Pioneers In Their Own Way

July 24th is a state holiday in Utah. Most business, except for banks and the federal agencies close shop for the day, so that residents can celebrate the Mormon Pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley. Only the wagon company of Brigham Young entered the valley on July 24th. A few months, another group entered the valley and in the coming years, other companies followed. Some of the companies consisted of handcarts. Most of my ancestors came west with pioneers the traditional, but two of pioneering ancestors came a less traditional way.

Benjamin Jackson left England in 1849. He boarded a ship and wasn't heard until the late 1860's. By then, his wife had given up and decided he was dead, so she married another man. So when Benjamin Jackson found his way to Nephi, he told the story of what happened after he left England. Benjamin crossed the Atlantic Ocean successfully, but while crossing the plain, he joined a group of Forty-Niners and headed to California to search for gold. Maybe he thought it would be a quick way to bring him family to America. Benjamin never wrote his family, probably because he couldn't read and he would have to pay someone to write the letter. Benjamin in his later years moved to Salt Lake City to live with his daughter, Elizabeth. He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, along with John Taylor, a former president of the LDS Church and other famous Mormons.

Elihu Kisor Ball was living in Russell, Virginia when he joined the LDS Church. On April 15, 1878, Elihu left his native Virginia with a nephew,Balford after a sorrowful farewell for Utah. They traveled first by horseback for the first 30 miles and then walked to Pikeville, Kentucky. Elihu and Balford bought a small flatboat sailed down the Big Sandy River to Louisa, West Virginia to visit with relatives. It was here that Balford got home sick and returned to Virginia. It was the last Elihu saw his nephew. On May 1st, Elihu boarded a streamboat and sailed on the Big Sandy River to Cincinnati, Ohio where he boarded the train to Salt Lake City, Utah. He stayed in Salt Lake until 1880 when he was sent by Brigham Young to help settle the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado.

A Tale of Two Marathons

Monday during my lunch hour, I was minding my own business on Facebook when I noticed that neighbor from Idaho posted “Explosion at the Boston Marathon finish line at least 3 dead 30 injured turn on your news!” My first thought was of a current neighbor (in Utah) who was in Boston running the marathon. Of course I thought of Jay, who ran the Boston Marathon several years ago. I texted neighbor and friend to find out if she had heard anything about Tracy, our neighbor. She texted back that she saw Tracy’s husband interviewed on KSL. I took that tidbit of news as good news. At the end of today, I kept thinking of a question that my nephew (in his younger years) frequently asked - "Why?" Jay answered back “I don’t know” and I replied to his answer that we probably never would. For once I was serious when asking “Why?” Earlier in the day I had posted on Facebook “Why do we want to hurt our fellow man so much?”

The next day as I walked out of the Campus bookstore, I saw the heading of three newspapers (two of them local). When I saw Terror on all three front pages, I probably agreed with most of America that terrorist had invaded the Boston Marathon. I think this was my first resolve to get up early on April 20^th and watch the Salt Lake Marathon pass thru my neighborhood.

Late Thursday evening, I was on Facebook again. A different neighbor and friend posted “Not 5 min into the news....shootings at MIT....man....” It wasn’t until Friday morning at work (not on Facebook) that I learned that MIT shooting was apart of the Boston Marathon bombing. Suspect #1 was dead and Suspect #2 was on the loose. I was more determined to be cheering on the runners in marathon the next morning. When I left work, I told a co-worker that I was watching the race. That was before I knew about the capture of the Suspect #2. But the capture did cement my determination even more because I posted on Facebook “I don't care, I am going to be along the race route tomorrow morning. Thanks to the terrorists, they motivated me to get up early to watch.”

To my surprise and my ability to wake up earlier than usual on a Saturday, I was up to watch the race. While Jay and I waited for the marathon to come to our neighborhood, we watched the progress on TV. I posted on Facebook  “Waiting for the marathon to pass thru the neighborhood. It is now somewhere in the Parley's Way area.” Soon after eight, Jay and I were out in the rain cheering the racers on. If the terrorists weren’t stopping me from cheering the runner on, then I wasn’t going to let the rain send me back to a comfortable home.  

I watched most of the marathon pass thru my neighborhood. A number of runner thanked the cops along the route. A quite a few told us spectators that we were awesome. I don't think I've ever seen so much gratitude along the race route. It was nice to see Boston jerseys and those running in behalf of Boston marathoner(s).As I watched the race I also noticed green jerseys and t-shirts. I read later in Trib app on my iPad that a few runners wore green to honor the City of Boston’s Irish heritage. And I yelled out “Go Boston” to a few runners.

