February 2012 - Picture of the Month

The hearts of the Children shall turn to their Fathers 

 Standing L-R: A Condie Daughter, John Condie, Mary Jane Condie Winkel 

Seated L-R: Gibson Condie, a Condie Daughter

February 2012 - Executive Office of Ken Woodward

Dear Family,

What an exciting month ahead.  As this is leap year and February has one day more  than otherwise, I can hardly contain myself.  It will give each of you one more day not to write about in our next month Newswire, and one more day for me to be insulted by some of you on Facebook.

The most noteworthy event during January in Sacramento was an announcement that the church’s  Sacramento regional welfare cannery will be closed permanently  in June in favor of a more efficient facility elsewhere.  The new location has not been made known to this emeritus leader, but my fervent prayers are that it will be in Colorado Springs.

Shortly after that facility was completed, then California  Governor Ronald Reagan accepted an invitation to tour the plant.   Here is a copy of a picture printed on the front page of the November 10, 1973 issue of the Church News. I’m the one with the dark rimmed glasses giving them the 12 tribes, the governor is to my right and Lt. Governor John Harmer’s back is toward the camera.

As John Harmer was a personal friend of mine, he introduced the governor to me, saying,   “Governor, this is Ken Woodward,  Ken is one of your boys.”  As Reagan  shook my hand he said, “Ken, it’s sure good to see you AGAIN.”  I still trying to  remember when he ever met me before.  Maybe I’ll remember the same time Carol remembers where she put my key to the house.

We’ve had a little rain so far this winter, and I mean “little,” and if conditions don’t soon improve we will be known as the Sacramento dust bowl.  And talking about bowls, how about Tom Brady and his Patriots in the Super Bowl.  I suppose that was Aaron’s team. The only bad thing that didn’t happen to the Patriots was Brady didn’t get thrown for a 15-yard loss as he came out of the tunnel.

Love,  Dad

February 2012 - Ekins, Justin & Emily

January was an exciting month. Justin traveled with his classmates to San Francisco to meet with tech company executives and learn more about the tech businesses. Then he went to Chennai, India for a school project to help a hotel in the city offer a new service.

 I continue working my three jobs: polling director at Reason, finishing my dissertation in poli sci at UCLA, and doing research at the Cato Institute. Hopefully my co-authored paper with Mark Calabria on credit rating agencies and their regulatory environment will be published this month. If you're interested in some of the national polls I've conducted at Reason, visit reason.com/poll. I'm also starting to cover the presidential election for them with blog posts every few days at reason.com. Justin, Rocco, and I are loving Boston. Living on campus is very fun and social, and the students and their families here are great.

Justin & Emily Ekins

Justin and I went to Plymouth Rock and visited Plimouth Plantation. This is a recreated village of those who traveled on the Mayflower and settled in Plymouth.

Justin is his section's toastmaster, and thus officially gives toasts at class events. This picture is of his holiday toast and with a glass full of ice water.

We obtained a pet Santa outfit at a white elephant Christmas party. He loved the outfit, seriously! and purred the whole time he wore it.

February 2012 - Haupt, Levi & Torrie & Girls

January was crazy! I thought that we skipped the horrible weather curse that seems to follow us since this was our 2nd winter here, however, for a week straight we had snow, snow, and more snow!  The girls enjoyed it, complete with backyard snow angels, but by the time we were done we were ready for our regular schedule of school to come back ( I didn’t realize how much we all enjoy school, until it was taken away.) I thought we would never see our grass again. 

Levi had a business trip to Utah, thankfully before the snow. Things went well except for my being too tired to handle my kids all by myself, the girls were good, but I was exhausted. He’s enjoying being involved with scouts and is in the midst of planning this year’s Blue and Gold

. 

Emma is enjoying school and church, she learned 12 out of 13 Articles of Faith last year, we’re finishing number 13, very proud of how hard she worked.  Especially since she can’t read and has still memorized them.

Charlotte is officially a “sunbeep”, which she sings all the time. Every Sunday she wants to go to the podium and sing like the other kids do, we have a long wait until Mother’s Day

Our ward building which was burnt down in October of 2010 is officially reopened for “business”, its great to have a new building and we’re so happy to have a closer building and to have church with Sacrament Meeting  first again.

