Nerdy Hunter

Raymondville, Texas

2010-07-13T22:36:00.001-07:00

New town, new home...and it needs cleaning!!!!
(You've got to click on the picture above to get a load of the look on Katie's face!)

Cockroaches in the cupboards!

Lots of hard work...

Making new little friends...

A baptism...

A new companion...becoming great friends!

Grabbing a bite...a big one at that!

Pretty ladies...

Another Texas creature!

Make time to smell the flowers...

or wear them :-).

A favorite treat from home!

That's one BIG cockroach!
A fun celebration...

A HUGE, nasty spider!
Learning to make laundry soap...

Meeting with other missionaries...

Stylin'

Kids are the greatest!

Missionary charts...
Dunkin' for apples...

Easter egg confetti...

The end of a good day...
Turtle sandwich!

Lots of dogs in Texas!

What in the world is this?!!!

Another baptism...
Scissor tail fly catcher...

Beautiful moth...

Before and after...
Sister Miller made a "tie skirt" for Kate.

What a funny looking dog!

Doing service in a skirt?

More service opportunities...
P-day...

golfing...(Sister Burt)

and letter writing...(Sister Farr)

Arrival of the ties!

A strange, fuzzy caterpillar...

More little friends...

Older couple missionaries...helping out!
A little puppy came to visit...

A special friend...
Missionary conference...

A favorite restaurant...

Letters...a missionary's best friend!

Brownsville, Texas

2010-06-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

Kate's first area was Brownville, Texas, near the Mexican border. This is her first apartment.

Checking for mail...

Kate's Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Miller, along with other missionaries serving in the area...

A Texas critter...

Kate's first companion...

Another Texas critter--a walking stick...

Kate is holding a tarantula...
Getting to know the people of Texas...

A gorgeous butterfly...
A HUGE spider...

Another Texas critter...
Companions and friends...

A sweet grandma with her grandchildren...

Kate's second companion...

Things that sister missionaries do when they are bored...
Tracting in the rain...

Three little friends (these girls all said they wanted to be missionaries someday, just like Hermana Farr)...

Companions...
Can't ALWAYS be serious...

Kate in front of some amazing graffiti...

Tracting...

Ties, ties, and more ties!

Playing in the ties...

Three little girls are baptized...

Another Texas critter...

Another baptism...
A very sweet member friend...

Meeting with other missionaries...
Older couple missionaries...

Hermana Farr at the MTC

2009-09-13T16:05:00.001-07:00

Hermana Farr and Hermana Laws with Tongan Missionaries

Provo Temple

Two Companionships

Having a little fun...
Class time...

Hermana Farr's District

Hermana Farr and Hermana Laws
Missionary sisters in front of the MTC

Provo Temple
Companions!

2009-07-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

Testimony:

From this point on my blog has been dedicated to genealogy work. I feel it appropriate being that I about to leave on my mission that I should share my testimony on my blog. First I would like to begin my testimony with genealogy work. I've enjoyed going to the temple every Friday consistently for the past three months. I have missed a few days, but overall my experience of going to the temple has drawn me closer to my heavenly father and I feel the importance of helping those who have passed on receive the blessings we receive here on the earth. When I'm in the temple I ponder the people I'm helping and the blessings they are now able to receive.

I feel blessed to be a member of the church. I know the principles taught are true. I have gained my testimony not from one experience but from a conglomeration of experiences. I can share one of these experiences. It is just a very small example but it made a huge difference in my life. I'm not sure who I heard this from but they were mentioning members of the church who were excommunicated and who came back to the church. The one thing those excommunicated said that they missed the most was feeling the gift of the Holy Ghost. That really bore testimony to me the Holy Ghost is real. I mean I've always known it is real, but sometimes I forget because I've been able to have to privilege to have it with me when ever I'm being righteous. Whenever I have doubts about the church I think back to hearing about that experience and it strengthens me and helps me to know I have a testimony. I have a testimony that after this life we have the opportunity to live with our families for the eternities. I have a testimony that when we are struggling and we go and read our scriptures, our obedience to reading the scriptures will give us peace and comfort and strengthen us. I have a testimony that Christ atoned for my sins and that we are not alone through trails because he has done this for us. I know that the church is true. The lord strengthens me when I take the opportunity to share my testimony and I'm so grateful for the blessings I've received through obedience to the gospel.

2009-07-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

This semester I had the opportunity to take this genealogy class. I was originally enrolled in another class at the same time but decided to switch to family history because I was afraid of the requirements of the other class. Little did I know that the requirements of this class would be more challenging; I am appreciative though that I took this class because it has been so much more rewarding than my other class probably would have been. The things I have learned in this class I will not forget; they have inspired me to be in the spirit of Elijah. I feel closer to my ancestors and I have a greater appreciation for the work that is done in the temple.

I was aware when I first started this class of all the requirements. At first I was overwhelmed and frustrated with myself that I switched to this class, but when I first walked into the door I went to the teacher to ask him questions about the class because I had missed the first day. I actually ended up talking to the teacher that teaches in this class before the family history class. I told him how I had switched classes and how I felt like I was doing the right thing by switching into the family history class. He said to me “You know, often times when a student comes into a family history class, it is because someone on the other side of the veil has prayed them there.” That really touched me. Since both beginning this course and receiving my mission call, I have been very aware that the adversary is aware of the choices I am making and I know he has been doing everything he can to stop me from both doing the work for those who have passed on and doing those things that would help prepare me for my mission. But the blessings I have received have been far greater then the struggles. I went back home for a weekend in May because one of my closest friends got married. During the entire time I was home, besides helping out and being a part of my friends wedding, I was gathering information with my mom about my Grandma Pearl for my research paper. I was also gathering organized some stuff for my mission and gathered censuses that my mom has collected over the years. My mom was so helpful to me and the time I spent with her gathering information allowed me to feel closer to her. One day I called my mom and asked her if she had ever done indexing. My reason for asking her was because I thought she could help me with the assignment in class to do indexing. I was surprised when she informed me that she did not actually know how to do indexing but that someone was going to teach her the Monday before and the plan fell through. I was pleased and excited to inform her that I was required to teach someone how to do indexing for my genealogy assignment. That was also very exciting to her. I went to the Family History center and received instruction on how to index and was able to teach my mom how to index. It was a very enjoyable experience. I’m especially grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend with my mom before my mission and I feel like our relationship with each other has grown stronger through genealogy work.