And when one of the last runners came thru, Jay and I walked back to the condo. Usually the cops providing traffic control don’t get notice.  Even though the crowd in my neighborhood was less than in years past, I was grateful for the support from the runners and spectators that I saw. Because of what happen in Boston earlier in the week, the Salt Lake Marathon was different this year. And may next year’s marathon in Boston be bigger and better.

A Different Ride on Trax

Saturday, April 13^th was the grand opening of the Trax Green Line to the Airport and of course, UTA offered free rides to the public. And yes, I took advantage of a free Trax ride to the airport, even though I ride free on UTA free five-six days a week, courtesy of my employer. When I finally arrived at the Arena, I picked up my UTA Trax to Airport Passport, which had a page for each stop along the new extended Green Line. After I got on at the Arena stop, I rode straight to the Salt Lake International Airport without getting off at any of the stops like Jay did when he rode later. Along the way, I saw places that I haven’t seen for years, like Diamond Lil’s and the State Fairgrounds. 

As soon as I got I went into the airport; I had important business to attend to. I had never been in and out of the airport that fast. When I got back outside, I stood in line to get my “passport” stamp and my picture taken; then I got back on the train. At the 1940 stop, I saw a week day Trax line Red line regular board. She told me that there was free tamales, but I decided to stay on. She got off the Power station. At the station named after my family (not really, but I do share part of the name) I saw Viva! Market again. Now I take Trax to get products from Mexico. There is hope that I can Choco Roles and Sponch! in Utah instead of waiting six weeks to buy them in Idaho. 

Finally I got off at The Bridge Station (which also includes a Frontrunner station) where I enjoyed some chili soup and cookie samples. I also got my third and last stamp before I reboarded the new extended Trax line. Then at Arena station, I got off and waited for the regular Green Line to take me to City Creek to some shopping before I headed home.  I have to admit I had a good time.

Sikovit

It’s only been a month, but it seems like winter has been forever. I can’t remember the last time I saw a sidewalk without snow. Tuesday night after I got off the bus, I was greeted by an unshoveled sidewalk. Suddenly, I had my fill of tromping thru the snow, climbing over snow banks on the corner. Tired of having the bus drop or pick me up in the middle of a driveway. So today, I sought therapy with the camera on my cell phone. (I’ve included a few pictures that I took earlier in the month. My cell phone has been busy.)

 Jay said this was frozen fog. It was just strange seeing frost or ice on one side of the bush.

 Waterskiing on the Snake River in January?

 There’s nothing like a ice cold diet coke on a cold January morning in Idaho.

 Padded benches on campus?

 No cutting in allowed, get in line at the entrance.

 Who wants to be King of the Hill?

 This snow on this corner has been here so long, I can’t remember where the sidewalk ends.

 It has been awhile since I saw the sun set as I get off the bus. Lately it’s been while I was on the bus or on Trax or as I walk to Trax station at the Rice Eccles Stadium. Seeing this as I walked down the sidewalk, gave me hope. The days are getting longer and that means spring will come.

My Friday Morning Commute

Now that the day is almost over, I'm going to tell my story of my snowy commute to work. I walked out of my unit, I saw it was snowing; not heavy, but not light either. The parking lot had been plowed, but the sidewalk in front had not been shoveled. I saw a large guy walking in the street because the of the sidewalk. But I decided to play it safe and trudge thru knee deep snow. When I got to the corner I crossed the street which had been plowed. The man had turned the corner and was waiting in the street for his bus. Instead of heading down the other side of the street like I usually do, I decided to catch the bus in front of the gas station. I had to detour thru the gas pump area because the gas station seldom shovels their sidewalks. I made a little clearing with my shoes. I think that is the only shoveling that sidewalk got today. 
I got on the bus about 6:40. After the bus made another turn, I heard a guy (who had just got on) call his wife to tell her not to send the children to school today. His knee deep snowy walk occurred in the middle of the street. About 3300 South I texted Penny "On the dang bus. Even TB is. That means the work place isn't closed down." (TB is a VP's secretary.) All hope for a university closure was lost. At 7:18, I texted Penny again "Bus is on Foothill Parking Lot. Maybe it (will) make it to Sunnyside before long. Are we having fun yet?" 
An hour after boarding the bus, I got off. As I was walking toward the business building, I touched my glasses and one of the lens fell out. (I have a loose screw.) I couldn't see the lens in the snow, so I bent down and with the help of little light that the dawn was provided I found my lens. I stuck in my coat pocket and pressed forward. But I decided I didn't want to be loopy, so I took my glasses off and stuck them in my bag. When I got to the business building I secured the glasses a little further in the bag and proceeded across campus half blind. 
When I got to my building, I took my coat off and my socks.  After my feet dried out, I put on some dry socks. It felt so good and warm. I also put on my spare glasses, an old prescription. Then I fixed my other glass and put them in my purse. I wasn't going to wear screw loose glasses on a snowy campus. Then I got down to business; I attempted to work on a snowy Friday morning.
(Classes were canceled at 1p.m. TB's boss gave us the approval to leave campus.)

