MoThEr RuSsiA...mAy 2009

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,

always with the same person. ~Mignon McLaughlin

Darren and I in Moscow, Red Square!! I loved it!

It was so fun to spend time together!

Here is the whole gang in Belarus!

So it was quite a big deal for a Belorussians airline to be getting a new aircraft, so the media

met us and interviewed the pilots, I took this photo as I was getting off the airplane, I actually tried to wait until the media left, but apparently the Belorussians president was coming in right after us and they were trying to get us into the airport pretty quickly to close off the rest of the airport...very exciting for us!

Darren, Lynn and Pete in Belarus

So I am backing up a bit, wanted to post a couple photos of Darren and I in Belarus and Moscow Russia...It seems like a year ago when we were there and so much has happened sense that trip, but I really wanted to post a few photos. I learned so much on this trip, I hate to admit, but I had never heard of Belarus before heading out on this journey, Belarus is a very old country but sadly because of the devastation of War most of the original country was destroyed!
I was over the top excited about visiting Moscow. The other pilots and their wives left us in Belarus and headed for Paris, but Darren and I ventured to Moscow on our own. We found a great English tour and visited as much as we could in the few days we were there. We did learn that though we all may think the KGB has been disbanded the people of both Belarus and Russia do not believe that to be true one bit. Our tour guide was pretty funny, she was a Russian woman that spoke English with a strong accent, and she would talk pretty matter of fact about some of the earlier goings on of the KGB including people being killed, but she wouldn't say that, she would say.."Well, they were never seen again" stuff like that. The trip was so awesome!!Thank you Skywest Airlines for giving us the 0opportunity to see this part of the world!

OcToBeR 2009

Okay, you know you haven't posted in awhile when you nearly couldn't log on because you forgot your pass word...So I will give this another shot!

mAy....tRiP tO RuSSiA...

May 2009, Darren was asked to deliver an airplane (Jet) for his company to Minsk Belarus, of course I had to join him. Two other pilots were asked to take the journey as well and luckily their wives were able to come too! We had a great time and it was really fun for me to be on an airplane that my husband was actually flying...

We had several stops on the trip for fuel or to stay over night....First overnighter was in

ICELAND! Below are a few shots of us in the plane and in Iceland...

Darren and I in flight!

This is the quaint little town where we stayed in Iceland.

Darren in action flying the plane!


Here is a picture of the whole gang, the Airline that was leasing the new Jet from Darren's Airline (SkyWest) was Belavia Air, Belavia sent four Belorussians to join us on the journey.....

aNd ApRiL cOnTiNuEs....

The Moyes Family Celebrates another Birthday.....

Chloe Ellen Moyes

April 22, 2009

17 years old

Chloe chose to celebrate her birthday with her

family by going out to dinner,she chose Chilli's because she loves

the Chocolate Moulton Cake!

Chloe is our second daughter and fourth child.

Chloe is a perfect example that children are born with their

personality's, she has always been the sweetest most

loving little girl ever, but boy oh

boy she can be so feisty as well, and truly it

has been that way from the get go.

Chloe is also extremely funny. She is the comic

relief around our home! I love having two

daughters and I am so grateful that they are not only

sisters but best friends!

Chloe and I just returned from Haiti it was fun to be on a trip

with just her! Chloe, I hope you always know that I love you

just the way you are, funny, feisty, stubborn,sweet, loyal

and loving and full of life! I hope you will always

follow your dreams and be a great photographer

(which you already are), or whatever you decide to do.

MoRe ApRiL FaMiLy FuN....

Easter

April 2009

Robby coloring easter eggs!

Robby and his best friend and cousin Dari, aren't they so cute!
This year the Moyes Family Easter dinner was at our home.

Yes that is an easter basket on Robby's head, and yes this is the only

photo I got of all my children on easter!
Our older children told us this easter how much they loved having a little brother around especially during the holidays, it makes it so much more exciting to see things through his big wide eyes (coloring eggs, waking up and finding out that the easter bunny brought us treats, and having an easter egg hunt). We all agree how blessed we are to have such a sweet little boy be apart of our family, easter basket on the head and all!

