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.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

4 Reasons Todd Would Live In Larned...& 2 Reasons He Absolutely Would Not

The Core of the Hiester Family (Todd & Marianne) will forever reside in Sanger, California. We own 2 acres out in the country and plan to stay here for the rest of our time on Earth. There are many reasons for this, but the top two are: 1) Todd's business is established here, and 2) I don't want to have to deal with all the crap we accumulate, so I'll leave it to the kids when we die!!

Though I know there will be no moving for us, I still have dreams. I hope to one day own an old farmhouse in Tuscany or Umbria and live there for about 3 months out of every year. (See, one day our own house WILL be done, and my dear husband will need another project. Plus, I would love the kids to have a vacation home to take their own families to... I'm HUGE on travel.) I would also love to have a rustic cabin in the mountains. But this particular story is about the possibilities of Kansas. Todd did ask me upon my return, if I could live there. My answer: of course, I can live anywhere (except the desert - we all have limits), because my life is what I make of it. Since I don't work, my life is about my home, my family, my friends and the activities I choose to involve myself in. When you don't have to worry about a job, the location of your life matters far less. Naturally, I imagined life in Kansas while I was there. Heck, I was treated like a queen! I'll go wherever Lyndsay & Luis are!!!

This could be a false impression, but life seems a bit simpler in Kansas. The things that Kansans concern themselves with seem to be slightly more in line with our own values than those of Californians. The prime, numero uno example of this would be the signs I saw up and down the highways - which I neglected to capture on camera :(...

1) "No baby should die by CHOICE"
2) "Smile, your mom chose life" (with a yellow smiley face)
3) A picture of a Koala Bear proclaiming "Save the baby humans!"

This, in my mind is the first of the reasons that Todd would call Kansas home. He is passionate about a few things, abortion being the absolute highest on the list.

Reason #2: pick-ups. In Kansas, you don't call these trucks. A "truck" in Kansas is a "semi" or "diesel" in California. When you are speaking of your car in general in Kansas, you use the word "vehicle". I guess we're too lazy for that here. I mean, come on, that's 3 syllables! I'm stickin' with one: "car". Even Robben can say that...now. Anyway, one of Todd's main interests is classic "pick-ups". He has one for work. I found a couple hangin' out around Lyndsay's neighborhood. When he saw these pictures he let out a long sigh. His most commonly uttered phrase when seeing a classic around town is, "be still my heart."

Reason #3: Beautiful old homes for cheap. Being in the hardwood flooring business, Todd has a great appreciation for older homes with lots and lots of character (and/or quirks). His favorite style of home is Craftsman. Not only is Lyndsay's neighborhood full of craftsman style homes, along with some Victorian, but her own house is a craftsman as well. Due to his love of classic vehicles and craftsman homes, Todd regularly says that he should have been born in a different time. I, personally, am glad he was not.

This particular house has a guest house in back, and this beautiful screened porch, and is selling for $185,000!! Plus, it's already painted Todd's favorite color :)

You might be able to tell in this picture that all the streets of the neighborhood are paved in brick.

Here's another beauty with a guest house in back. Guest house, teenagers' I-want-to-move-out-but-can't-handle-it-on-my-own house, whatever you want to call it :)

And Reason #4, and one of the most important reasons, is this lovely couple. Lyndsay & Luis are great people and great friends and I know Todd would love to be able to see them on a regular basis. And they admitted (without a lot of coersion) that they would love to be able to see our family anytime, too. I LOVED my time with them and hope to be able to do it again before too long.
Unfortunately, there are also reasons that Todd would not live in Larned, Kansas.

As you can see from this picture of Robben on our walk, it gets pretty cold in Larned. I can't say it was "freezing", because I think it was about 36 this day. Robben didn't mind. He borrowed Lyndsay's gloves and was good to go. He really doesn't complain about much, and as long as he's outside, he's happy, weather be darned. Oh, you can see the brick roads in this picture, too. They really should paint them yellow, don't you think?

But the Number One, no compromising reason that Todd could never live in Larned is...
L-A-R-N-E-D. He has a real issue with this name. He thinks it sounds like a word said backwards. He says it is just a strange combination of letters and sounds. He has a hard time saying it without a giggle. I heard a couple of other Kansas natives say the name, and they pronounced it Larnerd. He says that's a little better. I, personally, don't really mind the name, but as a good little wife, I respect my husband's opinion...even if it's wrong :)
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