August, September, and October

I have no idea where the last 3 months have gone! But we have been busy like everyone else. Some of the things that happened are:
August
The icemaker stopped working but the water was still on and so I woke up to(Dan was out of town) with water on the kitchen wood floor, and tons of water that soaked 10 shelves of food storage in the fruit room in the basement. I was a nervous wreck, but I called our home teachers after talking with Dan and before church and they came over and helped right then for the next 3 hours til we got it all cleaned up. They then turned on the fans to get it dried out. They were huge blessings in disguise. I was just sick about all the food we had to throw away, especially all of the sugar---but it all is just material things and can be replaced.
Dan started his masters
Dan got called to Primary and teaches the 8 year olds.
Had major car problems, but we were blessed in the way that it happened and that no one got hurt. Jill listened to the Holy Ghost's promptings and we were blessed.
Got Dan's classroom ready
Attended John Michael Montgomery concert and sat 5 rows from the stage. It was awesome!

September
Jill had her birthday on the first
Went to the family cabin over Labor Day weekend! We love getting there any chance we can.
Attended stake and regional conference. There were some awesome messages.
Jill's been working on family history and helping others with theirs
Jill put together an inexpensive Christmas gift table of ideas for Super Saturday and is on the RS activities committee.
Jill and a few women in the ward received tickets to the general R.S. meeting in SLC which they enjoyed immensely. We were very close to the front. We enjoyed eating at The Pantry before the meeting.
Dan and I have been getting ready for my parents to get home from their mission in October.

October
General Conference was wonderful! What a blessing it is to be able to watch it on TV.
Jill's parents got home!
Usborne Christmas parties
Took 2 nieces, 1 nephew, and 1 neighbor boy; and did 40+ family baptisms/confirmations at the temple and enjoyed dinner out afterwards. We are working on the other temple ordinances with the help of family, friends, and ward members.
Cornbelly's corn maze
Dan and my Dad went out on the opening of the deer hunt, but came home drenched and empty handed.
I was put in charge of a RS new family search activity to be held in November, so I have started to plan for it.

Mini Family Reunion

After we got back from our road trip, we had a mini family reunion.

Dan's brother Larry drove over from Northern California, Dan's brother Dave and his family drove over on Tuesday from Arvada, CO to put Ian into the MTC to go to Guatemala on his mission, and Dan's mom was still here.

Tuesday night we had a family BBQ of steaks, chicken and all of the fixings. Our nephew, John, also joined us for dinner. After a yummy breakfast the next morning and family pictures, Dave and family dropped off Ian and drove home.

Larry stayed around until Thursday. It was good to enjoy each other's company.

Dan took his Mom back to Tennessee on Saturday, and while he was there he was able to see his brother John and his family. We wished that we could have gotten together with Dan's sister, Debbie and her family.

THE ROAD TRIP

Mid-July, Dan's Mom, Edna who is 82, came for a visit from Tennessee. After a few days of rest, we embarked on The Road Trip to see family. Here are the places we traveled to and who we saw:

Kaysville, Utah- Sharon and Dorla, Edna's nieces. (Dorla had flown in from Portland, OR)

Boise, Idaho-Bobby, Edna's nephew. Also this is where Dan's mom was raised.

La Grande, Oregon- Heather and her family, our niece and Edna's grand-daughter and great-grandaughter.

Twin Falls, Idaho- was our resting spot one night. We were too tired to drive to Pocatello that night but drove past it the next day, driving the scenic US 30 through the rest of Idaho and into Wyoming. We didn't realize it was a 2 lane road, though.

Little America, Wyoming- is where we stopped for lunch--and we made sure we got a 50 cent icecream cone.

Rawlins, Wyoming- was where we slept for 2 nights but we actually went to-------
Martin's Cove, Wyoming- where Jill's parents are serving their 4th mission. We experienced the spirit of the cove and the sacrifices of the handcart pioneers. We enjoyed hearing the stories and seeing the land where it all took place. It was neat to see the different sites and to see where mom and dad reside. Thanks for the rover ride, we'll have to come back and pull the handcarts next time.

Laramie, Wyoming- we stayed with Jill's sister Keri and her family. It was nice to rest, relax, shop, eat, and see family.

Arvada, Colorado-we stayed with Dan's brother Dave and his family. We enjoyed the get-together for Ian on Saturday night(we've never seen so many people in 1 house before), hearing his talk in church the next day, enjoying a family meal and just being together. That was Jill's first visit to their house. We left for Utah on Monday morning, coming home on I-70 and then through US 6.

Our trip lasted 8 days, we went over 2300 miles(Dan actually traveled 700 more miles in picking up and taking his mom home after they flew back to Nashville). Luckily, there was the 2 of us driving. We had a great time seeing family and the great beauties of the west.

We realized that wherever you go there will always be road construction and it will take longer to get to your destination, that in Oregon you don't pump your own gas, it will rain sometime on your trip, and that it is really steep coming down the mountains in Colorado.

Thanks for all of the birthday cards and calls for Dan's 40th!

Dan was surprised the week of his birthday, as he received over 40 birthday cards, calls, and goodies helping him to celebrate his 40th birthday.

THANKS!

Happy 4th of July!

America, America Land that I Love

I love this great country imperfections and all. I have a greater appreciation for it, since living outside of it during my mission to Argentina and vacationing in other countries.

