Category Archives: Clark

Clark, Family, Vacations

Clark goes on the Waterford Interim Trip

Our school has a tradition of taking all the upcoming 9th graders on a backpacking trip together.  The idea being that following the summer, they should all get reacquainted and become best friends before school starts. This year they backpacked into our very own Wasatch Mountains.  It is actually an awesome trip with teachers hiking in everyday to bring supplies, teach and bond with the kids. Clark had a great time!  He only got a little bit sunburned and was able to get a head start on his bug collection!

Alan, Clark, Events, Michelene

Stake Musical

After many many rehearsals, our stake put on three performances of Broadway Our Way; a collection of various numbers from several well known Broadway musicals (see playbill). The people in charge did an excellent job and definitely had a lot of vision!  I’m still impressed with how well they pulled the whole thing off.  They built a revolving stage and an additional stage out on the gym floor with surround seating.

In Fiddler on the Roof, Alan, Clark and I were townspeople (a papa, a mama, and a son). Clark was front and center linking arms with another guy as they took turns tossing each other into the air.

In The Music Man, Alan and I were in the opening scene when Harold Hill first arrives in River City on the train. (We both had speaking parts!) Then we were all townspeople and then Alan turned into a quartet member and I turned into a Pick-a-Little lady where I got to do a lot of fast singing and dancing (not easy for an old lady like me!)

Clark was also in the Freedom number from Shenandoah, where he got to dance barefoot and swing a cute girl around, eventually landing her on his hip!

It was very fun and we are glad we did it, but it was also very time consuming with 3 rehearsals a week.  The best part was meeting and making new friends throughout the stake.  Thanks to all the family and friends who came to see us!

Clark, Events

Percussion Recital

As part of preparing to perform in the annual Day of Percussion that is held every spring, Clark was able to perform his piece Nocturnal Opus 70 by Benjamin Britten in a Waterford percussion recital.  It was a long piece originally composed for the guitar, that took many months to prepare and was very challenging to perform.  He did a great job! He also received good marks on his performance at the Day of Percussion Festival.

Clark, Events

Clark’s Eagle Scout Project

Over the past several months, Clark has been working on his Eagle project.  He decided to collect used and new books as well as money to purchase books; all to be donated through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization to three different elementary schools.  Our ward was super generous and he was able to collect several boxes of books and several hundred dollars to purchase books.

He had fun shopping for and buying the books.  If you can’t afford to buy for yourself, the next best thing is being able to buy for someone else!  During our spring break from school we were able deliver all the books to the elementary schools throughout the Salt Lake valley.  The schools and the kids were so appreciative – he even got some thank you cards from some of the children!

Loading up all the books!

Clark, Elliot, Home Life, Tess

International Bananagrams!

One weekend when the kids were playing Bananagrams, I suggested that they each play in their “other” language.  So Tess spelled her words out in Polish, Clark used French and Elliot used Spanish.  It took them a bit longer than in English, but it was fun and a good brain exercise!  I am so proud of my foreign speaking children!

Bananagrams is an short easier version of scrabble without the board.

Birthdays, Clark, Holidays

Clark’s 14th Birthday

This year Clark turned 14 years old.  He seems so tall and old – he is taller than I am and has almost caught up with Elliot. We decided to celebrate a couple of days after his birthday so that all the sibs could come up from Provo for a family party.  The grandparents came over as well and we had a yummy chicken divan dinner complete with Grandma’s homemade cheesecake.  Of the gifts he received, my favorites were the black dress shirt and keyboard tie that we gave him.  He will look awesome for his next jazz band concert!

Along with turning 14 Clark had the opportunity to be ordained a teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood at church and now he gets to be Alan’s home teaching partner.  Sadly though, his campouts with the scouts are coming to a close.  They were so glad that he would still be going on the Klondike because he is a master at building fires and tying knots. Their troop won the fire building contest and took 2nd overall (even after getting no sleep because they had 7 boys in their 4 man tent and were sleeping on a slope!)

I think Clark has had grilled cheese and fries for every birthday since he was two years old!  Of course he got to choose a Sunday Birthday dinner for when the whole family was here to celebrate.