Anderson Family Memories

Makenzie's 14th Birthday!

2010-02-22T11:15:00.007-07:00

Makenzie turned 14 on February 16th!!! It's hard to believe how fast she is growing up! She is such a wonderful girl. Sooo full of energy! She get's straight A's, is on the Cheer team at school, Beehive Class President, and manages to have enough time for homework! Such a good example to her Brother's and Sister. We love her sooo much!

We celebrated by going to the Training Table Restaurant, opened gifts, ate her ice cream cake and had a late night party on Friday with some of her girlfriends!

Shoes!!! What girl doesn't love a new pair of shoes?
14 candles on that cake wasn't easy for her to blow out!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T16:54:00.009-07:00

2009 Christmas in our new home!!! We have been sooo blessed this past year and are enjoying our new life in South Jordan, Utah! Christmas morning didn't start until 7 a.m. which never happens, but the kids are the ones who slept in! We were up at 5 waiting.

The excitement on Mikael's face "priceless" when he opened lego rock band!

Corbijn was so much fun to watch because we couldn't get him away from each gift to open the next!
Webkinz always make KenaDee smile!

We all sat and Watched Corbijn line up all 40 of his cars! That made his whole Christmas!!

Christmas started two days early with a little surprise for the kids. A new baby persian kitten named Gilly! After many years of our children begging for a pet, the one year they didn't ask our hearts were softened and we caved!! She is a great addition to our family. They love her sooo much. She is the gift that will definately keep on giving all year long! She is so easy going and very low maintenance which makes mom happy!

Typical Corbijn waiting for Gilly to emerge from her routine hiding from him!
KenaDee said, "She's the best Christmas present ever"!

AUGUST

2009-10-03T21:33:00.007-06:00

August / September were really crazy, busy month's for our family! We moved into our new home in the middle of August and celebrated Mikael's birthday on the 25th. We took a trip to Denver to see Depeche Mode at Red Rocks with some our closest friends in Parker, The Crandall's. School started the very next week, had many family events and Ryan and I took a trip to Boston. Oh yea, and did I mention the 9 rooms that I have painted! I still have 5 left! We are happy to finally be settled once again in our new neighborhood with a beautiful temple just outside our front door. We gave up a great life in Parker, but life is pretty good where we are now.

Mikael started his birthday with going to Red Butte Gardens!

Typical Corbijn, "where ever there is water you will find him"!
Mikael's giant flower cake!
Grandpa Anderson gave mikael a special boat for his ordination in becoming a Deacon.

KenaDee was sooo happy to see our Colorado bear "Tray"!
Our new Utah home!

Oh the fun that comes with move in day!

Depeche Mode at Red Rocks! Ryan has black eyeliner and black nail polish on. A true Depeche Mode fan!

Dave and Courteney Crandall!

First day of School! They are all going to a Charter School here in Day Break. It just opened and has a middle school and an elementary school next to each other! Mikael ran for student council and was one of four elected. He got to help cut the ribbon at the ribbon cutting ceremony!

Cutting the ribbon at the new school!

Day 5 Ireland

2009-07-27T14:42:00.010-06:00

The last day was spent in two manners, both were intended to put a giant indent in the tourist in us. We did a quick tour of Dublin, then walked back to some of the sights we wanted to persue a little closer. That was followed by a little rest, before our late night Ghost Tour. It was cool. Interesting more than scary.

Here is a large house across from the bus depot.

Here is a few shots from Phoenix Park, one of the largest parks in Britain. The statue is in memory of Waterloo and then the other is the Presidents House, both housed in the park along with the zoo and some public polo, football and Gaelic football fields.

As we continued on the tour, we saw evidence that our clan existed in Ireland...also sales people.

Next we went to several cathedrals. The first is St. Patricks, built in the 1100's.

Next we went to Christ Church, around the corner. You will see pictures inside, including the crypt.

Our last stop of the day, was to the Ghost Tour. The tour guide said that if you look at the orbs in the picture, they are ghost. Here are a few examples.

All and all, an amazing trip. Back to real life and getting ready to close on a house.

Day 4 Ireland

2009-07-26T01:31:00.013-06:00

Before we went another night to U2, we went to see the Guinness Factory tour, which is celebrating 250 years this year of existence.

There were several interesting pieces to this tour, the first was the display of the 9000 year lease that Aurthur Guinness was able to get the state too sign. After 250 years, there are a few more years left in the lease and I think they will keep it.

To make the Stout, you have to have some ingredients. Here are a few of the key items, wheat, barley, and water.

