There is something fishy going on around here!

Tim has been a source of much entertainment around here over the past few days. First of all, I have to mention that he has finally learned how to actually CATCH fish. He has yet to catch a really big one, but at least he is not ashamed to allow me to post a picture of what he has caught. Not too bad, and they are really tasty too! Thankfully, the men in this household really know how to cook fish, or no one would eat them. And that would be a tragedy, because Tim would rather go fishing than almost anything else in the world.

In fact, it is Tim's love of fishing that got him into a little. . . um. . . confusion. . . a couple of days ago. He was on his way to the lake when he saw a friend from church walking home from school. Being the sweet boy that he is, he pulled over to offer her a ride home. According to Tim, she took a quick look at him and kept on walking. She seemed rather upset, so he drove alongside her and again offered to take her home. She picked up her pace and appeared to become even more upset. She wouldn't even look at him. A bit confused, he decided his best option was to be on his way as she obviously wanted to be alone.

Speed forward a day. Nichole is concerned because the same girl did not show up at seminary. According to Tim, she was upset the day before, and it isn't like her to miss seminary. Later on, while making calls to remind all the girls in Young Women about the Saturday activity, Nichole happened to mention her concern to another friend. That conversation went like this. . .

Nichole: So, was she at school today? She wasn't in seminary, and I was a little worried. Tim said she seemed pretty upset when he offered to give her a ride yesterday.

Friend on the phone: That was Tim? Funny story about that. . .

Unfortunately, the conversation was cut short when that friend had to get off the phone. Curious now, Nichole just called the girl and asked if everything was ok.

Nichole: So, we missed you today in seminary. Is everything ok? Tim said you seemed upset when he tried to give you a ride home yesterday.

Girl: That was Tim???!!!??? You're lying! No way!!! Oh no!!!

Apparently, she hadn't recognized Tim. To her, he appeared to be some strange guy trying to pick up an innocent girl. She felt her best option was to keep walking and just ignore him. When he continued to follow alongside her, she became quite upset. Fear set in, and she really didn't know what to do when he finally decided to leave her alone. A lady who just happened to see the whole thing asked her if that boy was bothering her. He mother happened to come along about then and the girl told her mother the whole story. Mom also grew very concerned as there have been several instances of a strange man trying to pick up young girls in Vancouver over the past couple of days. She decided to call Dad who was out of town. He advised they call the police, which they did!

Fortunately for Tim, she really didn't remember any details about his truck so they didn't have much to go on. Naturally, she was mortified to learn that she had been terrorized by a nice young man she had gone to church with for the past 4 years!

We have been laughing about this for days! Oh the teasings. Oh the jokes. If laughter is the best medicine, I may live a long time indeed!

Time for a little 'news'

There are few new things going on and around our household.

First of all, the time has sadly come for us to look for a new place to live. As our children grow older and the economy grows tighter, we must condense our lives into a smaller place that will accomodate our little budget. Although this seems rather dismal, none of us are terribly distressed about it. In some ways, we are actually looking forward to this change. We are a rather tight knit family, and being in a small space only means we spend more time doing things together. Board games, movies, hours long gab sessions at the dinner table. This is what we are made of, and we will continue to enjoy each other in the same fashion. Change is always exciting. But it is also bitter-sweet. We have made some truly amazing friends in Battle Ground and we hate to have to say good-bye. Happily, we won't be going far, so we don't actually have to say good-bye.

I have a new blog. It is nothing amazing or anything, but I am rather excited about it. This is not a newsy type blog, just a place for my random ramblings. I called it Rubber Rhubarb, but anyone could find it by looking for my real name--robinlhunt. I haven't put much on there yet, but I have had great fun entering the few posts that are there!

We added a little fuzzy to our family. We just found her yesterday. She is 7 weeks old, and not only fits into one of Rob's man-sized hands, but one of my little hands as well. She is so cute! It is probably not the wisest idea to be adding fuzzies to our lives when so much is about to change, but who can't use more warm fuzzies in their lives?

