Brittany decided to participate in the Southern Utah Science and Engineering Fair (SUSEF) last Friday.  This year was the first year she could participate, since it’s for grades 5-12.  They separate it into a Junior Fair and a Senior Fair.

SUSEF Junior Fair is a regional science competition sponsored by Southern Utah University for students in grades 5-8.  It was open to all students in about 20 different school districts from around our area.

Brittany with her Science Fair Project at the Regional SUU Science Fair.

It started out as an early morning since she had to have her project set up by 8:30 in the morning.  After picking up her packet, we set up her project, and then looked around at some of the other projects as they were getting set up.  At 9 am, they kicked out all the students, so they could check for safety violations.  Brittany and I decided to go to the library and work on some homework.

Brittany presenting to one of the science fair judges.

At 10:00, we could go back in, and the students needed to sit with their projects and be ready to present their projects to the judges.  In the next 2 hours, Brittany presented her project about 4 times.  I had lots of time to look at all the other projects in the room, and found them quite interesting.  12:00, all the junior fair projects came down, and it was time for lunch.  The University provided lunch for all the Science Fair participants, but Brittany wanted KFC instead, so there we went.  We were happy that Scott and Thomas were able to join us for lunch.

At 1:30, you could go to the Science building for some science activities, or head to the Sharwan Smith Theatre for a movie.  Brittany wanted to see the movie, and it was Back To The Future!  Boy, did that throw me back to 1985!

After the movie, it was time to go to the Great Hall for the Awards Ceremony.  Brittany didn’t expect to win anything, but we wanted to go anyways.  She was pretty happy when she got a package of pens that were being thrown out to the crowd.  They had raffle tickets as well, and although she came very close to having her number called…no such luck.

Brittany (and about 20 other students) received an invitation to participate in the 3M national science fair competition.

We were quite surprised when Brittany’s name got called among 20 other students to participate in The 2009 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.  She had to go on stage to get her invitation.  There were lots more awards given out, and then they got to the Category Awards.  I thought that Brittany might have had a chance here, for 3rd or maybe even 2nd.  They started out with 3rd place, and when they got to her category, her name wasn’t called.  2nd place came, and her fellow classmate won a silver medal in her category!  We were so thrilled!

After the awards ceremony, Brittany in front of the Science and Engineering Fair sign with her gold medal and invitation.

1st place announcements came, and we were shocked when Brittany’s name was called for her category!  We both just looked at each other, like, “Did they really just call your name?”  But it was true!!  Brittany won a 1st place gold medal for her project in Physics and Astronomy! She also received a 4GB flash drive.  Even when she came to sit back down, it didn’t seem real that she was wearing a gold medal!  She had the biggest smile in the world!

Gold Medal she received for her Science Fair project in the Regional Fair.

It was a very long day since we didn’t get back home until 6:30 from the awards ceremony, but it was well worth it for Brittany in the end!  We are so proud of her!!!  Way to go, Brittany!!

To see all the pictures from the SUU Regional Science Fair, please click here!

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Yesterday, the Leigh Hill Reservoir (name to be changed in the future) was going to open and start filling with water.  We decided to go to the opening ceremony of the Reservoir and Mom, Pete and Jennifer met us there. 

Mayor Sherratt and City Council turning the handle to start the flow of water to fill the Leigh Hill Reservoir

Mayor Sherratt was there, and shared information about the reservoir.  Little did I know, that there was a reservoir in that same spot during the 1970’s, however it leaked, and was not able to hold water.  They have electronically tested this reservoir, and are confident this reservoir will hold water.

Leigh Hill Reservoir and beautiful Cedar Mountains in the background

The main purpose of the reservoir is for irrigation for the cemeteries, public schools and SUU.  They’re planning on stocking it with fish so it may be a hatchery as well.  There is a boat dock and a large area for a beach and a park.  There will also be a walking trail to go around the reservoir.  The aquatic center got voted through last week, so that will be on one side of the reservoir.  On another side will be soccer and baseball fields.  This is going to be an exciting and fun area of town.

Cole, Jennifer and Brittany at the Leigh Hill Reservoir Opening Ceremony

The kids are very thrilled to have this reservoir, and they were happy to go to this little ceremony to see it start getting filled with water.  It is going to take 35 days to fill this reservoir up.

Jennifer is to the far left, and Brittany is right next to her in this photo in the local paper.

We got an early phone call this morning from Scott’s mom that said that Jennifer and Brittany were in the picture in the paper!  Jennifer is to the far left, and Brittany is right next to her.  Brittany was so excited to be in the paper!  She said she’s famous! 

To see all the pictures from the Leigh Hill Reservoir opening ceremony, click here!!

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Kids with their decorated pumpkins.

