Ibu in Michigan/Bethlehem, a baptism day and the answer to Where in the World is The rosewood table?

Girls with Pearls

get together

Just a few random scenes from Marcelle's house on Thanksgiving....

 

Hercules!

The Murray's have a new dog, Hercules! He is a miniature Australian Shepherd (red merle) and he was born in Axtell, UT on a ranch. They sent him to Seattle on a Delta plane and we picked him up at the airport on Nov. 5. Life has changed!! Everything revolves around the two hour schedule of when did the puppy last pee or poop! He is growing quickly--his coat is changing color (getting brown spots) and he is starting to chew more. But he's quite cute and cuddly so I guess we'll put up with him!

P.S. Anyone who gets a puppy should do it in the spring. You have to constantly take the puppy outside, and that is miserable in the cold and wet!

MDC News Nov 20, 2011

Dear Family,

October, of course, was filled with soccer and Halloween.  Phoebe had a great Mad Hatter costume and coordinated with friends as other Alice in Wonderland characters. Costumes have become easy for Calvin and Ethan, who just don their soldier attire, which they wear every couple of weeks any...so we don't have to go looking far. Bronwen was a ninja.  Graham enjoyed a movie at a friend's house.   As many of you know, this holiday is really the most pure of any for Ethan--no real meaning or other cumbersome traditions--just get candy.  On a side note, he came home with a paper crest made at church recently that said "I Stand for Truth and Honesty."  He had written in on the side "Candy is better than truthe and honesty."  He is not bashful about where his priorities lie. 

Graham was an enthusiastic volunteer worker at a local haunted forest on the weekends during most of the month of October.  (Some of you remember Brian Garff from Scarsdale Ward--he is one of the owners.)  He was an "scarer" in the forest, in the haunted bus (spook alley made in a gutted school bus) and the 'dark walk' attractions.  He also worked as a ghoul in "shoot the ghoul" (run around the hay-bales while customers shoot at you with paintball guns).  Phoebe helped a few times also.  I think she was a "scarer" some but mostly worked taking tickets.  I stopped by an apparent antique store in the little town where they did this one evening.  Turned out to be this old guy with a little front room store and then about 1,500 - 2,000 sq ft in the back with literal piles of junk collected over many years.  I found an old speed screw driver (spins the bit as you push and compress it) and a couple of other things...but I'm sure there are more treasures buried in there.  He was telling me his grand plans to turn it into a general store.

Rick took a weekend jaunt to NYC / New Canaan to see the fall colors.  It wasn't supposed to be a very good year but he reports it was still beautiful.  I would tell you how great it has been to have Rick here with us but I wouldn't want to make you jealous. I will say that many more of my household jobs/projects have gotten done, we've had lots of fun listening to music, and the kids have had a much better tutor and a refreshing perspective for their school work, which is good, because Megan and I were about burned out (and we're not half way through the school year!).

This past week was especially helpful.  I was supposed to be in China.  After digging through every back and jacket and file in the house I cancelled my flight for lack of a passport/visa!!  But I still on the hook for these meetings so I worked at the office from 8pm to 1am each night on conference calls (even did video-conferencing just through the webcam on my new work computer).  So Rick pulled through there helping with homework and everything else.  He even did the seminary drive a couple of times (happened to be our week in carpool!).  I'm still waiting for Megan to tell me where she hid my passport.

We will be having Thanksgiving with good friends the Browns (replacing our cousins the Browns!).  We were reviewing the menu with them after church today and it got us quite excited for the week.  It will be a nice day as the kids have a full three days off of school (and all of them...not just some!!).

We celebrated Bronwen and Ethan birthdays in October and have Phoebe this week!!

Love to you all,

Matt

(sorry, couldn't get pictures to post...see email)

For anyone who is planning to be near the vicinity of Utah for thanksgiving- the Clawsons are planning a grand dinner at thursday at 3:30 pm at Marcelle's in Sandy.  Contact Coleen for details!

MDC Family Letter

Hello Family,

This is what 's been happening with us since the reunion.  Miserable week getting Calvin and Phoebe caught up in school (missed the week of school for the reunion) but it was worth it.  Graham has started school (normal traditional calendar).  We survived the hurricane (minor impact here inland) but I went one Saturday to help cleanup trees in a town closer to the coast.