ApRiL

HaPpY hApPy BiRtHdAy!!

gRaYsOn WiLLiAm

BiG nUmBeR "14"

ApRiL 2nd

Grayson celebrated his 14th birthday with his family at Tempanyaki (I have no idea how to spell that). Robby had an absolute blast watching the dinner be lit up in flames! I have posted a picture of Grayson with his grandma who was with us at the birthday celebration because Grayson just adores his Grandma. Just a few years ago Grandpa Kirk passed away and Grayson and him were quite the buddies as well, but since Grandpa passed away Grayson really looks after Grandma Sharyl. He goes to her house at least once a week to help her with projects, mainly mowing the grass (and there is Lot's of grass), but if there is anything else she needs to have done he is happy to do it.
Grayson is good through and through! He is full of love for his family and he is an awesome friend. Grayson ran for office this year and was voted as the 9th grade president for next year. He will make a great president!! Grayson, thanks for all you do to help your family, especially your grandma, I know grandpa is watching and is very happy!!

aNd eVeN mOrE mArCh

MaDi tUrNs "19"

mArCh 21

Madi celebrated with her sister Chloe, cousins McCall and Chelsea! It is one of Madi's favorite things to do since she was in junior high, spend the day shopping in Salt Lake with her sister and cousins, her Aunt Shanna and of course her mom!! We had a fun day together!

Madi is so sweet and so easy to please, she loves her family and loves to spend time with them. She LOVES family traditions like birthday celebrations, going to Bear Lake with the Moyes family or visiting Portland to see all the Gentry clan (her mom's family). Or just the simple traditions like family night every Monday night, or dinner every Sunday with Grandma Sharyl, her dad's mom.
Madi graduated from high school last spring and this year she went to Weber State University, didn't love it!
But most of all this year Madi has been her mom's number one right arm (I call her my Nanny), watching her little brother and helping around the house so mom and dad could make a few journey's to far off lands. Madi will be going to China in August for four months to teach English at a private school, no she does not know Chinese, (for some reason this is the first question everyone asks). She is going with a group from Provo Utah called ILP, she is nervous, but very excited. Her family is excited for her too, but she will be missed a lot, especially by her mom. I think that what ever Madi decides to do in her life she will be amazing at, she has a heart of gold. She is perceptive, and really understands when someone needs a helping hand. She is one of the best friends I have ever seen, she loves unconditionally. I feel blessed to have a daughter like Madi! This may be a little late in writing, but I have loved the past 19 years with you Madi!!

wE hAvE MoRe mArCh

GeNtRy'S aNnUaL sT. PaTTy's PaRtY

mArCh 17

Since Gentry's return from serving an LDS mission in Ireland two years ago he has had a big St. Patricks party! He has all his old missionary buddies and lots of kids from Weber State as well. And of course the whole Moyes gang is invited (after all, he does need our help putting the party on). My dad's mom is from Ireland so I am sure that my dad and his parents are smiling down on us and loving that we are keeping up with some Irish traditions!!

mArCh

ChLoE gOeS tO ThE pRoM...

So Chloe gets asked to the prom by a random boy at school (random to her because she did not know him) she being the sweet girl that she is says yes, and Jorge is thrilled, a day after Chloe said yes a dozen red roses are delivered to our house, the note attached was simple..."thank you for saying yes, Jorge" (of course being the mom, I am immediately in love with this boy that I have never even seen a photo of) Chloe thinks it is sweet too!
but and usually there is always a but, on closer examination of her day (and I do mean day, dances and proms have become an all day event these days), Chloe begins to panic, "wait, I don't even know this person, and how on earth does he know me" and a really important one..."Oh my, I will not be with any of my friends, not at the day activity and not at the dinner, I will be in a totally random group with people I don't know!!...Oh, dear, how will this work out"
As the prom approaches Chloe is feeling like she has made a mistake, she is being pushed out of her comfort zone....But I am proud to say that Chloe did it, she went to the Prom with sweet Jorge! She had a GREAT time and was so thankful that she said YES! What a great lesson to learn when you are young! Get out of your comfort zone, make new friends!!

LiFe'S bEEn cRaZy!

So life has been crazy and I haven't had time to post much, I have decided to do a month by month up-date..since the last post was in February, I am going to start with March and work my way to June....or it may be July when I get done!
So, here we go.....

GiRL MeeTs bOy!

Girl meets boy, February 22, 1985

I tell this story at the risk of really dating myself...but here goes anyway!

