May - Birthday Month

Happy Birthday to all of the May people!
Ross
Matt
MAX Petersen (we have two in the family)
Wade
Barbara
Molly
Wyatt
Geneil
Dee
Annie
Isabel

It's just about the biggest BIRTHDAY month! (Hope I didn't forget someone!)

Spring Break?

Willie has had a week of no school, but he has had basketball practice, tennis practice, some homework, and some hanging out with me and other members of the family. It's been a nice week because we have been able to sleep in nearly every morning.

I'd like to think it's my spring break, too. But that would mean no phone calls from my office or responding to e-mails. But those interruptions are okay because I am taking care of them from home.

I've cooked dinner this week and done a little house cleaning. Probably the most exciting thing we've done is look for a new car. Yes, a new car (not brand new but new to us). Willie and I think we've found one! With Karl's approval, we may just be dragging 3500 S in style!

Happy Birthday Haley!

It's Haley's birthday today. She is a good daughter and an excellent mother. This is the first birthday in 31 years that I have not wished Haley "Happy Birthday" in person. But I think she knows I am thinking about her. Haley and Molly celebrated with Karl and Willie. James is at National Guard. It was an uneventful day relatively speaking but well recognized. Haley is my number two child; I am a number two child; my mother was a number two child, and her mother was a number two -- pretty amazing. So to my number two daughter -- please know that you are a very special gift as are your sister and baby brudder. Hope you had a great day!

Steve and DeWayne

I flew to Chicago yesterday afternoon to attend a few meetings on transforming school counseling and strengthening equitable access for all students in advanced and AP courses. I sat on row 8 seat F (a window seat) on a big Airbus plane. Next to me were two old guys, Steve and DeWayne. They had flown through Salt Lake City from Spokane to make connections to Chicago. They were headed to a town 20 miles east of Chicago to pick up Steve's newly purchased motor home. After picking up the motor home today, they planned to drive home to Spokane via I-90. The reason I know they were older than me -- grayer hair, more pound of excess weight, slower physical movements, and more. Steve mentioned he was retired Air Force and had served as a "tail gunner" during the Vietnam War. He dropped out of high school to join the Air Force and did eventually take the GED and get a college degree. DeWayne served in the Navy during the Korean War and told me the only way he got through high school and into college was because of sports. He was a three spot guy. Why do I know all of this? I have this weird thing about my persona that invites people to tell me all their life events once I tell them I am an educator, a school counselor, and . . . I also learned that Steve's wife is a real bossy, strong personality and she was recently diagnosed with a rare strain of pancreatic cancer. He and his wife have been to the Mayo Clinic for consultation and treatment. While there, Steve had gall stones and couldn't find a doctor anywhere to diagnose him. It was until he returned home to his family doc that it was determined that he had gall stones and needed surgery. DeWayne explained that he and Steve are across the street neighbors. He had a teenage grandson who lives in California and pretty much didn't give his grandpa the time of day until they went on a hunting trip to Montana. Now they are best friends and get along great. DeWayne though Steve's wife look good (considering Chemo treatments) when they left Spokane that morning. I love the generations older then mine. They are polite, considerate, and very thoughtful. DeWayne helped me with my carry-on, remembered where it was to help get it to me when we landed in Chicago. He made sure I got off the plane okay, and told me to know that he valued my work in education. He said, "When you are my age and you look back, you will know that you accomplished something! Remember that!" So, there you have it, another day in my life -- people, that's what my work and my life are all about.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday, and he is 82. It's been a tough few months for him with Mom's passing and all. He is very sad most days, but he manages to get up and get going every morning. He goes to work 5 days a week and that involves getting the mail, going to the bank, and doing some minor accounting and bookkeeping work for Huber Bro. Inc. He still owns Huber Construction and the property where his sons' business functions -- 947 W S Temple. Dad was just released from a church calling he has had for the past 29 years - Sunday School teacher. He would like to keep teaching Sunday School, but his emotions are too close to the surface right now. He and I have had some good talks since Mom's passing. He told me he doesn't plan to get married. The hardest thing he has to do right now is go to church by himself -- it's tougher than he ever imagined. He has always had someone sitting by him. He's a little upset that Mom didn't teach him how to cook. He goes to McDonald's every other Saturday or so to get breakfast, but otherwise he fixes breakfast on his own. He has told me he appreciates me more times than I can ever remember. He is nervous that he won't recognize Mom when he sees her again because she will be younger looking. Just yesterday he told me that he and Mom were married for time and all eternity but for Mom, time is gone -- she just has eternity while he has some time left. We celebrated Dad's birthday yesterday and because he is so superstitious that made him nervous. Celebrating a day early may have jinxed him. But, I called this morning to wish his Happy Birthday, and he informed me that in spite of the early celebration he lived another day. He's a good dad, and I am happy to be around to help him all I can. Longevity is in his genes. His mother lived to be 84 and his grandfather 94. I guess if he chooses, he can live a good life for years to come!

