Celine Dion Concert Postponed

SALT LAKE CITY CONCERT POSTPONED

The promoter of Celine Dion's Taking Chances World Tour, has rescheduled the artist's November concerts in Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City and San Jose, while Celine recuperates from a recurrent naso-pharyngeal infection which was further complicated by inflamed vocal chords. Her physician has instructed her to refrain from singing in order to completely recover.
The concert has been rescheduled for the following date:
Salt Lake City- Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sharri & Erika had tickets for this Friday's concert. Brian purchased them for Sharri's birthday and now we have to wait until Feb. We had good seats too, Row 13. I can return the tickets and take a $100 loss, or keep them and go to the concert on Sunday in Feb 2009. A co-worker told Sharri, that Heavenly Father would understand if we went on Sunday. The music is not bad for Sunday. We often watch TV on Sunday evenings and listen to music just like we were at a concert. What do you think we should do?

Provo High School Play

Our Family decided to be entertained for Family Home Evening and go and see the PHS Play. They were putting on "Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." It was enjoyable, even though it was hard to hear some of the parts clearly. Riley was glued to it the whole time. Erika's friend, Rachel was in it and one of the backup dancers. The whole cast did a great job and it was funny too. The price was right for our family to support PHS. If you haven't seen this play, I suggest you rent it or check it out at the library. It is a good family play. If only we could of seen the one with Donny Osmond in it. That would have been spectacular, but what do you expect for $5 a ticket.

Erika & Friends

Erika had one of her friends, Shannon, come and visit over the weekend. Shannon moved to Logan in August with her family. After Shannon called to tell Erika she was coming to Provo, the 4 girls planned to have a Slumber Party together. They watched movies, laughed and talked most of Friday night. On Saturday, they went to lunch at Subway and then to PHS Play "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" that Rachel was in. They were sad when Shannon's mom came to pick her up at 5:00 pm, but they had a great time together. They are planning to do it again for Shannon's birthday in May.

(pictured: Shannon, Rachel, Erika and Heather)

Riley Tenderfoot

Riley received his Tenderfoot advancement in Boy Scouts at a Court of Honor tonight. He has been working hard in New Scouts. His scout leader, Bro. Sanford, is presenting his award to him in the picture. Riley has almost earned his Second Class. He will be turning 12 years old in March 2009. His goal is to be First Class rank by then. We are so proud of him. We hope that he continues with the excitement of Boy Scouts and gets his Eagle soon. (Not like his Brother at age 18). Way to go Riley!!!

Lakeside 7th YW "Popular"

Our Stake had a musical "One night on Broadway". Each ward was to provide 3 musical numbers. Erika and some young women decided to perform "Popular" from the musical "Wicked". The other young women that performed are, Claire Ferrin, Jensenne Harris, Amanda Autrey, Heather McGriff, Sarah Autrey, Sara McGriff. They are accompanied by Thomas Ferrin. The video below is their performance. Erika doesn't sing much, but she is part of the group. We all enjoyed watching them do this number for us. Great job Young Women!

Happy Birthday Sharri

Today is Sharri's birthday. She was born in 1966, so you figure out how old she is. Some of her favorite things are the color purple, crafts, Celine Dion and taking pictures. She was reminded yesterday, that on her 18th birthday, she was able to vote for the 1st time for the US President, on her birthday. She loves to be with family and friends. She will be going to the Celine Dion concert on Nov 21st for one of her Bday gifts. She currently works at Independence High School as the registrar. She loves working with the students and the great staff. Have a great Birthday today!!

Happy Halloween!!

If you couldn't tell, Riley is Speed Racer for Halloween. Also, Sharri had to dress up for work as well. She is an Angel. Erika and Cameron didn't dress up, because they feel they are too old to Trick or Treat. Although, Erika still carved pumpkins with Riley. She did the pumpkin with Dora on it. The other pumpkin is what Riley carved. It is his own creation, so we are not sure what he carved a picture of. Brian is still in London and comes home tomorrow, Nov 1st. We had to have Halloween without him. I am sure that he feels really bad about that too. The video below is at Riley's school Parade. Remember to click off the playlist music before you play it.

Erika Philharmonic Orchestra Concert

Erika performed with the Provo High School Philharmonic Orchestra Thursday night ,October 23rd @ 7:30 pm. They played 6 songs. This is her 6th year playing the violin. (2 years at Westridge Elementary, 2 years at Dixon Middle and so far 2 years at Provo High). She is in the 2nd Violins, 3rd Chair. The picture to the right is her friend, Caitie Ostler, who plays in the orchestra with her. Notice that they are both wearing black. Formal black attire is required for Advanced Orchestra groups. Her favoirte violinist is Jenny Oaks Baker, a famous LDS Violinist. Erika has become a great violin player and her Private Teacher, Bonnie Wilson, loves how well she can site read anything and just play it. If you ever get a chance to listen to Erika play, you are one of the few. She usually doesn't like to play in front of people by herself, or with her friend. But, if you ask her, she will do it because she loves to play the violin. She will be going on tour with the Philharmonic Orchestra to San Francisco in February 2009 for a week. How much do you think it costs to own a violin, take private lessons, go on tour and be part of a community orchestra for the last 6 years? Do we love her or what? The video below is the last song that they played called "Choreography III Allegro Animato by Norman Dello Joio." You will noticed that you can't see Erika, because she is in the back. After they stood up, that is when you can see her. Enjoy!!

