Happy St. Patrick's Day

On the back of Van Turner's Fire Truck with Sarah and Jessica

For over 16 years, St. Patrick's Day has involved green (as in the color), my girls including Cathy, and pretty much one of Van Turner's fire trucks in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Salt Lake City.  You can't attend the parade and not plan to have some fun, and this year was no exception.  Great crowd, beautiful weather and the association of many friends and family.  Not much Irish blood in my veins, but it does run in my children courtesy of one of Cathy's distant ancestors who married a Scot.  That in itself explains that fierce competitiveness in Cathy but it also gives me a reason to have an Irish Flag, which flies in our front yard along with a house adorned in green lights.  I don't drink so I need some way to celebrate the Holiday!

One of the early St. Patrick's Day parades for the family

From our early days on the council, we have been in nearly every parade.  In 16 years, I may have missed a couple, but I've always tried to make it work.  It's one of the few parades that have allowed children and I've always appreciated that they have allowed me to do it with my family.  As I went back and accumulated my pictures, it's been nostalgic to watch my kids grow up as well.

One year shortly before her death, we were able to take my mother
in the parade.

My mother was always a lover of parades.  One year they told us we needed to find our own rides.  I had a green explorer, a green trailer, so we put down some green carpeting and used some straps to secure a recliner chair for my aging mother.  She had the time of her life, wearing her green dress, adorned with her crazy green jewelry and Jessica walked with Daisy our dog behind. I followed up the rear.  Nearly every parade involved cousins and sometimes friends.

2003, was one of the first years through the Gateway, and we pulled Sarah in a wagon

Van Turner's Fire Truck is always a mainstay for the council.  Sarah
and Jessica with cousins Abby & Lexi

Even though Van Turner lost his re-election, he's been kind enough the last few years to offer his fire truck for the City Council to ride upon.  He does all the work, gets it in place, checks in for us and we just show up.  Anyone who knows Van, knows he's the kindest guy in the world, but the guy loves Parades, loves his fire trucks and enjoys sharing it with the community.

Cathy, Jessica, and Sarah in the rear join me for this year's parade, one last time!

I suppose it's never really good-bye

So I may be on the sidelines next year, but my house will still be lit in green, the Irish flag in the front yard, and I'll be one of the zany spectators having fun with the passersby.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

April 13 - A great day for our community

Trax car running on newly finished North Temple

No, this isn't Friday the 13th, which wouldn't have a good track record as far as luck goes, but Saturday, April 13th!  Put it down in your calendar, tell your friends and above all, come on over and try out the new Trax line to the Airport going down North Temple.  UTA has announced that it will be free to the public that day, with revenue operation starting the next day on Sunday, April 14th.  You're encouraged to bring a can of food for the Utah Food Bank and there will be activities along the corridor.  The Green Line will start in West Valley City, come through downtown and then proceed along 400 West and across the new North Temple viaduct.  There is a transfer point on the viaduct down to Front Runner and then out to the Airport.  You'll not want to miss it!

Another exciting thing that will also happen on Saturday, April 13th with be the Northwest Community Health Fair.  In conjunction with the Northwest Recreation and Community Center, a health fair with good information on how to improve yourself will be held on site of the Rec Center at 1300 W and 300 N.  Many of you may remember when I won the most improved in the My Heart Challenge and in so doing, won $1,000 to be used in my own community to help improve health.  In working with Kay Cameron at the Rec Center, we decided to partner up other health care providers to provide basic information on health related issues and allow blood pressure checks, BMI screenings and other tools to help you see where you are and more importantly help you set a course to improving your health.  The Health Fair will go from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day, park, come participate and then walk the Jordan River Parkway trail over and take a ride on Trax!

