Football Banquet

The day after we returned from St George at Thanksgiving we had the Alta Football Banquet. I had offered to head up the banquet over a month prior, but didn't realize how close to traveling it would be! Oh well! We made it work since I had gone out prior to going out of town to order balloons etc and get all the other decor etc we would need. I also had a lot a help from coaches and other parents- thank heavens! :)

 Coach Te'o was all about doing the banquet differently this year. We made it a pot luck dinner at the school and all football teams were included and the awards were handled differently as well. I have to say that I really enjoyed the changes. I don't think that we need to go over the top with things to make them meaningful. In years past we have spent LOADS of money on gifts and fancy event centers. I loved that it was at the school, we had the help of the custodians and administrators and parents and families were involved. 

 This shot of Will is my favorite from that night. Coach Te'o had changed the rules for lettering and he was worried that he hadn't had enough varsity playing time to letter, but he DID! You can see just how pleased he is that he got it! Woo hoo!

 I am so grateful for the football program! It has instilled such amazing work ethic, team building, respect and friendships! These two are some of Will's best friends-This is Hayden and Parker.

 And this cute kid right here is Tyler Hill! I am thankful that Will has been surrounded by wonderful kids, parents, coaches and administrators as well as a great athletic director who LOVES him! He is his TA for 1st period and thinks the world of him!

Most of all I am thrilled for the improvement that Will made this season! He has already had a sit down with his coaches who had  nothing but praise for his attitude and hard work. They are thrilled he will return next year and fully intend him to be a starter! Now it's time to work in the off season to make it all happen! GO HAWKS!!

PS- on a side note they also announced on this night that they would be getting a new turf field before next season! Very cool!

Thanksgiving 2015

 Thanksgiving seemed to come really fast this year! I am not sure if that is because we are busier or that I knew that we would be traveling! Either way, we were ready to head south for the big day!

 I had to work the day we left so the kids and Chan had to pack up the car and come to pick me up from there in time to head south. We had planned on taking Chan's truck, but after trying to load it will all the food etc it was evident that it wasn't going to fit! So thankfully we had another truck! He had it all loaded quickly and off we went!

 We arrived in Springdale around 6pm on Wednesday night and we went over to the campsite to say a quick hello to the family before heading over to our hotel room that was right next door. The weather was actually quite cold for southern Utah too! Just our luck! It made us even more grateful that we had gotten a hotel room!

 I had purchased a few quick and easy crafts from the teacher resource center at my work that me and the kiddos could do while the adults were cooking dinner. It worked out well and we had fun!

 The paper sack turkeys were a favorite! they ended up running around the camp site playing with these later that afternoon! It was cute!

 Chan was in charge of carving the turkeys. Tom cooked them by deep frying them and they were super moist and YUMMY!

 We had quite an amazing spread of food given that we were camping! Most of it was made beforehand and warmed in crock pots. And we planned to eat earlier than normal too which was a good thing because as the sun went down it got VERY cold! So we had just enough sunlight to eat and then we all went inside to enjoy some warmth in the trailer while we played games or watched movies.

 You can't beat the view here though! Isn't that mountain gorgeous! Our kids enjoyed being so close to the campers and they would stay late into the evening to play games with the family and would walk back over. Will ended up staying on Gamma & Papa's trailer though so he wouldn't have to share a bed with his sister! Yuck! Haha!

 The next day we wanted to go into the park so we piled into our cars and had planned to go to the visitors center. But it was quite busy and after driving around for a few minutes and not finding even ONE parking spot we headed back to the camp site. However, we decided to go back in and drive the tunnel so that the kids could see the park. Our kids hadn't been inside at all, and since the rest of the family had already done that before we arrived, we thought it would be fun. Dakota jumped in with us and off we went!

 It was super cold that day! Cold enough that when we came out of the tunnel that day it was snowing! It was beautiful!! We had a blast laughing, listening to Dakota play his ukulele and admiring the view! It was a good time!

 We also had a bit of time that day to do a little shopping. There was an art show up the road so we all went to check that out and then Brianne and I went into town for a bit to check out the galleries and shops. I am SO glad we did too! I found some Larrabee pottery soup bowls that I had been wanting to replace for YEARS! We used to sell his pottery in our gift shops at the airport years ago and I love it! So that was a good find! Brianne also got a super cool mug as a souvenir :)

