Meet Kristina Tolman

I was born in Oregon, but only lived there for a couple of years. I lived in Idaho moving around every three or so years until my sophomore year.

While living in Burley Idaho, my parents married creating a large step family of 9. We moved to a little farming community outside Burley called View.  Two weeks after moving in, my oldest brother (16) died in a car accident.  There was a family by the name of Tolman who lived in the area that had a son (16) die in a car accident a few years before. They were a great comfort to our family.  Bobby Tolman was one of their sons. He was a couple years older than me so we didn't run in the same circles. But right before my family was to move to Wisconsin there was a combined YM/YW activity at our house. Bobby ended up staying after it was over and the two of us started playing Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo. We played until 3AM, not once did we talk to each other, except to say, "Man, this level is hard." When Bobby realized what time it was, he left. That was the extent of our association of our association.

Our family then moved to Wisconsin and that's where I graduated. Changing schools my Sophomore year was difficult. It was a small high school and the kids were established in their groups. The popular group of girls took an instant disliking to me because I had made the starting team for volleyball and one of their friends didn't make the team. I would often get tripped in the hallway, find nasty names on my locker and have basketballs thrown at my head. It was at this point that I had to decide who I was and what I believed. I decided I wasn't going to let these girls determine my future so I became involved in everything I possibly could.

One of the things I was involved in was the musicals. My Senior year I played Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady. »  I have so many great memories from rehearsals. We all became family and cried when the show was over because we wouldn't get to spend that time together anymore. I was also captain of the volleyball team. We won second in regionals my Senior year. It was a great experience. I was also chosen to represent Wisconsin in a volleyball game against girls from Illinois, called Battle of the State Line.

One of my fondest memories came when I was called down to the office my Senior year and told I couldn't graduate because I was missing a PE credit from back when I had transferred. I was a straight A student, took all the hardest classes and was involved in everything. I was so upset that they hadn't told me this before. I went back to class and got some teasing about what I was in trouble for. When I told the class that they weren't going to let me graduate the whole class got upset and said that if they didn't let me graduate they were going to boycott graduation. I remembered back to when I wasn't accepted at first and couldn't believe that these students were now standing up for me. It was awesome. Almost like a back to school afternoon special. For those of you who remember those. Hahaha. I ended up graduating with my class.

I attended BYU the next Fall. I had to work all through my High school years and then worked two full-time jobs during the summers to try to earn money for college. My parents kept trying to tell me that I should just take a year off and earn more money, but I felt very strongly that I needed to attend BYU, in fact it was the only college I applied to. As time was getting closer to head to Utah, I didn't have quite enough to go, but my ward pulled together and collected what they could. It was just enough to get me through my first year. So off I went.

My second year I was invited to sing with a group from Wisconsin and tour Europe. It had been a dream of mine to see Europe. The problem was I couldn't afford college, my apartment and save money for the trip at the same time. My plan was to go back home, work for a semester and then go to Europe that summer. Since I was leaving, I went and talked to my bishop so he could release me from my calling. We talked about my plans and he asked me, "Have you prayed about that?" I was like, " No. It just seemed like the logical option." He said "Pray about it". Right as he said that, though, I knew I wasn't supposed to go back to Wisconsin.

I knew I needed a new plan since I didnt' have money to stay anywhere. I looked up my former sixth grade teacher from when I lived in Idaho (we had become friends and remained in touch) and asked if I could live with her. She said yes. I had been working at Hardee's right off campus as a manager since going to BYU. But I worked third shift. 10PM-6AM. That January we had hired a new employee straight back from his mission to Japan.  I was a huge flirt. So I was excited to meet the new guys. The morning he started working there, I went up to say hi and....I knew him! He had been my neighbor for four years, back when I lived in Idaho. So I said, "Bobby Tolman??" He replied, "My name is Robert."

From our first experience (My name is Robert)which didn't seem very promising, he transferred to working third shift where we had lots of free time to talk while washing dishes and making biscuits.  I finally asked him if he wanted to come over for Sunday dinner at my old apartment with a group of people. (He would hang out when he was off work, "checking the schedule" for an hour, so I threw him a bone) He came over, but I started chatting with my best friend and we went back to her room and talked for an hour. When I came out, Bobby was still sitting on the couch! I thought for sure he had left. Then he invited me over to his apartment for a group dinner the following Sunday. The Saturday night before that dinner we worked together and ended up talking until 8AM until we had to be at church. It hit me right in that moment that Bobby Tolman was the man I was supposed to marry (I wrote it in my journal) BUT I.didn't.want.to.get.married. ( My mother had been married five times. SO I wore one of my mother's old wedding rings so that I wouldn't get asked. Side note-I still got asked four times)

That Sunday at his apartment, he invited me to go home to Burley with him for his mission report. I knew everyone there and my grandparents lived there so I was like, "sure!"  We had dinner that night and I was really quiet, wondering if he felt the same thing, if he would think I was crazy, how was this going to play out because we had only been on one really bad "date."

