Oh to be a Texan!

When you are in Texas you will find that some people are born Texan; some people are Texan by choice; but you can always tell that one person in a group who is neither a chosen or a born Texan. They are the tourist.

A Referral

Perhaps you have noticed the blog I follow on the right is a blog that I maintain regarding the preparations and experiences we as a family are having as we prepare and participate in the Nauvoo Pageant.

Unlike the Promised Valley song "We're Going West", our theme "Eastward HO!" Today, we got an email from support staff in charge of pre-show keeping an un-official web site emailed a link that provides a personalized invitation from us. You can see the link by clicking on the title above or by entering The Trek East and clicking on the visible URL.

I hope that you will enjoy reading of our preparation for this pageant as much as we hope to enjoy doing it.

TTFN
-Ron

Tricks and Treats and Valentine Romances

Vicki has been taking Toasty to doggie school and he is the teacher's pet. We'll actually he's Ben's pet but the teacher uses treats to get Toasty to perform and Toasty likes treats so he performs well and the teacher likes how well he performs.

So far Toasty knows sit, stay, spin and sit, come, crawl, shake, and high five. Vicki decided to try a whole knew trick. She started making a kissing sound and low and behold, you've got to see this.



Toasty has done a good job of training us. He suddenly quit jumping for the kissing sound. However . . . if you put a treat up by your lips, he's game to keep kissing till the treats are gone.

TTFN
-Ron

Plays and Birthday's

Sometimes I feel like Ben doesn't have enough to keep him busy. Why with early morning seminary starting at 6:00 am, marching band practices from 7:00 to 8:00 (that finally concluded with the parade in Washington D.C., on January 20th) and just your typical humdrum class schedule with American Literature, Honors Spanish, Honors Algebra II and Trig, AP World History, Advanced Band, and Honors Chemistry; he decided that he wasn't busy enough. Of course that was while he was completing over 100 hours of volunteer service at a hospital and was on the Dean's list academically.

So what does Ben do? He decides that he wants to be in a play. Actually the school musical, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Ben played the part of one of the kids who chased the Candyman around and sang and danced. It was a scrumdiliumptuos part and he did a great job playing it. He wasn't front and center but he has a great smile in this cell phone picture and enjoyed performing and being around his friends


Vicki brought a tradition of birthday celebrations into our family where the birthday gift receiver sits in a chair and the giver stands behind. The giver chants a little incantation and the receiver is thinking the whole time. The chant goes something like this:

Heavy heavy hang over thy poor head . . .
What do you wish this person
with a bump on the head?


Now if the giver is kind and trustworthy, the receiver is thinking about nice things to wish the giver of the gift. But, if the giver is mean and ferocious, the receiver is thinking how bad this bump (or more like a smash) on the head is going to hurt and after the bump usually has to think up some wish quickly that isn't as nice. As you noticed, the receiver never gets to see what is going on behind him with the giver.

So now that you see Vicki playing Heavy Heavy Hangover, what do you think Spencer wished for her. In spite of images, the bump was a nice soft one and he wished for his mom that she could get her nursing license back soon.


And Spencer got a nice warm sleeping bag to start his camping collection for scouts.


TTFN
-Ron