Random memories

Seems a little odd that a photo from 1991 would almost qualify as "vintage," but this one caught my eye when I was sorting through some photos. (And maybe I'm the only one thinking it is "vintage," but then again, it is 18 years old! And everyone knows how old an 18-year old is!)

Hannah and Eliza in the crowd "catching the bouquet" at Amy and Phil's reception.

Hmm - wonder what they were thinking??

A Birthday Day!!

Ella turns 11 today!! How can that be? I remember so distinctly the day she was born. I was working at Clifton, and Bonny and Bruce brought Ara out the day before a scheduled induction- but then I think Bonny went into labor before that happened. And so I took a day off - and sort of hung around the house, thinking I would need to tend Ara - but Dad ended up staying home - and pretty much monopolized her!! But it was a fun day - days off usually are!!

So the little family that was Bruce, Bonny and Ara - now included Ella!!

And having two grandkids was more than twice as much fun as having one - in spite of the look of skepticism on Ella's face here!!

And Grandpa loved it too!

Such a sweet little girl - and she still is!

Ella was the "little sister" for awhile - but now she's definitely a "big sister" too!

This is a favorite shot of mine - sort of personifies the lovely young woman Ella is becoming - actually, she's been "becoming" all along - what a joy she is in our lives!!

Happy Day Ella!!

And we always thought it was pretty nice that Ella shares her special day with a special family friend - our own Sue Cornwall! Sue has been a part of our lives for a lot of years now - and aren't we glad about that!! Bonny used to baby sit for her, she used to call and report when Harry was skateboarding to Clifton down the middle of Ivy, and Phoebe, Eliza, Hannah and Noah all had her as a Seminary teacher. She even gave Dad piano lessons for a brief spell. She's sewn flower girl dresses for us, manned the kitchen at Terrill wedding receptions, and provided our family with lots of yummy treats. I count her as a good friend - the best gift of all!

Here's to a happy day - and a wonderful year ahead - to you!

In the news -

Dad and I both got a good chuckle this a.m. upon reading the LA Times Comics section.

We keep talking about ending our subscription - what you get each morning is pretty thin - the Sunday Times is the size of what the weekday Times used to be - but then this happens and we think, well, we'll keep on subscribing.

Besides, we both read it - just doesn't take nearly so long!

Birthday Celebrations in the morning/Women's Broadcast in the evening

Dad worked at the temple, but Noah and I went to Jenny and Allen's house to be part of the Dequer Family Birthday Celebration for Wayne and Christian, Van and Wendy's son, who turned 12. Wayne didn't mention what age he was turning - but Jenny gave him an iPod that you can use while swimming! (We gave him a Jerry Garcia tie!!)

It was a Birthday Breakfast - better than IHOP too!! Maybe this can be a new trend!! Lots of good breakfast food - and lots of good company!

Here are Van and Wendy with their kids. They live in Lancaster and had come down Friday night. Allen and Jenny bought a house in Sierra Madre, so there was lots of room - and a big new dining room table - and a new billiard table to break in !!

This is obviously Wayne with Noah and Scott - it was fun to see Scott again - sounds like he's some sort of favorite uncle!!

And me with the Dequer Women!! I have always loved all the Dequers, but I especially enjoy maintaining a relationship with Dawn, Wendy and Jenny - in spite of years and distance.

Speaking of years and distance, we had our now traditional dinner before the Women's Broadcast - prepared, served and cleaned up by the Stake Presidency and High Council!!

And Melissa and Mary Grace came - Helen did too, but I didn't get a shot of her - I thought this group photo would make some of you smile!! All those long-ago Young Women are now some great Relief Society sisters!!

The busy brethren in the kitchen. John H. is moving - to Yosemite - so we are now scrambling for a replacement!! He has been the key player in getting these meals to happen - the hunt starts now!

The broadcast was great - I'm thinking that the new buzzword among the women of the church just might be "Mind the gap!" If you didn't hear the broadcast, go to LDS.org and you can view the meeting.

But "Mind the gap" will be quoted often I am sure - and for good reason.

Maybe we'll meet at some Relief Society meetings one of these days!!! (speaking of "meeting" - got several emails from the new Stake Relief Society President in Phoebe's stake - we shared notes - and I sent her a photo of Phoebe so she could pick her out of the crowd - and we all know Phoebe is a real stand out - so that should be easy enough. Phoebe really manages to "connect" with everyone!! It's a gift.)

Note: Eliza successfully completed the Ragnar Relay she ran in this weekend - we will look forward to a report from her soon - maybe I will wake up to one even! (She usually wakes up before we do!!)

And of course, we will be interested in the new ward configurations that will be taking place in her stake this Sunday too.

The news never stops around here!