I had to take the dreaded glucose test, ugh, however I was blessed with good numbers and I didn’t have to take the extended version which has been my friend in the two previous pregnancies. This third daughter likes to party all night long, kicking so hard that I can’t sleep, so grateful she’s doing well, but she’s better get that all out now, because when she gets here, I’ll make sure she has her days and nights correct!  

That’s us for now, see y’all in March!

Love,

Emma, Charlotte, Levi, Torrie & Baby

This  Picture doesn't do it justice, we ended up with about a foot over the course of a few days, which is a lot for the Pacific Northwest!

The first night, snow was a novelty and we weren't sure how long it would last.

February 2012 - McClintock, Robert & Susan

This past January was another quiet month for The McClintock.

Word was sent out that our local Church Cannery is to be closed.  It is an institution in Sacramento. Many Christian denominations have used the cannery as well at the wards and stake and have been grateful for it.  Grandpa Woodward conducted then Governor Ronald Reagan through this Church cannery in the 1970s when he was Stake President. Maybe he will comment on it in a submission.

A cousin, Louise Porter Stanton, has found and shared with me some Condie family history.  Among her findings are these two pictures. It is our hope that we will work together to make the histories and journals of our ancestors available digitally so that you all may profit from reading them. The lives of our righteous ancestors inspire us to do the best we can, just as they tried to do.

In one picture is Minnie Johnson and Joseph Condie.  Grandma Woodward was named after Minnie. Grandma's grandfather, Joseph Condie, was called in to bless Grandma Woodward when she was just a baby sick with pneumonia.  The other picture is of Gibson Condie.  Yes, THE Gibson Condie who helped rescue the Martin Handcart Company.  Also in the picture is one of his sons, John (a younger brother of Joseph Condie), a daughter, Mary Jane Condie Wickel, and two other unnamed daughters.  Enjoy!

Have a lovely February.

The McClintock

Joseph and Minnie Condie

February 2012 - Mercier Kelly & Family

We are doing well.  I just celebrated my 37th birthday (Happy Birthday to Mindy, too!) and had a very nice, relaxing family meal.  It was wonderful and nice to have as a change.  There is nothing new on the divorce front.  I am still awaiting the decision on the jurisdiction between the states.  I will be very happy when that is in my rearview mirror.  I am starting a 6 week long-term substitute position for a lady going on maternity leave.  It is for a kindergarten class and I hope it goes well.  Hopefully it will look good on a resume so I can get a JOB!!  Besides subbing I started working at IKEA in December.  It is pretty amazing that I can work part-time and get full benefits.  It is really a great company.  So, that is what I am up to...work, work, work.

Jilina is doing well. She is very active with softball and I love being able to assistant coach on her team.  She is taking pitching lessons and doing really well.  She also loves playing third and catching.  She wants to get active in volleyball also.  She loves it and with her height it is a no brainer.  I am 5'4" and she is only 1/2 inch shorter than me, at 10!  Thankfully she takes after her dad in that regard.  She is also active with her school orchestra playing the violin and is very artistic. 

Well, that is what we are up to.  We hope everyone is doing well and taking care!

Love,

Kelly & Jilina Mercier

February 2012 - Woodward, Kevin & Tammy & Family

During the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, we had the privilege of enjoying Arianna, the Haupts and the Besseys here at home.  After the holidays, everyone except for Alexis, Maija and Averie headed back to their respective domiciles, for work and school.  These three girls stayed just a bit longer.  The weather was pretty nice during the time they were here.  Consequently, we decided to take a drive to the top of Pikes Peak.  As you can see from the picture of Alexis standing next to the summit sign, she is pretty bundled up.  The temperature, with the wind chill, was a mere 16 below zero.  As a result, we elected not to picnic on the mountain top that day.  In the picture looking out into the plains, one inch on the horizon equals 40 miles.  It was from this spot where in the summer of 1893 Katherine Lee Bates wrote the words to the song “America the Beautiful”.

Recently we received a fair amount of snow fall.  I went to our ward building, situated in the Black Forest about 6 miles to the east of us, to help with our weekly Saturday morning cleaning.  This was the view out one of the windows. 

We love you and wish you the very best for this coming month.

Love,

The Woodwards

Black Forest ward snow-in

Bundled up atop Pikes Peak 

"America the Beautiful"

The Woodwards