A Memoir of My Brother

Right after Brian passed away I had a fear of forgetting him. I didn't want my memories to fade so I typed them all down as they came to mind. I also saved emails from caring friends that were sent to me in my time of need. 

This whole process made me cry. A lot. It was also healing and helped me clear my brain so that I didn't have everything at the forefront of my thoughts at all times. It took me a year to finish writing it all down because the ending was too recent and painful for me to relive. After I finished I hid it away somewhere on my hard drive, figuring that I'd know the right time to share it with my family. 

Now, almost 7 (?!) years later, I opened it up figuring that I had emotionally spewed randomness all over the pages and it would need major editing and rewriting to make it presentable. It actually only needed a couple of clarifications and a little formatting before I decided it was good enough for private family reading. Just remember that these are my personal memories and are not necessarily factual. For that reason I've decided to keep a full version for myself and an ever-so-slightly edited version for everyone else. I'm sure you'll understand.

Today being his birthday, it's a hard day for my family. But lately I have felt more at ease with the idea of sharing my writings and more of an internal push to do so than ever before. I'm offering it up to those who wish to remember along with me. It made me smile and it made me cry but it ends with Rob's talk that he gave at the funeral. It reminds me how blessed we are and how happy I am that we are an eternal family and will see Brian again. 

-Julie

PS: I'm not actually posting the paper here (it's 35 pages). Please send me a message if you'd like me to email you a copy. 

A Boy on a Hill Sometimes I’m completely blown away by...

A Boy on a Hill

Sometimes I’m completely blown away by the creativity of little kids. And often it is just a bunch of little things and sometimes those little things just seem to be too much. Sometimes I feel like saying “slow down kiddos.”

However, sometimes things are just perfect. Take this afternoon for example.

We were headed out to a park in the neighborhood for me to play soccer and for the kids to play at the playground. Just before getting in the car Nate grabbed one of those floating kick board things that can be kind of fun in a pool. Thinking that he’ll just leave the silly toy at the park I said, you should really just leave that home.

He responded, I want to use it to slide down the hill.

I thought to myself that it would never work!

The kid really proved me wrong. Pretty soon he was sliding right down that hill like a penguin. Next time I’ll keep my mouth shut. Check out these videos to see for yourself.

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Glad to be Married to a Yoga Girl Last night after my run I was...

Glad to be Married to a Yoga Girl

Last night after my run I was feeling a little sore. Unfortunately, I’m not in the habit of stretching appropriately after running and needed a little help.

Fortunately my lovely Julie is more than capable and willing to help me out despite my general lack of skill and interest in doing any form of yoga. She led me through a few stretches and I did whine and moan a little because that is what I do; however, I felt much better immediately and that feeling continued to the next day. Thanks Julie for your patience and love!

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Wonderful Exploration (By Julie) Neighbors and Friends, My...

Wonderful Exploration (By Julie)

Neighbors and Friends,

My kids are active, imaginative, and creative kin. I would never apologize for that.

I do, however, apologize that you have to look at my crazy lawn, driveway, and garage every day day this summer. Go ahead and call this the ghetto house on the corner. I would agree with you.

Here is Nate and his friend disassembling a broken printer. They have been working on it for almost 3 hours!

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Grandma Clark

Two weeks ago my grandma Clark passed away in her sleep with my dad by her side.  This is how I remember her best.

She always greeted me, even the week before she died and probably didn't remember exactly which granddaughter I was, with "Hi, Darlin'."

I have many good memories of her. Many. When we drove to her home in the Tehachapi Mountains, as soon as we passed the tree in the middle of the road, I knew we were right around the corner and I felt good. I loved the smell of the trees and sawdust and chickens. I loved the tree swing. I loved the creepy gate that led into an overgrown garden that we were warned was crawling with snakes. She also frequently reminded us of coyotes. I loved exploring with my brothers and sisters.







































My parents had been taking care of her for years. They'd given up vacations and even long day outings so that someone could always be with her. They fed her and cleaned her.  They took care of every need, both the significant and the fickle. They have been incredible examples to me, as have Rob's parents, of service beyond the expected.

Grandma was eccentric, kooky, and honest (sometimes overly). She never pretended to be someone she wasn't. The most important thing about grandma is that she loved me. And I loved her.

The funeral was beautiful. Rob put together this slideshow for the viewing. You can click on the black box below or follow the link.

Hazards Presentation

Rob is our ward's emergency preparedness representative. He was asked to give a presentation at church yesterday and put lot of thought into the information he felt was important to convey.

He was presenting to people living in Traverse Mountain but a lot of the information, especially when it comes to earthquakes, is very applicable to everyone living along the Wasatch Front. I encourage everyone to watch it, or at least scroll through in order to get the gist of the information.

Here is the link to his video presentation.

Hazards Presentation

End-of-Season Wrap Up

A lot has happened over the last few months. Nothing major, nothing big. Just a lot of small things that, when wrapped up in one neat little blog post makes my life seem significant and full of blessings. Which it is!!

