Chris & Mindy Rosqvist

Sorry everyone that we have apparently missed adding to the newsletter the last few months. We have been a little distracted. This is my favorite time of the year! I love fall! Probably because my birthday is in October and so is our favorite holiday- HALLOWEEN!! I definitely did not go light with the decorations this year either. I, with Carrie's help, decorated my entry and front room like a spooky castle or dungeon. I must say that it turned out great! Next year I need to add to the outside decor. We were able to go to California the first part of October to help with and experience Chris's friends haunted house. It was amazing for his first year going that big!! We had a great time! And for my birthday, we went to a haunted house here in Salt Lake. We just can't get enough!I turned 30 this year so a few friends and I from highschool who all turn thirty in the next few months went to Vegas for a weekend and had a blast!! We went kayaking and to the Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur. It was great to have a girls weekend. Other than all of the fun, we have just been busy with work. Chris has had to deal with all the people calling freaking out about their accounts and money due to the economy so he hasn't liked it too much lately. But he is just lucky to have a job and great benefits! We both are actually. I have recently had the opportunity of becoming a charge nurse on my floor. It has really made work different for me. Im not sure what I think about it yet, but Im just glad that I don't have to be in charge every shift!! I can still be a regular nurse and be back in my comfort zone! But it will be a good learning experience for me. Here are some pics of our awsome Halloween house!

Carrie Romney

Living with Mindy and Chris definitely livened up Halloween for me this year. Towards the beginning of October, I helped Mindy decorate her front room to look like a castle. It looks really cool, but it was a little bit of a project. On Mindy's birthday we went to a haunted house. I couldn't remember the last time I had gone to a haunted house. Probably sometime in high school. It was pretty fun. On Halloween night, I went to a party with some friends at a cabin in Millcreek Canyon. I went to the same party last year and had a lot more fun then. I think because I knew more people there last year. But the night before I went, I asked Chris and Mindy if they had any costume ideas, and they proceeded to list about 6-8 costumes that they had. That sure made it easy on me. Towards the end of September and the beginning of October, I went on some hikes in the canyons to see the leaves. Here are some pictures. The last time I went was right before the first snow fall and the leaves were beautiful, but for some reason those pictures didn't save to my camera:( I have recently started a couple new projects. I have started teaching private Spanish lessons. I first started with a friend of mine and I haven't been charging her. At first she seemed really excited to learn but she hasn't been very studious so she is not progressing very quickly. Starting next week, I have my first paying students. They seem pretty excited to learn. They were in my class at the language academy and after class one night they asked me if I would be interested in teaching them privately. Since I have been teaching at the school, I have come up with some ideas for more effective ways to teach a foreign language; so I am excited to test my ideas out and see if they really work. I also have been trying to teach myself to transpose music on the piano. I took a class in college where I first learned about transposing music. But haven't done much with it since then. During the past few years, I have done a little composing on the piano. My new goal is to put a key change in the next piece I arrange. Transposing seems to be more mental than anything. When I get done practicing, my brain hurts.

Jason and Family

The big event since last time was Kelsey's baptism. It was fun to have Mom, Dad, and Mindy in town and Kelsey was pretty excited to be baptized. As Mom mentioned, they were able to stay home and take care of the kids for us so Jen and I could go out together. We hadn't left the house alone together in over 6 months. We have people in our ward who have offered to help but it is really hard to trust someone else with keeping up with Parker's care. As much as we appreciate the offers of help, I'm not sure some of these people really understand what they're volunteering for. So having Mindy here with Mom and Dad made it easier for us to finally try going out. At least we knew that Mindy had a good idea what she was in for. Everything went fine. We went to dinner and spent the night at a bed & breakfast in town and then drove out to Raleigh to attend the temple. It was nice.

Everyone has been sick around here lately. It is so hard to keep everyone healthy with Kelsey at school and Connor in preschool. Little colds that might inconvenience most kids can really be bad for Parker. He's caught a couple things in the last month or so and has fought through it ok without having to go the hospital. It makes for some long nights but a long night at home is better than one at the hospital.

I'm in completely over my head at work this term. Teaching 8 courses, designing two shows, and working on my research grant. I enjoy the work but I think I need to slow down a little bit. Sometimes I forget how to say "No". I guess that's the danger of having a job that you love. I'm opening another show next week and then going straight to Savannah, Georgia for a conference where I'll be exhibiting some of my design work and some papers I've co-authored with my research partner from Wake Forest University.

