THE NANA's AND THE PAPA's.....

Our Goodbyes

2012-01-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

We have had a fun holiday vacation in Utah for the last couple of weeks. I guess it is time to say good-bye and head for home. That is always difficult! We will miss these little people (and the big people who the little people live with!)

New Years Eve with Hudson

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Papa, Sean, Tanner, and I celebrated New Years Eve while taking care of Hudson. Ryan and Ashley were enjoying their evening on the beach at Cabo Frio, Brazil. We think our activities rivaled theirs! Just take a look.

LOBSTER AND SHRIMP, yum!!!

Sean, The Nana, and Hudson enjoying Chef Papa's and Chef Tanner's delicious dinner!
Not to mention that the neighbors all lit off fireworks for much of the night!

Kangaroo Zoo with Averi and Elle

2011-12-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

We had such a FUN time watching Averi's excitement as she played at the Kangaroo Zoo! She is a doll.

Thanks, Matt, Katie, Averi, and Elle, for spending the afternoon with Papa and The Nana.

Averi displays no fear! She is a thrill-seeker! Yea!

And this little Elle is an absolute 'angelle'.

Schenk Family at The Village Inn in Challis

2011-12-28T18:14:00.000-08:00

These are pictures of us enjoying ourselves at Derris' and Laurie's restaurant, just letting someone feed us and wait on us. You talk about service! I don't have any pictures of the other fun activities - making scarves, zumba-ing, watching movies, hot tubbing, etc. But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We enjoyed a beautiful, comfortable room and fabulous company. Thanks, everyone, especially Derris and Laurie!

Grandpa and Grandma Schenk

Derris, Laurie, Ryan, Jenn, Regan, Chris, Bryce, Braden, Brittany and kids, Angie and kids

Stacy, Leslie, Nichole, Kyle, Kaitlyn

Tom, Sheri and girls

Karen and kids

Michael, Yvett and kids

Lyle and I

Grandpa Schenk and Derris

Laurie, Michael, Yvett, Melanie

Bridget, Brittany, and Bryken

Tom, Sheri, Kyle, Kaitlyn, Nichole, Leslie, Stacy

Regan

Jenn, Regan, Grandma and Grandpa Schenk, Ryan

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-26T08:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning, Sunday morning, we had to wake these little girls up at 8:30 am to get the party started!

It took them a few minutes to get warmed up, but then they jumped into the spirit of things.

After all of the sharing and unwrapping, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast prepared by Ashley.

We went to Sacrament Meeting at one of the Eden Wards. It was a wonderful service with lots of beautiful music and testimony of Jesus Christ's birth.

That afternoon we just enjoyed a relaxing time together.

Papa took the girls for another walk.

Dinner and then a little Just Dance 3!

Brooklyn, Kendyl, and Camryn

Steff and Nic showing their girls how to be excited about receiving a gift!

They received artwork from Camryn and Brooklyn.

The girls have talent!

The new armoire for their doll clothes

Brooklyn reading to Hudson and Nixon

Kendyl and Nixon

Kendyl, Camryn, Nixon, and Brooklyn

Too early, Ryan?

Hudson loves his Elmo book

Merry Christmas, Sean!

The Nana and Nixon

Camryn, Nic, Brooklyn, Nixon, Steff, Kendyl

The Nana and Hudson

Just Dance 3 - Tanner, Ashley (arm) Brooklyn, Camryn, Steff, Kendyl

Tanner, Ashley, Brooklyn, Camryn, Steff

Ryan, Sean, and Tanner Rockin'

Ashley, Sean, Tanner, Steff

Christmas Eve 2011 at Wolf Creek

2011-12-24T23:59:00.000-08:00

Kate, Matt, & Averi

Kendyl, Brooklyn, and Papa

Kendyl

Averi, Sean, and Ryan

Ashley, Brooklyn, & Nic

Ashley

Steff

Tanner, Kendyl, Brooklyn, and Camryn after a great afternoon sledding!

Kendyl, Grandma Schenk, Averi, Grandpa Schenk, and Brooklyn enjoying each other.

Ashley brought sugar cookies to frost and decorate.... yea!

Ashley, Brooklyn, Kendyl, Averi, and Camryn.

Kendyl and Averi enjoying frosting!

Tanner giving Nixon some pointers.

Why wouldn't we be happy? Steak, crab, and fun family!

Ashley, Tanner, and Steff - you win!

Sprinkling the reindeer food.

Brooklyn, Camryn, Ashley, Kendyl, and Steff

Sean - Joseph, Camryn - the donkey, Hudson - the baby Jesus, Brooklyn - Mary,

Ashley - the star, Kendyl - a sheep, Steff - a shepherd.

Add Tanner - the wiseman

A talk of what sort?

Nic, Brooklyn, Camryn, and Kendyl with a plate of goodies!

Ready for bed and a visit from Santa.

Sean, deep in thought.

Nixon and Elle learning to share - they are adorable! Let's see who wins.
My real question is - so many toys... why do they always want the same one?

We had a great day together... sledding, reading, running, playing, eating... just being all together!! We enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve dinner of steak and crab with all the fixings.
I love Christmas with family!

The Wild Clark Family Christmas Party at Wolf Creek

2011-12-23T19:00:00.000-08:00

Forty-eight Clark family members - all of us except for Alisha and Tyson - gathered at Wolf Creek for the annual Clark Christmas Event on Friday, December 23, 2011.

Grandma and Grandpa Clark furnished prime rib and baked potatoes while everyone else added their yummy specialties. The food was spectacular as usual.

The pinata was especially tough to break, but eventually it did. Grandma handed out her precious packages.

Then we were off to the ultimate white elephant gift exchange! Even Santa appeared (well he ran by with his bells jingling and dropped off a bag by the door). The bag contained some coal and a note to Lyle, Wade, and Patti that they better step things up next year. (A fun bit of excitement orchestrated by Nic with a special helper.) The kids did get excited to hear the bells and see the red suit run by.

After the party thirty people found beds and slept. The night owls watched 'Warrior' before heading to their rooms.

The next morning while the men cooked breakfast, any willing woman joined Steff in the basement for some fun Zumba exercise!

Most of the Clark 'extras' left by noon. We will look forward to another great party next Christmas! Actually, many of us are looking forward to another great Clark party on our Cruise to the Southern Caribbean in April!

Till then!

Nixon

Brooklyn on a walk with papa

Camryn

Wait a minute, Wade sleeping???

What a busy view! Getting ready for dinner!

The pinata mayhem!

Sue passing out numbers for the 'white elephant game'.

Steff won a keeper!

Averi helping her daddy with a package.

Averi in total awe of everyone grabbing their prizes! (So nana had to help out!)

Look what I got!

Brooklyn taking a swing.

Kendyl giving it her best!

Kendyl loves her gloves that grandma and grandpa Clark gave her. She even slept with them on that night.

Ashley helping Hudson open his gift.

Steff wants those sour gummies back!

Meet the Clark Family

And meet Patti, trying on her white elephant gift. She is such a sport!

Matt won a what?

After Steff's Zumba class on Saturday morning. I, the sweatiest one, obviously worked the hardest!

A Night of Great BBQ at the Huntsville BBQ Company

2011-12-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

The food was good... Great BBQ! Downtown Huntsville, UTAH.

The company was even better!

The Nana and Nixon

Papa and Hudson

Averi, Camryn, Brooklyn, and Kendyl seated on the lift seat.

Camryn, Steff, Kendyl, Papa, Hudson, Ashley (Ryan was still at work), Nic, Brooklyn, Averi, Sean, Matt, Katie, and Tanner. Nixon and Elle were somewhere out of view?

We love the Huntsville BBQ Company! They give you lots of yummy food.

