Rolling over - with more video

The other day I had both girls on their stomachs. They both raised up on their arms and it was such a cute picture. I ran to get the camera. Before I could take the picture Lydia decided this was the perfect time to roll over for the second time ever. Charlotte was in her way so she couldn't quite finish the roll. As you can see Charlotte started licking Lydia.

We slept over at my in-laws on Saturday night. This is how the girls slept. It is a good thing they can't roll from back to front yet.

On Sunday we went to the baby blessing for my niece, Oakley. She is three months younger than the girls. However, she is about 4 pounds heavier. I joked that Oakley should hold Lydia in this picture.
Remember the picture of the girls in their high chairs from last week? Lydia was the one on the right (with the pink blanket - even though her color is yellow.) Here they are trying out some new bibs. Lydia is the one on the right again.
Here is a movie of some of the things the girls have been doing this week. They seem to develop a new talent everyday. They have moved up to eating 6 oz of milk each time they bottle feed. I feel like my milk supply can't keep up so I have started alternating which baby is the nursing or bottle baby each feeding instead of each day. It has been working really well - other than the fact that I haven't come up with a really easy way to keep track of who is doing what.

Family Vacation 1999 - Bryce Canyon

My family went on our vacation to Bryce Canyon over UEA weekend in 1999. It was a little strange to go on vacation after school had started, but it was fun.

As was our tradition, we got up early and drove out of the Salt Lake Valley before the roads became congested. We drove south on I-15 until Spanish Fork Canyon where we got onto Highway 89. It was early in the morning and still partially dark. As we drove south down Highway 89 we neared Manti Utah. I remember peaking out from the blankets I was wrapped in and seeing the Manti Temple through the windshield of the van. It started out as a small bright spot, but soon the full beauty of the building could be seen. We stopped for gas in Manti. At the gas station my mom woke us up and we all had breakfast in the car. We could see the temple from the gas station. It was so bright in the early morning light.

There was something to the atmosphere of Manti and all of Sanpete County that I loved. I couldn't put it into words, but I felt like the area was special to me. I must have fallen asleep after we left Sanpete County because I don't remember anything until we got to the Big Rock Candy Mountain. The mountain looked exactly like it sounds – a big piece of rock candy. From there it was on to Penguitch Utah where we stopped at a KOA. At the KOA my parents rented a Kabin.

KOA Kabins have a full size bed next to one wall and a twin size bunk bed along the other wall. So there is room for 4 adults to sleep. There is a small aisle between the beds. There is also a small open area in front of them. Some how we figured out how to fit all seven of us into that tiny space. It helped that we were pretty young and small. I was 14, Lindsey was 12, Emily was 10, Billy was 8, and Hillary was 6. We also set up a small tent to use as a supply tent. That tent had been given to us by some friends. We didn't have instructions to put it up so it was kind of a challenge to figure out how the poles connected.

I think that we went to Red Canyon after getting everything situated at the KOA. My dad has always considered Red Canyon as the welcoming committee for Bryce Canyon. In red canyon we drove though some arches that the road went under. We have some family video of my grandparents driving under these same arches so my Dad made sure to get a picture of our car going under the arches. (When I went through Red Canyon with Brandon we had just climbed Angel's Landing that day so we were content to just get a picture of the arches as we drove under them.)

We parked and ate lunch at a picnic spot in the canyon. We looked around at the tall Ponderosa pine trees. My dad sang us a song he made up when he first came to Red Canyon as a 4 year old. It goes:

Ponderosa Pine

Just Want to Climb

Ponderosa Pine

We started singing the song too. Near the picnic area was a small incline with lots of loose rocks on it. We played on the incline for a while. The rocks were really interesting. They looked a lot like the funny shaped money-rocks on the “Flintstones Movie.” They even had a sort of plastic sheen to them. At some point we saw some horse manure on the road. We called it “Biscuits on the Road.” Then we started making up a song about it. The song went something like this (the melody is a little bit more complicated then the lyrics:

Biscuits on the road again

Biscuits on the road again

Biscuits on the road again

Shoveling up those biscuits

Shoveling up those biscuits

Shoveling up those biscuits

There were probably 10 versus that took the “biscuits” from the road to a field where they were used as fertilizer to grow hay. A horse ate the hay and then through natural processes there were “biscuits” on the road again. What clever kids we were.

We left Red Canyon and headed back to the KOA. My dad and I put together the best tin foil dinners we had ever made. We discovered that the secret to making good tin foil dinners is to chop the potatoes thinly and divide up the hamburger into small pieces. I've made amazing tin foil dinners ever since.

