Merry Christmas Newsletter!

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She's almost done!

 

Abby is getting closer to the inevitable-graduation.  Tuesday she will start the second trimester of her senior year.  We had some pictures taken of her for her senior picture.  She is not very excited that we are sharing them yet but we figure, why not?! Enjoy!

Her last year of soccer ended a while ago and she has now started her last season of basketball.  She is excited to be on the varsity team and is on the starting five.  

He's Come a Long Way!

We all remember the bashful, timid little guy who was always smiling.  

It's pretty hard to believe that Mac the Marine is the same kid.

It's About Time! Our Marine McKay

What an absolute fantastic weekend we had this last Thursday and Friday. The time has come for McKay to graduate from boot camp and become a real Marine. We are so very proud of him.

McKay's friend, Cameron, and his parents, Brian and Lynda Merritt decided to come and wish him well. They flew in earlier than we did but we flew in Wednesday night so that we could arrive early at the Marine Corp. Recruiting Depot (MCRD) for Family Day. It is an gigantic place. We figure we put in at least 5 miles walking. In the center of the depot is a huge piece of cement about the size of 5 X 2 football fields (about 1000 yards by 100 yards). The bad part of this is if you wanted to go to the store that was just across this parade deck (cement pad), you had to go all the way around it. You couldn't walk on it or on the grass. Those were the absolute rules and we weren't sure if we would come home with all of our limbs if we happened to "fall" on the lawn! McKay is very obedient to all of the rules, we think that is one of the reasons he survived.

When we first got there all 7 platoons were practicing for the liberty presentation and the graduation ceremony. They were dressed in their camies and we had to pick McKay our from the back. We were right on. See if you can pick him out. One minor hint is he looks an awful lot like his brother, Shay.

After they had practiced, they returned to their barracks and got ready for their last motorun, which would be the last run they took as Fox Company. He seemed very intent and serious during this run. It was so cool to hear the drill instructors shout out orders but we later learned that the shouting of orders was the most annoying part of the whole experience. Nonetheless, we were all impressed and Abby soon learned how to imitate the marching yells.

The march that they had been practicing was for the liberty presentation which followed the motorun. Finally they were ready to show us. They marched ending up right in front of the family and friends that were there to watch graduation. They were very impressive. Following this drill, they were free to join us for the rest of the day. We couldn't take them off base, offer them drugs, alcohol, tobacco, let them drive or let them do anything that was unbecoming of a Marine. We went shopping and then we went to a luncheon that the church sponsored for members and their families. It was very enjoyable to meet with the missionaries during the luncheon. It was about a 2 mile hike to the luncheon, however. McKay ate like a horse eating at least 2 plates of everything. Even Brian Merritt was surprised at his appetite.

He had to report back at 17:45 PM for the night and so we went back to our hotel and enjoyed a nice rest from all of our walking. We thought we would go to dinner and we had our choice of about 10 Mexican restaurants. Guess what we had? It was yummy. It was the first time we tried deep fried ice cream!

After a restful night we got up early the next day for the "real" graduation. It was much like the previous day with marching only they were in their dress blues. He looked so handsome, mature, and sharp. It wasn't until this trip that we realized just how important this step was for him. It was really hard and he says that if he knew then what he knows now about boot camp, he wouldn't do it. He did a fantastic job shooting the M16s, in fact he was the best in his platoon earning the "Rifle Expert" pin. He is determined to do well in all that he does and he is very excited to serve his church mission following his training. 

He has picked up a few habits that are impressive. He never just stands without being "at ease". He also holds his hands in a refined fist whenever he walks. These are things that will probably leave him eventually but it is impressive for now.

We are so proud of McKay for his determination, attitude, and loyalty. He is a great addition to the Marine Corp. He is home now for 10 days, after which he will return to Camp Pendleton in California. After training there for 29 days he will be transferred to North Carolina where he will receive his final training. We expect him home again about February or March of 2009.

McKay, Alive and Well!

McKay wrote us another letter and we wanted everyone to keep updated. We should soon have a picture of him. He writes:

5 August 2008

Dear Family!

Well, we have begun a new week of training. It is starting to form more into formal training rather than just chaos. We did some M16-Bayonet training and learned some attacking strikes. Soon after we went over and did some Pugil Sticks (much like the gauntlet from American Gladiators). We have padded rods and we smack each other with them. I won my match with flying colors. I overpowered the other recruit, which makes me "The Dominator" which I rightfully take from Griffin!

