My Family

Me and My Mom at My Graduation

John, Dad, Mom, and Ben at restaurant in California.

Foreground:  John, Alissa, Mom, Background:  Shauna, Ben, Andrew, Dad.

At our favorite staycation place... Boondocks.

Family Tree

Personal History

Personal History: 

I am really not that good at talking about myself so I have compiled some things that I have written and what other people have written about me.  I’ve also snagged a couple things from my blog which acts as a journal for me.  Here is just a broad background about me.  I love to read and write.  I also love to draw, especially cartoons.  I feel most at ease when in solitude or chilling with my family.  My strongest emotion is probably satisfaction if you can count that as an emotion.  Yes its really passive I know.  But I like to be satisfied.  I am most satisfied when surrounded by those I love.  It is really nice to know that there are people who love you no matter how crazy or stupid you are.  My family has got my back.  That makes me satisfied.  I don’t know what else to say.  Um  I grew up watching Arthur and Barney and The Magic School Bus.  When I was younger I always carried around my baby blanket Nunu.  Oh and I used to suck my thumb.  I got my first pair of glasses in Kindergarten and I remember a kid named Brian O. Who chased me into the coat rack calling me four eyes.  I had a elementary teacher once say about me that she could have rolled bowling balls down the isles of desks and I still wouldn’t have heard her or paid attention in class.  I was always reading.  Always.  Elementary school seems like it was a totally different life from where I am now.  It seems like it never really happened.    

Here is one of my favorite poems that I’ve written.  

The Pipeline

It stretched as far as I could see.

Piece 

By piece 

Disappearing at the edge of the barren wasteland 

bordered by blue-gray mountains

that promised release from the dry sun 

There it lay

Like a giant gray snake

The giant gray snake of the Californian wilderness

I walked along the snake’s back 

One step 

Then another 

Each gently positioned against the hot metal

My arms outstretched 

In an attempt to stay perfectly in the center of the long cylinder

There I trod 

Like a silent wanderer

The silent wanderer of the Californian flats

This pipe

Hot on my hands 

As I climbed back upon it’s slippery back

This life

Hot on my heart

Waiting for me to balance again 

There I learned

Like a fledgling bird

The fledgling that learned to fly in the Californian desert 

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Here are some of my blog posts.  

This is a letter I wrote to my Dad

Oh I just wanted to share something with you concerning Family History and my testimony.  Remember when I got my Patriarchial blessing and how it mentioned that I would have concern for those on the other side of the veil and be able to make a great contribution in the temple and for family history.  I honestly feel so satisfied and peaceful when I am working on this class.  In my gut I know this is what I am supposed to do.  It is such a wonderful feeling.  My life is so up in the air and crazy and there are so many decisions that I have to be making daily, and it is so nice that there is something so simple that makes me feel like I am moving the work of the Lord forward.  My testimony in my patriarchal blessing has gotten even stronger than before.   Anyway.  Love you tons and it will be fun to show you what I learn.

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Ten things to do on a Friday Night besides going on a date...

1.  Dance around in your room singing One Republic songs to your hearts content.

2.  Eat an entire pizza... BY YOURSELF... or with your best friend.

3.  Write a letter a sibling.

4.  Blog.

5.  Sing girls camp/boys camp songs till you get annoyed.

6.  Find free music online and learn a new song.

7.  Push your couches together and pretend like you are on an adventure going down the amazon, and then a crocodile jumps out of the water and tries to eat you, so you fight it off, only to discover you have floated into a area with deadly paranas and river monsters, after hitting several fish over the head with your paddle you find yourself on a quiet stretch... almost too quiet....  SUDDENLY a native tribe emerges from the forest around you and threatens you with spears, usually they are not that scary a people but they just happened to mistake you for the last strange person who had traveled through their village who had stolen their tribal treasure ... a radio...  after they got a better look at you and realized you were not the same person, you described to them the wonderful object that is an ipod, and being the kind hearted person you are, you give them yours with your mini speakers and makeshift battery that keeps your ipod going in the middle of nowhere without a charger, the tribes people are so grateful that they show you an ancient temple that just happens to hold an ancient alien space ship (Indiana Jones anyone)  and because you are so technologically advanced (and secretly an alien) you pilot the ship back to your little apartment in the middle of normalville.  The End. 

8.  Buy a new ipod... and mini speakers. 

9.  Paint a picture.

10. Make friends with a boy so next Friday you can go on a date.

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The Future

I am going to take a moment today to ponder the future.  Here is my thought process. 

Right now is the future compared to what I just typed.  Is it really worth thinking about the distant future if I am not going to be in it.  But then what about my children and their children, I want their life to be just as amazing and free and challenging as mine has been. 

It will be interesting to see what will be new in the world by the time I'm 80 though for some reason I feel like I'm not going to live that long.   Hmmmm.  Thats kind of gloomy.  Nope I'm going to live to be 100 and then I'm going to pull the plug on myself because there is no point in living if you can't LIVE.  Just kidding.  I'd probably spend that time torturing my grandkids with purposfully boring stories about a goldfish just to see their reactions.  He he he he beware future generations.  I shall bore you to tears and then make you cry even more when the goldfish dies.  Mwa ha ha ha ha! 

Now onto a more serious note....

Eternal Truths- things that I believe will never change no matter what happens in the future....

Confusion-  Its okay.  Everyone will be confused at one point or another.  Its incurable.  Ha ha good luck. 

Poor comunication between Men and Woman- no comment :)

Chocolate- it can only get better.  ;) 

Hope-  Always. Even if there is nothing left this will still be there.

