March Madness

I'm calling this post, March Madness because it was just that. Full of the ups and downs with weather and basketball. Although there were some pretty good vibes in March too.

For beginners, March didn't really start out like a lion on the first day, but by the 3rd day it was like a lion, then a lamb, then a lion. Crazy weather to say the least. We had it all -- wind, rain, sun, snow, rain, sun, snow, wind!!

As far as basketball being involved, as you know, we've been cheering on the Aggies men's basketball team inside the Spectrum for the last 5 or more years by being season ticket holders.

Well, this team that Coach Danny Sprinkle pulled together rather quickly, has done a pretty good job this year. He brought on some of the guys from Montana where he coached previously and it's been fun watching them.  We've seen some close games, some loses, some great games, and some that have gone into overtime. 

They ended up coming out on top in the Mountain West Division games as the champions. They went to Las Vegas and played Fresno State and won, and played San Diego State and lost by 3 pts. They ended up going to the NCAA tournament rated as a #8 seed team and played TCU (Texas Christian University) in Indianapolis, Indiana and won, then played Purdue from Indianapolis, and lost pretty badly. This ended their season run. 

 

     

Three days latter it was announced that Coach Sprinkle, who had only been with USU one season, had accepted a coaching job for the Washington Stake Huskies!! What a blow to our program, however, two days later, we had a new men's basketball coach at USU. Jerod Calhoun was hired.

Now can you see why I called it March Madness? I think a lot of people were unhappy about what Coach Sprinkle did, but money talks and USU couldn't match the Huskies deal. Life happens. We'll see what next season brings us.

Dale and I went and saw the musical "Catch Me If You Can" at the Utah Theater on stage. It was put on by Music Theater West, a local company. 

Both Dale and I attended our local Caucus Meeting and Dale got re-elected to be the Vice President Chairman (because no one else volunteered to do it), and I put myself in as a Alternate County Delegate to still have some connection. I was impressed though, this year we actually had people volunteer to fill positions on their own mostly. The caucus was well attended too. Trump won the bid from Utah's caucus. I'm not quite sure what I think about that or about the whole election this year. It's going to be interesting to see what happens come November.

Garrett and Zandra invited Dale and I to go to Spain with them. They found a great deal on flights and had a few connections for a place to stay that helped. Zandra's mom, Gloria, also joined us. With Garrett and Zandra as our tour guides, we all had a fun trip. 

Day 1 & 2: We caught an early flight out of Salt Lake and landed in Paris to change planes for Spain. In Paris we had to go through customs and there was a big backlog of people waiting in line with only three counters open. We ended up missing our flight (along with all the others on our flight) by 5 min.!! So we were stuck in Paris for 8 more hours!! We were going to grab a cab and go into town, but the weather changed and we didn't have the gear to wear for rain, so we waited it out in the airport.

Zandra did some sweet talking though and we were able to get a flight out that night that would take us to an airport that was closer to where we would be staying, so we wouldn't have to drive so long, which was way nice. They also got us a $200 credit each from Delta because the time they gave us to get onto our other flight was only 35min. between flights. 

Day 3: We flew into Malagda, got our van and with Garrett at the wheel and Gloria helping with the signage we arrived early in the morning when it was still dark outside. We stayed at a Marriott. Got checked in, got settled in the room and got in a few good hours of sleep. Then we checked out the place. Went to the beach and realized that we could see some of Africa where we were by the Albian Sea. We played mini golf, ping pong, and went into town and got some dinner and groceries to hold us over until we needed to move on. Even though we were on a hide-a-bed, we slept pretty well because we were so tired!!

Day 4: After breakfast, we went and saw the Rock of Gibraltar and and went through a cool cave and got to see monkeys in a Nature Park area. It was pretty neat. We also rode a tram up to the top and back.

                          

                                                      

Day 5: After breakfast the kids went to a Kids Club activity and then we all jumped in the van and went into Roanda and saw the famous Puente Nuevo Bridge (a bridge Spain bought from Paris who had to disassemble it brick by brick and numbers on the bricks. Then it was put back together brick by brick according to the numbering and directions). It was a beautiful area.

                                                      

We also went and saw the first bullfighting ring in Spain and saw other memorabilia that went along with bullfighting. It was pretty interesting. Did you know that women were bullfighters in the early days too?

