What we ate in Paris- Shelley

The best food in the world is in PARIS! We used to go "bakery hopping" with our allowance money. We'd go from bakery to bakery trying to find new pastries that we'd never eaten.
We ate crepes, of course, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the morning we often had yogurt, which came in a pack so you couldn't pick everyone's favorite flavors. There was ALWAYS a cherry, which noone wanted and we would always argue about who had to eat it. Dad would hide the yogurts behind a cereal box so no one knew. Whoever ended up getting it would whine enough that mom would pretend that Cherry was her favorite flavor....poor mom...
We used to make quiche, potatoes in a white sauce, fried potatoes and onions, and apple tarts alot. Melissa and Rachel were secretly trying to win the hearts of the elders by making them lots of apple tarts I think...
Once, Mom went on a trip back to the U.S. and brought back a whole box of american food. What a loot that was! It had mac and cheese sauce packets, brownie mixes, etc etc. We were so excited!
We ate alot of produce there. I think that's where we all got attached to fresh green beans. We also loved the asian pears. When our family bought spinach at the small produce grocer, we would wipe out the whole bin.

Memories of the Treehouse- Shelley

I remember begging dad to build us a treehouse in the aspen tree in the backyard. I don't think it was really an aspen tree, but that's what we called it. We used to drag bags of leaves up there in the fall to use as chairs. Sometimes we would drape blankets over the edges and branches to make tents. We often played a game where there was some sort of mysterious "monster" in the backyard. We lived in the treehouse, the only safe place of course, and had to avoid this monster and collect food (leaves and raspberries) while running away from the moster that inevitable chased us back to the treehouse.
The treehouse had a rope ladder that you had to climb to get up. Although it was anchored at the ground, it often twisted as you climbed and so we had to develop certain techniques to climb up (especially if you were in a hurry because the monster was coming!)

Memories of Couples Meeting by Melissa

Craig & Melissa, Est. 2001
Part 1, "Before They Even Met the Magnets of Love Were Dragging Them Together"

Craig was on his mission in Puerto Rico when his fate was decided by a group of six giggly freshman girls.

Melissa was a freshman living in Helamen Halls, where she had made several close friends. They decided to all move into the same apartment the following fall, when they would no longer be freshman, and of course, would rather admit that they all wore padded bras rather than be caught living with next year's newbies.

They scoured every available apartment, but they were poor and had to be close enough to manage without vehicular transport, and so they were forced to settle on the bright pink Park Place Apartment complex. They trudged down to the apartment office one snowy January morning to sign their souls over to a Provo-style contract system. While waiting in line for the coveted opportunity to own one-sixth of an apartment for the next year (whether they lived there or not--or unless their "contract for sale signs" that they posted in the campus bathroom stalls actually worked), Melissa's friend Sarah Rasmussen announced that her brother and five of his friends would be returning from their missions in August, and had asked us to rent out an apartment for them as well. So the girls got their apartment (Park Place 10) and they forged six missionaries' signatures for another apartment two doors down (Park Place 8). As they committed forgery, they laughed and wondered if any of them would end up marrying any of these strangers (Jake, Clint, Craig, Tyler, Eric, or Paul).

Little did they know that what was to come of these strange guys living two doors down would keep Melissa laughing and enjoying life, make Caryn the first bride of the group, make an ex-girlfriend glare down from her bedroom window, and cause Sarah to throw a tantrum--kicking, screaming, crying, and cursing--on her bedroom floor.

Memories of Couples Meeting by Rach

Anyway, here's one of my memories of David and I when we were dating. David and I met for the first time on a group date that Laurie, Chloe (our other roomie) and I had set up. David, sadly, was not set up with me, but with a friend of mine, also named Rachel. When David showed up at our apartment, I was the one who opened the door, and when he told me who he was I remember thinking, "Wow, this is Laurie's brother! She's been holding out on me!!" From what David has told me, he thought something similar about me when he met me. It wasn't long after that that David called Laurie for my number. I told Laurie he had to ask me, so she handed the phone to me so I could give him my number. As soon as he got it he said, "Ok I'll talk to you in a minute". He hung up, and not 60 seconds later called me on my phone, and we proceeded to set up our first date, which was at Comedy Sportz with dessert at Pudding on the Rice. It was the beginning of what turned out to be a match meant to be....(sigh from the girls).

Memories of Couples Meeting

Melissa and Craig: I remember Melissa telling me a story about them when they had recently started dating. They were saying goodbye at Melissa's door after a date. Craig's apartment was close by and his roommates saw them saying goodbye. They started to play "Kiss the Girl" out the window to them and Craig was embarrassed and ran upstairs to shut it off. I don't think they had kissed yet.

