Today was a good day, even though church started way later than I want to go to church. I attend the Colleyville 2nd Ward in Colleyville Texas and I know a few people without even trying. There are a few people that know my younger siblings from the Denton YSA ward. There is one person I know from when I was attending high school. She is one amazing sister! And then there is my SUMO (Harvey). There really isn’t anyone like him in the world. I am entertained by the things people say about him and can’t believe what I am hearing. I heard he was shy and was anti-social. Harvey!! Are we talking about the same guy?
Today was fast and testimony Sunday because the General Conference is this weekend. I am actually looking forward to that! But after church, there was this Break the Fast at Bishop Vanderpool’s place in Colleyville. There were tons of people, some I already had met from Institute and Family Home Evening but the others well, how do I word this, they seemed like they didn’t want to get to know you because you were new. That is the vibe I got when I walked in the room but then you get the ones who are trying to change their way of thinking like that and want to become more social.
For example, there is this one guy, Daniel. He is a super really nice kid even though he did graduate from BYU. We will let that slide for now. We (me and him) were talking about things school, jobs, etc. etc. When we both decided to leave, he walked me to my car, he was saying if he had his way people would come to him if he wanted to know someone. He was telling me that he is this shy guy and he normally doesn’t go up to people and start up a conversation. He said that it would be nice to be generally happy all the time, like me. Thank you was my reply. I would hope that I am generally happy when meeting new people.
Sunday in my new ward is going to be good, I hope.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September 27, 2009 at 1:20am
I just want to start off by saying how much I miss my friends in Logan and John in Salt Lake. I miss hanging out with and having fun with the greatest "family" I had in Utah. I miss the late nights at Tummi Yummi's and the cool people who work there. I will definitely miss the winters; those were my favorite moments the 8 years I lived there. Wintertime with flip flops! I miss the 16 year old high schoolers I worked with in Hyrum and all of the smart remarks. I think I miss the Jewish jokes the most though. (I am a quarter Jewish and they did tell them in humor and not to be offensive).
The last couple of days have been awkward. I am not sure how to explain that but I haven't been sleeping well and with the last couple of events that I have seen or have heard about isn't really helping the situation.
If you don't know. I moved back to Texas to be closer to family. With my dad being sick and in the hospital a few times, I did want to move closer to him, you know just in case something went wrong. It is a 13 hour drive than a what 3-4 day drive to Georgia.
I have been in Texas officially for two full weeks and I have somewhat enjoyed myself, the fact that I run into people I knew before my adventures in Logan Utah and those who know my family. But on Friday night, I wish I didn't see what I had seen. The phrase me and my sister came up with (over the phone) was 'I see dead people'.. I really did, I was driving to go pick up a friend (she lives about 25 min away from me) to go to the movies. On the road I take to get to her home is blocked by cops and fire truck and whatever else was there. The detour route was through a strip mall parking lot and I was going slowly so I didn't hit anyone going to the bar. I looked to the left (where the scence was) and saw a person lying in the road. I didn't know at that time that they were dead! I make my way to where my friend lives and she doesn't feel like going since she just got in an agurement with her mom. Not a big deal, I was going to go by myself. I decided on the way to the theater that I didn't want to be alone when I came out of the movie that I just went to Blockbuster and rented some movies and went home. The same route going home was the road I took to get to my friends. The side of the road was still full of cops and emergency vehicles but there was a white sheet over the body I had seen an hour earlier. I got really nauseous and couldn't wait to get home. I saw the SUV that must have hit this person; the cops were looking at it like they do in the show C.S.I. This road is a major road without being a highway with a speed limit of 45-55 depending on what area you are in. I assume that this person was crossing this road (not at the cross walk) and the person in the vehicle didn't see him in time to slow down and just hit him. I really had a hard time going to bed that night. I finally fell asleep somewhere around 4:30am.
Today when I woke up, thanks to a friend in Utah, I have been thinking about a friend of mine whose dad passed away about a month and a half ago. When I talked to him just after the fall semester started, I told him how sorry I was to hear about his dad. He was cool about it. I was thinking about emailing him and asking him how he can be calm and be ok with it. It reminded me of another person I know that just lost his wife this last summer from cancer. He too was calm and ok with it. But I really want to know how they feel deep inside. This was my thought today (Saturday) until I received a phone call from my mom saying that my dad was in the hospital. He was admitted when he kept on running a fever in the 104s and his legs are swollen and infected. I think it is because of his diabetes and he hasn't really been taking care of himself the best that he could.
