Hales Clan

2010-12-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

Hales Family 2010 Christmas Newsletter

Greetings from Mississippi. We hope and pray that this time of year finds you happy, healthy, and well. Our family has been extremely busy this year. Starting from the twins, Sam and Luther, they began the 2nd grade and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a certain man dressed in a red suit. Gabby, in the 6th grade, started band this year and is doing extremely well playing the trumpet like her older brother Zach. She is excited to start the young women’s program in church and to participate in the science Olympiad for her school. Matthew entered the 9th grade with much fanfare, if only in his mind. He plays drums in the marching band, indoor percussion squad, and is excited to march in the New Year’s Day Parade at Disney World. Zachary is a junior in high school and has become an accomplished trumpet player. He has made numerous honor bands and is looking forward to trying out for drum major this spring. Rainier returned home from Qatar this summer and has just finished his first semester at Southern Miss. Candy is finishing her personal training licensure and will complete her health and nutrition licensure this spring. She also is thoroughly enjoying her calling in church with the young women. Brent received tenure this year and is transitioning into his new role as department chair at Southern Miss. He still loves being bishop of the Petal Ward.

2010-08-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Time for a family update. Candy is doing well. She is going to be going to school online this fall to get her certificate in personal training and nutrition. She is very excited about it. I am excited for her too. She has wanted this for so long and she has a ready client base of people that want them to train her. She is now in the young women’s presidency and loves it. She is secretary which means that she gets to have fun but lacks a lot of the responsibilities. Perfect for her.

Zach is doing well. He is going to be a section leader in the band this year. I can’t believe that he is a junior in high school. It is fun though. He is dating and is having a great time doing so. He knows that he isn't supposed to single date so he spends a lot of time hanging out at friends' houses or our house. He is slimming up and his dating is pushing him to be more healthy. All in all, he is doing great.

Matt too is doing well. His band, “To Love A Monster” plays in various Christian Rock festivals throughout the Mid South. He is the drummer and does background vocals. They are getting really good. He will be getting his driving permit this fall so be prepared to stay off of the sidewalks. I am so scared to have him driving. He scares me period as he is growing up.

Gabby and the twins are also doing well. They are enjoying their summer. It is strange to think that by April of next year, Gabby will be in Young Women’s and the twins will be baptized. Sam and Luther are growing so fast. They are so funny together. All three of them talk about you all of the time. Of course the older boys do too. They started school and are doing great.

Rainier came home two months ago from the Army and is started going to Southern Miss this week. He is excited about it and has gone through the orientation program. He went on a month-long trip to see family and friends out west.

Well, I have completed almost 3/4th of the Old Testament this year. I am powering through it and hope to finish it this fall. I have been reading every day and feel the Lord’s influence in my daily existence. I am grateful for it and know that I have been guided and will continue to be guided in what the Lord would have me do.

The blessings of God are real and our family feels them every day. We are going to get pictures taken this weekend and I will put some up later.

2009-12-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

2009 Mississippi Hales Clan Annual Christmas Letter

Upon this greatest and most holy day of all Christianity, we express our sincerest love and gratitude to those that made the last year, the best one that this family has had. To friends, we express our warmest gratitude for all of the blessings each one of you has brought to our home and lives. To our family, we also give thanks to our Heavenly Father for the love that we have felt from each one of you.

Much has happened over the course of the last year. Our family has experienced the highest of highs and experienced great challenges. However, for every challenge came greater blessings. Each family member grew in a multitude of ways.

Sam and Luther turned 6 this past April. They have lost teeth, grown taller, and played harder than any two boys rightly should. Luther’s favorite thing about school is working on the computer. Sam’s favorite subject is working on projects and working in small groups. They love spending time with each other, their friends, and their family.

Gabriella turned 10 in March. She loves spending time with her friends and her dogs. She is a blooming geologist and loves finding and classifying rocks. She hopes to be an archeologist when she grows up. She loves stuffed animals. She loves the 5th grade. Her favorite subjects in school are mathematics and science. She loves reading and in particular reading mystery and scary books.