Tanner's First Line of Business During Christmas Vacation in Ohio

2011-12-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

On the way home from the airport Tanner wanted to stop by the infamous 'exotic animals slaughter site' in Zanesville.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-16T23:59:00.000-08:00

I asked Lyle to video our house in 'Christmas attire' because I just may not dress it up next year. If that is the case, I can look at the video and enjoy the decorations. I love to sit and listen to Christmas music with all of the Christmas trees lit and the fireplace warming me. I think I learned that love from my mother.... fond memories! Well, Lyle did a bang-up job with the candles lit and the music playing! I was expecting a 28 second video - he certainly exceeded all of my expectations. (We both think the creaky front door adds a special touch!)

The Pickle Prize

2011-12-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read all of the comments from "The Christmas Tree Pickle" posting, then you must!

Ashley did nail it, and she has Sean as a witness.

Here is a picture of the pickle present!

The Christmas Tree Pickle 2011

2011-12-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Hunting! Anyone wishing she had her Destiny's Child Christmas CD?

Changing the Time of the Pickle Posting!!

2011-12-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Brooklyn and Camryn have to leave for school earlier than I thought. I will try to call you all in the morning and make sure that you know and that it is okay for us to do the pickle find at 11:30 a.m. If it is not good for anyone, then we will do it later in the afternoon, before Tanner and Sean leave for the airport.
Get ready!
Love you,
The Nana

The Pickle Posting

2011-12-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Family:
I am going to be posting my video of the Christmas tree with the 'pickle' in place. So this is a warning to be ready to pounce! I plan to post it at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, December 16. If this is a bad time for anyone, please let me know. I wanted to post it earlier, but I will be working in the office until then.
Hopefully, from the video you will be able to spot the pickle, then post your reply saying that you found it. I will bring the pickle present with me to award to the winner!
Love you all! Happy pickling!
The Nana

Cruise anyone?

2011-11-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

Barbados

St. Lucia

St. Maarten

St. Thomas

St. Kitts

Our family is planning to go on a cruise April 29 to May 5, 2012, before Sean leaves on his mission. We sail from port in Puerto Rico and enjoy each of these fabulous islands. Sounds incredible to me, and we'd love to have any of you fun-loving, exciting people come along with us!

..... grandpas and grandmas, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, friends.....
Call me for details!

Here are Ashley's words of excitement, "Get excited for the best vacation yet!!! ... and the 10 pounds we'll all no doubt gain!" 24-hour all-you-can-eat ice cream, midnight pizza, chocolate molten cake, lobster night, and cheeseburgers and fries after a long day of scuba diving. .....also the warm days lying in the sand, fountain fun cards, karaoke, and Latin dancing, and papa's linen shirt!!!! I won't sleep tonight!"

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

Averi sent this adorable picture to papa and I for Thanksgiving. We appreciate her mom helping her. Her little hand prints are priceless! I get the impression that they have spent a lot of time in their home talking about what they are grateful for. Last week Katie posted a picture on her blog of Averi with a 'Grateful Turkey' that she made for great-grandma and great-grandpa Clark. How terrific!

We have a huge amount of things to be grateful for. At the top of that huge list is our family. We are extremely blessed to have wonderful children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins! Love you all!

Ashley's and Hudson's Surprise Visit!

2011-11-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

I can't think of anything better than a visit from family! Last Thursday I was so surprised when Ashley and Hudson appeared for a visit! We had four, full, fun-filled days of time spent together!

I enjoyed visiting with Ashley, cooking and eating delicious food, working out at the gym together, watching movies, shopping for Christmas ideas, and catching up. She cut my hair. She decided I needed to activate my facebook account - and so she did. I love and value her 'style' advice for me. She picks out the best clothes! It is just so nice to have adult daughters in my life!

I spent as much time as I could holding Hudson (he is not very cuddly); he would much rather be moving around. His feet never stop kicking! Hudson and I played with Elmo and with the noisy phone. We practiced fitting shapes into the spaces. We read books. We played the piano. We sang and danced. I fed him bottles, changed his diapers, and put him to sleep. He is a good baby. He is always so happy. His smiles come very easily. I'm afraid that we threw him off of his terrific sleeping schedule, but we tried really hard not to. Actually, I think his airplane flight the first day took care of that. No one on the plane let him have his nap - they just played with him and let him entertain them. I am sorry that the plane rides are so long and that there are no direct flights. It is not an easy task getting to Columbus from Salt Lake City.

It would have been terrific if they could have stayed longer. However, I will take any moments I can get. I appreciate that Ryan is supportive of them coming to spend time with us. Our next visits will be here before we know it. We will see everybody at Christmas time!!!

2011-11-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

The House Painting Project

2011-11-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

It is nearly finished! Hooray! After many weeks of a few hours here and there, when schedule and daylight would allow, Lyle is almost finished with his painting project. He only has a few windows left to trim around on the south side of the house. When he started this project, he didn't realize that he needed to fit in a roofing project for our friend Kelly Coffey. Her roof was a MUST and our painting was on a list. I mean, are we really in a hurry? It has waited for nearly six years!

I kept asking Lyle why we decided to do this now that Sean and Tanner weren't around to help out!!!! We never do things the easy way.

The 'After'

The 'During'

Tied in with his harness and rope

The 'Before"

'Til Tanner & Sean Come Home

2011-10-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

47 Days until Tanner and Sean come home for a few days of their Christmas break! Can't wait. Wish there were lots of others coming as well. (I guess we could have them bring Elle, Nixon, and Hudson! Think about it, parents!) We are excitedly counting down!!!

..... and this Christmas cactus is from last year! Imagine that!

Lunch at Applebees!

2011-10-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today I had lunch at Applebees with my great friend, Sarah Williams. That can't happen often enough. I love to spend time with her. We always have lots to talk about.

Anyway, this tale is not about lunch..... It is about the new decor at our Applebees. They just updated their restaurant. I walked in the front door and turned to be seated... and right there as large as life was Sean on the wall. I had to take a picture! It was a fun find.

(He is on the 'Maysville' part of the display; obviously, Sean is the opponent.)

One Benefit

2011-10-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

I just finished making cookies to take to our young adult activity tonight. As I finished mixing the dough, I thought to myself, "Man, I don't need to share this beater with anyone!" Ah hah, ONE BENEFIT!

I do on the other hand, realize the disadvantage to this... eating all this cookie dough by myself. I will have to work harder at walleyball tonight!

Zanesville is on the Map!

2011-10-19T12:45:00.001-07:00

I don't have any photos to post, darn it! I haven't seen any of the 48 - 80 exotic, wild animals that are roaming about in our neck-of-the-woods. I sat out in my hot tub last night wondering if I would see something creeping into my yard.

I heard about the incident last night while I was at a superintendent's advisory network meeting at West Muskingum High School. I thought there were maybe 6 animals on the loose. I knew the deputies were out hunting them. I mentioned it to Lyle when I got home. We both kind of ummm-hmmm'd it all. Then this morning at an appointment, I caught the Today show, CNN, Fox News, .... and heard there were 48 animals, schools were closed, warnings were given to stay in homes, and it is national news. WOW! What a great way to get your name out there! It was fascinating to listen to everyone's take on this while I was working out at the gym, you know, with my geriatric gym friends.

We are safe and unscathed by this, we think!

SEAN STILL SINGS!!!

2011-10-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know any particulars, just that Sean was asked to sing something at their Ward Prayer on Sunday evening. His friend, Emily Martyn, accompanied him. Her dad is in our Stake Presidency. Sean took her to prom last Spring. His roommate, Remington, videoed it on his phone, I think.

I told Sean that I really wished that I could hear it, and so he posted it on YouTube for me to listen to. I'm just sharing the blessing! ENJOY!

Celebrating Dr. Ramsay's 70th Birthday with a ZIP LINE PARTY!

2011-09-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Dr. Ramsay enjoying his birthday party with a Heavenly Ham Box Lunch!

