Sappington Family Top Ten List for 2019

2019 has been a particularly crazy, busy year for our family.  Here is my Top Ten list of Sappington family stories ranked from #1 to #10:

1.     Two granddaughters were married – Kendi Hansen married Taylor Dunkley and Danielle Welch married Kale Porter – both in hot, but beautiful outdoor ceremonies.

2.     Ed and I spent the month of June in Europe, traveling with Bob and Katie Beecher, who took our place as missionaries in Guyana, South America.  While seeing amazing and wonderful sights in Germany, Italy, France and Spain, we walked 110 miles, and climbed 217 flights of stairs.

3.     We welcomed a new family member on Monday, December 23 when Selwin and Brianna brought Ayah Fay Lovell into the world.  Ayah (pronounced A-ah) means "miracle" in Hebrew. 

4.     Selwin graduated magna cum laude from Dixie State University with a degree in Communications Studies.  He is now working on a Master’s degree.

5.     Selwin and Simeon – identical twins from Guyana, South America – completed the process and were sworn in as naturalized citizens of the USA.

6.     Kaytee and Josh have started a concrete business in their hometown of Anaconda, MT while he continues to work at Montana State Prison where, as a fulltime employee, he has health insurance in anticipation of a kidney transplant due to kidney failure. He asked for a kidney from Santa but hopes to be the recipient sometime in early 2020.

7.     8-year-old Skylar Postma was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

8.     Rick Welch was named fire chief in a small Southern Utah community of Gunlock.  He and Stacy have purchased property in this tiny southern Utah community and hope to begin construction on a new house soon, but the Gunlock community couldn’t wait to recruit him.

9.     I am gearing up for my year as District Governor of Rotary District 5420 (the state of Utah) which will begin on July 1, 2020.  I’m both terrified and excited to take on this monumental role.

10.  We got snow in St. George in February and in November we broke a longstanding record for no rain for 155 days – 34 days longer than the previous record set in 1893.

Other news:  

Kelly, Kris and David changed jobs this year.  Kelly had worked for the Utah Office of Education for about 18 months, but after a particularly difficult week (long story) she resigned and has been rehired by the US Air Force.  Kris accepted a new position as an underwriter for the company for which she has currently worked as a loan processor. David left Cabela’s and is now managing a new Black Diamond store in downtown Denver. 

Ed and I traveled to Pasadena, CA to help decorate the Rotary International float for the Rose Parade on New Year's Day.  What fun!!!

Many Sappington family members met again at Yellowstone for a week of fun, games and sightseeing.  Ed and I also traveled to Branson, MO, this time with our friends Bob and Katie Beecher and Jim and Mary Andrus.

Decorating Rotary for the Pasadena Rose Parade

What a trip! For a couple of years Jose, Martha and Stephanie Velasco (who have now volunteered for this project for 8 years) have been telling us how much fun it is to help decorate the RI float for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade (held annually on New Year’s Day – except if it falls on Sunday - since 1890). They weren’t wrong! Nothing you see on TV can compare with the real thing. Every inch of every float must be covered with flowers or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds or bark. Each is mind-blowingly stunning, made particularly so up close!

The 2020 parade theme was “The Power of Hope” and RI’s float (our 40th entry) featured a penguin with dreams of seeing the world from high above the ground … even though we all know penguins can’t fly!

This year’s float – at a cost of $150,000 with an additional $30,000 budgeted for marketing – was one of 40 in the parade and created by hundreds of Rotary friends and family and paid for through donations from individuals, businesses, clubs and such other organizations as Optimists International. It will be seen by more than 700,000 people along the parade route, another 45 million TV viewers in the U.S. and 28 million more in 200 countries around the rest of the world.

And our float – entitled “Hope Connects the World” – was awarded the Tournament Volunteer Trophy for “most outstanding floral presentation of parade theme (under 35 feet).”

Wanna be part of the nearly 1000-volunteers who will make up the decorating committee during the next holiday season (and, why wouldn’t you want to be)? Watch for more information about when and how you can sign up at www.rotaryfloat.org or contact Randy Pote at rotaryrandy5@gmail.com.

Also part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses festivities is a 3-day band competition featuring those musical groups scheduled to march in the parade … an equestrian competition, a dinner hosted by the Glendale Sunrise Rotary club and of course, an amazing parade along the 5 ½ miles of Colorado Blvd. There’s lots to see and do!

It’s a great way to end the old year and kick off the new one. Come join us.