1. My first real memory is when I was 2 and 3/4's we were living in Spanish Fork and we were moving to Orangeville. I remember very clearly standing on our front lawn of our apartment home watching my cousin Eric help load up the BIG moving truck. I remember hugging my Great Grandma and Grandpa Warner and getting into the car turning around to see Grandma and Grandpa wave goodbye to us. I don't remember the car ride through spanish fork canyon most likely because I fell asleep, to be quite honest I still fall asleep whenever I'm not driving and we go through that canyon, it just makes me sleepy thinking about it. I remember pulling up to the house and getting out of the car the first place we went to was the backyard where there was a giant apricot tree. Michael and I played in the sandbox for a little while and ran around the giant backyard. We walked up the back steps and into the kitchen I remember the orange blinds and then walking into the living room where the brown blinds were shut and the sun was shining through them casting sunbeams into the room. They had just unpacked my brown rocking chair and I remember sitting down in the rocking chair being extremely excited about what was to happen next. Brett was born shortly after but I really don't remember much of his birth or meeting him for the first time.
2. Year three I remember meeting Cammie Scow she lived two houses down from me and I remember walking down the sidewalk meeting her half way between my house and hers. I asked her if she wanted to play and that was the beginning of my childhood. Later that year my little brother Garret was born just two weeks before my 4th birthday. I remember seeing Grandma Swenson who since the move I didn't get to see that often. I remember Grandma lifting me up to look at Garret who was in with a bunch of other little kids and Grandma pointing to some baby asking me if I could see him. I lied and said that I could but if I remember right Grandma could barley pick me up high enough to get my nose over the lip of the window.
3. Year 4 I remember Garret as a baby and playing with him and Brett. Brett was funny and always did things just to make people laugh. I remember laughing with Brett a lot. I remember being in Love with Garret's blue eyes and black hair. I always thought he was sooo handsome and I honestly remember thinking I wanted the man I married to have black hair and blue eyes (umm no that did not happen). I remember our church house and going to Sunbeams and being afraid I was going to get lost. I remember one Sunday afternoon sitting in the living room Mom and Dad were reading the paper and Michael and I were looking at the comics, well Michael was reading them I was looking at them I think that I laughed after he laughed and he asked if I was reading them. I said Yes and then Michael told me I wasn't I didn't know how to read and I shouldn't be laughing at them. That one little provocation made me determined to read. I asked my Mom if she would teach me and she said she had some books. I started working on those books and within a few short months I was reading. I felt quite accomplished for a 4 year old. Later that summer I remember a camping trip with my Great Grandma and Grandpa Warner. As a kid I didn't realize how different it was to have Great Grandparents involved in your life but I loved them dearly and miss them a whole bunch. The camping trip if I remember was at Ferron Reservoir and I remember screaming bloody murder because a gopher had ran in front of me as we were heading back to camp after a long day of fishing at the lake. I remember the look on my Dad's face as he came sprinting up to me positive that I had just been mauled by a mountain lion. After I told my Dad what I saw, he laughed and picked me up and put me on his shoulders. I was madly in love with my Dad and loved it when it was just the two of us.
4. Year 5 Was hard because I had missed the kindergarten cut off date Mom was crazy busy with Brett and Garret. I remember a lot of sesame street and Mr. Rogers and I can't remember the name of it but had something to do with mannequins coming to life and puppets inside some department store. I remember Cammie and I playing a lot but there was also B.J. and Richard. We played a lot and I remember one particular time it was just me, B.J. and Richard. BJ told Richard that he shouldn't play with me because I was a girl and that was the first time in my life I realized that there were real differences between girls and boys. I mean here I was with 3 boys everyday of my life and they never treated me different because I was a girl and all the sudden this boy points out that there's a difference between us and thus we can't play together. I was really upset about it for a little while but don't worry BJ and Richard got over it pretty soon because we played for a long time after that. Finally after a long long summer I was able to start Kindergarten. I was in Mrs. Jeffs class and she had curly hair and dark glasses. I remember being shy and not knowing anybody really in my class. I didn't talk to many people and really hoped that I would be smart enough. I can still smell the paste and feel the cold hard chairs.