Matthew turned 14 in November. He played football this year and his 8th grade football team was 8-0. He plays drums in a Christian rock band called the Unfinished and has shows every month. He is looking forward to high school and playing with the high school marching band and indoor percussion squad. He received his Life Scout award and is pushing for his Eagle Scout award this spring. His life is constantly one of motion and a tide of testosterone. What can we say? He is 14.

Zachary turned 15 in February. He earned his Eagle Scout award in April and continues to be active in scouting. He plays trumpet for the Petal High School marching, jazz, and symphonic bands. The marching band placed second in the State of Mississippi in the 6A division (largest school division in the State). As a sophomore, Zachary loves high school. He got his driving permit in June and will receive his license next week. Everyone stay off of the sidewalks, Zach will be driving.

Candy continues to serve our family as the matriarch, bus driver, head chef, triage nurse, and best friend to her husband and eternal companion, Brent. Her life is filled with taking children to various practices, coordinating schedules, and enduring this period of her life…and this Christmas letter.

Brent continues a busy work, family, and church schedule. He continues to serve as Bishop for the Petal congregation of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He enjoys serving as an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. He recently received a letter of recommendation from the College promotion and tenure committee recommending him for promotion to Associate Professor and to receive tenure. He too cherishes his time with his best friend and eternal companion.

Rainier is serving in Qatar for the United States Army. He will finish his commitment to the Army in May 2010 and will be returning to Mississippi to attend school at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is proud to have served his country for the last 4+ years but is also excited to pursue higher education as a Golden Eagle. His whole family continues to pray for him and is excited to see him.

In closing, we want to share our Christmas poem with you.
Many a soldier has sought worldly fortunes and glories for all to behold
Many a merchant has sold earthly treasures for that which is purchased with gold

Many a farmer has toiled in harvest for crops to be bartered or sold
Men brave harsh waters for fishes a plenty on seas that are stormy and cold

Yet all these men seek for that which doth rot for temporal blessings fast spent
But we must seek more than worldly rewards for blessings that are heaven sent.

Tis noble of men to ask of the Father what gifts He would have them give
But greater the questions to bring to our God is what life he would have us to live

The greatest gift given is one that is purchased but not on any store shelves
No, the greatest of blessings is found deep within when we give but give of ourselves

As a soldier for Christ we fight God’s battles, as God’s merchants we sell God’s free glory
As farmers of men we grow Christ’s people, as Christ’s fishers cast nets from the story

Of the birth of the Savior our Blessed Redeemer, the One who saves all mankind
For through Him are found the greatest of gifts for each child of God to find.

Pray all for God’s children and seek to do His work, give gifts of great charity
And yours will be all that our Father doth give, the gift of eternity

May the gift of the season be in all our hearts for in Christ we’ll feel the true reason
May we feel of the Spirit of the Savior’s full love, May we find our joys in this season

We pray that God’s blessings find way to your hearts, we pray that each feel God’s love
And hear choirs of angels sing praises of glory and feel peach from our Father above

Merry Christmas to all, Merry Christmas to all, Merry Christmas for all to behold
Merry Christmas to all, Merry Christmas to all, Merry Christmas to all young and old

We hope and pray that this time of year finds you well.

2009-04-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Petal Day of Service - Members of the Petal Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in conjunction with 16 community organizations participated in a day of service. The day began with a clean up of a two-mile section of Highway 11 located just outside of the Petal City limits. This section had been adopted by LDS BSA Troop 125. Approximately 40 members of the Church participated in the clean up efforts. Below are some of the pictures.

Tiffany and Chris Ogle

Stevens/Gerlach Family

Jerrica Stevens

Amanda and Ryan Rich, Richard Tolbert, and Elbert Barton

Lee Wade's smiling face

Matthew Barton, Steven and Lydia Moore, Elbert Barton, and Elder Mecham

The crew resting. Pictured are: Keith Hill, Amanda and Ryan Rich, Ben Fagan, Lydia and Steven Moore, Greg Barr, Christopher Stevens, Richard Tolbert, Brett Tolbert, Elder Mecham, and Matthew Barton.

A trailer full of garbage from Highway 11. Pictured are Lee Wade, Elder Mecham, Elder Hatcher, Brett Tolbert, Greg Barr, and Keith Hill

More of the garbage: Pictured are Zach Hales, Lee Wade, Elder Mecham, Greg Barr, and Brett Tolbert.

