Dennis Stoker Family

End of the year!

2008-12-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well I figured since no one in my family is very technologically inclined, I'd take the bullet and do a little update on the who and what's of the family. Papa Bear is still working at Central Pre-Mix, but is doing a whole lot of stuff around the house due to the winters being slow. His pet project (which the family was told we'd never have to do) running the concession stand for the MLSD has been keeping him and my mother when she's able to join, VERY BUSY! Speaking of mother.....she finally quit the hell hole she called a job and began working at the new Lowe's that opened up in Moses Lake. She enjoys her job, but it brings along it's own version of challenges. Between that and the concession stand she's SUPER busy. Well I'm still working and living in Yakima. This year the facility I work in went from an all male juvenile facility to an all female facility. The first in the state of it's kind for incarcerated juveniles. Working with an entire female staff and population definately brings struggles, but it seems the work is much more rewarding. I just got a new calling in our ward to teach gospel doctrine, which I'm thinking was a call of desperation because I'm not the scriptorian in the family...that's Bryce....Bryce is living in Moses Lake and working as a chemist for Best Test. He enjoys his work, but it brings long hours and not so long weekends. Earlier this year he began dating a friend of mine from Yakima named April Curfman. She's an amazing girl and I'm hoping it leads somewhere (Temple) and word on the street is that it will be. So keep an eye out for your invitations in the mail :) LauriAnn is currently buried in snow up in Spokane. She is still working for a mental health facility and is in her last year of her Masters in social work. LA is busy with her ward and seems to juggle the social life well and still have time to have a job. Kalvin & Megan are living in Pullman and both going to school . Kalvin worked during the summer for a farmer and really enjoyed the work. I wish I could post where megan worked, but to be honest I'm not really sure. I'm such a horrible sister-in-law. Gwen is living back in Moses Lake and is currently the house master. She's pretty much running the show at Casa de Stoker. She worked as a nanny for a family in Moses until the summer. In January she is moving to Utah to gain residency and go to a radiology program somehwere in Utah.
Hope this finds you and your family well. We are grateful for your friendship and wish you the best in the coming New Year!!!

Unconditional Love

2008-05-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have seen some things in my vast expanse of a life. I take it upon myself to give the Madre-and Popsicle for that matter-as many grey hairs as possible. Call me selfish, but I like to take responsibility for all of their greys. But they know my tricks of the trade now. I need to step it up a notch. Get some new material or something. Take it on the road? Doubt it. The mommy and me bracelet won't let me get that far. However, I was the one who demanded it be instituted. I love my mom. Nothing can ever change that. I can count on her to help me through or help me do anything. She would even go as far as try and get Nurses fired for me. Now that's what I call unconditional love!! When I was in the hospital oh so many times, I spent a lot of time with Mom. We probably ruined Sacred Heart's VHS of Blackbeard Ghost because we watched it so many times. I also probably ate every popsicle they had that Mom could get her hands on-only blue for me. And what a good sport is she. I cheated EVERY single time we played Candyland. I loved that game and would spike the deck so that I could land on the Ice Princess spot like the 3 time around. Needless to say I've gotten better at hiding my cheater-ness since then, but she figured me out soon enough and didn't even say a word. She let me win. You want to know the REAL street definition of Mother? Someone who will lose so that others enjoy how amazing it is to be the winner for once. Real sacrifice is what it means to be a Mother. Look at my mom, and you are looking at Webster's definition down to the very last detail.

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Of all the things I could say the first that come to mind are these: "When I was a child I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
There are many things children are taught as they grow up. Honor, faith, sacrifice, the quiet strength to support the ones you love. These are often the realms of the Father who teaches outwardly the values of the heart through wellworn hands. Rewarded as those are reflected in the acts of his children.
A Mother however does not often see the outward signs of her investment in the children she loves. The seeds she plants, she plants in the heart, nourishes with love, prunes with patience, and sees harvested by hands not her own. The harvest she sees is not done by the sweat of one's brow as the one taught by the love of Father. Hers is done through a child's compassion on another. Compassion and care learned from his mother, taught him all his youth, and ripened by wisdom from the scriptures a love of which she also taught. What greater gift can a mother recieve than the Charity she herself taught and then to know that every sacrifice made in teaching was worth it.

-Bryce

Happy Mudless Day!

