Brian & "I Believe in Music"

I realized that I never said exactly why we went to Tucson last week , so I decided that I would include that as part of this post since it all kind of goes together. (Aubry, I hope it is OK if I take some info from your blog since you know more about the history than I do.)

When Brian was in Jr. High at Magee middle school in Tucson, he was in a singing group called Pioneers of Music. Robert Gabriel, or Mr. G was the teacher. "The Pioneers of Music was the advanced performing group... the theme song was "I Believe in Music"."

In a newspaper article, Mr. G. and Ms. Bell said the following about the group:

"This was a very experimental group originally," Gabriel said. "We wanted to find out how advanced a junior high group could get in just one school year.

We were doing very heavy classical works."

"At first, we were totally extracurricular.

We met after school, during study conference, at lunch," Bell said.

"It was kind of bad; the kids would gulp down a bite,

look up and have to hit a note.

We told the students they were pioneering in this.

We were doing things that everybody said junior high kids couldn't do

because they didn't have the discipline,

they didn't have the self-control."

Mr. G is the reason that Brain teaches Jr. High. He made a huge impact in Brian's life, as I now understand he did in many of his students lives. On February 21st he passed away from the same heart problems he had over 20 years ago.

In our 12 years of marriage, the only viewing or funeral that I have been able to get Brian to go to, was his own dad's. It was so important to Brian that he go to Mr. Gabriel's memorial service, that we went. Fortunately for planning purposes, the family did a memorial service a month after his death in anticipation of all who would attend.

While making plans for the trip, Brian got on Facebook to find a few old friends. One of his friends, Aubry, had a lot of information, and in the whole process, invited us to spend the night at her house for the one night that we were going to be in Tucson. She married a guy from Brian's ward in Tucson, so he knew them both. Because Aubry's grandma helped Mr G. with the choir group, she was given several pictures by the Gabriel family, and shared many with us.

It is through these pictures that I realized that my husband was a ladies man in junior high and high school. In the several trips that we have made to Tucson over the years, I have only met one of Brian's friends that is male. All of the rest are girls. In fact, this is the only trip that we haven't gotten together with his old girlfriend! (Don't get me wrong, I love them all. They are all cute, and I don't mind letting him get together with them. It is all that he has left of his nearly 20 years in Tucson.)

Monica, Aubrey, Leah, and Brian (they even got matching hats!)

Just to humor myself, I thought that I would share some of his pics, mostly from trips that the Pioneers took, but also some with the girls that he was such good friends with at the time!

Brian & Aubry during one of their shows.

This is one of Brian's favorite pics. Every time he sees it he says, "We had SO much fun that day!"
Monica, Leah, Brian & Aubry

I am so glad that we were able to go to Tucson for the service, and that I was able to go with Brian. We had a great weekend together, and I truly did enjoy learning about a part of Brian's life that I knew very little about. We had a great time with his sister Angie and her family (Jordan too!), and I know that Brian enjoyed catching up, reminiscing, and just seeing old friends again with Aubry & Chris. And most importantly, he had the opportunity to sing I Believe in Music with members of the Pioneers of Music for what may be the last time and in honor of Mr. G. at the service.

Kartchner Caverns, AZ

On Saturday, Brian and I went to Kartchner Caverns State Park in Arizona. We have been two other times to the caves, but have never been able to go on the "Big Room" Tour. The "Big Room" is closed for 6 months of the year because a colony of pregnant bats moves in to have babies. In order to keep the caves as natural as possible, they close it down.

The most breathtaking features in the cave is in the "Throne Room" that we didn't see this time. It is an enormous column of flowstone. They have named it Kubla Kahn. If you look at the picture below, You can see a man standing at the bottom of the 58 foot high column. Definitely a sight to see.

This flowstone is surrounded by stalactites, stalagmites, & soda straws. This is more like the formations that we saw this time.

The "cave bacon" draperies are also amazing in the caves. Some of them are 50+ feet long. They have beautiful colors, and you quickly realize why the call it "bacon". It was amazing to think how it is formed, and how many million years and droplets of water created it.