Faith-  God exsists.  Its true.  Even when it doesn't seem like it he will be there watching out for you cause he loves you.  Trials are but a small moment that if endured bring you closer to him.  He wants you to come home so why would he impede your growth. 

Love- human beings are capable of great love.  This doesn't necissarily have to be romantic love we're talking about either.  Love of a friend or sibling or pet is just as real and maybe even more important. 

 subnote for this one--- Heartbreak-  Sad but true.  If there is the capacity for love then there is always a capacity for heartbreak.  Possibly the worst part is if someone does something really wrong and it ends up hurting them.  I hate watching people hurt themselves.  

Charity-  No matter how corrupted the world may become I believe that there will still be people in the world that understand this quality and will use it.  The greatest joy in life will come from helping others, but good deeds shouldn't be done to make you feel good (it can start that way though).  They should be built as a habit and should just happen.  See a need fill the need.  Make it a reaction. 

Parenthood/Family-  Even if the Family as an organization gets broken up or changed people will still cling to those they have a connection with.   (I never thought, growing up, that I would miss my family this much.  They truly do things for you emotionally that no other person can fill.  I can talk to my Mom for an hour about absolutely nothing while she is cooking and I am doing homework and afterwards I feel like I had a huge breath of fresh air.  Family is essential to well being.) 

Thinking about the future- again no comment ha ha ha ha

I don't know.  Brain cramp.  Add to my list all the general things and emotions that will obviously be around as long as there are people in the world. 

You know what!  Even if mankind went extinct because of Aliens taking over the world I think that the Aliens would look back at what we have done and at least one would be impressed and implement some of our amazing qualities. 

Movies and media always focus on how bad human kind is, how we've ruined our planet, started wars, hated each other, how we are impulsive and selfish.  But you know what?!  We are pretty dang awesome.  Look at how many wars we've stopped, gardens we've created, love and relationships we've built that last for eons, and look at how kind and selfless we can be to each other.  Look at what we have accomplished in the last couple of thousand years.  We have built boats, cars, ipods, printed millions and millions of books, written a gagillion poems, loved and celebrated love, laughed, worked, created homes, helped save species, seen the bottom of the ocean, flew and etc. etc. 

We are amazing and the best part is we learn from our mistakes and move forward in the best way we can.  We are not perfect but our goal is to draw near unto it.  I wish someone would make a movie about the world growing better not worse in the future.  There will always be the bad but hopefully the good won't let it take reign of our future.  We WILL solve the problems we create, and new problems will always arise, but we will solve them too and we will grow and learn in the process.  That is the whole point of living, it is to learn and grow. 

I'm tired now so I am going to go to bed.  Goodnight world.  Be a little bit better when I wake up.  I look forward to greeting a better day. 

p.s. Once upon a time there was a goldfish named Moscow.  He was small and had a black stripe on his forhead.  For hours on end he would swim around his trippy fish bowl.  Swim swim swim *ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION SPENCER JR.* Swim swim swim and around his fish bowl he went........

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My Parents wrote this for a Young Woman’s Camp thing.  

Katelyn is like a Butterfly because:

She flies to great heights.

Her room is like a cocoon, then she comes out in all her beauty!

While in cocoon, she likes to read!

She is beautiful.

She flies wherever she wants to go; she doesn’t blow in the wind.

She is creative with lots of fun colors.

Butterflies come from caterpillars, 

and caterpillars eat everything, like Katelyn.

She bugs me.

She’s a true insect because she likes to bug her brothers.

She is sweet and tender with Christ-like love.

She doesn’t move when she sleeps.

She is unique as each butterfly is unique.

She likes flowers and herbs.

She flits all over, busy bringing smiles to all. 

When she comes in a room, we are always excited to see her.

She has beautiful colors with which she paints beautiful paintings with.

She’s flighty like a blond butterfly.

It’s a rare occasion that I can see her.

She is morphing into a beautiful woman.

John and Ben stick pins and needles in her to annoy her.

She adds life to a landscape scene.

She is a smart butterfly and avoids bright lights.

She’ll be a great catch someday for somebody.  

He better be fast with a net.

Hey, Gorgious!  

   WE LOVE YOU!    Your fam

July 6, 2009

Dear Katelyn,

What a wild and crazy school year we all have had.  You have learned so much, academically and personally ad spiritually.  We admire your determination to follow the Savior and seek after good things.   Seeking the Lord and good things is a life skill that will bless you ALL your days.  (But you already knew that!  Way to go!)  

We want you to know that we love you and we are grateful to be your parents, even 

though we all drive each other crazy at times!!!!  You are a sharp girl that thinks and 

plans and looks ahead.  This is another great quality you have.  We pray that you 

will always continue to be honest with yourself.  You are very good at talking sense, 

even when you are right and I am wrong!  This is a gift that you brought with you 

to earth.  

We appreciate you creative abilities and talents.  You are developing them to 

serve others, which is the whole point, isn’t it!  You are awesome!  

We shall never forget the very special time we shared with you receiving 

your patriarchal blessing.   Remember the Spirit and the wonderful embraces we 

shared out by the car.  That was such a special time.  You grew 10 feet that day.  

Thanks for being a child that gave us that experience.

One more year at Olympus and you will burst forth from your cocoon and soar!  

We can’t believe how fast time is flying and how grown up you are already.  Thank you 

for all your help at our home.  It is a family home.  It is a good family home.  It is a HOME.  Please forgive us for being your parents and human.  We know we drive you bonkers, but we do love you dearly.  You are our Katelyn Rose!  

Have a great time and continue to remember who you are. . . a light to so many young ladies up there in those beautiful mountains.  The Lord loves you and appreciates your goodness too!

See you at the end of the week,

LOVE ,    

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox Mom and Dad