Rachel and Albert: When Albert proposed he had told Rachel he was taking her to a birthday party. She was surprised when he took her to the canyon instead and proposed. I don't remember any more stories about their courtship...

David and Rach: Rach was Laurie's roommate and that's how they met (in a group date) Just as they began dating David was always very interested in what input Laurie had about the relationship (since she was still friends with rach although not roommates anymore). He would just hound Laurie for information and ask over and over what she said, what she thought, etc. It gave away just how much David liked Rach.
David lived in mom and dad's basement during their engagement (which meant he lived with us!) David would always talk about Rach and go on and on about all of her endearing qualities and perfections. One day, however, he came home with a puzzled look on his face. He told me that Rach had cried to him that day over what seemed like a small thing and that she cried quite frequently, like every 3 weeks or so. I tried to tell him that crying over silly things came with the package of marrying a girl and that every 3 weeks was amazing! (for I am more like every 3 days!) He left as confused as ever. I'm sure he's figured it out by now.

Shelley and Devin: I don't know what to write about myself...oh! We went on our second date to a cornmaze. When we arrived we realized that it may be a haunted cornmaze. I was embarrased and told Devin that when I got scared I "screamed like a man" (and I do !) Devin turned to me with a relieved look on his face and said "That's good, because I scream like a little girl!" (and he did!)
The day before he proposed I was convinced he was going to break up with me. But he wasn't, he was just nervous.

Camping with the Hite Family- Melissa

I remember trying to camp in New York (I think near the Sacred Grove) one year when we were all very little. All I remember was that it was raining really hard, and it was dark. I think Dad put up all the gear in the rain and dark. I wrote a letter to Prsident Kimball after we went to New York and told him about our trip, and he wrote back!

I also remember the Grand Canyon. I remember we got badges or became little rangers or something. Grandpa & Grandma Melville, Mark and Keith were with us as well. I'm sure at one point Dad probably pretended to "push" us over the edge, but caught us before we could fall. Oh! Remember the song me and Rachel made up during that trip (to the tune of Chestnuts Roasting...), "Chipmunks roasting on an open fire, wildcats leaping off a cliff"... then something about going to the biff. The lyrics were truly inspired.

I remember the day we bought our sleeping bags, and Mom or Dad wrote our names across the bottom with a marker. If I remember right, Rachel got the red one--don't nobody fight with Rachel when she knows what she wants. Another memory about those bags was whe we thought we lost Shelley in the red Orem house (was it Shelley?). She had fallen asleep in the downstairs blanket closet, on the sleeping bags, and wasn't lost after all, Happy day!

I remember having a sleepover at Annie and Johnny's house in boston, and we were sleeping in a tent in their yard. But I was too scared, so I made Dad drive out to get me in the middle of the night.

Our family used to go to a ward camp in Vermont in the summer. I was upset because you had to be 8 to play pool, and I was only 7. We would swim in the little roped off swimming area, and if you caught a fish in the lake, you had to eat it for dinner. Dad helped me catch a fish, but I did not eat it. There was a play house for putting on shows, and a pizza place where I think we had our first hawaiian pizza ever. They brought out the big pizza on one of those pizza stands. The latrines at the camp were labeled, "Ma" and "Pop", but it didn't go over very well one day when we were there and I decided to call Dad, "Pop". I think that was the same summer we moved to Arizona.

Of course, the best camping trip was when Dad sat on the riverbank in his lawn chair, tied a long rope around our waists (one at a time), and we tried to see who could cross the river without getting swept away. And I think I still have rope burns under my armpits from getting pulled upriver and back to shore when I did not make it across.

Camping with the Hite Family

I loved going camping with our family. We probably went so often because it was the easiest on the family budget but it was wonderful for us!
My favorite part of camping was the food. Mom often made stew and biscuits in the dutch oven. We got hot chocolate at breakfast and all the yummy treats we didn't get other times (like oreos and twizzlers). I loved waking up to the cold morning and having a warm hot breakfast that mom cooked.
Dad always took us fishing and it seemed like we always had good luck. We would catch a million fish and then dad and mom would have to eat them all. We even made dad do all the yucky parts of fishing like tying knots, hooking works, and gutting fish. Yet we always said that we "loved fishing". We just loved reeling in the fish, I think.
We all had sleeping bags with our names on the bottom. I think they were a christmas gift from Grandpa Melville one year.

