Aja (Bevan) Kayser Update

Hello again Lancers of 1997. The last 5 years have been good to me and I have nothing to complain about (except maybe the extra wrinkles… damn sunblock that I never used!). I remarried 4 years ago to a Handsome Prince/IT Consultant, Kipp Sorensen. I inherited two fine step sons (Brenden and Ian) and we also welcomed a new baby girl (Aliana)… Yeah! Now I will have a friend when I am old. Of course I still have my son, Keawe… didn’t want to get rid of him… And now we have a complete family of 6, and hoping for one more.

Since the last reunion we had a short-term living arrangement in Washington DC and then a year and a half in NYC, right on Wall Street. AMAZING! We are back in Utah and now reside next to the mountains in Sandy… I swore I would never leave the West Side to live with the snobby East-siders… but the mountains were calling and I found out that I was being a judgmental jerk! However,  I miss buying fresh tamales in the Walmart parking lot, Polynesian gatherings in the family garage, low-riding Honda Civics and WV bangs. Teeheehee! So here I am and I love it.

I’ve been lucky to continue owning a Personal Training and Nutrition Business (www.ajakayser.com).  I also opened another company that takes people on Fitness and Adventure Vacations to Hawaii (www.funfitnessvacations.com). Lastly, I am a contractor with a fitness equipment company, designing fitness programs for their equipment and creating workout videos. It has been great. They have sent me to Italy and more trips to come. So pretty much, I don’t use my BA in Journalism, BA in French or my MA in Intercultural Communications at all and I couldn’t be happier. Fitness just does it for me. Still biking, hiking, swimming, running, camping, motorcycling, wakeboarding, snowboarding, fracturing  bones and peeing my pants (joys of motherhood).

 I have enjoyed many vacations, as it is my passion. It’s always an adventure since I am a last-minute Joe and the Budget Queen of the Universe.  I’ve had to slow down because of that responsibility thing called, Mom.

Well friends, the bragging stops here. Thank you for listening and I honestly can’t wait to read about what you have been up to. Get’r done and see you on September 8^th!   ALOHA!!

GHS Homecoming Game

Hey Granger!

If you didn't make it to the Homecoming Game, you missed out!

I haven't been back since High School and honestly, it was really fun...not to mention a great family activity. Here are a few pictures from the game. Hopefully everyone can mark the date for next year. It would be great for all old-fogie-97'ers to dominate the crowd (and get cheap food and entertainment).

Hope everyone is happy and well.

Aja

P.S. As an incentive to come next year, Aubrey Thompson and I are going to cheer...hahaha! Seriously though.... (that deserves another laugh- hehehehehe!). Anyone else want to join us??

No Longer "The Most Eligible Bachelorette"

I just got married to the most wonderful guy around, Kipp Sorensen. I am beyond lucky and blessed and I am so happy for myself and my new family... I have inherited 2 great little boys too, Brenden and Ian! They are wonderful, little men with sweet spirits and rascal tendencies (A perfect match for Keawe) :) How great is it that I get to continue my fantastic life with a fantastic partner, friend and lover?!

God continues to bless me and I am eternally grateful. I hope everyone is as in love with their spouse as they were on their wedding day; It is a beautiful and powerful feeling and the one and only base for a loving, happy family. May you never forget it and may you continue to love more dearly than you ever thought possible.

Kisses and blessings to all,
Aja
www.KippandAja.com

More Sad News...

Dear Lancers-

I must admit, not a pleasant week for our fellow school mates. Just wanted to pass on some sad news about the death of Zane Antonio. He passed away in late January and it was just brought to my attention. I'm not sure, but I heard it may have been a heart attack.

Prayers and blessings to the families of both Zane and Nick....

Take care of yourselves and God Bless,

Aja

LANCER REUNION POLL RESULTS!

1. Fertile Myrtle: who has had the most kids in 10 years? Joann (Scarlet) Spencer (4), Joe May (5) & Michelle Harris (5)

2. Future Bill Gates: who is the most accomplished? Troy Ostler

3. High School Lovin’: high school sweethearts are still going strong? Allen and Missy Ackerson

4. Brauns to Brains: what jock has turned in his/her jersey for schooling? Scott Francum
5. West-Side Einstein: who has the most education? Ari Bruening

6. Travel’n Fool: who spends their hard-earned money on traveling the world? Johnny Pease

7. I wish I had his/her job: who has the most envied job? Brian Carlson

8. Late bloomers: who is the most eligible bachelor?Mat Pett

9. Late bloomers: who is the most eligible bachelorette? Aja Kayser

10. Hats are a man’s best friend: who has a little less hair than in high school? Kenny Newton

11. Same Story: who has changed the least since high school? Todd Barfuss

12. Still Looking Good (Female): Mindi (Millgate) Martin

13. Still Looking Good (Male): Josh Walden

Some Words From the Fabulous Aja!

