Family
Click on one of the categories below to see news, photos or information on family history. I'm constantly adding more of my family history files to the site. Right now I have my research on the Scott family posted, with a complete genealogy coming soon.
In the past Thanksgiving has been a time to see family and experience the typical flurry of holiday activity. This year, both sets of parents are out of town and we had a quiet meal at home in Bonners Ferry. It was very nice, especially in contrast to the busy and sometimes stressful events of the last few months.
We started the day off with a community football game at the park. Miraculously, no one was injured, and despite not having played football for about two years, I completed several passes (and was foiled once by an interception). Nadine played her first and probably last American football game, which she characterized as "boring". I had to agree with the assessment. American football is strongest as a game of strategy and fast, short bursts of activity. However, the constant stopping and starting, with most of the game spent standing around, gets a little tiresome. I still stand firmly behind the opinion that soccer is the noblest of sports, but that is mostly based on the fact that I am horrible at other popular athletic activities (read basketball, baseball and football). Soccer is suited to my physical style: lots of running requiring deep endurance, plus constant vigilance and foresight in terms of strategy. I like the fact that soccer is a fluid game in which offensive and defensive moves continue in a steady stream, with little letup in the action. In contrast, football does seem a bit dull.
This morning we took the family on a hike up to Myrtle Creek and the small dam that provides our town's water supply. It was about 18 degrees when we set out, probably the coldest morning we've seen this season. Everyone was bundled up, including Madeleine in her pink snowsuit. The boys and Uncle Matthew broke the ice in every puddle on the way to the dam, and had a good time seeing who would be the first to break the creek ice with a rock. Nadine has been making holiday wreaths and we spent some time collecting materials so she can sell some wreaths at the upcoming craft fair.
This evening we went downtown for the arrival of Santa Claus. He pulled up to the curb in a firetruck and all the kids lined up for a chance to meet the big man. I sang a few songs with our quintet (quartet tonight... one person couldn't make it). I had to take off my gloves to work the pitch pipe and turn pages, and after only four songs my fingers were numb. Luckily we went to the library afterward and warmed up. Our community choir performance is coming up, and Kayla and I have a duet in one of the songs. This is the first year she's been able to join the choir and it's been fun singing with her.
Tomorrow it's back to life as usual... I have homework to finish and lots of projects around the house. The holiday has been good while it lasted.
November 23rd, 2007
Here are some photos from this month. Jeremiah had his birthday and we've enjoyed lots of hiking as the weather has cooled and there's less to do in the garden. No snow yet... check back at Thanksgiving!
November 4th, 2007
Saturday I couldn't face doing homework, so we went on a family outing to Kootenai Falls, Montana. The trailhead is right off the highway about 45 minutes from our house. We arrived early in the morning to a very cold and frosty day. Madeleine was bundled up about as warm as she could be in her new snowsuit, ready for winter.
The hike is interesting and short, two essential elements for any successful family adventure. You first descend down a steep slope to the railroad tracks, where there is a caged bridge that takes you up some metal stairs and down the other side. Then comes the footbridge, a la Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, minus the crocodiles. Crossing that bridge is just about the most unsettling thing I've done on a hike. I can handle steep hills and drop-offs, but a bridge that sways in the wind and, if broken, would hurtle you hundreds of feet below to churning frozen waters is right at my limit.
We continued on to hike up the slope of the valley, where we got some good views of the lower part of the falls.
Pictures are on our Picasa site or in the slideshow below.
October 28th, 2007
Occasionally I visit the website of the Gresham Outlook, the paper in Gresham Oregon where I went to school. I often find news of people I knew from Oregon, most of which is not happy (newspapers aren't the best place to find positive news).
This morning I read that Drew Jensen, a kid I knew in school, had died of injuries sustained on duty in Iraq. Drew was the younger brother of a friend of mine, Shane Jensen. Shane and I had French class together for two or three years, plus a shared history at Damascus Middle School.
Drew was a captain in the infantry. He was shot in the neck by a sniper while attempting to help a fellow soldier after a road-side bomb explosion. After several months in a hospital, he asked to be taken off life support and passed away September 7, 2007.
