Aaron's VIP!!!!!

Kurt- I'v definitely had tons of fun experiences with Aaron that I could fill a book about and that I will always enjoy

reminiscing about, but I would say that what I value the most about Aaron is the man he's become. As an adult there are lots of things I can spend my time and money on but three things stand above it all, my Savior, my wife, and my children. I feel that Aaron's example testifies that he feels the same and thats what I love the most about Aaron The man and the example he is to me today. Thanks Aaron

Jake-When aaron was about thirteen kurt and nate got sick of his tyrannical rule and started teaming up on him during fights. Well luke and I would watch the fight until aaron really started getting hurt and he would cry out for us to help. We would grab nate because we were afraid of kurt and pretty soon kurt would be making really painful sounds and nate would say "jake luke aaron is killing kurt let me go so I can help him please. So we would let nate go and soon enough aaron would be painfully crying out to us to help him and the whole process would start over again. I bring that up because there are not many ways a younger brother can help an older brother and that was one of the things I remember doing to help aaron. As a result I remember aaron got a bag of giveaway clothes from jeremy dunn and after he went through them nate and kurt would normally have the next look but aaron gave them to me and when nate and kurt asked why he said it was because I was always nice to him. This may not seem like a big deal to some but in a house where giveaway clothes were like gold it meant the world. Especially since being fourth in line I almost never got anything worth while. I never forgot what aaron did for me and I got him water a lot more willingly after that.

When we got older aaron and I worked together at phantom screens and aaron use to love listening to the 80's at noon on star 98.7 that's when I started to love 80s music. When aaron joined the military he helped me to understand the benefits of joining and acted as an angel sent to answer my prayer of how can I continue to educate myself stay out of debt and start my family simultaneously. I am so grateful for aarons example and advice in my life. He is an amazing older brother.

Luke-I look up to each one of my older brothers very much. I feel like each one of them has been called to serve a unique but valuable role in our family. It was recently mentioned that our brother Nate played a crucial role in leading the family to missionary service. Today I would like to highlight another vital role in the family that has been played by our brother Aaron. During my early childhood, I often found myself vying for Aaron's attention by doing anything I possibly could to gain his acceptance. Sometimes, especially throughout the not so good years, my desire to gain Aaron's favor left me in undesirable circumstances. But then there were other times during the not so good years when just being around Aaron paid dividends. Like the time when he gave me a brand new BB gun and inscribed his love for me on the butt of the gun. After the not so good years blossomed into good ones, I remember Aaron acting as the perfect role model for me. He was my young men's leader. We would go camping together and do all kinds of activities together, ahh those were the days. I hate to be anecdotal but, I can't help but tell one short story from this crucial time in my youth. One time Aaron took our scout troop out to the sespe hot springs, and the hike was on switch backs. As we were on the hike back home there was this kid who I am sure had never been camping before, and I think he loaded his pack down with canned food or something, because he was moaning and groaning with every step he took. I am sure it didn't help any that he was about 60 pounds over weight as well. Anyway, to make a long story short, when Sean just absolutely could not carry on any longer, Aaron took Sean's 50 pound pack, tied it to his own and we hoofed it out of there as quickly as possible. Never had I seen such an unselfish act, matched with such brute force. That day I gained a healthy respect for my older brother Aaron's manhood. The best part of the story though is that after Aaron took Sean's pack, it was as if nothing had changed, and he still wouldn't shut up!

Now that I have spent a great deal of our time mentioning trivial things, I want to point out a key role in the family that has been played by Aaron. To me Aaron has demonstrated a picturesque model of a successful marriage. Of all the married siblings, I look up to Aaron and Mandy the most because of their relationship with each other's families. They have an uncanny ability to mesh well with anyone they associate with, and this reflects in their marriage. Their children are well educated, and have been taught to excel in everything they do. As all of you I love Aaron very much and have always looked up to him. Thank you Aaron for giving us the perfect model for how a family should be run.

