Christmas Gift

Sam and Jenn sent this Christmas Gift to our house by FedEx and we opened it early (sort of accidently).  We were so glad we did because now we get to look at it every day since we hung it in our entryway.  Isn't it amazing that they can make a blanket from a picture like that and it turns out so great.  We love it!  (And the kids on it, too, of course.)  It says "Christmas 2010" at the bottom.

The Third Annual Steele Family Christmas Party

I really meant to say the 3rd Annual Steele Family Christmas "Get-Together" not Party,  since we always hold it on the Sunday before Christmas.  Oh, what fun, we always manage to have together.  So I have a few pictures but they don't really do the par...I mean get-together, justice.  But here they are, you all know who you are, right?

Christmas Letter 2010

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010

and

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

Well another year has come and g-o-n-e!  We’re still in Queen Creek.  It is starting to feel more and more like home--I guess after a year and a half, it should.  Our ward is great--lots of good people.  I am still the YW President, which to me is sort of a joke.  Especially, Girls Camp!!  JIM is the Stake YM secretary.  We both started working as ordinance workers in the Mesa Temple in September.  We love it so much.  It’s challenging and rewarding in more ways than I can explain.  We keep saying, “This is the best church job we’ve ever had.”  We work the first shift on Thurs. and Friday.  The blessings of the Temple are so amazing. We’re just so grateful to be able to do this.

SAM and JENN are still in Austin, Texas.  They have added a new little guy to their family:  GIDEON CLAUDE ADAIR born Feb. 10, 2010.  BERKELEY (7) and ATTICUS (5)   are doing great in school and are busy and cute and we miss them!!  We feel bad that we hardly even know little Gideon.  Jenn still works for the Univ. of Texas and Sam is still an attorney.  He and a partner started their own firm.  

CHAD and MEAGEN live in Mesa.  Little EMILY is a year old now and cute as a button.  She is trying to walk and loves to get into everything.  It’s been fun having her close by, HOWEVER, Chad and Meagen are moving to Denver after Christmas.  I’m going to miss them so much (esp. little Emily).  Oh, I’ll miss all of them!!!     

TOM left in April to sell security systems in Savanna, Georgia.  He came back to Queen Creek in September and is living with us right now.  He sort of takes over 2 rooms - bedroom and office at the other end of the house.  Some days, I hardly even see him. 

ALEX got home from his mission to Brazil in February.  He went up to Provo for Summer School and also got a job working at APX.  He continued to work there Fall semester and is getting ready to go up to Rexburg for Winter Semester in January.  Br-r-r-r-!!  It’s cold up there!!!  I think he’ll be shocked by how cold it is.   

The pictures above:  Jim and; Kathy @ Molly Butler’s in Greer.  

Emily's First Birthday!  Happy Girl!!                    

Meeting Alex at the airport when he came home from Brazil.  Tom, Alex, me, Jim, Chad, Meagen and Emily.

  

  

                                                                           Berkeley and Atticus

          We hope 2011 will be full of lots of good things for each of you.

We’ll be thinking of you and praying for you.  May the Lord bless you.

Love,    

Jim and Kathy 

The Steele Family Reunion

We had the Steele Family Reunion at the Iona Park again this year.  (August 14, 2010)  It was really lots of fun.  Food, chatting, getting to know relatives you don't know and catching up with ones you never see except at the reunion.

Chad Stanger's family was in charge and did a great job.  Our family is in charge next year and we could see how much work it was, but we are looking forward to it anyway.  Sadly, it's getting to the point that everyone is talking about not having the Reunions anymore.   This is a family tradition that goes back many years so I hope it doesn't stop.

                                       Chad Stanger busy taking care of details.
                                                         THANKS CHAD!

Doesn't Maurine look great--she never changes!

 We used to go to the Brunt Family Reunion, too, but the Steele's aren't really invited to that one anymore (so sad).  I haven't been to one of those since the year I was married (August 1974).

Family is so important.  It's important to stay connected even if it's just once a year.  It makes me sad that the older generations are almost gone now and I've become the older generation.  It also makes me happy that some of the older generation are still around and were at the reunion!!  It's somehow comforting to me.

Dad's cousin, Glen Clark.  One of the older generation that I love to talk to.

