A Fond Farewell...

For all you sports fans & Utah Jazz enthusiasts, yesterday's news of Jerry Sloan's retirement was quite a shock. After hearing all the reports & watching the press conference, I felt at a loss for words. No way could this guy quit mid-season. The Jazz were in a slump but would surely grind it out to get to the playoffs & make some sort of run.
That's what Coach Sloan was known for. Regardless of the lack of star talent, he had a plan for any basketball team he was given. He was best known for coaching 2 Hall of Famers, John Stockton & Karl Malone, and making it to the Finals twice. If it weren't for losing to Michael Jordan, Sloan would surely have 2 championship rings.
Jerry Sloan was the longest-tenured coach in all of the 4 major sports. The Utah Jazz will have some rough road ahead. Amidst the drama & speculation, Coach Sloan left on his own terms with loyalty & determination as his calling cards. He will be sorely missed.

Jazz Beat the Bobcats, 83-78

Brian & I got the chance to visit EnergySolutions Arena last night. Luckily, we had a good show with our team winning (it's been a rough week, Jazz fans). Yes, D-Will was out, but we had a chance to see Jefferson, Millsap, and the rest of the team up close. We were about 17 rows from the floor so it was a nice view! The Jazz did like to make things interesting for us all. They turned the ball over way too much (Millsap missed a few catches) and somehow Charlotte was tied with us in the last minute or so. But a win is a win, right? Here's hoping they can keep it going until playoffs. It would be so nice to move up a few spots and not have to face San Antonio or Los Angeles right off the bat. Sidenote: One of the biggest cheers came after the Jumbotron showed Jimmer Fredette sitting in the audience. Poor guy had to escape early to avoid being mobbed.

Success!!! (& Other Thoughts)

After a week of practicing & trying to remember how to sight read crazy chords, the duet came off beautifully. My viola player missed her intro, but I made it work. I don't think anyone noticed (that's how you know you're good). Next month, we have a missionary homecoming which the family will be doing the music. Then we have an 8-year-old who volunteered to play for our ward. How cool is that? I'm home free till March.

Sundays are great because I get to sleep in & then make us some "real" breakfast. Cereal (or chili for Brian) during the weekday mornings isn't as satisfying. But the 1 o'clock church kills me cause the day/night is totally gone! Oh, well. I guess we are doing our duties & focusing our energies on the spiritual things, but I'd love a little more home time. Plus, poor Lily's schedule gets all off balance which leads to up-all-night fidgeting & cranky Monday mornings for us. So sleepy...

THIS...Is Why We Practice!!!

As the music coordinator for sacrament meeting, I am asked to arrange musical numbers for the year. So far, I've had pretty good luck. The Young Women have done a few songs plus some other families in the ward have willingly participated (who knew, right?). Next week, Annie & I are doing a viola/piano duet of "Redeemer of Israel." Great song, but this arrangement is NOT cool. Lots of chords, sharps & no melody. That's probably up in her line. Dang! My sight-reading is still pretty good but not having my own practice time is starting to show. I can still get by in Primary okay. But this is another monster all together. I will battle through this week & practice, practice, practice!