Biggest Loser Check In

I am down 12 pounds since starting my diet three weeks ago. I was down 15 until I went to Seattle. I guess too much sushi makes you gain weight.

It sounds like Karen and I are neck and neck. The race is on.

I hate car problems. A new engine in one car, a transmission in the other. I sure would have preferred to put my money on something more fun.

Talk to you soon!

Bryan

Hey Fam.........

How's everyone doing? Laree it's so fun to see the pictures. I can't believe how much our little boy it growing. I think he's just getting taller and it's stretching the weight out. You were built just like him when you were little. Tall and lankey. I'm sure he'll be ok but we will keep him in our prayers.
Chelsea...how's the healthy eating going? I'm on my third week and I'm down 12 pounds. Kind of exciting except when your as chubby as I am no one can really tell yet but my pants aren't so tight and I really like that. Sounds like your dad is getting skinny so we'll have to see who's the biggest looser by end of summer in the Mecham family. My grandson told me I was super chubby a month ago and that I had big arms. I know he loves me but nothing like the words of a child to motivate you.
Bryan and Michele....so glad your trip was enjoyable. You guys look a little cold though. You could have had that in Utah. Nothing like a spring snow....over and over and over again.
Hope everyone else is doing well. We're looking forward to Conference. I always get so excited before it gets here and then get so sad when it's over.
Love you all bunches!
K

Updated pictures

Dear Family,

We finally went and got family pictures since the last ones we had were over a year ago. I took Daniel to the doctor today to check his weight. We have been going every month since January and he isn't gaining weight but he isn't losing weight either. Dr. West decided to order some blood work done today to check for lead exposure, anemia, and check his kidney functions. He doesn't feel that these are the reasons for the lack of weight gain but wants to rule them out. Needless to say it wasn't fun to watch my little boy have his blood drawn. He was a trooper though and didn't even cry. I was very proud of him for being a big boy. He has started taking a few steps on his own but still prefers to hold on to something but know that can be with one hand only. Emmalynn is getting big and likes going to preschool. She is getting so grown up. Gary's job has been very busy but is going well. My job is going great. We are starting 2 new people next month which is exciting. We are facing some cuts in our reimbursement rate due to the cuts to Medicaid that the state is making. Gary and I are both grateful that we are still employed in this economy. We have had some members of our ward get laid off from ON (the old AMI). One of the members is our home teacher and Shawn's cousing Brice Jorgensen. We are keeping all of you in our prayers that employment stays a part of our lives. We are also praying for those in our ward and stake who have been hit with this tough economic times.

Here is some pictures for you to enjoy!

Love the Packards

Spring Break is Over. Now back to work!

Hi everyone! We had a great time in Seattle. It was fun to be with the Clark's. I arrived Wednesday night and joined Michele and the girls. Thursday, we helped organize Laurie's storage room. I hope she can find everything.
Abe and I played Racquetball and the rest went bowling. The Clark's treated us to a wonderful Teriyaki dinner at their favorite House of Teriyaki. It was delicious food. We also enjoyed watching a dorky movie called the Prince and Me, the honeymoon. It was a beautiful day in Seattle on Thursday. Friday found us enjoying the sites of Seattle. We enjoyed going to Pikes Place, checking out the cruise departure sites (Yes, we couldn't help but take a peek at where we will be departing from in August). We enjoyed looking around at all the little shops. It is amazing how artsy Seattle is. It is a fun town and I never tire of going to Pike's Place. It is so fun to see the street musicians and see the beautiful flower shops, the vegetable stands, the meat and fish markets. We bought some fun pasta, flavored oils, a beautiful bouquet, a fun sand and water art, some fun tee shirts and a sweatshirt for Laurie that says, "Seattle Rain Festival - From January 1st to December 31st." We know how much Laurie dislikes the rain so this made her smile. Plus it will help keep her warm. We made our trip to Ujimayas for some good ole Sushi ingredients. This time we also bought 10 different kinds of Brats at the local meat market. Friday night found us eating a very delicious German meal of Sauerkrat and brats with Gary's delicious red potatoes. After dinner we watched another dorky but enjoyable movie called the Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Saturday was the commencement of the Rain Festival in Lacey as it rained the entire day. It was cold and even snowed most of the time. We went to a movie up on the base at Fort Lewis (Pink Panther 2) We enjoyed the movie. It was very funny. Okay maybe a little dorky too. :-) We enjoyed a night of sushi. It was a lot of fun. I hope the Sushi is always a hit. We downed all the sushi. I enjoy doing it. We enjoyed some card games and then it was off to bed. Our time went way to fast. We flew home today and arrived safely after having to have the plane de-iced in Spokane. The winds in Boise have been so crazy today. Our plane was bouncing all over the place as we landed in Boise. It was nice to be on the ground. Although even driving home from the airport gave us some excitement as the wind would catch our van and push us over into the next lane. Karlo did a great job of keeping it on the road.