When talking to my sister today we were talking about diabetes and I had read that you could lose your limbs from it. She had told me that you could and if that were to happen with dad that he would be more depressed than he already is. I think that my dad needs to see a doctor for his depression, if he hasn't already, and get the help that he needs. That brings up the next thing that is somewhat bothering me.
My friend told me today when she had called to see how I was doing, told me why didn't want to go to the movies with me on Friday night. She had said that she had got in an arguement with her mom about her hanging out with me. Then she told me that she has been thinking about suicide a lot and how she tells her mom how she wished she could die. Even if she was joking, that isn't something you would joke about. She told me that she had told her mom that something is wrong and she needs to see someone to talk to. I really hope her mom is listening to her, I think she needs help.
I am still wide awake with a headache starting to form. It is almost 2am here in Texas and I can't stop thinking about everything that has been happening this weekend. I really do hope that going to church and talking to people will help me through these issues.
The last couple of days have been awkward. I am not sure how to explain that but I haven't been sleeping well and with the last couple of events that I have seen or have heard about isn't really helping the situation.
If you don't know. I moved back to Texas to be closer to family. With my dad being sick and in the hospital a few times, I did want to move closer to him, you know just in case something went wrong. It is a 13 hour drive than a what 3-4 day drive to Georgia.
I have been in Texas officially for two full weeks and I have somewhat enjoyed myself, the fact that I run into people I knew before my adventures in Logan Utah and those who know my family. But on Friday night, I wish I didn't see what I had seen. The phrase me and my sister came up with (over the phone) was 'I see dead people'.. I really did, I was driving to go pick up a friend (she lives about 25 min away from me) to go to the movies. On the road I take to get to her home is blocked by cops and fire truck and whatever else was there. The detour route was through a strip mall parking lot and I was going slowly so I didn't hit anyone going to the bar. I looked to the left (where the scence was) and saw a person lying in the road. I didn't know at that time that they were dead! I make my way to where my friend lives and she doesn't feel like going since she just got in an agurement with her mom. Not a big deal, I was going to go by myself. I decided on the way to the theater that I didn't want to be alone when I came out of the movie that I just went to Blockbuster and rented some movies and went home. The same route going home was the road I took to get to my friends. The side of the road was still full of cops and emergency vehicles but there was a white sheet over the body I had seen an hour earlier. I got really nauseous and couldn't wait to get home. I saw the SUV that must have hit this person; the cops were looking at it like they do in the show C.S.I. This road is a major road without being a highway with a speed limit of 45-55 depending on what area you are in. I assume that this person was crossing this road (not at the cross walk) and the person in the vehicle didn't see him in time to slow down and just hit him. I really had a hard time going to bed that night. I finally fell asleep somewhere around 4:30am.
Today when I woke up, thanks to a friend in Utah, I have been thinking about a friend of mine whose dad passed away about a month and a half ago. When I talked to him just after the fall semester started, I told him how sorry I was to hear about his dad. He was cool about it. I was thinking about emailing him and asking him how he can be calm and be ok with it. It reminded me of another person I know that just lost his wife this last summer from cancer. He too was calm and ok with it. But I really want to know how they feel deep inside. This was my thought today (Saturday) until I received a phone call from my mom saying that my dad was in the hospital. He was admitted when he kept on running a fever in the 104s and his legs are swollen and infected. I think it is because of his diabetes and he hasn't really been taking care of himself the best that he could.
When talking to my sister today we were talking about diabetes and I had read that you could lose your limbs from it. She had told me that you could and if that were to happen with dad that he would be more depressed than he already is. I think that my dad needs to see a doctor for his depression, if he hasn't already, and get the help that he needs. That brings up the next thing that is somewhat bothering me.
My friend told me today when she had called to see how I was doing, told me why didn't want to go to the movies with me on Friday night. She had said that she had got in an arguement with her mom about her hanging out with me. Then she told me that she has been thinking about suicide a lot and how she tells her mom how she wished she could die. Even if she was joking, that isn't something you would joke about. She told me that she had told her mom that something is wrong and she needs to see someone to talk to. I really hope her mom is listening to her, I think she needs help.
I am still wide awake with a headache starting to form. It is almost 2am here in Texas and I can't stop thinking about everything that has been happening this weekend. I really do hope that going to church and talking to people will help me through these issues.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Texas
So for all those wondering how I am doing here in Texas, this is for you.