Dad and Woodworking

I have SO many memories of dad in the woodshop. In the old house he used the garage for his woodshop. In the winter he had a woodburning stove he used to keep it warm. If you had a quick question you could poke your head through the small window from the back porch.
One year he bought me a wood-burning set and I spend hours making pictures and creations from his scraps. He built the shed in the back yard at the old house and remember hoping they would let me use it as a bedroom. Then he built us the treehouse that we played with for years! He build a laundy folding table, a music holder, a picture frame, valentine for mom, a scout display board for david, all of our physics projects (mine was called the Wimbledon Wacker!) and many other small items that he just whipped up in no time!
One thing that makes dad's woodworking unique is that no matter how small the project is, it is his best work. Once Melissa asked him to make some simple doll furniture and it turned out BEAUTIFULLY! He could have sold it for hundreds of dollars.
I always wanted to help him in the shop, but because so much of it was dangerous, my job was always to clean up the shop. I got to use the HUGE vacuum which was almost cooler than the powertools. We always had to yell to get dad's attention over the noise of the machines and because we was wearing ear protecters (looked like giant headphones). He would turn around abruptly wearing a face mask, ear covers, a jean apron, and covered in sawdust. Usually holding some of powertool like a saw or a hammer. It would have been intimidating if we didn't know him!

Dad and Woodworking

I dont have a specific memory, but I always remember hearing the sound of the table saw going. Or when someone needed Dad for something you had to go out to the old garage (or new one), and there he would be with his blue apron, red ear covers, and his plastic glasses on.I remember brushing my socks off countless times, becuase you didnt want to put on your shoes...but afterwards you realized it would have been easier to put your shoes on. Ok, heres a memory. Not really a memory because I wasn't there...but I saw it when I was transposing the old family movies to DVD. It was when Dad and rachel were doing her...I dont know what to call it, crazy multi event project i.e. pulleys, ramps, levers... But in the video Dad is (as usual) getting really into the project and designing and cutting a wooden model that would make NASA designers tear up at the sight of it. Rachel is involved as much as she can, but a similar image is conjured in my mind of Molly wanting to help Shelley vacuum so Shelley puts Molly's hand onto the handle and while Shelley does the majority exclaims "Look Molly, you vacuumed really well!" ITs funny, the problem was we couldn't really do much, because there was so much technology involved that could maim us as children, so looking back I appreciate the involvement he could give us and doing the rest that we couldn't. Oh, and Dad supercharging Rachel's mousetrap racer into the Rat-trap bohemoth that could go from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds flat.

Dad and Woodworking. Rachel.

Wow. So many memories that I don't know where to start.....

When Melissa and I were little we wanted Barbie furniture so Dad let us have a bunch of his old pieces of wood and we found some red fabric. We glued the wooden pieces together and covered the couches, chairs, etc. with the fabric to make a box full of Barbie furniture.

When we lived in Boston I remember Dad and Kerry Duke outside in the driveway with the power tools....I don't remember what they were building but I remember watching them cut wood and work on the house. I also remember his renovating the Newmanway house - mostly the attic. I always wanted to help and I'll never forget when he was telling me that the pink panther insulation would make my entire body itch so badly that I would cry if I played in it. Note taken - I'm still scared to death to get close to insulation.

In eighth grade I came home excited to tell Dad about my "mouse trap car" assignment. We spent days building a massive mouse trap car. Actually, we cheated a little by using a rat trap because it had more power. When I brought the car to class everyone was amazed with it.

Another project in ninth grade was a "pulley and lever" assignment. Dad and I spent days building a huge contraption that had many pulleys, levers, etc. and in the end it poured a box of cheerios into a bowl. Once again, my class {and especially my teacher} was amazed with the end result.

I used to love to sneak out to the wood shop and watch Dad work. It was one of the best times that I could get some one-on-one time with him, talk to him about things and spend time with him. I loved when he was really excited about the project he was working on and how he would explain everything that he was doing. He always let me help hold wood, put nails and screws in, stain the wood, etc.

I was always so nervous seeing Dad use the big table saws. I never wanted to say anything but I would hold my breath and say inside my head, "Don't cut your hand off....don't cut your hand off.....don't cut your hand off...."

In recent years, since moving from Utah, I have found myself several times a year saying to someone, "Darn! If only I could get to my dads wood shop I could make the coolest {fill in the blank}" Now that I have three boys they always talk about things they want to build with Grandpa. Especially Jordan and Joshua who are builders at heart love to talk about when they will get to work in the wood shop with Grandpa Hite again.

Funny Memories of Everyone by Shelley

Dad
I remember helping dad barbeque something at the old house. He was singing "You can tell by the way I use my walk i'm a woman's man, no time to talk" while doing his moonwalk and dancing.

Mom
Whenever mom got really stressed working on the computer her chin would lower, her glasses were pushed lower onto her nose and her hair stood straight up because she kept running her fingers through it.

