Story Spotlight: In our Lives, and Now in our Hearts, with Buck

 

My husband, Erik, and I both grew up with dogs. So, when we bought our first home, it was only natural that we would want to get a dog. Our Labrador Retriever, Buck, joined our family two months after we moved in. He was our first baby and we took him everywhere we went. If he couldn’t come along, he stayed with my father or Erik’s parents.
 

 

When we started having children we realized that Buck took his role as friend and protector very seriously. One afternoon, soon after we brought our daughter home, I was walking in the yard with him when a delivery truck pulled up. As the driver jogged up my driveway Buck stopped him in his tracks with a growl and hackles raised. From that day forward, no one could step foot on our property without Buck announcing their presence.  Buck’s protective instincts increased when we brought our son home three years later. Whenever our children were in the yard, he was nearby keeping watch over them.
 

 

One of the great things about dogs is that they can add so much to the family dynamic. Every summer, we travel to the Jersey shore and Buck was always with us. He would get so excited when he saw me take the duffel bags out of the closet because he knew we were going somewhere and he wasn’t going to miss out. He would shadow me from the minute I started packing until we loaded the truck. Then he would hop in the back and off we’d go.

Part of our routine at the shore was taking him to the beach to swim. He loved to race out into the ocean to retrieve his favorite football and he would surf the waves on his way back to shore. In the beginning, Erik and I would throw the ball for him, but as the children grew they soon took over.
 

 

Last summer, the children received their own kayaks so they could paddle out into the bay. One morning, we took Buck with us so he could swim while we kayaked in the lagoon. As soon as he spotted the children paddling out, he started barking. He swam out to their kayaks and circled them as if to say, “I don’t like you this far from the shore.” They got the message and paddled in as he led them back to the beach.
 

 

Buck started slowing down as he neared his 11th birthday, but he was still a puppy at heart. Sadly the day came when we had to say our good-byes to our loyal friend. As we mourned our loss, my husband and I kept telling the children to just let the tears fall and know that he will always be in our hearts.  Then my husband suggested that we make a scrapbook of all the memories we have with Buck.

A few days later I started the process of gathering all of the pictures I had taken over his lifetime. My son helped me by going through a box of old pictures that contained his puppy pictures. Once I organized the pictures my daughter helped with the page layouts. It wasn’t easy. Tears often flowed as we worked. But we also smiled and laughed as we remembered how he pinned me on my back the first night of obedience training, or how he would lie on the floor and chew his bone while the children climbed all over him. Then there was the time when he chased us down hills as we tobogganed. Buck wasn’t just a dog—he was a member of our family. Having this collection of pictures will always remind us of his loyalty to our family and his special place in our hearts.
 

 

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The Heart of HM: The Stories That Bind

by Don Lehnhof, Director of Marketing

Question: What's the single most important thing you can do for your family?
Answer: Develop a strong family narrative.

In the mid-1990’s Dr. Marshall Duke at Emory University was asked to explore what families could do to “counteract the forces” that were breaking up the family. Dr. Duke’s wife, Sara, a psychologist who works with children with learning disabilities, noticed something about her students.

“The ones who know a lot about their families tend to do better when they face challenges,” she said. Her husband was intrigued, and along with a colleague, Robyn Fivush, set out to test her hypothesis. They developed a measure called the “Do You Know?” scale that asked children to answer 20 questions. (All questions are listed at the end of the article.)

Examples included: Do you know where your grandparents grew up? Do you know where your mom and dad went to high school? Do you know where your parents met? Do know an illness or something really terrible that happened in your family? Do you know the story of your birth?

Dr. Duke and Dr. Fivush asked those questions of four-dozen families in the summer of 2001, and taped several of their dinner table conversations. They then compared the children’s results to a battery of psychological tests the children had taken, and reached an overwhelming conclusion. The more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned. The “Do You Know?” scale turned out to be the best single predictor of children’s emotional health and happiness.

And then something unexpected happened. Two months later was Sept. 11. As citizens, Dr. Duke and Dr. Fivush were horrified like everyone else, but as psychologists, they knew they had been given a rare opportunity: though the families they studied had not been directly affected by the events, all the children had experienced the same national trauma at the same time. The researchers went back and reassessed the children.

