Band Geeks

Earlier this summer Ariane took the kids up to the University of Utah to check out this year’s marching band. Both kids had a great time and got to try out some of the drums.

Both children come from a long lineage of band geeks. Arianes Dad was in the marching band at byu. My Dad was in the marching bad at the University of Utah and several of my aunts and uncles were in the marching in high school and college.

Lariann was in color guard at Davis High.

She then went on to perform in the color guard at Weber State University, where she met and fell in love with some dashing young trombone player.

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She made a lot of good friends along the way like Shantel, who she has known since they were in color guard in high school and Lucy a mutual friend of ours and whom we named our daughter after.

Ariane performed in marching band at Roy High and later at Bonneville High. Ariane also went on to play in the marching band at Weber State, where she met but did not fall in love with at that time a dashing young trombone player, but did meet her friend Megan who she has been friends with ever since.

Ariane enjoyed band so much, she went on to major in music education and got a job teaching band at North Ridge High School.

After a few years of that, Ariane decided to go back to school and get her masters in music. The band hired her to be an assistant with the marching band. She helped conduct the marching band.

I played my trombone throughout all of high school at Viewmont where Dave and Spencer and I became great friends.

Then it was on to Weber State University, along with my friend Brandon who also played at Viewmont.

I feel as though marching band has been very good to me, since I met both of my wives through the marching band at Weber State Therefore Jack and Lucy owe their existence to marching band and they are probably destined to be band geeks themselves.

The 200th Post

My blog has now reached a new milestone. This is the 200th post, yes the bicentennial of posts. It’s been a long fun journey here on the internet, I took the time go and review some of the stats of my blog over the last 200 posts.

It all began on November 3, 2007 with my inaugural post “Welcome to Totally Scott”, a humble beginning for such a great work.

At that time I was working for Southwest Ambulance in Salt Lake City, Lucy was six months old and I was married to Lariann.

After a few posts my blog got a much needed makeover from my friend Dave, who is a graphic artist.

Dave gave it the title “Great Scott” and made the logo, it was inspired by the “Back to the Future” movies where Doc Brown often utters the phrase, “Great Scott”.

My 100th post, which passed unceremoniously, was “Turning 30”, which chronicled my 30th birthday.

At that time I was working for the Church Security Department, Lucy was 2 and a half and Lariann had passed away just a few months prior.

Now here at the 200th post I am still working for the Church Security Department, I am married to Ariane, Lucy is five and Jack is seven months old.

At lot has changed for me in the last 200 posts.

The number one foreign country viewing my blog is the United Kingdom with 686 hits.

Followed by Canada and Germany

The search keywords that bring up the most hits for my blog are Manute Bol.

I did post on him after his untimely death in June of 2010, "Manute Bol".

The most visited post of mine was my "NCAA Mascots" post back in 2009. Apparently when people did a search for mascots such as the Wake Forest or Syracuse mascots my blog was brought up.

I had 2,585 page views of that post.

The person who has posted the most comments is my good friend and creative consultant for my blog Dave Barton.

The most popular topic is Lucy.

The most commented on post was “Here’s Jack”, about Jacks birth.

My blog had its most page views in June of 2011, which was when we were running the polls to try and decide on a "Manly Name" for our upcoming baby. There were 1,970 views that month.

I can’t wait to see where life has taking me when I reach the 300th post on this blog.

Mothers Day

Mothers Day has become very bitter sweet around our place. Lariann passed away around this time of year two years ago. It still pains me that Lariann is not able to rais her daughter and that Lucy will not really ever know her mother. We went to the cemetery to put flowers on her grave. Araine, Lucy and I each put one flower in the vase at her grave for Mothers Day.

I am very grateful for the time we had together and I still love her so much.

