Sunday, November 30, 2014

Grandma Merlynn

Kent's mom, the kids Grandma Merlynn, died last Wednesday, the day before her 87th birthday.  She had been suffering from dementia, and for the past two years had been living with Michelle and Tad in Indiana.  We have taken time over the past week to remember her and celebrate her life.

Merlynn was an amazing woman.  She was incredibly patient and even tempered.  Kent reports that she never raised her voice, she never appeared ruffled, she never let the vicissitudes of life overwhelm her.  She was gracious and generous and incredibly non-judgmental.  She opened her home and her heart to others; anyone was not only welcome but well-fed when they arrived at her house.  She raised eight children with faithful devotion to God and family, and balanced responsibilities at home with those at Church.

On Thursday last, in an uncharacteristic outpouring of love to me, Blythe said, "Mom, you're the best mom in the whole world."  Considering that Grandma Merlynn had died the day before, I replied, "Well, now that Grandma Merlynn has gone to Heaven, there is an opening for best mom in the whole world.  I'm not sure I really qualify, but I guess I could be in the running."  She really was the best.

We will miss Grandma.  Her slow decline over the past five years or so, however, makes the parting less bitter and much more sweet.  We know she is herself again, that her spirit rejoices to be where she is now and not where she has been.  We have laughed that upon arrival on the other side, she was greeted by John and likely said, "Well John, what are you doing here."  He died two years ago when she was already mentally deficient enough not to be aware of what was happening around her.  We had shed few tears at her passing, knowing she is happy and busy.

As I said, this week has been one of celebration.  On Sunday, we had a large-ish family gathering at our house for dinner.  We had the Brinkerhoffs all here (they flew in on Saturday), plus Lee, Cammie, and Aaron, George, and Jim Draculis.  Brandt and Blythe were overjoyed that their cousins were here.  They love the Brinkerhofferschnofferdoos and have missed them tremendously since they moved to Indiana.  The older cousins were so good with Brandt and Blythe, and almost immediately after their departure, both kids said, "When can we play with our cousins again?"  We hammered out some funeral details, but mostly just talked and reminisced and shared our love.  George and the Brinkerhoffs had all been to church in the old Grandview ward, and they reported a huge outpouring of love from ward members.  Lots of women signed up to help with the funeral luncheon, and George felt like he was back where he belonged.

On Monday, Anna Leesa invited us all over to the Stanley's house for family home evening.  Grandpa George, the Brinkerhoffs, Lee, the four of us, David and Sharon with Josh, Jonathan, Seth, and Becca, plus Brooke and her kids, Katie and Drew and their four, and Anna Leesa and Brianne.  Anna Leesa conducted family home evening, and we had a great time.  We sang and prayed, had business (viewing and funeral instruction/information), played a hilarious game where we couldn't show our teeth but which made everyone laugh (it is very difficult to laugh without showing your teeth), and then shared "lessons we've learned from our parents," but more specifically, those we'd learned from Merlynn.

I shared that Merlynn was always positive and never criticized.  She and I attended a Relief Society dinner in the Grandview ward many years ago that was probably the worst meal I have ever eaten.  The food was cold and repulsive.  It was horrid and vile.  The next day or so, we were gathered together and I was complaining about how terrible it had been.  Kent had been asked to help serve and he was completely backing me up, agreeing wholeheartedly about how awful it was.  Merlynn said, in her sweet voice, talking about those who had been responsible for the meal, "They certainly could have done things differently," but left it at that.  There was no agreeing with me about how bad it was, although I know she did agree.  She was being charitable where I was being critical.  Good lesson.

Kent shared that he learned early on that you should always listen to your mother.  He liked to go down to the golf course with buddies and salvage golf balls that he would then sell back to golfers.  One night when he and two other guys were going down, Merlynn said, "Kent, I don't think this is a good idea.  If you get arrested, don't call me to come get you out."  He chuckled at that and went on his way.  He and his buddies and only barely launched into their salvage operation when they were approached by policemen with hands on holsters and told to desist immediately, then hauled off to jail.  Turns out, the night before, other people had been on the golf course and done much damage, driving golf carts in to the water and wreaking havoc.  Kent and his friends had the misfortune to choose the very next night to be where they shouldn't really be.  Kent didn't want to call home, knowing he had ignored his mother's warning, but he called home anyway.  True to her word, Merlynn did not come get them; it was George who went down to bring them home.

