OHIO

Brent had to brag about his trip to Sac.... so I am going to do the same with OHIO!!! Got to go spend a few days with the Beazers and what a time it was!! C had his Big #2 Birthday and look at how grown-up he looks!

No, he is not behind bars.... he is playing on the front porch!! And here he is with his beautiful big sister.

He and L went on their first bike outings for the summer (actually it is big wheel and tricycle - but that is too much to type so we will just say BIKE)




They were so proud of their new helmets and knee and shoulder pads....

We went to the Asian Festival on Sat... and ate well and were well entertained. One of the new culture events I was introduced to was a ball game that is (to me anyway) a combination of Volleyball, hacky sack, and soccer. There were 3 men on each team - a ball that looked like wicker(loosely woven and with holes), but was hard plastic - No touching with hands, so it was kicked and head butted, and played with a net (about head high on the men) . I will give you a brief video of part of the game.... it was amazing!!




It was a little scary too when one would kick it the same time another was trying to hit it with his head!!! This gives you a little feel of it... I think Brooke has a better video... so maybe she will put it on her blog and you can see more there. But here is a picture....

If you look closely you can see how high they jump to kick and in what position they do it... most un-natural.... it was amazing.

House Potential

This is the house that Dani will be putting a offer in for tomorrow.

This is the club house for the house I am looking at. You can see my nextdoor neighbor's house on the right. It is brown.

Kayaking in Sacramento

Dani & Brent Kayaking in Sacramento this weekend. First on the American River in Rancho Cordova.

Then we went to Ice House Reservoir

And finished up on the American River in Folsom. We paddeled up to the Folsom Prison were Johnny Cash was luck enough to stay. That is it sitting on the side of the hill.

Spring has Sprung and We is Happy!!!

HAPPY

What a wonderful UTAH Spring week! Had blizzard snowstorm to 70 degree beautiful spring day.

And we got to enjoy the variety of St George as well.... cold and rainy to warm and sunny (in only 3 days no less!)

Utah League of Cities and Towns had it's annual meeting in St. George this week and Mayor Petersen and wife got to spend a few wonderful days in that beautiful city. Thank you to Aunt Iris, who shared her cute Town home that is just a couple of blocks from the Temple. It was darling and was so nice of her to allow us to stay there.

Brent received instruction on lots of issues pertaining to running the city. Jan got to watch some demonstrations, and eat at the Fat Farm(Red Mountain Spa)

Sat. we headed home and met Val &Diane, Ashley &Mike, Mike's Mom, Dad, and Brother, and Neil Brienholt, and under the tour guide of Lindon Weekes ATVed to the top of the Lake Mountain which is in between the Oquirrh Mountains and Utah Lake. What a ride and what a view!!


These are at the top of the first leg of the trip. You can see the lake and the Wasatch Mountains in the background.

Then up the trail to the REAL top of the mountain.... The trail became snow packed and icy.... took an extra 1/2 hour to blaze a trail and get there..... but we did


And what a view it was!!!



Here are our fearless Trail guides, Brent and Linden..... Thanks guys!





SAD

Jess's Grma Smith fell and hurt her back.
We drove to ST George in a SNOW STORM!!!

New Associate Conductor

Last night was a very busy rehearsal night. The new Associate conductor was announce and the press release is going out today. His name is Ryan Murphy and is currently in Boston at the New England Conservatory of Music. You can see the Church News release at the choir site http://mormontabernaclechoir.org/ .

We also had a guest conductor and David Archuleta made a surprise appearance. Sorry can't give you any more info than that.

HAPPY HAPPY SPRING

HAPPY

My roses are happy that I got out there and actually paid them some attention for the first time in way toooooo many months. But, with the weather so beautiful and the sun shining..... how could I procrastinate any longer.

We spent part of Saturday helping Kim beautify her yard. It is amazing how a few flowers makes such a difference. Kim....... send pictures.!!

Kim and I are once again working on our goal to walk from the Ogden Temple to the Provo Temple. We originally wanted to walk across Utah ( width - I mean) but walking on main highways was becoming too much of a problem, So we decided to just chunk out the state one section at a time. Before Winter hit, we had walked from the Ogden Temple to Lagoon.

Last week we started again. We started at the Lagoon end of Legacy Parkway, and walked to Center Street in North Salt Lake. That was a long stretch for the first one of the season(10 miles) and we paid for it with shinsplints, sunburns, and sore muscles, but we sure had a good time!!! Here we are at the end of the line at the 1.5 mile marker. In Kim's pic you can see the building where we parked the car ...... the end is in sight!!!

By This Sat. we were all better and started where we left off at Center Street and headed South, finishing the Legacy trail and starting the Jordan River Parkway. This one was much more of a adventure. It was a dirt single track for the first little while, walking pass an ATV park in NSL where we got to watch lots of crazy motorcycle drivers jumping and soaring through the air. Then we crossed Redwood Rd where we found large TRAIL CLOSED signs. But it just looked like they were working on upgrading the trail during the week, and since it was the weekend............ we decided they didn't really mean it was closed....... so we walked on. Then another sign further on..... followed by a chain link fence!!!!! darn. So, we crossed to the other side of the river (there was a bridge) and got back on a single track. As we were walking we noticed that there were people walking on the paved trail, they must have gone around the fence. We weren't THAT brave! So we just kept on walking until we came to another sign that said TRAIL TEMPORARILY CLOSED, and this time it just stopped right in the middle of a golf course. My my, what an adventure.... what to do..... what else could one do..... keep on walking. So we walked through not one, but 2 golf courses, (still following the river of course) and what are all golf courses surrounded by???? Chain link fences!! So we got to the end of the course and we were trapped. River on one side (with a paved trail on the other side from us), chain link fence on 2 sides, and we are not about to go backwards, after all ..... we have a goal!!! so................................................ under the fence we go!! yep. these 2 grown women shimmied under a chain link fence right to the side of a busy highway, got up, brushed ourselves off...... and kept on going!! That was at about9th north or so and we continued without any more adventure to North Temple where Brent came and picked us up. It was a shorter (but more interesting) tresk this week(6.5 miles), and either we are in much better shape, or we didn't push ourselved hard enough, cuz .... we are doing great!!!(so far)

Well that is the summery of this week..... see you next week.

