Gary....computers and Webelos. The Webelos did stick puppets last week and did a great job designing their puppets, writing a script and performing. One skit included a torpedo flying from one side of the stage to another (on a stick).
Jessica.....I think she is feeling a bit more settled. She came up and took Jena to an art store where they spent the evening painting ceramics. They will go back later after they are fired to bring them up. Jena says hers is a guitar pot.
Scott and Chantel....school, cheer and track, and work. Chantel was away at a track meet last weekend and Scott will be leaving soon for a cheer competition.
Ben....has been taking advantage of our recent spring weather before the last two snow storms and spending some time outside, going for walks with the dogs, playing basketball with Jena and other neighborhood kids, and playing some tennis against a nearby practice wall.
Tosha....keeps selling shoes and working out at the gym.
Jena....skiing and ceramics. She and I went to the General oung Women's Broadcast last night and then we were invited to go out to dinner with some other daughters and mothers. It was a fun night but we had to wait about 45 minutes to get a table and so we ended up eating very late and I am getting too old for that kind of thing! The food was great.
Me.....craziness at work as a lot of things are happening at the same time. It was not the best week to have had a conference as well as it feels like all I have done for about five days is sit...at appointments, at meetings, traveling, and at Church.
This week......more work and a dentist appointment. With a bit of luck and no babies arriving, I might even get my bathrooms cleaned.
Hope you have a great week as well.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Last day of skiing
Skiied all season
Rollers, turns, and race course
Courage on steeper hills and powder
Success!
Haiku by her teacher, Terrie, for Jena's last day
Friday was our first ski day that the weather was very bad down where we lived. It was Jena's last class so I didn't want her to miss it but I wasn't sure how they could be having lessons in just bad weather. No one called however so we decided to head up there. We had some thank you cards that we wanted to deliver anyway. We came through the canyon into the Morgan Valley and it stopped snowing. It was not blue skies at Snow Basin but the sun peaked out from time to time and it was a good last day of skiing.
Jena made thank you cards for her teacher, Terrie, and Suzzy and Matt were other teachers that helped make her experience great.
Our plan is for her to take lessons again next year and hopefully she will be able to ski if some of her siblings next year as well.
Conversation with Jena
I spent Friday evening and Saturday at the Links Conference in Salt Lake which is for families and professionals who work with people with all types of disabilities.
It reminded me of a converation that I had with Jena recently. She was telling me about some one in her class that had a "syndrome"--I can't remember which one--"and he talked alot." I asked her if she knew any other syndromes and she gave me a look and said, "Of course, Down syndrome". She listed off several people she knew including a boy she hasn't seen if over 5 years. I then asked her what is was like to have Down syndrome. She replied, "You can do lots of sports" and then listed the many sports that she does with Special Olympics (have I told you how much I like Special Olympics?) and then included skiing and camping. I asked her what was hard. Quickly she answered "Tests." And I think that sums it up.
It reminded me of a converation that I had with Jena recently. She was telling me about some one in her class that had a "syndrome"--I can't remember which one--"and he talked alot." I asked her if she knew any other syndromes and she gave me a look and said, "Of course, Down syndrome". She listed off several people she knew including a boy she hasn't seen if over 5 years. I then asked her what is was like to have Down syndrome. She replied, "You can do lots of sports" and then listed the many sports that she does with Special Olympics (have I told you how much I like Special Olympics?) and then included skiing and camping. I asked her what was hard. Quickly she answered "Tests." And I think that sums it up.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Ogden Temple
You may not know but the Ogden Temple will be closed on April 1 and be torn down and rebuilt in a completely new style although it will be built on the same foundation. I went to the temple on Friday and was surprised how sad I felt about it. I was never a big fan of the design (I know, I was married in its twin, the Provo Temple...but that is another story.) and the new design looks much better. Change often brings feelings and memories as my visit did on Friday. Ogden Temple is where I learned that we have a duty to attend the temple. It was an important lesson to learn.
Today when we attended our last Stake Conference at the Ogden Tabernacle which will also be redone at the same time as the temple. We took some pictures after our meeting.
Grey hair and this and that......
I know it is hard to believe but I have decided to join some friends(many more than I knew, as it turns out) who dye our hair because it might be a bit better than being really grey. And for me, it isn't the color grey that is the problem, but the weird way grey hair grows in--frizzy and uncontrollable. Dyeing it was really the only way to help that short of removing each and every grey hair which won't leave me with much hair...
