Sweet Natalie

Our sweet friend Natalie passed away at the young age of 20 in June of this year. We were all completely devastated by the loss. She is one of the most brave, selfless, beautiful girls I have ever met, or will ever meet. Natalie was on her mission in Georgia at the time, and was in a terrible car accident which took her life and almost the life of her companion. 

I am so thankful that before she left on her mission, I was able to take some amazing pictures of her (was not me at all, ALL Heavenly Father!). And I am grateful that her family now has these pictures of her to cherish. She was positively glowing that day and I had so much fun with her. 

We will miss you so much Natalie!

An article about Natalie:

ATLANTA — A missionary of the LDS Church died and another was seriously injured following an automobile accident with a semi truck Friday in Atlanta, church officials confirmed.

Sister Natalie Ann Barnard, 20, from Snoqualmie, Washington, died Friday as a result of her injuries sustained in a car accident, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins. Sister Barnard’s companion, Sister Rachel Beckstrom, 19, from Tooele, was also seriously injured in the accident, Hawkins said.

Sister Barnard had been serving in the Atlanta North Mission since October of 2014, according to Hawkins.

“We extend our love and prayers on behalf of their families and loved ones at this difficult time,” said Hawkins on behalf of the church.

KSL spoke with Sister Beckstrom's father, Curtis Beckstrom, before he and his wife and daughter prepared to board a plane to Atlanta. Curtis confirmed that the two missionaries were hit by a semi truck traveling around 45 mph as they attempted to make a right turn with limited visibility due to trees. The car was dragged 30 feet, Curtis said.

Sister Beckstrom, who has only been serving in Atlanta since February, has been unresponsive since the accident, and is in extremely critical condition, according to Curtis Beckstrom. She had brain surgery Friday evening following the crash, Curtis also said, and has multiple bone fractures and limited breathing.

Curtis Beckstrom, along with his wife and daughter, a student at Tooele High School, are traveling to Atlanta Saturday afternoon to be with Sister Beckstrom. Curtis offered his prayers and thoughts to the Sister Barnard and her family, as well as the driver of the semi truck.

The Barnard family, through the LDS Church, released the following statement.

"As a family, we are deeply saddened by the loss of our loving daughter, sister and granddaughter. On behalf of our entire family, we wish to express our love and appreciation for all of the support and prayers that have been offered in the wake of this tragic loss. Her loving family and all of her friends will miss her larger-than-life smile and the radiance that made her instantly lovable. In this tragic time, our comfort comes from our belief that Natalie is with our Heavenly Father and that she continues the Lord's work with the same vigor with which she entered the mission field. Natalie was driven by a deep conviction to serve a mission. She loved the people of Georgia and served them faithfully. She would not have wanted to be anywhere else than serving in the Georgia Atlanta North Mission. We love our Savior, Jesus Christ, and we know that through him and his eternal sacrifice that we'll someday soon see our beloved Natalie again. It is with this knowledge that we have the comfort and courage necessary to mourn and celebrate the life of our dear Natalie.​"

Grandpa Pfeifer

Sweet Grandpa Pfeifer passed away peacefully on May 21st 2015. He was such an example of love and strength to all those around him. He always made me feel loved and accepted, and I will always be grateful for all he has done for me in my life. We miss him terribly!

Grandpa's Obituary:

Eugene Lewis Pfeifer

Eugene (Gene) Lewis Pfeifer was born January 7, 1930 in Portland, Oregon and passed away May 21, 2015. He grew up in Beaverton, Oregon and married Virginia (Gini), his high school sweetheart, on November 25, 1950. He entered the U.S. Army in 1951 and spent two years as a Military Police Officer before being honorably discharged in 1953. Gene earned his degree in accounting at Lewis and Clark College in 1956, and completed his law degree at Northwestern College of Law in 1963. He began his long career with Pacific Northwest Bell as a Junior Accountant in 1956 and ended it 32 years later as Vice President of External Affairs. After retiring from PNB in 1988, he co-founded Icon, a communications company, which he successfully led as Chairman of the Board until it was purchased in 1999.

He served on the board of directors for numerous organizations, including the Urban League, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, United Way, and the Boy Scouts of America. In 1990 he helped to bring the Goodwill Games to Seattle.

He was proud to have participated in the selection and adoption of the nickname "Emerald City" for Seattle. Gene was a longtime resident of Bellevue before recently moving to Timber Ridge in Issaquah. He enjoyed spending winters in Palm Desert, California for the last 20 years.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Gini. He will also be greatly missed by his three children: Rebecca Ripley (Richard), Lisa Parkinson, and Kurtis Pfeifer (Kristen), as well as 5 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 30 at 11:00 at the Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue, Washington. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in his honor to the Salvation Army or Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.

