Erika & Thomas @ Provo High Homecoming Dance

Erika went to the Provo High Homecoming Dance with Thomas Elder.  They started out their all day date at 6:00 am.  They hiked "Y" Mountain and watched the sunrise.  Then they went to Thomas house for German Pancakes for Breakfast.  After that they went Bowling at Fat Cats and then toTrafalga for some minature golfing. After the bowling and golf they went to Macey's to get some drinks and then back to Thomas house to play ping pong.  She arrived back at home at 5:30 pm to get ready for the dance and have her hair done by her friends, Heather, Rachel and Peggy.  They were so funny to listen to and watch as they laughed and giggled together while they curled her hair. They closed the door on the bathroom so we would not bother the hair stylists. Thomas came back to pick up Erika up at 7:30 pm and then she went back to Thomas' house for dinner with his family.  She didn't put her dress on, because she always spills something on her clothes when she eats somewhere other than home.  She took her dress with her and they both changed at Thomas' house.  Thomas' parents took their pictures and then they came to our house to get the corsage and boutineere and let us take their picutres.  They arrived to the dance at PHS at 9:30 pm, had their pictures taken and danced and socialized until 11:00 pm.  Then they went to Thomas' for ice cream and she came home at 12:30 am.  They are so cute together.  We were so excited for Erika to go to her first school dance.  We like Thomas too.  He is a nice young man and is very pollite and always asks for permission to take Erika or do things with her.

Erika corsage & Thomas boutonniere

Since Erika is going to homecoming this Saturday, her friend, Heather, volunteered to make her corsage and boutonniere for the dance.  We went and purchased pink roses and other pink flowers that would match.  Heather has a Floral Design class at school, so she took them to school and made these beautiful flower arrangements.  On the left is Erika's wrist corsage and on the right is the boutonniere for Thomas.  We were so excited to see them when Heather was done with them.  We asked Thomas what color flowers he wanted, and he said Pink, because that is Erika's favorite color.  Stay tuned in for the next post, where Erika and Thomas dress up and go to the Homecoming Dance. (hopefully Erika will let us take pictures)

Riley School Pictures

Riley

Dixon School Picture - Aug 19, 2009

Cameron @ Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Cameron went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple today with his grandparents.  He has been able to go to a different temple every week with them.  It has been such a great experience for him to go to the temple after his first time before his mission.  Most missionaries go to the temple right before the enter the MTC, but Cameron was anxious to get his recommend and go a few times before he enters the MTC.  He has had lunch with his grandparents at the last temples at the temple cafeterias, but Oquirrh Moutanin does not have a cafeteria, so they went to Paradise Bakery and Sandwichs.  He was gone from 11:45 am until 5:00 pm.  We told Cameron that he should have his picture taken after he goes to each temple, so he has been obedient and done this so you all can read about it.  Although, we need to teach Grandpa Gary some photo shooting techniques or something.  Good thing he takes more than 1 picture, because some of them Cam has his eyes closed or we can't see the temple or Cameron.  Thanks for Grandma Holly and Grandpa Gary for being willing to take Cameron while the rest of us work and go to school.  Next week, there are off to Bountiful Temple.

Sharri School Picture

Sharri

taken Sept 2, 2009

The Dress

Now Erika needed a dress for the Homecoming Dance.  We stopped at a store in Lehi while we were taking one of her friends home and she tried some on, but nothing was that impressive.  The lady at the shop told us to go to the one in Provo.  Since we live in Provo, we decided to try it, but we decided to start at the mall first, since the dress shop in Provo was closed.  We went to Alyssa's bridal in the University Mall in Orem.  They had just finished a fashion show and so the store was crazy busy with girls and moms.  They had many dresses for Semi-formal to Prom dresses.  We had told Erika that the dance was probably Semi-formal, so a short dress would be fine.  Little did we know that we would pay as much for a short dress as well as a long Prom dress.  She tried on 3 to 4 dresses with her friend Rachel.  The last one she tried on was the Cream with black ribbon around the waist and black netting on the bottom.  She looked so cute and we all loved it.  The price was not so great, but what the heck it is once in a lifetime, right.  Anyways, the dance is on saturday, so now we have to find shoes and jewelry too.  HOORAY!!