Mineral-rich water dripping from a high ceiling splatters in a wide pattern, forming a flattened, "fried egg" stalagmite.

As stated by one of the discoverers of the cave, "The quality and diversity of the formations in the cave are unusual. There's a little bit of everything in there, including a 50-foot-high column, a 30-foot-high stalagmite, and some rare formations called shields." There's also a 21-foot-long, 2-inch-diameter soda straw hanging from the ceiling of the Throne Room, which, until a slightly longer one was found in Australia, was the longest formation of this type in the world."

Kartchner Caverns, is for me, one of the most beautiful places on earth (or in the earth). It reminds me that God's hand created all that is on this earth, and that he put amazing things here for us to remember his hand in all things.

To see the history of the cave, click here.

Arizona part 2

Well, the Honda dealership in Tucson was able to get the truck in immediately on Monday morning. They were driving it in to start on it less than 5 minutes after we pulled in. The problem was with the ignition switch, and sometimes it would just cut out while we were driving down the road. We had no warning signs at all, just dead instantly. The first 2 times it happened, it started right back up, but the more times that it happened, the harder it was to get started. We found the problem by googling the symptoms online, so the dealership had a good idea of where to start looking without having to make it do it themselves. Fortunately, the part was a recall part that we never got fixed, so after about 2 1/2 hours wait, we left with a fixed truck and no charge to do it. What a relief and a blessing.

We got on the road about 6 hours later than we should have to make it all the way home at any reasonable time of day or night. But the truck worked perfectly, and we made good time. Because of the car repairs, we didn't have any time at all to stop to see anything on the way. This is what we saw of the Grand Canyon. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the bottoms of the clouds were pink from the reflection of the red rocks.. Amazing.
As we continued on the trip, we got just through Kanab as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful site. Again the picture in no way compares to what it actually looked like.
We arrived at Greg's house to pick up the kids at about 1:00 in the morning. Brian had to be back to school today, and the kids really needed to be also since they missed Friday, so we loaded them in the car and drove the rest of the way home. We got here at 2:00, so I told the kids that when they were ready for school, I would take them even if they were late. They only missed the first 20 minutes.

Thank you Angie & Dave & family for the place to stay. It was so fun to spend some time, and see you again. Also thank you Aubrey & Cris & boys. It was fun to get to know your family and learn a little more about Brian's life in Tucson.

Arizona

On our way to Arizona, we passed this place called Cliff Dwellers. It is a place that they built houses around some big rocks. Interesting...different.

Today, we went to Karchner Caverns state park to see the Big Room that we haven't been able to see before. It is closed for six months of the year for the bats that roost in it. We have been to the other parts twice before. I wish that I had some pics to post of the cave, but there are no cameras allowed. When I get home, I'll have to pull some pictures off their website. It is an amazing place.

I love the desert. I only wish that the cactus were more in bloom. They are just starting down where we are, but as we drove through Phoenix, it was an amazing site. We wandered through the park, and I took a few pics. Enjoy!
A Yucca Spike
A barrel cactus
This is where you enter the cave, and the hill that the cave is in.

Us! in front of a mesquite tree

Prickly Pear, & Ocotillo The butterfly & hummingbird garden, we didn't see any hummingbirds today, but while I was taking this picture, another group of people were watching one 15 feet away.More Prickly Pear
And I think this is an Agave.Tomorrow we head back up to Tucson for a memorial service for a good friend of Brian's that died. We are having car trouble, so pray for us and Brian's CRV. UGH.

Brian...Hard at Work

This is what Brian does when he is "working."

Friday night, while he was working security at the rodeo, Brian went "Bull Riding!"
(sorry the picture is bad, he took it with his cell phone)

Swim Lessons

We just finished up a month of swim lessons. Amber and Les both passed the levels that they were in, and Zak was so close, but he can't move on to the next level until he is 6 anyway, so I'm not too worried about him. Zak doesn't like to put his face in the water if he can get away with it.

