19 February 2023

On Tuesday morning we did our morning run through the snow-blanketed neighborhood. School started two hours late because of the snow. All of the snow melted by 10 am.

 

For Valentine's Day, Brandan and Becky attended a Japanese Taiko drumming concert performed by a group named Yamato. The performers got a good workout as they beat on large drums for almost 2 hours. Their high energy and joyful expressions made the concert delightful.

Meanwhile, Helen and Gibson spent half of the week in Portland at the state DECA competition. This is a photo of Helen with Cason, her partner in the Marketing Team Decision Making and Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making Events. Helen also competed with Mary Nadauld in the International Business Plan Event. Gibson competed in two individual events, Retail Merchandising and Apparel and Accessories Marketing.

Here's a photo of the entire team on stage. From the left are Grace, Aunika, Danica, Gibson, Mary, Ryder, Tayvon, Collin, Cason, Elise, Bryan, Rowen, Erik, Helen, Sammie, Noah and Noah. The team brought home a stack of awards including a 10th place finish for Gibson in Retail Merchandising, 7th place for Helen and Mary in International Business Plan, 4th place for Helen and Cason in Business Law and Ethics...

... And State Champions for Marketing Team Decision Making. This is a photo of Helen and Cason on the podium after their award was announced. 

Helen and Gibson got home from their trip Wednesday afternoon. They had a great week with a good mix of work and fun. Soon they'll start preparing for the international event in April that will be held in Orlando, Florida.

Winter Formal was Friday night. This is a photo of Helen and Chase before the dance.

Ed asked Helen to be his date a few days before the dance.

From the left are Ed, Jason, Cason and Gib all holding Gibson up.

This is a photo of all the kids who met at our house before the dance. From the left are Adia and Cason, Ed and Helen, Chase and Gib and then Gibson and Jason who didn't ask dates.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the temple to do baptisms. As a new priest, this was the first time Gibson was able to baptize. He's already a pro. Gibson baptized Helen and Becky and was also baptized himself for several family names. Brandan recorded the baptisms and performed the confirmations. Brandan needed to meet with a member of the temple presidency afterwards so he missed our wet hair selfie outside the temple.