WOW Time Flies

Wow,
I didn't realize I hadn't posted since Christmas. That's kinda ridiculous since it's already March! Ah well, such is the life of the insanely busy. So here's a quick update on the happenings of the Anderson girls.

Joy~
I am currently student teaching at Mount Logan Middle School in 7th Grade Utah History. I LOVE it! Yes, it certainly has it's moments, especially when the kids decide to act up but they are 12 years old. You kind of have to expect it, take a deep breath, and plow ahead.

I will start applying for jobs this month. Scary. No, it really is. I realized today I have not been on a job hunt in over seven years and then I have never been on the hunt for a truly professional job. This will be nerve wracking and the scariest thing I've done in some time. But push forward I shall!

Celestra~
Cele is pretty much living the musicians life, especially with the addition of her Sax. She's taking both Flute and Sax lessons, still second chair flute in her school band, AND performing in the school pep and jazz bands as well as the full concert orchestra. She's loving it but I still think she's a bit insane.

Her life revolves, as most teens, around her friends and school. She and her three best friends are actually working together to write a fantasy series. They are each working on their own specific character's development and try to get together as often as they can to hash out the worlds and basics of their story. From what I know of it (which is actually quite a bit since the kids like to talk about it quite a bit) it is quite the story and should be a fun read when they eventually finish. But don't get your hopes up. That won't be for quite some time yet. Years even.

Cele with two of her three story writing buddies

And that's pretty much our lives these days. Lots of school and music. So not really much different than any time in the past except we are reaching a crossroads in our lives. The next few months should be quite the ride. We will have to see where life takes us.

A Spot of Christmas Music

Tonight was Cele's flute recital, so without further ado here are her songs. I will let you name them! Let's see how well you do!

Song # One

Song # Two

And to make the night even better these wonderful people came and joined us. We love having our family come listen to Cele perform her music. 

 Grandma Eiko, Celestra, and Joy

Grandma and Grandpa Brown, Celestra, and Joy

Cele did a great job, especially considering that she's only had four (yep just 4) flute lessons since October. That would be thanks to getting sick and the school musical but heh, tis the season!

Extra, Extra Read All About It!!!

So if you haven't heard, I got my Student Teaching placement. Starting in January I will be at Mount Logan Middle School under Mr. Woodward, 7th grade Utah History. Cele is beyond excited as he is one of her all-time favorite teachers. It will hopefully be a good experience and I can learn lots.

Cele in the orchestra pit during the school musical

In other news, Cele's doing awesome. She just finished orchestra pit for the school musical with her next music event already on the horizon. Her band Christmas concert will be on December 18 at 7:30 pm at Logan High school. She's actually really excited about this concert since her band is playing some pieces by Mannheim Steamroller. Oh and if I forgot to mention, she did it again. She proved once again that she is quite talented at that flute of hers. She made 2nd chair flute as a Sophomore in a band with Juniors and Seniors. That's my girl!

Well here's hoping you all have a great Christmas season. Also, if you would like a Christmas card and I don't have your address will you please send it to me? Those will be going out probably next week.

These Crazy Schedules!

So you all know I'm not so good at updating these days right? Well I blame that on absolutely INSANE schedules. Yup that's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it! So a whole month has gone by. Our lives are crazy busy as always. Cele is involved in pretty much everything musical she can possibly do at her school. This includes:

1) Band

2) Pep Band

3) Full Orchestra (band and orchestra mixed)

4) Jazz Band

AND

5) School Musical Orchestra Pit

Me thinks someones been busy practicing! Yup the place is just full of flute music these days. You can't tell she loves it can you?

These pics are from the first band concert of the year.

Me? Well that's just the usual school and work. Work I'm pulling around 30 hours a week (Mon-Sat) then school, I have my three classes and I just finished up clinicals for this semester. That has been my favorite thing for the last two semesters, so I will miss it but it will sure free up some of my time during the day. Of course, work will cover that one! I have one of my employees out for surgery through most of Nov. so I will be back on day shift for that. As far as student teaching, I start that in January, but I don't know yet where I'll be at. I will make sure to let you know when I find out.

And that's our lives right now. Not too exciting, but that's what you get with these crazy schedules! Just the daily grind. That and enjoying the gorgeous fall colors we always get up here. Gotta love Cache Valley for that!

Cruel Summer

We're Back!!!

Sorry for the major hiatus, we just had a crazy busy summer and we figured it was time for a bit of an update. So here's a bit of how ours went...

