Dale and I finished up cheering on the USU Aggie Men's basketball team this month. They had five home games against Air Force, San Jose, UNLV, New Mexico and Colorado. We won some, lost some close games, and just lost some, but it was fun supporting them. The student section and "The Herd" section always show up to support and the team tries to please. A favorite player was Justin Bean, a Senior, for me. I just liked his grit and the way he interacted with the crowd. He was a pretty good ball player too.
The team will go onto the Mountain West Tournament in seventh place next month with these stats on wins and losses:
| 7 | Utah State Aggies | 17-14 | .548 | 8-10 | W1 |
We wish them the best. Go Aggies!!
The Winter Olympics were held in Bejing, China this year, but some of the countries bowed out of them due to COVID and governmental issues with China.
USA did pretty good.
We had some greats, that are retiring after the games:
Shaun White (USA) - Snowboarding: White finished just outside the medal stand but gave fans plenty of iconic moments down the stretch, including an impressive qualifying run with his back against the wall to advance to the halfpipe finals. He's been on the circuit competing since he was 13 years old. He has won 3 gold medals in past Olympics, has won title in the Winter X Games and won five slopestyle titles, as well as superpipe titles.
He ended up placing 5th in the 2022 Olympics, so never came home with another medal. He was 35.
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue (USA) - Figure Skating: The American Ice Dance duo announced plans to retire at the end of the 2022 season. After skating together for more than a decade, Hubbell, 30 and Donohue, 31, are ending their careers with Olympic medals in both the team event and ice dancing.
We ended up with our very own Utahan, Nathan Chen, bringing home a gold medal in men's ice skating. Chen went on in the individual event to underscore his four-year dominance of men’s singles by mastering the most difficult short and free programs anyone has attempted at the Olympics. His one mistake was one of omission rather than commission, and Chen’s 171 grades of execution for the two programs did not include a single negative score. Beyond that, especially in a short program for the ages, Chen had moments of pure beauty and compelling intricacy of movement. He captured both the wistful nostalgia of his short program music and the upbeat joy of the free skate music.
I was rooting for him all the way! Way to represent Utah Nathan!!
At the end of the 2022 Bejing Olympic Games, Team USA, in 5th, had 25 total medals, just one behind Canada, in 4th, who had 26 medals. Norway, in 1st, had 37, and ROC — the Russian Olympic Committee, in 2nd, had 32, and Germany, in 3rd, had 27. We enjoyed watching them way to late into the evening, and when we could. Way to go USA!!
Dale got out on the ice again this month as much as he could. He took Reed McGregor, his brother-in-law, out with him. They both caught some nice sized fish. He went with a guy he served in the LMS 17th ward Bishopric with, Joel Mork, and Joel caught his first big fish! He also took Langston and Mazin out on the ice and Mazin was the only one to catch a fish on that outing. He's making the most of his time building memories alright.
Good bye Utah -- Hello Miami
Once on the ship, we had to wear masks while inside around people, and at the shows, but not in the areas outside or while eating. We did a mandatory Safety Briefing and checked into our assigned Assembly Station, checked out our room with a view, signed up for the events we wanted to attend and familiarized ourself with our surroundings that we would call home for the week.
We went to the outdoor Aqua Theater and saw the water show "Hiro". Pretty impressive!
Highlights of Day 2: Was a sailing day, so we slept in, had a late breakfast, checked out more of the ship, went to a "Name that Tune" event, ate and watched the Superbowl game in a nice theater on a very big screen and cheered on the LA Rams. The Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a great game. Then we went to a ice skating show "A Thrilling Adventure on Ice" which had skaters from different places around the world. I would compare their skating close to what we could see on the Olympics. It definitely was thrilling.
This is a Volkswagon Beattle made into a ball, artwork that was pretty cool on the ship.
We put on our "formal wear" and had a very nice dinner, and went and heard Earl Turner sing some love songs. He's known as "Las Vegas' Most Electrifying Performer". Then we went to "The Perfect Couple" game show event.
We got back in the room late and found these two swans made out of towels on our bed for a Valentine's treat. Other nights we had a dog, a rabbit, and a mana ray. So fun!!
The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization that was located in Central America. The beginning of the Maya civilization has been dated to the 2nd millennium BC. Around the 9th century AD, however, the Maya civilization went into decline. More precisely, however, it was the Maya cities of the southern lowlands that were abandoned one by one. So pretty cool, and pretty old! It was found by a team of archeologists covered in dirt, grasses, and bush. They feel that more of these places are around the area still underground today.
From the ruins we went to the seven shades of blue of the Bacalar Lagoon. We had a tasty lunch there and also kayaked in the bay. So pretty!! This excursion was probably one of the highlights of the trip.