The crazy thing was when we got back to our "house" after dinner we turned on the TV and there was a bullfight on! So we watched how a bullfight goes. I don't think I'd want to see one in person after watching how they do it though.

Day 6: We did some sightseeing in Marobella, and saw the Sohail Castle in Furngirola, Spain.

We got back to our "house" and fixed dinner and played card games before hitting the sack.

Day 7: We packed up our bags, checked out of the Marriott, and headed to Sevilla to spend a night. With Garrett at the wheel and with Dale as the navigator we made it. It was a beautiful drive. We found our new "house" and got checked in and settled. Got a bite to eat and went to a soccer game. Our home team lost, but it was still pretty cool to be there for a live game. 

We also found a beach and spent some time there, ate, and did some shopping and walked along the streets.

Day 8: We packed up again and headed to the airport to return our van and catch a short 2 1/2 hour flight to Barcelona. We arrived and got settled and then went on the railway and went to a beautiful plaza area that had government buildings that were beautiful. We also went on a carriage ride through a park and went to an area where there were a lot of pigeons. It made me feel like we were in the movie Mary Poppins with all the bird lady and all the pigeons.

The place we were staying at was down the street from the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral started by Antoni Gaudi in the mid to late 1800's and is still being finished) that depicts the life of Christ through carvings in the stone, stained glass, and other beautiful features. Antoni Gaudi, the architect, said "Glory is light, light give you, and joy is the happiness of the Spirit". We took a tour through the cathedral and it truly made me feel happy and joyful. So beautiful. We got home from the trip and found out that the work on the cathedral should be done in two more years, so in mid spring of 2026. Pretty cool, huh?

Day 9: We jumped on a "Hop on Hop Off" bus tour and stopped at Park Gueli, where Antoni Gaudi was the architect (He also designed the Sagrada Familia that we saw yesterday). This park was just a cool as the cathedral. A lot of tile work was also in the park. 

We stopped at the Placa D'Espanya, Caixa Forum, and the Anella Olimpica, Port Olympic, as well as the Casa Batilio and walked the streets. We even got a taste of home for dinner by eating at Five Guys!

So many buildings with history for the 1700's-1800's. Spain takes care of their historic buildings.

We went to a marketplace and got a feel for how the Spaniards go to market. It was pretty interesting how they display the food, especially the meats.

Day 10 & 11: We said good-bye to Barcelona and caught a early morning flight out. We only got 3 hours of sleep because we had to be at the airport by 4:30am. Our Uber driver was a good sport to get up early to get us there in time. On our way to Amsterdam the Captain of the airplane stopped and visited with Luke and Jorie. He let them wear his hat and gave them a wings pin. That made them feel pretty special.

We barley made the flight out of Amsterdam though because we got caught in customs again. We were able to move to the front when we told them we had to be on the 9:30am flight at 9:15am. Garrett and Luke took off and the rest of us did our best to keep up. The plane had to wait about 5 min. but we made it!! The flight to SLC was long, but we got in some sleep and relaxed. We got home the next day around 3:00pm. Thank you Spain, Garrett, Zandra, Jorie, Luke and Gloria for the memories!

We had almost a day in to let the jet lag get us up to par, then Dale and I served in the CVHC in the old Mt. Logan Middle School seminary building for the last time. The school is going to make it into a after school Kids Club facility. We need to be out of the building by April 12th. I posted this on Facebook : Dale and I have been serving at the CVHC for around 8 months now and will be moving to a new location temporarily next month. We have made and served with some wonderful people in the valley. These are a few of them. Some come pretty much weekly to serve. It's working and serving with people like this in the valley that make our job the best! The even better part truly is those you come to know and love as you serve together! Thanks to all the groups and those that serve regularly (my brother Danny, and his wife, Terry, come almost every week, which is kind of neat) you are the best ever!!

 

I ushered at the Eccles for The Carpenters Platinum tribute. I got Dale a comp ticket and we both enjoyed the show. I have always loved their music and still do.

We had our annual Family Easter Picnic and Egg Hunt at the house. The weather was a bit chilly, but it didn't rain, so we were able to have the egg hunt outside. The kids went on a Easter symbols scavenger hunt, made tissue bunny finger puppets, and paper bouncy bunnies as well as found a lot of eggs!! Jaxson was the lucky guy to find the coveted golden egg that Andrew always provides.

We all had a nice time and all went home happy. We missed the Hassell's and Nate & Diana this year, but it was a good day.

Happy Easter!!

