Snow Fun and a Belated Birthday

The Jensen family lives in sunny St. George, so they don't see snow as often as the rest of the Utah crew. After Christmas, the Jensen's had a cousin sleepover with Shane's crew, and they woke up to snow! Derek's girls came out and the cousins had a fun time building snow creations and doing a little sledding over in the commons area.

 Jen's family made it out too ... and as Colton's December birthday almost always get's swallowed up in all the Christmas celebration, we had a little family birthday party with cake. Okay ... Jen (and Mom) really like the yummy white cake from Sam's Club, so maybe it was also an excuse to eat cake. One can't help but compare the singing and harmony with the extended Westra family to the singing when it is only the Blackham Bunch alone!

Cousins & Cake & Colton's Candles

2018 Christmas Newsletter

The 2018 Christmas Newsletter has gone out ... PDF is in Dropbox.

Scott and Amy Westra

Their 5 children: McKenna and Spencer Erickson live in Alexandria, Virginia. McKenna works for TargetPoint Consulting and Spencer works for Deloitte. Both are currently serving in the Primary. Alyssa (23) lives in Draper and teaches 5th grade at Spectrum Academy, a school for autistic children. She is also pursuing her degree at Western Governors University. Kellen (22) is serving a mission in the Sacramento, California Mission, returning December 27th. He will be attending Utah Valley University. Kemery (20) is a junior at Utah Valley University and manages the warehouse operation at Piper & Scoot. Taylee (15) is at Corner Canyon High School and is a varsity cheerleader there. Amy is an instructor in Relief Society and is busy as the CEO of the Westra household. Scott serves as the Stake Clerk and is the Chief Financial Officer for WCF Insurance. They live in Draper.

Chris and Kim Westra

Their 9 Children: Conner (26) works construction and married Amber Ward on Halloween. Krystal (25) is attending BYU in Latin American Studies. Kadan (24) is attending SUU majoring in business and will marry Christine Esplin on December 28. Courtney (24) is married to Seth Worthen and their baby Integrity is one year old. Corin (21) married Kylie Nay in the summer and is attending Snow College. Kylie is a Medical Assistant. Seth (20) returns home February 6 from his mission in New Jersey. Aaron (18) just left for his mission to Trujillo, Peru, and is in the Lima, Peru MTC right now. Camden (16) has his license and is dating. Cayson (12) ran cross country this last fall. Kim is working as a Medical Assistant. Chris is still creating websites and other digital content for his business.

Wendy and Rick Jensen

Their 7 children: Janika (23) married Brandon Jenson in the Bountiful Temple on June 22. Jase (21) completed his mission and is working at Deseret First Credit Union and attending DSU. Jared (18) is currently serving in the Chicago Illinois Mission and loving it! Janelle (16) has been busy performing in her school musical as well as with the Madrigals and the Hands in Harmony Carolers. Jaiden (14) is involved with dance, tumbling, student council, and the Hands in Harmony carolers. Josh (12) speaks Chinese and played on an undefeated soccer team this Fall. Jenna (10) speaks Chinese and is involved with her school play, choir, and the carolers. Rick teaches Seminary at Desert Hills High School in St. George. Rick and Wendy also work as ASL Interpreters and direct the Hands in Harmony Carolers. Family Newsletter: www.jensenchristmas.blogspot.com

Jen and Grayson Blackham

Their 5 sons: Landon (23) has been working, going to school ... and he got married, adding Sol to the family. Callahan (19) is working full-time as an apprentice electrician and continuing his education. He’s become a vegetarian this year (with a little girlfriend influence). Keaton (18) is working too much while trying to have a social life and stay on top of schooling during his senior year. Cooper (15) is obsessed with all things NBA and NFL, loves music and shoes. Colton (13) stays busy with basketball, playing year round on multiple teams. Grayson works with Symphony Homes as the Construction Manager there. He runs pinewood derbies and loves smoking meat on the side. Jen tries to document life via Facebook and blogs (family, fitness, basketball). She is a Fitbit fan, a Zumba girl, and enjoys baking and books. They have two cats, six ducks... and a Segway. They live in West Jordan.

