Wednesday, February 15, 2012

My Grandfather's Obituary Written by my Dad (Mike)

 Clive Vorris

On Sunday morning, February 12, 2012 our dear father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather and friend, C. Vorris  was called home following  a tragic stroke in American Fork, UT.

Vorris was born on 1/22/22 in Thatcher, AZ to Clive Vernon and Minnie Williams . At age 2, the family moved to San Diego, CA, where Vorris attended Hoover High School and San Diego St. College. Here he established his love of physics and mathematics. His studies were interrupted by America's entry into WWII, and he enthusiastically enlisted as a naval aviator and flew Catalina PBY's in the South Pacific from 1943 to the end of the war. While on leave at home, Vorris met the love of his life, Marian Francis, at a church dance and they were  married in the Logan, UT LDS Temple. After the war, he returned to his studies,  graduated, and began teaching physics and math at La Jolla High School. After 2 years teaching, he was hired by the Naval Electronics Lab in Pt. Loma as an electrical engineer, and the family settled in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon.

Vorris was valiant in LDS Church service throughout his life, and served in numerous leadership positions, including bishop of the El Cajon 2nd Ward,  president of the San Diego East Stake, and director of the LDS Student Assoc. throughout Southern Calif. Following his retirement, he received the call he cherished most,  president of the Arkansas Little Rock Mission from 1981 to 1984. Upon returning home, he and Marian decided to move to Bountiful UT to be nearer their girls,  Marian's family, and to many of the missionaries they had come to love so much in Arkansas. There, Vorris was called to be a sealer in the Salt Lake Temple, and subsequently in the Bountiful and Mt. Timpanogos Temples. He was privileged to perform weddings for his children, grandchildren, and numerous Arkansas missionaries, among the thousands of others he sealed.

Vorris is survived by his sweetheart of 66  years, Marian, and 6 loving children: Michael (Diane), Elaine  (Lowell, dec,), Steven (Laurie), Richard (Tina), Carolyn  (Alan), and Kathleen (Jeff). He also leaves behind 22 grandchildren and 37 great grandchildren who loved and cherished him. He was preceded in death by his sisters Mildred , Maxine , and Geraldine , and his brother Keith.

His life was one of love for his family and the gospel, and one of devoted church service. He truly loved everyone and tried to uplift all those he came in contact with. He loved music and enjoyed singing with Marian at every opportunity. He also had a passion for the world of science and spent many hours in his later years developing his thoughts on the interrelationship of science and religion, and loved to discuss them with all who would listen. We miss you Dad. We'll take care of your stash of dark chocolate.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, February 21st at 11:00 AM in the American Fork 4th Ward building at 455 E. 300 N. A public viewing will be held on Monday evening 2/20/12 from 6PM - 8 PM  at the Warenski Funeral Home located at 1776 N. 900 E. American Fork, UT 84003. A public viewing will also be held frpm 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM prior to the funeral at the American Fork 4th Ward Chapel.

C. Vorris , Naval Aviator, WWII
My grandparents on their honeymoon in Utah

Friday, January 20, 2012

Resolutions

Well 2012 started off a little rough for me! I woke up a few days after Christmas and couldn't move my arm! It was severe pain...I went to the dr, ER, and an orthopedic surgeon all within the same week...after xrays and an MRI they discovered I have Calcific Tendonitis and a bone spur..For those of you reading this it doesn't sound that bad right??? Well can I just tell you Carl saw me cry quite a bit and I had SO much sympathy for others who have had similar issues..it took about 2 weeks to start feeling semi normal again thankfully to the medications. It was the longest 2 weeks of my life.. It was worse than having a baby by far. My mom has had surgery on both shoulders for this and I have so much more sympathy for her. I guess my genetics are following her! But needless to say I am feeling quite normal again! This leads me into my New Years Resolutions since I couldn't even think of them before :)

1...Eat out less! I on most weeks eat out on average 3 times a week. Usually a lunch with friends or family, date night with Carl, and a lunch on the go, plus usually a pizza night on the weekend. Really it is too much and I am going to cut it to the most 1-2 times a week. It will help me save on my budget and my waist. I got invited recently to a friends Bday lunch. I wanted to go but had used all my eating out budget and it was my new resolution. So I dropped by and said Happy Birthday and chatted for a bit and left. I didn't eat and was so proud of myself :)

2...I love creating budgets. I am the financial girl in the house and handle the bills etc. I love it! I however am not the best at sticking to my budget. I am a cash only ( except gas ) girl and have a certain amount for groceries, eating out, school lunch, haircuts, clothes, etc...my goal this year is to not go over and when the cash is gone it's gone! I'm doing good so far :) I altered some categories that I kept going over on ( like groceries) I also added a budget for Me! I haven't done this before but now I can get my hair done, buy some jeans, buy makeup or whatever I feel like and not take it out of another category. I'm excited about
that!

