Nicoll Footprints

Dear Friends and Family,

I want to tell you what an amazing family I have. This past Saturday was a success due to the talents and the help of a lot of Nicolls. I know that we would not have been able to do this without each of you, even those that couldn't be here but encouraged us to go forward.

Ann (Nick) Shreeve and her daughters, Mindy and Miriam, were awesome. Ann and Mindy handled the food assignments and let me tell you, we ate like rich kings. The spread was fantastic. Miriam volunteered to do something with the younger kids to keep them busy. She really came prepared and those young ones that sat with her enjoyed her offerings. Miriam also had a winning Reunion "Momento". Thank you!

If you didn't get one of these, contact Miriam at purpleyum@gmail.com , she is making more and selling them for $2.00 each.

Another talented family member brought her great items to the Reunion for a Silent Auction. Thank you Patti. These were great.

After reimbursing several people for some of their expenses, I am opening an account at WF for the Nicoll Family Reunion so that we have funds to help with the 2010 gathering.

I hope more of us can contribute next year. If you want to be a part of this, let me know. I think the best way to do it is split the proceeds with you and the family but we can talk about it later.

Marla Olson had made arrangements to use their Ward building and then called as soon as she could get home from church last Sunday, to tell me we had to find another location (just one week prior to the Reunion). I started calling all family members in the Mesa area to see if we could useget another building and Steve Nicoll came through. Steve was able to make the arrangemenst to use his Ward building on short notice and we really appreciate both of their help.

A big thanks to Ashley (Darren) for being swept into "official photographer" for the family groups. If you are looking for a great Mother's Day gift, visit her blog http://embraceyourcreativity.blogspot.com/2009/04/mothers-day-mini-sessions.html.






A special thanks to everyone that showed up early to help set-up and those that stayed late to help clear and clean. All of you are the reason we had a successful Reunion.

And a big thank you to Rodney and Denise Standage for volunteering to put together the 2010 Don & Ethel Nicoll Reunion- Saturday, November 27th. That is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We look forward to seeing all of you then. As soon as I can get an E-mail contact for them, I will share it with you.

To my friends who read my blog that do not have a large extended family, I don't know what to say except that I am sorry you are missing one of life's richest blessings

To my family members who live too far away to attend this year, do try to join us in 2010. I want to get to know you, we want to get to know you!


Don and Ethel Nicoll struggled everyday of their married lives to meet the needs of their large family and we are rich for it. We are growing outward and older so fast.

On Saturday we recognized these events that enforces the need of regular family gatherings:

• Susan passed away 15 years ago on April 25th.
• Barbara and her family were attending the wedding of one of her grandsons. Did I say we were growing fast?
• We took 2 group pictures of Phyllis with 5 generations. (for those of you that don't count-that's 6 generations for Don & Ethel.)
• Shirley just celebrated her 62nd birthday. (Yes, we are getting better, aren't we!)
• We have so many members of the family we don't know or recognize, that we had to spend 30 to 45 minutes just going around the room introducing ourselves and updating, as quickly as we could, our families and a little about those that could not be attend.

Now I have to work on spelling every one's name correctly (Glorya, y not i; Phyllis, 2 l's; Corey, with an e; so far)!


Here are some pictures I didn't post on Facebook-my grandchildren had my camera and took pictures of their view of the reunion.


I'm not sure who "kick-a-pooed his joy-juice", but Stu (Marla) was happy to be there.





This is a picture that only a grandmother could love. Nikki assures me that he is only laying his finger at the side of his nose, trying to make the big decision: 'Which dessert do I want now?'

And the sweat and rosy cheeks on this 10 year old is from making the church hallways unsafe to walk.

By the way, I heard that Jordan (Megan's husband) and the kids were doing karaoke in the RS room. Why weren't we invited?

I've got a lot to do today so I'll close for now.

Love Jan

The Fire In the Next Subdivision

Dear Friend,

I usually drive to and from work using the same route-Ocotillo to Ironwood, Ironwood to the 60, the 60 to Priest and then to my work site and then, I turn around and come home the same route. But, fear not, sometimes I detour. The detour I took last night is one that I really enjoy because I come into our neighborhood the back way-a sort of stop and smell the roses route. This is were I see families out in their corrals, working their horses, mowing their yards, beautiful homes, trashy homes, fences covered in banks roses, goats, sheep, new ponies, well you get the idea. It's just a nice break-until last night.


