For those who haven't heard about Whitney the cat.

...

Greetings from South East Asia!

We just wanted to pass a big hello to the family! We are all a little home sick this month as we think of all the fun thanksgiving plans that everyone has. Trista and I will be returning Dec. 18th in time for the holidays and Alana will be staying in northern Thailand where she is taking a class to get a teaching degree in English. She then plans on teaching English in Australia for 6 months or so. If you want to see some fun photos of our south asia adventure, please visit our blogs!

www.ClayWinder.com
AdventuresOfAlana.blogspot.com

Cousin's Party

This is Aimee posting --


Thanks to everyone who brought food and came to the Cousin's Party at our house last Friday. We ate dinner, visited, and played about a million group games. Here are some photos from one of the games.

This is Wade. We are so glad he came to the party, since he was pretty much the life of the party. I don't think we all have laughed so hard in a long time! We played a game where three people leave the room and we decide on a scenario. Then we call the first person in and tell them the scenario they are supposed to act it out for person #2. After the second person watches it, then they act it out for the third person and that person has to guess the scenario.

We had something happen that has never happened before when playing this game. Wade asked if he could use props. We shrugged and said, "I guess so." Wade proceeded to make a crown out of tin foil, borrow Isaac's cane, a blanket, and baby Cedric.

It was quite interesting, to say the least. Amazingly enough, Karen (Yorgason) guessed it.


Ryan, Andrea, Jessica, Regan, Trav and Mollie. Bryan, Chandi, Ned and Christine were at the party, but had to leave before this game began.

Matt (scratching his head, trying to figure out what in the world Wade was doing), Tami and Cedric.

Karyn, Lisa, Jed and James. (Karen was in the office, waiting for her turn to come in.)

Mike was getting ready to throw some money, do the hoola hoop, and milk a cow.

Queen Tom and his beautiful baby boy.

Mollie, Aimee, Tami and Cedric.

Isaac and Candalyn.

Mike -- who actually spit out the gummy bears he was chewing because he was laughing so hard.

We had a fun evening together and our cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. We missed those of you who couldn't make it!

Camp Winder '08

The whole Ted and JaNae Winder family was finally able to get together this weekend for our first annual Camp Winder. We originally planned a camp-out in the Uintas (near Wade's house) but after seeing the weather forcast we decided to have a camp-in at Wade's house.

On Friday we did a hike up to Wall Lake where Wade was the only one to catch a fish.

Clay taught Rachel and Devon how to fish:

That night it snowed and on Saturday we decided instead of doing another hike out in the cold we would just go down to the Kamas Aquatic Center and play.

Alana had fun with her waterproof camera.

And of course no family get-together would be complete without a game night. Clay swept the board in Risk and Lisa racked in the properties in Monopoly while Alana served S'mores (or snores, as Devon called them) baked fresh in Wade's furnace stove.

It was a fun weekend and we hope to continue the tradition next year!

Life in St. George

So, life in St. George continues to pass by. The leaves have begun to turn and the 90 degree weather has settled down into the 50-60 degree weather. I become increasingly more up-t0-speed with the budgeting process at work, and Stef makes new friends each day. Since Stef has done a much better job than I have at writing, I will give you a quick view into our lives from my perspective.

First of all, my perspective on family life-the most important part. Stef is amazing and I can't express with words how grateful I am for her love and support in my life. She amazes me each day with her patience with me and Bret. I have never thought much about how hard it would be to not have a scheduled plan, but I have come to realize how difficult it can be for these young mothers with one or two kids, especially when there is not family around to spend time with. I have been so impressed with Stefs proactive attitude about her situation. She is the one in the ward to help the young mom's get together and do stuff. She has become great friends with my co-workers wife (also our bishop's daughter) and has a great attitude about spending the remainder of her time with a 5 month old baby. As work has been very busy lately, having such a supportive wife has made all the difference in the world. Working long hours can be tough enough, but if I didn't have Stef cheering for me from home it would be 100x worse. A couple times when I have driven the car to work (about two miles from home) she has walked with the stroller to say hi to me and pick up the car. That always puts a smile on my face and brightens my day. In a nutshell, I am very grateful for Stef and all that she does for me. I couldn't ask for a better wife!

