A few photos taken since the last post of the Zeliff Family activities. We visited Bryce Canyon National Park in February as a family for our 36th anniversary. As the weather warmed, we went to SLC to see the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile and then got some delicious Texas Bluebell ice cream in West Jordan afterward. Finally, we attended the final race of the Supercross season at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. We baked in the sun, but Karri enjoyed seeing racing in person after watching the races on TV with me all year.
As we near summer, Renee is completing another year at Leadership Learning Academy while Doug is wrapping up another year at Highland Junior High. Karri is finishing the 4th grade and Jesse continues his career at Golden West.
It’s time once again to reflect on what has happened and look forward to the start of another year. As with most years, it has had its high points and low points. Let’s look back and recount what took place in the year 2025.
As January started, we all returned to work with Jesse at Goldenwest Credit Union (GWCU) while Renee was at Leadership Learning Academy (LLA) and I remained working at Highland Junior High School (HJHS). We all enjoy our jobs and were happy to continue in them. With the change in our federal government affecting so many, I decided to shutter my Twitter account and remove all my content from Facebook as their owners backed a person I despise. I still maintain an account on FB to keep up with friends, but I am no longer active on it. I chose to start using BlueSky instead as my only place to post as well as this blog.
In February, we celebrated our birthdays and took a trip to Capitol Reef National Park for our 35th anniversary. You may see photos from the trip in a previous post. Karri also performed in her school’s talent show. She sang well despite being thrown off by the use of a track with vocals in it instead of just the music that she had been expecting.
March and April had us contemplating where we wanted to reside as the lease on our townhouse was coming up for renewal. We began by meeting with GWCU and then started working with a realtor Renee knew through a coworker at LLA. I decided it was time to use my VA loan, and we got pre-qualified to start our search in earnest for a home. As April ended, we were under contract, but the home inspection caused us to withdraw our offer and start searching again.
Halfway through May, we were once again under contract. The home inspection went much better, and the upcoming move became imminent so we started packing things up. Our new home would be only two blocks away, which made the move easier. As the school year at LLA and HJHS were rapidly approaching their end, an unfortunate accident would affect our family. While attending Safety Day during the last week of school, Karri would collide with a classmate falling awkwardly. The fall resulted in two broken bones and a full-length cast on her left leg.
In June, we got keys to our new home and had some work done before moving things in. We used most of June to move in and move out of the townhouse. In the midst of moving, we attended a Weird Al concert that was both fun and entertaining. By month’s end, we had everything either in our new home or in a storage unit after losing the garage storage. It was so nice to be homeowners again, with equity being built up for ourselves instead of a landlord.
As per usual, July was time for us to start getting ready for our trip to San Diego Comic-Con. Karri would get out of her cast a few weeks beforehand and would still have some weakness in her leg during the convention. We managed to secure a wheelchair for her, which made traveling the crowded venue much easier for her. Highlights included seeing an advanced showing of Fantastic Four and participating in Pokémon card tournaments.
A trip to Colorado Springs for Jim’s surprise birthday party mid-August brought a HUGE smile to his face. He had no idea we were coming until we walked through the door at his daughter’s house. School started at LLA and HJHS, so we were back at it. As August came to a close, another low point in our year would occur.
On August 27th, 4 inches of rain would fall in a 2 hour period. At HJHS, water would bubble out of cracks in the floors, resembling a visit to Yellowstone. Upon arriving home, I decided to go downstairs to check and found it underwater. Many things were drenched, and a quick trip to the hardware store to acquire a wet vac was necessary. A claim was filed, and the very lengthy restoration process began.
Renee and I would attend a concert for Amy Grant in the middle of September. We enjoyed seeing her as we had when dating so many years ago. After the concert ended, we discovered a former coworker and siblings had sat in the row in front of us the whole time. October brought costumes and candy for all as well.
November came around and a pod was delivered for moving half the contents out of the basement. Restoration work continued as drywall and flooring were removed. Jesse would live on bare concrete until December. Thanksgiving passed, and we stayed home for the holiday.
