Sandi's Retirement Luau

John, Vea, and Decker Lake know how to throw a party. To celebrate my retirement John and many of my teaching pals organized a surprise two pig luau. I thought it was rather strange that DLYC was having a cultural day and no one asked me to help. It was even stranger when John made an appointment, in the middle of the day, with a stock broker and we ended up going to the broker's, SDI, getting gas and strolling around the Gallivan Center and bumping into Jonathan. "My boys" had decorated with a balloon arch, painted windows, leis, and a fabulous meal, thanks to Vea. They invited my favorite teachers and we had a fabulous time.,

Eastern Europe Riverboat Cruise

After all of John's retirement activities we went on a riverboat cruise through eastern Europe. It was cooler than expected but we had a fabulous time seeing beautiful eastern European cities as well as the devastation that war causes.

Conference Sunday

After a great retirement party it was conference weekend. Aunt Debbie usually comes to town so we had Kendra, Deborah and Anne Romney Steenblik and her family over for dessert

Easter Dinner and Birthday Celebrations

How March Madness Began

As I was browsing through the blog I noticed that Ethan's blessing had not been entered. We started this crazy month with Ethan's blessing. It was a beautiful, clear sunny day. Jonathan did a wonderful job of blessing his son. Miki bore a beautiful testimony. We enjoyed a delicious luncheon at the JDE home and of course enjoyed the company of the Carlson family. This may well be our last grandchild as we continue to add another chapter to the journey.

Redman Van and Storage Time Line – John C. Eberhardt

Redman Van and Storage Time Line – John C. Eberhardt John applied at Redman Van and Storage after graduating from Olympus High School in 1965. John’s parents, John and Margaret Eberhardt, were friends and knew Lee Steorts, one of Redman’s owners and arranged for an interview. On the same day of the interview, Lee offered John the job as a helper and handed white coveralls to John there and then that John put over his suit and tie and was asked to go to work. His, first job was located at the SL County Hospital to move cadavers. John, "the Rookie" was asked by veteran employees to fish out bodies that were soaking in formaldehyde. During that summer John worked on the trucks doing household and office moves on a full time basis. Over time John worked as a packer, a work hand in the warehouse, a driver and other various duties that kept him busy. John’s girlfriend, Sandi Dedekind, embraced John’s commitment to Redman by making a patch that said "Super Mover" that John put on his coveralls. When fellow workers saw this cute patch, John explained that Dill Wolley, one of the owners of Redman, gave the patch to John, which made several Redman employees insecure in their commitment to the company. During this time at Redman, John was up at the U of U working on his business management and finance degree. Soon after, he joined the army reserves as a canoneer and went to Fort Lewis, Washington leaving his 65 Mustang Fastback behind for Sandi to drive. Be mindful that John and Sandi were NOT married yet. John and Sandi were married in August 1969 while finishing upper division classes at the U, while Sandi was teaching 3rd graders. John was not excited about any of the job opportunities the U of U offered. He and Sandi moved into John's grandma's home near St Mark's Hospital paying $150 a month in rent. Later in 1969, Mack Stowe, President of Redman offered John a sales job, which he was excited about. Still looking for other opportunities, John thrived at Redman as a commission salesperson making good money at 10-12K a year. After a couple years, John and Sandi decide to go into debt and buy a home in Millcreek for $32,000 and had their first child, me, in 1972. In 1973 John bought the household portion of Redman from Dill Wolley (Tramell Crow) and joined his new partners, Doug and Gary Derrick, Dick Coleman and Mack Stowe. To accomplish this buy in, John borrowed money from in laws, parents and used their own savings to acquire 22% of the business. As a result, there was a shift in management keeping Mack as President, John – V.P., Gary Derrick -Sec/ Treasurer and Dick Coleman as a Director. These new partners focused on growing the household portion of the business. As part of the purchase, the partners acquired the Sugarhouse warehouse as well as the downtown office and warehouse. At that time Redman was the agent for Beacons Van Lines. For 4-5 years the company grew. In 1975, Doug Derrick, a silent partner, pushed for a position in the company and met some resistance from the partners. As a result, the Derricks were bought out by a silent partner, Dick Redman. Jim Harris replaced Gary Derrick as Sec/Treasurer. A couple years passed and the silent partners wanted to pull money out of the company while John wanted to reinvest the profits to grow the company. Although the business was profitable, there were many inefficiencies that presented themselves as opportunities in John's eyes. There was a great deal of turmoil among owners. John was frustrated and started considering other options. He became aware of his good friend, Gary Barrus' frustrations in his various business endeavors. Gary and Irene were long time friends of John and Sandi, as well as the Dave and Karen Furhman. In 1977, Gary took the position as sales manager at Redman. For two more years, turmoil internally continued despite the company doing well and building a new warehouse in Centennial Park on the west side of Salt Lake valley and selling the Sugarhouse location in 1979. With the help of Scott Loveless' advice (lawyer) John realized he had more leverage as a minority owner than he thought. With an ally in Mac Stowe, who liked and trusted John and Gary, he supported John and Gary's ambition to buy out all other partners. As part of the deal, John and Gary were required to use the real estate of the business as collateral in a leveraged buyout in 1981. The former partners were counting on the business failing and taking back the real estate and business. As you might have guessed, John and Gary paid off the 10-year loan in five years with great satisfaction. Good news - Two friends and sole partners secured Redman who shared similar business philosophies. Several inefficiencies were solved and money was put back into the company to grow the business. Bad News – The Barrus and Eberhardts had to learn to live like poppers with young children for another 5 years. (Examples of this poverty included sharing a VCR with the Barrus family and swapping it every other weekend with my family in addition to seeing my dad share power tools with Gary in their many capentering adventures. Over the years, John and Gary involved themselves in the community and worked to build Redman's reputation. (Rotary Club, Utah Motor Transport Association, YMCA, Utah Alumni Association, etc). It was understood that Redman needed to diversify. As a result, Gary and John beefed up the record storage business, commercial warehousing and transporting high value products. Mutt and Jeff (John and Gary’s Leasing Company) was also created to create tax advantages and benefit the company. Redman outgrew the fairly new 40,000 sq ft facility in about 8 years. With the help of Dave Fuhrman at Zion's Bank, John and Gary borrowed $1M to build a 75K sq ft building on I -215 in 1993. Four years later in 1997, they built a second warehouse just North of the main warehouse. From 1987 until present Redman has had satellite warehouses in Lindon, Ogden, St. George and Billings, Montana. In 2008, Redman moved out of the record storage facility, which served as Redman’s headquarters for many years prior, into a newer and more serviceable larger warehouse several blocks to the South. So here we are in 2012....at John and Gary’s retirement party. John, 47 years with Redman and Gary, 35 years ( a combined 82 years of service!!) I asked my dad what he valued and remembered the most working at Redman to which he replied, “Seeing people grow within the company. Developing relationships within the industry. Working with Gary and appreciating the 35 year partnership working through challenges together.”

