50 of 80!!!

If you thought Grandpa was good at Backgammon-----you should see him playing the fishing game!! HE'S A PRO!
Grandpa is always good for a game [even when it says ages 3-8 yrs on the box]!!
I love you, Grandpa
Love,
Kara

Well, well, well...we have a Halloween Baby.

Somebody is having a Birthday today. I think I'll let you guess on this one. I won't even give any clues. Happy Birthday. Happy Halloween. Happy Birthday. Happy Halloween. We love you...

#49 of 80--

Dad thanks for the wonderful artwork of the "Boy & Girl". I have enjoyed those portraits for many, many years. I don't know if I know the whole story, but I think you brought them back from a business trip to DC. Maybe I need to come over and let you tell me the entire story---if there is one.
Thanks for sharing those with me through the years--I grew up and they stayed young and innocent.

Photos from Ephraim

Here are some photos taken at Ostler's house after Andrew's farewell. (Val, bookmark this page and you can look at it whenever you are really missing Andrew.) If anyone hates their picture, let me know and I will take it off. I really liked some of the pictures.

#48 of 80

POPCORN. Our weekly Sunday visits were not complete unless there was oil popped popcorn with vega salt on it. Yum, yum, thanks grandpa for all of the years popcorn.

# 47 of 80 Remember the Wizard

I can remember quite a few discussions and hours of laughter over the "Wizard of ID". I smile just hearing the name of that comic strip because of the great memories of sharing it around the family. How many kids get to know all the wonderful qualities of swill? Again, I smile just mentioning that word too. What a blessing to have a dad with such a sense of humor.

Thanks dad.

# 46 of 80 Discipline

Does anyone remember when most of us lived together in the converted family room downstairs? We loved it... there was a stereo, desk, and a TV built into one side of that room. We used to try to get up in the middle of the night (it was probably only about 9 pm) and watch TV after we were supposed to be in bed. We would not even have the sound and we would all be huddled in front of the TV and dad would catch us every time!!(How can a grown man walk across that creaky kitchen floor and down the creaky stairs and do it so quietly??? It remains a mystery to me.) Anyway, when he caught us the first time, he simply, but firmly told us not to do it again. We turned it off and he left. Some days later (I don't remember how much time we waited to get our courage up again) He caught us again...this time he took all the knobs off the set. After another period of courage raising, we were caught again, this time we would turn on the set with the needle nose pliers. He could have ranted and raved, but that was not his style. What he did was much more effective. He came in and very calmly and quietly pulled the TV out of the cabinet it was built into and while we watched, horrified, he removed a few assorted tubes (yes, TV's worked with tubes back then) pushed it back into it's cabinet and turned to us and calmly said, "let's see you watch it now." He then just walked out. We didn't get the tubes back for a very long time. Very just, and immediate punishment and a great lesson to me on some effective parenting.

How did you get down those stairs so quietly, dad? :)

Thanks for caring enough to be a great parent... even when it would have been easier to just let it go. I love you.

#45 of 80.

Peanuts. Dad loves Peanuts (the comic strip) and introduced us all to Charlie Brown and Lucy lying on their backs looking at the clouds. Can any of you remember the rest? Thanks for helping us see the humor in a bunch of kids with big round heads. (sounds like our family huh?)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaron.

Are you trying to sneak a birthday by without us noticing? Not so fast. So how young are you today? Have a wonderful day. Enjoy every moment. Eat some cake. Make a wish or three. Smile lots. And know we love you.

#44 of 80.

Who else do you know besides Dad/Grandpa who can go from the Shakespearian Festival or from listening to an Aria, or from reading a classic work of literature, straight to flat on his back on the greasy driveway underneath a greasy car? And be completely comfortable and happy in any of those situations. Truly a Renaisance man.

#43 of 80

We Love Grandpa!!!

One of the things we love about grandpa is that he always keeps toys for us to play with. The toy drawer is the best. Also games and puzzles and building blocks, tinker toys and the train set. There are lots of fun things to keep us little boys busy at grandpa's house.
Lots of love, Ethan and Mitch

Surprise!!

