Success

To laugh often and love much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the approval of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To give of one’s self;

To leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived…This is to have succeeded.

I went to the Stansbury High School graduation today, where my nephews

Maveric and Aaron got their diplomas.

And my nephew Colton was there, too!!!

It was SUCH a GREAT day!!!

The principal quoted the above work by Emerson in his remarks,

and I LOVED it:)

Had a blast at the "afterparty" at Tara's house

These weekends with my sisters are good for my soul:)

Day 4 ~ Tara

Tara, Ted and Sally...

Everytime Tara got a new doll, she named her Sally.

We always knew she would be a good Mom:)

When Tara was born, I totally adopted her. I did everything with that gorgeous little blond, blue-eyed baby girl. I even took her on dates with me until she ran away from us one busy Christmas season at a very crowded Temple Square. I love my little sister. I love what a great Mom she is. Nobody in this family is a "step" child. They're all just "the kids" and every decision ever made is for all 7 of them. So, in spite of the fact that she named the nephew of a die-hard Yankees fan "Boston" and she supports the University of Utah Utes, I love Tara with all my heart:)

Day 4- Ted

I guess my parents ran out of people in the family to name their kids after by the 5th one. So my baby brother Robert Ted Callister was named after Mom's obstetrician, Robert Romney and our pediatrician, Ted Evans. lol. Ted's always been so funny. Keeps us all laughing. It's hard to stay mad at him because he ends up making us smile through our gritted teeth. He's got a beautiful little family and I'm so happy for him, Joey, Mikayla and Bowie. My favorite memory of Ted is that he hated going to school. Mom was pregnant every couple of years, so Ted would climb the neighbor's tree after the big kids went to school and there was no way our pregnant Mom could climb the tree and get him down. Not sure how she ever got him down, or IF she did, until school let out that afternoon. Little stinker. She probably couldn't stay mad at him, either!

Day 3

The blog topic for today is "Your Parents" so I'm re-posting an old post about my Mom. But I better add something about my Dad, too!!!

My Dad never forgets a birthday, anniversary or Valentine's Day.. He never fails to send a card to me, Kurt and the kids, complete with one of his ink stamps in the bottom corner by his signature. He sends facebook hearts, hugs and smiles every day. He's very talented. He can fix anything and we never had to call anyone from a plumber to a building contractor when I was growing up. He built the addition to our home, sewed a 3-piece suit and has rebuilt countless vehicles from the engine to the paint job. He is an amazing woodworker, and I love the gifts he creates for me.

When people tell me "You remind me of your Mom", I know it's just my physical appearance. Noone ever really stops and tells me "You remind me of your Mom because..." Here's what I'd like to hear...

Becky Callister was a passionate person. She loved, laughed, cried all with the same intensity. I inherited that from her. Tami inherited that from her. We do nothing halfway. When I'm mad, I'm not just a little upset... I'm MAD!! When I like a Christmas gift, I don't just smile and say "Thank you". I jump up and squeal and scream and act like it's the most amazing gift I've ever received.

Becky Callister was an avid sports fan. If we couldn't find her at Grandma's house, we'd check the ball park. She donated countless hours to Bobby Sox and Little League. She used to ump games and they'd give her one hamburger from the snack bar for every game she umped. So she'd stand there behind home plate on a Saturday, game after game, in the hot sun, until she got a hamburger for each of us kids.

All of Becky's kids have spent more than one summer vacation at softball or baseball tournaments with our own kids.

When I see Tami, Tara, Paul and Ted at ball games with their kids, weekend after weekend all summer, I remember Mom and Grandma Becca doing the same thing.

When we were younger, before cable TV and the Turner networks, you either liked the Dodgers or the Yankees, because they were the only teams you ever saw play on TV. So, Mom was a Yankees fan, Grandma Becca was a Yankees fan, I married a Yankees fan and gave birth to three little Yankees fans.

Even Tara and Tawni's kids are getting old enough to play ball now.