Calvin got his belated bday gift shooting an M1 rifle (WWII infantry rifle).  All the boys went and we had fun.  Next birthday for him may have to be Normandy.  He is most of the way through the long Ken Burns documentary on WWII.

We celebrated my birthday with good fanfare. 

(Pictures of above stuff attached in pdf file).

Rick arrived just over a week ago and we took him straight to the mountains and visited Asheville.  We went to Biltmore Mansion.  This is the 'largest residence in the US.'  Built by the poorest Vanderbilt brother (grandsons of the first Vanderbilt industrialist) in the 1890's.  Over 130,000 sq ft, indoor swimming pool and bowling alley, beautiful oak panels all over, large pipe organ, etc.  We felt most at home in the servants rooms....but I think I could adjust.  We walked around the beautiful gardens and greenhouse and also visited the barns/farm area.  In addition, we hiked Mt. Pisgah, donned our swimsuits and did sliding on a natural rock slide in a mountain river.  To add a little food in, we did some apple picking.  Couldn't help but come home with a few gallons of apple cider in the back of the car along with the box of apples.

Rick just happened to have come from visiting his friend in NYC who grew up in Asheville.  When he found out we were going there he called his parents and arranged for us to stay at their home for two nights.  They were very nice and Rick and I helped them clear some land up the mountainside they own our last morning there.  The old guy was climbing around tree branches with his chainsaw and I was pretty sure we were going to end the day by taking him to the hospital to reattch a limb, but luck was with us and no accident occurred.

The summer heat really broke just a week or two after you all left.  I wish you could have all come back for labor day to enjoy the mild North Carolina weather.  I hope you all a good fall and a cup of cider!

Love,

-Matt Clawson


(click picture for larger view)

Guess where!

Fill out this poll to guess where Stephen's going (I filled in answers for those who had already comment-guessed)


Answers:

 

In breaking news this week

Stephen turned in his mission papers!  Let the guessing begin!

I (Coleen) am guessing New York..... something crazy speaking, like Vietnamese

Bjorn guesses Japan   (Japanese speaking)

Pics from Bu's Birthday Bash

Apple Clean-up!

Shakin' Apples

Uncle Ricky working hard 

Working hard....

... or hardly working?

zzzzz....

General Weeding, in the Burm, with the trowel

Can't make "comment" work

Let my kids stay up too late trying to add my comment to the Bu Birthday Video. So now, it's a post:

Devin, Kelsey and Alex stole the show with their synchronized swaying--to the beat, even. But Kelsey loses points for NOT singing. Jacob definitely looks dead so y'all don't need to pretend anymore to spare me the sorrow, the jig is up, I figured it out. I just think if you didn't want me to know you could've put him in the back. And I can't wait for Coleen to accept her Grammy so we hear that statement across the airwaves! I wish we could bottle Stephen and Whitney's smiles. Special kudos to Stephanie for working so hard to get all the names.

Murray August Review

August was a lovely "end of summer" month! Here are pictures from the Mt. Rainier camping trip, and Gavin and Madeline flying in the airplane over Orcas Island (a member of the ward on Orcas offered them a ride!)

Happy 81st Birthday Grandma Bu

To remind Bu of her greatest achievement, Coleen organized some local cousins into presenting the newest addition of "The Cousin Song."

Enjoy:

Bu Coke Dumpsters

Bu found this fake coke can for hiding stuff.  Since my name (schipper) was on it she passed it on to me.  I left it in the car.  Jo looks at it, inspects it, decides its a really old can and throws it away at a convenience store.  I go to the store, go through their dumpster and find it (and one other little treasure for my classroom).

I'm pleased and a little bit proud that the pirate clothing is, as of just now, all put away. And not tossed in the general direction of where they belong but truly and properly in the places they belong.

Open-house

It was the pleasure of Stephanie and I to attend the open house for Brandon and Sam Clawson in Logan, UT this past weekend.  Also in attendance were Grandma Bu, Uncles Ricky and Schipper, and cousins Devin, Kelsey, and Mary.  We were delighted to partake of several varieties of delicious cupcakes, the Lemmon ones were the best (I think Ricky had like four).  And we engaged in deep and intelectual conversations about trademark law (thanks to Brandon for filling us in on that one).