Also this year my Grandmother passed away a few days before Mothers Day. Grandma Nelson was a great lady. We both shared a love for Pepsi. I have so many great memories of spending time with her up in Oakley Idaho and more recently when she came down here to live in Kaysville at an assisted living center for about the last three years. I lived really close so I would try to get over to see hear as often as I could but maybe not as often as I should. Lucy got the chance to get to know Grandma Great, as we called her. I had the wonderful chance to say good bye to her in the hospital the night before she passed away. Before I left the hospital I asked her, “Will you tell Lariann how much I love her and that I miss her?” Grandma looked me and said, “I will”. She was such a great lady and she will be missed.

With this bitter we still have a lot of sweet to be happy for. I have several wonderfull mothers in my life.

My mother in law Carrie, Arianes Mom, is a great lady who loves Lucy like she is one of her own grand children. We didn’t get a chance to see her this mothers day as she is with her son John and his wife Emily who graduated this weekend from college at the University of Northern Colorado.

Her other grandkids call her “Nanny”, but Lucy calls her “Manny” and Carrie thinks it’s hilarious.

My mother in law Lorain who we have great relationship with and still a lot of, Lorain still treats me like I am her son and Ariane is her daughter in law.

It’s really great how wonderful she is with everything, she just as excited as mine and Arianes mothers about our new baby.

My own mother who I know is really hurting these after losing her own Mom but puts on such a brave face for all of us. She is most wonderful Mother I could ask for.

She has given us so much help, support and love. I love her so much and am so grateful for her.


Finally my wife Ariane who I love with all my heart, she is such a great woman. She loves Lucy like she is her own daughter and if you ask her she will tell you that Lucy is her daughter.

I’m so happy to have Ariane in my life. She has made our house a home again and we are so happy to have her.

Easter 2001

I know it was a week ago but I am just now getting around to putting up the Easter pictures

Lucy was a little confused about what the Easter Bunny does exactly. When she got up Sunday morning she came into our room and told us what he was going to bring her, which was mostly a lot of toys. She seems to think that he operates much like Santa. After I explained that the Easter Bunny doesn’t bring a lot, if any toys mostly just candy she had a break down. Once she calmed down and went and found her Easter basket she seemed to forget all her previous concerns.

She did get a small toy and a movie in her basket in addition to all the candy, special thanks to my brother-in-law Devin who got us a bunch of candy for free from his work, you rock man.
There was also a new outfit for her.

Lucy and Ariane went up to put some new flowers on Larianns tomb stone, along with Grandma and Grandpa Evans.

After church we went up to Ariane’s parents where the Easter Bunny had hidden many eggs for Lucy and her two cousins to find. Another special thanks for my sister-in-law Chelsea who put candy in all the plastic eggs for the kids to find. Here are some pictures of Lucy and River hunting for eggs, not pictured is her other cousin Liam who was off somewhere away from the girls.

We had a really fun Easter and I will try to explain to Lucy about the Independence Day celebration before she expects Uncle Sam to come through our door passing gifts.

If I Die Young

I guess every now and then I should have a post that doesn’t have any thing to do with sports or wear I’m trying to be funny.
I assumed after getting married that I would really be getting over Larianns death. I had hoped that I would mean I wouldn’t be sad about her being gone any more and while I am so much happier then I have been in a very long time I still find myself missing her at times, though definitely not as much as I used to.
One of those times happened a few weeks ago while I was driving into work at the church. I heard this song on the radio.



I actually started crying while I was driving. I guess I still miss her more then I thought I did.
I do know that Lucy and I will see her again and I am so grateful for that knowledge, though it still hurts some times to think that she is gone. I am also very grateful to have Ariane in my life now, she has made me happy again.

Mothers Day 2010

Mothers Day will always be a bitter sweet holiday for me. It was a year ago today that Lariann passed away. Watching my sweet wife pass away and knowing my daughter Lucy will never really know her Mother are two very painful thoughts for me. Lariann was such a sweet caring mother who loved her little girl so much. Every Mothers Day will probably be a little difficult for me.