Melissa
Melissa and Rachel used to fight alot when they shared their rooms. Sometimes, at night, I would hear melissa knocking on the wall into our bedroom (where Laurie and I were sleeping) as a call for help. I would run in, a flattered 7-8 year old, to the rescue.
Melissa always had a hard time keeping her bedroom clean and would offer me the change I could find on her floor to help her clean it.

Craig
Craig loved spec so much and would always ask about her and play with her before most anything when he came to visit. He would always joke and say things like "I wonder what spec is doing..."

Rachel
Rachel used to make cookies all the time and was very possesive of the cookie dough. Once someone stole some and she found a fingerprint where the dough had been scooped out (it was probably me that's why I remember this) She was so angry that she made everyone come and put their finger there to determine the "match". I don't remember the conclusion of the story- only that she was upset enough about it to make us ALL put our fingers in the cookie dough.

Albert
I remember at Rachel and Albert's wedding shower at Grandma Hite's house, sitting next to Albert and he pretended to put his arm around me. Being only about 14 years old I thought this was the most hilarious thing that had ever happened to me.

David
Once David was very sick and was spinning in the office chair. He was yelling at someone but was cut off when he started to feel very nauseous. He threw up while spinning in the chair and so it got all over everything in the office.

Rach
Although I have done alot with Rach I just can't think of a "funny" memory. I remember realizing one day that I was going to really enjoy having her for a sister in law because she could get giddy. It is a prerequisite to be a hite sister to be able to get giddy-especially late at night.
OH! The day before Rach and David got married, Rach stopped by our hotel room and was so tired and needed a nap. Being 8 monthes pregnant- I also needed a nap and so we shared a bed in one of the rooms. I was very surprised to hear Rach snore! For some reason, hearing her snore made me like her even more. David, does Rach still snore?

Shelley
I know I shouldn't post about myself. But I thought i'd remind everyone of all the things you tease me of just so you can have another laugh:
"But I thought you were going to cananda!" (Dad went to alberta or something)
Electricity being grounded 5 floors up in Paris
Almost being swept away by the wave in Ireland
And being attacked by Tzitzi flies. Although I don't think this is funny- it was very serious to me.

Devin
Devin can drink an amazing amount of water without taking a break to breath. I am still amazed to watch him drink what seems like a quart of water without stopping. Where does it all go? The most amazing part about this process is that he refills his huge cup 3-4 times. That's alot of water. Devin also sweats alot. If it is above 65 degrees and Devin does anything physical (unloading dishwasher, hanging a picture) he begins to sweat all down his face. Maybe that's where the water goes... His mission companions would use this strange sweating feat to get into doors while tracting. Devin would be dehydrated and hot and his companion would say at a door: Do you want to see a cool trick? Give Elder Higgins a drink of water and watch him very closely. As soon as Devin put the glass down- he would start sweating. People loved it. I never knew sweating could be such an effective missionary tool.

Laurie
I was holding a basket of laundry while fighting with Laurie (we must have been about 7 or 8) and I was so angry that I threw a pair of underwear at her. She was upset because she thought they were dirty although I insisted they were clean. To this day this very important detail is debated. I guess we'll never know.

Funny Memories of Everyone. Rach.

Melissa: I've only spent a little bit of time with Melissa, but one memory that I love about her is that everytime I see her she has a smile on her face, even with crazy kids all over the place. The time that I've spent with her, I don't think I've ever heard her raise her voice to anyone, and seems to be very loving and motherly. How can you not love Melissa??

Rachel: My favorite memory about Rachel comes from Feb. 13th, 2009 right after the wedding. We were outside taking pictures in the bitter cold of Denver, and Rachel was still very excited and happy to be there like she always is. But the funniest part was when we went behind the temple, and during one of the photos, Rachel exclaimed, "David I've never seen you kiss anyone so much!". I think David would have blushed if if weren't so cold outside.

David: My most favorite memory of David has to do with revenge. Like Steve/Dad, David is ALWAYS catching me off guard and scaring me, and I always fall for it. Well, one day when he was coming home from work and I was already home waiting for him, I saw an opportunity present itself. I watched from the window, and when I saw him pulling into the driveway I went and stood behind the front door. I made sure to lock it so he would think I wasn't home (he didn't know I was), and right as he was opening the door I jumped out and screamed very loudly. Well, if you think I screamed loud, you should have heard him...and the little dance he did. Priceless.