Overall, it was quite delightsome, and we were happy to meet Sam (who is very nice) and some of her family.

Proof that we were actually in Logan, and seeing
some family history (The temple where this all started)

WEDDING REPORT

centerpiece
on the deck
family at the temple
Brandon and Sam

WEDDING REPORT:

Fam-a-lee,

After driving through TORRENTIAL rain, we returned to Raleigh and caught our flight to the West. We arrived in Seattle and spent the night at a hotel. (It was the Doubletree, and they give out free, warm, chocolate chip cookies at check-in – yum!) Saturday we drove down to Portland without problems and arrived at the temple in time to walk around and take some pictures. There were quite a few wedding parties around and Kacy and I were checking out their color schemes and bridesmaids dresses.

Bryan and I went into the waiting chapel while the kids waited outside, eventually meeting up with Sarah’s kids and Meg. Elizabeth’s father is a sealer in the Houston TX temple and was able to get special permission to perform this family sealing in a different temple. That was very special to have him do that. The ceremony was quick, so then we waited outside for the bride and groom. Don’t they look cute? There was some picture taking and I was trying to figure out who was family or friend, but we were getting hungry so we left to find food. Katy Ramika told us about “Chevy’s” Mexican and we found it on our trusty GPS, right close by.

Another drive down to Roseburg and check in to another hotel. We went over to the house in the evening and tried to help during the reception. Gavin carried a tray around picking up dirty plates and silverware; I washed dishes and held Owen; Kacy and Katy danced with Clara and visited. The yard was lovely and Elizabeth had set candles around in pretty holders and pots of purple petunias. She even had a “kids table” set up like Bu would do, with Oreos, Graham Crackers, M&Ms and juice boxes. All three kids loved it, as well as a number of adults.

Elizabeth’s brother Jamie was there with his wife and daughters, along with Elizabeth’s parents. Sam’s parents were there, her sister, Kacy (spelled differently) and her husband, and a brother, Jake. Also one of her uncles and his wife. We tried to talk with both families and enjoyed being there. We all helped fold up chairs and tables when it was over and said our goodbyes. Brandon and Elizabeth both appreciated us being there and were very grateful.

A funny thing happened with church. Bryan had typed in our hotel address looking for the nearest chapel, since he had that address. We checked with Elizabeth that church was at 10 a.m. and said we’d see her then. So we went to church but no one else was there, and no one else came in, and on the program (of the Roseburg Ward) we did not see Todd Clawson listed with the other missionaries. Hmmm??? Turns out there are FOUR wards in Roseburg, and TWO chapels, and we were in the wrong one! Who’d have thunk that Roseburg would have two chapels within a mile of each other! We went to their house afterward and we all had a good laugh. As Jayce said, “They’re almost as true as us.” Elizabeth generously packed us up with sandwiches and snacks for the car and we were off.

Katy Marika was a pleasant traveler, no whining or fussing and very tolerant of our silly family jokes and car games. We took her to her friend’s house in Eugene, so she is on her way to new adventures! To help pass the time, we listened to all the Sunday shows: My Turn on Earth, Saturday’s Warrior’s, and Joseph. The kids sang along and acted out as best as possible with a seatbelt on.

There you have it. Kristine’s report on Brandon’s wedding, so you can feel like you were there, too.

And now my blog is the longest! (And it has pictures.)

The Newest and Greatest Contributor

I am going to contribute more than Wiz and Megan!!! See, my post is longer.

Suzy's edutuib

Love the beach, love the house, love the fam, love everything.

Topsail part 2

Megan is learning how to blog!!

Topsail part 1

Here we are!  

Carters

Gallands

MDC's

Ricky

Brown's (most)

Murray's  (some)

Nyfeler's  (most)

Bu

Grahams (yes, we are our own entity now)

Underwoods (some)

have arrived at Topsail Beach!  Our 5 story beach houses give us soft couches, beautiful scenery, and keep us fed, while the cousins, cousins, cousins, are keeping us entertained! 

So far we have saved sea turtles, swam for hours in the pool, built sandcastles, shared testimonies, learned church stories, watched movies, played games, and drank 15 gallons of lemonade.  Hooray for Clawsons!  Keep the fun rolling!