Finally did it

On March 22, 2012, City Creek Mall opened to great fan fare.  I finally got to the new mall two weeks later, which a week before my brother’s birthday and a day before Easter. I had to go to Deseret Book to get Jay’s present, a DVD.  I had wanted to get “17 Miracles” for Christmas, but when the stake president came out with the reading list for 2012, I decided to get Jay one of the recommended books. I rode Trax, but instead of getting off at City Center, like I did yesterday, I got off at the

Temple Square

station. I wanted to see the Western half of the new mall before I went inside it.  After I made my purchases at Deseret Book, which had opened sometime in 2009 or 2010, I started my tour of City Creek. Up I went on the escalator and walked across the new skywalk that crossed

Main Street

. I seen a few times during its construction as I rode Trax. After I walked thru the skywalk, I went back because the line at Kneaders was too long. (As of yesterday, it is still starts outside the south doors of the restaurant.) I went back the Nordstrom’s (western) side of the mall, visited Rocky Mountain Chocolate and bought something, then I checked out Blue Lemon, which directly across from Deseret Book. I had eaten twice before and was surprised that it was crowded too. (It still had a long line yesterday, but at least it wasn’t out the door.) So I decided to eat at the

Food Court

on the Macey’s (eastern) side of City Creek. To my delight, Chick-fil-A was opened for business. Finally there were more options than McDonald’s. It was crowded at the

Food Court

, but I was too hungry to care. When I left the

Food Court

, I exited the way I had before; heading for the exit on South Temple and State.  Then I crossed the street and went shopping at Harmon’s, which opened a month or two before City Creek did. I bought some Easter candy and a few others things. After Harmon’s, crossed the street at 100 South and State, walked up the street and entered City Creek at

State Street

. Years before I would enter the ZCMI mall at

State Street

in about the same location.  Except this time, I was still outside instead of inside.  I walked thru the mall and when I crossed

Main Street

to get to Trax, I had a sense of deja vue. Years ago as a college student, I would cross from ZCMI center to the Crossroads Mall at this same spot.  I got the same deja vue yesterday as I waited for the light to change. It was like I was back in the 80’s again.

It will be awhile before I eat again at City Creek.  Yesterday, I boarded Trax, transferred at Courthouse and caught the Red Line to Café Zupas. It was less crowded and so worth the ride there to have my BBQ pulled pork and Mango Berry salad. Heaven! I will that Mango Berry salad again.

 

The Great Utah Shakeout or The Largest Earthquake Drill The State of Utah Has Experienced

Weeks before last Tuesday, I was informed that there would be an earthquake drill. Every building on campus had the maps posted at all their exits.  A few days before the drill, the bookstore put up notice that they would be closed between the hours of 10:15 am to 11:30am on April 17^th.  My boss, Lisa conducted meetings with those in office the day before. We saw a depressing video that left me with no hope of surviving the real thing. It said thousands would die and life as we knew it would be over. Highways and such would be in chaos and buildings would all be leveled.  Lisa did show some other videos, one which was the earthquake that my Steven experienced. It was more informative than the death wish video that someone in Utah put together. I enjoyed the video of the fireman who demonstrated how to get under a table and hold on.  The narrator had to tell him to get completely under the table.  Oops.  Penny, who was raised in Southern California, told us that the longest quake she was in only lasted 42 seconds or less than a minute.

Tuesday morning arrived and so did the talk.  A few joked about a real earthquake happening just before or at the time of the drill. The nervous chit chat increased as the time grew shorter. I got out my iPad and earplugs so I wouldn’t have to listen to their ramblings during the drill; I did not care to listen to that again.  I was in an earthquake drill at Blue Cross and one woman could not quit yakking.  Granted we were under our desks for 15 minutes.  I decided right then that if an earthquake happen, I wouldn’t get under my desk; I just get myself out of her misery.

At 10:15, a text arrived to cell phone, informing me to get under my desk. So under I went, but I sat instead of rolling up like a ball.  I am too tall to sit under my desk; I would have to take out a few ribs or my neck to fit under there.  I did turn on my iPod on my iPad and listened to some song. I could hear people leaving, so I texted Karie in St. George and told her two individuals didn’t shut up the entire time. I put my iPad in my bag and put on my jacket, then I wore my cross pack. I was quite surprised that my neck wasn’t sore, but if I had been under my desk like I had in the first drill, my neck would have been sore.  Next time, I am not taking the time to wear earphones; I will do my best to ignore the loudmouths or laugh at their nervous chitchat. Maybe I will get lucky and they will be put out of their misery.

