Our struggling new beginning

As everyone know I hate blogging so here is to my once a year post. Lol! I really just just need to start doing it.

 KIDS AND SCHOOL

 To start we have been here about 6 months now. It seems to get better everyday. The kids are going to Freedom Predatory Academy, charter school. I absolutely love that school. It's the only thing that has kept me here in provo. I will never forget when we got the call to get in. I had the worst feeling about the school that they were going to from day one of the moment I stepped foot in that school. Obviously it wasn't good they just found a bunch of six graders dealing drugs there about a week ago. Anyway, I was praying and praying wondering what to do. I kept looking at the website of freedom academy. They second day of school at Franklin elementary I decided to just go apply for Freedom and pray they will get in next year at least. I applied for every charter school from Lindon to Spanish fork. When I went to Freedom to apply they said I couldn't apply for next year yet but I could apply for this year but probably couldn't get in because there was a lot of people in front of us. So I did. My kids were in school for about a month. I cried when I got the call. I know god has a plan for us. They are doing so well getting all A's in school. Workin their butts off to do so. Haven was won the top speller in his class. he and 3 other kids got to compete in the second grade spelling bee where there was 12 kids. he lasted 3 out of the 5 rounds. i couldn't be prouder of him. he was so broken hearted. his word was "FATIGUE". i don't think he will ever for get how to spell that now. He was devastated. I told my self I never wanted another kid to be in the spelling bee. Miles is doing great also i just love both of their teachers. They are both doing a after school ceramics class. They are so happy when they get out of school to tell me what they have made. I hope they have a some of there dads and grandpas art talent because I am not an artist at all. Mickayla is just happy being with her new cat pickles. She plays with him constantly. He is so good with her and she loves him like her own baby. She is 3 now absolutely loves spongebob that's all she wants to watch (yes I let her watch it. judge me how you want) Mikes job is slowwwwly moving up and the raises are too. They finally got their buts in gear and gave in a rais. We were hoping for bigger but I am just greatful he got one and is getting another one in a month. He has decided to drop out of school for now and my hope forever. Things are looking up and the best part is he loves his job. The waiting game is my weekness. He has already went from operator to process engineer in 6 months so that is amazing. For the most part everyone is happy here. I have struggled a lot with the kids missing their friends. I remember when I was thinking "why do my kids have to play every day or can't they play somewhere else", of course we loved it but it got tiring. It's been very different. Not many little kids neighborhood especially lds ones. We really have become closer as a family. My kids do have a lot of homework so they don't play only the weekends.its been rough! We are probably staying in this house for another year. I have been not my self and emotional lately really missing my brother, sister, old neighbors, & friends Remembering a lot of the good times we had. My brother always made things so fun. He would never let You be mad at him if you tried. Having my sister so close for a few years was fun too. I miss her to now it seems I don't have anyone now. We really miss our old friends. We are grateful that we can still see the Stubbs once and a while. The thoughtful cards of in the mail of old friends and the great friends that we have found here. We are all just really busy busy busy. We will be glad when summer is here and we can play a little more :)

OUR STORY

 As you have notice it's has been really hard especially lately. People don't understand why we did it. Why we went from a high paying job to a job he was only making a 1/4 of what was make when he started at us synthetic. Sold our house ect. We were living the American dream right? (What your supposed to do) thinking we would just be in our starter house for a few years and by the time that happened....... Well actually didnt happen that way. We had to sell our house to better my husbands physical health, mental health, spirituality, and our marriage. We were very inspired about very decision we made. We had to choose god and family over money. Probably they hardest thing we have ever had to go through. Satan has really tried to tempted us to choose the other way! When we first moved here Sysco was trying to get him to come back and he would have made even more money. That would have been crazy! Sometimes I get so frustrated and not very humble. Sometimes I just want to be able to do the things we used to and get the things I don't "need". I am not very good at seeing the big picture like Mike is. I am so grateful for parents that have helped and supported us in our hard decision. We are really hoping and praying that his job now can pull into a position that will be everything we have been praying and hoping for. It for the most part already has. He used to work nights and Sundays which would limit church and family. We both could not have callings because of his schedule. We tried but it was too hard. Then we could never have family home evening or just have that quality family time. We have family home evening every Monday (my kids make sure of that) family prayer every night, I get to sleep in the same bed at the same time at night as my husband now. ( which was hard to get used to) our relationship has never been better as a couple and as a family. That's exactly what I wanted. Money can not bring that! I know our sacrifices will bring our family great joy.