7 August 2008

Well, I got cut off and couldn't finish writing this until today. Nothing has really changed since the 5th. We have just been doing a lot more drilling (marching) with our rifles, preparing for Initial Drill, which is the initial competition between the platoons in Fox Company. If we win it, you can expect a phone call from me. As I have stated previously, our Senior Drill Instructor care very much about his and the platoons image. He is a very proud man, but he is cool. He has served a couple of tours in Iraq and has seen the worst of war. But he constantly talks about all the stuff the troops are actually doing in Iraq which is taking care of the people. Only because he has been there and that's what they have been doing. Staying away from that subject, another cool thing has come up. We have prayer for 5 minutes every night and we separate into our different religions. We started out with 3-4 people in the Mormon group at the beginning. Now, we have 6-8 people who come to our circle almost every night. It is easy to see that the people in our platoon see us as "different" from everyone else in a good way. It really is cool to be able to do missionary work in such a hostile, unclean environment.

Today, we were doing some "cracking of the sticks" which is drilling with our rifles. It was a pretty stressful time. Our Drill Instructors weren't in the best of moods and some people in the platoon were having trouble with some of the movements. So whenever you would mess up, they would scream their lungs out at you and put you in pain with "rifle work outs" which are terrible. I swear the Lord was guiding my hands because I would randomly do the right movements while I was confused on what to do in the first place! However, one of my friends, Recruit Julson was yelled at because he made a small mistake . He lost it, slammed his rifle on the ground and took off out the door. He came back and is fine now but the instructors have a close eye on him.

8 August 2008

Well, I keep running out of time and can't finish this letter so I'll finally finish it now. We have been doing pretty much the same thing. I look forward to chow every day and Sundays cause that means the end or start of another week. Plus, church is like heaven on earth. Today we were out doing some drills with some "weapon inspection" moves. Another platoon from our company, 2122, challenged us to our "weapon inspection." We did and kicked them. Well, I have got to go. I will write later.

Have you guys bee getting my letters? I haven't heard or gotten anything from you guys so I am wondering if everything is alright.

I love you all very much and again look forward to October 17.

Mac

P.S. Let Shay and Griffin know that when I get back, I'll get on World of Warcraft again. That will get me through my MOS training. Plus, if you could type a letter or just print a picture of the family on a normal paper that would really boost my morale here.

Just so you know - we have done both - sent a letter and picture.

McKay Writes Home

McKay wrote a couple of letters recently and we wanted to share them with you.

July 29, 2008

Hey Family!

It is so nice to finally write you guys. It really has been a long week since I have gotten here at MCRD San Diego. But all is good. Last Friday my Platoon 2.1213 finally got together with our Drill Instructors who are a handful. We have our Senior Drill Instructor, Sgt. Brown, (some black dude who very much cares about his self image and is a perfectionist); 2) Sgt. Linans (crazy little Asian dude who always seems like he is going to rip you arm off); and 3) Sgt. Gomez (white dude who yells so much). We are constantly busy every day marching (drilling), cleaning, yelling, and eating. Chow is the best thing ever! The only reason I have time to write now is because I got my wisdom teeth pulled and they put me on bed rest.

Since today is training day 1 (T-1) we haven't really done much besides preparing for training which includes things like getting all of our issued gear, learning how to maintain that gear, and just learning the basics. I have been doing great and have been motivated and optimistic since the beginning. I have easily made some life-long friends here who all look out for each other. We do have the 10% of retards who make it wosre for everyone, but we are moving on. Sundays are the best. They have church here on the base. It is just like regular sacrament meeting. I am so grateful for the church and for all that Heavenly Father does for me. As you could imagine, prayer is mandatory here and it really is cool to see it work. We have about 4 recruits who are LDS in the platoon and we have scripture time every night. We also have 2-3 recruits who come to church because they were curious. Oh, how rough times open people's eyes!

Our drill instuctor has told us many times after seeing each platoon in the company that we are the best, which isn't really surprising after seeing our drill. We are pretty good at marching. Well I have to "get online"now so I'll write more when I can. I love you all so very much and think about you all every day here. Nights are the worst because the emotion is doubled at that time but I will see you all again on the week of October 17, 2008.