We finished up our evening with pie, more singing, and snuggling of small people we don't see very often.  Jack and Avey, Brooke's children, showed off their music skills, and Jack even accompanied me as I sang a goofy song to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw" which he can play in two different major keys and a minor key too.  It was wonderful to be together.

One picture with Tad (I'm taking the picture) and one picture with me (Tad taking the picture).
If I knew how to do Photoshop, I could combine them to be one picture with both of us.
But I don't, so I won't.

Friday evening we had a viewing, and yesterday was Merlynn's funeral.  Both were wonderful.  It was is nice to see people from their ward (our former ward) as well as family and other friends, and to remember Merlynn.  We visited and shared stories and laughed and cried a bit, though not much.  I know people come together for weddings and funerals, and it was good to have the chance to talk.  Because both Kent's parents and mine have lived in the same ward for so many years, it was a reunion of sorts, and a joyful one at that.  

Merlynn's funeral was beautiful.  Michelle gave a very nice life sketch and shared with us the events of the last week of Merlynn's life.  It was good to know how that all went, seeing as how we were all very far away.  Aunt Bertha (her sister) shared fun memories of Merlynn growing up, and Nate shared some thoughts about Grandma, both his and Craig's (who was supposed to speak but is in Taiwan).  All of them shared how kind and patient and welcoming Merlynn was, even from a young age.  Lee spoke about the plan of salvation and our need to remain faithful in order to enjoy the promised blessing of a joyful reunion on the other side of the veil, and a chance to return to our Heavenly Father.  He was very serious, but he takes funerals seriously.  We had all the grand and great-grandchildren sing "Families Can Be Together Forever," and Brianne and Anna Leesa performed a flute/piano duet of "Come Thou Fount."  I conducted the singing and must say I was very moved by the sight of all George and Merlynn's grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Most of them were there.  Of the 31 grandchildren, only seven were missing (six over seas including two on a mission, and one on a cruise with her husband), and twenty of the 25 great-grandchildren were there.  They filled the stand several deep and looked beautiful.  I'm sure Merlynn loved it.  The Stake President also spoke briefly.  It really was a great service.

Brandt was thrilled to have been chosen as an honorary pallbearer and proudly showed off his red carnation.  When it came time to carry out the casket, he went to help, holding on at the back as the big guys carried from the sides.  He also helped carry the casket from the hearse down to the grave site.  Merlynn is at East Lawn, with John and my dad, which will make Memorial Day a great time to visit lots of people all at once.  John is on the west side of the cemetery, my dad in the middle, and Merlynn on the east.  



We returned to the church for lunch, the standard ham, funeral potatoes, salad, rolls, and cake.  Again, it was great to be together.  James shared some very funny passages from Merlynn's journal, detailing her parenting frustrations.  George also shared some thoughts, and we took a group shot, of course.  All in all, though it was an emotionally draining day, it was also a day of rejoicing and celebration.  We love Grandma Merlynn and will miss her.

The Barrus Family, en masse.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Anna Merlynn Droubay Barrus--An Obituary



Anna Merlynn Droubay Barrus, 87, died peacefully on November 19. Merlynn was born on Nov. 20, 1927 in Erda, Utah to John and Annie Droubay. By all reports, she had a mild and even temperament from the start. Growing up on a dairy farm, she learned the virtues of hard work and responsibility early. After graduating from Tooele High, she attended the University of Utah where she studied early childhood education. She married a Tooele boy, George Barrus, in the Salt Lake Temple on Dec. 3, 1948. In the midst of raising a large family, she was a sea of calm. She baked wonderful bread and made delicious pies and was almost always there when the children came home from school. Merlynn served faithfully in a multitude of church callings from Den Mother to Stake Relief Society president and fed and helped countless people throughout her life. She also made time to serve as a PTA president, a candy striper, a member of the Provo City Planning Commission, and as a foster Grandmother. 
George’s work moved them to Idaho, Arizona, Iowa and several cities in Utah until they finally settled in Provo where they lived for 44 years. In 1994, Merlynn was pleased to complete a B.A. in English at BYU. Despite being a farm girl at heart and a homebody, Merlynn spent years globetrotting with her husband: BYU semesters abroad in Paris and Vienna, internships in Washington, DC and New York, and LDS missions to Newfoundland, Johannesburg, and Singapore. Her life was devoted to her family, her faith, and those around her. For the last two years of her life, she and George moved to West Lafayette, Indiana where they lived with their daughter Michelle and her family. 