DOING GOOD FOR OTHERS WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY

Since I know like 2 people in my ward I can tell everyone my yearly service goal. I have been really trying service at least one a month for someone. I usually babysit when someone asks or make someone that is having a bad day cookies or is sick. Not this month I got really excited over it because I got to go shopping. I bought 2 little girls in our ward new dresses. These girls wore the same dresses every Sunday and you could tell they started not to fit. With me as a good shopper of course found 2 really cute dress for cheap. Doing this has really helped my kids with service to and are recognizing it more especially after this one. I am grateful that I have made this goal. I always have seen those great people doing service for others all the time and I just hope someday I can be just a tiny bit of that great. Sorry everyone for such a boring blog my husband totally screwed it up so I could only download a few pictures.. He is suppose to fix it so maybe before another year goes by I will blog again.

Our Family Art Collection

A lot people know Mike grew up going to art shows; when we got married we started going to a few and I learned to love art. My favorite kind is glass, Mike likes sculpture and painting, but likes all kinds. We decided to start our own little collection...go figure that that a lot of it is Jim's pottery. Mike is so proud of his dad and is so partial when it comes to who is the best potter. Mike always checks out the paintings at D.I.

It helps that he knows many of the local artists and that his parents can wheel and deal for him.

Love in the mist Photograpy by Pamela Ann Hiar

Mike had this plate made for me. So the frogs represent us. This one is by Johnny Hughes

I couldn't read the name on this one but it is handmade it has a lot of different kinds of stones and beads in it.

A water color painting by I also could not read the name on this one.

This painting was actually found at DI by my husband I almost died when he brought it home. I thought it was so ugly. It had a really ugly frame on it. I took it off and found its beauty.
It's by Rehle E Higham

This is my favorite of Mikes dads. He gave this to me for my birthday one year. I absolutely love it by Jim Simister

We actually got to pick this bowl out for our wedding. By Ben Behunin

These last two bowls are mikes two favorite bowls of his dads. By Jim Simister

We also have few put away and it totes.

The new start

As much as I hate blogging because I feel so blogging illiterate but, I feel like I need to. Did I mention I hate blogging. Can't get the pictures to upload so it's going to be boring.


It has been a crazy crazy year. So much has happened since I posted last. I want to go one by one of the family and tell what has been happening In everyone's life.


We will start with the stinker mickayla or ma-cougar is one of the many nick names she has. It's crazy my baby is 2. I am so grateful to have a little princess and a princess she is. She loves her nails done, her hair done, and already getting into moms make-up. She is the happiest and the most opinionated little 2 year old I have ever met. She loves her brothers and they love her. We are grateful when she is healthy and struggle with breathing treatments and pray it doesn't get to bad. Last year we struggled a lot with her health. She is finally ona daily inhaler and it seems to working. Her episodes are not as bad as they used to be.


The sweet whinny comedian, miles. He is currently in the apple academy preschool doing so well. He is doing the distar reading program. I am amazed what he knows and can do. Heis my easy going one that is so unpredictable because he keeps everything in. He is always happy and loves teasing his sister and being her best buddy. They play so well together. He loves playing video games and could do it for hours if I let him. He is always telling jokes that don't make sense. He thinks he is so funny, that it is so funny.


My challenging cuddly sporty one, haven. I love this kid so much. He challenges me every day. He is such a tease and knows how to get to you. But, he always ends the day with a love you and a hug. Haven loves sports and is pretty good at them. He is currently in 1st grade and is doing so well. He is a great reader but, loves math more. This last summer he was able to do a golf camp.He loves playing it and watch it and wishes he could do it more and wants to grow up and be a pro like his uncle. Haven also loves video games and being with his dad. He try's to be with him every chance he gets.

Then we come to my hard working husband. We have been so blessed to have finally found him a new job at us synthetic. (Thanks to some wonderful neighbors!) he has sacrifed working doubles because of a pay cut to do it but, in the end a new start to start at the bottom of a great company will be worth it. He is almost done with his six sigma black belt and takes the test in march. He is very excited to work in a company that actually appreciates his degree and hopes to use it in every way he can. I have never seen a man work so hard in my life and a great quality that I would never change.

Now i guess it's my turn. As much as I struggle missing my husband and feeling like a busy single mommy. It's worth every minute of it! I am so grateful that my husband works so hard so I can stay home and be there with my little monkeys. I am still doing gymnastics and loves it for the most part. It has taught me great patience. The lord has blessed me so much with so many things in life. I am truly grateful for the little things in life. Things don't always go the way you plan. Moving is taking longer than expected. I know it is gods plan and I am trying to be patient for how long it will take. Things are working out so well right now and know it will come when it's right. We are just grateful for the struggles we have had to learn from them and know god is there for us.