After dinner we probably stayed up late burning things around the fire and talking. Then it was time for bed. At first it was fun to get into the cabin and have all 7 of us in one room. But as everyone started falling asleep it was no longer very fun – at least for me. There are certain noises that drive me crazy and breathing is one of the main ones. As each of my siblings fell asleep and started breathing heavily I started to get more and more on edge. The final straw was when my dad started snoring very loudly. I moved from my spot and went out to the porch to sleep on the swing. I sat out there for a while, but I couldn't sleep because I could still hear my dad snoring. I eventually went to the van and slept soundly on one of the benches.

In the morning we had breakfast. Then we packed up and started driving to Bryce Canyon. We drove though Red Canyon again. My dad said that Bryce Canyon was just a little ways away from Red Canyon. It seemed like a long time between the two places. Also the landscape was very bleak. I felt like we were on the edge of the world. I wasn't sure there could be anything spectacular out there. Eventually we made it to the turn off for Bryce Canyon and within a few miles we were driving though a Ponderosa pine forest again.

We drove to Sunset Campground and got a campsite. We set up our big green canvas spring bar tent and the little tent with the mystery polls. The little tent was still our supply tent, but I planned to sleep in it that night.

Once camp was set up we were able to go see the sights in Bryce Canyon. I don't remember the exact order we did things in but we made our way along the road and stopped at the natural features along the way. Somewhere I have copies of all the pictures we took, but I looked and looked for them last night I finally gave up. If you really want to see what Bryce looks like you can read about my vacation there last summer. Click here.

My parents were a little concerned about how warm we would be. We had come in October to avoid the summer heat during the day, but at night the temperature could get very cold. We must have packed the right amount of warm clothes and blankets because I don't remember being cold at all.

One day during out stay we decided to go on a hike on the Navajo Loop Trail. The trail is a short trail distance wise, but elevation wise it is very long. It takes you from the rim of the canyon, down among the hoodoos via about 20 switch backs. Then you walk about half a mile between the hoodoos and then back up a different set of switch backs to the rim. It sounds easy enough – and it is – unless you are partially paralyzed. My dad has been paralyzed on the right side of his body since he had brain surgery in 1995. He has never let it get the best of him though. When he couldn't drive he took the bus; when he couldn't write with his right hand, he learned how to write (and type) with his left; and he wasn't going to let a little think like paralysis keep him from enjoying a hike with his family.

So undaunted he started out down the switchbacks. I helped him keep his balance by holding his right hand the whole way down. It was very slow going and lots of people passed us, but gradually we made it. Once on the bottom the trail was flat and we were able to look around and appreciate the distance we had traveled. We stopped and took this picture which is one of my favorite pictures of our family.

Soon it was time to start heading back up the switch backs. This was harder than going down. It was also complicated by the fact that we had either run out of water or forgotten to bring it at all. Still we knew the only way out of there was to go up so we kept on moving step by step. Many people passed us, but they seemed inspired by my dad. If he could make it down and up the switch backs then certainly they could too. At long last we made it to the rim again and my dad was able to get to the drinking fountain. I learned a great lesson in perseverance that day. (And I think my mom learned a lesson in reading the trail descriptions herself before letting my dad pick the hikes he could go on)

The second night in Bryce Canyon we rearranged our sleeping arrangements. My mom and dad slept in the supply tent while us kids slept in the big tent. This arrangement worked so well that we used it for every subsequent camping trip. I remember that they came into our tent for scriptures and prayers at night and then they went into their own tent. Most of us were still young enough that they had each of us say our prayers out loud (I think I was allowed to say mine silently). Looking back I am grateful for their example in teaching us the importance of scriptures and prayers even on a camping trip.

I don't remember how many days we stayed on our vacation. It may have only been three because we went over UEA weekend, but it might have been more. However long it was we eventually had to take down the tents and go back home. We went back the way we had come. I remember looking forward to seeing Sanpete County again. It had that same magical feeling – almost like the place was calling to me. I didn't yet know that Snow College was in Sanpete County, but I would soon find out. All though high school I had a little voice in my head reminding me how much I liked the area. The feelings I had for the area on this trip were part of what made me decide to go to Snow for college.

After passing through Sanpete County we stopped at the place where the town of Thistle once was. We looked at the little information plaques that told about the land slide which had covered the highway and railroad tracks. That same landslide dammed up the river which flooded the few homes in Thistle. We also drove past some of the flooded homes that remain next to the road.

After Thistle we drove a few miles through Spanish Fork Canyon. About a mile out of the canyon we stopped at a restaurant named “The Little Acorn.” Here we had the best hamburgers and fries we had ever tasted. This is a picture of us at the Little Acorn a few years later.