Lyle's wild zip line group

Penny, Michelle, Shari, Lou, Linda, Carol, Jody, & Melanie

Guides: Steve & Todd

The Zandex crew

Harnessing up

Me, Yvonne, & Penny

(I've posted pictures of me so that you can see my fun, new haircut!)

Completing 'Line 1'. Nine more to go!

Dr. Ramsay

The line across the lake was the longest - 800 feet.

Stoey being chased by a rhino.

A vicious, ferocious Szechuan Takin! They said they really are!

Dr. Ramsay turned 70 years old, so Lyle planned a party for Zandex's home office. What kind of a party might interest Lyle? You are right -- an adventurous zip line party! We went to THE WILDS, which is located southeast of Zanesville, on coal mining property which has been reclaimed. There are 100's of acres, and animals roam free (pretty much). We 'zip lined' over zebras, rhinoceros, many variety of deer, antelope, swans, giraffes, camels, buffalo, wild horses, tame horses with riders, and Szechuan Takin. The 10-line course took us 2 1/2 hours to zip through! The longest run was 800 feet.

We certainly enjoyed Dr. Ramsay's birthday - at his expense!!

Then two nights later, Saturday, September 24, Lyle and I hosted a birthday dinner at our home for 32 people (we planned on 40). The guests included people from the community, church, and work. We served a shrimp cocktail, filet or strip steak, baked potato, herb-roasted asparagus, homemade rolls, and raspberry-pear-feta cheese OR garden salad dinner. Lyle grilled the steaks perfectly. Then for dessert we had a cheesecake bar with fresh raspberries, fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries, or chocolate swirls & chocolate sauce; blondie brownies with maple butter syrup and homemade ice cream; and coconut cake. The food was actually terrific. People seemed to really enjoy socializing. When it was all over, it took Lyle and I over 3 hours to wash dishes and clean up. The best part was how appreciative Dr. Ramsay was about it all!

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - PLAYING IN THE PARKS and TRYING TO 'CRACK' UNCLE TANNER

2011-09-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn trying with all her might (and weight) to 'crack' uncle Tanner. She kept at it for quite some time!

Averi swinging at the park that is practically in her backyard!

Averi & Kate

Steff, Kendyl, and Camryn at the 'splash pad!'

Camryn

Brooklyn

Kendyl

Busily building a fort with the beach towels - The nana, Kendyl, Camryn, and Brooklyn.

The park is always the best place to play with granddaughters! We found such fun parks and had such terrific weather. Life just doesn't get much better!

Camryn's Nana List had "Make a Pie" on it... that's all. I asked her what kind of a pie she wanted. She thought a banana cream pie sounded good. After some serious coaxing her mother convinced her that a fresh peach and cream cheese pie sounded even better. So we made a fresh peach and cream cheese pie! Then Camryn didn't eat the peaches because she doesn't like peaches. We will make a banana cream pie when we get together next time!

Brooklyn's Nana List had "Splash pad and park, Zoo, Movie Night (we watched RIO and AN AMERICAN TALE [remember Fievel?], and ". We had fun doing them all! We also made sugar cookies, homemade bubble gum ice cream, and raspberry freezer jam!

Fun at the splash pad!

Picking up Brooklyn & Camryn at school to go to the

splash pad and park to find some fun!

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - THE ZOO WITH ALL THE ANIMALS

2011-09-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

Monkeys at the monkey exhibit -

Nixon, Kendyl, Brooklyn, Maycee, & Camryn

Ashley & Hudson

Nixon, Steff, Camryn, Brooklyn, Maycee, & Kendyl

Kendyl, Averi, Brooklyn, & Camryn

Angel Elle

Averi, Kate, Camryn, Maycee, Brooklyn, & Leslie

Kendyl & Steff

Nana & Brooklyn

Kate & Averi

Averi

We went to see ALL of the ANIMALS at the zoo! Such a fun day playing with cousins, sisters, brothers, aunts, grandchildren, daughters, moms, and nanas! HEAVEN!

Averi, Elle, & Kate arrive at the elephant exhibit.

Fun on the Zoo Carousel! (And it did eventually start moving.)

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - DR. CLARK IN ACTION

2011-09-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Dr. Clark and Sean, who looks happy after his exam!

Sean had the opportunity of having Matt work on his teeth! It was fun, for me at least, to see Matt's new office and get to watch him in action. He has a great place and is doing great work! We are excited for him and his family!

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - AVERI'S IMPROMPTU PHOTO SHOOT with PAPA

2011-09-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

I'm positive that papa would say Averi is the most perfect subject to photo. Isn't she fabulous?

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - ELLE'S BLESSING

2011-09-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is our little angel elle! kate, morgan, and ashley

They look so happy and so beautiful!

Averi, Kendyl, and Brooklyn

Nixon talking to Hudson

This little doll is absolutely adorable! She is happy and calm and an angel. We love her to pieces!

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - FAMILY PICTURES

2011-09-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Grandpa Schenk and anyone else who had a camera and kept snappin pictures!

Left to Right: Sean, Kendyl, Nixon, Steff, Camryn, Nic, Brooklyn, Papa, The Nana,

Ashley, Hudson, Ryan, Averi, Matt, Elle, Kate, Tanner

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - RYAN, ASHLEY, and HUDSON TEMPLE SEALING

2011-09-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 8, 2011, Ashley and Ryan arriving at the Timpanogos Temple.

Ryan and Ashley

Saturday, September 10, 2011, Hudson, Ashley and Ryan - an eternal family!

Hudson was as perfect and precious as possible. As Ryan and Ashley were kneeling across the altar to be sealed as an eternal family, Hudson at just the right moment, put his little hand right on top of his mom's and dad's. He knew exactly what to do!

Pam, Wade, and Tanner

I'm going to attempt to identify the group.....

Alan & Eva; Logan, Lora, & Taylee; Derris & Laurie; Leslie, Maycee, & (Heather - taking the picture); Derek & Karen; Tom & Sheri; Steven & Karla; Grandpa & Grandma Schenk; The Nana; Ashley, Hudson, & Ryan; Ryan's mom; Pam & Wade; Tanner & Lyle; Grandma & Grandpa Clark; Kate & Matt; Steff & Nic; Ryan's nephew & neice; Kristy; Ryan's neice; Ryan's friend Jen?

Maycee, Heather, Lora, Leslie, Karla, Karen, Laurie, JeNeal, The Nana, Taylee, Kate,

Hudson, & Ashley

Glenn & Derek

Dinner afterwards at the Blue Lemon

Kate & Matt

They may look so happy and relaxed because they know their daughters, Averi & Elle, are at home tucked into bed being watched over by their Grandma and Grandpa Johnson!

Alan, Eva, Mackenzie, Megan, Jen?

Nic & Steff

Brooklyn

Kendyl & Camryn

Nixon & Nic

Taylee & Nana Karla

Maycee, Heather, & Nana Leslie

Ryan and Lyle

By the way, Tanner & Sean were present, just elusive!

We've anxiously awaited this day. It was all that we could have hoped for -- a special happening with so many family members attending!

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - BOATING

2011-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn

Camryn

Kendyl

The Nana with Nixon

Ryan, Hudson, Ashley, Nic, Tanner (some with faces, some without)

Ashley

Steff

I think the expression on Sean's face says that he is surprised with the speed of the boat and the size of the wake! A little more than he is used to!

Tanner just getting started!

We love to be on the lake in the boat with the family when the weather is warm!

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - GIRLS' & GRANDPA'S NIGHT OUT

2011-09-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

Nichole, Grandma, Grandpa, Ashley, Leslie, and Steffani

We didn't give anyone much notice, but we tried to throw together a last minute dinner and movie with anyone who could make it. There weren't very many of us, but the quality of us was still great! We ate at Rumbi's (Heather, Ryan, Nic, and their little children ate with us then left for home) then went to Thanksgiving Point to see the movie, The Help. It was a good movie and we had a wonderful evening.

