Merry Christmas!

Joy, Grant, and Cal wish you all a very merry Christmas! They're just missing their cousin Max and their unborn cousin . . . Pat (?)

Foster Fam: the blogging action has died down considerably. Let's pick it up. Only a few people chimed in about the upcoming week's schedule, so here's my best effort at a revision:

December 25th: Merry Christmas!

December 26th: The Wyoming and Washington Fosters arrive in Denver

December 27th: Daytime: Ski Trip to Winter Park in the day
Nighttime: Drew's Tool Shower/ Kristen's Woman Shower

Dec 28th: I propose the Basketball Matchup be held at 11 am at the Webster.
--Ty and Dana's Anniversary Escape
--Late movie for everyone else

Dec 29th: (I propose a Foster Biannual Family Council be convened at 10 am this day. Everyone to attend if possible. Potentially an early afternoon temple session this day?)
--Set up for the Big Event
--Rehearsal Dinner at Guadalajara's

Dec 30th: Drew and Kristen's Wedding and Reception

Dec 31st: New Year's Eve Celebration with games and dancing. I am going to request from everyone 2 favorite songs for the New Years Dance, and we'll make a playlist. Email me, or I'll call you.)

Jan 1st, 2007: (I propose the boys sit around, watch football, and eat junkfood all day . . . while keeping a (lazy) eye on the kids. The women can then all go out shopping or do something fun on their own that day.)

Jan 2nd: the Wyoming Fosters head back to the sticks.

If there is something missing, please post a comment.

See you in a few days!

Christmas Together

(This is Mark here.)

In just a week, the whole Foster clan will be together again. Let the chaos begin.

I am most looking forward to receiving gifts from each of you. I've been told on good authority (by Tyler) that it's going to be a VERY merry Christmas for the old Sparkle T. (Just kidding, of course. I expect nothing from anyone. I am a rock, I am island.)

Actually, what I am most looking forward to is being all together again. Just like at the Ranch this summer, I think a general schedule of activities would be helpful to everyone, so that we can know what to expect and how to plan for it. Thanks to Dana for already taking the bull by the horns and getting the dinner schedule arranged.

Here's a proposed schedule for Dec 26th through Jan 2nd (the confirmed events are in bold, the suggested events in italics):

December 26th: The Worland and Washington Fosters arrive

December 27th: Drew's Tool Shower
(I propose a ski trip to Winter Park on this day, to be back by 7 pm for the festivities. Lessons for those who want to learn to ski or snowboard.)

Dec 28th: (I propose a renewal of either the Classic Match-up or the New Millenial Match-up sometime on this day. We may need to recruit the Old Man for this game since Addie's back in action. Maybe we all catch a flick that night?)

Dec 29th: Set up for the Big Event/ Rehearsal Dinner

Dec 30th: Drew and Kristen's Wedding and Reception

Dec 31st: New Year's Eve (I propose a family celebration/ game night until the stroke of midnight, and then all of us old married folks hit the hay. Adam and Megan have permission to stay up and party all night long since they're still single.)

Jan 1st, 2007: (I propose the boys sit around, watch football, and eat junkfood all day . . . while keeping a (lazy) eye on the kids. The women can then all go out shopping or do something fun on their own that day.)

Jan 2nd: the Wyoming Fosters head back to the sticks

(Finally, I propose a type of "Steel Cage Match" between Ty, Jeff and myself for the downstairs room on Dec 26th: we all start at the top of the stairs, and first one to make it into the room gets to stay. No rules. May the best man win.)

Those are my proposals. What are yours? Am I missing something? Post a comment with your ideas or corrections, and then I will post a revised version for all to see.

See you soon!

Back Home Again

It's Thanksgiving time, and the Foster Clan is spread out all across the Western U.S.--Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Washington, Saskatchewan . . . (what, didn't you all know about our Canadian Great Aunt Fergie?)