Happy Birthday Erika

Erika turns 17 years old today.  Her friends called the night before to ask if we could unlock one of her car doors so they could decorate it for her Birthday.  They made a card and put balloons and hearts all over in her car.  It looked so cute.  When she went out to her car, so just had a big smile on her face.  She was sung to at school by many of her friends and that made her birthday fun.  She invited 5 of her friends to go to dinner wtih at TGI Fridays.  We had a great time laughing and singing to her.  After dinner, her and her friends came over to the house and played some games until 9 pm.  The day before, her friend, Thomas asked if he could steal her for the evening of her birthday.  He was very anxious to take her to his house, he had plans to ask her to the Homecoming Dance.  He gave her some flowers and asked her.  She came home at Midnight.  She has to be up early on Saturday morning for Stake YCL baptisms, so getting home that late was so not smart, but she had fun anyways.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIKA...We Love you!!!

Cameron @ Mount Timpanogos Temple

Cameron and his grandparents went to the Mount Timpanogos Temple in American Fork today.  They went to the 1:00 pm session.  His grandparents haven't been there for a while and didn't remember that it was so big inside, especially the Celestial Room.  Cameron came home and told us all about it and that the room was twice the size of the Provo Temple.  Then afterwards they couldn't find the cafeteria in the Temple, but they just smelled the food and it lead them to it.  Cameron said as usual, his grandpa wouldn't let him pay for his own meal.  We told Cameron that he has to be quick and smarter than his grandpa to be able to pay for it.  Next week they are going to Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan.  We are so glad that he has the time to be able to go every week with his grandparents.  What a great experience for him and them before his mission.

NERTZ...Crazy card game!!!

In May at the Girls Camp Retreat, we learned how to play Nertz.  It is a card game and you can have as many players as you want.  The Autrey's, McGriff's and Brown families have joined forces and have been playing this card usually every Monday night.  We trade off house to play at.  We decided since it was Labor Day today, that we would have a BBQ at the McGriff's and then play Nertz.  We had so many people playing, that we had to go over to the church and use a round table.  It is much easier and fair if we use a round table instead of a long table.  There were 8 of us playing at the church from 8:30 to 10:30 pm.  We played two rounds and had many good laughs as well.  Brian does like to get us all laughing and rolling in our seats.  Why does he do that?  We had a great time as usual, and then we decided we better to home to bed, because Tuesday was a school day and work for all of us.  Thanks for the fun!!

BYU vs Oklahoma

Today was the first football game for BYU.  Like last year, we have the neighbors over to our house for the game to watch on the big screen.  There was 11+ people watching the game with us.  We all bring our favorite snacks to eat during the game.  We had little smokies, spinach dip, cookies, peanut m&m's, salsa, cinnamon bears, laffy taffy, etc, etc, etc...  The game had it's ups and downs.  Way to many penalties, but BYU pulled it out in the last quarter, winning 14 to 13.  Why do they always have to wait until the end?  I think they do it to keep people watching the game until the bitter end.  The game was played at the Dallas Cowboys new stadium in Texas.  Brian and our neighbor, Rob, wanted to go to the game, but the nose bleed tickets were $200, so they decided to not spend the money and spend it with all of us. So this has become a weekly event for us and the Autrey's and the McGriff's families.  GO COUGARS!!!

Erika School Pictures

Erika

School Pictures - Aug 19, 2009

Erika and friends

Erika, Rachel and Peggy all went to Katie Ostler sisters wedding tonight.  They really just wanted to go and see Katie.  Katie and her family moved to Salem this past May.  Salem is about a half an hour drive from Provo.  They don't get to see Katie very much, so they thought this would be a good opportunity for them to go and see her.  Katie was so excited to see them, she gave them all a big hug.  Sharri had to go with them, because Erika wanted to drive and she can't drive her friends until after she has had her driver's license for 6 months.  The things parents do for their kids to have a little bit of fun.  They stayed for about an hour just talking with Katie and catching up.  It was good for them, even though the party was for Katie's sister.  They are hoping to get together again for Erika's birthday in a couple of weeks.

