F.G.A.B. - Family Good Alone Bad

Wake Up America

2009-06-22T16:20:00.001-07:00

I will be interviewed about the direction America is heading in tomorrow on the Devin Norris Radio Show, join us at 8:00 a.m. MST or call in at (646) 378-1596. You can simply listen in by clicking on the link below. I'd love to have all of you calling in or listening tomorrow.

FYI: Devin Norris has already announced his intention to run for president in 2012 (http://devinnorris.com). He is a staunch conservative so I'm really looking forward to the conversation tomorrow!

Wake Up America

From Devin's radio show page:

Special Guest on this broadcast with best selling Author Candace E. Salima who is author of the book titled: Forged In the Refiners Fire. She will be here with us on Tuesday, June 23rd at 8:00 a.m. MST. We are going to talk about first where this nation is headed. Candace's point of view is very unique. Trust me, She will Wake America Up!

http://candacesalima.blogspot.com, http://candacesalima.com, http://teapartyutah.blogspot.com

Catch you all in the a.m.

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The Texas Clan

2009-06-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well I had a very hard time trying to figure out the picture thing. So below are some family pics sorry I didn't have any family pics of the Wolffs so I just post one by one. I hope you enjoy the family update and I plan on posting my own blog soon. Oh and I am so sad that I don't have any of Dad and Tara but I will soon and post them up.

Oh I finally figured it out, Hello Family!!! I just thought I would give everyone an update on life in the best state in the Union. We are doing wonderful and have been blessed beyond measure.

Ramona Elaine Case-Ross

This is the Ross family Ramona, Lance, Emma & Nathan.

Mona is Married to Lance Ross and together they have Emma Claire and Nathan Brooks. Emma just graduated from Kindergarten last week.

Nathan had to have surgery on his eye. He was born with a complication to his eyelid that had to be corrected when he reached three. Since the surgery he can open his eye wider and doesn't have to look down to walk AND more and more everyday he look like Greenpapa (Cash G. Case).

Mona and Lance will be renewing their wedding vows come November and they are so excited to share their love with everyone.

Kriston Virgina Case-Graham

This is a the Graham Family (Kriston, Scotty & Hendrik)

THATS ME!! Here me dos! Well I was married June 17, 2007. I am coming up in my two year anniversary. I have a beautiful boy named Hendrik Marvin Dale Graham IV. He was born on January 15,2008 weighing 10lbs even. We induced two week early because the doctor said he would weigh 8 lbs. and that's a big baby (right)? Well we were very surprised when he came out as big as he did. If I had carried him to term he would of weighed 12lbs.

My husband and I live in a small town just south of Dallas. We bought a house and I am loving being a stay at home mom. I have a year and half left before I get my Bachelors in teaching K-6. Originally though, I was going to school for photography. I still love it though and it is my hobby but not practical career. My husband is Scotty, he is wonderful and he works hard for his family and supporting me and my huge dreams!

This is Hendrik.

Rebecca Royce-Wolff

Becca is doing wonderful. Becca is married to Micheal Wolff and they have Zoe who is 4 about to be 5, Carson who is 3 and twins Wyatt and Ruth who are 16months. Becca and Micheal decided that their family was complete and no more chitlins. But the same day they booked Micheal's vasectomy was the same day they conceived their second set of twins! Becca and Micheal will find out the sex of the babies hopefully this next week. We are hoping for another boy girl combo.

Becca and Micheal also bought a house this past year about 10 miles from me and our kids play together almost everyday. Micheal and Becca dated all through high school but parted ways shortly after. A couple years down the road they met back up and fell in love all over again. Now they will be the proud parents of 6 kids, (us Case women populate the plains).

Picture 1: This is Zoe Becca's oldest and she is exactly like her mother in every way! (A little scary.)

Picture 2: This is Ruthie (Wyatt's twin). Ruthie looks identical to her big brother, Carson.

Picture 3: This is Wyatt he is as manly as they come. Funny how much Zoe and Wyatt look alike.

Picture 4: This is Micheal (Becca's husband) with Zoe (Becca's oldest.)

Picture 5: This is Becca.

Picture 6: This is Carson (Micheal's oldest). He is so precious and full of all kinds of trouble.

Cash Elliot Case

Cashie is doing wonderful. He has a powerful testimony and it brings me to tears every time I hear it.

