HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm not sure who I feel more sorry for:  The deer, who was probably scared out of his bejeebers by this little flying creature; or the squirrel, who was probably perturbed to the point of insanity that his entire winter's keep was about to be eaten up by a giant furry beast.

1,000 Words

They say a picture's worth that. I agree. Sometimes more than 1,000. But, posting pictures requires actually finding a moment (while actually at home and not otherwise occupied by some life-or-death family matter) to locate the camera, sit down at the computer, find the right plug, download the pictures, rename the appropriately, save them to the right folder, open up the blogger, sign in, create a new post, properly instruct said blogger that you would like to upload a picture, find the right picture, decide it needs to be rotated, cropped, or otherwise edited, get back out of blogger, complete said edits, re-save the picture, go back into blogger, sign in, edit the previously saved draft post, properly instruct said blogger that you would like to upload a picture, find the right picture, decide whether it should have a frame, decide whether it should appear to the right, in the center, or to the left, add a caption, and post it.  Don't even get me started on videos. 



So, today you get words. But not 1,000 of them, since I'm not at home and am otherwise occupied by some life-or-death work matter.


Our last few weeks have been dreadful. Well, for me anyway. I've had lingering and occasionally raging bronchitis and a sinus infection, have been to the doctor twice, have tried four different prescriptions, and, after 17 days, am finally beginning to notice a slight decreasing in the coughing. My coworkers and family are no longer afraid of me. There will be NO pictures of sick-me added to this post later. :)


The kids have had a good couple of weeks. Both are well immersed in school. Sarah is enjoying her classes and her role as Vice President of the Fine Arts & Lectures leadership board. They are currently working on a campus-wide survey of what kinds of performances the kids would like to see on campus, and selling tickets to their first concert of the year – The Plain White T’s. (You know, Hey there, Delilah). If you haven’t heard them, youtube it. Brian is getting to know his teachers & fellow students, and has friends in most of his classes. I thought I was doing him a favor when I checked out one of his teachers’ blogs and noted that Brian's family had reviewed it in exchange for extra credit, but inadvertently embarrassed him when she announced in class that he was the only one who had. Poor guy. Time to step back, mom.


We leave for Lake Powell tomorrow. :O Woohoo! I know what your first question will be and, no, we’re not taking the recently purchased camper because it is ill-equipped for hot weather (sans A/C), and temperatures are expected to be in the low 100s. So, we’re staying in the hotel, with a pool and five restaurants (much more my speed), and have a boat slip at the marina to keep the boat in while we’re there. We will stay through Monday and are all very excited.


Those pictures will definitely be worth the effort to post, so I’ll take some time to edit this and other past messages at the same time to add those thousands (and thousands) of 'words.'

Falling into Autumn

After a VERY long, drawn out winter, and relatively short spring, and a hard-hitting and HOT summer, we reluctently wind our way into Autumn, dragging the last few days of shorts-and-flip-flop days with us.  Fall marks a number of starts for our family, and a few stops.  We Start school, sweaters, closed-toed shoes, crock-pot meals, cozy evenings typically dragging blankets with us as we walk, locating and washing winter gear.  We Stop wearing flip flops and shorts, grilling (okay, so Dave never actually stops grilling), evening walks to the duck pond, late late late nights since it stays light out so long, and having to mow the lawn quite as often!  All are welcomed departures from the prior season's rituals.

The kids are both excited to start a new school year.  Brian will be a 9th grader at Fort Herriman Middle School.  He's taking some fun classes ~ Spanish 2, Introduction to Engineering, Computer Technology, World Geography, and NO P.E.!  Sarah will start her classes as Salt Lake Community College this week and has a tough row to hoe ~ English 2010, Chemistry, Biology, and Psychology, plus two labs, a study group, and a role as Assistant Chair to the Fine Arts & Lectures leadership board.  As you probably know, she's heading toward a BSN (Bachelor's in Nursing), so she plans to get a year or so of general classes out of the way at SLCC and will then transfer to a four-year school.  It should be a challenging year for both of them!