Cameron @ Jordan River Temple

Cameron decided to go to the Jordan River Temple with his Grandpa Gary & Grandma Holly today.  He meet them at noon and then they rode over to the temple together.  Cameron received some names from our neighbors to do endowments for.  He was so excited to go again and learn more, because the first time was brain overload.  The session was half full which was good for him.  Then they decided to stay and have Lunch/Dinner at the temple cafeteria.  Last week when we went the temple served Chicken Cordon Blue.  Cameron really liked it, so he was hoping that Jordan River Temple served it too.  Well he was in luck, he was able to get the Chicken Cordon Blue again.  He was gone most of the day, but had a great experience with his Grandparents before he leaves on mission in 5 weeks.  He is going next Tuesday with them again, but this time to Mt. Timpanogos Temple.

The red SUN....?

What does this mean to you?  The red SUN

(red because of all the fires in St. George)

Cameron Temple Endowment

Cameron was able to receive his Temple Endowments today.  He had to be there with his father (escort) at 11:00 am and the rest of us were there for the 12:40 pm live session.  In attendance was, Grandpa Gary, Grandma Holly, Grandpa Doug, Grandma Bette, Doug & Suzie, TJ & Jenn, Dave & Nancy McGriff, Rob & Janet Autrey, Brian and Sharri.  He had a great experience and was overwhelmed with all the information. Also, Nancy's father, Norman Anderson, who is a temple sealer, talked to Cameron about the endowment after the session.  Then we all went to the Temple Cafeteria and had a great lunch/dinner with all the family.  We are so proud of Cameron for wanting to go on a Mission and to be worthy to go to the temple.  He will be going with Grandpa Gary and Grandma Holly weekly to a different temple in the Utah Valley until he enters the MTC on October 7th.  We love you Cam!!!

Letter from Cam's Mission President

Cameron finally received a letter today from his Mission President from Texas Fort Worth Mission.
To sum it up it says,
"Congratulations on your call.  We are pleased to be able to welcome you and look forward to serving with you in this marvelous work.  We will be excited to greet you at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport upon your arrival from the MTC.  The Fort Worth area of Texas has four seasons.  The summers get hot and humid (90 to 100+ degrees).  Winters can be very cold (30 to 0 degrees), icy conditions and lots of rain-usally.  There is no set normal for our weather so you need to be prepared.  Again, welcome to the Texas Fort Worth Mission.  May the lord bless you as you prepare thorugh obedience and prayerful study." 
Sincerely, Wright J. Thurston
Cameron was excited to have some contact from his mission and mission president.  We haven't started counting yet, but he will be leaving us in about 6 weeks.  Where does the time go?

PHS Fine Arts Social

Provo High had their annual Fine Arts Social tonight.  They invited all the students and their families for BBQ hamburgers and hotdogs.  So we decided to go and support the fine arts.  First, Erika said that she didn't have to bring anything, which we thought was kind of odd, but went with it.  Second, when we got there, it didn't look like there were any other families their but us and the McGriff's.  Third, they were BBQing on the smallest BBQ we have ever seen, so it took a while to get a hamburger that was cooked.  Fourth, there were no condiments for the hamburgers, not even ketchup and mustard.  There were lots and lots of chips and cookies, and cups, but nothing to put in the cups.  There was one good thing was that we were able to meet the boy that Erika always texts.  His name is Thomas Elder.  He is in the band and plays the drums in the drum line.  He is in the yellow shirt in the picture to the right.  Yeah, the picture that Erika and Heather who wouldn't sit close to Thomas.  What's up with that.  Anyway, Brian said when we were done with our meal, that we will probably not go next year, and just let Erika go.