That is what I did the first of the week in addition to the usual things like cleaning, working, cooking, and running everyone around ....and the incident of the dogs who got into the other side of our back yard (we have a fence with a gate between two halves of our backyard) and played happily in the mud under the trampoline. They were two happy dogs but a big mess (and we were not happy dog owners).
Here is Mowgli.
Thursday (the day that BYU barely beat Wofford), I was in charge of Pack Meeting on Everyone Can: Understanding Disabilities. It was my fourth out of five goals for my Wood Badge ticket. It went fine. A friend of mine did a class on visual impairments and I did some activities on physical differences. Our Cub theme was compassion so it fit right in.
The Cubs are trying to frost cookies with their non dominant hand without using their other hand at all.
Jena did another long run in skiing on Friday and then did several short runs. What used to take her 15 minutes she is now doing in 7-8 minutes. She is skiing right into the ski lift area like a "pro". It is amazing how much better she is doing expecially in the last few weeks.
On Saturday (the day BYU beat Gonzaga)Jena started track with Special Olympics despite a freezing wind. Jena is going to do some short runs and also the softball throw and the Turbo javalin.
Afterwards, we headed up to Snow Basin to join in a fundraising event for the Adaptive Ski program. We have been so grateful for the great experience that Jena has had skiing this year that we felt it was good to get involved even though the weather was very cold as well. We snow bowled, winter bean toss, and snow golf (which involves green snow for the "greens".
We rode up on a gondola and enjoyed hot chocolate at the Neetles Lodge. It was fun for Gary and I who don't ski to watch the skiers heading down the mountain as we rode the gondola. It was amazing to see them weave in and out of trees and up and down slopes. We had fun despite the cold. Jena has her last day of skiing for the year on Friday. However, she will be back next year.
And we actually didn't get to watch much of either of the BYU games this past week. Pack Meeting on Thursday and our Stake Conference Adult Meeting on Saturday only allowed us to watch a part of the first halves of each game and then a delay until we knew who actually won. Hopefully we will have a few more games to watch this year.
That is what I did the first of the week in addition to the usual things like cleaning, working, cooking, and running everyone around ....and the incident of the dogs who got into the other side of our back yard (we have a fence with a gate between two halves of our backyard) and played happily in the mud under the trampoline. They were two happy dogs but a big mess (and we were not happy dog owners).
Here is Mowgli.
Thursday (the day that BYU barely beat Wofford), I was in charge of Pack Meeting on Everyone Can: Understanding Disabilities. It was my fourth out of five goals for my Wood Badge ticket. It went fine. A friend of mine did a class on visual impairments and I did some activities on physical differences. Our Cub theme was compassion so it fit right in.
The Cubs are trying to frost cookies with their non dominant hand without using their other hand at all.
Jena did another long run in skiing on Friday and then did several short runs. What used to take her 15 minutes she is now doing in 7-8 minutes. She is skiing right into the ski lift area like a "pro". It is amazing how much better she is doing expecially in the last few weeks.
On Saturday (the day BYU beat Gonzaga)Jena started track with Special Olympics despite a freezing wind. Jena is going to do some short runs and also the softball throw and the Turbo javalin.
Afterwards, we headed up to Snow Basin to join in a fundraising event for the Adaptive Ski program. We have been so grateful for the great experience that Jena has had skiing this year that we felt it was good to get involved even though the weather was very cold as well. We snow bowled, winter bean toss, and snow golf (which involves green snow for the "greens".
We rode up on a gondola and enjoyed hot chocolate at the Neetles Lodge. It was fun for Gary and I who don't ski to watch the skiers heading down the mountain as we rode the gondola. It was amazing to see them weave in and out of trees and up and down slopes. We had fun despite the cold. Jena has her last day of skiing for the year on Friday. However, she will be back next year.
And we actually didn't get to watch much of either of the BYU games this past week. Pack Meeting on Thursday and our Stake Conference Adult Meeting on Saturday only allowed us to watch a part of the first halves of each game and then a delay until we knew who actually won. Hopefully we will have a few more games to watch this year.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
I love the theater...
Have I mentioned that before. In the middle of a busy week, I went to two plays: "Tale of Two Cities" with Gary, Gary's mom, Jena, Meggan and I at the Hale Theater in Salt Lake and "The Drowsy Chaperone" with Jena, her friend, Kaitlyn and her mom, Debbie, at Layton High School. Both were excellent. The singing at the Hale Theater was amazing and the high school production was wonderful.
As someone once said, there is something magical about sitting in a darken theater with a group of mostly strangers waiting for the curtains to open and take you to a far away spot together. (taken from the narrator in the "Drowsy Chaperone").
