Goodbye 2012

The Girls

It has been so much fun teaching Jordyn, Heidi, Juliet, Mauren, Maddison, Eliza, Ally, and Jasmine this year in primary/young womens.  They are super smart, fun, and chatty.  I will miss them a ton.  Sundays will be different not having a group of 8, super chatty girls to learn with.

Oregon

While it was so nice to go see family in Utah, it truly was wonderful to go back home to Oregon.  I'm really surprised how quickly this place became home to be honest.  I love the trees, I love the green, I love the rain, I love our ward, I love being 1 hr 20 min from the ocean, I love the waterfalls, I love how goofy people are here, I love that the parks are forests with trails through them, I love how much there is to see and do, I love having a temple 15 minutes away, I love being 15 minutes from Portland and not really even noticing, I love breathing so much easier here, I love it.

Homeward Bound

While I am so glad we had a huge storm while in Utah, I have to admit that I am excited about 20 degree warmer temps and less slippery roads.

Bryant A Miner

Bryant Albert Miner, 78, passed away December 20, 2012. He was born August 9, 1934 to Caroline Eyring and Glen Bryant Miner in Moroni, Sanpete, Utah. He grew up in Logan and Riverton, working on his family dairy farm. Bryant graduated from Jordan High School in 1952. He attended the University of Utah, graduating with his PhD in Chemistry in 1965. He served in the Army from 1957 to 1959.

Bryant married Janice Mabey on June 8, 1960 in the Salt Lake Temple; they were married for twenty-six years. He later married Karen Preece Neff on July 7, 1987 in Ogden, Utah.

He was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served an LDS Mission to Argentina. He served faithfully in his callings. He especially enjoyed being a home teacher. His greatest passion was teaching chemistry at Weber State University for 43 years. He was a master teacher.

He had a great love of birds and was a member of the Audubon Society. He loved to travel the world and visited every continent except for Antarctica. Bryant was a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves and the Weber State Wildcats.

Bryant's greatest love was being with his family. He is survived by his wife, Karen; children, Melanie (Val) Durrant, JaNae (Jeff) Speth, David Bryant (Kerry) Miner, Heidi (Adam) Marberger, Jason Mabey (Nichol) Miner, Jared Todd (Laura) Miner, Elizabeth (Matthew) Neff-Mikolash, Kari (Shawn) Murray, Eric Morgan Neff; 27 grandchildren; also survived by his 3 sisters and 4 brothers, Carol Morgan, Rosemary Fairbourn, Edward Miner, Henry Miner, Camilla Smith, Joseph Miner and Steven Miner.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Janice, and daughter, Helen.

Funeral services will be held at 12 Noon on Thursday, December 27, 2012 at the Forest Green Ward, Weber Heights Stake Center, 1401 Country Hills Drive. A viewing will be held on Wednesday, December 26th from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Myers Ogden Mortuary, 845 Washington Blvd. and Thursday at the church from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Graveside services will be held at 4 p.m. in the So. Jordan City Cemetery.

Clarke Cousin Party

I love my cousins.  It was so fun checking off our lists by doing things such as Just Dance, watch football, play 3 card games, play 3 board games, cut snowflakes, color pictures, golf, and ping pong.  It was great catching up on their lives, what they are doing, and hearing some amazingly awkward 'love' stories.  I love that we still play together, no skits, standing on logs for 4 hours, or Mulan/Harry Potter reinactments this time, though we did hang out in the Gryffendor Common Room for a while.

Utah

Reunited and it feels so good :) After a car ride, train, plane, and another car ride we are Utah, with sunshine, low temperatures and lack of snow.

 

Utah!

Winter Timberland

We had snow today in Portland! It is kind of strange how people react to it here especially if you are at an elevation of 500 feet or more. We can expect 0-1 inch and the commute was insane with people driving about 20 miles per hour the whole way in 35 and 40 zones. Not to say it would kill Utahns to be more careful but when the snow is melting on impact it is pretty much like rain right?

Peace on Earth

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong, And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.

Oregon Food Bank

I had the opportunity to go and bag oats at the Oregon Food Bank with some of my coworkers this evening. It was a fun experience getting to serve with them and get to know a bit more about them. Our team bagged 720 bags, 1,440 pounds in 2 1/2 hours.

An Evening with Angels

The Relief Society Christmas Dinner is a big deal in the Hazeldale Ward.  The cultural room was beautiful with strung twinkle lights across the ceiling, fabric draped over lights around the walls, and real garlands throughout the room, across a piano, on every table with lights along with metallic wreaths and angels, pictures of Christ throughout the room, and garlands across the stange and along the walls with ornaments hanging from them.  The evening was amazing as well.  There was delicious food, amazing musical numbers, and an opportunity to focus on how each one of us can be an angel in someones life, and that from the talks of four women, we are angels and don't even know it.  It was a really neat evening, below is an excerpt from Elder Holland's talk that was shared, The Ministry of Angels-General Conference October 2008.

 

My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. “[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.” On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.

May we all believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise as contained in one of President Monson’s favorite scriptures: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, … my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and “the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.” Perhaps then we can be emissaries sent from God when someone, perhaps a Primary child, is crying, “Darkness … afraid … river … alone.” To this end I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

First Semester Done!!!

JD took his last exam for the semester today and passed!  It has been a good first few months that have involved a lot of work and studying but it definately paid off.  JD will have a few well deserved weeks to recover.  I came home from work today and instead of being at his desk studying, he was curled up in a blanket on the couch reading Sherlock Holmes.....for fun!  It should be a good couple of weeks.

Festival of Trees

 I volunteered at the Providence Festival of Trees today in downtown Portland.  Three hours of looking at trees and people watching was awesome.  I was assigned to the Wizard of Oz tree.  It was an upside down gold tree with a farm, farm animals, fences, and straw sticking out of it to create a tornado.  The tree came with a play house that had crushed the wicked witch of the East.  Also pictured are: Island of Misfit Toys, Oregon State vs University of Oregon wreaths(they also had full size trees and mini trees-it is a very serious rivalry here, Avengers, and Portland Timbers(with soccer balls and Timbers scarves).  Other trees that were unique were fly fishing and farming themes complete with a heated chicken coop. 

 

Other random event: I am used to seeing odd people around Portland.  It isn't too uncommon.  When I got into the covention center there were a lot of odd ducks with glitter and wigs and big hats, and instruments.  Turns out it was a casting call for America's Got Talent.  It was kind of fun seeing all the people practicing their 'talents' in the suites before going in to audition.

 

Overall it was a really neat experience and it gave JD a whole day to study without several interruptions from me.