Brotherly Reunion

Beck family breaking news: Welcome home, Randy!

Our brother Randy returned from his two-year LDS mission to Vina del Mar Chile today. I was sad to miss the airport reunion, but couldn't take time off work. Ryan carved time into his school schedule to join the Beck family at the SLC airport. (Since he didn't supply me with a single picture of today's blissful family reuniting, I figure this old picture of Randy and Ryan in a German BMW Exhibit will suffice for blog purposes.) Vrrooommm, vrrrooommm ... more family adventures ahead!

We're so glad you're back, Randy. You've been in our prayers for two years, and I'm excited to get to know you now as your sister-in-law, since I was just "Ryan's girlfriend" when you left.

Oh, and BYU-Idaho ladies, prepare yourselves. You have a stud coming your way soon!

P.S. This picture hints at the next blog post coming soon: His & Hers: Car Genius v. Oblivious (I'll let you guess who is which)

Best part of Sundays? Funny 4-year-old friends

We look forward to Sunday afternoons all week. Why? We teach the 4- and 5-year-old Primary class. Cute and candid, they've won us over - we LOVE spending time with them, chaos and all.

Anywhere from five to 11 kids show up depending on the Sunday, and every week we get HILARIOUS quotes to tide us over 'til we see our little rascals again. Some favorites so far:

Everyone coloring pictures, and Ryan uses a purple crayon.Disobeying "color gender laws" at their age is apparently cause for ridicule and quick correction.
Summer: (emphatically) You can't use that color, teacher.
Ryan: Why not?
Summer: That's GIRLISS, not BOYISS.
Danielle: Yeah, that's too GIRLISS for you.

Preston, sitting by darling Maddy, looks up at me innocently:
Preston: I'm not gonna kiss her, cause I'm not allowed to.
Crystalee: That's good, Preston. Let's not do that.
Preston: But when I grow up, I can marry her. (Maddy blushes profusely)


To act out examples of how to CTR, I brought props. I gave one boy a box of tissues.
Crystalee: Ok, class, we're pretending James is sick. How could we help if he's sick?
Preston: Give him medicine.
Crystalee: That's a good idea. What's something nice we could say to him?
Preston: (thinking about it, then confident) Do you want some medicine?

In the big Primary group, the Sharing Time teacher holds up a picture of President Thomas S. Monson.
Teacher: Who is this?
Thomas: (shouts out) THOMAS the PROPHET! (mumbles to himself) And there's Thomas the TRAIN, too.

To my husband, who lets me fly

Ryan just returned from a few days in Reno for a construction team competition. Being apart gave me time to miss him. Thus, this post.

When I was a teenager, I read an Ensign article I highly recommend called “Home with the Hinckleys.” As quoted above, President Hinckley gives his advice on being a supportive husband, and his sweet wife shares her wisdom too. Their home sounded heavenly. I kept that article to remember the type of man I wanted to marry and the kind of home I hoped we'd have.

Today marks 18 months since we were married. I was blessed with my heart's desire; in a very literal sense, Ryan lets me fly all over the country. (Thanks, husband!)

More importantly, he gives me freedom to be myself. He knows me and still loves me anyways. He teaches me to be real and genuine. He supports my big dreams yet reels me back to reality when I get carried away. Even in our tense moments, he's the husband I hoped for - quick to forgive, quick to love me, and oh, so loveable.

Another Meaning for 'CTR'

In our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we're apparently huge fans of acronyms. If you're a Mormon, you'll recognize these. If not, here's a 101:

BYC = Bishop's Youth Council

D&C = Doctrine & Covenants

CTR = Choose the Right

EFY = Especially for Youth

LDS = Latter-day Saint

MTC = Missionary Training Center

RM = Return Missionary

VT = Visiting Teacher

YM/YW = Young Men/Young Women

YSA = Young Single Adult

It seems every English-speaking Mormon kid, from the time they recognize letters is taught that "CTR" stands for "Choose the Right."

This year, we're teaching a group of rowdy (but adorable) 4-5 year olds in Primary, and started off the new year giving them CTR rings. They were a hit, and a better enticement to sit still than anything else we could come up with. It will be interesting to see how many of them actually still have their rings a week later...

In our home, there's an extra meaning for "CTR." Ryan told me when we were dating it stands for CHOOSE THE RYAN. Obviously, I believed him.

Our First Date: Holiday Magic

If you've never been to Temple Square during the holiday season, it's a magical must. Honest. Every year, there's a wonderful LDS Christmas Devotional to ring in the season. This year's will be on Sunday, December 4, at 6:00 p.m. MST. You can enjoy it here

Dec. 2006 | LDS Conf. Center | President Hinckley turned right as I took a picture!

Exactly five years ago, Ryan and I went on our first date to the Christmas Devotional at Temple Square. Back in 2006, I was 20, Ryan was 22, and he'd waited all semester to finally ask me out. Smitten with his deep dimples, I thought he was the "cutest guy in the ward." My roommate and his were dating (still our awesome friends, Mr. & Mrs. Hustedt!) and that night we had ourselves some monumental moments. Here are snippets from that date, copied straight out of my college journal:


December 3, 2006

The Christmas season has officially begun for me today. I went to the Christmas devotional in Salt Lake! I went on a group date with Ryan Beck in the ward, and it was an incredible night. Mattie went with her boyfriend Josh, and Rob Martin brought a girl named Krysta.

