Julie's Family
There are eight members of my immediate family. My parents have been married for almost 33 years now and are busy remodeling their home of 21 years. My parents enjoy travelling and serving others, and provided a wonderful, loving home for the six of us kids to grow up in.
My oldest brother is Tyler, 32, and is married to Stacy. They’ve been married for about nine years and have five children: Sydney (8), Carson (6), Owen (4), Ella (3), and Reese (18 mos.). Tyler is a dentist and Stacy, a former elementary school teacher, stays at home with the kids.
My older sister is Stacy, 30, and is married to Ryan. They’ve been married almost 9 years and have three children: Seth (6), Cameron (4), and Alexis (14 mos.). Ryan is a physical therapist and Stacy stays at home with the kids.
Then comes me, third child, sharing the middle with my brother.
Spencer, 25, was born next, and he is married to Stephanie. They are yet to have any children, but we’re all anxiously awaiting the day. Spencer works as an IT specialist and Stephanie works for a physical therapist. They just bought their first home.
Next comes Preston, 22, and his wife Suzanne. They were just married eight months ago and do not have any children yet either. Preston works part-time waterproofing homes while attending school part-time, and Suzanne works for a construction company.
Finally, we have Jordan, 20. He is currently serving an LDS mission in Kobe, Japan, and will be returning home in September 2010. He’ll attend college when he gets home and we’re all excited to see what he ends up doing with his life.
With the exception of Jordan being temporarily out of the country, the whole family lives in Utah within two hours of one another. We frequently get together for holidays or celebrations and enjoy each other’s company. It’s been fun to see the family grow so much with new babies always being born, and we only have two of the six children even producing children at the moment! There is so much support and encouragement, along with fun and laughter, that I just can’t wait to be able to bring a child of my own into the wonderful environment that is my family.
Julie with her mom and dad.
Hat day at the Reading house!
Golfing with Julie's brother, Spencer, and sister-in-law, Stephanie.
Julie with her sister, Stacy, at their brother's wedding.
Josh's Family
There are nine people in my family, including step-parents and siblings. My mom, Jennifer, and step-dad, Jim, still live in Rapid City, SD where I grew up. Mom manages the Estee Lauder counter at a department store called Herberger’s, and Jim works at a car dealership. My dad, Raleigh, and step-mom, Christine, live in Draper, UT, about an hour and a half from where we currently live. Dad is the VP of sales for Coca-Cola Swire and Christine is self-employed as a seamstress and quilt-maker. They have a daughter named Kayla who just graduated from high school.
I’m the oldest in my family, followed by 3 younger sisters.
Next came Chelsea, 25, and she is married to Mike. They’ve been married almost 4 years and are expecting their first baby, a boy! Chelsea manages the cosmetic counter at Nordstrom (like mother like daughterJ) and Mike is finishing his degree, hoping to attend law school, and working part-time at a restaurant.
Third in line is Emily, 21. She is currently living in Logan, near us, and works very successfully for the same financial company that Josh works at doing loan verifications. She is planning to attend school in the future, and we love being able to see her often and hang out together.
Last but not least is little Ally, 9. Ally lives at home with Jennifer and Jim, and is probably the funniest, wittiest, most precocious little girl you’ll ever meet. She is the life of the family and is always putting on dances and lip-syncs for us. She is very excited to have babies in the family, as we all are!
We try to all get together as often as we can, but it only turns out to be the whole family once or twice a year. It’s hard trying to coordinate between 2 different states and busy schedules. But it’s always a good time when we’re together, filled with games, shopping, laughter, and excellent food. The older we get the more important we realize family is, and the more we appreciate one another and our time together.
Josh with his mom and sisters, Emily and Allyson, in South Dakota.
Josh's mom, step dad, and little sister Al.
Sister Allyson on her baptism day.
A rare occasion when all the family was together for grandpa's 80th birthday.
Josh's dad and step mom.
Josh's dad and sister Kayla after finishing a 1/2 marathon.
A proud mother on her son's wedding day!