But he likes to play Humpty Dumpty and jump off the wall.

Zak has two of his friends from preschool in his swim class, so he always has something to say, even if it is the teachers turn to talk.

Les's class practices fish fins for the back float. He gets a little over-excited sometimes, but he does a good job. Les also has a family friend in his class.

He had to back float for 10 seconds, and does a good job. He also has to be able to turn from a back float to his tummy.

Amber had to be able to turn over from her front to her back and back again while swimming in the deep end. It was a piece of cake for her.

Wake-Up Phone Call

First of all, I apologize to anyone who doesn't know my parents and family. I, like a lot of people, use this blog also as a journal, and that is the reason for this entry.

Tuesday Morning I was awakened at 6:30 by my phone ringing. It was my mom saying that Dad was in the hospital for an angiogram. Apparently, Monday night, he was having some heart pain, and so he went to the Doctor. The doctor did some tests, and then told Dad that he needed to see a specialist, and that the appointment was at 5:00 Tuesday morning. Mom and Dad thought that was an odd time for an appointment, but went anyway. When they arrived at the hospital, the Dr. started explaining some things to them and so my parents asked what kind of tests Dad was there for. Apparently, Dad's doctor didn't tell him he was having an angiogram, so they didn't go prepared for Dad to stay overnight at the hospital, and they didn't really make arrangements to be off work for the day (or for the entire week for that matter).

When they got into his heart, they found a very major blockage, and ended up putting a stint in his artery. It was really a good thing the doctor acted when he did and how he did, because dad could have had a severe heart attack any minute. But it would have been nice if he had given them all of the information.

Anyway, Dad is doing really well, and not in a lot of pain as of the last time I talked to them. What a blessing to know that our Heavenly Father watches out for us.

Mom and Dad are still not completely moved to their new house, and all of the fix-up work on the old house isn't completed, but all of that will be done in time, and hopefully, no scares from heart attacks now.

4th Grade Field Trip

I just remembered that I haven't blogged the 4th grade field trip from last Friday, so I decided to sit down and do it since I feel too miserable to do the housework that needs done so badly after the crazy last few days. Somewhere, I have misplaced my memory card with all of the pictures on. Amber loved just taking my camera and taking all the pictures that she wanted. We went to the State capitol building to observe the 2009 session, and to get a tour of the building, and we went to the pioneer museum next door. It was a fun time, especially since they have studied Utah history and Government so much this year. Hopefully I will find the memory card soon so that I can blog about it for journal purposes.

Snow!

President's Day at our house always means a trip to the school district's Environmental Center. The guy who runs the place does an open house for all district employees to bring their families and play.

This year, Zak decided that he was going to try cross-country skiing. I got him all ready, and out onto the groomed trail, and off he went. With almost no instruction at all, he took off. He did a loop that was about 1/2 mile long, and did a good job. The few times that he did fall, he was able to get himself back up without getting his ski's tangled. On the faster down-hill slopes, he just crouched down to help him balance, and went right down.
Amber probably skiied a couple of miles, and did some much longer loops. She is really pretty good at the cross-country skiing.
I, on the other hand, am no good on skis. I do okay as long as it is flat and I don't have any speed, but once there is a down-hill, and I start going a little faster, I freak out. I could never be a down-hill skier.

The boys love to sled and snowboard on the road.

And bury themselves in the snow!

Amber, Les and Brian also snow shoed up to the top of a small mountain to look over the valley (Brian forgot to take a picture of that!) Zak was having a hard time, so he and I turned back for a sweet roll.
Les also did an awesome job on the skis. He went around the loop 3 or 4 times, but then he wanted to snowboard while Brian and Amber did a big loop. I didn't get to watch him much, but he took off so fast that I couldn't keep up with him.
To finish off the day, we jump on our sleds and ride them the 1/2 mile or so back down to the parking lot. It is insane, and tons of fun.