Next, work life from my perspective. This is a very interesting time of life as I prepare to graduate and frequently reflect heavily on what I hope to do for a living, or at a minimum, how I want to start my career. I am very grateful to the Lord for the opportunities he has blessed me with such as my internship in Texas, and our experience we are having here. We loved being in Texas and enjoyed working for TI and so that is an option that remains wide open. Not living by family does not appeal to us much though but nonetheless, if that is where the Lord wants us, that is where we will go. We enjoy things here a lot. The guys I work with are all awesome, I interact almost daily with the CFO, and sit in meetings on a regular basis with the CEO. Cost of living is higher here than Texas or Salt Lake (about 6s with Salt Lake) and I am quite confident that if they were to offer something, it wouldn't be a big $ amount. I have certainly worked more here than in Texas. We have been doing the operating budget for the hospital and it has been intense. Thursday and Friday last week I worked from 8 am to 11 pm. The two fridays before that (the weekends we were up in Salt Lake) some of the guys ended up working until 4:30 am. Needless to say, I don't hope to work those kind of hrs on a regular basis and so if things don't change this may play into the decisions. Ulitmately though, we will do what the Lord wants. We are looking at some options up in Salt Lake becase we are itching to settle down and quit moving around so much and we know that we hope to end up in West Valley so the sooner we get there the better.

I am still running as regularly as I can, and I taught the 14 year olds Sunday School today which is my calling. They are all boys and a very sharp group at that. We are really enjoying our time here and we love and miss you all. Go Cougs!

Tom & Tami's new arrival!

Tom and Tami are excited to announce the arrival of Cedric Jerome Larsen! He was born Oct. 4th, and weighed 7lbs 13 oz, and was 21 1/2 inches. Everything went well for both Mom and Baby.

Labor Day Fun -

Ok, I know this is QUITE late, but I had some fun pics that were taken on Labor Day at the Yorg/Bassett informal BBQ. Rosey had her "FRIEND" Jeff there, and it was fun for many of us to meet him. He seems like a nice guy, and good to know that there are some boys out there that aren't intimidated by Rosey's quiet and shy personality!

It was a CHILLY day, but it ended up being a nice evening for a quick dinner. A big shout out to Clay who had NO idea Rosey had a date there, and proceeded to tell Rosey of this awesome guy he wanted to set her up with! Whoops - good thing Jeff was nice about it and didn't say anything (what would you say?).

Thanks Yorg's and Bassett's for the fun evening and good food!

It's Official... Cousin's Party is Oct. 24

After a highly scientific survey, we have decided to have the Cousin's Party on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. This will be the most fabulous party any of you have ever encountered. Do all of you cousin's remember getting booted out of the living room at Christmas time at Grandma's? It was when all of our parents were exchanging their gifts to each other and they went into the living room while the rest of us were left out to fend for ourselves? Do you remember the crazy laughter coming from that room and if you even thought about peeking in, you were immediately escorted out by an adult? Well, our cousin's party will put that one to shame!! We may have Aunt Wendy trying to peek into the window's of my house, hoping... praying, that one of us will let her in. Now it is payback time! (I am totally kidding!)

We will have dinner and games at Matt and Aimee's house starting at 6 p.m. This party is for adults only -- any cousin's over 21, and their spouses (or dates -- if you dare!). Don't worry, you younger cousins... your time will come one day and you will also be invited to the greatest party on earth.

Please leave a comment to R.S.V.P., or email me at newtonloans@gmail.com. When it gets closer we will give out food assignments.

See you there!

Aimee

JAMBORALL PICS

The Jamborall was fun this year. We missed those of you who were not able to be there. It is always fun to catch up with family that you don't get to see very often. Thanks for those who made it possible!

Danke Schön!

A big THANK YOU to all those who wrote me a little birthday greeting! It was much appreciated...

-Nate

I have a Blog!

So I finally did it. Thanks to Nate who pushed me the most to finally create a blog of my own. Check it out at http://adventuresofalana.blogspot.com I'm still trying to figure it out and if anyone has any great blogging tips, let me know!

JAMBORALL!!

Please Join Us for the
2008
Winder Jamborall

Saturday
August 16, 2008

Swimming --- 4 PM
Potluck Dinner --- 6 PM

Dinnerware and Drinks will be provided

Come to Visit
Hope to see you there!

Cousin's Party on Oct. 11 ???

How does Saturday, Oct. 11 sound for the next cousin's party? If that doesn't work, let us know asap. Matt and I are fine to host, unless someone else wants to. Let's say 6 p.m. and we'll do dinner again. I'll send out an email to everyone, as well. Wendy, if you REALLY want to come, you are absolutely invited. One year we had a surprise visitor at our cousin's party. Some thought it was going to be Santa, but it ended up being Grandma! If anyone wants to drop in, you are certainly welcome.

MAX CAUGHT IN GERMANY!!!

...you guys need to keep a closer eye on Max. I saw him today getting off the boat from Switzerland into Germany.