Okay, that is our update. Our next big adventure is Derek's graduation in April. We are excited for him. Only four months to the Cruise! We are getting excited. It was fun to see the ships in the waters around Seattle.

Enjoy the pictures!

Dear Mecham Family,

I just thought i would add the Hansen's two bits. We are loving it here in warm Arizona. We have made so many good friends while we have been down here. In July we will be moving to Idaho to live with my mom and dad for a few months while Charlie does an internship there. I am looking forward to being with family but not for the cold weather that will inevitably come in the fall/winter.
Macy is getting so big. She is running now. She loves trying to say new words. She loves reading books and singing songs. Yesterday we went to the zoo with our best friends and she had so much fun seeing all the animals. Her two favorite animals are the elephant and the lion.
The way things look right now we will also be able to make it to the Mecham reunion this year Yeah!!
I will be going to girl's camp this year for our ward as the laurel adviser. I am so excited. I love the girls so much and i hope this time together will help them know how much I do love them and want each of them to succeed not only in life but in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The first picture is of Charlie and I on a morning hike in the nearby (arizona mountains). The second picture is of Lindsay Kaiser's wedding in Rexburg. It was so amazing to attend her wedding and to celebrate with her. Although, it was freezing in Idaho and I have no idea how I survived Rexburg for 4 years.
The third picture is of Macy and here two good friends Mathew and Michaiah. They are really good friends that we have made here.
Love ya all.
Chelsea Charlie and Macy

hello from Laurie's home

I love reading all the updates! Kaitlyn, Brielle and I arrived in Lacey on Saturday and have really enjoyed being here. Laurie was so sick last time we were here that it is nice to see her up and around a little. She always wants to do more than she should because her energy level is so depleted and she gets tired easy. She has quite an array of hats that she looks real cute in and she tries really hard to keep her spirits up even though she feels mediocer. In family prayer this morning she prayed with such a grateful heart about even the littlest things.(like the sunshine that shone for just a minute, that they received letters from Zach and Ben etc.) It made me think about my own prayers!
Happy Birthday to Robyn!!!!! 39!!!!! What does a BUSY mother wish for on her birthday? Hope it happened!
Chelsea - Love the Biggest Loser Idea! (you'll have to share the chocolates with your neighbors when they arrive - from Kristy Shreeve) Bryan is doing great on his diet!!! I better keep working to accomplish my new years goal of 30 lbs off by the cruise! And speaking cruise.... I CAN HARDLY WAIT. I checked out a video from the library about Alaska and WOW WHAT BEAUTIFUL SITES!
Goodbye for now!
Michele

ZOO

Dear FAMILY,

Karen and I talked today and thought with her candle making schedule that the best time to go to the zoo is the weekend after Mother's Day and the weekend before Memorial weekend. Anyone who would like to go we are trying to decide if Friday or Saturday would be better. Josalyn I know you don't have kids but you can come and help us mom's that have them. We would love to have any or all of you that want to come.

Have a great week!