Cashie just graduated from a 9-month rehab program. He decided that the Lord helped him when he needed it and now the Lord needs him to help others that suffer from addiction.

Cashie got engaged to the love of his life and soon we will have another Case sister. Her name is Jenna and she is working hard on planing the wedding. SO far the date is set September 26, 2009.

Cash is going to Seminary school in Dallas called Christ for the Nations, he cant wait to start and we all know he will excel!

Cash and Jenna on the day they got engaged,they are so happy.

This is a picture of us kids with my dad and his "starter wife" aka our mom. Left to right Ramona, Kriston, Ruth, Becca, Dad, background is Cashie.

The Parents a.k.a Cash & Tara Case

Dad has recovered well form is self -nflicted gun shot wound to the leg. Good news all around. Now we can laugh at the story but at the time he was shot it was incredibly scary.

Dad was taken to the same hospital that John F. Kennedy was take too (in case you didn't know that guy did NOT recover from his gun shot wound) I was a week away from the birth of my son. I was big, fat and pregnant ,not to mention emotional. I got lost in the hospital and ended up walking by JFK's pictures on the wall and I just freaked out. It just was not a good idea to have a picture of a dead guy on the wall well a picture of the "guy dead" on the wall. But as soon as I saw my Dad I knew he would be fine. Poor Tara looked worse than my dad.

My dad healed in record time and walked long before he should h ave. If you ever come to Texas drop by and my Dad will show you his x-rays from the wound, he keeps them in his car. Anyway, Dad and Tara just moved to a new house, they have a lot more room. They also have an ever expanding family of grandkids.

Well that is all I can think of for now, I am trying to post pictures of each family by their paragraph but it is not working. The picutures keep showing up at the top of the page!?!?! Go figure!?!?

Kriston I went through and took care of the picture problem for you. -- Aunt Candace

We've moved from MSN to Google

2009-01-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new home of The Case Cousins. We began the email group several years ago as a way to keep up with family members across the globe. MSN is shutting down their Groups feature so we've migrated over to Google . . . and to be honest, I'm really like it!

Things have slacked off with the family, as of late, and I fear that is my fault. I've let life get in the way of keeping connected with family. I'll try to better.

This is where we can share family news, news of reunions, pictures, just all the good things that come from family!

Stay tuned for new and fun things . . . and yes, that means you have to help me come up with fun and new things!

I'm Candace Salima, the daughter of Leighton Freeman Case and Muriel Harris. Mom and Dad divorced when I was a teenager and things changed pretty drastically at that point. Through the course of the years our family lost touch with one another until Uncle Gordon (son of Alys Mae Barkwill and Levi Freeman Case) sent an email to all of us telling us of the death of Alys Mae, my grandmother. I emailed Uncle Gordon back and asked who all the people were in the "To:" box of the email. That's when I learned you were all my relatives.

We all began communicating, catching up with one another, emailing pictures and it was a wonderfully enlightening time. We've had several family reunions since that time and have come to know and love each other so much better. With the economy the way it is, I don't know when we'll all be able to get together again, but it is my hope we can have a reunion this year, 2009. Uncle Mike (son of Alys Mae Barkwill and Richard Shrank) kind of got shafted out of his reunion in Maryland, so I think we should shoot for that. We'll see how it all comes together. This is where you need to come back to in order get the latest info . . . or the family blog.

Uncle Gordon came up with a wonderful slogan for our family and we've stuck with it every since: F.G.A.B. -- Family Good, Alone Bad. Hence our group logo. And yes, Cash, I know it needs work and I'm open to revised versions of said logo.

Here are some pertinent URLs to keep you learning more and more about the Case/Shrank family. If you have a family or business website we don't know about, please email me with the URL and I'll get it added to the group page right away!

So welcome, welcome, welcome! Let's pull together and be the stupendously supportive and fun family I know us to be!

May only the best and brightest of things happen to you and yours in 2009.

So come on over to the F.G.A.B. Google Discussion Group and let's get things ramped up again.

Candace Salima

Interview with Candace E. Salima

2008-05-31T13:15:00.001-07:00

Hey Family - I had to share. I am so excited about this. I was interviewed by Steve Enfield, former official videographer of the Clinton Presidency, of Reel Line Productions. He talked to me about my book Forged in the Refiner's FireI thought he did a fantastic job and I wanted you guys to see too!

Hope all is going well with everyone.

