The Steve and Jenny Hunter Family: November 2009

Monday, November 23, 2009

Family Visits and Recitals

All of the pictures aren't posted in order and it may seem random, but they are from the last little while while we had company:

Vern Kagarice (Steve's trombone teacher), Steve, Jan Kagarice (coached Steve on a piece)

Lucy was so excited to be getting so much attention from everyone

We had quite a few people at our place, but it was fun!

Amy making Hyrum watch her dance. The poor kid has to put up with her antics quite often.

Well, we had quite a few days during Steve's recital. His dad, his brother Boyd, and his sister Melissa flew out to see it. Justin also had his masters recital the same night, so both had a good audience. Justin's parents also flew out to hear his recital and spend a few days with Alli and him.

It was amazing to hear how well Steve did. He is so good at what he does. He had people cheering from the crowd as he finished. His private teacher and other coaches were so excited about his performances. They think he has great potential and they are excited to see where he will be next. Steve's confidence in his playing has improved so much over the years and I think he could seriously take on any piece thrown at him and perform it well in front of an audience. I am so proud of him (can you tell?).

While Steve's family was visiting, we had some fun. We went to the Texas Motor Speedway where we had a tour guide give us a special treat. We were able to drive around the track. It is amazing to feel how big of an angle the turns are at. I thought we were going to tip over and our guide told us we could if we didn't keep up enough speed. It was nice of him to tell us to make sure we had our seatbelts fastened and snug. We had fun seeing all of the parts of the racetrack and some of the nice suites, as well as the ballroom.

After this, we headed to the original Babes restaurant for a nice family-style lunch before heading to Dallas to see Dealy Plaza and the temple. Then our trip wouldn't be complete without stopping at Outdoor World (Bass pro Shop) on the way home. The kids were able to ride on a merry-go-round with reindeer and see some bass and other fish swimming in a big tank they had in the middle of the store. I heard we barely missed seeing Santa Clause, but we may make a trip back to let the kiddos see him before we head out to Utah.

The nights were full of playing games and talking into the wee hours. We even watched a movie. The last day our company was here was spent looking at antique stores and eating Papa Murphy's pizza.... yummy.

It was great getting to see Dad Hunter, Boyd, and Missy. I had not seen Boyd and Missy in nearly 2 years, so getting to see them was extra special and I realized how much I really do miss seeing all of Steve's family. They are a wonderful bunch that really respect each other and show sincere love and compassion for everyone. They are always so supportive of us. I am always so excited to spend some time around them and for my kids to spend some time with them as well. I just hope my kids can be as close as Steve and his siblings are when they are grown.

Thanksgiving is this week and we are going to spend it with Allison and Justin and their kids. We are going to have so much food, I don't know what we are going to do with it all, but we will have a good time. I am going shopping today to pick out a turkey and to get all of the finishing touches I need to make everything. There is nothing like a good meal with good company followed by good conversation and games.

On another note, I am so excited to be getting so close to heading to Utah to visit my family and Steve's family, as well as some of our friends that are still out there. AND we get to see mountains again!!! AND snow!!! I think we are going to have some fun. Although, Steve will be working on his two-week paper for his quals during that time, I bet he will have fun as well. Come January, Steve will present his paper and do his defense of it as well as his oral examinations. Then all he has to finish is his dissertation/lecture recital. I am hoping that he will have it completed by June, if not before. He is almost done!! Yay!!! It has been such a long journey, but I am so proud of him for sticking with it through everything. He really is a hard worker and he has done so well in school. Now we just need to find a job that is hopefully a little closer to home.