Larkie- Aaron you really impress me! For one thing you’ve had such a change of heart towards bad things in your life. After Aaron became “good” again he was very good about always trying to help us all keep higher standards. He would say things like “ Why are you wearing Flip-Flops to church” or “your skirts too short sis, come on now Shape Up!” Thank you for that Aaron, but let’s be honest probably the best thing Aaron ever did in life was Marry Mandi. That is what I think is truly great about Aaron. If it weren’t for his choice to marry Mandi who nows where he would be! So thanks for being an example and making good choices Aaron. It was one of the most sweet and tender experiences I’ve ever had when Aaron whole family was sealed together. That is one of my dearest memories. Aaron I love you, Thank you for being such a great example

Audrey- I don’t remember being very close to Aaron before he got married but that may be because I don’t remember much before the age of seven. One of the two memories that does come to mind came to pass when I was five and Aaron was about 18. Aaron’s friend, I think his name was James, used to give us a ride home after school in is truck. Well one day I was last kid to get into the back of the truck and I had one leg in and one leg out and some told James to go. I, not being ready for the truck to move, wasn’t able to keep hold of the truck and fell and did a couple tumbles on the dirt road. I don’t remember exactly what happen right after that but the next thing I do remember is have the privilege of sitting up front on Aarons lap. I also remember Aaron putting piece of clothing that he fond on my elbow, which was the only part of my body that was damaged. The other was a year later when I was 6 and in first grade. One day Aaron came to my class to pick me up early and my friends asked if he was my dad and I felt so cool that I could tell them he was my older brother. After that all my memories of Aaron are of him getting married or being married. And that is the time period that our friendship really began to grow. One of the things I really love about Aaron is how comfortable he makes you when you talk to him. He makes it easy to talk about anything. I love that he so strait forward, easy to get along with, and sensitive NOW to the fact that I am sensitive. I am just so grateful that I was able to spend a lot time with him when he lived in CA and that I was able to live with him in GA. I love you Aaron very much, thank you for inviting me to live you and your family in GA, and making it a wonderful experience for me.

Kailie- I don’t remember too many things from when Aaron lived at home. However I do remember one time when Aaron came home with Mandy. I remember seeing them sitting on the couch, and I remember the way that they looked at each other, they stared at each other smiling for a couple seconds just before they kissed each other. I remember being giggly and happy for them and I think I did giggle cuz then they looked at me and realized I was watching. I ran away after that, but I remember being really happy for them.

Thank you Aaron for being an example to me of what real love is. You’ve always tried your hardest to be a good dad and a good husband, you tried very hard to keep us younger kids in line, thanks for watching out for me Bro, I love u.

Isaac- I have a lot of fun memories with aaron. one memory that meant a lot to me was when I was a kid I really really wanted to play football. and play with my nephew because it would be the only time i could. and have my bother coach me. but mom wouldn’t let me cuz she thought i would get hurt. but aaron went to bat and tried to tell mom to let me play. he said there were more people getting hurt in soccer than football. also i would get behind in football and everyone else would be ahead. well aaron might have thought it wasn’t a big deal but it meant a lot to me and I’m grateful for a brother like him.

Elli-Well I haven't actually spent very much time with Aaron because I'm the youngest. I hung out with his kids. My favorite memory of all the 10 is when when he was here we took a picture me and him. I remember the picture like yesterday because of the fact that he was so much bigger than me. i remember feeling like I was 2 years old compared to him. He is my favorite oldest brother.

Christmas Tree Bonfire!!

Oh My Holy Crap!!!! I never went to any High School Parties, so this makes up for each one times 10!! Last night I went with Lauren to a Christmas tree Bonfire out in the West desert, basically all the left over dried up christmas trees and those wood stands that you see things stacked on at Costco, so a fork lift can move it around (I don't know what they're called but we have a ton back at the farm in the wood pile) and pretty much any extra wood or paper anything, I even saw an old chair, goes into a massive pile and is lit on fire. The result is massive and you can't stand close to it because the heat it puts off reaches 20 feet away, and even hen you have to turn yourself like a hot dog so you don't get burned on one side. Someone brought massive speakers so we were all dancing and having a great time, I met a bunch of new people from LDSBC and BYU, and ended up getting home at 4:30 am last night and the fire hadn't even come close to burning out yet, which is why I slept until 3 pm today. It's so nice being able to do fun cool stuff with a bunch of Mormon kids.

