The Love of My Life: Lovely Lynda!

This cutie-pie is my eternal companion, Lynda. I have often said that she is the most intelligent and talented person I have known (then Lynda always says, And beautiful and skinny!). Lynda had had a very full life by the time I met her. She grew up on a potato farm in eastern Idaho. When she was in high school, her father was called as a mission president to serve in Cali, Colombia. The whole family, two parents and five of the kids (Lynda was the oldest of them), picked up and moved to South America.

Lynda finished high school early (in Colombia) and enrolled at BYU a semester early. She was called on a mission at the age of 18 to serve in her father's mission, so off she went, back to South America for a year and a half.

When I met Lynda, I had been home from my mission in Washington, DC for about two months, and she hadn't been home much longer. We were both Resident Assistants in the Helaman Halls dormitories at BYU and had a great deal of contact. We became racquetball buddies, playing several hours each day - she would beat me soundly nearly every game back then.

One memorable time with Lynda near the beginning of our relationship came when I went to Idaho Falls with her for the first time to meet her parents. Lynda had just come off of an engagement that ended negatively, so I think she thought that her parents would not approve of a new boyfriend so quickly - as a result, she neglected to tell them I was coming. When we arrived at her home on East River Road I walked with her to the front door. Her mother met us there and proceeded to thank me for giving Lynda a ride home and nearly shut the door in my face. Needless to say, I was quite confused at these mixed signals. It was then that I learned that it was the man's responsibility to figure out what the woman was thinking. Despite this rocky start, the visit went as well as can be expected and we left to return to Utah with the idea that Lynda and I were officially an item firmly planted in their minds.

Lynda and I at Helaman Halls dormitories at Brigham Young University

We have gone through good times and bad, fat and lean. Over the years we have learned to rely more and more on each other. And, yes, I do believe that I have learned to read her mind every once in a while. She has followed me all over the world and has been a really good sport, participating in my grand adventure.

Lynda harvesting rice near our township, Umegaoka, Kanagawa Prefecture

Today we both have gained a few pounds, me more than she, and gray hairs are found in plenty (again me more than she). Our love grows stronger and stronger. No one ever mistakes me for her son anymore, and she struggles at times to retained her beautiful singing voice. Her diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis make things interesting at times (like this morning), but she remains active; probably more active than when I met her. She is still the most intelligent and talented person I have ever met, and I love her more than life itself. I thank my Heavenly Father every day that he allowed me to find her and make her my bride.

Child Highlight: Daniel Kent

<-- This is Daniel Kent, my fourth child. He was born in Provo, Utah, in the same hospital as his sister. He turns seven years old tomorrow!!! He is named for one of our ancestors, the other brother-in-law of Brigham Young we are descended from. The original Daniel Kent was married to Brigham's sister Rhoda, I think. A few years back, a few of Daniel Kent's descendants met at an old graveyard near Kirtland, Ohio, and rededicated Daniel Kent's grave site. This was fresh on my mind when our Daniel Kent was born. Dan has always been a serious, yet intensely emotional, child. He rarely smiled until he was about five years old. This has also made him intensely sensitive, a trait I believe will serve him well over the coming years. Daniel enjoys the outdoors, more so than my our other children. He also loves to imagine himself the center of stories he makes up, and he spends hours in the summertime outside acting them out. At one point, Lynda asked if she could join him and he responded that he didn't think she knew how. He was right...

Daniel's first onstage performance as Tevia's grandson in Fiddler on the Roof.

Daniel's serious nature, as can be seen in the photo above, landed him several parts in on-stage performances, including Fiddler on the Roof and Annie. I remember when he was little, about 3-4, Dan learned to help me with the morning chores by straightening the family room by himself. All I had to say was, You can do it! and he did. We grew close through those years when I would watch him in the mornings.

Dan started kindergarten in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. When he did, he found his true passion - school. He loves it! He gets along well with the other children, his teachers love him, and he does well at nearly everything he is asked to do. He really missed school when he has to miss, although he dearly loves snow days.

Recent image of Daniel at his uncle Paul's wedding reception in Utah.

Child Highlight: Evan Loel

Evan Loel is named for my father (obviously) and our ancestor who was the nephew of Brigham Young, Evan Greene, the son of John P. Greene, the first convert resulting from the first mission, served by Joseph Smith's brother Samuel. Evan Greene married his first cousin, Susan Kent, daughter of Daniel Kent for whom Evan Loel's younger brother was named. Interestingly, Evan Greene was an early pioneer who crossed the plains with Brigham Young and was the mayor of Provo at one point.

