Category Archives: Wyatt

So there I was, living in Urumqi China, newlywed and on another adventure. Not knowing what the time abroad would be for Andrea and I, we were like eager kids awaiting a big holiday; bright-eyed and soaking it all in. I thought that I had, up to this point,  seen a lot, experienced culture shock and learned to love cultures around the world; then I landed in Beijing. I realized that up to that point in my life, I hadn’t really experienced culture shock since China had the market cornered.

Of course we had fantastic adventures throughout the semester that made us love China and XinJiang,  like walking and experiencing the Silk Road, a 2000 year throwback to a simpler time, seeing the Xian Warriors uncovered, camping in a guard tower on the great wall, teaching students English, traveling the beautiful country, bartering, befriending both Han and Uigher, learning simple Chinese and don’t even get me started on the food (let me say Goat Eyeball Soup and leave it at that).

Throughout our time there, we volunteered at an orphanage and saw first hand what it meant to be born disabled in China. Some examples of disability include blindness, disease, deformation, being female, albinoism, and other “imperfections”.  The curriculum of students in both public and private schooling was amazing. Advanced math, language, science and some arts were common. The world outside of China however was taught to be a miserable place, a desolate land, full of poor, depressed people, without country, healthcare and education. Emphasized were the discrimination of America against its own, the tyranny of war started and finished by enemies and the overall lack of a beautiful Mother Land.

Of all the shocking things that students learned in school the lesson on discrimination shocked me the most. In a news conferance, a student was asked about discrimination against the Uigher people which is alive and well in XinJiang ( the students had separate drinking fountains!) The student thought for a minute and said, “there is no discrimination in China because there are no black people in China”.  For a beautiful Mother Land, it sure has given its future generations a warped sense of the world, one which these misguided students will compete in and one which will be sure to give China its fair allocation of praise.

I haven’t been back to China since 2002 but when I think of it and see what is happening now, I am grateful for having been there before this violence and wish more than ever that I could do something to help. Its similar to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in that people want to make it on their own, have true freedom, govern themselves and live their culture, religion and conscience as they choose. That is what the families we met wanted. Most were weary of the politics and willing to live together.  Being near the 4th of July weekend (my families favorite time of year and favorite month) I realize just how good we have it here. I know because I have lived under Isreal’s military occupation,  China’s communist hand, and Argentina’s failed economy. As hard as times have been and may be, our country’s leadership, economics, education and ability far surpasses most countries I have been to.

Now as a father, it means even more to me to have my children share in the privileges of America. I love this country! Anyone who reads this blog of Andrea’s and knows us, should know that about our family. We are grateful for the USA. That’s it, my bits about the current world, our country, and my family. God Bless!

So when people ask, “what’s up”, I tend to answer with, “good things”, and thats true, and its mostly the same as everyone else.  I live in a house, I eat food, I wear clothes, I drive a vehicle, I play with my kids, I work hard, etc.  What I don’t have are any really great hobbies, you know, something to take my mind off of the usual. Andrea is a phenomenal artist, she’s had her work in galleries, and its such a raw natural talent, it amazes me. Anything creative, artsy or genuine is just a part of who she is. She can make anything work when it comes to art, regardless of the medium.

Once at dinner, we didn’t have any butter, so she whips out her paints and makes a tasty spread that looked exactly like butter, in about 30 seconds and although it was paint, I ate it and it was delicious. So later on, it was my turn to make dinner and we didn’t have any ketchup for the hamburgers, so I went to the cupboard and got out the cherry cough syrup. The kids loved it. Andrea banned me from the kitchen. Now when I want a snack or something, I have to fill out a request card which takes 24-48 hours to process….so I’ve learned that I can’t copy someone elses raw natural talent. I am a plain bellied sneetch tolerated among starbellied superstars. A hungry plain bellied sneetch. -w

Loading…

Today was Wyatt’s birthday. Unfortunately, since he was working on the yard all week, we didn’t plan much. I thought he would probably end up working all day. And indeed, he did have a couple closings that day. So first thing we did was try and figure out when those would be. Wyatt figured they would be later in the afternoon, so we invited my parents (who were in town) to go to breakfast with us. Then one of the closings got called in for the morning. So we canceled breakfast and set about our day. Then that closing got pushed back. So we did end up going to breakfast just with the peeps around (Jared & Carrie & Beth are all staying at our house this weekend).

We went up to the diner and actually got there closer to lunch time. Most of us had already had breakfast too.

