A Tribute

Last week three couples from my home town were on vacation in California. They were together in the same vehicle when a semi truck ran a stop sign and crashed into them. Three of the six were killed (story). One couple was my dad's niece and her husband and another woman, April, was a dear friend who influenced my life greatly. It is a tragedy for the whole town. All three will be missed. April was my drill team advisor in high school. I received word this week that someone was collecting tributes from all of April's former B-Steps (that's what our team was called.) Here is my contribution and also a picture of our team. Unfortunately April is not in the picture.

(That's me front row, third from the left)

Few people hold as dear a place in my heart as April Yardley. She is a legend in the history of Beaver High School’s drill team. It was my privilege to be part of that history. Her last year as the B-step advisor was my first year on the team and one that I look back on with the fondest memories.
It was never my intention to become a B-step. I had very little dance experience, less than most of my friends who tried out, but I was coerced into trying out regardless. In spite of the lack of experience I made the team. April always made me feel like I belonged there and that I could be as good as anyone else. Little did I know that the experience would be the highlight of my high school years. I made friends and had experiences that I otherwise would not have.
Like I said, April is a legend and she also had a reputation. I was a little nervous about how practices would go and the pressure I would feel. However, in no time at all I learned to love, respect and admire April. I often think of my time on the Drill Team and my thoughts always include April.
Not all my memories of April are from my one year working with her on the Drill Team. April believed in me and encouraged me to do other things. Because of her I tried out for Miss Drill Team Utah and Miss Beaver County. I then went on to participate in the Miss Utah State Fair and Miss Utah pageants.
To me April was more than just a drill team advisor, she was a mentor, an example and a friend. I am so glad I had a brief moment in time with her. She was a wonderful person.

The Cooking Club

I went through a cookbook-collecting phase when we lived in Denver. It started with one of those mail-order things where you get so many cookbooks for $1 then have to buy so many at regular price. Then a lady at church cleaned out her cookbooks and gave me some very good books. It kind of snowballed from there. I have kept most of them.
About this same time I had an idea to start a cooking club. My friend, Liz, helped me get it going. We invited some of our friends and we met once a month or so. We always had a theme and a little lesson with several dishes to taste at the end. We took turns hosting, teaching and providing the food. Now that I think about it it kind of sounds a bit silly but we had so much fun! When you combine women, food and conversation you can't go wrong.
Some of the themes I remember are fondue, picnics, bread and eggs. I also remember having a little demo on napkin folding. I still have a lot of our handouts and refer to them from time to time. I really did learn a lot.

This recipe is one of my favorite desserts. I like Oreo desserts. This is not related to the cooking club but I thought I would include it because I was talking to my mom about it the other day.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake
2 cups (24) crushed Oreo cookies
6 Tbs butter, melted
Combine crumbs and margarine, press onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of spring form pan
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1 1/4 cups (10) chopped Oreo cookies
Soften gelatin in water; stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing at medium speed until well blended. Gradually add gelatin, and milk, mixing until blended. Chill until slightly thickened but not set; fold in whipped cream. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cream cheese mixture; pour remaining cream cheese mixture over crust. Top with chopped cookies and reserved cream cheese mixture. Chill until firm.