2008-05-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

My mother has always been the most important person in my life. One of my earliest memories is of when she was in the hospital after having my little brother. I was only 2, but I distinctly remember the feeling of terror that accompanied her not being there. Over the years my relationship with my mom has changed substantially. At first it was a typical mother-child relationship where she taught, disciplined, and guided me. Now she is the greatest of friends. I still look to her for guidance and support and she is always there when I need her. I can't say thank you enough times or with more sincerity. I don't know what I would do without her and am so blessed to not have simply a mother, but a best friend that laughs and cries with me, provides me with the reassurance that it is all going to be ok, and calls just because she had a feeling. The lessons in life keep coming and I know that she is always there to help me sort through them or just to offer an ear. I love her more than anything else on this earth and can't ever thank her enough!

-LauriAnn

Mommy

2008-05-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to talk about my mommy......I am sure glad that my mommy is not the laddy pictured next door herre cause wow I would definitely say that that would be my Mad Mom/Dad. Not the type that one would want to aspire to....Gwen....Oh Nothing.......

Well today's topic like I said is about Mom.....Boy what a great subject since Momma's day is coming very shortly....Lets do a little flashback into the past and check out some memories.....

I remember a long long way back I think I was oh flopped into this earthly situation for a few months and my mommy dropped me on my head.....yeah maybe neglected which I was but don't go getting those Child Protection peeps cause shoot I am better off Konked on the head cause I sure learned to keep my balance from then on....But no really it left a nice scar and reminds me of mom.

I remember another episode which I swear I was going to die along with a sibling of mine but as you can tell I survived a massive lashing from the two edged tongue of my mum and lived to tell the tale. My sister of mine was bickering and we ended up one day as most children do growing up on the streets and not having much we got to wrestling and giving the ol whoopin's to each other and she tried to hide in this closet cause I was giving her a good beatin and I yanked the door open and hit my mothers prized possession.....More prized than us kids but I think we come close in use compared to this Clucking Clock...ie Cucoo Clock. And then there was a thud....now in order to really understand the significance of this event you must know some more background.

My father had paid good money to get this stupid birdy back to life and made my momma really happy. Any now here it lay on the ground in more pieces that when it had hung on the wall. Boy we didn't know what to do and we called our mommy in hysterics trying to blame it on the other and knowing kids we were just blahh blahh blahhing and mom I am sure had no idea what to expect until she arrived home. Well once she did, wowzers it was the Atomic mother explosion and looking back she handled the damage quite well by leaving very fast after some death threats which were made but whew for the time being she was gone.... and eventually got cooled off somehow. Those details I am unsure about but really I live.

So what if these aren't great fond memories. I just wanted to share some memories of Mom and hope you all get the picture......I might be back on later to provide more centimenal rememberings of my mommy dearest. But just think good or bad mom's are great! I love my momma.

Mothers...Everyone needs one!

2008-05-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

So with Mother's Day right around the corner I wanted to round up my siblings for some of our favorite memories of our mother. So each of us have added what is one of our most cherished moment(s) we remember about our mother. She really is for each and every one of us at one time or another our saving grace!!! I'll tell you the reasons I love her!!!!

#1)
"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." ~Tenneva Jordan

The above quote would apply to our mother in almost every occasion, but when it came pecan pie best watch out. There are few things my mom loves above her children, but one of them is pecan pie. So if you are ever in a room and 1 piece is left you'll go hungry because she will fight like a momma bear guarding her cub for that last piece.

#2)

"The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant -- and let the air out of the tires."
One of the great things about my parents is that they go to bed around 8 o'clock. Thus we as children have had free reign of the house. This was a great thing growing up. Especially when everyone wanted to kick it at your house. So one of these nights we lit the white trash BBQ and invited some friends over for mallow roasting & such. This particular evening we were all feeling a bit restless and thus the game of Truth or Dare began. Now I'm not going to even pretend that this game didn't get a little raunchy or scandelous because it totally did!!! So one of the individuals named Sue (names have been changed to protect the innocent) dare a guy named Bud to streak butt naked across our back yard. So Bud thought HECK YEAH and went to the edge of the lawn to undress. So just as he was taking off his boxers the motion light on the deck goes on and there is mom standing at the sliding glass door with a very puzzled look on her face. The other puzzled look belonged to Bud who was standing on the edge of the lawn junk in hand. I proceeded to run interference with the mom while Bud ran into the shadows. Man...that was a tough explanation, but heck she bought it. It probably helped she was half asleep.
#3)