“Once again,” Dr. Duke said, “the ones who knew more about their families proved to be more resilient, meaning they could moderate the effects of stress.” Why does knowing where your grandmother went to school help a child overcome something as minor as a skinned knee or as major as a terrorist attack? “The answers have to do with a child’s sense of being part of a larger family,” Dr. Duke said.

Psychologists have found that every family has a unifying narrative, he explained, and those narratives take one of three shapes.

First, the ascending family narrative: “Son, when we came to this country, we had nothing. Our family worked. We opened a store. Your grandfather went to high school. Your father went to college. And now you. ...”

Second is the descending narrative: “Sweetheart, we used to have it all. Then we lost everything.”

“The most healthful narrative,” Dr. Duke continued, “is the third one. It’s called the oscillating family narrative: ‘Dear, let me tell you, we’ve had ups and downs in our family. We built a family business. Your grandfather was a pillar of the community. Your mother was on the board of the hospital. But we also had setbacks. You had an uncle who was once arrested. We had a house burn down. Your father lost a job. But no matter what happened, we always stuck together as a family.’ ”

Dr. Duke said that children who have the most self-confidence have what he and Dr. Fivush call a strong “intergenerational self.”  They know they belong to something bigger than themselves. Leaders in other fields have found similar results. Many groups use what sociologists call sense-making, the building of a narrative that explains what the group is about.

Dr. Duke recommended that parents pursue similar activities with their children. Any number of occasions work to convey this sense of history: holidays, vacations, big family get-togethers, even a ride to the mall. The hokier the family’s tradition, he said, the more likely it is to be passed down. He mentioned his family’s custom of hiding frozen turkeys and canned pumpkin in the bushes during Thanksgiving so grandchildren would have to “hunt for their supper,” like the Pilgrims. “These traditions become part of your family,” Dr. Duke said.

Decades of research have shown that most happy families communicate effectively. But talking doesn’t mean simply “talking through problems,” as important as that is. Talking also means telling a positive story about yourselves. When faced with a challenge, happy families, like happy people, just add a new chapter to their life story that shows them overcoming the hardship. This skill is particularly important for children, whose identity tends to get locked in during adolescence.

The bottom line: if you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family’s positive moments and your ability to bounce back from the difficult ones. That act alone may increase the odds that your family will thrive for many generations to come.

Anybody know of a good way to retell you family stories? That’s right—Heritage Makers!



Dr. Duke’s Questions:

1. Do you know how your parents met?
2. Do you know where your mother grew up?
3. Do you know where your father grew up?
4. Do you know where some of your grandparents grew up?
5. Do you know where some of your grandparents met?
6. Do you know where your parents were married?
7. Do you know what went on when you were being born?
8. Do you know the source of your name?
9. Do you know some things about what happened when your brothers or sisters were being born?
10. Do you know which person in your family you look most like?
11. Do you know which person in the family you act most like?
12. Do you know some of the illnesses and injuries that your parents experienced when they were younger?
13. Do you know some of the lessons that your parents learned from good or bad experiences?
14. Do you know some things that happened to your mom or dad when they were in school?
15. Do you know the national background of your family (such as English, German, Russian, etc)?
16. Do you know some of the jobs that your parents had when they were young?
17. Do you know some awards that your parents received when they were young?
18. Do you know the names of the schools that your mom went to?
19. Do you know the names of the schools that your dad went to?
20. Do you know about a relative whose face "froze" in a grumpy position because he or she did not smile enough?

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Story Feature: Open House

Jed and Fran Platt are true Heritage Makers. Their recently published Heritage Makers Storybook, titled “Open House,” is a treasury of family culture and tradition and will no doubt be cherished by family members, relatives and friends far and wide.

“I lived in a hundred story house,” Jed writes on page one. “Crafted of cement slabs and cork, sliding glass windows and doors, plywood and poster board, ‘The House’ grew to the farthest reaches of the yard. It was held together with silver duct tape, repurposed nails, lengths of green rope, my father’s determination and my mother’s prayers.” 