Later in the day, the Petal Preparedness Fair was held at the Petal Middle School Gymnasium. Attendees were able to gain valuable preparedness information from 17 displays. They were also treated to Papa John's pizza. The Preparedness Fair was also the culmination of Zach Hales' Boy Scout Eagle Project.

Sargeant Brister from the Mississippi National Guard

The Barr Family enjoying the event.

Some of the displays

Petal Police Department

Dixie Pipeline presenting on natural gas safety.

Several members of the Petal Dome Mutual Aid group talked to attendees about pipeline and natural gas safety.

Mississippi Army National Guard

Preparing 72-hour kits

Trudy from Papa Johns speaking with representatives from the Mississippi Emergency Management District.

Rod Meyers displays information on alternative gardening methods) bucket

Jeffery Griffin from Shady Grove Baptist Church

Food storage ideas.

Dixie Electric

Kids were treated to games, coloring, and a variety of safety activities.

All in all, it was a great event.

Updates and Orange Beach Alabama

2009-03-31T06:10:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

It has been way too long since we have posted. Update time:

Zach had an amazing experience at the innauguration. He loved the parade except for the fact that because the innauguration activities were so late, the band was forced to stand outside in sub-freezing temperatures for 6 hours waiting to kick off. Despite the cold, they had the experience of a lifetime. Zach is now busy with school, concert band, and scouting. He will finish his Eagle project next month.

Matthew is doing great. He is loving band (he is first chair in percussion) and has started his own rock band. Not bad for a 13 year old. They sound really good. He too is active in scouting and is working toward an Eagle. He should have it later this year. He also is busy with spring football and is looking forward to his 8th grade year of football.

Gabby is quite the young lady. She turned 10 a few weeks ago and is growing so fast. It is wonderful to watch her blossom. She loves singing, playing with her friends, and activity girls at church. She recently went to New Orleans to the Audobon Society's Insectarium. She had the "opportunity" to eat bugs and did so. She said that some tasted like potato chips. Ummm....yeah.

Sam and Luther turn 6 on Saturday. Wow! They are growing fast. They love kindergarten and are learning to read. We read the scriptures every night and they have begun reading two verses with Mom and Dad's help. They are catching on so quickly.

Candy is going great guns on preparing our house to sell. We are purchasing 13 acres with the plan to eventually build there. It has a lake on it, two rental properties, and plenty of room for an orchard and garden. See the pictures below. She is also busy working out at the YMCA, volunteering at the kids' schools, and keeping up with church responsibilities.

Brent is likewise busy with school, work, church, and everyday life. Too much to write here. Regardless, he is very happy and loves where he is in life. Please don't hesitate to contact him on Facebook.

We have attached some pictures of our recent trip to Orange Beach, Alabama. We went there for a day trip recently and had an amazing time. Very cool. There are also some pictures of the land we are purchasing (we will close June 1). There is also a picture of Brent baptizing a Leslie and Ben Fagan. What an experience!!!

This is a picture of the land we are buying. The back of the property is where we will build our house.

This is another view of the property we are buying.

Orange Beach, Alabama. Beautiful!

The pier to the beach.

Matt playing with Sam and Luther in a tide pool.

Aren't they the best. Zach, Luther, Sam, Gabby, and Matthew.

Candy and Luther

Sam and Luther in the surf. The best part is that the tide was coming in and they had just dried off.

The family

Princess Gabby with Matt and Zach in the background. Scary beautiful.

Matt as buried by his siblings.

Luther. Yes, he is freezing.

Sam enjoying the beach.

Brent preparing to baptize Leslie Fagan. Ben was baptized by Elder Mecham. Elder Bowlingbrook is his companion.

Troop 125. There are currently 5 Life Scouts, 3 Eagle Scouts, and 3 Star Scouts in the troop. We are about to fill our Eagle's Nest.

Presidential Parade

2008-12-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

Here is an article that featured Zach and his Grandpa Smith in the Hattiesburg American.

Presidential Parades are One Family's Tradition
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081225/NEWS01/812250335

PETAL - Zachary Hales plays trumpet in the Petal High School marching band not just because he enjoys music, but because music is a tradition in his family.

