End-of-year reflections of 2019...

*January 2019 started with the realization that we were receiving a gift of time.  Doctors had told us in March of 2018 that our mother would pass soon and she ended up living a year past what we were told.  Amy was a huge blessing to me as she agreed to watch Luke for a week so I could fly to Oklahoma and be with my mother.  Amy entered the MTC on Luke's birthday, January 23rd, so it was no small sacrifice for her to hold down the fort just before she was leaving for 18 months so I could have that time with my mom.  I will always be grateful for her service.

Amy was in the MTC for 9 weeks and then she flew to St. Petersburg, Russia on March 26th.  It was the perfect time to go as the weather was becoming more mild there.  She had a fantastic trainer-a sister from Austria, and their personalities fit together well.  She has grown so much this year and was able to visit the temple in Helsinki, Finland twice.  We are proud of her!

Tim wanted to see my mother too, so we took a week of his spring break in March and drove to Oklahoma with Luke.  Mom was very alert and talkative with Tim.  Luke enjoyed being around the Choate Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.

Luke had his wisdom teeth removed in April and the procedure went smoothly. He loves going to the dentist now!

The hospice nurse let us know when Mom was towards the end.  I wanted to be there with her so badly, but didn't know how I could get all the way to Oklahoma by myself with Luke.  My sister, Linda, miraculously was able to get standby tickets from her neighbor for us and because of a previous tornado in Dallas, we were able to hop on a completely empty commercial airplane and have a smooth trip to Oklahoma where my brother Steven and his son picked us up and drove us to mom.  Luke loved the flight and did very well.

When I got there, mom was awake and I was able to be with her for several days before she passed.  In the end, my brother Steven received a prompting and called my siblings to her side and she passed peacefully with seven out of her 10 children with her on Friday, May 24th.  It was a truly amazing experience that I will always treasure.  My sisters and I were able to dress her for burial and Tim helped all of our children and grandchildren get to Oklahoma for the burial service.

I spoke at her funeral a week later and was able to say some words about her extraordinary life.  Many friends and extended family came out to support our family which was meaningful.

In June, we spent three days with Tim's siblings at the Arnoldsen Cabin in Mt. Pleasant. It was fun to catch up with them!

Tim went to Cincinnati for two weeks for the AP exam grading and got home just in time for an extended Stout family reunion in Highland.  We were able to get together with Tim's dad's siblings and their posterity. It was great to reconnect with them (Aunt Barbara, Aunt Bonnie etc).

LaNae's siblings came to Utah from Oklahoma for a Choate family reunion and we were surprised on the first day with the early arrival of our adorable third grandchild, Wesley Timothy Stout! He is a sweet baby and we love every chance we get to hold him! We also went to Yellowstone and saw LaNae's mother's brother Dee and his family and we also hosted a Petersen reunion and were able to see more of LaNae's mother's side of the family (Aunt joan, Uncle Mark, many cousins, etc).

We went to Boise, ID for Grandma Shaffer's 103rd birthday party.  Aunt Susan and Aunt Mary Dawn held a lovely party for her.  It is amazing how sharp she still is at 103 years old!

Rick broke up with Kelsee, but fortunately Kelsee is an angel and has been patiently working through the new realities.  We are able to see the grandkids frequently which is a huge blessing to all of us.  Rick is still working at Tsunami as a sushi chef-a job he enjoys.

Brian received an offer from Deloitte in Seattle, Washington for after when he graduates in April and Brian and Chloe decided to accept the offer after Deloitte flew him to Seattle. Brian has been serving as first counselor in the student ward bishopric for two years.

Leland is working as a phlebotomist at the plasma center, he volunteers at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and is a student at UVU.  He loves living close to BYU campus and ministers at the assisted living center on Sundays.

Luke is a senior!  He participated in Just for Kids Swimming this year and had a good experience with it.

Tim was asked to be on a committee to write a Japanese test at Princeton, so he flew to New Jersey for a week.  He just received the Waterford Educator Prize which includes money for him to pursue a dream or interest.  We are excited for the prospects next year!

LaNae added another day at the library and now works 20 hours a week.  She started ordering for the intermediate collection in March as well as processing the media (books on tape, DVDs, blu-ray and Music CD's).  She is also starting to order books for the Young Adult collection.  She read many books this year and plans to actually keep track of the books she reads in 2020.

We enjoyed studying Come Follow Me this year together as a family and getting to talk to Amy by Skype.  Lots of great changes happening!  2019 was a great year!!!