Rocketman Gunther!

And they're off! Yesterday was the annual South Pasedena track meet with all the elementary schools participating. Gunther ran in the relay and the 50 yard dash. (Note the mix of kids in the pictures. Their school is incredibly diverse which I think is wonderful.)
Gunther starts to pull ahead. He is really, really fast. You should see him run.

Gunther turns on the turbo, just in case any of the other boys get the idea that they can beat him. Are those flames?And on the victory stand. He finished the meet with two gold medals around his neck. Nice footwork Gunther. We're proud of you. He also received an award in front of the school yesterday for RESPECT which was as wonderful as his finishes at the track meet. Sorry I don't have a picture of that.

Invention you should know about.

I mentioned these to Sandee at the Super Bowl Party, but forgot to post the pictures. These are called Hercules Hooks and are AMAZING for hanging things in drywall. I've labeled the photos to help you understand how they work. They hold up to 150 lbs and are so incredibly easy to use. Plus, they leave just a tiny little hole in the wall. I imagine you can get them at Home Depot, I ordered mine online. Here's where I got mine. And no, this is not a paid product endorsement although as much as I love them it should be.

Eddie's Birthday!

Today is Eddie's big day! I just wanted to give a shout out for the man I love! You are the greatest and most thoughtful husband. Thanks for making me feel special every day. I hope your day is wonderful despite having to go to the dentist and aside from the rain. Be sure to eat extra cake today...that'll make you feel better...and the dentist will love it!

I LOVE YOU!

Andrea

Kalyn's Kitchen has a Birthday!

I can hardly believe it, but today my blog turns two years old. Not long ago I passed two million pageloads, and in March I had over 300,000 pageloads in one month, so a little celebrating is in order. Thanks to Rand and Bradley for all their assistance, and to everyone in the family for the support! Hopefully there will be many more years of good food and blogging to come!

Elder Ostler

Dear Family,

My Easter was very good. After church, we had dinner with the Burns family, a
part-member family who is very good to the missionaries. They have two kids,
Raymond and Cassandra who who are about 8 and 6 (I don't know the exact ages)
who also love the missionaries. We also did some service for them by helping
them put in their kitchen cupboards, which was a lot of fun and we learned a
lot.

That is awesome that we have a bunny. I never would have guessed that we would
have one as a pet, but it is neat.

That is neat that Chad has moved in, at least for now. He has always been a
very happy kid, and always fun to be around. He always is a good friend and has
been to me.

I didn't know about Brayden, but that is great that he got his call. I'll
probably get a letter from them soon, but that is the first time I've heard it.

Things are going well in Franklin. The work is progressing very good,
especially with Bishop Butler, who is very missionary minded, and we have been
going on team-ups with him lately about twice a week. We found someone a few
days ago who was very promising, but unfortunately he called us a few days ago
and said he wasn't interested anymore. We are still working on finding the
elect, and we are trying to increase our work with members and getting referrals
from them. There have been a few neat experiences that have happened lately.
I'll share one of them with you. About a week ago, we were heading to a dinner
appointment in Polk, PA, and we couldn't find it for the life of us. We looked
through Polk, and we asked someone in the local market of Polk, and they said to
drive past Polk and try the outskirts. We drove for about 10 miles one way past
Polk, and we turned around. We started to pray for direction and guidance, me
in my heart, and my companion bowed his head and prayed. We took a fork in the
road and started heading another way past Polk. After about 10 miles in this
direction, I drove past a road, and my companion said to turn around and go on
that road, he felt prompted that we should. I did, but it was obviously not the
right road, and didn't lead to the right road either, but I trusted in his
prompting. He felt like we should pull over and knock on a house with it's
lights on and ask them where this road was, so we did. I asked them if they
knew where Time Machine road was, and they said, "My brother lives right across
from there." and they told me exactly where it was. It was about 16 miles in
the opposite direction from the house we were standing at, but the Spirit had
directed us to someone who knew exactly where it was. God does answer prayers
and watches out for us and loves us, no matter how small or insignificant our
problem may seem. To Him it is important, because we are important.

One suggestion for scripture study might be to study by Topic. Pick something
each day that interests you and study that, instead of just reading straight
through it over and over, because I know personally that that does get
monotonous.

My companion and I work very well together, and he is definitely a very
spiritual person with a very fun personality.