Here's hoping that everyone enjoys their turkey dinner, and feels the subtle, sweet strains of nostalgia pulling your spirit back home, though you may be thousands of miles away. Christmas will come soon enough.
The immortal words of the late, great Johnny D come softly and comfortingly into the mind:

Back Home Again

There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin' in,
The afternoon is heavy on your shoulders
There's a truck out on the four lane a mile or more away
The whinin' of his wheels just makes it colder
He's an hour away from ridin' on your prayers up in the sky
And ten days on the road are barely gone
There's a fire softly burnin', suppers on the stove
But it's the light in your eyes that makes him warm

Hey its good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend
Yes 'n hey, its good to be back home again

There's all the news to tell him, how'd you spend your time
What's the latest thing the neighbors say
And your mother called last friday, sunshine made her cry
You felt the baby move just yesterday

Hey its good to be back home again - yes it is
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend
Yes 'n hey, its good to be back home again

Oh the time that I can lay this tired old body down
Feel your fingers feather soft upon me
The kisses that I live for, the love that lights my way
The happiness that that livin' with you brings me

It's the sweetest thing I know of, just spending time with you
It's the little things that make a house a home
Like a fire softly burnin' supper on the stove
The light in your eyes that makes me warm

Hey its good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend
Yes n hey, its good to be back home again

Kristen is up and running

Please note that Kristen has now joined the Foster Bloggesphere and is linked on the Forever Foster page.

Her and Goose now complete the picture for us.

Let the Blogging begin!!

Dad

Forever Family Portrait - July 15th, 2006

Mom finally had some time to go over and get a copy of the family portrait we took this summer. I took a picture of a picture so it is a bit fuzzy. They all really turned out nice. You are going to like the individual family ones. Thanks so much for making this happen.

This summer has been a blur to all of us so I really hope we can all get back in the mode of posting blogs. I sure love to hear your various musings. I feel now that the rantings can begin on my blog.

Mark we need to get Goose up on the blog as well and as you might expect, I've already forgotten how to do that. Can you help?

Love you all,
Dad

First Annual Foster Family Reunion

Hello, everyone. This is the Markster speaking.

These are a few random pictures from our family's wonderful autumn out at the Skalla's ranch last year. (Pay particular attention to the extra-manly shot of a man with his downed bird. I remind you all again: ain't no other Foster can prove hisself as a man fit to put meat on the table for his fambly the old fashioned way ---by killin' it dead!!!)

I post these photos now to whet your appetite for the upcoming First Annual Foster Reunion.

Yes, I term it a Reunion, because I believe that with Drew's homecoming, we have entered into a new age with the Fam. We are now scattered across four states (soon to be five), there are now four grandchildren in the mix, and the opportunities for us all to be together will become fewer and fewer. With that in mind, I have a few proposals for the approaching shindig, which will begin on the evening of Sunday, July 23rd when we all arrive at the ranch around 7 pm and last through the morning of Wednesday, July 26th.


First of all, I think the majority of the time should be unstructured and carefree. Just a lot of 4 wheelin' and guitar playin'. But I do think a few planned activities would be good.

My proposals:

1) The Manliest Man Competition: each Foster boy will invent some sort of wilderness test of might and machismo, such as log chucking or woodchopping. We will then all compete in each others games and declare an overall winner. I propose that Adam and Drew be in charge of this.

2) Official Campfire Night: Every one that wants to gets to perform up to 2 of their individual songs, and then we have a program of 5 or 6 classic campfire songs, such as Rocky Mountain High or We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore. :) S'mores will be provided, of course. I propose that Jeff and Ty be in charge of this.

3) Foster Films Presents: We take a couple of hours one afternoon to make one final Foster Boy Movie, complete with a new villain in the mold of Darth Orchtch or Santa Claws. I propose that I be in charge of this, since I'm so dang good at it, along with Megan's help. We'll premiere the show that night in the cabin.

4) Official Family Council: agenda to be decided soon, but this is a must. A key item to discuss will be setting times and places for the next few years of similar reunions so that we can all begin to plan accordingly. This important meeting would naturally fall to the Big Fella, as the Patriarch of the Family, the Old Man on the Mountain, so to speak. The Sage of the San Juans. The Confucius of Colorado. The Buddha of the Bahamas. (?)


