Beginnings

What started as a typical English course at Utah Valley State College (UVSC) ultimately became a great adventure.

"UVSC ultimately became a great adventure"

When Clark burst into the classroom in his typical fashion—probably singing some silly tune—he saw a demure redhead, Maryann, sitting in the seat adjacent to "his spot." It turns out that both had taken a course the previous semester in the same room (at different times); Clark, a creature of habit, was headed for the same seat he had occupied each class the last term; Maryann, looking for a new view, had switched to the other side of the room.

"He saw a demure redhead, Maryann"

Those early days are a bit foggy, but for every degree to which Clark was "Here I am!", Maryann was almost equally reserved. These seemingly opposite personalities (we think of them as complimentary now) may have induced the initial attraction, but we're not so different from each other now.

"We're not so different from each other now"

Clark was almost immediately attracted to Maryann; she was sweet, honestly kind, concerned for others, and she had an amazing smile that could make anyone comfortable. Before long, simply sitting next to her in class just didn't seem enough—feelings were growing.

"Sitting next to her in class just didn't
seem enough—feelings were growing"

"How's your boyfriend?" was answered: "Great... considering I don't have one." This question meant to test the volatile waters of attraction had a reassuring answer. With a perceived go-ahead, Clark and Maryann nurtured their friendship that naturally grew to something more.

"Their friendship... naturally grew to something more"

The Early Days

From courtship to engagement to marriage. Life, and love, move fast when encouraged by tender feelings and a hope for the future.

"Life, and love, move fast"

December 15, 2001 brought a magnificent blizzard to Salt Lake City and northern Utah in general. The trip to the temple was the last adventure that we would face before we really were together. While the blizzard snow kept many wedding guests stranded at home, we were in the right place—the temple. If white represents cleanness and purity, our wedding day was very much of both! The snow made for a smaller ceremony and frosty breath, but the pictures were amazing!

"White represents cleanness and purity"

Long after we were married we would be asked if we had just been, or why we still had the newlywed glow. For Clark the answer was simple: "I have the most wonderful wife; every day is heaven." Maryann, on the other hand, always seems happy independently of others—she really is an angel.

"She really is an angel"

Our beginnings were at UVSC, where we met, fell in love, were married, and had loads of fun. In fact, one semester will always shine as the greatest semester ever. We took all of our classes together—including two ballroom dance classes, aerobics, chemistry, and calculus—and got straight A's! We were the best study-buddies. We ultimately graduated (Cum Laude) and we continued our fun and education at Brigham Young University (BYU). We had great fun together in between classes, on hikes in the surrounding canyons, and in starting family traditions of our own. With a deeper, more mature love for each other, we felt ready to invite children into our lives.

"We continued our fun and education at
Brigham Young University"

Our Wonderful Children

David Wood Siler

Appearance:   Bright blue eyes     Shiny red hair     Adorable smile       Hobbies:   Playing at the park     Using his imagination     Playing games     Playing with sand and water     Riding a bike

Rebecca Jane Siler

Appearance:   Captivating blue eyes     Soft red hair     Engaging smile       Hobbies:   Climbing and exploring     Drawing and coloring     Laughing and having fun     Playing with babies     Playing with sand and water

Benjamin Turner Siler

See more here

Appearance:   Ready smile     Light brown hair     Sparkly eyes       Hobbies:   Sleeping     Being held     Holding on to fingers     Receiving hugs and kisses     Brightening the room spacei

Current Events

We moved to Pflugerville, a town outside of Austin, Texas, in July 2006 for Clark to pursue graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em Horns) in civil/environmental engineering (in water resources). We love the area and have a fun neighborhood (with a park for the children to play in across the street), the best ward (local church congregation), and great friends.

"Hook 'em Horns"

What do we do for fun? We spend all of our spare time playing as a family—we take walks, go for family bike rides, explore the wonders of Texas, and we often take trips to San Antonio (where we worship at the temple or play at the zoo). While we miss the family and friends (and mountains) that we left in Utah, we are finding a wealth of new family and friends (no mountains, though) here. We think we'll survive our stay here, and we welcome and invite visitors to come and explore with us the excitement of the Lone Star State!

"We spend all of our spare time
playing as a family"

...and in case you were wondering, the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas.

Bonus

Family History

Each of us is benefited by those who have gone before: we live in houses we did not build, we drive on roads we did not pave, we are governed by laws we did not write, and we have names that we did not choose. We want to make the most of these endowments—we feel we have a responsibility to do so—and we want to reflect the honor and dignity that are in our names.

What's in a name? Much more than we realize. The people listed below are part of our family tree, and like a tree's roots and branches, they have provided strength and protection for generations—for us.
 

		Harold Alfred SILER	John Andrew SILER
	Don Gordon SILER		Ruby May CORNWALL
Clark David SILER		Shirley Erma CROXALL	Joseph Heber CROXALL
			Erma Mary HORRICKS
		Lionel William HANSEN	William Enoch HANSEN
	Kay Ann HANSEN		Barbara Ellen TEEPLES
		Mabel Minerva SMITH	Vincent Agustus SMITH
			Emma G FORNCROOK (HYNEE)
		Delos Allen ROWE	Benjamin Turner ROWE
	Glenn Neil ROWE		Sarah Jane ALLEN
Maryann Frances ROWE		Mary Alice PRATT	Leonidas Moroni PRATT
			Sarah Etta BAILEY
		Warren Farrell CARR	Charles Clyde CARR
	Melody Ann CARR		Viola May BOICE
		Frances Beattie DAVIS	Alexander Wood DAVIS
			Olivia Amanda PETERSON

Other Silers

	Town of Siler City, North Carolina, population: 8,000. While we don't plan on moving to Siler City, NC any time soon, it is likely a happy place to live (by virtue of its name).
	From what we can gather, the Siler Group (Grupo Siler) is a pipe adhesive company in Mexico. While we don't know much about their product, their name and logo sure are impressive; take a look: Click to select an alternate image: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11
	While not strictly another "Siler," Clark University (in Worcester, MA) has some interest... at least to Clark.
	While we're on the topic of schools, if you're interested in starting smaller than Clark University, try Clark College (in Vancouver, WA).
	By the way, apparently, there are: two (2) people named Clark Siler, three (3) named Maryann Siler, one-hundred forty-one (141) named David Siler, and twenty-six (26) named Rebecca Siler in the United States. How many of you are there? Find out here.