Guest Blogger: Haley

Now it's Haley's turn (the favorite sister)! Heather has always been a fun older sister. When we were younger she loved to make up songs and dance around in the living room. She was really nice and sometimes silly. Most importantly, even as a little kid she had such a strong testimony of the gospel and was very charitable to others.

Heather and I are three years apart. I remember as a freshman at BYU I was really nervous to go to college. I was lucky to have many older siblings there with me, but the following year they all moved away, except for Heather. To this day I am so grateful that Heather was there with me. My sophomore year was one of the hardest years of college for me. Heather lived so close, I often when to her place for food, comfort, and great talks. In fact, up until my mission we were the only two Flakes from our family living in Provo.

Since Heather is three years older than me I never wanted to live with her at BYU because I thought she was way older than me. Right before my mission, we decided to go ahead and live together. It was such a great experience, it makes me sad that we didn't live together sooner. She was such a support to me as we got to know people in the ward, go on double dates, give dating advice to each other, be running buddies, and even go through the temple together. I recall right before I went on my mission I was the one who told Heather how impressive this one particular guy was in our ward and that she should give him a chance. It was because of my encouragement that they later dated and got married. They now have two little boys and another baby on the way.

Heather is a great example and a hard worker. Through her struggles she has been strong and never faltered. I am blessed to have such a wonderful sister. Love ya Heather!!!

These pictures are from my wedding, but I am sure you can still spot Heather...

Haley

Guest Blogger: Dillon

Oh, my dear sister Heather. Now there's one person I'd never have a hard time coming up with something nice to say about--or at least something pretty interesting.

When I took driver's ed, the two other kids in my driving group had already had a few years of practice, both having lived in our subdivision, where anything done on the road goes. I was the one moron who'd never driven a car before. However, I had steered one. I remember once when I was really little, it was just me and Heather in some parking lot, and she let me steer the car while she worked the pedals, which at the time I thought was really cool. So any pre-driver's ed experienced I'd had behind the wheel of a car can be attributed to Heather.

My earliest memories of Heather can best be illustrated through things like "Tickle Torture" and "Sky West." I always thought she was one of my coolest sisters (which is of course saying something since I have the coolest family in the history of the Earth), from when I was little on up to the present. She only drove the point home when she married Austin--because he was super cool, too. And somehow they seemed to make each other cooler. So the coolest Heather has ever been is defined in the period from the time she married Austin to the present, during which they've brought forth two-and-a-half very cool kids: Luke, Jensen, and little Dillon, who's on the way (hint, hint).

Anybody who knows me pretty well can tell you that I'm a really cool guy--a fact that I believe speaks for itself. And while I certainly became awesome in a mostly self-taught manner, I think it can be safely said that Heather was one of my greatest influences. Sort of like a Jedi master and a Padawan.

Dillon

Guest Blogger: Ashley

Heather is Fearless

This picture was taken of Heather jumping off the car bridge in Horseshoe Bend. This was just before another sister (who shall not be named) jumped and hyperventilated afterward because it was so scary. I also have always been afraid of doing risky things-- jumping off of things, riding roller coasters, taking risks in Rook. I can't say that Heather has always been one for taking risks. I've only seen it since she's been married to Austin. Everyone in the family agrees, Austin has only improved Heather. She's so much funnier now, she stays up to party until late into the night, and she takes risks. I guess Austin has taught her the "joys" in life... playing in the freezing cold snow, going on dangerous hikes in tunnels, and jumping off of things. I guess it's so much easier to admire a quality that would be so hard for you yourself to cultivate. So this post goes out to my most fearless sister of all, and the rest of us scared-y cat sisters will stand over here and watch.

Guest Blogger: Melanie

I had a great time getting to know Heather better while she and her family lived here in Idaho. She is a great mother, wife, daughter and sister. She was always game for a party, hanging out, cooking great food together, birthdays, and even camping. Our family had a great time camping with Heather and her family at Silver Creek Plunge. Our kids got very dirty together and we did quite a bit of fishing. Heather was a serious fisher-woman, not taking a break even to nurse little fat Jensen. We are sad to have them so far away at school, but at least we are looking forward to seeing Heather and her family this summer!
Love,
Melanie

Guest Blogger: Bethany

I may be running out of things to say about Heather. So...I've brought in some reinforcements in the form of my family! First up, Bethany.

Heather is only 14 months older than I am. As kids, we were cute little blond girls that did everything together, sometimes we even shared a bed! As we got older, it became more and more obvious how different we were. We were only a grade apart in school, but we never had the same friends. By the time we were in college together, we'd grown apart to the point that we didn't even want to live together. We tried once, but she got mad that I listened to punk rock while I exercised, and she worked out to general conference talks. It wasn't until after my mission that we became better friends. I came home sick a few month early, and didn't even know if I'd be able to handle the plane ride from the Philippines. I had flight delays, and was all alone, and very depressed. When I got to Portland for the last leg of my flight to Boise, I shuffled my way to the next gate, and sitting there was Heather! She had driven to Boise from Provo, then she flew to Portland to be able to fly home with me. When she found out my flight had been delayed in Tokyo, she had to switch her flight to match mine (including a seat next to me), and wait around in the airport for seven hours. I think we both got pretty teary eyed when we saw each other. I couldn't believe the sacrifice she'd gone to so I wouldn't have to be alone. We talked all the way back to Boise, where we began to rebuild the friendship we still enjoy today. I love you, Heather!

