Where Are They Now? — Maria Skinner (Dunn)

OK so I'm writing this so that my kids will stop bugging me about it. They saw me reading about everyone and they ask me everyday if I have done mine yet, so here it is.

After graduation, I worked a couple of summers at Scout camps. The first summer I worked back in Idaho, as I had during High School but, due to my sister moving from Idaho I spent my second summer closer to home working at Maple Dell Scout Camp. During this time, I also attended BYU. While working at Maple Dell, I met my husband and we were married 10 months later in March of 1990.

The next few years were spent putting Patrick through school. He started at UVSC getting his Associates then to BYU for his Bachelors in Zoology. He went back to UVSC again so he could get his RN Degree. He then went back to BYU to work on his Masters. During this time, we lived in Springville, Orem, American Fork, Provo and Spanish Fork. After getting married and doing a semester or two I decided that college was not for me and left BYU to work full time at Mervyn's. I was able to progress with the company into management. I quit in 1997 to be a stay at home mom and would not trade it for the world.

We have 5 kids, well really 4 kids and a dog who thinks, and acts like she is one of our kids.

Alan (17) just finished his Jr. year in High School. He makes my mind swim with everything he is able to do. He has run Cross Country, Track, kept up with his AP classes, and Seminary at 6:00 in the morning. School is very important to him and strives to be at the top of his class. (We will see how that plays out next year with him wanting to be valedictorian). It has been a fun year watching him start dating, going to Prom and getting his first job. It will be weird leaving him home in July so that he can work, while we go back to Utah for the 4th of July. I guess it will get me ready to send him to college next year.

Anesa (14) is finishing her 8th grade year. She is my social bug; lets just say unlimited texting is a good thing. She maintains straight A's in school, enjoys singing in the school choir, and is learning to play the Piano. At school she is in the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS).

Brooke (10), is finishing 3rd grade. She is my girly girl, pink all the way. She is also very serious when it comes to school. Brooke is a Missionary, she is not afraid to tell her friends what she believes. One of her favorite things to do is swim. Her and Briton are my fish; they can spend hours in the water. She enjoys reading, and learning to play the piano.

Briton (8) is finishing 2nd grade. He is my fireball; I say if I had him first, he would be an only child. He is always keeps things interesting. He loves keeping up with the older kids on anything they are doing including video games and can give some of Alan's friends a run on Guitar Hero. He enjoys school. With Brooke and Briton being so close together anything Brooke does, Briton thinks he has to do it to.

Last but not least, there is Sunshine our 6-year-old Bullmastiff. She rules the house.

In the fall of 2000, my husband left Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and started traveling as a RN in Northern California (San Jose area). I stayed in Spanish Fork with the kids, because travel contracts are 13 weeks long at a time and you never know which hospital could be next. I spent 4 years going back and forth from Utah to California. We would come out for summers and school holidays. Lets just say I know the drive from Utah to California and back really well. I can tell you were to get gas and were not to speed. In 2004, one of the hospitals offered Patrick a job he could not pass up so we sold our home in Utah and made California our home.

We live in a small town on the edge of Central and Northern California called Los Banos. It is a small farming/commuting town. We say we are just 2 hours from everything: the beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Yosemite National Park. Patrick commutes to San Jose everyday, working at Regional Medical Center. He is the Director of Nursing Project Management, the Nursing Director over the Pediatrics Dept. and 2 East observation telemetry unit. When he is not at work or on the road, he is busy being the Bishop of our ward. So, if you ask me what we like to do for free time as a family I would say what free time? When we do get a little time, we enjoy going on bike rides, spending time working on projects around the house and playing in our pool (It gets really hot here during the summer). We enjoy going camping but, have not had the chance very often since moving to California.

I spend my time keeping the house going, church callings and the kids. The kids keep me hoping from one thing to another just like all kids do. When I can fit it in, I enjoy scrap booking, sewing, and doing projects around the house.

It is hard at times to believe it has been 20 years but, other times it seems like ages ago. I will not be able to attend Friday nights dinner due to the fact 3 of my kids are in year-round school and the 27th is their last day of school. Anesa will be having a "Graduation" ceremony for the 8th grade that day. I am hoping that we might make it in time for the Saturday activities.