Tashena Likes to Throw Things

I finally got to go to one of my niece's track meets yesterday!  I think watching Tashena throwing (and occasionally jumping) is a much better way to spend an afternoon than grading papers!  Wouldn't you agree?  However, I didn't actually get to see her do any throwing or jumping because she competed in all of her events (discus, shot put, javelin, and long jump) before the meet started because it was held at Bountiful (her home school) and she had to help run the discus.  Hey, at least I had an excuse to leave school at a decent hour!  Her best throw in discus was 115' for first place, her best throw in shot put was 31'6" for second place, her best throw in javelin was 89'2" for first place, and her best distance in long jump was 15'1" for first place.  That's not too shabby!  She told me that this meet didn't matter because it wasn't a qualifying meet and told me to come to the meet next week!  I'll be there!

Third

Over the weekend my niece Tashena competed at a by-invitation-only track meet at Utah Valley University.  Only the best of the best were invited and, apparently, Tashena is ranked third in the state of Utah in discus!  Yeah.  No big deal!  I think it is amazing that she has this ranking because she is only a sophomore!  At this meet she ended up getting fourth place (which made her very unhappy) but everyone ahead of her was a senior.  I am so proud of this girl!

Note:  We are all saving our money to watch her compete at the Olympics!

District Champion (Again)

I know that I am slightly biased but I think that my niece Tashena is absolutely amazing!  The Davis District Track & Field Championships have been held the past few days and, once again, Tashena was the champion in discus.  This is a huge accomplishment because she is only a sophomore!  Her best throw was 115'!  I am so proud of her and I can't wait to see what she does at the State Championship (she qualified at the first meet of the season).

Note:  Tashena was the champion in discus all three years in Jr. High (go here and here).

Bowling

Over the long weekend, Sean requested that we have an outing and he suggested bowling because that is the only sport that Marilyn can play (we laughed and laughed over that!).  So yesterday we convinced Tashena to join us and headed over to Orchard Lanes.  We got the two-hour unlimited pass and ended up playing four games!

Bowling is a lot of fun (I'm more noted for my power than my accuracy), especially with Sean and Tashena.  Sean is an absolute riot!  Tashena won the first game, Marilyn inexplicably won the second game, Tashena won the third game, and I won the fourth (I was just getting my mojo).  It was more fun than should be allowed on a Monday morning!

All That Jazz

Last night I took Sean and Tashena to a Utah Jazz game.  We started the tradition of seeing a Jazz game over the winter break last year and, ironically, the Jazz played the same team, the Philadelphia 76ers, as last year!  The Jazz have been playing really well lately (we are currently fifth in the Western Conference) so I have been looking forward to this game, my first this season!  Sean and Tashena are always so much fun to be around and it ended up being a great game.  The Jazz started well, leading by as many as nine in the first quarter but then they let the Sixers slowly catch up to them and went into the half down by one point.  The lead went back and forth during the third quarter but the Jazz had their way with Philadelphia in the fourth, outscoring them 30-9.  Utah won the game 83-100 and it was pretty exciting, especially when the Jazz hit five three-pointers in the last quarter!  There was a large and rowdy crowd in attendance and the three of us had so much fun!

Note:  I finished my Harry Potter marathon right before the game.  I always cry when Harry asks his parents to stay with him as he faces Voldemort in the last film.

Gingerbread Houses 2016

Last night we had our traditional gingerbread house party with Sean and Tashena.  We do this every year, although Sean mentioned that when he is a teenager next year he might not want to do it any more.  Tashena responded by saying that she is sixteen and still likes to do it!  We always buy the kits and then we hot glue them together so we can get to the decorating faster.  It is such a fun tradition!

We always have to get the shot of Sean eating the frosting because we have one from every year!  He eats more frosting than he puts on his house.  In fact, he ate so much this year that he had to use my leftover frosting to finish!

Working on their houses!

Various stages of construction!

Tashena with her house.

Sean with his house.  The random purple candy on the window kills me!

Our gingerbread village!

Winter Ball 2016

Bountiful High School held its annual Winter Ball last night.  It was girl's choice and Tashena asked a boy on the basketball team but he didn't answer her for weeks so she arranged to go with a group of friends.  (He finally told her he would go with her but she told him she was over it).  Then, this week, all of her plans fell through.  She had the dress and the tickets so she decided to ask Colton, a family friend.  Isn't he adorable?  He was actually quite excited to be asked by Tashena (I think he has a crush on her).  During the day they went ice skating, had dinner at Panda Express, and then went to the dance at the University of Utah Alumni House.

Putting on the boutonniere!

Colton and Tashena.

The girls.

The boys.

The whole group.

Tashena looks like Cinderella!