"To nourish children and raise them against odds is any time, any place, more valuable than to fix bolts in cars or design nuclear weapons." -- Marilyn French

In most cases having a mother to nourish you etc is probably great, but I have to be thankful for my mothers "fix-it" skills. Many a time she's come home to help me fixed the blunders of my siblings & I's rough housing, my accidental accidents, and my not paying attention to the pasture post. She's been able to help me out of some sticky situations most un-beknownst to my father. "Sorry dad". All of my siblings will attest that there are things to this day that my mom has helped them conceal from my dad or find the proper timing to tell him. Again, sorry dad just a fact of life. He's able to deal with things better now a days with old age setting in & all. :) Back in the day though....not so well.

#4)

"No one in the world can take the place of your mother. Right or wrong, from her viewpoint you are always right. She may scold you for little things, but never for the big ones." ~Harry Truman

One of the most vivid lessons my mom ever taught me was respect. Especially respect for her. Most of you know me and can agree with the statement I was a handful growing up. Especially during those dreaded teenage years. I remember especially a distinct time when my mom and I were argueing and I called her the dreaded "B" word. I've never been thrown on my A*@ so fast up til then or since. However, with that being said I learned a valuable lesson that day. One thing to never call my mom is "B" word. One big thing I remember being scolded for was when Gwen was about 3 or 4 my siblings & I found her highly annoying. So we did what any other siblings would do.....tied her up and locked her in the closet. It was all fun until mom came home and BOY were we in trouble. That being one the dramatic, less than desireable examples. One thing she always was, was a perfect example of unconditional love.

#5) Some of my favorite sayings from mom:
"If you don't have something nice to say don't say anything at all."- we didn't talk much that's for sure :)
"Don't make me wash your mouth out with soap"
"Money does not grow on trees"
"Be careful or you will put your eye out"
"A little "birdy" told me"
"You are the oldest. You should know better"
"I do not care who started it, I said stop"

#6)
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." ~Abraham Lincoln

There is never enough words that can tell my mom how much I love her. She really has been a great example. One of patience, humility, integrity and love. Mom was always kind in her words even when she shouldn't have been. I can't ever pinpoint a instance where my mom has ever not been supportive or helpful. She is always willing to help with anything or give advice in any given situation. She is an example to me!!! She is the woman I hope to grow into one day.

I love you Mom!!!!!

-Mindi

Together again...WE ARE THE MUPPETS!!!

2008-04-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

So once again the family is assembled for a grandeur occasion--Mom's birthday. As always fun at home included the traditional BBQ and Pit play. If you've never played you don't know what your missing. Especially when mom trades you the bull & the bear and yells corner!! She's such a beezie when she does that.
This weekend was no different from Christmas time when LauriAnn gave Gwen a black eye from an "accidental" punch. However, the players were no different and the outcome was much the same..Me and my friend Brandt about pissing our pants laughing at these 2 go at it. At one point LauriAnn (or LA as I affectionally call her ) was sitting on Gwen rubbing her face in the carpet telling her to "eat carpet" it was one of those classic Kodak moments in which I didn't have a camera handy. Kalvin's wife, Megan made our mother a wonderful cake and April, a girl Bryce is dating brought our mother some flowers. IT was to say the least an unforgetable weekend as always....I'm not enjoying however our lack of room/bed space as I(Mindi) was moved out to the "loveshack" aka the trailer to sleep....Not enjoyable!!! Then we all went to our parents ward, which started at the UNREASONABLE hour of 8:30a...I mean really....for us single ward folks it was pretty much torture!! But we all survived after a nice roast dinner and a luxurious nap..All was good!!!

New Years in Vegas!

2008-01-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

So this year for New Years Gwen and I took a trip down to Las Vegas. It was a great trip and Gwen was even able to find her knight in shining armour. We went down with a friend of mine from Tri-Cities. She arranged the whole trip and it was great. Though at times we felt we were staying in the ghetto, which was Circus Circus it was okay because we didn't spend much time there anyway. We got all dressed up for New Years Eve and went down to "The Strip", which starting closing down at 5p to car traffic. There were over 250k people down there on New Years Eve and 8 of the casino/hotels lit off fireworks. It was pretty awesome.

