More in February

Who were your aunts and uncles? Do you have any aunts or uncles who really stand out in your mind? Write something about them (names, personalities, events that you remember doing with them, and so on).

I'll start off by listing them all, because there's a million. I'll put my parents siblings and then their spouses in parentheses.
SMITH SIDE: Lezlie (Jim), Clint (Diane), Cal (Christy), Dawn (Lane), Clair, Jodi (Dan), Amber (Dan), Chet (Shonnie), Paige (Derek)
MATHER SIDE: Darrell (Heidi), Jason (Kim), Ryan (Heather), Sarah Ann, Shawn (Maren), Cheryl (Dave), David (Colleen), Rachel (Daniel), Andrea (Weston), Evelyn (Richard)
Step-Aunts and Uncles: Kelly (Christy), Marty (Emily), Greg (Nickelle), Krisanne (Ryan)

As you can see, my parents both came from large families, and then got even larger when Grandma and Grandpa Johnson got married. Family reunions were always crazy, but so much fun. The awesome thing is I can sit here and type all those names from memory, which means my parents have told us a bunch of stories about their families and we've stayed connected.
The aunts and uncles that stand out in my mind on my Dad's side are Lezlie, Cal and Dawn. Lezlie and Cal both live in the Spokane area, so we do stuff with them a few times a year. We usually go out in the summer and go boating with them, since they live so close to the lake. We've also done Thanksgiving with them quite a few times. There was one year that Cal tried to cook the turkey with a infra-red heat cooker, and it was completely raw after like 6 hours. We stuck it in the oven and ate it the next day as leftovers. Dawn used to live in Pasco, but they move every few years for Lane's work. Dawn was always the easiest to talk to for me; she and Amber and the most laid back out of all the sisters, which is my style too. Every time we visit the Hansen's we have fun :)
It's hard to choose out of my mom's side because I feel pretty close to most of them. If I have to choose three, I'd say Ryan, Cheryl and Andrea. Ryan has always been around for all the big events in my life: he came to my baptism, graduation, our wedding, Jasmine's baby blessing, a bunch of our marching band performances... I could go on and on. We also spend most Memorial Day Weekends with them, and sometimes Thanksgiving too. Ryan is always generous and kind, not to mention funny. I love listening to he and my mom talk because you can tell they're such good friends. Cheryl is the same way; she is so easy to talk to, and hilarious. I always gravitate to her when we have family get togethers. I remember once we were all driving somewhere and I got to ride with her alone for about an hour. We talked about school and friends, and how I felt like I was kind of floating between not being popular but also not unpopular, just kind of a wallflower. I've always felt like of all my mom's siblings, I'm probably the most like Cheryl. For the past few years, however, I've talked to Andrea a lot. We've both gotten married and had babies within the last 3 years, and I feel like right now we're going through similar challenges with finances and careers. As a kid, though, every time we'd visit Utah, Andrea would take at least me and Cameron on "Aunt Dates". She'd take us out for ice cream, or to the park, or to a waterpark, or out to lunch, and one time she took us to see her work. One very special day I remember she made us all CD'S with new music. She is very generous and I always knew she cared about what I had to say and how I felt.

Where did you go to school? What was school like for you?

I went to 4 different elementary schools: Parker Elementary in Houston, Highland Elementary in Highland, Vista Elementary and Sunset View Elementary in Kennewick. In Parker I remember having an awesome year of kindergarten; Mrs. Cummins was the best teacher ever! We did all sorts of crafts and special holiday parties. In Highland Elementary I had Mrs. Bule, who I don't remember much of, but I know I liked her. I had Mrs Lyons and Mrs. Gerdes at Vista, and then Mrs Quesnell, Mrs Pappas, and Mrs. Herling & Mrs. O'Brien at Sunset View. Switching schools got a little rough as I got older, but I always had great teachers and learned to love where I was.
Middle school got a little more rough. My 6th grade year, I discovered passing notes, boys, cliques, mean girls, puberty, and a bunch of other pre-teen nightmares. Most of that year was pretty good. Seventh grade was awful. It started out fine, taking orchestra and all my other normal classes, which included P.E. (yuck). A little less than halfway into 7th grade, the girl who was assigned the locker across from mine started making comments about my body, both while we changed into and out of our uniforms. At first I was confused and thought she was talking to or about something else. Eventually though, I realized she was pointing and giggling at me. I tried not to think about it too much, just brush it off and try to forget what happened. One night, probably about 4-6 months into all this, I broke down and just sat on my floor bawling. I didn't know why I was so sad until my mom heard and came downstairs. When she asked what was wrong, I told her everything. She brought my dad in and told him, and I remember him asking her name and if he could go beat her up. I pleaded with them not to tell the teachers, because I was terrified it would make it worse if she knew that I had told someone. A few weeks later it stopped, so I'm sure my parents said something, or maybe she just got bored. But those months of being told I was fat and giggled at still come back sometimes.
Eighth grade was a million times better. I took Spanish instead of PE, and I found better friends. I almost failed my Math class, but I learned from that eventually.
High School was hard, but looking back it was pretty awesome. When I found Marching Band, I found home. I loved the comradery of so many other people loving music as much as I did, and it put a new intensity into something I already enjoyed. I'm someone who loves structure in my music, so marching band was perfect. I also loved seminary, made the best friends, and had awesome teachers. I honestly would not mind going back to high school for a year.