Shane and Alicia Westra

Shane and Alicia live in the California Bay Area with their 3 children. Adria (14) is in 8th grade and plays soccer, basketball, and the mandolin. She is also enjoying being a TA for one of the science teachers at her school. Mirella (12) dances her way through ballet class, ukulele lessons, and 7th grade. She is hoping to advance to pointe shoes next summer. Calder (7) is in 1st grade and is a budding engineer, artist, scientist, and mathematician (depending on the day!) He played on his first soccer team this fall and continues to work hard learning to swim. Shane is the VP of Product for Bynder, a Dutch company that purchased the company he works for in California. He has traveled to Amsterdam several times this year. Shane is serving as the Elders Quorum President. Alicia owns her own photography business and chauffeurs the kids around to all their activities. She is in the YW presidency and is also serving on the PTA executive board at Calder’s elementary school.

Derek and Danielle Westra

Derek and Danielle have three girls: Aniston (8) is in third-grade and loves school. She has been enjoying tennis, singing and dance classes and loves being creative in art, dance, music and games. Layla (4) loves pre-school, dance and gymnastics. She is a natural gymnast and we often find her doing handstands or front flips off the couch. Noelle will be 3 in January and loves to ride her tricycle around and around the house for hours. Derek works for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Director of Communications for Welfare Services, and loves his job. Derek also teaches as an adjunct professor at UVU. Danielle is a Nursery Leader, and Derek’s calling is with with the Young Men. They live in Traverse Mountain in Lehi.

Lamar and Margie Westra

We recently completed one of our missions, serving in the Church History Library in downtown Salt Lake City, working on the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Website for the past 14 years. We are still serving our other mission as Family History Worldwide Support Missionaries from our home, handling emails, chats, and phone calls from Family History patrons around the world. We have been serving there for about 12 years. This mission helps keep our knowledge up to date as we continue to serve as Family History Consultants in our ward. Christopher and Margie are constantly updating Margie's Gospel Topics website, which has over 2,000 pages, plus many hundreds of links. Their goal is to help busy family members and friends with material for their church talks and lessons. Check it out at margiesmessages.com.

We have 32 grandchildren: 17 boys and 15 girls--ages 2 to 26 years old, and one great-granddaughter. We've had 5 grandchildren's weddings in the past 6 months! That makes 7 married grandchildren. We have 4 grandsons currently serving missions. We have 4 granddaughters and 4 grandsons that have completed their missions and returned home. Our family is growing older (all except us, of course:-))! May we all "Live, Love, Learn, and Leave a Legacy."

Christmas Eve 2018

Christmas Eve 2018 ... it was on a Monday this year.  We had the whole crew this year (Jensen's alternate with Rick's side of the family). There was soup and breadsticks and lots of treats too (in Jen's journal she mentioned making marshmallow brownies, mint brownies, and Swig sugar cookies...  anyone else remember what they brought?) The candy bar game is always a hit with the kids. Then there was the annual slideshow video (Westra 2018). There were a couple extra videos too, a shorter video of Cousins 2018, and then the Stairway to Nowhere video as well.  Lots of fun highlights from the year. 

Blackham's got a family photo (Sol was now officially a member, this would be their family photo for the newsletter next year), Calder was obsessed with his cousin Alyssa, and Jen and Rella had cute Christmas earrings. So festive!

For the gift exchange  ... 

Scott's family gave to Chris&Kim's crew

Chris's crew gave to Jensens

Jensens gave to Blackhams

Blackhams gave to Shane&Alicia's family

Shane & Alicia gave to D&D's family

Derek&Danielle's family Scott&Amy's family

Kim's sister was visiting, and we thought we might try to do the nativity, but we didn't get around to it (and there just aren't that many kids willing to participate any more). The nativity DOES tend to get people to pull their cameras out. Otherwise everyone is too busy visiting and having fun to take pictures.

Grandpa's Garage and a Stairway to Nowhere

There have been pictures posted of the outside of the Havenmoor House ...  and here's a peek at inside the garage. Garages can get crazy, and I've definitely seen worse. There is an extra fridge and a couple freezers. All sorts of stuff hanging from pegboard along the walls. Shelves holding all sorts of stuff, some organized in apple boxes. Look at all those racquets! That blue metal shelving unit (below) I remember from the Hermitage House. It was right outside the basement backdoor, under the deck. I remember we kept all the "newspaper logs" stacked in it (newspaper logs were papers soaked in water then rolled up and then used in the fireplace instead of wood). 

In 2018, Grayson did a complete redo of the Blackham garage. He spent quite a bit of time (and money) but anyone who has ever seen it is quite impressed. Do you know who else was impressed? Grandma and Grandpa. Probably a little more Grandma ... she decided it was time that the Westra garage was reworked as well.

Here's a peek at Gray's Garage ...

