Clarkson Life

19 and Crazy!

2014-01-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

This cutie is 19 and crazy today!!! Happy Birthday, Sara Dawn!
We love you and are so glad you are in our family! Thanks for all you do for all of us and the fun and joy you bring into our lives!

Here is your song for today! Don't get too crazy!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2013-02-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

Happy 80th Birthday to an amazing woman, my Mom, Alice Ford!

Born and raised in Lizard Bump, AZ

Brothers and Sisters from left to right: Linda, Von, Alice, Norman, LaVora, Ray

Beautiful Alice!

Her wedding day, June 27, 1950

For my dad when he was in the Navy

My mom and dad owned a farm and raised 4 kids in the Australian outback for 10 years.
Now that is tough!

My wedding reception: Carrie, Dad, Ryan, Kim, Mom, Ava, Mike

Cruising fun with Dad, Ava, Mom, Carrie

Had a blast on the Disney Cruise: Mom, Kim, Ryan, Madison, Ashley, Sara, Faith

Her thoughts on being 80:

I never thought I would make it to 80! My mind is still the same, thinking, planning, dreaming but my body says no.

My mom is my best friend. I love her and I'm so grateful for her strength, wisdom and love. I'm grateful for the blessing to still have a mom here on earth with me!

I saw the letter below on Facebook a while ago and it perfectly sums up my feelings for Mom and the stage our life is at (especially today as we head to the cardiologist):

LETTER FROM A MOTHER TO A DAUGHTER:

"My dear girl, the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through.

If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago”... Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep.

When I don’t want to take a bath, don’t be mad and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl?

When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way... remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life’s issues every day... the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through.

If I occasionally lose track of what we’re talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you.

And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked.

When those days come, don’t feel sad... just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love.

I’ll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say, I love you... my darling daughter."

- Unknown

Happy Birthday, Mom! Love you!

Happy Birthday Sara!!!

2013-01-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

This cutie is 18 today!!! She is ready to graduate high school and take on the world. We love you Sara!!!

Merry Christmas!

2012-12-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a little Christmas diddy Ashely, Faith, Adam & I worked on yesterday. Ryan was our great videoer. Merry Christmas everyone!

Weekend Happenings with the Fammie

2012-10-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

I'm back from North Dakota and back into life thank goodness! Last Thursday, Ashley had her last cross country meet of the season. Adam and I were there to cheer her on! This was her first year running cross country, I am so proud of her for working so hard and being so dedicated. Cross Country is a lot of work! Early morning practices, long runs, meets in the heat etc. All that plus she is doing cheer and getting straight A's :)

During the race. Go Ashley!


Ashley and Adam after her run. Could you look this cute after running 3 miles?

Right after the meet (at Red Mountain Park) it was off to Westwood to get ready to cheer at the football game. Also, earlier that day I made this potato soup for the teacher dinner during Parent/Teacher conference week at Adam's school.

Delicious soup!

Friday was parent meeting for girls softball at Faith's school then Faith had cousin Lacey over for a late night which turned into a spend the night lol. Friday night, Sara was busy with her color guard performance with the marching band at the away football game.

Then Saturday was band competition day in Tuscon. They did great getting 2nd place over all plus a guard and music caption!! It really is an excellent show! Sara plays the fairy godmother and has a beautiful solo.

Beautiful Sara!

The costumes & flags are so pretty!

Saturday was also the Westwood Pom/Cheer BBQ and carnival. It was so fun! The girls worked really hard setting everything up and getting all the donations. The food was yummy bbq sandwiches, bbq baked beans, salad, chips and pie. Fun carnival games, train rides and dancing were the activities.

Little bud!

A silent auction was held. We won the Ultimate Teen Basket!!!

Made their night and then some to win this!

Sunday was Adam's primary program at church. The theme this year was 'Choose the Right'. It was an awesome program with some of the best singing I've ever heard in all my years of attending primary programs. I couldn't help but get teary eyed as the spirit poured out of those sweet children.

Happy Birthday Madison!

2012-06-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

20 years ago today I became a mother...

To this beautiful, precious little creature...

My life has never been the same and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Here she is all grown up...

Happy 20th Birthday Madison!!! No more teenager! Your dad and I both love you very much!

It has been such a joy watching you grow up! From waiting for you to arrive, taking your first steps, getting your first tooth, piano lessons, soccer games, getting baptized, Young Women's, girls camp, driving, dating, jobs, Teacher Training, FCCLA, Color Guard, graduating High School, going to college, moving to Washington. You have been a trailblazer and set the bar high for your sisters to follow.