Also on April 13, there will be a 5K race associated with the Health Fair that starts at 9 a.m.  For a modest registration fee, you can run (or walk with me) and start your "spring training" off right.  In addition to the 5 K, you can register at the Rec Center during the month of April for a new program, "Six Weeks to a Healthier You".  To register, you must be 10 years or older and each participant will receive 2 - day passes to the Northwest Recreation Center.  In addition, there will be a dozen free activities over a six week period that if you participate in at least half, will be eligible for a prize drawing at the Northwest Riverfest in June.  Each participant will be eligible for a T-Shirt and more importantly, will help you get started in becoming a healthier you!

You might ask, why such an emphasis on being healthy?  The answer is obvious, we all need it.  However as equally important, it helps you become more involved in our community and see what resources are available, many for free.  It's always fun to do it with others and in so doing, encourage each other in working to do better. So set aside as much of April 13th as you can and let's have some fun!

The first of many last experiences

Friday, I visited the city recorders office to complete a task I started nearly 16 years ago, I closed out my election committee for the city council.  I remember opening that committee before filing in 1997 and listing myself as the secretary, and my mother Verda Mae Christensen as Honorary Chair and my brother Elliott Christensen as another Honorary Chair.  I did most of that work!  However both have been tremendous help through the years and along with other family members have made this a very rewarding experience.

Jessica helping me plant landscaping at the
construction of the Day-Riverside Library 1995

One aspect of elections is they mark your life in four year segments and when you have to get ready for a campaign, you end up taking family photos, and your life does get documented a little.  Some elections were more challenging than others, but each time I was grateful for having the residents of Salt Lake City's' District 1, be willing to give me another chance. 

Campaign Photo for 2001 Election

2001 was probably my most favorite election.  I remember calling after the filing deadline at 5 p.m. and having the City Election Clerk inform me that no one had filed to run against me.  While I'm very appreciative of the election process that was a sweet experience!  I was at work and let out a huge yell and my co-workers came into my office to find out what was wrong.  I said, "I think I just won my first re-election!"  I didn't do much campaigning and it wasn't until about three weeks out that I got paranoid that I would lose to a write-in candidate so I started distributing flyers and putting up some old signs.  I literally was the only thing on that ballot and over 1,000 people showed up for that election and only 40 didn't vote for me.  A friend who lost his-reelection that year said it reminded him of a communist election, where you can vote but only have one choice!  Ironically, I had nearly 17% turnout, which isn't that much lower than a typical year. 

Campaign Photo for 2005

My third election was a challenging one with a number of candidates.  My mother, who had always been there for me, passed away the prior year.  We had moved into my family home following her death and a lot of changes had taken place in our lives.  We did win that final election with 66% of the vote

Photo for 2009 Campaign.  Originally taken in 2008 for a failed
State Senate Race

In 2009, I was recovering from a failed bid for a State Senate race that hadn't gone great, with living in a Democratic district, where President Obama won that year in Salt Lake County.  I knew there were some things I still wanted to accomplish on the council, but wondering if my time had come.  After a couple of months, I decided to "get back on the horse" and with the help of some good friends, including the endorsement of Mayor Becker and my State Senate opponent, Luz Robles, I won that race, again with 66% of the vote. 

My oldest daughter Jessica is now a Junior at Utah State, Sarah is 6'3" and will be in 9th Grade next year, and Cathy and I will celebrate our 23rd year of marriage later this year.  Our 16 year commitment to Public Service has brought about some great experiences and I wouldn't trade them for anything.  It's been tough, discouraging at times, but we've worked our way through a variety of challenges.  Our family, in particular Sarah, has never known anything else, and somewhere, I hope that I might find an opportunity for public service.  However if this January brings nothing else, I will look back with great fondness for the wonderful opportunity afforded us as a family.  While I signed the form Friday to close my election committee, it was truly a moment looking back with great reflection.  I imagine it is the first of many "last experiences" this year.

Cathy has been by my side since Day 1, and a partner
in everything I've done!