Laree and the clan

I want to be a BiG Loser

I know I know it sounds silly, but this year I have been following the show the Biggest Loser because my friend's brother is on the show (Sione for anyone who watches) This reality show makes me cry every week. Their stories are so inspiring as they work hard to get healthy. I have decided it is time to shed a couple unwanted pounds and get ready for the summer. I bought a healthy eating cookbook and the recipes so far are delicious. I will weigh in every Tuesday to mark my progress. So now you all know and you can all help me be a Big Loser. Anyone else who wants to do this with me is welcome to. I know many of you are going to be on a cruise later this summer. Now is the time to start if you want to lose that 10 pounds (that you will probably gain back from the amazing cruise food, not that I am jealous or anything) Well I love you all thanks for updating. Thanks Uncle Keith and Aunt Rob for the rescue lift.

Chelsea

Just a little update!

Well I suppose since everyone else is updating, I should too :) Happy Birthday Max and Robyn! I wish I was there celebrating with you both! One month left to go for the semester, it has flown by so quickly! Who would have known I would blend in so well with BYU. I recieved a special invitation to attend an accounting seminar just for women at BYU due to my test scores in my class, so that is very exciting. Who knows, maybe I will be like my daddy and count numbers by day, and cut hair by night :) Oh and about this Zoo date, I know I don't have any kids, but I want to go too :) I love the zoo, and I haven't been to the SLC zoo yet. Steph, I am glad your mom is doing slightly better, and I can totally understand your frustration with the surgeries. Maybe I will have to trade a night of babysitting the boys so you and Chase can go out, and he can take me for a ride on the Harley! Well I love you all so much! Thanks again Keith and Robyn for saving us the other weekend and Karen and Shawn for giving us a place to sleep, and food to eat! Grandma, I hope you are feeling better and thanks to you and Grandpa for letting us stay there too! I am so lucky to have family like you! Laree and Gary, I miss you guys, and hope I see you soon! Well that is it for me!

~Josalyn

Popping in

So I thought it was time to see how the fam is doing! I swear everytime I get on here it's someone's birthday.Or I have just missed someone's. I just wanted to say sorry from the little jorg fam for being so airheaded. We mean well but I do have a goldfish memory! Robyn HAPPY BDAY tomorrow! Hope you guys get to do something fun.
Chase and I had our 5yr anniversary on the 8th. It was a ton of fun. We dropped our sickly kids off at Grandma and Pappy's house for the weekend and we headed out on the Harley! It was so much fun. He took me to deer creek and all over Provo. It was a little cold in the Canyon but totally worth it. It was so nice just to do whatever we wanted without the monsters needing a nap or lunch or "bun changes!" I can't believe that 5 yrs has come and gone that quick. Part of me feels like we got married yesterday and another part of me doesn't remember life without my Chasie.
It's Max's 2nd b-day today and we plan to go to the park. Have a squirt gun fight in the backyard and draw on the cement with sidewalk chalk. And of course eat like there's no tomorrow. He opened his presents this morning like he actually knew what he was doing! It was so funny. He kept saying "COOOOOL!" Such a big boy.
We are still trying for baby #3 but who knows when that is going to happen. I figure why worry about it when the Lord has his timing figured out. I keep having baby girl dreams. The other night I dreamt that this girl through her newborn baby girl in a church garbage and that I went and snatched her. She decided she wanted her back and I traded her my car for the baby. I then kept thinking, how was I going to convince the police and child services that I was the best option to take care of her. I just wanted her so bad. I also felt like maybe I shouldn't tell anyone that she wasn't mine. But couldn't work out the details. I tell ya, I am really wanting a girl. At times I think whichever we end up with is totally fine and I will be happy. Then I have these dreams that make me long for a girl.
My mom is doing pretty good. Chase thinks she looks aweful, but maybe I am used to her being so tiny. She has almost completely healed but there have been very little results from the surgery. Kind of frustrating when you have had two surgeries to fix something and both turn up with next to nothing. She says that some days are better than others. I am just grateful to have her here.
I am glad to hear that Laurie's tumors have shrunk. That is such great news! We really hope the best for you all.
LaRee...we are totally in for a zoo date! It will be a blast to have all the little kids together.
Grandma and Grandpa, we got your emails. We are just complete slackers when it comes to getting on the internet and actually emailing back. I will be on Chase to get back with you!
Hope everyone is hanging in there and we can't wait to see you all, the next time we get together.
MUAH~the jorgs

