Walker Family Home Evening

Once a month, Tyson and I get together with his side of the family, (since a lot of them live here in Utah) for Family Home Evening. Here are a few pictures from our last visit together.

Tyson's sister Tori with his neice, Paelyn * * * Seneca, Tyson, Kendra


Paelyn, me, Seneca (they're sisters) * * * Diane, (Tyson's mom) and Paelyn

Spring Break in Austin!

Tyson Walker, Tyson Jones (Brent's son), me, and Avery

For spring break this year, Tyson and I visited my brother Brent, his wife Paige, and their three children in Austin, Texas. Tyson literally met Brent on the day we were sealed in the temple- and due to a variety of circumstances, Tyson hasn't seen them again since our wedding day. We had a fantastic time- between Easter, a beautiful hike, Conference Weekend, Avery's 3rd birthday, authentic Texan BBQ, perfect weather, Mario Cart, and a tour of the University of Texas, (the Longhorns) . . . it was quite the weekend. Thanks again Brent and Paige for being so generous to help us fly out there. We loved it!

Avery, Payton, and Paige at Rudy's. * * * * * * Avery, Paige, Tyson (Jones) and Brent
They say in Texas that the best restaurants are found at a gas station- such is the case with Rudy's. The food is served to you not on plates, but on butcher's paper. Easy clean up.


This is Tyson Jones feeding the turtles at the University of Texas campus. There's a turtle pond right on the main campus- pretty cool. In the other picture, Brent and "my Tyson" (Tyson Walker) are pushing Avery up the stairs in her stroller. Brent kept referring to Avery as "Princess Avery" since she got pushed and carried everywhere we went that day.




This is a picture of their latest edition- Payton. She has got to be one the best-behaved babies I have ever seen. She smiled ALL the time- and was so content to sit and watch everyone. I wanted to pick her up and hold her the whole time I was there. :0)

One of the Many Goals I have . . .

. . . is to be able to carry my husband on my back . . . for the rest of my life.
I had a pretty serious back injury a few years ago, (herniated disc). It was definitely a painful experience, but much harder to deal with than the pain of it all, was the simple fact that I couldn't freely run around on a basketball court when I felt like it, or go to the gym and lift weights, or wrestle around with my nieces and nephews, or give someone larger than myself, (such as my husband) a piggy back ride. (And quite honestly, I think Tyson would have been disappointed if for the rest of our marriage, he couldn't horseplay around with me, or play me in one-on-one basketball for fear of me getting hurt or breaking a nail.) Okay, I'll admit, Tyson is significantly heavier and stronger than I will ever be :0) therefore, carrying him on my back never lasts very long . . .but the fact is, I know it will be a sad day when I can no longer do that at all. So, I've decided that day must simply never come. From here on, I am going to request that Tyson allow me to give him a piggy back ride every now and then. I figure if I do that often enough for the rest of our life, there will never be a day when I can't lift him on my back and take a few steps, right? So there you have it-- one of my many life goals. . . .
You think I'm kidding, don't you?

Jackson Hole

Tyson and I took these pictures when we went to Jackson Hole this summer with some friends, (I just found them the other day). We both had so much fun up there. We went white water rafting, but the water was so cold that we had to buy full piece wetsuits. That was quite the site, let me tell ya! I'll spare you the pics from that portion of the weekend, though. One thing about being married to a boy who grew up in Vernal, UT- I have really come to appreciate nature so much more.


This is our "contemplating nature pose"


picture of the ladies on the morning hike

There IS such a thing as a dumb question . . . .

Okay, so I have to admit, there are days when my patience wanes "a little" with my students at school. This past Friday was one of those days. One theme that the kids are CONSTANTLY taught in the school district, (especially at the elementary level) is that "there is no such thing as a dumb question". In fact, this is ingrained in their minds.

Well, on this particular Friday, my health class was rather hyper and were consequently struggling to remain serious as we discussed the effects of alcohol on the body. I showed the class a quick clip from a documentary. When I asked if there were any questions, the boys kept raising their hands to ask questions that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand and everything to do with showing off for their peers, (such as "Hey Ms. JJ- why does that kid in the movie have eyebrows that look like that?"). I finally looked at them and said in a mostly joking, (but with a touch of exasperation) "Okay, that's enough. NO more dumb questions!"

With that, to my surprise, SHOCK poured all over their faces-- a pin drop could have been heard in the room, (which doesn't happen all that often). I think they were all taken back by the 'blasphemy' I had just spoken.

In response to this I defensively added (with a smile of course), "Oh come on! Whoever said there is no such thing as a dumb question has obviously never taught 7th graders . . especially you guys!" The entire class burst out laughing at this. I continued, "So pick your self-esteem up off the floor- you're alright." We were all laughing by that time- since they knew that they were all being obnoxious. I imagine if the administration walked in at that moment, I might have had my job on the line. LOL- good times.

Sometimes I feel that we get so concerned about "hurting" a kid's self esteem, (especially in the public school system) in fear of being 'politically incorrect' that we might become a little super sensitive-- when in the long run, being able to genuinely joke around with teenagers and even tease them occasionally might be the best thing we can do for their self-esteem. Plus, if a teenager knows you will uphold consistent boundaries, I think they feel more confidence and have stronger characters. That's just my opinion though---

My Parents' New Calling

Yesterday, we found out that my mother has been called as a Temple Worker and my father has been called as a Temple Sealer for the Palmyra, New York Temple! Our whole family is so excited about this; I can't imagine a more perfect calling for my parents. I can tell my dad is very humbled by the experience, but we all know he will do such an amazing job magnifying this calling. He has so much energy and such a love for the gospel, as does my mom. All the brides and grooms will be blessed to have him perform their sealings. I didn't know this until now, but when a person is called as a Temple Sealer, it is a calling that lasts for life AND eternity. You also have to be at least 55 years old, have never been divorced, and your wife must be a worthy temple recommend holder. To have been sealed by him when we got married a year and a half ago would have been so cool, my nieces and nephews are so lucky because they will have the opportunity to be sealed by their Grandfather! We're so proud of their wonderful lives of service and we hope we can follow their examples.

Christmas in Portland

Tyson and I visited my brother Tim's family in Portland, Oregon for Christmas. It was SO FUN and provided a much needed break from our hectic work/school schedules. My parents flew in from New York to be there as well. There is nothing greater to be around during the holidays than family.

Danny and Tyson showed off their exceptional piano skills for everyone . . . by playing the one song they knew over and over and over and over . . . . yes, very inspirational.

Mom, Jill and I made the Christmas dinner- Jill and Mom did most of the work; my biggest contribution were the rolls I'm holding up . . . some of which were rather small since I had to cut off the parts that got burned!!! We could all use a little less carbs anyway, right?




Derek was ordained a Priest while we were there. It was neat that Tyson and my Dad could be there for it. Derek has gotten quite good at basketball. We got to watch two of his games while we were there.


Tim surprised Tyson and I with some tickets to the Blazers game. Neither of us had ever been on the club level before. We definitely took advantage of the free buffet that comes with these seats. It was a fun game to watch-- plus the Blazers won. In the picture of just me, we were trying to get a shot of all the food behind us, but apparently my camera flash was dying that night . . .