It's a tradition that includes a grandfather who student directed for the Brigham Young University marching band. That band marched down Pennsylvania Avenue for President Richard Nixon's second inaugural parade in 1973.

Now, Zachary will carry the torch back to Washington for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration in January. Brent Hales, Zach's father, said the news of Petal's selection to play in the inauguration parade meant a lot to their family. "We're absolutely thrilled - this is a once in a lifetime opportunity but also a family legacy that will be there forever," he said.

Fred Smith, Zach's grandfather, said that although the band knew Nixon was not the most popular president, the prestige of the event still hit home. "We were aware of some of the anti-Nixon protests, but it was such an honor to represent the state of Utah," he said. "It doesn't matter who is in that room, there is something special about playing for the president of the United States." Smith said the band faced a little adversity during the Nixon inauguration.
"After the parade, we were sent down a side street and that's where all the protesters were sent, and there were anti-Nixon protesters who began to yell at us, which was very interesting in itself," he said.

Zach Hales said he is still stunned by the band's selection to play in the parade.
"Being a part of it is a huge honor and you really have to grasp it and when you do you realize that you're going to be a part of history, and it puts me in awe," he said.

Smith said he gave his grandson the advice to take in every aspect of the trip.
"I know this experience Zach will never forget. There's no way to describe it until you experience it, playing for the president of the United States right in front of him ... it's the office you're playing for, not the man," he said.

The band has to raise $75,000 to make the trip and is far from its goal. So far, the Petal band has raised at least $3,360, according to band booster Cissy Robertson, who is leading the charge in getting donations.

She said checks and online donations made through the school district's Web site have not yet been added to the total.

http://www.petalschools.com/petal/site/default.asp

She said band boosters are working with state officials to get the word out about their fundraising. Petal was the only band in the state that was selected to play in the parade.

2008-12-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! The family wanted to write you and wish you Merry Christmas and update you on what is going on in our lives.

Sam and Luther are enjoying kindergarten and Candy is enjoying not having a child in the house during the day. It is the first time since 1994 we haven’t had one. She loves working out and volunteering at the school. The boys don’t like waking up early but once they are going, they love school. They are so excited for Christmas.

Gabby is Gabby. She is our sprite. She sang a solo in the elementary school Christmas concert. It was pretty cool. She loves performing and gets a kick out of watching people bug out when they hear her voice. She is excited for soccer season to start next spring. She is an excellent student and loves to be involved with everything.

Matt is becoming an amazing guitarist and drummer. He is first-chair in the 7th grade and was a featured soloist for the Christmas concert (band). He played the drums for “Little Drummer Boy”. He is growing up so fast. He loves being a teenager now. It is crazy to think that he is 13. He loves it. He played football this fall and while he was one of the smallest on the field, he consistently hit hard.

Zach is busy. He just got back from Philadelphia, PA where he played in their Thanksgiving Day parade. He just found out that the Petal High School Band has been selected to play in the Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 20, 2009. He is excited for it. He also is nearing his Eagle Scout and is busy with church. We are hoping he will get his first deer soon. We have been out several times but haven’t been successful to date. Oh well.

Rainier is currently stationed at Fort Bliss, TX and will be deployed in early March to serve our country in Qatar. He will be serving there for approximately 18 months. We are so proud of his service to our country and pray for him constantly.

Candy loves her independence from kids during the day and works with the schools to fill in the time. She also works out more now that she has time to do so. She is also doing projects around the house. She is going to start taking classes in the fall of next year toward her college degree.

Brent is trying to balance way too many things. Between being Bishop of the Petal Ward and working at the University of Southern Mississippi, he is trying to be a dad and husband. He is truly happy. He is learning he has to slow down after his third bout of pneumonia this year. He was just glad to be out of the hospital for Christmas (he was in for a couple days this week).

One thing is for certain, life is never boring around our house. We love this time of year because it reminds us of the most important focus of our lives. The birth of the Savior Jesus Christ and his ultimate atonement has made it possible for us to return back into His and our Heavenly Father’s presence. We are so grateful for our family and for the opportunity we have to be together forever. We thank God for our friends and family and pray that you feel His unending love for you at this time and throughout the year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,
Brent, Candy, Rainier, Zach, Matt, Gabby, Sam, and Luther

Trip to India

2008-11-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from my recent trip to India (October 2008).