Alvin is doing great! The kidney transplant was a wild success and he hasn't had dialysis since April 14th. He is getting better, stronger and healthier every single day. I haven't seen him looking this healthy since college. Thank you so much for all your prayers and kind thoughts. They gave us so much strength, especially during the scary times.

God bless you all!

Cash is Okay!

2008-01-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Cash and Tara had a little scare the other day. He'd been at a gun show with a friend, come home and was breaking down his gun. He said he wasn't holding on to it tightly enough and it slipped and went off, shooting him in the thigh.

Of course, he was rushed to the hospital. In the E.R. he overhead someone say softly, "Was it a suicide attempt?"

Cash, being Cash, I know you all know what happened next.

"Yeah. I thought I'd shoot myself in the foot and if that didn't work, then the knee and on up until I got the job done."

He broke up the entire E.R. Doctors, nurses, EMTs . . . Tara.

To be serious though, the bullet took a fist-size chunk out of his leg and they had to put a rod in from knee to thigh. Turns out they put in one that is too long so I don't know where it's going to go from here, but I'll keep you all posted. He's home from the hospital, in pain but healing.

Life has been insane in the Case/Sluyter family over the last year.

When Dad (Fritz Sluyter) was diagnosed with terminal cancer last January, all of the family went home to spend time with him. While we were there, Sven's house burned down. It wasn't good, but they are a month away from moving into their new home.

Daddy passed away on March 8, 2007 -- we still miss him very much.

Jay's house burned down a couple, or maybe three, months ago. But he ended up getting a sweet property in Rigby, Idaho. Mom is selling the farm and will be moving to Rigby. We are putting a modulated home on an acre of Jay's property, moving Mom's animals into the barn and we'll all be hunky dory. An "adopted" daughter will be four miles away, Jay and his family just across the acre and Mom and Cheryl will be well taken care of . . . the best part, I'm only 3 hours away now and can be there in a flash if I'm needed.

We may have found a donor for Alvin . . . we'll know more in the next few days. But it's looking like his kidney transplant will take place near the first of March. Was hoping for earlier, but nope . . . it just didn't work. He's doing well and hanging in there.

Crystal is in Rugby, North Dakota ( I know, Rugby -- Rigby, believe me, when I'm tired I get confused) with Sweetie, her dog. They're having a blast and enjoying themselves up there.

I think everything else is status quo!

Have a great day everyone!

Too long . . .

2007-11-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since I dropped by this blog. Alvin just got out of the hospital after having parathyroid surgery on October 30th. Things have been a little hectic at our house. But we're doing great now. Alvin is already back at work, sleeping a lot when he's not, but growing stronger all the time.

I've got a new job at LDSBlogs.com. I am the manager of the site, managing all the bloggers and the content. It's a lot of fun and I am able to do it from home, or in Alvin's hospital room, as the case may be! It works great for us and brings in the extra money we needed.

Alvin got a promotion at work, and a raise, so we're pretty happy. We're in the process of filing bankruptcy to get all the old medical debt off our shoulders. With his job insurance and Medicare, we no longer have medical bills for Alvin anymore, which is a huge blessing.

BYU's kickin' butt in the Mountain West conference, which of course, makes me deliriously happy. I swear, every week as I watch my nephews play, and there is always one or two in every single play on the field during the game, I could not be prouder!

Connor, Heather's nine-year-old son, scored touchdowns in the last two games of his flag football season. We missed them and I felt terrible! We are so proud of him. His skills as a football player are growing (with a dad like Aaron and an uncle like Alvin, could they do anything but?) and he's getting better and better at the game.

All of Heather's children are growing, strong and healthy. Who could ask for anything more than that?

Mom and Cheryl are doing good on the farm. It's been tough from Mom to adjust to life without Dad around, but she's managing the farm and the business and doing okay. She and Cheryl are working hard, they're happy and healthy.

I think that's it for the update right now. I've got lots to do today and should get started on it.

Love you all and hope life is treating everyone great. Check in and let us know what's going on! Uncle Mike we need the 411 on the reunion this year. Cash, we need a heads up on what's going on in Texas. Bryan, Kristi --- everyone. What's up? Oh yeah, and our missing Uncle Richard. Never in the office, never returning a phone call. Uncle Mike tell him we miss him!