As I said before it is a bitter sweet holiday. There is also a lot sweet to celebrate on this Mothers Day. There are many women who have become like mothers to Lucy and me. Like the women who have loved a cared for my daughter like a mother. My Aunts Jean, Louise and Jenifer who bring Lucy into their homes every week and look after her and love her as if she were one of their own daughters. Who also have us over to eat with them as if we were part of their own family.

Lucy’s aunts Liz, Rachelle, Stacey and Alison who like my aunt’s care for Lucy and love her like their own daughter. They also make personal sacrifices to help take care of Lucy. And do such a good job of doing Lucy’s hair.

Lucy’s Grandmothers, who Lucy loves so much she would rather spend time with them then me. I guess I don’t spoil her as much as they do. They come and spend the night with Lucy and sometimes she goes to their houses so I can go to work. They take her during the day so I can sleep. They are people I can call at the last minute to come and help. They are two of the most caring women I know.

My soon to be wife Ariane and her family who have accepted Lucy as one of their own. Arianes mom and sister are so wonderful with Lucy. They play with her and look after her, Lucy loves going to their house. And we are so blessed to have Araine in our lives. She loves Lucy like her own daughter and I am so grateful to have found a woman like her.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the women out there who have helped fill the void of mother in Lucy’s life and my life this last year. We wouldn’t have been able to make it through this year without you.

Lariann

Lariann's tombstone was installed this last week in the Kaysville cemetery.
My sister in law Rachel took some pictures of Lariann's tombstone that I thought I would share.

2 months

It's been 2 months since my sweet Lariann left us. I get asked alot,"How are you doing?" and,"How's Lucy doing." I don't mind being asked, it's nice to know that people care and are concerned about Lucy and myself. So let me sum it up for you.

I feel like I am just in this survival mode. I just try to get through each day. Some days it's a struggle to get up and face the day. But Lucy needs me to be strong so she will know that everything is okay.

I try to stay busy to keep my mind off of things, which isn't hard. I even picked up a third job, I went back to Lagoon to work first aid again. It's easier if I have something else to think about something to distract me and work seems to a pretty good job of that.

I've rearranged alot of furniture and boxed up alot of stuff. I hope by doing this that I will stop being reminded of her so much.

Being a single parent is hard. I have almost zero free time anymore. When I'm not at work or asleep it seems like there is always something that needs to be done, house work or yard work or Lucy just needs some attention. Luckily I have great family and friends who are always there to help me out. I don't know what I would do with out them. I don't know if I can begin to add up all the hours my Dad has spent working in my yard, I worry that he is neglecting his own house and yard just to help me.

Lucy spends days with different relatives. My Aunts Jean and Louise each have a day they take her. She goes down to my Uncle Carl and Aunt Jennifer's once a week, sometimes their son Daniel comes over and spends the night if I have an early shift at the fire station or am on call there. My parents and my in-laws take her alot as well, they also come over and spend the night while I am working as dose my sister Alison and my brother Greg and his wife Stacey when they come down from Logan.

Lucy has good days and bad days. She can get very moody and it's hard to tell if it's just because she's two years old or if it's because she lost her Mommy, doesn't understand where she's gone or why she can't come back. She asks about Mommy less and less everyday, actually she hardly brings her up anymore which is good because it always hurt when she would ask for her and didn't have an answer for her that she would understand, but at the same time it's sad because I'm afraid she's starting to forget her Mommy.

My life almost feels like a bad dream that I keep waiting to wake up from but I know that I'm not going to. I almost expect to see her laying on the couch watching TV when I come home or I even reach over to put my arm around her when I'm laying in bed.

I guess the best answer to the question, "How are you doing?" is, "I am okay." I could defiantly be alot better but things could be whole lot worse if I didn't have such wonder full friends and family.

Funeral

Larianns funeral was one week ago today.
I want to thank everyone who came to support me and remember her. Alot of people were very generous and I really appreciate all of you.
I thought I would post some pictures from the graveside service and thank those of you who took pictures.











Thanks again to all who attended or sent their wishes in other ways. You all really helped make a tough time a little easier.