We went to the Ward Halloween party last night. The kids all dressed up as Indians (Native Americans for the politically correct out there). We had a lot of fun. I won the "Hottest Chili" award and the kids got a lot of candy. Even Parker figured out what was going on and got some candy for himself!

Joe and Amy Fail

We have made some big decisions in our lives this past month. I decided to take a position in the ER at Timpanogos Hospital which is at the north end of Orem; just off the freeway. I will start after the first of the year. It is a big relief to have that decided. Everyone thinks I make too big a deal out of it. I just don't do well with change and I want to be happy. I know Mom; "Happiness is a choice". Which I intend to put into use. I think Timpanogos will be a good fit for me.

We have been house shopping and we put two offers on houses in Lehi last week. They are both short sales which means it may be a longer wait to hear back, but also a great deal in the end. We are really anxious and hope to hear back very soon!!

Joe is very excited to be about done with his Master's degree. Everytime we are in Salt Lake he just wants to stay. He's anxious to start his career.

That's about all the news for us. We hope you are all doing well!
Love,
Amy and Joe

Grandpa and Grandma Romney

Since our last blog, we spent a wonderful week with Jason’s family. We attended “Grandparents’ Day” at Conner’s preschool, Kelsey’s birthday party complete with a butterfly cake made by Jen, and of course, Kelsey’s baptism performed by her father. We also had the privilege of tending the kids overnight so Jen and Jason could enjoy some time away (with a lot of help from Mindy).

During our visit, we took Conner on an afternoon trip to the transportation museum which is actually an old Southern Pacific maintenance yard. We enjoyed touring all the old train cars and even had a ride on the turnstile. (see pictures) It was a special treat to get to know little Parker better and to see him getting stronger every day—he is such a happy little boy. We surely admire the way Jen and Jason support each other in providing the necessary care that Parker requires.

We also made a trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago to help Uncle Ron and Aunt Peggy clean out Grandpa’s house. We discovered some amazing things and brought home a few mementoes. We came away grateful for such a wonderful heritage! Uncle Ron was going to stay a couple more weeks to get some work done on the house. He hasn’t decided yet whether to try to sell it or maybe try renting it out and wait for the market to improve. We left the furniture in the home so that family can stay there in the meantime.

For a couple of old people, we surely stay busy. In addition to our travels we’ve attended some BYU football games, gone to some plays and movies and celebrated family birthdays. There’s always an endless amount of work to do inside and outside of the house and of course our church responsibilities take a great deal of time as well. (The Primary Children’s Sacrament Program went very well).

We have the front porch decorated for Halloween, but we are going to the church for a “trunk or treat” first and then we are going to Pioneer theater to see Noises Off. We’re hoping there’s not too many kids who come to the house trick or treating since we won’t be home. We’re in the process of redecorating the kitchen along with new granite counter tops. We’ve stripped the wallpaper so now we have the painting to get done. We want to have it looking great for Thanksgiving since most of the family will be coming to our house.

I forgot to mention that Sammy had surgery. He had a tumor removed from inside his ear and also the fatty tumor removed from his chest. We were afraid that at his age he might not recover but he actually acts years younger. We should have done it sooner!

We love you all so much and pray for each of you daily. Love, Mom & Dad (Grandma & Grandpa)

Jason & Jen

August was a busy month for us. The first part of the month we had a lot of fun as a family going on a few day trips. The first day we went to Raleigh to The Museum of Natural History. We saw everything from real butterflies to dinosaur bones and everything in between. The kids really enjoyed it! We spent about 3 hours there and then drove home and went to Chuck E. Cheese pizza for dinner. The next day we drove to Blowing Rock, NC to visit Tweetsie Railroad, NC’s first amusement park. They have an old-fashioned steam engine that rides around the mountain, several rides, shows, and stores. It was a beautiful day to spend in the mountains riding the ferris wheel, the carousel, and the tilt-a-whirl. Parker was even able to ride some of the rides too. On the last day we went to breakfast and then we went miniature golfing. Kelsey scored the only hole-in-one! Although it was a pretty exhausting couple of days, we all had a great time being together and we were glad that we were able to pull off some “normal” family activities and still take care of Parker.