April Fools!

I got an e-mail from my borther-in-law today with the best news ever (not)! Roger Reid has been named new b-ball coach of the Runnin' Utes! Nice April Fools joke!

Eagle Paper Work Done!

The paper work for Willie's Eagle Project is done and now we just need the final signatures and get it submitted to the right people. It was last March/April that we began the whole process. I guess it really does take a year to get it done. Willie's troop and many people in the ward knitted hats and donated gloves and mittens and books for the Christmas Box House children. We delivered the hats and gloves and books on November 30, 2010.

The write-up for the project was the most difficult part of the whole process!

I guess we had better get the car insurance updated to include Willie as a driver. The driver's license arrived in the mail last week. I told him no driving until the Eagle Project was finished.

Yeah Willie!

March On!

It's Karl's spring break, and he is finding only a little time for leisure activity. He has been very dedicated to school -- we are very proud of him. It's a challenge to reinvent your working self at any age.

Willie is 2-1 in HHS junior varsity tennis -- doubles #1. I am not sure how the whole tennis game works -- the scoring is beyond my comprehension -- but it is a very fun and relaxing way to transition from school basketball to AAU basketball. The tennis coach is amazingly organized and positive.

The school year is winding down. Next week marks the end of the 3rd term and grades will be posted, again. Willie has had a pretty good year in all classes so far, keep your fingers crossed for this term. I don't know how he does it -- the hard math problems, the essays, the French vocabulary -- but he is a very good student.

The March madness is upon us. Good ballgames in all areas of the brackets today including a win for BYU. I must admit that the "Jimmer" has caught my attention! He is an amazing basketball player.

St. Patrick's Day brings out the green! In a meeting earlier today, there were eight women and two men sitting around a table in a conference room at Wasatch Junior High School. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, every person had on some form of green -- green scarf, green pin, green tie, green necklace, green sweater, green vest, green wristband, green earrings, and more. I guess it kind of made me crazy because every green item was a different shade and hue. Oh my!

Dad seems to be doing okay without Mom. We all miss her, but I know he misses her most. He feels her close by, but I know the quiet empty house is hard to get use to. He's fortunate to be able to drive, go to work, take care of the laundry, fix his own breakfast, and more. All of the siblings have helped out in taking care of dinner. It's been fun -- I think -- and Dad reports he's gained some weight. The down side is our cooking is not Mom's cooking and he is getting a little tired of Mexican food. But I know he appreciates everything.

We have a big Huber Family Celebration planned for Sunday -- this weekend marks Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary, so we have a party planned to celebrate! Annie has been working with everyone on a family history book, and it will be unveiled on Sunday.

In like a Lion, but a little delayed!

We woke up this monring to 4-6 inches of snow. I checked the calendar to see if it was in fact March, actually March 8th. The snow was beautiful and typically March snow -- very heavy.

Warm weather seems so far away, but I know it will be here soon.

Febraury 28, 2011

I just finished going through my bottom dresser drawer! It is chuck full of memorabilia -- cards, notes, certificates, report cards, trip momentous, art work, newspaper clippings -- you name it, it's there.

My kids are always giving me and Karl a bad time about arguing -- they call us Fred and Ethel or whatever. That said, Willie joined me in looking through the stuff in the drawer. He found a handmade note he had made -- a red heart shaped construction paper note in very young squiggly penmanship "mom and dad will you lick each other." Yes, he had written "lick" meaning "like". It was very cute.

You see Karl and I do like each other. I love him, actually. But we do disagree and argue -- it is more like an exercise in stubbornness than anything serious now, but we have had our difficult moments over the years. However, we've managed to work through all the tough stuff -- and are now reaping the results and rewards of a strong marriage and devotion to each other and to our amazing kids, sons-in-law, and grandchillins.

That's about the size of boys in my family!

Elliott's first soccer game was a hit - especially the uniform. A few days before the game he told me that he wasn't sure what color his uniform would be, " . . . but, whatever color it is, Grandma, I will like it!" I think that response came as a result of some good pre-soccer preparation at home. Elliott can be pretty opinionated about teams and colors.

After the game the boys lined up for a photo opportunity with Uncle Willie. In a few short years they will likely be closer in height. In fact, my prediction -- Elliott (6'6"), Willie (6' 5 1/2"), Wyatt (6'4"). As for me, I am in the shrinking stage of life from a solid 6' to my present height -- 5' 10 1/2".