Once we got back on the ship and cleaned up, we went to dinner and then watched
Randy Cabral, a comedy juggler. He's been on ABC, FOX, and NBC's The Tonight Show, with Jay Leno. He was pretty entertaining alright.
Highlights of Day 5: Our next port was Cozumel, Mexico! We found our way to the meeting place for our excursion to go snorkeling in the Chankanaab National Park among colorful reefs and schools of tropical fish. We jumped in the van, and we were off, boarded the boat and out on the ocean.
The water was SO clear and SO pretty!! We saw a lot of cool tropical fish.
Pretty cool stuff. The water got kind of choppy though so we had to head back to the boat. Then we got dropped off at an area called Playa Mia for a nice lunch, and some beach time, to dry off and soak in the sun, before catching our ride back to the port area to get back on the ship. A great day on the water and in the water. The water was so blue and so clear and SO pretty!!
After cleaning up we went to another "Name That Tune" deal about Michael Jackson songs, and then after dinner we watched the show "Old People" outside on the big screen at the Aqua Theater before hitting the sack.
Highlights from Day 6: We woke up in Honduras, Mexico! We hit the port pier and walked through a marketplace area to find the meeting place for our 3-stop snorkel Tour w/lunch excursion. Walking outside the marketplace and then riding on the streets of Roatan made me think back to when we were in India. The streets weren't very clean and the homes were more run down, but the place we went to get on our boat was a whole different feel. Very nice, clean and so pretty!! Oh, what a difference a beach, water and palm trees can do.
We loaded the boat, and our first stop was in an area that they called "starfish alley". It had starfish all over on the ocean floor. These were a different type of starfish I hadn't seen before too. Dale dove down and picked some up so we could feel them. It was pretty neat. We also got to snorkel around a sunken "Steamer" which was pretty cool. The water got a bit choppy though because the wind kicked up, so we had to head back a little early.
We got back on land and had some beach time and a nice lunch. Then on our way back to the port pier we stopped at a place that had three-toed sloughs, guinea pigs, a macaw, and some spider monkeys that you could be up close to or hold. I loved the sloughs! So cute! The guinea pig was ok, and the macaw was a little intimidating to me. The monkeys were pretty crazy and jumped all over us, but it was pretty cool. We got back to port just in time to load the ship. We looked like drowned rats, but we had fun!!
Back on the ship we got cleaned up, went to dinner, and then went to a show called Flight....Dare to Dream. It was amazing!! The props, the music, the vocals, the story, all were very moving. A great way to end a nice day.
Highlights from Day 7: Today we were at sea all day. We started the day out by hitting the outdoor walking/running track. We had a late breakfast and then played miniature golf, soaked in some sun, played shuffleboard, and after we changed we went to the ice show again because we liked it so much.
We watched some of the Winter Olympics in our room and then went to dinner and the Flight...Dare to Dream show again because we liked that so much the first time. However, it wasn't as cool the second time, because we knew what to expect, but it was still good. We listened to a guy play the guitar for awhile and then took a moonlight stroll around the top of the ship before hitting the sack. This cruising life could get pretty easy to get used to. We had a great time. Miami here we come.
Highlights from Day 7: The seas were a bit bumpy during the night, so it wasn't the best nights sleep, and we had to catch an early breakfast because we had to be off the ship by 9:00. We got our luggage and boarded a bus that took us to the airport. Our flight didn't leave until 5:30, so we spent about 4 hours in the airport waiting to board the plane. We passed time by people watching, playing games on our phone, eating a late lunch/early dinner, and walking around the airport until we boarded and said Good-bye to Miami, until next time. On our flight out we saw a pretty cool sunset above the clouds.
We got home to cold and snow (which we really needed for water to help through the summer) and a couple of days later we went to Andrew & Lindsay's for cake and ice cream for Eloise's 9th birthday. For her birthday date we ate at Pizza Pie Cafe, and then went roller blading and played a few of the arcade games at The Fun Park. Eloise got roller blades for Christmas last year and she's quite good at it. She tried her best to teach me how to go faster, but I played it safe. We had a good time though. Happy Birthday Eloise!!
We ended the month on a good note by going to the Logan Temple and doing sealings and then went to dinner at The Beehive Grill. It's been a month of showing support, love, family, and service. Can it get any better? Maybe 😉
Nate got settled into his new office with the help of great friends and a very helpful girlfriend. Even though his office is running with three workers (one being Nate and the other Diana when she's not working) things are going well for him so far, and business seems to be coming in. We hope he can get another employee hired (the pickins' seem slim right now to find good help, with all that's going on with Covid) and that it continues that way.
