Garvin Four

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

2012-01-20T13:14:00.003-05:00

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun book. Great mash of Roman and Greek mythology. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

View all my reviews

Anxious for the Year-end Close to End

2012-01-17T22:38:00.001-05:00


Getting my clock cleaned.
photo by Profound Whatever via PhotoRee

Commence belly-aching.

There are a few times each year when work just gets to be very demanding. It is always challenging. I can appreciate that — it beats being bored, after all.

However, in the environment I am in, some of the more challenging times are during quarter-end and year-end closing of the financial books. This is especially true when auditors are involved. The auditors are good people, who I actually enjoy being around. But the nature of the work that they do is usually mind wracking. After all, who likes having someone look for errors in the work they are doing.

For some reason, this is especially true with this year-end close. The closing of the books themselves, this time around went fairly well. We made good time, and there weren't too many last-minute adjustments.

However, the aftermath with explaining differences from the target and having to explain the financial calculations with the auditors has been more challenging.

I am ready for a nice vacation.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

2012-01-14T18:33:00.001-05:00

Last night instead of watching a movie from Netflix like we normally do, we watched the finale of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. After nine seasons, the series is coming to an end. Apparently, due to sagging ratings. (In my opinion, this is one of the few reality shows worth watching.)

The series finale found Ty Pennington and his crew in Joplin, Missouri where a tornado tore apart the town in May, 2011. In the show, the crew built seven new homes for seven families in the Joplin area. Not only did the show share the heart tugging experiences of the families whose lives had been unglued by the tornado.

Mary Ann Riojas a former recipient of the work done by the show shares about hearing the end of the series. "I was kinda bummed cuz I was hoping they would come back to Fresno so we could see the other end of it. Get to be here when all the action was taking place, Cuz we missed all that when it happened to us yeah, I was kinda bummed out."

Not only did the show build Riojas' family a new home that enables her to maneuver throughout in her wheelchair but also provides a nice environment for her four children. The show also gave her the hope and courage to change her life. Since the show, she has become a full-time sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. Her then fifteen-year-old son, Angel, who was drifting at the time, was given the chance to go onto college where he is preparing to become a registered nurse.

In the final episode, Ty and crew built homes for seven families in a newly created neighborhood near a park that they brought back to life.

The seven families were

The Howard family. Dad, Kyle is firefighter who was one of the first responders to the aftermath of the tornado. At home, wife Jill, huddled in a bathtub with her sons Konnor, Korbin and Kevin.
Crystal Cogdill, who lost a son in the tornado.
Crystal Whitely, who happened to be a neighbor to Cogdill. She lost two children in the tornado.
Natalie and Scott Gonzalez. The two were living together at the time of the tornado. After the tornado, they determined to get married. During the show, the two were surprised with the opportunity to get married on the show.
The Nguyens. Than Nguyen served in the Vietnamese Air Force alongside American troops. He was held captive during the war for eleven years. He migrated to the United States to begin a new life. At 71, he had recently retired.
The Nevins family.
The Walters family.

All of the families served their treasured town of Joplin during and after the tornado. Whether that was in their professions as teachers, firemen, and nurses, or as neighbors concerned about the welfare of those around them.

As a family, we will miss watching Extreme Makeover. ABC network indicates that there will be future special episodes

Malaprop's Bookstore

2012-01-09T00:24:00.000-05:00

Malaprops Bookstore, Asheville

Malaprops Bookstore, Asheville, NC

This past Saturday, our family decided to go to downtown Asheville to hang out and see the sites. It's telling that the place our family decided to go was to Malaprop's bookstore. Malaprops is a great independent bookstore in the heart of downtown. (Not far from the downtown public library, incidentally.)

Our family is a lover of books. Everyone from Carolyn on up has a love affair with books. We each have our own interests, but it's not uncommon for the same book to pass through several hands before our family is through with it. (This Christmas break, Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series passed through our family. My favorite book was The King of Attolia, the third book in the series.)

Back to Malaprop's though. The bookstore has been at the bedrock of Asheville from the downtown revitalization that began back in the 1980's. In fact the owner of Malaprop's, Emoke B'Racz, indicates that when she first opened the bookstore she was able to spend most of her capital on books rather than on rent. At that time, she says, "you could walk 3 blocks in any direction before you found a door not nailed down."

Her purpose in starting Malaprop's was to create "a place where poetry matters, where women’s words are as important as men’s, where one is surprised by excellence, where good writing has a home, where I could nurture my addiction to literature, and play, enjoy, and entertain people drawn to quality books."

On our trip to the bookstore Saturday night, I noted as the family ambled through the rows of bookshelves that the store embodied the essence of the quirkiness and homeliness of Asheville--current, suburban, with an emphasis on conscious living.

I found a whole bookshelf on Yoga. While next to it was the business section which only had a few books.

When we lived in Seattle, there were bookstores focused on computers and technology. In Asheville, there is a bookstore that is dedicated to poetry, consciousness, and sustainable living.

While our family is not the most liberal, we enjoyed our trip to Malaprop's and will be back for more.

Happy New Years!

2012-01-05T00:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas Feast

Well, we're off to a new year. The year was off to a quiet start with church on Sunday being our primary event. On Monday, I had to head out for work as this week is the week of year-end close. (My life revolves around a financial calendar.) In my case, a 5-4-4. That is to say, a five week month, then two four weeks to make up the fiscal quarter.

Almost needless to say, the year-end close is one of the periods that is most scrutinized from an auditing perspective. It is also the period on which the year is finally based. So, the close this week has been important—to say the least.

The children had Monday off with the intention of heading back to school on Tuesday. However, we had a wee bit of snow on Monday night, so school was cancelled Tuesday. The kids were more than happy to stay home another day.

Martha will start school tomorrow, Thursday. She will have two days of clinicals and then two days of classes each week.

With everybody but me and Carolyn being in school, I think one of our New Year's resolutions will be to make it through the year.

Christmas Feast

2011-12-27T23:45:00.001-05:00

Christmas Feast

Benjamin, our 16-year-old going on 17, has developed a real passion for food this year. He loves showcasing his culinary skills.

In the past, he has often held out on the family on the foods he makes. He makes a long list of food. We buy the food. We make it. Then he refuses to let us eat it.

