“We both had one-of-a-kind sculptures from the same artist in our homes, so right off the bat we had something in common,” said Millard.

Martha and Millard met 4-1/2 years ago when they both became founding residents of Wesley Homes Lea Hill. They lived across from each other in Village Homes. Though they were friendly, neither had much contact with the other until they were both on the Wesley Homes Lea Hill Resident Council together.

“There was a party that needed to be planned, so I volunteered Millard to be the party chair,” said Martha. At the time, Millard was in Alaska and had quite the surprise when he returned!

After that, they’d walk to breakfast together as neighbors. Millard began asking Martha out to dinner, but she kept telling him no. This became a weekly ritual until Martha finally said yes. “I got tired of telling him no,” she laughed. On their first date, “He talked all night! I couldn’t get a word in.”

Millard’s intelligence [he holds doctorate, master’s and bachelor’s degrees], personality and sense of humor won Martha over.

They knew they had to tell their friends and neighbors about their relationship and invited them over for dinner. “They said they already knew because Millard started dressing better, and his hair was combed,” said Martha.

When Millard’s daughter was about to get married, the couple realized they would have to take an overnight trip. The question of whether or not they should get married was simplified by Bud, Millard’s oldest son. Before their spouses passed away, both Martha and Millard had taken care of their spouses during illnesses. Once Bud posed the question, “Are you ready to take care of each other?” the couple knew their answer: yes!

They were married in April 2009 in Renton, WA, with 450 people attending their reception at Wesley Homes Lea Hill. “It was wonderful to see everyone dressed up. We always see them in their everyday clothes,” said Martha.

And how would their families blend? Millard has five children, but Martha has none. “She told me ‘Don’t smother me with your kids’ and I told her ‘Don’t isolate me from my kids.’ Now she thinks more of my kids than I do!” said Millard.

“We’ve found a happy balance,” agreed Martha.

That happy balance includes blending their active lives. They are deeply involved in Wesley Homes Lea Hill activities. Martha is now head of the Resident Council, and the couple support Wesley Homes Foundation’s fundraising. Martha, a NASBLA Boating Educator Award winner for Washington State, takes Millard on fishing trips to local lakes. Millard has gotten Martha involved in the Boeing Bluebills, a volunteer organization close to his heart.

Millard recalled his second date with Martha, a lunch at Salty’s in Redondo. “My kids called me 12 times, but I didn’t answer,” he said. His sole attention was on his lady love.

Start 2012 off right! Join us at Wesley Homes Des Moines for Live Smart for Your Heart on Thursday, February 9th from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Find out about healthy living at Wesley Homes. Experience fitness tips from Highline Athletic Club Trainer Rueben Baca. Enjoy a heart-healthy cooking demonstration by Wesley Homes’s own Executive Chef Chuck Chalfant. And you’ll get to sample Chef Chuck’s recipe. Call 206-824-5000 to RSVP.

Learn how to make it through financially challenging times through our Financial Relief for Seniors Workshop at Wesley Homes Des Moines on Thursday, February 23rd at 11:15 a.m.

Our presenters are:

Tom Brown, RN, Executive Director Wesley Homes Home Health

Tom Ritter, Vice President of Stay in Home

Monique Pizzitola, MBA, Key Bank

Our panel of experts will provide you with innovative solutions to reduce bank fees, decrease property taxes and eliminate mortgage payments. Also learn the value of in-home care and how to enhance retirement income. Free lunch provided. Call 206-824-5000 to RSVP.

At Wesley Homes’ Lunch and Learn, you’ll enjoy a tasty meal and view this month’s featured accommodations. Join us on Thursday, February 16th at Des Moines or Friday, February 17th at Lea Hill. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today! RSVP to 206-824-5000 for Des Moines and 253-876-6000 for Lea Hill.

Keep an eye for details on our March seminar: Downsizing to Simplicity.

• Scaling down in order to move can be the big elephant in the room, and that’s okay. Just eat the elephant one bite at a time. Invite friends and family to help you decide what to keep, sell or give away. Define your goals, create a to-do list and visualize success!
• Be sure to use reputable service providers.
• The market for homes priced $350,000 and under is extremely active right now. Of those looking to purchase a home, 95% are qualified to buy.
• Not all homes are model homes that are move-in ready. Your home doesn’t have to be new to look like a model home. Using a staging expert with a small investment of $400 on new or rented furniture can get your home sold quicker.
• There are buyers who want to buy your home, so now is a good time to sell. Financing is favorable, and inventory is shrinking. The 20% increase in sales over last year indicates that the market is starting to tilt toward a seller’s market rather than a buyer’s market.
• When you want to move is the best time to do it.
• Current interest rates are under 4%. Right now, the interest rate for a 30 Year Fixed is 3.88%. There have been eight interest rate reductions in the last 12 months, and there probably won’t be any interest rate hikes in the near future.
• Bottom line: Don’t wake up a year from now saying, “I wish I’d done this years ago!” Start now!