Next time we will try to plan earlier!

More of our Trip out West - HIKE TO STEWART FALLS

2011-09-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Tanner, Kate, Elle, Matt, Ashley, Hudson, Averi, and Papa

Averi has a most contagious laugh! It is priceless!

On Friday, September 9, 2011, Matt, Kate, Averi, and Elle; Ashley and Hudson; Lyle, Tanner, and I all hiked up to Stewart Falls in Provo Canyon. It was a beautiful day, and we certainly enjoyed the company, the view, and the exercise!

Trip out West, September 5 to 17, 2011 - SOCCER GAME

2011-09-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Nic coaching Brooklyn's and Camryn's first soccer team!

The cheering section (minus The Nana, of course - 'cause she was cheering)! Tanner was there to cheer the girls on also.

FIRST STOP - The soccer game.

I've got lots to post! We had a great trip to Utah. I have so much to share. Fun adventures. Great visits. Exciting events. It is always so fabulous to see family! I was there for almost two weeks and still didn't really have enough time to spend with everyone. I wish I could have stayed longer.

The Y-City Mile run by us Old Folks!

2011-09-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

We are ridiculous!

The Zanesville 'Team Godspeed' Y-City Mile Run was held on Saturday, September 3, 2011. Lyle and I decided we would participate for West Muskingum's Cross Country Team. It was a very warm, humid evening. Even walking I sweat! Lyle finished running his mile in 6 minutes 40 seconds. I walked/ran mine in 8 minutes 10 seconds. The big highlight of our evening was winning our trophies! Sense any sarcasm? He won a third place in his age category, and I won a second place in mine. Had I known there was a contest going on amongst the old ladies I'm sure I would not have allowed myself any walking time (although I NEVER run)! Sadly, we didn't have any family cheering us across the finish line. Maybe that would have helped us finish a little better! It was fun and the team won $400.00!

Sean's Incredible Trip of a Lifetime to Palma de Mallorca

2011-08-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

Someone's sarcophagus?

Christine, Sean, Dani, ?, ?, ?
?, Sean, Dani, Salvador, Christine, ?, ?

Christians victory over the Arabians!
Sean amongst the 'Christians'.

An olive tree.
Hamon. Sean loved it! (And he left some at home in my refrigerator when he moved to BYU.)

Dinner... you name it, it's in there! Shrimp, Lobster, Crab, Oysters, Clams, Squid..... Piya
Sean captaining the sailboat!
'Carting!'

Why do our kids get to do the things that we want to do, and we don't do them? I'm still shaking my head! (I guess part of the answer would be that he worked really hard this summer and saved his money; I did not.)

Sean left on Sunday, July 31, 2011, to travel to Palma de Mallorca to visit our exchange student, Dani Avellaneda Canudos. This trip has been in the planning since Dani left here in June of 2010. His flight over was very ordinary and uneventful, thank goodness! He flew from Columbus, Ohio, through Newark, New Jersey, to Barcelona, Spain, and arrived in Mallorca on Monday, August 1, at 1 pm. (They are 6 hours ahead of us). I am going to try to copy the posts that were emailed to us regarding his trip. That will describe everything the best.

July 12 - Dear Melanie & Lyle,

It is perfect for us. Please get the tickets as soon as possible we are looking forward to seeing Sean here at home.
Best regards, Salvador

July 30 - Dear Melanie,

We are looking forward to meeting Sean next Monday. Here it is my email address in case you want to tell me or ask me something.

We will enjoy every minute I am sure.

My best regards to all your family,

Cristina.

August 1 - Sorry I cannot get service with my phone at all. There are 4 or 5 different carriers here, but I can't connect with any of them. Neither could I access wifi at either of the airports. But I am here safely and we just got done with lunch. I have sent a request on skype to be able to call you. Love you, Sean

August 2 - Well, things the first day were pretty good.. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant, very authentic and very good. Dani and his dad and I met the rest of his family, Christine, Javier, David, Alicia, and Ruben there. I wish I could say I know all of those for sure, but hearing some of them in Spanish is hard to tell sometimes. After lunch we came back to Dani's dads apartment, which is pretty sweet, and I took a nap while Dani went to the doctor. After that we went to dinner at Christine's (they don't all live together) and came home to sleep. Today we went on a tour of the big cathedral that is all over google if you google Palma de Mallorca. Salvador has connections that got us in for free I think, and took us to places that nobody else gets to go to and see things almost no one else gets to see. It was awesome. We got to bypass all the red velvet ropes and go through the places that are being restored that are blocked off to get to different areas. We ended up on top of the whole thing, walking across the top of the roof. There aren't many places in Palma that are higher than where we were. It was an awesome building, and I have lots of pictures. After that we went to a Japanese restaurant, which seemed fairly authentic. After lunch we drove to a place called Pollenca where they had a big festival celebrating the Christians victory over the Arabians. There were tons of people (even more were drunk) crammed into the streets awaiting Joan Mass's call to battle where the Christians (dressed in white) met the Arabians and fake fought. It was quite the experience. Afterwards we went to dinner with Salvador's brother, Javier, in Alcudia, finished at about 12:15, and came home to Palma. That's all so far. We are going to play soccer tomorrow and who know's what else. At some point they've mentioned bullfights, scuba diving, and lots of other things. Everyone is very nice, and David, Christine, and Dani all speak pretty good english. Salvador speaks very little, and the rest speak some.

Love you,
Sean

August 3 - Well today we slept in a little.. We drove a long ways to have lunch at some Nautica club at a marina, which seemed odd to me to drive all that way to have lunch and then drive back.. But then we went to do a little sight seeing in the military property.. I didn't know that Mallorca had the cliffs that it does. It reminded me of the Napoli coast. Then we did a little scuba diving and played a soccer game on a team with Salvador's brothers and some friends. I do believe I more than kept up with them. Glad I'm not some American that sucks at soccer, that could have been embarrassing. But that's all for today. Dad, you would be having a hay day here with your camera I think. And I'm starting to automatically replace words in my mind with the Spanish counterparts that I know. Its weird. And they want to know if I want/can go paragliding with Dani and Salvador's brother. Salvador is kind of warning me against it, but Javi (Dani's uncle) is telling me its more than safe, he does it every week. I told them I better ask you before I say anything.. Hope things are well, things here are more than fine!

Sean

August 5 - I was wondering what is going on in my week the week I'm home.. I know I have to pack, but is there anything else I have to do, cause kids are starting to plan things and I don't know what to tell them as far as what I can/can't do?

August 6 -

Hola,
I forgot to write yesterday. But not a whole lot happened. We woke up late and went to lunch and then went scuba diving. We only had time for one dive. I don't know if it was the best dive I've been on, but it was pretty cool. We saw lots of eels and some cool schools of fish. But Dani is having issues with his ears, so it was only Salvador and I that went scuba diving. He said later that that was the best we've communicated was under the water with the universal language of scuba diving haha. But then we went back home and met up with some of Dani's friends and went out to eat and then walked around the city. Today was really similar, we woke up late (I think it has something to do with the fact that dinner is never finished until after 12) and went to lunch with most of the family at some club along the beach somewhere. Then we drove around and saw some things while on our way to pick up something for Salvador's work. We got back to the house around 6 and got a nap in before heading back to Pollenca for a concert. More of a performance I think, of a Vietnamese lady playing the classical spanish guitar and another lady playing the piano. They were amazing. But once again dinner was afterwards starting around 12. I don't know exactly what this next week brings; I know we are playing soccer on Thursday, we have caves to go see one day, a big castle to see another, and we are going sailing tomorrow.

You guys are in Virginia/Washington D.C. now? How is Tanner? When does dad leave for Utah?