Beyond those planned events, I have a few other ideas:

1) Every family will be in charge of one meal. There will be a total of eight meals, and so that means that Mom and Dad, Mark and Elizabeth, Ty and Dana, Matt and Wendi (if they can make it), and Jeff and Angie all will have one assigned meal. Adam and Megan can be in charge of one (we all might want to skip out of that one:), and so can Drew and Kristen, if they so desire. That would leave one extra meal; maybe the Matriarch of the family wouldn't mind headin' up a second one. Mom could also be in charge of generating these assignments.

2) At every meal, the assigned family should also have a Music Playlist, a healthy helping of 5 or 6 songs to set the mood for the meal. These could be classical, new age, rock, folk, whatever your little heart desires. It's kind of like Donny Osmond once said: "Life is just what you make of it." :) The Old Man could be principally in charge of making sure this happens.

3) Lastly, each person at the reunion should bring one "coffee table book". For instance, I'm bringing a book (that I stole from Dad) called "1,000 Years, 1,000 People" that purports to list in order the 1,000 most infuential people of the preceding millenium. Quite interesting to read. Maybe you have a Dilbert collection or a National Parks Book or whatever. It would be fun to have an eclectic collection of books on the coffee table to provide some light yet illuminating reading. If Matt and Wendi can make it, then this can be their baby.

There you have it.

As I've said before, I'm an idea man. Got lots of 'em. And there's more where these come from. Please respond to this post by making a comment and letting me and the family know what you think. Pending your input, I will put together a rough outline of activities and meal assignments. Remember, all my ideas are great, so you cannot dispute them. Just remember that.

It's going to be a great weekend at the Ranch, one to remember forever!

New basement - Rev 2

Upper left - Nook in bedroom

Upper right - nook at bottom of stairs

left - looking into bathroom

below - looking from storage room (by water heaters)







upper left - family room from bottom of stairs

upper right - family room from bedroom wall

left - family room looking toward nook










Here are some more pictures from our new almost completed basement. As of Saturday, June 17th they have most of the drywall down and will finish the bedroom early next week. Hopefully it will be ready by the time Angie and Jeff get here in July. Probably won't be by the time you are here this week.

Love ya all,
Dad

New Basement Pictures

Thought you guys might like to take a gander at our basement as it goes up. Should be done in about two weeks.

We are excited about it and are very pleased so far.

Dad

This is looking into the hallway from
the family room toward the new
bathroom

This is taken from the bedroom looking toward the nook and the new bathroom

This is the family room looking toward the bedroom

This is the bedroom taken from the bathroom

Sorry for the poor quality but I will get some more in the next few days.

Summer Schedule (July Mostly)

Can you believe it is the middle of June already!!? On our recent trip to Seattle, Mom and I were talking about the summer schedule and how hectic it appears to be on paper at least. I thought it would be good to get it down for everyone to see. If there are mistakes it is the mistakes of man, not of mom or me.

Sometime in June the basement in our house will be completed (hopefully) They have started on it and the framing is basically done and the electric will be done in the next couple of days. It is looking good so far and pretty much as we thought.

June 22nd - Jeff, Angie and Cal fly to Denver so they can go to Mark's graduation.

June 23rd - Mark's graduation from Residency. (big dinner and party in Greeley) He is now
officially a doc extraordinaire!!

June 25th (Sun) - Jeff and Angie and Cal leave to go back to Phoenix

June 28th - Mark and Liz leave for 10 days in Costa Rica. Much needed R&R. Joy and Grant
are with Mom and Dad and Meg

July 5th - Jeff starts his first rotation in Denver and Jeff , Angie and Cal start their month
stay at Mom and Dad's while he is doing that.

July 7th - Mark and Liz return from Costa Rica.

July 13th - Adam flies in from SLC, arriving at 6:30 P.M. Drew arrives at DIA at 6:57 P.M.
from L.A. Drew goes to President LaDuc's to get released and we all go home
and party with the Goose. Kristen will be there too.

Now it gets interesting

July 14th - Ty, Dana and Max arrive from Seattle and the fight begins for the new bedroom
downstairs.