What were your favorite subjects in school? Why?

I LOVE English and Music. According to my journals I used to love Math and PE, but young me didn't know what she was thinking. I love the passion and expression that both English and music offered me. I'm not very good at expressing my thoughts or emotions by myself, especially when I'm upset or sad, but I could always find a passage of a novel or something in a piece of music that spoke to me. Then, in high school, I took an English class that we had to read a Shakespeare play for, probably Romeo and Juliet. Now that play is my least favorite of all of his writings, but it introduced me to all of his wonderful other writings. Now I have what I like to call my "Shakespeare Bible", a beautiful book I got as a gift, I think from my parents, that contains all of Shakespeare's plays, poems, and sonnets. I've read it so much the cover is starting to fall off.

I have been blessed to have somehow found incredible music teachers that lead me exactly where I love to be in Music. It started in elementary school with violin lessons, then Marimba Band with Mr. Hampton in Sunset View, Orchestra with Mrs. Orr and Mr. Russsell in middle and high school, Marching Band, Symphony, Solo & Ensemble, Salsa Orchestra and Shaka Steel at BYUH with Dr. D... I couldn't have had better teachers and classes that have built up my music career and passion for music.

Still catching up

Share a few memories of your grandparents. Did they live nearby? What do you remember doing with them?

My grandparents on my Dad's side are Don Mack Smith and Pamela Jane Johansen; we call them Grandpa Don and Grandma Pam. Grandpa Don is a very quiet man, who most of the time sat in his chair in the upstairs living room watching either sports or the Weather Channel. He was a brick mason for a long time, and one time for a family reunion we all built a fire pit with him. Grandpa is also a good gardener, especially with corn. Every summer when we'd visit he'd have giant ears of corn, lots of zucchini and tomatoes, sometimes carrots. He never said much, but I remember him always hugging us goodbye when we left. Now that we're all getting older, including him, he talks a lot more and will sometimes tell us cool stories about growing up or about our parents. My Grandma Pam is pretty much the opposite- she is always talking to someone, laughing at everything, and very active. She's always working on a new humanitarian project or sewing someone a quilt or helping her friends. She would sing to us when we were really little and always had lemon cookies and green Koolaid. For the first part of my childhood we lived in Utah about 10 minutes away from them, and after coming back from Houston we actually lived in their basement. The things I remember the most from when we were young is playing in their giant basement downstairs. Their downstairs living room is probably bigger than some people's whole house. On nights there was a family gathering, there could be as many as 25 grand-kids down there at once, at least that's what it felt like. They had a really creaky rocking horse, and my grandma had all the old hymnals and children's songbooks by the piano.
On my Mom's side, I have my Grandma Sharee, Grandpa Neil and Grandpa Garth. Grandma Sharee and Grandpa Garth are my Mom's parents, and Grandpa Garth died of cancer when my mom was 13 years old. A few months before I was born, Grandma Sharee and Grandpa Neil got married, so they're the ones I really know. I remember having a lot of family dinners and picnics with them. When I was little they had a house with a big backyard, swings, garden, plum tree. I remember it being a pretty cool house. One of my first memories of them is having a Easter Egg hunt at their house. Grandma Sharee is always, and I mean always, doing something. I swear she has more energy than like 10 of me combined. She's always redoing room or planting something or helping her kids with their children or house or making dinner for someone or sewing dresses or catering for a wedding, etc... She's incredible. Grandpa Neil is the king of telling stories and singing songs to his grand-kids. As an English teacher, he was always reading us a fun new book he found or sending us home with books he read as a kid. We usually stay with them when we go back to visit Utah, and I love staying up late and talking with them about life. When Jasmine was born, Grandma Sharee flew out with my mom and we got to spend time just us four; it was such a fun experience.
Since I never knew Grandpa Garth, I don't have as much I can write about him. I know he was a really incredible person, a great husband and father, and just well liked in general. From what I remember my Mom and others telling me about him, he loved baseball, BYU games, acted, and loved his family above all else. When I was pregnant and really sick, Ethan gave me a blessing that I will always remember. In the blessing, he said that my Grandpa Garth loved the campus of BYU Hawaii and the Laie Temple, and that he was there with me often protecting me and lifting me up from the other side. He also told me that Grandpa Garth was helping teach Jasmine and preparing her for her life here on Earth. The thought of him being with my baby and having his time and a Great-Grandpa before she was born touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes.