On Saturday morning the temps had dropped even more and when Chan went out to start my truck it was C-O-L-D! Since it's a diesel it even takes a bit longer than normal to warm up. And the heater wasn't kicking in at all- which wasn't a good sign! Thankfully, Chan was able to pull a fuse and re-install it and shortly after the heater kicked on! YAY! After we got it working we headed down to St George to spend the day/night with Aunt Kay before heading back home. (She had helped us earlier that week by picking up some pies we ordered. We went down on Thanksgiving morning to pick them up for dinner) Once we got there the guys found the Utah game on TV and Kay, myself and Brianne went out shopping. We went to find a few items I needed to buy for Carter's Christmas package and was hoping to find some holiday sales. We found some things and also had fun looking at jewelry etc. It was fun! We also helped Kay put decorations on her Christmas tree as well as putting Christmas lights up on her house. She bought us all some yummy pizza for dinner and we ended the night playing some Chicken Foot! A fun domino game! It was a busy holiday since we were traveling, but we enjoyed it all! There's nothing I enjoy more than spending time with my family! They are truly what I am most grateful for! Happy Turkey Day!

Utah vs UCLA

 We were glad when Tom and Kathy asked us to join them for the Utah vs UCLA game up at Rice Eccles Stadium! We lucked out and the weather that day wasn't too cold since the game was at 1:30pm and the sun was out to keep us warm!

 We still brought plenty of layers though just in case! :) The game itself was a bit slow, well for Utah anyway! This season Utah had been AMAZING and even managed to get into the top 10 in the rankings! But slowly they started to slump a bit and this game ended up being pretty frustrating!

 It was low scoring and because it was on TV was a very SLOW game! We eventually lost our sunshine and it got VERY cold! So we only lasted a while in the 4th quarter and then took off. They ended up loosing 17-9. It would have been much worse if the defense hadn't been playing so well. Thank heavens for THAT at least! And of course we always enjoy visiting with each other and the fun atmosphere at the games!

Either way, win or lose, we will always love our Utes! There's nothing quite as fun as a college football game! And a funny side note- we saw some of the Alta coaches on the sidelines at the game! Apparently they have friends there at Utah! :)

Carter Update

Over the past few months Carter has stayed in the Daytona area. He has LOVED his time there, especially getting to know Elder Brock Doman. He told me that getting to know him has been like meeting a long lost brother! They sound a lot alike! They even kind of look alike actually! Haha! He is a zone leader there in Daytona and is learning a lot daily. All of the responsibilities have been good for him and with every email I can hear growth in his testimony and with life in general.

One of the fun things about being a zone leader is being able to go on exchanges and seeing people from previous areas. This picture was sent to us from Sally- one of the families that he met in his first area. I loved his HUGE smile! He was happy to see her and I was pleased that she thought to send us the picture- made our day!

He also had a companion change recently and now has Elder Egan. He has been wonderful as well! They get along so well and have very similar work ethic, so they have been going super hard and have had some amazing results. We couldn't be any prouder of him and the job he is doing! He is an amazing missionary!!

Uncle Gary

Not long after my Aunt Pam passed away my Uncle Gary Cardall passed away. he has been fighting many health issues for years and my sweet Aunt Carol was always there to help him through it. She is small in stature but an amazingly strong lady! She has dealt with a lot over the years and has never seemed like it was too much for her to bear. Since it was so close to my Aunt's passing only my Dad was able to come out for his funeral. He was only here for a short time, just enough to be at the services, and then had to get back home. My Dad is currently the 1st Counselor in his Wards Bishopric and still works full time. So time is short! Anyway, I just wanted to do a quick memory of my Uncle Gary! He was one who I could count on making jokes! He always wanted to make light of things! He especially liked to tease my Mom because he knew he'd get a rise out of her! And he has a great smile and laugh that was contagious. I am thankful that he is now in a place where he can be himself again and that his health won't hold him back from being the life of the party. We'll miss you Uncle Gary!

Sibling Silliness

When Carter left on his mission one of the things he requested of his brother and sister was that they would not argue and would become closer. Well....... I am happy to say that after a year that request is accomplished! I saw this picture that was posted on one of their Snapchat stories and it made me smile! It is one of MANY over the past few months. They still tease each other, but it has become more playful and they actually enjoy spending time with each other! I can hear loud laughter coming from the basement regularly and it makes me so happy! Will also picks up Brianne from school now that football is over and they have some "quality" time together driving around. Most of all I am just happy that they have finally become friends! I knew that it would happen!!! :) I have the best kiddos!

Charlotte's Web

 When we heard that Halle had gotten the roll of Charlotte in Charlotte's web we HAD to go and see her in action!

 Halle is quite the actress! She has actually been in many productions and Brianne has seen others, but this was my first time seeing her on stage. She was fantastic! So confident and this roll fit her perfectly!

We were so proud of her and we LOVED seeing her perform! Hopefully there will be many more to come! Nice job Halle! :)