Merry Christmas to ALL !!

NO MISTLETOE REQUIRED!

Sam and Pam on Lover's Lane at the Anne Of Green Gables Museum on Prince Edward Island

Welcome to our Christmas Newsletter 2007! We thought we'd try sharing our news from the past year in a new way. We can include more pictures and stories and it cuts down on the expense. Please be sure to return here to our blog after the new year begins to see pictures of Ashley upon her return from her mission. We welcome all of your comments. Just click on the word comments at the bottom of this section of the blog. You can also share your comments by e-mail.

Jump in! Join the fun!

Sam has a wonderful life, just ask him. He works at the same job, lives in the same house, is married to the same wife and that is just the way he likes it. Three of Sam's favorite things to do...
1. Fix and build things. The pictures below are from our basement.
Steve (Sam's brother), Cheryl and family came to stay with us for two weeks this summer. Yay! Sam used their visit as incentive to put some long overdue finishing touches on the family room area.

















2. Spend time with his family. In July we were visited by every member of the Brayton clan. What a great time we had! We played kickball and mini golf, ran, biked, talked and played.

Above: The Brayton Men! L-R Back row: Dan, Mark, Sam II, Dad (Sam I), Steve, and Derek. L-R Front row: Scotty, David, Eric and Cooper.
Left: Sam sprints for home base during a family kickball game.


3. Take his children to places they have never been before. At the end of July and into August Sam took Pam and the kids (including Mark's friend Duke Martin) to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia in Canada.

Sunset over the red cliffs of Prince Edward Island. Pictured: Liz, Jessica, Mark, and his friend Duke

Below: This wave is caused when the tide flows in from the Gulf of Maine and pushes water into the bay. The water can rise 12 feet in a matter of minutes. By the time the process was finished we could no longer see the dirt bank on the opposite side.
(for more info www.gma.org/undersea_landscapes/Bay_of_Fundy)

Swimming with the fishes isn't much fun, especially when they will sting you.

There were thousands of these jelly fish in the water where we swam.

PAMELA JEAN BRAYTON

BRAYTON FAMILY HALF MARATHON

L-R Back row standing: Sam the younger, Mark, Elizabeth, Pam, Jessica, Mark's friend Jessie, Mom (Joan), Steve, Crystal, Mom Moore (Cheryl's Mom), Dad (Sam the elder). L-R Front: Dan, Scotty, Krystal, David, Cheryl, Eric, Miranda

Pam had a great year! In January Sam's brother Dan, wife Krystal and son Scott moved in next door at the farm (Brayton grandparent's house). This was an especially nice treat for Pam as Krystal became a good friend and running buddy. Sam's brother Steve, who lives in Utah, was making plans to visit in July with his family. Steve has run several marathons and suggested that we organize a Brayton Family Half Marathon to be held in July. So, Pam and Krystal began to train by running together two or three times a week (they ran on their own the other days).

Pam, Liz and Jessica made T-shirts for everyone (Liz designed T-shirt logo at right). Sam and Pam mapped out a great route (Pink mile markers pictured at right). On the day of the 1/2 Marathon the weather was great and the route, which ran along the Hudson River from Schylerville to Fort Edward, was picturesque. Those who didn't want to run rode their bikes and carried water for the runners. It was a fabulous day!
P.S. If you haven't already read about Pam's Great Pumpkin Challenge 10K race scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page.

JESSICA SUZANNE BRAYTON

Jessica with her puppy Savannah

Jessica COOL flower child

Jessica turned 15 on August 4th after a very eventful summer. In this picture she is decked out with jewelry she obtained at Girl's Camp. She paused for the photo op while playing kickball in her grandparent's yard (Mark and Uncle Dan are in the background).

"I'm so EXCITED!" Jessica exclaimed this several times in 2007. The first exciting thing we did was drive to Tennessee in April (while Sam and Mark were in the British Isles). Jessica's Uncle Chris was being deployed to Iraq so we had a little Butterfield family reunion to wish Chris well and safe.

Picture at Left: Crystal, Pam and Jessica stand in front of a beautiful waterfall. Jessica wanted to go swimming...BRRRR!