Playing catch up

DISCLAIMER: I missed a bunch of weeks in a row, and I've been trying to catch up, but a new week has come every time I almost finish the other ones. I'm going to publish what I have now and catch up gradually instead of all at once :)

1. What are the names of your brothers and sisters? Describe things that stand out in your mind about each of your siblings.

I have three younger siblings, two brothers and a sister. The boys are sandwiched in between the girls. I remember growing up wanting a sister so bad, and I even remember crying when we found out my second brother was a boy (sorry, Andrew).

Cameron James Smith was born on February 27th, 1998, about two and a half years after me. I don't remember when he was born, but I also don't really remember life without him. Since we moved quite a few times my first 6 years of life, Cameron was my best buddy for a long time. We used to love playing dress up, blocks, riding bikes in the summer, digging in the mud, playing playdough, reading... We pretty much did everything together. It's the best when your sibling is also your friend. Something that stands out in my mind about Cameron is his constant desire to always do the right thing. More than almost anyone else I know, Cameron always thinks about things that most people would just shrug off, and finds joy in doing things exactly as they're meant to be done. I'll admit, sometimes in board games I would get a little annoyed when every single rule was followed to a T, but in overall life, it is something I admire and wish I could be more like. 
Andrew Conrad Smith was born on April 4th, 2001 when I was 5 years old. We were living in Houston and I was in Kindergarten. Right from the start, Andrew has been the most energetic and silliest of us all. He has a fiery personality that goes right along with his fiery red hair. Of all my siblings, Andrew was the one that I would get in the most fights with, probably because we're both so stubborn. But he is also one of my best little buddies. The quality in him that stands out to me is the ability to make people smile and laugh. He's always telling jokes and being a little (or a lot) crazy to get someone to giggle, and he loves playing games or going to the store with people to talk to them. I think Andrew and I have similar senses of humor, which means we also get in trouble for laughing at the same things that weren't meant to be funny.
Sadie Genene Smith was born on September 25th, 2003 when I was eight years old. I was so excited to finally have a sister!!! I remember the day my mom was induced that I was so impatient for her to finally be born so that I could meet her. And then when I finally had another girl in the house, Cameron as her favorite, haha. I was pretty jealous of that for a bit. One of the things I admire so much about Sadie is that she searches for knowledge constantly, and she has a firm grasp of Gospel truths as well. There was a family home evening lesson she gave once when she was probably about 8 or 9 years old about dating and courtship that blew everyone's mind. We couldn't believe not only how prepared she was, but how well she understood the concepts she was teaching. Sadie is very smart and has a knack for remembering and comprehending things other people never do. When I moved away to college I really missed my random facts of the day!
I have the best siblings! I can't wait to see what kind of incredible things they do in the future, because they are all so talented and wonderful.