I know that this gospel is true, as I have felt the Holy Ghost confirm it my
heart so many times, especially when I really needed the comfort. God does
answer prayers, as I have had all of mine answered. In this area I have really
gained a very strong testimony of prayer from the comfort I have received after
praying. I know God loves us so much, and that we should show Him our love by
doing His will. I can feel your love as well, and am eternally grateful for it.

Love,

Andrew

Angee's Observations

It was a fun day yesterday at Grandpa Draper's house with cousins, siblings, siblings-in-law, etc. I can only imagine what it used to be like with first generation Denny kids. A lot of chaos I'm sure. :)

I love the sizes of these Draper cousins.

It was a lot of fun watching Kenzie teach her grandpa how to use his IPod. Funny, an 11 year old and her grandpa getting the same gift for their birthday. :)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other blogging hazards.

As you know a few months ago we migrated Denny+Connect to Google's "new blogger." With that move came the ability to add "labels" to each post, thus making it easier to go back into the archives (via the labels on the right side) and find things, or just laugh at pictures. At that time I was a good little blog administrator and started going backwards and applying labels to things, especially pictures. But, the job was grueling because of the way blogger sends you back to the beginning with each label update you add. After going back hundreds of posts I filed that job under "I'll get to the rest of it when the Polar Ice Cap melts." Well, as you know it's melting and I've finally gotten to it. Last night I went back through all 1052 posts and applied labels to all the posts with pictures. I figured that of all the wonderfulness here on Denny+Connect the pictures would be the one thing we'd really like to be able to access at any time. (I also applied labels to all the missionary letters.) So, as you can see on the right side, the picture counts have increased dramatically under the individual family photo labels. Most of the time I even assigned multiple labels to a single picture if it had multiple people from multiple families in it. (Apologies if I messed up anywhere. I had to constantly hit back and uncheck and check boxes. Urrrg.) And although the job was tedious and my hands are now frozen into carpal tunneled little claws, I did enjoy some very big laughs looking for (and at) all of the pictures. We do indeed have an amazing family.

PS: Not that I mind updated each post (since most of you forget to apply the labels), but just a reminder. To apply a label to your post simply click on the words "Show all" on the bottom right side of the posting form. That will bring up all the current labels and allow you to then click on as many of them as you think are appropriate for your post.

Jess. Jess.

Jess. Jess.
I must confess.
I'd love a nice mouthful of cake.
Jess. Jess.
I simply can't lie.
Some presents I do spy.
Jess. Jess.
This day is yours.
Remind your Mom "no chores."
Jess. Jess.
The party is on.
From now until you yawn.
Jess. Jess.
Please close your eyes.
And think of a surprise.
Jess. Jess.
blow the candles out.
You surely can, no doubt.
Jess. Jess.
Have a happy time.
Have a birthday that's sublime.
Jess. Jess.
It's surely true.
Birthday or not we love you!

Who is this kid?

I don't know about you, but when I look at this picture of Clayton I say to myself "When was this taken? Three years ago? Maybe five?" Clayton doesn't age! But, that won't stop the rest of us from aging another day and recognizing his birthday with a little cake and a big wish for a wonderful birthday! We love you Clayton.

KENZIE!

Today is YOUR day
You mustn't delay,
there shopping to shop
and playing to play.
There's a cake-y to bake-y
and presents to tear,
there's a party to throw
and you'd better be there.
Today is YOUR day
Miss Kenzie Mc D,
today is your birthday
with a fun guarantee.
We love you Kenzie!

Happy Birthday Justin!

Hey y'all. Justin's fixin' to have a big ol' party today to celebrate his birthday. The party will include stuff like tracting, teaching, walking, and studying. And mid-day there will be a big ole feast of ramen noodles with hotdog. Yee-haw. Have a dang good birthday Justin. We love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARRETT !!!!!

I thought I would grab a couple of cute ? photos of Garrett to help celebrate his birthday!!

We love you Gar....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

ps are you really 25??? Am I really that old??

Love you, Mom

A Day on Williams Farm

Sophie loved the goats. 5 baby goats were born during this week!! We didn't get any good pictures of the babies.
Cooper loved driving the 4-wheeler.
Cooper hopped up on the tractor and turned to Shane and said--"Let's go move some dirt!"
Does that remind anyone of a little boy about 27 years ago, with the same desire?
Sophie definitely did not want anything to do with the 4 wheeler!

2 for 2

It's a boy!
Any name suggestions?

Family Favorite Recipes: Shrimp and Macaroni Salad

(I posted this recipe on my blog today and thought people might like to have it here too for those who love the recipe.)

Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn years ago and later updated for the South Beach Diet.)