You have to have a place to store the items, so here is a large barrel to hold the beer. (These shots show angles from the inside and the outside.)

A picture of Christin and I at the waters edge.

Here are a few more steps, the finished product and a little shamrock touch to the pour. Talented.

At the very end, we were in a 360 degree floating bar on the top floor. Here are a number of shots from these views. Shows Dublin from many points of view.

The beams on the tour reminds us of truths:

Time for the concert, as always, see the Greasy Lumberjack for details. Here is a shot of Christin and I at the concert in the inner circle before the party.

Day 3 in Ireland

2009-07-25T03:43:00.004-06:00

Most of the information on Day 3 will be held on the GreasyLumberJack site. It is mostly music related.

Here are a couple of pictures from the concert.

Day 2 in Ireland

2009-07-24T05:37:00.011-06:00

Time to break out of Dublin and head to the country side.

The GPS we had wasn't updated to the new highways, but that was okay....we wouldn't have seen the crazy back road scenery. We would have missed out on several castles, several near miss hits in the car and some quaint eateries. Bottom line, yesterday was well needed.

Christin was fascinated with driving on the opposite side of the road.

Here is a shot of the rolling hills, someones land that was well kept. (One thing we noticed right away was the cleanliness of Ireland. Super clean.) Also, one of the castles we visited. Christin kept thinking of Monty Python and the Holy Grail the whole time. She wanted to launch cows over the wall.

We then proceeded down the road to our final destination. There were several great scenes from this road to the west coast, here are a few examples.

Lastly, we went to the Cliffs of Moher, the place where Princess Bride was filmed. (For those of you that have seen the movie, you will get it.) This was priceless. I think we will just let the pictures say the 1,000 words instead of me.

Christin smarted off one time, and I showed her who is boss. Then I saved her and she retaliated with trying to knock me over the edge. Not the right place to get in a fight.

Up next, U2!!!!

Day 1 Ireland

2009-07-23T02:02:00.008-06:00

All I can say is Beautiful!!!

This is certainly not our last trip to Ireland.

Here is a picture of the hotel in which we are staying, The Shelbourne. Amazing place.

Outside our hotel is a gorgeous park, St. Stephen's Green. Here is a little cottage in the park along with a Unitarian Church in the background.

Here are a couple of pictures of the landscape in the area. Everything ranging from the Temple Bar area, the old buildings, to some more of the shopping districts. Once again, amazing.

Off to try and maneuver the area in our rental car. Wish us luck.

KenaDee's Ad

2009-07-19T20:07:00.004-06:00

KenaDee needs some cash.

KenaDee just got chewed out by Ryan for not being profitable with Nelly's Nails. She has to get some money or he will evict her. Here is her advertisement. If anyone wants an appointment, please let me know. She has about $450 in overhead she owes Ryan and only charges $15 + she sells product. She is hoping she can make some money soon.

What Time Is It In Ireland?

2009-07-18T11:00:00.001-06:00

Dublin

4th of July!!!

2009-07-07T11:56:00.008-06:00

Our fourth was spent in Colorado with our really good friends the Williams!!! We decided to go to Parker for a few days and visit our old neighborhood (not that old we have only been gone a month and a half). We went to the ward breakfast celebration. The kids were soaked by the end of the breakfast. Mikael & KenaDee raced the Bishop in a 5k running in flip flops and crocks! Corbijn managed to roll a large rock over his pinky toe, which is now purple! The poor baby! We barbequed, watched the boys & Justin & Ryan light off fireworks in the Culde Sac. Enjoyed being with our friends and watching fireworks!

KenaDee & Sadie two best friends together again!!!

Mikael & Evan playing Rock Band while waiting for the rain to stop!!!

Outside fun!!!

The Williams: Justin, Quinn, Julie, Avery, Owen, Sadie, Evan

Ryan getting out the goods!!

Avery

KenaDee & Sadie lighting sparklers

Makenzie & Corbijn hanging out

Mikael lighting smoke balls

Mom & Corbijn enjoying the nice weather outside

Justin running away from the garbage can that was in pieces by the end of the day!

Ryan entertaining the kids with the many fireworks he lit off that day!

Corbijn was entertained by the toy car for hours despite his hurt toe!

Julie & Quinn

KenaDee's 9th Birthday!!!

2009-06-29T11:00:00.005-06:00

KenaDee's 9th birthday was celebrated in Utah with her Anderson Grandparents, Uncle Kelly, Aunt Juliana & lots of cousins! She opened gifts, had a picnic at the park and spent time hanging with cousins.