Keith Steele and his daughter.

                                                  Jim and Alex and Keith

Linda, Patty, Jim and Alex

Mary Perry, Gail and Ron Clark, Ev and Alan Perry

Bye, bye  Alex and Jim.  Going home early, are you?

Uncle George

We went to the Steele Family Reunion in Iona, Idaho last week.  While we were there my sisters and cousins went to visit our Dad's only living sibling,  Uncle George.  He is 91 yrs. old and still very sharp and sweet just our Dad was.  He said several things that just sounded like Dad.  Like when we asked him how the care center was that he lives in, he said:  "Oh, they take pretty good care of me."  That's just like what Dad would have said.  He was very appreciative that we would come visit him and the nice thing is that he'll probably remember it for a while, too.  He has back trouble that makes it very hard for him to get around.  It was good to visit with him.

Cousin Mary, Patty, Me, Pam, Uncle George and Linda kneeling.

Me, Uncle George in background, Patty and cousin Pam.

Thinking of Dad

I was doing a little family history today and ran across this article out of the Idaho Falls Post Register way back when???  Anyway, I scanned it into my computer and then decided to do a blog on it today.

Mom would have loved to have this computer and figured out how to do scans and posts and all.  She was way ahead of me when it comes to this stuff, so I'm sure she'd be way ahead now if she had had the chance to continue on in this life (without that stupid dementia!!)

And for anyone who wonders about the economy today.  I remember that Mom and Dad went with George and Tress and I think another couple to Yellowstone on this trip that's talked about in the article.  But when they got there, they didn't have enough money to pay the park fee so had to turn around and go home.  About the only thing they owned was the new car Dad bought when he got home from the war.  And it was a real luxury and he was really proud of it. 

Thought you might enjoy reading this.  I've seen it before but don't remember really sitting and reading it.  So here it is:

           

Memorial Day 2010

On Memorial Day we went to the Mesa Cemetery to put flowers on Mom and Dad's grave.  We also put a flag there since Dad was a POW during WWII and was at Hickam Field when Pearl Harbor was bombed and was a pilot in the Air Force.  Certainly he deserved a flag!!!!!

Sam & me.

It was also Sam's Birthday today!!!

  It looks like it says ISRAEL or something, but it says STEELE!!

                                                               Kristie, Patty and Jim.

The Long Road Home

I haven't written a post for a long time!  I didn't even read a post for a long time!!  We went on a long road trip.  

We went to St. George, then to Provo (and saw Alex), then to Idaho Falls for a few days.  Then to Boise, then to Vancouver, WA,  then to Bellingham, WA, then to Vancouver, BC, then took the ferry to Victoria, then took the ferry to St. Angeles, WA and stayed in Seaside, WA, then to Medford, Oregon, then to Jackson, CA (to see Aunt Brownie), then to Santa Cruz, CA (to see Sam & Jenn and our grandkids).  THEN HOME!  

About 4 hours after we left Santa Cruz, we called Chad to see if he and Meagen and Emily were going home from their week at the beach in Oxnard, CA.  Yep, they were already on the road.  We calculated and figured we would both be on the I-10 at about the same time.  So we met near Indio at the "In & Out Burger"  for lunch.  We got there about 8 minutes after they did. 

It was really a great trip.  When we got to BC, was when I started to feel ready to be home but of course we had a long way to go before we would get home!!  And there wasn't any short cuts at that point.  But there were the grandkids to look forward to seeing and that helped!!  We even got to see little Emily, too!

We put about 4400 miles on our car and were gone just over 2 weeks.  We really enjoyed ourselves and saw lots of beautiful places I'd never been to before (Washington, Oregon and British Columbia).

  

Oops!!

OK Since I know only a few people read my blog, I'll post this.  I was feeling a little blue this morning.  You know the gig--gained 20 lbs. and now an extra 3 just put me over the top.  Yuck!!   I was feeling it.   I took a shower, got dressed and was just about to go to Bashas to get bananas (for my Isalean Shake--to start losing weight, right?) when I (thank goodness) looked down.  

I absolutely cracked up!!  Made me laugh hard- and I was here all by myself, too.  And suddenly I felt happy again.  I also went in and changed my clothes.  I need a full length mirror, that's for sure!!