John Retires

Tribute to John Intro: • Earlier this week I received an email from our good friend Jim Freeman. For those of you who don't know him, Jim is 72 years of age and the owner of A1 Freeman Moving and Storage based in Oklahoma City. • Since moving to Oklahoma, and despite the 40 years between us, Jim and I have become good friends with regular lunch meetings. My relationship with Jim has taught me a lot about Dad. • In his email Jim asked if I'd be sure to congratulate John on his 47 year career in the business. • He also told me that he had logged 48 years in the business, and called my dad a chicken shit for quitting at such a young age. • Personally, I think 47 years is remarkable. • For those of you who like numbers, 47 years equates to 2,444 weeks, 12,267 working days, and 97,760 working hours. • For those of you follow Presidential politics, Lyndon B. Johnson was the President of the United States when dad started at Redman, and there have been eight Presidents since then, three of which served two terms. • A few years ago Dad was asked if he would be interested in serving on the Workers Compensation Board of Utah, a position appointed by the Governor. • As part of this process Dad was asked to submit a resume. As you might imagine Dad didn't have a resume, so he asked me if I'd help him out, which I was happy to do. • While working with both Mom and Dad on his resume I learned a great deal about all of the things he has accomplished in his career. • We've heard about many of these things tonight. • Rather than going through the many things that shaped the man my Dad is, I'd like to spend the next few minutes speaking on behalf of my brothers, the men that my Dad shaped. Thank you for… The Spiritual Lessons • Teaching us to be faithful • To pray in difficult times, like when the car breaks down on a road trip, or when facing severe weather on the sailboat on the great salt lake • To sacrifice our time and energy to serve others • To go to church every Sunday • Starting every family trip with a prayer • Beginning every meal with a prayer • Going to the temple regularly • Being a valiant home teacher The Professional Lessons: • The importance of developing meaningful relationships with the people we work with. Including your friends and colleagues that are with us tonight, and one we recently lost. • Showing up to work on time • Doing more than what we are asked to do • Prioritize our time and focus on the most important things • To be fair, and acknowledge others when they do something of significance • Not quitting when things are tough The Physical Lessons: • The importance of having a good tan • Exercising regularly and avoiding idleness • Teaching us how to ski on snow and water • How to ride a bike • How to shoot a gun • How to play golf, and also how to cheat while playing golf The Financial Lessons: • How to be a good provider • How to develop and manage a budget • How to save money and value what we earn • How to spend money wisely • The sense of pride that come with a "do it yourself" approach • The risks and down the road costs that come with a "do it yourself" approach • The value of purchasing a single refillable beverage with 6 complimentary straws The Personal Lessons: • How to make a plan, and stick to it • Always be in a hurry, even when you’re running way ahead of schedule • The importance of getting out and seeing the world • The importance of marrying a good woman, who is equally committed to being faithful and virtuous • Enjoying the luxuries of life on occasion, without becoming consumed by them • Never acting like you are better than anyone else • Being willing to get your hands dirty when the occasion calls for it • Not to be wasteful • How to respect and take care of the things we have, including washing and waxing a car • To enjoy music • Being polite and showing gratitude • Being the kind of man who leaves a positive impression on others. • Such an impression that others feel compelled to tell your children how much they admire you. • To be kind to kind to others, even if they've been unkind to you • Teaching us how to start a conversation with strangers on the ski lift, or in other public places, and being comfortable doing so • To be resourceful • To be disciplined • To be consistent • To be self-reliant • To have fun and laugh at ourselves • To be diplomatic, and respectful Conclusion: • These are only a few of the many things we've been taught by you Dad. • We didn't learn these things because you told us they are important, we learned these things because we watched you do them. • Dad we forgive you for your faults. • We all now know how difficult it is to raise children. • We now know how difficult it is to come home after a stressful day at work and have so much expected of us. • We now know how frustrating it can be when the things we worked so hard for don't get treated with the level of respect we would like. • We know that Fatherhood doesn't come with an owner’s manual. • We know that you did your best to teach us, and give us the best chance to be successful in all aspects of life. • And you did just that. • That is why we, your sons, are so proud to call you Dad.

