Merry Christmas 2025

 

Merry Christmas 2023

For the first time in four years, we were finally able to get our whole family together for a picture. Sterling and Soren overlapped a few months on their 2-year missions so it wasn't like we were lazy, it just wasn't possible for that long! We've had some pretty awesome additions in those four years - a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and three grand babies that I can't imagine my life without. So here's the WHOLE Stowell family - all of my favorite people in one picture. Life is good!

Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas 2021

It's hard to believe 2021 is already coming to an end. After 2020, which felt like the longest year ever, 2021 has flown by. It's been full of so many great moments and memories. Just a few of the highlights include: two college grads (Savannah in April, Sam in December), our first grandbaby - Walker is the cutest little guy ever (ever!!), Soren graduating from high school in May then leaving to serve in the Utah Salt Lake City mission at the end of the summer, Sterling returning home from the Texas San Antonio mission last week.  

There's plenty to look forward to in 2022. But for now, I'm happy to just pause and be grateful for the baby born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, the Savior of the world. 

Merry Christmas!

BYU Grads

We have our first two college graduates in the family! 

Sam and Savannah graduated from BYU today - Sam in Biology with a minor in Ballroom Dance and Savannah with a bachelors in Nursing. Sam has a few things to finish up during Spring term, but he was still part of the official end of term graduation ceremony. 

They both made it through some crazy hard classes, unpredictable circumstances, and the upheaval of Covid. But they've also had so many amazing experiences and made some great friends along the way. 

Congratulations, Sam and Savannah! We're so proud of you and can't wait to see what your bright futures hold!

Making Peace With February

I don't know what it is about February, but it's my least favorite month. With rare exception, February always and ironically feels like the longest month ever. Plus, I hate to be cold and February is typically the coldest month of the year in my little corner of the world. When I get chilled, I don't want to do anything or go anywhere which makes the days feel even longer. 

Knowing my feelings for February, I decided to challenge myself to three things: 

1) Write a blog post every day (After my long hiatus from regular blogging, that's quite a feat!) 

2) Create one piece of envelope art every day

3) Read at least one chapter from a book each day 

Today is February 28 and guess what? Once I publish this blog post, I will have reached my goals! I can honestly say that having those three goals really helped; surprisingly, it didn't feel like a burden. Now that February is over, I'm hoping to post to my blog somewhat regularly. As for the envelope art, I enjoyed the creative process, but these past few days I've really struggled to come up with people to address envelopes to. So I won't keep that up, but I took pictures of every envelope I designed so it will be easy for me to recreate specific designs when I want to send something fun. And I hope to continue reading at least one chapter a day. In February, I finished reading "Mere Christianity," by C. S. Lewis and "Atomic Habits," by James Clear. I'm now reading "A Grief Observed," by C. S. Lewis which I should finish tomorrow. I just picked up some new books from the library so I have a few choices about what to read next. I love reading and I'm glad to get back into it. It's been a while since I've taken the time.

It's been a good month. Sure, we had our ridiculous cold spell where I just wanted to snuggle up on the couch all day, but I was grateful for the motivation to get up off the couch and do something. I'm just grateful I can finally say that February isn't all that bad. 

One of my favorite envelopes. My friend gave me the dancing stamps so I had to come up with an envelope to send to Sam, our ballroom dancer. He loved it! :)

So Much To Be Grateful For

Wow. 2020. What can I say? Goodbye and good riddance? But even after all the grief the year has brought, I can't help but feel really grateful for the beautiful things we've experienced. I've posted next to nothing, but that's not because there's been nothing happy to post. Two weddings (Savannah in January, Spencer in November), our first grandbaby on the way, more time together at home, our 25th wedding anniversary, time with family in Utah and Idaho, and Sterling's unique missionary opportunities in Texas, just to name a few. We have many reasons to look back on this year, smile, and be grateful. In so many ways, good and bad, it's been a year like no other. Let's focus on the good.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2019

Wow! It's been a great year! Savannah returned from her mission in July; Spencer in October. We drove to Utah for Thanksgiving so that we could get a family picture before Sterling left on his mission on December 18. We haven't been together for the holidays since 2016 so I'm glad we made the effort to all be together, however briefly. I sure love these guys.



I've done a lot of hand lettering this past year. I love to doodle various sayings and words. This was the back of our Christmas card. I wrote it in pencil on white paper, smudged it a bit, then scanned it and reversed the colors. I love how it looks just like chalk on a chalkboard!

We have a lot to look forward to in 2020. Let's make it our best year so far!

Merry Christmas 2018

The Stowells are alive and well. It's been a good year and we have so much to look forward to! Our two missionaries will both come home in 2019 and, if all goes well, Sterling will graduate from high school a year early in May. It's possible that I could have 4 kids at BYU in January 2020!