Norway & England for Brian

Brian left to travel for work to Norway for a week and then England for a week. He will be gone from Oct 18 - Nov 1. It is going to be a long two weeks for the family and him. He used to be excited to go and travel, but he has done it for 15 years for his job, and it is getting old. It is hard not to go, because of the extra bonuses and the frequent flyer miles. He had a 5 hour flight from Salt Lake City to Newark, New Jersey, and then a 8 hour flight from Newark to Oslo, Norway. And then coming back he flys 10 hours from London, England to Houston, Texas, and then 3 hours from Houston to Salt Lake City. The family will miss him greatly, but we know that he is doing good things for his company.

Daddy Daughter Date

Erika and her dad went to a Daddy Daughter Date for YW activity. The played a famous Father and Daughter matching game and then they had to write down answers to the following questions about each other.

1. What is your dad's favorite sport?

Erika answer: Football

Brian answer: Golf

2. What is your dad's favorite color?

Erika answer: Blue

Brian answer: Blue

3. What is your dad's shoe size?

Erika answer: 11

Brian answer: 11

4. How much does your dad talk/text on the phone?

A)Always B)Sometimes C)Very little D) Never

Erika answer: Very little

Brian answer: Sometimes

5. What High School did your dad go to?

Erika answer: Jordan HS

Brian answer: Jordan HS

6. What food does your daughter hate?

Brian answer: Fish

Erika answer: Spicy Chicken

7. Who is your daughter's favorite singer or group?

Brian answer: Celine Dion

Erika answer: Jenny Oaks Baker

8. What is your daughters favorite TV show?

Brian answer: Dancing with the Stars

Erika answer: Dancing with the Stars

9. How often do you tease your daughter?

A) All the time B) Quite a bit C) Little bit D)Never

Brian answer: Quite a bit

Erika answer: All the time

10. What is your daughters favorite fruit?

Brian answer: Strawberries

Erika answer: Strawberries

Afterwards they were each given a picture with their dad and some secret questions that they wrote down about each other earlier in the week. They had alot of fun with 12 other YW and their dads. Great Refreshments too!!!

Riley New Scout Troop Hike

Riley was able to go on a hike with his new scout troop on Saturday, Oct 4th. They hiked up Rock Canyon Trail from 8 am to 12 pm and then stopped and ate their sack lunches. Bro. Sanford is his Troop leader. The other boys in his troop are Bryan Ryan, Random Tolman and Garrett Gorski. It was a nice day, not to hot and not to cold. They are planning a overnight campout on Friday, October 24th. Riley loves the outdoors and usually can't wait for the next campout or outing. He is working on his Tenderfoot, 2nd Class and 1st Class Advancement all at once. He will be 12 years old in March 2009 and hope to have those Advancements earned by then.

Best Buddies - Erika & Taylor

Erika and Taylor are best buddies (cousins). When the family gets together, Erika can't wait to see Taylor. Although, it takes Taylor a little while to warm up to Erika, she does enjoy playing with Erika. Recently, Erika decided to clean out her room and give away some of her toys and clothes. She gave Taylor her Strawberry Shortcake Fleece blanket. Taylor loves it and won't go any where without it. Erika is always asking Aunt Jenn, "When can I babysit Taylor?" It is so fun to watch them play and interact with each other, even though there is a 13 year difference in age. They even have their birthdays in September. They are so cute together and for the first time, we were able to get a picture of the two of them and Taylor smiling. (she usually won't smile for pictures!!!) Erika can't wait for Addison and Payton to get older, so she can play with them too! Aren't they the cutest cousins?

Riley's creation

Riley has this passion about making things out of paper, glue, tape, duct tape, straws, paper plates, scissors & paper cups. This is his latest creation, A HOUSE with a backyard. He has this idea in his head and then does it for many, many, many hours. We can never find scissors, tape or paper when we need it, because he has used it all up. The last creation was a slide out of paper and tape for his marbel to go down. He will probably be an engineer or a scientist of some kind, because of these creations he comes up with at the spur of the moment. Sometimes we wonder if he is just board and wants to use up all the paper and tape to spite us.