We discovered this Christmas that part of the logic behind the 'madness' is that he is waiting to showcase the food he made. Since the family in Arden each had their own Christmas dinners, Benjamin held on to a number of the dishes until Monday when our family got together with Martha's sister, Marian, and her family.

The menu this year included: Gingerbread and muffins (I don't normally like it but this was good!), a cornflake marshmallow wreath (kind of like Rice Crispy treats only with cornflakes. Again a great twist on a favorite.) Butterscotch cookies, fudge (we're still working on perfecting that one), a Christmas punch, and a Christmas stollen. We also had brownies he had made earlier in the week.

It was all very good food!

One of the benefits we've discovered with having all this food around is that now that all the pans and bowls have been washed there have been a lot fewer dishes.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2011-12-24T15:12:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas

As the year draws to a close, and we have the opportunity to reflectupon the past year and what it has meant to us,we each came up with a short list of the things for which we are mostgrateful. I will precede that with the thought that we are so gratefulfor this time of year and what it represents. We are grateful for allthat we have been given, the blessings of good health and good friends.

Carolynat the Park

Carolyn (3)frequently at Grandma's while Mommy's at school

One of things that Carolyn remembers from this year is a familytrip we took this summer. One of the highpoints of the trip waswatching her cousin, Patrick DeFranco, get married in the Palmyra, NY temple.

Another big change for our family this year was when Steve'sparents moved into an assisted living facility in Tacoma, Washington.That meant Steve's older brother, Tom, who needs support, had to find anewplace to live. He moved out here to Asheville. Carolyn took very wellto the change and really enjoyed having her uncle in the house. (He hassince moved onto his own assisted living facility, but she enjoys seeing him when hecomes on the weekends.)

Another thing that Carolyn really enjoyed was going to her AuntMarian's house toplay with their dog, Butterscotch, (a golden lab, beagle mix) that theyrecently got.

Joshuaat the holiday concert

Joshua (11) in middle school

Both Joshua and Jessica started attending middle school at CaneCreek this year. They are in sixth gradewith different sets of teachers, so they seldom see each other. This isa big change for them with moreresponsibility. The teachers they have are much more stern than thosethey have had in the past.

A tradition at Cane Creek Middle School for a number of years hasbeen for the sixth graders togo out to Earthshine Lodge near Lake Toxaway, NC. Both Joshua and Jessicawent there this year. The lodge offersoutside education. Per their website the course is "designed toinspirethought and creativity, as well as encourage students to pushthemselves to destroy the myth of 'I Can't.'"

Joshua began the summer by going to band camp. He is playing thetrombone. He willsay that he doesn't like it, but I think he enjoys playing in theconcerts and learning a newskill.

Jessica at New River Gorge

Jessica (13) in middle school

Jessica also enjoyed our long road trip we made this summer. Wedrove up through Virginia, Pennsylvania,and into New York state. We stopped at the Priesthood Restoration Site in Harmony, Pennsylvania. (Harmony isnowOakland, PA.) From there we headed north to Palmyra. We enjoyedspending the day with the DeFranco'sand Beth's family.

Palmyra has a lot of churchhistory.We stopped at the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorrah, the Joseph SmithFarm, the Grandin Building, and the Peter Whitmer farm.

After leaving Palmyra, the family headed for Niagara Falls, whichwas an amazing experience. You can'treally get an appreciation for how massive and powerful the falls thereare unless you are there. More than 6 million cubic feet of water goover the falls every minute. (NiagaraFacts)

As part of the long road trip, we passed through West Virginia whereSteve served his missionfor the LDS church. He hadn't been back in West Virginia for any lengthof time since his mission.The family enjoyed stopping at Cooper's Rock State Park, which provides a dramatic overlook of theCheat River Gorge.

The family also stopped at the New River Gorge Bridge and Overlook.Jessica had quite an experiencegoing over the bridge, which straddles the New River for 3,030 feet andsits at 876 feet above it. Jessica hasalways been quite fearful of driving along heights. She was challenged,though, to keep her eyesopen as we crossed the bridge and really pay attention to what we weredoing. The intent was tohelp her realize what she accomplished, and it worked. Jessica wasexcited that she was able to get across the bridge without closing hereyes and without being too scared. After she told everyone how happyshe was, she declaredshe wanted to cross it again... later!

The family also made a trip up to the Cincinnati, Ohio area to be atMatthew andAmelia Murdock's wedding reception. As part of the trip, Jessicaenjoyed spending her 13th birthday celebration with her Kellar cousinsin Dayton,Ohio. The Kellars were gracious as always and went out of their way tobake and cook all kinds ofgood food.

Benjamin along a creek

Benjamin (16) in high school

Benjamin is really growing up—sometimes to the chagrin of hisparents.For example, he was off at Youth Conference in eastern North Carolinawhen the familywent on our long road trip. Unfortunately, due to the timing we had, werealized we would need to be in two places at the same time. Benjaminwas very gracious in allowingthe family to go on our trip. It was strange, though, to have pictureswe took along theway that did not include Benjamin in them. It emphasized the point thatit will only bea couple years before Benjamin is off on his own mission for the churchand then on to college.

Benjamin has expressed his appreciation for his family, especiallyfor sisters who are sowilling to help.

The experience at Youth Conference was memorable for him. There wereover 1,500 otherLDS youth from 10 stakes across North Carolina and from Columbia SouthCarolina. Benjamin reallyappreciated being around so many other LDS youth who share the samevalues. He also enjoyed the conversionstory that retired NBA basketball player, Thurl Bailey, shared with theyouth.

At the beginning of the summer, Benjamin (and Dad) headed to CumberlandIsland for aweek-long scout camp with his troop. The island is off the Georgiacoast nearly to theFlorida border. The island is both remote and historical. We hiked inthree miles to our camp. Initially, thiswas quite a hike for our fledgling group of hikers. However, afterseveral ten mile hikes for Benjamin(and some of the other scouts) the hikes got much easier. It didn'thurtthat Cumberland Island is one of the easiestplaces to hike as the elevation is completely flat.

