Time to Report

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Now is time to share our season of summer.

A Time to Rejoice

We had two precious granddaughters who were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our Cambrie, Cheryl and Ben's daughter, was baptized at the beginning of July.

And our Sarah, the daughter of Laura and Jonathan, was baptized at the end of the month. For us it involved a time of travel from Utah to South Carolina.

A Time to Be Together

We spent four days together for a family reunion in July in St. Anthony, Idaho. One may ask what is there to do there? The answer is simple: Rent the Three Peaks Lodge out in a hayfield with lots of play equipment of all kinds imaginable, both indoors and out, for old and young; build a theme around a movie theater and the film, Back to the Future; and . . .

. . . play and build houses in the gym, a time for bonding

. . . share remix songs (each family made up their own song, some with dramatic actions), a time to sing

. . . have good food and places to sleep, a time to eat and a time to sleep
. . . invite extended family for an afternoon (93 of us) and make nine gallons of homemade ice cream, a time to love and appreciate family
. . . organize some games of softball, volleyball and dodgeball or play family pictionary, a time to workout those muscles

" Come on grandpa hit a ball to me!"

. . . sneak out to the hottub without the kids, a time to soak.
. . . strengthen family ties with devotionals, a time to appreciate who we are; have a few inner tubes available for floating down the Snake River, a time to float or swim

. . . sit in a quiet spot and just visit, a time to renew
. . . set up a service project, a time to give
. . . visit the pond, a time to row (Is there anyone paddling in the back of this canoe?)
. . . have some games of laser tag, a time for teamwork, reveal through poetry your secret cousins, a time to be creative; and conclude with an Oscars' Evening and line dancing, a time to celebrate.

Time for a big thank you to Tanya for planning, organizing and going to so much work to make this a wonderful family reunion for 2010! Thanks, Christian, for your help and support of your Mom in this huge project. Watch for the video--it is in production now!

And Now It is David's Birthday

August is our mouth of birthdays and David's birthday is today. Everytime I look at this picture I remember a sweet little boy who was so eager to help. I don't remember how much digging in the garden he actually accomplished especially with those bare feet but I do remember how much he loved to do whatever the family was doing. Maybe this was the beginning of his enjoyment of dirt and mud. He always had holes and tunnels he was digging in the garden. David often created mud "ponds" for his sisters and friends to play in. Thanks for being such a good husband, father, brother, son and our friend. Happy Birthday, David.

Happy Birthday, Laura!

Laura was another year older on August 19. Laura was always close to her grandmother and her grandmother was very proud of her as she served a mission to Mexico. Laura has always been so caring and loving, and a real delight to have as a daughter. After her Dad's first heart attack, she came home from college and nursed her Dad back to health over a several month period of time. Now she is a busy mother of nine children but since she is a super organizer what needs to get done is done. Thanks for the precious memories, Laura.

Forty-six Years and Still Going Strong

Today is our forty-sixth wedding anniversary! Wow, what a wonderful journey and more to come. As I was going through some old letters I had written to Fred a few months before we were married I came across a list of 18 qualities I admired in Fred. Those of you who know him well will agree that he has lived up to those qualities.
1. Consideration and concern for others.
2. Respect for his parents and mine.
3. Intelligence--striving to do your best.
4. Appreciation and love of nature and beauty in the world around us.
5. Unselfishness
6. Appreciation and interest in good music and books.
7. Friendliness--an ability to talk with people.
8. Desire to experience different things--like teaching in a foreign country.
9. Ability to give and receive love
10. An optimistic outlook.
11. Ability to enjoy life.
12. Use of proper language at all times--no swear words ever.
13. Membership in the Church and a desire to live gospel standards.
14. A sincere interest in children and youth.
15. A positive attitude.
16. A desire not to be prejudiced against anyone.
17. A desire to continue educating himself even when not formally attending school.
18. An interest in sports and a willingness to try almost anything.
Yes, a good man. Thanks for the many happy years, Fred. I love you.