Photo Booth on the Mac

When we went to Grandma Holly and Grandpa Gary house for dinner on Sunday evening. Brian pulled out his Mac laptop and entertained the kids with a program called Photo Booth.  Brian and all the kids were having a great time taking pictures and making them silly.  We all were laughing so hard after picture after picture.  Brian saved some of the funny ones, so here they are.  Hope you get a good a laugh as we did that evening.  "Laughter is the best medicine."

Our family was able to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication today at 3 pm.  This is the 2nd temple dedication that we get to go to this year.  We attended the Draper dedication earlier this year.  This is a once or twice in a lifetime that we get to do this.  What a great opportunity for our family to be a part of.  Hopefully, we will get to go there for baptizms and sessions when it is open.

Adamson Family Renion

We had the Adamson Family Reunion today at noon at Tamra's house (formerly Grandma Janet's house).  All the cousins were in attendance with all the kids.  So, Brian, Christi, Chad, Julie, Mandy, Jennifer Ellen, Tamra and Laena.  Grandma Bette and Grandpa Doug were also there.  We started out by getting family pictures taken.  All the individual families were first, then we did the big family and all the kids last.  We had lunch, snacks, dessert and many many other food items.  It all tasted so good and we were so full.  Tamra then got out the blow-up water slide for all the kids to play and splash on.  It was huge and the kids loved it.  Brian has been scanning in old pictures from his Grandma Janet's box and fixing them in Photoshop.  Tamra, Julie and Brian put together some photos and Tamra put together a slide show and then we all watched it together.  We made copies for everyone on a DVD, so they all could have the pictures.  The two pictures above are of Grandma Janet and Grandpa George.  We are so glad that Tamra decided to host a reunion for all the cousins.  We don't get to see some of the cousins very often, so it was good to get together and tell stories.

LDS Motion Picture Studio Tour

The McGriff family invited us to go with them on a tour to the LDS Motion Picture Studio in Provo. It is located by BYU and you have to wind back behind some retail building in a woody area with the Provo River running by it. We didn't even know it was there in the 15 years we have lived in Provo. Only Erika and Sharri went from our family. Brian, Cameron and Riley didn't want to go, because they thought it would be boring. So, we were greeted by Pete (our tour guide). We walked to a woody, forest like area where they have built little houses in a village. The houses are only half done and the inside is not finished at all so they can use different scenes and backgrounds inside when they are filming. The last film that they filmed there was Joseph Smith movie. We walked to the 2 sound stages and then to the costume room and the big room with all the props. We even were able to see the Book of Mormon prop. We then went over to the building where they do all the sounds, mixes with sounds, editing and music to add the the film. We were at the tour for about an hour and a half. It was so interesting and we were glad that we went. We highly recommend that if you can get a tour time, to go and see it. It is amazing and pretty cool to see and watch.

First Day of School

Riley and Erika started school today. We can't believe that the summer is already over and we are back in the swing of doing school again. Riley stated 7th grade at Dixon Middle School. He was a little bit nervous, because he has to find 7 classes, instead of staying in one class all day with one teacher. He has some great classes, including Science Honors and Young Astronauts. He gets to ride the bus again to school, which we are happy about. Last year was hard for him to have to ride his bike or wait for a ride. Erika started 11th grade at Provo High School. She was able to get her license and drive herself to school and back. She has some hard honors classes this year, like Creative Writing Honors, Zoology Honors and Calculus, but her fun classes are Orchestra and Child Care. Erika and her friend, Heather, went to the beauty school salon and had their hair done up for school pictures. Aren't they beautiful young ladies. As for Sharri, she has been back to work at Independence High School since July 29th, but the last few days have been busy with registration and new students. Here we go for another great year.

IHS Faculty BBQ

Every year at Independence we have a Faculty BBQ for all the staff and teachers and their families.  We have it back in the Pavillon and we all bring something to go with the BBQ hamburgers, chicken or steaks.  While we were waiting for the hamburgers and hotdogs to cook, the sprinklers went on in the back softball field.  This was not a problem, until they switched stations and it was going to get the Pavillon all wet.  Riley had taken his Rip stick to ride around while we were visting, decided to take it out to the sprinkler and shield it from getting us wet in the Pavillon.  In doing this, he became very wet, but you know Riley, he loves water.  While doing this Sharri's co-worker, Cassie mentioned what a good kid he was, then all of sudden, her kids decided to join the party and get wet too.  She was not very happy with me and Riley, but they had fun doing it.  We finally were able to get a hold of the custodian to turn off the sprinklers, and by then Riley needed to go home and change.  What a funny boy, but if you ask him, it was worth all the fun.

