Married 25 Years!

It seems like just yesterday that we started dating, but it was March 4, 1992!  We dated for a year, then we were engaged for a year.  That second year was kind of torturous, but it was really important to me to be married in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint's Temple.  Since Daniel has just been baptized on 01/24/93, the rules at that time required he wait a year before going to the temple.

We celebrated this big anniversary year by getting away for the weekend to Ocean Shores WA -- that was my gift to Daniel (a weekend where we just focused on each other), and he agreed that we could purchase a diamond anniversary band for me to mark the milestone.

We still enjoy each other's company, and along with all the "romantic" activities, we like to go to movies, eat out, and play cards/board games.  I love you, Daniel Silvester Martinez!  Here's to another 25 years!

Jan 2019 Home For The Holidays!

It was so nice to have all the kids home for the holidays!  As they get older, they are doing better at having good relationships with each other -- Carly and Gabe got along really well as younger kids, and when Gabe was away at college, Carly and Sam had the opportunity to bond.  I love these people so much!

Daniel always "shines" at Christmas.  He really enjoys the process of decorating and cooking for the holidays.

Merry Christmas!

It was so wonderful to have all the kids home for Christmas again this year!  Just when we start to get used to someone being gone, they come back.  Then they leave again, and the house once again feels lonely.

Gabe and Sam are both living at home now, but Carly has been having a blast at college and we loved having the Martinez clan again together.

     Happy Holidays 2018! 

    

     Daniel continues his work at the VA Hospital, and recently accepted a position as King of the Universe (whoops – he just wants to be called that at home.  At work he will be “Chief of Sleep Medicine”).  He’ll work at both the Seattle and American Lake’s campuses, which will provide a shorter commute for most of his workdays.  His previous position included multiple departments, so he looks forward to being able to focus on a single department and devote more time to it.  He serves at church as the Executive Secretary to our Bishop, and enjoys working in this capacity.

     Jennie works as an Office Coordinator at University Place School District, and enjoys the multi-faceted aspects of working with the Maintenance/Grounds staff, and the facilities projects at our schools.  She is the Ward organist as well as the Primary pianist and secretary, and enjoys serving the children of the church. 

     Gabe turns 23 this month, and is living back in Washington with us as he hones his 3-D Textural Artist skills in preparation for his job hunt!  He’s currently working for Office Depot, and paying down his student loans.  Or, he’s a child-sponge living as long as he can with his parents because it’s free room and board!  We’re happy to have him here for as long as we can afford to feed him!

     Sam turned 21 this year, and is enrolled at our local Community College.  He’s taking it slow, as it can be challenging for him to adjust to the socialization and processes of college.  He’s been really helpful to our household and we often rely on him to cook dinner and take care of some of the household chores.  He’s as witty (and sometimes snarky) as ever, and can bring a lot of mirth to our lives.

     Carly graduated from Curtis High School this summer and jumped right into college, starting in Summer Term at BYU.  She really enjoys being a student there, and has been pushing herself academically (just like she did in high school).  She also enjoys all the social aspects of college, and especially loves rooming with her best friend from her home town. She plans to serve a mission for our church, and will focus on that after this school year.

Sending love to you --    Daniel, Jennie, Gabriel, Samuel, Carly

Dropping Her Off At College

Not much time between high school graduation and starting college, but she was raring to go!

Dan, Carly, Jennie

Gabe, Carly, Sam

It was very bitter sweet dropping off our daughter at college!  She was so excited to be out on her own at Brigham Young University, getting to know her new dorm-mate, living in a new state, and starting the next phase of her life!

Yep, it happened again!

Yep, another one of our children graduated from high school!  Carly is such a dedicated student, and really loved going to school every day.  She loves to learn, and enjoyed learning French and Spanish in addition to her other academic pursuits.

The Webb and Martinez families hosted a graduation BBQ at Fircrest Park, and invited friends and family to help the graduates celebrate.

One of the things she enjoyed doing during her Junior and Senior year was Science Olympiad.  She and her best friend, Erica, worked hard to prepare for competitions.

Carly will attend BYU for Summer semester (no summer break for her!), and hope to major in Linguistics or International relations.