Ward hippos

For the Pioneer Day parade, our stake made a beautiful Noah’s Ark float. One of the members of our ward was in charge of it and the float ended up in front of their house after the parade. It was there a couple of days before animals started disappearing off the float. Before long we began to see the animals in front of other houses. It became a big joke to pass the animals on to other houses. Most of the animals have been hijacked by other members of the stake, but we still have one purple hippo. Recently, we were “hippoed” ourselves.

Organ clinic

In August I went to a four day organ workshop at BYU. It was a training course for people who can play the piano and want to learn to play the organ (or for those who already play the organ and want to learn more). It was a wonderful workshop. I walked out with a much greater understanding of the organ. I can’t actually play the organ yet (that will only come with practice), but I know more of the theory behind it. I actually know that the knobby or button things are called the registration. I even know how to choose a basic registration for Sacrament Meeting. I felt it was a very informative workshop and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the organ.

As part of the workshop, we went on a field trip. We went to an organ maker and saw how an organ was built. Then we went to temple square and enjoyed a beautiful concert in the Assembly Hall. Earlier in the week we had the opportunity to sign up for a chance to play one of the temple square organs. We were assigned an organ and a time to play it. After the concert in the Assembly Hall, those of us who signed up were allowed to play our assigned organ. I was allowed to play the organ in the Assembly Hall. Others of us got to play on the Tabernacle organ and even the Conference Center organ. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I didn’t play well and I didn’t even touch the peddles, but I got to sit at the organ and play long enough to have my picture taken by my family who came to see me for the occasion. It was very neat.

August Adventure: Am Ex Family Fun Day

Every year American Express has a Family Fun Day where the building is opened to families of employees, with activities and food. This years Family Fun Day was a couple of weeks ago and we took the opportunity as our family adventure. They had bounce houses, a dunk tank, face painting, and lots of other games. They served us lunch as well as free popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy. My kids favorite part was the kids market place. Each child was given a career with a salary. Then they had to go around and purchase items at different levels. For example, they had to decide if they could afford a house, an apartment, or a studio apartment. They also had to purchase a car, pet, clothes, food plan, and any extras that they might want or need. If they had any money left to deposit in the bank, they got a reward. They love it and it helps us teach them about making smart money decisions. We had a great time!

July Adventure: 4th in Arizona

July was a huge adventure for us. The fourth was the first anniversary of my sisters death, so we wanted to be with family in Arizona. We spent the day slip and sliding, barbecuing, and watching fireworks. We also visited Bekah’s grave site and took her roses. It was a wonderful day full of fun, the way she would have wanted it. After the fourth, we were able to relax a little. We spent a few more days in Mesa, hanging out with my family. I spent one day shopping with my sisters. We just relaxed and talked and had a great time. After a few days in Mesa, we went camping with Jeff’s family at Black River near St. John’s. We spent more time relaxing and talking. Jeff took the kids fishing and almost everyone caught a fish. It rained, on and off, almost the whole time, but not so hard that we couldn’t enjoy ourselves. On the last morning the sun came out long enough for us to take down the tents and pack up the cars. Once we got all loaded up to go home, the rain really started. We were grateful that it waited until we were in the car and on our way out before the sheets came down. Overall, we had a great week with family and have lots of memories to look back on.

June adventure: Ward Camp-out

For June’s adventure we went to our ward’s family camp-out. It was a fiesta theme. We broke a piñata and played games, sang songs and told stories around the camp fire. We slept in the freezing rain and were miserable and still my kids remember this as one of the highlights of their summer. We are so grateful to be a part of this ward. We have made so many great friends.