Gold Prize Winners

This week we finally managed to make connections (after several tries from both sides) with the amazing couple who won the gold prize for the give-away that we sponsored during The Entitlement Trap pre-sales era. The prize was dinner with us at a fun Park City restaurant. I think we were actually the winners! We had so much fun getting to know this extraordinary couple. 

On January 3rd Sarah and Gabe Granata are moving with their four little children ages seven to about 18 months to China! Unlike others in their company, they will be living smack dab in the middle of a Chinese high-rise community surrounded by only Chinese speaking friends and neighbors which is only a few minutes from his office rather than 90 minutes each way if they were to live near other Americans.

They are debating whether to just throw their kids into Chinese schools with the help of a Chinese tudor after school OR to home school them for the rest of the year and then throw them in when they start again next fall. Dad/Rick’s suggestion of course, was to throw them in and let them swim. My feeling would be to get them acclimated for a few months and then sent them off to a Chinese school in the next school year. I think we weren’t too much help on that one. You might ask why not put the kids in a private school? The problem is the tuition: $22,000-30,000 per child.

They are excited about their adventure!

Two and a half hours simply flew by as we were amazed at this couple’s courage and stamina. Go Gabe and Sarah!

 

 

For our kids, I had to take a picture of their dad’s outfit for the evening. He prides himself on “interesting” outfits! Mountain man jacket, new linen pants from Tommy Bahama and clunky snow books. Oh how I love this crazy guy!

Feast

(Dad says that my new phone takes better pictures than my little point and shoot. I must beg to differ. sorry about the blur and pretty bad lighting…which of course is the fault of the camera :))

It was over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we went. We spent Thanksgiving in Logan with Grandma Ruthie, who is uncomfortable with travel and whose kitchen is way too small for a Thanksgiving dinner for 22 people. SO we had a lovely feast at a restaurant in Logan called Hamilton’s. It was fun to first relax at Grandma’s house with Chris and Hedy, then Rawlin and Karen along with Patrick and Elizabeth and two of her friends from her choir. Next came Saren and Jared and their little crew as well as Howie who Kevan retrieved from Bear Lake. Sheri and Lynn met us at the restaurant and we ate like kings!

It was a perfectly lovely day! After the Loosli kids showed their prolific “thankful lists” to Grandfather, they sang songs from their Joy School days for Grandma…..

 

And she sang every word with them…

And then claimed that she didn’t recognize those songs. Sweet Grandma!

It was so great to be with our dear brothers and sisters-in-law!

 

Patrick donated his tree to Grandma’s living room and Grandma enjoyed watching the decorating.

 

Dinner was spectacular as they come even though we missed the smells as the feast cooks. But it was kind of nice to trade the smells for a nice dinner that you didn’t have to shop for, cook and clean up after.

 

 

 

Eliza and I took a little trip to the dessert buffet.  Divine!

 

Lovely fire and atmosphere…

 

Kevan and his new friend Toa from China (who Kevan claims is the best ski student he’s ever had).

A great time was had by all!

 

 

Of course, Thanksgiving isn’t complete without a movie. This year…Arthur Christmas in 3D, which everyone thought was terrific!

And of course, Grandfather couldn’t resist kidnapping the kids for some Ben and Jerry’s at our cute little hotel room.

Thanksgiving was a feast of gratitude for the plethora of blessings including our dear friends and relatives gathered in Logan. 

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

In case you haven’t received it, below is our annual Thanksgiving “Card” which is always a poem composed by our thoughtful dad and a few pictures to keep you updated.

Family and Friends,
It's hard to believe, but this is the 40th year that we have sent a Thanksgiving Poem, Picture, and Update to friends and family.
And every year there is more to be thankful for!
The poems tend to evolve and almost write themselves. This year it turned to the season of Autumn (a season of our lives.)
We hope you feel our love as well as our thanks. Attached is the poem/update and three pictures.
Eyres

THE RICHNESS OF AUTUMN (thanksgiving 2011)

Juxtaposition of cool air in my nostrils and hot sun on my back
Slanting, revealing light, deeper shadows, flaming foliage
Surprising snow skiff or frost some mornings
Autumn, always the favorite season
And now the season of our lives
Our axis tilts slowly, and stretches our mortal year across nine seasons
A long, growing spring through school and mission and marriage
An early summer of new babies and politics and another mission
A midsummer with full-bloom cacophony of conceived children and books
The lush late summer’s Eyrealm missions and marriages
Indian summer of central three-campus kingdom and orbiting satellites
And now full autumn, rich and boundless
Then fall, more as a mellow invitation than a lowering threat
Followed by early winter’s renewed energy and new snow
And finally the reflective soft silence and reward of deep winter

We love the sixth season because it is now, the last third of the second third
Late enough for perspective but early enough for energy
We wait to see if country or church will be turned by our friends
Bright leaves, some flying in the wind and some still on the tree
I am the eyre or seer into the eyes of our nine noble ones
Family members 40 and 41 set to enter this estate as grandchildren 22 and 23
We float on new volumes and audiences to the domains of daughters and sons
Wrapped in each other’s oneness, flying far and then homing again and again
To the warmth of three campuses that become physical legacy
Fresh books on entitlement and spiritual solutions
A little early snow from a surgery shoulder and a bungled back previews winter and
Enhances returning equine and athletic appreciation

Abundance abounds and giving lags receiving so we get constantly and gratefully more behind
(Only our ever-indebted liabilities can balance His ever-given assets)
Our thanks-giving forms in the mould of our inability ever to repay

Next to Him, it is you we thank
Friends and family who see our hearts and know our love
This Thanksgiving of 2011

Richard and Linda (the north lake, the central mountains or the south desert)
Saren and Jared + 5 (Ogden), Shawni and Dave +5 and Josh (Phoenix),
Saydi and Jeff +4 (Boston), Jonah and Aja +4 (Maui), Tal and Anita +1* (NYC)
Noah and Kristi +4* (San Diego), Eli and Julie (D.C.) and Charity (San Francisco)
*new one arriving any day

 

 

WE GIVE THANKS! 