Inspiration: Emily

Today's inspirational post is not about a quote. It is about a person. My sister Emily graduated from college yesterday.

She made it through school in 4 years. During those four years she met her husband, got married, and had a baby. Her husband, David, was also in school during most of that same time.

Somehow she has been able to balance her life as a student, a wife, and a mother. I have been inspired by watching her do each of these things - all while looking amazing and keeping a positive attitude.
Now that she is done with school she will be moving to Fort Collins, Colorado where David will be working on his Master's Degree. She also will prepare for the birth of her second baby in September.

When she has that second baby she will be the same age I was when I got married. I'm so impressed by what she has been able to accomplish.

I'm not a model I just look like one

This phrase could apply to anyone of my sisters. And me too I guess.

One thing we love to do as sisters is go on photo shoots. For years we've enjoyed getting dressed up and then heading to a park. My dad loves taking our pictures.

On the last day my sister was in town we did a photo shoot that was a little bit different than normal. We did a dramatic hair and eyes shoot.

My sister Lindsey crimped my hair while I nursed one of the girls. Then she did my makeup. She did my first and second hair style and Hillary did the third one. Hillary watched the girls while Lindsey took the pics with her camera.
This is my favorite picture.
It was fun to put together the different looks.

I love how professional these pictures look. They all were taken up against a while wall in my parents room.
One of the fun things about this type of shoot was that we didn't have to worry about how the back of my hair looked. I'm all glamor in the front, but who knows what the back looks like.
Lindsey and Hillary did a similar photo shoot a few days earlier. Their pictures are on facebook so those of you who are friends with them on there should go take a look.

Compare and Contrast

As an April Fools Day prank Brandon switched the girls in their crib. I was kind of expecting it because I thought about doing it to him. Still it took me a second to verify that he had switched them.

Here they are in their correct spots. We have the spots labeled with pillows that my cousin made. Now in my mind it would make more sense if Charlotte was on the left and Lydia was on the right. Charlotte is the oldest so she should be "first." But in the haze filled days when we first came home from the hospital we would put Lydia on the left. I got in the habit of seeing them like this so I've never been able to switch their sides.

The other day I figured out that it sort of makes sense to have Lydia on the left. She had the left room at the hospital, and her bed was on the left side when the girls shared a hospital room. She even was on the right side of my body which means it was the left side for everyone looking at me. So it was only natural that she would end up on the left at home.

The girls have started looking more and more alike. Sometimes I have to think for a second before I know exactly which baby I'm holding. Here are somethings that help me tell them apart.

Charlotte

Charlotte is still the bigger twin. She has always been about a pound heavier than Lydia. Usually I can tell which baby is which by looking at their sizes. Charlotte's head is also rounder I think that is because she was in the vertex position and my pelvis shaped her head. For a few months she had more hair than Lydia, but her hair is starting to thin out too. She has a little scar on the right side of her chest from when her collapsed lung was fixed in the hospital. Every time I give her a bath I make sure she has the scar and I haven't accidentally switched her with Lydia.

Charlotte nurses and bottle feeds really well. She likes to suck on her bottle really hard. Sometimes she sucks so hard that she closes up the nipple and we have to pull the bottle away and let air drain back in.

When I lay her on my knees she likes to arch her back and hang her head down so that she is upside down. I think this is also because she was vertex.

Lydia

Lydia is smaller weight wise, but not length wise. That makes her skinnier. The top of her head is more oval shaped. Her left ear folds over and makes her look like an elf. She has also developed a small birth mark on the inside of her left arm.

She nurses really well. However, she likes to move her head and arms around while she bottle feeds. So we usually leave her wrapped up while we feed her. One of these days I will have to film Brandon bottle feeding her. It is hilarious to watch him try to keep the bottle in her mouth while she moves her head from side to side.

Lydia likes to roll from her side to her back. By rolling back and forth repeatedly enough she is able to move 90 degrees. Here is a picture of her after she had turned herself. Right before I took this picture Charlotte was licking Lydia's head.

Here is a cute picture of the girls eating. Try to guess who is who. Don't feel bad if you can't figure it out. I had a hard time remembering. By the way they are getting better at keeping food in their mouths. Brandon likes to feed them rice cereal. I'm more indifferent. In my mind it's all practise until they reach 6 months anyway.
Speaking of food, check out our food storage. I love case lots!