Doll Cake Again....

Erika and Sharri decided to make a Doll Cake for the YW President(Sista Hill) for her birthday. Sista Hill bday was on Monday, but the cake just wasn't going to come together until tonight. Erika & her friend made a card and then we called Sista Hill to see if she was still awake. We told her that Erika needed to see her right now and that something was really wrong and bad. Erika, Heather, Rachel, Nancy and Sharri all went over with the Card and Cake and sand the death Happy Birthday to Sista Hill. She was so surprised and happy. She said that she won an auction when she was little of a doll cake and she has never had one. Sharri will just have to add this masterpiece to her portfolio, again. It was fun to give something back to Sista Hill, because she is always giving to the YW and leaders. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SISTA HILL!!!

Sleepover with Cousins

We had the Stovall girls (Cortney, Lindsee, Anna & Kimber) come Sunday night for a sleepover, fun and to give G. Doug & G. Bette some quiet time for a day. The first thing they wanted to do was go swimming, but not on Sunday, but they tried to convince us. Instead, we took them on a walk to the Harbor Park and they played on the swings and play area for an hour. On Monday, they swam twice in our pool with Riley, had lots to eat all day and then we all went to Brick Oven for Dinner. We had a great time with them and we think they had fun too. We heard that they talked about it until midnight with their grandparents.

The New Car

Today we went to Park City to purchase a new car for the Brown Family. We purchased it from the Belcher's Towing. (Sharri's uncle's) It is a Silver 4 door 2000 Ford Focus. We mostly purchased it for Erika to drive, because she doesn't not like driving the big van. She even drove the new car home from Park City, through Heber and down Provo Canyon without any worries by her mother. We stopped in Heber to get gas and a car wash for it and then we stopped at Dairy Keen for lunch. When we arrived home, Erika wants to clean it up and make it look nice. It has it's little squeeks and squaks, but what do you except from a used car with 122,000 miles. It has a few scratches, but that is okay too, because then Erika won't be so worried about banging it up. (Not that we want her too either) So, Erika is going to be taking her driving test next week, and then she can drive to school. She has only had her leaern's permit for 1 year. So, here we go with another driver. We can't wait until Erika is more confident about driving on the freeway.

Helping McGriff's with Sheetrock

Tonight, Brian, Cameron and Riley went to help our neighbors, The McGriff's with some new sheetroock in their carport. The sheetrock had fallen a week before just out of the blue. Pretty scary when you hear a loud crash and wonder what it was. They had to replace 6 new pieces of sheetrock on the roof of their carport, so they needed Brian and Cameron to help hold it up. Not sure Riley was that much help, but he sure wanted to be in the middle of it all. Cameron mostly help cut and lift it to Brian, Dave and Grandpa Anderson. Brian and Cameron also took care of the dog, Daisy, to make sure she was alright with the project. They were able to get it all up in an hour. Now they have to mud it again and paint, but we think they can do it all by themselves.

Girls Camp Reunion

At Mutual tonight, we had our Girls Camp Reunion at the church. We gave the girls their certificates for certifying and a fun award. We then showed the slide show that Sharri has worked on for the past week to 20 mintues (around 400 pictures). Cameron helped with the slide show on importing the songs and showing it at the church on a projector and laptop. Cameron also burned DVD's of the slide show to give all the girls and leaders. We then had peach & cherry cobbler for refreshments that we didn't get to have up at camp. Thanks to all the leaders, parents and great and fun girls who made this years girls camp a great success. Now Sharri has 6 months to rest from her labors and planning. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!!!!!

