Scout fun

I like working with the scouts when I can. Scouting meant a lot to me when I was a boy, and I believe in the principles and goals and methods. But lately, I don't have much direct interaction with scouting activities.

Our stake hosts a "merit badge PowWow" each spring, and I had the privilege of teaching a Photography class. The first session was today; the next one will be in two weeks. It was interesting to try to cover concepts like aperture, shutter speed, depth-of-field, composition techniques, etc. Many 12-year-old boys are not quite ready for some of the ideas we tried to cover. But I tried to make it fun for them, and showed lots of example photos to demonstrate the concepts.

It will be interesting to see the projects they come back with for the next class. They're supposed to take about 20 photos and create either a poster board or slide show, telling a story or sharing a common theme. I suspect the quality will very dramatically!

College fatigue

Sarah came over today to do laundry, and brought her computer so she could study while waiting. See photo to the right of her study technique (click for more detail). Yes, she is fast asleep, and didn't even flinch at the camera flash (usually she pulls faces and yells at me).

Sarah is a very dedicated, hard-working girl. She's tired because she's been working too hard, both at her studies and at the hospital. I am constantly impressed by her commitment and dedication. She's our sweet girl! Go, Sarah!

German visitor

Mom had a very flat, difficult day yesterday. She spent several hours with us, but was never quite "with it" and had a hard time interacting with the family. It was just "one of those days" for her. We had hoped the excitement of Matt speaking in Church would have motivated her, but she was very eager to get home and get to bed.

Today turned out to be dramatically better. Much to my surprise, she was more awake and alert, and very interactive. We decided to go through with plans for a trip to SLC. She enjoyed going to Siegfried's Delicatessen, the little German store where she used to work; we had a nice dinner of spaetzle and red cabbage, which she absolutely loved. However, she was astonished at the prices for chocolate and other things in the store (as were we...). The store has moved locations since she worked in it, so not much was familiar. But she was very excited about the food.

The real motivation for our trip was to visit an old friend from Germany. Several weeks ago I received an email from Eberhard Rauschenberger asking if we could arrange to meet. Mom was close friends with Eberhard Senior (whom we called "Ebbie") and we got to know his son and family through that contact. They visited us in Utah, and we visited them in Germany. When Mom had her first stroke and I flew to Germany to help, the Rauschenbergers were incredibly helpful for us. We've kept contact with them even after Ebbie passed away three years ago.

Eberhard came to Salt Lake for a week-long ski vacation, and asked if it would be possible to see us and Mom. Bonnie and I planned this trip tentatively, based on Mom's condition. When she was so strong today, the trip worked well and was lots of fun. We visited for about 45 minutes before the drive back. Mom converses so well in German; it was good for her to have the interaction.

Family dinner

Following Matthew's "farewell address" in sacrament meeting today (see his mission blog for details), we had a nice family dinner. Bonnie had put a pork roast in the crock pot this morning (for Kalua pork, one of Matt's favorites), and Alessandra made a spectacular cake. Visitors included:
- Grandma Kenison
- Adam, Alessandra, and Andrew Wortmann
- Dave & Sarah DeLong
- Julie DeLong and Alex Mic-Podar
- Sam Cannon
- Ken Plaizier (one of my dearest mission companions)
and of course,
- Sarah Kenison and Brian Wright
- Matthew, Bonnie, David Kenison

Rocky Mountain High

Matt had the day off from work, so I took a vacation day and we headed for the mountains — Park City, to be specific. There was new snow earlier in the week, but today was crisp and bright — one of those perfect Utah ski days we wait for all season! The skies were blue, the snow was soft and light, and the air was so clear. Since it was still midweek the lines were very short and we had an unbelievable day. Matt commented it was the best ski day he's ever had.

We did recognize it was only a few weeks before his mission, and not wanting to cause complications with an injury, we played it pretty conservative. But we certainly had a blast. It's nice to have some father/son bonding like this.

Click on the photos below to view enlarged versions:



This final image is classic Matt. He has always loved striking out into the trees and being adventurous — and hopefully avoiding "close encounters" with pine trees at high speeds!


Video of Matt's fine technique:

Video of spectacular scenery high on Park City's ridge:

Exploring in the trees:

"My boy"

We're blessed in many ways to be near my mother and be able to give her support and encouragement as she deals with issues related to aging. I visit with her daily, but in addition, we often go to visit as a family on Sunday afternoons following meetings. She seems to really look forward to those visits. Matt and I went over this afternoon, and while we were there, Sarah and Brian came. We enjoyed a really nice chat. Mom loves to talk with Sarah and Brian, and tells Brian that she remembers me saying I really like him (no secrets with her around!). I didn't get a photo of the two lovebirds, but Mom told me later some of the ladies downstairs commented how they always seem to be holding hands!