3...I don't know about you but I always am aware of how I feel about my clothes being too tight and being up on the scale. The holidays are a killer for me. With our cruise, thanksgiving, Carls Bday, Christmas, the cabin, and New Years my jeans are tight! Why is this such a plague for women? I wish we could just eat what we want, not exercise and look like Jennifer Aniston, but the reality is we can't. The way I fit in clothes and look as I'm sitting in the tub pretty much affects EVERY aspect of my life and how I feel on a day to day basis. There is ALWAYS a special occasion. Valentines Day, Birthdays, Date nights, etc... I am going to eat healthier..not only for my tight jeans trama but for my energy level and mood. I'm happier when I make good food choices. Will I ever eat perfectly? NO, but I can eat good 80 percent of the time. I bought a 2 year gym pass a few weeks ago that has a daycare and it has been so good for me to take Chase and get an hour workout in when I can't work around Carls schedule. Carl and I have been going Sat. Mornings together with Chase and it is so fun to workout together. No more excuses for me:) 4-5 days a week workout....

4...Be less defensive! I can get fired up sometimes and get opinionated on issues that don't matter.. Also for friends or family I can be defensive as well. I just feel like if something or someone I love is wrongly judged or accused or even mistreated then I am defensive for them. Which isn't a bad thing but can be sometimes. I have a huge problem over analyzing what I say or what people say to me and if they meant what I thought they meant. Bottom line is I need to stop worrying so much about what others think of me and if others like me or not. I am a people pleaser if you will and don't ever want to disappoint or make people sad or hurt in any way! I should care about the things I can control like my own actions and words to please my Savior, My Husband, and my kids. Of course everyone in general but I just need to worry less. Does this make sense? I can be so sensitive sometimes and Carl is so good for me this way to bring me back to reality. I'm so thankful for Carl and how much he loves and cares for me. He is my number one cheerleader and is always on my side. He understands me and puts me in my place if I need to be, but in a loving way. I love that man!!

5...Be optimistic in all I do..not to find the negative in things but only good. To serve others with a non martyr attitude and to be humble.

I am grateful for my many blessings and for the gifts I am given everyday. I owe this all to My Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I hope I can make him proud and to live a little better each day! Here's to a great 2012!!!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Quote

During the holidays we had SEVERAL get togethers with both sides of the family. At my mom's side of the family I had a nice chat with my cousin's wife Marianne...I seriously love her. She is a great mom and is insanely hilarious. She has teenagers right now and she told me this quote that I absolutely love...Don't you love nuggets of wisdom here and there? This stuck with me...


"You can choose your actions, but you can't choose your consequences".

Love Love it. So simple but yet applies in every aspect of life almost...

Need to make New Year's resolutions still...I guess I'm procrastinating!!

Friday, December 30, 2011

2011

It's been a great year for us!! I thought I would give a little highlight on our family!

Carl~ Did his first Half Marathon in 1.27.. He's a natural runner. He also got to do the Xterra again and was standing next to Lance Armstrong as they were getting their numbers. Enjoyed watching Jimmer, going to the Y football games and still enjoying skiing ( wishing for SNOW)!! Some exciting changes in his Career coming up in the next few months. Should be a fun adventure! He is still serving in Young Men's.

Mel~ It seems as though 5 kids has taken me from Busy to Extrememly busy! Between driving Austin to Jr. High, Ryan to Kindergarten and the other kids I am in the car a lot.Thank goodness for friends who help out! I enjoy watching my kids football, Lacrosse, and basketball games, Kate's gymnastics, and hearing all they are learning on piano! I think laundry is the hardest to keep up with! I managed to train for and complete 2 half marathons and run the last 10 miles of the St. George Marathon with my Sister in Law Bethany. It got me back in shape and is good for me to push myself mentally! I loved going to Arizona in January with my BYU girls, McCall in July, and a cruise with most of Carl's family in November. I live for and love being with my family! I am so lucky to have such good friends and family surrounding me. I am serving as Cubmaster and Nursery Leader in our ward. I am so blessed to be a mother and to be married to my sweet amazing Husband!! Life is good!