Historically, Cumberland Island, Georgia's largest barrier island,has passed from its aboriginal originssome millennia ago to the Spanish missionaries in the 16th century, toJames Oglethorpe who built the firstforts there, and up through Thomas and Lucy Carnegie in the 1880's.After several more decades the island is now largely a national parkthough there are still some private residences on the island. Theisland shows some of its historical past through ruined mansions leftbehind and feral horses that have been protected on the island.

Martha and Steve-Peter Whitmer Farm

Martha in nursing program

After a couple years of working at finishing prerequisites, Marthawas accepted into the nursingprogram at Blue Ridge Community College. Many of the courses along thewayhave been challenging, but thisfirst semester of the program brought some more anxiety for Martha. Shepersevered though and did well.

Part of the program has been to do clinicals (following a nurse) atPardee Hospital and Carolina Village.It has provided her with good experience.

Martha has enjoyed watching Carolyn grow up. We may be biased, butwe think she is a joyful, spiritedand intelligent young lady. (Carolyn describes herself as a'teenager.') Martha is grateful that Carolynhas so much fun spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Collier whileMommy is away at school

Martha was really instrumental in getting Tom settled in Asheville.We are all grateful that he has takenso well to getting established here.

Steve getting older ;-) and working hard

Steve is really grateful for good health — physically andemotionally. He hasbeen working hard at getting back in shape through strength trainingand yoga.

This year Steve has enjoyed spending time with family. He went toscout camp and hiking withBenjamin,who passed off his hiking merit badge this year. Of course, healsoreally enjoyed going on the road trip with the family.

Through a lot of time and hard work, Steve is really grateful thatthehouse has been painted. He's also grateful for the new windows thathave been installed.The house has really taken on a new look through all of this.

We are all grateful for good friends, a beautiful place to live, andaloving Savior who blesses us amply.

To all: a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Love, the Garvin family

2011 in Review (at least through October)

2011-12-05T01:36:00.000-05:00

2011-Sep-Oct-Collage

Much of the beginning of our year was spent trying to get a grasp on dealingwith the failing health of Steve's parents and the changes that brought on. Forthose who don't know, Steve's mother went into the hospital last December dueto her diabetes getting out of control. She spent a few weeks in the hospitalbefore being moved into a nursing home. In April, she and Grandpa Garvin movedinto an assisted living facility in Tacoma, Washington.

The facility seems nice, but it was a challenge to lose some of theindependence they have enjoyed for so long. At the same time, many of thestresses they have had have been reduced or eliminated. Since moving into thefacility, it has become more apparent that Steve's dad's health is alsofailing. Both parents are dealing with diabetes, but Steve's dad also isbeginning to get confused more frequently and severely.

When Steve's parents moved into the assisted living facility, his olderbrother, Tom, moved to live with us. That was a bit of a challenge with limitedspace and combining different families, and due to the fact that Tom didn'thave as much to do here as he had back in Washington. In June, Tom was able tomove into a 'family group home' north of Asheville. That has worked out better.Steve, and Martha particularly, have been able to continue to offer support toTom while everyone is able to have some of the distance that seems to have beenneeded.

Another focus this year has been home improvements. We have been able toreplace quite a bit of the siding that was getting old and damaged. We havealso replaced half the windows in the house with plans to replace the rest inthe next year. In addition, we have been able to (finally) paint the exteriorof the house. There's still much to be done on home improvements but at leastwe feel like we have made some progress.

The summer was busy with ascout camp to Cumberland Island in south Georgia (near the Florida border).Steve was able to go along for the whole week with Benjamin and the troop. Theyhad a good time hiking and seeing the sights on the island. The island wasbeautiful and still had a sense of being removed from the world. They actuallyhad the beach to ourselves. (They did have to hike in three miles to get totheir camping spot.)

Benjamin and Steve, and some of the other scouts, were able to go on a few10-mile hikes. The island was once the private reserve of the Carnegie family,so there were some interesting ruins of former mansions. Some of the buildingsare still standing but 90+% of the island is now national park land. One of thewonders—that soon became commonplace—were all the wild, feralhorses. A former owner had stipulated that the horses that had been brought tothe island be set free and preserved.

The Cumberland Island trip helped Benjamin move along towards completing hisHiking merit badge--one of the last of his required merit badges and ones heneeded for his Eagle. He is now complete with the merit badges—yeah! Heis now working on completing his Eagle project which will be planting a dozentrees around the picnic shelter at Lake Julian park that is accessed from theHendersonville Road entrance (where the old campground was.) The ward had apicnic at that facility on Labor Day. While it was a nice experience, thesetting did seem a little barren so we are glad Benjamin has taken this on as aproject.

During the summer, we also enjoyed going on a trip up to Palmyra to attendPatrick and Beth's wedding and see the sights in the area. It was a beautifulwedding and nice to be there with the family—especially considering thethen upcoming move of the DeFrancos to Texas. (They're missed here.)

Visiting Palmyra was a great experience. So much happened there. However, itreally struck Steve how so many of the people in the area were totally unawareof the restoration of the gospel that took place there. (It'sunderstandable—just eye opening.)

While on the New York trip, the family also enjoyed going to Niagara Falls.What a natural wonder that is. The size of the falls really can't beappreciated without being there.

We also took the opportunity to come back down through West Virginia, whereSteve served his mission. There they were able to stop at Cooper's Rock,another natural beauty, and the New River Gorge Bridge, which is both in anaturally beautiful area but also an engineering wonder. The bridge iscurrently the third highest vehicular bridge in the Americas and the thirdlongest arch bridge in the world.

Jessica, who has been terrified of heights—especially whiledriving—was able to come to grips with her fear and overcome them to acertain extent on the journey across the bridge. She had just hiked down to aviewpoint where the family could see the entire span of the bridge from downbelow, and she got really worried when she realized that we would have to crossthat bridge to continue our trip. As we were crossing the bridge, Steve toldher to be aware of where she was and what she was doing so that when they gotacross the bridge she would realize what she had accomplished and had made it.After getting across the bridge and on the road a few mile, Jessica exclaimedthat she was ready to do it again. We were thrilled for her success. She was soexcited to have overcome that fear!