The subsequent 99 pages contain a delightful (and unvarnished) anthology of family history as it related to their quirky, but beloved home. Each family member recounts his or her favorite memories and the book is richly punctuated with family photos. When the house was finally sold in 2008, Jed had the foresight to complete a photo inventory of the house including all the various rooms and the familiar details – the textures, the colors, the fixtures, the carpeting, the flooring, the wall coverings – everything. No one thinks to document their past in this way, but Jed’s images certainly add dimension and flavor to the project. 

While Jed was responsible for gathering photos and stories, Fran put the book together in Studio. They published in time to distribute the books on Christmas, and you can tell from this photo they commanded immediate and profound attention.

For the outsider, it’s impossible to spend time reading this Storybook without gaining an appreciation for the Platt family’s sense of humor, resourcefulness, values, unique traditions and their love and devotion to each other.

In short, it is a prime example of why Heritage Makers was founded. The house at 2264 South 2000 East in Salt Lake City has lots and lots of stories; it just needed someone to tell them.

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Club HM Challenge: No Faces

The Club HM Facebook page was designed just for you. Visit today and you can be part of a supportive community that focuses on learning, growing and sharing. We offer tips to teach, answers to questions, and creative challenges to help us appreciate new art, try new products and learn different ways to document our life stories.

Learning a New Approach

In a recent “No Faces, Photo Challenge” Club HM Facebook members were challenged to document a relationship without showing any faces. The inspiration piece for the challenge was Renee Lamb’s “Unbreakable Bond” a 12 x 12 scrap page, template 78444. Renee’s page showed her three step-daughters sitting on a fence holding hands. The “unbreakable” bond illustrated in the photo was a powerful lesson to many of us on the Club HM page that faces are not always the best focal point for a relationship photo.

Club HM member entries poured in for this one-winner-only challenge, and many were the most striking projects ever posted on Club HM. Some of those in the running to win were Tina Snider’s project “made from a photo she had taken the previous year and loved and Karen Cattles’ project “Love is Color Blind” honoring her new grandson.

Lisa Iwata adapted a page from a page she’s made previously featuring her daughter and her three best college friends. Michelle Bedard’s 12 x 12 scrap page, “A Happy Day” had recently become template 32514 in the Template Gallery and was also a big hit.

And the Winner Was . . .

Our "No Faces" Challenge was one of the most moving challenges we've ever had. From tiny baby hands to children led along by Dad and babies yet to be born, we LOVED how many ways our Facebook Club HM members found to demonstrate deep relationships without showing faces. Our final winner was Jan Stamm for her touching portrait of mom and grandma lovingly preparing the bride for her wedding. It’s a 12 x 12 scrap page, now template 82049 and called "Three Generations of Love."

The Real Winners

The real winners on the Club HM pages are the thousands of participants that learn and grow each day. Join us. We’d love to have you.

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Lisa's Uncle Brian

This is a touching story from Lisa Nelson, one of the founding leaders of Heritage Makers. As I'm spending time with my family this holiday season, this is a great reminder to myself to not only enjoy time with my family, but to take time to commemorate these treasured memories.

Growing up, I had a special relationship with my Uncle Brian. Many people had a special relationship with him; he was the type of person who made you feel like you were his best friend. He had a belly laugh that was more like a giggle than a laugh, and it would go on and on. He was the biggest fan at our basketball games, cheering louder than all the others, telling us to shoot more, telling the referees to think a bit more about the call and keeping his own set of stats at each game. He was our farm’s most dedicated employee, even though he insisted on taking his lunch break during Days of Our Lives. He was the best with phone messages because not only did he take the message, he reminded you to call them back until you did. Many people have great memories of my uncle Brian.

Brian also had Down’s Syndrome.

When he passed away, the entire family gathered in his hospital room while he was dying, and though he was basically unresponsive, we wanted to be there. When I arrived, he woke up, gave me the biggest smile, which let me know he was waiting for me and was glad I arrived, then went back to sleep. To this day, that is the best smile I have ever received.

At Brian’s funeral, some of the comments made by friends and family were:

“I am so proud to have him as my uncle.”

“Brian was a true friend to me, and I am a better person because of Brian.”

“The world would be a better place if we were all a little bit more like Brian.”

Because his life impacted us all so much and we had such fun memories, at his funeral each of his eight nieces and nephews gave a short tribute to him. We took those tributes and put them in a Heritage Makers book.