August 10 -

Sorry I haven't emailed in a while.. But Sunday we went sailing for a long time and swam a while, I wish I could have been to Kevin's farewell. But that's all really, it was a lot of fun. Monday we went to see a big castle, but it was closed, so then Dani and I took a train to a town called Soller. It was a long ride, but pretty cool. We had lunch there when Salvador met us. We went to Christine's for dinner. She made the same dish Dani made for us; it was really good. Tuesday we met Salvador's brother and headed for the south western coast I think, to go cave exploring. We had to hike on some cliffs and then eventually made it down to the shore. Then we had to swim out along the cliffs for a while and eventually swim inside this cave. It opened up into a pretty big cavern and the formations inside were awesome! It wasnt as big as the ones we've been in, but the stalactites/stalagmites and other formations were the best I've seen by far. And we had to swim through pools to go further; they were clear and smooth as could be, but freezing. Dani and I found a big cliff to jump off of on the way back. After we got back to Palma we rested for a while and then went 'carting' is what they called it. We got in little race cars and went around a track that they had set up. It was a race, but they also had bumpers to ram into each other. Those little cars went fast too! And they were low to the ground so you could make pretty sharp turns with them too. Then today we went to visit the castle we were going to see on Monday. It wasn't as cool of a tour as the cathedral (they had a lot of stuff blocked off), but it was still fun. Later tonight we played another soccer game, of which I scored three of our four goals and I believe I got the assist for the other one! It was a lot of fun and we won this one 4-2. Now we're just chilling at Dani's with Salvador's brother, Cesar, his girlfriend, Dani and his friend Javi, a girl that is somehow related to Dani, I didn't catch the connection, and Salvador will be back soon.

One of their close relations is the director of the big aquarium in Palma (the biggest in Europe they said? I don't know), so I think we're going to see that tomorrow. Other than that I don't think there's much left to do.. I think we picked the perfect amount of time to be here.

I might have a date on Monday in Columbus, not sure if its going to work out, if I can. And Kyle is having a party on Wednesday night. Just letting you know what I've been hearing and let you know before I get home on Sunday.

Also August 10 - I take that back, I didn't get the assist.

August 13 -

I don't know when I wrote last, but the last few days have been pretty fun. We went scuba diving a few days ago and went to an aquarium. We didn't do too much yesterday and today. We did some walking around today and I got some things.
I was also wondering what the plan was for the young single adults campout on friday was. Any news on that?

See you soon

Sean flew home on Sunday, August 14. He was supposed to arrive in Columbus at 8:30 p.m. that night. He got through Barcelona just fine (Yea!). He got stuck in Newark, New Jersey for a day and a half. Found himself a room for the night, and stood in a standby line on Monday morning trying to get on a 6:20 a.m. flight. He made it, but then midway through his flight to Columbus, they announced that they were going to have to return to NJ because of mechanical problems. He finally did get home by noon on Monday after 40 hours in airports.

HE HAD A FABULOUS TRIP! (He made a great decision between a vehicle to have at school or a trip to the gorgeous resort island of Palma de Mallorca!) Christine has told him that of course he will come back to visit next summer and each summer thereafter, because they are family! They treated him like family. We are grateful to them!

Lyle's Trip to Utah for Nixon's Blessing and Grandma's 80th Birthday!

2011-08-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Such a doll! The 'Man of the Day', Nixon Graham Clark. Given a name and a blessing by his dad, Nicholas Graham Clark. Those who stood in the circle: Great-Grandpa Clark and Great-Grandpa Schenk, Grandpa Dan, Papa, Uncle Matt, Uncle Ryan, Uncle Clark, Grandpa Dan's brother.
Papa and Brooklyn bouncing on the trampoline.
Picture-perfect family - Camryn, Brooklyn, Kendyl, Nic, Nixon, & Steff.
Great-Grandma Clark with a tired Nixon.
Ashley, Ryan, and Aunt Leslie.
Kelsee, Kristen, Aunt Sheri, Kylee and Hudson.
Great-Grandpa Schenk, Matt, Nic, Katie with Elle, Averi, Great-Grandma Schenk, Great-Grandma Clark, and Great-Grandpa Clark.
Hudson with Papa.
At Rodizio's with Grandma Clark for her 80th Birthday lunch.

Elle, Katie, Grandma, Grandpa, Nic, Kendyl, Steff, Nixon, Ryan, Hudson, Camryn, Papa, Matt, Averi, Brooklyn. (Ashley taking picture. Thanks, Ashley)
Averi and Brooklyn.
Katie and Grandma.
Papa with all seven grandchildren! Elle, Hudson, Kendyl, Camryn, Nixon, Papa, Brooklyn, and Averi.
Four generations of Clark men - Papa, Nixon, Nic, and Great-Grandpa!
Camryn loving the boat ride!
Brooklyn loving the skiing.
Papa's still got it!
Steff is a swinging surfer.
Brooklyn, Papa, and Kendyl.
Ryan, Brooklyn, and Ashley loving the tube.
Nic's got it.
Movie night! Camryn, Papa, and Brooklyn.
Camryn at the park.
Kendyl.
Steff and Nixon.

Brooklyn on the monkey bars!

Wish we could both have been there, but Lyle was the important one to have there this time! He didn't want to miss out on Nixon's blessing and celebrating with Grandma her 80th Birthday! He had a great time! Thanks, everyone!

Our Quick, but Super Trip to D.C.

2011-08-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Matt, Kadie, Lila, Michelle, and Rileigh Check
Lyle, Melanie, & Tanner
Jimmy, Jon, Tanner, and Isaac

Lyle and I drove to Washington D.C. to spend a little time with Tanner and also to attend the Temple Sealing of our great friends, Matt and Michelle Check and their daughters.

Friday evening, August 5, we had a great visit with Tanner and his friends, Isaac, Jimmy, and Jon, while eating dinner at Appleby's at midnight in Stafford, Virginia!

Saturday we met several friends at the temple and enjoyed the day - the Checks, Fuhrimans, Williams, Heemeyers, Harris', Southams, and Stirlings. Breanna Mancuso was there to help with all of the children. Tanner and his friends helped out and enjoyed the temple grounds as well.

As soon as the Sealing was complete, Breanna and I dropped Lyle off at the Baltimore Airport so that he could catch a late flight to Salt Lake City. I was glad to have Breanna along for the drive home. She was good company. We drove through a tremendous rainstorm and got home around 10:30 p.m. Lyle arrived in Salt Lake City late, and Nic picked him up and took him home with him for a couple of days' worth of great activities!

Last Boating Trip Before Kevin Bell Leaves for Chile!

2011-07-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

I think this was a hard day for Sean. Fun, but hard! He has had a great time boating with his friends this summer - Kevin Bell, Aaron Berry, Cyrus Kinkead, Adam and Paul Wilson, and Reid Tincher. Sean leaves for Spain and before he returns, Kevin will have left for the MTC and his mission to Chile!

I think there is improvement here!

Fourth of July!!!

2011-07-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn and Nixon ready for the parade!
Patriotic Nixon, Brooklyn, Kendyl, and Camryn.
Papa and Nixon excited for the parade.
Collecting the candy - Steff, Kendyl, Brooklyn, Camryn, and cousin
July 6th at Ashley's house. Cousins get together! Averi, Camryn, Brooklyn, and Kendyl.
Of course there is food! Kendyl, Camryn, Matt, Averi, and Brooklyn,
Elle and Katie
The Nana, Elle, Katie, Brooklyn, Ryan, Averi, Hudson, Ashley, Kendyl, and Camryn. Thanks, Matt, for taking the picture!
Elle with The Nana.

I forgot I hadn't posted these pictures. So, even though it is a month later, I am going to put them up.

While we (dad and mom) were gone!

2011-07-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Sean couldn't go with us on our recent Salt Lake City trip because he has jobs! At least three. They have kept him pretty busy this summer. He has a 9 to 5 job every day, plus he stops on his way home each day to clean the Laundromat. Then he has about 5 hours of mowing to do in the neighborhood each week, besides all of the 'odds and ends' jobs that his dad and I find for him (like mowing or trimming our yard, cleaning, helping us set up or take down activities for young adults - you know, just daily things that come up).