Benjamin missed the New York trip as he was having an adventure of his ownat a regional LDS youth conference at Eastern Carolina University. There wereover 1,500 LDS youth there along with numerous LDS leaders; Brother Arian Ochoaof the Young Men General Presidency and M. Keith Giddens, Area Seventy overNorth and South Carolina and guest speakers Thurl Bailey, Troy Dunn andElizabeth Craig, and musical performers Jon Schmidt, Greg Simpson, JerichoRoad, and The Fading Point. The theme of the conference was “One, but notalone.” Everyone seemed to have a good time and got spiritually fed.

We've enjoyed seeing family this year whether it be at Matthew and Amelia'swedding reception, Patrick and Beth's wedding or locally here in Asheville. Itwas fun for us to be at the Kellar's on Jessica's 13th birthday on August 7th .The Kellars made our family feel very welcome, as they always do, and put on abig birthday feast for Sunday afternoon. It was fun and a good way to spendJessica's birthday.

This new school year, both Jessica and Joshua have started playinginstruments in band class. Jessica is playing the clarinet and Joshua thetrombone. Despite all the stereotypes about how awful it is to hear the kidspracticing their instruments, it has really been nice to hear them practice.For Steve, who has never played an instrument, it is amazing how quickly theyhave begun to make nice little musical pieces. They are short and simple butstill nice.

Benjamin has had the opportunity to take a cooking class in high school. Hecontinues to develop his skills as a budding chef, and the family often gets toenjoy the rewards of his efforts. Interestingly, he seems to have a particularinterest in making desserts despite a constant concern for watching his weight.He is still quite thin

Martha began formal nursing training after completing all the prerequisitesthat she has been working on for some time. She will be done in less than twoyears now. She is enjoying her studies and the opportunity she has to doclinicals and work with patients. As you all know, Carolyn has been staying atGrandma's and Grandpa's while Martha has been at school, which, including timeMartha has set aside for studying, turns into being gone as long as the olderkids are, almost. It is a good situation, though. Carolyn starts every morningby saying “No, I don't want to go!” and every afternoon by saying“Mommy I missed you” and almost immediately “I had such agood time at Grandma's!”

Carolyn has also really been enjoying nursery. As most children do, she isvery happy when she finds out that it is Sunday and she gets to go to nursery!She loves the activities, she loves the singing, and she loves her teachers.She started this year as the only child attending regularly, so she had herteacher (Sister Hardy and sometimes Brother Hardy as well) all to herself. Thena couple of families moved into the ward, a couple of children started comingmore regularly, and a couple of the younger children turned 18 months, andsuddenly she had a roomful with her. She went up to Sister Hardy after a coupleof weeks of this and asked her “Are you still my teacher, too?” Shehas adjusted well to the change, and will adjust well again in January when shejoins Primary as a Sunbeam.

So that is a quick summary of our lives. We hope you all enjoyed it!

We're alive

2010-03-07T15:53:00.001-05:00

Just a note to let you all know that we're alive. We've had a couple of good months--Steve is back to work, and I've been finding out that taking college chemistry after 4 other science classes is relatively easy. Now to just figure out how to manage going back to school full-time for nursing...

The kids and I have been going nuts over snow days! We've had 4 snows that were 6-plus inches each (one even got to 12 inches!), and lots of "snow showers" in between. The end result is that I don't think we've had one full day of school since before Christmas break. Well, maybe 1 week out of the 8 school has been scheduled. It's been frustrating.

I have been lucky, though. Apparently when the county school district decides it is too snowy for the buses to run, the Community College I attend often decides that it is too snowy for students to drive in. So between my schedule (I only attend school on M, W, & F) and cancellations of my school, I've only had to go to school one day that they were out of school. So there are little mercies among the harder times.

The problem that the older kids (esp. Benjamin) and I are dealing with is that North Carolina has two laws that are causing conflicts with our county's situation. The first is that students have to attend for 180 days a year. The second is that unless the county qualifies for a waiver, those school days HAVE to be scheduled between Aug 25th and June 10th. Our county has not had enough school days in past years to qualify for the waiver, so our school board is pretty stuck. How do you schedule makeup days when you don't have any more days in the calendar you can use?

Well, they solved that dilema by first taking away all holidays and teacher work-days that they could for the rest of the year--including all but two of our Spring Break days. Even after that, we still had days to make up, so they are scheduling us for Saturday make-up days. We had our first day of "Saturday School" this week. It was really strange to get up and get the kids off to school, just like a normal day, and realize that Steve was here and we had the morning to do as we pleased. Okay, okay, we had a full day of errands and things to do, but we did get to go out to eat by ourselves (Carolyn had an early nap at Grandma's).

So we're happy, working hard, and trying to keep up with the changes that constantly happen. On a side note, we found out (either Friday or Saturday) that the State Board of Education has allowed our Superintendent to extend the school year. So maybe we'll get some of our Spring Break back.

Hope to hear from you soon!

-Martha

Catching Up - A New Year

2010-01-15T12:18:00.007-05:00

I feel like I've let things slip a little in posting to our family blog. Especially considering how many wonderful letters and cards we received over the Christmas holidays. Thanks to those of you who sent cards. I guess our blog is kind of our attempt at keeping the world up-to-date on what is happening with us and hopefully the warm feelings we have for so many friends and family is felt here.

Our children are really growing up. Benjamin is finishing his last year in middle school this year—next year he'll be a high schooler. Wow! And as Uncle Mark recently posted on Facebook–on to the fun years of early morning seminary. That should be fun for someone who really doesn't do well in mornings (me). Benjamin shouldn't have a problem unless his temperament changes dramatically in the next eight months.

Jessica is having a lot of fun designing various things. For a couple weeks in December, she was trying out a different hairdo every couple days. She isn't doing it as much this month but maybe that's because she's back to school. Of course, she's now trying out the hairdos on Martha. Jessica also got a haircut over the break so her hair is considerably shorter. We think it looks great but she's frustrated she can't do much with it. Such is life.

Jessica also got involved in Girls on the Run this year. This is her second year doing so. Girls on the Run is a great program for pre-teen girls to help them develop self-esteem and healthy lifestyles. She ran a 5k in December—on a very cold day.

We had a very cold December, and January started off that way as well.

Joshua is also coming into his own. He has a very strong personality and knows what he wants—which usually involves losing himself in a book. He definitely acquired his parents' genes (especially Martha's) in how he can be happy reading for hours on end. Joshua is also enjoying being in Cub Scouts, where he is a Bear. He is also in his school's choir—an interest he isn't quite sure is an interest or not. He's been sticking with it though so we're glad to see that.