P.S. There is a church website for the MCRD that has some pictures of me. I don't know if you have seen it yet but I will let you know about it as soon as possible. I love you all.
Recruit Allen

2 August 2008

Hey family!

Well, it is now T-5 and PT (personal fitness training) is starting to get kickin'. We started doing the obstacle course and it was a lot of fun. We have had some interesting changes with our Drill Instructors. DI Sgt. Linans got booted from MCRD for abusing one of our recruits, so we got a new DI. The new on is DI Sgt. Williams who is cool but is a typical DI. So in reality I don't like him too much. I am always confused still of what is going on but I am getting through.

3 August 2008

Hey family!

I currently am here sitting in church. How grateful I am to have finished 2 weeks of boot camp, only 11 more to go. I can not tell you guys how much I have depended on the Lord and how much he has helped me. Cameron probably could relate when I say that I am so grateful for church. It really feels like I am home.

Our new DIs really have been kicking our butts and it really gets annoying after a while. But I still have held to my goal of not getting ITed (incentive training). We have been doing a lot of drilling with our M16AZ lately and they really make your back sore. But I am surviving. We have also been doing MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) which is pretty fun but very tiring. I have some good bruises from our "Body Hardening" training which is pretty much just punching and kicking each other. Every night it sure does hit home how much I miss you guys. I sure do look forward to the day I will see you all again.

It sure is cool because the other recruits around me are from all over the United States. One of my good friends, Recruit Anderson, is from Minnesota while another is from Texas. About 1/4 of the platoon is from Texas and Cass could probably understand that. Another one of my friends, Recruit Coan, is from Vietnam. He moved to the US 10 months ago, then joined the Marines. Talk about dedication. He even has trouble speaking and reading English so I help him out a lot.

Time has slowly began to speed up as we start getting settled. The afternoons are still long. I think boot camp tests your patience more than anything. So many times I have wanted to punch DI Sgt. Gomez in the face. That guy never shuts up and has too much energy for his own good.

One thing that Abby is going to hate when I get back is how tan I am. San Diego is very sunny so I have gotten a good San Diego tan. Again, I have run out of time and have to close up this letter. I love all you guys and look forward every day to see you all again. October 17 is getting closer which is awesome.

Love,
McKay

Dad Survived Another High Adventure!

This is the first year that Dad has gone on a Scouting/High Adventure summer trip without any of our boys with him. Monday they traveled to the east side of Mt. Hood, set up camp and went canoing on a nice mountain lake. Dad's group took 2nd place in a competition that ended with Dad having to eat the banana that was used as a baton during the race. We hope Giardia doesn't catch up with him after eating the lake-water soaked banana.

The 2nd day they went white water rafting which was pretty exciting. The 3rd & 4th days we did a 22 mile backpacking hike up a mountain to another lake. Dad did OK but he struggled a bit. --WARNING--The following video contains a scene that may be disturbing to the non-outdoor wimps:

Dad's "Blair Witch Project"

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=47056555359743761&hl=en

The 5th day we did mountain biking. Dad decided not to participate in the ride but helped with a marshmallow blow dart challenge at the half-way point.

Finally, on the 6th day, we went rock climbing. Again, Dad choose not to risk further damage to his aging body and did not participate. We then drove home where Dad found Mom waiting patiently for her man to return. It was a good fun trip but a little different without McKay, Grif or Shay with us.

McKAY LEAVES FOR BOOT CAMP!

Another momentous event happened in the life of the Allen family. On Sunday, July 20th, McKay became the newest member of the Elder's Quorum in our ward when he was ordained an Elder by Dad. It is hard to believe that he is old enough and mature enough to receive the Melchezidek Priesthood. It seems like only yesterday he was ordained a Deacon! Where has the time gone? He also received his Duty to God award that day. He is the first young man from our ward to receive all three awards, Deacon, Teacher and Priest. We are so proud of him.

Saturday night we had a going away party for McKay out at the "compound". Cameron Merritt, his Marine friend, planned it for him and many of this friends were invited. It was fun to BBQ burgers and hot dogs while fighting off the mosquitos. McKay rode his dirt bike for the last time for a while, crashing into a blackberry bush, and returned with many scratches on his neck and arms. He was so PROUD!! The pictures below were taken at the party. It was a fun event.