Oh well. It’s the thought that counts. By the time we got home in the afternoon, babies went down for a nap.

Wyatt and I hit DB and Seagull Book (Hate seagull book. Hate myself for patronizing them. Oh well). We were looking for a picture of the temple. Just the right picture too. Wyatt found one he really liked. I like it too, but it was ahem expensive. So it’s just been added to the list. Actually, it’s been on the list for a long time.

List:
Pay for baby
Minivan
Picture of the temple
Extravagant Rockstar lifestyle

This year our list is pretty long.

Okay, so this post is getting mo chatty. After all this Wyatt finally had both his closings, and I’m waiting for him to come home so we can go to dinner with my mom and dad to Porters Place.

I told Olivia it was daddy’s birthday, and we needed to go get him a present. She was very excited to celebrate daddy’s big day, and knew right away what would be the perfect gift: “Let’s get daddy a big purple princess dress!”

Unfortunately I couldn’t find one in his size.

The ward easter party was today. It was lots of fun, mostly because I didn’t have to plan it. I was temporarily relieved of my duties as ward party person due to nausea. Sweet.

O and Cal had a great time at the Easter egg hunt. Cal did a good job of finding all the eggs. Olivia blew right past most the eggs as she would only pick up the pink ones.

Olivia and Calvin got to go to Grandma’s today to pick their pumpkin. It was a doosey! It was a beautiful autumn day, perfect for picking a pumpkin.

Brendan is one of Wyatt’s buddies from the MBA. He has the maturity of . . . well, a Wyatt. It makes them perfect for each other. I was reading his blog the other day, and these really made me laugh!

Wyatt it’s your birthday! Happy Birthday Wyatt!

Thursday was Wyatt’s 31st birthday. To celebrate we took a slow morning (let’s be honest, that’s not all that unusual for us). In the late morning we took the kids to go ride “the train”–TRAX; it was a follow up to our activity last week of riding the bus.

That afternoon we had a neighbor babysit for us, and went down to the cabin place. Wyatt and I are trying to work out a deal to build a cabin . . . it will be a long process, and probably take years. But we’re working on it.

That evening Lois babysat the kids while Wyatt and I went to dinner and a movie. It was a nice relaxing day to spend with Wyatt. I hope he had a happy birthday.

Today was the funeral for Uncle Stan, Wyatt’s father’s brother. He died somewhat unexpectedly from complications from surgery last week.

Uncle Stan was mentally handicapped due to complications from birth. In spite of this, he lived “on his own” in an apartment in Provo with other special needs room-mates (he did have care-takers check in on him several times a day). He rode the bus on his own to work every day. He worked at the BYU cafeteria. When Wyatt and I were dating, Wyatt’s care for Uncle Stan was one of the things that really impressed me. He would go visit his uncle all the time, taking him to the 7-11 for Big Gulps, or out to lunch. Uncle Stan was also always at the Christensen home for every holiday or family get together. Of the few times I’ve seen Wyatt choke up, most of those situations have been regarding Uncle Stan, or other handicapped people that have touched Wyatt’s life. Wyatt has always had a soft spot for people with physical or mental challenges. I know today was a hard day for Wyatt.

It was neat to see the Christensen clan together though. It was actually a first for me–and I’ve been in the family for over five years now. Harry (Wyatt’s dad) is #8 of 11 children, most of whom don’t live in Utah. Before this I’d only met three or four of Wyatt’s aunts & uncles, and even fewer cousins. But this brought all the siblings (of Harry) together. I took the opportunity and requested they allow me to take a family picture of Hope (Wyatt’s Grandmother) and all of her children. (With Uncle Stan, three of Wyatt’s uncles are now passed away though). We also took some family pictures of Wyatt’s brothers and sisters with Grandma Christensen.

This past weekend we received the tragic news of the drowning of our friend’s 10 month baby girl, Cheyenne. It’s the sort of news that weighs heavy on ones heart. I can’t express my sadness for my friend, and his family. I hope they will find some peace at this time, but I know things will just never be the same . . . Here is a copy of her obituary.

On June 20, 2007 Cheyenne Danille Anderson returned from the loving arms of her family to those of her Heavenly Father. She was born August 27, 2006 in Cedar City, Utah to EksAyn Anderson and Mallory (Anderson) Beckstead. During her short life Cheyenne brought joy and happiness to all who knew her. Cheyenne loved being outside, mommy’s necklaces and anything she could put in her mouth, especially food (and rocks). She loved the time she spent with her sisters Kailey and Cloe. She’ll be remembered for her beautiful brown eyes, infectious smile and burrowing hugs.