Bang Go The Drums

So I just realized I never posted about Celestra's last band concert. Oops. My excuse? Long hours at work, the end of the semester is upon me, and just life in general. Oh well, such is life but better late than never right!? So here goes, a few highlights from the kiddo's last band concert:

 Hey look! You can actually see her! Haha!

 Just mom 'nd me

Grandma and Granddaughter

30 things my child should know about me

I found this list on Pinterest and felt it very poignant and something I really should fill out. Its things like this I wish I had more info on from my own mother. I don't think I'll tackle the entire list in one go but I will make a start and try to do at least one a week till its complete.

THE LIST:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
3. Describe your relationship with your spouse/your child's other parent.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. What’s the hardest part of growing up?
14. Describe 5 and weaknesses strengths you have.
15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?
19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. Describe your relationship with your parents.
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?
24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?
29. What are your hopes and dreams for your prosperity?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

So here goes...

Twenty random facts about me for my daughter

1) Where I got my name: I was my mothers first born after over 20 miscarriages. She never thought she would be able to have a child. In fact, even after she found out she was pregnant with me and was passed the miscarriage stage, she wouldn't believe I was actually going to be born alive. Then I had to make her panic when I was born. I wasn't breathing and they couldn't find a heart beat. Obviously no ill effects from that, but I am my mothers miracle baby. Hence why I was named Joy. 

2) My middle name is also a legacy. I was named after my paternal grandmother, Ella Taylor. Sadly I don't know much about her as we lost contact with my paternal grandparents shortly after my fathers death. 

3) When I was 9 years old I spent a week in the hospital with a complete stomach blockage and three ulcers. The doctors had to pump my stomach to clear the blockage. Not pleasant. I spent a year after that on a very bland diet due to my ulcers. It took me a long time to like some of those foods again after that. Guess I just got sick of eating them.

4) One you already know. I am a bookworm and if I had more free time, I would probably read more than you do!

5) I love to bake. It is the one thing I hate about apartment living. The kitchens are never big enough and never have enough counter space to do the kind of baking I love.

6) Since bullying is such a focus these days, I should mention that I was badly bullied as a kid. I was the ostracized child that no one wanted to play with all because I was the poor kid in the rich kid school. I didn't have the right kind of clothes or possessions to fit in with the kids in elementary school. I am proud to say I feel I have risen above it and I feel that anyone who is bullied can do the same. It's not easy. It will leave emotional scars that will come back into focus when you least want them to but you can be the better person for it.

7) I started playing the violin when I was 8 and began singing when I was 9. That has fostered a love of music I am proud to say I was able to pass on to you.

8) I don't remember much of my childhood in actuality. My memory is very fuzzy on my past. My first real memory is of walking to school on the first day of kindergarten. 

9) Before I was 10 years old we had moved over 20 times.

10) I was born in Henderson, NV and lived in Las Vegas for the first 6 months of my life. After that we moved to the Mesquite/Bunkerville, NV area.

11) I broke my arm in second grade falling off the wall surrounding our school playground. This is what trained me to become somewhat ambidextrous since it was my right arm. I had to use my left for the full 6 weeks with the cast on my arm. My left hand writing still looks like a second graders handwriting but I can use it to write somewhat legibly. 

12) I have had to have stitches twice in my life. The first time was on the pointer finger of my left hand and the second was on my right calf. The stories (because there are always stories behind those) are: the first one was in fifth grade I slipped on the back steps out of our house, and in trying to catch myself my hand went backwards through the glass screen door (yes those were made out of glass once upon a time lol). The second was when I was a teenager your Aunt Penny broke the glass microwave plate and instead of taking it out to the outside garbage like Amma had asked her to, she set it on top. (proof that no teenager listens to their parents!) I walked past the garbage with a basket of laundry (meaning I couldn't see below me) and cut my leg on the glass.

13) When I was sixteen, I thought I wanted to become a councilor.

14) I knew I was pregnant with you almost immediately and I knew then that you were a girl

15) I was born with copper red hair (Aunt Penny's natural shade). Amma shaved my head when I was 2 because it was only coming in in clumps and your Aunt Penny kept pulling out those clumps. It grew back in blonde and very thick.

16) I love chocolate but I am picky about what styles I will eat. My favorite candy bar is Almond Joy

17) As a teenager I had a very special group of friends. Some of them you know, others you've never had the chance to meet. Obviously Aunt Desiree was part of that group :). Other people included people like Karen Rawlings Hoth, and Amber Bastian Riding. There are many more but, like you, I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends. Sadly, most of us have grown apart since we've left high school. Thank heavens for Facebook!

