Hale Mauna Lani - Heavenly Mountain Home

Well, the Trospers have a cabin. We have been looking for a year and a half and have even placed offers on a couple different places, but one didn't ever come to be and the other didn't feel right so we backed out of the contract. We wanted to find "that perfect deal" for us. Something that was not too much, but nice enough to want to spend time there. We believe we found the deal for us and have placed an offer which has been accepted. We are anxious to close in the next few weeks. We are even more anxious to make memories and traditions here with family and friends. Here are some pics.

Hale Moana Lani. Heavenly Mountain Home in Hawaiian. Sarah and I haven't agreed on a name yet, but I always go with something South Pacific. This is the front view taken from the driveway. The driveway is the only thing that has us worried. It is long and somewhat steep. The cabin comes with a big tractor with a 7' snow blower attachment on the front. I guess I need to learn how to drive a tractor. You can barely see the yellow thing behind the cabin in this photo. It also comes with a big hand controlled snowblower that is quite large and capable.

The view off the front deck is trees. Lots of Aspens and a few pines. Very beautiful.

This is behind the house. Our property is an acre and backs up to the Cache National Forest, so there will likely never be any development behind us.

This is the side of the home. It is in need of a small deck below the sliding glass door...before someone kills themself!

The cabin is at the top of Timber Lakes outside of Heber City, Utah. It is a gated community and the homes range from 500 square feet shanties to 10,000 square feet mansions. It is beautiful. Most who live there sled (snow mobile) or ATV. In the height of Winter, there can be as much as 10 feet of snow.

This is the stained glass window in the front door. The cabin is nicely designed to feel like home, but also like a cabin.

This stove is gas powered which for me is nice. The last cabin we looked at had an overwhelming smell of smoke and of course a wood burning stove has a certain charm to it, but requires much more work.

This is the living area. The cabin comes completely furnished which was a HUGE plus. It looks like it has new carpet and paint too.

Again, the decor is very cabin-esque. We like it, though Sarah doesn't like the Elk antler lamp.

The kitchen is small, but for the most part in great shape. We probably won't do anything to it but replace the yellow formica and yellow sink with granite and stainless steel.

There are two bedrooms and one bathroom.

This bedroom is on the main floor and has a walk out onto the patio. It has an in wall electric heater.

This is the stained glass window in the back door.

This is the loft. It has two futons a couple tables an armoir with a TV, DVD, VCR and Satellite.

Very well done. Inspection is today, so unless we hear anything drastic, we are excited to use it soon. I worry that I am getting excited too soon and something will be wrong....I hope not.

All of the lamps and fans are of a Western motif.

This is the upstairs bedroom. It is very nicely done. It has a heat vent from the stove which is below it.

More Aspens.

This is a pretty good sized shed. It could fit one car if the door was bigger. As it is it has a snow blower, inner-tubes for sledding, chains for tires, and soon our ATV.

This is the Cache National Forest behind the parking area.

The shed again.

Sarah's Forester. If you can see the fence posts right in front of the Subaru, that is the start of Cache National Forest.

Like I said, the driveway is the only part that worries me. We will figure it out.

One Can Only Hope

Click on the link below. What a great story. One that gives me hope. This man, Brad Davis, lost his dog some time ago, but seven years later and two states away, the dog turned up at a shelter with the help of the micro chip inserted under Jake the dog's skin. Rush has been gone for almost three years now. At least once a week, I ask Sarah upon seeing a dog, "Is that Rush? He looks like Rush." I know she thinks I am silly, but I have not forgotten him and still hope for his return. I continue to pay the yearly fee for his micro chip hoping that one day he will be returned to me. He was my best friend and his absence still saddens me, but this story gives me hope.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/21878236

Outa' Sight, Outa' Mind!

I have never considered myself an exhibitionist, but I have to admit, this going private thing is making me sad! This blog used to average 35 unique visitors a day and since going private, it is averaging 3 unique visitors a day. Sniff Sniff. So sad!

Happy Anniversary To Me!