She is survived by her parents EksAyn Anderson, and Mallory Beckstead (fiancé Shane Clark) of Cedar City. Her grandparents, Grandma “Tressa” Beckstead of Cedar City, David Beckstead (Beverly) of Hurricane, and EksAyn (Patty) Anderson of Taylorsville. Her sisters Kailey and Cloe. Great Grandma Howdy (Yula Hunting), Great Grandpa EksAyn Anderson, and honorary Grandparents Doug and Tammy Carter. And many other loving family members. Cheyenne is our miracle for she has enriched our lives in life and death. (Cheyenne was an organ donor.)

In lieu of flowers, please make donations for the benefit of Cheyenne Anderson, account set up at Wells Fargo Bank. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, June 25, 2007, 1:00 p.m. at the Mountain View Chapel on Hwy 56 in Cedar City, Utah. Visitations will be held on Monday June 25, 2007 from 11:30-12:30 a.m. at the Mt. View Church in Cedar City. Interment will be in the Cedar City Cemetery under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary.

On line condolences can be sent to www.southernutahmortuary.com

On April 28th Wyatt and I flew out to Florida for a week long Caribbean cruise. We met up with Wyatt’s brother Wynn & his wife, Heidi, and spent the night at a hotel near the airport until the next day, when we boarded the “Carnival Triumph.”

Our itinerary had three locations to visit: Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman Island, The Caymans; and Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

The first day and a half was at sea, so we spent the day exploring the boat, hanging out at the pool, and eating the food!

The second day we landed in Cozumel. Wynn & Heidi decided to do a boat excursion (an excursion put together by Carnival) where they did some climbing, zip-lining, repelling, and snorkeling (sounds like fun!). Wyatt and I decided to go it alone, and got off the boat just looking to see what we could come up with. We decided to rent a Jeep, and from there drove around the entire island (maybe 40 miles in circumference). We stopped and explored some ruins from the 800-1200 AD.

We also stopped at the oldest settlement on Cozumel. We originally thought they would be more ruins, but it was instead a little village with lots of little open air shops.

We went to “Punta Sur,” a park/reserve with an everglades-esque swamp full of alligators! We walked on a board walk and watched 6 foot alli’s swim just 18 inches beneath us! On the other side of Punta Sur are these pristine white sand beaches. They’re protected for the sea turtles that come to lay their eggs there. And at the very top of the park was a lighthouse, at the top of which you could see the entire island!

We found Wynn and Heidi later that afternoon, and the four of us went back to the far side of the island, where the beaches were so beautiful. We went to a little open air restaurant on one of the beaches and ate a giant platter of seafood (chicken for me!). Then it was time to head back to the ship, and off to our next location: Grand Cayman island!

After another day at sea, we landed at Grand Cayman island. Wynn & Heidi decided not to do an excursion with the cruise line, but come along with us and see what we could see. We rented another car, and drove out to “Seven Mile Beach”–perhaps the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen for just laying out and playing on the beach itself. It had this soft white sand, there wasn’t any sea weed, or trash or anything corrupting it! And the water was so sea-glass green that it looked more like a swimming pool.

Wyatt & Wynn rented wave runners while Heidi & I relaxed on the beach. When the boys got back Heidi & I went snorkeling on a reef about 100 yards out. I wish I had an underwater camera. There were so many bright and beautiful fish.

In the afternoon we drove out to the other side of the island and chartered a boat to take us to “Sting Ray City”–a place a few miles off shore where there are tons of sting-rays. They have become so accustomed to humans that they will swim right up to you and eat out of your hand! Our guide caught a few and even handed on over to me! It was pretty cool. The water was only about 15 feet deep, so we snorkeled there for a while, playing with the sting rays and swimming along the reef.

The next day we landed in Jamaica. Instead of renting a car we decided to hire a driver who would take us around to the different sites. We drove through “Fern Gully,” a ravine that is covered in rain forest. We visited Duns River Falls, but didn’t hike it since I’m expecting. We also went to an open air market and ate Jamaican cuisine at a resturaunt on a cliff overlooking a little lagoon. We finished the day off by sitting on the beach.