Charlotte learned how to roll over the other day. I put her on her stomach while I changed Lydia's diaper. I could hear her crying and then suddenly she stopped. I thought she had just given up. But when I came back in the room I saw that she was on her back. Here is a movie of her rolling over. She rolls in the first 30 seconds so make sure you watch that. The remaining 6 minutes have a couple more rolls and Lydia trying to roll. It's cute to watch them interact.

Ninth Grade

I loved ninth grade. It was one of my favorite years of school. I'd finally figured out the way Jr High worked and so I felt really confident about myself that year. I remembered how unsure I was of myself as a seventh grader so I made friends with a lot of seventh graders. I also started to get to know a lot of boys. A lot of the people I met are still my friends through facebook. Here are some of the things I did in 9^th grade.

English

I had the same English teacher all three years of Jr High. Ms. M was one of my all time favorite teachers. She taught us English, but we were able to do projects along with writing essays and reading short stories and books. When we read Romeo and Juliet she assigned us a “Shakespeare Project” we had to do something creative that had to do with Shakespeare. Some students acted out a scene from the play. Other people made the globe theater out of popsicle sticks. I made clothes for barbie dolls. I called it Juliet's Bachelorette Party. I worked for several weeks on this project. I liked working on it because I was able to relax while I figured out how to do the clothes.

This is Juliet. I sewed all the beads on by hand around her bodice.

These are the other Barbie dolls. I made all these clothes.

Another project my teacher assigned was called an I-search. It was basically a research paper, but it was more about the research process than actually proving a point. It could be on any subject. In 7^th grade I had done one on the race to the moon between the United State and the Soviet Union. In 9^th Grade I did one on WWII. It was basically a rehash of one of my favorite books, “A Short History of WWII.” It was 40 pages long even though the requirement was probably only 5 or 10 pages. I'd started working on it during the summer. In January I did an I-search about astronomy. At the end of the year I did an oral presentation about radios. I even brought in my Dad's Oscilloscope. As I worked on each of these projects I learned that I enjoyed writing. I found that words flowed easily to me and that my biggest problem was probably that I wrote too much. (I still haven't got over that as evidenced by my addiction to this blog)

Orchestra

9^th grade was probably the high point of my experience as a string bass player. I enjoyed everything about orchestra that year. My sister Lindsey played the viola so she was in the class with me. This was the only class we ever took together. In addition to Lindsey there were a bunch of other 7^th graders. I remembered how much I had looked up to the ninth grade girls when I was in 7^th grade. I wanted these 7^th graders to have a positive time in school so I made friends with most of them. I was also friends with the 8^th and 9^th graders too.

One of the 7^th grade girls, Autumn, became one of my very best friends that year. She was a cello player so she sat in front of me. We had the same sense of humor and enjoyed teasing her section leader. Other people I was friends with were Michelle G an 8^th grade cello. Becca H a 7^th grade viola. Stephanie G a 7^th grade violin. Christ L a 8^th grade violin. Chris and Autumn “went out” for like 3 months before I found out they were a couple. They just assumed I knew they were together and when I finally found out we all had a laugh at my obliviousness. I really enjoyed my friend ships with these people and we are still friends via facebook.

Another kid I made friends with was Brad V. Brad was a scrawny little 7^th grade viola player that transferred into the class at second semester. I first met him during first semester and I think it involved him spitting ice at me. His older brother, Joel, was my age and he always kind of bugged me (more about that later) Both boys were my paper boys at various times during Jr high. Brad was fun to talk to and hang out with at lunch, but I didn't think our friendship would last longer than a few months. It's been over 10 years and I am still friends with him. My ward was moved into his stake so we went to youth conference and we were in the same group (I actually requested that he be in my group.) He married one of my friends from my ward so we still see each other when 5^th ward people get together. He's grown up into a tall handsome man and is a great husband and father. I'm glad I've been able to watch him grow up.

We became fairly united as a class. Orchestra was 5^th period which was the class right after lunch. A lot of us started eating lunch together on the porch of the courtyard. We ate out there even on the most snowy days. A few minutes before the bell rang I would say, “let's move.” And we would all climb over the railing on the porch and head over to the door. As soon as the bell rang we would go inside and start getting our instruments out.

Here are the violas, cellos, and basses.

And the violins.

In class our teacher would work with us on our group pieces. Some days we would divide up into sectionals. I had been the only bass for the past two years so I'd always hung out with the cellos – our parts were basically the same any way. This year I had a little prodigy – Austin. I taught him how to play the bass. He was pretty quiet so we'd usually join the cellos and have fun with them.

