"Used To You Already" ... Mission Return

Chris left on his mission in October of 1987. Derek would have five years old. So two years later, comparison pictures of Chris and  Derek. Mom remembers as they picked Chris up from the airport and were traveling home in the car, Derek commented  "You've only been home a few minutes and I'm used to you already!"

Related Posts ...

• If you ever find a picture or event and wonder when it happened (a birth, leaving for a mission, new house, etc), remember there is a great Westra Timeline that lists all these events in order! It's also in the family dropbox. Good information!
• For more funny sayings, check out the Cute Quotes page (Derek's cute quote above as been added there!)
• Check out the labels (Missionary, Chris, Derek) for similar topics!

 

Jen - School Snapshot

 

Ah, school picture day. Sometimes they turned out, sometimes they didn't. Class pictures now feature just the faces of the other kids, their school pictures (you can check out the collages and elementary classes of  Callahan and Keaton) but it includes their names too, which is good for remembering in future years. In the olden days, it was actually a group photo, and sometimes they'd take it more than once to try and catch people who might have been absent. So the group photo wasn't always the same day as "picture day" ... here, the 2nd and 5th and 6th grades the individual photo and class photo happened on the same day, but the other years based on the different clothes/hair, the group shot was a different day. 

Preschool with Pauline Hogsen

Elementary Years at Woodstock

Jen had the same teacher as she entered and exited elementary ... Mrs. Diamond taught Kindergarten in 1976 and for several years after, but was moved to 6th grade in 1983. Jen has fond memories of all her elementary teachers, although she had been nervous about Mrs. Bullock (3rd grade). She would make you write "I have never ________" (whatever you did wrong) 100 times! So Jen just didn't do anything wrong *Ü*  Chris and Wendy had her as well ... I believe it was her class that introduced the family to the book "Sonny Elephant" which was a favorite, and which Mom/Margie picked up at a school sale many years later. 4th grade was a "split" class, and the teacher (Mrs. Bjarnson would end up being in Jen's ward years later after Jen was married). 5th grade was in the "Pod" ... a big open area with two classes in it. We saw the obituary for Principal DeGraw in July 2020, age 87. 

How many class pictures can we round up from the other Westra siblings?

There are a few in the school folder on Dropbox.

See the School Daze post for all the Westra siblings school pictures, glimpses of the schools; Woodstock, Bonneville Jr and Cottonwood High School and Remembering Woodstock ... as the elementary school was torn down and rebuilt in 2011.  Check out Dad/Lamar's elementary memories!

Graduation 1989 - Jen

You'd think in the 50+ years since my grandmother graduated from high school, and the 28 years since Mom/Margie did, that there would be more than ONE PHOTO to showcase for a high school graduation.  There is actually one additional one in Dropbox, but my eyes are closed. Ah, back in the days of film cameras, when pictures were limited and you didn't know what they looked like until you had them developed. 

I can actually envision another set of photos ... me and lots of different friends. I think it was graduation (it was afterward, no cap and gown), or possibly seminary graduation, but I haven't been able to locate the pictures. They are just a blurry memory in my mind.  Maybe they'll turn up at some point and I can update this post.

I don't know that we did the official graduation announcements. I recall not really even wanting to go to graduation. I dislike ceremony. But of course I went. I was in the program, singing with the Acapella and Madrigal choirs.

Because Cottonwood has one of the largest auditoriums in the state, our commencement was held at the high school, on the same stage I'd performed on many times. I didn't keep a copy of the program myself, but it was shared in a Facebook group in future years. 30+ years later, all the names are still familiar, and I remember both songs the choirs sang.

I had my high school diploma in storage ...

It is interesting to compare it to Grandma Zada's high school diploma. 50+ years, and the same font is used. Different schools, but the look is so similar! Here they are side-by-side ...

 

Zada's Graduation ~ 1936

Graduations 2021

... a couple years later, there would be a graduation with an associates degree from Snow College. No program saved, even though I was on it (said the opening prayer at the baccalaureate service). I remember Wendy came down. Couldn't find any pictures (1991 is VERY sparse in Dropbox). After Snow was BYU. I did graduate (off-season, after Summer semester) ... I didn't participate in any ceremony (no cap and gown) and I'm not sure if I ever picked up my actual physical diploma. 

I managed to graduate from college without any debt. 

Thanks scholarships!

Wonders of the World - Reflection Art

In a recent post, the annual PTA Reflections contest was addressed. There was a recap of ALL the themes from the past years, and a showcase of some of the music entries (several from Jen back in the day, and more recently with Jenna and Janika).  See that post HERE. Jen's final entry her junior year was for the theme "Wonders of the World" ... 

