January

Utah didn't see a lot of snow in December but we made up for it in January. Holy cow we had a ton of snow. I loved it and it made for a warmer January.

 

Andrew and I went sledding one night. We had so much fun. It was actually on a really cold night so we didn't last too long. I also realized I am a scaredy cat in my old age!

 

I love when it snows because Moki LOVES the snow. We snowshoed a ton in January and have loved every minute of it.

 

Amber and I went up the Provo River Trail. It was actually disappointing because we didn't realize that they plow the trail for runners in the winter. So we just walked on the slippery trail for a few miles.

 

Than, Erica and I went up to Tibblefork early one Saturday morning. Really early for me on a Saturday.

 

It was a beautiful day.

 

We chose a really steep trail up so coming down was an adventure.

 

So fun.

 

The moon was still up when we started. It was a good time.

Amber and I hiked the Alpine Loop on Human Rights Day. There was so much snow up there.

 

We went a little late and so the sun was down the whole four miles back to the car. We were freezing!

 

The Share the Road sign was completely buried. It was a beautiful day.

 

Another snow storm came and went and Amber and I hiked the loop up by big springs. There was so much snow. It was amazing.

 

We broke trail most the hike. 

 

Good times.

Amber and I also did the Y one Saturday. There wasn't any new snow and we had less time so we stayed close to home.

 

There was a ton of snow on the Y.

 

My co worker Hannah and I did the big sprig loop one Wednesday after work but it was dark and so I didn't document the trip. I snowshoed every Saturday in January, which was awesome.

I have been working out in a class three times a week. It's similar to crossfit but different. It has been really good for me. Anthony joined me in November and we have a good time.  

 

After workouts sometimes I cool off with snow angels in the road.

 

The class kicks my butt every time but I keep going back for more. I have gotten a lot stronger which is awesome.

I watched Emerson and Andrew one Thursday night while their parents went to Mary Poppins at BYU. We had a good time.

 

And they destroyed my house!

 

We built a sweet rocket fort.

 

It was a fun night.

At school I am playing badminton with my ninth graders. It's the first time I have ever taught it and it is so fun. The girls love it and I have loved it. 

 

We can set up eight courts at one time and so we can get lots of people playing at one time.

I have been coaching basketball again. It has been fun to be back. Man coaching takes up so much time and energy!

We only won one game but these girls improved so much. I had a few girls that had never even played before. Seeing them improve is always the best.

After living in my house for eight years I finally hung pictures and curtains in my bedroom.  I also got some winter bedding to switch up the look. It's been a fun change!

 

January flew by. I am excited for a couple weeks off from after school commitments before track starts.

Christmas 2016

Christmas happened. It's amazing how life just continues to move forward even though you want it to just go back to how it used to be. One of the blessings with having a few children in our family is that Christmas must go on, even if it is just for them.

 Sam and Amanda have started the tradition with their family that they open all their presents on Christmas Eve. Since they were at my parents house we did their traditions. It was really fun to gather and open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve.

Christmas was hard for me. It was really hard in 2015 as well. I just didn't feel like celebrating. That was one of the hardest days for me personally while we were in California. I loved that it was on a Sunday. Oroville first and third ward had a lovely Christmas program and it was nice to spend a couple hours focused on the Savior on Christmas.

After church we made a yummy dinner. Ben and Katie and family came to Oroville. We spent the day hanging out and playing games. It was a really nice day.

Monday we went to my Aunt Virginia's in Redding for a couple of hours. We played games and visited with all of our extended family.

 Trying to pass time in the car.

 I feel so blessed to have these wonderful people in my life. We are missing a couple of people here but these people are just so fun to be around.

 The rest of the week we hung out at my parents. We played lots of games. Tried to entertain crazy kids. We spent a day doing yard work and just enjoyed being with family.

Hi Katelyn!

 Katelyn and Andrew in their Christmas PJ's.

 Aaron and Jacklyn got exploding kittens and imploding kittens for Christmas. That made for a lot of laughs one night.

The cone of shame!!!!

 Dan really focusing.

 Jacklyn did not love the cone of shame:)

 Braxton just loves Moki so much.

 Olivia said she needed some one on one time with me. She was so tired of all the boys. We made a Walmart run and I loved spending time with just her. I can't believe how grown up she is these days.

Working in the yard was so great. It always sounds terrible but once we all got out there we were able to get so much done to help make my moms life a little easier as she will now be responsible for all that property.

 The kids got in on the action as well.

 My dad would have loved to have been a part of a day doing yard work as a family. It's like his dream come true.

I took this little monster to the store with me one day. I can't remember why I got stuck with him, but I am sure his parents enjoyed the break. He was actually really great!!!