We always look forward to this day trip. It is so much fun. The kids love to have something different to do in the snow, and the sweet rolls are always worth the hike up the hill! Thanks Dave!

Moving Mom & Dad

After the Temple open house Friday night, we continued on down the road to Lehi. We were going down to help my parents move. After 29 years in the same house, they have decided that a new house will be better for them in their "old age". They moved into their house when I was 3 years old, so it is a little hard to see them move. But I know it is better for them to do it now. If they ever need a wheelchair, it would be impossible to get them in and out of their current house.

Well, they didn't get to close on their house when they had planned, so they won't actually be moving until next weekend. I won't be able to go help them next weekend, but that might be better. I won't be there for the emotional part of leaving their home.

Draper Temple

Friday night we had the opportunity to take our kids to the new Draper Temple open house. The temple was beautiful inside. The kids loved the baptismal font, and the Celestial Room. At the end of the walk through the temple, they took small groups into the sealing rooms and explained a little bit about what goes on in the temple and Eternal families. It was such a neat experience to take the kids at this young age. They can't wait to go to the Oquirrh Hills Temple open house this summer.

Happy Birthday Les

Happy 7th Birthday Les!!!

We love you so much. We love the way you take care of others, and try so hard to do what is right. We hope you have a perfect birhtday!

Love Dad, Mom, Amber & Zak

Good Times Tag

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be!! At the end, choose 10 people (or more) to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

IN YOUR SENIOR YEAR DID YOU...

1. Did you date someone from your school?
No

2. Did you marry someone from your high school?
No

3. Did you car pool to school?
Yup, with my mom, She worked at the school, and I always had to go in early and stay late for help with calculus

4. What kind of car did you have?
I drove my parents white Ford Tempo

5. What kind of car do you have now?
a silver Chevy Venture

6 Its Friday night...where are you now?
at work

7. It is Friday night...where were you then?
probably at Wendy's hanging out and watching movies

8. What kind of job did you have in high school?
I didn't work in high school

9. What kind of job do you do now?
I work at the local craft store a few hours a week

10. Were you a party animal?
no

11. Were you considered a flirt?
not ususally

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?
I was in the band for a year...only because I wanted to go to Disneyland at the end of the year

13. Were you a nerd?
probably

14. Did you get suspended or expelled?
no

15. Can you sing the fight song?
No, I never could...Lehi was never known for their fight song, or the students knowing it

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)?
Mrs. Fugal...She's the only one I can remember...oh yeah, I have to say Miss Lambert, I spent way too much time in her class (refer to #3)

17. Where did you sit during lunch?
In the hall by Leslie's locker usually

18. What was your school's full name?
Lehi High School

19. When did you graduate?
1994

20. What was your school mascot?
A Pioneer

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
some parts yes, some parts no

22. Did you have fun at Prom?
yes

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to prom with?
no, sometimes I wonder where he is at, he was a good kid

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion?
maybe - probably

25. Do you still talk to people from school?
Yes

26. School Colors?
Purple and White

27. What celebrities came from your high school?
umm....some Hamby guy that played pro football I think

I tag: I don't know who reads my blog...I just tagged them all with my last tag...If you want to play, I tag you!

Happy Birthday Amber

Happy 10th Birthday Amber
We Love you very much.
We are so proud of you and all that you do for others, for your hard work in school, and for the way you play so well with your brothers. We are proud of the choices that you make every day.
We hope you have a wonderful Day!

Love Dad, Mom, Les, & Zak

I've been tagged!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I've been tagged.

Here are the rules:
1. Post rules on blog.
2. Answer the six 8 items.
3. Tag 8 people.