July 15th - We are thinking about a reception for Drew for his freinds to welcome him home.
My mom arrives from Denver to spend a month up here. She will be at the Haags
most of the time as our house will be filled to the brim. We also want to get a new
family portrait done on this day if we can.

July 16th - Report to the High Council, Drew talks in church, Ty blesses Max with all of us and
Dana's folks there as well, the Foster Boys sing in sacrament meeting

Week of July 17th - JAC, TDM, Addie and Goose all at our house. Hopefully we will see a lot
Matt and Wendi this week also. Mark and Liz getting ready to move
to Wyo. Ty in training for Lockheed Martin for 3 days. On Monday
July 17th, Addie returns to Provo to work.

July 22nd - Ty's 10 Year high school reunion for Chatfield. (Unbelievable!!)

July 23rd - Leave after church to go to Skalla Ranch with everyone. Kristen will join us. Adam
joins us from Provo.

July 26th - Return to Denver and Ty and Dana and Max leave for Seattle that evening.

July 29th - Jeff, Angie and Cal, Drew, Kristen, Mom and Dad and Megan leave for Iron Springs.
JAC go to Phoenix as Jeff's next rotation is in Tucson, I believe.

August 4th - Dad, Drew and Kristen return to Denver from Iron Springs. (driving)

August 10th - Margaret and Meg fly back to Denver from Iron Springs.

Sometime in early August Mark and Liz make the move to Worland and Mark starts work on August 14th I think.

Wow!! It makes me tired just looking at it but what a wonderful month it is going to be. I hope you are all looking forward to it as much as we are. The house will be crowded but with the new bedroom it should be a bit better for all.

We have to crank in some time for a family counsel while we are all together and look at everyone's schedule for the coming year, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. Be thinking about all of that kind of stuff as well. Would love to get in a temple session or two while we are all here as well. Lots to do and great times.

Please check this out and let me know if there are mistakes or not. (I'm sure you will all be most willing to do that!!)

Love you all,
Dad

Mom is up and running

While we were up here in Seattle, Ty and I got Mom signed up on the Blogosphere. She is linked to the Forever Fosters blog and now all we have to do is to get her comfortable with using it.

We now are all officiallly linked except for the Goose and we will have to wait on that one.

Dad

Sunrise or Sunset? The Future of the Family Blog

Is this a sunrise or a sunset over the Forever Fosters Blog?

This is Mark here, and I'd prefer to think of this as a sunrise, the beginning of a bright new blogacious day.

Since we've all had a couple of months to acclimate to the blogosphere, I think we're now in better shape to know what we want from this website and from our own individual websites. All kidding aside, I see this blog (and our appendaged individual blogs) as wonderful tools to keep us all in close contact, to provide a universal, instantly accessible venue for communication, and a clearinghouse for the dispersal of important information.

It has become abundantly clear that the current management of the Family Blog, a.k.a. the Grandmaster Blogger Dad, needs some assistance and some clarification of his duties. He also needs the reins pulled in a bit, as in an unforeseen power grab he changed the password to this website so as to exert sole dominion over its contents. However, he was foiled in his nefarious scheme as he promptly proceeded to forget his new secret password, and he had to come to me to bail him out. Now humbled, he has agreed to relinquish some of his sought-after power, placing it back into the collective hands of you, the Foster democracy. I will email the new password to each of you later today, so that you can once again help carry this Family Blog forward towards its full potential.

Here's what I propose for the contents of this site:

1) All Fosters have equal access to posting information on this Blog, but the Mick and the Marge are chiefly responsible for its content.
2) Appropriate postings for this Blog could include:
---pictures of cute kids
---pictures of family events/reunions, etc
---general family announcements
---general family discussions
---declarations of love and harmony
---and, importantly, Mick, a monthly family newsletter summarizing important events in the individual families lives.
3) Inappropriate information would include:
---opinionated diatribes
---personal musings
---controversial debates
---any information that would be best left to your personal blog.

That's what I think. What do you all think? Please, everybody that reads this place a comment, as this should be a communal effort, not Mark's or Mick's or anyone else's individual project.