A few years ago, I was traveling home from a business trip and my discussion with the lady sitting beside me turned to Brian. I happened to have his book with me in my carry-on bag, and when I showed her the book she said, “Oh, I’m sure he loved it!” That phrase has always stayed with me, because if anyone would have loved a book written entirely about him, with all the funny stories and memories, it would have been Brian. She’s right, he would have loved it. Sadly, we didn’t think to write it until after he passed away.

This was a lesson to me, and should be to all of us. May we take the time now, before it’s too late, to let our loved ones know we love them, why we love them, and that their lives are important to us, while they are with us, so they can enjoy it as well. Whether it’s a tribute or help to someone to write their life story…whatever format we choose to write…the book is something that says, “Your life was significant, and we want your life to be remembered for generations to come.”

I’m excited for the day when my children start telling people stories about “Our Great Uncle Brian.”

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Best of Heritage 2011, For the Good Times

This story completely inspired me to hurry and get my parents' and grandparents' stories while they can still help me write them! What a wonderful opportunity to connect the generations!

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Best of Heritage 2011, Starfish Foster Home

What a touching video of the power of STORY! These children have incredible stories, but due to their circumstances, would possibly not ever have known them were it not for the hard work and heart of these women!

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Best of Heritage 2011, Before you were 5

So I just got back from the Heritage Makers Reunion, and one of the events there is the Awards Night, which includes the "Best Of Heritage Makers" collection. This one was especially touching, as a book was made for a little boy, who passed away shortly after receiving it.

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Heartfelt Gift in Record Time!

One of my clients in Minnesota just had a book published as a very special gift, and she needed it in a hurry! The gift arrived in time, and it was a success with everyone involved! Keep reading for her story:
In May we found out that our home day care provider, Lorna, would be closing her doors so that she could start student teaching in the fall. All of the families were saddened by this news while being so happy for her to start this wonderful new phase of her life. Being a teacher was her dream and it was going to happen in the fall of 2011.

At the end of June some of us moms decided that it would be a great idea to throw her a going away party. Flo was going to work with Lorna’s husband to set up a day for surprise going away party. I mentioned making a scrapbook as a gift for her. Again the moms were all in agreement that this would be a great idea.

So a date was picked, parents were thinking about what photos they wanted to contribute, and Lorna’s family began looking for photos from the past 14 years of day care to put in the book.

On July 28th I got all the of the photos, children’s art work, and thank you cards to put in the book. I was really nervous that I wouldn’t be able to get the book completed and shipped before her party on August 7th , so I talked with my wonderful consultant, Julie, about my issue. She told me that Heritage Makers offered a “rush” process for publishing a project. Basically someone is assigned to your book and makes sure it gets to the top of the pile for everything.

On Friday July 29th at 10:00am central time I called Heritage Makers, hoping that they would have good news for me. The service representative was really friendly and she said the words I wanted to hear, we can make it happen for you! She told me that I would need to publish the book over the weekend and to call right away Monday morning and have a rush put on the book. She also told me that when I ordered the book that I would need to select the 2 day delivery option.

So Friday night I spent the evening with my husband and kids. After a bath and bedtime sorties it was time to complete the book. I worked for another 4 hours before I was satisfied with the book. I published the book, selected the 2 day delivery option and rested peacefully know that the book would be here for the big day. I then sent off a copy of the book to all the moms to view (I love this feature!!!!). During the next few days moms were sending me messages letting me know how much they loved the book, and couldn't wait to see her reaction to it. Her husband and kids loved it too and were anxious for Sunday to come so they could see her reaction to the book.

Monday August 1st I again called Heritage Makers. This time I had to wait on hold for 14minutes before I got to speak to a representative. The automated message was great at telling me that there was an unusually high call volume, my queue position and my estimated wait time. When I finally got a representative she was super helpful. I explained my situation and what I was told on Friday. She looked up the status of the book and saw that it was already in printing. She said she wanted to check with someone because I might not have to pay the rush fee since the book was already in printing and I had selected 2day shipping. After a couple more minutes on hold she came back on and explained the situation.