I'll post the video and pics I have of it when lauren gets home because I took them on my blackberry and my computer doesn't have a port for my SD card

College Student!!!

Ok so this isn't the best pic Ever, but it's Caroline, Me, and Lauren!!! These are my two main Gals, we'll go dancing every now and again, but mostly it's long talks, video taping ourselves, having dance party in our rooms, and play fighting, with a bit of shnuggling thrown in.

This is my roommate Daya getting tickled by one of the guys in the apartment across the way. It's fun being able to hang out with some fun guys that are our age. they have a bit more money, so they have cable and a DVD player, usually we'll watch movies at their house. 

These boots were made for POSING!!! and super cute Outfits. We actually went to Caroline's Aunt-in-laws house after these pics were taken We played this game where you basically turn on a song on a ipod and put in your headphones, you then get blindfolded and belt it out! So all everyone else can hear is you, they can't hear the music you're listening to. To Compliment my outfit I sang the song "Boondocks" I don't remember who it's by but everyone said I did really well, it's probably cuz I did the Electric slide for them and threw in a little shimmy. We played SkipBo and Spoons and ate White Chili. All in all it was a pretty fun night!!!




This is Kevin. . . Lauren's cousin hat she'd never met before this night! So he came over and we were all just talking somehow the subject got onto guns and I told him a little bit about our families interest in guns, I told him about Nate's business man gun, I think it's a Glock but I'm not a hundred percent sure. Anyway, Kevin pics up his laptop bag, I thought he was just gonna find a pic of it n the internet, but he actually pulled out HIS gun, which was exactly like Nate's except Nate has some silver on his that makes it look cooler and Kevin only had black on his gun. It was quite a surprise. Lauren and I have been trying to make friends with some white people, so I guess we have now.

So I finished the 2nd Stocking 2 days before christmas! I was gonna express mail it so that it would get there the next day, but Larkie pointed out that the R in Gwenivere looked kinda weird so I ended up altering it a tiny bit. I'm so excited to start the next one, but I don't think I'll have all that much time until after I finish studying for my insurance test and pass it. 

So in Conclusion, I'm doing pretty good, I love all my classes and I'm hoping to get some help from FAFSA since I'm a full time student! Luckily I have a cool boss who was willing to accommodate my schedule for school so I got to my tech class in the morning and then work a full day on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays and then go to my religion class wednesday night. then on Tuesdays and Thursdays I work a half day, go home for the afternoon and do whatever I need to until classes at 5pm. I have Saturdays and Sundays to myself so thats why I'm updating today. I think I like being extremely busy rather than have a lot of free time so it works!!!!

Larkie VIP!!!!!

Aaron- My favorite memory of Larkie is provided to me via Luke. I wasn't there but the way Larkie relates it it is as if I was there. Basically the story goes like this. It is larkies freshman year of high school and there is a football game coming up, so there is a pep rally.  Apparently all the football team has a chance to take the mic and say something motivational to pump up the rest of the school. When the mic falls to Luke he takes the mic and says. "I'm Luke Shillig and that good looking freshman girl over there is my sister Larkie and if any of you guys even thinks of trying to date her I will pound you into the ground". At this point Larkie realizes that she will never have a boyfriend in high school, and her social life will be void of any boys that are interested in her because they are all afraid of her big brother Luke. I am glad that Luke took it upon himself to help ensure the virtue of our first born Shillig girl. I love you Larkie and am glad you were able to marry Seth in the temple and start your eternal family

Nate- There is a lot I would like to say about Larkie but I will try to condense it. Larkie is fearless just like dad to where she could put on a pair of tights and dance around on stage In front of total strangers or friends and not even worry what anyone else thought, but with Larkie she could actually do this wearing no clothes and not even flinch :) Larkie and I have a great bond because we're real similar. We both like to dance we both like to be the center of attention we both like to tell jokes and we both married in to families were the word class isn't something that you just avoided in high school and make excuses not to go to.