Mayor Becker recognized the service of my

colleague, Jill Love and me in this year's

State of the City Address

New Year Greetings from the Christensen Family

Every year our family has a Japanese tradition of sending off New Year cards.  Actually, it is our late answer to Christmas cards, but I prefer the cultural twist from my LDS mission to Japan.  In the past, I’ve emailed it to friends and family, but always hate to miss someone who might be interested.  I thought this year, I would post it in my blog and those of you who faithfully follow it, might enjoy it.  Happy New Year!

Christensen Family 2012 Newsletter

            2012 was a great year filled with many transitions for our family.  Sending our eldest away to school, loss of our long time family dog, shift to full time employment and figuring out what’s the next phase of our lives.  We also realized in going through pictures of last year, how blessed we were with numerous experiences and opportunities and how fortunate we’ve been as a family.  We anticipate 2013 being a great opportunity for us all.

            Daisy, our nine year old black lab passed away last year.  Ironically, she had lost a lot of weight (after being put on a mandatory diet by the vet) and started getting energy back she had not had for a while, Then suddenly Daisy got sick, and died fairly quickly from a form of liver cancer.  Our hearts have been lonely for her many times this last year but we also have many fine memories of her as part of our family.  Sarah really comforted her in those last days and it was tough on us all.  We buried her in our yard with her ball and one of Carlton’s gloves. Daisy was always stealing one of his work gloves and we would find it buried in many places throughout the yard. We planted daisies over her grave. 

            Sarah turned 13 last September and is officially 6’1” tall or three inches more than last year.  Sarah serves as the Beehive Class President for the 12 and 13 year old young women in our church congregation.  She also is famous for her origami work. The little kids at the end of our church meeting come flocking to her for something she has made.  Sarah is in eighth grade at the Salt Lake Center for Science Education.  She enjoys the math portion a little more than her science portion but has some good teachers.  Last May her class went on a three day field trip to Mesa Verde near the four corners region of Utah and last month they went snow shoeing up Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Sarah and her Dad share the same iTunes account and constantly surprise each other on what each other purchases! 

Jessica now 21, graduated from LDS Business College with her Associates Degree in General Studies and is now a junior at Utah State and recently applied for entrance into their Elementary Teacher Education Program.  If life went perfectly she would be done with her studies there in about a year or so.  She has had some good roommates who have encouraged her to “participate in life” and her parents still cry every time she drives away.  Her 2002 SAAB continues to work well in transporting her to and from school and we have been pretty lucky to have her visit some weekends when we’ve had family functions.  We can always tell when Jessica is gone, because something seems to be missing in our home, but we are grateful to have Sarah around to torment.

            Cathy started working full time last August for Utah State Office of Higher Education doing customer service on student loans.  It’s been a little bit of a change from her prior work with the school district, but has given her some additional opportunities and pay.  She also continues to serve as the Relief Society President for the Salt Lake Rose Park Stake. Cathy enjoys driving our recently acquired Subaru Tribeca and so graciously assigned our 1996 Chevy Suburban to Carlton.   Cathy still enjoys reading when she gets a chance and has instilled that desire in our kids.

            Carlton is starting his 16^th year on the City Council in Salt Lake City and has decided it will be his last year as a councilmember.  He serves as the President of the Utah League of Cities & Towns, President of the Associates Board of the Natural History Museum of Utah and as Chair of the Wasatch Economic Development District. Carlton is still employed at Zions Bank and continues to serve as the Stake Sunday School President in our Church. In March, Carlton participated in the My Heart Challenge with Intermountain Medical Center, loosing 43 lbs and winning most improved.  The whole family worked together and benefited from the effort.  His blog which can be found at: www.carltonchristensen.com now has 10 followers a huge gain after 12 months! 

            We are ever so grateful for your friendship and support of our family.  We want you to know how much we love our Savior Jesus Christ and what a profound impact that has played in our happiness and the direction we plot for ourselves.  We wish you the best for 2013!

Family and Friends Carry the Day!

