A visit to Brigham Young University--our alma mater

On a cold November weekend, Brad and I flew to Provo, Utah to visit our son Brandon, attend the temple with him for the FIRST time, and hear him play with the BYU Cougar Marching Band.  It was a magical fall weekend with beautiful Wasatch front sundowns and brightly colored fall leaves still clinging to trees. 

 The band practices in this empty parking lot with the picturesque mountains in the background.

 A rare look at Brandon with his trumpet in hand!

Appearing in front of the Provo, Utah Temple, Brandon has prepared himself and is ready to learn more concerning our faith and commit to serve during his 2-year-mission. He will be working with the spanish-speaking people living in Utah Valley--point of the mountain to Spanish Fork, Utah.  He will spend 2 months in the Provo, Utah Mission Training Center where he will study and learn Spanish and other important materials used during teaching people interested in learning more about the LDS church.

We are very happy that Brandon has chosen to take this step. So many of his Kansas City youth group friends are also serving in various parts of the country and even international missions.

The sacrifice required to participate in this experience may seem daunting (putting off college completion, funding the entire mission on your own, giving up relationships with family and friends, not getting any monetary compensation, etc) however, we have seen hundreds of young men serving LDS church missions of this age group grow in emotional, spiritual, and physical stature and put themselves far ahead of their peers who may still wonder about their life's goals and direction.

Brandon will be surrounded by exemplary mentors, both adults and other men his age, who support and encourage him in succeeding in blessing the lives of others during his 2-year committment. We look forward to supporting him in this selfless endeavor and only wish him the very best.

 Rob and Kathy Naylor, Joel and Kristin Bishop and Grandma and Grandpa Bishop attended the ceremony with us. We enjoyed a delightful dinner and conversation after the event.

Uncle Joel--always offering his BEST FACE!

--Rise and Shout--

the Cougars are out!!!!!!

Watching Brandon march with the marching band was another highlight of our weekend!  

He appears here with some of his fellow trumpet players.

Performing the Pre-game show

It has been almost 22 years since we have attended a home game at the Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo. Even though the weather was cold, we made the best of a beautiful night. We were 12 rows from the field and in the South end zone. Not a bad view of the winning BYU Cougars.

Because it was just Brad and I, we decided to be a little CRAZY and attend a BYU basketball game after the 7:30 PM end of the football game. The 8 PM start time for the basketball game in the Marriott Center was a perfect end to a fabulous weekend together.

I will be posting video of the Cougar Marching Band soon!  Check back soon!

Sounds from the stand

During the 4th quarter of a BYU football game vs. New Mexico, I recorded some sounds that the band played while watching the game. I have included the clips in this album.

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BYU vs. CSU

Traveling to my sister Tanya's house in Colorado on Thursday, Nov. 11 with my Mom and Dad was amazingly uneventful considering Jessie was running a fever. I have a hard time remembering when the last trip I took without a sick child needing me.

Two of my sisters gathered to celebrate both my parent's fall birthdays! We missed Greg and Kim. My brother Greg was going to surprise Mom and Dad, however, his baby Sara got sick and he had to cancel his plans.

Family First!!!!!  Here is a look at how we celebrated!

Brad, Hunter and Carson traveled 10 hours on Friday...arriving just in time for the BYU Football fireside with Coach Mendenhall and some of his players. Saturday, family members attended the BYU vs. CSU football game in Fort Collins. I stayed home with a sick Jessie and hung out with my Mom and sister from California!  Mini reunion! Waiting for the BIG GAME!

The BYU football team and their equipment travel in style.

At Season's End---a time to celebrate

A little light rain never hurt anyone and can even add to the excitement of a boring football game! The BVN band luckily brought their bright blue rain ponchos with them to protect their instruments. The heavy rain occurred in the 3rd quarter of the game and did not slow the team down! Jessie spent the 1st half of the show dancing to the sounds of the BNV band.

Our family took advantage of a day off from school to enjoy the fabulous fall weather. After an IHOP breakfast of SCARY pancakes, we joined our friends--Bagleys--and ventured to a corn maze in a rural part of our county. There is something magical about getting lost in a maze and then finding your way through it. Radawn and I took advantage of the moment and let the kids run FREE! The maze was in the shape of the Boy Scouts of America symbol to celebrate the 100th Centennial Celebration of the organization.