Because we're such good friends I think she allowed me to be the last person on earth to call her Lark without ripping my head off.  I love that I can talk to her about anything and she's a great friend.  She is also great at keeping secrets,  actually not really hahaha I love you sis.

Thanks for being such an important part of my life and the Shillig Family

Kurt- Larkie is a really funny girl and always a blast to be with.  I think Larkie totally lucked out in being the 1st girl after 5 boys in a row.  She has definately aquired some unique attributes that make her more then just another girl.  She rides dirt bikes and makes her own surf boards I mean what girl have you ever met who thinks it's cool to challange their own mother to a friendly wrestling match.  Just that right there if Larkie was the dumbest ugliest girl id ever met, that one aspect of Larkies past would put her in my top 10 of the coolest girls I've ever met.  Even more so since she's neither dumb or ugly is Larkie one of the coolest girls I'll have ever met in this life time

Jake-When we were little kids Larkie and I didn't get along.  I remember one time on the front porch she got so mad at me that she started swinging at me with all her might and I kept blocking all her hits until she started to cry.  She went inside and I felt really bad for upsetting her so much, so I knelt down by the front porch swing and prayed.  I asked Heavenly Father to help me and Larkie get along better.  My prayers were answered and my relationship with Larkie has been wonderful since then.  When I got home from my mission I invited Larkie to read the Book of Mormon.  She said she wasn't going to read it because I asked her to but she said she would read it someday when she was ready.   I was sad she didn't accept my invitation but I prayed that sometime soon she would feel ready and read the Book of Mormon.   While she was dating Seth she surprised me when she read the Book of Mormon cover to cover in one week.  It's no mystery that I'm proud of the opportunity I had to set Larkie up with Seth.  I am so grateful that Larkie doesn't always take everyone's advice.  I pushed her kind of hard to date Jarudd before I introduced her to Seth and she totally rejected the idea.  What would have happened if Larkie didn't have the spirit of discernment?  I have a lot of great memories of Larkie and I guess the common theme of all of them is that Larkie is a beautiful person both inside and out and she has an impressive ability to listen to other people and only be influenced by their good ideas.  

Luke- Growing up, you were probably the sibling that I had the most differences with. But I remember hitting a certain time in my life where I began to change my opinion about you and I started to get a long with you. I can even remember the location, it was summer time, and we would stand together in the kitchen sharing little stories about our lives and some of your contemporaries. I can still remember seeing your eyes scramble for topics that might peak my interest, and I even remember you saying, "I wish we could talk like this forever." After our search for common points of interest we found that we both shared a love for the message, and I can remember spending long periods of relaxing nights under your caring hands. Later in high school I remember benefiting from you in the sense that you would wake me up every morning, (since I lacked the will power to wake myself up) and after being petitioned repeatedly by my human alarm clock, I would eventually get up. I can also remember benefiting from the company of your female friends, a number of which were fairly fun to be around. When I returned from the mission, and we went to school together at BYUI I remember pursuing this one girl at a dance, and when I asked here what she liked to do with her spare time she replied resolutely, "Latin Dancing." I was determined to win the affection of this attractive young woman so I immediately went to your apartment where you taught me a few steps. You also fed me constantly, (which I very much appreciated) and as I have been writing this out I have come to the realization that our relationship has been filled with a lot of one sided service. Whenever I have needed help with anything, I have come to you Larkie for support, and every time I have asked for your help you have given it whole heartedly. I think our relationship has been a lot of me taking, and not giving much, I hope that one day I can give back. Thank you Hitler. Love your brother, Luke.

Audrey-When I was thinking about what I wanted to say about Larkie a few of the things that stuck out to me the most were Larkie’s generosity, persuasiveness, and her craziness. 

