Hall update January 2014

Let's see---
Gary still working at HP (Yeah!), busy with five bowling leagues (as secretary for four and bowls on the other one with his brother-in-law Allan), and busy as ward clerk).  Today between runs on his work computer he is trying to teach Jena and I to play CARS2 on the Wii. (I am not good)

Jessica is still working and mostly enjoys it.  She and Elessia got a snow blower for which they are very grateful.

Scott and Chantel had a great vacation to Florida with her family where Scott got a alligator which was a "bucket list" item for him.  He was one happy boy.  However I think they were even more happy to share the news with Chantel's family about the new baby coming which they did on Christmas Eve.  Then on the beach in Florida they post a picture of them with their ultrasound and announced to their friends and the world about Baby Hall's impending arrival on July 24 or there abouts.  They got over 300 likes and lots of comments about that. 

I don't think this is the actual photo they used
but this was the one that I could find easily
on their Facebook page.
That is Baby Hall's first ultrasound picture
at 8 weeks I think
We actually have a 13 week one on our refrigerator at the moment.

Scott is studying for his test for his state license and looking for a job.  Not a fun moment in time to find that first real job.  He is looking in long-term health care--hopefully nearby but will consider options as they come up.

Ben is now living at home and continues to work about 2 hours five days a week.  He is discouraged about things as he feels unable to move forward in anything.  Tough situation....

Tosha and Austen are loving life and having the adventures of newlyweds far from home.  One icy night in OK they observed someone's car come off the tollway as they were driving on a nearby road.  They were first on the scene to try to comfort the driver who was wandering in shock and to calm her three little girls in the car while they waited for the emergency responders to arrive. They have been taking cookies to their neighbors as people move into their new apartment complex.  It is a blend of different people.

Jena is busy with school, work, and performing.  She starts her ski lessons for the year tomorrow afternoon and she is excited about that.  She got a new coat and ski pants for this year, so if you see a teal and orange flash at Snow Basin it could be her.

And that is the Hall update for the new year.

January 18....

 For all of the reasons listed in the former three posts, here is my Christmas stuff...on the dining room table (of course) waiting to be put away.  Finally got that done on the 18th and

took the Christmas tree down (it has been undecorated for awhile) and took it to the basement where it is waiting along with the other Christmas stuff to be sorted and reorganized in totes before moving back into my clean storage room.

 

I still haven't taken down my Christmas cards from off my pantry door and around our small kitchen desk.  I like looking at the smiling faces of my family and friends.

It makes me smile.

 

I think we might invite friends to play games around Valentine's Day

so I will be sure they are down before then.

until then, I will enjoy them a bit longer.

"Hi guys"

And so Jena's second Sacrament Meeting talk began....a big smile, looking into the large audience (we have a mission farewell that day), and "Hi guys."

If I had really put together that this talk was going to be the Sunday in-between her two weeks of performing and also the week prior to the end of the term, I might have encouraged her to choose a later date.  It was a busy time to fit in preparing for a talk.  But it was perfect and fit right into the meeting to which she was assigned.

She and I wrote her talk about "I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints". on Thursday prior to Sunday, Jan. 12. Then Saturday night, Gary, Jena and I went over to the Church to let her practice into the mic.  We showed her where to have the mic. so that people could hear her.  She read her talk perfectly and very clearly.  I wished that everyone could have been there to hear her.

And then on Sunday, she did it again--clearly and comfortably.  She was awesome.  It makes me still teary thinking about it.  The chapel was dead silence during it.  Someone told me that even the children knew that it was a special moment. She had one funny line and everyone laughed which is a great indication of how well she was understood.  Of course our ward has been so cute with her about it.  The sweetness of the Spirit was so evident in her words about the Church.

It is because we are lucky to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we know that our Heavenly Father loves us.

The Rogue of the Railway

Jena takes a theatre class in Centerville once a week and their first performance has been the past two weeks.  They did a musical melodrama called "Rogue of the Railway" with all of the classic parts.  It was set in the Dakotas territory.  Jena was a farmer girl named Dawn with a long word line "cheerful" in cast A which she delivered clear and loud in the performances I saw.  She also was the engine of the train which almost ran over the heroine (that was worth the whole show).  No pictures of her on stage as they weren't allowed but I hear the professional photography got one of the train  so I am excited to see that.