The road trip here was interesting boring! My parents took a different route than I did and I beat them by 6 hours. I was excited about that, just in case I ever want to go back to Logan for a visit. We (my friend Kinsie and I) went up through Colorado and it was pretty. Pretty boring! I did however visit a town called Helper, Utah. It was pretty small but it looked like a great place to live if you didn't mind living in the middle of nowhere!
As soon as we were in the Rockies, it rained a lot! So from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas it rained! It has rained the whole time except two days here. The two days though the sunsets are so beautiful! I did take pictures but will have to post them later.
I am still trying to find work and hope by this weekend I will be employed. Money is low and I can't afford a tank of gas much longer!
The road trip here was interesting boring! My parents took a different route than I did and I beat them by 6 hours. I was excited about that, just in case I ever want to go back to Logan for a visit. We (my friend Kinsie and I) went up through Colorado and it was pretty. Pretty boring! I did however visit a town called Helper, Utah. It was pretty small but it looked like a great place to live if you didn't mind living in the middle of nowhere!
As soon as we were in the Rockies, it rained a lot! So from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas it rained! It has rained the whole time except two days here. The two days though the sunsets are so beautiful! I did take pictures but will have to post them later.
I am still trying to find work and hope by this weekend I will be employed. Money is low and I can't afford a tank of gas much longer!
Monday, August 24, 2009
something a little more happier
I am not sure what to write but I do know that I need something happier than the news about the landslide.
I am moving to Texas in three weeks and I am half happy and half sad about the move. I will for sure miss the weather here, especially the winters. The friends that I have made here and my favorite place to get frozen yogurt - Tummi Yummi's. Where am I going to get the best frozen yogurt at once I move away.
Ok so I don't really know what to say. I am out of ideas and it is getting late here on campus at the library. I will definitely have to write my thoughts down on paper first.
I am moving to Texas in three weeks and I am half happy and half sad about the move. I will for sure miss the weather here, especially the winters. The friends that I have made here and my favorite place to get frozen yogurt - Tummi Yummi's. Where am I going to get the best frozen yogurt at once I move away.
Ok so I don't really know what to say. I am out of ideas and it is getting late here on campus at the library. I will definitely have to write my thoughts down on paper first.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
What I am thinking
So I think I am finished talking about the sad news of the landslide. I have been thinking about things I would like to do before I leave Logan for Texas. The list changes every time but just so you know and maybe you could help me achieve some of them.
- travel to the surrounding areas in the valley and take pictures. For example, Avon, Paradise, Wellsville, Hyrum, Richmond, etc... I thought it would be kind of funny to take pictures of the welcome to so and so signs.
- get new batteries for camera and take pictures of friends.
- I would like to attend the opera but it isn't a big deal
- I would like to go to the Utah Theater on Center Street (it has been closed for renovations for over a year, shouldn't they be done yet?!)
- tube down the canal
Canyon Road Tragedy: These were our people
I have a friend, John Godfrey, who lives in Salt Lake City and he emailed me this story. After you read it, I will tell you how I felt about it.
But when authorities said that a house had collapsed and there were people inside, the story changed. It was no longer about an inconvenient bit of water and some flooded basements: Now it was the story of a mother and two children in peril — or worse.
It had gone from natural disaster to potential tragedy, and it now had the attention of thousands of people all across Utah.
Through the rest of that long Saturday and into the night, I waited for more information, along with dozens of other members of the news media who had converged on Logan. Authorities told us at midnight that the three were probably dead and authorities were calling off the search for the night. It was now a body search rather than a rescue operation, they said.
As the days passed, the parking lot of the church on Lauralin Drive served as a base camp for a small army of reporters, photographers and camera crews.
It was the type of media vigil that often takes place at the scene of a gripping, ongoing news story. No one wanted to leave for fear that important information would happen while they were gone, leaving them as the only news agency without crucial information.
The reporters were cordial and friendly but remained guarded to avoid revealing information that might give a competitor an edge.
I felt a twinge of guilt similar to what I had felt watching neighbors haul sandbags to help friends fight back oncoming water while I stood by filming them. A young family was most likely dead. Dozens of people were putting their lives at risk to find them. Families were mourning. And my concern was trying to beat the reporters from Salt Lake.
