Like Grandmother, Like Mother, Like Daughter

This week's Family Search question is: What hobbies, interests, and talents do you have in common with your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors?

I share many things in common with my parents and grandparents. In fact, I can't think of a single characteristic that I did not either inherit or was influenced by my parents and grandparents. The four that stick out the most to me are: my cooking abilities, my dancing talent, my love of reading, and my passion for teaching.

Cooking

I come from a long line of cooks. My maternal great grandma Virginia is an amazing cook. My maternal grandma Linda is a great cook. My mother Debbie is a very talented cook. And my paternal grandma Carol is an amazing cook as well (so I have the genes on both sides). I have spent my life eating delicious meals made by my grandmothers and mother. When I was a teenager I didn't think that I had inherited this much needed cooking ability, but when I was pregnant with Benjamin I taught myself how to cook, and now I'm quite pleased with the dinners I serve my family (I call amazing dishes "worthy of Mrs. Weasley"). I brought that up to my grandma Linda one day and she told me that she also taught herself how to cook. That's another thing I have in common with her, we both taught ourselves! I used to feel like I lived in my mother's shadow when it came to cooking; and now we share recipes and tips!

Dancing

My mom did gymnastics, dance, and cheer leading. Her dance talent won her the title of Jr. Miss Grand Coulee Dam, and she went on to do well in the Jr. Miss Washington competition. When I was little I loved looking at the pictures of her in her costumes, and I wanted to do the same. I took lots of dance classes and tried gymnastics growing up. When I was 11 years old, I discovered ballroom, and that became my main style of dance.

I learned that my paternal great grandparents were Swedish Fold dancers. And I read in my maternal great grandma Nola's autobiography that she used to go to Church dances and dance the Waltz frequently while she was growing up. My maternal grandparents, Kent and Linda, met each other at a Church dance performance. So, like my cooking talent, my dance talent comes from all over.

Reading

My love of reading was instilled in me by my parents reading to me as a young girl. My aunt Vickie, and several of my cousins are big readers as well. Vickie introduced me and my cousins to Harry Potter. My grandma Linda was an elementary school librarian, and she gave me new books all of the time. I have seen Benjamin and Luna fall in love with reading as well, and I'm so excited for them. Reading always has been and always will be encouraged in my family.

Teaching

I graduated from BYU in 2015 with a teaching degree. Choosing teaching as my future career was definitely inspired by my family. My grandpa John Larson was an administrator and later a math teacher. My grandma Linda Peterson is a librarian. My dad is a math teacher. My mom is a Low Reinforcement Room facilitator (a.k.a. detention and in school suspension). My aunt Susie teaches math and science. My aunt Julie teaches math. My aunt Vickie is a school psychologist. And my aunt Deanna teaches English. I am the only history teacher. 😉 Education has always been important in my family, which I think is why teaching the next generation is something that appeals to many of us.

I am so grateful for the different talents that I have inherited from my family, and I am grateful for the fun things we have in common. I'm looking forward to see what inspires and influences Benjamin and Luna.

Sewing, My Newest Hobby

This week's Family Search question is: Do you like to dabble in lots of different hobbies? If so, what are they?

This is really similar to last week's question about hobbies from my childhood. My previous post about dancing, reading and family trips I would still consider hobbies in my adult life. I would also add cooking (I wrote about that in January) and writing/blogging (I have this blog, a recipes blog, a Harry Potter blog, and I write for Mormon Women Stand) as hobbies. For this post, I am going to talk about a new hobby that I picked up in the past few months: sewing.

I took a class in High School called "Sewing for the Home." In that class, I made a bag, a purse, a pillow, and a teddy bear. I made a skirt for a Personal Progress project. And I made my Halloween costume the year I was pregnant with Benjamin (I didn't like any of the store bought maternity costumes). So, I've known the basics of sewing for most of my life, but I've never had a sewing machine of my own. I used the school machines in class, and my mom's at home. Because I didn't have my own, I couldn't practice and refine my skills.  I can do basic hand stitching, and so anything that requires that - fixing up small holes, seam rips, and sewing on buttons - I have been able to do, but anything that needs a machine, I have not been able to do.

Last summer my parents were helping my aunt move and she was getting rid of a lot of stuff. One of the items she was giving away was a sewing machine. My mom asked if she could give it to me. My aunt said yes, and added that it had been given to her second-hand when she was a newly-wed and she had never used it. The machine needed a touch up to make sure it worked well. For my birthday present last fall, my mom paid for the touch up! Now I have my own sewing machine!

I have only had it for five months, and I have already made two things: an apron for me, and a poncho for Luna.