8 Favorite TV Shows
1. Survivor
2. Amazing Race
3. Numbers
4. Good Things Utah
5. 2 News (I know, not a favorite show, but I sure watch it a lot)
6. Travel Channel
7. Discovery Channel
8. Scrubs

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Grocery shopping
2. Pick up kids from school
3. Help kids with homework
4. Swim lessons
5. Made dinner
6. X-biking at Lady Fitness
7. Dishes
8. Started cutting out a quilt

8 Things I look forward to
1. Our cruise to the Bahamas
2. Taking the kids to Disneyworld
3. Taking the kids to the Beach
4. All the kids being in school all day
5. A clean house
6. Taking the kids to the Draper Temple openhouse
7. All the kids doing their first Triathlon (Amber and Les are working on it)
8. Being able to run a whole 5k


8 Favorite restaurants
1. Fazoli's
2. Costa Vida
3. Rodizio Grill
4. Lucky China
5. Olive Garden
6. Brick Oven
7. An Italian place in downtown SLC, I forget what it is called.
8. Warrens (I love their fries)

8 Things I wish for
1. No housework
2. More money
3. Happy, healthy kids
4. To be thin
5. More time to do things for me
6. More time with Brian
7. A bigger house
8. A classic Mustang

8 People I tagged
1. Natalie
2. Melissa H
3. Deena
4. Leslie
5. Barbie
6. Tanya S
7. Amy B
8.Anyone else who reads my blog

Zak and the Baby

Zak had a fun time today helping with baby Hazel. My neighbor needed an emergency babysitter and so we had her for the day. She slept for 5 hours, and was happy when she wasn't asleep. If this is what daycare was really like, I'd do it. She was so easy. I think that Zak liked being the "big brother" for a while. This is kind of a goofy picture, but he was so excited to feed her when she woke up. He was very gentle too, and he was quiet...the best part (lately he only has one volume, and it is really loud). Thanks for letting us watch her B&K. (No...I'm not baby hungry, I got to send her home at the end of the day!)

Discovery Gateway fieldtrip

On Thursday we went with Zak's preschool to the Discovery Gateway. He had so much fun. One of his favorite activities was the KSL 5 news studio green screen. He loved standing in front of it, as well as setting the picture up for someone else. but I think that his favorite activity was the crane. He and Sam took turns lifting the blocks in the crane and building the buildings to match the ones on the wall. Thanks Teacher Julie & Teacher Liz!

America

Wow, I don't know if any of you saw Oprah yesterday. There was an amazing song, America, that Bono, Faith Hill, Seal, MaryJ Blige, and some others sang that was AMAZING. You can download the mp3 until this afternoon for free.....I would put it in my blog, but I don't know how...I am so challenged!

No time to blog

I am such a dork. I have spent the long weekend completely gutting, deep cleaning, and putting my kids bedrooms back together, and I didn't take any before or after pictures. I can't believe how much junk we have. After cleaning the boys room, I sent 4 garbage bags of stuff to D.I., 2 bags of trash, and I also have one bag of stuff to send to Marsha for her boys (not too much, she is sick of our junk too). By the time that I got the boys room put back together, I still had my living room full of stuff, and a big pile in my bedroom. It is no wonder they couldn't keep their room clean. Since then, I have actually given them permission to "make a big mess" with their blocks, because it would be easy to clean up. I also got out the Lite-Brite and let Les take it in his room. Something I would have never done before - in fact, they haven't been allowed to play with it for the last year, because there was no where clean enough to get out all of those little pegs. An now for my favorite part.....They cleaned it all up when they were done! I didn't even have to ask or remind them to!!! We'll have to get out the trains next!

Yesterday, we did the same thing to Amber's room. We got 2 D.I. bags, 3 trash bags, and 1 bag of clothes to pass down to Heather. What a relief it is to have a little corner of my life back in order. We are getting a new mattress today, and so I plan to do the same to my bedroom. If all goes as planned, I can get all of my spring cleaning done before spring comes, and then I can be outside in the sunshine once it is warm enough!

Now for the next item of business....I have got to convince my kids that it is OK to make their beds...it bugs me so bad that their rooms don't look clean, because their beds are a heaping mess. Oh well, I guess baby steps to achieve greatness!

Brian's Birthday

I just wanted to wish Brian a happy 35th birthday.

I Love You!