Stacie Brown Ekker

The past 15 years have sure flown by in a hurry! I can't believe it has been that long. My life has taken on some great changes in the last 15 years. I married Jason Ekker and we have two chidlren, Hagan (almost 14), and Brielle(11).

We lived in Loa for 8 years where I ran a home-based daycare for four years and Jason worked for State Stone, in Torrey. After four years of daycare, I began working for the school district in the developmental preschool. After a year of this, I was moved to the middle school to work with a special education student one-on-one. I was then able to move on to high school with her when she went (Jason used to give me a hard time about receiving a second diploma). I worked at the high school for four years and this past year moved to the elementary as a math paraprofessional. I love working with kids and helping them learn. It has been great! When I started working for the school district, I decided I would start going to school to get my teaching certificate.

I started with Utah State through the extension service, but then switched to an online college. It is much easier to go to school online, especially when I work and take care of my family. Western Governer's University is great and I am about finished with my degree. I am just finishing up my student teaching in the fifth grade this year, and I love it. I soon hope to be able to teach full time. In the summer and some weekends in the spring and fall, I work at the Torrey Bed & Breakfast, where I go in and cook breakfast for the guests. Since I love to cook, this is something that I totally enjoy doing. It is more a hobby than a job!

I have also bought my own vinyl cutter so I can run a small home business in my spare time!! I have been very busy with this, making signs for many menu boards throught the count, as well as Capitol Reef. I have also provided the vinyl for a few Relief Society HFPE nights. This has been great fun and I really enjoy doing it. So does my daughter, Brielle. She is a big help and loves to help me get it ready to go.

Jason has been really patient with all of my "issues" such as school, work, and relief society nights. He started working for my dad and brother in their construction business about three years ago, so it is easy for him to help me out, because I know his boss really well! Our two children also keep us really busy. Hagan is most definately his father's child. He loves to spend as much time hunting and fishing as possible. He has been doing both with his dad since he could walk (fishing poles for christmas were a must). He is happiest when he is able to do either of these things, yet he is still a great student in school. He works for my dad every summer and has been able to buy his own archery equipment and pay for his own hunting licenses (which is good because he likes to hunt everything). He also loves to wrestle. He has been involved with bantam since he was in preschool. Lately, he has wrestled for the middle school wrestling team and can't wait to wrestle at the high school level.

Brielle is also her father's child. She also loves to spend time fishing and hunting. Forget Barbie Dolls and make-up. She was happier with a BB gun and a bow and arrows. Brielle also loves to sing and play the piano. She has been singing and playing the piano since she was four years old and has loved it. Lately, she has given up the piano due to the fact that her fingers were always hurting. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. It has been more difficult for me to accept than for her. She has such a great personality and attitude that she just continues to barrel through life at full speed. She also loves to play softball and has learned to make adjustments so she can do this. Her independence and determination have helped her alot. Just two weeks ago, she was diagnosed with OsteochondritiesDissecans, a condition in which a part of her femur bone and cartlidge have lost their blood supply and is dying. She is in a wheelchair for the next 6weeks, at least. However, she still endures the pain and tries to stay upbeat. The only thing she hates is that she can't do everything for herself anymore. She can't stand the extra help she requires from others because she thinks she should just do it herself. Talk about stubborn. :)

In our spare time, our family loves to go hunting and fishing (of course). We are also huge NASCAR fans. You can always find us home when there is a race on TV. The only thing that preempts this is hunting season. Since we moved to Teasdale 5 years ago, we will not have too far to travel to see everyone at the reunion.