McCollum family tree

I am up late, as usuall. I wish I had the poetic flare I had in college. I could sit up all night and just right the coolest stuff.

Now I have a mother flare, the family history flare. I have been looking for clues to my past, and have found some, some real great ones too. But I still haven't found what I am looking for. I want to try to find someone who has it all. Like my grandpa Sim has it all. A wealth of knowledge of his family, and pictures and stuff to boot.

The real prize would be to track down my elusive Lena A McCollum. She married Philip H McCollum. He died in 1964. Supposedly due to a house fire. But a friend of his fathers told me it was a disease or something.

Suicide. He killed himself. Somehow, the LA Times forgot to mention that little fact. Mostly due to his father, the ever so great Ross McCollum, president of National Oil, being friends with, and in a band with, the sherrif of Los Angeles.

So Ross paid of Lena and she went back into the world with stories I would love to know. She is probably alive today, and most likely one of the few who can hel me put this scattered tree together.

As far as I can tell, the McCollums moved to the United States in The 1800's. Stephen being one of the first In my family. They were farmers of New York. Man, they had so many kids too, 9 to be as exact as I can be. And by some miracle, one of them lived long enough to get married and have kids too. Stephen married a Lucy Horton from new york, but I don't know anything about here.

The one that lived was Geroge mcCollum. I should mention that most if not all the other boys died in the civil war.

George married a Martha Betts, don't know anything about here either, but they had a grip load of kids too. I guess you have to if you a going to farm hundreds and hundreds of acres of rich network soil. 8 kids to be exact.

3 of the boys decided to set out west. Crazy right? Leave all that farm, all that heritage? Only one brother left with three sisters to help on the farm.

I can imagine how I would feel if my children wanted to leave for some kids of pipe dream. Gold, big business, oil, money...that's what's out west! Opportunity dad, opportunity.

I hope to never have my children leave on bad terms, but I feel like this is what happened, it was treason is how I feel it went down. But I don't really know.

The girls, Edward, and Fred stayed.a few of them had kids, and their kids had kids, and some are alive today, but have not really gotten the picture yet. That being what happened to the family, and where are all the prices that are left. I would like to gather as many memories as I can, pictures, scraps, etc, and make a great book.

I degres, the three, Albert, the youngest, Frank, and Roy set out into California. I don't know in what order, but they did.

Albert married a woman ny the name of Leona Henderson. She came from a strange sort of circumstances that we will have to get into another time, but let's just say that she ended up right where she needed to be, literally. Albert ran a coffe and tea merchant trade business there, was a cook, and a restaurant owner. Leona was a dress maker, waitress, and from what I know, just the most wonderful woman. There are a few today that knew her.

They had only one child. And I might need to remind you that these folk were coming from a long line of people who didn't fair so well when it came to having children live, and procreate.

Elmer James Simister. Worked in the military as a photo shop guy. He did all the coloring of the plates and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Skinny as a rail, and by the pictures we have, happy as a clam, all the time. He married Beth Simister, another miItary gal. They had my father James wilford McCollum.

Their fate is not an easy one to describe, but simply put, they suffered through what I can only assume to be the worst of all alcoholism has to offer.

Jimmy had to move to Utah to live with aunt and uncle Leon ans Louise while they got "better". Beth died first, sadly, and Mac as they called him never made it out alive.

Albert had passed before Leona and she lived alone in California, sitting on her porch, watching the Oakland temple being built. She later went to that magnificent temple.

The other brothers I don't know an awful lot about, I only found the out at all because Albert had listed Frank Edwin McCollum as a nearest relative of his on his military card and I traced the addresses to match. Used his name to link him to the same frank e McCollum in new york with a brother named "Burt". And that was that. Frank had a son name Ross. He was quite educated. Excellent schooling, and a bright mind.


He went into engineering and work for the Rockefellerers back east until he decided he could do it on his own. I don't know the whole story but he made it back out here and bought a well, and went into the oil business. He was filthy rich. All the luxuries of life I would imagine. I read a book about him, it made him out to be this great pioneer in the oil business and I thought he was a great man...until I discovered his son.

I don't know anything about Phillip. Few people do, and some of those have not been very forthcoming with the details of his life, and if they had, they are suspect to to be true at all.still others I do trust. Ross was....well let me just say the suicide of his son was probably the best brush we can use to paint that picture. His legacy of money still lives on through various charities and trusts, mostly to schools.

