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.