5. Year 6 I was still in kindergarten. I remember one day we were talking about the letter G and Mrs. Jeffs asked us what words started with the people said the usual: grapes, green, grass, glitter...I raised my hand and said Giant. I'm not sure why the look of surprise was so evident on Mrs. Jeffs' face it very well could have been that was the first time I had actually said anything in class or maybe that was her first realization that I could read but still I was confused at her look of surprise. The class then began to argue with me that Giant could not start with G because it made the jjjj J sound. I remember very clearly thinking that they were not that smart if they only knew that G made a hard ga ga ga sound and then explained because G was followed by an I it made the soft jjjj sound thus the word Giant began with G. Silly kindergartners. Mrs. Jeffs backed me up and after that I realized that maybe I was a little more advance than this Kindergarten class and I should speak up more to help them learn faster. Towards the end of my 6th year my dad accepted a job in rosaevelt right before I started first grade. My parents decided that my Dad would move there and Mom would wait in Orangeville till the house sold. I remember being really sad every time Dad would leave and my Mom being really sad too. We would visit Dad in Rosevelt and get ice cream at the store he was working at. When I started first grade our house was still for sale and Dad was still in limbo between Orangeville and Rosevelt.
6.Year 7 I remember learning how to read silently and loving first grade with Mrs. Guthrie. When Christmas came around I remember writing a letter to santa distraught because I wasn't sure if we would even be in Orangeville and he may not know where to find me. Luckily his elf snowdrop wrote me back and told me not to worry that Santa always knew where his good little girls and boys lived. And true enough Santa found us that Christmas. I'm not sure when Dad quit working in rosevelt but I'm pretty sure it was before Tyler was born. I was really excited for this new baby to come and was pretty sure it was my turn to have a baby sister. I had spent the last 3 years birthday wishes on having a little sister and for sure those had to work in my favor. Tyler was due in May and the last week of April was the 1st grad talent show. Mom and I had worked on me memorizing a book "There's a monster in the bath tub". We had worked on actions and making sure I spoke clearly and paused in all the right places for laughs. The night before the performance I was extremely nervous. I got out of bed in the middle of night so that Mom could comfort me and tell me that I would do great. When I got to my Mom's bed no one was there. I started to cry and wandered into our living room where lying on the couch was Merlene Sittrud. Merlene was my adopted Grandma ever since we left Spanish Fork and my grandparents. I cried to Merlene that I was nervous about the talent show and Merlene hugged me and told me that I was going to do great. She then told me that if I wanted she would be there to help me. For some reason this calmed me right down and I went back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning my dad was there and told me that I had a new baby brother. I laughed and told me dad not to tease me. (My dad is a notorious teaser) But I soon realized he wasn't teasing me and sure enough I had a new little brother. Dad took us to the hospital to see our new little brother, Garret was absolutly positive that we should name Tyler either Chip or Superman, good suggestions from a 3 and 1/2 year old. Our parents told us they were naming him Tyler James. I said oh good can we call him T.J. our parents said no. If we needed to call him anything it would be Ty. Oh like Ty Detmer I said. My parents said exactly. (We were giant BYU fans). I remember getting home from the hospital and getting ready for the talent show. I was so nervous and really sad that my Mom wasn't going to be there for it. When I got up to tell my story. I looked out in the audience and saw sweet Merlene sitting there with a big smile on her face. I told my story and felt so happy inside.
7. When I turned 8 I was in Mrs. Jeffs class again. She had moved from Kindergarten to 2nd grade. The biggest memory I have was my baptism. I remember asking my dad if I had to get baptized. He told me No but that I should pray about it. I did and felt really good about being baptized. My bishop at the time was Bishop Baltzer and he was so nice to me. My dad had car troubles the day of the baptism and nearly missed being their to baptize me. Most of my Dad's brothers made it and I remember being sad that My Great Grandma and Grandpa Warner weren't going to be there because Grandpa Warner had just had a heart attack. My mom had done a fancy French Braid on my hair and I wore the baptismal suit that my grandpa wore when he was baptized. I remember thinking the water was pretty cold and the amazing feeling that came over me as I came up from the water. After the baptism I changed into a pretty dress my Grandma Orr made for me and came out to greet all the people who came. My Uncle Carl pulled me aside and asked me if it felt like I was under the water for a long time. I thought about it and said Ya I think so, then he said that was because I was a Bad kid and it took a long time to wash all my sins off. He laughed and I thought he was really crazy. I was confirmed a member of the church the next day on Sunday and remember my Dad crying. My dad didn't cry very often and whenever he did in my life it was well documented in my mind. I remember feeling so glad my Dad held the priesthood and was able to bestow the gift of the holy ghost on me. It truly was a life changing event in my life.