Nate and Diana have been keeping plenty busy. The Hansen Foot & Ankle office is gaining more patients and they are looking to add on another Doctor to help ease some of their crazy. Diana's going to school, working her Air Med Job and also trying to be the office manager for Dr. Hansen. See what I mean by keeping plenty busy?

They were able to take advantage of some decent weather and hike up into the Rainer National Park area and got in some back-country skiing. A first for Diana, but she's a trooper and they both got in a good climb and a sweet ride down! I'm glad they are able to get some time away to just enjoy nature, the company, and leave work at the office and school at home. 

The Mallory's don't slow down much either. Langston and Mazin played in a 5 vs 5 soccer tournament and did quite well, and Jaxson's competitive rec. basketball team took the top spot for his age group. 

Amie was honored as the Coach of the year for the Northern Utah United Soccer Association. She definitely earned it. She's put a lot of time into the sport to help kids love the sport of soccer and become better at it. Way to go Amie!! 

 

Jaxson turned 18 this month! it's hard to believe that we are old enough to have an adult grandchild!! He'll be graduating from Ridgeline High School and plans to go on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He's turned in his papers already.

 

We wish him the best in his upcoming journey. For his birthday we took him to dinner at Sabore's, gave him a little spending money, and got in a good visit. Happy Birthday Jaxson, we love you!!

Andrew's got a son with some talent. Titan entered the North Cache Middle Schools talent show and stunned his classmates with some Van Halen music on his guitar. Sorry I can't add a video to this, you'd love it. Trust me he is good, and the crazy thing is he's taught himself how to play the guitar by watching You Tube videos of how to play the guitar. Way to go Titan!

Garrett's son Luke, played Jr. Jazz basketball and got more confidence with his skills. He also got his dad out on the ice at Pineview reservoir, where I think maybe Luke out-fished his dad!

Where Zandra's the PTSA President for the kids school this year, she got Garrett to help with the kick-off assembly for the Reflections contest. He shared his love for art and music and showed some of the things he has done to get the kids excited about developing and sharing their talents. Way to go Garrett!

Garrett also got set-up and is in full swing with his new endeavor working with Diversified Loans. So far things are looking up for him. We wish the best for him in this new adventure as well. This is what he wrote on his Facebook post: Wrapping up a great week at the office!

* Got 5 new pre-approved buyers out shopping.

* Had some excellent partner meetings and calls as we strategized how to better serve our valuable clients.

* Learned some more of the unique new loan programs I've got access to now - Construction Loans, HELOCs, First Time Buyer programs, etc.

* Helped a client qualify for a $20,000 down payment assistance program.

* Structured and submitted 3 solid loans for some awesome clients.

Ready for the weekend and Easter with my ! Hoping everyone has a blessed Easter and an awesome weekend!

Danica was glad for the snow staying around a bit longer. She was able to get her skis out and catch some new snow! Looks like she's still got it. Fun times!

She took the kids out for an outing to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium with some of her friends. June loved it, Brooks slept through it.

June turned 2yrs. old, so they took advantage of a deal that Disneyland was offering and the family went to Disneyland to celebrate. Again, June was in heaven, because she LOVES Minnie Mouse, but Brooks slept through most of it. The kids were good travelers though and all had a good time. Seeing June's eyes light up when she saw all the cool things, made the trip worth it for Jason and Danica. Happy Birthday June! We love you!

They also took the kids to a Jazz game. I think they had the youngest fan at the game. Brooks was a trooper and June loved the action. Go Jazz! Go Hassell's you know how to show up as true supporters!

To celebrate Easter they opted to head to a warmer part of the state since the weather got colder. They spent it with Jason's family in St. George. Brooks' first Easter didn't disappoint, he's taking it all in stride.

March came in like a lion and left like a lion, but the snow pretty much stayed in the mountains and we did have enough days of sunshine that it turned out alright. That's the way it is in our area, you just never know how the days going to turn out in spring.

Some good news to end with.... The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were able to purchase the Kirtland Temple from the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ. This is big for our Church because it was the first temple to be built after the Church of Jesus Christ was organized and is the oldest temple since the gospel was restored to the earth by Joseph Smith.

Andrew served his mission in the Ohio Cleveland Mission but was able to visit this area quite a bit and at a mission conference was told that someday our church would acquire the temple. Well, it happened!! Great things are coming to pass even among all the madness going on in the world today.