With our missionaries out, I couldn't get a family picture this year. I could have pieced together a Christmas card with everyone here and there, but I wanted us all together so I hatched a plan that worked out beautifully!

Isn't that awesome? I commissioned Sadie's 13-year old friend, Jack, to draw our family picture and I am so happy with how it turned out. The word "Christmas" is something I doodled on the back of my church program a couple weeks ago and my friend, Jen, digitized it for me. (Jen and I have started a little Etsy shop with these digitized files -- I'll blog more about that later!)

I was a little worried about getting the cards out before Christmas. I received the finished drawing on Sunday, December 16th and had the card designed and ready for the printer on the morning of the 17th. The week before Christmas felt like a bad time for a rush order at the printers, but I walked into my favorite print shop at 9:20 Monday morning and, literally, walked out at 9:30 with a stack of 90 cards -- printed, cut and shrink wrapped! It was a happy little miracle and my cards were in the mail Monday afternoon.

Life is good! We have been so blessed and can see God's hand in our lives on a daily basis. We are grateful for the Savior and the opportunity to celebrate His birth.

Merry Christmas!

Ballroom Dance at its Best

Sam is at BYU. He's majoring in biology and minoring in - of all things - ballroom dance. 

I had to register him for his first semester of classes at BYU while he was still on his mission. I selected several typical freshman classes and a couple that were required across a selection of majors he'd shown interest in. But then he still needed one more credit. Jeff and I both enjoyed ballroom and folk dance classes in college so I signed him up for entry-level Social Dance. 

When Sam saw his schedule he actually complained a little bit about that. I explained why I chose it then told him he was free to change it if he wanted. I think there may have been some eye-rolling on his part, but in the end he kept it. 

Long story short, he LOVED it. He couldn't get enough of it. And he's really good at it! He proceeded (and continues) to take multiple ballroom-related dance classes each semester. This semester he has 5. (Or is it 6?) 

I stumbled upon this video today while cleaning up a few files. It's the finale from the BYU Ballroom Dance concert this past spring. It's SO good!! Sam's group comes in at 2:42 then again, with everyone, at 4:13 to the end. I can see why he loves it. 

And I'm taking all the credit. :)

Merry Christmas!

Spencer's Week

We've had a great week! Sam and Savannah were home from BYU for a few days (they haven't been home since January!) and it was so good having the whole family together. It's going to be a while before that happens again. With Spencer leaving for the Idaho Idaho Falls Mission next month, December 2019 is the next logical time we'll be together. That made it pretty hard to say goodbye to Sam and Savannah yesterday, but all the good things we have to look forward to made it a little more bearable.

Spencer's had quite a week and it was so nice that Sam and Savannah could be a part of it. On Tuesday night, Spencer received his Eagle Scout award. Many friends and ward members attended the Court of Honor and it was a nice event to celebrate Spencer's long-awaited achievement. He's really enjoyed his time in Scouting and has been a great mentor to his younger brothers and the other boys in the troop. He'll definitely be missed!

An Eagle Court of Honor wouldn't be complete without eagle cookies.

I forgot to take pictures at the Court of Honor so the kitchen will do in a pinch. ;)

On Thursday, Spencer went through the temple for the first time. We headed out super early that morning to head to St. Louis. It was a beautiful drive and a beautiful day. I was so happy that Sam and Savannah were able to be there, too.

The grounds of the temple were gorgeous with flowers blooming everywhere.

BYU starts on Tuesday. Spencer reports for his mission on October 4. Onward and upward!

End of Summer

Oh, why do I procrastinate my blog?? Well, late is better than never so here is a quick recap of our summer.

We started off with four weeks of no major obligations. Those weeks seemed to last forever and we just enjoyed the time together. There was plenty of badminton, progress toward goals (we got a LOT of things accomplished this summer!), and just time together. It was a needed break from the typical demands.

I already blogged about our end-of-June activities, High Adventure and the youth Pioneer Trek.

July was pretty steady with several week-long activities. Jeff and the boys attended a hot and sweaty Scout camp and Sadie attended her first Girls' Camp during the hottest week of the summer. Ugh! We picked her up a day early to head to Utah where we spent the last week of July so Sterling could attend an A Cappella camp - ReMix Vocal Academy - at BYU. I'll post more about that once the videos of the final concert are up on YouTube. It was amazing!! He had a great week and we all loved the final concert.

Sterling and the bros after his awesome concert!

Sterling with Adam, former beatboxer for Vocal Point
(Sterling looks really short here, but Adam is 6'10.)