Thus started a big job at the Westra home (well ... garage). A lot of things given or thrown away. Shelves emptied and repainted. Recreating some of the same look with the Gladiator shelving and wood paneling, getting a similar wheeled drawer and some nice big lockers. Crates to replace all the apple boxes, and Grayson even broke out his (up until then unused) CriCut machine to make matching labels for the crates.

... a little look at some of the changes

Some pictures Derek took while over working ...

We need some "after" shots when it was ALL done.

Grandpa doesn't spend quite as much time in his garage as Gray does, he's more known for his love of working in the yard. His pond and plants and buckets ... and holes. In fact, Grandpa has the ULTIMATE hole, a CAVE. It's under the deck. He built a nice set of stone stairs down to his cave entrance (and to the basement backdoor). The stability of the cave got to be a bit worrisome, so some time and money was spent reinforcing the walls and shoring things up.

Chris helped set up the construction, getting bids and deciding which route to take to ensure no cave collapse. After the workers came and did their job they told him " We appreciated serving you. We are here to handle any future cave projects. Keep digging." Future cave projects ;) Dad did once have dreams of having a raquetball court under the house/garage ...

Derek got a little song idea in his head ... Stairway to, instead of Heaven ... to Nowhere. He actually took the time to write the words down, and then to record it. He gave me the clips to work up into a video, and here it is ... Stairway to Nowhere!

Stairway to Nowhere 

There’s a man named LaMar 

And he works very hard 

And he’s building the stairway to nowhere 

When he gets there he knows 

He can store potatoes 

And hoses and junk from anywhere 

Oh, oh oh oh, and he’s building the stairway to nowhere 

There’s a cave in the hole 

Where you feel like a mole 

Living deep underneath Salt Lake City 

Then outside by the pond 

There’s a squirrel who sings 

Oh that stairway and cave are so pretty 

Ooh, it makes me wonder

Ooh, it makes me wonder 

There’s a feeling I get 

When I talk to the West 

Ra, and my spirit is longing for learning 

What drives you to dig 

Boring holes small and big 

And forever your shovel is turning 

And he’s building the stairway to nowhere

Historic Homes in Holland ~ Shane's Trip

 

Shane and Jan Weening - December 2018

From Shane: I just barely got back from visiting Groningen (Northern Holland, where most of the de Haan lines are from). Jan Weening, a Family History Consultant in Groningen has written a book about the early church there, and knows a lot about Ate Obes Westra (my great-grandfather). I took the 3-hour train ride to Groningen, rented a bike, and Jan took me all around to see where Ate Obes lived, worked, and served as a missionary. It was so cool to see!

Here are the pictures he took on his trip ...

The photo on the left and upper right are two locations Ate Westra lived while serving as a missionary in the Netherlands (1919-1922). The bottom right is where church services were held during those years ...

... more locations where church services were held in Groningen are pictured below, 

although these were after Ate's time. 

The one on the left was where Jan Weening was baptized.

If you read Ate's History, you know that he met his wife Geeske in Groningen and they ran a laundry before they immigrated to America. Below, the top-right photo shows this laundry and their residence from 1902-1907. The building on the left is where Ate lived 1899-1900, and the bottom right is another possible residence. 

Check out A History of Homes for where Ate lived in Utah after they came to the United States.

Mom/Margie wrote to Shane: Dad just showed me your letter just now, with all the pictures!  That's amazing that you took the 3 hour train ride to Groningen, rented a bike, and went all those places where your great-grandfather lived!  So nice of Jan to take you all those places and that he knew a lot about Ate Westra! So wonderful that you took advantage of that great opportunity!  Thanks for all the photos!

... and to the other siblings: We had a nice video chat with Shane last night from his hotel in Boston. He mentioned the time with the FH consultant Jan in the Netherlands was delightful, after several train changes and bus ride---and the people in the smaller towns didn't speak English nearly as much as in Amsterdam, so it was a little harder to know what trains to take, etc. Shane would like to do something for Jan for taking so much time with him (though Jan seemed to enjoy it just as much as Shane).

One final photo from Shane's Netherland's trip ...

Shane eating raw herring ... mandatory Dutch street experience. Ewwwww.

Merry Christmas From Shane & Alicia (2018)

 

Another cute Christmas card from the Shane & Alicia crew. As cute as the cover/front is, the back is so creative and clever and really gives a great recap of their 2018 year. Ironically, the card was designed digitally, while the images for this post are scans of the physical card ... the colors don't come across as well in a scan as in the original. 

You can read more about Shane's trip to Holland HERE.