Here is a replay of your birthday video from two years ago:

Once Upon a Time

2012-05-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time Ashley was the star patient at her orthodontist - Glauser Williams Orthodontics. They seriously are the best orthodontists in town. Ashley sees Dr Glauser & let me tell you...he rocks!

She won a limo ride and free meal at Neilson's Frozen Custard for her and ten of her friends! They also received awesome goodie bags! Thank you so much Dr Glauser!

As you can see by the date on the pictures this happened back in Nov of 2010, so yes I am a mommy blogger fail to just now be getting these pictures up. Do you think I'm setting a blogging record posting something from almost two years ago? Oh well this is really a case of better late then never :)

Look Who Is The Newest Westwood Cheerleader

2012-05-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

This girl right here.....

Congratulations to Ashley for making cheer at Westwood (her Mamma's alma mater)!!! You've worked so hard for this and we are so proud of you!

Prom Girl!

2012-04-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Sara is off to her junior prom with her handsome date Devon. Such a lovely couple! They look stunning in my humble opinion. Sara's dress is gorgeous, I especially love that we got it for only $25. Devon selected a beautiful corsage and boutonniere that complimented their outfits smashingly. Sara is wearing sparkly Toms, now that's comfort! Devon (and his Mom) worked really hard to find the perfect matching tie. Have fun tonight!

Ragnar SoCal 2012

2012-04-17T10:40:00.001-07:00

I'm doing my second Ragnar SoCal on Friday. Why...I don't know. Sometimes I think I'm crazy & have a death wish. I'm in Van #1 runner #5. I wish I was runner #4 or #6, those miles would be waaaaay better for me ~~waaaah waaaah~~. When I picked runner 5 it did NOT have a 7.5 mile distance but Ragnar likes to change the routes around so if you ever do a Ragnar just keep that in mind when picking your route. Plus it will be a great experiment to do a race being 30lbs over weight #Sarcasm #KillMeNow.

On the upside it will be a fun group of ladies and I'm looking forward to meeting all those cool chicas on our team! Plus not to mention two days off of work & cooking! Whoo whoo!

Our Orchid Tree

2012-04-17T10:17:00.002-07:00

This picture does not do it justice! It had a blooming wonderful spring! This was from a couple weeks ago, now the tree is on the down side of blooms but it's glorious while it lasts. We always get a couple of people who drive by and stop to ask what kind of tree it is and my kids say their friends parents ask about it when they drop them off infront of our house. It's an Orchid tree and we love it! Thanks to my cousin Joan for planting it :)

Pinewood Derby 2012

2012-04-17T10:03:00.002-07:00

Adam and Ryan competed in another Pinewood Derby. That makes two Derby's for us now. This year Adam's car was called Lightning McQueen.Thanks to all the leaders for all their time and effort with my boy in Scouts!

Faith at Teen Elect

2012-04-17T10:02:00.002-07:00

Back in February Faith went to Teen Elect. She loved it! Our stake makes it super fun for the kids. I was left asking where did the years go? My baby girl is now 12 & old enough to go to Teen Elect. Wahhhh....Tears!!!! Isn't she beautiful though?!

Little Pioneer Children

2012-04-15T22:43:00.001-07:00

Sara and Ashley were blessed to be able to go on a Pioneer Trek with our stake youth over spring break. It was phenomenal! So much work was put into it! The kids had an incredible experience! They loved the families they were in and learned so much about the pioneers. How thankful and blessed we are because of those dear Saints, including our own ancestors, who bared such difficult hardships to be true to their testimonies and live the Gospel.

When I asked Ashley what her favorite part of the trek was she said, "The whole thing!" She said she liked that her family sang along the way & made it fun, she loved the food, and how everyone was dressed in pioneer clothes. She also liked watching the movie 17 Miracles on the bus on the way up to the Trek especially the part where one of the pioneer women says, "It will all be worth it if my posterity keeps the faith". Ashley said that made her think about our ancestors and how they probably thought the same thing.

Sara said her favorite parts were the Women's hike, helping cook the camp food, stopping at a trading post that had ice cold rootbeer and sleeping.

Easter 2012

2012-04-08T23:24:00.002-07:00

We had two Super Saturday practices.

Practice on St Patrick's day. Lots of people wore green.

The first night in our costumes.

How lucky are we! Maybe this will be our Christmas card.

Ryan was a Manger Shepherd in this scene. He's kneeling right behind the boy holding the sheep.

The kids love Grandma Slack!