However, he still has found some quality wakeboarding time. His friend, Kevin - the swimmer - Bell, has a boat. Several evenings, weather permitting, they have taken it to Dillon Lake to practice their skills. Prior to this summer, Sean was lucky to get a couple of waterskiing trips in during the whole summer. He and his friends have also taken up beach volleyball. And they have parked themselves a few evenings at Whit's Frozen Custard for some confections!

As excited as he is to go to BYU and associate with family and friends and be on his own, I think he is starting to think about missing his friends and this summer's activities.

These pictures were taken while Lyle and I were in Utah. He had some fun while we were gone! He is getting a little better. He has some determination.

Hudson's Blessing Day

2011-07-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ashley, Hudson, Ryan
Papa, Grandma Clark, Grandpa Clark, Ashley, Hudson, Ryan, The Nana, Grandma Schenk, Grandpa Schenk

Quincie and Taylor

Sunday, July 3, 2011

It was a big day following a big night.

Ashley and Ryan hosted a cookout on Saturday night for 20 extra people! Ryan grilled bar-b-que chicken, Ashley had corn-on-the-cob, hot potato salad, fruit, and ..... Of course, it was yummy! We had a great visit -- Grandma & Grandpa Clark, Sue, Quincie, & Sydnie, Kurt, Patti, & Taylor, Grandma & Grandpa Schenk, Karen, Reggie, Morgan, McKenna, and Brinklie, Lyle & I, Brooklyn, Camryn, and Kendyl.

Ryan gave Hudson Scott Nelson a very nice blessing. Great-Grandpa Clark, Great-Grandpa Schenk, Papa, Uncle Nic Clark, Uncle Matt Clark, Uncle Alan Nelson, Great-Uncle Tom Condie, Scott Cunningham, and Tim stood in the circle.

Others attending: Ryan's mom and sisters - Kristie, Aimee, and Laurel; Eva, Megan, and Makenzie; the great-grandmother's; the nana; Steff, Brooklyn, Camryn, Kendyl, and Nixon; Katie and Averi; Sheri, Kristen, Kelsee, and Kylee; Karen, Morgan, McKenna, and Brinklie; Kristen Cunningham; Tim's family; Celina and Adam. (Let me know if this is wrong Ashley.)

Ashley had fixed a brunch for us all to enjoy afterwards at their new home. We enjoyed french toast casserole, quiche, banana crunch muffins, corn muffins, fruit & dips...

A Beautiful Day.

Kendyl Loves Sushi and We Love the Pool!

2011-07-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Friday night after the fun day at Jordanelle skiing, Ryan, Ashley, Hudson, Kendyl, Camryn, Brooklyn, Papa, and The Nana enjoyed some Chinese Fast Food before our sleepover. Kendyl got full on the sushi and wasabi.
Such a doll baby Saturday afternoon at the pool!
Brooklyn and Camryn
Kendyl
Brooklyn, The Nana, and Kendyl

Truly, Kendyl loves her California Roll. Papa couldn't be more proud!

A few hours at the Linden Aquatic Center was just what we girls needed on a hot, hot day! Hudson went too... I wouldn't say he loved it, but he didn't complain one little bit! He stayed in the shade and slept most of the time!

Park City Getaway

2011-07-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Resident Porcupine
Ashley and Hudson out for some fabulous, mountain, fresh air!
Kendyl picking flowers for her mommy.
Camryn
Brooklyn
Nixon
Hudson smiling at his Nana - I'm sure!
Nic getting the boat ready to go. Everyone else just ready to go!
Papa's here - let's go!
Ashley, Hudson, Camryn (up), Brooklyn (down), Ryan (relaxed), The Nana, Kendyl, and Steff (all in the rear-view mirror), Nic (driving).
Camryn skiing in the 130 foot deep, 55 degree water! Lots more snow in the mountains still to melt and run-off!
Brooklyn also braves the freezing, cold water! (Check out Kendyl's skiing abilities in the video clip below!)
Ashey and Hudson sun-bathing!
Nixon day-dreaming!
Camryn
The Nana
Papa
Papa surfing - he says 'hanging ten'!
Brooklyn, Kendyl, and Camryn taking it all in.
Bridal Veil Falls

Lyle and Matt drove the Penske and vehicles across the country in 2 1/2 days. They left Zanesville after work on Monday evening, June 27, 2011. They arrived in Utah Valley on Wednesday, June 29. Katie and the girls flew out with Kate's mom, Janet, on Tuesday, June 28, 2011. I flew on Thursday. [We left Sean home working his day job, watering the plants, mowing (his night job), and cleaning the laundromat (his midnight job).]

After unloading all of Matt's and Kate's belongings on Thursday morning, some of us enjoyed a nice getaway in Park City at the Seller's cabin.... Nic, Steff, Brooklyn, Camryn, Kendyl, Nixon, Ashley, Hudson, Papa, and The Nana. We had fun watching the porcupine, picking the flowers, throwing rocks in the pond, 4-wheeling, eating, playing games. Friday morning following breakfast we met Ryan at Jordanelle and enjoyed a gorgeous day of boating, skiing, and surfing!

On the way back to Ryan's and Ashley's home in Highland we stopped to check out Bridal Veil Falls.

Enjoying Averi and Elle Before They Move Thousands of Miles Away

2011-06-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Since Matt and Katie needed to be out of their house a few days before they moved to Utah, we got to have them come and stay with us for a couple of days. It was not nearly long enough. We did have some great fun, though.

Papa pulled out some sparklers and Averi even decided to like them!

We went swimming one gorgeous day at the Club. Averi was like a fish. She did not want to even bother with her floaties. Elle was just a perfect little dolly sleeping in the shade.

We set up the princess tent in the living room, but I also put a little bed in my room and Averi mostly slept with me. It gave us a chance for lots of cuddling and singing at bedtime each night.

I'm not sure that it has still sunk in that they are really gone. I can't make myself really even think about it. The next time I drive to Columbus and don't get off on their exit for a quick little visit and hugs, there will, no doubt, be tears!

Happy Birthday Brooklyn & Camryn

2011-06-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

These little girls turn "5" today. We hope they have a wonderful birthday!

Love you,

Papa, The Nana, and Sean

The Exciting News Just Continues to Pour In!! Baby is Born!

2011-06-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

Such a beautiful family! Averi LOVED holding her baby sister!
But first, she loved the present her baby sister brought her - a Tiana princess! And she liked the little pony.
Katie's mom, Grandma Johnson, with this precious little bundle!
Great hair! We had to take a peek under that little hat! Wonder if she will have adorable curls like Averi?
Papa and The Nana

Uncle Sean gets a turn holding!

Today Elle was born at 3:04 p.m. She weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces! She is darling. I don't think that she looks like Averi did as a baby, but I'm sure that is yet to be seen.

It was so fun to get to hold her. Katie seemed so good after just having surgery. She looked fabulous, acted great, and said she felt great! We tried not to stay very long so that she wouldn't have to be entertaining guests! Hopefully we will get some good holding time in the next few days!

Averi was absolutely adorable when she got to hold her new baby sister! She just giggled and giggled. I can't believe I didn't turn on my video recording!! I couldn't catch a picture at the right moment. Just take my word -- nothing could have been cuter!

The day Dr. and Mrs. David Matthew Clark have awaited and worked so hard for!

2011-06-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

Dental School Graduation - June 5, 2011 !!!
Averi watching for daddy!
Averi with The Nana.
Averi with her perfectly painted toenails and fingernails happy on Grandma Johnson's lap.
Matt amongst his classmates.
Waiting to receive his doctorate hood!
The 'Hooding'.

Yea!! Congratulations!