There are probably a few more news items I am forgetting to mention, but maybe they will come to me after a nice little nap. . . .

Fishers of Fish

Ever since he was a little boy, Tim has been the family fishing expert. Perhaps expert is a bit strong, but since none of the rest of us really know how to fish, Tim's our guy! Seriously, that boy would be so happy to spend all day at the local fishing holes whether he caught anything or not. I remember one of his birthdays in particular. I promised to take him fishing--all day long. That was what he wanted, and it was a gift I could actually afford. We hit the city parks in Rapid City (which is where he wanted to go). The whole day was spent roaming up and down Rapid Creek and all around Canyon Lake Park. I did a little fishing, a lot of reading, and took several naps in the sun (during which the sun turned me a lovely shade of lobster!) I don't believe either of us caught a thing. But I shall never forget spending the whole day together--just the two of us. Now, my boy is growing up. He works much of the time (in preparation for his upcoming mission), and when he is home, we are generally knee deep in school work. Poor Tim, what a boring lot we have been on his off hours! Happily, he didn't sit around twirling his thumbs for long. He went right out and got his fishing licence and has been the happy fisherman ever since. Does he catch anything? Well, he didn't right at first, but he is not one to give up easily. Finally, last Friday, Tim's perserverance paid off, and he brought home a beautiful little rainbow trout from Clineline Pond in Vancouver. I had Nichole take a picture of him with his prize--unfortunately, my camera is outta charge (and just where DID I put that charger???) so she had to use his camera. Now, this little fishy wasn't exactly a monster (I think it was a whopping 8 inches long) but it was the first one of the year. Don't worry, I will finagle that picture out of him somehow. AND, low and behold. . . . yesterday, Tim brought home 3 more little beauties! So, his skills are building. One of these days, I will be taking picutres Tim will be proud to have posted on our blog!

Happy New Year!

Before ushering in a new year, it is fun to take a look at the old one. . .

• Rob got a new job and a new calling at Church.
• Jessica moved back to Provo, put over 1,000 miles on her bike, and is looking for a car.
• Tim graduated from High School and got his Eagle Scout award and got a job! He is also driving.
• Nichole became a big Senior and is the Seminary Class President. She had earned her YW Recognition in December of 2007, but received her medallion in 2008. She has been driving for over a year. . . oddly enough. Time to get that license, honey!
• Marissa is a Junior and is made it to exactly 5 feet tall! Whew!
• Rachelle was the Mia Maid president until she turned 16 and worked hard to earn enough money to purchase two cute little ferrets.
• Jamie turned 12, entered the YW organization, is actually growing taller, and is doing great in school.
• Me? Well, I am just doing what I always do. Whatever I have to. . . Um, I am teaching Seminary.
• Rob and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We went to the temple, then came home to find that Tim, Nichole, Marissa, Rachelle, and Jamie had planned a surprise party for us at Lewisville park. They fixed our favorite foods, including a meal Rob had made for me when we were first dating. It was one of the best surprises ever!
• Cynthia moved back to South Dakota to live with her mother. We miss her terribly, but we know it is best to be with mom.
• Speaking of Mom--I got to see mine this summer when she came out with Selena and Jazmin to pick up Cynthia. It has been a big year for Dad, too--but I will leave that for his blog!
• One of the highlights of this year for me was when my entire family went to the Portland temple together. What an amazing bonding experience!
• Last, but definitely not least, Alan Rutan (a younger sibling of Jessica, Tim, Nichole, and Rachelle--and cousin of Marissa and Jamie) came for a visit. It had been 10 years since the kids had been able to see him, and the visit was very nice. He is such a nice young man and we enjoyed his visit immensely.

