Tribute 3

The contents of this post have been on my mind for the past week, but I didn't know quite how to put what I have been thinking into words. But since Tribute and Tribute 2 have now been written, I guess now it's my turn. Without further procrastination, here is "Tribute 3":

On Saturday, January 29th, we got word that Dave's oldest brother, Bill, had passed away. His passing was completely unexpected and the kind of news that no one is prepared to receive.  How could this happen? What do we do now? We went and got Liz, the only other Howe here in Utah and spent the day together, while the rest of the family gathered at home in Texas.

We went through the day in shock and then when the night came, so did the overwhelming sadness. It was one of those nights where you sleep with the Kleenex box between your pillows and then throw the used tissues over the side of the bed onto the floor because you just don't care.

But a few days later we were able to fly back to Texas to be with family. How thankful we are for understanding professors and employers who made it so easy for us to just get up and leave right in the middle of the week. And how thankful we were to make it there without any delays to our trip - crazy, crazy weather down there!

Snow in Plano the day of the service

Although we wished we were there for a different reason, it was a great trip.  It was so good to see family that we hadn't been able to see over Christmas. So good to cry and laugh about all the good memories we had of Bill. So good to be reminded over and over again of blessed we were to have known such a generous, funny guy that loved his family and friends above all else. It was a chance to receive confirmation that Bill was gone from his body and gone from this world, but also a reminder that he is not gone, that families are eternal and we will see him again.

One night Dave mentioned how sad and strange it was that our kids would never know Bill. I agreed. And I'm not sure exactly how it all works on the other side, but I hope that now that Bill is done with his time on earth, he might have some time to spend with our kids before they start journey here. Because Bill truly was a fabulous uncle - the best a kid could ask for.

We'll miss you Bill.

The Howe Family, February 2011

Not quite Barnum and Bailey, but still good

Normally on weekdays we are kind of homebodies - after a full day of work and school we come home to eat, relax, and then go to bed before doing it all again the next day. This week we livened things up by not only going to the big game, but also to the circus!

It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to go after I got a coupon for work, but it was really fun and we're glad we went. Part of what made this circus so awesome was that it really wasn't that awesome. At times I was actually afraid the "death defying" acts really would end in death. The tight rope walker slipped, the trapeze net was set up incorrectly, the blind-folded guy on the spinning wheel walked right into a bar, and the motorcycle cage was rocking like crazy before a couple guys ran out to stabilize the supports. Good times!

This guy built a tower of chairs one at a time - adding a chair, then climbing up on top. After the last chair he froze for at least a couple minutes trying to get his balance back before the final pose. TA-DA!!

The spinning wheels of death - this part was crazy and one of Dave's favorite acts

At intermission by the bear in the chair - we weren't going to pay $$$$ for their photo and took our own

The very talented elephants

Motorcycles in the cage (of death) - I thought it looked small for one bike, and then they threw three more in and it really started rocking!

They Got Jimmered!!

Victory!

Awesome game - match up between two top 10 teams, Jimmer scored 40+, the game was close almost the whole way, but we came out on top!

Was it worth it to have to be there way early and hang out on our bench for a couple hours before the game? Yes! (The student section was packed and we were sitting way at the top)

Best game BYU game we'll ever get to attend? Probably - Go Cougars!!

 

Return to the 'Bird

When we moved back to Provo for MBA school there were several things in Washington we were sad to leave behind, but also some "Utah" things we were excited to return to - family, the dollar theater, BYU, intramurals, cheap apartments, and Snowbird - our favorite ski resort!

No room on the bench - but Dave was able to pick out a comfy little spot of concrete to call his own while waiting for the tram

Nat and I at the top of Hidden Peak, and we were lucky to get this picture! It was actually only sunny and clear for one run; The rest of the day the mountain tops were covered in fog and you could barely see a thing.

Dave at the top of the tram with ALL skiers. He has put a lot of work into learning to snowboard over the past few years and it has really paid off. With just a few exceptions, Dave can now follow me down any run on the mountain - this probably is one of our favorite things to do together!

 

Fat litte birds hanging out on the Target shopping cart = happy :)

 

Christmas Countdown at the Cabin

We just returned from our first ever Christmas at the cabin. It was an amazing trip full of family, games, and fun in the snow. Here are a few of the highlights:

12 homemade snow cones (actually I probably ate more)

11 adventurers setting out for a snow shoe expedition (not pictured is me as I have the camera)

10 people opening presents on Christmas morning

9 ski runs at Alpental

8 games of cribbage (I lost this game badly to my uncle Brent)

7 minutes to get baby Anne bundled for outside

6 nights spent with family at the cabin

 

5 sections tall snowman (I made him myself - Dave is just there for perspective!)

4 Lamberts - Dad, Mom, Natalie & Derek

3 Hindmans - Jeremy, Amy & Anne

2 Howes - Dave & Melanie

1 Dog - Jobe

 

Harry Potter, First-Class Style

Tonight Dave and I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We thought the movie was good, but what we really enjoyed was the theater. Last year we got a gift card to Gold Class Cinemas from Santa that we are just now using this Christmas. It was awesome.

The chairs were massive, super comfy, and could fully recline.

We also had a call button that we could press for waiters to bring soft drinks, popcorn, and other treats. I ordered some little fresh-made donut holes that you could dip in different sauces. Dave got battered chicken strips that were delicious.

 

Santa - you got an A+ for this gift!!

Leading Separate Lives...

 

Apparently Dave and I have separated. We suspected that something wasn't quite right for awhile now, but things did not fall into place until tonight when my "fake" visiting teachers stopped by and were surprised that I had a husband.

According to our church records we exist as single people in two different wards that are part of two different stakes. Dave is a member of the Rivergrove 1st Ward with no wife (our "real" ward) and I am listed with no spouse in the North Park 2nd Ward (the "fake" ward). I am also in the directory under my maiden name instead of "Howe". We each have our own set of home teachers, but neither of us have a calling. It's all been very confusing.

I guess we have some things to straighten out when we have tithing settlement at our real ward tomorrow!

We are still here!

So it appears I've fallen a bit behind on the blog... Things were going along nice and slow and then Halloween hit and time just flew by - hence no post for the last five weeks. All those missing entries will be posted shortly, but here's a little something for the interim:

So every week at work I check the calendar of events, grab my box letters, don an apron, and climb a ladder to change the marquee on the side of the school. Lately it's been pretty cold so I change out the letters as fast as my little frozen fingers can go.

As I was leaving the school last night, I looked up and noticed that the inevitable finally happened - my self spell check failed. It's especially awesome that my mistake follows the announcement for the spelling bee.

MERRY CHISTMAS EVERYONE!

 

The bakery is open for business!

This year we made coffee cakes to give as gifts to friends, teachers, co-workers, etc... Oh boy was this an undertaking! I was baking every night for almost a week. I was just glad that this year I have kitchen to work in, as this would have been pretty difficult at our old house in my tiny kitchen with my tiny oven.

Here are some of the finished cakes - 17 were given away but we did keep one for ourselves, as
a test of course :)