More JAJ Day

I've commented on Julie's answers but I've ended up going off on tangents about other subjects, so I think I'd better stick to the questions. So here we go.
Julie asked: How are your kids? Where are they all? I remember Kelly having a crush on Jacob when they were little. So cute! I remember Jacob and Jordan who were so cute that they would make anyone want two little boys. And Holly and Mallory who were still sweet little round faced babies on our last St. George excursion. All of them were darling. I have only met Erin Leigh and Annie Laurie once though so please tell me about them too.


Jacob is at BYU Idaho. He is working toward a business degree and has another year left. He also is recently engaged to Mishelle Carol who is LDS and from northern California. They are getting married in April in Salt Lake. We are all so excited for them and he will be home next week along with Holly. I'm excited and happy and looking forward to having all my kids home together soon.


Jordan lives here at home and works two jobs. He works at Ralphs' and has since high school, and also at South Coast in Temecula. He is also recently engaged to his long time girlfriend, Angela. Jordan is our rock star, and has his own band. Actually, both the boys are in bands. Jordan's the drummer in his band, and Jake is, too. Although Jake usually plays guitar. They have played and had lessons since jr. high school and their music has been great for both of them. They practiced constantly, and Jordan still comes home from work and heads straight to rehearsal. He is playing at a place called Kilarney's this weekend. It's close to us, so maybe Val or Kristen have heard of it.


I hope somebody will think this is funny because I think it's funny. I love to tease Jordan. I always have. He thinks I'm ridiculous but he always laughs. So, for my birthday I got a tambourine. I wanted one and was so happy to get it. Then I had a great idea. I told Jordan I could be in his band. I keep telling him to let me on stage, and sometimes I'll go and get my tambourine when he's leaving for a show and follow him out the door telling him I'm ready to go. I love to beg for him to let me come with him. I've been telling him that I'm just going to show up one day at his show and run up on stage with my tambourine. He thinks I'm crazy, but I love to tease him and I think it's so funny because who would want their mother running up on stage with her tambourine to be in their band! He always tells me no way, and that I'm crazy but he's laughing the whole time picturing it. I can't wait to do it. I think it will be hilarious!


On to Holly: Holly left this past August to go to school in St. George. She is in school at Dixie College, and loves it. She didn't want to go, and we had to force her to apply, but she has loved it ever since. Every time I talk to her she tells me how happy she is and that she loves St. George.
I'm too shy for facebook, (but not too shy to run up on stage with a tambourine), but I have friends who check in with Holly on facebook and report to me that she loves everything and is so happy about the day it snowed, her job, her classes and the mountains. She will be home next week and The Littles cannot wait. She has been their best friend, and they adore her.


Mallory is a Senior and busy with Waterpolo. She's played polo since she was 9 years old, and has several schools watching her. She has had a few offers and just has to decide. Her life is so busy everyday and full of polo, but she loves it. She is very serious about it, but she is very ridiculous about other things. She is always up to something, and laughing her head off with her friends. Her teachers love her, but have to put up with her, too. Just this week, her teacher told her they were not having a Christmas party. He was insistent about it, so she passed out flyers to everyone, and made sign up sheets and had a Surprise Party instead. In the end he ended up thanking her. Luckily, her teachers really like her, though she often drives them crazy. She is the littlest of my big kids, and we are already dreading her leaving for college next year.


The Littles: Annie Laurie is 11 years old and also plays and loves waterpolo. She also plays the piano and loves that as well, which is a relief because she plays all the time, and I never have to ask or demand that she practice. She also plays the flute, and plays the marimba at school. She loves The Wii, and videogames and wants to see the movie, Avatar. She is #5 in our family and can't stand that all the big kids are leaving, or gone. She likes everyone to be home and thinks it's boring if it is just she and Erin Leigh.


Erin Leigh is 9 now. My Littles are really turning quickly into big kids, but Erin Leigh loves being the baby. She knows everyone loves her, and enjoys it.
She's taking a break from polo because it's too cold and she hates to go. We have to convince her to love it and to maintain the family tradition. She prefers tennis.
She loves legos, puzzles, and cooking. She loves to clean, do dishes, and help in the kitchen. The big girls call her Juanita!


(Was that too long? I have a lot of kids, so there's a lot to report on, and Mallory just walked by and said, "You're poor cousin doesn't want to read all of that about us.")


Julie asked: Did you get the name Annie Laurie from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? I love that book and actually wanted to name a daughter after Francie Nolan, because I think she is the sweetest little girl in all of fiction but I don't like the name Francie too much. I so badly wanted an Annie though.


I love Annie Laurie's name. I had been thinking about Laurie when I was expecting because I've always loved the name Laurie because of my sister, Laurie. I had also known the song, Annie Laurie, too. Before she was born, I read 2 books while I was expecting her. One was a book about the making of Gone With The Wind and a woman named Annie Laurie Williams was responsible for helping with the film.


The other book I read was A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. The name Annie Laurie was in this book, too and thought that it was interesting that there was that same name again. The father used to sing the song in the story, and I had known the song when I was young. I loved Francie Nolan, too, and I loved that they named the baby, Annie Laurie. I thought it was such a pretty name. So, I had been exposed to the name a few different ways and thinking about it.


I wasn't really sure exactly what we would name her because I'm the type who likes to see my babies first before I name them. But, Mike and I were sitting in Sacrament meeting right before she was born and I was thinking about the baby and what we would call her. I wrote him a note saying I think we should name the baby, Annie Laurie. We knew we were having a girl, and he wrote back that yes, that was what we would name her. I remember it seemed settled. It was as if we knew in some
way that that would be her name.


Right after sacrament meeting, Erin- my sister Erin, came up to me. We had not been sitting together. She had been a few rows in front of us and I was disappointed our seats weren't together because we hadn't had a chance to talk. When Sacrament meeting ended the first thing she said to me was, "I know what you're going to name your baby. You're going to name her Annie Laurie." I was stunned to hear her say this and showed her the note I had written to Mike.
I am not an easily convinced person, nor do I like stories of, "I had a feeling," or I just dreamt, or I just knew," but the fact that Erin knew and felt this just as we had made me think that maybe, somehow, we had, all three of us, in some way felt her presence.


So, in the end Annie Laurie was named for Aunt Laurie, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn and Annie Laurie Williams who helped with the making of Gone With The Wind.
There seemed to be a number of influences.
And, I am sure that was much more information than you wanted to know, but I think that that is the most interesting part about writing. The writing takes you where your mind wants to go, whether you were planning to go there or not. And it's always interesting to look at what you've wrote and see what your mind has been up to.





Julie asked: Tell me about your writing background. How did you become interested? What kind of stuff have you had published? What are you working on right now?
This I promise to answer tomorrow since I've written so much today.