Mother of a sophomore!!!

I remember my sophomore year of high school like it was yesterday. So it has been difficult to believe that Tanner is now a sophomore. I think I have been more anxious and nervous for him than he has. He has been pretty excited for this upcoming year. I hope he has an awesome year!! Going from a charter school to a huge 5A public school is going to be an adjustment!!

First Day of School!!!

WOW! Summer is officially over for Spencer. I just dropped him off for his first day of school at Channing Hall! He is in the 4th grade this year. I cannot believe my baby is now in 4th grade. I feel like 4th grade was just yesterday for me. I remember my first day of 4th grade. I went to Bonneville Elementary and had Mr. Holyoak as a teacher. Great times. Spencer is car pooling with his best friend this year. He is pretty excited for a new school year. I hope that excitement lasts through out the year. School shopping for the boys isn't too bad. It is great when they have uniforms.
Spencer's school teacher this year is Mrs. Winnie. He sits right across from his other best friend, Gabe. Spencer and Gabe spent a lot of time at the water park this summer. It is great that he will have a good friend in class with him.

Rock Hill

Ha! I said I would get back on sometime before summer was over and write more about our trip to Rock Hill. The above photo is a shot of Catawba pottery. It looks like it was made on a wheel but it is all hand shaped and a wheel is not used. My great grandma Sanders is well known for her artistry. Aunt Mahovie gave me a wedding vase that my great grandmother made.

The above photo is where my dad went to school when he was little. It is now a cultural center. The photo below is what it looked like when my dad went to school. My great grandma worked in the small cafeteria. One of my dad's memories of his grandma was her saving extra deserts for him after school. I think that is a cute memory.
The shot above is the old school house that has now been converted into a cultural center.
This is a water hole. This is the same little creek my dad used to get water from to  do dishes, etc. He remembers bathing in this little water hole too. One time he was playing in the water and he remembers his dad yanking him out pretty hard and fast. There was a water moccasin coming right toward him. His dad was able to get him to safety.
This is my great grandma Arzada Brown Sanders. I was able to see some of the tools my great grandma used to make her pottery. Grandma made pots to sell to people for money for her family. Her mother, Rachel Brown, was also a talented potterist

Summer!!!

Kayla, Anna, Tanner, Dusty, Spencer & Trevor at the Moab Diner.

This summer is getting away from us. It has been enjoyable. Busy, but very enjoyable. Our summer typically starts off with the Martin Family Reunion in Moab. It is Tom's favorite day of the year. The boys love it too. It is a great time for us to see lots of cousins we don't get to see a lot of. It is a great time for me to hang out with Ruth (she is fun). The boys also spent a week in Moab with Krappa Louie and Grandma Zan. They went fishing and spent time at Brown's Hole. They also went camping with a few other cousins as well.

Our next trip was 10 days in South Carolina. We flew out to Charlotte, NC and met my parents. We drove to Rock Hill, SC. Rock Hill is where my dad is from. We got to visit with lots of family. The last trip I took out to Rock Hill was when I was 4. It felt so good to go back with Tom and the boys. We stayed with my aunt Mahovie and Uncle Dennis. I was able to interview some people and get great information for genealogy.

Tom and I were able to go to the Columbia temple with my parents and aunt Donna. It was a wonderful experience and a memory I will never forget.

Tom and in front of the temple. The weather was humid and there were palm trees all around. It reminded us a lot of Taiwan.

We went to the book store across the street from the temple and picked up a few things. Then we headed back to Rock Hill. But not with out stopping at Bojangles (thanks Jonathan). Gotta love them southern style biscuits! We actually ate at Bojangles a few times while we were out there.