I was the last one out of the office. Pat and Lisa walked me out.  I had to text Karie and that is why I was last. Next time, not gonna happen.  We met up at the appointed spot on the lawn on the corner of 2^nd & University or the lawn in front of Big Ed’s. When I got there, I noticed that not all of the office was there, so I went looking for them.  While I was searching, I ran into Jen, who used to work in our office and I picked up a 1^st aid kit from the tent that was set up.  In my 1^st aid kit (or was it a 72 hour kit?) were band-aids, ointment, toothbrush, toothpaste, a bottle of water and a granola bar in a Campus Store plastic bag. I stuffed it in my bag and forgot to take it out, so it went home with me.  I brought it back the next day and added an overnight pad for young women.  Hey, I’ve been told those things belong in a 1^st aid kit. The next day after I decided it would be a take home ER kit, I added deodorant, small package of tissues, and lotion.  Since I had gum in my desk drawer, I threw that in the kit too. My ER kit or “Hoofin’ like a New Yorker” kit is now hanging on a coat hook by the trash basket under my desk. I still have to walk on glass to get to my purse and bag. If my lunch is in the frig, I will probably forget to grab it, but then maybe not.  It could be on the way out to the evacuation spot by Big Ed’s.  That is if the frig isn’t blocking the exit.

Oh, by the way, I texted my out of state contact (my oldest sister) that we had an earthquake drill and I was fine.  I didn’t know that living apart that from my family would provide me with so many contacts out of state. That prep was probably the easiest prep of the whole drill.

Good Friday Weather

4/6/12
6:20 am Penny -Well its snowing at my place. Glad Im letting UTA do the driving...Ithink! haha
7:04 am Susan - Hard to be it is Easter weekend.
7:04 am Penny - I know
7:16 am Penny - Sorens headed up 4th south. 2 trucks and paramedics
7:27 am Susan - There were slideoffs just before Foothill. Cop & ER mobile in Research Park. Heard a siren when I got off at the business loop. What a Good Friday.
9:13 am Susan to Darren, Crystal, Jared & Mark - So did you have fun driving in that **** this morning?
9:15 am Jared - I just hated cleaning my car off
9:18 am Susan to Jared - So it is better weather in Happy Valley (Utah Valley)?glad my nephews are okay.
9:19 am Jared - I don't know... i haven't seen salt lake
9:23 am Susan to Jared - Oh no! happy valley got dumped on too?
9:30 am Susan to Isaac - Is BYU under snow too?the school to the north got dumped on.
9:31 am Isaac - Yep, lots of snow
9:35 am Mark - Beautiful snow covering the ground! Beautiful day! how could i not enjoy it!
9:35 am Susan to Mark - Haha
12:08 pm Darren - I didn't actually ha
12:11 pm Susan to Darren - Ja! You probably laughed at all the poor suckers on the road. At least I hope you did. Lol

Conference Weekend Weather

Thanks to the The Weather Channel, KSL and others, I took the weather was going to be going from one extreme to the other. It did, but not quite as predicted. Saturday was nice; the sun was out. I walked to the library in short sleeves, jeans and socks with shoes. I wished I had worn sandles and capris; my jeans and socks were too warm. People were out biking and I even saw a guy jogging in his shorts and t-shirt. KSL did report that it got into the high 70's at the airport, so it is fair to say that Saturday weather came as predicted. I woke Sunday to the sound of cars traveling on wet pavement. It was probably raining, but soon after the morning session of conference began, I noticed it was snowing. Lightly because the only way I make sure it was snowing was if I looked at the trees outside our condo. Bewteen the sessions, I took another walk around Holladay. I wore my gloves and my hoodie. I could feel the cold go up my legs, the jeans I that wore both days, were not enough. It snowed the whole time, although it melted when it hit the ground. The pictures I took just showed wet sidewalks and grayish skys. I am sure the snow did not melt on impact in Park City, Utah. The Weather Channel app on my iPad was showing colder tempatures. While the weather people weren't exactly right about Salt Lake County, at least they were right on about Park City.

Presdient Hinckley, Part II

I wrote this a year ago; posted it and then deleted it from the blog. I felt it was too long, but I didn't want to abandoned the story. So this year, I edited the draft from last year and reposted it this year. The dates in the title are the days of the actual event, not when I originally wrote it.