I can't believe it has been 9 years already!!! How quickly time goes by. KenaDee has been a joy to have in our family. Very outgoing with alot of energy! She says the funniest things that makes us laugh for hours. She has been a little mother hen to Corbijn! We love her sooo much!!!

Luke, Aubriana, Ogden, KenaDee, Olivia, Emma, Mikael, Makenzie, Corbijn

80's Going Away Party!!!

2009-06-18T20:17:00.005-06:00

Our last night in our Parker, Colorado home was one of the best nights with sooo many of our great friends!!!! Our friends threw an all 80's party where everyone dressed up, played games, ate, karaoked and danced into the night. We will never forget that night and will greatly miss our Parker clan!!!! We have officially moved to Utah! It has been challenging, rewarding, fun, hard, exciting, enjoyable, missing friends, discovering new things, learning how to be together every day all day, fun watching the new house get built, good seeing old friends, most of all BEING TOGETHER EVERY NIGHT AS A FAMILY!!! The one thing that has truly been difficult this past year has finally gotten better!!!

Here is the most recent picture of our future home! We are sooo excited that it is hard to be patient!!! The outside only has Brick work, steps, railing, and our Black door left!!! The inside is coming along!!! More pictures to come over the next few weeks.!!!

Corbijn's First Birthday!!!

2009-05-21T10:42:00.006-06:00

Corbijn's Birthday was so much fun!!! Probably more for us since he won't remember it, but I think he had alot of fun opening gifts and diving into his cake!!!

Look at that Face!!!

Two of Corbijn's favorite things: Dad & Elmo!!!

He loves anything with wheels!!

His first Cake!!!

Wearing his cake!!!

Mikael & KenaDee's Last Day of School

The last day of school was a very sad day for both KenaDee, Mikael, & all of their school friends; because it wasn't just the last day of the school year, it was their last day of going to Frontier Valley Elementary. It made me cry watching all of their friends tear up and give hugs.

KenaDee and many of her friends!!!

KenaDee & Kyndal

Emma, Sydni, KenaDee, Rachel

Mikael, Zach, Danny

Vail Colorado

2009-04-15T13:20:00.006-06:00

During spring break we decided to stop in Vail and stay overnight. Outside of our room were some of the biggest icesicles we have ever seen. They were taller than KenaDee!!! Ryan broke one off so the kids could enjoy it!!!

EASTER

We had a great Easter!!! This is one of my favorite holidays!!! Not only for religious reasons, but also for the celebration and it usually means that Spring time is here. I love to see the green grass coming back and all the plants and flowers starting to bloom again.

Makenzie's Late Night Party!!!

2009-04-01T11:39:00.003-06:00

Makenzie invited some friends over for a late night get together. Thank goodness for basements when you have a teenager! They had a great time and played Rock Band for hours. They also had fun texting some boy!!! Yikes!! I'm not ready for that yet.

Makenzie and Hanna singing and texting at the same time

The girls playing Rock Band!!!

Daddy Daughter Pinewood Derby YW Activity

Makenzie and some of the YW

Makenzie and her IPOD car

Just when I thought we would have a break from making pinewood derby cars for another 8 years, Ryan had to help Makenzie make one!!! It was a really fun night and Ryan and Makenzie had a great time.

Mikael's Scooter Accident

2009-03-10T19:08:00.009-06:00

I have always been proud to say that none of my children has ever broken a bone. Well I can no longer say that!!! Mikael's first week of track off from school my friend Shelly and I decided to walk to the park with all of our kids on bikes or scooter's. Mikael stopped quickly, lost control, fell and landed on his wrist. He spent his 4 weeks out of school not doing many of the physical activities he enjoys.

NJHS

We are sooo proud of Makenzie! She works very hard in school and because of her dedication she was invited to apply to National Junior Honor Society. After writing an essay, doing 5 hours of community service and a letter of recommendation from her 6th grade teacher she was accepted into NJHS.

Makenzie's 13th Birthday!!!

2009-02-17T21:40:00.007-07:00

We started the day by taking Makenzie to her favorite restaurant at P.F. Chang's

Mom & Makenzie headed to the salon for a new hairstyle and got her nails done!!!

Anxiously waiting to open gifts

How great it is to finally be a teenager!!!

Makenzie's favorite Tres Leches cake

Disneyland Trip!!!!

2009-02-08T15:41:00.004-07:00

Ryan had a trip with work to California, so we decided to give the kids a gift of going along with him for a late Christmas present. We spent 3 days at Disneyland and California Adventure. We had a great time being together as a family, which can be few and far between these days with Ryan's heavy travel schedule.