A birthday party for Karri was held in the gymnasium of LLA to start December. She had a lot of fun while Renee pushed through a bad sinus infection to ensure things went well. Schools let out for winter break, and we enjoyed Christmas at home. Jesse was FINALLY able to sleep in his own room again while we await the completion of the basement. We hope floors and baseboards will be installed in the game room before New Year.
Jim’s Surprise PartyAmy Grant ConcertTim the Enchanter Costume Hulky the Elf Costume T’was the Night Before Christmas
That concludes another year recap for the Zeliff family. I may have missed some details, but hopefully, I provided a meaningful post about the past year. We do hope each of you has a happy new year and knows love in your life. God’s blessings to each of us as we enter another year!
It’s been a bit since that last post, and we have had a full schedule since then. We purchased a home again in June and moved in throughout that month. We are very happy to be homeowners and not tenants. In July, we made our usual trip to San Diego Comic-Con. We enjoyed ourselves and saw a bunch of cool stuff. August arrived and school was back in session. Karri began 4th grade as Renee and Doug returned to work at their schools.
At the end of August, a severe thunderstorm, which dropped 4 inches of rain in a 2 hour span, flooded the basement of our new home. We are currently undergoing restoration efforts with floors, baseboards, and drywall being torn out. We are also hoping to put a new shed in the backyard so we no longer need to rent a storage unit.
I could go into more detail, but I will save some of that for the year in review post come December. We hope each of you are well and enjoy a great last quarter of the year.
A coworker of mine mentioned there was a place in Utah that sold a Texas staple that was sure to be enjoyed by Renée. We loaded up and headed an hour drive south to visit Blue Moo Drive Thru in West Jordan. The family each got two scoop cones with two flavors of Bluebell ice cream. I drove home while they finished theirs and then enjoyed some of the hand packed pint of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough that I had picked out. We will be going back again soon.
We celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway. We left on a Saturday after Jesse finished work and could be with Karri. We drove south from Ogden and stopped in Payson to watch Captain America: Brave New World. Afterwards, we continued driving to Richfield where we spent the night.
The next morning, we packed up and headed up into the mountains until we descended to Capitol Reef National Park. It is one of the more remote and least visited of Utah’s five national parks. We spent the day driving around and enjoying the scenery that very much reminded me of Arizona and its landscape.
Capitol Reef NPCapitol Reef NPCastle RockCapitol Reef NPChimney RockChimney Rock
Rather than stay nearby, we decided to head back north and stopped in Salina at Mom’s Cafe. We each enjoyed their chicken fried steak and then shared a piece of chocolate pie. Once finished, we drove farther north and decided to stop in Orem for the night. We went to the pool and hoped to get into the hot tub, but we were too slow as a couple of ladies got to it before we could.
The next day Renee presented me with the wonderful metal card for my wallet shown below. Before heading back to Ogden, we partook in a favorite family past time, thrift store shopping. We went to the Provo DI, Savers and then NPS store getting a few things for the kiddos.
Gift from Renée
It has been an ever winding journey the last 35 years and I am so grateful for Renée being at my side for it. Through the many twists, turns, hills and valleys she has been an encourager and comforter that I am grateful for each and every day.
It’s that time again for another quick year in review, 2024 Edition!
January brought in swimming lessons for Karri and she won Student of the Month at Bonneville Elementary School. They had a small ceremony for the students who received the honor. Karri was so excited to have us there.
In February, Karri and her little sister had a sleepover to spend time with each other. We try to get the girls together each weekend and occasionally do the sleepovers as a special treat. We were then surprised by a visit from the sisters’ mom Sabrina, who was in town for the weekend. Karri enjoyed seeing her mom. Doug and Renee took an anniversary trip to Twin Falls, Idaho. It was cold and windy, but it was a good trip. We ended the month with a TobyMac concert in Salt Lake City on Doug’s birthday.
March came in quietly with more swimming lessons for Karri and Jesse starting a new job at a FX company in the mall. We managed to sneak in a viewing of the Kung Fu Panda 4 movie and ended the month by celebrating Karri’s sister’s 5th birthday and Easter.
April came rushing in with a Spring break trip to Oregon to see Chris and Paloma. There were more swimming lessons and a birthday party for one of Karri’s classmates. We ended April wishing both Paloma and Greg a happy birthday.