I remember in relief society one day a sister saying how by doing genealogy work we will receive so many other blessings. The sister related how she had a rebellious son and how she decided to begin doing genealogy work. As she got more and more into the work, she started noticing changes in her son. Slowly he became less and less rebellious. She felt the spirit testify to her that this blessing had come from her willingness to do genealogy work. I also feel the powerful truth of this statement that if we do genealogy work we will be blessed more then we can imagine!

I love a story that Brother Groberg shared in a talk at a fireside on February 27, 2004.

Let me give three personal examples of influences from the past, the present, and the future. First, the past: as a mission president in Tonga I needed to visit some elders on a distant island. The only boat available was old and dirty. Jean was nursing our three-month old daughter, Gayle, but she wanted to come along, so she made arrangements for someone to watch the older girls and we took passage on what the locals called “the rolling tub.” I arranged for the only so-called room on the boat, which was nothing more than a small enclosure with two narrow planks against one wall called “bunks.” We stayed on deck as much as possible as the air was so bad in the tiny room. The roughness of that voyage was unbelievable. The waves crashed across the deck, making it slippery and cold. Even though the air was much better on deck, for safety’s sake I felt we should stay in our bunks. Jean tried to lie down with Gayle on the lower board I tried to stay put on the upper one. The rolling and jerking of the boat became so violent that we were often thrown out of our bunks and smashed against the floor and the opposite wall which was only a couple of feet away. I was afraid I might come crashing down on Jean and the baby if we were thrown from our bunks at the same time. The best thing I could think of was for Jean and the baby to stay on the lower bunk and for me to sit on the floor with my back against their bunk, with my feet braced against the opposite wall. This way I could be somewhat stationary, and when Jean and the baby were pitched to the open side of the bunk they would roll against my back rather than onto the floor. The floor was hard, wet, and cold, and my legs and back were cramped from the constant strain. It was a long, miserable night. Gayle clung tenaciously to Jean and was able to nurse and sleep on and off. I wondered how long I could hold out. All during that long dark night we were in constant turmoil. The pitching boat, the pounding waves, and the shrieking wind tore not only at my comfort but at my faith. Why is all this happening? I wondered. At one point during the night I turned and looked at Jean and Gayle and felt the trauma and pain they were experiencing. I wanted to get them out of this situation, but there was nothing I could do. I asked: “Why did I bring Jean and the baby? Why is this happening? If the Savior calmed the Sea of Galilee, why not calm this sea?” On and on went the questions. I was hurting, and suddenly a wave of self-pity started to enter my mind. At that precise moment, another influence flooded my mind. It was as though someone were talking to me who was close to me, someone I knew from somewhere. I couldn’t tell who, but I knew it was a faithful woman who knew me and loved me. Her influence filled my mind in a peaceful yet firm way, and I clearly felt the message: “Do not complain. You have no right to complain. You should be grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord, to help build His kingdom. No sacrifice is too great for His sake. Think of what He did for you. Don’t complain. Don’t even think of complaining.” These impressions filled my heart and mind. What a blessing and comfort they were! I was still terribly uncomfortable and seasick, my back and legs still hurt, the night was still dark and the sea was still rough, but for some wonderfully beautiful reason the thought of complaining left me entirely. Like a cloud of darkness, it had been chased away by a flood of goodness and light. I knew I had been helped by an outside force. I closed my eyes and thanked God for His goodness and help and asked for His protection as we continued our voyage. I expressed my deep appreciation for whoever had influenced my thinking so positively that frightful night. We landed safely the next morning. Years later I was reading a history of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Susan Burnett Brunt. She was born in London but as a youth went to New Zealand, where she married and had several children. She and her husband heard the Latter-day Saint missionaries in Kaipoi, near Christ church, around 1870 and were converted. As was the custom in those days, the missionaries asked them to gather to “Zion.” Accordingly she and her husband began making arrangements to leave New Zealand for Utah. They had difficulty selling their farm so it was determined that she would take their four small children and go by boat to San Francisco and on to Salt Lake City. Her husband stayed to settle affairs in New Zealand and followed a year later. I pondered on the faith of that young mother with four small children heading out alone from New Zealand to her desert Zion in Utah. Who knows the hardships, the trials, the discouragements she passed through? Then something really caught my attention. It was a brief comment that at one point on their voyage to San Francisco the boat encountered extremely rough seas and she and the children became very ill. The picture of that moment filled my mind. I could literally see them tossing, both physically and emotionally, on that merciless sea. She was alone and discouraged and almost felt to complain, but as she prayed she remembered that she was a member of God’s true church and was on her way to Zion. She was helped to realize that no problem was too big and no sacrifice too great as long as she attained her Zion. She promised herself she would never complain, or even think of complaining, and prayed that none of her posterity would either. I was spellbound. I looked at a world map and traced the probable route of her ship. She would have been in almost exactly the same location on the same ocean as Jean and Gayle and I were, only she was there nearly a hundred years earlier! I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for the faith of this good woman that I didn’t know what to do. I realized there really wasn’t anything to do except express my appreciation and increase my determination never to complain about anything I was asked to do in the Savior’s cause. I expressed those heartfelt feelings of gratitude through prayer. As I did I felt again some of the same love and peace I had felt on that turbulent ocean in Tonga those many years before. Once again I saw Jean’s uncomplaining face through that tumultuous night. Then I saw her smile as she first stepped ashore the next morning. It melted me to tears. As I basked in its warmth I thought I detected a faint wisp of another smile and was confident it belonged to my greatgrandmother Brunt. I wondered: “Are there such things as spiritual genes? Are there spiritual pools of traits that can help shape us, similar to the way physical genes do?” I didn’t have an answer, but I was sure that the best thing we could do for our posterity is to be faithful ourselves. I know every person has his or her own moral agency and can accept or reject help offered them. But what a great blessing it is if the available “pool” of help contains much of faith and devotion and goodness. How important to build as much goodness and faith as possible in our lives! Not only will it help us now but it has the potential of being helpful to others down the stream of time.

