Family Activities - ABC Game

Until we moved to Draper during the summer before I was in sixth grade, we lived in Kearns, Utah and attended school in Sandy, Utah.  This meant we had a thirty minute drive to and from school each day.  My mom made sure we used this time to the fullest, practicing our spelling words, reading aloud, and sometimes car time even doubled as scripture study time.  But on days when there wasn't something pressing to study, we would play the ABC Game.

I remember playing both cooperatively and competitively.  Sometimes the goal was to find all the letters of the alphabet without using the same billboards we'd used previously.  Other times the goal was to be the first to find all the letters without duplicating each other's finds.

Now that I'm raising my own children, I can see why my mom suggested the game.  It's a great way for the little ones to review their letters (and later words, as we were required to state both the letter and the word we found it in, "S - Store 'n' Save!"), and it's a great way to keep the kids focused on something other than bothering each other. 

And as my personal trek from my home in West Valley City, Utah to my parents home in Draper, Utah so closely resembles our daily drive to school, I find myself looking for letters in the old familiar places.  Even after twenty years, I remember clearly how important it was to be to "J" before we reached the junction from I-215 to I-15, then the mad dash from "J" to "Q" to be the first to spot La Quinta, just to the east of the freeway.  Finally, the first person to "Z" would certainly spot ZCMI off the 10600 South exit, and the next in line would nab Zion's Bank.  With three girls in the game, that would pretty much determine the loser, since there were no more chances to spot a "Z" between the bank and the school.

Sadly, ZCMI is gone, and we don't take the 10600 South exit to get to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I guess my kids will have to find their own "Z."

Grandparents - Gpa C's Antics

Grandpa Casdorph was always a bit of a tease.  We'd often make a yearly pilgrimage to Arizona to visit Grandma and Grandpa Casdorph for Christmas.  I had long hair, and my mom would often put it in two braids, then loop each braid back up to its start.  We called this "doggie ears."  Whenever Grandpa would see my hair like that, he'd say he was going to put to nails in the closet and hang me up by my pigtails.  I would just laugh.

He also played this game with all the grandkids where he'd put his hands on your waist, count to three, and on three, help you jump up really high.  At least that's the version he'd play with all the other grandkids.  On my turn, he'd count, "one... two..." and then on "three..." he'd prevent me from jumping at all.

One summer while my sisters and I were at their house for a week, Grandpa took to calling the whole milk "gorilla milk."  He liked to tease us all, and asked Lisa where gorilla milk came from.  Well, from gorillas of course.

I'm not even sure I remember the origins of the phrase "too much butter" but I know that I try at all costs to avoid having baked potatoes with Grandpa, because he's always certain to direct that comment, in full West-Virginia-accented glory, straight at me.  I think maybe it was a comment I made as a child.

Grandpa keeps a jar of pickled pigs feet in his fridge, and he actually eats them.  One of his favorite new antics is to insist that I used to eat those when I was a kid.  My mom swears I never did.

I also used to think Grandpa wasn't very good at checkers, because somehow I always managed to beat him.  Having recently taught my own 5 year old the basics of this game, I now realize Grandpa always let me win but did so without me realizing it.

First Date - Halloween Dance

In my family, the rule (based on the counsel from the LDS prophets) was that I couldn't date until I was 16.  Having skipped first grade, I was young for my grade and consequently the last of my friends allowed to date.  I wasn't even old enough to attend Homecoming of my Junior Year.  The first dance I could go to was the Halloween Dance, a girl's choice dance.  I asked my friend (and current crush) Dave Dunn to go with me.  I know it was a really huge deal to me at the time, but I can't remember a thing about how I asked him or how he answered me.  In fact, I remember little about the whole experience!

My group decided to go with a 50's theme: poodle skirts for the girls, and jeans with white t-shirts for the guys.  We ate a 50's themed dinner at a friend's house, then headed off to the dance.

