10/5/2005 LETTER TO JENNIFER MAST (FRIEND FROM HIGH SCHOOL)
Hey - Good to hear from you. It is interesting to read about your life and
realize how different our lives our. You in your cold winter laden climate,
me in my hot never see a drop of snow climate. You with your 1 quiet boy
with a life of solitude. Me with my 5 wild banshees - I don't believe I
remember what quiet or solitude is?!? I think we both have enviable
situations!!!
Things here are good. Everyone is healthy and happy and extremely busy.
 |
| Andy broadcasting basketball game at Dixie State |
Andy - is enjoying sports broadcasting and writing for the Deseret News and
the Daily Spectrum. He started an internet broadcasting web site this year
(utahpreps.net) and broadcasts all the local high school's football games on
the web site. You can go online and listen to him if you are interested -
they archive all the games. He also does a 10 minute sports talk show on
the local TV station. In his spare time he is a stay at home daddy and does
excellent with that! He has been Sunday School president for a couple of
years but we have been told his reign there is about over.
We are lucky that our schedules mesh and we don't ever need day care. I am
still working in my growing court as Clerk of the Court. I love my job.
The city manager has asked me to consider more lucrative positions within
the city but it would involve working for a boss that is actually here (mine
comes in once a week for about 2 hours - all of which we spend together in
court) and politics. He never criticizes my work or hovers or anything. I
enjoy the mix of working with the public and working with paper. My job
always has a new and interesting story. And yes, they are always GUILTY!
 |
| Aj in football uniform for PVHS |
AJ is now 14 and just finished his first year on the freshman football team.
Their team went undefeated and he really enjoyed being part of the team. He
committed to going to school 3X a week at 6 a.m. to lift weights and staying
after school 3 days a week for 2 hour practices. The 4th day of the week
they have their football games. He is kind of becoming a health nut and has
really shot up and slimmed down lately. He just completed his Eagle Scout
in Boy Scouts and will get that awarded to him soon. He got done 4 days
before his 14th birthday - he was very proud of being able to accomplish
that at such a young age. He has been a very gifted student getting mostly
A's (Geometry he got a B+ I think). As long as we keep him busy with no
time to tease his brothers he is a fine young man.
 |
| Andrew Shopinski and Dallas helping with AJ's Eagle project |
Dallas is 10 and is in the 5th grade. He is on the safety squad at school -
the guys in the orange jackets that help direct traffic. He joined the
reading club and has to read a book every 10 days and then a group of kids
and a teacher discuss it. He just finished his Arrow of Light for Cub
Scouts and will complete all of the Webelos requirements by his birthday in
March. He is a real sweetie and the child I could not do without. He is
always asking what he can do to help. He gets his sisters dressed on
Sunday's, changes diapers, helps make food, cleans, does yard work etc. He
is my little life saver!
 |
| Bryce with a graham cracker creation |
Bryce is 9 and in the 4th grade. He is extremely energetic and busy but
very smart also. He gets bored easily because he "gets it" the first time
and then gets impatient while every one else "gets it" -- if you know what I
mean. He can look at spelling words once or twice and know how to spell
them without effort. He is also doing scouting and has belt loops and pins
like crazy and just recently finished his BEAR badge. I feel bad for him
because since I am the "cub scout leader" he has been through the program
over and over again but he is not the right age to receive the awards. So
in order for him to complete it he has to do everything again next year that
brother and he did last year.
I've been the cub scout leader of the wolfs, bears and/or webelos for almost
10 years now - off and on. I think in our current ward it is going on 4
years. My pack of boys are highly decorated and we have a good time. I
really like doing scouts because I don't have to do anything on Sunday. And
believe me Sunday mornings are crazy busy at our house.
 |
| Holly and Katie enjoying the backyard |
 |
| Bryce and Katie looking cute! |
Katie is 3 (4 at Christmas time) and absolutely full of it. She loves to
change clothes and "dress up". I have to keep the majority of her stuff
under lock and key or her room will be dumped every day. I leave out a
basket of stuff to let her play in but lock up all other clothes. She
recently was given a ballet outfit. She wore if for 4 days straight. Andy
would dress her in the morning and an hour or so later she'd come out in her
pink suit. I finally got it off of her on Saturday and washed it and she
begged for it back for 2 days. She got up in Sacrament Meeting and said her
one liner last week and did a really cute job.
 |
| Into mom's lipstick! |
 |
| Look these shoes are BIG! |
 |
| Ugh...read myself to sleep! |
 |
| Isn't this where the potty chair goes? |
Holly is 1 (2 around Christmas time) and we call her TAZ - short for
Tasmanian Devil. That child is a tornado. She has drawn on every wall in
our house, the fridge, the carpet, our pillows, herself (she looks like she
is covered in tattoos most days) and on and on. And somehow she seems to
always find the sharpie permanent markers. It seems like no matter how many
markers I pick up and "put away" she always finds one more. I am sure she
will be an artist like you one day as art seems to be her thing. She is
also a climber. I had to get rid of her crib at 18 months because she kept
throwing herself out of it. She will get the kitchen bar stool and push it
to wherever she wants to go. She gets stuff off the top of the fridge. She
can open all the child safety locks (lock on the fridge - useless, the
cupboards - she's quicker than we are. The locks to keep the door shut -
you guessed it - she can get those off the door and get out of the room).
She has also opened the locked front door and gone and got in the car
without us knowing. She can unpick the fence locks. It's a good thing she
is the caboose! And she is adorable. I don't know that I could do this
again!
 |
| Holly and Katie...my lil prisoners! |
It was fun to hear an update of your life. It sounds beautiful where you
live. You know -- if we were smart -- we'd have a summer home where you
live and a winter home here. Our weather is breathtakingly beautiful 9
months of the year. And then so hot you wish you were dead through the
summer. You should send me some pictures of your scenery there and your
house and Hayden and you. It's been awhile since you've sent any out.
I'm glad you are doing well. I hope I didn't bore you with my update.
Someday I hope to have a quiet moment and explore my artistic side (I'm not
sure I have one).
Family Updates - Becky just moved to a bigger house a little closer to SLC -
saves us maybe 20-30 minutes drive - she lives about 5 hours from us. She
is busy with her 5 kids. We don't get together often due to the large
amounts of loud children and the distance between us. Although we love to
get together whenever we can.
Ruth is pregnant with #2 and final. She says. Probably true. She is more
into her career than mothering. She has a full-time live in nanny already.
And a house keeper. What a life, eh? She already had her masters and is
just completing a nursing degree now or something like that. I don't really
understand the need to be gone ALL THE TIME. Work 40 hours and then school
20 hours or whatever it turns out to be. I prefer to get my hours in and
then spend every minute with my family after that. Whatever. We are
different!!!!
My dad is keeping busy taking Spanish classes and dance classes and going to
the gym and working on his house. I think he is dating a little too. It
will be interesting to see what path he chooses!
Well I am glad you are all healthy and happy and doing well. I love to hear
from my friends that I have had over the years -- I have so many people I
really enjoy but distance and circumstance make it impossible to be part of
their lives anymore. Plus the truth of the matter is I am too busy to have
friends now! There are people that live right here that I don't spend time
with due to the nature of LIFE!
Take care and write again soon! Shelly