I felt a sense of local pride. After living five years in Logan, this was my town. These were my searchers and neighbors and victims. This road and this mud and even this murdering hillside were mine, and I felt it was my job to tell their story.
As the days and the search wore on, all thoughts were on finding the bodies of the three people killed in the slide. Soon, they were given names: Jacqueline, Abbey and Victor. With their names known, they were no longer just “the victims.” They were neighbors and aunts and students and friends.
We learned grim details: The earth struck so hard it knocked the house 20 feet off its foundation. The force of such landslides is comparable to an airliner crash. The chances that they weren’t actually in the house at the time were slim.
Over and over, my mind tried to play out that moment Saturday shortly before noon. What did it sound like? Had they suffered?
It was my job to ask these questions and to piece together what happened at that moment, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant.
The weather during the four days of the search was pleasant. Young families strolled hand-in-hand past the news vans and cameras and into the nearby park as the sun dipped and a gentle breeze cooled the skin. Not far away, men and women overturned piles of dark and dripping mud, searching for bodies.
On Monday night, I sat by the side of the road, stressed and frantically typing on my laptop to finish an article I’d been working on all day about children displaced by the landslide.
That’s when I heard the familiar sound of a bicycle horn. I looked up from my screen. The horn sounded again as Cache Valley’s most recognizable figure, “Bicycle” Brent Carpenter came around the corner on his bike.
He wore a pink “Veggie Tales” backpack and his traditional ill-fitting baseball cap. As always, he honked his horn and waved to everyone he passed, smiling from ear to ear.
Most of the distracted Salt Lake news men and women barely noticed him pass. One or two gave confused waves in return. I called out to him by name and waved.
He rode by again and again, honking and waving and smiling the whole time. I waved back every time until he finally disappeared around the corner. Not far away, men and women turned over shovels of dark and dripping mud, searching for the bodies of Jacqueline, Abbey and Victor.
Brent’s smile and wave came at a time of death and damage, but they didn’t seem out of place. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that, despite his limited mental capacity, Brent Carpenter is a symbol of everything good about Cache Valley. He’s a traveling salesman of cheer, and he gives his wares away for free. He found just the right spot to bring them Monday night.
Surely, this tragedy belonged most of all to the family and friends of Jacqueline, Abbey and Victor. But as Brent rode out of sight, I realized that it also belonged to Logan and to all of Cache Valley.
Despite statewide attention, this was our story. These were our searchers and neighbors and victims. These were our people.
I really enjoyed hearing what others think of situations. I will miss Bicycle Brent when I move back to Texas but I will forever be grateful to him. He has always put a smile on my face and I always wave back to him. If there were more people like him, I think this world would be such a happier place to be.
I am also grateful for Mr. Devin Felix to write these words. It is a tragic accident that happened but hopefully we will grow from it.
Canyon Road tragedy: These were our people
By Devin Felix
As I waded through cold, muddy streets near Canyon Road with a notebook and video camera, I thought I was walking into a story about flooding and water and some damaged homes.But when authorities said that a house had collapsed and there were people inside, the story changed. It was no longer about an inconvenient bit of water and some flooded basements: Now it was the story of a mother and two children in peril — or worse.
It had gone from natural disaster to potential tragedy, and it now had the attention of thousands of people all across Utah.
Through the rest of that long Saturday and into the night, I waited for more information, along with dozens of other members of the news media who had converged on Logan. Authorities told us at midnight that the three were probably dead and authorities were calling off the search for the night. It was now a body search rather than a rescue operation, they said.
As the days passed, the parking lot of the church on Lauralin Drive served as a base camp for a small army of reporters, photographers and camera crews.
It was the type of media vigil that often takes place at the scene of a gripping, ongoing news story. No one wanted to leave for fear that important information would happen while they were gone, leaving them as the only news agency without crucial information.
The reporters were cordial and friendly but remained guarded to avoid revealing information that might give a competitor an edge.
I felt a twinge of guilt similar to what I had felt watching neighbors haul sandbags to help friends fight back oncoming water while I stood by filming them. A young family was most likely dead. Dozens of people were putting their lives at risk to find them. Families were mourning. And my concern was trying to beat the reporters from Salt Lake.
I felt a sense of local pride. After living five years in Logan, this was my town. These were my searchers and neighbors and victims. This road and this mud and even this murdering hillside were mine, and I felt it was my job to tell their story.