My next projects are for Benjamin. He has three pairs of pants with holes in the knees, and I am going to cut them into shorts and sew in a seam at the bottom of the legs. I am also going to make him a dress-up cape. (He likes to pretend to be King Triton from The Little Mermaid, and he wraps blanket around his shoulders but becomes frustrated when it falls off.) In fact, I'll probably make two capes, so Luna can have one too! I also plan on making certain parts of our Halloween costumes for this year, but you'll have to wait until October to see what those are!

I'm really excited to see what I'll be able to make 5-10 years down the road.

Dancing, Reading, and Family Trips

This week's Family Search question is: What were your favorite hobbies and pastimes in your childhood?

My childhood is chock-full of happy memories. I did lots of things: dance classes, gymnastics, soccer, piano, flute, and swimming lessons. I found great ways to relax: reading and Disney movies. And my family went on trips every year. When it comes to my favorite, I have narrowed it down to three: dancing, reading, and family trips.

Dancing

I have been taking dance classes since before I can remember. I took my first dance class when I was 3 years old, but I have no memory of it! I just have this picture in my costume:

When I was 8, we found a lady in the neighborhood who had converted her garage into a dance studio and  taught local dance classes. I was put in a class for my age group, and I took ballet and jazz lessons from her for a year. We did a Christmas concert, which I don't remember very well. Then we did an end-of-year (school year) concert. My class did a routine to "My Heart Will Go On" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".

When I was 10, I went back to that same studio and this time took tap and jazz. The theme of the concert  was The Wizard of Oz. We did a tap number to a song that wasn't in the movie, but I believe is in the musical (I can't remember the song). And we did our jazz number to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

When I was 11 I started my decade of ballroom dancing. I took my first ballroom class from the same lady I had taken previous classes from. It was a small class, only three couples. We did a Cha Cha and a Foxtrot for the concert. When I was 12 I went to a different studio, and I participated in my first competition! My partner and I competed Cha Cha and Foxtrot. We got a call back in the cha cha. When I was in 7th grade I started taking ballroom classes through the school. I made the Middle School team in 8th grade, JV Ballroom in 9th grade, and Varsity Ballroom 10th-12th grades. In college I danced on BYU's 10:00 and 1:00 teams, then I danced for a year on Center Stage's adult ballroom team.

I stopped dancing for teams when we were ready to start our family. But I still dance when I can now. Two out of my four exercise videos/games are dancing videos.

Reading

I have grown up with a love of reading. Before I learned how to read, my favorites for my parents to read to me were: The Sleep Book and Bears in the Night. I learned how to read with Dr. Seuss Books and the Babysitters' Little Sister Club book series. My cousin, Spencer, and I would race each other reading the Magic Tree House books (we could read two or three in a day). I also enjoyed Junie B. Jones when I was young. When I was in second grade I read The Island of the Blue Dolphins with my dad. I remember my teacher told my parents that I was reading at a 6th grade level!

When I was in 3rd grade, I discovered Harry Potter, and spent the next 8 years waiting for the new book to come out. I enjoyed just about every genre for my age group you could find. I was always reading something. In fact, I would get "grounded" from reading if I would pick up a book instead of listening to my parents. They would take my books away until I finished my chores almost every day. I also got in trouble for reading when I was supposed to be sleeping! But it wasn't like being in real trouble, it was more of a joke between all of us. My parents absolutely supported and encouraged my reading addiction.

In between waiting for the Harry Potter books, I read other series and authors as well. One that I like, which is similar to Harry Potter is the Charlie Bone series. In high school I really fell in love with  the British classics like Jane Austin, the Bronte sisters, and Charles Dickens. I tried, but I really couldn't get into the American classics. I enjoyed The Scarlet Letter, but I did not like The Last of the Mohicans or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Little Women was fine, but I don't know if I'll reread it like I do Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights.

As an adult I have really enjoyed Nicholas Sparks and Philippa Gregory. I also enjoy the occasional biography or autobiography. After Benjamin was born I really go into religious literature. I read The Ensign every month, and I've read most of The Teachings of Presidents.  I also love reading to Benjamin and Luna! Their favorites are Are You My Mother?, Bears in the Night,  and The Hungry Little Caterpillar.

Family Trips

Growing up we took family trips every year. We went camping in American Fork Canyon every summer. We would visit my mom's parents in Washington and my dad's in St. George. Whenever we went to St. George we would always go to Zion's National Park. Our favorite thing in Zion's is to take the mile hike to the start of the narrows Virgin River hike, and walk in the river for an hour or two and then come back.