The kids had been counting down to Halloween for a couple of weeks. Costumes had been picked out for weeks, it was just waiting for THE day! A couple of days before Halloween, the kids gutted their pumpkins and decorated them. They had fun doing that, but they really wanted to get into their costumes. Brittany chose to be a Bat Princess. Cole was a Ninja.

Loved the kids costumes this year!

On Friday, when they got home from school, the first question was, “When are we going out trick-or-treating?” We decided to give the kids a choice this year… trick-or-treating, or going to the Hallelujah Night Festival.

We had good laughs watching the kids trying to get bites of the donuts!

The Hallelujah Night Festival takes place at the SUU Eccles Coliseum parking lot Halloween night and is sponsored by Calvary Chapel. Free candy is given away at each booth for participating. Booths include Cow-a-bunga, Simon’s Cents, Plinko, Feed My Sheep, Start Your Donuts!, Cliff Jumpers, Cotton Candy, Jonah’s Treasures (Fish Pond), Stand Up 4 Jesus, Double Bounce, Mountain Bowl, Face Painting, Tic Tac Toe and Carousel of Faith (Cake Walk).

Hallelujah Night Festival – Playing the games – Love Cole’s Ninja backpack.

Cole immediately decided that he wanted to go to the Festival. Brittany really wanted to do both…but then eventually decided to do the festival, reluctantly. We got down to the festival and there were lots of game booths, and both kids quickly got into lines, and did every game. There were also 2 bounce houses, and a big slide. There was a fire truck and a police car there to explore as well. The kids had a blast! They were so happy to do all the games, and to bounce and slide. We ended up spending 2 hours there, and they have already said they want to go back next year.

Halloween Quickpage – Closeup of Brittany’s face as a Bat Princess

Halloween Quickpage – Cole as a Ninja

Halloween Quickpage – I love how this turned out!

To see all the pictures from pumpkin carving, to their costumes, to the festival, CLICK HERE!!!

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Cole – 1st Grade – Fall 2008

Brittany – 5th Grade – Fall 2008

The kids have gotten their school pictures for this year. And I think they came out great, but of course, I’m a little biased!

A "Great Stuff" volcano.

Today was Volcano Eruption day at Brittany’s school. She wanted to have a reusable volcano, so Scott cut a piece of wood, and jig sawed out a hole big enough for the soda bottle to fit through it. She made a volcano out of “Great Stuff”, which is an insulation foam sealant. We had to let it set overnight, with a coke bottle inside of it to form the shape of the volcano.

She saved painting the lava of her volcano for last.

After it was completely dry, Brittany was able to paint it. It took several hours for her to paint it just the way she wanted it. I think she did a great job on it. Then she had to wait for today to set it off at school. She had her diet coke and her mentos ready.

Brittany’s volcano erupting! She didn’t quite get out of the way, so she got a small shower

She took a small diet coke shower, and was able to get Scott a little bit too! She had fun though, and that is all that matters!  Out of all the volcanos today, Brittany’s volcano explosion was one of 6 pictures that made it on the school blog!

This is the schools’ blog picture of Brittany’s volcano erupting!

To see pictures of the volcano, click here!

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Layout of Tammy’s Mom, Gloria Hemenway. She was only 59…So Sad

This is a hard post to write, but one that must be written. It’s taken me awhile to get to the point where I can actually write this out. We found out on September 1st, that Tammy’s mom, Gloria Hemenway, passed away. She had been battling Type II Diabetes for a long time. I knew she was in and out of hospitals, but I still thought she had a long time to go. She had to get around on scooters, as walking was difficult for her, but she was still so young, only 59. I was totally unprepared for that police officer at our door to tell us the news.

The kids stayed at Grandma’s house, while Scott and I drove back to New Hampshire to take care of the arrangements. It was so weird walking into my mom’s apartment without her there. It just felt weird, like I expected her to walk through the door at any minute…but of course that didn’t happen. I know she’s in a better place, and not in pain anymore, so I must take peace in that. She left behind 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

Tammy’s Family – Mom, Kevin, Tammy – Picture taken in 1995 – Mom was 46

My brother, Kevin Hemenway, has been estranged from the family for years, even my mom. We’re not exactly sure why. My brother hasn’t wanted much to do with me since I left home to get married 14 years ago. My mom was able to get him to stay home, once, when I came to visit, and that is how we have these last family pictures.  Here’s a little bit about Kevin from his O’Reilly media bio:  Kevin Hemenway, coauthor of Mac OS X Hacks and author of Spidering Hacks, is better known as Morbus Iff, the creator of disobey.com, which bills itself as “content for the discontented.” Publisher and developer of more home cooking than you could ever imagine, he’d love to give you a Fry Pan of Intellect upside the head. Politely, of course. And with love.

Kevin Hemenway, aka Morbus IFF, Tammy’s Brother

Kevin, from what I read on his website, is doing well. He has 2 daughters of his own, and I wish I could be a part of their lives. I’m an aunt, but I don’t feel like one. The only pictures I’ve seen of my nieces have been the ones he’s posted on his website. I tried to contact him while I was home, but he hung up on me, and then wouldn’t answer the phone any other time I tried to call. I wish it didn’t have to be this way. I’d like to have contact with him, and his family.