I believe the happiest day of my life was the day I married Sarah Kathleen Wilson. She is perfect; perfect for me! I would like to think my life would still be great had I not met and married her, but thank goodness, I don't have to worry about that. She is the most amazing wife and mother to my child that I could ever hope for. What an amazing woman to put up with me for EIGHT LONG YEARS!!! I love you, Sarah and I look forward to the next 8 years and more. Thank you for making me an even better individual and for filling my life with peace and love. I love you.

Below are pics that Sarah took herself of she and Leah. She used these pics to make the most awesome card. She is so talented, but of course, everyone knows that! Thank you for the card, lotions, towels and DEVO CD, Sarah (Leah too)!

Today's Post Is Brought To You By The Letter Q

Shakespeare wrote, "What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" I have no idea what it means. HAHA.

Raymond Marquist Trosper, Jr.

That is my name. Quite a mouthful, eh? What is in a name? A name represents your past. A name becomes your identity. A name helps shape your destiny.

I have always had a love hate relationship with my name. My first memory I can remember about my name is when I was in 2nd grade and my best friend's name was also Raymond, Raymond Solorio. From the time I was born, my name was Mark. For a very short period, I wanted to be called Raymond because of my friend, Raymond. This did not last long, though the friendship did. Even though it has been forever since I have seen Raymond, I am certain we would embrace as the good friends we were as children. I believe he is a Catholic Priest or at least I know he was studying to become one. None the less, I learned that having a best friend by the same name was no fun at all. I quickly became Mark again.

When I was about 13 (I think), I had a friend named Mark Sewell and another friend named Marc Coulson. The three of us were hanging out one day when another friend suggested I should be Mark with a "Q" so that we were all identifiable. This made perfect sense to me as my name was MarQuist that if I was to be called Mark, it should be Marq or Marque. The decision was immediate and I forever more would be known as Marque or Mark with a "Q". It stuck and nobody gave me any grief over it. It was easy to transition. The first day of school when the teacher would call out my name, "Raymond Trosper", I would simply say, "I go by Mark, spelled M-A-R-Q-U-E". Done. The funny thing is this, my Dad refused to change how he spelled my name. He never ridiculed me for the change, but even today, 27 years later, he still spells my name as Mark. I think it has to do with my birth certificate which actually reads, "Raymond Marquist "Mark" Trosper, Jr.". Interestingly enough, I have never been "Marc", but my Aunt Kathy has spelled my name that way as long as I can remember. Go figure. As my Dad says, "You can call me whatever you want, just don't call me late for dinner!" I guess that would apply for spelling of my name as well.

At some point, I grew to dislike my first name, though I can't explain why. I started writing my full name as R. Marquist Trosper, Jr. I even told a couple people that my name was Rene' or Romando. HAHA! Lame! Those names are worse! (Sidenote: I am pretty sure I have no friends named Rene' or Romando. If I do and I have somehow forgotten, please forgive me. I would not blame you if you took me off of your Christmas card lists). I remember my Dad getting upset with me once when he heard I told someone my first name was Rene'. He asked if I was ashamed of who I was. Of course this was not the case, but before I could answer, my Mom piped in and said, "Are you ashamed of your name, BUD?!" HAHA. Point made. My Dad has never gone by any recognizable form of his name. He is Bud. Just Bud. In fact, at one point he was "JB" as in "Just Bud".

I do remember wishing too at more than one time that I had a more common last name, like Wilson or Thompson. Every year as a kid, the new teacher would butcher my last name! Trotter. Trooper. Topper. How the heck are these morons supposed to teach me how to read, write and spell!? They can't even pronounce a name EXACTLY as it is spelled.

T-R-O-S-P-E-R!!!!!

It got worse in Jr. High and High School as I had five to seven new teachers every year! I think ultimately, this is a case of the grass being greener on the other side. When I was fortunate enough to somehow talk Sarah into marrying me, she was actually excited to get my last name! I couldn't believe she would be excited for that. I explained that I wish my last name was more common and she thought I was crazy! She hated the fact that her last name was the same as thousands, nay hundreds of thousands others. Her last name is Wilson and she helped me appreciate my last name even more.