As the days and the search wore on, all thoughts were on finding the bodies of the three people killed in the slide. Soon, they were given names: Jacqueline, Abbey and Victor. With their names known, they were no longer just “the victims.” They were neighbors and aunts and students and friends.
We learned grim details: The earth struck so hard it knocked the house 20 feet off its foundation. The force of such landslides is comparable to an airliner crash. The chances that they weren’t actually in the house at the time were slim.
Over and over, my mind tried to play out that moment Saturday shortly before noon. What did it sound like? Had they suffered?
It was my job to ask these questions and to piece together what happened at that moment, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant.
The weather during the four days of the search was pleasant. Young families strolled hand-in-hand past the news vans and cameras and into the nearby park as the sun dipped and a gentle breeze cooled the skin. Not far away, men and women overturned piles of dark and dripping mud, searching for bodies.
On Monday night, I sat by the side of the road, stressed and frantically typing on my laptop to finish an article I’d been working on all day about children displaced by the landslide.
That’s when I heard the familiar sound of a bicycle horn. I looked up from my screen. The horn sounded again as Cache Valley’s most recognizable figure, “Bicycle” Brent Carpenter came around the corner on his bike.
He wore a pink “Veggie Tales” backpack and his traditional ill-fitting baseball cap. As always, he honked his horn and waved to everyone he passed, smiling from ear to ear.
Most of the distracted Salt Lake news men and women barely noticed him pass. One or two gave confused waves in return. I called out to him by name and waved.
He rode by again and again, honking and waving and smiling the whole time. I waved back every time until he finally disappeared around the corner. Not far away, men and women turned over shovels of dark and dripping mud, searching for the bodies of Jacqueline, Abbey and Victor.
Brent’s smile and wave came at a time of death and damage, but they didn’t seem out of place. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that, despite his limited mental capacity, Brent Carpenter is a symbol of everything good about Cache Valley. He’s a traveling salesman of cheer, and he gives his wares away for free. He found just the right spot to bring them Monday night.
Surely, this tragedy belonged most of all to the family and friends of Jacqueline, Abbey and Victor. But as Brent rode out of sight, I realized that it also belonged to Logan and to all of Cache Valley.
Despite statewide attention, this was our story. These were our searchers and neighbors and victims. These were our people.
I really enjoyed hearing what others think of situations. I will miss Bicycle Brent when I move back to Texas but I will forever be grateful to him. He has always put a smile on my face and I always wave back to him. If there were more people like him, I think this world would be such a happier place to be.
I am also grateful for Mr. Devin Felix to write these words. It is a tragic accident that happened but hopefully we will grow from it.
Monday, July 20, 2009
This I listened to today and I started to cry at the library. It is some the 911 calls about the landslide that happened on Saturday July 11. Take a listen for yourself.
http://www.hjnews.com/multimedia/video/911calls.mpg
On this related story, I looked up on cachevalleynews.com and found this updating story about the family that was buried under the landslide.
http://www.hjnews.com/multimedia/video/911calls.mpg
On this related story, I looked up on cachevalleynews.com and found this updating story about the family that was buried under the landslide.
Crews find bodies of 3 missing after Utah mudslide
LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Searchers have recovered the body of the third and final person missing after a weekend mudslide destroyed a northern Utah home.
Officials announced Tuesday evening they found the body of 13-year-old Victor Alanis in the rubble and debris. The bodies of Victor's mother, 43-year-old Evelia Jacqueline Leavey, and sister, 12-year-old Abbey Alanis, were recovered earlier in the day.
The search for Leavey and her children began Saturday afternoon after an avalanche of mud and water swept down a hillside in Logan and buried most of their home.
Fire Department spokeswoman Liz Hunsaker says 15 homes were evacuated after the slide and firefighters had to carry children from some homes.
No one else was reported missing or injured in the slide.
**The search for Leavey and her children began Saturday afternoon after an avalanche of mud and water swept down a hillside in Logan and buried most of the home.
More than 20 feet of mud covered parts of the home and crews had to use heavy equipment to shore up an unstable hillside.
The fire department evacuated 15 homes after the slide, with firefighters carrying out children from some homes.
Eight homes were flooded and 11 others had damage to their yards from mud and debris. There were no other reports of injuries.
Officials have said they do not yet know the cause of the slide.
Earlier Tuesday, a spokesman for the victims' family released a statement thanking those who are helping in the search efforts.
The family also said it is staying strong and asked for privacy.**
It is sad but I am glad it is over!
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