We had another day on ship before we landed back in Miami. A lot of people have asked what we thought of “the cruise.” Well, here’s my take on it: The locations were beautiful, and it was a lot of fun to travel with Wynn & Heidi and explore these new places. The boat itself–on the one hand it was nice to unpack once and just hang out, on the other, since I’m not a drinker, smoker, gambler, or enjoyer of “adult shows” I didn’t find there was much to actually do on the boat. A lot of people get excited about the food on a cruise–you can theoretically eat what ever when ever, but I found the food to be not particularly good, so that wasn’t a huge draw for me. I enjoyed sitting by the pool–but invariable someone would “light up” within a few feet of me, and I’d be enjoying an unhealthy dose of second hand smoke (seriously, with all the available education in this country about the effects of smoking, you’d think people would wise up!) I don’t mean to sound like a complainer. The trip was so much fun and SOOOOO relaxing. But it was definitely different than the way Wyatt and I usually travel (backpacking, and never any down time), so that was just a little disconcerting. For what it is though, it was a great trip, and a lot of fun.

It has been such nice weather the past couple weeks, and with the sunshine comes the yard work. Yesterday I finally told Wyatt the lawn needed to be mowed. But alas, we were a family sans mower since our hand-me-down machine lost it’s back wheel and kicked a rock into the engine last fall (we actually used it without the wheel, pulling it backwards for a few months).

But since we’ve upgraded in size of yard, we decided we’d upgrade in mower too. So yesterday we bought a used rider from the classifieds. Wyatt very happily mowed the lawn this morning.

This week has the feeling of finals week in college, during a semester with a heavy academic load, and not enough studying. I feel like a chicken with my head cut off, running around in panic and chaos.

The only goal I had for myself was to have the house all packed up by Friday night before Date Night. Not overly ambitious (I didn’t think) with a whole week. Well, Date Night starts in twenty minutes, and I’m sitting in a room only half packed–one of the more packed up rooms in the house.

So what have I been doing all week? Have I been loitering in laziness? No. But there’s been so much going on this week! I’ve been doing some web work–a mess I don’t care to go in to. My cousin Anna is moving on Sunday to Washington State, so I’ve been spending as much time with her as I can. We’ve been buying and planting trees, and going back and forth to a nursery where we’re buying shrubs & bushes (an awesome deal! Maybe I’ll write about that later). My mom is in town, and my sister showed her horse (not that I went to see, but it was on my list). Oh yeah, and Thursday was Wyatt &�my five year anniversary. Not to mention the floors are getting refinished & the bathroom redone (But we’re saving that for tomorrow). Then there’s Women’s Conference, and then to top it all off, I teach Gospel Doctrine on Sunday.

I admit, the stress is starting to get to me. Wyatt said he’d take me on a nice date tonight. Instead I got a babysitter, and we’re going to spend the evening packing.

Yesterday we drove to Idaho to attend the viewing and funeral of Wyatt’s grandmother. She was sick for several months, and her passing was not unexpected. It was nice to spend some time with Wyatt’s family, both extended and immediate. Wynn & Heidi & kids flew into town, as did Jena and Jacob & Melinda (who finished their summer internship). Only Lance & kids didn’t make it, but it was the first time all the siblings were together since probably before Jacob’s mission.

I didn’t know Grandma Farmer very well, but Wyatt told me some great stories of her and growing up. I think it was great for the family to spend some time remembering her and how she touched their lives.

I think I’ve seen about everything . . .

But this month I’ve seen two more quite amusing things.

Over fourth of July weekend we went to Arizona. Wyatt was quite stressed because, as usual, we were running late. He was worried we’d miss our flight (which we did), and was flying down the freeway. Suddenly he slowed down and started laughing. He slowed to match pace with a truck in the left lane next to us. We all looked over.

It was a truck–a pretty big one, and it looked like the front passenger seat had been removed, making the “front seat” extent into the back of the cab. And riding shotgun in this truck was . . . A HORSE! That’s right, riding down the freeway in the front of this truck there was a horse! It wasn’t a big one, but it wasn’t a pony either (Leslee, my sister who trains horses and who was also with us at the time, confirmed this). It took up the entire front passenger side of the cab, and it didn’t look very comfortable. Leslee got a picture of it, I’ll have to get it and post it. Now when ever Wyatt is stressed, I just remind him of the time we saw a horse riding shotgun down the freeway.

You might remember “ugly naked man” from the sitcom Friends; the man who lived in the apartment across the street, who never wore clothes as he went about his daily activities. Well, in our neighborhood we have our own “ugly naked man,” he’s a 90 year old man who lives with his brother in a house the next street over.

