Senior Ball MMHS 2015

I could not be more proud of Summer for this event.

This was entirely the responsibility of the Senior Class Officers, which means it was about 90% the responsibility of Summer.  

She created pin boards and lists and samples and budgets and menus.

They decided on a 1920's theme.  

Notice the centerpieces.

The only thing we purchased were the feathers.  The flowers were all from my yard!

Summer enlisted my help to make place cards for each Senior.

We spent the whole week getting supplies ready,

and all day decorating.

Senior Class Officers and some Student Body Officer friends.

Summer enlisted the help of her 2 BFF's.

My important job for the night was to serve dessert.

It was chocolate cake from Magleby's.

Summer created an entire menu of speciality drinks which the students enjoyed while the dinner was cleaned up and the cafeteria was transitioned into a dance floor.

Sierra was so sweet to be the head drink mixer for the night.  We had so much fun.

Senior Class Officers,

Elliott Call, Summer, Fatima Redy, and Josh Jensen

I had such a fun night.

Class of 2015

Summer & Trevor

Summer & Juan

Summer & Coach Smith, the student government advisor.

He was very impressed with Summer's organizational skills.

There were over 200 students in attendance.  It was a huge hit.

I don't know why we don't dress up and have fancy dances like this a little more often.

It was so much fun.  I don't know if this tradition will continue, 

but MMHS class of 2015 had a fantastic senior ball!!

Homeless for a Night

Spanish Fork High School does this cool fundraiser every year called "homeless for a night" This year the SASH was invited to play a show.  It was a Friday night plus my birthday, so it was a great way to spend the evening.  This show was with the full band.  At least the fullest it ever has been or will be.  

Summer is on the electric guitar for this song and Sierra is on the keyboard.

They are always switching instruments.  

Trev's brother, Ethan, joined the show to play the trumpet for "My Type". It was awesome.

Jonathan and Duncan also.

I usually don't get a good shot of Trev, so here is the best one of the night.

It was a really fun night.  Summer made the Spanish Fork yearbook.  With all of the pictures she was in for Homeless for a Night, she was in their yearbook more that she was in MMHS yearbook!!

Las Vegas Show

So, this one time my girls set up a show to play a gig in Las Vegas with a band named Rococo.

They met Rococo when the SASH played a show in Provo last winter with a band named Brumby.

It was a super fun show with lots of people.  One of the boys in Rococo is a brother/cousin to some the boys in Brumby (who are all students at BYU.)  It's all about making connections!

On the way to Las Vegas I posted a video of a little practice sesh while driving through the Virgin River Gorge.

I didn't think much of it, until Dolores started texting me telling me that my cousin Russ would like to come to the show.  I gave Dolores some of the deets.

Russ said he couldn't guarantee that he'd make it to the show since his wife Katie was in Nauvoo and he was playing Mr. Mom for the weekend (Memorial Day Weekend.)  

I was pleasantly surprised when Russ and his 3 kids showed up to the show.  They live just around the corner from the home where the show was playing.  His kids were little angels and just sat and played in the sand, dirt, and grass while we sat and talked for nearly an hour.  Thanks for coming Russ!!

This is what Sierra was doing while the other band members were setting up the stage and getting things ready.

Hanging out after the show.

Brady, Nick, Trey, Aaron, Trevor, Summer, Sierra

(Nick graduated from HS a few weeks ago and the SASH is currently working on recruiting him to play with them for a while when he attends BYU before he goes on a mission.)

Hanging out after the show.

Making new friends.

It was a fun weekend.  We took Trevor with us and practically starved the poor kid to death.  (I cannot believe how much food teenage boys eat).  We stayed at Kristine's condo that was nearly empty since she was selling it and moving out in just a few days.  The SASH had fun making new friends.  The boys came over and got them after church on Sunday to come back over and hangout for a while.  We drove back on Monday morning.  

THEN, a few days later I got a message from a good friend of mine from Orem 48th ward, Kendall J.  saying that he lives in Henderson and some of the priests from his ward were at the show.  They could not believe that Kendall knew the parents of the girls who played the show that they had gone to see.  It's a small, small world.  Kendall said they were much impressed and to let him know the next time we have a show in Vegas/Henderson.  Will do!!

happiest place on earth...

We decided to fly to California for the sake of time.  We flew out of PROVO.  Awesome.