Later that evening we delivered him to the Holiday Inn by the airport where he spent the night, awaking at 4 AM for his flight to Camp Pendleton in San Diego and Marine boot camp. It was hard to have him leave but he was excited and so we will always support him. He called the next day at 10:27 PM and let mom know that he had made it, when his training starts, when graduation will be (October 17), and that he will write us with the address. "Bye, Mom" were his closing words. The whole speech lasted about 12 seconds. We miss him but he will be home in 90 days and we are counting down every one of them.

A Memorable Week Ahead

Here we are Sunday night preparing for the week. Russ is getting packed to venture out with the older boys on their annual High Adventure. After their 50 mile hike last year, they decided to tone it down a bit. They are going rafting, backpacking, biking, canoeing, and rock climbing. Sounds much simplier! McKay is enjoying his last week home before he heads off to boot camp. He is scheduled to leave next Sunday on the 20th. That will prove to be a big day as well. He is going to be presented in church to be ordained an Elder which will then take place during priesthood. Just a few hours before he leaves for boot camp. The reality of it all is settling in and mom isn't particularly fond of any of it. We realized that he might not be home again for any extended time for a while. He will spend the next year in training and then he will serve his mission. Let's see . . that's three long years. Here is a little of what we'll be missing.

This last Saturday was Abby's last track meeting for the summer. She didn't do as well as she would have liked but it has given her some good goals to work on. After she jumped we stopped off at the National Guard display for Abby to climb the rock wall. It was so fun and she did so well that we took a few pictures.

Below is a video Russ took of Abby jumping.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR GRANDPAS

We have two of the greatest grandpas ever and their birthdays happen to be just within 2 months of each other. So we wanted to pay tribute to two of our favorite grandpas.

Grandpa Winterrose
on May 18

Grandpa Allen
on July 10

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We love you so much and we wish you were here. Here's hoping you both have the best year ever.

Our Visit to Astoria

Here we are in one of the prettiest places in Oregon, Astoria! Home of the world famous Maritime Museum. Lots of interesting stuff on ships, barges, tug & tow boats, fishing, and much more. Jill is standing by the world record largest chinook salmon (83 pounds) and the top 10 things that bring good luck to fishing. We liked no. 4 best, "No suitcases on board, only farmers carry suitcases".

Jill is now steering a large battle ship on to victory!!! "Is that an iceberg ahead?"

She is now watching a daring rescue of a man overboard by the Coast Guard! The Coast guard has a significant presence in Astoria because the area where the Columbia river meets up with the Pacific ocean is one of the most dangerous areas to cross in the world.

Dad takes a rest on a huge anchor. Mom thinks they could just hook that huge chain to Dad and use him as the anchor.

This handsome couple is posed in front of a lighthouse boat called the "Columbia". This boat was used as a mobile lighthouse to warn ships of danger.

Mom is pondering the challenges of life as she looks out over the little harbor where one of the Coast Guard bases is located.

"Hey you guuuyyys". You might recognize that line from the memorable movie classic "The Goonies" which was filmed here in Astoria.

If you look very, very closely on that little rock in the middle just off shore you can see a bunch of penguins that must of got lost on their last hunting excursion. Maybe they were just birds that looked like penguins. Who cares!

Here Mom is in front of a historic lighthouse that is still in working order, still warning ships that there is land near by. This was pretty cool and Mom executed the hike up the hill like a skilled mountaineer.

We stayed in the Benjamin Young Bed & Breakfast Friday night after doing all the sight seeing previewed above, woke up bright and early for the breakfast part of the "Bed & Breakfast", and then went to the annual Scandinavian Festival (Mom has some Scandinavian blood coursing through her veins if you didn't know that already). We watched some fun authentic Scandinavian dancing and ate some Scandinavian food and then drove back to good old Aloha. It was good to get away and relax a bit.

OUR FAVORITE FATHERS

Today is Father's Day and we have some of the most wonderful fathers in our family. We want to pay tribute to them today.

The dad who seems to be the most seen and heard is Russell J. Allen. He is so wise and quick to offer his advice, wisdom, and anything else he might have. He is loving, kind, wise, gentle, understanding, intelligent, and best of all still good looking even at an older, more mature age. (That was mom speaking.) He is breaking into the grandpa mold very easily. He loves his grandkids and always thinks of them. We love you on this Father's Day and every day!

Grandpa Allen is the favorite father and grandpa from St. George, Utah. He is warm hearted, easy to please, always wanting the best for us. We love him for his humor, cute smile, gentle nature, and little limp. Thank you dad and grandpa for all you have been to us in our lives. We love you a million!