Far more memorable for me was when Dave returned the favor and asked me on a date.  As a personal rule of his, any girl that treated him to a date got treated in return.  (This is a principle I'd like to teach to my boys.)  Dave's dad's company had a Christmas party, and Dave needed a date.  I got to go see A Christmas Carol at Hale Theater and then hang out with Dave's family.  At some point, we also stopped by Dave's dad's engineering office, which I thought was pretty cool.

I was fortunate to get to go on both of these early dates with one of my best friends and with such a gentleman.  He set the bar high for all my future dates.

Houses - Blue and White House

The first home my parents owned in Utah was a small three bedroom, one bathroom home in Kearns.  We lived there when Lisa was born but had moved before Michelle was born.  Rather than sell this home, my parents kept it as a rental property when we moved into a bigger home.

My memories of this home are not from this early timeperiod.  We actually lived there again when I was 11.  Since my parents had kept this home as a rental, we were able to move back into it while our home in Draper was being built.  At this point, there were 5 of us living in very close quarters.  We used one of the bedrooms as an office and storage area, so there were only 2 bedrooms left.  Of course Mom and Dad used one, and we three girls shared the other.

I was the proud owner of a daybed, but as a punishment for some offense, I had lost the right to sleep in it.  This meant I got the top bunk, Michelle got the bottom bunk, and Lisa slept in my daybed.  Our tiny bedroom also housed all our dressers, leaving almost no visible wall space.

We only spent a year in this home, but I have many vivid memories from this time period.  They include:

• Meeting Kristin Cook, who lived across the street, and was the only girl in our primary class whose name did not start with "A."  Until I moved in, she was also the only brunette.
• Our dog, Angie, biting the beak of the goose who lived on the other side of the fence.  My dad had to literally beat her to get her to let go, and the dog teeth shaped grooves in the goose's bill never went away.
• Being the pianist of a group for the first time.  I accompanied the primary on He Sent His Son for the primary program.  Kristin and I also alternated playing for opening exercises.
• Mom's black eye.  My mom tripped over a laundry basket we'd left lying out.  She hit her face on the arm of a large rocking chair and got two horrible black eyes.  I remember her saying she didn't want to pick me up from dance because she looked like she'd been abused.
• Picking the "grapes" from the vine on the fence and making grapejuice.
• Fainting for the first time.  I was sick with the stomach flu and had to make a quick run down the hall to the bathroom.  I turned the corner and ran into an open cupboard.  I passed out, and woke up throwing up all over myself.  Good times.
• Telling Lisa there was no Santa Claus.  Not a fond memory.
• Convincing Lisa and Michelle to carefully unwrap corners of their Christmas gifts to see what they got.  Also not a fond memory.
• My favorite Christmas ever (despite the shenanigans).  All our Christmas stuff was in storage.  Dad bought a small Christmas tree, and lacking a tree stand, drilled three screws up through an end table straight into the trunk of the tree to keep it upright.  We used dad's socks (nailed to the ceiling) as stockings, and decorated the tree with paper snowflakes and popcorn strands.

The time we spent in this home was a transitional period for my family, and it happened to hit during one of the most difficult times in my life as I was trying to figure out where I fit in.  I think having my family so close was definately a benefit, and I will always fondly remember this home.

Birthdays - Traditions

Birthdays were never a huge deal at our house, and we rarely had an actual birthday party.  Instead, we celebrated with a family outing to our favorite restaurant and a birthday cake. 

Until it closed, I would always pick "Ponderosa" for my birthday dinners, because they had all-you-can-eat cocktail shrimp, and I think they even had a birthday special.  I was very sad when they closed this restaurant, and I've honestly never found anywhere else as a good replacement.

I generally got school clothes for my birthday, because my birthday is on September 28th.  My mom would take me shopping at ShopKo during the back-to-school sales and put the items I liked on layaway.  We'd take home a few for the start of school, but I'd get most of them a few weeks later for my birthday.

Elementary School - To the Office

My mom taught at a private school, so I had the opportunity to get an education we could not have otherwise afforded.  We lived in Kearns, but we drove nearly 30 minutes each way to get to school at Challenger Elementary in Sandy, Utah.  We would play the alphabet game, practice our spelling words, or read out loud to mom during our drive.