Things picked up in May. Swimming lessons for Karri again and then we began preparing for the Bonneville Elementary talent show. Karri did a short tutorial on making a giant origami heart ❤️. She did fantastic! We celebrated Jesse’s 31st birthday and Karri finished 2nd grade. The end of the month also marked the start of Doug’s summer break.
June kept things rolling with Summer school starting and ending for Doug. Karri had art in the park, drama and art camp at the Treehouse Museum, ice skating with her sister, and the Summer Reading program at the library. She also had back to back birthday parties for her classmates. Jesse was able to create and conduct several workshops for the FX company he worked with including a foam top hat, gauntlet and steampunk mechanical armpiece.
Things just kept rolling on into July. We enjoyed our Saturday trips to the Farmers Market. Karri enjoyed VBS at the Genesis Project and a Lego camp at our local Bricks and Mini Figs store, along with another classmate’s birthday. Then it was time for our yearly trip to San Diego for Comic-Con. After a quick stop to visit the Allen’s in Las Vegas, we headed to California. We arranged a surprise for Karri and her sister by meeting up with her sister’s family for a day trip to Legoland. Both girls were so excited to spend the day together. Once again it was another fun but exhausting time at Comic-Con, but we were happy to head home where Karri ended the month with a cooking camp hosted by the local Community Action.
August ushered in the start of a new school year for Karri and Doug. Karri began 3rd trade at a new school and Renee was fortunate enough to get a job as a teacher’s assistant at the same school. Jesse had several LARP games he attended and continued his job and workshops. We ended August with wishing Jim a happy birthday and a night out at an Ogden Raptors baseball game.
Phew now we’re heading into September. It started with Doug’s 40th High School reunion in Barstow, CA. The last Farmer’s Market of the season was followed by the Harvest Moon Market, and then FanX. We also were able to enjoy a night at Ringling Bros. Circus thanks to VetTix. Fall Market started and Karri enjoyed a nice day at Roy Christian Church’s Fall Festival thanks to Miss Amy!
All the fun then begins in October. We watched Karri’s sister in the USU Homecoming parade in Logan, enjoyed Fall Break for Doug, Renee and Karri, and Doug and Renee enjoyed a night out at AEW Wrestling in SLC. Karri and her sister had another sleepover and enjoyed several opportunities to go out trick or treating. Renee also had several vein surgeries that she recovered from quickly.
November was relatively calm. We enjoyed church and a potluck with Karri’s sister’s family in Logan. Renee, Doug and Karri had Thanksgiving break. Jesse started a new job at a local credit union. It suits him. Happy Thanksgiving! Finally, we enjoyed a very cold night watching the Ogden Christmas parade with Karri’s sister and her family.
Here we are at December. It was Karri’s 9th birthday and we celebrated with a Pokemon birthday party. She really liked it! We went out to explore the Ogden Christmas Village which is all lit up each night in December. Doug, Renee and Karri had Christmas Break and wished Aunt Carla a very happy birthday. Merry Christmas!
We’re ending the year with a very merry sleepover with the two sisters and a few closing thoughts. As 2024 comes to an end, we want to take this moment to wish you all the very best year to come. Remember to take time to enjoy your family and hug the ones who are closest to you. Happiest New Year to you!!
I had something happen last week that brought to the forefront of my mind that I am on the downward slope of life. We notice changes physically as our original hair coloring is replaced with gray. Our once tightly wrapped outer layer becomes wrinkled and ill-fitting. Our synapses may misfire as we grab the wrong word from a storage bin in our mind or we misplace it altogether.
What brought about this reflection on my decline occurred while walking my granddaughter to school. I am very fortunate that I have the opportunity to do so each school day as she attends an elementary school across the street from the junior high where I work. As we walked along, she saw one of her classmates and broke away from me to talk with her friend. They continued talking all the way to school as I walked by myself. I realized this foreshadowed what lie ahead in our relationship. My influence and role in her life would diminish as time passes.
It reminded me of how John the Baptist spoke of Jesus. I am declining too.
John 3:30 NKJV He must increase, but I must decrease.