Mom also has a special attachment to Matt. She calls him "my boy" — "How is my boy? What is my boy doing today?" I remember how much Oma doted on me when I was preparing for my mission, and see some of that reflected in Mom's feelings for Matt. They are cute together.

At one point during our visit, Mom started talking about her German name "Doreanne" and its origins. We got her to talk a little more about her youth in Germany as well, and a few other miscellaneous topics. Click the photo below for a link to the Google Video of the conversation.

Happy Valentine's Day

So maybe it's an artificial tradition foisted on us by commercialized interests in the floral, restaurant, and greeting card businesses. But Valentine's Day can be a good opportunity to reflect on the blessings of those we love and the joy they bring to our lives.

Bonnie fixed me an omelet for breakfast and then we enjoyed a pretty normal Saturday, but after Matt left for work (busy day at Los Hermanos for him), things quieted down. I enjoy fixing dinner when I have time, and today was an ideal day to experiment. I made almond-encrusted halibut, wild rice, asparagus with balsamic vinegar (yum), spinach and fresh raspberries salad, and crescent rolls. We enjoyed sharing the meal by candlelight — how romantic!

Bonnie and I enjoyed the dinner, then watched a movie on TV together. It was a delightfully pleasant evening to share, and a great chance to appreciate each other. I'm so very grateful for my sweetie and her part in my life! But I don't have enough chances to show that appreciation. We realized that we'll soon have many more opportunities for this kind of thing, since we're now down to less than a month until "MTC Day."

Love and unity across the miles

Today was a bit of an emotional day for the family. My sister Doris had surgery at the UCLA Medical Center for her brain tumor, which was discovered almost by accident in November. Doris has had epileptic seizures since her teenage years, usually controlled with medication. With some additional recent symptoms, her neurologist suggested she have an MRI of her brain (having passed many years since the last one), and the tumor was discovered. They said it's quite large as brain tumors go, and was technically a pituitary adenoma — almost certainly benign, but without treatment it would probably make her blind eventually.

The astonishing surgical procedure attempts to remove the tumor her nose and the roof of her mouth, leaving no visible scar. The consistency of the tumor tissue makes a big difference; the "cottage cheese" type is the best, and the "rubber" variety has a much higher risk of damage to the meninges and associated complications. So we had much to pray and hope for.

Many of the members of the family joined in fasting and prayer. It was a wonderful thing to contemplate, joining in that spiritual endeavor across the miles, and gave me an even greater appreciation for my wonderful family. In addition, Bonnie and I were able to take Matt back to the temple for a second visit during the time Doris was in surgery.

We came out from the temple in the early afternoon and there was still no report; but a while later, the good news came. It was a cottage-cheese-type tumor, and the surgeons were very positive about getting most or all of it out during the 5-hour procedure. There were only minor complications with some spinal fluid leakage which they were able to control. They'll be monitoring things closely for the next few days, but it looks like we have much to be grateful for!

Judy noted that each of us siblings have dealt with some challenging issues — Judy: hemangioma surgery; Chris: ruptured uterus; Dave: cancer and glaucoma; Doris: pituitary tumor; Angie: thyroid cancer. But we've all been blessed and still have much life ahead of us!

Fading Fun Family Tradition

The first Saturday in February is supposedly "National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day" — a lesser known but very significant holiday. The Kenison family (already well-known for their love of ice cream) thought it was an excellent idea, and has joined in the celebration for a number of years. The kids have had fun inviting all their friends to join us, and we've had some lively Saturday morning celebrations in past years.

Now Sarah has moved out, and she took the tradition with her; I was pleased and proud to hear she held a party in her apartment with a good gathering of friends. She forgot to take photos, though, so I guess I didn't train her quite as well as I should have! :-)

Meanwhile, "back at the ranch," I talked through the week with Matt about having his friends come over on Saturday morning. He "texted" a bunch of invitations and had positive responses from a number of friends, some of whom have been with us for the party in past years. I got up early and went shopping to make sure we were prepared with the necessary supplies:


There were at least four or five more varieties of ice cream in the freezer in addition to the ones shown; we always make sure to have a great selection.

Unfortunately, there were complications. Matt had to stay up pretty late with work and helping a friend with a personal issue; so he wasn't very able to get up at 8:00 a.m. as planned. And I guess either he was not clear about the invitation, or else his friends stayed home waiting for confirmation — no one showed up!

Bonnie's diet gave her courage to resist, but I was not willing to let the tradition die, so I had a delicious one-man party of my own.