She is survived by her husband George Barrus, her brother Wendell (and Geraldine) Droubay, sister-in-law Bonnie Droubay, and sister Bertha (and Dwight) Clark, her children Craig (and Monica) Barrus, David (and Sharon) Barrus, daughter-in-law Anna Leesa Stanley Barrus, Kent (and Katherine) Barrus, Brenda (and Brent) Christensen, Lee (and Cammie) Barrus, James (and Alisa) Barrus, Michelle (and Tad) Brinkerhoff, 31 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son John, brother Robert Droubay, and sisters Ruth Bryan and Kathleen Bradshaw. A viewing will be held Friday, November 28th, from 6:00-8:00pm at the Grandview 13th Ward chapel, 1260 W 1150 North, Provo. Funeral services will be at the same location Saturday, November 29 at 11:00am with a viewing preceding services from 9:00-10:30am. In lieu of flowers please donate to the LDS Humanitarian Fund.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thanksgiving

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year.  I intended on taking pictures--of the table, of the food, of our guests--and I didn't.  Not a single one.  I can say we used the good china so the tables were lovely, we had two turkeys, one baked and one smoked, as well as all the delicious accompaniments, including roasted parsnips and carrots, and the company was very pleasant.  David and Sharon came with five of their kids, Lee, Cammie, and Aaron, us, and George, who is here in Utah for Grandma Barrus' funeral which is Saturday.  We wanted the Brinkerhoffs to come too, but they went to Cedar City for Thanksgiving, and we hoped to have Brent and Brenda, but they didn't arrive until 5:00pm and had dinner with the Vogels.

With Grandma's passing, we are particularly thankful for the plan of salvation and the resurrection.  We've hardly been sad about Merlynn's death, comforted by the knowledge that not only will we see her again, but that she is well, in her right mind, and busy.  We're thankful for family, near and far, and for time to be together.  My mom and sister came over yesterday to make pies, and as we talked and worked, I was so glad to be with them.  As we sat around and ate and talked and laughed and were together today, we were thankful to precious time and moments to share.  It was such a treat and we rejoice in our rich blessings and full lives.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Bean Museum with Cousins


The kids have cousins in town that aren't usually here because of Grandma's death and upcoming funeral.  Today after school, I took the kids over to the Bean Museum to meet up with the Brinkerhoffs (less Charlie) and Brianne to run around.  Blythe didn't really want to go as we were just at the Bean Museum recently, but they both wanted to be with their cousins, so they went.  

I think they had fun.  I went back for them after about an hour and they were all hanging around together.  Blythe did report that she didn't have a good time because, in her words, "Tess and Lydia fought over me."  The picture certainly seems to confirm her lack of excitement.  I'm glad that the kids like being with their cousins and that we've had time this week to be together.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Pith-y


Kent bought four pith helmets at a garage sale on Saturday, one for each of us, and only .50 cents each!  Such a deal.  Brandt has been wearing his.  I think it suits him.

Field Trip Friday #14--Swimming at the Rec Center

This afternoon, I took the kids swimming at the rec center.  I love their indoor swim facility.  Ava and Crew joined us.  I wanted Griffin to stay and swim too, but he didn't want to.  I floated around the lazy river and sat in the kiddie pool while the kids swam and swam.  They, too, went around and around the lazy river, jumped off the diving platform, and went down the slide.  The water was warm enough that no one's lips turned blue and we were able to stay for quite a while.  Yeah for field trip Fridays!