As I came south on Kenworthy, this man was walking his dog and waving one arm and then the other-I thought he was either demented or slapping at insects. As I got closer, he actually was waving me to stop-he wanted me to call 911 to report this:





This is the unfinished and abandoned housing project just north of ours. These houses have been left as framed projects for probably a year now. When I first saw the homes they were just beginning to blaze-it probably took less than 10 minutes for them to go completely. I could see 2 distinct fires-across the street from each other. After I called 911, I came home because everybody in Queen Creek suddenly needed to use that back road and they were just stopping in the middle of the street! I don't know how the emergency vehicles were able to weave through the parked cars.





On the other hand, I came home to this too:

Nikki was making yummy cinnamon rolls for a presentation project in her communications class. We were glad she chose to practice on us.

I'm home today to do a little sewing and some cooking in preparation for the Nicoll Reunion on Saturday. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone. I hope we have a good turn-out. I wish we could plan this so that it would work for every one's schedules and that all of you that don't live in this area could be here. Hopefully, we can put another reunion together that will work for more of us.

On another note, does anyone have a clue what this is? Well, here is your first hint-This is Shawn holding his newest and biggest favorite Fathers & Sons Outing toy.

Bingo! It's his newest potato gun. Watch out world. Shawn is hunting for a potato target. Actually, he just wants to see how far he can shoot the potato. A man with a dream!

More Later, I had to boil all the potatoes for Saturday before Shawn found them and they need my attention now.

Love Jan

Dear Friend

See if you can guess where we were yesterday afternoon (4/15). Here is your first hint:

Okay, here is another hint-do you know were this is?

Yes, I do admit to belonging to the the Radical Rightwing Extremist.

We are such a menacing group too. After all, the median age is probably 55.

I still don't know what makes not wanting to saddle our children and grandchildren with tons of debt or ask our government to read and follow the Constitution, me an "extreme", but I will proudly wear the badge anyway.

It was a great group of people and more came as we were leaving-oh did I say we? Oh, yeah these 2 radicals were there with me-

Our Dad was so glad to hear that we we going. He reminded me that we had a GGG or GGGG grandfather that fought with Washington in the Revolutionary War and Dad was proud that we were also willing to stand up and be counted.

(thanks for the great picture, Kevin)

We even got to check up on a Wellton Friend who is doing a great job of representing the Gilbert Legislative District in the the State Legislature.

Thayer Verschoor spent a few minutes with us-updating where all his family is now before he was scheduled for the J.D. Hayworth interview.

Most of the signs were home-made, I even saw one that was taped to a child's toy shovel, but they all carried the same messages-We don't want to pay higher taxes, bail-outs don't work, Congress doesn't know how to read (the legislation they are passing or the Constitution) and there are going to be some changes in the near future.

I am so grateful I live in a country that allows me the opportunity to express my feelings openly and in public. I am grateful for all of our fathers, uncles, grandfathers and ggggggg grandfathers (mothers, too) that have fought to defend our right to live in freedom and built a nation based on Judeo-Christian principles that make democracy and independance work for us.

If they have another TEA PARTY, I'll be there.

Love, Jan

America, The Great

Dear Friend,
I have received 2 links to this first piece today and as I listened to it the second time I decided I needed to share it with you . Take a minute, sit down and listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUBIJCXz9M8

Then watch this one and see if you have a dry eye. I didn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0mm4u2VzDs&feature=player_embedded

I won't say anything else.
Love, Jan

Weekend Quilt Retreat

Dear Friend,



I am off for a great weekend retreat with friends. It is a bed and breakfast (lunch & dinner, too) for small groups, primarily quilters but I know she has had scrapbook groups as well as others. Besides being in a beautiful setting (Christopher Creek), Pines and Needles has wonderful group accomodations with a great studio. It's like a slumber party, except most of us are in bed by 11 PM, oh well.



Pictures upon return.

In the meantime, I found this great picture on Kempe's Facebook photo album. It brought back so many wonderful memories of a Uncle Cecil, Aunt Millie and Laurie. And then I remembered, they are all still having a wonderful time!

More Later, love Jan.

PS Judy, I'll trade you places for the next one.