Carolyn is approaching 20 months in a couple weeks and is quickly transitioning into quite the toddler. She loves to have fun with a definite sense of humor making itself manifest. It's not unusual for her to put on goggles or a silly hat–on her own–to see our reaction. Like a toddler does, she is definitely developing her own opinion of things, too. We're having a lot of fun watching her grow up.

Martha is busy managing the household. Much of her time is spent either helping the kids get ready for school or with their homework and such once they are home from school. I am often amazed, and always gratified, by the amount of energy she pours into the lives of our children. In addition, she is finishing up prerequisites before applying to nursing school, which might start as early as this coming fall.

Steve (that's me) is back to work after a few months off on disability–due to depression. While off work, I spent a lot of time studying up on how to recover and deal with the challenges I have with depression. It's not an easy row to hoe but I feel better and am better prepared for the next time depression rears its ugly head.

Things I am grateful for after 8 inches of snow and 52 hours without power:

2009-12-21T09:53:00.001-05:00

1. Heat (we have a gas furnace, but the fan is electric)
2. Lights
3. A campstove and propane to use with it.
4. Food to cook on the cookstove.
5. A husband with the motivation and the willingness to help me do the work of doing ALL the dishes with water boiled on the campstove.
6. Children who put up with a cold house for 24 hours.
7. Elder Bryant and Elder Buchanan who, on their way out contacting, stopped and took over clearing our driveway of all the snow (we only had two shovels anyway)--and then helped Steve maneuver turning the van around in the snow that was left so we could get out.
8. My sister Marian and her husband Tommy who opened their home to all of us for the second 24 hours. Her children, Erik, David, and EmmaLeigh, and mine were VERY excited about it. I just had to put up with the stress of 7 children--plus a babysittee--running through the house! (Didn't seem to bother Marian much--I was amazed.)
9. Having the feeling of Sunday even if we didn't go to church. (The roads were still slick, and the parking lot wouldn't have been cleared.)
10. Having lunch at Mom's (well, that would have happened anyway, but I am always grateful for her putting up with--and cooking for--so many people in her house.)
11. Quantity and Quality time with our children--we played more games in the last two days than we usually do in a week, and Benjamin especially was very happy!
12. Ancestors that lived--happily, in most cases--through life harder than the one I put up with from Friday night 'till Sunday night, and still found the hope to find the gospel and move across a wild country to Zion. The last two days have made me very very grateful for them--and very grateful for the life I have right now.

Lake Lure

2009-11-29T21:10:00.002-05:00

One fine Saturday evening, I took the kids on a drive down to Lake Lure while Martha got a much needed break. (Though her break included studying for a test she had on Monday morning.) The drive down to Lake Lure is fantastic along old two-lane highways that twist and turn through the mountains of western North Carolina.

Along the way there are a number of touristy-type shops--some of which I noticed have closed down due to the struggling economy--but the shops around Lake Lure and Chimney Rock still seem to be doing some bustling business.

The kids and I had a great time walking along the lake and playing at the playground.

Bipolar happens

2009-11-09T11:47:00.005-05:00

Just a note that I'm starting a new blog--not to replace this one--detailing what is happening with me regards to my health. It is mybipolarfamily.blogspot.com. I guess this is my attempt to come out of the proverbial "closet" so to speak.

Unfortunately, bipolar disorder has a lot of stigma associated with it which makes it even more difficult to recover from episodes, etc. In an effort to reduce some of that stigma and show that this is an illness similar to diabetes or cancer or... I am recording my experiences with the disorder.

Regarding the name, I called it Bipolar Family partly because mental illness has hit my family so hard. Both my brothers are largely incapacitated by mental illness. They are still great, wonderful, loving people but they are not going to amass a wonderful resume or head a large happy family. What they offer the world is very different from what we unfortunately call success.

The other reason I call the blog Bipolar Family is that in a way those of us who suffer in whatever way from the effects of mental illness are all in this together. I love what the actor Glenn Close and her sister Jesse are doing with their newly launched foundation, Bring Change 2 Mind.

Part of me wants to apologize for being open about having bipolar disorder. It isn't a pleasant subject. I read recently about Sandy Naiman, an award-winning journalist who suffers from schizoaffective disorder and has been successful in battling the stigma of mental illness in her environment. She indicated that fifty years ago cancer had a similar stigma. It was not something you talked about and was referred to as the "C-word." People with cancer feared that if employers found out about their illness they would lose their jobs or never work again. Those who suffer from mental illness face that same level of stigma. They worry about losing their jobs, their families and their friends.

But those with mental illness are more than their mental illness. The illness is something they have. It is not who they are.

I'm hoping that in our era of rapid change that it won't take decades to overcome the stigma of mental illness.

As Glenn Close's sister Jessie mentions in one of the videos, it's uncomfortable at times wearing the "bipolar" t-shirt. But I'm hoping that it will be worth it.

Fall Pictures

2009-10-26T23:35:00.002-04:00

This past weekend (while Benjamin was away with the Scouts, camping) we went up on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the Fall Colors. They are gorgeous! I thought I'd share some pictures:

Bright Colors

A variety of muted colors

Steve and the kids

Me and the kids

Joshua being goofy

I liked these rocks

Jessica liked this moss

Jessica on the barricade - this part of the Parkway is closed during the winter

Jessica took this picture of the leaves

Carolyn in her colors!

Wacky Hair Day

2009-10-10T19:17:00.000-04:00

Our county School System sponsors a fund raiser for Eblen Charities every October. To make it a little fun, my children's elementary school has a "Wacky Hair Day" at the first of the month to encourage donations for the fundraiser. All the children that bring in money that day get to wear their hair any wacky way they want. So Jessica and Joshua wanted to go all out and spray their hair this year. So here are the results:

Front:

And Back:

They had a lot of fun! Now, though, can anyone tell me the trick to getting the spray out? They've both washed their hair already, and they STILL have green in their hair! :P (Hee, Hee! What a hoot!)