18) When we were living in Cedar City, Amma put me in a children's acting group. I loved it. I got to do things like play Raggedy Anne and be part of SUU's Shakespearean Festival as a sugar girl.

19) I am very eclectic in my music tastes. There is very little I don't like and I will give any type of music at least a shot. 

20) I had hazel/blue eyes until I gave birth to you. They changed color with what I wore. Now they stay blue. It is a genetic quirk in my family. It happened to Amma too.

And The Beat Goes On

Yup It's Honor Band season again. This year Cele was fourth chair flute out of all the 7th-9th graders in Cache Valley, Brigham City, and Preston. She had a ball and said her conductor was lots of fun with great stories and jokes. Three days of non-stop band is certainly not my idea of fun, but it sure is for the crazy kiddo living in this house! So on to the more interesting (even if, once again, the sound quality isn't that great you still get the idea) videos and pictures.

 Cele and some of her friends before the performance

 Bridgerland Honor Clinic Band

Salvation is Created by Pavel Chesnokov

(Cele took one look at this piece and said it was way too easy)

There are two more videos from the concert but they don't seem to want to upload onto the blog.

Oh well it was better in person anyways.

And last but not least...

Nope, these two aren't best friends or anything. Whatever could have given you that idea!?

A Class Assignment

So this might seem a bit odd for most of you but a little explanation should help ease the confusion. I am currently taking a 'Technology in the Classroom' class and this weeks assignment included building [or using a current blog ( :] and answering a few questions on the blog so, while this isn't a family update, it might be fun for some of you to read the questions and answers.

1) Why do you want to become a teacher?
    I have always loved working with kids, especially teenagers but after my divorce I found that I was unable to get a job using my degree which did not involve travel so I decided to go back to school and get my teaching certificate. Teaching puts me back with a group of people I love working with and thoroughly enjoy. I look forward to all the new experiences and things they will teach me.
    I chose social studies partly because it used so much of my first bachelors degree (Asian Studies) but also because I truly love the subjects entrenched within the subject realm, history and geography especially.

2) What plans do you have for teaching?
    My plans at this point are very simple and basic. I want to get a job teaching in a middle school or Jr. High  and I hope to spend the rest of my time until retirement in that same district but we will have to see what life decides to throw at me.

3) What is your basic teaching philosophy?
    I believe it is vital for today's students to understand the cultures and histories of the world around them. If today's students are not tolerant and accepting of those outside their own cultural and ethnic sphere, it will cripple them in their future careers and daily lives. To help in this process, I hope to help my students learn about other peoples and cultures through a historical and/or geographical lens. It is through knowledge and understanding that our world will truly become one of tolerance and acceptance but that first step has to be taken.

Ok, off my soapbox. No worries family, the next update will be more on the lives of the Anderson girls!

The Randomness of Life

Well, Cele's back. She had a blast. And eventually I will get her to send out a letter/email to family and a blog entry on here so she can tell you all all about her adventures in the nations capital. We will also be trying to get thank you cards together for everyone that helped us out with her trip. I cannot thank you all enough! Without all of your help, from your $5.00 donations to Grandma Eiko who literally ended up paying for 1/3 of the trip, every bit was received with much gratitude from both of us. So here are a few pictures for you from said trip. I promise, I will make Cele give you more details later. It will be better to here the stories she has to tell from the 'horses mouth' as it were.