Danen & I have something to say...
About a new little something that's coming our way...
A boy or a girl we don't know for sure...
We do know, however, it's ONE and not more...
In case you're unclear on this message today...
We're expecting a baby and it's coming in May!!!

Brayden's Eagle

today was a very proud moment for the dave denny's. It was Brayden's Eagle court of honor. how proud I am to be the father of four sons who are now all eagle scouts. not because of the award, but because of the character they've developed along the way. Tthis event also marked the completion of a fifteen year promise I made to my boys. when Aaron was about eight, I promised the boys that if they all got their Eagle, I would allow them to shave my head at the court of honor for the last one (Brayden),
Well tonight they did just that and after the closing of the court of honor they did it.
Amy had a Barber chair she'd borrowed all set up on the stage with some of my scouting memories. they opened the curtain and began to cut. I thought you'd like to see the before me ... and the after me. kinda sweet don't you think?














Amy also surprised me with a blanket of most of my scouting memory patches, neckerchiefs and pins put onto a blanket that she bought me last year when we went to Philmont. I love you amy and don't know where I'd be without you. hope everyone gets a good laugh as I go into seclusion for a few months. see ya all on sunday at ostlers.
Love, Dave

Look what I can do!!!

I can smile! Sophie's been smiling a lot the last 2 weeks. My mom swears she smiled at her at 2 weeks but I think it was just gas.

#42 of 80.

Dad always took such good care of all the old ladies that lived around us. There was Amy Brown. Grandma Olsen. Sister Lamb, Sister Wilton, Sister Crawley...and I'm sure many, many more. I have always loved that about him and have gained a true, deep caring for elderly women that I'm certain came from him. And also from mom. What an admirable trait.

#41

Grandpa has Backgammon skills. It was nice to meet up with a fellow backgammon player. Unfortunately for me, I'm still waiting to beat Grandpa. What an awesome man!

Ang

I'm home...

I got to come home today! I didn't like to be buckled in my car seat but I sure did like the car ride home. Thank you to all my great aunts, uncles, cousins and family for all the congratulations. I can't wait to meet everyone!

Something of interest on Kalyn's Kitchen: Childhood Food Memories Meme

In the blogging world a meme is something that gets sent around from blog to blog. I was tagged by a Pinoy food blogger to tell about my childhood food memories. I thought you might find it interesting. (Click on the link above to get there.)

(Note to Garrett: The person who tagged me is a part of a ring of Pinoy Food Bloggers. There is a big group of them. You might enjoy reading her blog, and some of the others. There is a link to her in my post.)

here's stu's letter - sorry it's late

Hey mama ,thank you so much for your words and for the advise on writing a thing for the court of honor. I didn't even know that Brayden got his eagle i didn't know that he was done with everything. that is so awesome i'm stoked to see dads head totally bald. his head is going to freeze this winter. i'll make sure i write something for it. and i'll be sure to send grandpa a card. aswell as the testimony for grandpa. even though i've already done that cause i'm writing him quite a bit lately. but i'll do it. also i'll be sure to send aaron dad and then nate cards so they feel loved. thank you so much for the shirts i did get the package and my hoody is on me right now and it was very warm thanks. dad told me that he's been writting to myldsmail.org but i'm not getting anything. make sure he sends it to dennyman33@myldsmail.org Anyways i don't think i told you the good news last week but on Saturday we got to go have a personal meeting with Elder Ballard. strickly for missionaries. wow he is definitely a different person from General Conferance. it was really nice to see him in a new light. he was funny crackin' jokes and just havin' a good time. Other good news is since me and my new companion are now together (oh ya Elder wing got transfered) we've been kickin' tail. me and Elder Jorgensen served in the same district in Maine so we are already really good friends and already doing a lot of good work. we now have two baptism dates and we have 4 commitments from people to do it. we just haven't set dates with them. the leaves are practically gone they say that we wont get the chance to see the real beauty of Vermont this year because of how warm and wet it is. so i'm pretty disappointed about that. other news is that i'm healthy i'm strong and i'm sleeping wonderfully. i'm not as stressed about somethings that i really needed to get worked out with some people. but anyways i'm off to play football with some investigators and some members i'm stoked i can't wait.i love you all your wonderful thankyou for the love and the support and for the continuing encouragment love you all tons.Elder Stuart J. Denny