There was a great article in the Seattle Times about Drew. The eighth-grade history teacher mentioned in the article was Stephen Corkett, who was also a very big influence on my early interest in history and military strategy.
The family also set up a site about Drew here.
October 22nd, 2007
My dad passed away on October 4th in Spokane, Washington. Here are the pictures from the funeral.
Here's the obituary that ran in the paper (with a few minor corrections):
SCOTT, Phillip John
Passed away October 4, 2007 from complications of leukemia. He was born July 4, 1941 at his grandparents' house in Annis, Idaho. Most of his adult life was spent working for LDS Family Services, a private social service agency. His work was very respected by many. After a brief early marriage, he married Julie Ann Stoddard on March 12, 1966. They were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple on May 11, 1967. Phillip was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was a very faithful servant until the end. He was also a dedicated and loving husband and father. He and Julie were married for 41 years and had eight children: Andrew, Nathan, Jonathan, Amy, James, Matthew, Ryan and David. He also had two children by his previous marriage, Cindy and Phillip Jr. He is survived by 32 grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by his children and all who knew him. He has gone on to a glorious place to continue serving his Savior and rejoin his parents and loved ones. Those of us left behind will sorrow at his passing but take joy in his memory.
October 14th, 2007
The last few months have been hard on my dad. He has lived with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) for more than ten years. The disease causes a very slow deterioration of the person's ability to fight infection. Dad has been in and out of the hospital with various infections for a while now. A week ago he went in the hospital again, but this time none of the drugs the doctors prescribed had much effect. By mid-week they said it would be his last struggle, and most of the family made it back to visit with him this last weekend. They've stopped several of his drugs and now it's just a matter of keeping him comfortable.
Coming as this has on the heels of my sister-in-law's funeral three weeks ago, I feel like our family has had quite a dose of cold reality lately. The first couple of days in the hospital with dad were hard for me, but I seem to have run the course and now feel a little more comfortable saying goodbye. I'm really glad we had the chance to move closer to him during the last three years; there are so many memories made during that time that we would have missed out on had we stayed in the Midwest. My two oldest children will have memories of grandpa reading them stories and taking them out on the boat, and that is something that they will treasure forever.
October 1st, 2007
It's been over a month since I started my MBA program with the University of Idaho. I never thought I'd be working full time while attending graduate school, so it's been interesting to see how my lifestyle has had to adjust to these demands on my time.
The first thing I'll say is that I haven't seen a lot of my garden for the last month. Granted, autumn is descending and there isn't as much to do outside, but most nights I am putting in at least two or three hours of study, leaving little time for puttering around the yard. My wall project (started last autumn) hasn't moved an inch since June, and it looks doubtful that I'll have much time for it before the ground freezes this year. Choir also started up in September, so now two of my nights each week are spent rehearsing. Luckily, soccer is over (until after Thanksgiving) and I've been able to dedicate some weekend hours to catching up on homework.
One of my strategies for dealing with the increased insanity is to pare down scheduled events to their bare minimum attendance. For instance, last night we had an orientation for some local exchange students (including Nadine), so I dropped by and visited with the group for about half an hour, then went home and hit the books. It's amazing how much you can get done if you don't stay for the whole activity. That's what my life is like right now: bite-sized pieces of activities that used to take up whole evenings.
September 22nd, 2007
Last weekend we drove down to Utah for the funeral of my sister in law, Kim. She was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. She and my brother Matthew have been living at her parent's house with their two small children. The funeral was a very draining experience, but as the weekend wore on I gained a measure of peace about the situation. It's hard to see my brother go through this, and difficult to know what I can do to help him.
All of my immediate family and many friends of the family attended the funeral in Kim's home town. It was amazing to see the entire church filled with her relatives and others who knew her.
Below are some photos that Kayla took during the trip. Click here to see all the photos.
September 19th, 2007
We're hosting an exchange student this year: Nadine from Germany. She arrived early in August and has been a great addition to our family. It's always a little unnerving to invite someone to live in your home for a year that you don't know, other than from a student profile. But so far we've had a lot of great experiences with the exchange students that have stayed with us (Nadine is the third). She's been enjoying the summer and is ready to start her first day of American high school tomorrow.
September 3rd, 2007
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