24th of July is about Heritage

The 24th of July is celebrated as a day of pioneer heritage. Both sides of our family have descendants that crossed the plains with the pioneers and then settle in various places within the state of Utah, such as Brigham City, Provo, and Payson. With these blessings in mind, we approached this holiday with excitement and gratitude. The day started with attending the Days of 47 parade with Jessica, Audrey, Joel and their families. The flags, high school bands, city royalty and stake floats, and President Hinckley as the grand marshal all added to the spirit of the day. We then had all of our six children and all of our 14 grandchildren over for a picnic and fireworks. It was a very hectic and noisy day. However, I loved being with my children and their children. As I ended my day, I was thankful to my Heavenly Father for my family and the heritage that molds our thoughts and direction. There is nothing more valuable than family and Dad and I are richly blessed to have spent a day appreciating and honoring our family ties

Family Photo: front row: Audrey,Alex, Jacob, Carter, Abigail, Jessica. second row: Joel, Elizabeth, Amanda, Brandon, David, Zackary, Evangaline, Bree, Brody, Kelly. back row: Julie, Madison, Seth, Rikki, Paulene, Olivia, Paul, William.

Row 1: Grace(Audrey), Olivia (Paul), Madison (Joel), Eva (Paul), Abby (Paul), Zack (Will), Jacob (Rikki), Back row: Brandon (Jessica), Carter (Audrey), Seth (Rikki), Grandma, Grandpa, Brody (Will), Lizzie (Audrey), Amanda (Audrey), and Alex (Rikki)

Beautiful Star Valley

I say it every year. The valley is beautiful this year. By the valley, I mean Star Valley, Wyoming. This is where David grew up and much family history has taken place. We love to come here to enjoy the beauties of nature, reminisce of family and childhood, and mostly to get away. This visit we took Audrey and family with us. We stayed at Thompson's beautiful and spacious cabin. I think it should be called a lodge now that the front porch and front door are completed. We kept very busy with showing them "Dad's town". We did many things such as riding on ATV's, horseback riding, canoeing on Cottonwood Lake, and eating buffalo burgers. A trip to the valley is not complete without a trip to Jackson. It is only a quick 45 minute drive through Snake River Canyon, which has become one of my favorite canyons. The little girls spent their saved up money on treasures in the souvenir shops and we enjoyed an outdoor pizza lunch. This visit was a short one for me. However, it was packed with so many acitivites and memories that I will remember this visit for a long time and again I have to say: "The Valley is beautiful this year!"

Red, White, and Blue

Red, White, and Blue is my favorite color. So I love the Fourth of July; it is second only to Christmas. This year was my best 4Th ever. We visited the Ronald Reagan Library and grounds. In addition to the library itself, there were magic shows, craft tables, watermelon, cake, free hats, and key chains. But the highlight of the day for me was the Los Angeles Policeman's band. They were located just through the gates in a grassy shaded area. They were dressed in uniform which added to the ambiance. They played patriotic songs and recited histories of them and of the Pledge of Allegiance. The finale number was John Philips Sousa's rousing march of Stars and Stripes Forever. It was a very touching and emotional day for me and I felt blessed to be an American.

I am joining the ranks!

I am joining the ranks and becoming a blogger. I remember when I had to ask what a blog was and now I have one! I have enjoyed reading and looking at family and friends posts and frankly felt a little left out. So this is my first post. Dave and I have just returned from a few days in Southern California with three of our children and their families. We had a marvelous time. However, we didn't feel complete. The remedy for that is: Audrey and kids returned with us and Jessica and Brandon are joining us in a couple of weeks. This will complete our family as the rest of them live in Utah. It has been a few years since all of our children have been together and it will be the first time that all of our grandchildren will be together. This should be a glorious month. I will keep you posted. (That was fun to say.)