Hello Lancers,
Thanks for the awesome turnout. Looks like we had 250 people in the day portion and 120 at the night! Yeah Lancers!

Many thanks to the committee (listed in alphabetical order as to not thank one more than the other):

Brian Carlson
Erin Hinckley
Kenny Newton
Katie Potts
David Pulsipher
Diana VanOrden

And to others who donated their time, talents, prizes and games:

Tasha Bevan
Rebecca Black
Jodi Bodenhoffer and Sister
Stephanie Hymas
Heidi Raddon
Joanne Scarlet
Wendy Wariner
Lots of smiles, lots of pretty dresses, lots of fun and lots of freek'n kids (man you guys work fast!).

Please feel free to continue to send your blogs in or update it whenever you like. And don't forget to pass the word along and pester your friends to get their act together and get posted!

Once again, thanks for all the support. Thanks for coming. Thanks for sharing your stories. See you at the 15 year reunion! If you would like to be a part of the committee, please contact:

Aubrey (Thompsen) Augirre- President
a-cupcake!@comcast.net

Kelli (Neilson) Peterson- Vice President
taitemsmommy@yahoo.com

Katie (Potts) Cameron- Secretary
Kameo1010@yahoo.com

They would be more than happy to have your help!!! Do your part!

Kisses to all and adios until we are 33-years-old!

Aja Bevan

Kacee (Cox) Bartholomew Hangs With the Girls!

After high school I spent my time working, scrapbooking and hanging out with friends. In 1999, I met my husband (at work) and married him 6 months later. I continued working until he graduated from BYU with his masters degree in 2002. Then I was able to stay home with our 10 month old daughter, Adilynn. I have enjoyed being home with my kids ever since. We now have three! Adilynn is 5, Luke is 2 ½ and Paislee is almost 1. We have enjoyed traveling and were able to live in Germany for about 8 months. It was beautiful, and we loved being able to take weekend trips to castles and places like Austria, Switzerland, and Prague but I missed home and family. We are happy to be back and living in Lehi, around the corner from Mike and Stephanie Pickle, and are excited to start construction on a new home, any day, just down the street in Highland! I am lucky to still get together with Emily, Sharane, Amanda, Aja, Stephanie, Kelli, Krissi, Aubrey and (sometimes) Wendy almost every month!

Kacee Bartholomew

kaceebarthololmew@yahoo.com

Aja (Bevan) Kayser Travels the World!

After graduating, I moved to Hawaii to attend the University of Hawaii. I was a dancer for the University and received scholarship to jump around in tights (yeah for me!). I graduated with two bachelors degrees: Broadcast Journalism and French. I then sold all my possessions and moved to France to be a bum....What a life! I took French classes, snowboarded, played guitar and gallivanted around the world with me, myself, my snowboard, my backpack and I for a year.

I returned to Hawaii for a while until I decided that I needed to get a little more education…that I may or may not use. So, I moved to London and attended the University of Luton, where I received a Masters Degree in Intercultural Communications (yes, it's a mouthful). I met a guy there who moved back to Hawaii with me and we had the best thing that ever happened to me, my son: Keawe!!!! His dad and I have since separated but we are friends and love nothing more than to see our little monster...well, become more of a monster.

Two years ago, I moved to Salt Lake City, where I bought a house in Taylorsville and now reside with my little man. I run my own business as a Personal Trainer. I love, love, love my job and enjoy working with people to change the quality of their lives and the lives of the people around them. This job has also allowed me to be a single mom who gets to spend a lot of time with her kid. I love it! I always thought I would be a working woman in high power, but hey, other things take priority AND sometimes you find out that what you dream is not really what you want or need.

I love my son. I love life. I love to dance. I love music. I love playing the guitar. I love spending time with my family. I love being on the lake. I love snowboarding. I love cycling. I love going to the gym. I love playing sports. I love laughing. I love having get-togethers with my friends. I love smiling. I love being positive. I love being loved. I love the ocean. I love Hawaii. I love people. I love hot weather. I love live bands. I love festivals. I love color. I love being me. So there you have it. Now you know me! :0)

Aja Kayser Bevan

ajakayser@hotmail.com

Welcome Lancers!

Welcome to the Granger High School Reunion Blog for the Class of 1997! This blog has been set up in hopes of bringing our class together, to get those attending the reunion excited for it, and to give those who can't attend the reunion a chance to see what everyone has been up to.

If you have stumbled upon this blog and you graduated from GHS in '97 then bookmark this site and send your email address to Aja at ajakayser@hotmail.com so she can get you on the official reunion email list! Also, please pass along class members email addresses and phone numbers so there can be a great turnout!

This blog is intended for all '97 Granger graduates to post what they've done since graduation so we can all catch up on each others lives. Please get your life stories, pictures, etc. sent to granger97@gmail.com so we can get them posted before the reunion...and be sure to check this site often for updates!