We will finish out our summertime frolicing over Labor Day weekend at Lake Powell, and will stay in a hotel (What's that you say?  What about the camper we just bought?  Oh yeah, that.  Well, it doesn't have air conditioning and, considering the forecast is 110+ degrees, we though a nice cool room and refreshing pool sounded better!) and take the boat for some wakeboarding, tubing, and swimming in that beautiful water.  We are very excited!  Hopefully we can take the camper out at least for an overnighter sometime before the snow flies. 

What's in a name?

What is taken into consideration when choosing a name . . . for our kids, our pets, our blog . . . :)   I like classic names that are easy to spell and pronounce, without assumed nicknames, gender-specific, and not frequently used in the family.  No juniors.

 

When Sarah was born, Dave and I could not for the life of us agree on a name.  He liked Amanda.  I liked Jessica.  Most of you know that our little one arrived on her own schedule, by emergency c-section and several weeks early.  As we were waiting for surgery, we finally agreed that Sarah was a nice name.  Our choice was confirmed when Jefferson Starship and my doctor melodically belted out her name in the O.R.  Crazy, huh?  Nor could we agree on our son's name pre-birth.  He almost arrived unnamed, but just before the final push, his indecisive parents realized that Brian had just popped into both of their heads.  Call it fate.  I call it perfect.  

• Classic ~ check. 
• Easy to spell ~ Nope.  Who would have thought.  I always have to clarify that there is an 'h' at the end of Sarah's name, and that Brian is spelled with an 'i' and not a 'y.' 
• Easy to pronounce ~ check. 
• No nicknames ~ ummm . . . well . . . Sarah is usually called Fina - short for Sarafina, a movie I never saw but liked the name of; Brian is affectionately Twinkie by his mama (shhh . . . don't tell him I said that out loud), Bro by his dad, and B-dawg by his sister. 

 OK.  Two out of four isn't bad.  Where was I?  Oh yea - 

• Gender-specific ~ check. 
• Not frequently used in the family ~ ummm . . . well . . . turns out there are both Sarah's and Brian's in the family. 
• No juniors ~ ummm . . . well, Brian's middle name is David.  Does that count? 

Three out of seven - so sue me.  I still like their names.  And, what's more, they do too!

 

Pets.  Now that's another story.  When Dave and I married, he had two cats (Woody and Norman).  I had one (Tasha).  I can't remember where he got Woody's name from, but Norman was named after Norman Bates because he looked kind of psycho.  I also can't remember why I named my kitty Tasha.  I should have kept a blog then.  Two more cats were added to the mix - George (Dave picked that one), and Sam (short for Sampson because he was the tiniest stray kitten I ever did see walking on the dirt road to the duck pond and I thought he needed a HUGE name in order to survive against all odds).  We had lots of chickens and salt water fish, but they never got names.  Then came the goats - Over the years we must have had 40 or more.  Bob, Sue, Buck, Mama, Jackpot, Baby, more tiny newborns that left as soon as they arrived than I can count.  The black lab came with a name - Nicky.  She wasn't supposed to stay longer than it took her owner to drive her stuff to Texas and return to pick up the pup.  But, when she never came back, we had Nicky for a couple of years.  Molly, the horse, also came with a name.  When we moved from Utah to Colorado and lost our horse property, the pets were all gone one way or another.  The goats were sold off. Nicky went to live with Dave's brother. Molly went back to her original owner.  A couple of the cats had passed away, and the others were very old and stayed with the house when we sold it.