Shelley: My favorite memory of Shelley was one night up at the house, and Shelley and I were talking about making desserts. She proceeded to tell me that she and Devin always have a hard time deciding which to make: lemon bars or pumpkin (I think that's what it was). It seemed very obvious to me that the solution was to make both! When I told her this, Shelley's eyes lit up like a little kid in the candy store and said, "Rachel that's why I like you, because you like desserts as much as I do!"

Laurie: I think my favorite memory of Laurie was when we were roommates, and she, Chloe (our other roomie), and I had had an ongoing game of "Your Mom" jokes. Just some background, Laurie really likes to take long baths with a movie playing on the toilet, or a book to read, with a floating bowl of cereal. Anyway, one night we were spouting off "your mom" jokes, when all of a sudden Laurie shouted, "Your mom floats in water!"...maybe you had to be there.

Mom: My favorite memory of Mom was when David and I were still dating, but we weren't engaged yet, or really even talking about marriage. There had been this Uganda Reunion that David wanted me to go to with him, and Mom and Dad were there too with the whole group. Up to that point, I was still "the girlfriend", and so I still wasn't sure if I was approved by the parentals officially yet. Towards the end of the party, David and I got up to leave and as we were saying goodbye to Mom and Dad, Mom got up and gave me a great big hug, the first one she ever gave me. I couldn't believe it! I was accepted by the Mama Bear! I don't know if she knows how much that meant to me, but I definitely did not soon forget that hug! :)

Dad: I have a very distinct memory of Dad, ever since I met him, of always whistling, humming, singing, or making some musical tune no matter what he was doing in the house or where he was at, or what time of day. The Hite family is a singing family due to the patriarchal musical influence from Dad.

Albert: I've never met Albert, so I don't really have any memories of him. So this entry to be continued for when I do!

Craig: The couple of times I've been around Craig, he's been about to leave for the airport, so that's not very good is it? This will also be a "to be continued" entry

Devin: Before Shelley and Devin moved to Iowa, Devin was working night shifts at his job, and the memory I have of him is kinda funny. Every night, as everyone was getting ready to go to bed and to settle down for the night, Devin would come upstairs all dressed and awake from him nap leaving for work. But in the mornings he didn't look quite so perky since he was up all night. But he was always trying to be part of what was going on no matter how tired he was, and he never failed to help Shelley with the girls even though he was probably super dead beat tired. Poor guy, what a trooper!

Funny Memories of Everyone. Rachel.

Melissa: One of my favorite memories of Melissa is when we were teenagers in the Orem House. We were in the basement family room and we were having some sort of get together because there were aunts, uncles and cousins around. Melissa was sitting in one of those blue banana chairs and she fell backwards and as she toppled over she laughed and exclaimed, "It's just because I'm so top heavy!"

David: Hopefully this is okay to tell.....it was when David came home from his mission and he was starting to dabble in the dating world. David and I were at Dad's computer one night watching clips from the BYU comedy show when Grandma Hite came into the room. She asked David if he was dating anyone and he said that he was interested in a few people. Grandma looked at him and said, "Girls or Boys?" David laughed and said, "Don't worry Grandma, I'm interested in girls." Grandma breathed a sigh of relief and stated very seriously, "Oh good. I had to ask though....you never know these days." David was so funny to watch as he had a very serious conversation with Grandma Hite about the fact the his, in fact, interested only in women.

Shelley: When we were first married and then after Jordan was first born Shelley used to come and stay at our apartment all the time. We had many sleepovers and spent a ton of time together. One time when Jordan was about seven months old Shelley was at our apartment and she was having some allergies or something. She was sneezing a LOT and every time she would sneeze Jordan would bust up laughing so hard he would fall over and had tears coming down his cheeks. I'm not sure why he thought Shelley was so darn funny sneezing but by the end of the afternoon we were all laughing so hard.

Laurie: One day when Laurie was three or so we were all eating dinner and Laurie got up from the table and announced that she had a trick to show us. She went into the doorway between the dining room and living room and proceeded to do a full split. We all busted up laughing so hard - she made it look so easy. All the other kids tried to do it also but none of us came even close. For the next little while Laurie would randomly do the splits and we would all start shrieking and laughing - I think she did it to rile us all up.

Mom: I will always remember one day when Mom got REALLY mad. I remember this moment because it was a rarity to see Mom super mad. She was sitting in her chair at the computer desk and then she lost it. She scrunched up her face and started pounding her feet on the ground {while still sitting in her chair}. I remember we all looked at each other and had to try not to laugh because we knew she was so angry but it was so funny seeing her mad that we couldn't help it.