Yes the book was in printing, but 400 books were submitted for publishing over the weekend. There was a sale on 8x8 books that ended on July 31st. Looks like there were lots of folks taking advantage of the discount! She said there was good chance that the book would get here without paying the rush fee, but it was my choice on what to do. I told her that I just couldn’t take a chance that the book wouldn’t arrive. She said no problem. She placed the rush fee of $20.00 to my order and explained the process for the book. In my opinion $20.00 was a small price to pay to make sure the book was here on time for the big day. As soon as the book was done printing it would be hand carried the binding station. Since the staff that bind the books were not in on Monday it would be the 1st one done on Tuesday morning. Then my book would be walked to someone in shipping and sent out for delivery.

I got a message Wednesday morning from the representative that I worked with letting me know that the book had been sent to UPS for delivery. An hour later I got a message from UPS letting know the tracking info for my book. On Friday morning August 5th my husband answered the door to greet the UPS delivery man. My book had arrived with 2 days to spare!

So the big day has arrived and we are ready to celebrate this amazing woman who has not only taken care of our children but taken them in as one of her own children. The surprise went off exactly as planned - she was overwhelmed by the showing of love and support from all of her day care families, even some who are no longer with her because their kids had grown up. After some visiting and great food we sat her down to receive her gifts. Her husband, Rob, read her a beautiful letter that was the introduction to the book. She was speechless, and most of the moms cried with her. She said it was just the most beautiful and thoughtful gift. She was overwhelmed by the book and the beautiful letters written by some of the families. It was just perfect.

Thank you Heritage Makers, you really do make lasting memories!

Jen B. Coon Rapids, MN

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Why I Love My Daddy

by Jennifer Garrison

"My 4-year old son Trey (with a little help from me) did a book for his Daddy for Father's Day last year!

This book was so much fun to do! I would ask Trey, "Why do you love your Daddy?" and kept a journal of all his answers. I got as much detail out of him that I could. Then one day Trey and I sat down and made the book together. I let him pick out the pictures and the backgrounds then I added the text.

I loved hearing all the different reasons for why he loved his Daddy. The things children say are hilarious. My husband loves the book not only because it was made for him by Trey, but he said that even though you hear your son loves you and looks up to you this was just different and meant more seeing it in a book that was made for him!"

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"My Mom" by Heather Jackson

I was living in Shanghai, China when my dad had a massive stroke. I came home to look after him and my mom. It has now been four years since I have lived with my mom, and this year on Valentines's Day, I wanted to show her how much I love her and value her. Our relationship has only become better since we became roommates. I honestly never thought I would be in my late 40s and living with my mother and loving it.

I always have a project going for someone else, so this time I decided to make a book just for her. I spent several hours over a two day period creating her book from scratch. She had no idea; she thought I was making a book for someone else.

On a trip out one day I presented the book to her. We are very similar in that we give things to people to show how much we love them. She sure knows now that I love her, even if she didn't before! She loves her book so much that she shows all of her friends!

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Now is the Time for those Stories

by Lynda Angelastro

"When I decided to add a new "grandpa" cornerstone to the Heritage Makers line, I naturally turned to my own father's life for inspiration. He was happy to talk about his younger years and on a recent Christmas visit, my dad and I finished the story-filled book.

Listening to Dad's stories was the highlight of my recent trip to England. I was excited to document this priceless slice of family history. And as he recounted tales of his birth, childhood, and courting years, I realized he was filling in a thousand small details I'd never heard before.

My father was pleased with the finished book and arranged to replace the generic note he'd included on the last page with a personal message for each grandchild. Then he'd have me print copies of the finished books for him to give as surprise gifts the following Christmas.

But within weeks of my visit, my father was hospitalized twice, his health in rapid decline.

I suppose if your father is 88 years old, health set-backs are a fact of life, but my dad had always been so independent and strong, I really thought I still had lots of time with him. And while I should have anticipated it, the news of his death came as a huge shock to me.

I'm so grateful to have had an assignment that prompted me to get my father's story written. I am taking the personalized copies of his book to England with me, when I fly back for his funeral. It will be a much bigger surprise than he had anticipated, but what a priceless legacy for him to leave his grandchildren."

Check out Lynda's "How I Became Your Grandpa" template (id#:27047) in the Template Gallery!