Other than Church productions which were very common in the 60s when I was growing up, the first play I actually saw in person was a production of "Man of LeMancha" put on by the Richland (Washington) Community theater. I went with my mom and dad when I was 13 or so. I got to go, I think, because my geometery teacher played the part of Santos (I think that was his name.) I loved it. I also remembered being so surprised that my teacher could act and sing. He was a great math teacher, but that is not the same skill set as being an actor.
Advice: Go see a play in your area this week.
As someone once said, there is something magical about sitting in a darken theater with a group of mostly strangers waiting for the curtains to open and take you to a far away spot together. (taken from the narrator in the "Drowsy Chaperone").
Other than Church productions which were very common in the 60s when I was growing up, the first play I actually saw in person was a production of "Man of LeMancha" put on by the Richland (Washington) Community theater. I went with my mom and dad when I was 13 or so. I got to go, I think, because my geometery teacher played the part of Santos (I think that was his name.) I loved it. I also remembered being so surprised that my teacher could act and sing. He was a great math teacher, but that is not the same skill set as being an actor.
Advice: Go see a play in your area this week.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
It's March.....
...actually March 8th and the Christmas soap container had run out in our powder room. So I decided it was time to finish putting away the last few things from winter and Christmas, which mostly entailed changing out some pictures on the wall....finally. I was feeling good about getting that done. However on the way upstairs I realized I still had winter decorations on the mantle downstairs and then Gary asked me while my CD radio alarm was playing "Winter Wonderland". Sometimes you just can't win. However there was snow on the ground this morning from a late evening and night time storm, so "Winter Wonderland" wasn't a bad song afterall....It made me laugh. And that is always a win!
Goal for tomorrow: Change the CD in my alarm clock. :)
Goal for tomorrow: Change the CD in my alarm clock. :)
Friday, March 4, 2011
Happy 33rd to Gary and I
on the 3rd day of the 3rd month in the year 2011.....
Gary thought he was very clever (and he was) by delivering these two vases of three yellow roses to work to celebrate our "3s". How clever of us to pick March 3 to get married in a year that would allow us to celebrate our 33rd one in a year with another double 2011. Everyone had worked was very impressed by the whole thing.
A funny side note is that many commented that their husband never sends flowers. SO I had to point out that I believe that this is only the third time that Gary has sent me flowers. (another 3, totally planned by him, he is claiming, for years to make "3" even more special.) Don't believe that for a second. The first one was 1 dozen yellow roses one month before we got married. Once for Valentnes Day when he was gone on a business trip--he can't take much credit for that because the Marriot was doing a promotion for people staying that week...they sent flowers to anyone for you on Valentines Day, so Gary said sure, send them to my wife. In the interest of full disclosure, he did give me a small planter from the hospital gift shop when Jessica was born. It was in a baby type vase with fake flowers so I set it on her shelf and then noticed 6 weeks later or so that the fake greenery was turning brown. Oops...it had a real little ivy plant as part of the arrangement which I had not noticed. I like flowers and buy them from time to time to decorate our house, especially when we lived in Hong Kong near a flower market and they were cheap. I don't mind that Gary is not a big flower giver, but I loved these and all the years they represent. I love you, Gary Hall. Happy Anniversary.
Hanging now in our kitchen is the family collage that I finally got printed and framed in time for our anniversary as well. Our gift to each other is a 20' flag pole which we will put out front when spring comes.
A funny side note is that many commented that their husband never sends flowers. SO I had to point out that I believe that this is only the third time that Gary has sent me flowers. (another 3, totally planned by him, he is claiming, for years to make "3" even more special.) Don't believe that for a second. The first one was 1 dozen yellow roses one month before we got married. Once for Valentnes Day when he was gone on a business trip--he can't take much credit for that because the Marriot was doing a promotion for people staying that week...they sent flowers to anyone for you on Valentines Day, so Gary said sure, send them to my wife. In the interest of full disclosure, he did give me a small planter from the hospital gift shop when Jessica was born. It was in a baby type vase with fake flowers so I set it on her shelf and then noticed 6 weeks later or so that the fake greenery was turning brown. Oops...it had a real little ivy plant as part of the arrangement which I had not noticed. I like flowers and buy them from time to time to decorate our house, especially when we lived in Hong Kong near a flower market and they were cheap. I don't mind that Gary is not a big flower giver, but I loved these and all the years they represent. I love you, Gary Hall. Happy Anniversary.