Even though Larkie was a little bossy when we were children, she made up for it when we were teenagers. During that time Larkie made my life an adventure. She always wanted to do something crazy. One time while we were driving on Lockwood Valley road our friend Idelis, Larkie and I switched positions by going through the sunroof and coming in the side windows, or vice a versa. There was also the times, meaning she did this often and I believe still does, when we would be walking in the mall and she would just caress someone’s head and then walk by like nothing happened. It is no wonder people are drawn to her she puts excitement in anyone’s life.

To touch on Larkie’s persuasiveness, which is just a nice word that means she can make you do anything she wants, she would always have the family exercising her commands. Fortunately she would normally use this power for good things like making people clean and make our house a nicer place. But there were those few times she would blackmail you to do something you didn’t want (of course it was nothing that was really bad).

Now Larkie is one fist people that I recognized that is a good example of generosity. I’m sure all of you know that clothes are a very important to the Shillig girl’s and women in general, so when I tell you that Larkie was always willing to share her clothes with me it demonstrates her immense generosity. I can also remember times when Larkie would buy me clothes. She is actually the person that bought me my most favorite jeans that lasted me 7^th and 8^th grade.

These qualities are just a few of the many qualities that she possesses, and the combination of these qualities is the reason Larkie is such a great leader. One of the things that I didn’t mention that Larkie definitely has is a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most importantly Larkie has always been there as a spiritual strength to me, and I will forever value her input. I love you Larkie and thanks for being the best older sister ever!

Kailie- Wow, sometimes I feel like Larkie is more of a 2nd Mom than an older sister! I can remember Larkie picking out my outfits for the first day of school, doing my hair and teaching me how to do it, coming to my 8th grade play and helping me put in my contacts for the first time. One time, right before my school play, I was trying to put in my contacts and I couldn’t because they were hurting me so bad!! Larkie came in and calmed me down because I was crying, she helped me wash them off properly and put them in my eyes for me. Larkie’s always been there for me, when I needed a friend to talk to, when I needed someone to punish me for being stupid, when I needed someone to make me laugh, and especially when I needed someone to give me a hug or a shoulder to cry on. You’re amazing Sis, I can’t imagine our family without you in it and I’d never want to. You’ve taught me so much and I can honestly say I wouldn’t be the person I am  today if you hadn’t been here

Isaac- When I was in 6th grade I used a pair of my friends shoes, I really liked them and wanted a pair for myself. the next day Larkie gave me a blank check and had her friend Shanna take me to the mall so I could go buy myself a pair while she was working at Curves. when we found them and took them to the counter the clerk said that the owner of the check had to be there. we called Larkie and told her, I just figured we’d come back another day, but Larkie took some time out of her day and came down to Valencia and bought them for me herself! Larkie is so kind and loving, she will go out of her way to help even for something simple.

Elli- Larkie seems to have no fear of embarrassment. While I was in Utah we went to pirate Island and Larkie sang Womanizer by Britney Spears. While singing she broke out into dance. A dance never Forgotten because this dance was so graphic with her shaking her butt and crawling on the ground, she really looked like Britney Spears!!! I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. Larkie I love you so much, you’ve taught me to never be embarrassed for being who you are

New Camera and Laptop

So I wanted t give a special shout out to Dad and Carol. I've been wanting my own Digital Camera and Laptop since I came to UT last June. For my Birthday it was actually all asked for. Dad was able to give me a Laptop that the High School didn't need. I wasn't very grateful for it because it didn't have a wifi card and it's battery was a little touchy. I acted like a spoiled brat and started crying which was horrible of me but after Larkie told me how rude I was being I apologize dand accepted the gift. I bought a cord to connect straight into my modem in my apartment and set the computer up on a little table so it could stay plugged in at all times. for Christmas I went down to visit Larkie. It was wonderful spending Christmas with Family and Sata and the Sarager family gave me some wonderful gifts including New work clothes and a cute Pearl Necklace that I'd been Needing. Later that day Carol mentioned that she had a digital camera that she wasn't using and had taken good care of that she would be willing to give to me. I gladly accepted and she took some time out of her busy day to go to her storage facility and pick it up for me before I had to leave to get back to Salt Lake. Then this week when I went home for New Years I found a whole new Christmas waiting for me as well!! I received some very cute Jewelry and clothes from Chicos, and Isaac got me a sweater from American Eagle. Dad gave me a new MacBook Pro that he had just gotten from his hook up with JPL.