8. The year that I turned 9 I was in the third grade. New Kids on the Block were huge but I really had no idea about them. I think it was in the third grade I started to understand that people didn't think I was cute and adorable like my mother and grandmother. I had a HUGE overbite and freckles and didn't like my mother to do my hair. I was in the nutcracker this year as a buffoon. I had lots of practice to go to on the weekends and loved nearly every second of it. We were preforming one night and I slipped on a cartwheel. I got right up and kept on dancing on the beat and finished with the rest of the dancers. As soon as we got off stage another little buffoon told me that I looked dumb and that everyone in the audience laughed at me. She told me that she wouldn't be surprised if they told me to quit. I was totally devastated. After the show ended I ran straight to my mom and cried my little eyes out. My mom told me that I did a great job and that if she hadn't seen the show before she would have thought that the slip was on purpose. For some reason that calmed me and I felt so much better. But I think that is when I started to worry about what other people thought about me.
9. Fourth Grade I had Mrs. Winget who was married in the middle of that year and became Mrs. Hansen. She was kind of loopy and sometimes was the happiest teacher in the world and other times was the meanest. But I'll never forget the end of the year awards she gave out. The first award I received was for some reading and math stuff. Nothing that spectacular. Then she started giving out the silly awards, I of course got the messiest desk award, I still to this day could win that award, organization just isn't my thing. After she was done giving out the silly awards she got really really serious, she said that she only gives out two of these awards every year and they were the most prestigious awards she handed out. She then explained they were the friendship award, she gave them to the students who were friends with everyone. I started thinking of the popular girls in the class the people who seemed to have lots of friends and were the really cool kids. She then called my name..I was shocked. I didn't think i was friends with everyone. Mrs. Hansen then explained that it didn't matter who I sat next to in class they always had a smile on their faces. She noticed that if someone was struggling with something in class I was the first to help them and stay with them till they understood. She said that if someone was new or felt left out I was the first to be their friend. Then she said that she felt lucky enough to consider herself one of my friends. I was honestly in shock and had never taken notice to what I was doing. I was just doing what I hoped others would do for me or what I knew was right. I think this was another life changing moment and I really started to understand what friendship meant.
10. When I was 11 we had this great activity with our primary. It was a Daddy Daughter Date. I loved spending time with my Dad and with 4 other brothers time alone with my Dad was pretty rare. At this activity we played lots of games and had a really yummy dinner. One of the games we played was If you love me you'll smile. We had to go and sit on our Daddy's laps and say "Daddy if you love me you'll smile" then the Dad had to say back "Honey, I love you but I just can't smile." If they could say it without smiling the Dad's would get a point but if they smiled the daughters got a point. My Dad has a great serious face and it's often the face he wears but I discovered that night that I have a special power over my Dad. No matter how hard he tried to not smile he couldn't help but smile, and not just kind of but the big no guessing smile. I knew that night that my Dad loved me.
11. When I turned 12 a lot of things were going on. My Dad was running for the County School Board, Mom had started really catering big events. My teeth had become a big joke to a lot of people and I got teased on a regular basis because of the size of my teeth and also for the size of my overbite. I couldn't stand it any more and one day I overheard my Mom talking about how the insurance that my Dad would get through the School District would make braces affordable for my family I began to take serious stock into my dad's Campaign. On election night I was sent to bed before the results were in and I was so nervous. I prayed and prayed all night that my Dad would win. When I woke up in the morning and heard that my Dad had won I knew that prayers were answered. Later that year I had braces put on. I was so excited.
12. The year I turned 13 was my first year at Junior High. Most people hated Jr. High but I had a great time. My first year there I remember getting called to the office. I thought for sure I was in trouble for something I for sure didn't do. But it turned out my grades weren't recorded on the school computer system and they wanted to see if I remembered them. I remembered them alright but I was afraid they thought I was lying. It was straight 4.0 but amazingly enough they didn't question me. I still don't know if they double checked with my teachers or not.
13. 14 was a great year. I had made the drill team and felt like my classes were way too easy. I started choir that year and once a week I had to get to school extra early for a special choir practice. I don't remember why we did it but I really learned how to sing that year and seriously had to make sure that I didn't covet Amanda's voice. That girl could sing the phone book and still make me cry.