Carrie Underwood at the Maverik Center

Last night I took my niece Tashena to see Carrie Underwood's sold-out Storyteller tour at the Maverik Center.  To say that Tashena was in heaven would be an understatement!  In fact, I think my standings have improved dramatically in the Coolest Aunt Ever category!  Country music is not my favorite genre but I like artists who have a pop crossover sound and I like a lot of Carrie Underwood's songs, particularly "Last Name" and "Jesus, Take the Wheel." Tashena, however, absolutely loves her and she sang every single word!  Underwood began her set with "Renegade Runaway" from her latest album Storyteller and sprinkled quite a few others from this album throughout: "Dirty Laundry," "Church Bells," "Heartbeat," "Choctaw County Affair" while playing a mean harmonica, and "Clock Don't Stop."  I sang along with Tashena when she played her hits: "Last Name," a rousing rendition of "Undo It" with lots of audience participation, "Good Girl," "Cowboy Casanova," an emotional rendition of "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (she had to stop to compose herself while the audience sang for her), "Wasted," "Blown Away," "Two Black Cadillacs," "All-American Girl," "Little Toy Guns," and "Before He Cheats." She gave a very heart-felt thanks to all of the fans who have supported her along the way and dedicated Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" to the crowd.  She sang it a capella because she can!  She performed a fun version of "Mountain Music" with her opening acts, The Swon Brothers and Easton Corbin, and dedicated "What I Never Knew I Always Wanted" to her husband Mike Fisher (a hockey player, sigh) and her son Isaiah with adorable pictures of both on the big screen.  For the encore, she performed "Smoke Break" and "Something in the Water."  She put on a great show on a stage in the round with all of the requisite costume changes, light shows, and pyrotechnics but, more importantly, she can sing and she sang her heart out!  I certainly enjoyed this concert immensely and Tashena?  I could hardly contain her!  I often bemoan the fact that I can't buy Barbies for the little girl any more but I have to admit that I really enjoy spending time with the teen-age Tashena!  She was a great concert buddy!

Note: Tashena and I didn't get to see the opening acts!  We hit the trifecta of bad commutes: construction on I-15, a massive snowstorm, and about a billion people trying to get to the Maverik Center!  It's good thing Carrie Underwood was worth all of the hassle!

Miss Basketball Star

This week Tashena tried out for the Bountiful High basketball team and, of course, she made it!  Even though she is a sophomore she will be playing varsity.  The coach told my brother-in-law that college scouts are already interested in her!  What?  She is amazing and we are so incredibly proud of her!

State Champions

My niece Tashena has been on the Bountiful High School volleyball team this year.  She has played on the sophomore team and they had an undefeated season, dominating every opponent.  The varsity team had an amazing season as well and this weekend they made made a run for the state championship at Utah Valley University.  Throughout the tournament they defeated every opponent in three straight sets to make it to the championship game against Corner Canyon on Saturday night and my family was there for this game.  Tashena didn't get to play but she was introduced on the court with the team and it was so exciting.  The Braves came out strong and easily defeated the Chargers in the first two sets but the Chargers refused to go down without a fight and gave them some competition in the third set.  They had a sizable lead until the Braves powered through to tie it up.  It was really exciting to watch as the score went back and forth (I no longer have any fingernails) and just when it seemed that Bountiful had the win with 24 points, Corner Canyon scored twice to bring the score to 24-22.  I was a little bit tense at that point but an amazing block by Bountiful won the set to give them the 4A state championship!  It was so much fun to watch the team celebrate and I love that Tashena got to be a part of it!  Great job Braves!

Go here to read about the game in the Deseret News.

Sweet Sixteen!

Tashena turned sixteen last Friday and we had our family celebration on Sunday.  The birthday boy or girl gets to pick the dinner menu and Tashena opted for Cafe Rio.  We all thought that was a great choice!  Then she opened her presents.

Her Grandma and Grandpa gave her lots of clothes (which is what she always asks for).  My Mom was so excited to give Tashena her present that she wanted to go first!

She wanted dresses!

Sean was just as excited as my Mom to give Tashena her present!

He picked out the nail polish, remover, and emery board all by himself (one of the polish colors is camo glitter).  It was kind of adorable!

Tashena always wants clothes but I am really nervous about picking things out for her so I got her a big gift card to Old Navy.

I put the gift card in this giant bag with ten sheets of tissue paper.  When she removed all of the tissue paper, she couldn't see it.  She legitimately thought that I didn't give her anything and said, "It's the thought that counts."  We laughed and laughed and I had her look a little harder!

Marilyn gave her a really cute outfit and more nail polish.

Then we had the traditional Baskin Robbins ice cream cake.  I hope you had a great birthday Tashena!