Just uncovered, were entries for this same year (1987-88) from Shane and Derek. Both were at Woodstock elementary. Shane was in 6th grade, Derek in Kindergarten. Shane's art entry is shown above ... rainbows, mountains, sunrises, roses, butterflies (check out the Blackham Monarch Memories).  Shane would continue to hone his artistic talent, as well as his academic scholarship, and become Sterling Scholar for Visual Arts during his senior year. 

Derek's entry was also a collage of a variety of "wonders"  ... like Shane, a rainbow made his list, along with rockets, racecars and ... my family. Ahhhh sweet! 

... included here are snapshots of the backs, with the entry form info Interesting to see the handwriting, changes in signatures (for the kids ... the folks signatures stay the same), etc. Mom/Margie was the parent signing for Shane, while Dad/Lamar put his John Hancock down on Derek's. 

Check out Jen's song "Music - The Greatest Wonder in the World"

Postcards and Lessons from LA

(this will be backdated to January 1988)

It's a little hard to read the postmark, but it's there ... January 12, 1988. Chris was on his mission, Wendy was off to college, Jen was a Junior at Cottonwood, Shane and Derek were at Woodstock, in 6th grade and Kindergarten. Apparently, there had just been a snow storm in SLC ... but Scott was in sunny Los Angeles.

Scott had just started working at Arthur Young. This was before the company joined with Ernst & Whinney in 1989, becoming Ernst&Young. It was Scott's first training trip. He stayed at the airport Sheraton. He was gone long enough to write a postcard home (back in the olden days before email or texting, when phone calls were long distance). The holes punched in the postcard obscure the cost of the stamp ... it was 20¢, with first class mail being 22¢.

In his postcard, Scott mentions that he's met a lot of nice people and learned a lot, but not enough ... when this postcard popped up, so did some memories that Scott shared...

One night I went out to dinner with Jeff Ockey, who started at AY the same day I did. We got a recommendation from the concierge – a seafood restaurant on a pier. The bellman called a cab and told him where to take us. When we got out, the cab driver gave us a card for the cab company so we could call for a pickup. We had a great dinner and watched the big ships coming and going. And had a great view of the sun setting over the Pacific. After dinner we decided to walk off some of our calories. We followed a nice paved trail along the beach, watching all of the people enjoying the evening. We went fairly far and noticed in the distance the blue and purple sign for Baskin Robbins. Ice cream sounded good so we found our way there, walking through some piers and docks. After we finished our ice cream, we asked for directions to a pay phone so we could call a cab. The nearest was about a mile away at a 7-11 that turned out to be in a sketchy area. We found our way and I put in a quarter and dialed the number from the card. The dispatch asked where we were and I had no idea. She said: “Call back when you know where you are.” After asking several people, we were able to find the address (hint – it is always in the center of the rotary dial of a pay phone if you ever see one) and got a cab ride back to the hotel.

 

Another night, we decided to see a Lakers game at the Forum in Englewood. The Lakers were in their heyday with Pat Riley as the coach and Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson playing. We got a cab ride out to the Forum which sat in a sea of parking and was in a pretty rough neighborhood. We watched a great game (Lakers won). After the game, we took a restroom break before the long ride back. I was amazed at how fast that big building vacated. We walked around until we found a pay phone and called the cab company who said they would send someone right out. We waited and waited and no cab came. After about 30 minutes, the Forum was all but empty. A custodian – young guy, Asian descent, severe limp, had been watching us and finally came over and said “Why you guys still here?” We told him we were waiting for a cab. He said that no cab would come out to the Forum this late and asked where we were from. We told him we were from Utah and he asked if we were Mormons. We said yes. He thought it was hilarious that “Mooormons from Youtah” were waiting for a cab at the Forum. His language was much more colorful than I choose to transcribe. He ordered us to sit on a bench. We sat. After about 10 minutes he told us to follow him. Hew went to a custodial closet and hung up his vest and grabbed another jacket and said: “Where you need to go?” We told him the Airport Sheraton. He said:”[expletives deleted] That is the opposite direction of where I live!” And then: “Follow me”.  We went out of the Forum into what was a pretty cold night. The doors locked behind us. We followed him across the huge parking lot to a very dark corner. There was a hole in the chain link fence which he held open for us. We walked down into an empty cement canal and went about 50 yards and then up the other side. There was a very dilapidated neighborhood that looked like the government housing projects I had seen on my mission. There were fires burning in metal barrels with people milling about. Our guide made a point of telling everyone about the “Moormons from Youtah” waiting for a cab at the Forum. Everyone thought it was very funny. We finally get to what I thought was an abandoned car. He ordered us in. It was filthy and full of garbage and smelled like an ash tray. He cranked the engine which barely responded. I prayed for that car to start. It finally turned over. The windows wouldn’t roll up so it was cold when we finally drove away from the neighborhood. He drove like he was going to a fire – weaving in and out of traffic. It was about an hour to our hotel (2 hours out of his way). He finally pulls up to the big, formal entry of the hotel, to the shock of the bell staff. We thanked him and tried to pay him $50, about what the cab fare had been on the way out. He refused to accept any payment, wished us well and zoomed away into the night.