Lots of love from the Utah clan

Tyler and Katie Conger Family

2007-09-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

I suppose if it is a family blog, then more than just Candace should be writing. I thought I could start by telling you a little about my family. My mom is Lynette Kachelmeyer, daughter of Freeman Case. Since I have talked with most of you I have started my own family. I married my husband Tyler in June of 2005, and we are currently living in Provo Utah while he finishes school at BYU. He will have a teaching credential for Technology and Japanese, and if anyone has suggestions for places where teachers make decent money and can afford to live, we are keeping our eyes open. For now I stay at home with our little girl Peyton who was born last year on December 26- poor girl, but I also have a teaching degree from BYU which I am sure I will put to use at some time. Aside from that, there is not a whole lot of exciting business going on with us, just the day to day trying to finish school, work, and raise our little family.

Levi Freeman Case - from Uncle Gordon's website and Viewpoint

2007-09-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

(The original birth certificate for Freeman Case listed him as George Case, apparently Maggie named him for her older brother George Spencer, then changed it to the name he grew up with: Levi Freeman Case. His birth certificate was modified to reflect his proper name when he joined the Navy in 1942.)

Born in Long Beach, California, Levi grew up in the Los Angeles Area, surrounded by his father's and his mother's brothers and sisters. Levi Freeman (“Freeman”) followed in his father’s and his father’s and his father’s footsteps in the building trades and became a lather in Los Angeles. During the depression, building activity dwindled, and several parts of the Case family in southern California supported themselves by making and selling on the street, Cases' Texas Tamales.

Following the lead of Freeman's grandmother, Sarah Percy Black/Spencer of Decatur, Texas, much of the Case family were active members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Los Angeles after they arrived from Texas. Through the church activities, young Levi, who went by his middle name Freeman, met Alys-Mae Barkwille. Alys-Mae and her mother were a moderately successful professional singing act, and Freeman tried to accompany them on his guitar and sing along, but he turned out to be slightly tone-deaf and gave it up (ah, that's where I get it from (yes, this is a note from Candace)). He finally did marry Alys-Mae July 22, 1933 in South Gate, CA. Alys-Mae quit the singing act and joined the Case family tamale business.

Freeman and Alys-Mae separated in 1941 and divorced in 1943. When the Second World War broke out, Dad joined the Navy, and was a Carpenter's Mate 1st Class in the Pacific Fleet.

During the War, Alys-Mae cared for their children when she could afford it, and at other times we were with friends or relatives. We were cared for, for a while, by Flo Case, daughter of Dad's brother Deward. In late summer of 1944, Leighton and I were placed with Ione Stellway in Bellflower. My mother was convinced Mrs. Stellway was a relative of the Cases, but I have not been able to place her in the family--maybe she was Deward Case's wife's mother/sister/aunt(?). A few blocks down the street, our brother Eugene Case was living with--I think--our uncle Deward Case.

1945. When WWII ended, Freeman returned to the lathing trade and lived for a short time with his 2^nd wife Lucille in Lemon Grove, CA in a trailer-home parked on the George and Ida Mae (Case) KRAFT property. Leighton, Eugene and I were all there at one point, bedded down in the Kraft home. Next door was Dad's sister Hazel, her husband Walter Meyer and their sons. The marriage to Lucille did not last too long . . . I was sent to live with my mother, while Leighton and Eugene stayed for a while longer.

Freeman later married a war-widow, Helen (Culka) ALLEN, and took on supporting her four children and his three sons. For a time, Freeman, Helen and her children Loretta, Larry, Collette and Barbara, and Freeman’s Leighton, Eugene and Gordon all lived in a small home on Bliss Street in Compton, CA—a very full house. It quickly turned out to be too crowded, and about 1948, his 3 boys moved to Hayward, CA one at a time to live with their mother and her husband Richard Shrank.

Helen and Freeman had one child, daughter Lynette Sue CASE.

They were avid fans of Monopoly, and when Canasta became popular, they shifted to that card-game, playing for decades almost every weekend with friends and relatives. Dad and Uncle Deward were quite close during that time. We went surf fishing together and their hobby for a while was brewing home-made beer—long before the advent of micro-breweries. Freeman Case retired in 1972 and moved his family to Apple Valley, CA. Helen Case died in 1981 after a five year battle with melanoma cancer.

Lynette CASE married Larry Kachelmeyer--yet another carpenter. Lynette and Larry have two daughters: Emily Ann Kachelmeyer (Watts) and Katie Lynn Kachelmeyer (Conger.)