Thank you to our panel of experts: Jane Conrad, John L. Scott Real Estate; Konnie Bryant, Columbia Bank Residential Lending Officer; Linda Kladnick, Easy Transitions by Benevia; Dan Peck, Cobalt Mortgage; Anne Tripp and Rebecca Bomann, SASH (Sell A Senior’s Home); Michael Goodfellow, Goodfellow & Associates CPA, PS; and Caprea Swearingen, Northwest Home Staging.

View video

Thanks Ben Y.

Happy New Year!

We have a great vision for Wesley Homes in 2012. With new energy and significant goals, we are looking forward to an exciting year. We are updating systems and programs to ensure that we provide high quality resident- and client-centered care. Through the development of a new campus and Lea Hill Health Center, the creation of new services and the expansion of current programs like Home Health, we are expanding our services to serve more individuals and their families throughout King and Pierce counties.

Given the current economy, we are continuing to develop diversified revenue sources and be prudent stewards of the financial resources we have. Donors who share our vision to expand the Wesley Homes mission to more seniors are critical to making this happen. With the help of people like you, we will be able to create new and innovative programs, construct new campuses and add skilled nursing beds to our Lea Hill campus.

Having strong leaders and quality staff also contributes to our success. Employees are our most important asset. Without them, our vision for 2012 will remain just a vision. Hard work and good customer service will help enhance our marketing and sales efforts. The implementation of more advanced technology systems will help us grow and be more effective so we can provide a higher level of care and be more cost efficient. Lastly, development of our staff to achieve outstanding customer service will ensure that our organizational culture personifies the mission of Wesley Homes.

This is not an easy vision to fulfill, but we will attain these goals with your help. We have been truly blessed throughout the years here at Wesley Homes. I thank you for your continued prayers and support as we begin 2012!

Kevin Anderson

President and CEO

Wesley Homes

The big question for many is how to begin this journey of finding from whom we came. The easiest first step is to talk to parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to get an oral history. These relatives are most likely to have first-hand knowledge as far back as 2-3 generations, so be sure to attend the next family reunion. They may also have photos, letters, family Bibles and heirlooms, newspaper clippings, diaries, wedding invitations, citizenship and passenger records, draft cards or other materials stored away that can help in your next steps. But beware: oral histories can contain information that has been distorted by time.

“It’s been passed down in my family that we are descendants of Capt. [James] Cook,” said Wesley Homes resident Jean Fisher, aka Loretta Jean Baganz Shipley Fisher. Jean teaches a genealogy class on the Lea Hill campus. “It turns out that Capt. Cook’s sons both died before producing offspring, and he had no other blood relatives. So he has no descendants. My family was not happy to hear that!”

The next step is to decide which side of your family you want to trace first. It will get confusing quickly if you trace both your mother’s side and your father’s side at the same time. Also consider how many generations you want to trace before moving on to your public records search.

“Census records are the main source of information,” said Jean, “but you’ll find misspellings and other errors on census records.”

Sometimes children provided information because there were no adults at home when a census taker arrived. Also, names were often spelled phonetically, so keep that in mind when reviewing census records. The first census was in 1790, so there won’t be any records before that year. The 1930 census is the last one made public. For privacy reasons, details are released approximately 70 years after a census is taken.

As you gather information, including full and maiden names and locations, it’s important to be organized. Keep your information in envelopes or file folders labeled for each person. This will make it easier for you to transfer this information to pedigree/ancestral charts and family group sheets. These charts can often be found online for free. It’s also a good idea to fill them out in pencil until everything is finalized.

Be sure to also keep track of who or what organization you’ve contacted and the responses they send via letters or emails. These research and correspondence logs will help you remember what you requested and when.

Jean’s grandfather started his genealogy chart in 1917 and was able to go back to the revolutionary days. “He did everything by mail. There were no computers, and he didn’t use a telephone. He typed everything,” said Jean. “When my grandfather passed on, my mother gave me all of his papers.” Unfortunately, Jean’s mother threw all of the background letters away.

Other places you can use in your search include libraries, family history centers like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (you don’t have to be Mormon), CyndisList.com, birth and death records, Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, county court records and archives, local historians, RootsWeb.com and BirthArchives.com. There are hundreds of free and pay options, so you can see why it’s important to be organized.

If you’re collecting information in Washington State and have computer access, your search may be a bit easier. “Washington is the number one state when it comes to digitizing its records,” said Jean. Searching online can save time and postage. Additionally, local electronic stores carry software packages to make linking your relatives easier.

Once you’ve completed your search, you can create your family tree. Some people make books so that they can include old photos and records they collected during their search. Your quest for your family’s history will give a foundation to your family and provide a legacy to future generations!

Ingredients

2-3 pounds Pork Tenderloin

3/4 cup Hoisin Sauce

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Rice Wine

1/3 cup Honey

1 tablespoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Powdered Ginger

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice

2 tablespoons Red Food Coloring

Create the marinade by combining all of the ingredients, except for the pork. Place the pork tenders in a glass pan and pour the marinade over them. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 425⁰F. Add a rack to a roasting pan and fill the pan with water to just below the rack. Wipe any excess marinade from the pork and line the tenders up neatly in the roasting pan.

Place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325⁰F and roast for another 30-40 minutes, turning and basting frequently with the remaining marinade.

Slice into bite-sized pieces and serve with hot mustard, catsup and toasted sesame seeds.