 

I have often pondered on these experiences and the many lessons they provided.  It is important to now where you are at all times. Don’t judge people by their appearance. Many others.

 Here's Scott business card after the Ernst&Young merger ...

The Life Of Hannah Hurst Howell Bohne

 

The Westra siblings knew her as Great-Grandma-Bohne. I must admit, I thought it was "Bonnie" for a long time. Hannah Lucinda Hurst Howell Bohne was Grandma Zada's mother. She lived in Fairview and we visited there several times. I remember hearing a story about how when she was two years old, her mother had given her a peach and sat her outside, when a big pig came and tried to take the peach, and ended up biting and dragging little Hannah through the yard. She had a scar from that and would tell us how it happened.  She was the third of 11 children, and her youngest sister Leola was born shortly after her own daughter Reola (and yes, the rhyming names were on purpose). Great-Grandma became interested in family history, and wrote up a full auto-biography of her life. She also wrote a biography for her father and grandfather. Click on the link to see the PDF of the 30 pages she wrote. It's interesting stuff! There is a condensed history included below. 

History of Hannah Lucinda Hurst Howell Bohne

I was born in Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico on February 10, 1892.  My father, Walter F. Hurst, and my mother, Hannah Alzadia Anderson, were both born and reared in Fairview, Utah. My grandfather Hurst was a polygamist and things were very uncomfortable for polygamists around this time. He moved to Mexico with many in the extended family. My parents joined them, and moved to Old Mexico the spring before I was born. 

Most of the time until after I was eight years old, we lived in the mountains. My father’s oldest brother was in charge of a large sawmill that was owned by the Church. My father and others of his brothers worked there. I have many happy memories of my early childhood. We children played in the sawdust. We made play houses in the square and triangular stacks of lumber as they were put in drying piles, and also under the huge oak trees where the branches reached the ground and closed us in on all sides. My parents realized we should be in school and so they quit the sawmill work and moved into the valley. My school days were happy days. Our schools were church schools and theology was a requirement. I graduated from the Dublan Seminary and attended the Juarez Stake Academy for two years before leaving Mexico. 

By 1912 conditions with the Mexican government were serious. The Mexicans were jealous of the accomplishments of the Mormon people. The revolutionary war was on and the government was terribly unsettled. American people were in grave danger so the Church and the American government evacuated the American citizens into the United States. It is a long, sad story, but we just walked out and left all the property and accumulations my parents had spent the best twenty-one years of their life working for. A month later we arrived in Fairview. Our relatives were very kind and considerate to help us get located. 

June 4, 2013, I married Sylvanus Howell in the Manti Temple. He had served twenty-seven months in the Colorado Mission. He had lived and boarded with his mother until he was 33 years old. The difference in our ages was 13 years. We moved “up the creek” into a two-roomed house on a nine- acre fruit farm. Our family came along very fast, and we had four beautiful little girls before we realized it. Reola (1914), Neva (1915), Zadia (1918) and Bertha (1920). On October 6, 1921, I gave birth to our first son. He was premature and in a serious condition. We had a hard time pulling him through, but by the time he was a year old he was a normal child. We named him Berthell. When Berthell was six years old our second boy, Demont was born. He was a beautiful baby and has been very educationally minded. Kenneth was born last (1929). 

Sylvanus was a wonderful gardener and we kept bees. It was a lot of work but it didn't bring in enough cash to make ends meet. Reola married in 1932, Neva in 1935 and Zadia in 1938. Sylvanus’s health failed, and he died of cancer May 20, 1939. After Sylvanus died, I served as president of the Y.W.M.I.A.[Young Women ], and the next summer as President of the Relief Society. I had already served as president of the Primary. I was a widow for fourteen years. During that time all three boys enlisted in the service, with time overseas in actual duty. 

I worked for eight years on the school lunch program. I would ride the school bus to work and back. With the help of the children, I kept up the place and the bee yard, but it was difficult to do alone.