Hanging now in our kitchen is the family collage that I finally got printed and framed in time for our anniversary as well. Our gift to each other is a 20' flag pole which we will put out front when spring comes.
The "T" Encyclopedia
We have on a shelf in our living room ("the room with the piano?" my children like to clarify even after all these many years...we "live" in the room with the TV, according to their logic and had family night in the piano room so that should be the family room.)...Anyway, upon that shelf, there is a row of green and white World Book Encyclopedias (minus the "G" which got left at a Scouting activity in Plano and never recovered), bought in 1988 to provide our children with a important source of education. We had always wanted one and that year in Hong Kong was the first year we had the money to buy the set of very expensive books.
I came from a family who had a set of encyclopedias and thought every family should own a set. While I can't claim to have ever read one from cover to cover (family lore reports that my brother Todd had done a bit of that), I have spend hours reading things along the way to finding the real item I was looking up................
Which brings me to the point of this post (finally!! you were thinking.) My children have missed the joy of encyclopedias. Except for the time when they were much younger and I would encourage them to look things up in the encyclopedia, they are "internet" searchers. That is awesome. The ability to access information is truly amazing and I use it all of the time. However, yesterday, I simply wanted to know how big a ping pong table was as I was sitting down to lunch. So I grabbed the "T" encyclopedia and started the search for "table tennis" (that is where I was sent after first looking in the "P" volume for "ping pong")...
Did you know that "tape worms" can be less than 1" long or longer than 30'? The "tailorbird" uses his long beck as a needle to sew the edges of his nest together. "William Howard Taft" was the president who started the tradition of throwing out the first ball to open the major league baseball season. And that the "T" encyclopedia can be the source of "table setting" information, at least from 1988. And the size of a ping pong table is 5' by 9' by 2 1/2 feet tall.
Look what is missed when you simply type in a word and 1000s of hits appear for that one word. You miss some of the joy of the "hunt". I will keep them and share them with my grandchildren....perhaps one of them might like to read a volume or two of these great classic "snap snot" of life in 1988.
I came from a family who had a set of encyclopedias and thought every family should own a set. While I can't claim to have ever read one from cover to cover (family lore reports that my brother Todd had done a bit of that), I have spend hours reading things along the way to finding the real item I was looking up................
Which brings me to the point of this post (finally!! you were thinking.) My children have missed the joy of encyclopedias. Except for the time when they were much younger and I would encourage them to look things up in the encyclopedia, they are "internet" searchers. That is awesome. The ability to access information is truly amazing and I use it all of the time. However, yesterday, I simply wanted to know how big a ping pong table was as I was sitting down to lunch. So I grabbed the "T" encyclopedia and started the search for "table tennis" (that is where I was sent after first looking in the "P" volume for "ping pong")...
Did you know that "tape worms" can be less than 1" long or longer than 30'? The "tailorbird" uses his long beck as a needle to sew the edges of his nest together. "William Howard Taft" was the president who started the tradition of throwing out the first ball to open the major league baseball season. And that the "T" encyclopedia can be the source of "table setting" information, at least from 1988. And the size of a ping pong table is 5' by 9' by 2 1/2 feet tall.
Look what is missed when you simply type in a word and 1000s of hits appear for that one word. You miss some of the joy of the "hunt". I will keep them and share them with my grandchildren....perhaps one of them might like to read a volume or two of these great classic "snap snot" of life in 1988.
Harlem Globetrotters Fun
As we had taken our older four children to see the Harlem Globetrotters when we lived in Plano (Yes, I know Ben and Tosha have no memory of the event, Gary's not sure we took the two of them, Jessica couldn't see most of the tricks--that is when we discovered she needed glasses for far distance viewing, so only Scott seems to have any real memories of the occasion.), I have been wanting to take Jena to see them. This year we got tickets for the 3 of us plus Gary's mom and went to the matinee on Presdient's Day. It was fun...the laughing, enjoyable kind of fun that everyone should enjoy if they like basketball and clowns all rolled into one.
Here is a picture of the three of us in front of the "Energy Solutions" Arena.
Here is tip off. There were lots of amazing shots and just funny shunts. We have more pictures than we can post.
Jena got a ball signed by "Bingo", one of the players after the game. We had great seats, just seven rows up from the floor (apologies to my older chidlren, again...our tickets were up quite a big higher than that...simple case of economics of that time.
Just some of the fun with the Harlem Globetrotters. Everyone should see them once in a life time!!
Here is a picture of the three of us in front of the "Energy Solutions" Arena.
Just some of the fun with the Harlem Globetrotters. Everyone should see them once in a life time!!
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