Jaxon Ryan Torsell

Well everyone, I'm glad to blog the arrival of our son Jaxon Ryan Torsell. He was born this morning at 3:53. He weighted 7lbs 15oz. He was 20 inches long (good thing for him, he is taller than Becca and I already). We came to the hospital at around 5:00PM on October 18th. Becca was in labor for 10 hours, before the doctor decided that he should take him out c-sectionally. So that is what we did. Sandee and Clayton were the first to see the little fella. (I want to thank them for all of there help and support not only through this child, but through the whole time that I have entered into their daughters life.) People say that he looks like me, well let us know what you think. Enjoy the picture.

The Torsell's

Miss Willey Comes to Visit Fourth Grade

Today Alyson came to visit fourth grade. She was a big hit with the kids, plus hopefully she got a few good ideas from Aunt Kalyn (aka Ms. Denny).
Go and visit the Fourth Grade Blog and you can see some pictures of her with the class.

I can tell she is going to be a great teacher!

It's A BOY!!!

Becca and Ryan are proud parents of Baby Boy Torsell. (He doesn't have a name yet!) I don't know all the info, but he was born this morning! (3:45 I think) I am just so so excited!

Rhymes with Smiley.

That's who's having a birthday today. Can anybody guess who it is? Happy Birthday "rhymes with Smiley" we hope you have a happy, smile-filled day. We love you.

# 40 of 80

Speaking about cars, Dad is the greatest. He is always willing to look at and give advice when we are about to purchase yet another used car.
But the #40 is for the time Dad looked on helplessly after I had just run my 1961 Falcon into the door frame of the garage!! And know I did it on purpose, too. Let me explain. I was coming home early one evening---going down 1st East when I realized I didn't have any brakes. I did not know what to do, so I slowed as much as possible and coasted home. When I got to the house, I knew I had to stop the car, but the only thing that came to mind was the side of the garage---so I hit it and it did stop the car. I didn't even think of the emergency brake!!! I don't know if it would have worked, but look at the bright side, Dad got a brand new garage. I think Dad has enjoyed many hours puttering out in that garage, too. I know we have used it at times to stay warm while doing car repairs.
Thanks Dad for not getting mad when I intentionally ran into the garage.

#39 of 80: CAR REPAIRS

Another thing I remember Dad doing for me is CAR REPAIRS. Some of you younger family members may not realize that I was once famous (infamous) for destroying cars. I remember one fateful day when I was driving home from Pineview (with Sandee and I believe Leslie Scott) and my volkswagen beetle quit. Seems I had neglected to put any oil in for about a year and the engine seized up. Over and over Dad rescued me from things like that, until I finally grew up and learned to take care of my cars. It took me quite a while to learn that lesson, but Dad really didn't ever scold me or bawl me out. He was amazingly patient.

Dad, just FYI, I recently took my car in for a tune-up, replaced 3 hoses, replaced 2 belts, and had the oil changed. I am doing better!
Love,
Kalyn

Guess who is older?

Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis.Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis.Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis.Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis.Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. Travis. We hope you have a great birthday. We love you.

Update.....

Ryan and my dad working on our condo........

Ryan and I have a new home! We bought a condo and have been working on it like crazy, painting, new light fixtures, new carpet and stuff and have just moved in. Life has been super crazy! There is no baby yet....today is the due date, we'll keep everyone posted. Here is our new address and phone number:

450 East Creekside Circle #B
Murray, Utah 84107
801-293-3375

BECCA

Hey Becca - Aren't you about ready for a baby? When is your due date? I can't wait to meet your little guy!!

Kara

Almost a Missionary

In less than 3 weeks Andrew will be in the MTC. He will be speaking in our ward on October 30th at 12:50. We will have dinner here after church if any of you would like to come see him before he goes. Even if you don't go to the meeting. I know it is impossible for so many, but thought the update may be good for all. We will be taking him to the temple next week. He is doing great, and we are proud of him and the progress he is making towards being a missionary. Thanks for the support in his behalf that we have felt in many ways.
Love, Val

#38 of 80.