How did I get stuck riding the California Screamer!!

Ryan decided that KenaDee could not have a driver's license for a very long time!!! I'm pretty sure he had whiplash afterwords.

Corbijn enjoyed all the great things he could touch!

The kids are in Jail!

Look at that face!!!

Ryan's fun trip to New Orleans

2009-01-21T13:33:00.003-07:00

The day after New Year's Ryan, and three of his good friends from Parker went to New Orleans for the Utah vs. Alabama Bowl game. They had alot of fun! I'm pretty sure they are the only 4 guys in our ward that are Utah fans! GO UTES!

Justin and Brian
Ryan and Brian

KenaDee Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel Solo

2008-12-25T17:30:00.006-07:00

This year for the holiday's, KenaDee performed in the School Choir. Here is a snippet of her singing away during Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel.

Christin and Ryan Ride and Strumming in Style

2008-12-25T15:26:00.004-07:00

Christmas 2008 brought a new toy to the Anderson household.

Ryan's job offered up a grand nugget if he hit a big stretch goal with his account in 2008. As promised, they delivered. Christin was given the choice and she decided to go for fun. Now taking up residency at the Anderson house is a brand new Mercedes G Wagon. It is a beautiful car and more than we ever deserved.

Thanks PC and Bru!!!!

Christin also delivered to Ryan a life long dream....his very own guitar and amp. Now it is up to Ryan to learn and have fun, probably more of the later.

Christmas Day 2008

2008-12-25T15:15:00.007-07:00

As usual, tons of fun this Christmas morning. As a family tradition, we sit down and split out the presents while we watch each other open them up. The family is getting bigger, the in between time is getting longer and we enjoy the gift giving longer as well. Here are a few pictures from this morning.

Merry Christmas and have a great day.

2008-12-22T14:43:00.013-07:00

Halloween was so much fun! We spent the evening with our good friends the Williams and the Auernigs.

Ryan decided to go as Janet Reno! Justin and Brian couldn't keep their hands off of him!

Our first snowfall happened the day after Thanksgiving. Mikael and KenaDee spent hours creating our family in snowmen!

Corbijn has been our greatest blessing this year. He is changing everyday and always makes us laugh! He rolls everywhere and the past few days he has gotten up on his knees ready to start crawling at any moment. He loves to hang out with his Dad! Ryan always plays with him and tickles him. He laughs when Ryan just looks at him! He is spoiled by everyone constantly. When Ryan is traveling and the kids are at school he gets bored! I guess I don't entertain like everyone else.

Hawaii October 08

2008-11-26T18:27:00.010-07:00

Hammock time in Kauai

The kids loved the hotels

KenaDee loved the black sand beach in Hana
Corb enjoyed Hawaii!

Pearl Harbor

Every year we have made it a family tradition to go on a vacation together. This year we decided to go to Hawaii and take the kids. We went to Oahu and visited the Polynesian Culture center and Pearl Harbor. We then spent 4 days in Maui and 4 days in Kauai. We had so much fun and hopefully created alot of memories for our children. I don't think Corbijn will remember it though!

I think we concluded that we would love a second home there someday! (who wouldn't)

Ryan & Mikael's Trip

2008-10-10T17:19:00.002-06:00

Ryan and Mikael started the tradition of going to Chicago every year to watch a Cubs game at Wrigley field. They were able to see them play the first of the last three games in the playoffs against the Dodgers. Unfortunately, they lost and didn't make it to the World Series like we were hoping. They had fun anyway!

We finally finished our basement and Mikael wanted his new bedroom to be nothing but the Cub's. We've had a good time decorating it!

Mikael's Exciting Month!

2008-09-17T09:36:00.005-06:00

Mikael started 6th grade this year, his last year of elementary school. He is so smart he almost got 100% on the math section of the statewide end of school year testing. He plans to be a Dentist when he grows up. He loves to read and finishes thick books in only a couple of weeks! Mikael brings alot of joy to our family. He is always happy and he says that the best thing that has ever happened to him is finally getting a brother!

Cub scouts has been one of Mikael's favorite things for the past 3 years! He worked very hard to get every award possible. He completed the highest award, the Arrow of Light! That night he crossed over the bridge and became a Boy Scout. We are so proud of him! My favorite calling in the church was being the bear leader, which I was able to serve with Mikael for 1 year. I had a lot of fun being part of the cub scout program with Mikael. We have lots of great memories that I will always have to share with him. It makes me sad that he is growing up so fast and is already a part of the boy scout program! I am excited for him however and he already can't wait to get his Eagle!