Published in The Seattle Times on May 24, 2015

Easter

Fun and busy Easter Sunday this year! Started off the day with the Pfeifer side of the family at our annual brunch (which is always one of Teage's highlights of the ENTIRE year!). We were so thankful to be there with Grandma and Grandpa and the rest of the family, especially since we didn't know at the time that this would be Grandpa's last Easter brunch with all of us. We sure miss him!

Later that day we went home and had an Easter celebration with Tutu and Dale as well, topped off with the famous bunny cake! Hunted for eggs, ate a ton of food, and had a ton of fun overall!

E's Pink Dress

Put her in this dress for the first time today for church and HAD to take some shots of all of this adorableness!!!!!!!! She is growing up WAY too fast!!!!

2nd Grade Concert

This year the boys were able to perform in the 2nd grade concert with all of their buddies, and they worked SO hard to get ready! The theme was Africa! They were preforming their songs and practicing at home constantly, though they didn't want me to hear the whole song so I would be surprised! And they truly were amazing! So serious about getting every word right! I loved watching them, and was definitely the stereotypical proud mama, mooning over my kiddos and their African performance.

I LOVE THESE ADORABLE BOYS!!

Orcas Island

Winter and Spring were so busy for our family, and I had had just about enough of the crazy running around, so we decided we needed a little get-a-way with just us 5. And in the end, I am SO glad we took it! I found a good deal on a little cottage on Orcas Island, so Teage took a half day on Friday and we hopped on a ferry for some family fun!

Our little cottage was called the "Gnome House", for good reason! This tiny little cottage was on the property of the owner, was right next to a cliff overlooking the water, and was perfect for our family! It had a little room in a loft overlooking the kitchen, as well as a small inset in the stairway with a room for a mattress, where the kiddos slept. It was the perfect little fort! It even had a hot tub right next to it, which we definitely took advantage of, and was of course surrounded by a ton of little gnome statues everywhere! It really was pretty adorable.

Friday night we tried out the hot tub and just hung out together as a family. Saturday was a blast! We went to the beach in the morning, looked for shells and turned over rocks to find crabs (the kids LOVED that one), and took some fun pictures on the driftwood. Then we headed into the town and went to lunch at this adorable cafe and walked around town. Went to the local bookstore, kids got ice cream, and we admired the gorgeous view! It wasn't hugely warm, but it was sunny and beautiful! Then we drove to the other side of the island and drove all the way up Mt Constitution so the kids could see the amazing view! They actually really enjoyed it, and I was able to get a whole bunch of wonderful pictures.

The next day we took our time getting ready, played at the park, and took the ferry home. We were all wonderfully exhausted and I felt rejuvenated, feeling like I could take on another crazy week in the life of the Christensen family.

Birthdays

Teage and I both had our birthdays in February, Teage turning 37 and myself 35. Which is just a BIT scary for me! But we sure had a ton of fun!! Playing silly games, eating sushi, and laughing a ton which is the best for us!

Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam

In January of this year Emery moved up from Nursary at church to SUNBEAMS!!! The Sunbeam class are the 3 year old turning 4, and Miss E was more then ready! And thankfully, she was not nearly as nervous and I thought she would be, after having such a hard time in Nursary. She was excited to be a "big girl" and go to Primary with the boys, have her own class, and participate in sharing time. And she is pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas 2014

Oh boy....almost a year later!

As always, had so much fun with friends and family during the holiday season. Of course was one of the busiest time of the year, but we tried really hard to slow down as much as possible and enjoy the season together as a family, and celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

So grateful to have all I do. My family and friends mean everything to me.

E's Dance Class

I was finally able to convince Miss E to take a little dance class at the beginning of the year. This girl is so far from girly, she never wants to dress like a princess, wear a tutu, or do ballet. She isn't interested in wearing a crown, or finding a Cinderella costume. And she definitely chose swim lessons over dance class. I wanted to make sure that she wasn't missing anything, so I signed her up for a Frozen dance class with little girls her age, and thankfully, was able to bribe her to go! 

Honestly, it was the cutest thing to watch! This sweet girl was so attentive, even though it wasn't her favorite thing to do. She was respectful to her teacher and was one of the only ones who was truly trying. I loved every minute! Every week they learned a new part of the dance for the final "show" at the end of the session, and then did a craft that related to the movie Frozen. It wasn't her favorite thing to do, but she had some fun in the end! Love this girl!!!