Who Said Snow?

Someone said "Let it Snow!" and the heavens dumped tons of the white stuff all over the place. Virginia Beach is covered and more big flakes are making their way to earth with no sign of letting up. It is 30 degrees here, just cold enough to make it happen. Our screens have captured the flakes and blocked our view of the outside world. We are in an igloo! Mike and I are snug at home with no plans to venture out. *Photo #2 borrowed from Wavy 10 news page, wavy.com. Like I said, we are staying in!

Mike bought a pretty little Norfolk Pine, all decorated, for our living room. He must be feeling more festive than I have been. He bought me presents too. A very pretty little sight visited me as I wandered into the living room Christmas morning. Snuggly new slippers. a new camera, and an i-pad! I am totally thrilled! Have been playing with the i-pad non-stop! I even downloaded a book to read on it. Awesome! So less cumbersome than holding up a heavy book in bed.

Well, I am off to collect my Diet Coke and head to the sewing room to work on a quilt. We were delighted to hear from each of our kids yesterday and happy to know that you are all enjoying your families and each other, except for Jennie, who is happy amidst her cat and dogs, but I wish she was here with us.

Love, love, love to you all!
MOM

PS: Dad did the Christmas puzzle all by himself and complained the whole time. He wants to do it with YOU!

The Payne Family Reunion August 2010

It all started with this family, William and Carrie Payne, of Mt. View, Alberta

and their children.

Olof, Oliver, Billy, William (Father), Randell, Mary, Carrie (Mother), John, Hilda, Harold, & Delvin

These are just a few of their descendants: Ruthie, Kathy, Marcie, Nolan, Marie, Janie and Linda.

Kathy, me and Linda are from the oldest daughter, Mary Payne Chambers; and Ruthie, Nolan, Marie and Janie are from Hilda Payne Romeril, the youngest daughter!

Aunt Kathy

Cousin Nolan Romeril, auctioneer

Showing the ancestor quilt at the auction

Kathy Chambers Blackhurst, Marcie Winspear Patch, Nolan Romeril, Becky Froelich Pitcher

Marcie Patch and Janie Romeril

Grandpa Jim Winspear and Hoyt Blackhurst

Cousins

Me-Dad-Linda with Ethan and Gina in front

Renn Patch and Mark Brower

David Slaughter and Lorna Brower

Aunt Jennie with Isaac and brother Renn

Jennie with Isaac and Linda

Keira took most of these photos for me, so she is not in any of them! Thanks Keira, they are great!

This was such a fun event, and I loved seeing relatives that I haven't seen in years, and meeting some for the first time! One sweet lady told me that one time when my mom visited Mt. View she sat on the porch with her and  a bushel of peas that needed to be shucked and the two of them went to work until they were done. That was a sweet memory that she had of my mother when she was 18 years old.

Nolan told me that he remembered when I visited at about 14 or 15 years old and how bad I hurt from horseback riding. He apparently thought it was quite funny to see a city girl in pain. Ha ha! I am amazed that they are still nice to me, because my memory is that they all had to get up early and bale hay and I slept in!

We do this again in two years! Start planning now to come!

FAMILY CONNECTIONS

This is my Uncle Burt Winspear, Grandpa Jim's younger brother. I love this photo of him! He was about to be made captain when he died fighting a fire in Buffalo, NY in1975. He and his wife, Margie, had four children. Recently his daughter Donna left a couple e-mails on Grandpa Jim's blog. I contacted her by e-mail and then we spoke by phone. We have not been close over the years. We moved from Buffalo when I was 14 years old and Donna was a baby. I remember Grandma Bessie was so delighted with Donna because she finally had a grandchild with red hair like her own! 

When I was 18 Linda and I went back to Buffalo for a visit.

 Linda, Cheryl, Donna on my lap, Grandma Bessie and Margie

When Dad and I lived in Rochester for a brief while we saw Aunt Margie and her family again. Donna had grown up and had twin girls, by then. Cheryl couldn't make it that night and I hope to connect with her soon also.