The story from Elder Groberg shows how we are able to receive powerful blessings by doing genealogy work. The experience that he had drew him closer to his ancestor. A scripture from Alma 37:33 relates “And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.” In application to genealogy work this scripture clearly states that we are preparing for eternity while on this earth. Those who have passed on need our help to receive the blessings that we are able to receive; they cannot receive those blessings without us. Likewise according to scripture we are required to perform that labor and the way we prepare ourselves for eternity is by working on genealogy and performing ordinances in the temple.

For the first time in my life I have been able to make a plan to go to the temple every week. Since I’ve been doing this I have felt so blessed. A few of the weeks I haven’t been able to go to the temple because of circumstances but every time I’ve gone my mind has been drawn to the work being performed. Some individuals have been waiting for hundreds of years for their ordinances to be performed so they can receive the blessings of this earth.

I have a testimony that this work is so important and that the blessings from doing genealogy work in unlimited! If we are willing to serve those who have passed on and are in need of our assistance we will feel happier and have the spirit in more abundance!

2009-07-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

Marriage Certificate of Patrick Kilkenny.

Death Certificate or Patrick Kilkenny.

Birth Certificate of William Henry Farr.

Record of William Farr.

Indiana Marriage Collection of Elisha Smith to Nancy Skidmore.

Record of John Clayton.

Land Patent Details for Elisha Smith.

California Census of Elisha Smith.

Census for Elisha Smith.

Indiana Census of Jacob Clear.

Census with John Clear and Louisa Clear from OR.

Marriage Certificate of my ancestors Edwin J carlisle and Lillie A ...

This talks about the death of Lillie A Carlisle. Specifically it says "Carlisle - on May 13, Mrs. Lillie A. Carlisle, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Horner at 1687... Humboldt Street, Denver Funeral to-day at 10 o'clock am." Pueblo papers.

This is a documentation from a newspaper of my Grandpa's funeral.

2009-07-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

Timeline

Born (Aug 3rd, 1988)
First Day of School- Kindergarten (Beginning of Sep 1993)
Held back in 1st grade (Beginning of Sep 1995)
My Baptism at age 8 (Aug, 1996)
Had surgery on my foot (1997)
Grandpa’s Death (February 28th, 1998)
Finished grade school in 5th grade (June 2000)
9/11 (2001)
Auntie Linda’s Death (April 18th, 2002)
Finished middle school in 8th grade (June 2003)
First asked my boy friend out (Nov 9th, 2006)
First date with my boy friend (Dec 9th, 2006)
Officially became a couple with my boy friend (Feb 24th, 2007)
Graduated from High School- and received my first computer (June 2007)
Went on a Joseph Smith History Tour with my family (Summer 2007)
President James E Faust passed away (Aug 10, 2007)
President Hinckley passed away (Jan 27th, 2008)
Ryan leaving on his mission/ in the MTC (Sep 17th, 2008)
Finished B of M for the first time and at the same time as Ryan (Dec 25th, 2008)
Received my mission call and opened it (May 18th, 2009)
Finished P of G Price for the first time (May, 2009)
Received endowments (July 24th, 2009)
Left on my mission arrived in the MTC (Aug 5th, 2009)

2009-07-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

July 14, 2009
A little history about myself…….

My full name is Katherine Rosanne Farr. I was born on August 3rd 1988 at the Salem Oregon hospital. I don’t remember very much from my childhood but there are a few things I’ve been told. When I was born my hair was “flaming red”; I also immediately attached myself to my brother Will. I would cry if anyone else besides my brother was holding me. I have random bursts of memories. The information I share in this short history of myself are the things I remember the most, especially my funny experiences.

There is a video back at my home in Oregon of my mom feeding me when I’m a little baby. She is feeding me bananas and I am growling. I love that video. We also have a video of me from about 1993 and I am dancing with my Papa. That is another one of my favorite
videos. I’ve grown up in the same house all my life until I went to college. My home is a log cabin. My family often would travel to the beach and we would build sand castles and play in the water. One particular memory I remember when I was younger is when I wanted to feed our neighbors cows. I went into our kitchen to find something I could feed the cows but the only food I could find was marshmallows. I decided to feed the cows marshmallows and from what I could tell they enjoyed it very much. Every Monday night my family participated in family home evening. I remember not being able to say family home evening so I would say family home “neem neem”. I remember my parents always laughing when I said it; so every Monday night I enjoyed running around the house telling everyone “It’s family home neem neem time”. One time my dad tried to teach me how to say family home evening, and I was finally able to say it but immediately went back into the habit of saying family home “neem neem” because I enjoyed it so much. For a short period of time in grade school I did ballet. The ballet teacher’s home was right next to my grade school so I would walk to my ballet lessons. My family always did fun camping trips sometimes with relatives. I always enjoyed when we would stay at a camp ground and us kids would ride our bikes around or feed chipmunks. My family owned a video camera that we were able to put VHS tapes in to record on. That video camera was SO ghetto awesome!!! I remember as I grew older my parents became less and less inclined to use the camera because it was getting so old, but I also remember I loved to bring the video camera out on any occasion because it was just so awesome and people would always comment on it. The video camera finally stopped working. I was very sad!