We were invited for dinner at Mattie's house. The Morgans made us a feast - roast, mashed potatoes, candied yams, homemade bread, jam and salad. It was heavenly.

We got to the Conference Center just in time, and made our way to our seats. Guess where I got to sit? THE SECOND ROW! When the First Presidency came in, I was just 40 FEET away! the whole devotional I was brimming with gratitude to see the living prophet of God. The devotional tonight was one of those memories I don't want to forget.President Hinckley said that "shining through the dark is the assurance and faith of the true meaning of Christmas: the reality of the Atonement." The Conference Center was breathtaking! I could look at it all day and my eyes wouldn't tire of the vibrant colors and warm Christmas feeling.

I had a great time with Ryan wandering the brightly-lit Temple Square. The glistening lights and glowing temple promise a romantic mood, plus there was a full moon. We took pictures, heard a bell choir in the visitor's center, and enjoyed each other's company. At one point, I was talking to these sister missionaries, and Ryan told them out of the blue: "She's either going on a mission or marrying me." Haha! I blushed. Ryan held my hand! It was a spontaneous, spurred-by-the-mood gesture, and I don't know if it'll happen again, but I enjoyed it. Like I texted him, it really couldn't have been any better - it was a FABULOUS night!

Little did I know, I'd be going to see the lights with Ryan four years later, as his wife. Turns out my journal, my white beanie, and my Ryan are all keepers.

Thanks for spending time on Our Beck Treks. Happy December. Like this post? Your comments are as good as wrapped presents; I love them. Do share...

12/7/11 Addendum: It was mentioned this post makes it seem like we dated for four years. Nope, we both had some growing up to do. Above you read of what we call "Round One," which was really just few weeks of flirting. Three years later, "Round Two" launched strong and he popped the question nine months later. It was all about the right timing. But that's a whole new post...

9 Reasons Why We're Loving Ogden

Note from Crystalee: This poor family blog has been neglected long enough. We went on a first anniversary Maui getaway, moved to Ogden, I started a new job, Ryan's in full-time school and started a new internship, I've been getting closer to my 50 states while 25 goal. It's time to catch up.

We've been in Ogden now for over two months and really like it. We'd heard all kinds of horror stories, but surprise! Ogden's great! We're in a wonderful location, close to the hot spots. Here's the TOP 9 so far:


1. Ogden is new to both of us, and it's fun to explore it together. We feel very blessed to be here, and for all the opportunities we've found in this town with an urban hub and outdoor recreation galore. Did you know that National Geographic ranked Ogden in the top adventure towns? It called it the "Disneyland for adrenalized adults." Now THIS is a place we belong.

2. MarketStar
Four blocks away is this gem of Washington Avenue. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new Marketing Writer position at MarketStar. They've let me jump right in, helping contribute to the corporate blog, internal magazine, and writing for client projects. With my passion for word-crafting, it's an ideal job for me. Being so close, I walk or ride my bike pretty much daily. I work with ridiculously talented people, and enjoy getting to come home for lunch with Ryan.



2. Weber State University

The primary reason we came to Ogden was for Ryan to be closer to his school, and I'd decided to apply for their Master of Professional Communication program (turned out I got a great job too) Ryan's jumped right in, becoming the president of a contractor's club - he's studying Construction Management - and being awarded a full scholarship for the year. (Yeah, so I'm a proud wife, I know, I know) It's a 12 minute drive, and 30 minute bike ride, as Ryan can testify.





3. Historic 25th Street runs on the south side of MarketStar, and it's such a neat street! Years ago it used to be a scary, R-rated area, but it's been successfully transformed into a family-inviting row of quaint shops, lovely boutiques, and yummy restaurants. I love just walking along it, window shopping, and am fortunate to get to eat there with co-workers.






4. The Ogden River Trail is nearby, and I've loving having such a special place to bike and run. Just tonight I ran along it, admiring the fall colors. It's not a place I feel safe at night, but it's sure a blast in daylight.

5. Along the river trail is the Lorin Farr swimming pool, a very special place because the classic all-American movie The Sandlot had a pivotal scene filmed there. Yes, you know what I'm talking about. Wendy Peffercorn! And Squint's never-forgotten line:

"I've been coming here every summer of my adult life, and every summer there she is oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling... smiling. I can't take this no more!"

Filmed blocks from where we live, that's where Squints pulled the moves on the lifeguard.
I love that movie. "For-ev-ER!"


6. Farther down the trail is the Ogden Botanical Garden, a lovely spot for picnics and rose-smelling. It's really an enchanting little place, and I love that it's walking distance away.







7. I recently discovered this incredible place, Rainbow Gardens, which is where the river trail starts. They call it Western America's Largest Gift Emporium, and I tend to believe them. It's HUGE and has such unique, incredible gadgets and gismos. I could spend hours and hours in there, I think any female could.





8. Our LDS church building for the Pioneer Ward is also walking distance, and it's a historic building, uniquely built with intricate design and stained glass windows. We live in a low income, slightly sketchy neighborhood, but this is the most beautiful LDS church building I've attended, and we have good people in our ward.



9. We see the Ogden temple everyday. Unfortunately, it's being completely renovated for the next couple years, but it will be beautiful when it's finished. Ryan likes seeing the construction process. It's being very delicately taken down.