Living in Texas and taking our first Cruise

In honor of Uncle Bill and Aunt Marie's 60th wedding anniversary, the Houghtalings organized a cruise and invited all the Haynies to come. Since we were planning on a family cruise around the Ft Lauderdale temple dedication, we did not plan to go.

As that got pushed further towards 2014, Dad and Lucy twisted our arms and persuaded us to join the party (we were the last holdouts)

We flew to Miami Nov. 9 along with Hugh and Lucy to spend a little time looking over our Florida house. Mike and Myra Michaud graciously put us all up.

We spent a great day Saturday inspecting the house with the Silva's

We toured the new temple as far as the front gate (No Trespassing) and headed for Hollywood beach in the afternoon

The next morning we had time to attend Plantation ward meetings before running off to the Port of Miami. We caught the last of a Stake Presidency meeting so I got to see some old friends (the current Stake President is Scott Richards with Cesar Rincon and Fred Bethel counselors) Since the Weston ward was dissolved most of the members went to Plantation and we got to see a lot of friends. Everyone says hello.

Dropping Hugh Lucy and Peggy off at the Port, I ran the car back to Sixt rental at the airport and caught a shuttle to the Port. The rest were already on the ship so I hustled on.

By around 5 the ship pushed off (they have sideways steering propellors that maneuver the ship around like a toy) and headed down Government Cut. We had an awesome view of downtown Miami and of Miami Beach.

After an all night cruise and plenty of food already we pulled into Cozumel, the island off of Cancun, Mexico. We had arranged for a Book of Mormon tour of the ruins of Tulum. With the ferry schedules and the driving distance we ended up with only an hour in Tulum but it was still worth it.

The way the cruise is structured is travel overnight with excursions during the day. After a short overnight trip we docked at Belize. Even though it was a rainy day, we got off to explore Belize city. We haggled over a van tour and set out with Dad,Peggy and I to see the sights. Belize is the shabbiest city on the route but still fun to see. We stopped and ate "johnnycakes" from a street vendor.

Christmas this year

We went sledding at Aspen Grove after Christmas and Cara smashed her face into a drift with sunglasses on. Ouch!

Although Christmas was not white this year, we had some excellent snowstorms before and after

Christmas morning brought Wesley a snowboard and Cara an ipod Touch. Spoiled?

This year we have one more family close by so we had even more fun. I took off the week of Christmas to New Years and ended up with a fun project. Even though the weather didn't cooperate, Wesley and I built an 8'x12' treehouse in the big backyard mulberry tree.

Christmas Eve at our house included the traditional pajamas

Mom got to run to Sanford for Grandma's birthday earlier in the month. It's always good to be with family.

Doing the December scramble

We are off in all directions this evening. Mom is in Sanford for Grandmas birthday party/Mortensen get-together. She went with Marsha yesterday and will get back Monday night. The kids have been trying to finish up homework. Cara finished first so I dropped her off at the ward Christmas party then came back home to help Wes get his done. He is writing his online book report out long hand, then I will enter it after he gets to go to a birthday party.

It is fun to be in December, though, with the house glowing and presents starting to pile up. There are lots of things to do and good feelings all around.

As you all enjoy your families and celebrate our sweet Lord Jesus, may you all continue to be blessed. We love you all.

Nobody wrestles like our bear cub

Wesley started wrestling for the Mountain View Jr team and had his first tournament yesterday. He got to wrestle 4 matches and won the last two, coming home with a bronze medal. He is a total novice but has a great time and shows talent.

Not bad for a middle school jazz band

Cara got a shot at a solo during the years first concert. Here is just a minute of a classic old Chicago number. Wes is playing tuba as well this year but we couldn't get a good shot of him.

Joy of joys

All of us at the Timpanogas Temple, the shrunken family and the girlies and boylies. (More to come. I am being tutored in this procedure.)

Spring break in Colorado

While Cara and Wesley were off last week, I took a couple of days off and we all went on a quick Sanford trip. It was great to be with family there and we enjoyed it a lot. We spent most of the time with Lois and Kim who are always great hosts and enjoyed their beautiful home. You can see a panorama of their home above.

Part of your Haynie history you may not be aware of has become more real to me. When the original Haynie family (Emily and her 9 children soon after her husband Robert died from wounds suffered as a Confederate soldier) joined the church in Georgia in 1878, they were driven out by their neighbors. John Morgan, their missionary, arranged for they and a few others to migrate to the San Luis valley in Colorado. After a long wagon and train trip they spent a hard cold winter in Pueblo Colorado then walked carrying their belongings the 50 miles to the southern end of the valley. In the cold, dry climate-so different from their Georgia home- they were without home, shelter or food. A local Mexican family, the Salazars, took pity on them and gave them a milk cow as well as grain to help them survive. (As an aside, the former senator from Colorado and current Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, is a descendant of that family who saved our family from starvation). They moved 25 miles downriver to the confluence of the Conejos and Rio Grande where they dugout a rough shelter on the river banks. Weakened by starvation and exposure, Emily died within a couple of months at the age of 50. The children took her body back to the newly founded town of Manassa to bury her. The oldest boy, Patrick Calhoun Haynie, who was my great, great grandfather built the first house in Manassa for the family to live in.

The attached picture of where the Conejos and Rio Grande rivers meet, is close to that unknown site where Emily Haynie died. Seeing that place and the Salazar ranch gave me a greater appreciation for the faith and toughness of our ancestors. Who would have thought that Peggy's girlhood home was the original home of the Haynies.

Lyn and Dixie have moved into an old ranch house owned by Lynn's employer in the far Northeast corner of the valley close to Fort Garland. As part of the cleanup and refurbishing, they threw out a lot of junk, including the old jeep in the photo above. I told Lynn I would tow it home and fix it up- we'll see if I really do.

Life around Orem

This is not Florida
Wesley is thankful for Sunday dinner.
And who would these two lovelies be...
While Mom was away for a week, somehow a mustache got started. It only lasted for a few weeks but it was fun for a while.

My Germany trip

I had to go to Germany in November for training with the Unilux window factory. My week in Trier (the Southwest corner of Germany and an old Roman city) was a real treat. Besides a great old hotel, we were treated to great food and beer (I can only vouch for the food). Even with the cold weather it was a good trip.

Quick lets talk about fall before winter's over

We organized a picnic up South Fork before it got too cold. It was a little nippy but fun. It included Jack leaping across streams, Cara sunning herself and Wesley standing around looking grownup. Also Wade was trying to teach Sarah about motorcycles

Harvest Time

We are enjoying the bounty of harvest crops. We went gleaning in the neighbors yard where the chickens are and came back with this basketful. We have tomatoes, beans, zucchini, squash, walnuts, fresh eggs and Asian pears. Doesn't that basket look good? Anna got another load just as big to make salsa.
We took off a couple of weeks ago to climb Timp but it was raining so we drove a dirt road around the front of Timp and went hiking a little later when it dried off. We hiked for a couple of hours then Peggy & I walked back to the car to drive back around and pick up Cara, Wesley and Nathan at the bottom of Battle Creek canyon in Pleasant Grove. It was a beautiful day.
Yesterday we were working on the stucco prep (thanks, Jeff) and had a little driveway lunch while Wesley showed off his "mad skilzz"