Is the sun rising or setting on the Family Blog? If rising, what does this bright new day look like for you?

Thought for the day - May 24th

I was in the doctor's office the other day to get a physical. I think about doctors differently now that I have two sons that are going to be doctors with a possible third one in the form of Addie.

As the doctor came in and sat down and started asking me questions I had a epiphony pertaining to docs. He was on the computer and looked up my file from when I was in a year ago (I hadn't seen him since) He was confiming a bunch of stuff like the meds I'm on (Norvasc and TriCor), my latest blood test, did I have a colonoscopy and the like. It just struck me that this man doesn't know me from Adam (no pun intended Addie) I'm just a body to him. No relationship with me as a person. It was obvious that he hadn't even looked at my file before he came in.

I have nothing against this Doc nor do I think he was in anyway a bad doctor. When I only see him once a year, I can't expect him to know me from the hundreds of others he is seeing.

It is just the thought occurred to me that I want a relationship with my doctor that is beyond just a body he is seeing. It just gives me a funny feeling that he really doesn't know me, has little interest in me as a person and is just treating me as a kind a generic patient.

In a large practice it can be no other way, I suppose, but it just hit me that I hope Mark and Jeff and Addie really have the opportunity in their medical lives to get to know their patients and really be a part of improving their lives in a personal and professional way.

I also suggest that when you see a patient after the first time, that before you go into the patient you review the records briefly, try jogging your memory as to why and when you saw him the last time so that when you open that door you are approaching him or her like you are personally interested and informed about their issues. It makes the patient feel more than just a body. Don't know how you do that, but I sure think it would help. My doctor takes a picture the first time you see him so he can kind of remember what you look like and that may jog his memory. Seems like notes in the file to help you the next time would be a good idea as well as names the patient goes my. You should take a few moments to review that before you open that door. I'm sure that in the rush sometimes that happens and other times maybe not. The first thing he said to me was "Hi Michael." I knew right away he didn't have a clue about anything we had talked about before and didn't remember me at all. How hard would it be to make a note in the file to say this patient goes by "Mickey." A little thing and perhaps a bit artificial but it sure gives the patient the impression you know who he is.

Dad

Luggage Anyone?

While your mother was in Seattle, I saw a chance to jump on a sale that Kohls was having for luggage. I have been wanting to get some new luggage for sometime and this was 50% off and another 15% if we bought it by Sunday. So I jumped all over that and got us a nice new set as well as an ugle pink suitcase for Meggie.

We therefore don't need our present luggage anymore. Before we pitch it, I wanted to know if anyone of you need some suitcases. We have one large one and two medium ones. It works fine, just missing the little pull things on the zippers. Nothing wrong with them at all and the best thing is it would be free for one time only!!

Let me know. If we haven't got any interest, I will get rid off by some other means.

Dad

Musings on Elder Foster

I enjoyed talking to Drew so much on Saturday and realized once again how much I love him and how much I love what a mission does for young men and young women. I'm so impressed with his dedication and focused efforts. I had some other thoughts about him.

• I feel he has been quite a bit sicker than he has let on. He told me kind of without saying much that he had come down with malaria many more times than he has indicated. I worry about the long term effects of this on him to tell you the truth.
• I thought his speech pattern was a little different and he really had some strange way of saying things but overall, I think his talking was just fine compared to what I thought it would be. He just kind of talked with a funny way of saying some things, small, small. He certainly is "getting it"
• I think the Goose is profoundly different than when he started his mission. I note a humility and humbleness that only comes from living so completely in that culture. I think we will have a person who thinks we are right on the border of decadent living when he comes home.
• He told us they are the highest baptizing mission in the church. Before they split the mission he said they were baptizing 5,000 per year. Last month they baptized 259 in the mission...in one month. That is a ward a month. I hope they retain a lot, but they probably have a problem in that area.
• He said that now in the mission they have about 40% of the Elders from non -African areas. I think this is a result of so many Africans not knowing how the church runs and they need more experienced Elders with how the church functions.
• He is still very focused. Didn't want to talk about anything to do with coming home. School, living with Addie, Kristen, going to the Ranch....nothing. The man is a missionary machine at this point.

