Countdown

Thanksgiving
Turkey,
Pie,
You & I.
Yummy food,
Togetherness,
Gratitude.

It won't be long now

Owning stock in BYU!

As you log on to the Williams Wonders you are probably "wondering" how Lindsay is and how bad we miss her. Well, the date I am actually getting around to blogging about August should be a bit of an indication of how much I miss her!!!! It has been really hard to find that magical blogging time since she left. Even now as I blog I realize if I am going to do this (with regularity or not), I will have to stock up on magic erasers. (Josh just tried to improve the look of the tile with a purple marker.)
Lindsay is doing fantastic!
As everyone knows, the first semester as a college freshman creates a huge learning curve.



Lindsay is riding the curve like a pro!



A month after I dropped her off, Sam and the kids and I went up for a visit. We had a blast together!

Sam and Lindsay hiked the to the Y, which is where, (Sadie will volunteer whenever she sees it) Lindsay now lives!

Macho Nacho Night

One of the wonders of the Williams' home is the childrens (especially teenage ones) ability to quote corny lines from movies we watch together. One day we found two almost still teenagers that can totally bring it in the corny quote department! They "challenged us to a duel" and the "battle of wits" did in deed begin. We had met our match and to celebrate finding such a perfect match, we set our sights on viewing Nacho Libre together. Hence Macho Nacho Night was born. We invited a few friends to "join us in our quarters" for Nacho(s) and gathered our eagle powers with these



Then we watched the movie and practically turned off the sound and quoted the entire flick! We finished up the night with some cool wrestling moves, and a bit of Ninja! Yes that is part of Nacho night....if you are at the Williams' home.

Thanks to everyone who came and showed off their "signature moves." Even without the ruffle shirts parading around like PJ's we all were dancing and singing at this party.

"The future is as bright as your faith"

Farewell Dear Friend

Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog;
but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog.

Douglas Mallock





Keiki passed yesterday, Saturday September 5, 2009. She was a good dog, a loyal friend and a beloved member of our family. We ALL will miss her.

Because this may be a photog

Here are some pictures (posted by Lindsay) to give you a hint of the state of the Williams household these days.
Stephanie as a pouting princess awaiting the end of a long roadtrip. Or doing an impression of the princess from the Tale of Desperux. Take your pick.


Sadie recently developed a taste for headbands and insists on doing them herself. Which results in a style all her own. ( The flip in her hair is due to the fact that she fell asleep with wet hair.)



I should mention that she also uses them to accessorize. She found a cowboy hat and in the true Spirit of the West, maintained an impeccable poker face while I snapped photos. She later told me that cowboys do not smile. They "just get the bad guys and the horses with the rope."

Because every good cowboy needs a sidekick. Or I guess that's superheroes. Oh well. Sadie manages to be both.


There has been much of this at our house and on our travels. Ben & Steph learned it a EFY and have been all to happy to teach it to those who want to learn.

Here are some pictures from our trip to Idaho. Sam was a daredevil, as usual, Ben kept us laughing, and Stephanie was stylin' especially in her life jacket. And then there's one of Mom, because we don't see her in pictures often. :)

Quote of the Day

I was having a conversation with Stephanie, "...blah, blah, blah It just doesn't make any sense!" Then Sadie piped up and said, "He will have more "cents" when he gets $20.00!"

Bonanza Graduate

Well kiddo you did it!











































What a perfect day!
It was great having Sissy, Levi, Imelda and John here to party with us. You guys are the best! Lindsay was dignified and beautiful. Her speech was well spoken "Each of us has hidden talents simply waiting to be tapped into. They may be uncovered by signing up for the unexpected. Remember that you are in control of you-take the initiative to stretch yourself. Try that which is new, you may find yourself intrigued. The attitude that you entertain will have a heavy influence on the kind of experiences you have. Face new ideas, challenges, events, and so on with an open mind and those things that may have seemed beyond your reach at first are suddenly attainable. Now more than ever will we understand that we are responsible for those experiences we have. Take the plunge and make things happen! Don’t wait for something to happen to you. You have the capacity to bring about change- recognize it!"