Freeman developed "minor" prostate cancer at 75 and Alzheimer’s disease about 1989. Lynette’s husband built an apartment over their garage for Freeman to live in after he developed Alzheimer’s, and he lived there until he died in 1992.

Where is Everybody?

2007-09-06T18:14:00.001-07:00

Come on folks -- I can blog all day long but wouldn't you just grow tired of me? I am certain you would! Besides, you can just check out my other blog http://candacesalima.blogspot.com if all you wanted to do was hear from me.

What's everybody up to these days? Fill me in ?

Lives, loves, marriages, births . . . give us the deets!

Here's the view from a friend of mine's back window in Oak City, Utah.

Kinda wanna makes you sigh and settle back on a chair on a big ol' wraparound porch.

I'm hosting a contest on my blogspot. So check that out please.

I'm also auctioning items off via that same place to raise money for my mother.

Just a note if you're trying to sign up for the blog and can't. You have to have a Google username and password. So go to www.google.com and create a username and password. Then you accept this invitation and begin posting.

In the meantime, if no one else posts I am going to inundate this site with BYU football stuff. Now, you wouldn't want that, would you?

Hello!!

2007-08-23T19:01:00.001-07:00

Hi there family. Thank you Candace for the invite to post here. I have sent a lot of you an email about what happened last month, thanks to everyone for writing back and letting me know how you are supportive. Things are great out here in CA. Since I've been recovering I have had LOTS of time off to enjoy the beach and unbelievable weather. I'm glad we have this spot to post and write and hopefully connect more often.

I will write more a little later. Time for dinner!

I Live in Hope

2007-08-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

I live in hope that one day Uncle Mike and I will not be the only ones posting on this blog. Uncle Gordon promised to drop in and check it out . . . here's hoping that's soon. Then I won't have to post as much.

But, nevertheless, here I go. The uncle we lost before I had a chance to get know him is Uncle Eugene. He is the middle child of the Case brothers: Leighton, Eugene and Gordon, and an older brother to Uncle Mike and Uncle Rich. Here's what Uncle Gordon has posted on the family genealogical website about him.

Eugene Richard "Red" Case, was born September 10, 1935 at Compton, Los Angeles, CA

Died: June 3, 1959, Woodland Clinic, Woodland, Yolo, CA
Parents: Levi Freeman Case and Alys-Mae Barkwille

Married: Diana Louise Stevenson, Yuma, AZ

Children of Eugene and Diana are:
Eugene Richard Case, Jr.,
Jeanette Ann Case,
Daniel James Case.

Eugene Case was born second child of Levi and Alys-Mae Case. He, along with his brothers, lived with various relatives and friends after Freeman and Alys-Mae separated. After attending schools in Southern California, he lived with his mother Alys-Mae, her husband Richard Shrank, and his two brothers Leighton and Gordon in Hayward, Alameda, CA.

Eugene graduated from Hayward Union High School in 1955, where he had evidenced a talent for math, writing and participated in school plays. He played the lead in “My Heart’s in the Highlands”, about an elderly gentleman reminiscing about his childhood in Scotland.

Eugene was early interested in all things automotive. He once brought home a car to restore ( I think a ’36 ford) but he was too busy and didn’t have the necessary money, so we broke it apart with sledge hammers and axes, and it was sold for scrap. We “hung around” a Hayward truck stop so he could talk to the truckers about their trucks, and engines and he was a charter member of the Hayward Head Hunters, an early car club. Eugene worked after high school as a body and fender repairman, at a shop in Hayward. The shop owner had a sprint car that he ran frequently at the old Bayfair Speedway in San Leandro, CA, where Eugene learned to drive in races.

He attended one semester of Auto Engineering classes at U. C. Berkeley, but left , he always said, because they would not allow him to wear Levis--but I know he was distraught over a sweet-heart that had dumped him, and I think the theoretical world was just not for him. After leaving college, he left for Los Angeles to be “where the action was”. In Los Angeles, he worked at Sonny’s Muffler shop, where he became an expert welder and racing engine balancer. Eugene devised and sold Red’s Headers, a custom header kit, with quick-remove plugs that allowed exhaust to be routed around a car’s mufflers, for road racing. In Los Angeles, he drove for several racing teams:

Eugene’s ’49 Mercury, raked 2 feet, with high-powered engine and pressure fuel system was a frequent winner in Los Angeles area street-drags. It was also an easy target for the L.A. P. D. and after too many citations, in the summer of 1956, he and Diana moved to Tulare, CA. In Tulare, Eugene, Diana and his younger brother Gordon lived together for a short time, while he tried out the quiet life as Engineering draftsman for the Morrill Rake Co.