Our Evan, Evan Loel, was born in Yokohama, Japan; our only child not to be born in Utah. He was the biggest baby of record to be born in his hospital. He came at the end of a long baby-drought for us, so he received lots of loving, and kind of had two sets of parents: Lynda & I, and Amanda & Davis.

When Evan was a baby he loved Star Wars, Episode I. When he learned to crawl, he would go to the television and plug the video in the slot in the middle of the night. He would sit and watch the whole thing while the rest of us slept. When it was over, he would crawl back over and plug it in again. There were nights where he would watch that movie up to five times. Needless to say, episode I is now my least favorite of the Star Wars movies.

Evan Loel in Motomachi, Yokohama, Japan.

Evan started school in Orem at Cascade Elementary. He was always our little singer. I can't remember a time when he did not sing with a perfect pitch and vibrato. He will be the best singer of all of us, I am sure. He also shows something of an aptitude for piano and arithmetic. He is now nine years old.

Amanda, Davis, & Evan Loel in our apartment in Yokohama.

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

Yesterday and today I created a Facebook group for where I work - Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. I have nine members already. I think the place where I work is really cool, and that everyone else will think the same thing. So far most of the people who have joined are Bigelow employees, but I hope my family and many others who happen upon in will also join.

People at Bigelow are doing all sorts of interesting things. For example, there are several scientists who travel to the southern Atlantic each year to study phytoplankton, bacteria, and the effect cycling of ion concentrations may have on marine life. Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that phtosynthesize and produce the majority of all the oxygen in the atmosphere. As far as ions go, the oceans are becoming measurably more acidic. This makes the water somewhat toxic to marine life - not good. I research the genetics of molecular adaptation in a variety of organisms. Right now I am writing proposals to study oysters, lobsters and bacteria, and another to study the mathematics of adaptation. I hope at least one of these proposals are successfully funded.

The Bigelow website may be found at:
http://www.bigelow.org/index.php.

Thoughts on the presidential election

The Obamas at the Commander-in-Chief ball.

I can't say that I was thrilled with the presidential election. I had disappointments from start to finish. I didn't like the Republican nominee, nor did I care for the Democrat nominee. I liked Sarah Palin, but would have liked it more if she had been my kid's fourth grade teacher and not a candidate for VP. I liked John McCain, but think he would make a better college administrator than President. I've got too much baggage than necessary to support Hillary Clinton, and I had never even heard of Barak Obama before he ran for President. Of all the candidates, I thought Hillary would probably be the most presidential, but I don't think I could have supported her "progressive" agenda. It all would have been a lot easier if I had been more at ease with George Bush, but he just kept disappointing me in the way he failed to adequately communicate with his constituents (largely because of circumstances), and because he consistently gave in to or sponsored liberal legislation while claiming to be a conservative. In all, I think the country is in a really odd place politically, with no clear consensus from the public or our elected officials, Republican or Democrat.

I voted my conscience, but my heart was not in it. The whole thing was compounded by the lousy economy, which made for a great big "Do I have another choice?" moment at the voting booth. I can't say I was pleased with the ultimate outcome - I never quite understood the "messiah" status of Barak Obama; from my viewpoint he hadn't really ever done anything to deserve it. But now he's our President, and for four years we have to live with our collective decision.

The natural tendency for someone who is not pleased with an election like this one is to hope for the elected official to make some kind of colossal mistake, but our country is in kind of delicate place and I don't think it could take many more mistakes. For this reason, I have decided to throw my complete support behind our new President and try to be optimistic about what he is trying to do and where he is trying to take our country. Will I complain about decisions he makes that I don't agree with - sure. Will I be disappointed if he pushes legislation that makes our country more socialist and places further limits on our freedoms - you bet! But until he earns my disfavor I will support what he is trying to do. Let's face it, he has brought a lot of hope to a lot of people. He now has a constituency that he is beholden to - this will greatly limit his actions. If he taxes the rich, he stands to lose a lot of donations for his re-election bit in 2012, and if he messes up the economy any more than it already is, he will be blamed for much of its fallout. If he pulls completely out of Iraq and the country folds to the bad guys in Iran, history will not smile on him. I don't expect any really big reforms right away, and I don't think he is dumb enough to tax the middle class into a worse recession.