Todd's letter home 7-25-11

Dear Mom,

Well this will be the last full week of my third transfer so next week I will be emailing you one Wednesday. To answer your questions yes we have a lot of bugs here especially flies and ants. They are always everywhere (formigas e moscas são muito chato e não vão deixar nossa casa sozinho) and it is a little annoying. We also have cockroaches every other day and we even killed a mouse a couple of weeks back. Fortunately the ants and the cockroaches don´t seem to like each other and it is common for us to find a dying cockroach with lots of ants swarming it making it easier for us to finish the job and get rid of it. I have only seen one snake so far and hopefully I won´t see anymore. There is also grass here and the majority of the trees here appear to be coconut trees. It is a pretty common to see lots of stores selling green coconuts to drink from. It is good to hear that everyone is getting their callings. I´m a little surprised Austin hasn´t gotten his yet since I remember you telling me that he sent his papers in several weeks ago. It´s great to hear that Captain America is doing well. I have been looking forward to that one. You will have to make a list of the good movies that are coming out so I know which ones to see. Well this week was alright. We spent Wednesday and Thursday doing splits with some members of the ward and I made contacts on the street while Elder Rodrigues taught lessons to people that are close to baptism. I did pretty well and made several contacts but it really is annoying just randomly stopping people on the street and talking about our religion. The girl that we have been trying to baptize appears to be having doubts and I don´t think she will be baptized. We have been teaching an aunt and uncle of a recent convert that was baptized shortly before I arrived here. The uncle (Aldo) is all set and ready to go and while praying for an answer from God he said he had a dream where he saw Elder Rodrigus and I standing next to God all clothed in White. When he asked God if this church is true God told him that he already knew the answer and after this Aldo said he wanted to be baptized. The problem is that his wife is still having doubts about the Book of Mormon and it looks like he doesn´t want to be baptized without her. Understandable but frustrating. Well I am out of time so have a good week.

Love,

Elder Todd Clawson

Matty's letter home 7-31-11

I grabbed this from Bu's email to use as a test/sample

Happy Monday day!

 Well this has been another action packed week and it went by realy fast. Before I forget, my camera is a cool pix L22. Not sure if tat is exactly what you needed, but I dont carry my camera around, not the safest thing to do. But if you can, I would ove a camera cord. I have pictures to send you all that you would love. And yes, my house is amazing right now... well for a guatemalan house. But the area is pretty ghetto. It is really big too. I dont know if I said this last time, but there is a pert of our area that we go to and it taked like an hour and 15 to get there. So we are usually pretty pooped after going there, but thats just how the mission is. I really do like this area though, there is a lot to do. There is one investigator in particular, his name is Mario. We teach him in english and he is great. We had an amzing lesson with him this week, we read 3 nephi 11. I could really feel the spirit during the lesson and he said that when he gets an answer that it is all true, he would love to get baptized. Then on sunday he came to church with us. He really has desires to learn and know if the church is true, and when the happens the Lord answers. I know he will get his answer soon and we plan on putting a baptismal date with him the week. I will let you know ow that goes. We have a few other families that we are teaching right now so it is all going well. We had a mission correlation witht he bishop and our mission leader last night and they are both helping us a lot. We talked about a lot of different things to do to have success here. We are really going to start getting the ward involved in everthing, and if we can do that, I know we will have a lot of success here. My companions are good, we are still waiting for Elder Ochoa to get his papers so he can go to Peru. We are thinking this is the week, it will be sad when he goes. But I am excited for him also. It sounds like you all had a great 1 year celebration for me, thanks for that and I will be waiting for those wishes. For my one year mark we had some good lessons and the ended the night going to a really cool member family and they celebrated with us and made us some delicious home made pizza. It was fun cuz they are a really funny family too. There are a lot of really good people here. And I am excited for the opportunity to be here. Thanks for feeding the missionaries, the need it. I dont know how it is there, but it is the best thing in the world when we have a dinner appointment. So keep doing that for the missionaries and help them in whatever way possible. Be a family that they will remember and want to come back and visit. I love you all lots. Thanks for all of your love and help. Only 1 year left and I will be there in the living room sleeping... I bet you are all excited for that!

Love,

Elder Matthew T. Underwood