Ross would have been Elmer's paternal 1st cousin.

The other boys I don't know anything at all about. I only hope someone read this and can shed some light on it. It's so sad that today people don't keep books of remembrance, or talk to their kids about their heritage. It is a miracle that I am her at all, and that's just my fathers paternal line.

Albert married Leona in California....how she got California is another great story.

She was born in 1886 in coffeey county Kansas to David Henderson. Her mothers name was Cora henderoson, as far as we can tell. Cora died giving birth.

David lived with his brothers and sisters on account of the parents were both deaf mutes. They cou
Don't hear nor speak. They met in school.

I imagine it was a close family, because oshortly aft the death of Cora, David remarried. Sarah Antrim.

Acids sisters left to California as well right around the same time the McCollum boys left. They headed out and said they would send word once they had a job.

Soon, they sent for Leona and her grandmother sophrona. They left everyone, forever it seems.

The sisters were servants in a well to do house, serving food, champagne, etc. at some point they moved to Washington state. Vashon island to be exact. I've been there, to the house that my great grandmother and her sweet aunts took her in and protected her. It was a small wood house on a beautifull hill. Covered in daffodils. They raised chickens and generally farmed. At some point she met a man name burton Edwin Anderson, he was from Texas, but was there for some reason.

They got married and moved to Canada for a few years. She later returned, divorced.

I don't know what caused her to go to California, but she did, and she met Albert.



IF ANY ONE HAS ANYTHING THEY CAN ADD....PLEASE DO. THERE ARE S MANY STORIES TO TELL.






Y

WOW it has been a while!

It has been for ever since I did my blogg so much has happen since then.

As you may know I hate doing my blogg, I feel blogg retarded. Everyone has such cute bloggs and there is mine. Oh well here is the update.

We have been doing great Miles just turned 2 and is getting smarter everyday. He can count to 12 and is copying everything Haven says and does. Haven is excited for summer and is ready for preschool to get out in may. His brother drives him nutts and is fighting with him a lot. We went to Idaho and Coalville a few weeks ago the kids had so much fun. The love to ride the 4-wheeler and play on the play ground.

Before christmas we redid our living room and got a new car that would be better for our future family.

Here is some pictures our the last few months:

About Mike

I thought I would let you all know about one of the most important people in my life. He is the most unique  person I know. That is why I love him. Here is 15 things about him

1- He loves music, pretty much anything but country. His favorite band is Primus/ Les Claypool. He also went to a bucket head concert last week.  Mike can pretty much play any instrument you put in front of him.Claypool" 

2. He loves to eat. He also likes to go to expensive restaurants because that's the only restaurants were he is happy with everything. 

 

3. His favorite color is green.

4. He loves cats. 

5. His favorite thing to do is spin/ DJ. 

6. He loves to do art and is very good at it. 

7. He loves to garden and will spend hours doing so.

8. He hates casseroles. 

9. He loves Cream cheese & marshmallows fluff and will put it on anything and everything.

10. He loves pepsi. I have never seen anyone drink pepsi so much. 

11. He hates his feet touched.

12. He loves to shower.

13. He collects everything. (stamps, coins, records comic books, action figures, t-shirts, watches, and more and more junk.)

14. He loves cheese especially blue cheese.

15. He loves to think of ideas and inventions. He has the craziest ideas sometimes, i just have to laugh and shake my head.  

Long time no talk!!!

I know it has been a while since I have blogged. We have been so busy with our new little TaT business. The last 2 months have been going by so fast. Here is our update. 

Haven has started school again and loves it. I guess the the first day of school he told a little girl that she looked beautiful and she fell in love with him. Her mom told me that she said wanted to marry him and was talking about kissing him.  His teacher said he always is telling the girls they are beautiful. He is our charmer. 

Miles is talking so much. He loves men especially grandpas. He loves any thing and everything Haven loves. They fight a lot but he is our little lover still. 

Dash and peaches love each other. Haven still loves his cat he puts him in all his toys and he will just stay there and sleep. He is a great cat for the kids. 

Havens

friends : left to right) Rilley, Addi, Miles, Haven, Roxy. 

Roxy and Rilley just moved from the neighborhood

Haven and miles are always being funny!

Happy Birthday Haven!!! We wen t and played on a bouncer at Tammy's on his birthday. He had lots of fun.  He wanted a racing car birthday. So this was the cake I made as you can see he picked in it right after I made it. (the H is gone)