 

In Colorado, four-legged friend acquisitions began again.  We bought two kittens ~ Callie (a calico), and Libby (hmmm . . . how in the heck did I come up with that one?).  We bought a Papillion puppy.  No one could decide on a name.  I liked Cooper.  Dave liked T-Bone.  The kids liked a million different things.  When he had been with us about 3 days, I went away for a weekend retreat with some friends and told the family that, if he wasn't named when I got back, he was going to be named Cooper.  Little did I know that, while I was away, they made Post-it notes with all the options and put them on a movie box.  The decision was that, whichever name the puppy sniffed first would be his.  He sniffed Cooper.  Smart dog.  No one wants to be named after a delicious meal.  A year later, we bought Cooper's brother.  Again, the battle began.  Dave, sticking with his food-themed names, preferred Butter.  I liked anything but butter.  The kids liked a million different things.  We agreed on Mantequilla (Spanish for butter), and called him Mante for short (with a long 'a' like ahh, not like 'ant').  Two years later, while stopping in to a pet shop, I fell in love with a tiny, sad, and funny-looking wiener dog.  Every time I picked him up he fell asleep on me.  We went back several times and I finally convinced Dave that he needed to come and live with us (of course the kids were on-board from before we even stepped foot in the store for the first time).  Turns out, he looked different because he was a so-called designer dog - a Dachshund Corgi mix, dubbed a Dorgi.  Uh huh.  I think he's a mutt.  Dave and the kids:  "Let's call him  Weenie."  Mom:  "No."  Next choice, Mr. Weenie.  Nope.  How about Wiener?  Absolutely not.  Awww . . . come on . . . pleeeeeeeeeeze?  We settled on Oscar Mayer Wiener.  I called him Oscar from the get-go.  They called him Wiener.  Now we all call him Weenie, or Mr. Wiener, or Schnitz (short for Wienerschnitzel), but rarely Oscar. 

Now that we're back in Utah, Callie and Libby have gone to live in a much more sane, dog-free home with Auntie Vickie (well, Libby's worked herself into a svelte new body and sauntered off to some other porch - Callie's still hangin'). We still have the mutts. And, we've acquired yet another four-legged friend - Fransesca (soft 's' like snake, not like ch). She came with her name. We call her Franie.

The blog name was easy - I just used ours.  After all . . . what's in a name?!



Callie




Cooper



Oscar




Pre-svelte Libby




Mantequilla



Fransesca

The Europe Chronicles

The following is from Sharon's notes during Sarah's recent trip to Europe with the 118-student Utah Ambassadors of Music.  This group is in it's 16th year, and was directed by Don Peterson, Director of Bands at Brigham Young University.  Sarah was part of this elite choir by nomination from her instructor, Kerrin Gates, at Bingham High School, and has been working on the preparation for it since last November, including several day-long practices through the year, learning 16 songs on her own and with the help of her vocal coach, Kelli Norby, and her own drive, determination, and passion for beautiful music,  She was blessed with this trip through the donations of many many friends and family.  Special thanks goes out to Uncle Larry, Grama & Grampa Gibson, Grama & Grampa Foster, and Aunt Nancy for their extremely generous help.  She couldn't have done it without you!  Sarah will be creating her own 'journal' from the notes & pictures she took on the trip, but in the meantime, please enjoy my version of The Europe Chronicles.


I gathered the pictures from the internet so I could see what she was seeing while she was away.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 9:30 a.m.

I just watched Sarah’s blonde head disappear into a sea of people on the other side of security.  They will head first to Atlanta, Georgia, and then wait six hours before boarding their 757 to London.  She’ll be checking in when she arrives.

Thursday, July 7, 2011, 9:00 a.m.

Sarah made it to London.  Travel day and flights were long and uneventful.  She slept most of the way from Atlanta to London.  It’s about 4 p.m. there and raining.  They are heading to their hotel and then getting together for a group dinner and a small-group evening activity.  

http://www.thistle.com/en/hotels/united_kingdom/london/thistle_city_barbican/index.html

Tomorrow morning (about 2 a.m. our time), she’ll be performing in Wesley Chapel.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Sarah’s hotel is very nice.  She and the two other girls she is rooming with (Amanda and Callie – both also from Bingham), each have their own bed, and the room is ‘tourist class’ so it comes with all of the typical comforts of an American hotel room.  They slept well, had a nice continental breakfast, and headed out for the day at about 8:00 a.m. (1:00 a.m. our time).

