Jen and I make French Pastries

Jenny and I took a class at Sur La Table and learned how to make french pastries, including palmiers and kouign-amann. Both are just fancy names for buttery goodness. We then took our skills and made them again at Jen's house so we could fine tune them. We did it. I'm going to be teaching our advanced class, SFL 215, in the fall, and I hope to incorporate a bit of this fun in the class.

 

Karen came to town for a couple of days. Jen, Karen, and I met up in SLC and had a blast. We went to Proper Burger, where I almost choked to death right there at our table on a big bite of a yummy burger that went down my throat too soon. We also went to the bar side of their place and played everyone's favorite game - ski ball. I do love that game.

Of course, we got to figure out how to decorate our new place for Christmas. I think it turned out really cute. We couldn't pass on the colorful felt ball garland that Trader Joe's was selling. Derek and family came to town and we had fun with them, as we always do. Jen and I got to sneak away with Derek and family to celebrate Derek's upcoming 40th birthday. We went to breakfast at Gourmandise, a place that sells the most delicious pastries and meals. We had a lovely time eating our way overpriced, but super special breakfast with Derek, Rachel, and kids.

Charlie and Milo in the tub

Twins in our Toy Story shirts

Mitty likes the tree

I love holiday vignettes on this chest of drawers

Rose and Allie: inseparable buddies

me, Derek, and Jenny

Thanksgiving 2019

Kamiko and Bekki came to town from Arkansas for Thanksgiving. The Braus flew them in because Bekki's brother, Brigham, and his wife, AJ, were blessing new baby Lucy that weekend. It was so fun to see them. We actually spent all of Thanksgiving Day together at the Brau's house. I was so grateful that Jim, Michelle, and gang let us crash their party. Jay flew in from Texas. He brought a military friend, Arin, who is a blackhawk pilot. Arin's family disowned her about a year ago. She spent Christmas alone in a bar. When Jay asked if Arin could come, the Braus bought her a ticket to join us.

Dad, Mom, Allie, Melia, Kamiko, and Bekki

We really had a great time and we enjoyed yummy food. Michelle is a great cook and makes exceptional dinner rolls. We also spent a lot of time on the Sunday after Thanksgiving together for Lucy's blessing. After sacrament meeting in our old stomping grounds (Cedar Hills), there was a luncheon at AJ's parent's house.

The Braus had a plan to take a family picture. When I found out, I asked the girls if they could bring their cameras to dinner on Thanksgiving and take the photo. It turned out great and the Braus didn't have to set up a tripod or track down a neighbor.

We also started Christmas a little early. We decided as Adcocks to draw names and give homemade gifts this year. Allie got Kamiko and decided to make him a cross-stitch of Kanye West's face. Melia got Bekki and made her a purse of their dog, Dottie's, face. Those projects were amazing. The girls insisted on having Kamiko and Bekki open their gifts when we were all together. The girls nailed it.

As you can see, Melia used an actual photo of Dottie as a patten for the purse. Nailed it! Bekki dropped to the floor in tears when she opened the gift. 

The kids hanging out at little Lucy Brau's baby blessing

Kamiko was so happy with his Kanye cross stitch. My kids are so creative

Let's Catch Up, Beginning with Covid-19

I'm really bummed to see that I haven't written since November. That means I have a lot of catching up to do. The last 4 months have not been typical either. Let's start with Covid-19 or Coronavirus. It's a global pandemic that started in China in January and has hit Italy SO HARD. The other day Italy had nearly 800 deaths and nearly 7,000 new cases. I wish this were a joke, but it's not. This is real. They day after the first case was found in the US, President Trump banned all flights from Asia. More bans have been put in place. Basically, flights aren't going overseas. It's really weird. We've been asked to stay indoors as much as possible. We can go outside to go on walks, but many parks, hiking trails, and beaches have been closed. As I write this, it seems unreal, but IT'S REAL.

