HISTORY

A Little History:
Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.

From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.

In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.

Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.

Our Mission Statement:
This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.

We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.

As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.
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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Back from the islands


So I finally got to take my vacation on the company dime. Not surprisingly, Hawaii was a trip full of relaxation and clarity. I needed it bad. Yes, I did some work, too, and it was really interesting. Not just because I got to see the difference in caliber between students at BYU-Hawaii and University of Hawaii. My favorite Career fair moment was at UH when some girl walked up wearing a halter top, a mini skirt, and flip flops, and she said, "Hey, you guys have highlighters! These are so dope!" Yeah, real professional. My co-recruiter said some schools won't even let you in the career fair unless you're in a suit. Guess they're a little more lax in HI. I still don't really feel like enough of an adult to be on the interviewer side of the table - I feel like just as much of a kid as the people across the table from me - but I think I faked my way through it alright.

When I wasn't hard at work, I played with my old BYU-H adventure buddy, Ryan. By the end of my trip, his circle of friends was mine, too. We had some beach time, went to a pro soccer game (ahem, Beckham was playing. Cameras flashed all over the stadium every time he touched the ball), we camped out one night, ate at all my favorite cheapie restaurants, and went on a hike I've wanted to do since I lived there: Stairway to Heaven. This hike is intense - it's about 3900 steps straight up the face of a mountain. My legs were shaking the whole way down. Love it. I also got to pay a visit to my old favorite place of employment, the Polynesian Cultural Center. If I wasn't feeling so lazy, I'd figure out how to do the slide show with all my pics. But I am. So here are just some excerpts.

The hike (See the staircase behind me? That is but a small portion.)



At the top of the mountain


View from close to the top (it was all foggy at the tippy top, zero visibility. Oh well.)


I couldn't help myself. These guys were going about 20 mph and we were stuck behind them for miles. You can't see it, but the dude in the back has a vanity plate: BIGOLHG


My favorite PCC show, the New Zealand poi balls. I used to get this song stuck in my head every day when I was a tour guide.
The view from my hotel in Waikiki, where I only stayed a couple nights when I HAD to for work. (I know, it looks nice, but stay away from Waikiki if you can. Too much noise and people.)


Naturally, when Mormons camp out, we play Catch Phrase around the fire!


And we eat birthday cake. And smear it on each others' faces.


The beach where we camped, close to Kaena Point - the most northwesterly point on the island.


Why, oh why didn't we have Banyan trees where I grew up? This is all one tree. The next picture/vid is also part of the same tree. The roots grow down from the branches and plant themselves into the ground.


The vines I'm swinging on are some of the roots that haven't hit the ground yet...
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4 comments:

RebeccaV said...

Abby, you have such a fun life!! You got some work in?! When?!

Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 8:46:00 PM MST
Jason and Dana said...

Gabby Lee!! You lucky dog! I thought about calling you the whole time after I talked to you one of your first days, thinking maybe I could feel some of that Hawaiian atmosphere through the phone. I can't wait for you to come home again. Looks like you had the time of your life. Good for you! Wish I could have been with you! Except I don't think I would have made it to the top of "Stairway to Heaven."

Monday, March 3, 2008 at 7:41:00 AM MST
abbynormal said...

Sure, I got TONS of work in...for about 3 hours a day, M-F.

I am so excited to come home. I guess I should be more focused on the fact that I'm getting surgery while I'm there, but whatever. I'm just excited. You should've called again! I would have held the phone up to the ocean, so you could hear the waves, and maybe the occasional car driving by, blasting reggae music.

Monday, March 3, 2008 at 2:19:00 PM MST
Colin & Lori said...

Abby, we are so excited to be there when you will be! I told Mia we were going to get you popscicles and take care of you. She was very excited. I haven't told her yet that it is just 3 weeks. When we initially booked the trip and told her she asked every day for a week if she could start packing. You just have too much fun!! Or I am just jealous. Probably the later.

Monday, March 3, 2008 at 8:04:00 PM MST

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