Now another 20 years has passed! I am so delighted to be talking to my cousin again. And now I find that we have something in common that we can share. Donna has recently taken an interest in genealogy! We spoke for over an hour last week catching up on family and family history. She and her daughter, Lindsay-in the above photo, have been going to the County Court House and looking up records and searching microfilms. etc. They also went to the Lancaster Rural Cemetery where my mom and Jennie and I went back in 1988 to the Winspear family plot. Donna was as thrilled as I was to find the resting place of almost all our ancestors (the American ones).

It is a rather funny feeling to go to the cemetery and find all the grave stones. We felt the presence of our ancestors around us. Of course we know their spirits have moved on, but somehow we felt them, as though they were watching and knew we were there searching for them and wanting to say hello!

Our Winspear ancestors left Yorkshire, England in 1831 and settled in the Buffalo area. They raised large families and were active in their communities. Donna teaches 5th grade and talks about them to her class as part of their local history of Cheektowaga, NY. Isn't it fascinating that her family is still located in this same community where our ancestors settled? Her daughter is the eighth generation living there! 

Just thought you might like to know... 

OUR OCTOBER FEST BEGINS

On October tenth, 2009, our darling girl, Rebeccah Louise Froelich, was married to Travis Pitcher of Orem Utah. I left home on October 5^th so I could get there early. After the wedding, I flew to Arizona to spend a week with Matt’s family. I got some flu bug (don’t say Swine Flu) and was down for the count the whole week I was in Arizona. I came home on Tuesday, October 20^th, still feeling kinda crummy. Mostly I am TIRED and still coughing. So that is my excuse for such late reporting of such a monumental event!

Becky and Travis picked me up at the SLC airport on Monday, October 5^th. I had met Travis before at Renn’s wedding, but didn’t really talk to him much. All I knew for sure was that he is very tall and has curly blonde hair. And that my granddaughter Becky is madly in love with him. After an hour long trip back to Provo it became apparent to me why she adores him. Travis is the real deal. In him I see honesty, thoughtfulness, kindness and purity all wrapped up in a big smile. He rather glows with goodness! Becky chose very well, I believe.

Upon arriving in Provo Travis's car broke down and his dad came and delivered us the rest of the way home.

I wish I had a picture of Travis and another young man pushing the vehicle off the road into a parking lot, and of Becky steering and learning for the first time how it feels when there is no power steering. Oh the trials of being young and broke!

We arrived at Becky’s apartment and what was soon to become “the love nest” after the wedding, of course. Polly had been there a few weeks earlier and, with some help from Travis and Becky, painted the whole interior. Everything looked nice and clean. The apartment is a unit in an old home in downtown Provo that has been divided into three or four apartments. It could use some work, to say the least. But for Becky and Travis it will suffice for a while until they feel the need to move on. First apartments are supposed to be memorable so they stand as a point of reference for when you achieve more in life.

Travis rode off on his scooter to go to work and Becky and I were left alone. Becky had been experimenting with cooking and had homemade rolls (she needs more work in that area) and homemade squash soup. The soup may sound a bit odd, but let me tell you, it was fabulous! The squash soup was pureed and then finely chopped ham, apples and pecans was sprinkled on top. Very gourmet. I hope she will serve me that again some day.

OK, I am taking too long on all of this. Let me just say that I was happy to be there a couple days early as it gave me time to spend with Becky before the mad crush.

Aren't they cute! More later...

Photos by Lisa! I swiped them from her blog. (Click there to go to her blog)

FRIENDS FROM AFAR

A beautiful picture of Keira and Renn!

March 14, 2009

Las Vegas Temple

Above, take a look at this cute picture of Deanne and Renn Patch! I love it! We were so delighted to have them drive down from Utah for our Renn's wedding. Tom came too! You may or may not know that Renn and Deanne are leaving July 1st for London where Renn has been called to be the new mission president there. We are so very excited for them!

 Kathy and Carl Grimshaw

Mike, me-Marcie, Kathy and Carl. What a treat to have one of my all-time best friends and her darling husband show up for the big event! They were visting Jordan and Adam and families in Boise, ID and arranged to catch us on their way home to San Diego!

Hope you all are enjoying this photos! Don't forget to leave a comment!

Love ya!  ~Marcie