About Our Family ... Page 2

[Aunt Diane to the rescue!]

Taken in summer of 2007 - Diane had just "rescued" Adrienne from the "rock" in the kids' park.

Diane is still attending college at BYU-Idaho and is slated to graduate in the spring of 2010. She seems to be enjoying her classes for the most part, especially her communication courses and German. She hasn’t always been thrilled with the tidiness of some of her roommates, but this year got a real nice group. She still works at the nearby bakery in her off terms and might be doing that until she finds a more permanent job after graduation. In the fall of 2009 she was able to do an internship at Disney World, which she enjoyed immensely. When she has time, she still makes small dolls (from scratch... no patterns) and sells them on a limited basis to fellow anime nuts to earn spending money.

[Diane's Second World Dolls 2007]

Some dolls Diane did in 2007 based on game characters created by her friends.

[Diane working on dolls]

Diane, in her younger days, working on some dolls.

[Diane's cat-rabbit doodle]

Diane likes to sketch sometimes and this was a doodle she made when trying to imagine a cross between a cat and a rabbit. Sometimes exercises like these can help keep her awake in class at college!

[Diane at Disneyworld]

Diane at Disneyworld - 2009

Since the last update, Karen and Niklas have married and relocated to Rexburg, Idaho, where she'd formerly gotten her accounting degree. Niklas is still doing his schooling and wanted to go there, so she's back! She's working for an accounting firm in Idaho Falls and has also started online classes to work for her Master's Degree. She's looking forward to the day when they can start their family. Having her sister go through the baby experience has increased her nesting urges. Meanwhile, they both do school and work... Niklas working during his off terms and part-time as he's able. They've made some nice friends in the married ward and both hold callings at church. Further down are some photos from their wedding... I never got them put up last year. =:o

[Karen and Kathy in Idaho Falls]

Taken when we took Karen to college at BYU-Idaho in early January of 2003. The above photo was taken in nearby Idaho Falls (it looks like the Idaho Falls Temple is sprouting out of our heads!). We were in town to do some last minute shopping for her school needs and spend time with Ron's sister before delivering Karen to her dorm in Rexburg.

[Karen at College]

From her freshman year at BYU-Idaho - After a first year roommate "bonding experience," everyone had to wash tempra paint off the bottoms of their feet!

[Karen and Niklas Skinner Engagement]

A picture of mutual delight - Karen with her brand new fiancé, Niklas Skinner - November 2007

[The Fallen]

From the FREEZING engagement photo shoot in Blackfoot, Idaho - February 2008. I believe this was the "coming down to earth" resting shot when his arms finally gave out from all of the photos taken while holding her.

[Mr. and Mrs. Skinner emerge from the temple]

Mr. and Mrs. Skinner emerge from the temple.

[Newlywed Smile]

[Superman pose]

Jennifer calls out, "Niklas! Do your Superman pose!"

[Dual Photos]

[Outside the temple]

One of Nancy's (Niklas' mom) favorite shots.

[Wedding Attendees Outside]

Can you tell how windy it was outside? The rain set in soon after this and photo taking had to be suspended at the temple grounds. Sadly, this is as large as I can make this outdoor shot. I would have loved to have one large enough for printing. The photographer only took a few of these and at a lower resolution than I would have preferred to get a good view of the people (he was trying to get much of the temple in with us much smaller in front). :-/ These are all the folks that came for the wedding or to be at the temple when they came out(others showed up at the reception). I won't list them all by name, but there were a few cousins from the Miller side of the family, some of the Bohls family from Silverdale, Bonnie Granger, half a dozen of Karen's former roommates (maybe more),the Skinner family (except for a younger sister who was on a mission at the time) and nieces... Ron's brother, sister-in-law and sister.

The picture to the right is from the reception... the Millers who could make the trip.

[Miller Family at wedding]

[Karen and Ron]

I loved this picture of Karen with her dad. :-)

[Karen's work photo 2009]

Karen Skinner in the fall of 2009 - taken for her work

Lynda in January of 2009

Lynda graduated from Digipen this spring with a “Bachelor of Fine Arts in Production Animation” (how’s that for a mouthful?). She is still looking for a job since making a move to Los Angeles, where she’s living with her boyfriend’s family. We met them at the graduation and they are very nice folks. There is an internship in Washington State she will fulfill in the New Year. Meantime, maybe she can find some temporary work around here, or spend it polishing up her portfolio. She still has a love affair with dragons and Japanese anime.

["Asleep"] "Asleep"

[Baby Gorbash] Baby Gorbash from the Flight of Dragons

[Millers at Lynda's Graduation]

Lynda graduates from Digipen! You can't imagine how crowded it was in the lobby when everyone flooded out for refreshments! =:o Can you find Robert Booth in this photo? ;-)

[Lynda with Tom Murray and Family]

Lynda with Tom Murray and his parents "Fletch" and Nancy (after graduation dinner).

[Lynda's Sketches]

Miscellaneous Sketches done for a job in her freshman year (Digipen)

[Beware She Demon]

"Beware the She Demon"

"Other" family members... For the first time since shortly after we moved here, we are without any cats. Our last "kitten," Tawny, died on November 30th of 2006 at the age of 16 years. The stray cat we'd fed for several years disappeared a few months before that and we are fairly certain he was killed by coyotes. We'd been hearing and seeing them in our yard, quite close to the house.

Now we just have "Bird." He joined our ranks on August 3rd, 1997, the day we got back from a family vacation. A cockatiel appeared in our yard and Robert and I managed to lure it into a cage. He used to have a cockatiel and had been expressing regrets that year in giving "Marty" away and wondering if he'd like another bird. I teased him that this bird was a gift from God. We named him "Opus" because of his incessant whistling and mimicking, but he was usually just called "the bird." The name "Opus" didn't really stick and at this point, he's mostly called "Bird-E-Bird." Robert started that, getting his inspiration from The Music Man (remember the sequence with "Girleee-GIRL!"). He's added a certain amount of cheery atmosphere to the house, although these days he gets a bit lonely with the kids out of the house and our having to move his cage to the back family room. He likes it when Ron is back there on the computer and we usually leave the TV on for him during the day.

[Christmas Cats]

In memory of our former kitty cats... all passed now. Purrcy with the three kittens born in August of 1990 during their "first" Christmas season. Kittens from left to right are Puff, Tawny and Max.

[Bird E. Bird by Diane]

Bird E. Bird... photo taken and "doctored" by Diane. She's gone through a couple of computer upgrades since this picture was taken!

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This page last updated on January 10, 2010.