President Obama preaches hope. Well I hope that our economy improves. I hope that our standing among the nations improves. I hope unemployment improves. I hope the banking system improves. I hope that peace in the Middle East improves. I hope the flow of illegal immigration improves. I hope a lot of things improve. For this to happen, President Obama needs to be successful in his new position. Therefore, I hope Mr. Obama becomes the most successful president of our age. I hope his success eclipses the success of President Reagan. I hope his influence causes a new age in the United States just like he promises. If these things happen, I will be happy to vote to re-elect him. However, if he lets dogma rule practicality, I will vote for whoever he is running against - hopefully it will be someone more suited for the position than the choice we had this time.

And the pendulum swings...

Bucket List

So my niece Kristi had this list on her blog with the things she has accomplished in bold and I thought I would like to do the same thing on our blog for Lynda & I with L/D after each:

1. Started your own blog (L/D)
2. Slept under the stars (L/D)
3. Played in a band (L/D)
4. Visited Hawaii (dang! we want to do this!)
5. Watched a meteor shower (L/D)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (L/D)
7. Been to Disneyland (L/D)
8. Climbed a mountain (L/D)
9. Held a praying mantis (L/D)
10. Sang a solo (L/D)
11. Bungee Jumped (Lynda wants to - David's afraid of heights)
12. Visited Paris (D)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (L/D)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (L/D)
15. Adopted a child (does our dog count?)
16. Had food poisoning (L/D)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (can you still do this?)
18. Grown your own vegetables (L/D)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (Lourve here we come!)
20. Slept on an overnight train (maybe someday)
21. Had a pillow fight (L/D)
22. Hitch hiked (L)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (D)
24. Built a snow fort (L/D)
25. Held a lamb (D)
26. Gone skinny dipping (never!)
27. Run a Marathon (Lynda's wanted to - David: never in a million years!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (not yet)
29. Seen a total eclipse (L/D)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (L/D)
31. Hit a home run (L)
32. Been on a cruise (D)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (drove right past it without looking)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (L/D)
35. Seen an Amish community (L/D)
36. Taught yourself a new language (L) - Spanish
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (is that possible?)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (not yet)
39. Gone rock climbing (L/D)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (not the original)
41. Sung karaoke (L/D) - in Japan
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (L)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (D) - Washington, DC
44. Visited Africa (we want to with all our hearts)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (L/D) - with each other even
46. Been transported in an ambulance (L/D)
47. Had your portrait painted (no desire)
48. Gone deep sea fishing (D)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person (wouldn't that be cool?)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (would love to)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (L/D) - snorkling in the Caribbean, not scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain (L/D) - each other!
53. Played in the mud (L/D)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (L/D) - once again, with each other
55. Been in a movie (no)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China (we want to go...)
57. Started a business (L/D)
58. Taken a martial arts class (want to)
59. Visited Russia (David flew over Russia in a commercial airliner - does that count?)
60. Served at a soup kitchen (no)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (we both have bought them)
62. Gone whale watching (we live in the right place for this one)
63. Got flowers for no reason (L) - from David, of course
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (L/D)
65. Gone sky diving (there's no way you could ever get David to do this one!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (no)
67. Bounced a check (L/D) - too many times
68. Flown in a helicopter (L)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (I think it's now too late)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (L/D) - together; one of David's favorite places
71. Eaten Caviar (not yet)
72. Pieced a quilt (L/D)
73. Stood in Times Square (L/D) - this time not together
74. Toured the Everglades (David drove through them)
75. Been fired from a job (not technically)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (closest is the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)
77. Broken a bone (we're trying to avoid this one)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (ambiguous)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (not yet)
80. Published a book (L/D)
81. Visited the Vatican (no)
82. Bought a brand new car (L/D) - we did it together
83. Walked in Jerusalem (would love to)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (L/D) - everyone in Boothbay Harbor, ME has this happen periodically
85. Read the entire Bible (L/D)
86. Visited the White House (L/D)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (L/D)
88. Had chickenpox (L/D)
89. Saved someone’s life (D) - Lynda's
90. Sat on a jury (knock on wood)
91. Met someone famous (L/D) - Donny & Marie Osmond; they're famous, right?
92. Joined a book club (L)
93. Lost a loved one (L/D)
94. Had a baby (L) - biology is not on David's side for this one
95. Seen the Alamo in person (L/D) - together
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (we only lived in Utah 12 years, you think we could have done this one)
97. Been involved in a law suit (L) - Vioxx class action; she never got anything
98. Owned a cell phone (L/D) - too many
99. Been stung by a bee (L/D) - Lynda was stung on her tongue

Score: Lynda - 54; David - 52

Child Highlight: Davis

Davis - short for David's son - is the best son a parent could ask for. He was born the year after the Berlin Wall fell and the cold war was over. However, he has grown up with the conflict in Iraq as a constant, his father and mother constantly in school, and never knowing what it is like not to have a computer in his home - a very different world than I grew up with.

