Sarah Murray Hodson

After graduation I went to the University of Utah for two years and then transferred to Utah State. I graduate with a B.S. in 1997 and got married to Chris Hodson a week later. I went to graduate school at USU and got an M.S. in Community Health and then in 1999 we moved to Chicago. We lived in Chicago for six years while my husband got a PhD in American History at Nortwestern, and I worked for the Arthritis Foundation. We had two kids Isaac (now 7), and Libby (now 4). We loved Chicago and still miss it. In 2005, we moved just outside of Philadelphia for two years while my husband completed a post doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. We really enjoyed all the things we were able to see and do while in the east. A little over a year ago we made a big change and moved back to Utah. My husband is now a professor at BYU. We had a third baby - Luke (1 year), and I am working as a part-time instructor at BYU. We are happy to have some stability in our lives after a lot of years of school and moving.

It has been fun to read what everyone is up to!

Shannon Atkinson Hineman

Hi everyone I was so sorry to miss the reunion but we were right in the middle of selling our house and moving. I guess I should introduce my family. I met my best friend Darrell while attending Dixie College in the summer of 1994, marrying in December of 1996. I was working as an accounts receivable staffer for a Home health service in St. George and continued to work there until I gave birth to our first son Travis (10). After completing an associate degree from Dixie College our family moved to Cedar City where my husband, Darrell, continued his education and later graduated. While in Cedar City, we welcomed another boy to our family Joshua (8). We then moved to Dayton Ohio when my husband accepted a position with the Department of Defense as an auditor. While in Ohio we had one more boy, Darren (5), and a girl, Melissa(2), to our family. We recently moved to Virginia where my husband is working for Ernst and Young. We love the adventures, we have found in the East, and enjoy going home to visit St. George when we can. I love staying at home with my children, who give me more ups than downs, and watching them grow and learn. There is always something to be done and I won't have it any other way.

Brenda Johnson

I have been accused of not being able to sit still. I say life is full of adventures just waiting to be discovered and sometimes invented so don’t miss an opportunity to enjoy (and your mom still loves you even though you are still giving her ulcers at 33)!

After graduating, I went right to work. I quickly finished up my Associates of Arts degree at Dixie College and graduated in ’94 with both my mom and my sister. Then it was onto grander scales that included packing up and moving to Salt Lake. After changing my major after my first year at the University of Utah, I graduated in March ’97 with a Bachelors degree in Communication with an emphasis in Public Speaking.

For the past 12 years I have been building my career as an Escrow Officer at Title One in Salt Lake. It has been an amazing learning experience to become familiar with the ins and outs of the housing market. Being in the industry, I just couldn’t help but get involved and so I purchased my own home and have been living there for the past ten years.

I have served in many capacities within the Church over the years. I am currently serving as the 1st Councilor of the Stake Relief Society Presidency and love being involved with the education of the sisters. Additionally, in my many travels, I have had the opportunity to visit and do work in several of the temples around the world.

Traveling is my passion! I have been to numerous places in this country and have visited several other countries as well. I must admit that two of my favorites have been my adventures in Australia where I was able to put my scuba diving skills to use at the Great Barrier Reef and Italy where I become engrossed in the history and art. I can typically be found on an airplane headed to a new location at least two or three times a year . . . no worries, I have only jumped out of one of the airplanes! I did learn quickly that I prefer the underwater to the falling through the air.

Other than that, I have never been married and so there are no little ones or husband to discuss.

Cynthia Plewe Rushton

Hey fellow Panthers!

The past 15 years of my life can be categorized in three chapters:

Chapter 1: Education. I attended Dixie College then SUU where, 1998 I earned a bachelors degree in Theater Arts/Dance with an English minor.

Chapter 2: Career and Marriage. My first teaching position was at Hurricane Middle School. In July of 1999, I married Jim Rushton. We moved to his hometown, Mesquite, Nevada where I began teaching theater and English at VVHS. Being a high school Drama Director was artistically challenging, demanding, and very rewarding. During that time I directed, choreographed, designed, and produced numerous plays and musicals--we even did Music Man (just like our senior year!) After six years of teaching, my husband was ready to be done building sets for his totally stressed out wife and I was ready for a new chapter--unfortunately we weren't in control of when the next chapter in our lives would begin...

Chapter 3: Motherhood. Ironically, it was during a play rehearsal that I received word that a baby girl had been born and we had been chosen to be her adoptive parents. My students had to perform without a director because we were off to meet our oldest daughter, Riley Grace. It came as a total shock when I got pregnant two months later! Savannah Hope came 11 months after Riley. There are two words for these partners in crime--destroying angels! Riley is now 4, Savannah is 3, and our third girl, Addison, is 6 months old. I'm blessed to get sloppy kisses, pure laughter, lots of drama, and expressed love everyday.

I owned a wedding and events decorating business for a couple of years but happily sold it when, after 9 years in Mesquite, we recently moved to Cedar City as my husband transferred with Wells Fargo. I am happy to report that I am a full-time mother and homemaker.

It's been so fun to catch up with y'all at the reunion and through this blog. Hopefully more contribute...

