930. Our son McKay's Birthday is today! "This is your Life"!

I just have to repost this again, on our 5th child McKay's birthday!  We LOVE YOU Mc KAY!

Today is our 5th child, and 3rd son McKay Dayton Eckman's birthday!  He was born in the middle of General Conference in 1963, and President David O. Mckay was the prophet, so we named him McKay after the Prophet.  His middle name is the maiden name of his grandmother, Gladys Tregenna Dayton Eckman.

This entry tells a lot about his life.  It was first posted 2 years ago today.  He now is a Ward Clerk in his ward in Oceanside, California, and well respected at his work.  He travels to other cities often for his work, and he and Kim are very happy.  He really misses his dad, Wayne, as they would talk together during every ball game they both were watching!  He has been so good to both of us.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2014

242, Our son, McKay Dayton Eckman, birthday October 4, 1963, during General Conference. THIS IS YOUR LIFE (briefly)

On October 4, 1963, our son McKay Dayton Eckman, was born, during General Conference.  President David O. McKay was the prophet at that time, and we had sort of planned to name our child David, if he was a boy, but my sister Mavis had a son a few weeks before she had named David.  So we decided that "McKay" would be a great name.  Interestingly, President Thomas S. Monson was first called to be an apostle, during that same Conference!  So it is easy for us to remember how long Pres. Monson has been a General Authority from the beginning!

Under the picture it says:  McKay, 2, Anita 6, Wayne M. 9, Delsy 7, Allen 4, about 1965.  He was a darling, easy to manage small child!

This vintage picture was taken in front of my parent's home in St. George in about 1971.  On the back row, l to r: Me, holding Tacy, Grandma Ruth, and Grandpa Pratt, Wayne M.   Front row, Anita, Delsy, McKay and Angela, (Angie)

This picture was taken in the back yard of our home in Sandy, at 891 Emerald Drive.  L to R: Wayne M, Dad Wayne, Allen, and McKay, probably about 1972.

This was our whole family in 1972.  Back row: Me holding Pamela (baby), Wayne, Wayne M., Delsy, Anita.  Front:  Tacy, Allen, McKay and Angie.  That back yard in Sandy was the scene of many neighborhood get togethers.  I remember several times counting 16 children playing in the back yard.  We had a well worn baseball field, pitiful garden, etc.  In that neighborhood, we weren't unusual.  We ended up with 9 children, Arnolds across the street had 10, Hairs around the corner had 10, Smiths to our east had 9, Gilchrists to our west had 7, down a street were the Clawson's with 9, and over on Poppy Lane were the Deems with 10 -- all in the same ward!  

This picture was taken just before Wayne M. went on his mission to Ecuador in 1975.  Back row: Wayne, Anita, Allen, McKay, Pal, -- Front: Wayne M., holding Jeremy, Pam, Delsy, Angie, and Tacy.  At that time was the first time we afforded to take all our family to a restaurant!  We couldn't afford to do that like many families do today.

This picture was again taken at Grandma's house in St. George on one of our many family visits there.  We lived in Sandy from 1962 to 1981.  Back:  Angie, McKay, Tacy, -- Front Pam, and Jeremy.

McKay in high school above.  During his junior year, he had enough credits to be able to go to Lanai,Hawaii, and plant pineapples for 6 months.  During that time, we moved to St. George, and he wasn't too happy to have his senior year at high school be at Dixie High.  His heart has always stayed with Jordan High in Sandy.

I'm not sure if this was high school, or his associate degree at Dixie College.  At that time he worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken as an assistant manager.  

Don't you love the apprehensive look on McKay's face as he was holding his Missionary papers, and contemplating where they may be sending him?  During high school he had taken 3 years of French, but his call was to Tiawan, the Taipei Mission.  He was thrilled.  He went during the short time that missionaries could be gone only 18 months.  But during that time he became extremely fluent in Mandarin Chinese, passing an advanced test in the language.  Anita went to a dance at BYU after that time, and was dancing with someone who had known McKay on his mission.  His comment was "He was awesome in the language!"

McKay's picture with his Mission President and wife after he arrived in Taiwan.

           One of the pictures he sent home from Taiwan while a missionary.

This is a close up of McKay, between his Mission President and wife.

This is a family picture taken just before McKay left on his mission.  McKay is the 4th from the left on the back row.

This is another family picture around 1986.  McKay is the last on the right on the top row.

After McKay graduated from Dixie College with an Associate, he worked in Salt Lake City and it was there that Anita told him about BYU Hawaii, as she had finished a semester there the previous spring.  He decided to go there, and it was at BYU that he met his beautiful wife, Kim Lu, from Taiwan.  They were engaged that year, 1986, and came to St. George the summer of 1987 to be married.  They then went back and both graduated from BYU Hawaii in 1988.

This wedding picture of McKay and Kim, shows her brother Ping Wen on the left, as the best man, and her father on the right of this picture.

This is a picture of Kim's parents on the left, with the bride and groom.

At the time they were married, Kim's parents, shown on the right with McKay and Kim, traveled to St. George from Taiwan, and were here for the wedding.  They were lovely, educated, and very gracious people, who didn't speak English.  We had an enjoyable time using McKay and Kim as interpreters.  Her father passed away a few years ago in Taiwan.  Her mother still lives in Taiwan, and Kim flys back at least once a year for a few days to be with her.

McKay and Kim graduated in 1988 from BYU Hawaii, and Anita on the left, and Wayne and I went to Hawaii and spent a week there, enjoying the beautiful island of Oahu, and the Polynesian Cultural Center.  McKay and Kim had worked there, being photographers for tour groups.  They had originally met both working there serving in a food booth.

McKay and Kim with their beloved Pinky.  Kim does beautiful Chinese cut art, and behind them on the wall is an example of her work.  She also does beautiful oil painting.  They have been partial to Pomeranian dogs, and have had 3 of them.  First Buster, then Pinky, and now Chloe.

I can't remember which dog this is with Kim and McKay.

A couple of years ago, Kim's brother Ping Wen's wife, and a neice and nephew made a trip to the United States.  McKay and Kim took them to many places of interest in California.  They have lived in Oceanside, California for many years.  McKay is a para-legal there in a law firm, and Kim works for an import-export business.  They always have been so good to us, and anyone who visits them, taking us to so many of the nice entertainment places there, and to dinner, and professional baseball games.  We love to visit them!

This is another picture with Kim's relatives from Taiwan.  I'm not sure of their names, but Kim's lovely mother is in the front.

McKay and their dog!  They take such good care of their dog.  Now McKay has been writing to his neice and nephews who are on missions, and has really endeared himself to them.  He was happy when one nephew, his sister Anita's son Ben, was called to Taichung, Taiwan on a mission.  There are two missions in Taiwan, and McKay went to the northern one, and Ben is in the southern one.  They will be able to speak Mandarin when he returns!

This is McKay, and his older brother Wayne M.  They often travel to California or Utah to go to games together, particularly BYU games.  McKay spent last night, Oct. 3, 2014, in Salt Lake going to the BYU-Utah State game (down in Provo) with his brother Wayne, and will come here to our home tonight, where we will play games with all family members we can gather together after the Priesthood conference.  We love to play games when we get together.

McKay is beloved in his ward, as he works with the young men, and closely follows them in their growing up years, and participates in many activities with them.  He is rather a practical joker, and people love his playful nature.  Both McKay and Kim have been so good to us, and also her parents.  We wish we could see them more often, but our traveling days are limited now.  He was the 5th (totally middle) child in our family of 9 children.