We wanted to takes the kids to Lagoon this year for their first time. I hate going in the heat of the summer and since we weren't planning to do the waterpark it wasn't necessary. I also hate waiting in lines with kids. No fun at all! So we went the 2nd or 3rd weekend it was open, Saturday March 31. It was the BEST Lagoon experience I have EVER had. The weather was nothing but pleasant. The lines were barely there but there were still enough people to make it feel festive. We had a wonderful, wonderful day.

 

My sister bred great dane puppies and the kids had a fun time holding and playing with all 10 of them. It solidified Madeleine's desire for a puppy, which isn't going to happen.

 

My kids decided they wanted to do jobs to earn money for the computer version of Minecraft. We made this list a month ago and they have earned and spent exactly $3.50. Money is NOT a motivator for them. So instead I divvy out the jobs as part of their daily chore...for free. Playing is their real motivation. Which, hopefully will change a little bit as they get older!

Skiing and sledding in the kitchen. (Click pic or here is link).

Now for individual updates.

ROB
Started running 4 times a week. Taking the HAM Radio test next week and is preparing to give a 45-min lesson at church about hazards in our area. Passed his Project Management Certification at work and got a nice email from his boss.

You were very well prepared for the interview.  It was clear to the Board that you have a solid understanding of the basic principles and practices required to manage projects for URS.  We appreciate your dedication and commitment to URS and the Salt Lake City office.  We believe you have great potential for growth and we appreciate your good demeanor in the office as well as your technical skills.  We also really appreciate your significant contributions to our SLC geotech practice and the mentoring you provide for our younger engineers.

JULIE
Still busy with primary. There have been so many ward and primary changes in the last 15 months that it has yet to slow down. Planning a trip to Israel with my dad in October. About to meet my goal of jumping into a handstand from downward-facing dog without using a wall. It's taken 5 months of work so far. 

NATE





Your kids Lego table ever look like this? It looks like one of those "Seek & Find" book scenes. But if you look closely the items tell you an accurate story of who my son is. 

Tested for Advanced Placement and didn't get in. They only accepted the top 1% or 2% (can't remember) from the school district. Hoping he gets pushed more in a few areas during 3rd grade. If he doesn't we may need to find another solution. Finished soccer. About to start swimming lessons with Madeleine. Their reward for finally learning how to swim will be a trip to Cowabunga Bay. 


MADELEINE
Click on pic or here is the video link.






As soon as school got out for the summer Madeleine started playing school at home. She has made great strides in her reading and now writes phonetically. It's so adorable. She LOVES singing silly songs and memorizes them readily. Also finished soccer.


CAROLINE
Finished her 8 months of speech therapy and has made dramatic strides in her language. She may not need to go back in the fall (but maybe later as she ages). Has digressed in her behavior, though. Lots of whining, uncooperativeness, and tantrums. Cut her hair into a tragic mullet. The only way I'm surviving is because of her best friend who keeps her entertained many days of the week.

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Dinner and Walk

A little while back Julie and I were able to head out to dinner in Salt Lake at the Koko Kitchen. We don’t get too many dates so each time we get out is a special occasion. Here is a photo that I made of Julie right outside of the restaurant. These photos were made on medium format film and I love how this portrait turned out. I love this woman dearly!

Then we walked across the street and we sat down on the curb to make a photo of a bunch of dandelions. We got low to make the photo a little different. Here is what we came up with!

Forever

I was going through some old photos and found these two. I took a picture of them because they mean so much to me and I don't want to lose them.

 

They were taken in August '02, two months before we got engaged. We were on a trip to St. George and Las Vegas with Rob's brother, his brother's girlfriend, and a mission companion from Tahiti. We went to visit grandparents and have a fun little getaway.

I found this little excerpt from an email I sent him July 26, 2002.

"The more I get to know you, the more I want to keep getting to know you."

After almost 12 years of marriage, the same is still true. I love you, Rob. Forever.

Big Surrrrrrr - Film Edition

A few months ago I received a Mamiya C220 film camera from my grandfather which I wrote about previously in this blog post. It was a while in coming but I’ve finally got a few images to share that were made with the camera. These images are from our recent trip to California. I hope you enjoy them and I’ll share a little about each one.

Fisherman’s Warf in Monterey, CA



I took this photo of the pier from the shore south of the pier. I love the idea of buildings over water; the thought is illogical but it is sure a lot of fun. It was a hazy day so the sky is blown out but I love how the reflections in the water also vary from dark to light shades.



This one was taken immediately opposite the photo above from the end of the pier back to the shore. The textures of the wood, water, and steel boats were wonderful.



This photo is fun because it was taken early in the day when not many people were on the pier.

Big Sur, CA



It is kind of hard to talk about these photos. So much of the coast looks like this. It is difficult to know what area to photograph. I love the dark tone of the water against the towering continent. So cool.



This one was taken looking north in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. What an amazing place! It was wonderful to spend this time with Julie and a blast to break in my new camera. Thanks Grandpa!