My friend Mike J was the section leader of the cellos. He was a very talented player. I'd had at least 4 classes with him every year since 7^th grade so I knew him well. I was quiet and Mike wasn't so when ever I had an idea for the class I would suggest it to Mike and he would suggest it to the teacher. We liked to argue and joke around. I think we both enjoyed exasperating one another. Here is an example of a typical Valerie/Mike conversation. Mike: Hey what happened to the squished up orange I put in the cello room?” Valerie: “It was grossing me out so I threw it away.” Mike: “What? I wanted to see what would happen if I left it there.” Valerie: “Well it started to stink. I didn't want the fumes to make the varnish on my bass start peeling.” Mike: “Oh that won't happen, I just want to see what happens to the orange.” Valerie: “If it's anything like the squished up apple you had in there last week it will make the room smell like beer.” Our contest over whether or not Mike could keep an orange in the cello room finally ended with me agreeing to not throw anything away for a month. He put 5 squished up oranges in the room. I'm sure our teacher was always trying to figure out why she smelled spoiled orange juice. At the end of the month I didn't throw the oranges away we left them in there until the last week of school. They were all pretty moldy and smelly by the time we did throw them away. Autumn told me that they found one at the end of the summer and it was all dried up.

Around Christmas time we went on tour to 4 elementary schools. This was something we had done the year before to try to recruit new members. The orchestra, concert band, and jazz band all preformed Christmas songs for the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders. We took two buses and were gone most of the school day. For lunch we went to McDonald’s and Wendy’s which were right next to each other. I have a very special mental image of watching all the 9^th grade boys walk back to the buses while they were singing.

In addition to the big orchestra which was made up of all levels of ability we had the chamber orchestra. This smaller group was made up of the more talented players. Mike and I were always the cello and bass players. Bart H was the concert master so he was usually the first violin. Sarah W was a very talented 8^th grader and she was usually the 2^nd violin. Tim V was our most talented viola, but his busy schedule meant he was not signed up in Orchestra until second semester. During first semester he would come join in with the chamber orchestra during his lunch break. Other students were added as needed. Rehearsals with the chamber orchestra were held in the violin room- a tiny room that hardly held us all. There were usually lots of arguments and laughter. I would sit on the amp for the jazz bands guitars and Mike would get mad at me. Occasionally we actually got around to playing our instruments.

Tim's dedication and talent saved us when it came time for festival. We had been practicing the song “Ancient Ritual” for months. Our teacher wasn't sure we were good enough to take it to festival. Mike and Tim talked to her and told her was our best piece and we had to take it. ( I would have told her too, but I was out of town due to my Grandpa's funeral.) Then a few days before festival our concert master, Bart, had some sort of emergency in his family and he had to go out of town. Tim had been trying out the violin and was was able to switch from viola and take over the spot as concert master. Thanks to him we earned a 1+ and a 1- at festival. (By the way, Tim and I are now step-cousin- in-laws because his step brother is Brandon's cousin.)

The spring concert was held in April. Two days before the concert Mike told me my name was spelled wrong on the program. I didn't believe him until I checked it out. I found out that my name was listed as part of a group number he and Tim had put together. My last name was spelled Lovelace. That wasn't the biggest problem. The big problem for me was that no one had told me I was in the group number! Mike assumed Tim told me and Tim thought Mike told me. So I learned the part in two days and was part of the group – good thing bass parts are usually incredibly easy.

Orchestra meant so much to me in 9^th grade, but the full impact of that year didn't hit me until I'd been in college for a semester. I came back home for my best friend, Ashley's, wedding. She had two viola's play at her wedding. One was Brad. He and the other viola played “Cannon in D” which was one of the songs we played in Orchestra. As I listened to him play I thought back on all the good memories of orchestra. Festival, oranges, that tiny violin room, and all my friends. I started to cry because it had all been so wonderful.

Gym

I took Dance 1 in 8^th grade and I planned on taking Dance 2 in ninth grade. But when it came time to register I ran into a problem Dance 2 was only taught during the same periods as French 3 and Orchestra. I ended up in regular gym. Most every other girl my age took dance as their PE credit. My class was made up of about 35 boys and 6 girls. It was really hard to be a clumsy non-athletic girl in that group. I told my self to just deal with it and get through the semester.

It wasn't my favorite class but I have some good memories from it. I learned I could do 605 jump ropes in 5 minutes (that's two a second) Being one of only a few girls had its perks. The teacher let us walk the track rather than play soccer with the boys. When we played volley ball the girls were each captains of their own team. I picked Mike, Alan and all my other friends from the music and french classes. During basketball the girls weren't allowed to play with the boys so we just had our own team.

There was a 7^th grade PE class geld at the same time. A lot of my friends from Orchestra were also in that class. We'd talk in the locker room and anytime our classes interacted.