Nate and Diana took a much-needed weekend for self-care and camped at Deception Pass in their neck of the woods, to get some fresh air and unwind a bit from all the crazy that they've been doing. Sounds like this doctor knows where the best medicine can be found. That's a pretty cool view.
The Mallory's took advantage of a long holiday weekend and went to St. George to support Kennlyn and Langston in a soccer tournament. The weather held out pretty good for them, until the ride home. It took an extra 3 hours because of snow and slick roads along the Beaver-Provo stretch. On a good note though, Kennlyn's soccer team took home gold medals. Langston's team did well, but just missed a medal.
They did get outside and enjoyed the red dirt by getting in a few hikes with the sunshine.
Matt set up a food drive at the school he works at around Valentine's Day. It looks like they showed some love and helped a lot of people that are struggling to make ends meet with the way the economy is right now. Way to go Matt, and Heritage Huskies!
Andrew and Lindsay's Eloise had a cool birthday this year because it was on 02/22/22! Pretty cool! Also, when we were at the Fun Park with her she ended up getting 222 tickets to get her prizes with. Another pretty cool happening. I'd say 2 is Eloise's lucky number.
Their house is slowly coming along. They finally got the windows and they got put in this month. It's a good thing that they still have their house to live in. The cost of building has been quite a change due to shortages and prices. We hope the best works out for them in the end.
Garrett was a true sweetheart to Zandra for Valentine's Day this year. He took her skiing at Powder Mountain with the new snow they got and then to dinner and the ballet in the evening. He knows how to play it right it sounds like.
With the market the way it is now and both Garrett and Jason working in the Mortgage Loan Department they have been crazy busy. Hard work needs time off too for self-care.
Jason celebrated his 30th birthday BIG this year at the end of last month, but Danica threw him a surprise birthday party on his birthday. She had a cool Nike shoe cake made and they did some simulator golfing with his family and friends to celebrate. Happy 30th Birthday Jason!!
They headed south to St. George to get in some sunshine as well. Danica's due date is March 18th, so they're getting in all they can before the baby arrives. The weather was perfect for Danica.
There have been 20 new deaths added to previous totals since the start of the pandemic, means the lives of 4,392 Utahns have been lost to the virus. That includes 223 from Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties.
Recent hospitalizations have dwindled and Wednesday 358 Utahns are in hospital care for COVID, 57 fewer than Tuesday. Also, 92 of those patients are in intensive care, six fewer than on Tuesday. ICU’s at the state’s larger hospitals are now at nearly 77 percent of capacity. Since the pandemic began 33,024 Utahns have been hospitalized. More than 58 percent of the northern Utah population is totally vaccinated and 254,427 vaccine doses have been administered in the Bear River Health District.
In our area we no longer are required to wear masks except in hospitals and doctor offices or where specified. We don't need to wear them to Church anymore either. It's nice to see a person's face again.
All the above was good news and fun time, but we ended the month with a sad event that is happening between Russia and Ukraine right now. Russia started invading Ukraine with the only reason being to gain more power. Ukraine and Russia are two countries that border each other in Eastern Europe. On February 24, 2022, Russia sent its army into Ukraine and began trying to take over the country by force. -- This invasion surprised many people, as it was the first major war in Europe for decades. But Russia and Ukraine have had a difficult relationship for centuries. To understand what’s happening now you have to dig into 1,300 years of history.
This just breaks my heart seeing and hearing about this on the news. Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Ukraine. I truly hope that a resolution of peace can be formed.
Sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine. I am hoping and praying that the Russian leaders will turn to the light and come to terms with Ukraine for peace.
Among all that gone on with COVID and now with the invasion of Ukraine with Russia and the state the economy is in and with food and gas prices rising our local State Senate leader, Mitt Romney had this to say:
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) responded to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. While praising the president’s efforts dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said the president failed to see the whole picture.
“The President has successfully brought together our friends and allies to coordinate a unified and powerful response to Putin’s actions. That being said, I had hoped to hear the President address the investment needs of our military and ways to strengthen our national defense. With the nefarious actions of Russia and Putin, and the rising threat of China, it’s critical that the U.S. remain the world’s top military. And that’s not going to happen if we don’t continue to invest in our military.”
The senator also agreed with President Biden that inflation is crippling hardworking families but added that new government spending is making inflation worse.
“We have got to get our spending under control—we cannot spend more than we take in. Reining in our national debt and deficit is one of the most important things we can do as a Congress—and it starts with looking at our entitlement spending and shoring up our federal trust funds to ensure programs like Social Security and Medicare exist for future generations.”
Romney said a large part of the problem has been the COVID relief package Democrats passed a year ago, calling it totally unnecessary.
A good thought to end on with all that's been happening and may continue to carry on or even get worse....
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