Just a wee bit happy?
We won't hear 'daddy's at school' anymore.
Proud parents and wife of the doctor!
Janet, Averi, Katie, Dr., and Greg.
Grandma Schenk, Katie, Dr. Clark, and Grandpa Schenk.
Dr. Clark and Sean.
13 of the 22 LDS Dentists that graduated together. Good friends!
Patient and supportive new doctors' wives.
Home for the party!

Check out the teeth-shaped ice cubes! Katie is nearly out of control with her amazing creativity! And pictured below... buckeye cheesecake, what else?!

Touring the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio

2011-06-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

"Ashley, there are no keys around to get you out of there!"

Grandpa taking a look in the showers which they referred to as the 'car wash' . The prisoners lined up and walked the length of the water pipe, and when they got to the end their shower was over! They were allowed one shower a week!

Lyle, Glenn, Jill, Sean, Ashley, Hudson, and I decided to tour this Famous Historical Prison. Shawshank Redemption (which I have never seen, and knew nothing about) was filmed here as well as a part of Air Force One. I kept asking why they would build such an ornate prison back in 1886. The answer that I was given was that it was done to "encourage inmates back to a 'rebirth' of their spiritual lives. The architecture itself inspired them to turn away from their sinful lifestyle, and toward repentence." The prison doors opened in 1896. They closed on December 31, 1990. It is the world's largest free-standing steel cell block and housed 1900 inmates at a time -- 155,000 men in its lifetime.

Currently it is advertised as a place to 'Track the Supernatural'.

Overnight, self-guided Ghost Hunts are available.

The last weekend of September through the month of October the gates open for a Haunted Prison Experience!

A "Glamour in the Slammer" Bridal Expo with a wide array of vendors is the happening thing in November. Weddings, Receptions, Conferences, Banquets, and Reunions can be scheduled in the Central Guard Room seating 200 comfortably ' with a dance floor'! And the Warden's Dining room is available for your next small gathering of 20-40 people.... a great Conference Room! The grounds are available for reunions, car or bike shows, and company picnics.

This is listed on the Travel Channel's 101 Things to do Before You Die!

Sound like fun???

Next time you come to visit, we will be happy to take you there!

(Lyle's pictures are better than mine, so when I get them I will try to post some of them!)

Sean's Graduation May 28, 2011

2011-06-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Averi playing with princesses, patiently waiting for graduation to start!
Hudson enjoying all of the graduation activities!
Officially graduated!

Ashley, Hudson, Sean, Matt, Averi, Elle, and Katie.
Grandpa and Grandma Schenk, Sean, and Grandpa and Grandma Clark
Ash & Sean.

Sean & Tara
Cyrus Kinkead and Sean
Paul Wilson, Sean, Dani King, and Adam Wilson
Billboard in honor of the musicians!
Those darn flamingos!

Sean and Tara, President and Vice President of National Honor Society lead the seniors into graduation.

Receiving his diploma.

Sean's Graduation MAMA

2011-06-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

(At long last we figured out a way to flip and rotate this video so that we could post it and you didn't have to watch sideways!)

What a surprise Sean had for...... no, not everyone..... it seems that every family member knew what he was planning except for me, his mama! It was definitely a huge surprise for me. I made him rehearse the other two songs that he kept trying to decide between - "You Raise Me Up" and "I Believe". I kept insisting that he memorize all of the words. So essentially he learned three songs for graduation. I am more than happy that he sang the one that he finally decided on! He did a wonderful job!

Meet Nixon Graham Clark

2011-05-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

Minutes after Nixon was born, he was greeted by his excited sisters! (And of course, his dad!)
Kendyl, Nic, Camryn, Nixon, and Brooklyn.
Kendyl, The Dad, and Nixon.
Nic, Brooklyn, and Nixon.
Steff looked like a million bucks right after delivery! She is exceptional.

Grandma Sellers, Steff, Nixon, The Nana, and Kendyl - so excited for the day!
Ashley holding Nixon - 2 days old, and Ryan holding Hudson - 6 weeks.
This was the first time I really saw his eyes open! He was like a little kitten for a couple of days. I think his mom and dad caught him awake a few times that I didn't get to see, though.
Time at the 'park across from the church'. It was a beautiful day for a picnic.
Kendyl so excited to ride on the horse - and it was a giant one.
I think that since Kendyl was so brave, Brooklyn decided to be also!
Baking and frosting cupcakes! Kendyl likes her cupcake with lots and lots and lots of frosting - just like her Nana!

Nixon Graham Clark was born on May 18, 2011, around 5:30 p.m in Salt Lake City. He weighed 7 lb. 1 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. He is a dolly! It will be interesting to see how 'manly' he grows up around all of the princesses, Barbies, little ponies, pet shops, dolls, and dress-ups that his big sisters enjoy! I'm sure that Nic will have him out on a snowmobile this winter and on water skiis by next summer! I'm so glad that I could be there for a few days, but it did not last nearly long enough!

Past Due Post

2011-05-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

I need to get a few things on here... they will be random, but need to be posted for my sake!

First is All-School Awards, then Seminary Graduation, and lastly one of Sean's parts during the Spring Choir & Band Concert.

They look happy!
Alyssa Crock, Cyrus Kinkead, Rory Burch, Jimmie Boyd, Reid Tincher, Traci Tatum, Karlie Collins, Aaron Berry Kyle Brown, Sean, Tara Pumphrey.

During the All-School Awards. Sean got awards in Art, Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, AP Government, Senior Mentor, AP Chemistry.

Zanesville Ward 2011 Seminary Graduates.

Not only will I greatly miss Sean when he has graduated and gone, I will also really miss these fantastic kids / friends!

Front Row: Adam Wilson, Tara Pumphrey, Sean Clark

Middle Row: Kevin Bell, Cyrus Kinkead, Aaron Berry, Paul Wilson, Robbie Starcher

Back Row: Spencer Robinson

Missing from picture: Brian Stout and Anela Gill

Also not pictured: Breanna Dudas Mancuso is also a Zanesville Ward High School Graduate.

THIRTEEN INCREDIBLE TEEN-AGERS!

WHY I LOVE BEING A MOM AND THE NANA!

2011-05-06T07:26:00.001-07:00

The Hope Diamond.

Nic

Tanner
Averi

Hudson

Kendyl
Camryn
Brooklyn

Averi

Tanner

Sean
Nic
Tanner

A picture is worth a thousand words....... these are worth millions.

Lilacs are my Favorite Flower, you know!

2011-05-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

If you really know me well, you know that I absolutely love lilacs -- especially the dark, dark purple ones! I watch out my kitchen window with great anticipation for the blooming of my lilac bushes. It is a happy day when I can fill my house with the aroma of fresh lilacs. Well that day has come, and it is now almost over. The redbud trees are finished blooming, and mine was spectacular this year. I wish I had many of them planted in my yard! The magnolia and dogwood trees are now in bloom. It is a beautiful time of year in Ohio.

Track Meet at Morgan High School

2011-05-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

I wasn't happy to be headed to a track meet this evening! It was 45 degrees at noon today and we have had a record amount of rain for a May 3rd. Water is running and flooding EVERYWHERE. The ground is absolutely soggy. Walking anywhere that is not paved means that you will be up to your ankles in sopping wet! As Lyle and I were driving to McConnelsville for Sean's track meet the rain did stop. Thank goodness! It was still very cold.

The cold, wet conditions did not stop Sean from performing extremely well. He ran the 110 High Hurdles in 16.0 seconds and Won! Then on a whim he decided to run the 100 Meter Dash. They put him in the slow heat and his time beat everyone elses - 11.5 seconds - He Won! He Won the 300 Hurdles in 42.3 seconds. His 4 X 400 team also Won first place! So, four 1st place finishes again! He came home feeling pretty good about things!