One unique thing about me is that I was born with a rare vascular disorder that causes my whole right side to be larger then my left. This is caused by my right side having more tissue then my left. Along with my vascular disorder I have something called port wine stain which is similar to a strawberry birth mark that runs up my entire right side. Compared with other people who have these same disorders mine is very subtle and hardly noticeable. My leg and foot have the most noticeable effects from my disorder. I remember being uncomfortable wearing shorts. One occasion in grade school I was playing on the playground at recess and I was wearing shorts. One of the girls looked at my leg and said “you have a disease”. It really hurt me and for years I was uncomfortable wearing shorts in front of other people. Now it doesn’t bother me to wear my shorts in front of people. I wear a medical stalking on my right leg to support my veins. Sometimes now when people see my medical stalking they are curious and don’t understand and usually ask me for an explanation. I have found that I often wear pants just because I don’t feel like explaining why I am wearing a medical stalking. I have gone to Shriners Hospital once a year for all my life. I remember one day that I visiting Shriners and they said to me that I might be able to spend the night at Shriners sometime. Of course I was excited because I was very young and I was thinking I was going to be able to have a “sleep over” at Shriners; little did I know what me spending the night really encompassed. When I was 9 I had surgery on my foot. At the time of my surgery my right foot was about 2 or 3 inches longer then my left foot. The doctors opened up my foot and scraped 11 bone plates, they also removed a bone from one of my toes. The surgery they performed allowed my left foot to eventually catch up in length to my right foot. Now my feet are the same length. Shriners has always been a special Hospital to me. The cost of the surgery was free because they are a hospital that serves those in need who are not able to afford proper medical
treatment.

When I was younger I always loved to dress up. Sometimes I would dress up in ridiculous outfits and run around the house or play outside with my brothers and sisters. I also remember having fun while dressing my brother up as a girl. My sister and I would ask him to play Barbies with us, which he did and it was always very enjoyable. Sometimes when his friends were around my sister and I would joke
around him about playing Barbies with us. We had a box full of blocks we would build little forts out of and play with our action figures or JI Joes in. I have a huge collection of star wars action figures

I began collecting when I was very young. The first star wars action figure I ever received was of Luke Skywalker from Dagaba. I was very young when my parents gave it to me for Christmas. I’ve lived in the same house my entire life until I left for college. Our family has owned 3 acres of land and our home is a log cabin. We owned a field that always seemed huge and it was full of scotch broom. As kids we would build forts in the
scotch broom, it was easy to get lost. At the end of the day after playing around in the field, all the kids but me would come sneezing home. I have never really had allergies.

Our family has always grown a large garden. I remember for family home evening going down to the garden and putting fertilizer on the raise beds. It seemed like we always had about 10 rows of corn. I always hated going down to the garden to
weed. It was SO BORING and it would take me hours to weed one row of corn. A good portion of my chores when I was younger was watering the garden and the plants around the house and I remember hating doing it. Now when I look back it makes me laugh. The tradition of working in the garden allowed me to discover my love for gardening. Sometimes I spend time with my mom helping my mom in the garden and I always love that time I get to spend with her. Likewise growing up I remember my
mom canning food such as gravy, beans, tuna, etc. She also would make home made jelly and freeze and can it. It was a task helping my mom by canning food or making jelly. Now that I am older I enjoy the time I spend with my mom canning and making jelly. It has been enjoyable to bring home canned food to college.

As a family we would spend a lot of time at the beach. I loved going to the beach and wading in the water and picking up little rocks and shells. Sometimes I would collect buckets and buckets of broken shells to bring home. There was one occasion on my mom’s b-day when we went to a beach called fogerty beach to celebrate. My sister had recently given my mom a check she needed to cash and my mom had been given a check for 100 dollars from my dad for her b-day. Both of these checks had been placed carefully in my mom’s purse. When we arrived at the beach we parked unconsciously with bushes on one side of our car. A little ways away from our car there was a man sitting at a

picnic table. I can easily remember what he looked like because he looked completely out of place. His hair was bleached blond and he was wearing thick black glasses. His shirt was button up with a color and it was pinstriped a very light blue color. I remember his face and that he had sort of a nervous look about him. He had no positions that I could see and he was just sitting there. When we got out of the car we put most of our valuables in the trunk of our car. These items included my moms purse, a video camera, serophsky binoculars, and a few other items
I can’t remember. We began to walk to the beach because you walk down a pathway that has a wide stream running next to it to get to the beach and my mom and sister told me later that they had a bad feeling. The man sitting at the table was the only person who observed us putting our valuables in the trunk of our car. We enjoyed the time we spent on the beach and it was very relaxing. When we arrived back at the car a huge rock had been thrown through the window on the side next to the bushes. Nothing inside the car was missing but all the possession we had placed safely in the trunk of our car were gone. We went straight to the bank but at the time the bank was closed. Fortunately there were still a few employees there who allowed us to come in. My parents were able to file reports and close down credit cards. The drive home was very windy and cold and my sister and I huddled under a blanket together. Later we received a call from the police who informed us that they had our binoculars in the bushes. It was funny that they were able to find those binoculars because they are very expensive binoculars! To this day I still use those binoculars when I hunt with my dad. Two years after this incident we received another phone call from the police at 2 in the morning. Someone had found my moms purse in the stream at the beach and the only item left in it was my military ID. The police were calling to make sure that I was ok and safe. I laugh at this story because I like to tell people that I’ve been assumed dead.