While in Utah, we were also able to spend time in the temple as a family and we were there when Savannah went through the temple for the first time.

Draper Temple with the cousins! This was Sadie's first time to do baptisms for the dead.

Somehow I didn't get any photos after Savannah went through the temple (rats!!) but here's the whole crew at the Provo City Center Temple after our family did baptisms for the dead.

My mom and all of my siblings were in town so we spent time with cousins as well. We stayed with friends who made us feel like part of the family and, despite our vow NOT to go to Utah this summer, it was definitely worth the drive.

We didn't make it to Idaho this year, but Idaho came to us! Sadie and cousin Ana are BFF's. Little Sawyer is a cutie!

My dad's headstone was installed while we were in Utah.
I'm glad I got to see it. We visited dad a few times.

We hiked the Bonneville Shoreline Trail one morning with our friends and hosts, the Afflecks.
It was a beautiful hike and morning!

The cool, new suspension bridge on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

Bridal Veil Falls

A motley crew. :)

A rare photo of Jeff and me.

We saw a full rainbow in Wyoming on the drive home. So pretty!

My Wish

Maybe it's because Sam and Savannah are away at school, forging ahead toward a (hopefully) bright future. Maybe it's because Spencer will graduate from high school in 3 months. Maybe it's because life can be tricky at times and I want the best for my kids. Or maybe it's just because I'm feeling sentimental...

Whatever the reason, I've been listening to "My Wish," by Rascal Flatts on repeat. It's one of my favorites and does a great job expressing what I wish for my kids. If you're not familiar with it, listen to the lyrics. You'll see what I mean!

(I'd hoped to find an official music video by Rascal Flatts, but there isn't one.)

A Snowy Nativity

Isn't this pretty? With the snow sprinkled mountains, sparse clouds, and the Provo temple as a beautiful backdrop to the Holy Family, it is the picture of calm. Thanks, Sam, for sharing a glimpse of your world.

Gushing Gratitude

My favorite blue-eyed Zoobies

Sam and Savannah left on Tuesday morning for BYU. Savannah was accepted to the Nursing Program (WOOHOO Savannah!! Way to realize your dream!!), and a reliable mode of transportation was strongly recommended. So they packed up our cute little 2002 Honda Civic and started the trek west.

Driving 1500 miles across the country in January is always a risk. The weather is so unpredictable. Jeff kept a close eye on the forecast for all the major freeways between here and there and it looked like a Tuesday morning departure with a stay-over near Denver at Uncle Jeremy's house would get them safely to Utah by Wednesday evening.

The funny thing about the weather is that it's so changeable. By the time Sam and Savannah arrived in Colorado, a fast-moving storm from the west made it clear that driving the last leg of their journey the next morning wasn't going to work. Their options were: 1) keep driving through the night and hopefully get to their destination ahead of the storm or 2) stay at Jeremy's until the weather cleared which could take two days or more.

Sam wasn't really in a hurry, but Savannah had several things to take care of before school started and was anxious to just be there already so they decided to drive through the night. I prayed that Heavenly Father would slow the progression of the storm on their behalf and then Jeff and I went to bed feeling calm about their decision.

That calm lasted until midnight when Sam called. With no cell reception, he was using a free phone inside a rest area in Wyoming. It was snowing so hard that he couldn't see the road. They were going to wait it out before continuing on. Within 90 minutes, the snow was tapering off and Savannah was ready to take a turn at the wheel. Sam called us once more to let us know they were heading out.

Because there is no signal through most of Wyoming, my anxiety kicked in and I started playing the "what if" game with myself. "What if they end up in a snowbank and no one knows they are there?" "What if the car rolls and one of them is hurt and the other can't get out or contact anyone?" These are pretty mild examples of the wild scenarios that went through my head.

Eventually I managed to drift off and sleep until a little after 5:00 a.m. When I woke, I immediately grabbed my cell phone hoping for some message letting me know they were okay. (We had instructed them when they started their trip to text or call each time they filled up with gas or switched drivers just so we knew where and how they were.) Nothing. No message and no reply to my texts. The "what if" game started up again - after all, I reasoned, we are not immune to trials - and by the end I was planning their funeral. I was a mess.

At 7:00 a.m. the phone rang. It was Sam. I was overcome with the most intense feeling of relief and gratitude that I immediately started crying. Bawling. Completely unable to talk. All my gratitude just poured out my eyeballs. I couldn't help it. The roads in Wyoming had been pretty bad, like white-knuckle driving most of the way, but it was mild compared to the conditions in the hours and days following. They were still on the road for another hour or so, but at least they had signal and were almost through the worst of it. Fortunately, the storm in Utah had been delayed by several hours. I'm pretty sure that was a result of my pleadings.