The Viewing and Funeral (February 1 & 2, 2008)
Since I went to Sister Hinckley's viewing, I knew I had to go to President Hinckley’s viewing. Jay and I stood in line for President Benson and President Hunter, both Idaho native like us, so I invited Jay to come with me. Both President Benson and President Hunter's viewings were held in the Church Office Building by the Joseph Smith Building. But President Hinckley’s viewing had to be moved to the Conference Center because so many people wanted to pay their respects. That first Friday night in February, Jay and I drove to the Trax station. It was bit crowded on Trax, not everyone was going to the viewing. When one young woman, who was on her way to work, found out where we going, she commented that she had seen one of his interviews and thought President Hinckley was pretty cool guy. Apparently, President Hinckley had left a favorable impression of those who were not members of the church. I was touched by the young woman's remarks.
When we got off Trax, I thought we would be able to walk into Conference Center, but there was a long line in front, so we walked around to the west side of the Conference Center. It was probably six or six-thirty when we got in line halfway to or maybe almost to 200 North. We stood in the cold and the dark for quite a few hours. The line snaked in and out of the plaza on the southwest corner of the Conference Center. About ten o'clock we got inside. My ankles were cold and they hurt. My knees might have hurt too. But what surprised me the most was that after all that standing outside, my enlarged nerve in my left foot was not aching at all. Jay and I still stood as we rode an escalator or two for the next hour or so. We did get to sit in the giant room where General conference is held every six months. It was nice to have a break from standing. Once I sat on a couch while Jay saved my place in line. Finally about eleven, we saw President Hinckley lying in his casket. It was very quiet and peaceful as we passed thru the Hall of the Prophets where President Hinckley lay in state. We passed quickly by President Hinckley’s casket; there was such a feeling of reverence in the room. Now I understood why those coming down the escalators were sober-looking. He looked calm and at peace. I have to admit, I almost didn't recognize him without his glasses.
Then at 11:30, Jay and I were back in the bitter cold waiting for Trax. It probably wasn't a long wait (especially compared to wait before) before the Sandy train came and took us to the Trax station we needed. When we got home, we turned the furnace and before long we crawled into our separate beds. Jay probably had a bite to eat before retiring. The next morning we watched the funeral and the graveside services on TV. After spending an evening in the bitter cold weather, I don't think we wanted to spend a few morning hours freezing in line. And besides, we needed some rest after a long bitter cold night. I am thinking that most of local stations broadcasted it as I don't think we watched the funeral and graveside services on the same station.

President Hinckley, Part 1

I wrote this a year ago, posted and then deleted because it was just too long. But I did not abandoned it. This year I edited it and decided to divide in to two parts. Now you can take a break. Even though I broke it up; it is still too long. The dates in the headings represent the actual dates, not when I wrote originally wrote it.
The News (January 27, 2008)
Four years ago on the last Sunday of January, my sister, Laura from Washington State called and broke the news that President Hinckley had passed away. I am not sure how she found out, but soon the TV was on. Apparently, those in their teens and twenties were the first to know. The youth probably texted each other before KSL could find a reporter to send to Temple Square. I could be wrong, but KSL was showing some students from a local institute singing hymns at Temple Square or maybe the Institute at the University of Utah. The next morning, The Salt Lake Tribune had a half page sized picture of President Hinckley on the front page. The Tribune also gave President Hinckley his own section; a first for any prophet. A short article on Tuesday appeared in the paper about East High School students wearing the Sunday best on a Monday. Even the Utah Chronicle (aka the Chrony) had a front page article about President Hinckley. When I was a student there, President Kimball died and there wasn't anything about him, nada. But then, President Hinckley attended and probably graduated from the University of Utah, whereas President Kimball was an Arizona native and businessman before he moved to Salt Lake. But I think it was more than being a Utah alumnus that got President Hinckley a spot on the front page of the Chrony. President Hinckley reached out to the youth, probably like no other prophet of the church had in the 20th and 21st century. While I was in high school, I don't remember receiving a phone call to wear my Sunday best the day after President Lee died. Granted, President Lee was only the President for possibly three short years and President Hinckley was President of the church for more than ten years.
When I had heard that President Hinckley died, there was some shock and some disbelief. I thought he was going to live to be 100. After all, when he had his 95th birthday celebration, he told the crowd at the Conference Center that he would see them in five years. But then quickly, I realized he was with Marjorie, his wife of countless years. She had passed away shortly after Jay and I bought our condo. Even though I felt sad at his passing, I also felt joy. I imagine President Hinckley was smiling when he saw Sister Hinckley. I just hope he didn't knock the air out of her when he greeted her in heaven. He was probably quite thrilled to see the love of his life after a few long years. I remember when President Hinckley visited our ward almost four years ago, which was shortly after his wife died. When it came to bless for his grandson to bless his daughter, President Hinckley came down from the stand. I was surprised at how frail and how old he was. He seemed so lonely without Marjorie. I could tell he missed her greatly. President Hinckley was the first president of the church that I remembered who lost his wife while serving as a prophet. When I went to Sister Hinckley's viewing in the Relief Society building downtown, I walked around the Salt Lake Temple before boarding Trax. While I was walking by the temple, I knew President Hinckley and Sister Hinckley would be together again just like I know that I see my crazy, but lovable father again. Love is eternal and families can be forever. When I was in college, President, then Elder Hinckley came and spoke in stake conference. I had probably heard him in General Conference during a few radio broadcasts. But in the fall of 1978, it was the first time or second time; I had probably seen him speak in person. Because it was a smaller setting, I somehow felt more of his spirit or personality. I remember him speaking about a flight that he shared with a couple he knew. Just the way he spoke of the couple brought President Hinckley closer to my realm. This apostle was a real human being who experience life like me and the other college students.
When I attended the University of Utah, Chase Peterson was inaugurated as President. President Hinckley, then apart of the first presidency of the church, gave one of the prayers. Listening to his prayer, I felt his testimony. I swear his prayer went right thru the Special Events Center (now the Huntsman Center) roof and right to heaven. President Hinckley was speaking to God, his Father, and his Creator. It was an eloquent prayer.