Davis' middle name is Lynn, just like his grandfather on his mother's side. Interestingly, Lynda, Davis' mother, is also named after grampa Mickelsen.

The picture to above was taken in Yokohama, Japan just before Davis was baptized. This started a period of time which saw Davis grow a great deal that has come to be defined by the time Davis became lost coming home from school. He wandered for hours throughout Yokohama until one of the teachers at his school found him covered with dirt and tears.

Davis also developed his great love for reading. His teacher only spoke Japanese, but Davis could only understand English - need I say more? He read veraciously - every book we had in our possession - many several years beyond his ability to really understand. As a result, his ability in the language arts did not suffer from our two years in Japan.

Davis and his third grade teacher, Ishiguro Sensei (1999)

Davis also loves to perform in plays. He has been in several productions: Annie; To Kill A Mockingbird; Music Man; The Best Christmas Pageant Ever; Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat; Fiddler On the Roof; and, most recently, as the lead in Godspell. This last performance, in the roll of Jesus, really messed up his ability to memorize his scripture mastery scriptures in the New Testament in seminary because the wording is only slightly different.

Davis as Jesus in Godspell (2009)

Davis is now applying to colleges. His first choices are BYU-I and BYU. His grades have gone way up since we moved to Maine and he did well on the SAT. We are optimistic. He wants to major in something having to do with computers/IT.

Child Highlight: Amanda

Amanda was born several years ago in a land far from where we are now. She was extremely bright and found great delight in regaling us with clever anecdotes, humorous quips, and melodic poetry. She was a very articulate little girl - a natural leader among her peers, yet comfortable discussing current events with adults. I, of course, am a bit biased in my assessment of her prowess. She shares 50% of my genetic material after all.

Amanda and her friend (Summer 1992).

Well, after a while Amanda started to grow. She grew and she grew and she grew! She became Senior Class President in 2006, and she earned her Associates Degree at UVU and graduated from Utah County Academy of Science the same year, in 2007.

Amanda speaking at her high school graduation (Spring 2007)

Amanda is now a Senior at UVU on scholarship. She is majoring in Vocal Performance, and she sings like an angel! She is making plans to do a semester at USU with a friend of ours from when we lived in Louisiana who runs the opera program. She also is a candidate for an internship in Hollywood to observe the scoring of a movie. We are very proud of what she is accomplishing! Our goal for Amanda this year involves increased self-sufficiency.

Inagural McClellan Family Blog

Family picture (counterclockwise from the left):
Amanda, Evan, Daniel, Davis, Lynda, & David (Summer 2008)

This is the first entry of the David McClellan Family Blog! First let us introduce ourselves.

David McClellan married Lynda Mickelsen on October 28, 1988, and the David McClellan family had its beginnings. Shortly thereafter (about nine months and a week) Amanda McClellan joined our family. She is now a charming, gracious, intelligent young woman attending Utah Valley University as a senior in vocal music performance. Davis was next to join our family, and he is now a Senior at Boothbay Region High School. He participates in drama, is the founder of the High School Debate Team, Editor of the Webzine for the Student Health Advisory, Editor of the Yearbook, and just finished performing as the lead at the High School musical "Godspell." Evan joined our family 8 years later, while we were living in Japan, and is now a fourth grader at Boothbay Region Elementary School. He loves music--is quite talented at the piano and at singing. Daniel was born a few years later while we were living in Orem and is now an almost 7 year old in 2nd grade at Boothbay Region Elementary School.

Dave works as a Senior Research Scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences here in Boothbay Harbor and Lynda is the PTA President at the Elementary School. We love serving in the Church: Dave as Branch Mission Leader, Lynda as Branch Young Women President, and Davis as first assistant to the Branch President in his Priest Quorum.

That serves as an introduction to who we are at this point in our lives. Watch for more posts in the future!

The McClellans