Presidential Parade

Here is an article that featured Zach and his Grandpa Smith in the Hattiesburg American.

Presidential Parades are One Family's Tradition
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081225/NEWS01/812250335

PETAL - Zachary Hales plays trumpet in the Petal High School marching band not just because he enjoys music, but because music is a tradition in his family.

It's a tradition that includes a grandfather who student directed for the Brigham Young University marching band. That band marched down Pennsylvania Avenue for President Richard Nixon's second inaugural parade in 1973.

Now, Zachary will carry the torch back to Washington for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration in January. Brent Hales, Zach's father, said the news of Petal's selection to play in the inauguration parade meant a lot to their family. "We're absolutely thrilled - this is a once in a lifetime opportunity but also a family legacy that will be there forever," he said.

Fred Smith, Zach's grandfather, said that although the band knew Nixon was not the most popular president, the prestige of the event still hit home. "We were aware of some of the anti-Nixon protests, but it was such an honor to represent the state of Utah," he said. "It doesn't matter who is in that room, there is something special about playing for the president of the United States." Smith said the band faced a little adversity during the Nixon inauguration.
"After the parade, we were sent down a side street and that's where all the protesters were sent, and there were anti-Nixon protesters who began to yell at us, which was very interesting in itself," he said.

Zach Hales said he is still stunned by the band's selection to play in the parade.
"Being a part of it is a huge honor and you really have to grasp it and when you do you realize that you're going to be a part of history, and it puts me in awe," he said.

Smith said he gave his grandson the advice to take in every aspect of the trip.
"I know this experience Zach will never forget. There's no way to describe it until you experience it, playing for the president of the United States right in front of him ... it's the office you're playing for, not the man," he said.

The band has to raise $75,000 to make the trip and is far from its goal. So far, the Petal band has raised at least $3,360, according to band booster Cissy Robertson, who is leading the charge in getting donations.

She said checks and online donations made through the school district's Web site have not yet been added to the total.

http://www.petalschools.com/petal/site/default.asp

She said band boosters are working with state officials to get the word out about their fundraising. Petal was the only band in the state that was selected to play in the parade.

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! The family wanted to write you and wish you Merry Christmas and update you on what is going on in our lives.

Sam and Luther are enjoying kindergarten and Candy is enjoying not having a child in the house during the day. It is the first time since 1994 we haven’t had one. She loves working out and volunteering at the school. The boys don’t like waking up early but once they are going, they love school. They are so excited for Christmas.

Gabby is Gabby. She is our sprite. She sang a solo in the elementary school Christmas concert. It was pretty cool. She loves performing and gets a kick out of watching people bug out when they hear her voice. She is excited for soccer season to start next spring. She is an excellent student and loves to be involved with everything.


Matt is becoming an amazing guitarist and drummer. He is first-chair in the 7th grade and was a featured soloist for the Christmas concert (band). He played the drums for “Little Drummer Boy”. He is growing up so fast. He loves being a teenager now. It is crazy to think that he is 13. He loves it. He played football this fall and while he was one of the smallest on the field, he consistently hit hard.

Zach is busy. He just got back from Philadelphia, PA where he played in their Thanksgiving Day parade. He just found out that the Petal High School Band has been selected to play in the Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 20, 2009. He is excited for it. He also is nearing his Eagle Scout and is busy with church. We are hoping he will get his first deer soon. We have been out several times but haven’t been successful to date. Oh well.


Rainier is currently stationed at Fort Bliss, TX and will be deployed in early March to serve our country in Qatar. He will be serving there for approximately 18 months. We are so proud of his service to our country and pray for him constantly.


Candy loves her independence from kids during the day and works with the schools to fill in the time. She also works out more now that she has time to do so. She is also doing projects around the house. She is going to start taking classes in the fall of next year toward her college degree.

Brent is trying to balance way too many things. Between being Bishop of the Petal Ward and working at the University of Southern Mississippi, he is trying to be a dad and husband. He is truly happy. He is learning he has to slow down after his third bout of pneumonia this year. He was just glad to be out of the hospital for Christmas (he was in for a couple days this week).