Sharri's 6 quirks

So, I have been tagged. Whatever that means, but I hear that you are supposed to write what the person told you to when they tagged you. So here are my top 6 quirks about myself, I guess. So, here goes.

1. I love taking pictures of everything and anything, except myself.
2. I love to watch old chic flicks with Erika (Pretty in Pink is my fav)
3. I love to listen and dance to latin music
4. I love mexican food
5. Not so much a "read a book" fan
6. I don't have gas like the rest of the family(that is really odd)

Okay, so that pretty much sums it up. I am sure there are more, but maybe another time when I get tagged again. Here are the people I want to tag for their 6 quirks.

Rob A
Jenn C
Jodie A
Kaylea P
Denise F
Stefanie G

Erika & Payton

Erika and Sharri decided to go and see Sarah (Milan's wife) and her new baby girl, Payton, while they were visiting Utah for a couple of days. We took the journey last monday night after Sarah and baby arrived in Utah at 7:30 pm. Payton is still a very little baby. Erika was able to hold her this time, because when Payton was born, Erika had a cold, so she didn't want to hold her. We had a great visit with Sarah and baby Payton. We hope the next time we see her that she will have gained a few more pounds and be cuter than the last time.

Zucchini & Squash

Every year, Sharri plants a great vegetable garden. The family all love the fresh vegetables through out the summer. Each family member tells Sharri what they want her to plant and then they get to pick it and eat it. After a while, we forget to pick some of the vegetables. The picture will tell you that we forgot to pick the zucchini and squash. Now what do we do with it. Luckily, we have a neighbor who has some sheep that we take the squash to. We have also heard that you can cut the zucchini in half and dig out the seeds and cook a meatloaf in it. That just doesn't sound that appetizing, but we might have to try it. When the Zucchini get that big, the skin becomes really woody and the seeds are big inside, so it is hard to do anything with, but feed it to the sheep. Hooray for the sheep!!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Gary

Today is Sharri's dad birthday. He is celebrating his 45th anniversary of his 21st birthday. He was able to retire in August and thinks he is still on vacation. He has been on a walk-a-thon everyday. He walks up and down the neighborhood for an hour and walks the treadmill for a half a hour. Way to go, Grandpa!! He is the handyman of the family (mostly the electrician). He will come and fix pretty much most things around the house and yard. He helped Cameron make the square foot gardening boxes for the garden a couple of years ago, and help put up the lights and switches in the new theater room. He is a meat and potatoes kind of man, so making dinners for him was pretty easy. (a roast in the crockpot) We want to wish him a Happy Birthday and many more to come. WE LOVE YOU GRANDPA!!

Sunflowers, Oh my!!!

Sharri & Erika decided to plant these orange sunflowers seeds in their square foot garden boxes in the spring. On the seeds package it said that they would grow 12". So, we thought they would be great in the front of the boxes, instead of the back.
As you can see, they are not 12" but 12'. They are covering all 3 square gardens and the sidewalk in front of the house. The hummingbirds have found them and love them. NOTE TO SELF: Don't plant any kind of sunflowers in the front garden.

Happy Birthday Grandma Bette

Today is Brian's mother, Grandma Bette, birthday. As she always tells the grandkids, she is turning 101 years old. But, in reality, it is her 45th anniversary of her 20th birthday (do the math).

She is one of the two best grandmothers. She used to babysit Cameron when he was 1 years old and the only way to get him to sleep was to run in place. She wishes she could still put him in her arms and run in place. She will do anything for anyone at anytime. She is a great example of service and unselfishness. The kids love her homemade cooking and her back rubs. We want to wish her a Happy Birthday and hope we have many more years of memories. WE LOVE YOU GRANDMA!!

Sweet 16

Happy Sweet 16 Birthday Erika!! Yes, even on 9-11. She is a sophomore at Provo High and has an cumalative GPA of 3.8. She plays the violin and is in the Philharmonic Orchestra at PHS. She is also taking Honors English, Chemistry and ASL 2. She is an excellant student. She recently earned her YW Medallion. She loves little kids, especially her 3 year old cousin, Taylor. She enjoys reading, crafts, and having lots of friends. She is the only girl in our family in between her two brothers. She is a joy to have in our family and wish her the best 16th birthday. We love you ERIKA!!!

So long, Milan & family

Sharri's brother, Milan and family are moving to Dallas tomorrow. We are sad to see them go, but happy also. This will be the first time that our family will not be all together for family dinners, holiday, etc. Milan & Sarah recently had a new baby girl to complete their family. They sold their house in 3 weeks and Milan had to go to Dallas one weekend by himself to purchase a new home. We wish them good luck and safe driving to their new destination they will call home. We love you Milan, Sarah, Carson, Ethan & Payton. We hope to see you back to Utah soon.