We would totally do that again.  Even though the flight was full and it was slightly delayed leaving Provo, it arrived in LA on time.  We were on a flight with 47 people who were attending a "happy, happy hipster wedding at the Los Angeles Temple on November 15."  It was like being on a flight with a whole bunch of Kardashians.  I don't even know what that means.   They were on our return flight on Sunday as well.  The wedding went well, apparently.

Anyway, good idea.  Would definitely do that again.  GO Provo Airport!!

So, Cole had NO IDEA at all that we were going to Disneyland.  We kept it secret until we all got up that morning and there was a suitcase in the middle of the floor.  Cole asked why there was a suitcase and Rick told him that he had been chosen as the lucky student from Chinese Immersion that would be flying to China to spend the rest of the school year with his Chinese Teacher's family.  That was not what he wanted to hear.  He cried the whole way to the airport and was not completely convinced that we were going to Disneyland until all of us were on the plane and buckled into our seats.

He's so funny.  I think he was the only person on the plane that was actually listening to the flight instructor.

We scheduled a limo to pick us up at the airport.  Cole didn't know it.  Then this baby pulled up to the curb.  His eyes were this big for the entire ride to Disneyland.  

2 reasons for the Limo:

1.  When scheduling that far in advance, it's nearly the same price as scheduling a shuttle, however...

2.  It doesn't have to stop every 10 minutes and unload a group of people, and therefore, the ride to Disneyland is a non-stop ride that takes half the time as a shuttle.  

First stop:  Space Mountain.

This was also the first ride that we went on when we went to DisneyWorld a few years ago.  

We like the traumatize the kids right from the get go.

We made sure Cole was in the front seat, just like last time.

We're so mean like that.

Another favorite from our first day was Cars-land.  It was a good idea to hit Radiator Springs Racer on a Thursday evening.  The lines were relatively short (OK 45 minutes, but whatever) and it's totally cool to do this one at night.  We did make it one other time with a fast pass.  Certainly a favorite!!

Notice Cole holding onto his seatbelt for dear life!!

We also hit a few other rides in Cars Land.  This is from Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and is similar to the teacups.  We loved it and laughed so hard.  Everything from Cars Land is so cute.  

Maybe I should watch the movie.

Poor Rick was sporting a knee injury that peaked on Thursday with the rupture of cyst and lots and lots of swelling.  His activities were kept at a minimum. 

It was pretty sweat celebrating the holidays with lights and music and 70* temperatures.

Certainly put me in the holiday spirit.

The next morning we started out at DisneyLand with Brandi & Jason and a few other dozen friends from Highland.

The River Safari.

Brings new meaning to the "duck face".

Friday night kid pic back at Cars Land.

These 2 opted out on the Tower of Terror.

Can't say that I blame them.

 Cole loved the Bug's Life bumper cars.

On the first night, we saw this guitar player singing just outside the entrance to Disneyland.

We got brave on the second night.  We asked him if he knew Stubborn Love by the Lumineers.  (we knew he did because we heard him play it the night before.)  He played it and the girls sang.  They were proud of the the fact that they helped him earn lots of tips for that song.  It was pretty fun.

There was almost never more than a 10 minute wait for this ride:  California Screamin'.

It's a roller coaster.  Summer and Sierra ran ahead to ride it before we got there.

Cole was pretty nervous to ride.  He was actually crying.  I felt like the worst parent ever for making him ride a roller coaster.  There was a mom and her son in line ahead of us.  They were so funny, the mom kept telling the son to tell Cole that he was so scared the first time, but now he just loves the roller coaster.  I was reassured myself, since I was slightly petrified to ride the roller coaster.  We had a cute worker named Jenna that reassured him that it would be OK and he would love it.  And he did.

(Seriously though, what parent just forces a kid to stand on their tip toes while silently crying to qualify to ride a dang scary roller coaster???)

 Toy Story Midway Mania was also a favorite.  (we didn't ride this one in DW because of the ridiculously long wait times)  It was really fun to do this one with Cole.  He loved it.

The lines were pretty short and we were able to do this one multiple times.

 Rick and Sierra

 Other favorites:  Soarin',  Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Indiana Jones Adventure, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Autotopia (Cole) and the beignets at New Orleans Square.

Things we did once and that was enough:  Matterhorn Bobsleds, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

Things we missed but will be sure to hit next time:  Grizzly Rapids, Monster's Inc., and Club 33.