Funeral, Talent Show, braces...

I thought I'd get another good blog post in the hopper before our big trip this week as there has been a lot to catch up on these past few weeks. So without further ado...

Grandpa Craner -- A few weeks ago we got word from Dad that Grandpa Craner wasn't doing too well and that we should probably get ready for his passing.

Grandpa (Eugene) Craner was a man I had only met a few times in my life -- several early in my life at different functions at the Craner household in Portland growing up. Nothing I remember too much, just remembered that he was a tall man who looked a lot like Uncle Greg.

It wasn't until after Karli and I were married for one year that I truly remember having a conversation with him. We had decided to go with David and Carla to spend a few nights at Grandpa and Grandma's beach house at Cannon Beach. I remember that we met Dave and Carla at Grandpa's house in preparation for the drive there. While there, I was amazed at how much of my personal background he knew about me.... usually people only understand it with the aid of a whiteboard.... but he had the story down Pat... He also liked the fact that I was a journalist and quizzed me on several of the things I had written about until then.

The next and last time I met him was maybe ten years later when he and Grandma drove to Payson for a visit and pictures of all of us. This visit happened after my adoption into the Craner family, so I paid a lot more attention to this man. My first impression is how he smiled like Dad Craner and looked a lot like him. He then engaged me in a few more philosophical discussions in the brief visit we had.

Those are the only memories of the man who had become my adopted Grandpa. Unlike Grandpa Poyfair, I understandably didn't know him that well at all.

So, attending his funeral was a very different event for me that it was for the rest of my Craner family siblings. For them, it was a time to reflect on the life of a man that they grew up learning life lessons from. For me, it was a time to learn to appreciate the role this man had played in the lives of people whom I love very much. It was also a time for me to get to know the larger Craner family and I had a wonderful time in helping Grandma Craner clean up her house and then visiting with her in those few occassion when she wasn't working.

The funeral was truly cathartic experience for me. Here were all these people that I loved truly celebrating the life of a man who had led his life in a truly unique fashion -- A man who appreciated and loved to work. I learned more about this kind, gentle man who taught through example and keen insight.

By the funeral's end, I felt that I had a wonderful new connection to this family that I call my own. I felt uplifted and added upon for being around those people whom Grandpa had interacted with throughout his life. It was a wonderfully spiritual experience that I'm so happy I participated in. I've been to a few funerals. I dont' remember enjoying a funeral that much.

After the funeral I got to have lunch with Uncle Ed and Peggy, whom I had never met before then. I also got to visit my Mother's and Nana and Gramp's grave as well.

Kate the Brace Face -- Over the years as Katelyn has grown up we've watched as her teeth didn't quite look right. Dallin's teeth always looked great. Kate's... not so much.

So, we finally took the plunge and got Katelyn into some braces. This is what she'll look like for the next two years.

Renaissance fair -- The sixth graders at Ridgeline Elementary take part in a Rennaissance fair each year in which they sell trinkets at booths set up in gym in a medieval setting. This event is the crowning finish of a month long module they do in studying and understanding the medieval period a little better. In this module each kid is expected to earn 400 points to get an 'A' by a certain due date.

To get her points Katelyn worked with Grandma Orton to sew a rennaissance dress, built a castle out of legos, drew up a coat of arms, made a medieval restuarant menu and wrote several reports to get to her magical 400 point level.


Then she turned it in a week early. A week early? Who does that? Must be an Orton family trait.

Show -- like I said in the title, there's nothing like a good ward talent show to fill up a blog post. Dallin performed in two acts and Katelyn one. Here are video clips from them.

Dallin, Reuben and Maddie.



Here's Kate playing the piano...



Here's a cute video of me trying to steal ice cream from a baby -- Rebecca Allgood. I almost got away with it, too.



Easter Bunny -- We received a visit from the Easter Bunny this morning. I noticed that the Bunny is getting lazy in his egg and candy hiding tendencies. He must be getting old and gets tired at night easily.



First it was Blogger (here), then I gravitated to Facebook, Now I'm on Twitter (patpoyfair) -- in every method... I'm just here to let you know what's up in my and my family's life... cause I know you can never get enough of us. Right?

Thanks all. Next update will be Disneyworld!