We remain your biggest fans!

Duckling Story: Maiden Voyage, The Commencement, Maiden Flight…or Fall, Leap - June 10, 2009

Ellie blinked in the bright morning sunshine. The nest seemed somewhat roomier than usual- she then realized that Mother was calling; from outside the nest! Ellie’s siblings awoke to the sound of Mother’s voice and huddled towards the entrance with curiosity. “Come on now, we don’t have all day,” she called cheeringly. “Go on now,” she encouraged at their bewilderment, “Jump! It’s time. You can do it.” What?! Ellie found herself overwhelmed with doubt. There was no possible way: She was barely 24 hours old, she had suddenly developed and inexplicable and firm fear of heights, the ground was certainly not suitable for landing, Ellie considered herself not the least bit graceful, the list continued. It was simply too daunting a task-she could not bring herself to do it. She motioned for the more eager of her siblings to go ahead of her, sighing at their graceful, confident dives. Hyrum noticed her hesitation and waddled his way to her with great alacrity. “What’s the problem?” he inquired. “I…. I can’t do it Hyrum. I just can’t. It’s too scary, too intimidating, too… too much.” Ellie let her thought trial off with a quivering sigh. “Preposterous!” Hyrum returned with a grin. “No really,” Ellie protested earnestly, “I mean what if I fall wrong, and look ridiculous and…” “Ellie,” Hyrum interrupted, “first of all, there is no wrong way to fall and were all going to look ridiculous. None of us have any idea what we’re doing. As for the fear, I think it adds a sort of thrill to the whole thing, don’t you?” Ellie’s brow remained furrowed in doubt. “But what if I fail Hyrum- truly, tremendously, terribly fail?” “Then things can only go up from there!” Hyrum laughed. He then turned serious. “Ellie,” he began gently, “it is better to fail in doing what may terrify you than restrain yourself only because you couldn’t face the prospect of stretching yourself. You’ll never recognize your potential or become aware of what you are fully capable of unless you take some risks. And if you fail, you fail. It will only make success even sweeter.” Ellie searched Hyrum’s face, as if to make certain that what he said was true. Finding her fears subdued, and empowered by Hyrum’s words, Ellie found herself at the entrance of the nest. She and Hyrum were the last to leave. Hyrum glanced in her direction. “Ready? Of course you are!” And with that he made a daring leap into the open air. Ellie followed suit. The ground became a blur and the wind drowned out any sound. It was one of the most peculiar experiences Ellie had had, and supposed she ever would have, in her life. She braced herself for the abrupt landing. Her little body then almost immediately slammed onto the leaf blanketed forest floor, and much to her surprise, bounced back up to where, slightly disoriented, Ellie found herself on two feet. Hyrum rushed over to her, simply ecstatic. “Now wasn’t that an incredible thrill?” he exclaimed. “Simply exhilarating.” Ellie found herself saying. And indeed it had been- an oddly terrifying, yet marvelous experience. She felt as though she could accomplish anything. “Come along you two!” Mother sang. “I knew you could do it, a stunning fall!” she whispered to Ellie with a wink, “It wasn’t that bad now was it?” Ellie positively beamed. “Off to the pond! Come along now!” Mother directed as she made her way to the front of the group. And with that, Ellie found her place near the end of the line with Hyrum, who said they were off to something called swimming a go. “Bring it on,” Ellie thought to herself, “I can handle that.”