The temples are closed, except for live ordinances, which must be scheduled, and only a few people can accompany the member or couple. Weekly church is cancelled worldwide, with us worshipping at home. Thank goodness for the church's emphasis on the Sabbath day and on Come Follow Me home-centered gospel study. The girls and I had church with my mom and dad this past Sunday. We plan to do it with just the 3 of us via FaceTime this coming Sunday. General conference in April will be broadcast from SLC, but the choir is pre-recording music and only the general authorities who are speaking in each session will be there. We have been asked to keep gatherings to fewer than 10 people. Missionaries are being sent home. If an elder has served 21 months or more, he is released. If a sister has served 15 months or more, she is released, as are missionaries with health issues.

BYU notified us late on Thursday, March 19, that classes would be suspended through the weekend to allow teachers to get their material online. Then classes resumed on Wednesday, March 25, with all teaching done remotely. Luckily we have been teaching 110 online, so we just made everything available to my students (recorded lectures, power points, quizzes, etc.) My students cook at home and submit a write-up online. I've been busy grading and grading and answering emails.

We had to make more adjustments this week because it's hard for my students to buy necessary ingredients like flour, sugar, and eggs. Toilet paper is also almost impossible to find at the stores. Once we found out how bad the virus was in China and Italy and it became obvious that it would spread worldwide, people started stocking up on toilet paper and bottled water and canned goods and staples like flour and sugar. Because of this recent change, we now have an alternate assignment for each lab that includes watching technique videos and submitting a write-up of what they learned. It's crazy, but we're up to the task.

Honestly, thank goodness our director, Natalie, worked hard to get 110 online. I've been teaching an online section of it for about a year, so I know how distance learning works. Kinda. I'm also slated to teach 340 in the spring and we have about a month to write that course for use online. That course, coincidently, has been approved to go online, so the designer (Emily) and I will be working on getting 340 ready for online spring. All classes spring term will be distance learning. I'm ready for 110 and I'll be ready for 340.

How do I feel about all of this? Not too anxious. I'm just taking it day by day. I'm trying to get out and get fresh air. I go on walks or do online workouts. I'm drinking a lot of diet Dr. Pepper, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I was thinking about driving to California and spending a couple of weeks at Kristen's house. I may still do that, but for now I'm helping mom and dad. I'm staying in their basement and running errands for them.

Allie was a champ about putting her classes online. We went to my office on campus on Saturday, the 20th, and worked for about 5 hours. She sat at her laptop and I sat at my computer and we threw ideas at each other of what we would/could do to create an effective experience for our students. Allie has had quite the crazy first year of teaching. The tech person at her school said that Allie's plans for online lessons for her students were top-notch. That they should be posted on the fridge in the faculty room for everyone to see. But, on second thought, nobody would see them because nobody is really going to the schools until May 4, when public schools are slated to go back.

I graded papers on Sunday and was really sad about the abrupt end of the semester. I didn't get to tell my students goodbye. I didn't get to enjoy their pie lab. That's always my favorite. I'll just have to enjoy looking at their pictures and their smiling faces in all of them. I'll have to enjoy reading their write ups and give them feedback on how great they are. I won't be teaching face to face until August.

I'm sure grateful to be a teacher, though. We still have jobs and are getting paid. Many Americans have lost jobs. Theaters are closed, many restaurants are closed, many stores are closed, doctor's offices are closed, except for vital appointments. No elective surgeries, fathers aren't in the delivery rooms for the births of their babies. We had that happen in our very own family. Marie Sykes Evans gave birth to a boy, Rhys Sykes Evans, last week without Eli there. He'd been sick and they wouldn't let him in the hospital. He met baby Rhys when he came home.

I'll try to be better about weekly posts so I have this for my memories and for my posterity, not that anyone will be interested.

Cell Phones in Church

This is from my mom, Ann Hunter:

This morning I got into a conversation about the pros and cons of modern technology with the man who came to fix our fireplace.  He related a recent experience he had which I think is worth thinking about, so I am writing it in this journal.

 

He and his wife went to a missionary homecoming in a different ward from their own, a few weeks ago and sat in the back of the chapel.  He noticed that all around him were people on their cell phones, texting, surfing the ‘net’, playing games, etc.  It ‘killed’ the Spirit for him. He wondered how on earth people could even consider doing such a thing during Sacrament Meeting.  He said, “I know I could have gone on the Internet and found a job to bid on.  But there was no way I would consider such a thing.  I served in the military in the 1970’s.  There were 500 people in my company and only two of us went to church.  Me, and a Southern Baptist.  We became good friends.  The last time I visited him, he invited my wife and I to go to church with him, which we did.  I didn’t see anyone on a cell phone.”  It made him so sad to think that we, who claim to have the true church, and follow Christ, can’t even leave our cell phones alone for one hour for the meeting where we renew the covenants we have made with Him!  He mentioned that if he had been an investigator, he would never have gone back.   It was such a disturbing thing that he decided to tell about it when he bore his testimony in his own ward yesterday.  He said there were a lot of people who commented to him personally and in the classes following Testimony meeting.