I remember growing up and at my home we had an electric can opening. It had been a gift to my mom from my oldest sister’s boyfriend Donavan. One day when I was working where I had a job at a theme park called Enchanted Forest I was preparing in the ice cream shop for the day. I was about 15 years old and all the hot fudge had been used up the day earlier; I needed to open a new one. I didn’t know how to use a regular can opening and I was by myself so I had to find a random guy and ask him how to open a can. The guy got a really funny look on his face when I asked him how to use a can opener, but for the first time in my life I accomplished using a can opener.

Some experiences I remember having when I was younger are deaths in my family. I remember when my Nanan and Papa died. Both of them passed away from lung cancer. I was only 3 when they passed away but I remember them very clearly. I remember enjoying Christmas at their house and watching movies and playing with kittens. I remember also when my Grandpa Griffin passed away. I remember the day; it was February 28th, 1998. I was only 10 but I felt very close to my Grandpa. He was very sick when he passed away. I remember going to visit my Grandma and Grandpa and I would run through the door and my Grandpa would say “Katie” and I would run into his arms and give him a huge hug. I have been told that my Grandpa was sometimes very grouchy, but I don’t remember that side of him. I can only really remember one occasion when he got angry. I know that he loved me very much and I miss him very much. I also remember when my Auntie Linda passed away. I remember sitting one the couch in my sister’s lap and just crying really hard. My Auntie Linda was also very sick when she passed away.

One especially fond memory I have is Christmas with my dad’s side of the family. My dad is from England. When my dad’s family gets together they always make funny jokes. We have a white elephant gift exchange (which is always ugly gifts) and boisterous laughing can be heard throughout the house. After our white elephant gift exchange, everyone always tries to hide their ugly gift on the tree in the persons home in which we celebrated Christmas that year.

I love to hunt! My favorite time of the year is when I get to go up in the hills with my dad and hunt elk. The atmosphere is so beautiful and the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen was when I was up in the hills with my dad. We took pictures. I enjoy the fresh air and the absence of humanity up in the hills. I also enjoy not putting on make up or taking showers and acting like a boy for about a week. I love the feeling of freedom I get when I’m up in the hills and I don’t have to look good for others who may see me! My dad loves to tell me crazy stories about things that have happened up in the hills with my uncles. We use walkie talkies to communicate up in the hills and each of us have nicknames. My nickname is Skipper because I enjoyed skipping school to go hunting with my dad. I often times throughout the year have withdrawals from hunting! I have never actually shot an elk but I have spotted elk for my dad and uncles and there was particular occasion when I spotted an elk and my cousin shot it. That was very exciting to me. Although it seems gory, one of my favorite parts of hunting is cutting and cleaning the hide. I had a neighbor named Paul White who was very special to me who was an old cowboy. He made horse saddles and had friends that made all sorts of unique items. He received a collection of handmade knives from one of his friends which he passed on to each of his nephews. After giving the knives to his nephews he had one knife left which he gave to me. I felt so special that he would give me a knife that I found so valuable. He also made a sheath that holds my knife. Eventually Paul White passed away which was very devastating for me but I will always remember how special he was to me and how optimistic he was. I have used the knife he gave to me to cut up elk carcasses. I love to show off my knife to anyone who will allow me to show it to them.

I recently received my mission call to McAllen Texas. I report on August 5th, 2009. I will receive my endowments on July 24th, 2009. Today July 14th, 2009 I had a meeting with my Stake President and received my temple recommend. The idea of receiving my endowments is so exciting!

The experiences I’ve had so far in life have been so important for my development and growth. I’m mostly appreciative for the close relationship with my family. I feel that heavenly father has blessed me with these experiences.

2009-07-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Goals

Receive my endowments (July 24th, 2009) - I have already set a date

Go on a mission (Aug 5th, 2009) - I have already received my call to McCallen Texas

Having a family – After my mission I will begin dating more seriously so I can get married and have a family.

Continuing doing genealogy work – I feel like genealogy work is important and I will work hard to continue temple work once I receive my endowments and once I come back from my mission.

Having time to do art (selling some art) – Art is my passion and in my down time I doodle and once I get back from my mission I hope to take some time to do some art.

Teach or continue to dance – After my mission I will either come back to BYUI to dance or I plan on going to a community college. I could also find places in town where I live to dance or even practice by looking up information from the internet.

Draw a picture of Paul McCartney and send it to him – This is a personal desire and when I get back from my mission and have time to do art this is one of the projects I want to begin.

Raise children in the church – After watching the way my parents have raised children I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Bucket List – It’s much easier for me to create a bucket list because this are things I want to accomplish over my lifetime and if I’m not able to accomplish them I won’t feel so bad even though I think I will be able to accomplish most of the goals I’ve set.

Going to England (seeing where my dad grew up)
Meeting my cousin in England who I’ve never met but keep in touch with (Adam Calow)
Try shark and alligator meat
Shoot an elk
Own my own gun
Go out of the country
Meet Paul McCartney
Go to Disneyland or Disneyworld
Go to the opening show of a movie
Go scuba diving in the ocean
Go to Hawaii
Get a real tan (tan lines and all)

2009-07-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

I've discovered that my ancestor Suannah Armstrong's real name is actually Susannah. I have also discovered that my ancestor Mattew Armstrong's real name is Matthew Armstrong. For a long time I've been trying to find out who her parents are or determine who John Edward Clayton's parents are. When I determined Susannah's name was Susannah with an S I was able to link her to her parents, her mother being Elizabeth. Right after I discovered this exciting information I called my mom come to find out my mom had already discovered all this information before me. :D But I'm still happy I was able to find something!