My mom met both of my kids. Cole was a newborn the last time she saw him, but was always updated through yearly pictures, and she was an avid reader of our blog. Brittany remembers her as she was 5 at the time of our last visit. Brittany took her death a little harder. When I was back in Concord, my mom’s closest friends, all told me how proud she was of me, and how happy she would get when she got new pictures, or heard from me. It was nice to hear from other people how she really felt about me. I just wish my mom had told me those things personally, but she just wasn’t one of those emotional kinds of people.

Layout of Tammy’s Mom, Her Brother Kevin, and Her –Last Known Family Photo

Mom, if you can read this from heaven, this post is for you. I miss you more than you know. The layout at the top and this one is made with a kit called Spirit of the Wolf that Sherah Kraan made for me in honor of my mom, who loved wolves and embraced the spirit of the wolf.

To see pictures of Gloria Hemenway, Kevin Hemenway, and me when we were younger, click here!

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Well, another soccer season is over.  The kids had a fun time doing soccer again.

Here’s Cole stopping a ball from going in the goal!

Cole has found a position that he actually likes on the team – GOALIE!  Although, as a mom, it was kinda scary seeing all those kids running at my son trying to kick the ball, while he’s trying to trap the ball with his hands.  Thankfully nothing bad happened, and he did well.  Cole’s team was the Sharks, this year.

Brittany getting ready to kick off.

Brittany played forward again for the whole season, and was able to score quite a few goals.  Brittany’s team was the Chameleons.  I think the incentive of getting ice cream for each goal helps.  She really likes soccer, but now she’s on to something new.  Now, she’s trying gymnastics!  So far, she LOVES gymnastics.

On to other news, Cole lost his first tooth!  He was so excited!  He’s got another tooth that’s very close to coming out.

Pumpkin in 2005 at Tammy’s mom’s house.jpg

We have a new fur baby in our home!  He’s a cat that used to be my mom’s, that we now have adopted.  His name is Pumpkin, and he’s very lovable.  Checkers, our resident cat, was not thrilled at all with the new addition.  She and Pumpkin got into lots of fights, the first few weeks.  It’s getting better, but sometimes Checkers still feels she needs to show her dominance, and starts a fight.

Snow on our poor pumpkins!

This past weekend, we had the first snow of the season!  We couldn’t believe it!  Just earlier in the day, the kids had been outside playing with their summer toys, and then it started to snow, and they had to bring everything back in!  Our poor pumpkins had snow-covered tops!  The snow melted the next day, but still… it was only October 11th, and we got snow!!  Crazy!

To see the soccer pics, click here!

To see our new fur baby, click here! (be sure to click next to see the following pictures!)

To see the first snow pictures, click here!

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Self-portrait! Scott, Tammy and Trecia during the Smash Mouth Concert

Right after getting back from our unexpected trip to New Hampshire, there was a Smash Mouth concert at the SUU Centrum.  We had already bought tickets, and planned to go with one of my co-workers.

Smash Mouth!! Lead Singer Steve Harwell and Guitarist Leroy Miller

It was an awesome concert!!  I’m so glad we went, and we had a wonderful time.  It was way better than I had expected.  They played a nice mixture of the popular songs, and then played some rock songs.  They also announced that they are going to be working on a new record!

Smash Mouth – Whole band except the percussionist

Smash Mouth, a pop band from California, whose hit songs include “Walkin’ on The Sun” and “All Star,”  performed at SUU for Homecoming Week.  Last year, SUU had the Goo Goo Dolls.  SUU President Michael T. Benson said he hopes a big-name concert will become tradition for Homecoming Week.

To see all the pictures from the Smash Mouth concert, click here!

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On our way back from Concord, NH to Cedar City, UT, we passed right by the Niagara Falls exit.  We decided spontaneously to stop for a quick look, since neither of us had seen them.  We stayed on the American side, since neither of us had our passports, so we were able to see the American Falls, a small part of the Bridal Falls, and the Horseshoe Falls.  It was very cold as it was early morning as we were passing through, but the falls were amazing to see.  I hear the Canadian side is an even better view…but oh well..we didn’t have much time.

Niagara Falls – viewpoint from Prospect Point

From the U.S. side, the American Falls can be viewed from walkways along Prospect Point Park.  To walk from the parking lot to Prospect Point, take some pictures, and walk back to the car took us about 30 minutes.  It was a quick trip, but at least we can say we’ve seen the falls!

See the mist??? That is where the Niagara River "falls"

The Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York.

American Falls is closest to you, with Horseshoe Falls in the distance

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow,and almost 4 million cubic feet on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

To see our pictures of Niagara Falls, click here!

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