One thing is for certain, life is never boring around our house. We love this time of year because it reminds us of the most important focus of our lives. The birth of the Savior Jesus Christ and his ultimate atonement has made it possible for us to return back into His and our Heavenly Father’s presence. We are so grateful for our family and for the opportunity we have to be together forever. We thank God for our friends and family and pray that you feel His unending love for you at this time and throughout the year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,
Brent, Candy, Rainier, Zach, Matt, Gabby, Sam, and Luther

Trip to India

Here are some photos from my recent trip to India (October 2008).

These are temples hewn from a single rock. It is amazing.

An Indian elephant.

Typical shantee built off of the side of the road.

Auto rickshaw or tuk tuk commonly used as transport.



An Indian style toilet on the train. Notice the sunlight from the bottom of the pipe. Yep, it goes right on the tracks....





A rural thatch house.

An etching/carving on the side of a cliff. It is the second largest in the world and extends over 150 feet.

An Indian fishing village on the Bengali Bay of the Indian Ocean.

Ritual bathing on Diwali (A Hindu holiday similar to Christmas).

Sunrise on the Bengali Bay.

We saw this a lot. The cows used in agricultural transport had highly decorated horns.

That is me beside an Indian elephant. It is nearly 10 feet tall at the shoulder.

Me in front of the the second largest monolythic bull - carved out of a single piece of granite.

Hindu temple tower.

We just missed capturing a man urinating below this sign. They were everywhere on the walls. Apparently, there is not a taboo against male public urination.

A Shore temple.

Ganesh - Hindu deity.

Another tower on a Hindu temple.

I am in front of the royal palace in Tiruchi India. It is very impressive.

Our group minus one (someone had to take the picture) in India.

Houma, LA Relief Trip

Relief Trip to Houma, LA

The following is based on an article I did for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints chronicling the efforts of volunteers from across the Mid South region in response to two recent hurricanes.


On a clear fall morning in Houma, Louisiana, 1,400 men, women, and children clad in yellow t-shirts gathered for one purpose. They had gathered from Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee to serve the people of Houma who had been devastated by Hurricane Gustav and then by Hurricane Ike. In a matter of three weeks, the region had endured two major storms. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from across the Mid South descended upon the South Louisiana community to assist in the clean up and help their brothers and sisters try and put together their lives.

This effort was spearheaded by Martin Luther King, III and his “Realizing the Dream” organization. Mr. King, contacted representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who then called on members across the Mid South to mobilize and travel to Houma.

The Hattiesburg Stake of the Church group of congregations from the Pine Belt region stretching from Meridian in the east to Bogalusa, Louisiana in west known as was given the assignment to labor in the poorest area of Houma. Senator’s Circle is a public housing complex that was particularly devastated. Located in a low-lying area, the community experienced four to five feet of flood water, downed trees, and severe roof damage. According to Wayne Thibodeaux, Executive Director of Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority (pictured on the right below), the manpower, resources, and effort brought in by the 125 laborers offset budget cuts experienced by the Housing Authority. “Short of manpower and funding, there is no way that we could have accomplished what you have done in such a short time. The Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority’s budget was funded at 82 percent of last year’s budget. Therefore, significant cuts in personnel and funding would have made an effort like this nearly impossible.”

Troy Johnson, manager of Senator’s Circle (pictured on the left above), similarly noted that the effort and labor provided was something that they could not do. “You have no idea what this means to us. We could not have done what you did today. We don’t have the manpower or the maintenance to bring the property back up to par. This is such a blessing for us. We can’t tell you how grateful we are.”

Each volunteer served approximately 10 hours on Saturday. That service translated into approximately 14,000 man hours invested into the community. One local resident, Kevin Voisan remarked that there is no way that the community will ever be the same. “People will talk about this day for years to come. Seeing a sea of yellow shirts serving people they don’t even know is something remarkable. This has had an incredible impact on this community.”


Petal resident Michael Barr attended the day of service. His response was pointed when asked why he would travel so far to serve people he didn’t know. “I have four children and I want to let them see that service is important. I want them to know that serving others brings blessings to those served and those doing the serving.”

The event coincided with September 27 being a National Day of Service.

Grandma Graves' Funeral

This is one of the more sombering posts I will ever put up but an important one. My grandmother, Beth Graves passed away last month and I had the opportunity to be reunited with my family for her memorial service. I had not seen some of my family members in 25 years. Below are some of the pictures I took with my phone camera. They are not the best but I will put up better ones when I get them from my family.