When Mikael was a Bear!

11th Birthday!

Mikael turned eleven in August. He celebrated his birthday with his best friend Easton! We went bowling and played laser tag. He finished off the evening going to the Trail Dust restaurant.

Hanging out

2008-09-17T09:23:00.004-06:00

Ryan went to the Wilco concert in Salt Lake while he was out there with work. I was so jealous because they are my favorite band, so he brought us all wilco shirts. Corbijn's of course is a cute little onesie!

Parker Tornado

2008-08-31T09:47:00.002-06:00

Last weekend we came home from church to a surprise in the back yard. We were talking with some friends when they informed us of a handful of tornados that were touching down. After calming the kids down and getting them out of their safe haven in the basement, we realized that a few had touched down a couple of blocks away and that a big one hit several miles away. The attached images are of the BIG ONE that hit a few miles behind the house. It was far enough away that we stood out and watched it form, disintegrate, and reform. Watching it was truly phenomenal. We watched the news, watched it live and monitored the status on our own. Very scary, but very fun as well.

Ash & Ashlyn's Wedding

2008-07-29T11:57:00.004-06:00

Jared, John, Ash, Rob, Ryan (my brothers and Ryan)

We now have a new sister-law to add to our family! My youngest brother Ash is now officially married! They were married in the Denver Temple on Friday, July 25th! We had a really fun day celebrating with them. Ashlyn is the youngest of 7 girls in her family, so lots of family around on both sides. I'm looking forward to getting to know Ashlyn and hopefully she will adjust to all my crazy and fun brothers!

The Jonas Brothers!

2008-07-29T10:45:00.001-06:00

The Concert!

2008-07-23T21:10:00.003-06:00

The fun night

My girls are music fans!

2008-07-23T20:51:00.002-06:00

Ryan got the girls Jonas Brother tickets, so we had a girls night out! They are becoming concert freaks just like their dad. We had so much fun and it was fun watching all the star struck little girls running around screaming! And yes, my girls were two of the many! Demi Lavato from Camp Rock was the opening band and I must admit she was pretty good.

Speaking of concerts, I have a really funny story! A few days before the Jonas Brothers concert Ryan and I had made plans to go to the foo fighters at Red Rocks. We had the tickets for probably 3 months. Ryan ended up having to go to a mandatory meeting in Utah and couldn't go to the concert. Now those of you that know Ryan can just imagine how upset he was about this. He insisted that I find a friend and still go to the concert, but not tell him about it. So my good friend Courteney really wanted to go so we got babysitters and were excited and ready and headed to Red Rocks. We drive up there and there was no one in site! We drove to all the different parking lots and could not figure out what was going on. We must of looked at the tickets a hundred times to make sure we were there on the right day and time. Courteney called her husband Dave and had him look on their website, come to find out they got sick and had to cancel, but for some reason we never got an email! We were really dissappointed, but to Ryan's advantage they are planning to reschedule in September.

It's Great to be 8!

2008-07-17T08:42:00.001-06:00

KenaDee & Corbijn shared their special Day's together! There were 5 baptisms from our ward on July 12th. KenaDee's two best friends, Sadie and Kyndal were baptized with KenaDee as well!
Ryan blessed Corbijn after the baptism's because we had so many family members and friends there that day!

Kyndal, Sadie, KenaDee, Ryan, Lilly

KenaDee & Corbijn are ready for the big events!

Grandpa enjoying Corbijn!

KenaDee celebrated her birthday with many of her good friends and her best friend Sadie!

6th grade graduation

2008-07-17T07:52:00.000-06:00

1st Grade 6th Grade

Makenzie has finally finished elementary school! Very exciting for her! I can't believe she is going to middle school next month, but she is definately ready!

Fun at the Hogle Zoo and Yellowstone!

2008-06-24T20:37:00.000-06:00

The Four at Hoagle Zoo!

We decided to take a little vacation for a week! We went to Utah for a few days and Idaho. We spent two days going into Yellowstone. We realized it had been 8 years since we had taken the kids. In Utah we decided to visit some of the favorite places we use to hang out at when we lived there. The kids wanted to go to Hogle zoo! I can't believe how much it has changed in four years!

Corbijn is growing!

2008-06-03T09:47:00.001-06:00

C0rbijn is 1 week old in this picture! We love his head of hair!

KenaDee enjoying every moment!

Corbijn is becoming more alert every day! I can't believe he is almost a month old.