Austin (13) ~Is in 7th grade. He is such a great teenager! Yep I have a teenager! Thank goodness he's my first because he is the easiest child. He excels in school and is tutoring 8th grade Algebra. ( he does not get that from me!) he also had a poem that he submitted published in a book. He is also starting to like girls more and more. He even gave a girl a Xmas!
present! He is my child on that subject..he loves playing Lacrosse and Basketball and is still taking piano lessons..it's all about balance right! I keep telling him a girl loves a guy that can play piano! He's loves being with his friends as well!

Blake (11)~ Adores and looks up to Austin. Is obsessed with football ( watching and playing ), basketball, and knows all the stats for most games and knows all the players. He loves playing with friends and is my geography boy. He is mapping out our trip back east for this summer. He is very easy going and is such a tender heart. He is my helper! He does his chores the minute I ask him ( probably so he can play!)

Kate (8) ~ got baptized this year, loves gymnastics and piano, and is my little fashionista! She acts about 18 and thinks she is miss independent. I get a kick out of all of her notes she writes! She is my thoughtful girl and is always taking care of all of us. I just adore her and see so much potential ! She is a reader and blows through books. They all love reading and get that from their father. She loves her friends and is very sensitive of others.

Ryan(5)~ loves kindergarten! He is my boy who loves and thinks he owns my iPad! He loves Chasers and is learning to read. He has a mind of his own and only does things if it's his idea. He still won't ride a bike but will ride a scooter. I am amazed at how each child comes with their own personality!! He will start soccer this coming year and maybe Karate! He is a sweet boy!

Chase(1)~ he is the center of our home. Everyone dotes on Chasers and he can throw the best tantrums.. The sad part is we all think it's so cute. He is my angel and I Love having him in our family. He adores his dad, the dog, and can dance on a dime especially to party rockers...he has the cutest personality!

We lost two important people in our family this year! Uncle Lowell and Gramma Martha. It always leaves a hole in our family and they are missed!

Thank you all for your continued love and support! I hope you have the best 2012!! Much love to you all! Muah!!!!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Cruise!!!

 Just a week ago Carl and I were enjoying a wonderful cruise to the eastern Caribbean with Carl's family.  We had THE best time!  This was our very first night at dinner.  Everyone wasn't feeling so hot that first night because the Sea was very rough leaving Ft. Lauderdale.  I am so thankful I don't get motion sickness.  Poor Jinaya and Marsha were so sick.  Luckily they were better by the next day.  And Jinaya was even better that night after taking Dramamine.  She danced the night away with us up Skywalkers...
 We hung out after dinner with Trev and Trish and were acting like children spitting out mints off of the boat and watching the wind carry them back on the ship.  It was quite entertaining.  This only happened the first night because of the rough wind.  We played ping pong and the ball would fly where ever it felt like!  Trisha is so much fun and hilarious...We met up with Byron and Maranda and Eric and Jinaya to dance for the next few hours..We had a blast...
 Next day we were in Princess Cays, Bahamas.  We enjoyed the beautiful warm weather by soaking it up, swimming in the beautiful turquoise water, and playing sand volleyball.  Here is Trev and Trish
 Maranda's parents Marsha and Ken came with us. I am so glad they did.  They were SO much fun!
 Cathy and Chuck
 Jinaya and I enjoying the sun while our husbands are out swimming in the ocean!

 Our boat...The Ruby Princess
 They feed you lunch as well.
 Classic shot! 
 Found a few people to play Sand Volleyball with.  So fun!

