Another School Year Ends

It's that crazy time of year when there are millions of concerts, programs, graduations, etc. etc. Here are a few things we've been doing:

Everett had his last band concert of his high school career. We've had a child in a high school band class for the last 11 years continuously, 12 years if you count 9th grade as high school. But none of the younger children play a band instrument currently, so it's the end of an era. Don't ask me why he's wearing that outfit. He had something to do for the percussion ensemble that involved looking like a cowboy. He's with his friend Noah.

Mindy had her last ballroom dance performance. She was so cute up there. It's been a really good thing for her and we hope to continue it next year.

Lincoln sent us this picture in his last email. I guess it wasn't a great week for missionary work so he sent us this sad little picture. But he's actually doing fine. Today is his birthday--he's 20 years old--and we're looking forward to him being home in 2.5 months!

Talmage has now earned all his merit badges for Eagle!

Mindy really enjoyed being in Hope of America and Camille loved singing along.

Susanna enjoyed being part of "Bravo" (the top junior high choir) this year with her friend, Kimmie.

We enjoyed seeing the art work at the elementary school's Art Gala.

I enjoyed going on the 2nd grade field trip with my little Camille. We walked about 2 miles up the canyon to a local park. The weather was perfect.

Comments

Visiting Susquehanna: The Priesthood Restoration Site

On our way home from Palmyra, we decided to go a couple of hours out of our way to visit the recently opened Priesthood Restoration Site along the Susquehanna River. This is where we believe that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist which gave them the authority to baptize. This site also has the restored Isaac and Elizabeth Hale home where Joseph and Emma lived for a year as well as the home where Joseph and Emma lived on their own. We spent a couple of hours there and I wouldn't have minded a few more minutes but we had a long way to go that night. It's a beautiful setting, very much in rural Pennsylvania. However, on the day we were there, cars at a racetrack nearby were detracting from the peace and quiet. I'm guessing that's not as big of a problem on weekdays. The Hale Family was quite well-off for their day so their home was probably nicely decorated with wallpaper and carpet. ...

Book Review: Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

This is a juvenile fiction book about a young girl named Melody with severe cerebral palsy. Her body doesn't allow her to feed herself, speak, or do much at all. She's very intelligent with a photographic memory but she can't really communicate. Finally, in 5th grade, she gets a "Medi-Talker" which is a computer that speaks what she types in. Finally she has a voice. This book explores what it is like to be severely physically disabled but not mentally disabled. It seems like one of the most frustrating of all scenarios. She is completely aware of all the cruelty (subtle and otherwise) that her classmates inflict on her because they don't really want to include her in their activities. One of the saddest moments in the book comes when she realizes that every one of her special ed classmates is kind, where the "normal" ones are not. Who really has the worse disability? The book was a quick read and fairly enjoyable. Wha...

Hansen Family Plot in the Provo Cemetery

On Memorial Day this year, our family went to the Provo Cemetery, as we do almost every year. We spent some time at the Hansen Family plot which contains the grave of my 2nd great-grandparents, Peter and Mary Hansen. They both emigrated from Denmark with their spouses to Utah. My grandfather lost his first wife Ane to cholera on the plains outside of St. Joseph, Missouri, along with three of his little boys within a very short time--about one month. It's a sad story but it's also one of admirable resilience. He brought his one surviving son, Jorgen, to Utah. He married his second wife Maren (Anglicized to Mary) some 9 years later in Utah She had been married before but lost her first husband at an unknown date. I wish I knew more about her but she left very few records, although I could do more research! Peter and Maren had 6 more children together. The youngest two were twins, Enoch and Ephraim. Ephraim is my great-grandfather and is buried in California. He is the father of ...

Search This Blog