Erika's new calling

Erika was called to be the 2nd Counselor in the Laurel presidency and set apart today. There are only 3 Laurel's in our ward, so they all received a calling. Claire is the President and Heather is 1st Counselor. Claire's mom and Sharri were reminsing about when they were just in the nursery and how they have grown into beautiful young women. We are so proud of Erika and hope that she will have fun with her presidency. We Love you Erika!!!!

Funeral for Jason McDonald

We received a phone call on Tuesday evening that Brian's cousin's husband (Jason McDonald) was killed in a car accident. Brian's cousin, Wendy McDonald was killed in a car accident a year and a half ago and now her husband is gone, leaving 4 children. Brian, Sharri, Grandpa Doug, Grandma Bette and Christi all went down to the Funeral today in Cedar City. We were so sad to hear this news, but it was good to be with family today. Most of Brian's cousins were there as well as his Uncle Norm. Jason has 8 brothers and sisters, so there were alot of family from the McDonald's side there. He was buried next to his sweetheart in Enoch, Utah.

Here is the article from The Spectrum Newspaper about the accident.

CEDAR CITY - Utah Highway Patrol identified Jason McDonald, age 38, of Cedar City, and Adaline Anna Moore, age 12, of Peoria, Ariz., as the victims in a fatal crash Tuesday that was likely caused by lost tire tread and high speed, according to a UHP report. McDonald, a father of four, was the owner of Three Peaks Auto. He lost his wife, Wendy McDonald, in a vehicle accident Nov. 10, 2007. Semi-truck driver Leslie Kaufman was convicted earlier this year for Wendy's accident, pleading guilty to third-degree felonies of automobile homicide and possession/use of methamphetamines, Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett said, serving 0-5 years in state prison. McDonald's 18-year-old son, Justin, suffered serious injuries Tuesday and was said to have stabilized at Intermountain Medical Center, where he was taken by LifeFlight.
A family friend who works with Wendy's father, Norm Forbush, at the Department of Motor Vehicles, said the grandfather was with Justin, but was unsure of his condition as of Wednesday afternoon. An 8-year-old female cousin was taken by LifeFlight to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, but a name and condition have not been released. Daughter April McDonald, age 14, suffered head and spine injuries and was taken to Valley View Medical Center, along with a sixth passenger, Emily Carpenter, 18, of Cedar City, for head injuries, according to a UHP report. Jason McDonald was driving a 2003 Ford F-250 eastbound on state Route 144 Tuesday about 3 p.m. when the right rear tire separated, causing the vehicle to go off the left side of the road and roll twice, according to the report. The vehicle struck a dirt embankment, changing the roll to an end-over-end rollover and vaulting the vehicle into the air, according to the report.
The vehicle landed nose down on its front end, the impact violent enough to separate the cab from the vehicle frame, according to the report. McDonald and Moore, who sat in the rear left seat, died at the scene. All six occupants wore seatbelts and none were ejected from the vehicle.


Our beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and friend, Jason Allen McDonald, passed away on July 28, 2009 in New Harmony, Utah. He was born January 18, 1971 in Las Vegas, Nevada to John Alexander and JoyLynn Bushman McDonald. Jason married the love of his life Wendy McDonald and we are certain a joyous reunion is taking place as Wendy preceded him in death in 2007. He graduated from SUU and was heavily involved in scouting for over 19 years. Jason had a deep love for youth and was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having a genuine and enduring testimony of our Savior and of his faith in the Lord's plan. Anyone who knew Jason was touched by his great love of life. He loved his family, outdoors, recreational vehicles, dutch oven cooking for scouts and girls camp or even in his own backyard. His deepest love was for his four children and their mother, Wendy. Our family is forever changed for the better for Jason's presence in our lives. His love lives on in his children and in each of us. Jason, we will miss you, most of all for the camping, parties at your house, our teasing uncle and our treasured times at the sand dunes. Jason "you were the real deal - who never let anyone go without. When you knew there was need, you were the first one there. Your children, family and friends love you and will miss you dearly. Jason is survived by his children, whom he adored - Justin, April, Hunter, and Garrett McDonald of Cedar City, Utah.