Seattle Vacation

2009-09-01T10:34:00.020-04:00

This year our family vacation took us back to Steve's home of Seattle, Washington. Too many years had passed since the last time we were able to spend time with family in Seattle. (One of the really hard things about living across the country from Steve's family.) We were able to take in a lot of sites. (By the way, these photos—and more—can be seen in here)

Newly completed light rail. We caught it about a block away from our hotel and took it into Seattle.



Views from the Space Needle at the Seattle Center



Mount Rainier. Steve thought it was the best weather he's ever seen while on the mountain--made for great views.



Ferry ride from Anacortes to Orcas Island in the San Juans


Once we got to Orcas Island, we drove to the top of Mt Constitution to Moran State Park. Some awesome panoramic views of Puget Sound!

To top everything off, we finished our week in Seattle with a trip to the Oregon Coast. It was great to see all the sights and especially to spend time with Steve's parents, Cherie's family, and Steve's brothers. We intend to make our next visit much sooner. Five years is too long between visits!

Some fun pictures taken this summer

2009-08-30T22:57:00.001-04:00

Jessica's Birthday

2009-08-30T22:40:00.003-04:00

Jessica turned 11 on August 7th and got an ice cream cake complete with horses on it. She has been asking for an ice cream cake for some time, and horses are one of her favorite things. What more could a girl ask for? Love ya Jessica!

One of the things you can see in the photo album are pictures from a game of "photo tag" where Martha chased the kids around the yard attempting to take pictures while they tried to escape getting their picture taken. (Something I usually try to do anyway ;-)

Regional Summer Camp

2009-08-30T22:18:00.003-04:00

This year our scout troop was invited to a regional LDS scout camp that was held at Camp Buck Toms about an hour away from Knoxville, Tennessee. It was a great experience where the boys were able to do all the regular scout activities: hiking, working on merit badges, swimming, eating in the mess hall, flag ceremonies and hang out around camp.

In addition, there were some pretty cool LDS activities that occurred culminating in a fireside which featured Larry M Gibson of the General Young Men's presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brother Gibson gave a great talk on how scouting and the Aaronic priesthood establish a foundation for the young men build a life of service. Not something you would experience at every scout camp.

Pictures of Carolyn!

2009-08-28T16:22:00.004-04:00

We had a friend, Destinee Blau, take pictures of Carolyn a couple of weeks ago. They are SO darling! Check her photography blog out for an overview (Carolyn's pictures were posted August 17):
http://www.destineeblau.com

Or you can go directly to the slideshow:
http://www.destineeblau.com/carolyn.html
(You have to install the viewer, but it was pretty easy for me to do it.)

They are so beautiful! Thanks again, Destinee!

Pinewood Derby

2009-07-20T23:46:00.005-04:00

Most Artistic!

Fastest Car!

Starfire III

2009-07-15T15:26:00.009-04:00

This past spring Jon Wilson, a guy we go to church with, told Joshua he could be in a home movie he was going to make. It ended up that Steve got to be in the movie also, and Jessica a cameo and got to help film (she directed the two-year-old star to go where her father wanted her to go.) After many hours of filming and many, many hours of editing, it is finally posted on YouTube.

Here's the link to "Starfire III", Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnyI2SkPccQ&NR=1

Steve's part in training the bad guy is in Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2GBd-TnYcc&feature=related

Joshua's part as the bad guy's assistant starts in part three:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MaBPCEnhnM&feature=related

And just for good measure, here's part 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qugCWvMI4Bc&feature=related

Hope you all enjoy it!

(PS The first two home movies--based on the same story--are really cute to watch. The first is "Starfire, the Unknown Hero" and the second is "Starfire, the Unknown Shadow". They can be found in the sidebars on the pages at the above links.)

4th of July Campout

2009-07-05T23:02:00.004-04:00

Over July 4th weekend, Benjamin, Jessica, Joshua and I went on a camping trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We first stopped at the Mt. Pisgah campground but by the time we had gotten there we were left with two options: pitch our tent on the pavement in an RV spot or wait until 7pm (it was 6pm so not a huge deal) to see if one of the three handicapped spots would be left unclaimed and therefore available to us. The kids weren't crazy about taking one of the handicapped spots fearing we would get into trouble despite it being offered by the park rangers themselves. I wasn't crazy about pitching a tent on the asphalt.

I had read that it was legal to camp anywhere within the National Forest as long as it was 200' from the road, etc., etc. I'd also heard that Graveyard Fields was a great place for scenic vistas, so we gathered back into the car and drove about 10 miles south of Mt Pisgah and came upon a turnoff to Black Balsam.

It turned out to be the kind of camping that I was accustomed to, i.e. didn't feel like we were camping in an RV park. In fact, at Black Balsam we didn't see a single RV. Instead of designated spots for each tent with a picnic table and running water, we were left largely to our own devices. There were a number of other people who had pitched tents. There was also an outhouse and a couple of garbage bins with anti-bear locks. Fortunately, we had also brought our own water, although in hindsight I wish we had brought more. Still it worked out well.

We found it to be a great location with tons of hiking opportunities and some incredible views. I don't think we would have gotten the same sense of the mountains if we had stayed in a more conventional camping location.

On Saturday, after having breakfast and breaking camp, we set out along the Art Loeb trail which took us along the ridge of Black Balsam and on to Tennent Mountain. A great photo diary of the trek can be seen here. (Click through the slides until you get to Tennent Mountain.)

I've got to say that the kids did a great job hiking. Helping each other along, keeping up a good pace and not complaining too much. Joshua did get a blister on his little toe, so things were a little slow going for him for a while but I was thrilled we were able to top two 6K-ers: Black Balsam and Tennent Mountain. And to spend some quality time with three of the greatest kids a dad could hope for. Makes me anxious for our next trek into the wilderness.

A hike instead of a movie

2009-07-05T22:51:00.003-04:00

Normally, our family enjoys a movie night on Fridays but with the more flexible summer schedule we watched the movie earlier in the week. So instead of lounging around the family room, we headed out to Bent Creek for a little hiking.

It is so nice to have the outdoors so accessible to us. We've really enjoyed a lot of summer activities in the great outdoors: tubing down Davidson River, hiking in Bent Creek, and camping along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Joshua's 9th Birthday

2009-07-05T22:35:00.002-04:00

Joshua received his 9th birthday cake from Sandy Cox, who attends our church ward. She always does a fantastic job on the cakes.

