiting – Park City, Utah
(Responses from Grandpa, Grandma, Sheryl, Naylors, Shayna, Dallin, Brandon, Travis, Weston)

We Love our LIttle Harley

Today was a sad and difficult day for us. Harley passed away. I know not many of you are animal lovers but she was definately apart of our family. We are all having a tough time with her loss.

I wonder why?

Crew was with a group of friends 2 Fridays ago and one of them was abducted and then abused. He spent many hours witht the police answering questions and and filling out a report. Then this past Friday his best friend was jumed coming out of the movies and beaten up up very badly. Crew spent that night in the hopsital with him. So I wonder why are our youth going through such trying times? How come things have gotten so bad? I fee like some of those questions were answered this past weekend at the Youth Conference we put on. These are the last days...wickedness is all around us, especially our teens. More than ever they need a strong foundation to rely on to help them to make it. Sister Kallon (Sheryl shared her story with us prior to doing the humanitarian kits at Christmas) came and spoke to the youth about enduring trials and never giving up because the Lord will always provide away. Vicki Pinke-Taylor, who wrote Women at the Well, came and talked about pressure that teens face today like myspace, etc and how to keep your standards even though the outside world is doing something else. Jericho Road came and spoke to the youth about surrounding yourself with uplifting music, situations, and friends or else you won't mke it. They then put on a concert which was awesome! The conference was amazing but I was even more impressed with the youth that renewed a commitment this weekend to follow their Savior. As they shared their testimonies I realized again that these youth have been saved for these last days and they will make it if they stay close to the Lord and hold tight ot the Iron Rod.

FHE POLL -- Anniversary Quiz

Make sure you visit the blog every Monday as a family to take part in the "FHE POLL". Last week EVERYONE in the family responded to our poll about where Jason would serve his mission. Thanks everyone!

This is a special week in the Brown Family because we are celebrating 3 anniversaries! These aren't any ordinary anniversaries. Sheryl & Lon are celebrating their silver anniversary (25 years) on April 24th. Shannon & Barry are celebrating 20 years on the April 24th and Suzi & Terry are also celebrating 20 years on the 25th of this month.

This is also a significant year for Mark & Holly who are in their 10th year of marriage and for Shayna & Jordan who are still in their "Honeymoon Year". Grandma & Grandpa of couse have us all beat with 47 years of marriage -- WOW!

In honor of everyone's anniversary, this weeks "FHE POLL" is an anniversary quiz. Take the quiz and see how well you know each of the happy couples.

Click here to take the quiz!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=545173731941

I'll post the results on Wednesday. I'll also post more details about each of the happy couples. Grandma and Grandpa shared alot of details that I'm sure everyone will want to include in their family's history. They have alot of fun stories about how they met and their engagement. I'll share all those stories on Wednesday.

Have fun!

Protecting Baby Sister

Protecting our "baby princess" has become a full-time job at the Brown household. The most recent protective big brother incident occured at church today during sacrament meeting. Cannon pulled a bag of Skittles from his scripture bag and began passing them out to each member of the family. Within seconds Holland loudly scolded Cannon, "Do not let mom have any Skittles!!! The baby has no teeth and she is totally gonna choke on that!" Needless to say, everyone in front and behind our family was muffling laughter.

Water Ski Breakdown

Hi Family:

Grandpa had a breakdown on Saturday. It was not a physical or mental or nervious breakdown. It all started when we first woke up on Saturday morning. Grandpa looked out the windows and yelled to me, "There's a water skiier out there. I've got to buy a boat!" Sure enough, we saw several water skiiers, power boats, Sea Doos, sail boats in many colors from white to neon green and even an amphibious vehicle that drove up to the water and then just drove in.

Grandpa could hardly wait to get down to the beach. I insisted that I had to clean the apartment first. This was the first Saturday that we haven't had to travel or work all day.

We walked down to the beach. It was a spectacular day - 70 degrees, full sun, etc. The beach was active but never crowded. I thought Grandpa was going to have a real breakdown. He talked to people we met about buying or renting a boat. We were sent to the Takapuna Beach Boat Club, but no one was there. (Probably out on a boat.) We spent 3 or 4 hours exploring the beach to the South and the rocky coast to the North. Families were playing in the surf and eating ice cream cones. Oh yes. there is an ice cream store on the beach. We ate with pleasure. It was a wonderful experience. We had truly found a paradise in our back yard.

Later in the day, we drove over to the main harbor and marina near Auckland. It was also amazing. We got info on the ferry to our Rangitoto island and other places. We plan to make those trips as soon as we have another Saturday - which will be months away. On the way home we found a Pizza Hut! It was a great ending to a perfect day. We almost fogot that we had worked everyday, including weekends usually from 7AM til 8PM since we arrived. This was a pay off.

We hope to show you all this beauty some day.

We love you and appreciate your emails and photos. Keep them coming. We would love to get some art work from our talented grandchildren.

Love,

Elder and Sister Brown (G and G)

Where in the World are Grandma & Grandpa

Family:

We wish you were all here to see how beautiful it is. But since you are not here yet, David has taken some pictures of our home and surroundings. We have also included some pictures and contact information for the family.