My 2012 Predictions

Every year, I make predictions for the next year. Usually I get a little help from my brother, but this year, I decided to do it on my very own. When I make predictions, I realize some of it is a recollection of what happened in the past year. This year, I realized that my predictions are a reflection of me. One prediction that I have for past decade that I miss making is Osama Bin Laden. I had fun making predictions about his capture or lack of capture. None of my predictions came close to what actually happen. Osama Bin Laden Prediction are being laid to rest this year. (2011's prediction and result: Osama Bin Laden's tapes will be found in the archives at the New York Times. They won't be aired because no VHS player can be found. He's deader than a door nail on May day. But at least I have the Airport Guy to keep me going, unless he gets voted out of office. Then I will be up a creek again.

2012 Predictions
1. The world will not end as predicted by the Mayan calendar.
2. Utah State, BYU and Utah will win their bowl games.
3. While Kevin waits for his visa, he will serve stateside in New York.
4. Jazz will go to the playoffs and also beat the Lakers. You never know, so don't laugh too hard.
5. Vanessa and Crystal will vote for a winning candidate or two. Yes, the two will be old enough to vote. May their dads rest in peace.
6. Gabrielle will give birth to a little girl on May 29th.
7. Airport Guy will be barred from the Salt Lake International Airport and will travel by Amtrak to and from D.C.
8. Orrin Hatch will retire. It has been decades since i was 18. Yeah it's time to turn out the light and go to bed, Hatch.
9. Obama will order members of Congress to quit whining and get to work. The same with the Senate.
10. Political talk shows will lose their ability to whine, yell, find fault, rant, point fingers and other forms of bad speech as their ratings fail and Americans get tired of their bs.
11. Nancy Grace will host her own show on Comedy Central. (She makes me laugh with her antics.)
12. The American public will start a petition on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets to demand that Congress , Senate, White House (elected & non-elected) officials and other elected officials give themselves a month without pay so that those in the armed forces, senior citizens (except millionaire retirees) and low level government employees can have a raise.
13. The Tea Party and the Coffee Party will both brew at the polls.
14. Sarah "Perky" Palin will be forced out of the closet when it is discovered that she likes coffee more than tea.
15. BCS will go bankrupt and lose creditability; then become the laughing stock of the football & sports worlds.
16. Mary will visit Utah and see the new Natural History Museum and Red Butte Gardens.
17. Crystal will run a full, yes full marathon at the end of April or August. Or the first weekend in October. If not, she will run a half marathon.
18. Susan and Jewel will check out a ebook from the library.
19. There will be new faces in Washington DC from Utah and a few other states due to the 2010 census.
20. Dana will go into major shock when his youngest walks into kindergarten classroom and his oldest starts her post-secondary education.
21. An announcement will be made in General Conference that a temple will be built in the San Luis Valley. Okay Southern Colorado. (John Taylor's son once said in a stake conference in Manassa that a temple would be built in the area. Someone also prophesied in a stake conference in the Mini-Cassia area that a temple would be built. In 2008, the Twin Falls temple was dedicated.)
22. As usual there will be a change in face(s) at Income Accounting at the University of Utah.
23. Some matchmakers will hone their skills and a few good men will consider their martyrdom. Disclaimer: this does not mean there will be wedding bells.
24. The prison walls will not fall around Warren Jeffs, but a wall will fall on him and his reign of terror will end for many of his followers.
25. Jason will teach his nephews & nieces the fine art of texting (jexting). Watch out parents, aunts , uncles & Vanessa.