So, as you all know, I have been learning to use modern technology. Unfortunately, there have been some bumps and bruises along the way. I had nearly 200 pictures on my computer, when it basically crashed and I had to reset it to factory settings. Gone are my pictures of Tim's graduation, Eagle Court of Honor (except for 4 left on my camera), our family temple trip, and miscellaneous summer pictures. I have learned my lesson and invested in a flash drive for my pictures. I am also posting many of them on my blog!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

So, what's new with the Hunts? Good question! Let's see. . .

Rob has been working hard to help get the new church building up and running. He gave me a tour of it last Saturday evening, and it is a beautiful building. He is very proud of the work he does and was glad to have a chance to show me some of it. He is becoming a regular fix-everything guy. I am amazed at what he can do. Although there are occasionally some disappointing days on the job, for the most part, he loves his job. Of course, he works for the Lord so he has the best boss anyone could ask for. But his mortal boss and co-workers are pretty great too. He just got a new church calling. After serving as an assistant in the High Priest's Group for about a month, he was asked to serve on the Stake High Council. He will probably be pretty busy, but in a way that will be very good for him and our entire family.

I am still teaching Seminary. Like everyone else, I have my good days and my bad days, but I always love my calling. I am learning so much about the Savior this year. And my testimony has really been growing. I am so thankful to have this calling. Other than that, I try to keep up with the kids and their schooling efforts, the housework, and whatever else I can manage to squeeze into a busy day.

Jessica is coming home for the holidays, and we are so excited! She has been frantically trying to get all her work shifts covered and today finally made it official. We get her for a whole week. And this year, she is bringing Alan with her. The kids have not seen Alan for about 10 years and are very excited to meet him and get to know him a little better.

Tim has been working what seems like around the clock at Mallard Landing. He just sent in the paperwork to become an official RA (resident assistant). He has been taking classes, helping with parties, moving residents in and out, filling in for those who can't or won't come in, and working his own scheduled shifts. From what I hear, everyone loves him at Mallard Landing. The residents are charmed by him, his co-workers enjoy working with him, and the management appreciates him. Best of all, he is earning his mission money! He is also getting Rob to take him out driving as often as possible. Time is winding down before that mission, and he wants to have everything under his belt before he leaves. Even the driving. Of course, he has mentioned several times that driving is currently his favorite activity. He is always asking to drive us somewhere, move the car, or just get out there for some experience.

Nichole has decided to just get the schooling stuff done and out of the way! She is eager to graduate and get on with the rest of her life. First, she plans to become certified in cosmetology. She has quite a knack with hair and the like. I will get a picture of her latest work on here in the next couple of days. She cut and colored Rachelle's hair, and it turned out really amazing! If she can do that without schooling, imagine what she will be doing with the training. MAKING MONEY while doing something she enjoys. Like Tim, she plans to serve a mission, so she wants to be earning money as soon as possible without incurring a lot of debt. She does plan to go to college, but first things first. She loves doing hair. I say, do what you LOVE to do. Then getting up to go to work won't be a challenge. Nichole is also getting behind the wheel to drive. Probably not as often as she would like, since Dad has been so busy. But, we will get him on the ball.

Hmmm, what is Marissa up to? Well, plenty of school. She is a Junior, and only has a year and a half to "get 'er done". She is also working DILIGENTLY (that is a hint, dear!) on her Personal Progress. She is currently working on memorizing The Living Christ for one of her value projects. That is quite an undertaking--especially when she is also working pretty hard on her Scripture Mastery. Lots of memorization. I am glad it is her and not me! Oh! And she said her big news is that she just got an 8 gig MP3 player. Thanks everyone for the birthday money and babysitting jobs!

