Keyboard Magic!

Dave's famous rendition of "Chop-sticks" has always been a favorite. (You might want to turn up your computer volume. For some reason, this recorded softly.)

Pictures for Kim

한국어

안녕 김, 우리는 당신의 여행 가정이 안전했다는 것을 희망한다. 우리는 당신을 놓친다. 우리는 당신이 떠나고 있었는, 그래서 우리가 당신의 안전에 관하여 고민했는 대로 많은 눈이 있었다. 오늘 우리는 눈의 1개 발 이상 가지고 있다. 우리는 저녁식사와 게임을 위해 우리의 아이들의 넘어서 7을 가진 좋은 크리스마스가 있었다. 나는 당신이 가정을 얻은 후에 당신이 당신의 가족과 가진 좋은 시간을 보냈다는 것을 당신이 크리스마스를 놓쳤다는 것을, 그러나 나가 희망한ㄴ다는 것을 알고 있다. 우리는 당신을 사랑한다. 저희를 빨리 쓰십시오. Lurlynn & Dave

Here are some pictures for Kim Jijhe, our friend from Korea. We love and miss her.

I'm dreaming of a white... Wait! I don't have to dream! Just step outside!

Yes. Snow. Beautiful, fluffy, white, cold, dangerous to drive in, fantastic to ski on, sparkly, blanket of comfort. Snow, marvelous snow!

We started this storm yesterday, Christmas day. It's still snowing, and we have about a foot of snow currently. (And the snow plowers were worried they wouldn't have enough work this year!)

Here's a picture of our cute little dog, Doce (Doh-chee) in our front yard.


You can't tell it from this picture, but the snow height is taller than he is.

I'm grateful for a warm home, warm clothing, and cars with heaters and snow tires!

Christine's Fall Concert

Christine was the Concert Mistress. Here's part of the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Christmas Shared with Loved Ones

We had so much fun Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day!
Christmas Eve, we took some toys to the homeless shelter, visited Grandpa Potter's grave, and spent the evening with Francine (Dave's step-mother) and several of the siblings with their kidlets. We had a lot of food and then watched the movie "The Nativity." It was great to see that movie have such an impact on some of the young kids. There were some precious moments there.

Christmas day I spent half of the day cooking, we ate in 20 minutes, and it took an hour to clean up. Isn't that the way it always is, though?
It was fun to have some of our kids here to share this special day with us:
Kristina, Steven, Becca, David, Laura, Mike and Christine. We opened presents, talked about ancestors and their stories, had a wonderful meal, and played some games.

We also used the web-cam to visit with some of our grandchildren. Fun! We are so blessed!

Facing the Veil

My brother Benjamin LaVon Burnett was found dead in February, 2008. He died a few weeks before that in a freak accident on an icy mountain road in the middle of nowhere. Snow and ice covered him and his car which was off the side of the road and out of site. It wasn't until the snow began to melt, and the property owner noticed the wreckage, that he was discovered. He was found beneath the car. Our hearts were relieved to be told that he didn't survive the crash. He didn't suffer. I certainly hope this was true.
I learned a lot about my brother at his funeral. I learned that I was very special to him, that he esteemed me highly. I had no idea.
With him in his car were pictures of his children, his well-worn scriptures, and my personal history which had been well read also; marked and highlighted. Again, I had no idea.
My brother had been hit by a car when he was 7. After that point, he wasn't the same happy boy. He suddenly would write his letters in mirror images. We discovered that he was dysleksic. He had difficulty reading anything -- that is except the scriptures.
In his troubled life, he always tried to do what he thought was right. The problem was that he wasn't always able to discern exactly what that was. He became confused about social and spiritual interpretations of truth. My heart sorrowed for him and his pain and anguish as he struggled.
He had a duplicitous life, however. I learned about so many times that he gave all that he had, and beyond in some cases, to help others in need. The phrase that he would "give the shirt off his back" to help someone seemed to be true.
He was a successful car salesman no matter where he went. It was said that he could immediately tell what kind of person he was talking to and could then direct them to what it was they really needed and how to address those needs. People would return to the car lots and refuse to speak with anyone but my brother, Ben.

His name is Benjamin LaVon Burnett. We called him "Vonnie" when he was young. As a teen, he decided to be called by his first name in honor of his grandfather for whom he was named. This father of my father had a difficult life as well. He was an alcoholic. Upon necessity, he quit drinking - cold turkey - and never touched a drop the rest of his life. Ben admired that and wanted to be of that character.
He then named each of his boys "Benjamin ______." These boys went by their middle names, but carried the tradition of that honor.