Cousins Summer 2019

As I play catch up for 2019, I'm reminded of a lot of cousin time. Hunter East came to Utah in July. We had a great time getting together at Allison's apartment and at Jenny's house. Cousins who hadn't seen each other in a while.

Hunter made pizza: Melia, Allie, Jen, Karen, Hunter, Me, Allison, James and Keenan in background

Elle, Connor, Christian, Melia, Allie, Emily, Hunter, Allison 

Elle, Connor, Allie, Christian with Maddie, Emily and Brian, Mel, Hunter, Mac and Allison, James and Audrey

The same group + Kaleb Greening 

Jenny, Karen, and I also joined our Hunter cousins for breakfast. Jon and Marianne's kids all came with some spouses and some kids. It was great to see them all.

Todd and I are just one month apart

Stefanie, Kendra, Karen, Todd, Erica, Me, Jenny

Plus kids. So happy Kamiko could join me. 

Karen and I spent another year enjoying fireworks. It's so fun to get to see her often, usually around the 4th or 24th. She and Elle and Elle's friend were quite amazed by Phil Oswald's fireworks show. Elle's friend said it was just as good as Disneyland. The Crockett's, Starlyn, and I also helped Allie in her classroom a bit and we enjoyed the Tiny Art Show at the Springville Art Museum. A local BYU art education graduate is coming up with tiny art shows all around Utah. This was one of the first.

Allie's classroom at Diamond Fork Junior High

Karen, me, Elle, Starlyn, Kaleb at Tiny Art Show

Tiny cups of ice cream

October...Best Month of the Year

Conference + My Birthday = Perfect Weekend

I got up on my actual birthday and went on a walk with Annie. She and I usually take a Saturday morning walk together. She then treated me to breakfast at Black Bear Diner. I got a yummy vegetarian omelette. Then I watched the morning session of conference. 

Card from Kamiko and Bekki

After conference, I went to pick up Allison DeVuyst. She and James and the kids live only about 15 minutes from us. Jenny and I had to exchange some items, so we decided to meet up at Gardner Village. Neither Jen nor Allison had ever been to Gardner Village in October to see the witches. We walked around for a few minutes and enjoyed seeing the cute things. Then we headed our separate ways so we could get back to our houses in time for afternoon conference. Jenny gave me a little bakery cake and Allison gave me a yummy pumpkin spice mini bundt cake. I was gonna make pizza on Saturday night, but I wanted a nap more that I wanted pizza, so I made chicken noodle soup.

I ended up making the pizza on Sunday. I tried a new recipe for the dough and it was so delicious. 

I've been busy visiting my student teacher and my interns. I visit each every 2 weeks. I also read through their lesson plans each week. They're doing great. It's halfway through the semester and its fun to see them figure it all out.

October 15: Starlyn's daughter, Lacey, came home from her mission in Jacksonville, Florida

I've also been able to decorate for Halloween. It's our first Halloween in our new place and I got to figure out where everything goes. It took a while, but we got it all together. I even bought some Halloween artwork. It's so funny, but someone posted on our neighborhood facebook page that her daughter was trying to earn extra money to replace a decoration she broke. She posted pictures she had made and she was also good a painting nails and cleaning counter tops. I bought 2 of her drawings. I got frames at Walmart and they will be a permanent part of my decorations. 

Keenan gave me the kit to make this for my birthday. I love it. 

I made these pillows and I LOVE how they turned out.

Couldn't resist posting this picture of a car at a church trunk or treat in 2019

I'm gearing up for way more trick or treaters this year. There are a lot of kids in this neighborhood. It should be kinda fun. I bought a big big box of fruit snacks. Once 90 kids have come, the lights go out and we're done with trick or treaters.