Sam and Savannah spent a good chunk of the day at my sister's house eating, showering and sleeping before heading to Provo. By now, they're all settled in and ready to tackle a new semester. We're all feeling pretty blessed! I think they've recovered from their all-night ordeal.

I think I almost have as well. :)

Nephi and the Brass Plates by Sam

Sam went all out on his final project for his religion class at BYU. This Lego stop-motion film was quite the undertaking! Even if you're not familiar with The Book of Mormon, you'll love this clever rendition of one of the best known Book of Mormon stories - Nephi and the Brass Plates. If you want to read the story, it starts here in 1 Nephi chapter 3. (Click next at the end of the chapter to finish reading the story in chapter 4.)

You're going to love this!! :)

The Candy Bomber

Sam is posing with one of my favorite people! I've blogged about Gail Halvorsen, a.k.a. The Candy Bomber, before. He provided so much hope to a war-torn Germany in the darkest days following World War II. I must admit that I'm a little bit jealous because Sam got to meet Mr. Halvorsen today at the BYU library and get this picture with him. Sam also walked away with a personally autographed picture.

I've posted the following video before. In it, Tom Brokaw tells The Candy Bomber's story which shows how a small act of generosity took off and ended up blessing countless lives. I'm a fan!

Season Opener

In true BYU fashion, BYU won their football season opener against Arizona with four seconds to spare. The final score was 18-16. Not a high-scoring game by any means, but we won and that's what matters. With a new head coach this year, this win was important to get us off on the right foot.

Of course, the game against our biggest rival this coming weekend will be pretty telling as well. The University of Utah has a five-game winning streak against us so a win against them would be awesome!

Anyway.

My favorite part of the game last night was that Sam was there!! Just over a month after returning home from his mission, he was back in his beloved Arizona. He loved being there. He told me he felt like he was home.

Sam with some members from his last area in Mesa

Sam drove down to Arizona with my brother, Rob. They stopped to pick up my dad for his very first BYU football game on their way down. Rob and I are the only ones in my family of 7 kids who attended BYU. My parents never chose sides (even though they went to the U), and sports weren't that important to them. But I'm happy that my dad finally made it to a game. It was a good one!

Let's hope this is the start of a great season!! Go Cougars! :)

Goodbye Again

I was out of town all last week dropping Sam off at BYU for his next big adventure.

It was bittersweet.

Sam was home for less than five weeks. It hardly seemed long enough, but in the end it was time. He was ready for this next step so it was hard not to be excited for him.

Sam got to meet his cousin, Lane, who was born shortly after Sam left on his mission. Lane was a little shy at first, but by the end he loved Sam and happily posed for this pic.

Sam and I got him all moved in at BYU and met some of his roommates. They have an awesome apartment with six brand new returned missionaries. They've all hit it off and are in for a great year.

You can see the dorms where Sam lives through the trees.

Freshman Orientation was filled with fun activities, tours, food, dances, games, and new friends.

Here's Sam, already on the Jumbotron at the stadium.

Not a great angle from where I was sitting, but here's the Freshman class in their Y formation.

It was a beautiful evening at the stadium with performances by Vocal Point, the Cougarettes, the Marching Band, and a pep talk by Coach Sitaki, among other entertainment. Plenty of fun! 

Classes start tomorrow! We're so excited for Sam as he embarks on this chapter.

Life is good!

The Lake House Revisited

Remember the lake house where we spent Spring Break? When we were deciding where to go for a family vacation with Sam, I wanted somewhere that we could really be together without the pull of outside distractions (like facebook, e-mail, instagram, etc...).

The lake house had all that and more because 1) there is no internet and 2) no cell reception. While that may sound like a teenagers nightmare, it is this mother's dream!! :) Fortunately, my kids were good sports and our friends were very generous in allowing us to use their lake house again. So we spent the first week of August - five relaxing days - truly together. 

We enjoyed eight kayaks, one dock, a trip to Nauvoo (more on that later), loads of good food, plenty of games, music, movies (we got to share Kung Fu Panda 3 and Star Wars VII with Sam!), books, swimming, and laughing. 

My dream of having my little family all to myself (all to ourselves) was realized and it was awesome! I hope we can do it again soon.

Sadie loved this swing. The older kids were totally afraid of it. :)

Even during meals we had a beautiful view, but no bugs on the fully screened deck.

Savannah and Sterling put together some really cool guitar/violin duets.

Not a great picture, but one of my favorite parts was kayaking. I loved it when all eight of us were out together.

Savannah loved doing yoga on the dock, especially the day she was up with the sun.

Diving lessons.

1...  2...  3...

...jump!

(the end.)