1 cup (dry) Dreamfields macaroni
2 cups thawed frozen precooked shrimp, cut in 1/2" pieces (save some of the juice)
1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup sliced green onions
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
2/3 cup mayo (or use 1/3 cup light mayo and 1/3 cup regular mayo, do not use fat free)
1 T reduced shrimp "juice" (Liquid saved when draining shrimp which has been boiled to concentrate the flavor)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. whole celery seed

Thaw shrimp overnight in refrigerator, keeping it in the bag so you can catch the "juice" when you open it. (In a pinch you can also thaw it inside the bag in a bowl of barely warm water.) Drain shrimp well, reserving the liquid that accumulates in bag. (I usually dry shrimp with a paper towel if they are quite wet.)

Put liquid drained from shrimp in small saucepan and simmer until reduced by at least half. (This is the concentrate the shrimp flavor and evaporate the water.)

Cook macaroni in large pot of salted, boiling water for about 9-10 minutes, or until soft but still slightly chewy. Be careful not to overcook. Drain macaroni and cool, but don't rinse.

While macaroni cooks, dice shrimp, celery, and green onions and put in bowl with a snap-on lid. Mix dressing ingredients together. When macaroni is cool, mix it into shrimp mixture in bowl, then gently fold in dressing. (You may not need all the dressing if you prefer your salads to be more dry.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. This is best if chilled a few hours before serving. Will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

I have made this with small "salad " shrimp or larger medium shrimp, but I greatly prefer the flavor and texture of the larger shrimp. I cut each medium shrimp into about 4 pieces. You could add other ingredients like olives, diced red peppers, cucumbers, or hard-boiled eggs to this recipe.

Pay Attention

I guess you guys should hear this from me rather than from somebody else. I've created a "motivational presentation" that has gained some traction in the educational technology community (see below - if it doesn't show up for you here, you can see it at our site - http://t4.jordandistrict.org/payattention). Professionally, it's been a wild ride for me in the last week. As an example, I've been asked to give the keynote address at an upcoming technology conference (TTIX). I'm extremely nervous because I don't think they're expecting an hour of Dilbert cartoons.

Kalyn, let me know your take on it - especially since you are a teacher that already uses blogs in the classroom. : )

Peace out,

D

Welcome Home Stuart! (Many More Photos to Come)

Today is Valerie's Day!

What's a mother of eight to do on a day like today (besides drop off the taxes)? Probably about 7,681 things for everyone around her. You can see from the picture that our baby sister has always been caring for things. So in and amongst all the necessary things you find yourself doing today Valerie we hope you take time to enjoy a little cake. Savor the cake. Stare at it lovingly. Take a long deep breath before you make your wish. And then really listen as the sweet little voices (and some not so little) sing Happy Birthday to you. And then while you blow out the candles know how much we all love you and wish for you to have a wonderful, relaxing, beautiful birthday today. And don't worry, those 7,681 things will be there tomorrow.

Brandon & Emily!!

Brandon and Emily Welch. I finally got a couple of pictures to share. We are very excited to have Emily join the family. She is excited to meet all the Dennys ( little does she realize what she is getting into! :) )

Love you all

Janet

L & M Easter outfits!

After several attempts to get a photo of their Easter outfits, I settled for this one---it was definitely the best!! Lauren's first attempt---not at all happy to comply!
Morgan's attempt ---she was even less happy to comply than Lauren!!
Have a great day, everyone!!

Easter Egg Hunt

We enjoyed a fun Easter egg hunt with the grandkids. This is a tradition Kelly's parents always did for our children---we have kept it going with our grandchildren. Fun memories!!

Easter outfits---Cooper and Sophie. Lauren and Morgan would not pose in their outfits, too tired. Ready for the hunt!
Sharing with sister...
We found cool stuff....

More Spring Break

Drapers had a good spring break as well. On Friday Ang hung out with 2 of her college friends while D went golfing with Clayton, Josh, and Danen. On Saturday we hit the first ballgame of the season with the Salt Lake Bees, and on Sunday we had Sadie's blessing.


Let's here some more spring break stories. I hear they got snow in Ohio. Is that true McClellands?

Our Camping adventure!

Kelly and I got away for spring break in our trailer. We golfed 72 holes in 3 days. Kelly didn't catch any fish--not even a bite.
Thursday, we decided to see if Kara and the kids wanted to come down for the night. They came and we all had a blast. Sophie liked the playground and water! Cooper liked the water, fish, and sweets!! Kara just enjoyed a little break from routine.