My aunt, Enid Lewis, was the principal at the school, and with my mom teaching there, I didn't have too many opportunities to get into trouble.  On occassion, however, I still found a way.

One day in third grade, we had a substitute teacher.  During a literature lesson, I noticed there was a pencil-sized hole in my desk.  Naturally, I stuck my pencil in it.  The substitute thought I was defacing school property, and sent me to the office.  I knew if I went to Aunt Enid's office, my mom was sure to find out.  So I went to the bathroom instead.  After a few minutes in the bathroom, I returned to class and told the teacher I'd been to see Mrs. Lewis.

Bad plan.

The substitute teacher talked to Mrs. Lewis.  Who talked to my mom.  Who talked to me.  Who had to admit to lying and got in way more trouble than I would have for innocently sticking my pencil into an already formed hole.

Oh how I wish I could say I learned my lesson and never told a lie again.

Church Leaders - Bishop Buchanan

Often you hear people refer to a certain prophet as "the Prophet of my youth."  Well, Bishop Buchanan was the bishop of my youth.  He was called to be bishop as Bishop Kimball (our first bishop in Draper) was released.  I didn't really know him at all, and I don't think my parents knew him well, either.  However, it became quickly evident that he was very focused on the youth, and he implemented several programs to keep us in line.

We started having "Bishop's Firesides" at his home.  All the youth and youth leaders would cram into his home for a bit of instruction, straight from the bishop to us.  I don't remember him saying anything profound, but it was obvious that he cared for us enough to want to teach us personally.  I also remember a lot of laughter after the instruction as we'd all hang out for a while, chatting and eating refreshments.

My favorite thing Bishop Buchanan did was his reward system for carrying the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet.  He enouraged each of us to keep the large copy in our scriptures and the pocket sized copy with us at all times.  He would then ask us to show him our copy as he passed us in the halls of the church or at a youth activity.  If we could produce the copy upon request, he would give us a full-sized candy bar.  He didn't forcefully preach the words of the pamphlet over and over again, but he taught us the importance of keeping our standards close, and I think it made a difference for all of us.

Bishop Buchanan also sang in our ward choir.  One of the moments in my life when I felt the spirit the strongest was when my mom assigned a solo on Where Can I Turn for Peace to Bishop Buchanan.  Every time I hear the lyrics of the first verse, I am transported back to that time, and I hear his bass voice singing:

Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart,
Anger or malice,
I draw myself apart, searching my soul.

When he sang those words, I heard the pressures of his mantle as bishop, and it touched me in a way that only music can.  I received a testimony at that time of the calling of bishop, and I have never had trouble sustaining a person to that calling. 

Bishop Buchanan was an excellent example of how to lead by loving others.  He loved every member of our ward, and I know he had a special love for the youth.  I feel blessed that the Lord called him at the time he did, and that I had the opportunity to be taught by such a great man.

Boyfriend - Richard

During my early teenage years, I was in a singing group at Singers Unlimited in Sandy, Utah.  It was there that I met my first "boyfriend," Richard Thorup.  I say "boyfriend," because looking back it was really a very loose definition.

Richard and I started "going out" just before I turned 15.  One day at rehearsal, he sent his friend to ask me if I would "go out" with him.  I told the friend to tell Richard that he'd have to ask me himself.  He did, and I said yes.  I was wearing a black ribbed shirt with a red and grey stripe (still have in my closet today) and a pair of jeans borrowed from my best friend Emilee. 

Since Richard and I lived in different cities, "going out" with him consisted of long phone conversations in which neither of really had anything to say.  Neither of us was old enough to date, so we saw each other weekly at singing group, and that was pretty much it.  I only remember a handful of times that I ever saw him away from singing group.

Once, he called and invited me to go iceskating.  My mom was concerned that maybe this was too much like a date, but we went with a bunch of his friends, so it was really just friends hanging out.  I also remember going to his house once and playing pinball in his basement. 

Another time, we attended the same Halloween party, hosted by a fellow singing group friend.  When my dad got there to pick me up, Richard called me back downstairs for a second.  He kissed me on the stairs, my official first kiss.  On one other occassion, we were at my parents house, and when he had to leave, I walked him outside.  He gave me a quick peck goodbye.