Fun with our Lovable and Eccentric Dad

I have to admit that it’s pretty darn fun living with Dad…most days!  I was quite mad at him a few days ago (you don’t want to know the details) but I got over it.

Now that we’re empty nesters it’s so easy to come and go as we please.  No offense to you kids while you were home. That was fun too, but this is different fun!

Last week we got to speak to an auditorium full of wonderful MBA students and their wives at BYU. They were a lively group with lots of great questions. These are the “leftovers” after everybody else left. Why are there no dads there?  They were picking up their kids from the sixty-kid nursery manned by a single’s ward held in the next building!  This was an organizational feat accomplished by the cute mom in the purple on the right!

 

We also went to the symphony to hear Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony, some great stuff by Wagner and absolutely the most astounding 22 minute percussionist accompanied by the symphony that you can possibly imagine!  I would have died to have you all there!

 

We’ve never been so close to the chandeliers!

For the first time since our temporary move downtown we heard a fabulous performance of Music and The Spoken Word on Sunday morning. Dad was embarrassed to have his picture taken with his hero Mac Wilberg with his back turned to us, but it proves that we were there!

Just a reminder to those who know and love him…Dad is just a bit on the eccentric side.  He has recently decided that he just can’t get enough Cauliflower!

 

And he never pays much attention to where he is running!

He changes his mind at least 12 times a day and has new ideas pouring out of his head like water over Niagara Falls but he sure is fun to live with! 

Extraordinary FHE!

We miss not having our kids around for those raucous Family Meetings! With kids spread all over the country with their families it seemed impossible to get everyone together on the same night any time soon!  BUT with a new program on Google + we just have to say…”Bless the Internet”…and Josh who somehow knows how to do every new thing on the Internet and Eli who set it up for us!  Although Josh, the Pothiers and I were all at the same house, six other screens popped up in three different time zones to include everybody in the family (with the exception of Charity who was working and on the phone listening in part time).

 
With Jonah and Aja having just moved to Hawaii and with some of the cousins not having seen each other since July, it was general jubilation when we all saw each other on the screen. The pregnant moms (due the same week in December) did a cyber tummy bump, kids did talents, everyone made pertinent announcements and we had a tour of Jonah and Aja’s new rental house. Actually a grand time was had by all!  The reception wasn’t stellar but here are a few shots of what we saw from Arizona:

Family in Boston

Family in DC

Family in San Diego
 
Family in Ogden



Family in Hawaii

Oops, they moved too fast to get the tummy bump. This is the only shot I got from our family in NY!


So sorry to miss seeing Charity, but so goes the work world!  We lOVE you Charity!
Dad and I were over the moon! It was wild and chaotic because every time someone talked, the screen would change to their family but if was fun and funny! And once a month….this is heaven!

After all that the Pothiers had their own little FHE activity with the creation of the annual Thanksgiving Tree.  Are they Thankful enough or what?


During this season of gratitude, I’m so grateful for our incredible families spread all over creation and all the good their are doing in their own homes with their own families.  Prayers are answered!

At Home With The Pothiers

Being in the Pothier home is like being in a whilrwind!  It took me back to the old days when every minute is crammed to overflowing with piano lessons, dance lessons, sports practices, endless projects and young men and young women activities. There is just never a dull moment.

There are so many things to smile about….

A sign on the girl’s bedroom door:

Scripture reminders on the chalkboard at the top of the stairs….

And reams of paper filled up daily by Lucy who copiously copies words endlessly with undying concentration from the Ipad….

Can you believe alligator and astronaut??? That girl sounds things out and is beginning to read!

 

 

There are also lots of reminders of what is important in the Pothier house….

Like THANKSGIVING

AND THE TEMPLE (photograph on canvas by Shawni)

 

PIANO LESSONS

 

 

Elle has taken up bouncing her volleyball so that Grace can stay exactly on the beat while she practices.

 

And kids coming and going to dance lessons, tennis lessons and soccer games. Phone calls and continual texting by Shawni to organize the coming Young Women activity, completing and sending off a blog post for Time Out for Women and squeezing in her own blog post for the day (71toes.blogspot.com).

There are also reminders on the walls of how quickly time flies as these two first babies are now teenagers!

 

And important snapshots of moments in the Pothier history that they want to remember!

After school “snacks” abound. This is Max’s first stack of Eggos and sausages…the second comes immediately afterward.   

Home wouldn’t be home in a house full of little kids without teeth falling out. Claire lost TWO (top and bottom) in one day! They have been hanging by a thread and literally fell out all at within minutes of each other!

 

And there always a way to cram in a visit to Josh’s school (more on that later) and to make a quick stop at Costco and In and Out as well as the sale at Old Navy.

 

 

 

That’s about a tenth of what happens in a day at the Pothier Home. Yup, it’s a whirlwind but it was so fun to get caught up in the storm for a few days!