We walked a trail to go fishing. I am a great fisherman--but didn't catch one with the pole, only a baby fish with my
bare hands!
I got to sleep in Grma and Grpa's trailer!! Boy it is hard to fall asleep in a trailer.
The whole crew.
The water isn't even cold---only about 54 degrees!!

Anybody else forget their password?

I've noticed a few people saying they can no longer access Denny+Connect because of forgotten passwords (Lisa, Kristen). I've resent invitations to you two so you can redo it. I've removed your old accounts. Anybody else need a new invitation, or just an invitation? Just send me an email. And remember, with the new Google system you have to put in your full email address as the username.

Brandon is engaged!!!

I am very pleased to announce that Brandon is engaged to Emily Welch (yes, we will have 2 emilys in the family...yaaaay!) Emily is a beautiful girl from Sheridan Wyoming and we are in love with her already. Brandon promised a picture on the blog very soon so you can all meet her. If you want to congratulate Brandon, his # is 307-851-7059. They have chosen July 7th, 2007 for the day and will marry in the Ogden Temple. (Her parents are both from Ogden) I hope this will make it a bit easier for those that want to attend.


More later as I receive it...

CONGRATULATIONS BRANDON & EMILY !!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Congratulations Brayden!

Big congratulations to Brayden on his mission call to the Calgary, Canada mission. I thought you might all enjoy a little view of the Calgary skyline. It looks like a beautiful city. Pack warm clothes Brayden!

Braden got his call!

I thought I'd update everyone on Braydens mission call. Calgary Canada, english speaking. yup, he's going north and he seems quite stoked or shocked (one of them) I don't think he'd even heard of calgary before his call. we also leaves May 30th for the MTC. sorry, no winners in the all expense trip to somewhere in your own town.

also, anyone coming to stuart's homecoming this next sunday at 9:00 a.m. remember we are planning on staying to the full block, but our house will be open for anyone who wishes to come over right after sacrament mtg. also, if you'd like to bring something, please bring a salad or dessert of your choice. thanks again for all you support.
Dave, Amy, and crew

Somebody hatched today!

Chocolate bunnies, hard-boiled eggs, Jelly beans, Peeps, Malted Milk Eggs and a big slice of Birthday Cake! Sounds a little bit like an upset tummy waiting to happen. Then again, it's not everyday that you get to celebrate your birthday on EASTER. Have a wonderful Easter Erin and a very Happy Birthday. We hope you got TWO new dresses for the occasion. We love you.

we been cruisin!!!

Jon and I just got back from our 30th anniversary cruise!! It was a blast... We definitely have to do a siblings and spouses cruise... soon!!! We went to mexico, Guatamala, Belize and New Orleans!! Thought I would share a few pics.

Love you all

well, it's here. yes, I mean Brayden's mission call! the only problem is that Brayden is not here. He left last friday for a week in Mexico doing humanitarian service with a family. he won't be home until sunday. so, we have a dilema. his call is sitting on the mantle with no one to open it and a steam iron close by in case dad cannot wait. (not really) although I'm very excited, I would not want to ruin his big day and time. so we'll wait until he gets back and try to persuade him to open it sunday. ( he said if it comes while he's gone, we would just wait until the following wednesday and open it when Stuart gets home) (and yes, that means Stuart will be home a week from today).
anyway, if anyone wants to get on to www.ldsmissions.net you can see all the current missions and post a guess of where he'll go. the winner will win a hug at his farewell or something. whenever he gets around to opening it, I'll post again and let you all know.
Mark and I sure had a fun time getting snowed in, in Casper Wyoming of all places. It was real nice when we could get out though, because we went home via Riverton and checked into the up and coming Howell Dental Labs. it was real fun to see the lab and Janet and Jon
Our love to all,
Dave, Amy, and all

New York City

I just returned from a trip to New York and thought I would share some pics. We went to Central Park, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, did tons of shopping, went to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, saw "Spamalot" on Broadway, went to The Met, walked down Wall Street, and much, much more. We enjoyed eating at a few good restaurants. My favorite was a little sushi place on the Lower East Side and of course the pizza and hot dogs. The only thing I was disapointed about was I couldn't find a fountain Mountain Dew anywhere. I guess New Yorkers don't drink that stuff!

We were constantly going, but we still didn't get to see everything we wanted. It is definitely a big city with tons to keep you busy. It was an amazing trip and I definitely recommend it to anyone that has the chance to go.