I was reminded this evening how as families, we literally carry each other from time to time, helping us through some of life's most challenging times.  I'm not a huge lover of electronic games.  Not that I don't think they have relevancy or that I don't like technology, but I've never really been that great at the hand-button thing and if it takes a ton of coordination, I am as good as gone.  Tonight, Sarah wanted to play a round of Super Mario on our Wii as a family and I was ready to do my usual dismissal of it, when Cathy gave me that look of "Don't ruin our children forever by not playing with us".  It's tough look by the way....Of course as luck would have it my little blue and white hat guy only had one life, which was quickly disposed of before I knew which button to push.  Thinking that was my magical key to freedom, I was told by my other three colleagues of the Christensen Family that was not acceptable.  It was then that Sarah took up the slack, put me on the top of her character's head and continued to "carry me" through much of the remainder of the game.  I jumped when she told me to jump, fired ice off when she told me to fire ice and moved my little guy the direction she told me to go.  Amazingly I survived a number of rounds until Cathy called the game finished! 

I'm sure there is a Church talk connected to this, but I probably need to come up with a more refined version.  However it was actually very heart warming to see my girls, particularly Sarah step up and carry me in my time of need!  We do that so often day to day and whether it be family or friends, we often help each other out when we aren't quite sure what to do.  One of the things I love about this time of year, is that it really shows and is more apparent in our actions.

Update to a blog I wrote last year about my land of "Misfit Christmas Decorations". A friend of mine, Fred Ross from the SLC Police Department happened to read my blog that day and responded in a very impressive way.  Fred was visiting an auction that was selling Bountiful City's old Christmas decorations at an extremely low price.  He purchased a big lot of them, and donated all I wanted to my cause.  I have to say that I haven't used all the ones Fred gave me, if someone would want any of them, but I did figure out how to integrate a number of the wreaths into my collection.  If you grew up in Bountiful and wondered whatever happened to the Christmas Wreaths that lined your streets, come on by and look at my back driveway off of 800 N (approx 1460 W) and take a look.  I will have to say that getting Christmas decorations from a city that owns its own Power Company is probably not a good indicator of the energy efficiency of these wreaths!  However they look nice and we were able to use bulbs and stuff off other wreaths and in keeping with the spirit of this area, nothing was purchased, including bulb replacements!  If you have those partially lit reindeer around, or not quite sure what do do with that decorations that doesn't meet the standard of your front yard, give me a call!  Thanks Fred for answering the call!

Christmas Traditions - A time for transitions

Christensen Family Christmas Tree

In 1990, the first Christmas for Cathy and me as a newlywed couple, was a memorable and fun time together.  Ironically, we lived in the basement apartment of the house we now call home. We ordered our first set of ornaments from the JC Penny catalog.  The ornaments were an assortment of wood objects from trains, toy soldiers to sleighs.  It was a wonderful year and we realized that we were starting some new traditions together as we brought together traditions from our respective families.  We decided early on, that we wanted a more traditional Christmas tree look and that we wanted more of a variety of ornaments, as opposed to a "particular look". 

In 1991 when Jessica was a newborn baby, we decided to start acquiring an ornament with each year of her life as part of the Hallmark series.  Our initial thought was that as she grew up and moved away, she could take her ornaments with her to start her own tree, starting her own memories.  It became a fun part of our tradition each year to take her and let her pick out what mattered to her that year.  As Sarah came along in 1999, we started with her as well and our tree started becoming full with both of their ornaments.  Along the way friends and family also added to our collection, all with good memories. 

We realized a few years ago, that one day our children would in fact grow up and move away and suddenly there would not only be a void in our tradition, but on the tree as well!  Our original wood ornaments were also starting to fall apart and glue gun repairs weren't always worth it.  We decided to add to our collection, items from experiences that we had or places we've seen.  In our collection there is an ornament commemorating the restoration of the Utah State Capitol, the Nauvoo Temple, Boston, the four corners of Utah, or our recent family cruise to Alaska among many.  As we hang each ornament, we create for ourselves a found trip down memory lane for our family.