Picture at Right: The Butterfield Girls with Mom and Dad...From oldest (top) to youngest (bottom) Tamara Ann Sorensen, Pamela Jean Brayton, Lois Renae Bell, and Susan Marie Jensen. In the matching sweatshirts Glenn Alma and Lois Marie Butterfield. (Uncle Chris Sorensen was the camera man)

Another highlight of the year for Jessica was spending a week at Young Women Camp in Seneca Lake. As a third level camper her group theme was the 70's. They dressed as hippies and decorated their cabin with flowers and smiley faces. Over one entrance they hung a beaded curtain. At camp she learned how to use a compass, administer first aid, extinguish accidental fires and much more. Her favorite activity was the Night Hike. The girls visited 5 campfires where women of the scriptures such as Mary and Martha, the widow of Zarephath, and mother Eve spoke to them about their challenges and faith. After visiting with mother Eve the girls were directed to the "iron rod" which they followed through darkness and difficulty to finally reach the Tree of Life. Under the tree stood women dressed in white to welcome them while girls who had arrived before sang sweet hymns.

MARK BUTTERFIELD BRAYTON

2007 was a busy year for Mark. In April Mark flew with Sam on a business trip to Ireland! They visited England and Scotland together, then flew over to Ireland. While Sam was in meetings in four different cities Mark toured Ireland on a bicycle. He was fascinated by what he learned aboard an old emigrant ship that was used to transport Irish emigrants to America during the potato famine in the 1840's. They also toured many castles and museums, saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and the Cliff's of Moher.

Mark falling over the Cliff's of Moher in Ireland

Sam and Mark attend church in Dublin, Ireland

The bike Mark used to tour Ireland

At the end of his Junior year Mark attended the Junior/Senior prom with his good friend Jessie Girard. They borrowed Mark's scoutmaster's Mercedes Benz for the evening (Sam acted as chauffer).

Mark in his scoutmaster's Mercedes

Mark and Jessie during the Grand March

In September Mark began his senior year in high school. He has applied for college at BYU-Idaho. In October 2008 he will turn 19 and plans to leave on a mission soon thereafter.
P.S. If you haven't already seen pictures of Mark with his hair bleached scroll down to a previous post or click on October in the Blog Archive at left.

Mark's Senior Pictures
(Pix on left:Pam's favorite. Pix on right: Mark chose for the yearbook)
Taken by Mark's Aunt Krystal

ELIZABETH GRACE BRAYTON

This has been a great year for Elizabeth. She took several classes that really surprised us! One was Russian. She learned Russian and was excited about it! She is now planning to go to Ukraine next fall with ILP (International Language Program) where she will teach English to Ukrainian children in their own classrooms. She didn't need to know Russian to do this but will probably get the chance to learn more of the language and maybe even use her new skills.
Another class was Genealogy/Family History. Liz caught the family history bug and even made an important discovery regarding the Armstrong line. Because of the class she can teach us all how to track and document information.

Left: Sam and Liz in Salt Lake City BYU men's basketball game.

Right: Liz braving the jaws of a Mayan stone serpent

In November Sam went to Salt Lake City on a business trip and spent the weekend with Liz. Together they enjoyed a BYU men's basketball game (Jimmer Fredette, a young man from our ward here at home is on the team) and a visit to the Mayan Adventure Restaurant (It's awesome!)
P.S. Liz would love to have you visit her blog. It's listed on the left under the heading "Brayton Blog Heaven".

CRYSTAL JEAN BRAYTON

In May Crystal accompanied Sam on a business trip to New York City. They rode the train down from Albany to Penn Station. Seeing "Wicked" on Broadway was a definite highlight. She also enjoyed the wonder of the Lego store in Time Square. Crystal got her dream job in September. She began working in the cafeteria of a private Catholic school in Glens Falls. The people there are wonderful to her. She loves her job. This year Crystal has been working on completing her first college course by mail. She is also contemplating missionary service.

Above: Crystal standing in Battery Park with the
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the background.

At Right: Crystal enjoys a visit to the Lego store.
That Statue of Liberty is entirely made of Legos.

Sister ASHLEY LYNNE BRAYTON

Ashley with a Taiwanese family

Ashley will return to New York from her mission in time for the final weekend of 2007. She has served successfully in the Taiwan Kaohsiung mission for the past 18 months. The climate in Taiwan is marine tropical which sounds a lot like hot and muggy. She is nervous about coming home to cold, snowy New York. In one of her recent e-mails she requested three things: a warm full length coat, a pair of warm winter boots and a rice cooker. Sadly her visit will be brief. We will only have seven days to enjoy her company before she flies out to Rexburg, Idaho to resume her education. She'll be happy to have her coat and boots there too.
P.S. For those close to us here in NY Ashley will be speaking in Church on December 30th (10am) and we will hold an Open House on January 1st from 5pm -8pm at the Church so she can share her experiences. If you need directions e-mail us or give us a call.

