Dan and Elaine

Dan and Elaine celebrated their wedding on the beach in Mexico last Wednesday. This is a photo from back on the ship. Elaine never did find a good time to throw her bouquet.

Here is a link to more photos from the beach.

The cruise was fun. We all survived. The biggest problem... too much food, so now I need to eat crackers and water for a few weeks and try to get back into shape.

Relay for Life

I don't know if you have heard of the Relay for Life, but I am participating this year. It is an event designed for fund-raising for the American Cancer Society.

Here is a copy of the email that I've been sending out.

Dear Friends and Family,

This year, I am helping save lives from cancer by taking part in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, and I’m hoping you will support me.

Most of you know how cancer has significantly affected my life, and many of you have been affected in similar ways. I know I will never be the same after losing my mother to a short, but difficult battle with cancer. I am blessed enough to know that is not the end, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to help spare others from that kind of pain, both the kind that my mother and my family have experienced. The battle with cancer is always a difficult one. I want to do what I can to help further research and develop a cure.

For those of you who are not familiar with The American Cancer Society Relay For Life, it is a life-changing event that gives people in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

In addition to helping people celebrate, remember, and fight back, Relay For Life also helps raise much-needed funds and awareness to help the American Cancer Society save lives from cancer and create more birthdays.

Please support me in my efforts by visiting my personal web page to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation.



Every donation really does make a difference. I know that times are tighter than normal for many of us, but any amount you can give truly can help save lives.

You see, thanks to your support, the American Cancer Society can:

• 
  Help people stay well by helping them take steps to prevent cancer or detect it early, when it’s most treatable


• 
  Help people get well by being in their corner around the clock to guide them through every step of their cancer experience
• 
  Find cures by funding groundbreaking research that helps us understand cancer’s causes, determine how best to prevent it, and discover new ways to cure it
• 
  Fight back by working with lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and rally communities worldwide to join the fight

Each of us has our own reasons for caring about the fight against cancer … whatever your reasons, I hope you’ll choose to make a difference by making a donation online to support my efforts. I’m so grateful to have great people like you in my life who want to see an end to cancer in our lifetime. Together we can save lives

Thank you, and I will keep you updated on my progress.



Please check out my personal page, and if you can, donate, even if it isn't much. If you choose to donate, I have luminary bags and I will write the name (and a personal message, if you'd like) on one for the relay.

Very needed!!!! New pictures

Ok so i know that it has been over a year since I last posted anything. It has been such a busy year I don't even know where to begin. Things have changed quite a bit since last year. We have moved four times and been through four to five different employers. Adam is still going to school at UVU in orem. He is currently out of work and has been since the beginning of march. We are doing anything and everything in our power to find employment and could use a few prayers our way.
As for me I am still just Mom, I have applied to re-enter school and hopefully will hear from them shortly.
Daniel just had his second Birthday and is doing great. He loves to play, and would be outside all day if it was not for naps....
I know that is is not very much information, but I will try to get some more thoughts together and then I will post again. I will do my best to keep this updated from now on. But here are a couple of photos. I will probably post some more tomorrow!!!

Andy In Alabama

Andy sent this picture yesterday. Here are some extracts from his letter:

How's it going? Hope all is well, everything is fine here with me. Doing good and just continuing the work here in Alabama. ...
I played tennis this morning with an investigator named Enrique again. He's a cool guy. Apparently his parents housed missionaries when he was a kid! And they aren't members? Can you do that? I guess so... Well he's pretty cool, he wants to get back into it and he says maybe it's his time to start up again. The bad thing is that he lives out of our boundaries, but works inside ours. That's how we know him, because he works at a cowboy gear store. And by the way, when I return, I am becoming one. Hat, boots, pants, shirt. You name it. BELT. So awesome. [maybe that's where the white hat came from??]

...
I'm going to start bike riding! Crazy.
As for more to say... Cholula sauce is delicious. The restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings is delicious. The restaurant Jim and Nick's is delicious. So is Five Guys. It is delicious. And when you get the time, go to a Mexican Tienda and get "El Milagro" tortillas. They are the best. And if you ever eat at a mexican restaurant, try to get Pastor (taco).

Terra Nova

There is a new TV series in planning for next year, named after the high school my kids attend. Here is an artist rendition which is vaguely reminiscent of the valleys of Pacifica near where Terra Nova HS is situated.

Alabama Election Commercial

For a small taste of Alabama electoral discussion. Time to name names.

Family Reunion

Ok, so I am now looking into whether or not I can make it to the Family Reunion. I think I might be able swing airfare but am wondering whether I can bunk in someone's room, crash on someone's floor (with air mattress because I'm old now), or bum rides in someone's car to and from activities. If you have any ideas, suggestions, etc... I'm all ears. It would just be me since Frank still doesn't have any time off work until August.
Let me know.
Thanks
Patti

Robert Spencer 2010

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Anyone else keep their kids early artwork?: Here are two that go with the day.

"When I grow up I want to be a mom.
I want to be that because my mom is just a plain mom."

'More on back'.

What a great tribute!

Rocket Science

Jesse is the next generation rocket scientist in the family. Here are some comments he recently sent about his work:

Here is a demonstration of part of the rocket system I've been working on for the past 3+ years. There's a video and link to pictures of this week's successful launch (at White Sands Missile Range, NM) if you scroll down:



This abort rocket helps the NASA crew to escape if there is an anomaly with the launch rocket, either on the pad (as shown here) or during ascent to orbit. My main areas of emphasis are vortex aerodynamics, hot 50,000 pound rocket plume flows, multi-body separation dynamics, 10,000 pound jettison thrusters, and parachute aerodynamics between 29 sec (on the video) and 34 sec, although I also worked on ascent aeroheating, wake modeling for descent under parachutes, wind tunnel testing, etc ...

This is a huge relief that everything worked so flawlessly! Pre-flight animation is available:



There is a very interesting video of the various technologies ... most amazing is the Abort Control Motor (ACM), which has the unprecedented capability of controlling a vehicle using solid rocket motors that throttle to vary the thrust vector (watch video from 4:13 to 4:38):



You probably wouldn't want to ride this vehicle, since the astronauts are subjected to 17g (17 times gravity) ... they go straight up more than a mile in about 10 seconds.

Jesse

Distant Cousin

From a recent Church News:

Alan Roy Maynes, 59, and Laurie Afton Christensen Maynes, seven children, [called to serve beginning July 1 as President of the] Colorado Denver South Mission; [from] Gordon Creek Ward, Helper Utah Stake. Brother Maynes serves as a stake president and is a former counselor in stake presidencies, bishop and missionary in the Ireland Mission. Retired area director, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion. Born in Murray, Utah, to Roy Godfrey and Carol Rhoda Daw Maynes.

Sister Maynes is a former counselor in ward Relief Society presidencies, ward Primary teacher, chorister and pianist and stake family history consultant. Born in Roosevelt, Utah, to Dean Christian and Luella Afton Nielson Christensen.

***
Looks like he is my third cousin coming from Joseph Watson Maynes, the brother of John Alexander Maynes II. Joseph and John II, both returned to England to serve missions in the 1910's and both died while on their missions at ages 53 and 55 respectively.

Footnote.com

Footnote.com is a new location for building family history records. I recently added to the skeleton information already there for a couple of our people.

Grandpa Ross McGee link here

Grandma Louretta Maynes link here

Karen Atwood link here.

Grandma Elsie McGee link here

Grandpa Maynes link here
Feel free to add and comment.

(The site tries to sell yearly memberships but much is available free, just create a free basic membership and click past those offers.)