52 Week Challenge: Question 4

52 Week Challenge: Question 4

Talk about your mother...(Her name, birthdate, birthplace, parents and so on.)

Finally an easy question!! My mother has been the one constant in my life. She is loving, supportive, smart, savvy, beautiful, successful, and kind. I am blessed to have her as my mother.

KRISTIN:

My mother was born on December 15th in Moscow, Idaho. She is the oldest of five children born to Frank and Loreen Ellersick. They named her Vicki Jo Ellersick. (She later changed her name to Victoria as she felt it was more professional and she liked it better.) She has three younger brothers: Steve, John, and Mike and one younger sister, Marji. Her parents moved to Bonners Ferry, Idaho after my grandpa finished school at the University of Idaho. She lived in Bonners until she graduated from high school. She LOVES Bonners Ferry!! I have never known any family to love their home town more than the Ellersick kids. They never miss a class reunion and speak with such love and adoration of all it's crazy residents which is quite ironic as every single one of them couldn't wait to leave it!!

Bonners Ferry, Idaho is a little community of about 2000 people (less when my mom grew up there) in Northern Idaho that is near the Canadian border. It's very pretty. One of the prettiest little towns you will ever see on the banks of the Kootenai River with beautiful mountains and pine trees surrounding it. My grandpa's family worked in the lumber industry and so they moved to Bonners so my grandpa could  work in the family business.

My Grandma was a stay at home mother. When my mom was in in high school her family joined the church. They were introduced to the LDS church by a family that they were friends with and they decided to take the missionary discussions. Both of my grandparents were super active and involved in the church and with their children's various activities and sports.

 My mom is in the back

My mom played in the high school band, was a drum majorette, was in the Miss Bonners Ferry pageant, was a camp counselor at girl scout camp, voted most likely to succeed, and got a full scholarship to BYU where she studied nursing. She also spent her summers at the lake helping her Grandma and Grandpa Miley in the store and with the cabins that they owned and rented out during the summer. She has great memories of her time spent on Twin Lakes.

Mom standing in the back with her brothers

My mom met my dad at BYU. They were married after my mom graduated from college. They lived in Provo. My mom worked as a school nurse and county health district nurse. I was born in 1972. My sister, Stacey, was born in 1975. Around that time, my mom started working as a neonatal nurse. My parents marriage began to crumble when my mom was pregnant with Kelley. When I was four years old my parents divorced and we moved to Bonners Ferry, Idaho to live with her parents for a year. It was a good thing that we did because it was a very difficult pregnancy and my mom spent most of it on bed rest so it was good that we were living with her mom and dad. Kelley was born in Bonners Ferry in 1977. My mom briefly worked as a nurse at the little hospital in Bonners. Being with our grandparents made the divorce easier on me and Stacey. We loved being with our grandparents, being close to the lake, and having lots of time with our great-grandparents and aunts and uncles.

We then moved to Rexburg, Idaho where my mom took a job teaching Nursing at Ricks College. We lived there for a year and that is where I went to Kindergarten. We then moved to Orem, Utah where we lived for two years while I was in 1st and 2nd grade. It was nice to be back in Utah again and close to my dad's parents. We were very lucky to have such amazing and involved grandparents on both sides. In Utah my Mom began working at Utah Valley Hospital...now called Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. She began working her way up the career ladder. From nurse, to Head Nurse, to Director of Nursing. My Mom found her niche in hospital administration. My mom met my step-dad, Larry McClellan, who worked in medical sales selling neonatal equipment. They moved in together and we moved to Springville, Utah. They married and Kirk was born in 1982. My mom also attended the University of Utah, while pregnant with Kirk and working full time, and earned her Masters Degree in hospital administration. We lived there for several years and then moved to Springell where Jordin was born in 1984.