Tanner, Spencer and Dad

We were able to spend time on the Catawba Reservation. Tanner and I were able to enroll in the Catawba tribe and get our names on the roll. Spencer's information was never recorded so I sent everything for him to be enrolled in the tribe after we got home from our trip. Dad and I were able to attend a tribal council meeting. It was very interesting. I am anxious for my tribe to pull together and prosper. There are great opportunities out there for the tribe. They just need to pull together and work as one to make things happen. Currently the Chief of the tribe is Chief Donald Rogers. I met him and had a minute to visit with him. He is a great man with lots of connections in Washington DC and with the BIA. It is great to now that a man like him is leading the Catawba Nation. Tanner and Chief Donald Rogers

Chief Rogers was at Walmart when we stopped to pick up a few things. He was kind enough to let us get pictures with him and to spend time speaking with us about some of the politics going on with the tribe.Aunt MahovieUncle Dennis

We stayed with Aunt Mahovie and Uncle Dennis. I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity. It was great to get to know them and for the Tom and the boys to have an opportunity to know them. We got to know them and love them more than imaginable. Aunt Mahovie looked out for the boys and made breakfast every day. She shared stories about her brothers and sisters and memories of her parents. We loved staying up late talking with them and playing Phase 10. Dennis let the boys use his pellet gun to shoot targets and they got to help feed the chickens and collect eggs.Spencer and Uncle Dennis

One of the memories I had of my last trip back to SC was Aunt Mahovie taking Kevin and I to Carrowinds. I really wanted to take the boys, Tom and Kevin and go to Carrowinds again. So we did. We had a blast. Here are a few pictures from Carrowinds.
Well, I am running out of time here. I will have to finish our summer in a "part 2" post. The above picture is Tanner, Spencer and Kevin in front of one of the 12 roller coasters. Spencer is with Snoopy in the next picture.

The trip did a lot for me. It reminded me of who I am and where I come from. It made me so thankful for the gospel and the knowledge of eternal families. I got to know family members that have passed on from stories of family still here. I feel like I got to know my great grandparents. It has been a great jump start on genealogy. I will go back. I won't wait another 34 years this time. I would love to be able to go back at least 2 times a year to participate in tribal counsels.

The light at the end of a long tunnel......

Wow! I can't believe the time has finally come. I have been a senior at the University of Utah for 15 years. I have always wanted to finish up. Kids, moving around and money have always played a role in my schooling. In a week and a half I will be done with my BS degree. Now, I finally feel like I can see the light at the end of a tunnel.

One day, I will go back and get a masters degree. School is important. I want my boys to understand that education is a must. I hope they understand how important it is to work hard and go to college.

Wow! I still can't believe it is almost over. I am a little excited and very grateful.

December 30th, skiing at Alta

I thought it might be nice to take the boys up for a few runs up at Alta. It was our first time out this season. I decided to take advantage of Alta's "Ski Free After 3" deal. Ha ha ha.....it was an adventure. We left our house at 2 and did not get home until 9:30 that night. When we got to the mountain and read to hit the slopes, Spencer found out his boot would not click into his bindings. So that cute little smile on his face in the picture didn't last too long. I told him that there wasn't time for us to take his boot and ski's to the shop to get fixed. By the time it would get fixed, it would be time to go home. So we told Tanner to take off and get as many runs in as he could before we had to go. Spencer and I made our way back to the car and loaded up our stuff. A huge storm had hit and the snow was come down fast and heavy. I started to worry about Tanner being out there a lone. He found us and we decided to leave right away to beat the traffic. But everyone else had the same idea. 45 minutes into our ride home we had only gone 3/4 of a mile! It was dark and the snow kept on falling. Suddenly, to make the trip even more fun, the car died. I couldn't get it started again. Some nice guy tried to jump start the battery but it didn't work. We had to leave the car on the side of the road in a snow drift. A sheriff came by to help us. He told me that he could get us to a ski bus to get us down to the bottom of the mountain. We had to get our car towed before 10pm or it would be impounded. My cell phone battery died and I had no way to call Tom. He was at work and I don't know his work # because it has always been in my cell. I quickly realized there are only a handful of numbers I know. The sheriff let me use his phone and I called my mom. She told me not to worry and that she would get a hold of Tom. The sheriff got us on a nice and warm UTA ski bus. We sat in the very back, the only few spots available. The boys were starving. A nice grandpa and his grandson were on the bus and shared some oranges with the boys. We got to know them quite well. The bus ride was a 3.5 hour bus ride. Another gal and her daughter sat by us as well. Spencer made 2 new friends and had fun playing with them. Tom met us at the bottom of the canyon and we got home nice and safe. The lovely tow company charged us $300!!!! But it was a nice adventure. Now I know that I will always have a PBJ and some healthy snacks in my back pack even if we are only skiing for a short time as well as have my cell phone fully charged!