Here's another thing I LOVE about Dad. You know those times in your life when you're put in an awkward position and need "just the right thing to say" so that you don't offend, appease, or simply give in to an unreasonable request or situation? I have frequently called Dad and said "I just don't know how to handle this, or what to say." Every time, with crystal and laser clarity, Dad offers a perfect, (and exquisite) response. And then he often follows up the perfect response with "Then don't say another word." You have no idea how many times in my life I have given a response and then "not said another word." It works like a charm. Thanks Dad.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY--TIM

SKater days
Tim & his Grandpa

He's a swinger!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tim---we are so lucky that you joined our family.
Have a GREAT day---We love you.

Guess who is unhappy about being two? MITCH OSTLER ! Even though he won 2 free games of laser tag on the radio this morning. He just wants to stay a baby. Just look at that face. We actually may be more sad than him to see the little guy get bigger. He is such a fun baby and so cuddly and cooperative. He loves to nap. He loves to give hugs and kisses. He doesn't talk back. Okay he doen't talk at all. But wouldn't it be nice to keep him a baby just a few more years? Say 10?

We Love You Mitch! Happy Birthday #2!

Dad, Mom, Jake, Andrew, Ben, Kate, Livi, Emma, Ethan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY --KRISTEN

What a BABE-- 4 weeks

Memories!! Kristen is one.



Have a great day Kristen!!
It is hard to believe our baby is 21!
We all love you, tons.


I only wanted a bath!

Check Out the Fourth Grade Blog

My students are having a great time with our class blog. I thought some of the kids might like to see it. (There are no pictures of me, since I'm the photographer, but I do think the pictures are turning out pretty well, especially the close-up of the wasp coming out of the nest.) Check it out by clicking here:

Kalyn's Fourth Grade Blog

One child each day gets to "blog" instead of writing in their planner, so they love it.

Who is having a birthday today?

Anybody know? It's Heather. You know she'll be all shy and not want to get a bunch of attention so if anybody has a meal with her in a restaurant today, be sure to discreetly notify the wait staff that the one with the beautiful, long, curly hair is getting older. She'll love a bunch of singing and clapping waiters and waitresses. We love you Heather.

#37 of 80

What about LAVA HOT SPRINGS! Thanks to Dad (and Mom) for the many trips. For getting us a little home away from home there. We went all the time. Who could forget Mary. No matter how hard we try. Dave, Lar, Rand and I all took many friends along. Remember the sticky hot homeade cinnamon taffy. The hot pools were the place to hang out at night. I remember frequently dunking my head in the hot water. The big pool was the place we hung out all day. I even jumped off the 3rd platform. I still remember the pain. Also, sunburn pain from swimming all day at the big pool, and then dunking into the hot pools at night. We also floated the river, played the pinball games across the bridge, and put coins on the RR tracks. Hiking back up to see if the coins actually got smashed was an adventure. Church at Lava. Dad always made us go to church on Sunday even on vacation. We contine this tradition. Thanks Dad for making all the Lava memories possible.

#36 of 80

does the words wind song mean anything to anyone? to me it means many nights and days of camping fun with the greatest family around! it would not have happened if a great mother and father didn't realize how important it is to spend time together, even with extremely busy schedules. we had many great camping trips. i can alost smell sour dough biscuits right now.
love ya Dad, Dave

Brayden's Eagle

Brayden P Denny
is receiving his Eagle
Tuesday October 25th 2005
7:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M.
1480 W. Phillips
(corner of Flint and Phillips)

This will be an exciting night as all four boys have reached this rank. In conjunction with this, the Denny boys will be shaving Dave’s head! Their dad promised 15 years ago that if all four boys obtained this rank, he would let them shave his head.
We invite you to witness this great event!