Lego Legos


While vacuuming today, I inadvertently sucked up a Lego.  Happens with some regularity actually.  I got down on my stomach to peer under the entertainment center and discovered there were many Legos under there and I was going to vacuum up if I didn't do something about them.  So I got out a hanger and bent it all up so I could use it to fish out things from under the bookshelves.  Here is the pile I accumulated.  All those little bits.  They are all over the house--everywhere.  I step on them, I move them around the counters, I find them in pockets as I do the laundry, in drawers, under beds (including mine), and on top of books.  Fortunately for the children, they use them so creatively I can't bear to part with them.  Well, the creative use plus the fact that they cost so much I cringe every time I do suck one up with the vacuum.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Still Life with Pineapple


Blythe took this picture.  I discovered it as I was downloading photos.  It's quite interesting.  I never see the fruit bowl from this perspective (I'm always looking down on it from above), and I like the colors--the blue of the wall and bowl, the yellow of bananas and pineapple, and the pop of red tomato.  I wonder what Blythe saw in it that made her take the picture.

YW in Excellence

My current calling in church is as the assistant laurel adviser.  That means I'm in charge of personal progress for the laurels.  I'm not doing a very good job, not really connecting with the girls, and not feeling like I'm magnifying my calling.  I suppose we all do some things better than others.  

As part of the personal progress team, I was responsible for planning and carrying out this year's Evening of Excellence.  Our annual theme has been Come Unto Christ, and in trying to come up with something to go along with that, I watched a video the Church produced of a group of youth singing about letting Christ in to our lives.  There is a line that says something about opening the door and letting Him in.  I had this idea that we could use doors painted the value colors as the central idea of our evening's activities.  I don't like to go overboard with Church stuff because I feel that the real message can get lost in all the fluff that accompanies it.  But my fellow personal progress people, Elizabeth Elder and Tawny George, liked the idea, so we went with it.

Next question?  Where do we get eight doors to paint the value colors?  We sent out an email on our neighborhood Google group asking if anyone had doors they were looking to get rid of.  Would you believe it, someone had two.  I had a white one sitting in my garage, meaning we really only needed five.  Two days after we'd decided on this door theme, I heard an advertisement on the radio for the Habitat For Humanity store.  The coming weekend, they were having a 50% off all used items sale, so I went and bought five doors, all different, and they only cost me $30.  I thought that was a deal.  The following week I got together with Elizabeth and Tawny to paint the doors.  In spite of the fact that we had a combined total of six pre-school children running around, it only took us an hour and half to paint seven doors, and no one ended up with paint on them.  

The second part of the "decor" were words.  This year each girl chose one word to focus on during the year that would help them draw closer to Christ.  Some of the words were patience, serve, reverence, reach out, love.  We put those words on the doors and then asked the girls to share an experience either about their word or from their personal progress efforts over the year. 

In the end, I think everything turned out very nicely.  Having each young woman stand in front of the doors and bear testimony was great, and I think visually, it was interesting.  I was pleased with the way the evening turned out.


The Young Women
Back row: Courtney Bird, Regan Mitchell, Emma Austin and Madi Whitney (neither of whom can be seen very well), Sadie Tayler, Madisen Davis, Morgan Richards, Kennan Richards, Micah Richards, Anna Mason, and Rachel Oyler
Front row: McKenna Neyman, Quincy Mitchell, Pauline Benavides, Hannah Liau, Arden Covey, Kamila Stice, Juliet Tayler, Kiera Morgan, and Taraz Stice


Crime Scene


How about that blood spatter?!  All that's missing is the weapon and body lying on the kitchen floor.  In reality, this is beet juice that sprayed out of the container of left over beet salad I dropped on the floor.  Looks grisly, but the salad was delicious.

Plump and Perky Turkeys

As part of their Thanksgiving celebrations, the third graders get to make "plump and perky turkeys" to display in the library at school.  There is a really funny story called A Plump and Perky Turkey about a town, Squawk Valley, whose turkeys won't hop into pots anymore.  They are too smart for that.  So the townspeople hatch a clever plan.  They host a turkey-themed arts and crafts fair and lure a vain bird into town by advertising for an artist's model.  Peter the Turkey, proud of his well-stuffed form, takes the bait but doesn't fall for the trap.  The townspeople create all sorts of turkeys, and to go along with the story, the third graders can too.  

Brandt took this to heart and went with me to select turkey making materials.  Blythe, of course, got into the spirit of the thing and insisted on also doing a turkey.  Although she is not in third grade, because I volunteer in the library, she was able to display her turkey too.  And here are their turkeys, both made of left-over Thanksgiving pumpkins used as decoration from the front porch, and both plump and perky.