One summer we visited all of my grandparents in one month! We drove down to see my dad's parents, then over to California where we met my dad's step grandma, Grandma Maxine, and my dad's aunt and uncle Sam and Betty. While in California we visit the Red Woods forest. We then drove up to Oregon where we visited with my great-grandma Mary (my dad's mom's mom). We visited Crater Lake there as well. Then up to Washington to visit my mom's parents where we swam in the Columbia River, and watched the light show on the Grand Coulee Dam. On the way home we stopped in Idaho to visit my great grandparents Elvin and Virginia (my mom's mom's parents).

The biggest rip we have ever taken was to drive from Utah to New York and back again. We went to New York to visit my mom's sister who lives there. On the way there we visited: Independence Rock, The Field of Dreams site, Mt. Rushmore, Chicago, and The University of Michigan. While in New York we went to New York City, of course. We visited the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero (in 2013), Ellis Island, Toys R Us, took a tour on a bus, and saw The Phantom  of the Opera. Back at my aunt's house we visited the Sacred Grove, The Hill Cummorah, and watched the pageant. We also visited Niagra Falls. On the way home we stopped at: the Kirtland Temple, Independence, Missouri, Adam-ondi-amen, Carthage Jail, Nauvoo, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

My parents instilled in me a love for traveling! I hope one day to take my kids on similar trips. Right now we take them to California once a year to see Gerson's parents. This summer we are taking them to Coulee Dam, Wa! I can't wait to see what adventures my family goes on in the future.

Friends Change as We Grow, and That's Okay

This week's Family Search question is: What qualities in friends do you most admire?

I have had a lot of friends throughout my short life. I don't want to create a list of qualities that I like, because I just can't come up with any off the top of my head. Because when it comes down to it, my friends are my friends because we enjoyed each other's company, not because they fit a check list of what makes a good friend. I've had good friends and bad friends throughout my life. Very few of my friends I have kept in close contact with into adulthood. That doesn't mean I dislike them now or that we are no longer friends, our lives simply took us in different directions; but social media allows us to keep updated on each other!

So, for this post I am going to talk about three different groups of friends I have had in my life: Elementary School/Middle School, High School, and Now.

Elementary School/Middle School

During this time of my life, my friends were often those who had the same teacher as me or were in the same ward as me. By 4th grade I belonged to a tight knit group of girls. We played together at recess, after school, and on the weekends. We had sleepovers, took dance classes together, and simply just had fun in each other's company. Looking back, we were all very different from one an other, so we didn't really have anything in common that brought us together, we just simply liked playing together. Between 6th and 8th grade, many of my friends moved away, changed schools, or simply chose a different path; and I entered high school needing new friends.

High School

I spent the first few months of high school hanging out with my cousin and her friends. When I got moved up to the JV Ballroom team, a whole new group of friends was opened up to me. I had  a few friends outside of the dance team, but throughout high school, most of my friends were on the dance team. We had a lot of classes together because of our dance schedule. We ate lunch together, spent time after school together, and the weekends. My Senior year one of the guys and I started doing homework parties at my house, and several of us would do homework together. During my Junior and Senior year a few of us would use the allowable three unexcused absences to ditch ASL and Seminary - I'm not proud of that, and I wouldn't encourage it now, but at the time it was fun. Even the guys I dated were on the dance team. So, during high school my friends came from the common talent we shared for ballroom dance.

Now

I have two friends from high school that I keep in close contact with: Parker Stringfellow (my old dance partner) and Jaelynn Hoffman (who lives in California with her husband and children). I didn't have many friends at BYU. I had classmates, but not friends. I believe part of that was I lived at home before I got married, and the other part was that I got married right after my freshman year. That's okay though, because Gerson, of course, is my closest friend. 😍 My neighbors, the ladies I visit teach, and the ladies who visit teach me are now my friends. Once a week two of my neighbors and I get together for a ladies night! We watch The Bachelor together, but we'll have to think of something else soon because the finale is this week. There is a playground at our apartment complex, and if one mom goes out there with her kids, several  of us follow and we chat with each other while our kids play. I have found these women through living in close proximity to them, having children the same age, and being in the same ward. I really like these ladies, and I hope we can all stay in contact whenever life takes us elsewhere.

So, when it comes down to qualities that I most admire, I'm pretty lenient. I just want someone who is willing to hang out with me, yet who understands that I have a busy schedule and so won't get offended if there are long stretches of time in between seeing them. Someone who I can have adult conversations with, and someone who I enjoy their company and they enjoy mine. I have definitely found that throughout my life, even if the people have changed, the qualities remained the same. And that's okay. As we grow, our lives will take us in different directions. Looking back on my experiences with friends, I definitely want to be alert and helpful with my children as they begin to navigate the waters of friendship and learning how to get along with and include others.