Dad: Of course there are so many to choose from but the one that stands out in my head is not necessarily one moment in time but a common theme from our childhood. Every chance that Dad would get he would try to scare us, I really think that he found a pure joy in making us scream, drop to the ground and wait for our imminent death. He would hid anywhere he could fit: behind doors, in closets, in beds, in bathrooms - there was no where that was off limits. I remember as a child walking very cautiously through the house and doorways because I expected him to be somewhere waiting for me to pass so he could jump out and scare me. I now do the same thing to my boys. I figure it's a family tradition that should be passed on.

Craig: I always think of Craig as my mom's personal assistant. For the first little while he was dating Melissa I remember my mom would always be so excited to see Craig walk through the door because she could have him do some manual labor. It was like she was waiting for him to come because he would be in the house for less than a minute before she would say, "Oh, while you're here....." and then say something like: I need the book boxes upstairs, I need the table carried outside, I need someone to change the high light bulbs. And good 'ol Craig would always do all the chores willingly. Luckily there are other guys to help out with the labor now.

Albert: My funniest memory of Albert is when we were dating. We went to his sister Kathleen's house for dinner where I would meet his siblings and their spouses for the first time. The whole family was there and it was going smoothly UNTIL the doorbell rang and a beautiful girl walked in. Albert immediately went over to her and hugged her, was laughing and being all cutsie with her. At dinner he sat with his arm around her chair! I was mortified. Why would he bring TWO girls to a family dinner? After we left he asked what was wrong {I was apparently not happy.} and I told him that he was dumb to bring both of us to a family dinner. He laughed and said, "That's my cousin!" Oh. I really, really wish that someone had mentioned that to me four hours earlier!

Devin: My funny memory of Devin is more embarrassing for me....even though Devin has been in our family for several years now I still worry about spelling his name wrong and offending him. I always stare at his name and wonder is it spelled "Devin" or "Devon" or "Deven" or HOW? The more I stare at it the more weird the name becomes and I start wondering if I'm just crazy of if Devin is just a really hard name to spell. Another memory of Devin is his laugh. I don't know why but I think Devin's laugh is hilarious. He crinkles up his nose, squints his eyes and laughs so hard that he may think I'm laughing with him but sometimes I'm laughing at him laughing. Not in a man way, it's just so funny to watch him laugh so darn hard.

Rach: While I have only met Rachel twice I already have an embarrassing moment. {Sigh. She doesn't know this story yet....} When I flew out to Denver for David and Rachel's wedding I got off the plane and since my plane was delayed everyone was waiting for me to arrive. As I walked up the area where everyone was waiting I scanned the crowd and recognized everyone....except for one girl I had never seen. I thought it was one of Laurie's friends. Oh, Rachel, I'm sorry! I am so embarrassed that I didn't recognize you! I have never admitted this to anyone until now - I didn't realize you were my new sister-in-law until David came up and held your hand! I was taken back for a moment - why would David hold another girls hand? Oh my gosh! That's Rachel! How did I not recognize you?

Meal Time. Shelley.

There is so much to remember. Maybe it was just because I had a particular problem with this but I remember Dad always telling us not to wipe our mouths on our sleeves. I remember requesting spaghetti sauce with 100 meatballs for one of my birthday dinners. Every birthday we got to choose whatever dinner we wanted. I always chose spaghetti or mom's roast. Mom made the best biscuits ever. That was the one thing that always came out and that will never be beat. On very special occasions she would make them for breakfast and I would pack them for a snack to eat on the way to school and to eat at lunchtime.

There were very particular rules about how the table was set, what you ate, etc. Such as: Your egg yolks should be slightly runny and if otherwise than it was raw or "cement". Zucchini was of the devil. Whoever accidently set a smaller forks than normal at the table was always notified of the mishap. One must never eat ice chips, only ice cubes. And only strange people drank skim milk because its "gray water".

Meal Time. David.

Meals at the Hite house are unnspoken mandatory events. Now, that doesn't mean it was a bad thing, it's just that everyone knew that they were supposed to be home in time for dinner and to be awake and present for breakfast. The usual table conversation involved either proper eating etiquette or the correct use of "random" or "hap-hazard". Favorite meals included Indian Curry, Tatertot Caserole, and Grits.

Meal Time. Rachel

Breakfast. Growing up breakfast came very early. Dad was always an early riser and desperately wanted the rest of us to be as well. So he would DRAG us out of bed at the crack of dawn….or more often annoy us out of bed by singing his favorite morning tune of “It’s time to get up, it’s time to get up, it’s time to get up in the morning!” followed by a harsh stealing of the covers that left us awake but not always happy about it.

As we all sat down at the table for breakfast we all hoped for our favorites: grits, cream of wheat, pancakes, waffles, eggs, etc. We all dreaded the awful nine grain cereal, river cereal and other terrible healthy hot cereals that you had to gag to get down.