Lindsay’s Note ( or I suppose you could call it an author’s note but that sounds a bit presumptuous): Lately, I have found things that deal with potential inspiring- sunrises, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, new seasons, the hummingbird babies that grew up right outside Sadie’s window, clouds, rain, a blank sheet of paper, the robin chicks I watched one morning, Barbie movies and songs, the list could seriously go on for who knows how long. Just about anything at this stage of life has a ring of potential in it. So when I saw the clip (click on "clip" to watch it)of ducklings jumping out of a tree in my Government class during AP week, I felt like I could relate to them, as I too am about to take the plunge into something of which I have absolutely no idea what will happen or what to expect. To pinpoint how I feel through this story was a bunch of fun for me. I hope you will enjoy it as well!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

I cant believe our little guy is two! He is so fun. He talks a lot and loves exploring. We did part one of the birthday celebration in the Big Basin Redwoods Stake Park, California at the tail end of the Williams Family Reunion.

Part two was at home with an ELMO birthday cake and much excitement! It's official now, the candles have been blown out! Happy Two Josh Squash!

Revel in the Redwoods

We had a great time at the Williams "Revel in the Redwoods" reunion. Miriam and company did an awesome job getting everything organized and prepared for us. We just relaxed and enjoyed each others' company. Thanks Mir. Planning for 55 is no small task!

The Beginning of Our Beginning

Tomorrow (5-10-90) Dave and I will celebrate 19 years of married bliss so naturally I have been thinking a lot about us lately. Our story is wonderful and unique and deserves re-telling.

This is the beginning of the beginning; let’s call it the first chapter.

Dave and I met on a warm summer night in Arvada, Colorado in 1987. I was a hard working college student, home for the summer.

Dave was also a hard working college student home (in Colorado Springs) for the summer.

I was alone as my family was on a little trip, (where and why I didn’t go I don’t even remember). I decided to go to go a single’s dance….alone. Weird. I never did dances alone. Dave was not alone. He was with his brothers Daniel (a recently returned missionary), Nathan (a missionary waiting to enter the MTC), his sister Debbie and Kelly Jennings both recent High School graduates. They traveled 1 ½ hours to Arvada to a single’s dance on a Saturday night. Weird. None or they had ever been to north to boogie with the singles before, or since.

The dance was sort of lame, just a small crowd that was almost doubled when the Williams' bus arrived.

The rest of what I remember of the night is a bit foggy, except for anything to do with Dave.

They say first impressions last a lifetime. It must be true; somehow as my memory starts to fade, the first sight of Dave gets sharper. Brace yourself. The first thing I saw was Dave’s red hair, and yes he did have hair, generous amounts! He was the first red head I ever remember that was really good looking. His smile was amazing. He could have been in a toothpaste commercial. I swear I saw a little glimmer and heard a little “ding” when he smiled at me.

The next thing that stood out was Dave’s pink (with black geometric lines) flannel shirt. Yes pink! (Have I ever seen Dave in pink since? No!) Oh I wish I had a photo. Gotta love those 80’s!

Also, what stands out in my mind…his dancing shoes!

Dave had a lot of energy and some “killer dance moves!” (I think he was in the D-Quan Boogie Video of the month club). I know you wish you could dance like that!

As the dance came to a close, I noticed the Williams’ milling around and then Dave came up and asked if I “knew a place they could go to get ice cream?” I thought it was a wired question just because the answerseemed a bit too obvious, but I went along with the gig. I don’t remember how it went down but for some reason I had Dave follow me in my car to the nearest Coco’s, your basic family restaurant where some of them ordered ice cream and I ordered ice water. I was broke, didn’t have a dime and I thought it much too forward to have Dave pay for me. Along with the cold stuff we have some "ice breaking questions" about everyone, and some laughs we decided to call it a night. When we were in the parking lot, Dave asked for my phone number and said he would call me and tell me when the next dance in Colorado Springs was, so I could come there…”with some of my friends.” I didn’t think I would take him up on his offer , but I kinda thought Dan was cute, and knowing that he would be at BYU in the fall when I would be there, I gave him my number. I found out much later that I was the first and last girl Dave had ever asked for a phone number from. He said he felt obligated (being the eldest) to show his two younger brothers just how to “pick up chicks.”