SOPHS - Winning Team among the Losing Teams

Other blogs beat me to this posting, but I did want to let it be recorded in the blog universe that the 2010-11 Hunter Wolverine SOPH b-ball team was the winning-est team among the three boy's teams this season -- they won 7 games (6 in region)! The JV team won 5 games while the varsity squeaked by with only 4 (3 pre-season and 1 region).

The SOPH team is a very nice group of kids with potential. They overcame injuries and different combinations of players, but once the team was set (around the time of the third game in region play), there was steady improvement and progress. Congratulations!

February 2011

A new month -- it's registration time in the schools. Although the new school year is 8 months away, it's time to get kids thinking about next school year. There are more and more opportunities for students in high school than ever before -- it's pretty exciting.

January 2011 -- A Month to Remember

Never could I have imagined a month like this one. It is certainly one to be documented in my journal and personal history for review over and over again.

A year ago, I did a blog post on my mother's failing health. Little did I know then that things would transpire as they have. Mom passed away a week ago, Saturday, January 22, 2011. Needless to say it has been a rough week! It may take me some time to get this post completed, but I wanted to make sure I got it started before the month's end.

My mom was my very best friend in the universe, and I miss her like you will never know or understand. I talked to her every day, at least once. I took care of house cleaning and other stuff every Saturday, for years. I saw her at her best and in the frailest stages of failing health. She had most people fooled about how sick she really was -- but not me. I just hoped and prayed deep down inside that she would live forever because I knew it would be so difficult for all of us to accept her loss. I bought her new pajamas only a week before her passing and a new outfit as well. I know she wore the pajamas but the outfit -- she tried it on if that counts for something. We had some great expereinces in the 56 years I called her "Mom" -- and I must say most of them were positive, but we did have our ups and downs. I think what is most upsetting about losing Mom is that her mind was good -- in fact, her mind and spirit were trapped in a rickety old body that couldn't see or hear or maintain oxygen. The last week of her life, she put up a good front -- one last trip to Sam's, one last doctor's appointment, a few last birthday catalog orders, one last attempt at balancing her checkbook, one last time to fix Dad Sunday dinner, and more . . . Mom kept living until the very last breath and then her body died and her spirit moved on.



In addition to my mom's passing, I lost another dear friend, Judy W, just a young woman compared to my mom.

Elvis Lives (or Lived) or Lives!

You know what I am talking about -- Elvis. Is he alive, is he dead, where is he, what happened to him? Too many questions and not exact answers! All I know for sure is that he was born -- Happy Birthday, Elvis -- January 8, 1935. You [Elvis] would be an "old duffer" if you were still alive. So, I will continue to remember you as one of the "dreams" of my youth.

We used to go to the Saturday matinee at the Gem Theater on Magna Main Street -- every Saturday. Most movies were 25 cents (Disney movies were always 35 cents). Mom would give us admission money and 15 cents for treats. My sisters and I saw every "kid-approved" movie in the 1960's. Our favorites were Elvis movies!

Flaming Star - Blue Hawaii - Follow That Dream - Kid Galahad - Girls! Girls! Girls! - It Happened at the World's Fair - Fun in Acapulco - Kissin' Cousins - Viva Las Vegas - Girl Happy - Harum Scarum - Frankie and Johnny - Spinout - Double Trouble - Clam Bake - The Trouble with Girls

I think my all-time favorite is Blue Hawaii. Elvis' name was "Chad-baby" in this film, and it was filmed many years before politically correct actions and words were used with women. When I watch it now, it makes my feminist side cringe, but oh well! I love the music and especially Elvis' dark black silky hair and the wedding scene at the end of the movie. My second favorite is Viva Las Vegas -- co star Ann-Margaret. Modern movies just can't compete with the singing, and the dancing, and the clothes, and the cars, and flying over Lake Mead in a helicopter!

A few years ago, I was at a meeting in Las Vegas. I stayed in the MGM Grand and there was an aura of Elvis in every area of the facility. He rode with me on the elevator, his music was soft and subtle. He was in the restaurants and in the lobby. My meetings were in the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Las Vegas Hilton. To get to the Hilton from the convention center, I walked through a long sky walk decorated with amazing photographs of the stars who had some connection with the Hilton. Needless to say, Elvis was alive and well in living black and white on the walls of the sky walk, every turn, every corridor. Amazing photos . . .

Elvis was born the same year as Uncle Bevan. If still alive, he would be 76. I am choosing to always remember Elvis of the 60s! And yes, he lives and will always live in the dreams of my youth (and in my over 55 adulthood)!