Another Quarter End Done

I finally finished up our quarter end last night at Micron. We had a court of honor tonight where we had 6 rank advancements and awarded over 75 merit badges. One of my scouts earned 17 merit badges since joining the troop in October. He heard how one of my scouts earned 16 at one of the court of honors so he set a goal to get 17 and he did it. He already has 25 merit badges. He earned 8 as an 11 year old. His dad is a big scouter and is very supportive. I had to say goodbye to one of my favorite scouts tonight as he is moving on to the teacher's quorum. He has gone on every campout throughout his time in the troop. He will receive his gold palm on Sunday and will receive his Silver palm a few months after leaving the troop. He is a fine young man. It is fun to see his excitement in scouting.

The big dance is about to begin tomorrow. It will be fun to see how the tournament goes this year. I have BYU pulling the big upset of the #1 seed so hopefully they don't get upset again in their 1st game.

We are all doing fine. Michele and the girls will leave for Seattle on Saturday. I will go on Wednesday. Laurie is doing well and some of the tumors has shrunk to a centimeter. So things are looking up. It will be fun to be with them again.

Kaitly is playing softball and has a bunch of games.

Here is a list of the next ones:

3/19,3/20,3/31,4/1,4/3,4/6,4/7,4/9, 4/13, 4/14, 4/16, 4/17, 4/20, 4/21, 4/23, 4/24, 4/28, 4/29, Districts 5/2 - Most games are in the Boise,Meridian Area but there are a couple in nampa and caldwell. Most start at 5:00 PM.

She is playing 3rd base and catching. She needs some hitting instruction and I am not very good at it. I will have to get out and help her.

We love all of you and hope all is well. I am getting excited for the cruise. I have started a diet so that I can enjoy the cruise. You will just have to see how I do. I have a long way to go for my goal. But I am doing good so far.

I about killed my new dog the other day. It got out of the yard so I went to chase it down on my bike. When I got back I parked my bike on the deck. I parked it away from the dog so she couldn't reach it on the leash. Well the wind blew my bike over which allowed the back tire to be in reach of its mouth. It pulled the bike onto the grass and proceeded to eat my $50 bike seat. I was so mad I could have dropped kicked her. I have some work to do this weekend to get her trained. It is driving me crazy.

Write soon!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday early Robin. We hope you have a great one. Kyler, we hope you won tonight! Jarom sorry to hear that you lost but it sounds like you had a great season.

The Packard family is doing good. My work is picking up. We start a new participant next month and just got a new referral who is picking us so we will be starting with him in April also. We feel very blessed. Daniel still isn't walking yet but he does walk around furniture a lot and is trying to take a step on his own if there is space between furniture. I figure when he finally decides to go out on his own he will probably just start running. Emmalynn is doing well and wants to set up a time to go to the Hogle Zoo with her Auntie Karen and little Shawn, Maxen, Tegan, and Annie. Lets shoot for the end of April or the first of May before the weather gets to warm. You guys lets us know a couple of weekends that work for you and we will try to accommodate.

Hope you have a great week!

Love the Packard's

That's really funny Keith.....

You used to be one of Shawn's favorites but I don't know now...... I knew Rob was getting close to 40 (I thought she was teasing about being 39...again) But she really is 39. I told her to enjoy it cause it's all down hill from now. Tell Jarom bummer on the game last night. We'll keep our fingers crossed for Kyler. Good Luck!
K

Just for the record.....

Robyn is a hot 39 on Saturday. She is nearly 365 days away from the big 40 but definitely very young for her age. :)

Kyler won tonight and will play for the State AAU Championship tomorrow night in the 8th grade division. Jarom lost tonight in a close one so his season is over. He played great.

We are glad we don't have a job in SLC since we have traveled there 6 of the last 8 nights for baseball and basketball games.