The concert this morning at Wesley Chapel went well.  They were performing to tourists and worshipers who happened into the church.  Afterward, they had free time and walked in a small group to see the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery art museum with DiVinci originals, and are now waiting for a performance at Westminster Abbey to begin called Edensong:  Commemoration of Twentieth-century Martyrs, which is to be attended by a representative of the Malawi High Commission.  Immediately following, they will be heading to the Globe Theater for a performance of Wicked. 

The Houses of Parliament

Trafalgar Square

The National Gallery

On tomorrow’s agenda:  Tower of London tours, Crown Jewels, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, lunch in St. James Park, Victorian Embankment and Barbican Center.  Sunday, they head to Paris! 

Saturday, July 9, 2011

The musical performance at Westminster Abbey was ‘amazing,’ and she absolutely LOVED going to the theatre to see Wicked on Friday.

Westminster Abbey

Saturday, Sarah had a great time taking the more formal tours of many of the tourist attractions she had seen during her walking on Friday.  The saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and she was so close as the ‘old’ guard left on his horse and with much fanfare, that she had to step back to avoid being hit by his sword!  She crossed off one thing from her bucket list – she got a guard to look at her!  Can you blame him?

Buckingham Palace Guards

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The trip on Sunday to Paris started with a ride to the Dover Port and its famous White Cliffs.  She thought they were incredible.  The ferry was much larger than she expected with a food court, shops, and too many things to see!  It took about an hour-and-a-half to get to Calais, France, and then a several hour bus ride through gorgeous and very different countryside to the heart of the city.  The hotel room this time is very small, with three twin beds, a dresser, a luggage rack, and three teenage girls in a room the size of a typical American bedroom!  And, there is only one outlet, which makes recharging phones, iPods & cameras, and beautifying themselves each morning a struggle to say the least!

White Cliffs of Dover

London-Calais Ferry

Monday, July 11, 2011

Today the group went to Luxembourg Gardens, where the band performed, and Sarah ordered a Chocolate Crepe in French!  She was scared, but ended up receiving just what she ordered, so she must have done okay.  Then, they headed to the Louvre Museum, which she loved and where she unexpectedly saw a friend from her high school (small world!), had a delicious Chicken Cordon Bleu & Chocolate Mousse dinner, and went on a Seine River Boat Cruise.  She’s taking tons of pictures!

The Louvre

Luxembourg Gardens

Seine River Cruise

Tomorrow’s agenda includes the Eiffel Tower, a performance at St. Severin, Sacre Couer on Mont Martre, and Notre Dame!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

It poured rain as the kids stood half-way up the Eiffel Tower but, of course, she still loved it!  Sacre Couer and the small shops nearby were another favorite where Sarah enjoyed another Crepe, her new favorite.  She said that she had some preconceived notions about Notre Dame and how grand and beautiful it would be, and that it did not disappoint!  She is amazed by the architecture (find that to be a new fascination), and the various aspects of the cultures, including food, fashion, and personalities.  She filled up her first picture memory-card (that was supposed to hold 2,000 pictures - whoo!), so she bought a second one.  She said the French have lived up to their reputation of being kind of snooty!

The Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame

My favorite naughty gargoyle

Sacre Coeur

St. Severin ~ They performed here!

July 13, 2011 – Travel day

Today the kids traveled by bus from Paris to Switzerland.  It was a LONG 10 hours with only three rest stops!  They were greeted in pouring rain by their country hosts, who were waiting under umbrellas with a 'Welcome Ambassadors' sign!

Hotel Art de Vivre

Crans-Montana

I spoke to her after they’d been there about two hours and she said, “Mom, this is already my favorite place on earth!”  I had the same reaction when I went!  Her hotel is much better, a very cute bed-and-breakfast, and she’s rooming with the two girls from her high school.