Blythe insisted on pink feathers for her bird.

Brandt wanted a Robin Hood turkey, 
so this bird has a jaunty hat with a green feather in it.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Field Trip Friday #13--The Bean Museum

For Field Trip Friday today, we went to the Bean Museum.  We took Lily and Emma Bradford, mostly because Blythe wanted to have a play date with them, but I wanted to go do something, so we compromised.  We haven't been to the Bean Museum since they remodeled it, and I must say, it is lovely.  I'm certain the children did not appreciate it.  In fact, Blythe said the whole thing was "creepy."  Too many dead animals for her.  It makes her sick.  We had a good time anyway.  There is a new play area with a slide and a tunnel/cave they can crawl through, and inside there is a projected animal of some sort--a wolf or bear of wolverine.  It freaked them out.  All in all, however, I think it was a fun field trip.

Brandt with tiger and elephant tusks.

Blythe chose this spot for a picture.
She liked the little baby deer.
Lily is not in the picture because she didn't like the baby deer.

The sculptures below are outside the museum.
They captured the children's fancy.

Howling

Being threatening with a knife.

Looking so cute.

 
Lily and Emma


Brandt, the girls, and a wolf.




That is a cute face, and I don't mean the warthog.

Brandt took this picture of me with the warthog.
When I was growing up, my dad would tease me by calling me Warty the warthog.
It bugged me.
Now, I'd like him to be around again, calling me whatever he wanted.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

First Snow and Sweet Rolls


It snowed for the first time this year (since summer) today.  The snow didn't really stick much and was gone by the morning, but it was chilly outside and I felt like baking.  I was going to make cinnamon rolls for general conference, but it didn't happen, so I thought I'd make them today.  I used a new recipe from Cheryl Moffat (Mrs. Bigelow's class aide--we love her!); caramel cinnamon rolls.  I realized, after I got started, that it was a large recipe.  It made 48 rolls.  They were incredibly light and fluffy and I offered them to one and all on Facebook.  Here is a copy of my post:

I'm making cinnamon rolls in honor of the first snowfall. Stop by. They'll be hot in about an hour and I've made lots.

Maureen Ogles actually came by, and although they weren't baked yet, I threw a pan in the oven and she waited and chatted while they cooked.  I'm pretty sure they were worth the wait.  Yum, yum, yum.  Perhaps this will become a tradition--cinnamon rolls for the first snowfall.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Unpleasant But Necessary

 

This morning I walked Blythe to school.  Although Kent was taking the children to school as usual, Blythe had doddled and wasn't ready when it was time to go.  In fact, she raced into the bathroom to take care of business at the very moment she needed to be walking out the door for school.  I sent Kent and Brandt off (Brandt hates to be late--he gets that from me), and took Blythe when she was done and ready to go.

As we walked past the Robison's house, Blythe said to me, "Mom, why don't we do a haunted forest at Halloween?"

"We don't have a forest," I replied.  "Plus, I don't like haunted forests, neither do you or Brandt or Kent, so why would we have one?"

"I like haunted forests," she said.

"Well, I don't," I again replied, "and I don't want to spend a lot of time doing something I don't like to do."

"You don't like to do laundry," she sagely responded.

I agreed with her.  "Yes, that is true.  I don't like to do laundry.  But we have to have clean clothes, so I do laundry.  We don't have to have a haunted forest, so I'm not going to do one."

I don't know if she was content with that response, but there it is.  Sometimes you just have to do unpleasant things, but sometimes, fortunately, you don't.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Brick, Who Hangs Out With Me on Tuesdays and Thursdays

This semester, while Mikayla has been in school, I have watched Brick on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I like having him around.  He is pleasant and funny, talks to me all the time (although I understand almost nothing he is saying), and is good company when I am running errands (he never complains).  It is fun to have a little person around the house, and so nice to be able to send the little person home at the end of the day.  I like him.  Actually, I love him like my own and regularly give him lots and lots of kisses, which he tolerates.  When I put him down for a nap, I always lie down next to him because he sleeps on Brandt's bed so there is nothing to keep him from getting out of bed and playing if he doesn't want to go to sleep.  I love cuddling up next to him and singing softly to him.  