KenaDee's Butterfly

2008-06-03T09:35:00.000-06:00

Her 2nd grade class made habitat's for a caterpillar and then anxiously waited for it to turn into a butterfly! KenaDee brought it home and kept it for a few days! She was sad when it came time to let it go.

Corbijn Boyd Anderson

2008-05-10T09:24:00.000-06:00

On May 8, 2008 at 2:38 pm, Corbijn Boyd Anderson was born into our happy family. Corbijn was 6lbs 14 oz, 20.5 inches long. He is adorable and has been called the singing baby by the hospital nursery. (If you know me, that is a winner.)

More to come as we gather more and more pictures. For now, enjoy one of his first photos and the rounds with Makenzie, Mikael and KenaDee.

Mom did really well, almost too well, and all is getting back to as normal as possible in our house.

Philippine Trip (2-17-08 thru 2-27-08)

2008-03-23T12:19:00.000-06:00

Philippine Trip (2-17-08 thru 2-27-08)

It was time to return. As the stars align and the timing is right, Harris, Scotty and I went to the Philippines to revisit a part of our life that we hold so dear. The following blog diaries, briefly, the trip and shares some fun and important moments to each day. There are emotional items that I can't obviously share via a simple document, but none-the-less enjoy what I hold dear to my heart........The Philippines.

Day 1 - Taipei

2008-03-23T12:07:00.001-06:00

Flight Over touchdown in Taipei

After a long trip from our respective homes to Taipei Taiwan, we burnt a little steam off riding the Taipei Ferris Wheel. It was a great way to see the night views of Taipei and just relax.

Dinner in the Market

After finishing the Ferris Wheel, it was time to finally eat. In the local market place we partook of a local dining experience, which consisted of some good rice and some various meets. It was a refreshing meal and fun to get back into the open markets of Asia. The gentleman sitting next to me took it upon himself to train me on the proper use of chopsticks.

Night Market

At night it is customary for everyone to come out and visit the Night Markets. These markets are fun to peruse through and shop. This is an absolute must for people who visit Taipei, very fun.

Hotel

The hotel was a standing joke throughout the trip. We took a chance and arrived in Taipei rolling the dice on a hotel. The hotel was fine for what we paid, but it was definitely a part of the overall memory of the trip.

Seeing Scotty and Harris crammed into one bed was hilarious and yet they were really good sports about that portion of the night. It was also the night that they were introduced to my horrible snoring habit, which caused Harris to go purchase noise canceling headphones to deter the sound of my sawing.

Day 2 - Taipei

2008-03-23T11:51:00.000-06:00

Taking the Streets in Taipei

Taipei has some tremendous public transportation, including the subway. It was very smooth and fast, it was a good way to get around.

Taipei Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

The décor of the section of town that we went to was very royal looking with the museums and halls. This hall is large and beautiful and on some decadent grounds. It was just up the street from the LDS temple and it was clear why that area is kept up so well.

Taiwan LDS Temple

Just down the street from the memorial hall is the LDS temple. It was interesting to be walking down this very clean street and then up pops a temple. The temple was right across the street from the Vatican Embassy, which was really neat to see both of them together. Inside the grounds was a meeting building and local headquarters. They mentioned inside that they work closely with the Vatican and are good friends.

Taipei 101 Outside

The 101 is currently the tallest building in the world. It is evident how tall this building is, but what was so impressive was how the outside looked much like a bunch of Chinese take-out boxes stacked on top of each other. Also, from the inside, there was no movement on the top floor which was a testament to the engineering of the building.

Taipei 101 City Shot

A shot from atop the 101 of Taipei.

Sun Yat-Sen's Memorial Hall

The Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall is a memorial commemorating the life of Sun Yat-Sen. This hall has the changing of the guards, which was fun to watch the change.

Day 3 - Philippines

2008-03-23T11:45:00.000-06:00

Return to the Philippines

After visiting Taipei and a night in Manila, we made our way to Angeles to visit some of the old areas we lived in. Of course we expected some changes, but one thing that didn’t change was the hospitality that of the Filipinos. Visiting one of our areas we went into our old homes and visited the grounds. The Filipinos that owned the homes were willing to let us in and visit. There are a lot of good memories in these homes.

Jackfruit

One of the fruit indigenous to the Philippine area is the Jackfruit. It was fun to see some of the old fruits that we couldn’t see in the states.

I’m Lovin It

The one thing that changed was the amount of McDonalds in the Philippines. Previously there were two McDonalds in the entire mission, which is where we are eating in this picture. Thank goodness there were more than the two throughout the mission though, because we ate plenty of McDonalds throughout the trip.