2009-07-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here is my pedigree chart from http://labs.familysearch.org

2009-07-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

One of the reason’s I felt inspired to do research on my Grandma Pearl is because of this picture. This picture has four generations in it. From left to right: My Grandma Griffin, my oldest sister Anne, my mom Rebecca, and my Great Grandma Pearl

2009-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

My mom was kind enough to compile some pictures she took for me of items that belonged to or were related to my Great Grandma Pearl. I wrote a research paper about her for my family history class. We are very fortunate to have so many items that belonged to her. The first two pictures are carvings in soap stone which was a popular thing to do in those days. We assume they were done by Pearl's father for her mother Lillie. The first one has E, J, G on the top and L, A, C on the bottom. The initials stand for "Edward John Carlisle" and Lillie Anne Carlisle." Edward John's real name was "John Edward Carlisle." We don't know why he occasionally changed his name around. The second soap stone says "Lilli A" which stands for Lillie Ann. It looks like he couldn't fit the "e" on the end of her name. We don't know who did the name cards, but the lettering is beautiful.

This cluster is about Pearl's mother. Her name was Lillie (or Lillian or Lillias) Horner before she married John Edward Carlisle. The first two pictures are a continuation of the same letter. I took them up close so you could read them. Lillie died not too long after this letter. You can see her initials on the gold barrett (it would have belonged to her before she married). You can see the labels under each picture.
These items are in a shadow box located in my house in Salem Oregon.
Letter by Lillie Carlisle, Pearl's mother:

2009-06-14T18:37:00.001-07:00

Pearl as a young girl

2009-06-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Biography of Pearl Eleanor Carlisle

Written by Katherine Farr

This project has helped me feel much closer to my Grandma Pearl. I have determined that she was a very talented individual and she was always cheerful and smiling. I have loved seeing the similarities between her and family members, and I have made some of those comparisons in this paper. The information I used for this report was compiled from many sources including my mom Rebecca Jean (Griffin) Farr who is Pearl’s granddaughter, my Grandma Betsy (Smith) Griffin who is Pearl’s daughter and my Aunt Grace who is Pearl’s granddaughter.

Pearl Eleanor Carlisle was born June 20, 1889. It has been listed that Pearl was born in Cripple Creek Colorado and Denver Colorado but no one knows which of the two places she was actually born. Pearl believed it was Cripple Creek but was never quite sure. John Edward Carlisle and Lily Ann (Horner) Carlisle were her parents and she was an only child. When Pearl was only 2 her mother died. Eventually John re-married a “German lady” named Matilda Ann (Wood) who he had hired as a nanny after Lily’s death. Pearl grew to love her step-mother very much. Matilda often helped others by doing house keeping chores for them. John was a miner and often left town for a while leaving Matilda with the children. Five additional children were born to John and Matilda: Frances, Edward, LaVerne, Olein and Etta. Matilda worked trying to earn enough money to hold the family together while Pearl stayed home and baby sat the kids. Pearl’s brothers and sisters loved Pearl and treated her with love and respect. The family often moved around.

When Pearl was very young the little town in Cripple Creek, where her family lived, burned downed. Pearl recalled to her daughter Betsy how she remembered at night “people streaming past their door, many in their night clothes and some with sheets wrapped around them.” Grace traveled to Cripple Creek and discovered it was located in a valley surrounded by hills, but was un-able to determine where the Carlisle home would have been located in the valley.

Pearl was also very young when she was baptized into the Baptist Church. Her attendance was regular until her health slowly went downhill. Pearl contracted a disease called St. Vitus Dance which is closely associated with epileptics and caused her to have nervous involuntary and jerky movements in her body. The disease caused her to be bed ridden for 9 months. After this period she had to learn how to walk again. Pearl returned to school but her balance was affected and the children at the school mocked her. On one occasion some boys sent a dog after her and it chased her until she reached home. Pearl was very upset and her father went to the school with a pistol to make a threat. The time was very tense and Pearl’s parents did not allow her to attend school any longer. Pearl had only reached about the 4^th grade.

When Pearl reached adulthood her family was living in Oregon City. She worked picking hops to help with the family finances. Many families in that time would earn money by picking hops. One memorable day Pearl was picking hops and a young man on the other side of her row kept winking at her. According to Betsy “In those days that was a pretty brazen act, openly flirting.” This event caused me to laugh because Rebecca has recalled events to me of when she was younger and picked berries to earn money for a trip to Europe. Rebecca often flirted with the young men picking berries across from her on her row. Eventually Pearl and this young man named Lester Lee Smith were married on October 23^rd, 1909. Lester was born in Canemah Oregon on April 23^rd, 1889. Pearl and Lester raised 10 children including 7 daughters and 3 sons. The first four children: Martin (aka Mutt), Margarette, Jessie and Ada, were born in Oregon City. The other six children: Clarinda, Ethel Grace (aka Toddie), Marion (aka Moke), Henry, Betsy, and Inez Ruth (aka Sandy) were born while the family lived on a remote homestead near Waldport Oregon on Drift Creek in an additional home on Eckman Slough. All the children were delivered at home by a midwife, and Clarinda was a breach birth. Also according to Betsy “Pearl was a very patient and soft spoken lady. She left the disciplining to Lester.”