I want to publicly apologize for skipping over Shawn's birthday on the 8th. I feel terrible. Was it your 50th birthday? :)

I owe you a golf game this spring.

DID YOU WEAR GREEN?

I hope Everyone has had a Great Day!

Helloooooo out there.....

Wow...it's been super quiet on the blog. What's everyone up to??? Chelsea, Charlie, Josalyn, Derek and cute little Macey...it was so great to see you guys. Hope you had a wonderful time at the wedding. Sorry to hear about your car problems but it sounds like it all worked out ok.
Sounds like you guys had a great trip Bryan. Love to see the fun blog lingo that you were going to work on. I still giggle when I think of some of the ones you told me.
Keith and Rob....haven't seen you guys forever. What's up with that? We need to make an appointment and come for a visit.....maybe even an overnighter since we are so far away now. Hope the boys do well in their games tonight.
Laree and Gary....what's going on with you guys? We still need to plan a zoo date. Love to do it before it gets too hot here. But you know Utah....40 today...90 tomorrow. It changes fast.
Mom and Dad...I'll see you when you get back tonight.
Love you all......
K
PS...Maxen is almost 2!!!! Can you believe it? Robyn....I think this is the big "40" for you Saturday. (hehehehehe) That's so funny ")

The Publicity Dilemma - LDS Newsroom

The Publicity Dilemma - LDS Newsroom
A lot of people around here are talking about the show "Big Love". I guess they are showing temple worship scenes in their next program later this week. I thought the churches response was awesome and thought you would like to read it! Have a good day! By the way, Bryan and Michele, I saw Caroline (sp?) on the news last night talking about how great her garbage man is!

Eventful Day

We enjoyed breakfast with mom and dad and went to an earlier church to attend sacrament meeting. We had to get up and leave the meeting as it was going over. We learned that maybe we should have stayed put until the end. We left for Pauleen's and after saying our good byes Derek, Josalyn, Chelsea, Charlie and Macy headed back to Provo and we left for Boise. As we were just outside of American Falls, we received word from Derek that the car had stopped running. We think the motor froze. I will learn more tomorrow afternoon. So we turned around and headed for Malad where they were stranded. I called Keith and Robyn to see if they could help out. They jumped in the car and headed to Malad. We all arrived at about the same time and found everyone in good spirits given the circumstances. Keith and Robyn took the Provo bound group and we worked with the Tow truck driver to figure out what to do next. It was good to find out that the Tow truck driver was an old family friend of my boss (he is from Malad). We also found out that he graduated the same year as Keith and played sports for Malad. Everyone made it home safely and we finally arrived home at 10:00 PM. We saw some bad wrecks on the way home and one was really bad. They had just removed the roof of the car when we drove by and were working on the occupants. It was sad. Anyway, we were surprised by the snow storm that met us from Pocatello to Burley. Luckily the weather was nicer after that.

Thanks again Keith and Robyn for rescuing your nieces and nephews today.

We are thankful we all made it home safely.

Love the Mechams in Meridian

Wonderful Day

Today I had the opportunity to be with my family in Rexburg, Idaho and to witness the wedding of Lindsey Kaiser. It was a blast to see my granddaugter and all my children. Families are wonderful and I am glad that I know that through our temple marriage that we can be together forever! I have been to many weddings that were performed outside of the temple and when I attend the weddings inside the temple and feel of the strong sweet spirit, I know that the temple is a special place and is truly the Lord's house where his sacred ordinances take place through His Holy Priesthood. I am thankful to have been there today to witness this special marriage and to feel of the warm spirit of the Holy Ghost. A temple marriage is truly a sacred event. Families are also wonderful. I am so thankful for my family and all the joy they bring to me. Their is nothing more enjoyable than being with your family. We had dinner tonight with Pauleen and Richard and their family. My mom and dad also joined us. It was a lot of fun being together and watching the cousins have a lot of fun together. We just wished that Mom and Dad Stucki didn't have to get home to Preston so early or they could have joined us too.

Enjoy the one hour of less sleep! The good thing is longer nights to go on family walks!

