Martin's Cove

General Conference weekend Craig and I traveled to Wyoming. We spent Friday night in Rawlins and then Saturday morning we drove to Martin's Cove, about an hour away and in the middle of nowhere. There is a visitor's center there and the film they show is about Craig's ancestors, the McBrides, who were in the Martin Company. I also had ancestors from my mother's side in the Martin Company, John E. Bitton, his sister Jane and his wife Sarah. We got copies of stories on each ancestor and then we rode up to the cove with one of the missionaires in what they call "a rover." She told us great stories on the ride up and then we spent a little time in the cove taking pictures before hiking down. It was a beautiful clear and sunny day with no wind. Just cool enough to need a jacket. It was a good experience and we're really glad we went. It certainly renewed our appreciation for the sacrifices of those who came before us. Sunday morning we woke up to snow so we quickly packed up and headed home.

This week I am off work for fall break so today I am taking Nanny to Idaho Falls for a visit. We will stay with her friend Irene and come back on Wednesday. I haven't been to Idaho Falls for a long time so I'm looking forward to it.

CATCH-UP TIME

Since my last post was in mid August, I have a lot of catching up to do. The last weekend in August we had our annual family campout. This year we went to a place outside of Camus. Joe and Amy came along and Mindy joined us on Saturday. Chris had work and school so he couldn't come. Carrie was in a car accident the week before so she was pretty sore and didn't feel like sleeping on the ground. (An elderly man ran a stop sign and totalled both cars but no one was injured). But the rest of us had a good time, especially Xander and Lizzy.

Craig and I spent Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas. We met the Dangerfields there since it is a good half-way point. Saturday evening we saw Bill Cosby live--it was great! Clyde said he laughed so hard his jaws ached. Sunday we went to church with Norman and Marie and then went to a historical museum that afternoon. Sunday evening we played dominos all evening with Norman and Marie at their house. Of course, Marie had great treats for us too.

After much searching for a car to replace the one she lost in the accident, Carrie reached a dead end. The kind of car she wanted and the amount she was willing to pay were too far apart. So good old Dad came to the rescue and sold her his Toyota Corolla. Because it has a rebuilt title, it's value is two or three thousand dollars less than it would be otherwise. So Carrie was able to get the car she wanted and her payment is only half what it used to be. Craig bought a 2006 Nissan Altima that was a lease return. It's a silver car with black interior and is in excellent condition. He kind of wanted a little bigger car since he often hauls customers around, so it worked out for everyone. Besides getting a car, Carrie and I celebrated her birthday the previous Saturday with a day of shopping for some new clothes she needed for work. That evening Mindy joined us for dinner and a play.

The Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Last Saturday, August 22nd, we had the priveledge of attending the dedication of the new temple and were seated in the sealing room directly off the celestial room where the live proceedings were taking place. It certainly was a memorable experience and the crowning event of the 25 years we have lived in this area. We are anxious to start attending this new temple now that it is dedicated. We truly live in "the valley of the temples" as there are eight within an hours drive.

GRANDMA'S DARLINGS

 

GRANDKIDS VISIT

We spent five wonderful days in July with Jason's family--their first visit to Utah in almost four years! Even little Parker got along well and adjusted quickly to the altitude change. We attended the Oquirrh Temple open house, rode the TRAX train and went to the children's museum. We spent one day at Joe and Amy's house and one day at Mindy and Chris's house. Nanny treated everyone to dinner one night which proved to be the only time we got the whole family together. It was so much fun to have them here!! We surely hope its not another four years before they come again.

We received some exciting news last Sunday. Mindy is pregnant! This is after four years and two miscarriages. She is through the first trimester and all is going well. We are very excited!!

Classes start Monday at the prison. I am looking forward to my new job though for a while I will still be doing my old job as well. I will only be having class for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon until a replacement is hired and trained.

We are heading to Cedar City tomorrow to attend the Shakespear Festival--an annual event for us. We will see at matinee and an evening show and drive home Sunday. Then it's off to school Monday morning!

WHAT'S HAPPENING

I guess I'm no better at blogging than I am at keeping a journal! A lot has happened since my last entry.

Craig attended the funeral for Kathryn Nelson, the infant daughter of our niece Paula (Romney) and her husband Mike Nelson in Denver. It was a sad occasion but nice that Craig could spend a little time with his siblings. (see picture).

Craig and I spent the 4th of July in St. George where we met Bill and Joanne Spelts at the Tuachan theater and saw "Footloose." It was a great show and a fun trip. We even found a nice hotel there that lets you have pets, so we took Lizzy along. She did great!

I am currently enjoying two weeks of paid vacation as I have accepted the job as the high school teacher at the prison starting in August. Since teachers don't get paid vacation, I have to use up what I have earned from my previous position. I am going back the last week of July, however, to hopefully train my replacement before starting my teaching position August 3rd.

Last Saturday we cut down the big cottonwood tree in our backyard. It had gotten way too big for our backyard and we were tired of raking up all the leaves in the fall. It also kept us from growing a garden (no sun). We were afraid if it ever got hit by lightening and part of it fell, it would wipe out several neighbors fences including our own. We have a neighbor who does that on the side and he got a lot of volunteer labor from the ward--it was quite a production!

We are anxiously awaiting a visit from Jason's family next week. It has been almost four years since they were here, so we are very excited to have them and are planning some fun activities. I anticipate that my next blog will be all about their visit.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!!

We have had the most incredible amount of rain lately--every single day we have at least one HUGE thunderstorm and this has been going on for over a week now. The forecast shows it continuing the rest of this week. YUK!! Even the Angel Moroni on our new temple got hit by lightening (see picture). Notice the black arm and trumpet. This is the Oquirrh Mountain Temple just 2 miles south of us. We are both volunteering at the open house this coming Friday. It will be dedicated in August.