I did not anticipate 2023 passing with no posts until the year end wrap up. I guess we got busy and I didn’t have any rants or commentaries boiling up that had to be unburdened from my soul. When last year ended, we had begun the process of grieving Renee’s mom and dealing with all that her passing brought about in our lives. Let me recap what transpired over the year before we end another chapter in the Zeliff family saga.
We began the year by attending the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on January 2nd with close friends who are like family, Michelle and Rita. Despite the USC Trojans defense allowing Tulane to pull out a come from behind victory, we had a great time. Later in the month, Jesse and the Precious would move out of Scott’s house and into mom’s place so we could put it on the market. This set in motion our plans to return to Ogden, Utah so Karri could grow up near her sister Rachel in Logan, Utah.
In February, I resigned from my IT position at Central Texas College so I could be available to help the family with sale preparations and consolidation of three households (Scott’s, Mom’s and ours). For our anniversary, Renee and I visited the Yankus family and enjoyed catching up with Joni and Jarid for the first time since their wedding day years earlier. The following day, we made a return visit to the church where we had served as youth pastors thirty years prior.
In March, we shifted into sales mode with the first of several estate/garage sales. We also took several trips within Texas and one back to Utah. We took a trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose and a couple days later rode the Austin Steam Train from Austin to Bertram, Texas. We closed out the month with a birthday celebration in Utah with little sister Rachel. We went from 80 degree weather to several inches of snow and then back to the heat for more packing and sales.
As we continued selling things, we made the decision to donate one retro robot/video based game to the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas. We met up again with Michelle for BBQ after spending some time in the museum. We ended April by visiting, along with Renee’s sister Carla, the niche where mom and Scott’s ashes now reside.
In May, we packed up and cleared out of the house that Renee was raised in. Jesse celebrated his birthday and we snuck away to Sea World in San Antonio to catch our breath before the final days in Texas. We moved into a local hotel while Karri completed first grade and then we began our road trip back to Ogden. We enjoyed a lunch break with my friend and brother Jim in Colorado Springs midway through the journey. Upon arrival in Ogden, we settled into a long term stay hotel while we looked for permanent residence.
We FINALLY obtained keys to something other than a hotel to kick off June and I continued to await my start date with an IRS IT contractor. Karri was delighted to once again take swimming lessons at the pool where she had previously taken them. Because our domicile was a brand new build, we had to wait until the end of June before reestablishing our Utah residency due to the postal service and landlord delay in giving us a mailing address. Pizza and package deliveries were quite a challenge too as Google maps didn’t show our address as being real.
We surprised Karri with a trip to Disneyland/California Adventure in July prior to us attending San Diego Comic-Con again. She had no idea where we were going until she read the “Welcome to Disneyland” signs. She met several of the Disney Princesses to include Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine and Anna. She also enjoyed almost all of the rides with the exception of Space Mountain which she was not happy her dad taken her on. Following two busy days at Disney, we stopped in Laguna Beach to dip our toes in the Pacific before checking into our hotel in San Diego. Four days of Comic-Con show floor visits and cosplay were followed by a return flight to Utah.
As August began, I was still waiting for the IRS IT job when the Director of Technology for Ogden School District reached out about an opening at one of their junior high schools. I interviewed and was hired which allows me to work directly across the street from the elementary school the Precious attends. We ride to school together and I walk her to school each morning.
We saw Michelle again in September when she was in Salt Lake City on a work trip. Prior to her work meetings, we enjoyed several days with her. At the end of the month, Renee flew to Texas to attend a women’s conference with Michelle. Upon Renee’s return, I was off to Colorado Springs mid-October to do some fly fishing with Jim. I had inherited a tin of hand tied flies from my father in 2009 that I had been yearning to get wet. While there, I also visited with his daughter Christina’s family included taking his grandsons with us on one day of fishing.
As November began, we secured tickets to return to San Diego Comic-Con once again. Our Thanksgiving was spent with just the four of us and missing Renee’s mom who had departed one year ago. With December arriving, we are preparing to celebrate the 8th birthday of our granddaughter and the Christmas holidays. We appreciate you taking time to read this post and pray your year has been full of blessings and triumphs. We hope that next year brings us all more of the same.