#35 of 80

I want to share something with everybody that most of you probably don't know. You all know that Mother and Dad were mission presidents in Albuquerque,New Mexico back in the early 80's. I had entered the MTC the same day Mark was entering. I met mother and dad that day, as they were also getting ready to enter and bringing Mark to the MTC. I introduced myself to them and we had a nice visit. As I was walking away, Dad said, "Wait, Sister Garcia, I have someone I want you to meet." Of course, that was Mark. What if Dad wouldn't have said that? There were so many hundreds of missionaries there, I probably wouldn't have ever met him. Mark and I visited whenever we saw each other and during my mission, we wrote a little. I also heard from "President and Sister Denny" a few times. Who else would take the time to write a young sister they had only met once?

Anyway, I came home from my mission to Las Cruces, and Dad and mom would come and visit me whenever they were in town for conferences. Dad would always have twinkle in his eye when he would ask me about Mark. Well, when it was time for Mark to come home from his mission, he came home to Albuquerque and came down to see me. Only, I was engaged. Hmmm. The next few months were pretty topsy turvy for me and I was having to make a pretty big decision in my life. (I know this is long, but bear with me...the good part is coming!)

At one big regional meeting that Dad spoke at in El Paso, which I was attending with my fiance. Another hmmmm. I pulled Dad and mother aside and wanted their advice. As mother always did, she smiled and didn't say anything, but she did give me a big hug. But dad, dad took me in his arms, gave me a big hug and said, "Hermana, I think you know what you need to do. You need to pray and the Lord will guide you." Then he gave me a wink and said, "But I hope he guides you our way."

I will never forget those words Dad. The Lord did guide me the right way. I can't ever thank you enough for "helping" me join this great family. I've loved you since the day I met you and couldn't be prouder to call you My Dad.

Love always, your "Lisita."

Just wanted to say . . .#34 of 80

I don't want to hog all the spots for "counting down to 80" since I have already done two and there are a lot of us, so I just wanted to say

Happy Birthday Josh.

I think it's today. I hope it's a virtual all-you-can-eat buffet of love, laughter, cake, and merriment. We love you Josh.

#33 of 80.

Growing up, I don't think I EVER heard Dad complain. Not even once. And over the last years of Mother's illness, Vera's transplant and his own daily struggles with Parkinsons, I still have never sensed a single moment of "Why me?" from him. What a great example for all of us the next time a "bad hair day" comes along.

Tonight Sophie came to "Kalyn's Kitchen" and had her first cooking lesson. Here's a picture of her cooking. We made Chicken Broccoli Curry Casserole and Sausage Linguini. Unfortunately (because she is only four!) after the sausage sauce and linguini were all cooked Sophie decided she wanted plain noodles. However, she did love the Chicken Broccoli Curry Casserole when it was done.

Camrie's One

Thought I would share some pictures of the birthday girl. I had to wake up early to beat Rand at the birthday wish. :)

32 0f 80

I personally didn't participate in this, but how many dads would let their children put their hand prints in wet cement! He also allowed one of them to write the year that happened---it is still there.
Love you---Dad
Pam

I'm sure I didn't want to get my hands dirty or maybe I just wasn't home!

# 31 of 80

While I am reminiscing... I know I will be forever grateful for all the hours of laughter we enjoyed at home. Usually around the dinner table. I have always loved to laugh with dad. We would all be in tears with laughter around the table and Mother would just smile. We would look at her and just laugh harder...It makes me smile just thinking about it. How about you... Anyone for a good Oink Johnson joke? I love it!

Thanks dad

# 30 of 80

For that matter how many dad's would let you pile up all the grass clippings and then jump off of the roof of the garage (carport) into it....over and over and over. Oh, I guess he may have not known about that one either! Thanks anyway dad. I think we got our sense of adventure from you. You always made it fun to explore and discover things ( maybe it is best that you don't know everything we discovered over the years...speaking as a parent I now know this) :)
I do remember heading up many an unmarked dir troad just to see where it went. I still love to do that.

THANKS DAD!!

lOVE YOU

#29 of 80.

How many Dads do you know that will let their children climb to the top of an unhitched garbage trailer until that end bangs to the ground, and then climb back up to the other end until it bangs to the ground? On second thought, maybe Dad didn't know we did that. Thanks anyway Dad.

Happy Birthday Jeff

Kermit and Dad -two
favorites!



Jeff loved putting
these blocks in his
hair.