These are temples hewn from a single rock. It is amazing.

An Indian elephant.

Typical shantee built off of the side of the road.

Auto rickshaw or tuk tuk commonly used as transport.

An Indian style toilet on the train. Notice the sunlight from the bottom of the pipe. Yep, it goes right on the tracks....

A rural thatch house.

An etching/carving on the side of a cliff. It is the second largest in the world and extends over 150 feet.

An Indian fishing village on the Bengali Bay of the Indian Ocean.

Ritual bathing on Diwali (A Hindu holiday similar to Christmas).

Sunrise on the Bengali Bay.

We saw this a lot. The cows used in agricultural transport had highly decorated horns.

That is me beside an Indian elephant. It is nearly 10 feet tall at the shoulder.

Me in front of the the second largest monolythic bull - carved out of a single piece of granite.

Hindu temple tower.

We just missed capturing a man urinating below this sign. They were everywhere on the walls. Apparently, there is not a taboo against male public urination.

A Shore temple.

Ganesh - Hindu deity.

Another tower on a Hindu temple.

I am in front of the royal palace in Tiruchi India. It is very impressive.

Our group minus one (someone had to take the picture) in India.

Houma, LA Relief Trip

2008-09-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Relief Trip to Houma, LA

The following is based on an article I did for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints chronicling the efforts of volunteers from across the Mid South region in response to two recent hurricanes.

On a clear fall morning in Houma, Louisiana, 1,400 men, women, and children clad in yellow t-shirts gathered for one purpose. They had gathered from Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee to serve the people of Houma who had been devastated by Hurricane Gustav and then by Hurricane Ike. In a matter of three weeks, the region had endured two major storms. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from across the Mid South descended upon the South Louisiana community to assist in the clean up and help their brothers and sisters try and put together their lives.

This effort was spearheaded by Martin Luther King, III and his “Realizing the Dream” organization. Mr. King, contacted representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who then called on members across the Mid South to mobilize and travel to Houma.

The Hattiesburg Stake of the Church group of congregations from the Pine Belt region stretching from Meridian in the east to Bogalusa, Louisiana in west known as was given the assignment to labor in the poorest area of Houma. Senator’s Circle is a public housing complex that was particularly devastated. Located in a low-lying area, the community experienced four to five feet of flood water, downed trees, and severe roof damage. According to Wayne Thibodeaux, Executive Director of Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority (pictured on the right below), the manpower, resources, and effort brought in by the 125 laborers offset budget cuts experienced by the Housing Authority. “Short of manpower and funding, there is no way that we could have accomplished what you have done in such a short time. The Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority’s budget was funded at 82 percent of last year’s budget. Therefore, significant cuts in personnel and funding would have made an effort like this nearly impossible.”

Troy Johnson, manager of Senator’s Circle (pictured on the left above), similarly noted that the effort and labor provided was something that they could not do. “You have no idea what this means to us. We could not have done what you did today. We don’t have the manpower or the maintenance to bring the property back up to par. This is such a blessing for us. We can’t tell you how grateful we are.”

Each volunteer served approximately 10 hours on Saturday. That service translated into approximately 14,000 man hours invested into the community. One local resident, Kevin Voisan remarked that there is no way that the community will ever be the same. “People will talk about this day for years to come. Seeing a sea of yellow shirts serving people they don’t even know is something remarkable. This has had an incredible impact on this community.”

Petal resident Michael Barr attended the day of service. His response was pointed when asked why he would travel so far to serve people he didn’t know. “I have four children and I want to let them see that service is important. I want them to know that serving others brings blessings to those served and those doing the serving.”

The event coincided with September 27 being a National Day of Service.

Grandma Graves' Funeral

2008-09-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is one of the more sombering posts I will ever put up but an important one. My grandmother, Beth Graves passed away last month and I had the opportunity to be reunited with my family for her memorial service. I had not seen some of my family members in 25 years. Below are some of the pictures I took with my phone camera. They are not the best but I will put up better ones when I get them from my family.