So the next weekend we went to Burley. The whole time he's asking me questions like, " What do you think the mother's role in the family should be? What do you think is most important in a successful marriage?" ACK! He was totally testing me!!! I was worried, « What if I fail? »

So after we got to his house and his whole family was very welcoming. We played some games and then he drove me to my grandparents house. They were gone but let me stay there. He came inside and we start talking. He ended up proposing to me, not even planning on it; the Spirit kicked his tail into doing it. We hadn't even held hands so after I said "YES!" I said, "Can I give you a hug now?" I went to Europe for my choir tour, got married two weeks later, and was pregnant with our first a month after that. (Not planned)

From then on the kids just kept coming about every 14-18 months. (Not planned. Birth control wasn't joking when it said 99% effective. We got pregnant on every form... ) After our fourth child, McKenna was born with congenital heart defects, I vowed I was done having kids. She needed multiple heart surgeries and it was terrifying. But I had a dream that I was holding McKenna and there was a beautiful little girl with blue eyes, long blond hair and dimples standing a little ways off. I said, "No. I don't want her. What if something's wrong with her?" So she was whisked off and sent somewhere else. I was horrified! I knew she was supposed to be mine. In my dream I began searching all over the world for her. I finally found her living with this older couple and I had to work very hard to adopt her back into my family. I awoke with a start and said, "Okay, Heavenly Father. I will have more." We got pregnant within the month. We had a beautiful little girl with blond hair, blue eyes and dimples.

Then we had our sixth, Parker, and I felt we were done. Our license plate on our van said "8ISENUF". We then moved to Colorado. One day the Spirit said, "there is a little boy that needs a home and if you are willing, he can come to your family." Who's going to say no to that...
So a month later we were pregnant. Well our license plate said 8ISENUF but now we had 9 people in our family. (Yes. We based our child bearing decisions on a license plate...) so we're like, " we should shoot for one more" but one day the Spirit told me, "there is a little boy and a little girl that need a home." I said back, « Wait. What? TWO more? No. Huh-uh. I can't do two more pregnancies. I'm 30 now. I'm too old. Okay. Look. I'm only doing this pregnancy thing One. More. Time. So if you have any more for me, you better send them all now. » True story. I actually said this...
So why was I so surprised when the doctor told me I was having twins?? But I knew right away it was a boy and a girl and I had already picked out their names. Now our license plate says "BLESTW9".

Jason 19 serving in the Philippines, will attend SVU, wants to be a pediatric heart surgeon, sings, plays piano to woo the girls
Emilyssa (aka Emi) 17 graduating this year, draws beautifully, writes poetry
Bryce 16 has a girlfriend that lives in Georgia, rubic cube genius, very smart
McKenna 15 getting her driver's permit (AHHHH!) had the heart surgeries, writes stories, sassy
Bug (aka Lizzie) 13 almost as tall as me, writes songs and stories, drama queen
Parker 11 cutest dimples you ever did see, plays violin, piano, very smart
Josh 9 love his smile and laugh, loves reading and math, looks just like Bryce
Bella 8 teaches herself gymnastics, plays piano by ear, best little helper around
Ty 8 loves Legos, loves giving hugs and kisses, full of energy and life
I am SO HAPPY birth control is 1% defective!!! I can't even imagine my life without them. My only regret is I didn't have more.
(People in our old ward would play a game on long drives to see who could rattle off our kids names the fastest in the right order. Not even kidding)

When Rob finished up school we had two kids, moved to Minnesota where we lived for 7 years. Then we moved to Colorado because that's as close as I would get to Utah. We lived there for 10 years when the Spirit told us we needed to sell our house. But didn't bother to tell us where we were supposed to move to. We put our house on the market a month later. Rob was traveling to Charlotte, NC for work quite frequently so we thought, maybe we should move to SC so he wouldn't have to travel as much. But the house sat on the market for 18 months....in a hot market. We were confused because we felt very strongly we were supposed to move, obeyed by putting the house on the market right away and then....nothing. In the meantime my oldest was able to graduate and prepare for his mission. As we were dropping him off at the MTC, I felt that we were supposed to move to Utah, not South Carolina. It was funny because I had prayed about it for over a year. But the timing wasn't right, I guess, and I had to get to a place so desperate that I would move ANYWHERE at that point (even Utah) as long as we could pleeeeese just sell our house.

Then there was another problem. Rob couldn't transfer to Utah with his current job and he had been job hunting for YEARS. Nothing was comparable. On the drive back to CO, I told him he could start looking in Utah. Our house went under contract that week. BAM! Then all of a sudden his work created this new position that would allow Rob to work in Utah but stay with the same company. BAM! Prayers answered. Now we're in Kaysville and we love it here. Yes, I said WE.

Rob and I both love to cook. Rob does the canning AND sewing. I am very crafty, love to sing, play the piano, read and play volleyball. (Not as much after I had a lower spinal fusion and knee surgery) I teach all of my kids to play the piano. The most beautiful sound in the world is constant music throughout the house. After celebrating our 20th anniversary in Europe this past summer, I decided to learn a second language. I felt like such a slacker because people in Europe speak two or three! So I'm teaching myself español. I also love, Love, LOVE the scriptures! I didn't always. I struggled reading them and studying them, but now I HAVE to read them everyday, just to feel the peace and power that come from that simple act. I love making the connections from their trials to our day. I love that scriptures will pop into my mind when I need them. I love hearing the Spirit speak to me through them.

As a family we love having people over, playing games and eating. Our dinner table discussions are hilarious and crazy. We try to reign it in in front of other people.

That's a peek into our crazy life!

What a fun gal Kris is. She and her many talents are a wonderful addition to our ward.