Friday, November 6, 2009

A Night with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Well, Steve was a big romantic. He bought tickets to hear the DSO perform Rachmaninoff''s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and Bruckner's 9th symphony. Rachmaninoff is one of my favorite all-time composers and the piece they did last night is one of my favorites. I also really enjoyed listening to the Bruckner piece. Steve bought the tickets a few months ago when he found out about what the DSO would be performing and surprised me with them a couple of days ago. It was nice to be able to go out on a real date with him. We don't get to do it very often, especially since Steve has been going crazy with school and work. Allison and Justin were extremely nice to watch our kids and put them to bed while we were gone and I feel like we owe them big time because I had such an enjoyable night. For those of you who have never been to a live symphony concert (of a decent symphony), I would suggest doing it sometime. The president of the symphony came on stage and talked about how an artist paints on a canvas and a musician "paints" on silence. What they do is really a work of art and I felt so many emotions listening to the music and feeling it course its way through my body. I was really amazed with the pianist they brought in to play the Rhapsody. It always amazes me to see someone with so much talent and the ease at which they play something so complex and so beautiful. Anyone reading this should google Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and listen to the full piece (not just the one variation, but all of them). The whole piece is so catchy and you'll find yourself humming bits and pieces of it. I am so glad that I get to be so exposed to a world of the finest music and musicians. I can't imagine a life without music; maybe that's what led me to marry a musician.

He Did It!!

For those of you following Steve's schooling:
He passed the written portion of his qualifying exams! This is great news. Now he just needs to do his two week paper, defend it, and do his oral exams before his panel. Then there is nothing standing in his way of his dissertation/lecture recital. It is nice to have him get this one big step out of the way. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a bit brighter.

Monday, November 2, 2009

My Kids Remind Me of...

I was thinking today as I had to pull Lucy down before she climbed on top of the washer yet again, how she reminds me of a monkey. Then there was Amy smothering the dogs with her love and attention and she reminded me of Elmyra (you know the girl from the cartoon Tiny Toons?). Then there is Nathan who reminds me of my dad. I have pictures to prove this... I am not making this up. My kids are wonderful in their own unique ways.

Lucy is our Curious George. She even speaks a language that sounds similar to his. We have so many picture of her getting into mischief and trying to figure out what so many things are.

Amy is quite a bit like Elmyra. She loves fuzzy small animals. Our poor dogs have been very good with her, even when she is a bit too loving. This is one of a few pictures we have of her doing this to the dogs. She loves hugs and is very willing to give them to almost anyone.

And of course... here is Nathan with my dad. He is a smart boy that is curious about the world and why everything is the way it is. He loves discovering new things and he is very tender hearted and giving. There are so many days when I look at him and see my dad in miniature.

Halloween Fun With the Hunters

We had a fun Halloween this year. The kids really enjoyed themselves and all they were able to do. On the 30th, our ward had its annual trunk or treat. This is no ordinary trunk or treat; it is practically a big Halloween Festival/Carnival. Last year there was a barbecue, bounce house, miniature golf course, hay ride, games for the kids to play, cotton candy machine, homemade rootbeer and donuts, lots of candy, lots of kids to play with, etc. This year it was basically the same (minus bounce house and add in cake walk) with one exception: the ward split so there were less kids and that meant way more candy and shorter lines for all of the kiddos. I think every kid at the trunk or treat went home with a nice sugar high, only to crash and wake up excited for the antics of going door to door getting even more candy. I don't know how many of you have heard the Seinfeld skit about Halloween, but I can't help but think of it every time my kids have bags full of candy, trying to eat as much as they can before I put it in some secret spot that is out of their reach. It is true that most kids love candy and they are willing to do almost anything to get it. And Lucy, who hated being in her costume was totally content to leave it on as soon as she saw someone put a tootsie roll in her bag. Ah... the joys of Halloween.

On Halloween morning, Nathan went with me to the church to help clean for Sunday. He was reluctant to help me clean the bathrooms (especially the girls bathroom) until I mentioned that he could mop and that if he would be a good sport, he would be able to go out trick-or-treating for longer than we had planned. He was all in after that. He was very helpful. That afternoon, Alli, Justin, Hyrum, and baby Matthew came over to join in some festivities which included making personal size pizzas shaped like pumpkins that the kids were able to make faces on with the toppings. Later we watched a movie with the kids and then went out to scour a friendly neighborhood for houses that were greeting kids with sugary bliss. The kids were so tuckered out from two days of fun that when we got home, they were all bed and asleep within about ten minutes. Here are some pictures of our fun times.