Click here to view the pictures:
http://photos.yahoo.com/brownfamilyacademy
(click on "SLIDESHOW" to see full size images with descriptions)

Our current contact information is:
Office:
11 Huron Street
Takapuna, North Shore 0622
Auckland, New Zealand
David's Telephone 011-64-9-488-2364 MelRae's Telephone 011-64-9-488-2363

Home:
173 Hurstmere
Mon Desir - Apt # PE
Takapuna, North Shore 0622
Auckland, New Zealand
David's Mobile Telephone 011-64-021-750-621

Send mail to:
Elder David M. Brown
Pouch: New Zealand
50 East North Temple Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150

You can e-mail us at:
dmrbrown@comcast.net
or at: browndav@ldschurch.org and brownme@ldschurch.org.

If you use the ldschurch.org address, please send the message to both of us so it will show up on both computers. We love you and miss you very much. We will send a new email soon.

Love, Grandpa and Grandma

10 Easy Steps for Posting a Photo Album

Some of you have asked about loading pictures onto the blog.

If you just want to post ONE picture, this is VERY EASY. When you are making a "NEW POST" on the blog, there is a tool bar at the top of the window (where you enter the text for your post). Just click on the little picture icon (looks like a landscape and is the last icon in the toolbar). This will walk you through the steps for posting your picture. Again, this is VERY EASY!

If you want to post a link to an entire photo album (like I did for the baptism pictures), this is also quite easy. Click on the "COMMENTS" link below to see "10 Easy Steps For Posting a Photo Album".

Let me know if you have any questions. Please note that in order to post pictures, you will need to have the pictures stored on your computer (I'm assuming that you all have a digital camera and are able to upload the pictures to your computer).

Dallin's Campaign

Dallin is running for Junior Class V.P. As soon as I can find someone who knows how to post a photo I will tell you about his campaign posters - definitely unique. Anyway, his flyers have starbursts glued to them and say "Dallin is a Star-Burst-ing with ideas."

Pictures from Packer's Baptism

Click here to view pictures from Packer's Baptism.
http://photos.yahoo.com/brownfamilyacademy

If any of you have pictures you want to share, I can help you load them into a Yahoo photo album. Let me know.

Baseball at the Browns

The Browns are playing baseball for the first time ever! Packer plays machine pitch baseball for the Mets (a team with friends from school) and Holland plays t-ball on the Red Rockets (a neighborhood team). So we now are doing baseball 3 days a week! Packer scored the first run of the season for his team. This is significant since there were NO runs scored by his team until the last inning of the second game. His team is definitely made up of beginners. They are both having fun and are excited about the baseball equipment they got from the Easter Bunny!

Welcome to the Brown Family Blog!

Here are some tips to get started.

1) Anyone can post a new topic. Just click on "SIGN IN" on the very top right corner of this page. After you're signed in, click on "NEW POST" (also in the top right corner) to post a new topic. Follow the easy instructions and post a new topic.

2) New Topics -- try to keep topics/new posts limited to one thought. For example, if Suzi wants to tell about Powell's soccer game and Breck's cheer competition, she should do two separate posts. Your post can be as long or short as you want. You can also include pictures!

3) Comments -- anyone can comment on someone elses posts. Comments can be several paragraphs or one word.

4) You may want to bookmark the Brown Family Blog or add it to your Internet Favorites for easier access. I can give you instructions on how to do this if you need them.

5) Mark will send out notifications when a new post has been added to the blog.

6) In order to post comments on the blog, you need to have an account with Google, Gmail or Blogger. I have already created accounts for everyone that gives you full access to the blog. If you already have an account or want to create a different account, just send me your user name so I can add your name to the "author" list (allowing you to post to the blog). You can change your screen name and/or password by logging into your account.

7) Have fun! This is a great way for us all to keep in touch. If you are uncertain about how to make posts and/or comments, just email the post/picture to me and I will post it for you. THIS IS EASY -- EVERYONE CAN DO IT!

8) If anyone has ideas on how to make this better or is aware of a more optimal blog platform, let me know. This is my first time using a blog, so I'm certainly not an expert.

Trey goes to China

We can't wait to hear about Trey's trip to China. Please post a summary of your trip and pictures!

Packer's Baptism

Packer was baptized on Saturday! It was a wonderful day for the Brown Family. Jason gave a great talk on baptism and staying on the straight and narrow path. He had a great visual aid demonstrating how baptism is the gateway to our Heavenly Father's Kingdom. Packer's Aunt Heather gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. Mark had to baptize Packer twice because uncle Lon (one of the witnesses) saw that Packer's hand didn't go all the way under. Packer was the first baptism of the day, so fortunately the water was quite warm. We had a very large circle for Packer's confirmation. Uncle Lon, Jason and Jordan represented the Brown side of the family. From the Harpers we had Grandpa Harper, Heath, Hutch, Hylan & Hollan. In addition we had several family friends -- Matt, Alan and Brian. Packer had a great day and said he felt the spirit very strong. One of the highlights was singing "We'll Bring the World His Truth" for the closing song. It was very moving to see Packer and all of his cousins sing all 3 verses of this song. Every one came over after the baptism for a nice lunch. It was a great day!

Here is a copy of the program from the baptism.

Baptism Program Cover

Baptism Program Inside

Jason's Mission Call

Hi!
We're having a little fun with guessing where Jason will go on his mission. We have a big map of the world up in the kitchen and everyone gets a guess. We want each person in your family to take a guess and we'll mark each with a sticker. We'll see who comes closest!
Love Ya!
Sheryl

Please post your guesses in the comments section as well so we all can see your guesses!