Friday, August 28, 2009

First Week of School!

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Every kid needs an awkward-face, first-day-of-school picture, right? Too bad my face is awkward no matter what day of school it is!


The first week of school at University of Houston has come to an end! It's been interesting to make the switch from BYU-Idaho to UH because first of all, UH is about three times larger! Besides that, all sorts of religions, nationalities, and other walks of life are represented in their full beauty! It's a great experience to get to know other people and learn about them.

Classes are going well. I have an Introduction to Musicology class where we study how to research and write about music. There is a lot of reading and writing for that class, but we have a good teacher and he really knows his stuff. I also was required to enroll in the Music Theory review class because I need a little brush up. The class is really moving quick and there's hardly a moment to breathe! Between the two classes, I can easily fill my day with homework and study.

I also had my first conducting lesson this week with Dr. Hausmann. I really like him a lot. He is an accomplished conductor and has already been so helpful. One non-musical lesson he has already taught me was about humility. I don't think he meant to do that, but about four or five times in our lesson he mentioned how important it is for conductors to have humility when the stand up on the podium. He has a philosophy that conducting is a lot like dancing. I like that idea because as a conductor, you really need to feel the music inside before you can interpret it on the outside - just like a dancer. Dr. Hausmann will also conduct the choir that I will sing in on Monday nights. We found out that our fall concert is going to be November 13 -- the day Kayla is due to give birth!! What do you all think I should do?! I mean I really love my wife and I would sure like to be there when she gives birth, but a concert sounds like a lot of fun!! :o)

The only frustrating thing about this past week has been the bus systems. I ride the public busses into Downtown Houston, then I transfer to my choice of three other bus routes that will get me near the University. The problem is trying to figure out which of the three routes I should take to get me there the quickest. Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time waiting for busses that just barely pulled away right before I got to the bus stop, etc. I think we've got the schedules figured out now, though, so maybe next week will run a little smoother.

Well, that's the update for the first week of school.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Happy, Happy, Happy

Happy #1: Happy Birthday Brian!
This is Bri with some bed hair the morning we woke up in...


Star Valley, Wyoming! We had such a fun day! We spent the night before his birthday at our Aunt Sue's cabin and spent most the day with Aunt Sue and Uncle David. They fed us some great meals, we went hiking, we went on a beautiful drive, we played frisbee in the house...what more can you ask for? Here are some pics of the cabin and property:






Here are Aunt Sue's horses. She let us feed them carrots. Brian seemed to be more brave around them than I was (where's a fish when you need one?).


Baby bump!

And here is Brian all spiffed up for a fun birthday night.


Okay so here is how our night played out: we decided it would be fun to watch a Chuckars baseball game in Idaho Falls. A funny thing that we didn't plan on until just before the game was Brian dressing up like Red Robin's mascot to run the bases at the end of the game. Who wouldn't want to do that on their birthday?


So we left the game a little early to get dressed. Check out the tights. Need I say more? Best looking birthday boy around!

Almost done...he sure is looking excited!


A little more...

Getting closer...

Ta da! Introducing Red! Little does anyone know who the man is behind the mask...except for me...and now you I guess! I was officially Red's body guard for the night. Yes, a pregnant lady was assigned to protect the mascot from attacks...some job.

We couldn't pass up getting some footage of all of this. We really giggle at this because Brian is trying out the moonwalk and some other dance moves to please the crowd in his big costume. And then they're off to run the bases...again and again and again. You'll see by the last clip he is quite tired. Wouldn't you be in that costume? But Red continues to have that goofy smile pasted on although the man underneath is dying of heat. Brian is a good sport.




Brian mingles with his fans...and the children gradually get more violent...is the body guard about to step in? Nope. Guess not.




Poor Red. He is tired. He is hot. The children are pestering him and holding his tail. His body guard is simply unreliable. He almost trips at third base...and he finally gives up and walks to home worn out. But when all is said and done Red had a very successful night.



Thanks for the fun memory Bri!


And this is what happens when you run around in a giant bird costume in 100 degree weather. Told you he is a good sport.


A birthday just wouldn't be a birthday without cake in a mug and a visit from Tyrel and Suzi.



Happy #2: Kayla graduates! Happy Graduation Kayla!
What a wonderful, happy experience it was for her to get a degree from BYU-Idaho. She now has a B.S. degree in Univ. Studies with minors in music and communications with a cluster in Spanish. She plans on getting a graduate degree in Speech Pathology sometime in the future. Thank you to everyone that has supported her throughout her time in Rexburg. It was fun to have some family come up to help us celebrate. Here are a few pictures of the day!

Mom and Dad :)


Rachel and Parker


Tyrel doesn't understand how his little sister graduated before he did :)





Happy #3: Happy Anniversary!
We celebrated our first anniversary on July 25th!
What a great year we've had!