Flag by the theatre doo

The stage
This is at the Centerpoint Legacy Theatre and it is their
"black box" theatre.

"PowerPoint" backdrop
It changed throughout the production

Farmer Dawn (Jena) and Running Water (Emma)

The Villain Silvas Scavenger (Conner) and Jena

After the show with Dad
Flowers from her friend Kaitlyn who had also come
to that show.
 

They needed some extra farmers for cast 3 so she also performed twice with them which a lot of the cast members did.  It was a fun show with all of the booing and hissing that you see in melodrama. Thanks to the family and friends who came to see her performed.  She loved that as well.

Then on Saturday after the show they were told of their new parts for their May performances of "Beauty and the Beast Jr.".  Jena is the "Footstool" who changes to the Puppy when the spell is broken.

My two big projects----

Around Christmas, I decided that I have time to actually complete an application for Utah State's masters of social work.  They are offering a part time program (three years) in Kaysville which is about 15 minutes away.  The application process required two applications, my transcript from BYU, three letters of references, a short statement of intent for Utah State, and a five page essay for the School of Social Work and the GRE or MAT test.  For the obvious reasons they won't accept my GRE from 1981 so I opted for the MAT test which was just 60 minutes long--all analogies. It was a quirky test and although I don't know my actual % score I do know I was above the required 40% mark required for admissions. Whew!  It was all due on Jan. 15 and there it will be until March or April or until they decide to let me know if I was accepted or not.  If I get accepted, I may write out my reasons for this choice--I can tell you it is not because I am bored and don't know what to do with my life.

The second project is for the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation and this is the launch of our new web site which has been an ongoing mess for me since the get-go.  Decisions were made before I was involved which started this big project but then the people involved were gone-- moved, family problems, etc,--not before offending other people who might have been able to help.  Then people offered to help but didn't do what they said they would do, etc.  Now the firm doing the actual designing has been awesome and it will look great when we complete it.  I finally just gave up on other people and started doing our part by myself and finally there was some progress.  In the last few days I got someone working who has been promising to help for 6 months and she has been awesome these past three days doing technical things which I don't know or understand---and finally it looks like it might be getting done.  (This is now Jan. 20--hope to publish by the end of the week.)  I will put a link to it when it is done.  It is so nice to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel on this project so I can focus on things which I might be more good at for the foundation.

And that is mostly what I have been doing in 2014 so far...although we did have a few other fun things to report which I will add in their own posts.

2013--The Year of the Unexpected

On New Year Day and usually the few days prior I spend time thinking about the past year and looking ahead to the new one.  This year I haven't really done that in the usual way.  It didn't start off great as I was sick with a bit of a stomach thing on the actual first day of the year.  Also I had two big projects on my mind so it was hard to think of much past those two things.

I also think it is due in part with the whole of 2013.  Not that it was a bad year, just unexpected.  Ben spent most of the first 6 months of the year in and out of our local in-patient unit (no fun for any of us), I started off the year feeling in control of a majority of my time (and plans for filling it) and by February was knee-deep in UDSF conference planning and then as President in June--that is a crazy switch.  We had concerns about Gary's job and were considering taking early retirement if offered--then they announced the closing of his department (announcement in April for closure by November)so we cancelled our month long trip back east to visit historical sites. Layoffs occurred but we were blessed once again to still have a job.  And then the passing of my sister-in-law Valerie--so unexpected for so many reasons.  Of course there were great moments as well--Tosha and Austen's wedding in November; Jena's performing in her school play, visits with my old roommates from BYU--in person and on the phone; extended family gatherings for Gibersons and Halls--fun memories.  It was a great year-with highlights and difficulties.  I think it is called LIFE....

but how do you plan for all of that!!!! What goals or resolutions matter in the face of all of the "unexpected"?

I have decided there are only a few:

• Cling to your Heavenly Father, His love for you and His plan of Happiness.
• Know that Jesus Christ has done His part to implement that plan and He stands ready to take our burdens as we "leave" them at His feet.  (yes, we leave them at his feet--not drop them during prayer and then pick them up again on the way out the door)
• Love everyone...and just be nice and always assume that they are trying to be nice as well.
• Be happy...in the heart of your hearts keep that happiness going no matter the storm outside

And there is my list.  Good luck with 2014. The adventure awaits.