Though Gwen wasn't old enough to play the machines...we let her pull the handle...Shhh don't tell anyone she's just 19!!! While we were down there we also went to a musical. At Mandalay Bay they had Mamma Mia showing. It's a show based on the songs of ABBA. If anyone has an opportunity to go see it...DO. It was awesome. I loved it and needless to say we all ended up humming ABBA songs for most of the trip. We also went to the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur. It really was the only thing Gwen wanted to do down there.
We also got to enjoy many of the fine makeup shopping down there. Let me say Gwen is

addicted to make-up..and maybe myself a little. I told her it really should be her new career. All in all it was a great trip and anything was better than being stuck in Yakima for New Years...

Christmas!!!!

2008-01-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

So this year for Christmas we actually celebrated it a little early due to me (Mindi) having to work on the actual Christmas Eve & Christmas day. It was awesome to have the family all together again. This picture was of dad opening some pictures my mom finally had developed of their trip to Alaska in like 2001 or 2002. She finally found the film. If you know my mother you know she's prone to misplacing stuff. So he was finally getting to relive all the beautiful. My family being the practical jokers that we are...this year being no exceptions. LauriAnn lately has been asking for manly things like power tools and really conventional stuff she could use when she buys her own home. This year being no exception..she asked for a power drill after spending 2 hours drilling something by hand. My dad drew her name this year and out in his shop found a hand drill, I think it was the first one ever made. He wrapped that for her to open first. Her reaction was priceless. It was great to be able to spend time with the whole family again. Reminds me of when we were younger. We're still goofing around, wrestling and cutting up. What family gathering is it if we aren't doing that??? Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!!

New Addition!

2007-09-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

You know our family would not be the same without our latest addition to the family.....Yes, it is our dog Mortie. Affectionately named Mortimer by our family naming expert Gwen. She's also taken the liberty of naming our cow...Moo Heffner. Yeah she's a genius. Anyway...Morti has been part of the family for a little over a year but still makes us laugh because he's such a spazz.....fits in perfectly I'd say. Hope all are well! Mindi

Summer is Definately gone!

2007-08-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

You know what time it is Mid-August in good old Moses Lake, thats right...Grant County Fair time. This past weekend the whole family was together again for Rodeo weekend. Many, Many good times were to be had before the summer ends and we all go our seperate ways. Kalvin and Megan are already moved over to Pullman and started WSU last Monday. Gwen is going to attend classes at Big Bend this summer and be the Stoker Family Slave. LauriAnn is working in Spokane at a mental health facility as a case manager. In September she will be starting work on her masters at EWU. So very proud of her! Bryce is living in Moses Lake working for Best Test. I'm (Mindi) am living in Yakima working for the state as a juvenile case manager. Like most things in life there are likes and dis-likes to the job and the town. The parental units are still staying busy helping out Moses Lake football, even though they have no kids in the program. Dad is still working on his concession stand project, which is funny that it's his project and all the family ends up working it. Definately gives us some quality time together.

Europe!

2007-08-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is LauriAnn and I infront of Blarney Castle in Irelend!!! The picture above rt is us on the Cliffs of Moher and above left is LA and the baggets.

This past May LauriAnn and I had the awesome opportunity of going on a whirlwind trip of Europe. We started off in London, which was amazing. I've never seen so many historical sites, churches and hot boys in 1 spot in 2 days. After London we flew over to Ireland, where we had a rental car. Let me tell you driving on the opposite side wasn't so bad..it was the 2 lane roads that could barely fit 1 car. It was great minus a little fender bender LauriAnn had with a concrete pillar, but since she wasn't the driver "I hit the pillar"..wink, wink. After spending my birthday and 3 days in Ireland we flew to Paris. I was really psyched about paris, but after being there I'm not such a fan. After Paris my roommate who went with us flew home and LauriAnn and I were to have continued on to Rome. We weren't able to schedule a train out to Rome. They were scheduled 3 days out. So we're like get us the heck out of Paris. We decided to head to Munich. Needless to say we had a ton of fun in Munich...and the pastries there are to DIE for..From Munich we went to a friend on mine's house who lives near Nurnburg. From Nurnburg we took day trips to Switzerland and Austria. We'll leave those for later. Hope all is going well for everyone. I'm still living in Yakima and working here as well. TTYL!

Mindi

Starting UP!!!

2007-07-19T00:45:00.000-07:00

Well family, it's come to this point in life where we all need to get it out there where we are and what we're doing. So I've created this in hopes we'll all be able to keep in touch. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!