Rachelle has just increased her responsibility by getting a pet ferret. I might just have to get her to put her story on here. Let me just say, he is a cute little fuzz ball. And he came with a sister! Twice the fun I guess. Although both fuzzies came with names, new names were in order. I can't even remember the old names, much less pronounce them. Rachelle named her boy Jazz. I am not sure whether the name came from some movie, or the Utah basketball team, or if she actually likes the music. Regardless of where the name came from, she really loves her pet already. It is quite fun to watch her play with him. And she is really very responsible with him as well. She saved the money to purchase him. She is saving money for his veterinary costs. She keeps him clean. She keeps him loved. And his sister? Well, she is really a family pet, but supposedly mine. I named her Peek-a-boo. I got that name from one of my favorite comic strips, Rose is Rose. Cute name, huh? Unfortunately, I can't get up to play with her as much as I should, so the other kids step up and take care of that.

Jamie is really flying through her school work. She is doing a fabulous job, and I am so proud of her. She has also hit a growing spurt, and I now need to trade out her size 8 slim jeans for 10's. When did that happen? She is still doing ballet, and loves it. Now, if I could just get her to practice a little here at home. . . She is very excited for Christmas to get here. In fact, she is the one primarily responsible for decorating our little tree.

Now, I just need to learn to update this blog a little more frequently. I am sure I forget most of our news about 5 minutes after it happens. Isn't that about the span of a gold fish's memory? .

Birthdays, Holidays, and Family

We have been quite a busy little family this past month. It seems whenever we have a birthday, we simply MUST have another one, and then another. And what is a birthday month without some sort of holiday? And if you are Rachelle, why not just combine the two for one really special day?

A week after Rachelle's birthday, I get to remember just how long ago I was born. Sometimes it would be nice to forget how many birthdays I have had and just celebrate it generically! But everyone remembers my age for me, so that is one of the very few things I get to remember.

We are now gearing up for Thanksgiving. Hopefully, we will be able to go to Grandma Hawkins' house. Family time at her house is always warm and lively.

And then it will be time to celebrate Marissa's 17th birthday! It is hard to believe that she is growing up so fast. And what an amazing young woman she is becoming. She has such a great heart and is always wanting to jump in to help.

November is such a busy month, but one filled with fun and family. Already, we can find radio stations playing Christmas music. It is just such a great time of year.

I am now going to be very random. Beware: the following might just hurt your funny bone! I just have to love these kids. . . they are so much fun!

Finally, some pictures!

Yes, I am finally making progress in the world of technology!!! First I had to figure out how to download pictures from my camera, then how to transfer those pictures to our little blog.

Halloween this year was a fun experience. First of all, it was Rachelle's birthday. That, in and of itself, made the day special. As the kids get older, Rachelle's birthday begins to outshine the Haloween festivities. But this birthday truly was special. She turned sweet sixteen. And she truly is so sweet. I have it on good authority that she might be one of the little elves responsible for Rob's lunch each day. That says much, since she generally gets up around 4:30 am to get ready for Seminary. And talk about snuggles. Rachelle is the best snuggler! Sweet definitely is one word that I would use to describe Rachelle this year. But, there is so much more to her than meets the eye. So much more that bursts forth for those that love her best. She is becoming such a beautiful young woman, inside and out. And now--ready to date. The girls are actually planning a very fun first date for her. A dating mall masquerade. Stay tuned for pictures and details.

So, for Rachelle's birthday, we all went to the Battle Ground High School football game, and had a pretty fun time. Battle Ground won something like 32-7. One play was a 90 yard touchdown, which was pretty exciting. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge up my camera (still getting all this technology stuff down, you know) so I don't have any pictures. But Jessica does. If she sends me any, I will post them later. After the game, we walked home and gathered around a yummy Heath candy bar cake and sang Happy Birthday to her. Silly Nichole made a grab for the cake as we sang and several people actually slipped up and sang to her instead of Rachelle. So, we tried again, while several of us restrained Nichole and we got it right the second time through. It was pretty funny. These girls have such fun together.

Although she is 12, Jamie still passed as young enough to go trick-or-treating with Jessica, and brought home enough candy to keep us happy through the game. Jamie has actually begun growing like the proverbial weed, so who knows how long she will be able to get away with trick-or-treating?