4th Of July 2011

It has been over a year since I have entered anything on the blog. Not that there has not been a lot happening. Since my last post, Michael & Kathryn and their family have moved to Mesa, three new grand-daughters have been added to the family, Matt & Erin are getting married this month and we are all a year older. There have been a lot of other great things that happen each day and each time the family is together. I am glad that families are forever as I would not want to miss out on the fun we are having now.

You can't hold a new baby in your arms and not see the Eternal Plan that is there and the trust that Father has in letting us raise His children.

This past weekend of the 4th, we held out annual Back-Yard Sleep-Out. This has been a tradition for the last 5-6 years now. It is always fun to get together, eat, watch a late night movie and sleep over. This year, we re-started a very long tradition. The Annual 4th Water fight. This started, originally, some 30 years ago by my older sister DeAnn. It always starts with a lot of water balloons and progresses from there. Soon, we would have all of the kids and grand kids running all over their back yard with buckets of water looking for someone to throw it one. In one house their lived at, there was a stream that came right out of American Fork Canyon. If you got hit with a bucket of water from that stream, you could not breathe for at least 5 minutes.

This tradition stopped a few years ago when they went on a mission and sold their house. It has been really missed by my kids.

This 4th, it was started again in my family. Thanks to Matt, Kevin & Greg for really getting it going. It was not long until everyone was wet and having a great time. I am sure, just as I was positive at DeAnn's, that the neighbors thought we were nuts. Everyone said later that this was something they missed and wanted it to continue so their kids could enjoy the fun just as they had done growing up. I am still enough of a kid that I had a lot of fun also.

I know that next year, there will be a little more planning, like having a change of clothes and we'll have to start earlier. We are already thinking how to get two swimming pools and hoses.



I an sure that the Family Camp-out will be a great time this year. NO TENTS!! We are going to Fairview Canyon and staying in cabins.

Family Camp-Out 2010

Well, another Summer Camp-Out has come and gone. This last weekend, we had our annual family camp out at Redman Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon. This year Jill and Carrie were in charge of the camp out and as always, did an excellent job. They took care of getting the campground reserved and planning and buying all the meals. The campground this year was a group site and we had all kinds of room without many neighbors. Kids could run and play and have a great time together. The weather was very cool and we had out share of rain. It rained just as we arrived and rained that night as we slept. Saturday, after breakfast, there were two activities planned. Riding the chair lift to the top of the ski resort and a hike to Dough Nut Falls. An of course, as soon as they got on the lift, it started to rain and hail. At the top, they would not let them come back down until the lightening had quit. It was a nice ride down. Those that went on the hike had a great time, even though they almost lost Holly!

Saturday afternoon, we had planned a Dutch Oven Dessert Competition. Each of the four teams had to prepare a desert in a Dutch oven. Each was judged on four 25 point areas: Creativity, Presentation, Taste and Team Involvement. There was a 10 point bonus for having it ready on time. Mom and I were to judge the winner. This proved much harder than we thought. I learned a lot about Dutch ovens. Like, you can use them as a refrigerator!



We had a Bumbleberry-Nut Fruit Crumb Cake, a New England Cheesecake, an Oreo Cookie Cheese Cake and a Chocolate Butterscotch Surprise.

Each was very well done and a winner in at least one area. It was very hard to judge a winner. In the end, Matt's team won the overall contest. Next time we will have to have a prize for each category as each one did an excellent jog and all were very tasty!

We came home on Sunday morning to get a shower and kids cleaned up. It was so great to have every one of the family there. This was a weekend that builds memories. It seems they get better every year.

I am already looking forward to next year!!

Loss of another great friend

As I get older, it seems to get scary when people start passing away who are younger than you. I was informed yesterday that an old friend of mine that I spent 20 years in the Guard with, Robert Peterson, passed away on Sunday after a brief bout with cancer. He was the First Cook when I first joined the section and later became Mess Sargent. We spent a lot of weekends together and annual summer camps every year. I learned a lot of things from Robbie. We went to Germany and Korea together and many other places with the Guard. I took over as Mess Sargent from him when he retired after 22 years in the guard. He really knew how to 'push my buttons' to get me to react to some of the stupid things that the officers would ask the section to do. Sometimes, he was joking and he would let me rant for an hour before he would smile and I would know he had done it again.

He had a very sly humor and you never really knew whether he was joking or not. He let Ed and me get away with a lot, like never really doing the PT test and doing silly stuff at summer camp that would have gotten us all in a lot of trouble. He could make gravy like no other. We could never make any a good as his.

I have spent the last few days thinking of all the good times we had with Rob and how much he will be missed. He was an excellent teacher, soldier and friend.

Breaking Traditions

There are some things that are just not done. Family traditions are one of those things. Years past, if you father was a farmer, you were expected to take over the farm after he quit farming. Most boys took over the same profession as their father's. If your family were BYU fans, it was unheard of for you to yell for Utah. If you father drove Fords, you would more than likely drive a Ford. My dad, for the most part of his life, drove Ford products. I in turn bought Fords. Until now.

Yesterday, I broke that tradition. A few years ago I had a Ford Ranger that I really loved. We sold it after about a year. I was devastated because I loved that truck. This week, Mom and I decided that we really could use a truck and the car I was driving was getting a long in age, like me. So I started to look for another Ford Ranger. There are none around that didn't have 150,000 miles on them. I did find a truck that had everything I wanted and was within a price I could afford. Would you believe a Dodge Dakota. I know Dad is gritting his teeth, but I did buy it from a Ford Dealer!!!

Mother's Birthday

Last week, my dear mother turned 94. It totally amazes me that she is a spry as she is. We had a birthday party for her on the north lawn; friends and relatives came from all over to wish her a happy birthday. There was people I have not seen for a long time. 80-90 people stopped by to say hello and give her a hug. I can only hope that I will be half as healthy as she is at 80. That's only 14 more years. My sister DeAnn has challenged her to be here for her 95th birthday. I think that's in the bag. I would not surprise me to celebrate her 100th.

Still lives alone, works in the flowers about every morning and keeps her house clean. She is an inspiration to all who know her.
She is a hard person to keep up with as she does not want anyone to do anything for her. So independent. I really love her a lot.

Happy birthday, Mom

Correction

I was reminded that by 1980 we had four children. Sorry, the date should have been 1970 and has been corrected.

New Fence

In 1970, two years after Mom and I were married, we bought our first NEW car. It was a 1970, fire engine red, Chevy Nova. We ordered the car because we wanted it just so. It had to have what we wanted. The cost was a little over $2800. It was a classy car with a V-8 engine and was a lot of fun to drive.

This last week, after 22 years of staring at the ugly back fence, we tore it down. It was falling apart and was held up by sheer determination along with some steel post on the other side. So we put in a beautiful vinyl fence, 6 feet tall and 94 feet wide. It cost more than my 1980 Chevy Nova!!
Now all I have to do is keep Kevin from shooting it with an arrow.