When I was in high school we moved to Kansas City for my Mom's career. She continued to climb the corporate ladder in hospital administration and then as CEO of a Nursing Recruiting company. My parents divorce was final on the day of my high school graduation. After that our family moved to Houston, Texas where my Mom was running a hospital in downtown Houston. I went to college at BYU and when Tyler and I were engaged my Mom and brother and sisters  moved to Salt Lake City where she worked running Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and later was hired by IHC as the CEO of Women and Children's Services and Cancer Services. My mom has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at several prestigious universities...including Rice, Vanderbuilt, and Gonzaga. When Stacey and Kelley were in college and Kirk and Jordin were in high school, my mom moved to a little town near Park City called Oakley, Utah. This was, coincidentally, where Tyler and I had gone on our first date. After Kirk and Jordin graduated from high school my mom moved to Spokane, WA. She was tired of the corporate rat race and wanted to give back to the community she grew up in. She moved to the Northern Idaho area and is currently the CEO for Kaniksu Health Services. She also briefly married Ken King who she knew from high school. Add into that about 20 other prestigious titles and positions. My mom is a tremendous career woman and a pioneer in women's healthcare. She was instrumental in starting birthing rooms and women's birthing centers in hospitals across the country. She also currently works with the Idaho legislature on behalf of healthcare for Idahoans. Besides all of her career accolades she is a wonderful mother.

Despite her busy career she was always there for the five of us. I was always proud of her and felt that we had a close and loving relationship. All of my siblings feel that way too. I think she did a pretty good job of balancing work and home life while raising us. She is strong and independent. She is powerhouse in the business world but she also has a creative and artistic side. She is a beautiful seamstress. She sewed us beautiful clothes, costumes, formals, and even made my wedding dress. She is a talented artist. When we were younger she used to paint and draw. She plays the piano. When we were kids this is how she would put us to sleep and keep us in our beds at bedtime. She would say that if we hurried up and went to bed that she would play the piano for us until we fell asleep. I loved drifting off to sleep listening to her play. She has always been a crafter and made cute things for our house. She is a decorator extraordinaire. All of our homes have been beautifully decorated. She is a fantastic cook. My sisters, brother, and I all love to cook and are great cooks ourselves due to her love of different cuisines. My mother is one of those people who pretty much everything they do they excel at. She is great at everything. She is always cute and stylish. She loves reading, gardening, boating, and the outdoors. We grew up camping, snow skiing, hiking, swimming, and boating. She loves to travel and has instilled in all five of us a love for adventure. She loves the holidays and always decorates and goes all out. She taught and continues to teach us to work hard, to do our best, to give everything 100%, to put family first, to value education, to love reading, to not take ourselves too seriously, and to have an appreciation for the little things in life. Her personality is warm and loving. She draws people to her. Everyone who meets her, loves her. Grandma Vic is loved and adored by her grandchildren. She then in her...spare time...Ha ha...has a little vintage home decor business with me and Stacey. She is up early and goes to bed late. She is always positive, enthusiastic, excited about new things, and life in general. She has taught all of us how to persevere in hard times, to laugh instead of cry, to love unconditionally, and to always stop and smell the roses. I love her very much!

TYLER:

My Mother, Judith Ann Kofford, was born June 27, 1944 in Provo, Utah.  She was the second oldest child of four siblings.  She has an older brother, Lew, a younger sister, Rosie, and a younger brother, Steve.  She grew up in Utah Valley and graduated from Orem High School.  She then attended Snow College and served an LDS mission to Northern California. She was one of the first female missionaries to serve. After she returned she attended Brigham Young University.  It was while attending BYU that she met my father.  After getting married they ended up moving to the Bay area, Oakland, California.

While in California, she had my sister, Lorinda, me, and then my brother Brett.  By this time we were living in Santa Rosa, California.  We lived there for a few years and then moved to Flagstaff, Arizona.  We lived there for one year and then moved to Orem, Utah.  Mom was always a stay at home mom until we were attending school.  At which time she would often work small jobs on the side to pay for extra things for her children. She once worked as a clown for hire to entertain at children's birthday parties. She started a daycare/preschool in our home as well and enjoyed teaching little children.  She finished up her degree at BYU when we were older that she had not completed prior.  She then began working full-time. 

While I was on my mission she divorced my dad.  At this time she was working as a counselor at Utah Valley Community College.  She then completed her Masters Degree at BYU. She then moved to Ephraim, Utah and began working as a professor at Snow College.  Here she also worked as a counselor and taught courses on eating disorders, child development, college survival skills, and learning techniques.  She met her second husband, Joel, while living in Ephraim and they have been married ever since. She is now retired and lives in Moroni, Utah. She is very active in her church callings and loves genealogy. She is currently their stake genealogy specialist. She loves to sing and play the piano.