July 14, 2011

Free time today!  The girls spent hours walking around the little town of Crans-Montana.  The citizens were so excited to see them and wait each year for the Ambassadors to arrive.  Their performance in the town square was under a tent as the town is so small, they don’t have any venues appropriate for a large group!  Sarah said the crowd was so receptive, many of them crying throughout the performance, and demanding five encores by simultaneous clapping!

July 15, 2011 

The kids took a bus to Zermatt today and a vernacular to the viewpoint for the Matterhorn!  Unfortunately, it was shrouded in clouds, so they couldn’t even see the mountain.  So, they did some shopping, had a picnic in a picturesque park, and then returned to their quaint home town of Crans-Montana for a Fondue and Polka party!  They had dancing lessons and tried new Swiss delicacies. 

The Matterhorn, as viewed from Zermatt

July 16, 2011

Another long travel day from Switzerland to Austria (about 10 hours by bus) with only two rest stops, one of which was lunch in the tiny country of Lichtenstein, home of the famous Valduz Castle.

Valduz Castle

Sarah was happy to arrive at quaint, family-run Waldhotel in Seefeld.

Waldhotel ~ Seefeld, Austria

They enjoyed a dinner of Wiener schnitzel and fries, soup and salad, and apple streusel, while they were entertained by people in traditional dress playing American songs (including Oh, Holy Night and The Star-Spangled Banner) on the autoharp!  Tomorrow they head into Innsbruck for the day.


July 17, 2011


Today started with a half-day of travel from Seefeld to Innsbruk, where they enjoyed lunch in the park and had a performance in Wilten Bascilica. The acoustics in this venue were incredible. Sarah said that a note would bounce around for 14 seconds after it was sung!

Wilten Basilica

Sometime during their days in Seefeld, they also had a performance in a park, and in St. Oswald’s Parrish where the small group that Sarah earned a part in sang from the balcony. She liked the park performances because there wasn’t a defined audience. People would just hear them singing and come to sit down, and by the end there would be a huge crowd!

St. Oswald's Parrish

July 18, 2011


Today is Venice day! After a five hour bus ride, the kids enjoyed trips to a glassblowing shop, real gelato, and a traditional gondola ride, complete with singing gondolier! Although, they took several trips down wrong streets that ended in staircases that disappeared into the ocean to finally locate the gondolas!

Sinking Stairs

Gondola ride

Sarah perfected the art of European bargaining, getting herself an Italia track jacket and a Venezia sweatshirt for $30 euros (a discount of 10 eu, or about $15!). In the evening, they performed at St. Mark’s Basilica, where the namesake disciple’s holy relics are safeguarded.

July 19, 2011


The kids traveled to Germany today. It is to be a relatively quick stop of only two days. Sarah wishes that she had more time. Thankfully, their hotel is the nicest one yet! That’s a nice way to end the trip. The each got their own bed, and the rooms were well appointed and spacious.

Hotel Gastof Schranne

Upon arrival, they headed to Dachau, the Nazi concentration camp from the Holocaust. Sarah said that it was completely surreal, and very sad, but she was glad to see what the ‘other side’ was like. There was a museum and an educational video. Having been to the Holocaust museum back home, she was intrigued by the differences in the versions told by the Nazis versus the Americans.

Dachau Holocaust Concentration Camp

After their tour, they had lunch of chicken & fries in a restaurant that was in the middle of a quintessential German forest.

July 20, 2011

The morning is theirs, and Sarah and her friends plan to shop their little hearts out. She’s looking for some gifts to bring home. This evening, they will perform at Heilig-Geist Kirche, a small church in Rothenburg. The evening was rounded out with a late night Brat Party, where they searched the streets until close to midnight for bratwurst! Heading back to pack and anticipating a 4:30 a.m. departure was all outweighed by the knowledge that she was headed home in the morning!


July 21, 2011


Our little girl arrived at about 8:00 p.m., tired, wired, and ever the world traveler! We’re so excited to see all of her photos, which I’m sure we’ll share on Facebook and here on this blog. Keep watch!