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The Power of a Moment

We all have stories. We have stories about special occasions and milestones in our life. But we also have those little gems, those stories that happen in a split second - in a "moment". My friend Patty Glass decided to make a book filled with those little moments. Those pictures where she has captured an instant in time when she found some joy in a smile, an object, a simple random act. She has many pictures that didn't make it into other books - but they trigger some little memory for her. Those are the stories she's going to capture. The stories of life's little moments. Nothing detailed, nothing complex - each moment with its own identity.

"I get so distracted by my bigger schemes
Show me the importance of the simple things....
Show me the power of a moment"
by Chris Rice (from "The Power of a Moment")

What are your Special Moments??

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A New Tradition with a Timeless Tale

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Creating family traditions to celebrate the holidays has always been important to Tanja Rigby, Heritage Makers Creative Marketing Assistant. Tanja says, “Reading beloved Christmas tales on Christmas Eve has always been one of the special traditions our family enjoys at holiday time.”

This year, Tanja wanted to create a personalized keepsake for her family that would be part of that storytelling tradition. She chose Clement Moore’s classic, out-of-copyright poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and wove it into a delightful blend of original story and familys names and photos. Her intention was to offer the story as a little extra magic to her three-year-old daughter Hannah on Christmas Eve.

It didn’t work quite the way Tanja expected. Hannah accidently found the little book well before Halloween. After seeing that it was the story of her family and even included photos of a beloved dog that had recently passed away, Hannah took very firm possession of the Christmas storybook. She toted her little book with her everywhere—to the doctor’s office, to pre-school and to church.

Pleased that the book was something Hannah was obviously going to treasure for years to come, Tanja was a little taken aback when Hannah recently announced, “We need a new book.”

What would make Hannah ask for a new book? Well, Hannah needed a new book because Hannah "got it". At three years old, she’d noticed something that showed she understood her Heritage Makers book was an important family legacy. “Ruby’s not in my book,” she explained, referring to the new family dog. Hannah’s book, like Heritage Makers books in the hands of youngsters everywhere, is helping define her world, her family and her family’s values and traditions.

You can personalize a book like Hannah’s for your family this year. It’s a 7 x 5 Storybook called “Rigby Night Before Christmas.” Just don’t let anyone peek at it before the holidays!

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My Brother Cried

by LuAnn Rhea

"I have an older brother for whom it is very difficult to purchase gifts for. Usually, for birthdays or Christmas we get him a gift card, but this year I wanted to give him something that told him how much I love and appreciate him.

I started three different projects:

1. A calendar, which I stopped creating because I realized he travels too much to view it daily.
2. A storybook, which I stopped creating because I could not find the right fit and was running out of time for holiday deadlines.
3. Finally, I decided on a 16x20 canvas.

Did I mention that he is a professional photographer? That made the task a little more difficult because he is picky about photos on canvas. I went through several photos I had scanned and selected three. I played with several different backgrounds, cropped, un-cropped, then cropped again, and found the perfect quote about how “being a brother is sometimes better than being a super hero.” Then I hit the purchase button and crossed my fingers.

On Christmas morning after all of the gifts were opened, I told him to close his eyes. My daughter and I ran down the hall and grabbed the canvas. I had my daughter hold it and told my brother to open his eyes. His reaction was priceless; he cried! For the first time in my life, I made my brother cry! I have tried for years to make him cry and never, ever, ever could get him to cry. I even created a scrapbook by hand that took me six months and he did not cry. But he cried and cried and hugged me and my daughter so hard that we cried as well. He said he had never received anything so beautiful and was so impressed with the quality of the canvas."

I love these moments! Thanks so much for sharing LuAnn!

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Dancing

by Sue Wahl

"I recently completed my first project: a book for my daughter.

Laura’s been dancing since she was three, and this year she is headed off to a university to major in dance. So I made her a book to remember all her dance years before the university.

I totaled up all the dances she’s been part of and there were over 100! That meant I had about that many pictures for her book. I also included the dance camps and workshops and the people along the way who have helped her reach her goals. And I found quotes online about dance and added them throughout the book. At the end, I included blank pages for autographs and well wishes for her future.