Day 4 - Philippines

2008-03-23T11:25:00.002-06:00

Mt. Pinatubo Hunting down transportation

One of the highlights of the trip was taking the advice of a couple of missionaries in the area and visiting Mt. Pinatubo. We went outside of the former Air Force base, where we were staying, and hunted down some transportation in a town called Biac Na Bato. This town was previously swallowed up by the lahar, so it was neat to see the changes that have taken place which were very positive.

Mt. Pinatubo Trip up to Volcano

14 years ago, the homes in this area were being swallowed up by the liquefied ash (referred to as lahar). It is nice to see the area settled down and the growth, which include the homes on top of the lahar.

Mt. Pinatubo Trip up the Lahar River

When we lived in the Philippines there were rivers of Lahar flowing throughout various areas. The pitch on the sides of the river has diminished over the years, but the effects are still visible. This was our pathway to finding Pinatubo, as the river ends at the road up to the trail.

Mt. Pinatubo Trip Carabao Lahar Bed

Along the way there were various animal, but the Carabo is one that the kids always like to see when I show them pictures. Here are a heard of Carabo living in the river area.

Mt. Pinatubo Road

It was fun to see nature playing its role and beatifying the area.

Time to walk into Pinatubo

After about a three hour drive from base to this spot, it was time to hike into Pinatubo. This hike took about another hour and wasn’t too bad. It was interesting to see the sulfur streams and the thick greenery, which was destroyed 16 years earlier.

Inside Pinatubo

As we hiked back up in the area we came over a little hill. When we hit the peak of this hill, the caldron of volcano was visible. The walls of the valley were half ash and half grown over. The years of rain caused slides into the valley, but parts of the walls had overgrowth.

Lake in Pinatubo

The most visible beauty of the area was the lake inside of Pinatubo. With all the minerals in the water, it was a lush blue. It was a massive lake that developed right after the eruption, as is common with these types of volcanic activity. The most exciting thing to witness was the dominance of the splendor vs. the dominance of the damage when we were there earlier.

Bataan Death March Shrine

If there was no significant personal emotional reason for someone to visit our areas we once lived in, it wouldn’t take long to lure someone into many subjects that would interest you. Mt. Pinatubo, visiting some of the historical sites for Philippine history such as where the constitution was signed, the beaches and fishing villages, and one of my favorite…the World War II history.

One of the most interesting parts was Corregidor and the Bataan death march. Throughout this blog you will see more discussion, but this portion of the trip brings us to the end of the trip for many soldiers. After the Japanese took over the Philippines, the Japanese took the POWs and marched them from the American’s various posts up near this area. Many soldiers died along the way and just many died from the conditions of the camps they put them in.

This shrine commemorates the final marching point for these soldiers before they were shipped up a couple of miles west to concentration camps.

Bataan Death March Cemetery

In this area the soldiers died of various diseases such as dysentery and malaria. When they died they were carried by their fellow soldiers to mass graves and buried. This spot is where 600+ soldiers were buried in this area and a large marker and statue stands above ground to commemorate their dedication.

Day 5 - Philippines

2008-03-23T10:06:00.000-06:00

Mt. Summit from afar

On top the mountains of Bataan, sits a giant cross built by the Philippine people to remind us of the wars that took place in these areas. The cross is visible from most of the province.

Philippine Life

The areas were lived in were very diverse. Some areas had the American McDonalds and people who were much Americanized. Other areas had the beaches and fishing villages, while the other parts of the Philippines had rice patties and Nipa huts. This landscape struck the heart strong as it was one of the first traditional Philippine landscapes that we saw on our return. You can now see why it was hard to leave that area.

Mt Summit up close

Here is a picture of Mt. Summit up close.

Bataan Death March Mile Markers

As mentioned earlier, the Bataan Death March started in various areas in our old areas. This marker demonstrates that this was one of the starting points of the march in the village of Bagac.

Bagac Resort

When I lived in Bagac a little of 14 years, I remember stumbling on this resort. We took the chance and decided to head into Bagac for a chance. It was a good bet which we would obviously do again. Very secluded and quite. Great views and great food.

Day 6 - Philippines

2008-03-23T09:44:00.000-06:00

Bataan Rice Fields

Another beautiful view of the Philippines are the rice fields.

Corregidor Boat

On our sixth day on the trip, we decided to take another little venture. This time we decided to take a trip to Corregidor on a local boat. Harris had never been there, so it was naturally one of my favorite memories of the Philippines. Of all people, Harris had to make the trip.

Corregidor

A picture of us approaching the island of Corregidor.