MARCH ALREADY!!!

Feb has ended and March is really here. It is really hard to believe we are that far into the year already.

Happys:

* *More snowshoeing
* *I (jan) got to spend a week in OHIO with the Beazers.

What a blessing it is to be able to spend some time with them and watch them grow. We got to spend time at the ZOO

Played at COSI

Watched the 3D movie (Fly me to the Moon) there

and spent lots of time together

* *Weber Basin got behind the aquifer storage recharge program in the mouth of Weber Canyon (ask the mayor about what that really means!!)
* *Brent got to got to the SLC temple with Kim while I was in OHIO.
* * Mom Iris had her 81st birthday this last week. Therewas a great get together on Monday
and then on Thursday she got to sing with the choir at rehearsal.

** Davis Hospital gave us some tickets to the vs Houston game on Wednesday. We had great food and friends in the box, and to top it all off.... the Jazz won!!
** DATC has started moving into the new technology bldg. It is going to house the diesel mechanics, machining, drafting, electronics, indust. maintenence, web design, and IT programs. It is a beautiful bldg and Brent has done some great things to make it unique. Dedication is April 1st. If you want to come by some day after the dedication..... he will give you a personal tour!
**MY PIANO IS BACK!!!!! I have had a technition working on it for a couple of months and it is finished!!!! It is beautiful and sounds great!!

sads:

**Beazers still have the spring crud and I am afraid I finally succumbed to the bug

Grandpa's 80th

Feb. 18th was Dad Speakman's 80th birthday. It was a good day to remember a great man who loved his family and set a great example of service and work ethic. One of his favorite sayings was "quit your belly aching" Marti found a x-stitch saying "kwitcherbellyakin" and gave it to Dad a while back. We all loved it so much that Kim and Jess stitched one for all of my siblings and now we all have one!!!

Brent and I went snowshoeing last Sat. I say snowshoeing a little tongue in cheek because I forgot to bring mine ... he. he. so I was walking the x-country groomed trail while Brent was stompin' in the powder. But it was still beautiful and lots of fun. It is so nice to have Snowbasin so close that we can hop up there in a 1/2 hour and be in the powder.

After snowshoeing we went to Kim's and helped her sheetrock part of her basement, and met her new roommate. She has the cutest condo. It is fun to watch her decorate and fix it up. She is the best aunt. She bought a blow-up pool and then dumped a whole bag of balls in it. Maggie is loving playing in it.

I am off to Ohio to play with the Beazers..... watch for pictures of the fun!!!

the 12 days of VALENTINES!!!

For Valentines this year Jan surprised me with a gift a day for 12 days. It was GREAT!!(I think she had almost as much fun as I did) She ought to do this professionally :)
1st day : an e-card very nice 2nd: CD of Jan singing 3rd: A card when opened has Sony and Cher singing"You got me Babe" 4th: new bedspread 5th: the Dakota got a "heat attack" 6th: a fancy white chocolate heart ... the size of my fists 7th Picure book of our trip to Alaska 8th: 50 reasons why I Love you 9th: 2 Bamboo plants in the shape of a Heart. 10th: A picture book of our trip to Moab 11th : e-card 12th: surprise date ....

Other Happy's were: snowmobiling into Julander's Cabin (thanks Merryweathers for the MACHINES!) staying the night, playing Boggle, and then snowshoeing down to the meadow and watching the dippers. Then back out on the Machines (10 miles) in the snow It snowed lightly alllll night and day. Then to Carlos and Hurley's in Eden for some very good fresh mex. Also Jan is enjoying her Valentines Gardenia coursage.

Book Club (see Kim's blog "Bob" http://www.bingeonbooks.blogspot.com/) was lots of fun. We talked about books written before 1900.

Kim, Jess, and Magie came up for a bit this week. It is always fun to have them around. We got to spend some great time together and also with Grma Iris.

Got a darling Valentine Card From Lydia where she drew a picture of herself Gr. Pete and Nana swinging in the hammock.... with lots of Love sent with it. Thank you Lydia.

Sads: The gardenia plant is dying, and we don't know what to do for it. We have done everything we have been told and what we can think of, but it just keeps fading.
My nephew Ben is having some difficult times. It is always hard to see someone you love suffer and struggle. It makes you just want to twinkle your nose and make it all better.

Well, there you go for this week. We will add pictures of the cabin trip when we get them. Have a great week.

HAPPY VALENTINES TO YOU

To everyone we wish a beautiful Valentine's Day. If you have a significant other or not... this is the day of friendships and Love, and we thank you for your friendship, support and love that we continue to feel from you in our lives. We wish that we could personally give you a big squeeze and tell you thanks.... but since we can't ..... we just sent you this wish and virtual hug.

Love you!!