Speaking of Parker, he started crawling this month!!! He is doing great and it seems like he gets stronger every day. He also started physical therapy once a week to build up his strength and endurance. We hope that in the next few months he will become strong enough to carry his IV backpack all by himself. That will give us and him a lot more freedom. Kelsey started second grade last week She loves it already and is looking forward to a great year. She will turn eight years old this week and be baptized on September 13th. We are so proud of her. Connor started preschool this week. He will go three days a week in the mornings. He has really enjoyed it so far. We hope it will be a good change for him and prepare him to go to kindergarten next year. Jen and I are both keeping busy working and keeping the family going. It seems like a lot of work sometimes, but we are so grateful to be together and to be so blessed.

Grandpa & Grandma Romney

Grandpa: I can't believe how fast the months are flying by. August for me was pretty uneventful except some pretty tasking projects at work. I got through them all and am looking forward to visiting Jason's family for Kelsey's baptism. Last month a few of us commented on Grandma Cora's life and the positive effect it had on all of us. Since her death and funeral last month I have been pondering and thinking back on my life and the many experiences that I have had with my family. I am truly grateful for the heritage I have and the legacy of commitment to gospel principles that has helped form my life. Obedience truly brings for the blessings of heaven. I am thankful for the gospel and the foundation it has been for me. I am also very thankful for your mother and grandmother. All good things in my life I tribute to her. She has been such a good influence on me and for each of you. She keeps my in line and is a good support in my church callings and work. I love her very much. We are having a lot of fun "hanging out" with each other and having the ability to do just about anything we want to. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for all that He has given and provided for us.
Love DAD/Grandpa

Grandma:
Wow--How is it possible that another month is gone?! We are leaving Saturday the 6th for Winston-Salem. It will be great to see Jason's family and to attend Kelsey's baptism. We will return home on Sunday the 14th. I finished writing the Primary program and the first rehearsal will be while I am gone. It's really hard to figure out how long it's going to last until you have a full run through--right now that's my biggest worry and I won't know the answer until a week before the program. Dad and I totally loved watching the Olympics and that's how we spent most evenings for a while. Now that I teach literacy in the mornings at work, my day goes by very quickly and it's a real challenge to get my other work done in the remaining hours. I come home totally exhaused so watching TV is very appealing. Chris and Mindy treated us all to a Real Salt Lake Soccer game which was fun. Then last Saturday we met the Dangerfields in Cedar City and saw a couple of plays with them. Sunday we drove to the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre--really a sad and horrifying event in church history. I now want to read the recent book about it that the church authorized. We drove home Sunday afternoon as Bill and Joanne were in town and coming to spend the night with us. Their lives have really changed now as Joanne's aging parents both live with them and both are experiencing declining health. Joanne has had to really cut back on her floral business as caring for her parents consumes so much of her time. I have taken Nanny to the ER twice this month with uncontrollable nose bleeds. The first time they coterized (sp.??) it and that lasted almost two weeks. Last night, actually early this morning,they had to pack it with a balloon thing that they then pump air into so it will put pressure on the spot. I guess that's pretty uncomfortable but she has to leave it there until Sunday and then go back to the hospital and have it removed. I'm just afraid it will start bleeding again while I'm gone so I hope I can get her into an ENT on Monday. The good news is that we did manage to finalize the sale of the Logan house--Joe and Amy will continue to live there until Joe finishes school in December. I think we'll be glad we sold it when we did. Have a great September everyone!! Love, Mom (Grandma)

Chris & Mindy Rosqvist

Well, the month of August was very fun for us. We decided to put some of our home projects aside and do some fun things before the summer is over. We went camping twice, once with the family up in Idaho and once with our friends close by. We always love camping!! And our big vacation for the summer was going to Seattle for about a week. We have some friends that live in North Bend who have a huge summer party every year that is just like a carnival with all the carnival food and games, homemade rootbeer, and an outdoor movie. And all of this takes place in their yard! They live on about 2-3 acres surrounded by forest!! It is beautiful. Also, we went waterskiing and hiking while we were there. Not too much hiking happend, however, because it was so hot and humid while we were there. We were able to go to a huge waterfall a few miles from their house called Snoqualamie Falls. We drove there and it was only about 1/4 mile to walk to the falls. It was so cool!! We had a great time. We also just had our 3rd year anniversary on Sept 1 (labor day). We just enjoyed eachothers company and did a few fun things that weekend together. We both had to work on our actual anniversary, so we couldn't go anywhere far. Everyone needs to look on page 9 of their Sept Ensign and find a picture of Chris. The picture was taken back in the early spring in our other ward before we moved. The lady that we worked with on the activities commitee was in charge of getting a few people willing to be photographed doing different things for the Ensign every couple of months or so. She said she needed a picture of a man praying so she asked Chris! They didn't know what month it was going to be pictured in so we have been looking for it every month for the last 4-5 months and it finally showed up!! I am excited to go see Jason and Jen and the kids in Sept. and be there for Kelsey's birthday and baptism. I can't believe she is going to be 8 already! Hope to see everyone soon!!Love- Chris and Mindy

