Games with Grampa

It never fails; when my dad comes for a visit I am always reminded where I get some of my quirkiness from. He tells stories from his past that are often very entertaining. Usually, he laughs so hard that we all have to laugh. Sometimes, last night included, I think he's going to laugh himself to death!
Saturday night, I made a hamburger soup with homemade rolls and salad for dinner. As we ate, Cameron kept asking grampa to share his childhood stories with us. All were fun to listen to. He always reiterates that he was taught to tell the truth. If he told his parents the truth, no matter what it was, he wouldn't get in trouble. One day, his mother gave him an envelope of money to give for a donation at church. As he walked to church, he ran into his cousin Ginny. She asked him what was in the envelope and had him open it. Then, instead of going to church, they went down the street to a market where they spent the money on candy. This happened week after week until his mother asked him where the reciepts for the donations were. He told her what he had been doing and was set aright again. Grandpa tells this story laughing all the way.

Another story that made us all laugh was the time he learned about strangers. His mom had taught him not to take candy from strangers; Really bad things could happen. One day, they had gone for a drive and stopped to find a place to eat lunch or explore. It seems to me that it was in or near the woods. Well, he and his brothers left the car and ran through the woods to explore when they found a road. Down the road, grampa could see a car that looked like his parents'. His brothers decided to run back to their parent's car. My dad, being about 5 years old at the time, thought he was being smart and that he would run down the road to the car, beating his brothers there. He said, "I'll race you!" After getting to the car that he thought belonged to his family, he discovered a woman that wasn't his mother. She offered to give him a ride and take him to his parents. He thought nothing of it and got into the car. As they drove, the woman asked him, "would you like some candy?" Then he remembered his mom's counsel to never take candy from a stranger. My dad immediately started to kick and scream, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" He was terrified and says he thought he would never see his family again. The nice woman found his family and he was so glad when he was with them again. (We laughed and laughed as he told this story).

It is always nice to hear Granmpa's stories. He also shared about a time when he was sitting in Sunday School with his mother. He was misbehaving in his class and had to go to her class. While there, he listened as the minister talked about God and described him as a spirit that can be all places at once. Grampa was confused. He remembers vividly walking home and thinking about what he was taught. He looked over a bridge on his way home and said out loud, "I don't believe it." Years later as a high school student, he was attending a seminary class with his friends who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There, he learned about the story of the Brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon. Suddenly the nature of God made sense to him. He learned that God has a body of flesh and bone, and we are created after His image. He learned that the Holy Ghost testifies of God and Christ and can be felt in every heart. He remembered the experience he had a a boy and knew that God was more than a spirit and what he had learned in seminary that day was true. It changed his life forever.

After the stories, Elise asked Grampa to play "SORRY" with her. So, the little kids and Grampa(who is a very big kid), played. We were glad he stopped by to see us for a little bit. It's always fun when Grampa comes!

HHS Has Talent

On Thursday, March 8, 2011 Trevon participated in a HHS Has Talent concert. Some of the students who had participated in the school's solo/ensemble in preparation for regional competition (taking place this coming week), were invited to perform for their peers and families. Cari was going to play a flute duet, but her partner had to work that night. We enjoyed listening to Trevon play "March Regal" in a brass quintet.

Elise at Dance Class

This week was parent watch day at dance class. Elise loved having an audience!

Blue and Gold

Wednesday night was the Cub Scout Pack's Blue & Gold Banquet. Each father and son were to make a cake together for the event. Cameron and Mike decided to make a "Costco building" cake.








The banquet began with the giving out of awards (for scouting), then we had a blessing on the food and ate. Dutch Oven fried chicken, Dutch Oven cheesy potatoes, salads (green, pasta, Jello, potato) and rolls.



Previously, the cub scouts had worked on making the decorations. Everything looked great!



This is one of the placemats that Cameron had painted:



After dinner, the scoutmaster gathered the children together and told them a story about "Warm Fuzzies and Cold Pricklies" and encouraged them to live so that they have and give "warm fuzzies" to others by their words and actions. The cakes were "judged" and each boy given an award for his cake. Cameron won the "most creative" cake.



Then, they had a dinosaur pinata (as the banquet celebrates the birthday of scouting) that each child was able to swing at. Corban did not want anything to do with it......except for collecting the candy.





Finally, the boys and their dads got to serve their cakes to everyone for dessert.




They all looked very yummy!






Most of the cakes were chocolate cakes. We made Grandma Beutler's Potato Cake for the Costco building cake....if you were wondering!

Lincoln Day Breakfast

An acquaintance of mine (Janine Wuerz) asked me if I would help her play some prelude music for a political fund raiser. She wanted me to play the flute as she played piano. I then recruited Sadie to play the violin with us. We played ten different classical pieces; some pieces all together; some with just the flute and piano and some just violin and piano. I enjoyed the three or four practices we had a couple of weeks before hand. I love playing the flute! It just makes me feel good and happy inside to make music!