Another favorite dad and grandpa from Cedar City, Utah is Grandpa Winterrose. He stays young by golfing regularly and taking walks to Top Spot with grandma. He is kind, gentle, always giving or helping anyone who might need a hand. We love and adore you. Happy Father's Day.

!! McKay Graduates from High School !!

Well, that long awaited day finally arrived and McKay is now a 2008 Aloha High School graduate. It is hard to believe that he has made the whole journey and is now a grown up! He graduated on June 11, 2008 in the Chiles Center at Portland State University. There was a mere 486 seniors, McKay was number 5, and so it was a very long evening. However, it was a very fun night to honor him for his good work. He went to the all-night grad party following graduation. He didn't get home until 6:00 AM and was totally exhausted the next day. CONGRATULATIONS MCKAY, WE LOVE YOU!

OUR NEWEST EAGLE SCOUT !!

McKay had his Eagle Court of Honor last Friday night. It was a real treat to honor him and two of his friends, Sean Whitnah, and Garrett Parker. There was a video put together that highlighted their lives and some wonderful speakers who spotlighted each boy. He also received an American flag that has flown over the US Capital. We are so very proud of McKay. May seems to be his month, between graduation and now the court of honor, he has been in the spotlight with many busy things. To top it off he has 60 days left before he leaves for Marine boot camp. He is very excited. Congratulations McKay for earning your Eagle. You're awesome!

WE LOVE YOU 2008 GRADUATE

The time of attending class, doing homework, and creating class projects is now drawing to a close for McKay. It seems like it was just yesterday that he was ready to start kindergarten. The time has really flown by. He is excited to be out of school and on with his life. He is even refusing to go to the classes that are just showing movies for the last couple of weeks. He will graduate on June 11 at the Chiles Center at Portland State University. He is also going to attend the all night party at Bullwinkle's Fun Center. Can you imagine 8 hours at the Fun Center? He will love it. He has had a wonderful school experience and we, at home, want to congratulate him on his achievements. We have included some of our favorite pictures of Mac. This has been a delightful journey.

Our Active Children and Oh, by the way, "Happy Birthday Mom"

Happy Birthday to the best darn Mom in the world (and she's a pretty good wife too!).

Griffin and McKay have been spending time in the valley on the dirt bikes. It was Griffin's first time riding the range. They both came home with a huge mud stripe down the back of their shirt and pants. No injuries, just plenty of fun!!! Today Griffin bit the dust for the first time.

He made it through the hard part but he fell prey to the deep, deep ruts. He couldn't get out and it flipped him off the bike. But, like a good sport, he hopped back up and sped away.

Also, Abby's first track meet came and she triple jumped 34'6". She got back to school and looked at the records for the school. The school's record for triple jump was 34'6"! Not too shabby for her first track meet. She is looking awesome.




















McKay has been training for boot camp with the Marines. Last Thursday he had a test and had to do 4 pull ups for every wrong answer on the test. Too bad he missed just 10 questions. Let's see . . . . a mere 40 pull ups! His arms are killing him right now and all we can do is think about what is to come in 4 months as he heads off to boot camp. It may not be as "fun" as he thinks it will be. Time will tell.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!

It has been a long 53 years but the old geezer has finally made it and with most of his teeth and practically all of his hair! Where has the time gone? I figure during his life he has played somewhere around 700 basketball games, slept about 135,400 hours, eaten close to 636 gallons of ice cream, hunted wild animals and such about 25 years of his life, created 6 beautiful children and 2 wonderful grandchildren. What more could you ever expect? Happy Birthday Russell J. We think the world of you and want to wish you a Happy Birthday!

LOOK WHO IS ONE YEAR OLD - TODAY!!

From those first days in the hospital with RSV,
the sleepless nights of your mom and dad
while you were learning to sleep through the night,
and those screaming airplane trips,
every single day has been ever so worth it.
There are yet many more challenges for you and them
as you grow and mature but what great years lay
ahead. Happy Birthday to You Brylie.




HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYLIE DEAR
HAPPY DAYS WILL COME TO YOU ALL YEAR
IF WE HAD ONE WISH, THAT YOU COULD TRUST
IT'S A HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU FROM US!




HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FAVORITE NIECE AND GRANDDAUGHTER!