Last Friday I went shopping in Park City at the outlet mall with Mindy and Amy. We had a great time and found some good deals. I took Craig back on Saturday to check out some flip flops that were on clearance--you heat them in the oven and then mold them to your feet. We both bought a pair. We heated them in the oven on Sunday. While they're still warm, you stand in them for two minutes and then you can walk around in them. They mold exactly to your foot's shape. They are REALLY comfortable.

This Wednesday evening, Carrie is going to join us for a session at the new Draper Temple. We have not been there since it was dedicated so we're going to try and get into a session. The ordinance rooms are small so hopefully we will get in!

IL DIVO

Friday night we attended an Il Divo concert at Energy Solutions Arena. This is the group created and marketed by Simon Cowell of American Idol fame. They aren't showman as all they did was walk around and sing, but they have amazing voices and all look like Armani models. It was quite enjoyable. The funny thing about the concert was that the avergage age of the audiance was probably 50. I ran into two old friends from my childhood days in Idaho Falls as well as a coworker at the prison. Prior to the concert we had dinner at PF Changs with a coworker of Craig's and his wife but our seats for the concert were not together. All in all, it was a fun night.

Sunday we had the privelege of fasting and prayer for our dear Parker. I think my prayers were as much for Jason and Jen as there were for Parker. We continue to pray that all will go well with the heart cath on Wednesday. We love you Parker!!

GRADUATION DAY

Today we awarded 361 high school diplomas to inmates in the adult education program at the Utah State Prison. This number is an all-time record. This is my favorite day at work every year and a great opportunity to cheer for these guys and see them so proud of their accomplishment. For some of them, it's probably the first positive achievement of their lives. Our speaker was Larry Galwick, the Highland Rugby coach whose story is told in the movie Forever Strong. He is not only a great coach but an excellent motivational speaker as well. Prior to his coming for graduation, he gave us a copy of the movie and asked us to show it to the grads. Most of them were able to see it and I think it touched them all. This year I requested a clearance for Craig so he could attend the graduation. It was a great opportunity for him to get a glimpse of what I experience at the prison. All in all, it was a great day and I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to make a difference in these inmates lives.

IN MEMORIUM

It is with profound sadness that I write of the passing of our beloved and faithful dog, Sam. We aren't sure what happened to him but his hind legs seemed to just freeze up and would no longer move independently or support him. It happened Sunday afternoon and after a checkup and x-rays at an animal hospital, we were sent home with pain meds and muscle relaxers. But we could quickly see that he was now totally dependant on us to carry him outside as he could no longer get up and out the doggie door to go to the bathroom. We had to set his food right in front of him so he could eat laying down. By Monday morning it was painfully clear that we were completely out of options. We spent the day trying to prepare ourselves to put him to sleep. I think I cried the entire day, much of the time lying beside him with my face buried in his fur. He was an amazing dog--I always said he was just like Jesus, he loved everyone. Mindy, Amy and Joe showed up late in the afternoon and grieved with us. Joe helped Craig did the hole in the backyard. Right up to the end, Sammy was ever loyal and loving and trying to comfort us. He seemed genuinely concerned that we were all crying. It was one of the most difficult days of my life and I will miss him terribly. Even though Sam's quality of life has diminished greatly the last two years, he remained always loving and devoted. I will always remember his playfulness and mischieviousness. We will probably be digging up candy in the backyard gardens for years to come that he stole at Christmas time. One time Mindy had a collection of "slammer" toys that he stole from her room one at a time and hid them in various places throughout the house. He liked to hold them in his mouth and shake his head until they flew out and landed on the floor or against a wall where they would light up and make a noise. I can still see him jumping into that box of styrofoam peanuts and watching them fly all over the room!! I really feel that if you are fortunate enough to have had a friend like Sam once in your life, you should consider yourself truly blessed. Oh, how we will miss him.

SUPPORTING PH

Saturday we went mini golfing at Mulligans to support the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. Mindy and Chris joined us for a double date. Besides the mini golf, we all bought raffle tickets but we didn't win anything. It was a beautiful day (I came home with my first sunburn of the season) and we all enjoyed doing something to support our little Parker. We met the mother of the girl whose story was recently in the Deseret News as well as several other people who are afflicted with PH. I forgot to take the camera so I don't have any pictures. By the way, Chris beat us all at mini golf!

Saturday evening we went to the Living Planet Acquarium in Sandy with Norman and Marie who were in town for the weekend. Afterwards we ate dinner at Rumbi Island. Their rental car was a Hummer so we took a picture of Craig and Norm in front of the Hummer. I'm hoping Marie will email me a copy of it. It was a fun day!!

North Carolina

We recently had the privelege of spening a few days in North Carolina with our grandchildren. It was especially fun to share in Parker's birthday celebration. Besides the birthday party, we took Kelsey and Connor to the movie "Earth" and then met Jen and Jason and Parker at Five Guys Burgers and Friesfor dinner. On Saturday we traveled to the Zoological Park where we spent the day seeing all the animals and having a picnic lunch. The polar bear was by far the favorite--he really knows how to entertain an audiance. We also had a pizza night and watched the movie "Bedtime Stories." Kelsey and Grandma struck a deal where Grandma pays Kelsey for the books she reads. It seemed like a good idea since Connor is getting paid from time to time for trying something new to eat. Kelsey thought we needed to even the playing field. The problem is, she is such a prolific reader that I think she could quickly read Grandma into the poor house!