Hiester Family Antics: The Ultimate Gift

The Hiester Family in a nutshell - a big one, like a coconut or something

We are a family of a whole bunch of random people, thrown together in one small house, who all happen to look alike. Each member of our family was hand-picked by God... that's the only explanation for the saga that is our family. Here's the story from the beginning... My husband, Todd, was married before me. His wife's name was Carrie, and together they had 3 kids: Tyler, Kurstin & Elissa. Todd's parents were divorced and his mother remarried. Her new husband, Don, had 2 small children: Ally & Wesley. Their natural mother was killed in a car accident when they were 8 & 11. One year later, they lost their dad and Todd and Carrie took them into their home. 6 months after Ally & Wesley were added to the household, Carrie died of cancer at age 26. Her own children were 3, 6 & 9 and Ally & Wesley were 10 & 13. And Todd was alone with them. Think Lord of the Flies. So when I fell in love with Todd, I got these 5 kids as a bonus. We married about a year and a half into our relationship, with the kids as our wedding party. We made it all official with an adoption lawyer and lots of money, ensuring that we are LEGALLY their parents. They even had to take oaths saying they would perform the duties of sons and daughters, which I think means I have someone to change my diapers when the time comes! After 2 years of marriage we added Robben Carey to the mix. And now we've welcomed Livi Claire...the seventh, and final, Hiester kid (unless, of course, God has other plans). Todd and I are 37 and 35, respectively, and our kids range in age from 1 to 21. It's great because we're cool and always the youngest in a crowd of high school parents.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Ultimate Gift

I, Ally the oldest of the sisters, recently was given a wonderful book from my wonderful Grandma Jocelyne called The Ultimate Gift. The Ultimate Gift was written by a christian author named Jim Stovall. Jim Stovall has excelled at many things in his life and he does all these beautiful things even though he himself is blind. He has done a superior job as an athlete, being a national champion and an Olympic weightlifter. He has written lots of other books. Here are a couple of recommendations provided in this book: You Don't Have To Be Blind To See, Success Secrets of Super Achievers, and The Way I See The World. In additon he was honored as the 2000 International Humanitarian of the Year.
In the book The Ultimate Gift a young, greedy, spoiled, man named Jason Stevens, finds out some news about the death of his very wealthy great uncle, Red Stevens. Finding this out his is very eager to find out what part of his great uncle's will he will get to receive. Instead of just receiving the money with open arms, Red gives Jason a series of tasks he must complete before receiving what his great uncle calls The Ultimate Gift. In doing these tasks, Jason soon realizes there is much more to life than money, getting wasted at parties, and lots of other things young men enjoy doing. You can join Jason in a journey of learning, loving, and believing. You like I did, can exoerience this. I love you guys so much and God Bless You! Remember, 2 People Can Do Anyhting, As Long As One Of Them Is God.