I don't say it enough but I am truely blessed to have a family that cares about me, Thank You All for being there for me when I need you, and for trying to help me out in any way you can.

I'd like to give a special shout out to a few people specifically:

Mom - I'm sorry if I ever act like the spoiled brat I can be at times. Thank you for sacrificing your vacation time and your money and probably some of your mental health to cart me around CA while I was there, I'm sorry I was selfish and tried to spend more time with my friends and not as much with you. Thank you for the gifts you give me, the wonderful advice and instructions. I'll try and do the things you've told me too as best I can manage.

Dad - I apologize for not realizing how much the first gift that you gave me was worth, I wish I hadn't been so rude and I'm glad that you forgave me for it. Not only did you give me a Laptop, but you then magnified the gift by giving me a 2nd Laptop that was even better! I apologize for not always recognizing that you have many more years of experience with the world than I do and for sometimes thinking you over protective and fun killing. I know that you only want the best for me in everything I do and I'm so glad you o because it shows that you care for me individually.

Larkie- I think you're more than just a sister to me, you're kinda like my sit in Mom for when Mom can't be around. You've given me an open invitation to your home, and as if that weren't enough you ask me questions about my physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. You express your ove for me in many different ways and I just want you to know I appreciate each one, and that includes the times that you tell me I'm acting inapropriately and kick me into shape.

Carol - You've known me since before I can remember! I love the stories you'll tell me about how when I was little this happened, and how you love me so much that you wouldn't let other people take care of me. You know me so  well Carol, and I feel like I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of who you are. I'm sorry that I'm not as attentive as others in our family have been to you, I love learning about you and your life and I can't wait for my next visit down there to come and ask ou more questions and just spend time with you. Thank you for the Camera you gave me, I've already started using it and hope to use it all the time to update everyone on my life and keep pictures of the fun memories I've had. Thanks for understanding me and loving me no matter how stupid I've acted. I really love you Auntie Carol, I'm so glad that Heavenly Father grafted you into our family tree.

Welcoming the New Year with a trip to CA

So my Pictures Uploaded out of order so It's New Years and coming back to UT first and then the rest of the trip!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Kurt and Amy invited a bunch of people to their house to party for New Years. I hadn't seen a couple of my friends yet so Kurt and Amy were kind enough to allow two of my best friends Tammie and Sarah to party there too. We spent most of the night reminiscing over high school and catching up on each others current lives Thank You Kurt and Amy for making it happen! After the party was over and Everyone left Amy and I got to have our own little catch up chat which was really fun, unfortunately I was so tired I think I fell asleep while tallking lol  

New Years Morning Kurt and Audrey were kind enough to wake up and take me to Long Beach airport so I could catch my flight home, it took so long for my planes designated gate to open up that I ended up getting to the airport only about 15 minutes before Laurens flight came in which was amazing because her flight left an hour or 2 after mine! We came home and found Lauren's fish Michael Brian almost Dead due to the cold, after about a half hour of reviving him by slowly putting him into warmer water, and feeing him we hit the Hay and took a long much needed nap!  

After our nap we went over to our friends to attempt some mingling, we realized that most people were stil out of town so we ended up leavng early and going home to sleep a bit more.

So I was initially supposed to come into CA via Longbeach airport, but my flight got cancelled!!!! After quite a few tears of frustration I was able to get a flight to CA via Southwest to LAX. So after mom and Elli came and picked me up at the airport we all went to the Escondido resort and planned our next moves. We went to a dermatologist appointment for Audrey and Isaac, and then went up to Frazier so I could catch my dentists 6 month cleaning which had been delayed for about a year and 6 months (thankfully nothing crazy to report) Mom then dropped Audrey, Isaac, Elli and I off at the Farm where after a bit of touch up cleaning we played the new X-Box 360 Kinect!! 