The rural life did not suit Eugene, so he and Diana returned to Los Angles where he became a mechanic and semi-professional driver for the well financed Sanchez racing team organized specifically to set world records.

It was easy to understand the lure and excitement of that drag-racing world. The car Eugene last drove, was one he built himself in 1958-59. I was a streamlined, unlimited-class dragster. Drag cars then had two gears, neutral and high, they were powered with super charged V-8s fueled with a mixture of Nitro and Methane. After being started with a push-car, and then hand pushed to the starting line, they were revved until running smoothly. When the starting light blinked, and the race was on, the cars roared to almost a dead-stop, as the tires squeeled, bit and then hurtled down the ¼ mile strip to speeds approaching 200mph in about 8 seconds.

The last time I saw Eugene alive was a pure coincidence. In February of 1959, I was in the Navy's electronics school at Treasure Island, San Francisco, and on the spur of the moment decided to hitch-hike to Mojave and surprise our Mom for her birthday. I was standing on the shoulder of Hiway 99, about 15 miles north of Bakersfield, when a black Chrysler station wagon towing a streamlined dragster pulled up to a roadside coffee-shop on the other side of the highway. Eugene and his crew were in that Chrysler on the way to a drag-meet, and we had a nice lunch together before he went North and I went South. Little did I know at the time that it would be the last time I talked with him---

That team’s car had some promising runs at Bonneville salt flats, and was a frequent winner in the California drag scene, until one May Saturday in 1959, at the Yolo County, CA airport drag race, the throttle stuck and Eugene went across the end of the strip in excess of 200 mph and the drague chute could not stop it from going end-over-end.

After 3 days of intensive care at the Woodland, CA clinic, Eugene died June 3, from massive injuries. He was buried in the Crestview cemetery, Porterville, CA after a funeral in which brothers Leighton and Gordon, and racing friends from Los Angeles were pall bearers. Also present at the funeral, in addition to Mom and Richard Shrank, Granny and Grandpop Barkwille---Dad and Helen, Uncle Deward Case and Aunt Louella.

November 1, 1959, Smokers, Inc. a Bakersfield, CA car club held a “Red Case memorial drag race and donated part of the proceeds to Diana and her kids.

So there's a little bit about the uncle we lost so early in life. Uncle Gordon thanks so much for being so diligent in gathering the family history. I know it is an expensive, time consuming effort but I love reading everything about our family.

Please post blogs of your own.

2007-08-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Once you sign in, located at the top right of the screen, you can then click on New Post and create a blog post of your own, filling us in and what's new and exciting. As things happen in our lives, I think it would be great to post that here.

Also, if Uncle Gordon is willing and can land in one spot long enough, I think it'd be great if he'd post an ancestral blog once in awhile. In the meantime, I'll try and fill in for him, of course pulling it all off his genealogy website.

Uncles, aunts and cousins! Come on, join us!

In the meantime: this painting to the left is titled "The Accolade" and was painted by Edmund Blair Leighton. Distant relative or not? Uncle Gordon, if you don't stop me, I'm going to claim him.

He's one of my favorite painters. I absolutely adore his work!

Happy Birthday Alvin!

2007-08-20T15:46:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned that today is my husband's birthday? And for this, his brother, and Harvey Unga's father (Jackson) one of his dearest friends called and we headed on over to the BYU Cougar practice field.

We are so excited for the 2007 football season. We have no less than four nephews playing on the team this year. Yes, we are very excited! This has been an added measure to our devotion as Cougar fans.

We watched the players practice and scrimmage and my sweetheart pointed out each nephew. Sete Aulai (Starting Center), Harvey Unga (Starting Running Back), Tyle Kozlowski (Wide Receiver) and Eathyn Manumaleuna (D Line). He was so excited to see each young man as they ran their plays. I have to admit, I was too. We were very proud of each one of them.

Harvey and Sete came on over to talk to us for a few minutes and Alvin snapped a picture of them with me.

They are such good young men, and I especially liked how much thinner I looked between the two. Hey, let's face it. I'm a woman, we think of things like that. If you want to know why I'm thinking of something like that at a time like this, take a look at Anne Bradshaw's blog on the LDSBA Whitney Awards. You'll see what I'm talking about.