Madison came down from Seattle to visit & watched us preform :)

Easter this year can be summed up in two words...Easter Pageant! We were in the Mesa Easter Pageant! It was a beautiful experience. We've been incredibly spiritually fed for the past three weeks. My personal testimony of the Savior grew from this experience. Being able to feel like I was actually there with Jesus when he walked on the earth, thinking, "What if I was there when this was happening?!" and the witness of the Savior's love for us is something I will never forget.

Even during the practices before we were given our costumes, there were moments when I'd get caught up in the spirit of trying to place myself at the scene and tear up. What a blessing it was to experience this. When else do you get to be a part of something so edifying? Seeing our children being touched by the spirit was another great blessing. Adam would say, "Mom, I started to get tears at that."

We were in four scenes, 'Healing and Teaching', 'The Rock- Parable of the 10 Virgins', 'Triumphal Entry' and the 'Finale'. Ryan was also a Manger Shepherd and in the Mob.

'Healing and Teaching' was a powerful scene to be in. We witnessed over and over again each night the miracles Christ preformed & his tremendous love for each one of us individually. We knelt in reverence and awe at the wonders we saw him preform. If I can testify of anything right now, it is that Jesus loves you beyond what you can even comprehend, that is how great his love is for us. He knows you, he knows your name and everything about you, good and not so good and he LOVES you. He is our friend and our Savior! Trust in him!

After the 'Healing and Teaching' scene we were the family that sat on the rock with Jesus during The Parable of the 10 Virgins. What a great scene to be in! Love that parable and we were practically sitting side by side with "Jesus". Tyler or David, who played Jesus (there were two different men for this scene depending what night it was) would say hi and talk to us for a second before the scene started. It was a little mind blowing to be so close and have them say hi and ask how we were doing because they looked so much like Jesus. Adam was one of the two boys who sat on each side of Jesus. Adam just beamed and lovingly looked up at him. He loved it when "Jesus" would call him by name. Then the scene starts and Jesus would intro the 10 Virgins parable. We had the best seat in the house for the fabulous dance the 10 Virgins do. Faith was the closest one of us to the dancers. During the first few rehearsals the narrators were blocking her view but then the directors moved them back and she was so happy to be able to see the dancers and their beautiful costumes. Faith had another special thing happen on the last night of this scene. Every night she sat at the very bottom of the rock and didn't really get "attention" from Jesus like those of us closer to the top where the actor playing Jesus sat. As a mom I felt kind of sad that she was way down there but on the last night as "Jesus" was getting ready to head up to the top of the rock he paused and touched Faith on the shoulder and said with a warm smile on his face, "I keep missing you and I'm sorry about that." It made her feel so special that he took time out to talk to her. To me it was so Christlike, concerned with even the one. Our Savior knows the name of every sparrow that falls from the tree and he knows us.

For 'Triumphal Entry' we watched Jesus glorious entry into Jerusalem. We were the followers of Christ and there to welcome him with shouts of "Hosanna" over and over. This song comes to mind:

As Christ walked by us we would kneel and reach out to him, then rise and give one final "Hosanna" before the soldiers would come and chase us out of there.

Our last scene was the 'Finale'. There are really no words to describe what an honor it was to testify, "I know He lives" every night, especially thru song. Song is a magnificent conduit to the Spirit. Many a night I had goosebumps proclaiming, "I know He lives!" to the audience.

Not only did we have the performances but we had two straight weeks of amazing devotionals as well. Hearing from wonderful speakers and special musical numbers, we were formidably uplifted in both word and song.

The last night of the Pageant was an especially emotional one. The devotional was excellent and Rob Gardner directed the Spire Music Choir in singing, I Am the Resurrection, from The Lamb of God. WOW! Way beyond AWESOME! If you haven't heard that song before click the link and listen! Needless to say, from then on the flood gates were opened for me. I was in tears for all of our scenes that night. Tears of awe, tears of joy, tears of thankfulness, tears of love, tears of humility for all that my Savior has done for me.

If you ever get the opportunity to be in the Easter Pageant, I say go for it! Is it a big time commitment? Yes, but it is beyond worth it. Was it always easy? No, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

Thank you to my family for participating and to Ryan for wanting us all to do it. I'm so glad we did it! Thanks to all the marvelous directors, crew & fellow cast who work fearlessly to put the whole pageant together. What a blessing you all are to our community, that we can have this wonderful Easter Pageant right here in Mesa. Thank you for allowing us the pleasure of associating with you these past few weeks. It was a sacred experience that we will always hold dear.