One of the reasons that the nine grain cereal was one that we all cringed about was because one morning we all sat down and after mom handed out our bowls of cereal David started to cry because he didn’t want to eat it. He said that his cereal was alive and all the little bugs were moving around. Dad got upset that David was being disrespectful to mom and told him to be quiet and eat his cereal. We all ate the cereal. Then dad looked down in his bowl, picked it up to examine it closer and said, “Ummmm….I think there are bugs moving around in there.” We had all already eaten our cereal! Full of bugs! After that we were all paranoid and the cereal we didn’t want was even more of a nightmare.

Every Saturday morning mom and dad would make either pancakes or waffles with fried eggs. It was the best breakfast of the week and we all looked forward to it. There was nothing better than waking up to the smell of waffles baking in the kitchen. Dad was pretty famous for his homemade waffles and pancakes – after eating his, the ones offered at restaurants don’t stand a chance. I’d prefer dad’s over IHOP any day.

One breakfast “no no” was to eat cold cereal. We were only allowed to eat cold cereal on Sunday mornings. However, with mom and dad being gone a lot of afternoons all the kids would sneak in bowls of contraband cereal. We would eat it near the car port so we could hear if the cars were pulling up. Mom, if you wondered why it seemed like we went through cereal faster than you had expected it’s because we ate it more often than you realized.

Dinner. I remember eating dinner together as a family most nights. The dinners that I remember eating the most often are spaghetti with dad’s homemade sauce, tater tot casserole and shephard’s pie. On holidays we would have lasagna and the coveted cook and serve chocolate pudding in the glass cups kept in the cupboard for special occasions.

An important part of growing up in the Hite household was learning to “call your spot” at the table. Of course everyone wanted to sit next to mom. There were two ways that you could call your place: say it aloud or turn a cup upside down on the plate of your choice. The best scenario was to call it aloud AS you placed the cup upside down on the plate. There were many fights over spots at the table.

Eating tomatoes at the dinner table was one of my worst memories of my entire childhood. How is it that I hated the one food that seemed to be included with every meal? I have too many memories of sitting at the kitchen table, plugging my nose and gagging as I tried to eat the disgusting tomatoes on my plate. One time I convinced Melissa to eat my tomatoes. Unfortunately dad figured it out and neither of us got dessert that night. I felt badly that Melissa didn’t get dessert, but I have always thought back on that night and knew that she was a great big sister willing to do anything for me – even eat my tomatoes. Just for the record: I still hate tomatoes and probably always will.

Dessert and Treats. Dad always had a stash of little treats, usually peanut M&M’s or licorice. He was always so self-disciplined as he ate a small bit every night and then tucked them away into the secret container in the side of his big blue arm chair. When we were really lucky dad would make his famous milkshakes, either with peppermint patties or peanut M&M’s. I liked the peppermint patties the best. Mom always had treats hidden around the house, but I always knew where they were and ate them. Sorry mom. I inherited my sweet tooth from you.

Meal Time. Melissa.

“Uppum table tooeeum!” -Dad

One mealtime I'll never forget was when we were in the red brick house in Orem. We were finishing dinner, and David was telling us all about how he had just read a book about a boy who was half tree and had grown roots and leaves. He was explaining about how he was going to only eat a special diet of "plant shakes" that would supposedly turn him into part tree and part boy. I said something like, "Daived, that the silliest thing I've ever heard, that's not going to work!" David dumped his drink on me and left the table very angry. I hate to think that I may have killed some big dream of his that day.

Family Pets. Shelley.

We used to think that when spec's nose was dry, that meant she was sick. So whenever we saw that her nose was dry we'd wrap her up in blankets and spoon-feed her all sorts of delicacies normally not allowed.

When Spec was neutered she had to wear a plastic cone around her neck. During the winter she would scoop up snow and fling it into the air.
Spec always wanted to be friends with snowball- who hated him. Spec thought that swatting meant you were friends! Whenever spec approached snowball in a playful mood she would begin "swatting" at snowball.

Snowball would catch mice and birds and then bring them inside the house. Once we nursed a wounded bird in an old birdcage until it was better. Well, actually i'm not sure if we really did that or if we always wanted to and I just dreamed in all the details. When I got snowball for my birthday they put him under an upside-down box. When I lifted up the box snowball immediately ran underneath the old hutch to hide.

Family Pets. David.

I remember one of my favorite activities with Snowball was to hold him in my arms and spin around really fast. I would set him down and he would run sideways until he hit a wall or couch. (All of you animal rights activists know that would actually be quite hilarious.)

I always thought it was funny when Spec would trap Snowball in a corner and then try and swat at Snowball the way he would swipe at her.