2. What were some of the family traditions that you remember?


We have so many family traditions it's going to be hard to narrow it down. I'll try to go by month.
January: On New Years Day we usually take our gingerbread houses out to the farmlands off of Clodfelter and shoot them! It sounds weird, but it's really fun to watch the brittle gingerbread explode into teeny tiny pieces.
February: On Valentines Day, Mom would always get a card and a little present or treat for the boys, and Dad would get a card and gift for Sadie and I. It was fun to always have a Valentine, especially in high school when everyone was lovey-dovey. I could always come home to my Daddy as my valentine :) That's where I got my favorite stuffed animal of all time, Beary. We
March: On St. Patricks Day we have a green dinner! Which meant green biscuits too, haha. They looked a little freaky sometimes.
We also have a lot of Easter traditions. We dye the eggs the day before, and then when we wake up in the morning the Easter Bunny has the eggs hidden all over the place outside. But first, we have to find our baskets, which are always hidden in the house. Our baskets always had one or two little gifts in them too, like a pair of earrings, chocolate, matchbox cars, etc. Then that night we always have ham, potatoes and rolls for dinner. That next Monday is always a FHE lesson about the Atonement and why we celebrate Easter. 
April: Andrew always celebrated April Fools Day, even if the rest of us forgot. One year he switched the sugar and the salt, but nobody noticed until dinnertime when the strawberries were all salty instead of sweet!
May: Are there any holidays in May??? I know we usually plant the beginnings of our garden in May, like the peas. Oh! I guess there's Memorial Day, right? We always go camping with the Ashtons and the Mathers for Memorial Day weekend, it's so much fun.
June: Since my birthday is in June I'll talk about birthdays. As kids, we had a party every other year, on our even birthdays (8, 10, 12, etc.) I probably have had about 4-5 pool parties, which is always awesome. The night before someone's birthday, everyone else stays up later than them and decorates the living room and kitchen for when they wake up. We usually did presents in the morning before school, and sometimes Mom sends a cake to school with us. Cameron and Andrew almost always have a Chocolate Majesty, one of the best cakes in the whole world. We also do a cake at night, and sometimes we go out to dinner, depending on the year. 
July: I feel like we've done different things for a lot of the 4th of July's, but we always have a BBQ for dinner and we go sit on the shore of the Columbia River and watch the fireworks from the barge. It's so beautiful to see the lights reflect off the water. For a few years we also were in the parade throwing candy for Dad's company, but for the last little while we've just gone to watch.
August: If there's a holiday in August I'm forgetting it...
September: Ummmm....
October: Halloween!!! Every Halloween we dress up and go Trick or Treating, and Mom would have Chili and Breadsticks when we got home for dinner. We also carve pumpkins a few days before, and sometimes we go shoot them later. We like shooting things. 
November: Thanksgiving weekend has always been kind of crazy. I remember the majority of the time having Thanksgiving at our house and inviting family members over, usually the Ashtons and Mathers, sometimes Lezlie and Cals families too. There was one year that Jason brought his family up, and that was really fun. My brothers and dad always play in the ward Turkey bowl the morning of Thanksgiving, and then a few hours after they get back we have our traditional dinner. We have turkey, potatoes, stuffing, rolls, that gross green bean casserole, corn, pomegranate salad, pies, etc. There was one year I ate so much I puked later, but it's all so good! The rest of the day we usually play games and snack on the rolls, making turkey sandwiches and potatoes. 
The day after Thanksgiving, we go get our Christmas tree with the Ashtons from Bill's Berry Farm, where we also eat way too many homemade donuts and ride on the sing-along hay ride. The boys also sit around the fire pit and burn any sticks they see lying around.
December: The month of December probably holds more family traditions than the rest of the year combined. Starting on the very first day, we make candy chains counting down the days until Christmas. Sometimes we've chosen a family and done the 12 days of Christmas gifts for them anonymously. We make gingerbread houses with the Ashtons a few weeks before Christmas; we go watch the Musical Senske lights; we decorate the Christmas tree together. Each of us has our own Nativity in our room, and when we were younger we had little mini Christmas trees too. On Christmas Eve, my mom makes the same dinner: Ham, yummy potatoes, homemade rolls, layered Christmas jello, veggie tray, sparkling cider, corn... So, so good. After dinner, we do a reenactment of the Nativity, reading out of the book of Luke. After that, we do the sibling gifts. Every one of us kids gets the name of another kid, and we do a gift exchange on Christmas Eve. I think the tradition started when we were really little and too anxious to wait for Christmas day to open at least one present.
There are probably a lot of traditions I'm forgetting, but it's still a lot! I love our traditions and I hope I can carry a lot of them over to my own family! 

 Did your family have special ways of celebrating specific holidays
I think I accidentally just answered this question in the question above, oops!