Looking back, my "relationship" with Richard was nothing if not awkward and a little weird.  We went to different schools, we had different friends, and we rarely even saw each other.  After "going out" for about 6 months, I decided I was far more interested in the guys at my own school, and broke up with Richard.  A few months later ended my tenure at Singers Unlimited, and I didn't really figure I'd see Richard again.

That was almost entirely true except for the two times I ran into him at Jordan District choir concerts.  By then, I was dating Nick Miller, and I introduced Richard to Nick.  Just to get under my skin, Nick and his friends insisted on calling Richard by his name's popular alternate: Dick. 

Richard was sweet and kind, and I still have the matching necklace and earrings he gave me for my 15th birthday.  Even if our "relationship" was really anything but, my memories of him will always be fond ones.

Funerals - Emily

The first funeral I clearly remember attending was that of a friend who died of lukemia while we were in high school.

I met Emily when she moved into the Draper 7th Ward.  She and her sister Tessa were both around my age, and their house on 123rd South in Draper was just on the other side of the freeway from mine.  We did not get together often, but I do remember going to their house and playing on a few occassions.  I remember Emily being a very kind playmate; she was always happy to do what others wanted to do and did not have an overbearing personality.

Emily's family didn't live in our ward for long, and I did not see Emily again until high school.  By this point, we had become parts of different groups of friends, and we did not have any classes together.  Occassionally, we'd pass in the halls and smile a friendly greeting.  I did not have any close association with Emily until we were in an interior design class together. 

I was aware that Emily had lukemia, but she always seemed very healthy and her attitude was positive.  Our circles didn't interact closely enough for me to be aware of Emily's declining health.  However, when I learned of her death, it was important to me to attend her funeral.

Many students from Alta High School attended what turned out to be a very uplifting funeral - the type which celebrates life and looks forward to the resurrection. 

I am grateful for the few moments of my life which were brightened by knowing Emily, and I am grateful for the impact her death had on the formation of my testimony of eternal life.

Elections - George Bush Sr.

The first election I really remember was when George Bush Sr. was elected.  I was no where near old enough to vote, but in an effort to each about the importance of voting in a democratic society, my elementary school held a mini-election.

We studied the major candidates and then made a decision for whom to vote.  We cast ballots in a ballot box and awaited the results.

I remember I was in the lunchroom when the announcement was made that our next president would be Bush.  I was proud, because I had voted for him.

I guess the students at Challenger School got it right, because the country elected Bush as well.

Neighbors - The Taylors

When I was a kid, I went to a private school, so I didn't know that many people in the neighborhood.  One family I knew really well was the Taylors.  They lived in the circle right across from our house.  My parents were friends with the mom and dad, Kent & Shauna.  Their oldest son, John, was a little bit older than I, and Jenny was between my age and Lisa's.  Nick was Michelle's age.  During the summer, John, Jenny, and Nick liked to come play in our playhouse and sandbox.  We would also walk over to Bacchus elementary to play on the playground.

I remember spending a lot of time talking to John about the differences between private and public school.

The Taylors are the only family my family kept in contact with after we moved from Kearns to Draper.

Babysitter- Matt & Jason

When I was a kid, my dad was Young Men's president (or in the presidency) so my parents knew a lot of the young men.  Sometimes my parents would use them as babysitters.  Two I particularly remember were named Matt Cheney and Jason Cheeck.  I remember them really well because they used to spend a lot of time at our house.

My parents bought a big jar of fireballs (hard chandy with a firey cinnamon flavor) and Matt & Jason would always come over to eat them.  I also remember that they would sit in our banana chairs and invariably crush their fingers between the chair and the hardwood floor.

One particular time that Matt & Jason babysat, they used the word "funner," which at the time was not in the dictinoary.  Since my mom was a school teacher, I was taught to always use proper English.  Even though Matt & Jason were much older than I, I felt it was my duty to correct their grammar.  Of course the only result was that they would say "funner" on purpose to annoy me instead of because they didn't know any better.