Joshua is truly a bookworm, so the cake theme was perfect.

We gathered together as a family at Grandma Collier's later that day to celebrate Joshua's birthday with the extended family living here in Arden.

New Wolf

2009-07-05T22:30:00.005-04:00

Joshua has been hard at work on completing his Wolf badge in Cub Scouts. I think he has a love and hate relationship with Cub Scouts. I think he likes the activities but doesn't like the confines of the structure.

Joshua Survives Cub Scout Day Camp

2009-06-21T23:30:00.003-04:00

Joshua went to Cub Scout Day camp this week at Camp Stevens, down by the French Broad River. He enjoyed archery, BB guns, and making home-made paper which they shaped (in cookie cutters!) into shapes to give to their fathers on Father's Day. He also got to play kick ball, make an animal mask, participate in a flag ceremony, and talk about animals. (I imagine they got to talk about animals a lot, since the theme for this year was a Jungle theme!)

He did have a hard time with the running they asked him to do, and some of the boys in his den were just as pushy as he can be, so that was a bit upsetting. But he liked hiking around the camp, and he even came up with the "cheer" for their den. All-in-all it turned out to be a great week.

(In the slide show below you can see a couple of pictures of him, his den, and even his two cousins, Erik and David Hobson.)

Carolyn is 1 Year Old!

2009-06-14T20:01:00.005-04:00

The last week of May is a busy one with birthdays: Grandpa Collier, Aunt Laura and Carolyn Garvin. We started out the week with a get-together at Grandma collier's to celebrate all three birthdays.

The next Sunday, May 31st, we gathered together at our house to celebrate Carolyn's birthday. The past year has really flown. Carolyn has done a lot of growing in the short year she's been with us. She's on the verge of walking and already pulling herself up into standing position where she can stand without support for a few seconds.

In the slide show, my sister, Marian, is sitting on the futon we have in the living room, holding her foot. Right before she came over for the party she hurt her foot. (You can see how swollen it was.) It ended up that she broke her foot, and has to wear a boot for 6 weeks. She can't drive for 3 weeks! I would die if I couldn't drive during the summer!

Time to catch up

2009-06-14T18:32:00.004-04:00

It's been too many months since we've posted to our blog. So much for good intentions and New Year's resolutions. Sorry. Life has a way of getting away from us at times.

This picture is actually from our trip to Old Salem, NC (which is near Winston-Salem) where we went over Memorial Day weekend. It seemed fitting to step back in time a bit during Memorial Day. It also seems appropriate to get back on track with our blog starting out with a peek back at the past. We've come a long way, baby!

The kids had fun:

Kitty!

2009-03-07T09:14:00.002-05:00

Carolyn has always been fascinated by our two cats, Ashton (here) and Allie. Ashton is now beginning to tolerate her.

We've got snow

2009-03-07T08:44:00.006-05:00

We've been living in Asheville for five years now, and we've gotten very little snow. At least compared to the amount of snow in other areas where we've lived, especially Utah. Still the school district has had many snow days. It's gotten to the point where I joke that they cancel school for a snow day when someone says "snow" in the school district offices.

"Did you say snow? We'd better cancel school."

"No, no! I didn't say snow. I was saying it's no..."

"Oh, well, too late. I already cancelled school."

So we all wake up in the morning and discover that there's not a drop of snow on the ground but school has been canceled.

So when it started to snow this past Sunday, I didn't think much of it. But then it kept snowing and snowing until we got about four inches of good snow. I actually ended up shoveling the driveway for the first time since we've moved here.

The kids missed two days of school —Monday and Tuesday, and had a two-hour delay on Wednesday. I'm pretty sure they're starting to cut into their school year beyond the normal snow days allotted at the end of the year.

Just an update - and a good grade on a test!

2009-02-19T09:41:00.005-05:00

Martha here!

This week I took my first test in my Anatomy & Physiology class I'm taking (well, first for this semester. It's a two semester class.) I was totally stressed out about it, but I ended up getting an 88!!!!! I was very very relieved!

Jessica was sick this week and missed school Tuesday and Wednesday. It was interesting trying to juggle school and my job and taking care of her. She ended up spending some time with my sister (Thanks, Marian!) and a little by herself. She is feeling much better now, but she is stressed about getting her make-up work done.

Oh, yes, I did mention a job. I am working as a Peer Tutor in the Math Lab on the AB Tech campus. It pays squat, and I'm only working 8 hours a week, but it will help our stress level, I hope. I really like tutoring, even though I am having to re-learn algebra (don't even try me on Calculus right now!)

Just a note for you baby lovers about Carolyn. She is getting better and better at standing, so I am trying to put her down on her tummy more. Makes sense, right??? The reason is that she doesn't know how to crawl yet, and I really want to give her some more practice with that before she starts walking. Our hardwood floors make crawling difficult, so we'll see how it goes.

I even found a way for her to be happy while I was typing this. She is in front of my chair (almost under the desk) eating Sweet Potato Puffs--and enjoying them immensely! (Sweet Potatoes are her FAVORITE food!)

(Yeah I actually posted something!)

B-man has a B-day!

2009-02-08T21:49:00.004-05:00

Benjamin celebrated his 14th birthday on January 28th, 2009. He is growing up so fast we can hardly keep up with his birthdays anymore.

At 14, he is the same age Joseph Smith was when he had what we in the LDS church refer to as the First Vision. Benjamin is definitely starting to question the world around him and to begin to wonder about his place in it. As we all do at one point or another.

It is exciting to be part of his life.

Yesterday, he went with his youth group to the Columbia, SC temple to do temple work. Last week, he was very reluctant about the trip as he says he has nothing to do for the 2-1/2 hours that it takes to get down there and then another 2-1/2 hours to get back. I encouraged him to take a book with him.

Yesterday morning he was dressed in his Sunday best before I even had breakfast. (They met at the church at 10am.) Apparently, he was no longer feeling reluctant about the trip. I found out when he got back that he had taken my advice and brought Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird with him and was reading it until it simply got too dark to do so. He rode back with the Alcayaga's and had a good time. When it got too dark to read, Tracy Alcayaga kept him busy in conversation. (Benjamin is not normally very talkative.)