Love the Meridian Mechams

Hi

Just thought we would give an update. This month I started with a new particpant in my business and we will be starting another new person next month. I fill very blessed to have 33 people that I work for. They are all great.

This week has found Gary sick with a nasty cold/flu. Daniel has been teething. He has gotten 1 tooth on the bottom so he is now up to 3 and then he has 2 molars coming in on the top so he will be up to 6 teeth on the top. Needless to say he has been a little cranky but it is hard to get to frustrated because he likes to be held and loved. Emmalynn is a very strong & independent young lady. She likes to have her way and threw a great HUGE tantrum in the mall when she didn't get her way. It was quite embarrassing for her mom to have to carry her out of the mall screaming and crying. We are trying to know what to do about this. So all you experienced mom's any suggestions?

We hope all of you have a great week!

Laree

PS. Kaitlyn congrats on making the JV softball team. Let us know about running for office.

Hi Everybody!

We don't have anything exciting to say really. Brant had baseball tryouts today. Kyler is starting baseball when the snow melts (could be awhile). Keith is going to the state tournament all day tomorrow to watch. Too bad they aren't playing.... Tegan and Robyn went on an exciting field trip to the dentist office with Tegan's preschool class. Now Tegan is very into brushing her teeth and tongue! She also flosses better than anyone else around here! Jarom is receiving his Arrow of Light for scouts this month. Jarom and Kyler's basketball teams are playing in the AAU state championships this month. Annie has her first piano recital this month. She's a little stressed about memorizing her song, but keeps working on it!
We are glad that you are all well and love to hear from you! Josalyn, I love that you are coaching little cheerleaders! They will love you! Good luck Kaitlyn with your tryouts, let us know how it goes. Steph, it's sometimes crazy how life throws us unexpected experiences--hang in there. Have a good week, everyone!

Grandpa's and Grandma's are AWESOME!!!

I am so greatfull that Grandma and Grandpa came down to watch me and Brielle! We have been haveing so much fun! Like grandpa said I have been very busy with softball and also running for freshman class president! After my saturday try outs we went swimming. well more like me and Brielle went swimming =)! I got out of the pool a little early so that I could get ready to go to dinner. Just so happens that the guy I like works at the resturant and I didnt even know (wink wink =))! After trying to attempt to finish our milkshakes that were HUGE! but very yummy! We have had so much fun!! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for all that you have done for me and Brielle!!!
Love Kaitlyn

New Mission President

We attend the Greenhill Ward this morning and Bishop Osborne announced that President Belliston (sp) has been called to serve as President of the Baltimore, Maryland Mission beginning in July. There were a lot of nice things said about President and Sister Belliston during the course of todays meetings.

I congratulated him and told him it was just another evidence that the church was true.

Kaitlyn looked good in softball tryouts and her coach on the second day of tryouts called her over to practice with the varsity. I told her she should shoot for starting varsity as a freshman. Being a biased grandpa I told her, that her catching form was the best of the five girls who were catching for the pitchers the first day of tryouts. Based on the second day maybe I was right. Saturday she got a nice hit in their scrimmage.

I hope she does well. Right now she is also in the middle of running for class office. She has some clever ideas. She is handing out play one dollar bills and on the back she has written. You can bet you last DOLLAR on me!!! Vote f0r Kaitlyn. The one poster she has completed states. There are a million fish in the sea but NONE are like me! Vote Kaitlyn Mecham. She has a blue lei running a across the middle of the poster representing the sea and below she has hot glued a school of fish about a foot long and six inches deep from cracker gold fish. In the middle of the school of fish she has a sticker representing a beautiful fish. Brielle said she helped her pick it out.

One last not Brielle came in and asked me if I could take Kaitlyn over to the stake dance. My immediate thought process was this was my little granddaughter, she is not old enough to go to the dance. Thank goodness for grandmas', Roberta said it would be fine. It is hard to believe that all of my beautiful granddaughters are turning in to lovely teenagers. Kaitlyn decided to work on her campaign so she stayed home but for grandpa it was a wake up call.

Love you all!

Grandpa, Nolan Mecham