Around the old neighborhood

I have come across black and white contact prints that are not very discernible, so I have had them made larger - I don't know who this is. Since most of these were taken around the same time, there are some clues. I'm sure it's the sixties.

It's easy to tell that this is Richard. And I'm sure all these shots were taken on the same day - they are on the same roll of film, that's for sure.

And this is Bill, pedaling his bike around the neighborhood. It all looks remarkably the same as it does now.

This is vintage Dad - in front of the shop, apron on, arms akimbo!

But I post this one because everyone needs to know about the old Pontiac station wagon - I do wish Dad were alive to give me the details on the car - and without a doubt, he could give me every detail! But you need to know that this was a car that held all of us - as in all 14 of us.

We certainly all weren't in a seat of our own and there were no seatbelts - we didn't even know what those were!! But we'd crowd in and go for Sunday drives mostly. When we stopped at intersections - we did not take freeways to Inglewood or Lynwood or Downey - I don't think there were freeways to those places - Lyn would hold up his fingers to indicate how many of us there were!! This because people were counting all the children in this car!! We kept saying how we were going to make a sign to hold up "Yes, there are 12 kids in this car!!"

And if you know Lyn, you know the expression that was on his face.

It was this kind of expression!!

The car is from the 50's - it wasn't brand new - I mean we were driving it around in the late 50's.

A little snapshot of the past - a past that sometimes seems like it wasn't all that long ago - and other times seems just like another world!

The Mama and the Papa!!

Here are Mom and Dad with Joan - maybe she's two? I recall the table in the background - and the vase!

And this would be Mother with Lyn as a baby. Don't you love the blouse - and the hairdo??

And here are Mom and Dad many years later - probably the 60's - and Christmas time.

And Mom's looking very slim - and Dad's looking a little more portly!!

Oh the years - and the stories they tell us!

Clayton Cousins

These are some more old photos I've collected from Mom - when you click on this one, the resolution is not bad.

The back says Christmas 1979 - which would explain why the Terrills are not in it - we moved in Summer of '79. But it's Sean, Rick, Erika, Jacob, Chris, Kevin, Betsy, Jennifer - and I think that's Jared in front of Jennifer. I'm not sure what Michael was doing!

And this photo says February of 1975 - and it's Richard, Harry, Erika, Bonny, Bill and Betsy. I'm not sure where it is, but my guess is somewhere in Utah.

There are pluses to having a plethora of cousins - think of all the blogs we can read now - but the big minus is that we were/are pretty much spread all over, so we can't be together all that often.

But I do enjoy getting to know folks through their blogs!

Happy 18th Birthday to Axel!!

We haven't spent that much time with Axel in his "older" years!! In fact, what I can mostly find are very young pics of him. He came to SoCal for a brief visit after he was born, before Alice went back to India.

But he was here often as a "little" kid - and so sometimes I keep thinking he's still a little kid. We had some fun summers with all the Kerksieks! But he doesn't seem to be in many of the pictures - maybe he was taking a nap!

I discovered a box of pictures labeled "Kerksiek to sort" and hit a motherlode here. They were pictures Alice has sent over the years. I will have to post some classic shots of Karl and Peter!!

This one is really especially charming - what a little man! Don't you love little boys in bow ties?

And you are just not a little boy without a cowboy outfit!

This is actually the oldest single shot of Axel I could find - you need to send me a senior picture, or you will always be portrayed on the Terrill blog as a kid!! (In fact, I think I post this shot every year on your birthday!)

When we were in La Paz last year, Axel was in the U.S., so we haven't seen him in awhile.

But current pictures or not, we want to wish you a very happy day - and a great new year ahead of you!!

All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten

Annika has been enjoying Kindergarten.

She came home from school last week and told me about an altercation she had with a friend.

According to Annika, she was racing Dean, and her friend Matt grabbed the back of her shirt to hold her back, so she couldn't win.
(note: Annika prides herself on her speedy running.)

She told Matt to stop, and he didn't.

So she kicked him.

In the stomach.



I shook my head and asked what she did next.


"I said sorry.

I told him to quit crying.

And I told him not to tell anybody."


*sigh*

The Week That Was

Turns out there was one more shot from the birthday sleepover with Eve last weekend - the manicure!! Afterwards, as we carefully opened and closed car doors and buckled seat belts, we headed for Target to get socks for Annie. I have to tell you about how Eve thought I should get something - she looked at some skirts - and persuaded me to try one on - and convinced me I should get it. She is a great little shopping companion - "That looks great on you Grandma. You need to buy it!"

It was a long hard week at school - but Friday came!! I hustled over the Bed, Bath and Beyond with my plethora of 20% off coupons and bought a ton of matching hangers - but I still need more!! (and I purged a ton of clothing - two large garbage bags worth!)