Boys Trip to Steamboat Springs

A male bonding experience of skiing, eating, and enjoying the hot springs!

February

February's Fast Sunday started the month off perfectly. As we sat in Andrew and Nikki's ward with our family surrounded us I realized how blessed the Eberhardts are. It could only have been made better if David, Lindsay, Lincoln and Kate were with us. It was a beautiful, crisp winter morning. I was so surprised that the entire family was able to make it on time. Well done Eberhardts! I so appreciate the efforts as I know it is not an easy task getting everyone there on time. Andrew gave a beautiful blessing to Maya with a very tender heart and Nikki shared her testimony of what a blessing Maya has been to the family. February is indeed a time of love and gratitude to our Heavenly Father we thank him for all that is good and beautiful in life.

London has a impish side. We discovered that one way to keep her quiet is to take a photo of her. The thought crossed my mind when I looked at this photo - CENTERFOLD!

Do you think these little spirits knew each other in Heaven!

I am so glad glad our daughters-in-law have a great sense of humor. Aunt Lindsay bought Ethan his first tuxedo. What better place to wear it - Maya's blessing. All dressed up and ready to go!

January

January turned out to be anything but BLAH!!! We celebrated Jonathan and Chad's birthday while the DFE family was here. Lincoln and Kate came for a week of skiing. I've started classes at the U and Canyon's Continuing Ed in photography and editing. BUT, most importantly we added, most likely, our last grandchild - Master Ethan Louis Eberhardt. All in all, a very exiting and busy month.

I tried to help Miki out by taking the girls one Friday. What a day we had. McDonald's and Classic Family Fun Center. As a young girl I used to roller skate at Classic. Wow - has it changed! I would say that it leans more toward a white trash destination. Would I go again? You bet. Here's my story. I can laugh now BUT at the time I didn't find it very funny. Sometimes being "Grandma Good" will send me over the top. Addy and London had been having a great time in all of the bounce houses. The girls then proceeded into the jungle which is a climbing and swinging area. They climb on nylon web through little tunnels and over a bridge to another area and then to get out cross back over the bridge. No one over 70 lbs and 4 feet tall could maneuver it. I watched the girls go over the bridge. A few minutes later Addy returned informing me that London had wet her pants and taken them off. I looked over the bridge and there was this little blonde, bare bottomed girl running around. Kind of with a "nana nana na" attitude. I asked Addy to go and get her and she was putting her coat on and was too tired. I then crossed the skating rink and asked an attendant for help after I explained the situation. She had a strange expression on her face and told me she'd be back. She did come back with an older man suited up with plastic gloves and another young man. They didn't know how to get in there so they opened a compartment with all of the big plastic, colored balls that kids get lost in. The balls started coming out of the opening. Then the man, who should have had a bio-hazard suit on went in forcing more of the balls out. He then, very gingerly, handed me the soaking pants and then returned for the kill - catching London. When he got her he handed her to me at an arms length. All I could think off was GET ME OUT OF HERE. I threw on London's pink suede boots and her pink parka and most likely ripped her arm out of the socket as we headed through the roller skating rink to the car. It is good to be old!

I got to go to one Alex's basketball games. When Ethan get's bigger we'll have a team. Cade, Alex, Lincoln, Zach and Ethan.

Lincoln and Kate

We miss having David and his family with us. There is always a void. But, thank you Lindsay for being so conscientious and keeping us up to date with Lincoln, Kate and all the amazing things you do.

Pre-Christmas

I love music and the theatre. This year we took Addy and London to a Christmas Symphony. The symphony always does a great job with the children's concerts. The Monday before Christmas I took Nikki, Rachel, Miki, Misha, Sami, and Addy to Annie the Monday before Christmas. Everyone dressed up and had a wonderful time.

December 23rd

It was a great evening. The only flaw was that we missed Lindsay, Lincoln, Kate, and David. Our pseudo Scandinavian festivities include a meal of red cabbage, pork roast and a bowl of rice with a hidden almond. Somehow the KAE family keep winning. This years prize was a video our family had seen in the Caribbean on Serendipity - Around The Horn. We had a great time visiting, exchanging gift cards and of course a visit from Mr. Claus. Andrew's retelling of the Christ child's birth and the reenacting is always special. A good time was had by all.

December's Rising Stars