Summer 2008

2008-07-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been a while since I updated our blog so here are some pictures of our family.

We to Florida for a quick family vacation earlier this summer around the 4th of July. While we longed to be with family in Utah, we had a good time. I have posted a few pictures from our trip as well.

As an update on the family:

Rainier will be headed to Kuwait early next year as his unit will be deployed to the Middle East. We are praying for his safe return. He is doing well at Ft. Bliss, TX and gearing up for his deployment. (Rainier is on the right).

Zach is finishing up band camp as a freshman at Petal High School. Petal is the state champion in marching band in the largest division of the State. Needless to say, they take it very seriously. Zach will play on the marching bach (trumpet) and in the school's Jazz Band later this fall. He also will be playing soccer for PHS. He played as one of two eighth graders on the high school team last year. It was a great experience for him and he is looking to improve more this year.

Matt is doing great and has enjoyed his summer. He is looking forward to starting 7th grade football. Thursday and Friday nights will be busy for us this fall. Matt has become quite an amazing guitarist and loves playing his great grandfather's guitars. He writes his own music and loves playing for a group.

Gabby is so excited to go back to school and be in the fourth grade. She has had a great summer and spent a ton of time in the sun and in the water. She loves going to church on Wednesday nights and having fun with the girls.

Oh boy, the twins are beside themselves with excitement to go to kindergarten. We bought the school clothes (uniforms) and they want to wear them every morning. We are down to 2 more weeks but they just don't get it. They are so ready though.

Candy is excited for everyone to go back to school too. This will be the first time in our married lives since 1994 that we won't have kids at home during the day. She is going to finally have a bit of breathing room to work out in the gym, potentially start taking classes at USM, or do about 10,000 projects she has on her list. The first and last choices will likely be her first move to start.

Brent is gearing up for another semester at USM. One wrinkle is that he will be taking 8 students to India in October for research purposes. He is also enjoying serving as bishop of the Petal Ward and learning to balance his family, church, and work lives. All in all, life is good.

This summer, we have had two other younguns living with us. Matthew Barton and Megan Fuchs moved into the house in May. Matthew will be headed to Pearl River Community College to play soccer there next week. He is going to move into the dorms to complete the freshman college athlete experience. Megan will be attending Oak Grove High School and will graduate in December. She will also begin at PRCC in January.

Life is never boring at our house. We are truly happy and looking forward to entering back into a semi-normal routine as school starts again. We have had a full summer and a fun one at that.

2007-11-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

This is the Hales family crest. "United Force is Stronger"

Zachary and friend Perry. What is that about?

Luther loving soccer

Sam enjoying a break.

Matt and Candy at the Petal High School home coming parade.

Gabby at the parade too.

Looking forward to candy.

2007 Halloween decorations.

Scary!!!

Fun jack-o-lanterns designed by the kids.

Rainier at graduation from Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Ranier with a buddy.

Rainier during some down time.

Pics of the family

2007-07-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

Brent in Tien Amin Square, Beijing, China (May, 2007)

Brent in the Forbidden Palace, Beijing, China (May, 2007)

Brent and Graham Jones (graduate student) in Shanghai, China, May 2007

Candy opening up a Christmas present (2006)

Candy at Christmas 2006 with her brother Jacob.

Here are Sam (left) and Luther (right) decorating a cake at Gabby's birthday party (March, 2007).

Here is Gabby at her party (March, 2007)

Here is Gabby with her Granpa Hales (left) and Grandpa Smith. She wanted her grandpas to baptize and confirm her. We were more than willing to let her choose them. What a great day!

This is Luther in front a Spiderman cut out at Wal-Mart. We had been told that Spiderman would be at the store (bummer). Regardless, they were excited.

Here is Sam with the Spiderman in black.

Here is Matt at a recent recorder choir concert. He was the featured soloist out of 12 5th grade classes.

Here are the boys at scout camp (June, 2007). Zach is second from the left and Matt is in the middle (the short one with sweet hair).

Who the heck are you guys?