In December 1952, Arthur Bohne came to see me. His wife had died almost two years before. He had been a construction worker, and the last few years he had been a farmer. He had three sons, but they were grown and on their own. After he made a few trips to see me, we decided that we both needed each other. We were married December 30, 1952, in Salt Lake City. My children gave us a wedding supper in Berthell’s new home. A week later we moved to Las Vegas where we spent two years. Arthur had a good job working for Reynolds construction Company. Reynolds were working for the Atomic Energy Commission and the wages were very attractive. We lived in a trailer in the Atomic Energy Trailer Court.

This was indeed a new experience for me. I believe this was the first time in my life I had ever had leisure time. It took me a little while to adjust to my new condition. Arthur would leave at 7:30 in the morning, and I would be alone all day. I did a lot of reading and writing. After two years, we returned and purchased a new home. We were very content and happy in it. After we came back from Nevada, I became interested in D.U.P. work. I served five years as secretary for the local camp and two years as registrar. I also served five years in the county organization. I have become very interested in genealogy and history writing. I have done quite a lot of history writing and am in hopes some of my children will continue what I have started.

A Peek Into the Mind of Shane Westra ~ Age 9

Yesterday we caught a glimpse of some of Wendy's journal entries.

Just in case you were wondering ...

both Wendy and Shane gave the okay for their journal pages to be shared on the blog.

Next up, showcasing Shane!

This is Shane ... 9 years old, funny face.

It is his artwork anyway.

Recently uncovered in the Westra Archives, was the handwritten journal of a young Shane Westra. Just nine years old. As the journal begins, we get a history of Shane's life - covering those first nine years. One has to assume that he does not actually remember all of the details from those earliest of days, but had been told stories of his birth and younger years, which he then recorded for posterity. In cursive ...

Ah, the smudges, tape stains, additions written in. Makes it authentic!

Pictures ages 2-5,  early years and Kindergarten

Shane moved on to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade.

Spotlighting teachers, friends and memorable experiences.

1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade photos

Jen notes "I really LIKED Mrs. Bullock/3rd grade!"

Check out School Daze for school memories and annual photos.

Now that the "history" has been recorded, day to day journaling begins ...

Much of what young Shane wrote is in the present tense.

"I am going to bed now" ... you will see that closes many an entry.

What can you gather from basic journal entries over the years? Shane mentions movies a lot ... it's interesting to see what was out in theaters, and what was popular on TV (MacGyver, Different Strokes, Family Ties, Cosby Show, Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, GI Joe). He mentions books (Here's a Penny, Trumpet of the Swan), games (Boggle), that Dad was in a car pool.  On the next page, he starts with "I just got up, and got my feet warm" ... hmmm, how did he get his feet warm. I seem to recall Westra children sometimes gathering over a heating vent to catch the warm air coming out. He warms them up again on Thursday, and on page 8 (Mar26) he does specifically say "I warmed my feet on the heater". 

"Frosted Graham Crackers" ... THAT needs to be a blog post!

(and now it is ... see it here Frosted Graham Crackers)

A classic Westra treat!

A little later on, "leather" in mentioned too.

 ... reading that last line, Shane mentions "Halley's Comet" which you may have heard of. Definitely journal worthy as is the only short-period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth ... if you can say every 75-76 years is "regular".  So even if Shane's journal entry hadn't been clearly marked with the year, from this one entry, we could have determined that it was 1986. The next time Halley's Comet can be seen will be July 28, 2061.

Page 5 above is not the end of Shane's writings. There are 36 pages scanned and safely stored in Dropbox (right under all the listings of the years, there is a PHOTOS and HISTORIES by FAMILY folder, which has folders for the six siblings, Marge/Lamar and some extended family, and this is where you would find pictures or documents specific to an individual). I figured 36 pages might be a little long for this blog post, so I'll summarize a few of the other treasured tidbits in Shane's recorded memories from 1986, and if you want, you can go to Dropbox to read the rest!

Shane mentions ...

• I was playing in the sand pile making Tunnel Town
• I picked up coupons (this was one of his jobs, picking up the coupon packets that came in the newspaper from other families who didn't use them ... Mom/Margie wanted them! There were boxes where we would "file" them). 
• Today I milked an elephant (April Fools!)
• We went to a Rode Show, It was neat. 
• I almost got the Presidential Award, missed it by two pullups
• I played with tadpoles that I got on Memorial Day
• Went to the orchard on a bike ride
• Transformers, watching TV and playing soccer
• Recorded "Cosby" (so we had a VCR)

... and apparently Shane would write in his journal right before going to bed, or at least that's how he ended almost every single entry. "Then I went to bed."   Goodnight Shane! Thanks for the memories!