This is Audrey and Elli playing a sweet game where you bounce a ball off a wall to ort of break it down.

Audrey showed me the skills she's been developing on the Piano.

The next morning after my Chiropractor Appointment We put away all the Christmas Decortions and started cleaning up a lot more, we dropped Isaac off at work, ran some Errands in town and then went down to Valencia for Caroline's wedding!! It was really nice seeing eople I hadn't seen since High School, what was even better was being able to see the look on a lot of X-classmates faces as they checked out my Smokin hot Bod and Outfit. I know it's prideful, but I was never really considered pretty in High School and it sucked, so it was nice to see people's Jaws drop a bit lol.

It's weird cuz while I was home it was totally different then I remembered, even though nothing had changed!! The Upstairs bathroom seemed taller, all the rooms seemed larger than they did when I left except for the Kitchen which seemed smaller than it was when I left. But the Scenery was still just as amazing as I always remember it, The stars were still brilliantly bright and unparalleled by anywhere else I've been, The mountains blue tinted peaks still brushed the bright clear skies dotted with small puffy clouds. I miss it terribly, and someday when we're all billionaires we'll buy Lockwood Valley and Bask in it's beauty. 

This is Elli and Audge trying to hit the ball in the Kinect Game, I wish I had some video of me doing the Dance Central game, cuz that was my favorite, but it was so much fun playing with my brother and Sisters.

VIP Audrey!!!!!!

Aaron-Audrey is such a wonderful sister to have. I have been very blessed by her being in our family. As we all know I felt inspired to change careers after working the same job for 9 years. Audrey was the one who helped out at my house while I was gone. She was the confidant that my wife needed. She was the additional disciplinarian in the home while I was gone. She helped provide additional spiritual strength in the home. She filled the roll I had to vacate for a while. Without her and her strength, I don't know that my family would have weathered the change as well as they did. Audrey is a great example of a righteous woman, she will be a wonderful wife and mom. I love her and I'm truly grateful she is my sister.

Nate- Audrey I'm so proud of you for serving a mission, and I'm so excited to hear where you'll go, I think you'll be the second Audrey, and the 3^rd shillig in Paraguay but maybe I'm wrong. I love that you have such a sensitive spirit and that you're so powerful yet so humble. One of my favorite memories is going lizard hunting with you when you were a kid, and you'd go barefoot. I often use that story when I tell people about my family members, how my kid sister was like a little pioneer girl and how even fire ants biting her toes didn't bother her because her toes were basically made of solid steel. I also remember when I used to take care of you when you were a little baby and I made up this totally dumb song that went something like “My name is Audrey I like to party, A-u-d-r-e-y” and you would just laugh and you loved that little song/skit that we used to do. Anyway, I love you and I'll miss you when you go.

Kurt- I would have to say that what has stuck with me the most about Audrey goes back to when she was little. I think it was with Audrey that I realized that children can be like a double return investment in that the love and commitment you show to them they will double and show it back to you. Somewhere between 2 and 5 our other siblings realized a special bond between myself and Audrey. I remember it became almost like a game to them to see if they could get Audrey to say that she loved them more then she loved me. They bribed her with all kinds of special treatments and desirable possessions that would be hers if only she would say that she loved one of them over myself. It never worked. That gave me such joy to know that she was totally committed and would not jeopardize our bond. I will always love Audrey for her love and commitment.