My brother was an amazing hunter as well. Following after the learning and skill of our father, he loved the outdoors and reverenced the life therein. When hunting, he and my father would both give thanks for the life which would then feed their families. They have both earned honor for the skill of tracking and bringing home the largest trophies. As our father passed this on to Ben, Ben passed this on to his boys as well.

I have wondered what my brother is doing. I thrill that he is no longer hampered by his chemical imbalance, and the jumble of thoughts which plagued him in mortality. I feel excited that he can think clearly now and move forward. I believe that he is no longer in emotional and spiritual pain.

Just like "It's a Wonderful Life," I hope my life has made a difference in the lives of others. I hope I can live in such a way that my death is simply a continuation of my worship of my Lord and just another step toward the light.

Here are Ben's 7 children and other family members who love him.

Merry Christmas to All Those We Love.

This is our Christmas letter. I didn't mention the death of my Brother earlier this year, but you can read about that in my post named "Facing the Veil."


Merry Christmas 2008!!

What a wonderful time of year,
When Christmas carols fill the air;
Warm apple pie, loved ones near by,
Happiness seems easier to find.

The joy of giving is the art of living,
The gifts from the heart live on.
Each heart overflowing, love ever growing
Giving God soul, heart and mind.



We just wanted to take a moment at this special time of year to let you know we love all of you. This year we’ve been abundantly blessed. In August, we were sealed for time and eternity in the Jordan River Temple in Salt Lake. Though most of our family is scattered all over the country, many were able to join us for this special occasion.



Our hearts are also full as we think about our family with all of their joys and struggles. We ever pray for them to be comforted by the Spirit, to grow in testimony and faith, and to feel the love of their Savior in their lives.

Here are some brief updates on our family:
• Dave works for Wells Fargo Bank as a project manager. Dave is currently serving in the ward as a family history consultant, choir pianist, building scheduler, and unemployment specialist.
• Lurlynn works for Bard Access Systems as an upper-level administrative assistant. She is currently the ward choir director and family history consultant.
• Kristina (32) is living in Phoenix and travels the world with her company teaching English as a second language.
• Jenny (31) lives in SLC and is working for a microbiology company.
• Barbie (29) and Matt live in Columbus, Ohio where he is going to Ohio State University. They have a set of twin girls and two boys and another girl due in January.
• John (27) graduated from NYU law school, passed the California bar and is now living and working in the San Francisco area.
• Rob (26) & Julie live in Provo. He graduated from BYU in Business this year and is working full time in American Fork and is a member of the bishopric. They have a little boy, Robbie, and just told us that they were expecting another child sometime in July/August.
• Geoffrey (25) lives and works Rawlins, Wyoming.
• Katie (24) & Adam live in Salt Lake and have a little boy and girl.
• Danny (23) and his wife, Katie live in Orlando, Florida. His band went on tour around the country this year.
• Steven (22) returned from a mission in France and is working in Kaysville.
• David (22), Becca (21), and Julia(19) are all attending BYU down in Provo. David is now the elder’s quorum president in his ward.
• Michelle (20) lives and works in Orlando, Florida along with Danny.
• Laura (18) is a senior at Brighton High School and sings in the school choirs. Christmas is a busy time!
• Mike (17) is a senior at Davis High in Kaysville and is also in the school choirs; lots of performances too!
• Christine (15) is a sophomore at Davis High. She is in the school orchestra and recently performed in the pit orchestra for her school musical.
• Dave’s mom, Dorothy suffered a series of strokes and is now living back in West Virginia in an assisted living center near Denise, Dave’s sister. Dave’ step mother, Francine is doing great. We had Thanksgiving dinner at her house with 35 relatives. Lurlynn’s dad, Earl and stepmother, Ireta, and her mom, Marilyn and stepfather, Norm, and are also doing well but unfortunately all live out of town so it hard to see them.

Some of our activities this year included trips back east to attend John’s graduation and to see Dave’s mom and Barbie and her family. We went to New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Niagara Falls, The Sacred Grove, Columbus/Kirtland Ohio and Parkersburg, West Virginia. Some of the trips with the kids included going to Disneyland, white-water rafting down the Snake River, and Yellowstone National Park. What a great year!!

Join us for additional updates and pictures on our family blog: http://lurlynnsmusic.blogspot.com

Love, Dave and Lurlynn Potter
davidjohnpotter@hotmail.com
lurlynnsmusic@hotmail.com

Christmas Concerts are Fun!