There you have it!!!! We feel extremely grateful for the love and support of wonderful people like you. What a blessing! We know our Heavenly Father loves us and sent His Son, who began as a babe in swaddling clothes, to spread His message of love and redemption to all the world.

May you feel and enjoy love, peace and goodwill this Christmas season and throughout the coming year.
The BRAYTON'S

Family, Friends and Four-wheelers!!!

Veteran's Day meant no school for the local children and Sam decided to take the day off from work. At the request of our children we invited the families of some of their friends over for a BBQ and some fun and games. That morning we learned that the Kubricky family wanted to know if they could bring their four-wheelers! The kids had a blast. As you'll see even some of the adults joined in.

Crystal Brayton and Quncie Kubricky prepare to take a spin around the farm.





Jessica Brayton prepares to take off for her first time on a four-wheeler. Behind her Mark's friend, Duke Martin, relinquishes his machine to Callie Kesler.








Mark Brayton was in his element exploring trails and routes around the farm that were unknown to the rest of the kids. Riding with him in this picture is Mary Jardine. Mary belongs to Scott and Julie Kubricky.










While the kids were racing all over having a great time the adults enjoyed sharing stories and watching the little ones make s'mores. It's amazing how much those little guys can comsume!



Here the two Sam's listen intently to Richard Kubricky relate a story.
(#1 Sam Brayton is on the right. Also known as Dad, Big Sam and Grandpa Sam. #2 Sam on the left. Also known as Dad, Hubby, and Sammy)








These two matriarchs have known each other since their children were small. After thirty some years their sons are still good friends. On the left is Dorothy Kubricky. On the right is our own Joan (Joanie, Mom, Grandma-at-the-farm) Brayton.







Dorothy Kubricky prepares to give Rene' Kesler the ride of her life as Richard Kubricky looks on unconcerned. Rene' looks like she's not quite sure about this. On the trampoline in the backround are Emma Snow White (left) and Sarah Jardine [Kubricky].

*All of these pictures were taken by Julie [Jardine] Kubricky.

Introducing! Ashlee Rose Jensen!!!!!

Ashlee Rose Jensen was born Monday, September 17, 2007 in Fishers, Indiana. She is only a few days old in the picture above.
Here is Grandma Lois [Pam's mom] and Ashlee Rose in their Sunday best. Ashlee is a day over two months old. Don't they both look marvelous!!!

Welcome to Barrow Alaska!

Sam's Dad flew to Barrow, Alaska this fall to visit his youngest son Dan and family. As I type this blog it is 11 degrees Fahrenheit in Barrow. Dad said that the wind is always blowing and you feel as if the warmth is taken right out of you, even if you have multiple layers of clothes.
The large bones Dad and Dan are standing between are whale bones.

To the right is a view of the town from Dan and Krystal's apartment. As you can see it's already winter. To the left of the town you can see the Arctic Ocean.















Next is a better view of the Arctic Ocean. Not a great place for swimming unless you are a polar bear!




This beautiful domicile is fondly referred to as Krystal's Dream Home. As you can see, the mansion is on stilts which is true of all the buildings in Barrow including the school, hospital, grocery store, airport and church; if this wasn't so the heat from these buildings would melt the permafrost (permanently frozen sub soil) and they would sink.


If you look carefully you will see a snow white owl taking flight in the foreground of this picture. (See Krystal's blogs [links at left] for more snow owl pix.)




Notice the snow overhang on top of this building. As the snow piles up these overhangs drop down onto the balconies, filling them with snow and making it impossible for the resident to use the balcony (or stairway as the case may be).

Here Dad, Krystal and Scotty pose under a popular picture spot. "Which way should we go?!" This sign points the way to interesting and exotic places such as New York, Peru, Florida, and Haiti. All of them sound much warmer than here!

For more pictures of Barrow visit either of Krystal's blogs (links at left) or a website I found called Rob in Alaska www.eskimo.com/~turnip/alaska/bonus.html

Mark Goes Blonde!

Some of you may see the title and think, "Mark was blonde already". As you'll see in the picture (He's the one on the right. His friend Duke Martin is on the left.) it's more of a golden blonde. In preparation for their sectional game on Wednesday, Mark and his entire soccer team (with the exception of the goalie and one other guy) died their hair blonde. It must have worked because they won the game in sudden death overtime! On Saturday they face the top seeded team in the league. Hopefully their blonde luck will hold out. GOOD LUCK boys!