The interesting thing about names is their origins. Raymond is clearly of Spanish decent, though I have no Spanish in my bloodline. Marquist is my middle name and my Father's middle name and his Father's first name. I have been told it is of Scandinavian origin, yet I have never been told about my Scandinavian heritage. I did meet an old man once whose name was Marquist. He was Scandinavian and Marquist was a shortened version of his real name, Marquistofer. Interesting and kinda' cool. Trosper is the really interesting name. We have always believed it to be German or Austrian with the root name being Strausbaugh. I don't know where we heard it...Ellis Island maybe? Anyway, other than my family, I have met four other Trospers. Those who don't know, my Father has American Indian blood in him....Choctaw. The other four Trospers I met were American Indian too, only not Choctaw. I met two Navajos, a Shoshone and a Ute! What the heck?! It makes me wonder if there was a German dude with an attraction for Indian squaws roaming the old west at one time! Anyway, moving on... Of course, Jr. is to recognize that I am the first born of my Father who shares the same name. I am proud of that, but it still is yet another name in an already long name. I should just add Master to the front and Esquire to the back! Master Raymond Marquist Trosper, Junior, Esquire! Try figuring that out in a game of hang man!

About thirteen years ago I got a job selling on the phone. When people ask my name I just say, "Mark". They don't know in my mind I am saying it with a "que" instead of a "k" and I have learned to really not care. In fact I don't correct people when they misspell it. Well, occasionally, a customer would ask how to spell it and I would say, "M-A-R-Q-U-E. Mark with a "Q". Well, almost immediately, I became "Q". No, I am not a huge James Bond fan and MOST DEFINITELY I am not a Star Trek fan. Just about everyone I know calls me Q now. Even those I grew up with often call me Q even though they never knew me as such. My Mum and Sarah call me Marque...in fact, I don't think they have ever called me Q and neither have my Dad or rarely Jim or Scott. I like that. To everyone else, I am Q. This has become my identity. People ask my name for reservations or other times and I say "Q". When they ask my last name, I say, "It is just Q. Like Madonna, Cher, Sting, Prince and Bono. I am just Q." Half the time, the next question is...get ready for this..."How do you spell that?" To which I reply, "Q. The letter." You can then see Sarah rolling her eyes immediately. Not at the dolt that can't write the letter Q on a piece of paper, but the dolt that actually goes by the letter Q! I would change it, but it is me. It is who I have become. I am Q.

I was signing some real estate papers earlier today and as is always the case, confusion ensued. Do I sign my full name, or Marque or my signature that resembles none of my names?! They always make me sign my name as it is spelled, not my signature and then do so thirteen more times in thirteen different ways. Annoying. Oh well. It comes with the territory. Seriously though, these are the aliases I have to sign for: Raymond Marquist Trosper, Jr. - Raymond Marquist Trosper - R. Marquist Trosper - R. Marquist Trosper, Jr. - R.M. Trosper - R.M. Trosper, Jr. - Raymond Mark Trosper, Jr. - Raymond Trosper - Raymond Trosper, Jr. - Marque Trosper - Marquist Trosper - Mark Trosper! Ridiculous.

I am not sure why I blogged about this. Anyway, here is a list of other names I have been known to answer to: Markie, Brother Trosper, Brother Q, Markie Pooh, QT (by some of the young men I worked with), Shark, Sharque, Sharkie, President Trosper (currently serving as Elders Quorum President), Mr. Trosper, Dr. Trosper (I always book my hotel reservations as this), Honey, Daddy (this is my overall favorite), Sparkler, Foundation (because of all the hairspray I used at that time), Lawn Nazi (jokingly by neighbors), Trojan Man, Boss, Boss Man, Jefe, Babe (not by the lady types, but by a soccer coach, though he called everybody babe), Grandson, Dadda, Sir, Brother, Son, #1 Son, Captain Awesome (by one of my Sunday School classes), Elder Trosper, Bart (Uncle Brock can tell that story), RLS, Iron Balls Trosper (Jason Valderrama can tell you that story), RLS.com, Lil' Simon, RLS.edu, Blue Friend (thanks, Kurt), RLS.org, Dork, Q Dawg, Guru (by my boss), Q Diggity Dawg, Q Diddy....I am sure there are more and I will add them as they come to me. Nonetheless, I like me and I like my name.