And I want to end with a shout out to some close and life long friends: Lindsey Haskell, Ashleigh Nye, MarSchelle Walker, Jamie Loveridge (cousin), Trisia McClung (cousin), Parker Stringfellow, and Jaelynn Hoffman. I love you all, and I still value your friendship even though we don't see each other often at the moment.

Benjamin's 4th Birthday: Tour of Radiator Springs

My sweet little Benjamin Bear turned 4 years old this weekend. Please excuse me while I go cry - there. Ok. Well, we had a wonderful weekend!

On Friday - his actual birthday - we played at the playground with our neighbors. Then, we went to McDonald's for his birthday dinner with my parents. Benjamin and Luna spent most of the time playing in the play place, and coming back to take bites of their food. After that we went on a walk on the river trail near my parents' house, and Benjamin got to throw rocks in the river! Benjamin and Luna spent the night at my parents' house because Gerson and I had to help clean the church building early Saturday morning.

Saturday was Benjamin's birthday party with his friends - his first friend birthday party! The theme was Disney's Cars. We played  one big long game called: Tour of Radiator Springs.  This sign greeted the kids at the door.

Each kid got a "VIP Pit Pass" as they arrived. (I found the free printable here.)

Then everyone got to pick a toy car to drive to Radiator Springs.  We walked around the perimeter of the front yard as our our route to Radiator Springs.

When we arrived in Radiator Springs I told the kids that when they travel they get gifts called souvenirs, and they would get some souvenirs while visiting Radiator Springs and could put them in a gift bag (which I gave them). We first visited Luigi and his tire shop. Luigi gave them tires for their cars (chocolate donuts) when they could answer the question: How many tires does a car need?

Next we visit Flo's Diner. Flo gave them some gas for their car (apple juice) when they could answer the question: What does a car need to go? (Benjamin answered that one, "A gas station!")

After that we played with Mater, and as a thank you, he let the kids have some teeth!

Then we spent the night in Sally's Motel (candy corn). Then we raced with Lightning McQueen! (The kids let their cars down the slide and slid down after their car.)

After our tour was over it was time to sing Happy Birthday, open presents, and eat cake! Then all the kids played with Benjamin's new toys in the backyard.

It was a great weekend, and Benjamin loved it! I can't believe he's growing up so fast!

Chelsey Mae and Lindsey Kay, BFFs

This week's Family Search Question is: Who was your first best friend? Are you still in contact with each other?

I technically have two first best friends: my cousin Jamie Loveridge, and my friend Lindsey Haskell. Since I already wrote a little bit about Jamie in a previous post last year, I'll tell you about Lindsey.

Lindsey and I have been best friends since we were 3 or 4 years old. Our families lived in the same apartment complex and same ward for a few years. We played together all the time. Lindey's middle name is Kay and my middle  name is Mae, so our names became a rhyme with our moms: Chelsey Mae and Lindsey Kay. It was fun to say! 😉 Like the movies, I had a crush on her older brother and she had a crush on her older brother's best friend. Unlike the movies, none of us ended up together. Which we are perfectly fine with, but we do enjoy laughing about it.

When we moved away from the apartments, we continued to see each other via lots of sleepovers! There was a year where it was seriously almost every weekend. We had so much fun. There are so many memories of sleepovers and family activities, too many BFF necklaces, bracelets and key chains to count, that there isn't one that sticks out to share. But just know, we had fun and we love each other.

When I was 12 years old, Lindsey's family moved to New Zealand and my life ended. Ok, it didn't really end, but it sure felt like it! We wrote to each other frequently for the first couple of years. When I was 14 ( the summer of 2015) I went on a two week study abroad to New Zealand and Australia with a group called Edventures  Down Under.  We stayed in Auckland, which is where Lindsey's family lived as well. So my parents gave my leader permission to let Lindsey's family take me to their house during some down time one evening. Being with Lindsey again was amazing! We only got to spend a couple of hours together, but it was the best. Shortly after that trip her family moved to Australia, and we lost contact.

In June of 2009 I decided to search for her on facebook and I found her! We started talking and I learned that she and her family were back in the States! Back in Utah County even! We started hanging out again immediately.

Lindsey went on my first "date" with Gerson. I helped get her a job at my work at the time (Dressed In White), and we worked together for about a year or two. She was one of my bride's maids at my wedding. And we are now moms together. We have been to each other's baby showers and kid's birthday parties. And at the end of this month, Lindsey is getting married! I am of course going to her wedding as her best friend.

Lindsey and I will always be best friends. With the busyness of life, we go large amounts of time without seeing each other; but when we do get to spend time together the giggling, hugging, and fun times pick up right where we left off. Lindsey truly is my Best Friend Forever.

When we were little

Reunited!

Baby Showers and Birthday Parties