Corregidor Tunnel

One of the unique things about Corregidor is the many tunnels. As a safety feature in the island, one of the major mountains was hollowed out and made into a tunnel. Here is a picture inside the tunnel.

Malinta Tunnel

Here is a picture outside of the tunnel to demonstrate its magnitude.

Old Barracks at Corregidor

These are the Old Barracks at Corregidor.

Battery Guns at Corregidor

Throughout the island are different artillery sights. This is a good example of some of those sights that they used to defend the Philippines.

Corregidor Brothers in Arms

This is one of my favorite parts of the island. On the main area lays a memorial to the Americans and Filipinos who fought together. One of the status show two men carrying each other through the endeavor which is entitled ‘Brothers in Arms’.

Day 7 - Philippines

2008-03-23T09:30:00.000-06:00

Olongapo Cemetery

In the city of Olongapo, one of the sites that sit on the hills is the many graves. This cemetery goes across the top and down into each sides.

Iba Beach

A place we all called home for a while was the province of Zambales. Zambalas is lined with all beaches and fishing villages. As you see here, it is very beautiful and relaxing. It was only appropriate to revisit the area where one of the houses sit.

Old Iba House

This is one of the old houses that actually sit on the beach. We use to sit on this porch and relax to the sound of the waves crashing behind us. Again, a local Filipino allowed us to come into their home and take pictures.

Palauig Church

15 years ago the church that stood in this place was an old Nipa Hut style church that housed maybe a total of 10 people a week. Now Palauig has a full size church and is one of 5 in the surrounding areas.

Zambalas Lahar

On the East side of the Mt. Pinatubo the lahar would plow down the side of the mountains and find an exit into the ocean. These river dikes were created to divert the ash in the proper direction. It seems like they are a bit more permanent and won’t break down like when we were there.

Magsaysay ‘08

The infamous Magsaysay Street. Back in the days these streets were filled with the military night life. It has changed a ton since we were there. It is now just part of the city and has some of the old places, but more shopping and commercialized areas.

Olongapo Market

Still one of the best places to visit is the Market place. I absolutely love the Olongapo Market. It isn’t too big, but it isn’t too crowded as well. Always some fun and great for seeing fresh fish, fruits, and some unusual items.

Day 8 - Philippines

2008-03-23T09:26:00.000-06:00

Dinalupian Old Transfer Point

We joke that this is the old point where we would all convien and switch off areas. As we were driving through we made contact with an old friend in the area who happened to marry someone that we were in the Philippines with on our missions. Life is doing well for them and she was able to catch us up with the old area.

Balut, Addidas, Crab

Wow, it has been a while since we saw Balut (A 6 day old duck egg where the duck has started to form), Addidas (Chicken feet that have been BBQ) and Crab (Not just crab, but deep fried and unshelled).

Day 9 - Philippines

2008-03-23T09:08:00.000-06:00

Manila American Cemetery and Monument

Right in the middle of the city of Manila sits a secluded cemetery established by the American’s for the American and Philippine men and women who died in the Pacific in WWII. There are 17,026 buried in the cemetery with 36,282 listed as missing in action. It was this spot that Pres. Hinckley dedicated the Philippines for missionary work. It has strong symbolism in many ways.

Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago was the fortress built near the bay in Manila. The Spanish built this as a means to protect the inlet into the nation’s capital. Sixteen years ago when we visited they gave us free reign of the place and allowed us to go into the dungeons etc. It is much more protected and organized now with dedications to Jose Rizal, the father of the Philippines.

Philippine Cathedral

The last place we visited in the Philippines was a market, which was right next to one of the main Cathedrals in the Manila. Many of the political advisors come here to worship, so we decided to end and see the inside. It is a very beautiful Cathedral, which is typical of the Philippines.

Makenzie's Party

2008-03-15T07:22:00.000-06:00

Makenzie and KenaDee

Makenzie's 12th Birthday

2008-03-15T07:12:00.000-06:00

Makenzie celebrated her 12th birthday on February 16th. It has been a huge milestone in her life. She has moved on to Young Women's, babysitting, braces, and finishing up elementary school. She celebrated her special day with ice skating and partying with friends from school and church.
A little about Makenzie:
She has been playing the violyn this year with her school Orchestra, she has been a part of the school yearbook staff which includes designing web pages and taking photo's, she has currently joined the 6th grade end of the year school dance committee, and has been doing Gymnastics for the past few months and loves it.
She is a wonderful big sister to Mikael and KenaDee. She is getting straight A's in school and is always an example to everyone around her. We truly enjoy having her in our family.