Since the event from her childhood when the town burned down, fire made Pearl nervous. It was a very sorrowful day on March 23^rd, 1943 when Pearl and Lester’s little home in Waldport burned down. The cloth diapers hanging on a rack in front of the fire place were the cause of the fire. One of the only artifacts that was preserved from the fire is a cedar chest that was very treasured to Pearl. Pearl dragged the chest from the burning house causing herself to receive severe burns on her back and shoulders. The chest had been given to her from her brothers Lavern and Eddie. Because of this event Pearl forever had a fear of fire. The reason Pearl was so determined to save the chest was because of the value of the items inside. People in her time often kept their belongings in cedar trunks. Cedar kept away pests and Pearl kept all her artifacts in the trunk and special items that belonged to her parents. Some of these items are now being preserved in the home of Rebecca and are in a shadow box. I had pictures taken so they could be shown in this research paper. Some of the items Pearl kept in the trunk were pictures specifically of her mother Lily. Pearl was very fond of these pictures because she was only 2 when Lily died and the pictures were the closest items Pearl had to knowing her mother. The day of the fire Toddie had been looking at the pictures on Pearl’s bed. The pictures burned in the fire and Pearl was devastated. There are no pictures of Lily now existing. Fortunately some of the other items in the chest were a box of letters Lily and John wrote to each other close to the time of Lily’s death. In those letters you can read about the love Lily had for both John and Pearl. Lester had made a living for the family by farming and fishing. After the fire Lester went into a mill to work.

Pearl was very talented and one of her hobbies was working as a seamstress. One of her projects was making “kimonos” or flannel gowns for her grandchildren and some of her great-grandchildren. The pattern was a particular pattern that she saved for several decades. Sometimes she would embroider delicate flowers on the kimonos she made for girl babies. Pearl also loved to crochet and do beautiful needle work. She waited in anticipation for the mail when her books with crocheting, embroidery and tatting patterns would arrive. When she grew older she literally crocheted hundreds of necklaces and she enjoyed having her hands busy. She loved tatting using hairpin lace. Friends and relatives would receive crocheted chair sets with either flowers or horse heads, or she would give doilies and tablecloths. Sometimes Pearl created her own crocheting patterns on graphs. She was talented in making homespun quilts. She called this her “fancy” work while the old black tom cat slept on her lap. She often used colored thread to enhance her patterns. Between 1952 and 1953 Pearl also enjoyed creating beautiful wardrobes that her collection of dolls wore. She bought these dolls by the dozens and used beautiful lace and ribbons. The costumes were very fancy. These dolls were “kind of a precursor to the Barbie Doll craze.” One of her specialties was wedding gowns. Grace recalled “I remember a complete array of dolls fashioned to ‘dance’ around a Maypole. Each doll had a special dress, in one of the many spring colors of satin, with tiny beads, embroidered flowers, etc. The entire display became part of the open house at Siletz School in my fourth grade classroom, complete with Grandma there to explain how she made the costumes. I think it may have been her only ‘public appearance’. “ Pearl gave these dolls to many people who were important to her. She also loved collecting hankies. She had a huge collection and everyone bought her hankies. Pearl made some of her own hankies out of linen and other materials and embroidered the edges.

After the fire Pearl and her family moved to Logsden where Lester eventually built them a 5 bedroom house. Pearl lived next to her daughter Ruth and son-in law Jim. Rebecca recalled “it was so fun to see her and all the things she enjoyed collecting.” Pearl often carried water from the spring to their home because there was no running water. Sometimes she would heat the water in a fire pit which was in a copper boiler outside in the summer. An old fashioned wash board was used to scrub the cloths and eventually the children took on the task of doing the laundry. It was hard work. The house was lit with 2 kerosene lamps. The children had to share these lamps to do their school work. Pearl attended a ladie’s club in Logsden but eventually stopped attending because of a misunderstanding most likely due to her hearing problems. Also because Pearl had hearing problems she hated when people would sneak up behind her. Lester had fun with this and he enjoyed teasing Pearl. I love the account that Grace recalled, “I remember one day in my childhood when he (Lester) snuck up on her while she was getting ready to cook in that big cast iron frying pan. When she was scared she immediately threw her arm and hand toward the sound. This time the frying pan was in her hand and it came around and smacked Grandpa right in the forehead, knocking him to the ground. She was sorry, but said, ‘Lester, I TOLD you.’ He, as usual, said, ‘Now, Pearly.’ I doubt it stopped him from teasing her as it seemed to be his favorite hobby.” Rebecca recalls that Pearl would have dinner with her family almost every Sunday evening. “She was pleasant and smiled all the time. She liked to make us laugh.” Perhaps that is why I also laugh all the time because I got that from my Great Grandma Pearl. Pearl always made cakes for her grandchildren’s birthdays. It was always the same spice cake with thick caramel frosting.

Pearl loved to garden and always had a beautiful garden at each of her houses. Somehow she had a way with flowers and they always bloomed beautifully for her. She particularly loved planting dahlias and irises. Sometimes her friends liked to drive even as far as 4 miles to see her beautiful flower beds. Pearl would often give some of the seeds to her friends and each year that she lived in Logsden she had a huge dahlia garden. Lester prepared the ground for Pearl and would only allow Pearl to “touch that garden spot.” Lester only let people pick the flowers if they had Pearl’s permission. We have letters from Grandmother Horner who discussed with Pearl their mutual interest in flowers. They would often exchange seeds. Pearl often made sachets from home grown lavender and gave them to friends and family. She loved the color lavender which is also evident because her daughter Betsy shares a love for the color lavender.

One interesting talent that Pearl had was shooting chickens in their heads with a 22 rifle! Grace recalled “If she decided to have chicken for dinner, she’d just step out on the back porch at the Logsden house, aim that rifle at a plucking, singeing, etc. and soon that chicken was in the big cast iron frying pan on the old wood cook stove.”

