Farewell ~To Florida

 

So long Scotty! He's Mr. Missionary now, off to Florida to serve an LDS mission. Here in mid-May, he had his official farewell at the church. This was back in the day when the meeting was all about the missionary, with everyone in the family having a part on the program. According to the program, there was also an open house the next day at the Westra home.

Not a lot of pre-mission photos ... in fact, this was the only one found.

... a bit blurry, and only recently scanned in (in 2020). 

The first of the Westra kids to go on a mission ... but not the last.

Mother's Day 1983 ~ A Poem by Wendy

Typed up ... on a typewriter, this poem/page has been saved for 40+ years (added to family history in 2024). Wendy has written a few other poems, as have other Westras over the years (check out the Poetry and Other Westra Written Words tag).  

As the image isn't always easy to read, here is a re-typed transcript:

Sometimes, I think we do not understand.

That the job of a mother is not always grand.

We may think that it is just shopping for pleasure.

When really it is mostly for us beyond measure.

We may think it is relaxing, watching the newest soaps,

It is not always so - don't get up your hopes!

We may think it is always such fun games and play

But it's also cleaning, cooking, and mending all day.

So now if you know what moms really do ...

How about telling her "I Love You"

"I Love You Mom ! ! !"  ♥Wendy (age 15)

Other Mother's Day posts ...

Poems for Mother - Ala Little Lamar

Mother's Day Memories - 2020

Wendy's Memories 2003

A Mother's Day Poem ~ by Wendy (1998)

1982 - Mother'sDay Memories

Easters ... in the Olden Days

On The Westra Way blog, all the recent Easters have been documented, starting in 1996. But what about before? When the Westra siblings were growing up. Looking through the Dropbox photos, here's a compilation of photos and video...

Not a lot of photos, but a few! Baby Scotty, and then Scott a little more grown-up with cute Chris.

Skip a few years to 1971 ... Wendy and Jenny are Easter additions.

Love the found photos in color (converted from slides). 

This was the first year the plastic baskets made an appearance.

They are still around later ... going on 50 years now!

1973 - Easter was April 22. 

Is that a snow pile behind the kids? Late snow!

1977 - Easter was April 10. Add Shane ... and color!

1979 ... Jen is wearing the dress Wendy had on two years ago.
Where is Chris?

1982 - Easter was April 11. Captured the baskets and the "cereal" tradition. 

Wendy had posted about this Easter with some memories from her journal (Easter 1982). 

Derek just missed this Easter, born just a few weeks later.

... then there was a dearth of Easter photos (pretty much until 1996) but I did find this one of Derek from 1985 (three years old... hadn't quite joined the family in that last featured photo). The photo below was also labeled 1985, an Easter visit to Grandma Lucille.

BUT WAIT ... while photos couldn't be found for some of the years in-between these pictures, there was VIDEO! So that you don't have to go through the entire two hours to catch the Easters featured on film, here's a highlight reel of some live action Easter over the years! There are seven years featured ... 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1979 and 1983. There are some good views of the house/yard in Washington, then the Hermitage house ... paper plate bunnies hung on the wall. Easter Memories!

Wendy's Memories ~ 1982

 Another peek at Wendy's record keeping ... her journal/recap of 1982

1982 Photo Collage and Recap

• Derek Alan Westra was born on May 5, 1982. 
• Shane turned 6 years old on May 3, 1982 and graduated from Kindergarten and started 1^st Grade at Woodstock.  Teachers: Kindergarten, Mrs. Susan Platt, 1^st Grade, Mrs. Goodro.   Principal Clifford F. DeGraw. 
• Jeni finished 5^th grade (Mrs. Parkin, in the "Pod" double classroom) at Woodstock and started 6^th grade (Mrs. Diamond - who had also been her kindergarten teacher!) She turned 12 on Nov. 10, 1982.
• Wendy turned 14 on April 29, 1982 and completed 8^th grade at Bonneville Junior High School and started her 9^th grade year.   
• Chris turned 16 on Sept. 5, 1982 and completed his Sophomore year at Cottonwood High School and started his junior year.  He did wrestling and track at Cottonwood.
• Scott graduated from Cottonwood High School and started at BYU.  He turned 19 on Dec. 16, 1982. He made a big papier mache pumpkin for Halloween.
• Margie was doing High School graduation and birth announcements at the same time. 
• We went to our annual Family Reunion in Alpine, 25-26 June 1982. Chris rode his 10 speed bike there and back.     

LaMar turned 45 on May 28, 1982.

Margie turned 40 on Nov. 7, 1982

Scott turned 19 on Dec. 16, 1982

Chris turned 16 on Sept. 5, 1982. 

Wendy turned 14 on April 29, 1982. 

Jeni turned 12 on Nov. 10, 1982. 

Shane turned 6 years old on May 3, 1982. 

Derek Alan Westra was born on May 5, 1982. 

Dropbox 1982 folder has more pictures in it ...

Derek's future wife was also born this year (some of their family pictures in Dropbox as well)

Halloween: Spooky Settings!

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year trick-or-treating was held a day early. We often had cool contraptions set up for Halloween. This year Scott made a giant paper mache pumpkin. We made our bush into a ghost and had a strobe light with spooky music! Jenny and Shane went out trick-or-treating -- Shane as Darth Vador and Jenny as a clown. Our 9th grade class had been performing Halloween shows for the elementary schools and I was a skeleton in the play -- thus the skeleton costume. I believe Jeni is the "giant pumpkin" in this picture!

What was Popular in the 1980's? Here you go!!

(Wendy) Since I have a little more time on my hands during this quarantine, I have been working on some family history projects. I am starting to digitize some of my childhood journals (or at least highlights from the journals) and making a timeline of these events to put into our shared family Dropbox. I found this entry pretty interesting: 

October 18, 1982: My Grandma and Grandpa Norman were on a trip to Mexico. I was disappointed because I had to ask them some Genealogy questions for an English assignment. When my parents got home they helped me answer the questions, but my parents or grandparents couldn’t remember things like what foods they liked as a kid etc. So I am going to write down some things in case my kids need to use it…

The popular foods now are pizza, fries, coke… I love pizza and sprite (I hate coke and Pepperoni and hot spices and stuff) but I do love pizza – yum! Popular clothes are Levi Strauss – Izod shirts, those kind of church shoes with the bows on them, knickers, bermudas, and vuarnet sunglasses. Also Jan Brady (white tennis) shoes – I love those and wear them a lot. Popular hairstyles are hair curled (flipped) up or permed. My favorite T.V. shoes are Fame, Different Strokes, Facts of Life – but I don’t really have enough time for T.V. these days – hope this info will be helpful!!

So when I was 14 years old I was thinking about my future children and how I could help them with their Genealogy assignments in their English class! Aren't I considerate, ha ha!! (First picture is at my Great Grandma Bohne's 90th Birthday Party in February). I just cringe when I look back at these pictures with at my big, permed hair! Jeni looks so cute in her childhood pictures because she kept her hair long and straight!)