And I think that might have been Sen. Harry Reid (D) along side...

Those are the best shots I could get, but I'm pretty sure it was Max or maybe his Doppelganger...

-Nate

...

Happy July 24th

We had a wonderful 24th of the July holiday. Rosey, Gwen, Richard, the twins, and lots of their friends spent the night on the parade route. In the morning many more (about 40 - not all our family but family of those friends who spent the night) joined them on the corner of 2nd East and 2nd South for the parade. Nancy Karen and I only shed a few tears as we reminised about the good old days with dad. It was a wonderful parade for the first hour when we were in the shade, and then a wonderfully-hot parade the second hour in the sun. We did take good notes of what makes up a really great float since next year Kent and Sherri are our Stake committee chairpersons for the float we are asked to build.

Also Andrea, Julie Nordgren, Margaret, and Nick all ran the 10k race this year. Rosey reported how fun it was to wake up and watch them run by. All of them seemed happy with their times. Nick, Marg and Robyn even came back and joined us at the parade. (We must note here that Nick was running on about 3 hours of sleep and a belly full of mexican food eaten at about 1 am the night before.)

Later in the day many met at the pool for swimming and dinner. Lots of Ted's family were there and it was fun to see Lisa's family again. Some in Karen's, Nancy's and Wendy's family also came. It was true pot luck with everything from salads to burgers to KFC to b-b-q pork. But not a vegetable nor piece of meat was to be found on the plates of the Nordgren grandchildren. I had no idea Roger's grandkids loved Cheetoes so much.

And some of us ended with a few Monk episodes over at Wendy's house. Even grandma came. Thanks everyone for a fun day!

Another Cousin's Party, anyone??

Hi, this is Aimee. I am wondering if people are interested in another cousin party maybe in the fall. I think it is easier to plan on a date ahead of time, so let me know if you are interested. This is a party for Ned and Gwen's grandchildren and spouses. As Bryan Hurd said at the last one, "There is nothing better than eating Chicken Pot Pie with the cousins."

Layton Summer Reunion

The Layton summer reunion is still on for Thursday July 17th at the Winder pool.

Swimming starts at 5:00 and dinner at 6:00.

Drinks, paper plates, and eating utensils will be provided.
We're asking everyone to bring enough food /dessert for their family that will be attending - then we can put it all out for everyone to share.

Please forward this on to everyone in your family.

Brighton Breakfast Fun 2008

Here are some photos from the Brighton Breakfast today. It was such nice weather (cooler) and the kids LOVED playing in the snow around Silver Lake. Thanks to Kent and the "dairy" for providing breakfast - it was delicious.

Torrey Up-dates

We certainly enjoyed reading Nate's blog. Very interesting! Also, we were delighted to be able to access the Ned Winder Family blog for the first time! In the past we were always blocked out so it great to be able to see what it happening.

Things are well down in Torrey. We got some rain today for the first time in about a month.We are getting ready for the 4th celebration weekend. We've been invited to drive our truck in the parade with the Visitor Center people on it (JaNae and I both work part time here.)

Also,JaNae is in charge of the pie baking contest again this year. Sunday (July 6) will be the LAST church services in our cute little sandstone Torrey Ward. They are going to build a new building so we will be sharing the building in Bicknell for the next year.

After the block meetings this Sunday we are having a pot-luck luncheon and taking pictures of our historic little building. It will be a sad day. We love all of you! We hope to see you on the 24th when we are up there.
-Ted

Summer time at the Pool . . .

Nothing says summer-time like a picture from the Winder pool! We love going to the pool and we just wanted to thank Kent and Sherri for all that they do to keep up the pool area.

Just a quick warning - Today Jefferson (Tami's baby) was walking out on the black-top and he got stuck in the middle of it and didn't know where to go. He ended up burning the bottom of both of his feet TERRIBLY, had big blisters immediately, and had to be rushed to the Dr. We just need to make sure that our kids all know how HOT the black-top can get on these hot summer days, and how quickly we can get burned. We hope that he recovers quickly!

And we'll call him/her Encore, because he/she wasn't on the program!

For those who are not faithful readers of my other blog, I thought you might be interested in this post

http://kristibassett.blogspot.com/2008/06/lies-darned-lies-and-statistics.html

Grandma set a tough precedent, but man, we are doing our best to keep up with it ; )

Cabin Weekend

Just a reminder this weekend is our cabin weekend.

Father's Day Remembrance

One of the ways I've been able to recognize the hand of the Lord in my life has been through the influence of our father, grandfather and great grandfather, Ned Winder.