Mother's Day 2010

Just a couple of pictures of the flowers Chad and Meagen and Emi brought to me today for Mothers' Day.  Thanks!!  We had dinner and Kristie and Patty came over too.  Alex cleaned his room (spic and span) for me for Mother's Day and Tom called to wish me a Happy Mother's Day also.  Earlier in the day, Sam and Jenn and the kids called as they were driving home from the beach, where they had spent a few days enjoying the sand and sun and water.  Jim treated me to so many things on Friday, Saturday and today that I'm not even going to attempt to name them all.  He was so sweet to me.  Thanks to every one for being so nice.  I love you all.  Who needs a corsage when you get so much more!!!

Mother's Day

I was just thinking about Mom and thought I'd post this picture of her.  She probably wouldn't think it was a very good picture of herself, but I love it.  It was taken on Mother's Day 1979.  So mom was 59 years old and Dad was my age.  It's just so Mom and Dad to me!  Notice the twinkle in both Dad's and Mom's eyes.  And notice that Dad got Mom a corsage.  I love that!!  No one ever gets me a corsage and I would love it!!  None of my guys know I'd love that and they don't read my blog, so they'll probably never know.  Heaven forbid that I should say it out loud:  "I want a corsage."  Just doesn't sound right. 

I really miss Mom.  She was a remarkable woman and the best mom ever.  Happy Mother's Day!!

Michelle Moyer singing "Mama's Song" (Carrie Underwood cover)

Thomas/Steele Family Reunion 2010

     We had the first ever William John Thomas and Orinda Ann Karren Family Reunion (shortened to the Thomas/ Steele Family Reunion) yesterday, April 10, 2010.  My mother, Maxine and my Uncle Jack were the only two children of William and Orinda who had children.  So my family (Maxine & Kay's 7 children) and my uncles family (Ada & Jack had 10 children) all got together yesterday at my sister, Cheryl's home.  (It's a little 5 acre ranch.)   We plan to meet every other year now.

We had a great turn-out and it was so fun to reconnect with my cousins and their children and their childrens' children.  From my family only my brother Bob was not able to be there.  And from Uncle Jack's family only Helen and Steve weren't there.  Steve passed away just recently but his wife, Mary and their daughters (Valerie and Sarah) and their kids were there.
 

Me, Tim, Kristie, Linda, Cheryl, and Patty

David, John, Mary, Carol, Margaret, Martha, and Richard (Chuck showed up after the picture) and Mary Thomas had already left when the picture was taken.

We had a fun program with my brother Tim as the emcee plus he sang and played the guitar also.  Multi-talented!!  He did a great job.  And then we had some absolutely beautiful songs sung by my sister Linda Winter, my cousin, Martha's daughter, Michelle Moyer and Martha's son Justin Moyer.  I'm not kidding they all were so outstanding.  It was just so fun for us in the audience.

Tim

Michelle

The only bad part of the program was me, I can't sing!  But I tried to teach or re-teach the song "Horsey Horsey" to everyone because Aunt Ada had taught it to us when we were kids and I had taught it to my little grandson, Atticus.  And I always thought it was a fun little song and it made me think of when we were growing up (we lived just a few blocks away from my cousins).  And I'm not even going to mention my "senior moment" when I announced that we were going to sing Happy Birthday to my great-nephew, Logan, and couldn't remember his last name.  I have an explanation for that--but it's pretty lame (brain freeze).  I DO know his name, believe me!!

So for the most part, besides the program and family meeting, we ate snacks and talked and laughed and caught up on things in each others lives.  Anyone who wanted to was invited to ride on the hay wagon or ride horses.  And the kids played some games.

Thanks Cheryl (and Ed) for hosting the reunion!!

We hope to get a family book done before the next reunion.      We also hope to organize and coordinate our family history.  I brought a couple of posters showing info and pictures of our grandparents 

(William & Orinda) and also of their 5 children (Ralph, Nonie, Leland, Jack, and Maxine).  

It was really fun and I'm so glad everyone took the time and made the effort to come (some traveled many, many hours to be there).  I think we had about 150 people and maybe in 2012 we'll have even more!!   PLAN ON IT EVERYONE!!