Office Aid

On registration day there was an error on my schedule so my mom and I went into the counseling center to get it taken care of. While we were there the secretary in charge of the counseling center, Ms E, asked if there was anyway I could be an office aid. She knew me because I saw her at least one a month when I got a street pass to go to the orthodontist. We were able to work out my schedule so that I could be an office aid during 4^th period for second semester.

As an office aid I was in charge of collecting the rolls from the 100 and 200 halls. I also helped deliver notes to teachers. There were two other office aids during 4^th period, Alan R and a kid named Scott. Scott was very quiet so I basically have no memory of him other than me and my friends all thought he was very cute. I was too shy to talk to him though. Instead I spent all my time goofing off with Alan. Alan had been in several of my classes over the years. We had french together and probably English too. We knew each other but this was the first time we got to talk and really get to know each other. Alan was a character. His parents had somehow put him into Kindergarten a year early. So while most of my classmates were turning 15 in 9^th grade Alan was only turning 14. Being a year younger meant he was always a little bit sillier than the rest of us. Combine that with his natural exuberance for life and above average IQ and you have one crazy guy. I had so much fun hanging out with him. Most of the things with Alan were “you had to be there” moments. Even if I could write them all down they would probably seem pretty flat on paper. Here are some things. 4^th period had a 20 minute reading time attached to the front of it where we were supposed to read. However we usually ended up joking around. Sometimes we would look at an atlas that was in the counseling center. Once he was sitting in one of the secretaries desks pretending to be her. He turned around in the chair and scraped his knee on the filing cabinet. For some reason this was so funny that we laughed about it for years afterward. We also would race to see who could get their halls done first.

Here are some other Alan stories. Alan was a trombone player and was in the Jazz band. The jazz band sat at the front of the auditorium and played at the beginning of assemblies. Then they would sit in their chairs and watch the assembly. At the end they would play while everyone left. Alan made a sign that said “Don't Choke” on it and would sit right next to the stage and hold it on his lap. There were several times I saw this sign while I was on stage playing with the orchestra. One time I was down in the Jazz band area with a small group of orchestra students. Alan had a screw driver and was trying to open the grate that was under the stage. I tell you this kid was nuts – but fun.

French

I took french for 3 years. One reason I took French each year was because the teacher always gave out Eiffel tower shaped pencil sharpeners as Christmas presents for her 3^rd year students. I really wanted that pencil sharpener. I also did it so I could go with the other 3^rd year student to a French Restaurant and eat snails.

Of course the class was also really fun. There were a lot of really witty students in the class – mostly boys like Alan R, Mike J, Robert S, Joel V, and Edward A. The teacher Madam B taught us french, but she also answered our questions about just about any subject. Subjects ranged from how to exchange dollars for foreign currency, jury duty, fire drills, assemblies, school nurses, noses, pen pals, and so on. French things that I learned were my ABCs, how to count, the days of the week, and other basic language trivia. We spent a great deal of time learning how to conjugate. It seems we were always taking tests on how to conjugate certain words.

I thought I would take French in high school, but halfway though ninth grade we started learning about something called Past Imperfect tense or something like that. It was just a little bit too complicated for me and I decided I didn't want my brain to explode. So once I ate those snails I was done with French.

Here we are on the way to the restaurant.

I'm glad I took the class. Three years of French helped me earn an Area of Distinction in College Prep. That combined with my Area of Distinction in Social Sciences meant I graduated from high school with a Diploma of Merit. Also Brandon went on a French speaking mission. He has a habit of throwing in random french words into his sentences. I'm glad I can somewhat follow him. One day we plan on visiting his mission so I am casually relearning French.

Field Trip to the University of Utah

In January the school sent all the students with high test scores to the University of Utah for some sort of college prep day. We went to a lecture on things to do to get scholarships. We also went to the museams on campus. I remember walking into the muesuem of natural history and seeing my 7th grade friends laying on the benches in one of the display rooms. They had been there for about 2 hours and were really bored. Once I showed up we pretended like we were being held prisoner. We even tried to see if the windows opened to we could escape. There were about a hundred dead flies on the window sill. We didn't notice them until after we had leaned our elbows on the window sill - yuk.

Later we were able to go to lunch and we had fun trying to figure out how to sneak the food back onto the bus. On the bus ride home I was on the 9th grade bus and we sang silly songs the whole way home. It was one of the funniest field trips I ever went on.