14. the Summer of my 15th year was one not to forget. I had just finished Junior High and was really looking forward to starting high school and all the great things that came with turning 16. This Summer in particular my Mom had started a business running a restaurant at the golf course. My mom had been really sick that whole spring and one day as we were driving out to the golf course she told me she was going to the doctor because she thought she might have cancer. It was a heavy burden to hold and I worried about her for a long time. A few weeks later as we were driving home from the golf course she told me that she was pregnant. I was shocked! My baby brother was 8 my oldest brother was graduated from High school and had just moved to Spanish Fork before he started college at Dixie. The rest of that summer was spent me working as hard as I could at that little restaurant and worrying about how my Mom was going to do everything that she was doing and have a new little baby. But amazingly enough he arrived just a couple of weeks before my 16th birthday. I'll have to write that experience another time but let's just say as a 15 year old my Mom having a baby was a whole new concept.
15. The year I turned 16 was another crazy year. My oldest brother was preparing for a mission, my baby brother was just learning how to hold his head up and I was learning how to drive and how to flirt. My first Date was with Isaac Bott. I still don't know why he asked me out. We were both on the Cross Country team. He was good, I was there just for an excuse to miss school. When Isaac came to pick me up for my date my Dad had to talk to him for what seemed like forever. Isaac had recently been hit in the face with a bottle thrown from a car during one of our runs after school. I felt so bad for him and my Dad was making him relive every moment of it. We doubled with his older brother and a girl also named Andrea. We went to Price to go bowling but for some reason we couldn't go bowling so instead we hung out at Kmart throwing giant bouncy balls over the isles. We then went to little Ceasers and then took the pizza over to McDonalds to eat it. I think we got kicked out of every place we went. I don't think I had ever laughed so hard in my life. It was a great first date.
16. When I turned 17 I had a lot of guy friends and loved hanging out with them. We did something almost every single weekend and things never really got weird between us and I loved hanging out with them way more than hanging out with girls and all of their crazy emotional melt downs and worrying if this guy or that guy liked them. I remember one day all of us going to an elementary school at night and playing steal the flag. I really hadn't noticed that I was talking with the guys and all the other girls where standing there talking to each other till we had separated into teams and this one girl asked me which of the guys I liked and if I would mind if she asked one of the guys to a dance. I was totally taken back I had totally forgot that I was supposed to be in that stage of life and decided it would be wrong if I dated one of those guys in my group. So decided to start looking else where. I still hold all those guys as some of my best friends and love whenever we get together it still doesn't get weird between us and we can carry on a conversation as if we spent every day together.
17. Eighteen was a great year as well. Probably one of the most dominate memories happened in seminary council. I love the people that I served with as if they were my own siblings. I'll never forget the end of year Testimony meeting. I attend 4 out of the 7 testimony meetings and was able to share my testimony multiple times. It was an outstanding feeling. I remember coming home from school that day just exhausted but feeling so happy and at peace with the person I was becoming. I will forever be grateful for the strength my testimony received that last year of high school. It really prepared me for the challenges I would face later in my life.
18. When I turned 19 I was in my first year of college at CEU. I'll never forget my first weekend of college. My parents lived just a half hour away from my dorm and my Mom helped me pack up all my stuff and drive it over in the van while I followed along in my awesome Dodge Omni (RIP) My mom and two of my brothers helped unpack the van bring my boxes of stuff up to my room after they left the boxes Mom looked at me, looked at her watch and said, "Well, Garret has black and gold in a little bit we better get back. " She gave me a hug and then took my brothers out to the van and drove back home. I watched them for as long as I could until they turned down the street and I knew that life would never be the same. I had left the comforts of home and even though home was just a 30 minute drive from where I was living my place was now to find out where I was supposed to be and it was not to be in Orangeville any longer. After I unpacked my stuff and met my sweet roommate Maki. I went grocery shopping, met the Men's Basketball team who talked so fast that I really didn't understand what they were saying and then went to bed. When I woke up at 8:00 the next morning to go to church I really didn't think about it till after I got back from the three hour block of meetings. I went to church and no one here expecting me to. I went on my own because I wanted to. It was a pretty strange feeling and a really good one at that.
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You'll treasure these, and so will your family.
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