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!