Wyatt and I always laugh as we drive past his house on our way home. The first night we saw him he was out–it was 11:00 at night, and he was standing in the brilliant glow of his lawn lamp, dressed only in his tighty-whiteys. His ninety year old skin sagged and hung limp on his too-thin frame. He stood there in his underwear, holding a garden hose, watering the lawn. We had to drive by twice just to be sure we saw what we thought we saw!

Now when ever it’s dark out, we don’t look towards ugly naked man’s house (we’ve found he’s not privy to privacy). He leaves his blinds open and his lights on as he goes about the house in his night routine, sans clothes.

Every neighborhood has “one of those.”

Wyatt and I have been hard at work on our house the past month. While I was in Washington, Wyatt put a new roof on the house. He had a job in college roofing houses for his brother-in-law’s company. They lent us the equipment, and Wyatt and several friends and family members busted it out while I was gone (thank goodness I was gone!).

We had an old tar & gravel roof that Wyatt had to tear off before he could put down the new roof. But it looks much better! And best of all, it won’t hail gravel onto my lawn everytime it rains!

Then when I got home I went to work on the yard. I weed-eated the entire back to get ready for seeding. Wyatt’s brother, Jacob came and helped us put crown molding up in the living room, family room, and upstairs bath. Then Wyatt and I decided to finish the basement family room once & for all (Wyatt & Jared framed & sheetrocked it last fall). We painted the room a light cream color. We finished putting trim on, and blinds in the windows. We caulked, sealed & painted the crown & trim. Writing it down it doesn’t seem like much, but it took about 3 days.

Next we’re tackling the downstairs bathroom! But I think we’re going to take a break for a few days first.

<
Before	After

We celebrated Wyatt’s birthday yesterday! We started the day off right by sleeping in late. Then we went to brunch at Denny’s (where we would also go to breakfast after each Dr.’s appointment during my pregnancy).

Then we went on a birthday shopping trip.

I had come up with two ideas for birthday gifts, and let Wyatt choose which gift he wanted (anyone who knows Wyatt knows he has to be involved in the purchasing of his gift or else he just returns or exchanges it). He chose to get a barbeque. I’ve had BBQ on my gift list for him for the past 3 years, but this is the first year I felt like we could afford it! So a Bar-B it was!

Later that afternoon Wyatt, Olivia and I went to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls. Olivia played in the grass while Wyatt and I practiced our drives. It was a lot of fun.

In the evening we drove down to Lindon and met up with Jared & Velda & kids for a birthday dinner at Los Hermanos. Jared and Wyatt were born a year and a day apart, so it was a birthday celebration for Jared too. Los Hermanos is so yummy, and we rarely go there, so that was a real treat.

That was Wyatt’s birthday celebration! It was a good day!

Happy Birthday Wyatt!

Wyatt and I were married on the Last Day of Summer in September, 2001. We were married by Elder Richard G. Scott (not of the quorum of the twelve) in sealing room B in the Salt Lake Temple.

A few of the details I remember about that perfect day:

Wyatt was late getting to the temple. We were supposed to meet there at 11:30, but he didn’t arrive until closer to noon. I had a brief panic attack while waiting for him. I could just imagine him ditching me!! But he didn’t. He actually stopped to talk to a homeless man outside the temple.

My brother Danny was late to the temple, so everything got held up for a bit. Wyatt and I had to wait in the celestial room before they took us in. I remember I could hardly breath in my dress (wedding dresses are made to be beautiful, but not neccessarily comfortable!) if I tried to sit down. Ha ha ha ha!

I never thought I would want to have a wedding. I always imagined an elopement, or at the very least, a private small ceremony, with little or no celebration afterward, would be more my style. But then an old friend said something to me years ago that made me rethink my position. He said something to the effect of “Weddings aren’t about the bride and groom, much as they like to think they should be. Weddings are for everyone who’s cared about the bride and groom, who’s helped in some way to raise them. It’s closure, a final farewell. An opportunity for those people to see how you turned out, and celebrate in the success of their years of work: your happiness.”

After that I decided I would have a wedding, to say thank you to everyone who loved me. And it was wonderful to have everyone I love come celebrate my happiness with me. That was the best thing about my wedding; the massive amounts of love in the air!

Utah is unique. All week long it rained and poured and hailed and snowed. And I mean POURED! It didn’t let up at all. It was great powder in the mountains and Wyatt went skiing with his brother Wade.

Today the sun finally came out. And what is Wyatt doing this morning? He’s golfing. Only in Utah!