I was inspired by Hannah's offhand remark on one of her posts that they'd gotten matching hangers - it really works! Why didn't I do this long ago??

Today we headed out to Mom's - had dinner with her, Donna and Mary - a delish repast - roast beef, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, to-die-for gravy and corn on the cob that was positively celestial!! There is nothing quite like good home cooking!!

Then Harry Dad changed all the smoke alarm batteries - Grandma supervised - a job she does well!

And Adam showed off his somewhat slimmer figure - at least slimmer than the photo I posted below with Sister Warner!!

And I purchased a Le Creuset - one step closer to my goal of making Boeuf Bourgignonne - going to do this one day - poco a poco I always say!!

Monday is on its way!! (At least the calendar will say fall - even if the thermometer does not - we have triple-digit temps forecast for the week!!)

California, here we come

Mark your calendars! Robbie and I are going to be in the Monrov on October 24th and 25th. Lucky you!

Hair today - hair yesterday

Some have said - on this very blog - that Hannah looks like me. That may or may not be true, but her hair flips - just they way mine used to.

My hair still flips, but it's not quite the style it was back in 1964!

My hair continues to give me grief most days. It has a mind of its own - you would think I would have figured that out!

Welcome to name that sound!

We heard a lot of this at our house this summer. It really took me back to my childhood.
I am not referring to Agnes' crying at the very end of the video, although we did hear a lot of that, too.

This is the 70's - I can guarantee that much!!

For all the credit I get for being well-organized - a designation I dispute BTW - I have never been very good about photos - I go in spurts - but over the years, I have not maintained any one system.

So, we look for clues. Some genius - namely me - wrote only "Sunday March 30th."

And when you click on it, it's pretty grainy.

But it does bring back memories!

Feel free to "fill in the blanks!!"

All the action in Green Bay!!

Terri Warner gave this to me - Melanie had sent it to her - obviously it's not "current" since Adam has been home awhile.

But it's fun to see that they crossed paths!! I get Sister Warner's mission emails, and as she was coming out of church a couple of weeks ago, she ran into Michelle Moore Arreola - who now lives in Wisconsin!! (Before that, Michelle and her husband lived in Davis - and he was Paul's home teaching companion!!)

Only in the church is it such a small world!

Mary Travers

OK, so kind of random to post on the Terrill blog, but I just read that Mary Travers died of cancer yesterday. I thought you might be interested if you are like me and can't go to the zoo without singing, "We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you, you can come too, too, too, we're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo."

I always thought she was really pretty.

Terrill/Taylor Family Photos

I suspect you all have copies of these, but since we are delving into the past, I thought it only fitting that we include the Terrills - and that would include the Taylors.

The above is John Lorin Taylor - Grandma Helen's father, Dad's grandfather. He died young - only 45 or so - so Dad doesn't have memories of him - other than those his mother shared with him.

And this is her mother, Genieve Douglas Taylor - Grandmother Taylor as we all knew her. She was a lovely woman - I'm sorry you all couldn't have been acquainted with her. Scott and Karen probably have memories of her - especially Scott, because in her dotage, Grandmother Taylor would always come up to Scott and say, "You remind me of my brother Orson."

Scott would usually laugh - since she said it often - and he would even mimic her - I'm sure he's repented of this minor breach of etiquette - he was only a very young boy after all. And I'm afraid I'd always smile too!! (So I will repent of my minor breach of etiquette also - although I'm not sure what my excuse is. Scott was a charming little boy though!)

It's odd to think that something like a high school or college photo of me will someday elicit "vintage" responses!!

"She has her grandmother's eyes . . ."

This is a photo of Alberta Porter Terrill - Dad's paternal grandmother - and of course Susanne's grandmother too - only for her, it's on her mother's side.

Is it just me, or is the resemblance pretty uncanny??

Just a for-your-info kind of fact, but Grandma Helen told me that she always addressed her as "Mrs. Terrill."

Random Photos

Random - and old - that's the theme here. There is certainly something about coming across a photo and thinking about it - recalling the time, the experience, the people with you.

This may be the "newest" of the old photos - it's Youth Conference 2003. I don't remember much about it - I think I was in charge of housing - and that was kind of a pain. But we got through it. And had fun at the dance where this shot was taken. This is when Dad and I were counselors in the stake YM/YW Presidencies.

I think both of these shots - above and below - are August 1994 - fun times with the Kerksieks!!

Hannah and Eliza in their French jammies too!

I don't know the date on this one, but Jeanette's hair is a classic - that's all I can say!

Donna on her mission - 1986!! Love the blonde tresses!!

Since there is no Annika in this photo - and Esme looks pretty young, it has to be at least 5 or 6 years old - so maybe it's tied with photo number 1 for newest shot honors.

Hmm - the years, they are flying by!