Adam's AZ Diamondback 'National Anthem' Audition

2012-03-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Little Adam is very brave!!! Today he went & auditioned to sing the National Anthem for the AZ Diamondbacks. I could never have done anything like that, even if I could sing. He had fun listening to the almost 200 other people audition, he was #123. When it was his turn he really belted it out! They had them all start from, "And the rockets red glare". Excuse the echo, that's just how it is in the stadium. It was a great learning experience and we're very proud of him! One video is mine and one is Ryan's. (Yes...we know about the "and" instead of o'er...we know...we know.)

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!!!!!

2011-04-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

42 years young! Happy Birthday to the most fantastic husband & father ever! You are truly a Christ-like leader of our home & would do anything for our family. We love & appreciate all you do for us!

Here's the video I made for your b-day last year. It still applies lol! Love you babe!

The Easter Pageant Starts Tonight!

2011-04-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

If you go to the Pageant this year ( and why wouldn't you with these two fine looking actors in it) be sure to look for Ryan & Ashley! Ashley sells jewelry during the Temple Cleansing scene & she is also one of Pilate's 2 maids in the Mob scene. The costume she's wearing above is the Temple Cleansing scene costume where she sells the jewelery. She has a different costume that's more fancy for the Mob scene where she's Pilate's maid. In the Mob scene, where the fate of Christ is being voted on, she holds the law that Pilot takes & throws out into the crowd.

Ryan sells cloth in the Temple Cleansing scene & he is in scene after the triumphal entry where there are 5 temple men being taught by Jesus. He is in the same costume the whole night.

You can also look for them before the Pageant starts as they go out & mingle with the audience.

The Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant: Jesus The Christ

Join us for this community
Easter Celebration

For all religions, ages and cultures

Free Admission
No donations accepted
and no ticket required

2011 Performances

English Performances
April 13, 14 and 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Spanish Performances
April 15, 16

ASL
April 13,14,15,16

All performances start at 8:00 p.m.

Location
North lawn of the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors' Center
525 East Main St., Mesa, Arizona

For more information about this year's Pageant, please click on this link: 2011 Frequently Asked Questions.

Adam's Drawing at Church

2011-04-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today at church, our program had a picture of Jesus in the clouds. Adam took it & colored it in with pen & wrote, "I love Children" on Jesus. I'm thankful Adam knows that Jesus especially loves children & that he feels that way when he thinks about the Savior. I'm putting this in his scrapbook.

Happenings & Goings On`

2011-03-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

Sara passed the American Red Cross Life Guard Training class she took, so now all she has to do is find a job & she can life guard this summer! We'd be so grateful if you'd cross your fingers & say your prayers for her please.

Ashley & Ryan started the Easter Pageant rehearsals. So excited for them!! Such an opportunity & fabulous experience! They rehearse for a couple weeks then the Pageant starts. Ashley is a jewelry seller & Pilate's maid, Ryan is a seller of cloth & a Temple Man. I'll post more details later.

Ashley had another fabulous Poston choir concert! It's such a treat to watch her up there!

Adam started his baseball season & Faith started her softball season.

Maddie is plugging away up at NAU. She loves it up there. She keeps busy with school, work & church activities. She hopes to study abroad in England in the near future, I'll keep you posted. We see her quite often on the weekend as she comes down for appointments or to work caring for Jean, an elderly lady she watches. BTW her hair is red now instead of blue :)

I turned 40 on March 14th. It was a whole week of excitement! This was actually my best birthday so far, probably because I'd been dreading it so much that it was better then I was expecting. Spent a lot of time with the family, Ryan took my birthday off from work & the day after too. I also went to LA at the end of last week with Madison. She went to visit some friends she has over there & I hung out with some of my best gal pals. We went to a taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, went shopping at Santee Alley & Melrose Ave & ate like crazy! Other then that, I've been busy running/training for the Ragnar & busy driving Faith, Adam & Sara to & from their activities while Ryan & Ashley are at Pageant practice.

We also have a couple new pets. A 7 mo old, long haired chihuahua puppy named, Bella, that was given to us for free from a family at the preschool where I work. And...Faith bought a hamster named, Teddy, with the PetCo gift card one of her friends gave her for her birthday.

** P.S. Here's a great song I found on iTunes a couple weeks ago. It's called "Blessings" by Laura Story. Give it a listen, it's a beautiful message:

Soarin' Thru SoCal

2011-03-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

Guess what?! I'm doing a Ragnar Relay! It's in Southern California April 15th & 16th. I'm very excited about this! I was able to join my friend Leah's team when they had a couple people drop out. Our team name is Soarin' thru SoCal...is that cute or what?!