This digital slideshow generated with Smilebox As for any other happenings, not much has changed. Life is still hectic, crazy, and oftentimes hairsplittingly insane, but then that's normal for us. Cele just completed her honor band auditions for this year. She already made the band and the auditions this morning were just for her seating assignment. She had so much fun last year with it that she is super excited to get to do it again this year This month also marks the fourth anniversary of my mothers passing. I have decided to honor her memory with pictures and stories at least once a week on facebook about her. If you knew her, feel free to share your own favorite memories of her. Here are the pictures I have shared so far.  This picture was in memory of my mother as a grandmother. Her two granddaughters were her world. She adored them both and was very grateful to have both of them in her life. From being able to claim that she was the first to give her older granddaughter her first bottle to the many Amma-Cele adventures the two of them embarked on, these were the sparks that kept her going for the last almost twenty years of her life. They were her world. This picture was taken shortly before my own grandmother, my maternal grandmother that is, passed away. It is our family's four generation picture. We went down to Hurricane to visit my grandma one last time before she died and the adventures in the car on that trip are ones I will never forget, though there are some I wouldn't mind forgetting! My mother was most certainly NOT the best driver out there, especially when she was in her chair and your toes just might be involved! You learned to move fast when mom was backing up. It was also one of the last times I had spent any significant amount of time with that side of the family since I was a teenager, certainly it and my Grandma's funeral were the last times my mom saw all of her living siblings in the same place at the same time. Mom wasn't the best at keeping in touch with family. Sadly, I seem to have inherited that tendency. Bad Joy. On a separate note though, the fun thing about this four generation picture is that my mom was my grandma's oldest, I am my mom's oldest, and, of course, Cele gets to claim any place in the line-up she wants. Well that's all for now folks. Have a great day/week. We shall disturb you with more inane news at a later date!

Aaaand she's off...

Yep. That's right. We did it. Cele got all the money she needed, thanks in huge part to her Grandma Eiko (who donated literally 1/3 of the money for this trip) as well as all those family members and friends who have helped us reach this goal. (so thank you from the bottom of our hearts!)

 The buses took off from Logan High this morning at 4am. (Aren't you glad YOU weren't up that early!) And, after a layover at Chicago/O'hare, they will arrive in DC around 4pm today. I will miss my baby girl but she is thrilled to be going.

 Before they headed out though, we were treated to a preview concert on Tuesday night. The kids sound awesome and as this is a joint venture with the band and choir, they have a few joint members. My favorite was the patriotic melody at the end. The piece included all of the armed services anthems as well as a chance for the audience to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the National Anthem with the choir. Sadly the camera batteries were not fully charged and died before I could record the piece. 

Cele and Grandma Eiko after the concert 

(don't worry; she's wearing heels)

Cele with her friends Brandon (left) Erika (front) and Braden (right) after the concert

We will certainly be posting at least some of the pictures Cele takes while she's in DC so everyone can see her adventures.

A Christmas Newsletter

So I cheated again this year and sent our family Christmas card/newsletter via e-mail. So if I don't have a copy of your e-mail address and you didn't get a copy, you can either view it here or send me a private message in any format (ie. facebook, email, phone) that you wish and I will make sure you get one!

Cheers! And Merry Christmas to All!

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Let's play catch (well catch-up that is)

Hmm so much to say. Where to start... Oh I know! Now where did I put that camera?... Ah ha! 

So it seems we have had a few events over the past couple of months that need/deserve some coverage. First up is my sister Tonya's baby shower. It was, as always, great to visit with my favorite family and see all the kiddos. They get more adorable every time I see them.

Melissa and her older son Kellen

Melissa, Celestra, Joy, and Grandma Weeks

Joy, Melissa, and Alisha

Tonya, Byron and their youngest boy David

Cele holding her cousin Emmalynn (Alisha's youngest)

Tonya is now the proud momma of a beautiful baby girl named Gabriela. Gabby is the third girl to be born in the Brown family, all this year. She joined her cousins Kaylin (parents: Nicholas and Amanda) and Emmalynn (parents: Alisha and Kellison) two months ago. She was also the last of four babies born this year. Her cousin Colton (parents: Melissa and Kyle) was, strangely enough, the only boy born this year.

Colton

Emmalynn

Gabriela

Kaylin

Now on to some random pictures. With all the pictures I have been taking for my geography class this semester, its only fair I take a few non related fun pictures as well right? (I would also like to point out that somewhere in here Halloween and Thanksgiving happened and while I don't have pictures of those events, others (especially Grandma Eiko) do. SO eventually I will have more pics to share most probably hehehe.)

Miss Celestra in her fedora

Beautiful cloud picture courtesy of Celestra

Sunset in Cache Valley

Still in the realm of fun times, here's what happens when I let a certain teenager take the camera to school... 

1) her friends get sick of her taking pics of them and 

steal the camera for a little payback

2) She gets fun pics of some of her best friends. 

3) and even more pics of some of her best friends

4) and she makes sure to include the puppy in on the fun

And now as a parting gift: proof we really do live in Utah. The first snowfall of the year, even if it didn't last more than a few hours.

So here's hoping you all have a great holiday season, I make it through finals (next week) with my brain still intact, and we all aren't so broke we can't breath by the end of the month!