With Laura, Mike and Christine still in High School, we have had several opportunities to enjoy Christmas concerts.
Laura sang a couple of solos with her group, Mike was in a quartet several times during his Christmas concert, and Christine had a violin solo with her orchestra.
Fun Fun Fun!!!
We're so proud of each of them! Since music is such an important and integral part of our lives, it's fulfilling to see that continue with some of our children.

"For regular thoughts of a regular day,
God gave us words in a regular way;
And to the poets the power to reveal
The deeper things that we think and feel;
But for thoughts and feelings that words can't reach,
God gave us music -- the soul's own speech." -- unknown

Kim's Birthday

For our South Korean friend, Kim Jijhe's birthday we celebrated with dinner, a cake and watching the "Savior of the World" at the convention center small theatre. There were a lot of nuances held within the celebrations.

For example, Dave used to play in the orchestra which accompanied the production. Now it's recorded, but that brought back a lot of memories for him.



Another thing was, that noone had ever made a birthday cake for Kim. Christine made this one for her and she was very moved by that jesture.
Finally, it is interesting to note that in Korea, you don't move up in age on your birthday; you do it on January 1 with everyone else in your school grade. Interesting. Though Kim has had 22 birthday anniversaries, she doesn't turn 22 until January 1. They celebrate the anniversary of her birth, but it doesn't mark a new age. It creates order within the school grades to have everyone be the same age.

Kim taught us a lot about the education system there. After an early morning start in the public schools, the children go to after-school academy. The parents must pay for this, and the more wealthy a family is, the better the opportunity.
There is no time for anything creative. There are no choirs, bands, orchestras, plays, sports, or anything other than ... as Kim put it, "study, study, study."

We need to appreciate more the country we live in and the opportunities offered therein. I know I do.

4 Years!!!

Four years! FOUR years! Four YEARS! It has flown by.
When we returned from our honeymoon in Miami/Bahamas on Christmas Eve, we realized that each December would be very special for us.
Our first anniversary, we didn't go anywhere special, but we had fun celebrating in town anyway.
Our second anniversary, we went to New York City. That was a lot of fun!
Our third anniversary, we enjoyed Hawaii!
This year we are going to San Francisco!

I'm so grateful for opportunities like these to see special places together. We have grown together over the years, so we enjoy them even more. We look forward to many more years together and a growing love in the gospel.

CERTanly Ready to Help!

Dave and I completed our CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training. Along with a HAM radio licenses, First Aid and CPR certification, 72 hour evacuation kits in each car, at home and at work, we feel a sense of peace as we continue to be more prepared to deal with an emergency. We realize that no amount of effort can completely prepare us for these disasters when they hit, but we feel a little bit more prepared than had we not done anything.

Besides - we get to wear these COOL GREEN VESTS AND HATS!!!! LOL.

Going Toward the Lights

"Don't go toward the light!"
"I can't help it! It's so BEAUTIFUL!" -- ZAP (a moth on Bug's Life)

I can't help it either. I love to see the lights, especially Christmas lights.
We've gone twice, now, to see them. First was with our son Rob, Julie and little Robbie. It was fun to see Robbie's fascination with the white statues of sheep.





We went again with our Korean friend, Kim. Her enthusiastic pleasure added to our own enjoyment.


Let us follow the light of Christ. How wonderful it will be when every molecule and particle of spirit within us will be filled with light until that perfect day when there will be no darkness in us!

Giving Thanks

Each Thanksgiving day, for the past several years, Dave and I have taken whichever children we could bring with us to serve or provide music while a Thanksgiving meal is being served to over 1500 homeless and needy families. It is quite a humbling experience.
This year we were asked to help organize musical numbers throughout the day.


After that, 35 - 40 of us had a fabulous meal at Francine's. It was moving to hear what each person was grateful for as we went around the room. (It took about 20 min!)


Fabulous news! We're expecting another grandbaby next July/August! Something amazing to be thankful for.


It is always fun to share the Christmas spirit.



I love decorating my home for the holidays!




Seventeen children ... seventeen stockings!



We're excited for Christmas.


Most of all, I am thankful for my Savior and for His amazing gift of the Atonement for me. I feel thankful for the beauties of this earth, and that I can actually see to enjoy them. I am wrapped in the warmth of love, testimony and faith. I am grateful for Dave and for our children. Dave is such a tender, generous and sacrificing soul. Noone else knows his heart. I love him for it.
I am thankful for my life, and for what it is because of the gospel. Jesus has made my life magnificent! Thanks be to God for all I have, and all I am!