Basically, I'm on a team of 12 people. We are running 200 miles divided between us over a 24hr period. For my part, I'm running a total of 12.6 miles broken up into 3 legs. I'm runner #11, here are my legs: Leg #11 - 6.0 miles (hard), Leg #23 - 2.4 miles (easy), Leg #35 - 4.2 miles (moderate). Here's a little description of the course:

Starting south of Los Angeles in beautiful Huntington Beach your team of 12 runners will head south down the pacific coast. Along the way you will pass through Anaheim, Carlsbad, Del Mar and La Jolla. The race (and your stamina) will wrap up near San Diego on beautiful Coronado Island.

It sounded so beautiful how could I pass it up?! Plus, it's a great way to celebrate turning 40.

Softball Girl

2011-03-04T06:15:00.000-08:00

"Look Mom I made it..."

BFF's

A strechy pants pose *insert Nacho Libre accent*

Lady Toro's rule!

"2011"

Sara made the Mt View softball team. She's on J.V. We're all so excited for her! It's not easy making anything at Mt View. She plays 2nd base. Their 1st game was down in Tuscon, they played Sunnyside & won 29 - 4. Yesterday they played Dobson at home & lost 4 - 8. Today, they play Red Mountain at Red Mt.

Mountain View (Mesa) 2011 Softball

Date Game time Opponent

03/01 04:00 PM Sunnyside vs Mountain View AWAY

03/02 04:00 PM Dobson vs Mountain View HOME

03/04 03:45 PM Red Mountain vs Mountain View AWAY

03/08 04:00 PM Mountain Ridge vs Mountain View HOME

03/09 03:45 PM Corona del Sol vs Mountain View AWAY

03/11 04:00 PM Centennial vs Mountain View AWAY

03/29 04:00 PM Mesquite vs Mountain View HOME

03/31 04:00 PM Highland vs Mountain View AWAY

04/05 04:00 PM Gilbert vs Mountain View HOME

04/06 04:00 PM Tolleson vs Mountain View AWAY

04/08 04:00 PM Basha vs Mountain View HOME

04/12 04:00 PM Dobson vs Mountain View AWAY

04/14 04:00 PM Corona del Sol vs Mountain View HOME

04/15 04:00 PM Mesquite vs Mountain View AWAY

04/19 04:00 PM Highland vs Mountain View HOME

04/21 04:00 PM Gilbert vs Mountain View AWAY

04/26 04:00 PM Skyline vs Mountain View HOME

04/27 04:00 PM Basha vs Mountain View AWAY

Happy Birthday Faith!!!

2011-02-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today Faith is 11 years old! Where did the time go? My baby girl is 11! We love you Faith, Happy Birthday!

Adam's Baptism Day!

2011-02-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

Today was such a wonderful day! Our son, Adam, was baptized! In our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, when children turn 8 years old they are baptized. It is very special. You can read more about what we believe on Baptism here at Mormon.org. Right after the baptism Adam was all smiles & said, "I feel so happy!" He also said he felt like he was full of energy. Adam's Dad (my wonderful husband), Ryan, baptized Adam & gave a scripture on the Holy Ghost for our part of the service. Thanks to Adam's big sister, Maddie, for playing the prelude music while we waited for Adam & Ryan to change after the baptism. We baptize by immersion so they go all the way into the water. The white clothes they are wearing are their baptismal clothes.

After the service we had a little celebration at our house with some family & friends. Thanks to all who came & helped Adam celebrate his special day! I really wish I had pictures of everyone there but only got a few, I went ahead & made this slideshow anyway :D

Carrot Cake...Yumm!

2011-02-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, for our Family Night dessert I made a yummy Carrot Cake recipe that I found here. It's called "Best Carrot Cake Ever" & it comes from a 1940's recipe. The only thing I did differently was add a can of crushed pineapple & I used 1 cup of Splenda & 1 cup of regular granulated sugar. If your looking for a moist & delicious Carrot Cake that's easy to make give this recipe a try! Everyone in my family liked it including the kids.

Ingredients
2 c sugar
1 1/4 c oil
4 large eggs
2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 c grated carrots
1 c chopped walnuts

FROSTING
12 oz powdered sugar
2 3 oz. cream cheese room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp milk

Directions
1. In large bowl, beat sugar and oil. Add eggs and beat well.
2. Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt into egg mixture; mix well; fold in carrots and nuts.
3. Place batter in greased 9x13 pan; bake 1 hour and 10 miniutes in a 350 oven. (Check once because of oven variances)
4. FROSTING: Beat together powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, butter and milk; spread on cooled carrot cake.