Jeff and Becca
having a first
birthday bath
together!



Can you believe he was
this blonde?
Happy Birthday to a wonderful son.
We love you and hope your day is
great!!
Love,
Mom and Dad

Cocoa Mean says....

Happy, Happy Birthday JEFF. When Jeff was very small, we had a little stuffed black doll at Grandma and Grandpas house. One day I asked him what the dolls name was...Jeff replied "Cocoa Mean." Now she's been a part of our lives ever since. We hope your day is great. We love you.

#27 of 80

Sharing my life with True Blue 1 and True Blue 2 (I can't remember how the license plates read but I sure do remember riding in those babies) Grandpa loved his suburbans. I wonder if that's where he got the phrase "FOUR SQUARE AND TRUE BLUE" :o)

#26 of 80

I have always looked up to you Grandpa as a great leader.

You have taught me what it means to reprove "betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy" (D&C 121:43).

You have been a wonderful example to me of patience, love, service, charity, and many other Christ-like attributes for everyone that you come in contact with.

Thank you for inspiring me to try a little harder to be a little better.

Love, "E"

#25 of 80

I must mention what a wonderful Dad I have. He lovingly took the best care of my Mother-- especially during the rough years. He never complained and it wasn't always easy. Thanks Dad for your patience and love with Mother. You really showed a great example to me of unconditional love and service.
Love,
Pam

What a Priviledge!

After listening to Two Little Boys, memories of wonderful days past at Grandmas and Grandpas flooded my mind. I felt like I couldn't go another second without telling everyone in the Denny family that it is a priviledge sharing lives together with all of you! I feel so grateful and blessed to belong to such a wonderful family.

#24 of 80

Whats more American than hotdogs? Thanks Dad, I love you for bringing me those Chicago Dogs home in your suitcase after your trips. It seemed like there was always one packed just for me, and I would unwrap it and eat it on the spot (no warming necessary). You encouraged my love of hotdogs and I still enjoy a good "dog" regularly. Not to mention how much $ it has saved our large family over the years. They are cheap and versatile! The tradition continues on as I have provided many a "Dog" for the Ostler Kids. Besides, I still have my hotdog necklace.
Love, Val

"Two Little Boys"

I can sympathize with Mark's tribute to Grandpa Denny. While creating the Denny Memories DVD, I extracted the audio from when we sung "Two Little Boys" a couple of years ago. You can download the song yourself now, if you'd like, and put it on a CD or listen to however you'd like.

Here's the link:

http://163.248.163.5/TwoLittleBoys.mp3

I was thinking of putting it on the Itunes Music Store, but didn't want to ruin the song by making it an instant hit.

D

From One Missionary To Another

Many of you probably don't know that our Grandpa James Thompson led an interesting life.

After fighting in the Black Hawk Indian War (in Panguitch, Circleville, and other skirmishes throughout Utah), he eventually moved to Beaver, Utah. There he met and married (when he was 22 years old) Rebecca Gale. [On another interesting note, Rebecca's brother, Thomas Henry Gale, was born in Beaver in the same year that Butch Cassidy was also born - Thomas and Butch were probably in the same school class.]

Nearly twenty years after James Thompson married Rebecca, he was called on a mission to England. Now keep in mind that they live in Beaver and have a family by now.

As a missionary, he traveled by boat from Beaver to England. As far as I can tell, he served faithfully for two and a half years in England but never baptized a soul. However, he never lost faith and continued to maintain a positive attitude throughout difficult times. From a letter to his wife, I wanted to share with you a few lines that I wish I could have read while I was serving in Texas:

Well, dear Becca, I feel well in my labors as a Missionary, we often meet men and have an argument on the principles of our religion, and I can say I never felt better than when defending the principiles. For we should always live so as to be able to five a reason for the hope within us. I thank God I have a testimony to bear to the world of the truth of the Latter Day work... Dear Becca, the work is true no matter what men may say about it or how they like it, God's work will go on...

At the present time it looks dull for new converts here but we can only do our duty and leave the results in the hands of God.

Continue in your duty. Keep the faith. And may God bless you all,

D