 Katie Lowry Call opened her parents house for all the Oroville crew to come hang out. I love seeing these people when I get the chance.

 It was a nice evening of visiting with friends.

This is my Dad's brother Pete. He stopped by the house one day. We had a really nice visit. He told me a story I had never heard about my dad.

 Pete is just 11 months younger than my dad. As soon as he was old enough he enlisted in the army and was sent to Vietnam. He flew and worked on Helicopters there. When his two years were up he considered coming home but then he heard my dad was going to enlist in the marines. He then chose to re-enlist and stay in Vietnam so my dad would never have to see the war zone. They are the only two boys in the family and since he was already in Vietnam he knew that would keep my dad safe. What a sacrifice? He said my dad was so mad at him. Mainly because he did it without ever talking to my dad. I know my dad would not have wanted him to make that sacrifice for him. As my fathers daughter I am grateful to Pete for this sacrifice. I know it was not easy to be there and I am thankful for his example of sacrifices we should make for our family members.

Coming home and going back to work was hard but it has been really nice to get back into a routine. I loved celebrating my Dad. I am grateful that I will always have so many wonderful memories of him. Christmas was hard but it was also great to reflect on how precious the gift of the atonement really is in each of our lives.

Funerals

To say I hate funerals is a huge understatement. I think I developed the dislike years ago when I was very young and a family friends little twin son, maybe two years old, was run over by a car. It was the first time I had ever known someone to die. And it was hard. I was very young, 7 or 8, and I still remember how sad it all was. So I have never really liked them. Leading up to my dads funeral I just felt a sense of dread. I didn't want to do a funeral, especially for someone I loved so much, mainly because they are so sad. I knew we would have one though. And the weird thing is I knew I wanted to speak at the funeral. I knew it would be so hard for me. But I really thought no one in the world loved my dad as much as me and so I would definitely need to be one of the speakers. It turns out my brothers loved him too, probably just as much as me, and they all spoke as well.

 I guess what I want this most to say is that it felt like a celebration for my dad. We laughed and cried, but I think we laughed more, which is what he would have wanted. I think he would have been very happy with how is funeral turned out, especially since he did not really like funerals himself. His only complaints would have been that too many people cried and that everything was all about him. He would have loved the jokes and laughing. He would have loved his grandchildren singing. He would have loved all his kids speaking. He would have loved Mikila and Amanda playing a musical number. It really was such a great service.

We decorated the entry way in the church with a few of his things.

 Some things that I want to point out about my dad. He loved to play games. Even the last year when he was so sick he would almost always still play games with us. He would wake up in the mornings and ask my aunt Virginia, who was helping care for him so my mom could work, what game she wanted to lose at first. He asked everyday and they usually always played at least one game before he had to go to an appointment.

He always wore cheap velcro shoes. I bought him really nice shoes a couple of times for Christmas years ago and he would never wear them. He loved his velcro shoes. Anytime I see velcro shoes I think of my dad.

He wore a hat a lot. He loved to be busy doing things. Usually that meant being outside. I loved how he looked in his work hat and he wore that hat a lot.

He loved his family. We really don't have any pictures of my dad with anyone but family after he got married. He loved spending time with his family, immediate and extended, and it was always enough for him. He never needed anyone else.

He loved his tractor. He loved trains. He loved legos and/or any toy that you could build.

My brother Daniel designed the program and it turned out so nice.

Dan also put together a really nice picture slide show of my dad throughout the years.

His funeral turned out amazing. I loved that day. It was such a blessing to celebrate him and all the good he accomplished in his life. I just can't quite put into words how great of an experience it was for me personally. I learned a lot about my dad, from my brothers stories and from things people shared with us on this day. It is a day I will treasure forever. I wish I could sit and tell more stories about my dad and laugh and cry, it really was great.

His family on the funeral day.

 The funeral really was nice. So many people came and we felt so much support as his family. It was such a blessing. People from Oroville have been so kind to our family the past year and especially the past couple of weeks. I realized there is no one else I would rather have supporting me than the people form Oroville. What a blessing it is to have them all in our lives. Thank you to all who came out to support my dad. We sure loved him and I will forever miss his laugh and his teasing.