Now she won’t have to go scrambling through pictures to remember that special group number that was so much fun, or the duets and dance partners, or the solo she danced for her dad. Everything is all right there in her book. I’m happy to say she has her book perched on the bookcase in her dorm room where she sees it all the time."

Thanks, Sue, for that wonderful story of inspiration!!

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Surfer Boys

by Rashelle Nelson

I have two little boys who are my complete world. Izek is our oldest and he will be turning four at the end of this year. Maxwell just recently turned two. I remember being pregnant with Maxwell and thinking how much fun it would be for these two precious little boys to be so close in age (just a little over a year and a half apart). I really couldn’t wait to start teaching them what a special relationship they could, should, and would have.

When Izek was born I decided to do his room in a surf theme since I thought it could easily “grow” with his age. So now that the boys will be sharing I am just making some big boy alterations to their room. I remember thinking how fun it would be to make a surf poster to put on their wall. I wanted to make it look just like the cover of a surf magazine!

I got online and started researching magazines and what some of the headlines and covers looked like; I got even more excited. I put some adorable pictures on the poster of the boys at the beach the past two summers and some great headline/cover stories as if they were real professional surfers. I am so happy with how it turned out; it was my first canvas poster. And how memorable it turned out to be.

Now that summer has come to a close and the boys are happily sharing their new room, it melts my heart to see how much fun they have being together. I think one of my favorite quotes is “There’s no other love like the love for a brother. There’s no other love like the love from a brother” (Astrid Alauda). I love that my two little boys are best friends and that a summer heritage making project turned into something so special. Thanks Heritage Makers!

You can do anything with a Heritage Makers poster or canvas. Design your home décor special to fit your style!

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Best of Heritage Life Tribute 2010

It might be because I'm so close to having another baby of my own, but this 5min video totally made me cry!

Take a few minutes and watch this video about the power of story - what an incredible company I get to represent!

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A Card A Week

By Leslie Dannelly

My husband, Mike, is in the Air Force. Through our 13 years of marriage Mike has spent quite a bit of time away from our family while he serves our country overseas. This past April, we got word that he would be deploying to Afghanistan for a year. We knew he might go this fall for four to six months, but we had no idea it would be in July for a year.

I decided I needed to find a way to help him through this time away from our family. So without his knowing, I emailed his friends and family and asked them to share funny stories and pictures about Mike. There was a “no sappy” rule—the last thing the troops need is sappiness.

I then took those stories and some of my own and made Mike a deck of cards—with enough cards to send him one a week and one for us to hand him when he finally walks off the plane and into our arms! Our three daughters love picking which card to send Daddy each week! It also gives me a chance to share with them all the funny stories of our family and friends.

Besides the cards, I made a business wall calendar for Mike to cross off days. I added some of his favorite pictures and some words of inspiration. We have an exact copy on our wall and our three daughters love crossing off days.

And one other thing I have sent him is a copy of a postcard I originally made when he was in Iraq.

The following is Mike’s words about the projects:

The calendar was something. I really needed to cross off the days during this deployment. But when it showed up, integrated with all of my favorite pictures, it became so much more. I now use it to jot down little notes to better keep track of my experiences over here. Since we have two of them, it’s nice to know that the days are being crossed off at the same time by my girls on the other side of the world.

The Heritage Makers card “Remember Kissing” is one that Leslie sent me while I was in Iraq. It uses a picture we had taken in Florida a few years back. I was very happy to get it in Iraq and just as thrilled this time in Afghanistan. Receiving those perfect memories through photographs reminds me how great our marriage is and helps me press on through tough times over here.

The cards are fantastic. They never fail to bring a smile to my face. Each one brings back memories of various fun and unique experiences that Leslie and I have enjoyed together. They contain memories that are so powerful that I am taken away as if on a vacation for just a moment with every card.

I’m very proud of my husband. He has been in the Air Force 17 years and has served away from our family many times. It does not matter how many times your spouse is deployed, gone is gone and it does not get easier. You just know you’ll get through. I’m so grateful I had Heritage Makers to make my Hero gifts to help Mike with this long year.

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Best of Heritage Past 2009

Still in anticipation of exciting new things to come out of Reunion this month, here is last year's "Best of Heritage Past" book!

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