A few questions for 2012. Will Utah and BYU play their last rivalry game? I hope not. And will Notre Dame play BYU? Now that could be a holy war. Will my Utes and Dana's Dawgs meet up again? I kinda enjoyed that rivalry. And will a buffalo be hidden on Utah's campus like a cougar was hidden 25 plus years ago? I probably won't know because I don't read the Utah Chronicle. This is my new look for 2012. It is only a haircut, but hopefully it will a part of my new year resolutions not to wait a year before I cut my hair. Hopefully at the end of June.

Morning in Park City

Jay woke me up just before 4:30am. I took my thyroid pill, brushed my teeth and got dressed. John came by at 4:35am to drive us to Park City. Jay was running his 3rd half-marathon. We got there about 5:00am and after Jay picked up his race packet, we headed back to the Newpark Hotel and waited. The starting line was outside the hotel. While we waiting, we saw an old neighbor from the Valley View 3rd ward. Diane was there with two of her running friends, one who was running her 100th marathon. Diane has run over 70 marathons herself. Before long we found Tina, one of Jay’s classmates from Minico. We all missed Stacy, who has run the previous two half-marathons with Jay and Tina. It was good to see Tina’s mom again. She is Tina’s biggest race fan.

After Tina and Jay took off, the three of us watched the second wave of runners start and then I realized we needed to catch Jay and Tina leave Newpark for the road. John yelled out Jay’s name and I saw the back of him as he flashed thru the park. We both caught Tina, but when I took the picture, another runner came between the camera and Tina.

John and I left Newpark grounds and walked to McDonalds, where we had breakfast. I enjoyed my August hot chocolate while he ate his burrito and hash brown. Then we headed back to the starting/finish line at the Newpark Hotel. While we waited I got on Facebook and John slept in the lobby. At 8:30am, I went to the finish line. I called John to remind him that it was time. He was still napping when Jay rolled in at 8:45am. But he was there to see Tina come in, less than an hour later.




We took a few pictures, and then we left. Tina and her mom were heading back to a Salt Lake City and we were headed back to McDonald’s (before heading back to a hot Salt Lake). Jay needed his breakfast.

Tornado & Brennan

On August 11, 1999 at 12:45pm, a tornado touched down in Salt Lake and an hour later at 12:44, my nephew, Brennan was born in Orange County.
The tornado that roared thru downtown Salt Lake on August 11th touched down somewhere near a bar west of downtown, ripped a few shingles off the Delta Center (now the Energy Solutions Center where the Jazz still play), disturbed a Outdoor Retailers Show, uprooted the Honeymoon Tree by the Salt Lake Temple, took out a number of trees east of the State Capitol, raped Memory Grove and destroyed homes in the avenues. Granted it was nothing like Joplin, Missouri, but it was worst that ever hit Utah. (That is until a tornado ripped thru Manti a few years later. I can’t remember the damages done to Manti, except for a tree in my cousin, Lannette’s yard that needed to be uprooted. Mother Nature got one thing correct that day.) When the tornado went thru downtown Salt Lake that August afternoon, only one person died. He was working at the Outdoor show getting a tent ready for the event. If I remember correctly the show was postponed for a few days. A month or so later, I was looking north from the (LDS) Church Office Building and I could see Memory Grove. The park looked so naked with out the trees. Nine years later, I was there for a wedding reception. Memory Grove was beautiful again.
Later in the evening on August 11, 1999, my brothers and I received a call. Brennan was alive and well in his mothers arms. Spencer was a big brother and would soon have a playmate. It was so nice to have good news that day. A few weeks later, his birth announcement came in the mail. Imagine my surprise when I noticed the time of his birth. Although, my brother and his family weren’t in the Salt Lake Valley, I still think of Brennan as a tornado baby.

Draper Days-Celebrating Utah

I did another day of service. Actually it was less than 4 hours at the Draper Days Breakfast, but after my 4 hours of service at the Race for the Cure, I can say I did a day of service. I have accepted President Erying's challenge.