Zack bought Logan his first baseball bat for his birthday this year. Mom would be so proud:)

My Mom was always too busy taking care of other people to take care of herself. I don't think I ever saw her wearing makeup. When she'd need to get her hair done, she'd have Judy Ault cut it short and perm it so it was low maintenance. She was just too busy to worry about hair and makeup when there were places to go, people to see and kids to watch at ball games or spelling bees. Until she got sick, I don't remember seeing my Mom actually sleeping. Sometimes she'd doze off in a chair, but she was always up before me and in bed sometime after I went to sleep.

My Mom taught me my first Primary song- "The Golden Plates"- and taught me that Families can be together forever. She got me hooked on Saturday's Warrior and I have those songs on my iPod today.

She taught me that the greatest gift God ever gave her was her children. Because of her love for us all, I couldn't wait to be a Mom myself someday.

She had a laundry basket full of unmatched socks. Yup, I do, too. I know I should throw them away, but I keep thinking the mate will turn up somewhere.

She had a hard time letting go of me. I moved up to Weber State to start college, and she showed up two days later to "check on me". I was SO mad!! Man, I'd like to have that day back. I get it now. It's hard to let go of your daughter. I inherited that from my Mom.





My Mom passed away 22 years ago. I still miss her so much sometimes. I know she'd have been an awesome Grandma, and she would have loved my husband. She'd be proud of all of her kids and grandkids and I like to believe our babies will get to meet her someday.

Bowie's Dedication

On April 5, 2009, Ted and Joey's families gathered for the Dedication of Bowie Paul Thomas Callister, Ted and Joey's six week old baby boy. It was Palm Sunday and also my Grandpa Noel's birthday. He passed away in 1989 and would have been 99 years old today! I wasn't sure what to expect when Ted invited us to the Dedication. Babies in our church are given a name and a blessing in a church service, and we thought Bowie's Dedication would be somewhat similar to that or like a Catholic baptism of infants. The first noticeable difference in our church and theirs was that we wore jeans to the service. This was wonderful for us. It was General Conference Sunday in our religion, so we didn't have organized church service that day, and it was was great to not have to get dressed up in dresses, suits and ties. We had a relaxing, enjoyable trip out to Tooele, where we saw people of all kinds entering the Church building. We waited outside for Ted and Joey, and as we walked in the back door of the Church, we were immediately greeted by lovely women who seemed sincerely happy to meet us. They wanted to know our names, and one of them even hugged Kurt:)

The pastor called Ted and Joey up to the front of the room, and then asked all of their families to come up to the front, too. There were SO many of us there.. it was amazing to see how we filled the room. A bunch of Mormons crowding into this little church building to support Ted and Joey. The pastor talked about bringing Bowie up in Christ and dedicating his life to the Lord. He said some really great things that we should all ponder every day, and even though it was different than the Church I attend, I enjoyed being with people who believe in, love and honor Jesus Christ. We all had common ground in our love for the Savior and it was a really pleasant experience going to the New Life Christian Fellowship church with my brother's family.

After the Pastor spoke and the congregation reached their hands towards Bowie while the Pastor said a prayer for him, the family sat back down and Paul played "Amazing Grace"on his bagpipes. Joey and I were both crying like babies while he played. Man, I love my brother. When Paul was done, Joey asked for a moment of silence for our Mom who died 21 years ago of breast cancer. She said, and I wish I could remember it word for word, but as she was crying, she said something to the effect "I never met Ted's Mom, but I'd like to ask for a moment of silence for her. I married the most amazing family". It was so awesome. So the Pastor asked the congregation for a moment of silence for Grandma Becky, who never met a single one of her 17 grandchildren.

I was so glad I was able to be there with Ted and Joey and Bowie and I'm so happy for Ted that he has a son. He's always wanted to be a Father, and I know he'll be an amazing Dad to Bowie. I'm glad they have religion in their home, and I hope they have many years full of peace, love and harmony as they raise their son, along with gorgeous Mikayla, who was part of the family before Ted was. I'm honored that I was a part of this special day for Ted's family.