Harvey is really proving himself in practice after practice, scoring at least two touchdowns in each scrimmage.

Sete has been puttin' the hurt on so many people as the center, that my husband was offering a lot of chuckles and "Owwws" with each play.

I popped on over to Google and typed in the boys names so I could grab a few pictures.

Last year, when John Beck connected with Johnny Harline in the final second of the BYU/U of U game for the touchdown and win, Sete was captured on the sidelines in complete disbelief as yet another Cougar miracle was pulled off. My nephew is one tough son-of-a-gun, so the raw emotion on his face speaks for itself.

An absolutely incredible moment in Cougar Football history.

Moving on to Harvey, whose last year was a redshirt year. He broke out in March practice and hasn't looked back. He's proven himself over and over, and he and Fui Vakapuna will be jockeying back and forth, assuming Fui's ankle completely heals. But as of now, Harvey is down as the starting running back.

I couldn't help but post this blog today because I am so proud of all these boys. Hopefully we'll see something of Tyler and Eathan as well this year.

Anyway, to my beloved sweetheart, Alvin, I wish the most beautiful of birthdays. You are my heart, my soul and you make my life worth living. Thank you for the being the man you are. True to your priesthood, your covenants, your values and your beliefs. You are a man above all men. I love you!

Happy Birthday!

GO COUGARS!

Uncle Mike's brood

2007-08-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving 2006 ...

Aunt Sandy, Aunt Susan, and Bryan

Derek, Kristi, Matthew, Kristi, and Alexis
... AKA The Usual Suspects

(LtoR) Matthew, Derek, Joe (Kristi's husband)
& Kristi with Pheobe, Randi (Bryan's wife)
with Lauren, Bryan with Kylie, and Alexis holding Colin.

Uncle "I used to have hair" Rich, and Matthew

Other Misc.
(LtoR)

Back of Couch :My Dad (Richard Shrank), Great Aunt Francis, Uncle Gordon

On Couch: Red Harris, Granny (Maidie Barkwill), Pawpop(Earl Barkwill

On Floor: Uncle Mike, Raelene (Great Aunt Francis Daughter), Uncle Rich, Unknown Person.

Welcome to the Case/Shrank Blog

2007-08-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

We have drifted apart over the last couple of years. I know life has been so busy for all of us and I have struggled to think of a way that might improve communications. I'm hoping this is it. I've invited as many family members as I had email addresses to participate.

My thought is that as new things happen in our lives, or if we just to fill everyone in on how we're doing, you pop on over to this blog, write a quick post and then it will be up to the rest of us to check this blogspot often for family updates.

Here are some pictures to remind of us of times past.

Picture 1 is Aaron and Connor Hunt (Heather's husband and oldest son) preparing the Dutch Oven dinner in the mountains of Utah for the 2004 Case/Shrank family reunion. At this reunion, Uncle Gordon, the patriarch of our family, created the family motto. F.G.A.B - Family Good Alone Bad. Hence the name of this blog.

Uncle Gordon, with his grandson -- help me out everyone. What is this handsome young man's name?

We had another reunion in 2005, also in Utah in deference to my husband's health (thank you everyone.) And we had a lot of fun that time too!

Uncle Gordon was the head chef at the park during this reunion. Love the hat and apron! We had a blast and the food was good! Hey, when it's cooked with love then it can only be the best there is.

While most of the kids played on the swings or ran around the park, the rest of the gang waited on Uncle Gordon to finish the food. (In reality, I believe, in fact I hope, that we all helped and the patriarch of our family was not left alone to do all the cooking in that hot Utah heat.

Now, just a few pictures of the family as they have come in over the years.

This is Bryan (Uncle Mike's son) and Randi Shrank's wedding. Don't they look absolutely amazing? What an incredibly good-looking couple.

Cash and Ryan hooked up for some "cousin time" in Dallas, Texas in 2002.

Look at these two tall handsome men! We have an overabundance of good-looking people in this family, no question!.

I have hundreds of more pictures and will share them over the course of time. I hope that each of you will fully embrace this method of communication, leaving comments on other blog posts, creating posts of your own.

I miss you all very much! Please spread the word around the family. Have them post a comment with their email address in the body of the comment and I will add them so that they can post blogs as well.