I still remember the profound influence he had on me from the time I met him until ... even now really. His example of generosity and true charitable service to others will always be prized. One specific example occurred after my father had his first heart attack in around 1976. He was a brick mason and was forced to give that profession up on the advice of doctors after his heart attack. This meant he had to find a new job and he still had most of the children still at home (Jeff may have been the only other one married by then besides Karen and me). Obviously, times were difficult financially (even more than normally the case). Vehicles in our household were always well-used and worn out and usually in need of repairs, etc.

Ned, in his quiet and compassionate way, found a good, well-running late model used car at a dealership and purchased it and gave it to my family so they would have some reliable form of transportation and be relieved of that burden. This was a great surprise to the family and was an example of how God blesses our lives through being able to use other people. That example of being worthy and receptive to the Spirit so as to be able to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord so He can bless His children, is one I hope to be able to follow some day.

Roger

The Cabin is Clean!

Hi Family,

Kent asked me (his favorite sister, Wendy) to be in charge of making sure our cabin assignment got done this year. With the cold weather and the plumbing problems at the cabin, I am happy to report that it is FINALLY done!! Today, after almost cancelling for a third time because the weather was so cold, Karen, Nancy, Max, Katherine, Caroline and I all donned our warmest clothing and headed up the canyon. There was about an inch of fresh snow on the driveway as we pulled in. Nancy sang a couple of bars of "oh the weather outside is frightful. . . ." and we forged ahead. We cleaned the Bridal Suite and the inside porch from top to bottom. We washed windows and cleaned out heater vents, all in the freezing cold. We swept away the winter dust and vacuumed up all the dead moths. We polished furniture, cleaned out drawers and washed light fixtures. Basically, a good time was had by all! We even brought the narrow corner table home for Richard to repair. (Mom, did grandpa Layton make that table? It is the one with the drop sides.) A special thanks to Max, Kath and Caroline for being so obedient to bossy aunts and moms. Fourteen-year-olds are the best!!

It looked like the kitchen had been done, too, (Davidsons) but not the living room (Thorntons). It was hard to tell if the Laytons had done the outside assignment because of the snow.

Just thought you would be interested.

Reflecting Back

For those of you who were unable to make it to June's family meeting, I wanted to post some of the stories that were shared. Because it's the month of Father's Day, and family meeting was on Grandpa/Dad's birthday we had each of his children share how he was an influence to them as a dad...
Ted
I appreciated the work ethic that dad taught me. Between my Jr. and Sr. year at Granger High School I ran a milk route. It was a difficult job but paid well. I would get up in the middle of the night and be up to the dairy by 2 am to load out and get an early start on my route. I usually didn't get back to the dairy for unloading until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I remember one night being out on a date. We were having a really fun time and I didn't get her home by 9 pm, which I had to do as a driver. In fact, it was near midnight when I finally walked in the door. Knowing I had to be up at the dairy in an hour or so, I went in and woke up dad to see if I could get out of going on my milk route. I was learning a new area from another driver so I knew it would be covered okay. Dad wasn't angry but in a firm way he reminded me of my commitment to the job and of being responsible. He let me make the choice - but after his 'pep talk' I knew what I had to do. I changed clothes, had a bowl of cold cereal and headed out the back door for the dairy. It was one long and sleepy day, but I had learned a valuable lesson.

Karen
I remember at one time Dad was a guide at temple square. Sometimes he’d take one of us kids with him on the tour, and on one particular day he took me. I enjoyed the tour he gave, and afterwards he asked if I wanted to see where the Prophet, President McKay lived. When we pulled up at his house, Pres. McKay was in his front yard, standing there in his regular shirt and trousers, watering the lawn. Since he knew Dad, we went over and Dad introduced me to him. It was such a neat experience to meet a prophet of the Lord in such simple surroundings. And to have an experience that would be impossible to have now days, I will never forget that.

Kent
Dad was always a hard worker and wanted to instill this great principal into his children. Often on a Saturday morning he would open the door to the basement where his three sons’ were sleeping (after a late night date some were deeper into sleep than others) and yell down stairs…”my tigers…my tigers…time to get up”. We would slowly pull ourselves out of bed and make the tuff climb up the stairs. He would then have us follow him out to the driveway where he would wax the two cars and we would wipe them off. Getting the cars cleaned was a side benefit of those Saturday mornings… the real lesson was learning to work and enjoying one another’s company.