Birthday

My parents said that I could have a sleep over party for my 15^th birthday. I was excited for the party but I was a little worried about how all my friends would get along. I had 4 different sets of friends in 9^th grade. I had my guy friends (who would not be invited); my best friends since elementary school, Ashley and Becky; my 9^th grade friends; and my seventh and eighth grade friends from gym and orchestra.

It actually turned our really well. Ashley and Becky came and so did my orchestra/gym friends: Autumn, Becca, Stephanie, Michelle, and Chelsea (she ended up my sister Lindsey's best friend all through school.) We had pizza, slept in the living room, and ate cereal for breakfast.

Mid Summers Night Dream

My English teacher organized an after school field trip for her 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th grade students to go see a production of “A Midsummer’s Night's Dream.” It was directed by my history teacher from the year before (yeah the one I made cry) My friend Ashley and I signed up to go. We went out to eat at Arctic Circle and then we went to the school and got on the buses. Our tickets were near each other, but not next to each other. We were able to switch seats with some 7^th grade boys and sit by each other. While we waited for the play to start we talked to the 7^th graders. I don't remember all the specifics but somehow we were stealing milk duds from the boys. It was really funny. Years later I went on a date with my friend Seth. Seth asked me if I remembered going to that play and stealing his milk duds. I didn't know he was that same guy!

Grandpa's funeral

My mom's dad died during the first part of May. My parents flew to Indiana for the funeral. First they took me and my siblings to Idaho to stay with my dad's mom. Grandma Mary Ann was in the process of building a house with her husband Carwin. Carwin had a son, Clint, who was a year younger than me. They were living in a rental house in Arimo, Idaho. It was a smaller home but somehow we all fit.

During the 4 or 5 days that we stayed there we had a lot of fun. We went out to the house that was under construction and played around while Grandma and Carwin worked. Clint took us on a hike up to a hill that had ancient volcanic ash on it. Back at the rental house we all played on big rolls of hay that were in the neighbors' yard. One of Clint's friends came over and he asked who we were. Clint said we were his nieces and the kid said, “Nieces? They are older than you!” Well one of us was.

One night we wanted to watch a movie. Grandma suggested we watch Anne of Green Gables. No one was very interested in that idea. We looked at the 4 VHS tapes and thought that it would be a boring movie. Grandma suggested we just watch one tape and go from there. By the end of that tape she didn't have to try to talk us into watching the rest of the Green Gables or Anne of Avonlea tapes – we were hooked. And we are all still hooked.

Grandma pointed our an interesting occurrence among us kids. She said we would all be talking non stop until we got into the car and the engine would turn on. Then we would instantly quiet down. We'd be silent until we got to where ever we were going and the car was turned off. Then we would all start talking again. After thinking about it for a minute we figured out what was going on. Our family car was a huge old van that was very loud. Us kids had developed the habit of going into our own little worlds instead of trying to talk over the noise.

Lagoon Day

At the end of 9^th grade all the 9^th graders got to go to Lagoon for the day. We all met at the school and then got onto one of three buses. The buses were divided up alphabetically which meant I was with all the Lopezs and Martinezes but not with any of my friends. Once we got to the park I found out I got in for free because I was a promotion speaker. That was nice, but I still couldn't find any of my friends. I eventually caught up with them, but I remember being by myself for a little bit.

I hadn't been to Lagoon since 6^th grade so it was fun to go on all the rides. At one point I switched from hanging out with my friend Ashley's group to a group with some other friends. I went on a couple rides with that group, but then they wanted to go on the Ferris wheel. I hate the Ferris wheel – it is the only ride that truly scares me. I suggested we go on the Rocket, but they had already been on that ride. I really wanted to go on the Rocket because I hadn't been on it yet. I asked, “will any one go on the Rocket with me?” The only person that volunteered was Joel V (Brad's older brother). Now for some reason I'd never really liked Joel. We'd had french together all three years, and he had always seemed a little weird. He was also my paper boy and that somehow complicated things. So when Joel volunteered I was stuck in the middle of a dilemma. Should I go on a ride I hated or hang out with somebody who I didn't like. In the end Joel and the Rocket won out over the Ferris wheel.

The Rocket was the new ride so it had a fairly long line compared to the other rides. Joel and I stood in line for probably 40 minutes. Something strange happened during those 40 minutes. Joel didn't bug me. In fact I enjoyed talking to him. I realized that for the past 3 years I'd had a completely wrong impression of him. Those 40 minutes changed everything. During high school we took math together and he became one of my very best friends. We went on a few dates after I turned 16. He asked me to sign up for social dance with him in 11^th grade, and we were partners for the first concert. After high school we lost track of each other for a while, but after his mission we hung out a few times. He got married a year or two after I did and he had twins about a year and a half before I did. I'd hate to think how much different my life would have been if I had decided to snub Joel and go on the Ferris wheel.