 Formal night

 Our next island is St. Maarten.  We rented 4 wheelers and scooters for this island.  Within the first 5 minutes with us in the lead, we lost Ken and Marsha and Cathy.  We spent the next hour searching for them.  In the end we never found them! We ended up finding a beautiful beach at the very end.  Dawn Beach (Westin's private beach)  I want to fly back and stay there!  It was beautiful. We ate lunch on the bay and Jinaya was a trooper to ride on the back of Eric's scooter!  We had a great time.  We even saw the missionaries who Byron knew one of them who played soccer with him!  Such a small world!
 Leaving St. Maarten
 Dinner was always a 3 hour ordeal.  We had great conversations and ate great food.  Sometimes we would order several different dishes to see which one we liked the most.  So spoiled!  The very last night we ate at Sabatini's for some yummy Italian food.  I had the best spaghetti ever!
 We are in St. Thomas!
 Taking a ferry over to my favorite island..St. John!
 The waves were so rough that Carl was getting SOAKED!  It was hilarious.
 All the boys had to join in on the fun. 
 I got a little soaked myself!  I love the Taxi's.  Open air is awesome.  We took a Taxi to beautiful Trunk Bay.  Top Ten most beautiful beaches in the world.  Yes please!





 Does it get prettier than this?


 The boys went snorkeling...

 Carl is king of the world!
 Last but not least we went to Grand Turk.  Upon arrival is looked SO nice.  But as soon as we started driving it was pretty run down.  It made me feel so blessed for all that we have...
The only car rental left was an 8 passenger van.  So all 12 of us squeezed in.  Marsha was such a good sport as I'm sure it was uncomfortable holding me on her lap.  Carl was the designated driver.  It was strange to drive on the left side of the road.  He did a good job and we were all safe.  Carl, Trevor and Eric left us at Governor's Beach while they explored the island more.  They ended up climbing down cliffs where the lighthouse was and collected these amazing shells. They were ones you see in gift shops.
Chuck was even willing to squish in the trunk.. HILARIOUS!!
Carl our driver...
The last night we played Scattergories.  We had such a funny night.  Chuck was on one and was giving the funniest answers, and Cathy was always questioning his answers.  We spent about 3 hours playing that day and really had fun.  It's one of my favorite games.  Some other memorable entertainment moments were The comedian, boring Princess Popstar, the magician, the newlywed game, dancing, party on deck 7 where we did lots of line dancing, and movies under the stars with a downpour (Cowboys and Aliens). I signed up to do a spin class and Carl and I hit the gym a few times.  Less than I wanted but hey, walking around the ship was good right?
I love Trisha's face in this.  She is trying to be funny.  We loved going to the International Cafe around midnight. We loved getting crackers, cheese, and fruit.  It was so hard coming home to cooking again.  That is the greatest part of a cruise for me is not cleaning or cooking all week.  Everything is done for me!  Some other funny things I want to remember is "Tender & Precious" and Jinaya and I being walking partners.  I'm sad it's over but it's always good to come home to the kids.  Shauna (my sister) was a saint and spent the week at my house and took care of all the cooking and cleaning for 10 kids!  (Mine plus hers) she deserves a cruise now!  Can't wait for our next vacay and would love to go with this group again.  They were fabulous!!!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Boys trip to Texas & Austin's 13th Birthday!

 Carl surprised the boys for Austin's 13th birthday and told them he was taking them to the BYU/TCU game in Texas.  The boys were counting down the minutes until they could leave.  They were excited to fly on an airplane since they haven't flown since they were little.  Blake was mostly excited to get his very own soda (haha)
 Austin showing off their rental car
 They left Friday morning and returned Sat. evening.  So it was a short trip but they sure packed in stuff.  They went straight to the aquarium.
 Could these boys be any cuter.  I love that they are so close in age (2 years apart) and such good buddies.  They are so easy for me and the sweetest!

Ready to go to the game in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.  Carl and the boys said it was unlike any stadium they have ever seen.  I am so glad they had a fun time.  Austin came home on his birthday and we went to eat At Winger's with the family and then I surprised Austin and Blake and took them to play Laser Tag with Uncle Trevor and Aunt Trish.  I think all in all Austin had the best birthday ever (from his mouth)..I love him so very much and am thankful to enter teenage-hood with him as my first.  He is the best kid!

SF Girl's trip-Park City

 We had a good little weekend getaway with the SF girls again.  It was very relaxing and such a fun time.  I shared a room with Shauna, Courtnee, Jacque, and Cathy. 
 Sarah, Aunt Mary, Shannon, Heather, Mom, Cathy, and Jacque.  The standard Prom pose!
 My lovely Sisters and Mom!
 Love the face Heather!

 Kneaders for Lunch...
 I lucked out when I found this place online.  It was really really nice and inexpensive!
 Sarah, Aunt Mary, and Shannon!
Love love love my cousins and aunts!!!  Can't wait for next year!