Doug
I’d like to share an experience with Dad/Grandpa that showed how important he made me feel. Dad was very busy with civic activities when we were young. He was not only on the Days of ’47 committee but also the Chairman of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, Head of the Utah Safety Committee, announcer at the Basketball tournaments, active member of the University of Utah booster club, and Chairman of the Utah Boxing Commission. It’s in his last service that I want to talk about.
With seven kids, and with all that Dad did, there were not very many times when we had “one on one” experiences with him. When I was probably eight or nine he invited me to go with him to one of the big boxing matches. He told me I was going to be his personal assistant. I can’t remember where the fight was but the one thing I do remember was that Dad gave me a white envelope. On the front of the envelope was typed “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN”. Inside was a letter with a greeting that said “To Whom It May Concern”. The letter went on to say that I was Ned Winder’s son and Personal Assistant and that I had the right to go anywhere in the building. I really didn’t do much to help but I’ve never forgot how important he made me feel. I wandered around a bit and had a few people challenge me as to where I was going. I pulled my envelope out, let them read it, and then they gave me the go ahead to go wherever I wanted. I don’t remember who won the match but I did know that I was a “winner” and important in my Dad’s eyes that he would trust me to go wherever I needed to. I kept that letter in the envelope for many years and would take it out from time to time to remember how good and important he made me feel.

Janet
There are so many memories that I could write about. In every way Dad was a wonderful, caring father. One thing that I love to remember is his love for music. I remember laying in bed as a very young child and hearing the 78 records on the phonograph in Mom and Dad's room as I drifted off to sleep. Dad also sang to us at night when we were in bed; cowboy songs (I recall one about a cowboy who went out in the cold night to save a wandering calf) or "Uncle Ned". I have fond memories of singing in the car, especially hearing Dad and Mom sing, "Down in that Old Cherry Orchard", or
"If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again" as we traveled around Florida. They harmonized so well in singing and in life. Many hymns remind me of Dad; I will mention two in particular. I can't hear "How Gentle God's Command" without thinking of Dad's beautiful harmony to that hymn. And "How Great the Wisdom and the Love" will always remind me of Dad spontaneously leading us as we were in the building next to the Garden of Gethsemane on our trip to Israel in 1977. I miss hearing Dad singing and am grateful to know that I will hear him again someday. We love Dad and Mom so much and are grateful for such wonderful parents.


Wendy
The hardest part about this assignment is to decide which, of my many memories, to share. But here's goes:
As we all know, dad was well-known. And he wasn't just well known among his peers but with people of all ages, including all of my friends. This past Christmas I went to a party with some friends from high school that I was in Madrigals with. Someone had brought our scrapbook that I hadn't seen for 30 years. It was fun to look at it but the best part was that there was a whole page I had forgotten about on dad (or "Ned" as all my friends called him). I think he had as many photos in the scrapbook as I did. All my friends, boys and girls, loved Ned.
I remember a time when my friends from seminary council toilet papered our house for my birthday in July. Their plan was to then wake me up and take me out to breakfast. When they arrived early in the morning they found dad up and busy (probably wiping off the cars in the garage). Rumor has it that he welcomed them and even helped toilet paper a little. When I woke up he was serving them orange juice and rolls and they all visited and laughed while I cleaned the mess up.
I pull out my yearbook every now and then and it is amazing to see how many people mentioned dad in their comments to me.
I will always be proud to be "Ned's daughter!"


Nancy
I remember when I was a teenager and I was at that age where most kids would rather hang out with their friends than their parents. However, whenever my friends would invite me to go with them to the high school sporting events, I would usually decline and say ‘I’m already going with my dad’. I loved going with Dad to the games because everyone liked him, he was so funny and nice to everyone and I enjoyed hanging out with him. He was one of those dads you could be proud of being with instead of embarrassed. I am grateful for the fun memories I have with him.

Happy Birthday Grandpa! (2 days late)

Happy Birthday Grandpa-Dear~
Just a few fun pics that I found on the computer. The first one is of Grandpa and Cohen in June 2005 at the pool, the next is Doug and Grandpa at Julie and Jason's wedding, the 3rd one is of the Porsche - just looking at it makes me miss him! And the last one was taken on his 80th Birthday when we had a party for him at the pool. (6 years ago) It is amazing how fast the little ones get big.


Connor, Mitchell, Grandpa, Peyton, Devin, Brian, Cade, Julie and Adra

Happy Birthday Grandpa - we love and miss you!

Pool Clean-Up

Thanks to everyone who helped get the pool ready for the summer season! A big thanks to Kent & Sherri for all they do for the pool and for Grandma's generosity in paying so much for us to have this pool. Sherri took some pictures at the painting/cleaning and wanted me to post them. THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYONE'S HELP!