A Piccolo Premier

So I'm a forgetful mom, either that or just so busy most days I can't see straight. This time I forgot to let everyone know that Cele's first concert of the year was coming up. Oh well. There will be more opportunities.

But on that note, tonight was her first band concert of the year. This year her band teacher asked her to learn to play the Piccolo and tonight was her first concert playing said instrument. She did great and even had a solo which, after hearing her practice it, I know she played just right! She did an awesome job and I get to be a proud mama all over again. 

This year, however, there are a LOT fewer concerts than the last few years. I will certainly not complain. In fact, her next concert won't be until January 10 where the band will be premiering their performance pieces for their Washington, DC trip.

That's right. If you haven't heard, Cele's band gets to go to DC in January for the Inauguration ceremonies. In fact, they are playing in a festival attached to the inauguration ceremonies. Cele is beyond excited. So in a (shameless, but necessary) plug for my kiddo, if you would like to help us out with earning money for the trip (she needs a total of $1550) we would really appreciate any help. She is almost always doing fundraisers so there are always those and if you just want to help out, we would love anything you can do. Just call or email me. Facebook works great too.

So now that I have gotten that all out. There you go. We hope you can make it to Cele's next concert. It should be fun and filled with patriotic music. Maybe you'll even get to hear about the plans for the trip.

Logan River in all it's Glory

Yep, you guessed it, another week means another 'fieldtrip' to somewhere in Cache Valley. This week we went up to our favorite picnic and picture taking spot in Logan Canyon, Card picnic area. The leaves are starting to change, the water was flowing, and it was beautiful weather. So here you go, AGAIN. More pics.
I promise, there will, eventually, be other stuff to blog about. In fact, Celestra has her first band concert of the year coming up in three weeks...

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More Cache Valley Pics

Every week when I do my field trip assignment for my Utah Geography class I get reminded of just how beautiful the valley I live in is and of all its little hidden gems. And since I get to take lots of photos for my class, (not an assignment I mind I tell you!) you get to have a glimpse of this beautiful valley yourselves. This week I took Maya (the dog) with me and we visited Stokes Nature Park. A little peace of nature right in the middle of Logan. It was actually a first for me. I have known about it for years but never visited. I figured it was about time and I hoped it would have the things I needed for my assignment. I was right. It was a beautiful spot of paradise inside a city. Almost untouched by human hands. Gotta love Cache Valley for that alone!

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Jackson Hole, WY

Last weekend, Grandma Eiko graciously invited us to join her in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was a much needed break from daily life and we all had a blast. This was Celestra's first time to the area which made it even more fun. It's always an adventure to take someone somewhere you love for the first time and this is definitely one of Grandma Eiko's favorite places to go. Especially through Grand Teton National Park. She LOVES the Tetons!

 The trip also included some great times at the Bar J Wranglers as well as some bumming around in downtown Jackson. Thank you sooo much Eiko for taking us. Here are a ton few pics for you to enjoy and be jealous of all the fun we had.

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Niku Jyaga

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy and easy to make to boot!

Niku Jyaga is a family favorite around here and since I made it the other night for the first time in quite a while, I thought I'd share the recipe for all to enjoy.

"Just what is this food of which I cannot pronounce?" you ask. Why it is a traditional Japanese dish that is fairly close to the basic meat and potatoes that most Americans love! So here you go. The recipe and step-by-step instructions.

Niku Jyaga

2 lb potatoes, peeled and diced into bite size pieces
1 lb beef (types to use include: shabu shabu, sukiyaki, usu-kiri, or stew. Just ask your supermarket butcher)
1 lg onion, thinly diced
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp mirin (pictured below: it is a 'sweet cooking rice seasoning. I usually find it with the oils but sometimes its in the Asian foods areas.)
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped (I use baby carrots chopped in half - much easier and I usually have them in the house)

A view of all the ingredients (minus the sugar)

In a large sauce pan, heat the sesame oil over med to med-high heat (lower is better in my opinion), add onion and stir until just starting to wilt. Add beef, stirring until it just looses its pink color.

Add soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Bring to a boil then add potatoes. Stir well then add just enough water to come to around half way up to the top of the potatoes. Cover and stir frequently.

What it should look like just before adding water

When potatoes are just tender, your meal is done. Pull off heat. This meal can be served at any temperature. In fact, it is delicious the next day as a cold lunch you can take to work with you!

Yum Yum grab a fork, spoon, or chop sticks and say "Itedakimasu" (let's eat)

Enjoy!!!