Promotion

Sometime during 7^th or 8^th grade I decided I wanted to be a speaker at my 9^th grade promotion. Promotion was a tradition at my Jr High. It was like a graduation except everyone dressed up instead of wearing caps and gowns. Also you didn't have to be a Class officer or the valedictorian to speak. So when the auditions for promotion speakers and performers was announced I started writing my speech. The theme was “From this Moment On.” I found a quote from Benjamin Franklin and based my speech around it. I was confident as I wrote my speech because I had spoken at my elementary school's veterans day assembly and I'd given many talks in sacrament meeting. I knew that my speech was good.

The auditions were held after school in the science room in the 400 hall. It was the same day as my french class' trip to eat snails so I was dressed up. The promotion committee teachers had everyone draw a number to see who would go first. It just so happened to be me. I blew the competition out of the water with my speech.

I had to wait a couple days to find out if I was a speaker. I found out the results a little bit earlier than every one else. My mom's dad died and I had to go out of town a day before the results were announced. My geography teacher took me out in the hall and told me that I was one of the four speakers. The other speakers were my friend Steve S, Harmony S from my ward, and Camille K. There was also a dance to the song “From the Moment On” by Candice P and Sarah B sang the song with lyrics modified to apply to promotion instead of a wedding.

During the weeks leading up to promotion my French teacher worked with each of the speakers to help us with our delivery. She especially worked with getting me to slow down as I spoke. I can still remember her saying something like, “This will be new for everyone, go slow so they can learn.” With her help I was able to slow down and concentrate on what I was saying. I also worked on memorizing the whole thing.

In addition to working on my talk I was also working on my dress. It was my first formal dress, and I sewed it myself. I also made a top for my friend Becky. I felt so crafty until I saw what my friend Ashley did for her dress. She took an ugly keyhole neckline bridesmaid dress, chopped off the ugly neck and sleeves, turned the dress around and sewed straps on it. It was amazing.

The night of promotion I gave my speech perfectly. At one point I got a little lost but I had cards to help me out. The other speakers did well also. Most students only got two promotion tickets. Since I was a speaker I got 5. Two for my parents, one for Lindsey, one for Emily (who spoke at her promotion), and one for my 6^th grade teacher Mr B. There were light refreshments served after the ceremonies in the courtyard. Lots of people commented on my speech.

My parents took pictures and then 9^th grade was over. I can say that I was pretty happy to be done with promotion because I was getting really sick of hearing “From this Moment On” I'd heard it enough during the 2 or 3 rehearsals we'd had.

I never had another year like 9^th grade. 12 grade comes close and is actually my favorite year of school, but there is something about 9^th grade that makes every memory special. Maybe it was the relative innocence of being 14 years old. Maybe it was because I made an effort to befriend people that I didn't have to be friends with. I don't know. But I do know that I feel like my life began in 9^th grade.

Inspiration: Aim at Prevention

Several years ago a high counselor in my student ward read this poem. I think it applies to so many things in our lives. Sometimes we want the really cool way to fix a problem when really there is a boring and simple way to prevent the problem in the first place.

The Fence or The Ambulance

Joseph Malines

‘Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant:
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and many a peasant;
So the people said something would have to be done.
But their projects did not at all tally:
Some said, "Put a fence around the edge of the cliff"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day.
For it spread to the neighboring city:
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became brimful of pity
For those who had slipped o’er that dangerous cliff,
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds or gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is alright if your careful," they said,
"and if folks even slip or are dropping,
it isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
as the shock down below-when they're stopping,"
So day after day when these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would the rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old man remarked, "it's a marvel to me
that people give far more attention
to repairing results than to stopping the cause,
when they'd much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief, cried he.
"Come neighbors and friends, let us rally :
If the cliff we will fence, we might almost dispense
with the ambulance down in the valley."

"Oh, he's a fanatic." the others rejoined:
"dispense with the ambulance Never!
He'd dispense with all charities, too, if he could:
no, no! We'll support them forever.
Aren't we picking up folks just as fast as they fall?
And shall this man dictate to us? Shall he?
Why would people of sense stop to put up a fence?
While their ambulance works in the valley?"

But a sensible few who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer
They believe that prevention is better than cure
And their party will soon be the stronger
Encourage them, then with your purse, voice and pen
And (while other philanthropists dally)
They will scorn all pretense, and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

The Best Loved Poems of the American People
Compiled by Hazel Felleman
Published by Doubleday, 1936