2007-03-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we guess it is time to introduce the Hales Clan from Mississippi. Now we are not your stereotypical clan. Actually, we are transplants from various places around the country. Brent grew up in the little town of Aurora, Utah. Candy was born in upstate New York (Niagra County) but lived the majority of her youth in Orem, Utah. Married in 1992, the couple soon began popping out kids faster than you can say, "Man, you guys are sure popping out kids a whole lot faster than I would ever dream of doing. Do you guys have any other hobbies? I swear that there must be...." Oh wait, that wasn't very short. In any case, Zachary (13) was born in Provo, Utah while Brent was going to Brigham Young University. Matthew (11) was born in Nashville, TN where Brent was going to graduate school in nearby Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, TN). Gabriella (8) was born in Ames, Iowa where Brent was finishing up graduate school (I think we found this guy's other hobby). With three college degrees under his belt and no plans for more degrees or more kids, the family embarked on a new adventure in the Mississippi Delta.

Brent began teaching at Delta State University in 2000. As an assistant professor, his life was taken up by teaching, research, and service. Candy was similarly busy with Zachary moving to a new school, prepping Matthew for his school experience, and keeping up with Gabby. Soon, they settled into a life of chaos filled days and nights with young children. Ever lurking in the background was the question whether the births of the children were related to the fact that Brent was going to school or was it that they were living in a new state!!!!

So it was in the late summer of 2002 that Brent and Candy discovered that once again, they were expecting. Much to their surprise, later that fall they discovered that they were in fact having twins! In April 2003, Samuel and Luther joined the rest of the family seemingly completing the Hales household and cementing the family forever in Mississippi for fear of moving to a new state. Never again, was the family to move outside of the state. No, the decision was made to sink roots in Mississippi so as to give the children a sense of home as one location of the country and to avoid having more kids.

When the twins (the bubbas) were born to Brent and Candy, life seemingly shifted from controlled chaos to just simply chaos. However, their lives ever busy, the family moved from activity to activity, content with making a home far from their "native" land. It was in this atmosphere that the Clan began to feel settled. The family was soon in for a shock!!! In August of 2005, the worst natural disaster hit the United States in the form of Hurricane Katrina. Quickly followed up by Hurricane Rita, the storms brought winds of change for the family.

While heading up the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Center for Bolivar County, MS, Brent came in contact with a couple of young men needing assistance. Little did he know how entwined he would become with their lives. One of the young men, Rainier Gallagher (17 at the time) had recently moved to New Orleans from Salt Lake City, Utah with his mother. Genie had moved to the Crescent City to work on a cruise ship. Whereas she was shipped out three days before Katrina hit, Rainier was left to confront the oncoming storm with a former exchange student from Turkmenistan, Dovran Babayev. After the storm passed over New Orleans, Rainier and Dovran began searching for ways to survive. It didn't take long to realize that they needed to get out of the city. Dovran had friends from his home country that attended Delta State University and so they began their trek to Cleveland, MS. It was there that they met Brent and all of their lives changed forever.

Rainier and Dovran needed a place to stay and to feel some sense of normalicy. The first part was not difficult as they were able to stay temporarily with their friends. As for a sense of normalicy, school seemed to be the best medicine. Dovran enrolled at Delta State and Rainier was to enroll at Cleveland High School as a senior. Upon attempting to get him enrolled, the question arose as to who was Rainier's guardian. Brent ventured to say that at the time, he was and from that grew the addition of another family member. Shortly after moving to Cleveland, Rainier moved in with the Hales family and fell into a routine of school and social life. It wasn't long before he expressed an interest in making the arrangement permanent. So it was that Brent and Candy agreed to take legal custody of Rainier from his mother who was still sorting out her own situation post-Katrina.

After a period of two months, Genie moved to Cleveland to join Rainier and the two lived with Brent and Candy while finding other reasonable accomodations. In February 2006, the two moved to an apartment and remained there through Rainier's graduation from Cleveland High School in May 2006. Rainier made the commitment in February 2006 to join the US Army and is currently serving our country in Korea. Brent, Candy, and the children still and will forever regard Rainier as part of their family.

In March of 2006, Brent was contacted by the Univeristy of Southern Mississippi about joining their faculty in the Department of Economic and Workforce Development. It was with a heavy heart but great enthusiasm that he accepted the position. The family moved to Petal, MS in July of 2006 and has since built and moved into a new house in the growing community.