However Christmas also becomes a time for transitions.  This year, Jessica was at Utah State when we put up our tree.  It just didn't seem right to hang her ornaments without her, so we just set them aside until this evening when she could join us. While the tree seemed full, our hearts knew something was missing.  We're not sure we like this transition, but I guess it's coming nevertheless.

Jessica's ornaments wait patiently for her return

In addition, as we unpacked our Christmas stockings, we noticed our sock for our dog Daisy, who passed away earlier this year.  While we never hung her stocking with our Christmas Socks, Santa always filled it with some goodies and a new chew bone.  We're not quite sure what to do with it this year, but we can't seem to bring ourselves to just get rid of it.

Daisy's stocking (our nine year old Lab who passed away)

Our own stockings are fun to hang up each year.  When Cathy and I first were married, we found these extra large socks, and it was fun to have Santa fill them with a few extra items.  It left lots of options for those tools, or hair attachments we needed.  However it was clear as the kids came along, that it wasn't a practical alternative for Santa to fill that much, and we went with a smaller option for the kids.  My sister Nancy was kind enough to use her talent on helping create some fun options for us and we enjoy hanging them on the fireplace during December.

Sock artwork created by Carlton's sister, Nancy

Then there is the "original sock".  This sock was the sock that I came home from the Hospital on Christmas Day.  Born on December 23rd, my mother was released to come home with her 10 lb 14 oz child who was 24" tall.  As my mom passed away in 2004 and we went through her Christmas stuff, it was a sock that we couldn't throw away either and reminds me of the Christmas gift my mom always talked about getting that year.

Sock Carlton came home in from LDS Hospital in 1965

Christmas has generally great memories for me, but it has far too often been a time for transitions.  I guess it's only appropriate that Jessica's ornament she purchased this year for her collection has the phrase, "All roads lead home at Christmas".

Thankful for this year's success!

On Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for a lot of things, not the least of which is my family.  They're the best, stood by me through tough and happy times.  Don't know what I would do without them and pray that never happens.  I'm so proud of Cathy, Jessica and Sarah and the fact they are willing to call me partner (spouse) and Dad, that I can hardly stand it.  Excited to spend the day with them. 


Trax Trains now testing and running on North Temple

Likewise in public service, there are projects that you work on for a long time, and somehow never think they actually will come to fruition.  Trax on North Temple is one of those that I've been working on since coming to office.  It was with some excitement the other day, driving eastbound on North Temple, that I watched a new Trax train, testing the track and crossing Redwood Road.  While not the whole solution for improving the west side of Salt Lake City, it's a huge step and I believe a catalyst in how others perceive it.  So much so, that one worry I hold is that in another decade, the area becomes too popular and prices push out many of those who have called it home and some of the traditional residents are not able to afford living here.  Good problem to have, I guess, and you can't control that outcome, but a change from today.

Looking west toward the City & County Building
out of the new Public Safety Building

Another project that has been exciting to see come out of the ground, is the new Public Safety Building.  I walked through it the other day, amazed at all the new and improved opportunities it will provide not only to the public, but the men and women who work to protect our community.   A net-zero building designed to use energy resources efficiently, it will provide some great opportunities and be a significant resource to us in good times and bad. 



Sarah George, Director of the Museum of Natural History of Utah



The final for me this year, is the anniversary of the opening of the new Museum of Natural History where I currently serve as President of the Advisory Board.  They just celebrated having in excess of 300,000 visitors, doubling the first year projection and receiving numerous award not only for the building but the talent that works in the building every day.  It's been an honor to not only have an association with such a fine institution but more importantly to have such a great resource not only for our community but the State and Intermountain Region. 

 

2012 has been a great year, of which I'm can truly say, I'm grateful!