It's Haley's Birthday, so...

Here's a pic of Heather with Haley! Happy Birthday, Haley! And, Heather, I must like you A LOT because I just realized that I've never blogged 15 days in a row ever! I am running low on pics, though. You may not like what I find (hee hee).

She Visits

One thing I love about Heather is that she visits. She was the first person to visit me when I moved to WV, the first person to visit me when I moved to Moses Lake and among the first group that visited me here in PA. It's never easy to travel with small children and sleep at someone else's house. I'm glad Heather likes me enough to make the sacrifice! (oh, and for the record, I was the first to visit her in her new house in Des Moines)

Heather is Hard Core

When Heather does something, she does it all the way. Austin wanted to go to visit his Grandma in Boston for spring break this year. Heather wanted to come with Joel and Melanie to PA, WV and the DC sites. So what did they do? All of it. Oh, and Kirtland, Palmyra, NYC, and Niagra Falls too. It was 10 days of mostly driving and site seeing. With two small boys. I would never have the guts. Heather is so hard core.

Where She Comes From

Believe it or not, both of our grandfathers were ranchers of sorts. My Mom and Dad both grew up riding horses and feeding chickens, cows, sheep, etc. It's kind of surprising since we grew up without even so much as a cat for a pet, but my siblings and I all feel a certain connection to the animals that typically live on a ranch. My brother Joel just bought himself a cow! Heather is no different. If she didn't live in the middle of civilization I'm sure she'd have a horse and some chickens. She prides herself on where she comes from. She loves her heritage. She's real grounded like that.

Heather and F.L.

When we were growing up we often used the expression F.L. F.L. was the abbreviation for family loyalty. It meant that we were to be careful about saying negative things about each other or the family as a whole in front of others. If I was starting to tell a funny and embarassing story about one of my siblings, for example, my Dad would turn to me and say, "F.L., Sarah." It was a reminder, a warning. F.L. also meant something more than just being respectful of each other in our speech. It meant we were best friends. Our loyalty to each member of the family was greater than our loyalty to anyone outside the family. Our F.L. ran wide. We were loyal to our parents and siblings and also to our 100 (roughly) first cousins, uncles and aunts, grandparents, etc.

I'm afraid I've lost a little of my F.L. over the years. I wouldn't say I'm as fiercely loyal, especially to the extended family, as I used to be. Heather, though, has always been a crazy F.L. fanatic. You won't catch her talking bad about her family or any member of it. She LOVES her family. She has more loyalty than anyone I know.

Heather Almost Died Once

Before my mission I was living with my family in the mission home. Heather started to get sick. From the first symptoms, I suspected it was appendicitis. I had my appendix out when I was in highschool and knew the signs personally. Heather was taken to the doctor and given a diagnosis of bronchitis. Over the next week Heather was given a series of wrong diagnoses. Unfortunately, by the time the emergency room doctors were able to diagnose it as a burst appendix, Heather was a very sick girl. Heather was so incredibly sick that they actually had to open her up twice to drain the infection from her fragile body. My Dad was busy running the mission, my Mom had a million kids at home. I stayed the night with Heather in the hospital. I remember being afraid to fall asleep because I was worried she wouldn't make it through the night. Heather was in and out of consciousness, but she was never a complainer. She was grateful and sweet the whole time. I'm glad you pulled through, Heather!

To Heather on Mother's Day

Heather has two boys, Luke and Jensen. She is also expecting baby #3, whom we all very much hope will be a girl. Heather is a loving and devoted mother. She cooks, cleans, does laundry and plays ball with her boys. She takes Luke to basketball and baseball practices and has family home evening with them. Her boys are in very good hands. They are very lucky to have such a wonderful Mom.

Happy Mother's Day, Heather!

Heather the Spiritual Giant

Once when Heather was 6 or 7, she had a very spiritual experience. She had a mix tape that was very important. Music was always very important to Heather. She loved radio music, piano music and karaoke, especially. Anyway, Heather's "rock tape" was lost. She had looked all over for it and come up with nothing. But Heather was taught right. She knew where to turn when she had nothing else to do. So little Heather knelt down and said a prayer. And, do you know what? She got her answer. The "rock tape" was behind the couch. Heather was mocked incessantly about this experience after tenderly sharing it with her family. However, I must say that it is evidence of something we have grown to understand better about Heather over time. She is a spiritual giant. She loves the letter of the law. Not the letter only, but she's a big believer in the letter. Oh, and she was taught by good parents. That's the other thing I learned from this experience.

Heather the College Graduate

Did you know I never graduated from college? Yep, it's true. I attended four different Universities over a 5 year span of time, but never graduated. Heather was the first girl in our family to graduate from college. She graduated with a bachelors in Sociology from BYU. I am so proud of Heather. She has been a good example for her other sisters to follow. Maybe even me someday?