My brother, John picked up Jay and me about 6am to help out with the annual Draper Days on July 16th. While we were driving out, I realized that July is a busy time for Utahns to celebrate. Provo has a huge celebration, complete with a concert and firework show and one of the biggest parades in the state the weekend of 4th of July. (Murray, Sugarhouse and Holladay also fireworks.) Last weekend, Taylorsville celebrated their annual Taylorsville Days. Next weekend, Salt Lake City will party with the biggest parade in the state and fireworks somewhere. That celebration probably started this past week with the Days of 47 royalty and Youth parade yesterday. Cottonwood Heights will also celebrate their Butlerville Days the same weekend as Salt Lake City.

For some time, the Draper Lions have sponsored a breakfast before the Draper Days parade. The Lions are a service organization. John was a member of Holladay Lions and when he moved to Sandy, he became involved with the Draper Lions. John requirted Jay and me a few years ago. This year was our third or fourth year to help John out. On the way to the park, John told us that the South Valley Kiwanis (another service organization) were helping out for the first time at the breakfast. A few were there when we arrived and helped us set up. Some more showed up just before the rush (which happens annually after the 5k race). Most left soon after we closed up shop, except for one guy named Millet (French name pronounced Mel-lay) who stuck around for clean up. He was performing with a group at noon, either at the Draper Park or somewhere close by.

When the Draper Days parade turned the corner to go around the park, I noticed an entry that a monkey that looked a lot like Curious George. A few months ago, I purchased a "Curious George" book in Spanish (I'm making a less than serious attempt to learn Spanish.), so when I saw this monkey, I knew I had to get a picture, so when I saw it on the street before the street that I was closest to, I left the tent with my cellphone that has the camera. After I took his picture, the monkey shook my hand. I am thinking that this monkey was part of a local automotive business that had an entry in the parade. Quite a few local business will have entries in the parade, including dance studios.

The Draper Days parade is not one of the biggest parades in Utah, maybe one of the bigger one in the Salt Lake Valley. Days of 47 and the Freedom Festival parade in Provo are much bigger. But the Jazz bear still showed up. Just before this picture he squirting parade watchers with confetti from a can. When he passed by the spot where I was standing, he threw out styrofoam hats. The children seemed to love both. In some ways, the Draper Days parade is a preview of the Days of 47 Parade which is held on weekend of the 24th. Some of the floats that appear in this parade will be in the Days of 47 parade.

When we done serving, Karen mentioned that she could hear the pipers. One of the men in my ward has learned to play the bagpipes recently and is part of one of the two bagpipe bands in the valley. So I left tent and waited patiently for them to go around the park. I waited by the port-a-potties. When I saw them turn the corner, I opened my cellphone. When they got closer, I got the camera really for picture taking. Just as the pipers got in view, someone walked by or out of a port-a-potty, causing me to get the tail end of the band. I know don't if Brother Buchanan and his son were apart of the group or not. I forgot to ask his wife and I don't recognize any pipers in this picture.

Last year I notice this statute. The couple portrayed looks like they are ticked off about something. The male pioneer is holding a gun and she has her arm is reaching out for handout. I walked by this statute last year, thinking that ornery people settled Draper; they trusted no one and never got the handout they wanted. When I arrived at the park this year, I realized why this pioneer couple looked so ticked off. The birds visited them and left them some handouts no human ever wants.

Holladay 4th of July 2011

The City of Holladay has done a firework show for about ten years. While it isn't a big or fancy as the fireworks in Sugarhouse, it still draws a big crowd. My brothers and I attended our first Holladay fireworks in 2003, just before Jay and I moved to the Heart of Holladay. When Jay didn't want to walk to the park (because the next day was a work day), I would watch the fireworks from the parking lot or the sidewalk in front of the condos along our street.

Last year, the City of Holladay added a parade and breakfast. It was corny, but short parade last year and I enjoyed it. It was made of neighbors and children decorated their bikes and wagons. The parade started at City Hall, went along Laney Street and entered City Hall ground by the Fire Station. This year the parade was bigger, with more families and a longer route. It started 4500 south and went down Holladay Blvd, then crossed over to 2300 East where it ended at City Hall where breakfast was served. Firemen were serving breakfast.

About 2pm, the 4th leg of the Crit started. It started on north on Holladay Blvd, turned east and went by our condo. After passing us by, the racers turned south on 2300 East. Last year, the Crit, a version of short-track speed skating for cyclists, followed the same route. It was in July, but I am not sure if it was on the 4th or if it was the fourth leg of the Crit.

As usual, the day ended with the annual fireworks in the park. But since, it was a school night, I didn't plan to go. But Jay did. So what if he had to get up early the next morning. I had put on my pajamas a few hours and the thought of putting my warm jeans and t-shirt didn't sound too well. But I did sit out on the deck and listened to the fireworks. Sometimes I could hear the music. What surprised me was that I could see the fireworks flash on the trees in front of the condo. Light can travel far.