My Dad

I really feel like I hit the lottery in so many ways with my family. We are NOT perfect, not even close. But with my dad passing away I have felt so blessed for having such a great, imperfect, man in my life. To say 2016 has been hard would be an understatement. I walked a very lonely and sad road in 2016. A road many before me have walked and one that most people will walk at some point in their life experience, having a very sick family member. I cried so many tears. I have been exhausted. I put on a happy face even though I felt like my heart was physically aching. Most of 2016 I felt a deep emptiness in my chest that I just can't describe. I really had to ponder my religious beliefs. Do I really believe that if my dad dies I will see him again? Do I believe that our relationship really will carry on into the eternities? It wasn't until I talked to my mom on Wednesday December 14th, when they pretty much knew my dad had very little time left on earth, that I finally felt peace. I was overwhelmed with the amount of peace I felt. I knew I was loved. I knew I had been blessed to have him as my father. I knew I would see him again. My heart is still heavy and I am still sad, a little everyday. But I finally have felt peace.

I was blessed to talk to my dad on Tuesday December 13th. I happened to call home and he answered the phone.We had a very typical conversation. He picked up the home phone and said, "Yeah, what do you want daughter." Just like he always did. I asked him how he felt. He responded that he felt pretty crappy. I asked why. He explained that he had been having the chills and the shakes. He seemed tired and then said I had better talk to mom. I then said ok, I love you dad. And he replied. I love you too babe. Two things that I will miss so much about my dad is how he always answered the phone when I called. It was always the exact same way, he always pretended that he wasn't excited that I called. I will also miss how he always called me babe.

I am so grateful our last interaction was a typical conversation for us. Him not feeling well really didn't set off any alarms at the time because he has been so uncomfortable for so long.

Later that night my mom and aunt Virginia ended up taking him to the ER. He was admitted around 1am on Wednesday morning. He had cellulitis and a possible viral infection. They got him some antibiotics and kept him overnight. I did not sleep that night. I moved from my bed to the couch over and over. I think I was being prepared for what was coming, although I don't remember feeling alarmed. He had a rough night and while I was teaching first period I got a text that he had been moved to ICU, then a short time later a text that they were considering putting him back on  life support. WHAT??? I work with some of the best people. They stepped in and covered so I could call my mom and see what was going on. At this point Aaron was also with my mom and they met with the doctors and it was apparent that his time was very short. When I talked to them I could hear my dad in the background in so much pain. That was truly awful to hear. I think at that point I really just didn't want my dad to have to feel pain anymore. He has had so much pain this last year. Watching someone you love be in pain is absolutely miserable.  My class was covered for about thirty minutes and so I sat in the corner of the track and let myself mourn my dad. And it was at this time that I really started to feel peace. Wednesday my dads mom, siblings and California children gathered in Oroville. His Utah children gathered here. And we waited.

The next morning it was apparent his condition had worsened and the decision was made to take him off life support. We did not know how quickly he would pass away, but it ended up being really fast. I barely had time to leave work before I got a text saying his heart had stopped. I am so grateful he was surrounded by people who loved him as he took his last breaths on earth. I wish I could have been there but I was given an amazing gift of being able to spend so much time with him this past year. It is crazy how much love I have felt for my dad the past two weeks. I really really love him and I am so grateful he is my dad.

My Dads Obituary

Daniel Earl Brown, age 67, passed away on December 15, 2016 at Oroville Hospital surrounded by loved ones, after a thirteen month fight for his life following open-heart surgery.

He was born on July 10, 1949, in Quincy, California, to William Thomas and Donna Mae Brown. Dan graduated in 1968 from Las Plumas High School where he participated in football and baseball. After high school he served in the Marines from 1972 to 1976.

Dan married Lila May Webb on April 28, 1979. Together they have seven children: one daughter and six sons. Dan loved to spend time with his immediate family as well as his siblings and parents that live in California.

Dan enjoyed being busy. You could always find him working in his garden, working on a project in the barn, or supporting his children in their various extracurricular activities. He really enjoyed coaching youth sports. By the time his children were grown, he had coached 18 soccer seasons and quite a few baseball/softball seasons.

All who knew Dan knows he loved to tease and had a great laugh. In his later years he loved to play all different kinds of games: hand and foot, push, coloretto, settlers of catan, and qwirkle. He especially loved spending time with his grandchildren while building legos and playing with his train.

Dan was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He loved all the people that he attended church with and had opportunities to serve many of the people he knew there. Dan especially loved to volunteer his children to serve as well.

Our family would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who have prayed and helped this past year while Dan has been sick.

He is survived by his seven children: LaNell Brown, Daniel Brown, Samuel (Amanda) Brown, Benjamin (Katie) Brown, Aaron (Jacklyn) Brown, Anthony Brown, and Caleb Brown; 5 grandchildren; his mother; Donna Mae Brown; siblings: Janice (Louis) Meier, Peter Brown, and Virginia Markhart. He was preceded in death by his father, William Thomas Brown.

Funeral Services will be held Thursday, December 22, 2016, at 11a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2390 Monte Vista Ave., Oroville, CA.