I think the funniest pet experience was with our hamsters. One day I went into Laurie's room looking for one of the hamsters....I could not find that cage anywhere! After looking I decided to move some of the clothes around, I found the poor thing underneath two feet of dirty clothes, who know how long that had been there!

Family Pets. Rachel.

Snoball. I remember going with mom to pick out a kitten for Shelley’s birthday. Melissa and I chose the cute little white kitten and we took care of him in the food storage room in the basement for a few days until it was time to give him to Shelley. We put little Snoball under a box and as Shelly lifted the box up off the ground the kitten ran and hid. She was super confused that she was given an empty box. Shelley loved Snoball, he was such a cute little guy. My favorite memory of Snoball was coming home from school to see him perched on top of the Volvo. He would jump down and come to greet us. Snoball was a great cat until he was banished to be an outdoor cat because he had some bladder issues. Once he realized that he was not allowed in the house anymore he became quite a bitter and resentful cat. When the family moved into the new Orem house he disappeared and we haven’t seen him since.

Spec. Mom and dad felt sorry for David because he was the only boy in the family, surrounded by emotional girls. So they decided to get David a dog. When we first got Spec she was a tiny little puppy. She couldn’t go up the stairs because her little legs were not long enough. David took her to play in the snow in the back yard and she disappeared into the snow and we had to find her by following her little yelps. David loved Spec {who was a girl by the way} and they became best buddies. However, Spec was an emotional and needy puppy…she loved to be pet, cuddled and paid attention to. I’m not sure that she was the rambunctious friend mom and dad had in mind, but David loved her none the less.

The Hampsters. The hamsters were mine. I convinced mom and dad to let me get two hamsters: a boy {Chestnut} and a girl {I don’t remember her name}. I wanted to become a hamster breeder and sell all the baby hamsters for a profit. Chestnut was a very nice hamster who I loved very much. The girl hamster, however, was a mean old girl who often bit me so hard that I would bleed. I did not like her, but I needed her to breed baby hamsters. We realized that the girl hamster was pregnant when she became very fat. She made a little nest and had a bunch of the cutest, tiniest little hamster babies. Then one by one the babies started disappearing. I think she was eating them. I was so angry that she was doing this! One baby survived and I sold it to Sarah Sargeant, we had named the baby Chewy because it was always eating. Then I had to take care of the mean mom hamster. I tried to kill her in a humane way….by starving her. But she wouldn’t die. Then Chestnut died. That was a really sad day, he was such a nice hamster. I took the mean mom hamster, put her in the toilet and watcher her swirl around as the she was sucked into the underground tunnels. It was the meanest thing I have ever done in my entire life and I am still haunted by her little face sticking up out of the water as her arms paddled, trying to swim. I do not like hamsters anymore and no longer want to breed them.

The Bunnies. Salt and Pepper lived in a little cage in the back yard when we lived in the Orem house. I think they were Shelley’s bunnies, I’m not sure. My favorite memory of the bunnies is when the bunnies would try to play with Snoball. Snoball was so afraid of the little bunnies that he would run away screeching, leaving the bunnies confused at why their friend was so scared.

The Orem House. 450 South 500 East. Shelley.

The best part of the old house was the laundry shoot. When we first moved in and were small enough, we would try to shimmy our way down the hole. I don't remember a single success, but I do remember getting stuck alot.

The original carpet was really funny. It was bright blue in the upstairs, brown downstairs, and the office had a bright orange carpet that had little hills all over it.

I have this terrible memory of the bunk beds that we slept it. Once, when I was on the bottom and Laurie on the top, we had a fight. We both retreated to our own beds where I developed a plan of revenge. I decided that If I put my feet on the board above me and pushed, it would scare her. But when I pushed the wooden slat came up and out of where it lay and I found myself holding up the board, mattress, and Laurie up with my legs underneath. I knew that If I moved, I would get squashed to death. So I screamed and screamed and Laurie cried. I don't remember how I got out of the situation (maybe I was squashed and sent to the hosptial with a concussion?) I also frequently got caught between the top mattress and the wall when I was trying to get down on the wrong side. I don't know why I was going down on the wrong side. But it was traumatic when I got stuck.

We had a small hill on one side of the house that we used to go sledding on. Only there was a wobbly leaning wire fence that we would roll up when we weren't using it. Often, this fence had been up when it snowed and was difficult to move. So we decided to go sledding without putting the fence away. Usually we just banged into it at the bottom but Laurie once slid underneath it and was caught by her neck under this wire fence. She cried but I remember just laughing! We also often slid right into the window wells or into the sharp rocks at the bottom of the hill.