I am so grateful Drew is serving the Lord in this way. I am glad he is there but I will be glad when he is home. Thanks so much for each of you and taking the time to talk to him. It is amazing to me that spread out as we are, we were all able to talk to him like we did.

Have a great week.

Dad

Welcome to the World, Maxwell Tyler Foster!

Hi folks, Wendi here...since no one else has beat me to the punch, I thought I would take the liberty of posting the pics of the latest addition to clan Foster...many thanks to Ty and Dana for sending them! ~W

Elder Foster's phone call on Mother's Day

Sometime this week I'm going to try and get a hold of Goose and figure out when we can talk to him next Sunday, on Mother's Day. I hope you can all make yourself available sometime when we get this all figured out. We will tie you all in as we have in the past. Of course, Little Maxwell might have a thing to say about Ty and Dana joining in but we see how that goes and do what we can there.

Please let me know if you can join us and I'll give you the details later in the week.

Dad

The Forever Fosters

Here is the family pic from Breckenridge. Thought I would try and practice uploading pictures on this site. Not sure why, but just wanted to see if I could do it. I just want you all to know this is my favorite group of people in the whole world.

I'm very excited about us all being together this summer.

Dad

Update on Grand Poopa of Blogging

Mark has rebuked yours truly adn my arcane ideas on the Forever Foster Blog and so I take back everything I said. As I understand the puppeteer (I am the puppet just in case you didn't know) I am to try and just post updates, general newsy stuff and information that you all might be interested in. There will be no discussions on this site and we will leave it to your individual interests as to visiting the individual sites for entering into the deep discussions we all so know and love. I will comply with the Master and will do my best to move this thing along.

In all honesty, it is a swell idea....I hope we all can periodically check in and update your own sites and check into this one for other information.

Dad

The Future of the Blog

(This is Mark writing this entry.)

OK, I'm starting to think that we made a mistake in appointing the Mick to be the Grandmaster Blogger of the Forever Fosters site. He apparently can't handle it, as he has yet to make a single significant entry into the blogosphere. I would suggest that we replace him, but I'm willing to give him one more shot. If he still can't walk the walk and talk the talk, then I think Large Marge should take over. The Mick has his own blog anyway . . .

Now, I would like to open up a question for discussion. What do YOU, the Foster Clan, want out of this Forever Fosters blog? Now that we each have our own blogs linked to this one, what type of info should be on this site? Who should manage it? How should it look? What is the purpose of it?

I see it as a sort of portal/newsletter/announcement site. Also, I haven't tried to figure it out yet, but I believe that we can set this up so that all of us are teammembers on this site, so that we can each make entries under our own sign-in names.

So, if you are reading this, please make a comment attached to this posting, and let's get some dialogue going here about the future of this blog. And maybe the Mick will do something about it. But probably not . . . :)

--Mark

The Grand Master Blogger weighs in

Mark has cajoled me into saying something here. I am the all powerful blog master and I am now in total control of the forever Foster Blog. I too think this is a terrific idea and will do my best to keep it up to date. My goal is to be kind of a clearing house for Foster news so that by coming to this site you can get an update of the goings on. If anyone wants to weigh in that is great or you can go to the individual sites.

First observation is that Ty was very, very quite about his blog that he has had for over a year. This was shocking news and to say the least we all ought to have known about it. Ty what were you thinking.

Where are Addie, Angie and Jeffer, Liz on this thing? Let's all get involved.

I will try and get a feel for how this works but for now, suffice it to say "I'm on the job!!"

Old Number 30

Hello, all Fosters!

This is the new Foster Family Blog! I am sending you all an email about how you may edit and post on this site. It's really very easy.

I think that this will be a great way to keep everybody in touch.

My feeling is that this site can be Mom and Dad's site, and that each of us can put a link here. Dad can send out a monthly email and pictures for everyone, as well as posting of important information. He can also pontificate to cyberspace in general, should he so desire. Let's hope he does not.

Questions?