One of Pearl’s joys was music. She couldn’t carry a tune but that never bothered her. Most of her children were also musically inclined. After Lester died, Pearl often played a piano or organ for her own enjoyment. Betsy remembers the plinking of the piano.

Pearl loved decorating her house for Christmas and sometimes would spend hours doing it. Christmas was a time for homemade decorations and glitter. Christmas was Pearls time. Although money was scarce Lester and Pearl always made sure that their children still living at home always received a gift. Some of these gifts included homemade doll cloths and Lester made each of the girls cradles.

A few random facts about Pearl are that she loved antique shops and her weakness was vintage glass. She lived across the street from an antique store, and she often bought vases, candle holders and many other beautiful items. Pearl would wait for her social security check to come in the mail so she could go to the antique store. Betsy and her husband Albert called the antique sore the junk store. Betsy and Albert also worried and believed that that the owners of the store took advantage of Pearl by charging her too much. Pearl bought Watkin’s Vanilla all the time when the Watkins man would come door to door. This was so she could collect the figurines given out from buying vanilla. These bottles accumulated and when Lester discovered them he gave her the nick-name “Vanilla Smith”. Pearl loved to can fruit and meat and canned hundreds of jars. She had a pet gray digger which is similar to a large squirrel and it followed her around everywhere. Pearl also had to have her eye removed because of a disease and she wore a glass eye. Rebecca recalled “once in a while it would be pointed in a funny direction and I would tell her so she could fix it. That would make her laugh! I remember that she was always laughing and she was fun to be around.” Pearl loved dressing up and loved wearing her costume jewelry.

Lester eventually passed away in August of 1952. After Lester’s death in 1960 is when Pearl moved to Bay City. Pearl passed away Christmas morning 1975 at age 86.

While doing research on this paper I found some facts intriguing. Grace was always very close to Pearl. After Pearl’s death Grace began to do research on Pearl’s life and discovered that an African American was buried on top of Pearl’s mother Lily’s grave and no one knows why. It is also interesting that Pearl’s father disappeared. Pearl saw her father for the last time in 1915 right after her daughter Jessie was born. Pearl was aware that her father worked on a railroad as a detective and she believed that may have had something to do with her father’s disappearance. A few unanswered question’s that Grace had were “How did her parents meet when he (John) was from New York state and she (Lily) was from Alabama? Why was her mother attending a school for African-American girls? Why was Pearl with her father in Cripple Creek when her mother died in Denver?” Grace stated that Pearl also had many un-answered questions about her own family story. These questions are very mysterious, but overall I’m very pleased how many new stories and information I have learned about my Great Grandma Pearl. Pearl was a very special Great Grandma!

2009-05-26T15:35:00.001-07:00

We printed off group records for Family History through PAF 5.

This is a 4 generation pedigree chart of my family. I printed it from my PAF file.

For my Family History class we also printed off a pedigree chart from new.familysearch.org

Family History

2009-05-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

I began this blog a while ago but as of now my blog will be dedicated to family history work. This will be a record or rather a book of remembrance and I will include information about me and my family history.

Every few years since 1982 there has been a family reunion that is held from my moms side of the family. It is called the Smith line. I just recently received this invite in the mail for this years upcoming reunion. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend because I will be leaving on a mission on August 5th, but I was happy and excited to receive the invite.

We also have a gathering for a reunion from another line on my families side called the Mills family. This reunion is held every other year and there is a website dedicated to show information about the upcoming reunion, and it also gives some information about the Mills family. This website can be easily accessed by google searching the "Mills Family Reunion", or you can reach the main page by this link:

http://www.millsfamilyreunion.net/

My sister Anne Kizerian is the one who set up the website and she edits it often.

Speaking of my mission, I just opened my mission call this last Monday May 19th 2009. Here is a scanned copy of part of my mission call. It was signed by President Monson. I'm going to serve in McAllen Texas. I have heard it is an all Spanish speaking mission, one of the only in the United States, and I'm very excited. I will arrive in the Provo MTC on August 5th 2009 (2 days after my 21st b-day). I can't wait to serve!

Photo's for class

2008-09-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

I had to take pictures of my favorite things for my photo class.

This is my bullet. I love my bullet. When I went hunting with my dad, he shot an elk, but they thought he had missed. So he pursued the elk and eventually shot and killed it. Later when I was helping my dad and uncles cut up the meat, they found this bullet. It had struck the heart of the elk but had not penetrated it. This still should have killed the elk. But I have this bullet to help me remember that experience. This particular picture is my favorite of the bullet pictures.

I was having a REALLY hard time trying to think of things to take pictures of for photo class.

I decided to take pictures of my shoes because I love them and they make me happy :D .

I love the positioning of this picture, but I don't like the lighting.

Again, I was having a hard time trying to decide what to take pictures of for my class. But I love the Beatles, so I decided to take pictures of my Beatles alarm clock.

Beginning school

2008-09-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Cassie was hiding from the camera.

This is Hunter, and he likes junk food!

I figured out how to do black and white on my camera.

This is my room in my apartment at school . This was the day I moved in. Looks like I had a ton to clean up.

I love this picture. Lol. Dad's got a look on his face like What is my daughter doing to me!!!

I was sad to see my parents leave!!!

New Blogger

2008-09-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm new to this whole blogger thing, so I decided I would begin by adding a picture to see if I could really do it. This picture was taken a while ago at my bf's house. The funny thing about this picture is that at the bottom of the picture it says the picture was taken at 11:28 pm, and I was supposed to be home by 11:30. I don't think I got home by 11:30 that night.