Thanks Todd Smith of Fitness In Motion!!!!!

Wednesday, when I drove to Fitness In Motion to do my workout and indoor cycling class, Todd (owner, trainer, and friend) had put up this sign on the marquee in front of his establishment. Thanks Todd, what a nice thing to do!

The 10K Experience

Wow! After working toward and anticipating Saturday, October 20th for the past 8 weeks it's difficult to believe that it has already happened. This was a personal victory for me in so many ways. I recognize that this day would not have happened without the support and love of my family and friends. I've been on cloud nine every since I crossed the finish line. Thank you for coming here to this blog to share the experience with me.


I signed in and picked up my race day packet. My bib number was 30 as you can see. Behind the number is the race T-shirt. Steve Brayton will recognize the color as calf scower yellow but I like to think of it as mustard.

It's difficult to see but this lists my name and bib number.

A "chip" attached to my sneaker. This is the first year that the organizers of this race used chip timing. When I ran across the finish line this little chip sent a unique signal that basically said, "Number 30 has crossed the finish line!" This was an easy way for race organizers to record the finish times of all the runners.






Quilt Costume


The race organizers encouraged participants to wear costumes. This quilt costume was made by Sam. Mark tied the quilt. It wasn't an award winner but it meant a lot to me. You may wonder why the words and smiley face are on the back. My thought, going into the race, was that anyone who was running slower than me needed all the encouragement they could get.
The winning men's costume was a guy dressed up as Groucho Marx, complete with cigar and suit coat. A woman dressed as a refrigerator won a prize as well as a couple dressed up as green eggs and ham.

This is my personal cheering section (Sam is taking the picture]). Everyone wore their yellow T-shirts from our Brayton Family Half Marathon (held in July).
Mom Brayton had her OSHA shirt (That's an entire story all by itself. OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration).
Having my family there meant the world to me. Toward the end of the race I rounded a corner approaching the final mile which included a hill right before the finish line. Up ahead I saw a mass of yellow and I knew my family was there waiting to cheer me on. I started to get choked up. I almost cried.

This part of the story is one of my favorites. The night before the race I prayed that I would be able to find someone to run with. Someone I could talk with as we ran. (Krystal, you spoiled me!) Running is much more enjoyable with a running buddy.

I met Phyllis while we were waiting for a last minute bathroom break just before the start of the race. We found that our typical running pace was similar. She liked the idea of running together as much as I did.

As we talked I found out that Phyllis had decided the night before the race she wanted to run a 10K on Saturday. She searched on-line and found "The Great Pumpkin Challenge". She came without a cheering section so we cheered for her too.

I felt very blessed to have my prayer answered so splendidly. The 4 1/2 miles that we ran together was relaxing and fun. Time seemed to pass without my notice.

Quite the crowd! Phyllis and I are toward the back (just a dot in this picture). We had the impression that our start time would be recorded (because of the chips on our shoes) as we crossed under the starting line. Later we found out that such was not the case. When a siren signaled the start of the race a man used his cell phone to call the guy at the finish line telling him to start the timer. It took Phyllis and I approximately 28 seconds to reach the starting line. I was a little bummed by this but the run was organized to raise money for a cause so there is no point in getting upset about it.

Here I come! At this point in the race Phyllis had dropped behind due to the hills. I was reluctant to leave her behind but I could tell that she was breathing hard. She probably wanted to stop and walk to bring her heart rate down.

Just before this picture was taken I rounded a corner and spotted my yellow clad family waiting on the sidelines to cheer and encourage me on to the finish.

This shot shows some of the pretty fall colors we enjoyed during the race. It was a fabulous Autumn day in New York. There was some cloud cover which kept things cooler for the runners.









I'm just a blur!!!! When I reached my family, Mark ran along side me for a few seconds and gave me some Gatorade.




















Here is the finish line. The lady with the long dark hair (foreground) is a race volunteer worker. She cheerfully answered our questions and gave me some much needed encouragement as I approached the finish. Sam used the video tape function on our camera to record my "sprint" across the finish line so I don't have a picture of that for you.

My official time (according to the timer on top of the Finish sign) was 58 minutes 39 seconds. My pace was 9 minutes 27 seconds per mile.



Phyllis finished two minutes after me. She won first place for her age group. We were both pleased with our finish times, and grateful to have the encouragement and companionship of one another.

The name of the race printed on the front of the T-shirt.

THE END!