Today, I had the opportunity to ordain Benjamin a teacher in the Aaronic priesthood. A very good experience. It's neat to see him move along in his responsibilities in the church.

Touching Spirit Bear

2009-01-31T01:57:00.004-05:00

Benjamin and I have been participating, to some degree, in his school's family book club. This time around, we read Ben Michaelson's book Touching Spirit Bear which is about a troubled teenager, Cole Mathews, who after throttling and permanently impairing a fellow student, Peter Driscal, is sentenced to live in isolation on an Alaskan island. Cole is left to fend for himself on the island and to come to grips with his anger, resentment and learning to forgive himself. It's a tough time to begin with, especially since his greatest enemy is himself. It isn't until he lets go of fighting against society and everyone around him that he begins to grasp at hope. It's a lesson all of us have to learn at one time or another. Fortunately, we don't normally have to go through such trying times as Cole in order to learn to it.

It was a lot of fun to read a book together as a family and to be able to discuss the book. We are all avid readers and will get caught up in a book and let the world go by. A great escape.

At the book club meeting, Benjamin was given a free book for having a birthday this month. It was actually this past Wednesday, January 28th. Martha stayed up late Thursday night reading the book—Book One of The Mistmantle Chronicles, Urchin of the Riding Stars by M.I. McCallister—in one fell swoop. She's a very fast reader but also missed out on some sleep that night. Benjamin and I look forward to reading the book ourselves. It's fun to share books in the family. At this point, a book will often pass through Martha, myself, Benjamin and now Joshua before returning to the library.

A Brand New Year

2009-01-25T22:26:00.005-05:00

Ok, so we're a month into the new year. It's been quite a ride already with the kids back in school. Martha taking her second semester of Anatomy & Physiology at AB-Tech. Now I'm driving back and forth to Greensboro each Saturday for a CPA review class.

I leave at 5:30am Saturday morning. (And I am really not a morning person.) I've been getting to the class at least a few minutes late each week. The first week I was more than an hour late because we set the alarm for 5:00PM instead of 5:00AM. Last week wasn't bad. Yesterday, I got up even before the alarm went off but couldn't get myself to get out of bed (bad!) so I ended up being half an hour late. It all works out because it takes a while for the class to get under way.

Yesterday was the last class on auditing. Now just to bone up on the material and take the test. Assuming I get the Notice to Schedule which is necessary for me to schedule the exam at Prometric. It seems like they're being really slow. Keeping my fingers crossed I'll get something this week.

The kids had an extra long break from school this week. It all started with a teacher work day last Friday. Then they, and Martha, had Monday off for Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday. Then it started snowing Monday night and it has been really cold--about 7°F as a high over the weekend and the first part of the week. So they ended up getting Tuesday and Wednesday off. Benjamin was actually a little disappointed and frustrated as he knew that what they lost due to the weather would reduce the amount of time they'd get off at the end of the year. Joshua also expressed that he really liked school and would rather not miss a day. (I would have been OK if I had a day or two off from work due to the snow. ;-)

All the kids were able to go sledding at Grandma and Grandpa Colliers. Interestingly, Carolyn had her inaugural sledding run on Inauguration Day.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

2008-12-25T12:47:00.007-05:00

Martha and I are beginning to get caught up in the Web 2.0 world. We recently joined Facebook, where it's been fun to see so many friends and family and see what they're up to.

This year, I think we've gotten more electronic Christmas cards than ones we've gotten through the snail mail. They are all fun to see and to begin to get caught up with what is happening with everyone during the past year. Technology is certainly making it easier to play the fly on the wall and see what everyone is up to.

The highlights of this year have been:

The birth of Carolyn Joy Garvin on May 31, 2008. The details are in the photo, but Carolyn was a joy for a number of reasons. First, she was a welcome addition to our family. Just ask her "big sissy," Jessica, who has been wanting a sister for years.

Second, it meant Martha was able to get off bed rest which she had been on for 8 weeks. Martha was going stir crazy despite the support and love she had been getting from her family and church. (Again, a thousand thanks!)

Finally, Carolyn was the closest we have come to a full-term baby. While 5lb 13oz may still be on the smallish side, she was twice the birth-weight of her oldest brother, Benjamin--and more than a pound bigger than Jessica or Joshua.

Partly due to the fact that Carolyn has acid reflux and has been getting cereal in her formula since she was about four weeks, she has been getting bigger and bigger. She now weighs ~19lbs and is in the 60th percentile (in weight AND height). This is big news for her traditionally little family.

Joshua turned 8 this year and was baptized the same weekend Carolyn was blessed. We had held off on the blessing so that Grandma and Grandpa Garvin could be here for both. They are still living in the Seattle area with the rest of Steve's family.

Joshua and Jessica are both in 3rd grade. They are in different classes and have different challenges to surmount. Joshua is actually being a big support to Jessica, who is now beginning to take off in her reading ability.

Benjamin is in 7th grade and entered the realms of teenager-dom. As always, he's been a hard worker and a big help to his family. The biggest difference we've seen in Benjamin since becoming a teenager is his appetite. It's not uncommon to hear from people at activities indicate they were amazed to see how much he can pack into his small frame. He is slowly inching up to the same height as his parents. And there is some indication that he may surpass them in height. (Not a big accomplishment considering how "tall" his parents are.)

Martha just finished her first semester at AB Tech completing the prerequisites she needs in order to enter a master's program in occupational therapy. She took an Anatomy & Physiology class--which is infamous for being an incredibly challenging course--and a general Psychology class. She was able to do pretty well in both classes, especially considering how much she has on her plate at home with four kids.

Steve is working as an accountant, which he has been doing for several years now. This year, though, he left Nypro and started working for Thermo Fisher Scientific, which is a bigger company. He misses the smaller environment but is happy to be gaining some new experiences and furthering his career.

On a closing note, we have made it a family tradition since moving to Asheville, NC to visit the Gingerbread Competition at the Grove Park Inn each year. This year, the children decided they wanted to create a family entry. (Jessica has been entering each year as part of her church group.) We didn't actually finish the creation until tonight. They each had made a gingerbread house at Grandma Colliers, but the castle was their own invention.

More Christmas photos can be seen on Google's Picasa.