Max's Senior Night for Basketball

     What an amazing season it was for Heritage Basketball.  It didn't turn out the way we had hoped but we are just so glad that Max could be part of this team.  Their final record was 16-3 and they ended the year ranked #20 in the whole state of AZ.  Not bad for a little charter school in Mesa.  Here's some highlights of the season:

The team at an ASU game

Mrs. Campos

SENIOR NIGHT:  This game was just THE BEST!!!  There was just amazing energy there from the team and fans.  At the end of the first quarter, Heritage was up 24-0.  Needless to say, they won this game:)

Riley H. (Theatre friend)

Heritage Basketball Seniors--9 of them!

Cole & Dad (Max's piano student)

Aiden G., Jackson G., & Bro. Ellsworth

Ryan & Annie C. 

Ricky & Julia P.

Hamlet G.

Hewitt P.

Branch Boys

BASKETBALL BANQUET:  Max received the "Heart Award."  He was definitely the energy and soul of the team.  

Seniors & Caleb (the manager)

Carlie's Junior Recital

     Chris & I flew out to Provo for Carlie's Junior recital.  BYU is currently building a new Fine Arts Hall and the construction has fallen behind schedule.  Concerts have been canceled/rescheduled multiple times because of this.  But it turned out okay because the BYU Philharmonic had a concert this same weekend--which was supposed to be a few weeks before but got rescheduled to this weekend and moved to the old Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.  We didn't find out about this until after our airline tickets were purchased.  So Carlie left her car at the Provo airport for us, we flew in that night, found her car and headed straight up to Salt Lake City.  We caught about half of the concert of Beethoven's 9th Symphony and it was SPECTACULAR and completely FILLED--we had to go over to the overflow chapel nearby!  Carlie was the Principal oboist for this concert and THEN had her Junior recital the next day--exhausting weekend to say the least.  

Carlie & Geralyn G. (BYU Oboe Professor)

BYU Oboe Studio

Carlie & Amalie (her accompanist)

We were so amazed at how many people came to see and support Carlie--Mr. Taylor was her band director in 8th & 9th Grade and nows lives in Spanish Fork so he came, Bro. Swim who served with his wife as the Senior Missionary couple in the Santan Branch with us came from SLC to watch her (and I forgot to get a pic with him😔).  There were several people we didn't know as well--Carlie's Stake President came and another man named Dr. Weiss.  We still are sure who invited Dr. Weiss but he was the KINDEST man there who thoroughly enjoyed her performance.  So much so that he occupied most of my attention at the reception we had for her after.  What I learned about him is that he is a medical doctor but is very passionate about music.  He was very interested in knowing what Carlie's graduate school plans were (even though he doesn't think she needs to go to graduate school because "What else could they teach her?"😂). My best guess is that Carlie does have a private scholarship awarded to her each year from an anonymous donor that she has to write a "Thank You" card to every year.  I'm starting to think it might be him....NICEST guy and I sure appreciated his interest in her future plans.

Mr. Taylor

Dr. Weiss

My little brother and his family came as well--which we totally appreciated--but my little brother is still very much an annoying little brother.  I guess you can't expect your 43 year old little brother to be any different than he was when he was 10😏. Thankfully my phone was completely silenced because after her concert, I had 103 text messages from him--including a video!  Just stupid texts like "Is she gonna pass out?"  "Is her dress velvet?" etc...And here's the video he sent me.  Once a little brother, ALWAYS a little brother...😂

Branch Brothers

This picture just makes me smile.  I love these 4 boys with my WHOLE HEART and they love and support each other despite the miles between them.  Max knows these boys because they were all in the Young Mens in the Santan Branch.  Two of them are on their missions now--one in Montana and the other in the Dominican Republic (so I'm not totally sure how they all got on the phone in the right time zones to do this).  All of our families have since been released from the Branch but these boys still make the time to meet up to talk most weeks.  Once a Branch Boy...always a Branch Boy.  (I'm told that if these pictures were lined up correctly, their hands make "hearts"--they're not throwing gang signs😂)