I believe the best part of his day, however, came later tonight when he got on the computer and saw that his AP Calculus teacher had posted his test grade from Monday. He got a 56 out of 50 possible points! That should secure him an A as a final grade in AP Calculus. Maybe now he can sleep a little better and breathe a little easier.

CONGRATULATIONS, SEAN, on yet another terrific day!

Lyle's 57th!

2011-04-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

I'm not a very good birthday party 'thrower'... maybe occasionally. This year Lyle didn't get very much attention from his family (he even had to make his own birthday cakes to take and share at work). His co-workers took him to lunch, though, and they partied!

Track Season

2011-04-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

Aaron Berry, Sean, Clay Scott, and Cy Kinkead ready for the 4X400 at Crooksville, OH.

We have been into the track season now for over a month and I haven't posted anything about it, so let me do that now. Sean is running well, but he wishes he was running a tiny bit faster! Our weather has been absolutely horrible for track season. I don't think we have had more than two dry days in the last month and a half. It makes it a little hard to be excited about practicing or performing (or sitting in the rainy, windy, cold watching)! Regardless, we do love to watch Sean run. Several of his meets have been cancelled because of storms.

He has had three 'relay' meets which I think are nearly worthless. One is fun -- three, well that is just way over-done! It means, for example, that four hurdlers from our school have their hurdle times all added up to come up with a final time. Well, we don't have any real hurdlers except Sean, so they don't end up with a very good time! He wishes Nic, Matt, and Tanner could be on his team! (They would be all of the great hurdlers of the last decade at West Muskingum High School!)

Last Thursday night he had a meet at Muskingum College. There were 24 teams at the meet! He decided that instead of running the 110 Hurdles he wanted to Triple Jump. Most meets don't have a triple jump event. [A few weeks ago at the Circleville Relay Invitational, which is huge, there was a triple jump and he had the individual longest jump. Our other jumpers didn't do well, so as a team I don't think they even placed. But without ever practicing or competing in the event he jumped a 37'. He loved it.] Back to Muskingum College Invitational..... he ran in the 4X200 relay with Aaron Berry, Cy Kinkead, and Clay Scott. They placed 8th! In the 300 Hurdles against 39 other hurdlers, Sean placed 7th! Then his 4X400 team with Aaron, Cy, and Clay placed 5th. As Sean was running his leg of the 400 at 11:45 p.m. they called for all of the boy triple jumpers to report to the long jump area! He decided that he was tired and spent; it was cold and slippery; he didn't want to injure himself, and everyone (including the coach) wanted to get on the bus and go home, so he did not triple jump.

In the meet against Crooksville and New Lexington he placed 1st in both the 110 (16.4 secs.) and 300 (43.2 secs.) Hurdles, the 4X200 team placed 1st, and then the same guys again in the 4X400 placed 1st. So he, and we, were pretty happy.

One more thing that we are going to miss..... sitting at track meets watching our kids!

DOESN'T HE MAKE THIS LOOK EASY? 110 High Hurdles

300 Hurdles

Easter Happiness!

2011-04-27T19:34:00.001-07:00

Matt and Katie invited us to spend Easter Sunday with them. They fixed a fabulous lunch! Yummy homemade rolls, grilled turkey, mashed potatoes, spinach salad with homemade dressing, limeade made from scratch, and a delicious pie. They really out-did themselves. (And all of that the day after they returned on a long flight from Utah!) I ate my heart out! We had so much fun watching Averi hunt for Easter Eggs and open her Easter Basket. She is just delightful when she discovers gifts! She always says, 'Wow!' with great excitement. It makes watching her open gifts almost as much fun as getting one yourself! It was such a fun, exciting, and relaxing day for us. Thanks so much Matt, Katie, and Averi for a Happy Easter!

And Those Awards Keep Rolling In!

2011-04-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

"More awards?" you ask. Could there possibly be any more? Well, yes! Sean is the recent winner of the Outstanding Student Musician Award. The Rotary Club of Zanesville recognizes and salutes the outstanding student musicians in Muskingum County. Sean's choir director nominated him as West Muskingum High School's outstanding musician! So Sean, Lyle, and I enjoyed breakfast with all of the Rotarians at the Zanesville Country Club as well as all of the other high schools' outstanding musicians and the Superintendents, Principals, Music Teachers, School Board Members, etc.

It is a nice honor, once again. Sean is such a well-rounded individual! Have I said before... very talented? I know I have, so let me repeat myself! We wish we would have encouraged this music thing a little more and little sooner! However, it was really our new choir director at our high school that has made the difference! Mr. Whetstone has been really terrific. All of the students love him. He has made music fun and cool! (Probably him and "GLEE".)

Great job and CONGRATULATIONS, Sean! Keep it up!

Sean's 2011 Prom

2011-04-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

On the way out the door to pick up his date. Sean looks so handsome!
Date - Emily Martyn
Sean & Emily; Ross Watts & Tara Pumphrey, Cy Kinkead & Aryan Moarefdoust
Good friends!

Having a hard time being serious...

Prom was held at Eagle Sticks Golf Course.
Emily & Sean, Tara & Ross, Brian Stout & date Lisa, Paul Wilson & date Kacie
Sean and Adam Wilson
Sean walked in the door after prom carrying this! All of the juniors and seniors vote during prom and the winner is announced! It is a nice honor. I will give you one guess who was the Prom Queen! .....and of course you are right - Tara Pumphrey!

Sean took Emily Martyn from Granville, Ohio, to prom. (They were on the Stake Youth Council together and are good friends.) They had a fun time especially with all of the other kids from church! After prom was over, Sean, Emily, Cy, Aryan, Tara, and Ross came back to our house and watched the newest Harry Potter movie. I think things died down around 4:30 a.m. Not much time to sleep before church. Ross spent the night at our house. Aryan and Emily spent the night at Tara's. Sean will take Emily back to her house after church and lunch.

Can't believe it is the last prom we will deal with as parents! So many chapters ending.......

Enjoying Hudson!

2011-04-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Such a precious bundle! He is adorable!
Our first meeting! I hoped I could get there before he left the hospital, but Ashley only stayed in the hospital for a day - almost not even 24 hours! She was 'done with the place'. So they went home on Monday, April 4, and I got there Tuesday morning.
Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Clark with Hudson, Ashley, and Kendyl.
Brooklyn likes this baby.

Ashley is such a beautiful, fantastic little mommy!
Saying goodbye.
Baking cookies with Camryn and Brooklyn. They were really good at it!

I just got home from Utah and an enjoyable time with that adorable Hudson and his terrific mom and dad! Not surprisingly they are fantastic parents! I am so impressed with how perfectly they have transitioned into parenthood! It seems very natural for them. He is a very lucky little boy! I spent hours holding and cuddling that baby who reminded me so much of my own (I guess because of his tiny size, his hair, his long fingers, and the way he moves and stretches). I also had a lot of fun visiting with Ryan and Ashley's great friends, Scott and Kristen, who are allowing Ryan and Ashley to live in their upstairs until they can move into their own home. Kristen is taking good care of Ashley! Knowing that made it easier for me to leave.

Of course, I loved spending time with Nic, Steff, Brooklyn, Camryn, Kendyl, & Tanner and his friend, Danielle, as well.

An added bonus was an evening spent with my mom & dad (who drove from Idaho to see their newest little great-grandchild); Leslie, Kyle, Nichole & Chris; Sheri & Tom; Karen & Derek; Michael & Yvett. We called around last minute and decided to have a little pizza party get-together at Nic and Steff's home for anyone who could make it. We sang happy birthday to Michael, Kyle, and Leslie. Wish everyone else was close enough so that we could have grabbed them too and sung happy birthday to Laurie as well. I took zero pictures during the evening - and am so mad at myself for that!

Grandpa and Grandma Clark made the trip to Bountiful one day so that they could also meet Hudson.

It was hard to leave, but knowing that I will be back in a few weeks when Steff has her baby, made it a little easier!