Carrie Romney

Sorry I forgot to add to the blog last month. It totally slipped my mind. August came and went very quickly. Like usual I am having a hard time remembering everything that took place. A few weeks ago, I quit my job at the marketing company. Things weren't going well, and I was more frustrated all the time then I was enjoying the job. Since I was just on a commission basis, it wasn't too hard to leave. So now I am just working at Missionary Mall and teaching a Spanish class Monday and Wednesday evening. My class has 8 adults in it that are learning for their professions or just for fun. The ones that are in it for the fun are starting to realize that learning a foreign language isn't really considered fun. It can be very confusing and takes a lot of work to learn. I try to make the class fun and not overwhelm them too much. I admire their ambition because I don't how I would have learned Spanish if I wasn't living in a foreign country and had to learn to speak to eat and live. I was passionate about learning the language and still enjoy the opportunities I have to use it. I really enjoy teaching. So now I am back to trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I may go back into marketing, but I am feeling more ambitious to try something new. After 10 months of dating, Curt and I broke up...for good this time, I believe. The first 3-4 months were amazing. We were super in love with each other and wanted to get married, and then he freaked out. We first ended the marriage planning towards the end of March when we broke up for about a week. Then we got back together and for the past 5 months the relationship was one giant roller coaster. There were some really good times when it seemed we were going to make it work and then some really low times when Curt would become unsure about his feelings for me and his desire to marry me. We had really good communication and talked about all his doubts and concerns, but I finally realized the emotional tear the ups and downs were having on me. We had one last long discussion, and I told him that I wanted him to make a decision and be committed to it. So he decided he didn't want the relationship anymore (Not really the response I was hoping for). I am very sad that things didn't work out, but it all ended on a good note and I am grateful for that. More to come next month. Hope you all are doing well.

Joe & Amy Fail

Well, I agree with everyone that the months fly by! We've enjoyed the summer and warm weather. We recently enjoyed going to a REAL game with the family. Thanks Mindy and Chris for inviting us. We were surprised at how fun and entertaining it was! Neither one of us have ever really been into watching or playing soccer, so it was a fun; new adventure.
Joe has just started school again for his last semester!! We are both excited that he is almost done. Now I am thinking about going back to school (What are we thinking!??)
Now that Mom & Dad sold the Duplex Joe is off the hook for mowing the lawn. He says he enjoys the break, but I know he really likes doing stuff like that.
That's about it for us. We hope you all have a wonderful month!!

* Here are some pictures of Xander enjoying the water while we cleaned our cars. Joe loves to get him soaked!

Romney Campout

Grandma & The Dogs

Joe & Amy

Mindy & Chris

Carrie Hanging Out

Xander Anxiously Awaiting Joe & Amy's Return to the Camp-site

Grandpa & Grandma on Willow Springs Hike

Grandpa Lounging



Carrie & Chris at Willow Springs

Willow Springs

Chris & Mindy on Willow Springs Hike

Joe & Amy on Willow Springs Hike

Joe & Amy Fail

July was a much more eventful month than we are used to. I was glad that I was able to attend Grandma's funeral. She is such an amazing woman and I am so greatful to her for being such a wonderful Grandmother. I think we have all been blessed to have her in our lives. It was also fun to see a lot of the Romney extended family.
Joe is happy to have a few weeks off from school. He is presently trying to find a new job up here until December. He is doing collections now; which has not been very enjoyable to him.
We had fun last weekend camping with the family! We haven't gone for quite awhile. I think Xander enjoyed it the most! He was so dirty!! He is truly an "outdoor" dog at heart. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery while hiking, the great food, and of course the great company.

Grandma Cora's Funeral