24 years ago I returned home from serving an LDS mission in the Philippines, I was suppose to return home on December 14, but ended up coming home the first of February and was able to travel home with my second companion (who I served 9 months with). My home was in Portland Oregon, my companion (pictured with me below) Carilyn is from Ogden Utah.
I had only been home a couple of days when Carilyn called to tell me her father was in the hospital, he had suffered a heart attack. She really wanted me to meet him, so we made arrangements for her to travel to Oregon to meet my family and I would return with her to Ogden to meet her family, especially her father.
Long story short, while I was in Ogden I got a tooth ache (I had lost a filling in the Philippines and opted to wait until I got home to fix it, given the fact that I never ran in to a dentist while I was there). Anyway, it was a Saturday afternoon and Carilyn called her Uncle who was a dentist and asked if there was anything he could do, being the incredible kind man that he was he agreed to meet us at his dental office (on Madison Avenue, this is where our first daughter got her name).
Carilyn's uncle brought with him to the office, his beautiful wife, Sharyl (and yes, we both share the same name now, spelled different, but still the same), and his son Darren, he brought his son to be his dental assistant (and no my husband did not become a dentist, he is an airline pilot, in fact I can't think of another time in which Darren ever helped out at the dental office...hmmm). For me it was love at first sight, for Darren, maybe not love at first sight, you know the whole suction, dental thing....But for the sake of keeping this story short, I will just say that it was only 9 short months later that we were married. Today actually marks our first official date 24 years ago. We went skiing, all day! Darren had recently returned from serving an LDS mission as well, he had served in Bolivia! We both LOVED the time we spent serving missions, and we loved sharing stories...
So 24 years later, 6 kids, a cat (who died), a dog and a huge mortgage we are still going strong. Life has not always been easy and we have faced our share of bumps in the road, but the older I get the more firmly I believe that I found my soul mate in every way.
Darren is a quite reserved kind of guy, he is the youngest of a family of four children, by four years. I am in the middle of 13 children, I don't really have to say more (although I will mention the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, it is similar to our lives). I appreciate how supportive Darren has always been, we have had four of my sisters live with us, spanning about 5 years, we had a niece for another 18 months, a younger brother for a summer and myriads of house guests every year. When one of my sisters graduated from college (here in Utah) we had 20 house guests in our 2100 square foot home, it was crazy, but so much fun!!
Darren is also one of the most honest people I know! He is kind, gentle and trust worthy he is extremely hard working, and most of all he is a family man, he loves his children and when his crazy wife approached him about adopting a little boy from Haiti, even though we already had
five children, he was on board all the way!!
I am so grateful that I served a mission, met Carilyn, came to Utah, met my husband and have the wonderful life I have today! Darren is not a man of many words but his smile says so much about what he feels, and I am grateful after 24 years we are both still smiling!

Chareyl Gentry in the Philippines

(this is where our oldest son Gentry got his name)

Chareyl and Carilyn in Japan on our way home from the Philippines

Darren and Chareyl, met February 22, 1985

Married September 10, 1985

Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.
Amy Bloom

FaMiLy

Okay, so I know I haven't posted in a long time so this is long over due!!
Some of you may know that I tend to tease a little about the fact that all six of my children still live at home, and they are costing me an arm and a leg...Truth is, I love having them all home and I appreciate what great kids they are. No they aren't perfect and thankfully neither are their parents, but we love them just the same!
For Christmas this year our kids made Darren and I a video, it was the greatest Christmas gift we could have received. It was set to music and had a little interview from each child and then photos of them from the time they were little, it included family trips and great times together! Robby LOVES to watch it and probably would watch it every day if we let him. He will say "lets all watch our happy family movie".
Then just a couple days ago I returned from a trip to Haiti, I left all my adult children in charge, especially since their dad has a pretty full schedule. When I walked in the door, the house was completely in order! I didn't get home until after midnight so the house was quite and everyone was in bed. I was standing in the clean kitchen looking around and feeling blessed (and very impressed), there were little notes on the counter welcoming me home, one very cute one written by Robby (with a little help from his sister Madi) telling me how much he missed me, and then I looked over at the fridge where one of my girls had written a quote in very nice print, like a poster, it read "Be the change you wish to see in the world" (by Ghandi)I was so touched by this! What wonderful examples my children are to me..We all need to be the change we wish to see in the world.
So I wanted to post some of my favorite photos of my kids that were taken during the holidays. To Gentry, Sterling, Madi, Chloe, Grayson and Robby, Thanks so much for your support and helping when I am out of the country. You are the best kids a mom could ask for! Love you tons!!

"Be the Change you Wish to see in the World"