Jake-Audrey really loved Kurt growing up. What's not to love he's the perfect older brother. I had my work cut out for me trying to convince Audrey that I should be her favorite brother. I remember spending hours playing with Audrey and kissing up to her and then asking her... Audrey who is your favorite brother? Without fail no matter how successful I thought I had been she would answer that Kurt was her favorite. Audrey has a gift of discernment. She was able to recognize that I was only being nice to her to steal Kurts place as the favorite older brother. I think Audrey’s ability to discern between good better and best and then always go with the best option has brought her to the high station she's at now. No one can question her work ethic. She went from illiteracy to collegiate excellence. Her quiet observant personality has turned her into a spiritual powerhouse. But even though she's quiet she's no kitten. One time while we were driving through Provo canyon I was really being loud and obnoxious. She asked me to please be quiet and I kept going. She told me to stop in a firm voice and I didn't listen. Finally she slapped me upside the head really hard and I shut up. I can't wait to see where my amazing sister Audrey will end up serving the Lord and I know because of her work ethic her intelligence and her beauty both outside and in... she will be a formidable servant in the vineyard.

Luke-I am kind of jealous of all my other siblings because a lot of them have had the opportunity to have Audrey in their home on a 24/7 basis. I feel like Audrey is one of a kind in our family because she is very shy and sensitive, but she is also going to be the first Shillig girl out of Grandpa Shillig's grand kids that will go and have a missionary experience. I am so proud of Audrey and I am excited for the time in her life when she will be serving God as one of his faithful servants. I love the fact that there will be a girl in our family that we can talk to and share missionary stories with, as well as get the female perspective from the mission field and missionary work. I am sure (as it was with most of us), that Audrey's personality will really flower in the mission field and I can't wait to be a witness of what she will become. I just hope that one day how ever long it may be, that she might be willing to spend some time living with our family so that we can get to know her on an even greater level.

Larkie- Audrey is the sweetest most genuine person I have ever met. She makes me laugh. I don't know what it is but things she says that are not even funny are funny. It was great having Audrey live with me. Audrey is also great at being kind to others. She is going to be the best missionary ever. One time Audrey and I were walking in SLC and there was this lil old bum lady who fell and Audrey ran up to help her. she didn't even worry about lice or disease. the lady thanked her Audrey gave her a dollar and the lady kissed her. Kissed her and Audrey just sweetly stood still and said have a great day. That is how kind she is. Also this story is a lie but i bet you all believed it cause this really could have happened and this really is how nice Audrey is. Love you Audrey you are awesome.

Kailie- I could go on for hours about Audrey, I think she's pretty much the Kurt to my Jake! I remember when I was really young, some time in elementary school Audrey brought a friend from school home, of course as the younger sister I wanted to play with Audrey and her friend, but because I was smaller than them and they wanted to play to the best of their abilities I was kinda ruining their fun. Audrey took me aside and explained to me very carefully that she wanted to play with Shannon by herself, and that they would play with me later. I was really upset and didn't really believe she would keep her promise but I left them alone and did as Audrey asked. After a while, they were ready to play at my pace so Audrey came inside and found me to fulfill her promise. If there was anyone in this whole world I trust unconditionally, it would probably be Audrey. Audrey always does everything she says she's going to do, not only that but she will do it while helping others accomplish their goals. In High School I went back to being a loner my Freshman and Sophomore year, so of course I started following my older sister around again, I'd hang with her and her friends at lunch, I'd try and emulate her quiet demeanor and even what she ate, when she tried out for a team, I would to. Then when she tried out for soccer and asked me to please stay in Basketball so that Dad could coach like he loves to coach his kids I did. I didn't ever get on any of the Sports Teams that Audrey did, in fact I usually ended up doing something more suited to me like choir or a play, but Audrey always tried to help me in every way she could, teaching me how to serve a volleyball, or dribble a basketball, showing me how to pass a soccer ball, anything she could help with she would. I love you Audrey, Thanks for being my Big Sister and always being there for me.

Elli - Well Audrey has always been the sister that has had the most patience. She always wanted to help whether it was cleaning or playing Zelda. Well when I was 6 or 7 she was driving me somewhere and I was in the back seat. I was flipping people off with my arms. Not knowing what it meant I did it to everyone that passed, then smiled and waved. Then Audrey looked back at what I was doing and said “Elliana what are you doing?” Of course I replied "Nothing" then Audrey and I got to our destination and Audrey said Elliana don't do that ever again. So Audrey has the most patience, she could have beat the crap out of me but she didn't. I love you.