Spencer's Eagle Court of Honor

Hey this is Spencer and I am SO glad that I completed this amazing award.  I am so thankful for all of the people that came to support me at my Eagle Court of Honor.  My aunt Colleen and uncle Wade came and they helped prepare the refreshments after the Court of Honor.  My brother spoke during the Court of Honor and he spoke about how scouting has helped him throughout his life.  I'm so glad for a brother who got his Eagle Scout Award because now I can build a stronger connection to him.  We also did our eagle scout projects right next to each other.  I gave my mentor pins to brother Brown, and brother Thatcher.  Brother Brown has helped me not just in scouting, but with the church and with my family.  He was my scout master a while after I became a boy scout up until around when I turned 14.  Brother Thatcher helped me immensely with scouting.  Whenever I had a question in scouts, he always had an answer.  He always made the scout camps exciting and also made the BEST desserts ever.  There were times when I would get hurt, or something would go wrong, and brother Thatcher was always there to help me.  My friend, Mason Romney, did his project right next to mine.  I built a Gaga Ball Pit for Quartz Hill Elementary School and Mason built memorial benches right next to the pit.  The memorial benches were for two students who died last year from Quartz Hill and South Valley Junior High. This Eagle Scout Award has helped me learn to work harder and to live life at its fullest.  I'm very thankful for all the people who supported me in this remarkable achievement.

Brother Zan Beckstead has made over 400 of these books for young men receiving their Eagle Scout Award.  He is passionate about the scouting program and writes to the President of the United States and other organizations to get letters of recognition for the boys, then compiles a book for them.  It truly is a gift from the heart!

This was taken the night Spencer passed his Board of Review and actually became an Eagle Scout.  Yes, this mom was super proud and very relieved that he did it and was finally finished!!

(Soooo glad we were able to fly Kohler here so he could be with Spencer on his special day, especially since their eagle projects are right next to each other at Quartz Hill Elementary.  We missed Kelsey SO much but knew she was thinking about Spencer tonight.)

We truly could not be more proud of Spencer and all of the hard work and diligence he displayed while completing his Eagle.  It takes a LOT of hours and is an award that not many boys achieve.  Spencer is such a hardworking and devoted boy who looks up to his older brother and amazing scout leaders, striving to become just like them.  Like the eagles, you will soar, Spencer!  Congratulations!

60 Years of BYU Folk Dance and Grandma's Heart Surgery

Mom and Dad came up to Utah to head to Idaho for Keegan Fuhriman's baptism so they stopped and had dinner with us.  Steve came and it was so fun to see him!

 Sadly, while we were up in Utah, Tom's mother, Mary had a massive heart attack.  She needed a quadruple bypass so Tom flew in the next day to be with us (he wasn't coming until the weekend but he wanted to see her in case she didn't make it through the surgery).

 3 of her 4 children were there:  Tom, Colleen and Julie.  Lisa couldn't make it because she was still in Tulsa but she came after to help with the recovery.  Mary really has the most amazing daughters who love her and are there to help her.  We all took pictures and Tom offered a very sweet family prayer that we had together and I hope it brought Mary peace.

 It was a really rough surgery but she pulled through!  Her recovery is going to be a rough one but she is one tough cookie and will do what she needs to do.  We are all SO thankful that she is going to be ok.  What a blessing!

We visited our college kids at Utah Valley University and had so much fun getting a tour from them!

 The reason I say that it's fall, but "not at all" is that here in Arizona it is SO stinking hot still that it doesn't even feel like fall.  October is the month that we all are sick of the heat and want to see some fall colors and feel a nip in the air.  Sadly, it doesn't happen until November around here.  That's why we decided to head to Utah for our fall break.  I am the President for the BYU Folk Dance Alumni and it is the 60th Anniversary since the founding of the program.  Our founder, Mary Bee Jensen is 99 years old and planning her 100th birthday party in May!  So, we decided to have a celebration centered around BYU Homecoming and have both she and Ed Austin ride in the Homecoming Parade!  Jeanette Geslison, the current artistic director, was out of town and couldn't make the celebration but many alumni came and it was a fantastic event.  We gathered for the parade in the morning and then headed over to the Wilkinson Center for the luncheon.  I had planned a nice buffet lunch for everyone and we had over 200 people attend.  All the past directors and chairs of the folk dance division spoke as well as Mary Bee Jensen and myself.  

Mary Bee Jensen is the founder of the BYU Folk Dancers and she is turning 100 years old this May!  She is a remarkable woman and we have become good friends over the past few months because we are both authors!  I am also the national President of the BYU Folk Dance Alumni and it has been so much fun working with her to plan the 60th Anniversary!

Hailey had Crazy Hair Day at school and we made her hair into a chocolate frosted donut!  I think it looks pretty darn good!  The frosting is real but the donut . . . well, it's a little hairy, ha ha!

Here is my sweet Tom with our pets, Rider and Lily.

Spencer loves being in choir and this year he is in the Men's Chorus at Campo Verde High with Matt Flora as his director. 

Cute Hailey and Izzy - best buddies!

On a cool side note, we got our theater chairs for our movie room in Utah!  We are still missing two chairs from the order, but they are super comfy and we can't wait to watch a movie in these reclining beauties!

 I took Spencer and Hailey up to Deer Valley for a beautiful horse ride through the mountains.  The fall colors were gorgeous!

We got a new couch in our family room---new colors!  I love it!