Potts Ponderings: December 2010

Patricia

Patricia really has enjoyed leading the music in Primary. She has gone “high tech” developing PowerPoint presentations to help the kids learn the songs. She has received a lot of wonderful compliments on the children singing during sacrament meeting programs.
Patricia focused on more speaking engagements this year. She and her speaking partners created a website. They spoke at the state mental hospital, Relief Societies and homeless shelters.
Patricia continued her monthly temple trips with her daughters and grandchildren. She is wonderful at encouraging temple attendance.

Dan

Dan had a successful running year:
He trained with a neighbor, Ky Lovell, for the March 2010 version of the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. It was Ky’s first. Ky is a reformed non-runner who decided to take up running in order to win a “Biggest Loser” contest at work. Ky won the contest and picked up a tidy $1,800. Ky and Dan did well in the half marathon.
Dan and Heidi trained for the Top of Utah Half Marathon (held late August in Logan, Utah). Trouble was that they didn’t know that the event had invoked a limit to the number of runners (i.e., their registration was too late). Heidi and Dan already had hotel reservations so they designed their own half marathon course in Logan. Their event was even more fun and was complete with finisher medals, T-shirts and photos.Dan successfully completed a work fitness and health program earning $200 for his efforts.
Dan had an abdominal hernia repaired in late September that was caused by his kidney donation surgery two years earlier.
Dan has become a genuine University of Utah football season ticket holder. He went to all of the home games with Doug Isackson and is planning on attending the Las Vegas Bowl on December 22nd when the U of U takes on Boise State.
Dan enjoyed several fishing trips to Strawberry with Doug Isackson. The October trip was the most successful and the Potts sponsored a fish fry to celebrate. Dan also did some fishing trips to the Unitas which he says were a lot of fun.
Dan is still working with the young men. His highlights were a youth conference held near Escalante, Utah where the group hiked slot canyons called “Peekaboo” and “Spooky”, hiked the “Hole in the Rock” canyon down to Lake Powell, hiked into Calf Creek Falls and ate lots of great food. A few weeks later, Dan and other leaders took a group of older boys to Havasupai near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The 10-mile hike down into the Grand Canyon culminates with a garden of Eden-like collection of waterfalls and scenic vistas. Unfortunately the trip was visited with tragedy when a neighboring Boy Scout troop lost a leader who drowned.

Dan and Patricia

Dan and Patricia took 10 days and went on vacation to the Dominican Republic with Trisha and Darrin (they talked us into it). It was a lot of fun and included snorkeling, restaurants, shows and a trip to the temple. The only drawback was Patricia’s injury to her wrist while kayaking.
Dan and Patricia did a big trip in March visiting the Pitts, Tews, Tiffany and Adam and Joseph. While with Tiffany and Adam, we helped them with yard work, went to a production of Guys and Dolls at the Gilbert, Arizona version of Hale Center Theater, went to a major league Spring baseball game featuring the Cincinnati Reds vs. the Los Angeles Angels and visited the Heard Indian Museum. On our visit with Joseph at Fort Bliss, we went to several movies, visited the White Sands National Monument and the Carlsbad Caverns. We drove lots of miles but really enjoyed the trip.
Dan and Patricia received a great deal from the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas and decided to make a trip out of it in May. They stayed on the 51st floor, had a great view of the city and went to a Cirque du Soleil type show called ‘Le Reve’.
Dan and Patricia were able to see “Celtic Woman” in concert when they toured Salt Lake City in May.
Dan and Patricia attended an inspirational motivational seminar in June held at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
Dan and Patricia enjoyed a weekend with Doug and Darla Isackson in Park City in July. Dan and Doug went fishing and Patricia and Darla enjoyed their writer’s retreat.

Family

Trisha gave birth to Parker, our 8th grandchild, in June. It was a difficult posterior birth, but we’re so happy that mother and baby are doing well.
Heidi, Jason and their three children McKinnley, Ireland and Kezia moved in with us in April. We have been enjoying seeing them so much more than we otherwise would haveDan and Patricia sponsored the “Potts Family Staycation” during August. It involved a lot of fun activities including pedicures, shooting, shopping, game night, recreation center activities, family pictures, This is the Place State Park, Hogle Zoo, Snowbird, Living Planet Aquarium, Lion House, Discovery Gateway, Hansen Planetarium and Thanksgiving Point.
We were concerned about our grandaughter, Kezi when she spent nearly a week in the hospital due to a heart condition. We were so thankful to have her home again with us.
Adam Checketts, Tiffany’s husband, graduated from a prestigious international MBA school (Thunderbird) in Phoenix, Arizona.
We were saddened when Tiffany miscarried in August.
The annual St. Patrick Day party as always was a great hit with the grandchildren. Since we have some Irish blood, it’s especially fun. The Tews hosted a family reunion at our ward house this summer with nearly 150 people attending.
We enjoyed our annual July outing to Oxford, Idaho to visit Patricia’s brothers. The horse backing riding, water skiing, fireworks and visiting were very enjoyable.Kezia, our next to the youngest granddaughter, spent some time at Primary Children’s Hospital with some scary health concerns. We were so thankful that she finally came home and is doing well.
We enjoyed watching movies this year. Our favorites were Avatar, Blind Side and Toy Story 3.
We really all enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics this year. Go USA!!!
Joseph continues his enlistment with the Army at Fort Bliss, Texas (near El Paso). He is in field artillery. He has really gotten into longboarding and skeet shooting. His battalion has spent a lot of time in the field this year.