I've been taking pictures of cute him.  Here are some.  He's wearing a hat I bought for Brandt when he was Brick's age, and which looks so, so, so, so, so darling on anyone.  It would probably look darling on me if I could get it on my head, which I can't.  I have great pictures of Brandt in it, and great pictures of Blythe in it, and now I have great pictures of Brick in it.



I say to Brick with some regularity,
"I'll eat you up, I love you so."
And he just giggles.


I had to go get something at my mom's house the other day, and Brick insisted that we spend some time doing the coaster.  He LOVES the coaster.  He climbed up and said, "Set, go!" without even having the coaster car.  Apparently for him, it hardly mattered.  I love the way the sun is shining off his almost bald, fuzzy head.  Isn't he yummy?!



Brick had been with me to vote.

This is a scrap Brick got on his nose when we were outside.  I was raking leaves and he was going up and down the play equipment, sliding down the slide.  I was raking near him and watching.  I didn't see it, but apparently he fell just before he started up the ladder and scraped the top of his nose.  He cried and cried, but it didn't bleed.  Only a superficial scrape.  Painful though.  He needed lots of cuddles and his bottle to chew on.

He recovered quickly, however, and we went back out where he went down the slide lots more times, then came and played in the leaves I was raking up.  He walked back and forth through them, shuffling his feet and spreading out my carefully make piles.  So helpful.  The pictures aren't wonderful; he wouldn't really hold still.  He is so busy.








Friends


This is Blythe's friend Lily.  She lives around the corner and walks home from school with us every day.  Today, upon arrival at her house, she and Blythe plopped down in the leaves on the front lawn.  I thought they looked so cute.  Yes, they are wearing their pajamas.  It's also Red Ribbon Week, and they "wouldn't dream of doing drugs."  Such cute girls!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Read My Lips

Through exaggerated lip movement, elaborate pantomiming, and a bit of writing, Blythe let us know this morning she had lost her voice.  She spoke not one word from the time she woke until the time Kent dropper her off at school.  She wrote me that I was to call her teacher and let her know.  Instead, I texted Miss Medaris to tell her she absolutely did NOT have to play this game with Blythe.  Here is what I wrote:
Blythe is on a no speaking kick this morning.  She claims she's lost her voice.  Kent thinks she's darling; I think she's irritating (can I say that about my own child?).  Please do not think you have to put up with that for even a moment.  Non-cooperators go right to the principal's office, don't they?  Do whatever you need to do.  I'm fully supportive.
I wonder if I should be concerned about this obviously cry for attention.  Does she need me to take her to lunch so she feels I really do notice her?  Perhaps I should play along, waving my own hands around, and just enjoy the quiet.

I didn't hear anything back from Miss Medaris through the day, and when I picked Blythe up from school, she was talking.  I said, "Oh! You found your voice!  Where was it?"

"It was under the rug," she replied.  We didn't say anything more about it.

I did finally hear back from Miss Medaris well after school.  She texted me back the following:
First, your text made me giggle.  Then Blythe made me giggle when she mouthed things (silently) to me for the first 30 minutes of school.  Haha!  I told Blythe I needed to hear her for reading, etc.  That didn't work, so I told her if she couldn't read aloud and speak to me, she would probably need to miss PE or recess, but I'd give her time to think about if she wanted to miss one of those.  Within a few minutes, her voice was magically back!  What a cute and determined girl.
Cute and determined are definitely good descriptor words for our Blythe.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Field Trip Friday #12--Time With Dad

I was in Heber at the Phillips cabin this weekend, playing with my girlfriends.  Kent is always very supportive of time away for me, so today, for field trip Friday, the kids hung around with Kent.  I asked him if they went and did anything, but they didn't.  They played with friends and Kent helped Brian Bradford with a house project.  I guess I was the only one who got to have field trip Friday, and truth be told, I don't really feel bad about that.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Star Wars Scripture Study


While reading the scriptures this morning, we came upon a verse that says, "And now behold, this was grievous unto them."  Brandt immediately perks up, says, "Grievous?" leaps up from the table and begins making light saber noises while waving his arms around.  Brandt ALWAYS has Star Wars on the brain.