The fundraiser was called the Lincoln Day Breakfast. Basically, those all over Washington County are invited to purchase a table or seat for this breakfast. I heard that seats were $250 each, then another source said something about $1,000. Those contributing and participating were trying to raise monies to support the candidates of the Republican party; Monies that are used for fliers, reminders to vote, anything really that helps promote a candidate (in our area)for office.



I liked the red white and blue decore of the tables. Right outside of the room, there was a wonderful buffet set up, where guests could get their food before the program.




Sadie, Janine and I played while everyone gathered and ate. We ended up playing twice as long as we had planned, just over an hour. It was hard for the flute to be heard, and partway through our playing, someone put a microphone to us. That happened while I was playing the number that was most challenging for me!



At 8:30am the program began with a thank you to us and then a flag ceremony. Present were Governor Gary Herbert, numerous Senators, and Mayors (mine included), Commissioners and such. It was good to see many from my own neighborhood who were there to show their concern and support for our governing officials.

Valentine's Day + Some

The Friday before Valentine's Day, Mike and I decided to celebrate the "day of love." We went to dinner at a Mexican food restaurant, La Frontera, that I REALLY enjoyed. It reminded me of a restuarant we often ate at in Mesa, AZ. I think as I ate I even made some "MMMMMMmmmm" noises, it was so good! Mike was getting over a cold and couldn't taste very well, so lucky for me, we'll have to go back again sometime soon! We drove to a couple of movie theatres to possibly see a movie, but the only things we were interested in seeing were showing at times that were just later than I cared to be out. Instead, we browsed at the Deseret Book store. I bought a couple of things I needed, but mostly we just looked and enjoyed our time together. When we decided to head home, we stopped at Dairy Queen for a sweet treat. It was a great evening together.
On Valentine's Day morning (Monday), Mike had to catch a plane (actually 3 planes) heading for Steamboat, Colorado. I put a love note in his car for him to find. He had notes all over the house for me (in my dresser drawers, on my deodorant, my journal, etc.). It was nice finding them. We spoke a number of times throughout the day as he traveled from place to place. I was as happy as could be!
Then, in the middle of the afternoon, I was surprised to receive (FedEx) an arrangement of three dozen long stemmed red roses directly from Bogota, Colombia.
Mike told me later that he had ordered them for me about a month earlier, knowing he would be gone and wanting me to have a special day. WOW! It was great!



Cari bought me a stuffed animal and balloon, and Trevon gave me a candy bar...each wanting to make my day special too. Each one of my family makes every day special and as Mike likes to say, "Every day can be Valentine's Day..."

Mike made it safely to Colorado. He was attending a Bridgestone Tire training course, learning how to drive on ice and snow - with BLIZZAK snow tires. He stayed at a ski lodge and had fun watching people ski down to the lodge.





Tuesday morning began the "training." From the video Mike showed me, it looked like a bunch of guys four wheeling in the snow - having FUN!!! There was a track made in the deep snow that was marked with different colored cones. An instructor guided each participant as they drove, teaching them to come out of a skid (how to steer; when to accelerate; etc.).







This photo shows the amount of snow that was on the lodge.



A map of the slopes:




Mike enjoyed watching people practice ski jumps, hooked up to a bungee contraption. Wow - with all that gear, I might even be daring enough to take a stab at a jump or two!



He headed home on Wednesday morning.


He was in Salt Lake when the weather turned bad and his flight was cancelled. He had to wait for a later one. To pass the time he walked the entire airport (I think almost twice), checking out every terminal; people watching; and waiting. His later flight ended up being delayed and when he finally got on the plane, he watched as workers de-iced it before take-off. He found that fun to see.

When he finally made it home, it was 1:30am. I was so thankful he was safe and sound and home again!

Community Service

This past week I received a phone call from the city, seeking volunteers to help clean up and define a trail at one of its parks. Our family has helped with other city "projects" and are called on every so often when there is needed work to do. We enjoy pitching in and Saturday was no exception.




I enjoyed taking Cari, Trevon and Sadie with me to trail-blaze. It was great exercise; I discovered a great new place to hike or take my family; I made new friends; and spent some quality time with my kids.



One of the people I met was a woman by the name of Lucy. She retired a few months ago and wanted something to do. She decided to volunteer her time to a committee that makes and maintains trails in the area. She shared with me the time she and a friend rode their bikes across the United States in 90 days. Wow! Ordinary people do such extrordinary things! ((I love saying that, (1)because it's true, and (2)because it is empowering to me!))



It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.