Clark Family Reunion

Father's Day weekend we had a family reunion with all of my brothers and sisters and their families. The last time we were together was ten years ago when my mother passed away. It was fabulous!!! We had about 75 people in attendance and were missing about twenty. I know my mom was watching and laughing at the cute kids, the diverse personalities, and the fun we created and enjoyed.

We were lucky enough to have Nate and Ashley and Dave and Kristen and Kylie. Ryan and Kristin moved that weekend from the Dalles to Redmond Oregon and were unable to attend. We missed them but totally understood.

For those of you who don't know my extended family, I am one of six girls and two boys. I am number five. We range from fifty-seven years old to thirty-six years old. Each of us is strong in our own way and we make a great unit. I am blessed to be part of this family.

Easter Weekend

We were lucky enough to have Ryan and Kristin, Dylan, Leila and Cohen for Easter. Here are a few shots of dying eggs, the hunt and random pictures of the kids. Note the picture of Cohen emptying the shelf of books. I know his dad has a similar picture in his scrapbook except it was albums. Oh, come on! You remember albums! The things we listened to before we had cassette tapes and then cds! The Ryan and Kristin Wilkinson family will be moving to Redmond Oregon the first of June so this will be their last trip for awhile. We appreciate the effort it takes to travel with three kids! Thanks, guys. You are the best!

Happy Birthday, Kylie Marie

I am home and semi-settled so I thought I would add some photos of our newest little miracle, Kylie. It is an amazing thing to watch your daughter have a daughter. Kristen did so well and with Dave by her side they totally rocked! Thanks guys for letting me be part of the fun.

WE HAVE A BABY!!!

Kristen and Dave welcomed Kylie Marie Young into the world March 24, 2010. She weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz and is nineteen inches long. She is a beautiful, petite blond who looks like a real mix of the two of them yet very much like a Young! I am not very good at guessing features! All I know is she is a keeper! We are tired and happy and ready to come home from the hospital! I will post a picture later, just picture dainty features, pink skin, blond eyelashes and big luscious eyes! Okay, picture the cutest baby in the entire state of Utah!

I love spring - rebirth and new life!

See you back in Spokane this next thursday.

Coming together

As you know, I am not the best at importing pictures and having them actually go where I want them to go but I will make a valiant attempt!

We have a before picture of the kitchen(with the wall already down), the new floor with the first coat of sealer (it has mellowed quite a bit!), and the new cabinets without the counter tops and hardware, hmmm or appliances. I chose the cabinet hardware yesterday and they will be installed soon. They come this weekend to make the template for the counter tops, black granite with chocolate flecks, and they will be installed next week. We are finishing the recessed lights in the kitchen and dining room. The pendant lights over the island are on the to-do-list, as well. We have lots of patching of walls, painting of patching and trim work to complete before they do the final coats on the floor. We still don't know if we can keep the current backsplash. I am looking forward to having the dishwasher, microwave, frig and sink back in the kitchen. The back porch and downstairs are very crowded with kitchen paraphenanlia. (sp) We aren't uncovering the new floors until all of the construction work is finished!

Now I have to say, my heart is bursting with gratitude. NEVER did I think that we could or would do this to our little split-entry house! When the cabinet maker came and installed the new cabinets, it was all I could do to not break down in front of him. After they left I went to my room and bawled and thanked my Father in Heaven for all of these great blessings that are being poured out to us. Tithing blessings, tender mercies.... All I know is my heart is full. I am thankful for a wonderful husband who works so hard during the day and then works so hard with me in the evenings to accomplish this transformation. What a man!

So maybe it won't be done by Thanksgiving...

Still not able to place the pictures where I wanted to place them, I finally gave up and posted my October post anyway!

Ryan and Kristin and the kids came from the Dalles last weekend and helped sheetrock enough so they could install the garage door tracks and openers. Thank you, thank you for making the sacrifice to come, guys! Hope the thumb is okay, Ryan...

The doors were put on last week and they look fabulous. Craig installed the back man-door but still no electricity. The gable was put up yesterday so we can move onto wiring. After electricity, we insulate and sheet rock (including framing out the wall next to the house) and finish the soffit(sorry for the spelling). Somehere in there we move the Avista meter from the outside of the house (now in the garage) to the outside of the garage. This is the part that concerns me the most...

We cannot express the deep love and appreciation we feel for all those that sacrificed their time and many talents to help us get this far. The list is long and we are grateful beyond words. This has long been a dream for us, especially Craig, and we appreciate all of the help. We have much to be thankful for this holiday season. Good friends, good family, Good News. (the gospel)

Work in Progress

We are in the middle of a grand adventure, building a garage! We began in July by removing the bushes and fence from the side yard. What a difference it made! It opened up the entire yard. Hmmm . . . only to close it up again with a 28 x 28 foot garage! Crazy! Unfortunately, sacrifices had to be made. I lost my only east facing window, my dining room window. I love the morning sun so you might see me sitting on top of the garage roof with cereal bowl, facing east.

We had an amazing crew of eight men come last saturday (this was written in the middle of October!) to help frame and put up the trusses. I can't begin to express our gratitude. We are doing most of this ourselves with help and encouragment from those who actually know what they are doing!

After Craig finishes a few things we move on to roofing (ok, so done!)and then electrical, YUCK! Not looking forward to that! We are looking at lots of moisture this week and were hoping to get the roof up before it hit but... it is not to be! You know, life happens! We just feel very blessed to be building this at all. Here is a look at the progress, so far...

Craig is so excited he can hardly sleep. It is like Christmas Eve everytime something new happens on the garage. It is fun to watch! We hope to be completed by Thanksgiving.