Eagle Plaques

In April, Cameron was awarded the rank of Eagle from Boy Scouts of America. He has always admired the Eagle plaque that his dad has and wanted one like it. I emailed Brian's uncle Norman (who came up with the original) and asked him if he was still doing the Eagle plaques. His response was that he lost the person who did the calligraphy so he now just buys a 16 x 20 frame and a mat with a 8 x 10 in the middle and puts the Eagle Certificate in it and the merit badges around on the mat. Well, Sharri decided that if he could do it, so could she. Finding the frame wasn't so difficult, but the mat was. Nobody makes a mat that is 16 x 20 with a 8 x 10 insert. So, we had to pay a little extra and have one custom made. Then we had to un pick all the merit badges off the scout sash and glue them on the mat. This became quite the project, but when it was done it looked great. Cameron was excited with his new plaque that he didn't know where to hang it.

The pictures below are of Brian's plaque and the newly made one for Cameron. They are quite similar, but also quite different. Now, the next project is to do one for Riley for his Arrow of Light Award and all the Cub Scout awards.

Happy Birthday Aunt Jenn

Happy Birthday to Jennifer!! She is 27 years old today. She is Sharri's little and only sister. She is 15 years younger than Sharri. (finally got a little sister). She has been a blessing to our family. She keeps us on our toes. She was a great babysitter to Cameron & Erika, and now in turn Erika babysits for her two beautiful little girls. We wanted to acknowledge her and wish her a great birthday today!! We love you Jenn.

Erika haircut

Erika wanted to blog about her new haircut.

One of Sharri's co-workers daughter cut it for her (Alyson). She cut off 5" and gave Erika some bangs too. It' s not too short, but still long enough to pull back into a ponytail. Doesn't it look cute?

Ye "ELDERS" of Israel

Cameron & his best friend Nathan McGriff were ordained ELDERS today. Where did my little boy go? He was just 5 years old and starting kindergarten. Now he is a big boy, 6'3", 18 years old and graduated from High School. We are so proud of him and his testimony in the gospel. Cameron will be 19 in April and will be starting his mission paperwork in January. It is crazy that in less than 6 months, he will be out in the mission field. Also, Cam & Nate are enrolled at UVU Institute taking 2 classes, Missionary prep and Book of Mormon. They are excited to start a new adventure and hope to be able to grow and learn from these classes. Since Cameron and Nathan have the same birthday, just a year apart (Nathan 1 year older), they seem to do everything together. Eagle Court of Honor, Elders and probably missions. What a great friend and Elder to Cameron. They are examples to all of us and handsome too!!

Riley-1st day of school

Riley is going to a new elementary school this year. He is in 6th grade, so it will also be his last year in elementary. Provo District built a new school in our neighborhood. It is called Lakeview Elementary Lions. He was a little bit excited to start at a new school, but mostly to get to ride his bike to school. It takes him 15 minutes to bike and 30 mintues if he walks. This is a new experience for him as well as the rest of the family. His older siblings were able to ride the bus to all of their schools. We are not sure if Riley will keep riding his bike when it snows or is a bad weather day, but he is enjoying it until then.

Cousin, Nathan Belcher

On Wednesday morning, we received news that Sharri's cousin, Nathan Belcher had passed away at 7 am. He was 37 years old and had a courageous battle with late stage melanoma. We are sad at his passing, but he slipped peacefully into the eternities. He married 5 years ago and has two young sons, age 2 and 4 months old. Nathan was a business school teacher at Box Elder Middle School and Wasatch Junior High School.

He will be greatly missed by all the family, friends, students and ward members. We wish his wife, Julie, and family the best.

Shows at Sea

We had the opportunity to see some really great shows after dinner each night at Sea. The first night, was a comedian named Stephen Thomas. We didn't get to the Orpheum Theater in time to get a good seat, so we had to stand and listen. The second night was the Royal Caribbean Singers & Dancers in "Stage to Screen" Broadway songs from Hairspray and Chicago. We went a little bit earlier to get a better seat, but still not good enough to see the show. The third night, we decided to go quite a bit earlier to the show and we were able to get 5th row seats. This night was a singer, "Travis LeDoyt" that sang a tribute to the King, Elvis. He was really good and sounded just like Elvis. The fourth night the Royal Caribbean Singers & Dancers did a tribute to the movies music, " Can't Stop the Rock" like Shaft, Whitney Houston in the Bodyguard "I will always Love you" and many others that I can't remember. And the last night, was "Howie & Bert, On the Edge" juggling comedians. The kids really enjoyed this show and laughed alot. It was great to hear them laugh and not have to worry about adult content.

Towel friends at Sea

Every night after dinner, we found these wonderful towel animals in each of our rooms. The kids thought they were great, especially Erika. She tried to figure out how they folded them. This was something to look forward to after dinner and before the show. These are pictures of a dog, elephant, monkey, and cow.