The Holidays

The holidays are usually a time of year that we rejoice and look forward to spending time with family and love ones. We anticipate with excitement the celebrations, parties, and wonderful traditions. There is such an abundance of choices of entertainment. There is something for everyone.

The holidays are a difficult time for our family. We feel a great loss and void. We continue to try to find joy in our new journey. Our thoughts are focused on our memories of Steve, and the great times we had with him. I know how much Steve touched the lives of many. I loved reading this. We will continue to participate in traditions, celebrate the holidays, and determine what traditions to observe, change, or omit. We will decide what is most meaningful and comfortable for us as a family.

As we celebrate this season, I hope that we as a family can commemorate Thanksgiving with grateful hearts for our many blessings. We hope to remember the Savior's Life and his birth during the Christmas season. We are so grateful for all our wonderful friends and family, that continue to include us in the festivities of the season. We love you!

The Rivalry

We are BIG UTAH FANS in the Brown household! We especially enjoy rooting against BYU! The week before the Utah/BYU game is always loaded with anti BYU sentiments.

Fiesta Bowl ~2004
Ben loves to draw and write. He was asking me how to spell Oregon, and accept. I didn't know why until I found this:

Translation: The utes have been

Kicking but this season

Accept Oregon and tcu

And their quarter back

Stinks I don't know

Who's going to win next week

GO UTES!

I Am Especially Thankful For.......

Memories

My Children

My Faith

Health

Friends

Family

"Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more."

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." ~From the television show The Wonder Years

Ben Is Thankful For......

my dog our country.

Happy Thanksgiving!
(this is the part cut off of the scan)

Oops!

Ben always has a lot of energy. He decided at dinner, to go outside and try to eliminate some of the pesty moths. He was jumping off chairs, tables, whatever, batting at these nasty pests. We heard a bang, and a cry for help, and found Ben climbing out of the once covered window well. Oops!

Swine Flu Has Arrived

Today At Our House

Two weeks ago on a Wednesday, Ben called me from school. There were only 5 minutes of school left, but I could tell by his voice that he was worried. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "I can't feel my body." I laughed the entire way to school, thinking he was so funny, but knowing that he was worried and I needed to pick him up. When I arrived, I asked him what he meant by "he couldn't feel his body". He told me that he was dizzy. I took him home and gave him some Gatorade. He was dizzy throughout the night, but felt better so I sent him to school the next day.

On Friday night, Ben said his throat was closing up. I thought he might be a little anxious, had him take deep breathes and put him to bed. Again, everything seemed fine.

Sunday night his fever went up to 103. I knew something was wrong. Long story short, Ben had step throat and H1N1, or the Swine Flu. The rapid breathing and high temperatures made me quite nervous, but we managed through it. This Monday, THREE more have the Swine Flu.

Mike has an ingenious idea. He wants to put a sign on our lawn: SWINE FLU VACCINES. For only $10 per person the kids will contaminate you, and then you are immune. I wonder if will have any takers?

Happy Halloween

Black Out

Sarah and Cailey Haycock

Trick or Treat

Ben: A football player again, and probably will be next year too.

Lizzy: A gangster

Lizzy, Ben, and Ashlyn

A Halloween Gift For Steve

Glow Sticks Included

Taking Things For Granted

A few of my kids and I were driving through downtown Friday night, when we noticed fans arriving for the Jazz game. One of my kids said, "Wow, we really took a lot for granted didn't we." We were reminiscing about the many opportunities that were ours. Some of our great memories were:

1. Fifth row Jazz tickets, an invitation to the Jazz suites, or any tickets at all.
2. Tickets or suite invites to the Bee's games.
3. U of U Football and basketball tickets.
4. Tickets to Disney on Ice, the circus, concerts, the ballet, ski passes, etc., etc.
5. Spending time in St. George at the condo.

I particularly enjoyed exquisite dinner invitations, and complimentary vacations to extraordinary places. Steve and I were able to visit places like Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, China, Hong Kong, Paris, England, Scotland, Switzerland, the Bahamas, and the list goes on.

Life is different......but it is good. We are grateful for each other, and for friends and family.