Girls and Boys

I grew up in a family of 10 -- 5 daughters, 3 sons, 1 mother, 1 father. The girls outnumbered the boys 6 to 4.

We (1 mother and 1 father) have a family 3 children -- 2 daughters, 1 son.

My daughters are married -- 2 sons-in-law.

I have 2 grandsons.

I have 1 granddaughter.

The boys outnumber the girls -- 6 to 4.

Just something to think about.

Happy New Year!

My camera has been broken for a few weeks, but I finally got it back into operation. I glanced through all of the 2010 photos saved on the memory card and realized that it had been quite a year. Mostly, it was a year of blessings and opportunity.

Happy Birthday, Son of Mine!

Well, today is your birthday!
It's finally here!
You are 16!
I remember so well the day your were born! It was a cold winter day and you arrived a little after Noon. Once you were born your dad and sisters left the hospital to get something to eat at Crown Burgers and then headed to a Utah basketball game. There we were, just you and me in the hospital, celebrating your arrival. It was one of the best days I can remember.

I am not quite sure what to think about your 16th birthday because that means you are just that much closer to independence from me and your dad. You are a good boy and smart and good looking, too. You make us happy and keep us busy. You have passed your driving test and are just waiting until then end of the semester to get your permit to get you license. You are a sports junkie and yet you study hard and get the best grades ever. You go to church and do most everything you are asked to do. As tall and strong as you are, you still like to sit on my lap for a big hug and hope that I can rock you to sleep. That doesn't last long, however, because I get close to passing out, and you move to another spot.

Your birthday will be spent doing what you like most of all -- playing basketball! And, I think we can add some pizza and cake and ice cream to the day when the Hunter Wolverines walk away with 3 wins!

Happy Birthday to YOU!

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming and my stress level is ever pushing upward. I am just the classic Christmas procrastinator. I hold out waiting for a Christmas bonus to use to purchase gifts, waiting for the best inspiration on what to get everyone, waiting to clean my house before getting the decorations out, waiting for something else to occupy my life instead of Christmas.

I love the holiday season and all it's festivities, but I am always slow to get going. While some have their Christmas "everything" checked off and relax and enjoy the month of December, I am out sometimes on Christmas Eve tracking down that last item I just know someone is wishing for.

Ups and Downs

November has been a month of ups and downs.

Up -- Willie survived the first term of high school and four months of football!
Up -- A quick trip to Washington, DC for some leadership training
Up -- Happy Birthday, Karl
Down -- Uncle Blaine passed away the night I returned home from DC
Up -- We saw family and friends we had not connected with for many years due to Uncle Blaine's passing
Down -- Mom's health diminished -- any stress puts her over the edge and losing her brother was very difficult for her
Up -- Willie made the high school basketball team!
Up -- Willie was a main speaker in church -- excellent talk!
Up -- I had lunch with a good friend!
Down -- My good friend is battling pancreatic cancer.
Up -- This friend who has cancer looks really good in her wig!
Up -- Attended an excellent meeting at UVU on Women and Education
Down -- The meeting focused on how our young women in Utah are delaying or choosing not to pursue higher education
Down -- Attending the Bye, Bye, Birdie production at the high school
Up -- Tending Molly while Haley attended a math conference
Up -- Sunday dinner at Annie's
Up -- Watching the "double tts" while Annie attended a staff meeting
Up -- Attending the Joesph production at another high school
Down -- Not attending the Nutcracker (niece and nephew performed) because of a crazy snow storm and icy roads
Up -- Short work/school week -- Thanksgiving Holiday
Down -- A colleague's wife passed away -- brain tumor
Up -- Utah's basketball team looks good and is playing pretty well
Up -- Karl had a job interview with a medical device company (keep your fingers crossed)
Up -- Family for Thanksgiving dinner at my house -- it was very nice to have the Petersens together
Down -- Preparing for Thanksgiving dinner at my house was exhausting -- but a good exhaustion
Up -- Sleeping in the day after Thanksgiving
Down -- Willie has more homework than any teenager should have -- reading, note taking, memorizing a 50 line poem, math assignments and preparing for math tests, French projects, physics problems, and driving (all this month)
Up -- Willie gets very good grades!

Up -- Willie is a very good driver!
Up -- Utah actually beat BYU in football today
Down -- It was the "ugly Betty special" (to quote Joe Cravens) -- a terribly played game
Up -- It's Saturday night and I have time to do some blogging
Down -- Only one more day and then back to work!
Up -- Christmas is less than 30 days away!
Up -- Life is good!