In 2010, I began blogging about my experiences as a woman in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2019, I expanded my message and launched Hawkerfamily.com to include my family. This website also serves as a repository for my past blog posts and related social media content, as I have chosen to step away from active engagement on social platforms.
I understand and recognize the importance of inclusivity considering the different communication challenges within the diverse global membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please note that this website has a specific American perspective. To ensure clarity and consistency, this website uses traditional gender definitions outlined in the “Proclamation of the Family” from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please note that this website does not represent the Church.
Thanks for visiting,
Julie
Rick and Julie
Rick and I typify the old adage that “opposites attract.” A farm boy from New Plymouth, Idaho, Rick had served as a missionary in Cordoba, Argentina for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1978, he enrolled as a business major at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I was a native Californian raised in San Jose. After graduating from West Valley Community College in Saratoga, California, I transferred to BYU Provo in the fall of 1978. In December, the semester nearly complete, I met Rick on a Sunday evening. One of my roommates, Robin, had invited Rick to join our group of roommates for a church “fireside” meeting that Sunday night. I watched Rick watch me during the entire meeting. Back at BYU after winter break, we started dating in January of 1979. Rick’s rustic, homespun charm soon won me over, and we married that same year on November 10th in the Oakland, California Latter-day Saint temple. We settled in San Jose and later moved to Morgan Hill, a small town south of San Jose.
Rick continued school and eventually graduated with an M.B.A. from San Jose State University. His career in business finance involved defense and aerospace industries including a start-up company. During many of those years, I was a stay-at-home mom to our four great kids (two sons and two daughters). In my mid-30s, I went back to school completing a master’s degree in Communication Studies at San Jose State University. The department had also hired me as a part-time adjunct instructor teaching general education courses such as Argumentation & Advocacy, Critical Thinking & Decision Making, Communication & Human Relationships, Public Speaking, and a required course for graduating seniors called Writing for Influence. During those years, I also taught a couple of semesters at the University of Santa Clara and at Evergreen Community College. After nearly 25 years of teaching, I retired in May of 2019 when Rick’s employment offered him a job transfer to Utah.
We dedicated 40 years to working and raising our family in the vibrant Bay Area of California, a place I had called home my entire life. Our children had married raising their families in Utah, all residing in the same close-knit neighborhood. So, Rick and I built our house in the same neighborhood community. As grandparents to four granddaughters and four grandsons, we love being an influential part of their everyday lives. And like all families, we deal with our inevitable idiosyncrasies and quirks but navigate our challenges with unwavering love for each other while upholding the commitments we have made in the holy LDS temples.