Corbin Cowley

After high school I attended Dixie College where I tried my hand at football. I quickly realized I was pretty bad and decided to move on after about four weeks. After a couple of quarters at Dixie, I went on a mission to Sendai, Japan. After the mission, I returned to Dixie College for a year and then transferred to the University of Utah, graduating with a B.A. in Economics. I worked for Fidelity Investments in Salt Lake City for a year and then moved to Washington D.C. in 2000 to work as an economist for a certain government "Agency." During that time, I earned an MBA and a M.A. in International Trade and Investment Policy from The George Washington University. I then moved to the Department of State in 2005 and just finished my first three year post in Tokyo this summer. I currently live in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with my wife Megan (Johnson), who I met at the U, and my two children, Ian (5) and Adelin (Addy) (2 1/2).

Wendy Hale Stauffer

I have 2 kids, 5 and 3. My little girl just started kindergarten and my little boy likes to fly around our cal-de-sac with a cape and a batman mask on. I married Matt Stauffer that graduated from PV in '92. He went on his mission and then waited for me to get home from my mission. I went to Indiana on my mission then came home and, a month later, married Matt on July 31, 1999. We met in Mr. Wimmer's Debate class and went to Homecoming in 1991. We live in Lehi, UT now. We did live in Clearwater, Florida for 3 1/2 years a year after we were married. I had my little girl out there. That was exciting but also very hot and humid. We met some good friends out there, too.I'm a nursery teacher at church in a very young ward, now. I belong to a book club / play group, and have actually read quite a few books, amazingly. I have a great group of friends in the circle where we live. I love to do craft projects with my mom and sister. In the summer when I come home to St. George, I can't believe I grew up in the heat that's down there. Also I have a blog on-line so if anyone wants to come see my life, they just need to email me first so I can invite them. My email address is wendyhs@comcast.net . I would love to talk to everyone there. Maybe next time around.

Mike Barben

Hey class of “93”! I can’t believe we are getting so old. Fifteen years has flown by. I still feel like I am 18, but the grey hair and wrinkles are catching up with me. Ha ha! Where do I start? After graduating from PVHS, I served my mission in England. I returned home in June of 96 and met my wife of 11 years, Vanessa, at Dixie College. I graduated from Dixie with my Associate degree and went on to Southern Utah University and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business/Marketing. I have three great kids Bo 8 years old (named after my great friend Bo Shaheen), Brielle age 5 and Bella age 1. We currently live in St. George, although we did move back east (Philadelphia) this past summer for a summer sales job. We absolutely loved Pennsylvania and had a great experience there. I have worked at St. George Truss Co. for the past 8-9 years and absolutely loved working with Russ Nielson. I’m now looking to go back to school and get my Master’s in secondary education, and follow in the footsteps of my parents and teach/coach at the high school level. I love being a dad, and I am still a sports fanatic. Go Cougs, Rams, Dodgers, and Lakers! My family and I love St. George, and hope to stay here forever if we can. I would love to keep in touch with all of you; here is our family blog barbenblast.blogspot.com or e-mail mikebarben13@yahoo.com

Kristen Nielson Brown

Nielson and I reside in Bluffdale, UT. We have 2.5 acres which is a lot for city life and enjoy a piece of the country by having 5 horses, 1 cat, 1 milk cow and a dog. Nielson and I were married in the St. George Temple. We have been married for 8 years and have 3 boys. Palmer-6, Dallin-3 and Jens-21 mo.

Nielson owns a trucking company he specializes in moving heavy equipment. I am a registered nurse. I work at Tosh (The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital). We specialize in "bone" surgeries e.g. Total Hips, Total Knees, Shoulder surgeries, hands, feet, Back and Neck surgeries also. I work two days a month to keep my license current and to spend the rest of the time with my kids. I love my job and plan to retire from there.

We enjoy boating, waterskiing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, camping, hunting, snowmobiling, and being together as a family.

We own a small home in Bancroft, Idaho, where I often spent many summers, visiting family. We plan to fix it up and use it for vacation and family reunions.

I have been given many blessings in my life and I'm so thankful to be able to enjoy my health, family and friends.

Melissa Payne Farnsworth

We currently live in Michigan where my husband, Brian, works for Ford Motor Company. We've been married 5 years, and we have two terrific kids; Max is 3 1/2 and Zach is ten months. I'm a happy stay-at-home mom, and I keep busy teaching a few piano lessons and taking the occasional dance class or education course. We miss our families and the mountains, but we love living in a different part of the country and are having some great adventures.

Heather Simmonds Ellison

Well, the past 15 years has come and looking back, I am so thankful for where I am today and hopefully who I am becoming. I ended up getting married to Skeeter Ellison whom I met at Dixie College after highschool. We dated for 6 years before we finally got married. During that time Skeeter played in the minor leagues and I acting like a 19 year old in every sense of the word. Then when we were 23 and going to get married we ended up serving missions. I was called to Boston, MA and Skeet to NY, NY North mission. It was soon after that we got married, had 3 children in 3 years and I have been running ever since. Our married life has taken us to 5 different states with work and 15 moves all together. I feel like I should go into moving others professionally. I love my husband, my sons Kai-61/2 Driggs-5 and Gus 3-1/2, playing in the dirt and planing our latest adventures. Skeet and I ended up finishing our Bachelors at Utah State which prepared me for moving to Rexburg, Idaho soon after (weather). We are back in Utah as of a month ago and just settling in getting ready for wresting to start. Skeet loves to hunt so we spend a lot of time camping and I picked up running a couple of years ago so we both support each other in our own goals. I am a full time mom, no downsizing here, no pay, plenty of job security and lots of rewards. I am so thankful.

Making it to the reunion was so great this year. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and just knowing we are all moving ahead and really doing the best we can. Hopefully all keeps going in that direction for us all.