Drama. Music. Costumes. Lights. Action.

A New Point of View

For the past couple of weeks, we've enjoyed seeing our world through the new eyes of a young girl from South Korea. Dave met JiJhe Kim (we call her Kim) while on Trax. We've enjoyed a few evenings with her since.
Kim had never seen mountains before, so we took her up to see the changing leaves. Her gasps, oohs and aahs were refreshing. She was overtaken by the beauty. (Who could blame her, it was breath-taking!)
Dave and I also appreciate such things, so it was nice to share that with someone who was so vocal in her appreciation.
We drove up to Silver Lake and walked around the boardwalk. We came within 20 feet of a large moose. Kim had never seen anything like that before. She got a good picture.
Then, we drove up the canyon to the pass where we stopped to take in the view. (It's a good thing we did, because another car there needed a jump! Not a fun place to be stuck!)
We ended the evening by taking Kim to the Red Banjo - a fun pizza place in Park City. We visited a couple of shops and then drove home in the dark where we heard Kim gasp at the beautiful view of twinkling city lights. It really was beautiful.


The next week, Kim wanted us to take her to Temple Square. She had been asking a lot of questions about Jesus, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and other things. We've enjoyed sharing our testimonies with her. Her tender spirit is so very sweet. She is easy to love.
At Temple Square, we took her to see the Joseph Smith movie to explain a little bit about the first vision and his life. Next time we will take her to see the Testament - about Jesus Christ.
We just happened to find a missionary sister there who was from Korea. It was fun to see the two of them talking; one asking questions, and the other explaining the answers.

Kim wanted to come to church with us. It happened to be a homecoming for one missionary, and a farewell for another. The farewell was for a young man who is Korean, and was going to Canada; Korean speaking mission. Several other things "coincidently" happened as well. It was great.
Next time, it would be fun to have her come when we can have the choir singing. She would like that.

Dave played the piano for her a little. (I always fall in love with him again, each time I hear him play.) Kim really enjoyed it too. We went for a walk after dinner, played a game and then took her home.
She is only going to be in the United States until December. She is excited about seeing the lights at Temple Square. I find myself excited as well.

I think everyone should revisit their lives as though through someone else's eyes. Sometimes a clearer view becomes visible, and we appreciate our blessings.

When the Saints Meet, the Heavens Weep...

That's what they say. I'm not sure if they mean it as a point that it is almost always stormy on conference weekends, or if it is a slam about how heaven feels about it all.

It was wonderful to be surprised by Mike for Saturday sessions, as well as having Rob and Jewels, Robbie and David join us for Saturday evening and Sunday.

Little Robbie is walking all over and is SO cute!











Conference was good, as usual. Some of the things which struck me most were:

Wirthlin - "Come what may, and love it."
"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. Every tear or sorrow will be replaced with tears of joy and rejoicing."

Anderson - "Faith is not only a feeling, it's a decision."

Uchdorf - "Hope is trust that the Lord will keep his promises. Hope teaches that there is reason to rejoice when everything is falling down around us."

Hales - "Humility is a badge of Christian Courage."


The entire transcripts of the talks can be found on-line at this link:
http://www.lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-947,00.html

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous...

Last night Dave and I went to a BBQ at my boss' home. (Er, let's see, it wasn't a castle because it didn't have a mote, so yes, it was his "home.")It was actually very lovely. We had a wonderful time.


We especially had fun wearing our BYU Cougar shirts when everyone there was a Ute fan! It's just that BYU is ranked 11 in the nation, and we just played another shut-out game! We had to stir things up a little bit!

You're only as young as you feel?

Both Dave and I have been walking around like old folks: moaning and groaning every time we move. (Is this what we have to look forward to?)
While boating, I forgot that I'm not 25 any more, not 35, not even 45!! I decided to water ski. Easy and fun. I used to be fairly good.
Pulling my skis together used a muscle which didn't want to cooperate. This left me limping for the past two weeks now.
That's not all.
When we were bringing in the boat, Dave slipped on the moss on the ramp and crushed his ribs against the trailer.
We gave him a blessing and took him to the emergency room. We needed to make sure he didn't have a broken rib which could puncture his lung. He was in a lot of pain, and has been for these two weeks. Not fun!!
Turns out his ribs are only badly bruised, so that is good.

If you're only as young as you feel, why is it that I feel so young, but my body tells me differently?