The Humpherys' Herald: DeAna & Brian 2014

DeAna And Brian

Our Awesome Year

The beginning of the year found us in Layton, Utah, U.S.A. We actually moved there one week before Christmas (2013). Brian had been hounded for over a year to come back to work for Jerry Seiner and they finally sweetened the pot enough to make it worth it. We lived close to the Air Force Base and the Highway and that was awesomely loud and we lived near Lisa and Michelle and that was just awesome.

We had fun doing all the “city” things like eating at fine restaurants and seeing the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit, Hogle Zoo, Surf and Swim, shopping, meeting a lot of new cool people and living in a fast paced highly populated awesome big city. The job stress was less than awesome though and took a toll on Brian’s health and so on a leap of faith, we moved to Swan Valley, Idaho, U.S.A.

Pure rural country living awesomeness.

We started selling jerky and it was the perfect way to launch our jerky business. We sold to those wonderful tourists until they stopped driving through and then turned a lot of antelope, deer and elk into jerky for local hunters. Brian got a job managing Castle Rock Dodge in Alpine, Wyoming, U.S.A. and that left me to the making of the jerky. I made jerky all fall and decided after dealing with raw meat for so long I’m now a vegetarian and am not even touching raw meat again. Ever. Not really, I’m making some more today…

Living in Swan Valley is awesome. We felt kind of like celebrities at first because we have 5 kids and the ward and school here has so few children. We were welcomed more warmly here than just about anywhere we’ve lived. We love the laid back, old school, down to earth, kind of country life that comes with population 204 (now 211).

Lexie says that she loves it here more than she’s loved anywhere she’s lived (and she lived in St. George people!). She spent the summer helping us sell jerky and scooping ice cream at one of the local ice cream shops.

Braylan spent the summer in the great state of Alaska. He lived with Sherrie and Brent and worked one and then two jobs and fished a lot. And went on a bear hunt. He experienced some altitude sickness for a while when he returned, but is now over it.

Braylan and Lexie go to Ririe High School and they actually like it. They get good grades are involved in a number of activities and spend a lot of time on the bus.

Savannah, Ian, and Abby love living in the country too, although Ian has stated that he probably won’t live in the country when he grows up. Savannah is patiently waiting for a horse and a dog (and a cat, pigs, chickens and goats) and Abby seems to love it here too. But we’re close to Grandma Tawny now so anytime they get to see her is a great day. Definitely a perk being close to her and ML and fam and soon Barry and fam.

Savannah played volley ball and basketball as a 6^th grader this year and I found out how hard it was to not coach from the stands (metal folding chairs). I think I gained a bad reputation from all my “help” and the locals are just now starting to smile at me again. :\ She really took to snowboarding this winter and misses it even now. She gets excellent grades and her teacher loves her.

Even with two ablation procedures, Ian still has SVT and his tachycardia is brought on by exertion so he didn’t participate in sports this year, but is on a beta blocker now that manages the tachycardia until we decide the next step with his heart. He is however participating in the Mars Rover Challenge (extracurricular) and (hopefully) will go to Pocatello in April to compete with his team. Ian really loves music, art and science and enjoys the extra help he gets in math.

Abby is ever the comedian wild child baby of the family. She is in constant motion unless she is watching T.V. and then she’s usually moving somehow. She makes us laugh daily and is bright and quick witted. She loves all her family and has a special love for her biggest bro and sis. I think she is the glue in our blended family. She is a good student too and is smart, but when she doesn’t get enough sleep, she suddenly wants to be home schooled because “school is a waste of her life.”

Anyway, we are all doing good and loving living in the Valley of the Swans.

We have enjoyed all the visitors that have stopped in on their way through and hope to see many more of you.

We love you all and look forward to reading all your newsletter’s because Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Blogger just isn’t enough!

Love the Lam-Metzg-oreaux’s