The Tangrens

Today was the fund raising yard sale for Home makeover American Fork. But this was no ordinary yard sale, for sure! They did the sale at the park in front of the city library on the corner of State Street and the Alpine Highway and it wasn't only a sale, they also had a silent auction,

food booths, carnival games for the kids,

and a live band with a raffle or two going on. It was a fund raising spectacular!!

It was really great! The community really came together to support this family. From time to time there would be announcements that if they got so much money in a certain amount of time that someone in attendance would double the donation. One by one people would go up and donate. They earned a thousand dollars this way just while we were there! There was a local businessmen there who offered to donate $25 for the first 15 people who went up and sang a song. Derek and I of course humiliated ourselves and sang. No pictures please! I gathered all the kids in front of the band stand and had all the kids sing and do the motions to "The Wheels on the Bus" and Derek sang a German folk song!


Hyrum got to take his first ride down a slide while at the park. It was chilly but beautiful and I hope it will be enough to keep the building going. They are scheduled to start construction next week. We heard that people were out shopping at the yard sale at 7 o' clock this morning. That is hardcore. Is anyone out there as hardcore a yardsaler as that?

Some have been asking me what is new with the ultimate makeover for our friends in American Fork. Well just this last weekend we opened the newspaper to find on the front page this article. So that's exciting! I guess there had previously been an article in the American Fork Citizen and the Lehi Free Press as well.

They have the blueprints for the addition which should be incredible and they are waiting for a building permit that they are hoping to get at a discounted price. They will be having a garage sale in April to raise funds for the build so if anyone is going to be in or near American Fork around that time stop on by. Or if you have anything you don't mind selling at their garage sale to help them make a little cash let me know. :)

Now I just need to get over there to do my visiting teaching. I'll try to make updates as I get them.

*Update: The plans are being overnighted to Utah and then they'll be able to get the ball rolling. They knocked down an old shed in back (which I guess was pretty spectacular) with the hopes of having people come over this weekend to help haul it away ( the garage will be moved back to where part of the shed had been) and knock down the garage if they have the people to do it. So preparations are being made for the big build! The garage sale will be held at the park in front of the library on April 26th so if your in town definitely stop by. I will absolutely have to look through all of my STUFF to see if I can dejunk into their sale.

There is a woman in our ward that was just destined to be in my life. Seven years ago when I was working at Bonneville Nursery I worked with a guy named Justin. We got to be good friends and even went on a couple dates ( this was RIGHT before I started dating Derek). When I was looking for an apartment when Derek and I were getting married we looked at the apartment that Justin's sister Teresa was moving out of. We now live in that same apartment . They moved into a house nearby still in our ward . For the months and years after ward when we still got their mail I would bring them to her at church and find out how Justin was doing. Time went on and I noticed that her husband was using a cane which quickly developed into a wheelchair. We wondered what happened. He had had MS (Multiple Sclerosis) since he'd been 16 without much outward signs of it but as is sometimes the case with this unpredictable disease it had suddenly accelerated. About a year later I was assigned to be her visiting teacher. I was made aware in small measure to the challenges they faced on a daily basis but they never let it get them down. She was pregnant with her fourth little boy when I started visiting teaching her .

Then this last November we were emailed a link to this.

I then began to understand all that they deal with so cheerfully. I was excited that someone was trying to help them. I wasn't able to talk with her since they found out on Christmas Eve. Today(yeah I know the END of the month) I went to visit teach her and she showed me the plans for the addition. It's going to be great! I don't know if it happens in other states as much but it seems some people in Utah don't wait around for others to help, they just dive in themselves and make things happen. There have been quite a few Extreme Makeover Neighbor Friends and Family editions here. I think it's great and wish I had the courage and determination to do the same. At least on this one I could maybe help out. We are really excited for work to begin this spring. If you have any inclination you can stop back to the website in the spring to see the progress. I'm sure pictures will be posted.