I'm especially grateful for ALL of the freedoms that we enjoy.

I love the the following things that represent or signify the celebration of this holiday:

Fireworks-the little ones done at home, and the huge ones in the sky in Provo.
Sparklers
Snaps
City Celebrations
Colors-Red, White, Blue
BBQ's-Yummy, Yummy Food
Family Activities
Patriotic Music and Hymns
The flags placed in front of each house, waving in the breeze. It's an awesome sight!

America, America Home Sweet Home

Father's Day Weekend at the Cabin

Dan and I spent Father's Day weekend at the family cabin.

Everything was beautiful! The mountains are green, the sky was blue, the lake is full of water, and wildflowers abound in the meadows.

Inside the cabin it was quiet and relaxing. No cell phones ringing, no computer to be on. Only enjoying one anothers company talking, playing games, watching movies, reading, and eating. What a wonderful life!

We enjoyed going to church in the cute, little Scofield Branch on Sunday. Happy Father's Day to all. I know Dan will be an awesome father when that day arrives in our lives. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later.

We came home on Monday afternoon because we had to be back ---but not because we wanted to. We could stay up there indefinately.

Dan is TEACHER of the year at his school!

Dan was recently notified by his principal, that he is TEACHER of the year!

The following is an exerpt from the letter, "Congratulations! You have been selected by your peers as our TEACHER of the year! This is an honor that is well-deserved. You willingly help all of us in a variety of ways, and we are delighted to have you represent our school! We are very happy for you!"

Dan is completing his third year of teaching here in Utah. This past year he has taught a 5th/6th split, but will go back to just teaching 6th next year. He taught jr. high students for ten years in California, prior to us moving here.

Congratulations honey! You are an awesome teacher and do so much for your students as well as the school! I love you!

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

This is a special place for 2 of our nephews.

Adam served in this mission from August 2007-August 2009--and loved it!

Ian will be serving in this mission from August 2009-August 2011---and I'm sure he'll love it, too.

What a coincidence!

We are so excited for you Ian! Adam will be a great resource for you.

BUENISIMO!

Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree

I looked out the window and what did I see,
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.
Spring has brought me such a nice surprise,
Popcorn popping right before my eyes.

I could take an armful and make a treat,
A popcorn ball that will smell so sweet.
It wasn't really so but it seemed to be,
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

It's feeling like spring, the weather has been warm.
The blossoms are a fluffy white and pink.
They all smell beautiful.
Some of the flowers have bloomed and are colorful.
The vegies in the garden have started to grow.
But something is making me sneeze!

New Calling-Relief Society Secretary

I have a new calling as Relief Society Secretary!

I've actually been doing it now for 2 months.

I will hopefully be able to get to know all 150 sisters that are in our ward.

Dan and I were released from teaching SS for the last couple of years--and now he is getting a rest.

Yesterday, Dan and I had the opportunity to talk in church. He talked about convenants and I talked about faith and hope. I talked longer than him--can you believe it?

BYU 99, Florida 92 (2 OT)

What an awesome game and win for BYU!

What more can I say!

Jimmer Fredette-37 points

Michael Loyd-26 points

Next Game: Saturday against Kansas St.

GO COUGARS!

Dan and I love March Madness!

To Die For Creme Brulee

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Best Creme Brulee in Utah can be found at The Garden Restaurant(top floor of the Joseph Smith Building in SLC).

Now I make a pretty good Creme Brulee, but this tastes even better. They told me it sells out quite often. So hopefully when you visit they will have it.

Dan and I ate there a couple of weeks ago, and every morsel of our food was more than yummy, it was scrumptious!

We had eaten there on our honeymoon, a little more than 4 years ago, and the memory of the Creme Brulee has stayed with me all of this time.

We will definately eat there again!

Baptisms for the Dead and other temple work

On the 3rd of March, Dan and I, took our 2 nieces Erin and Tara to the Timpanogos Temple to do family file baptisms and confirmations. They did a total of 17 names.

A Young Men's group from Alpine were baptized and confirmed for the 27 male family file names that we have right now. Our 2 nephews were unable to join us that night.

Dan did all of the baptizing and confirming. He really enjoyed doing it. The spirit was really strong.

Since starting family history mid-Jan, we have completed with the help of family members:49 baptisms, 49 confirmations, 24 iniatories, 6 endowments, 7 sealings to spouses, and 19 children sealed to parents.

Still to do-we have their family file cards: 27 iniatories, 43 endowments, 16 sealed to spouses, and 38 children to be sealed to their parents.

And their are still more family members to do their work for.

I am grateful for the spiritual experiences that I have had in finding names, verifying information, submitting, and then doing their temple work.

We appreciate all who have helped us thus far.

What do these things have in common?

March 7-13
Airplane Flights
Traveling in a 11 seat white van
Visiting Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa
Seeing this Country
7 Women(the children of the parents)
2 Parents
Late Nights
Early Mornings
Learning New Things, Gaining Knowledge
Lots of Walking
Talking, Laughter, Crying
Spiritual Experiences
Gaining Appreciation for Pioneers
Rain
Muddy Roads
Meeting Awesome People

What do all of these things have in common?

They occured on the Church History Tour that my parents took me on with all of my sisters last week.

More info will be coming as to specific places visited and my experiences.

Valentines Day!

Dan surprised me with a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates on Saturday for Valentines Day! He says that this holiday is for me and I love it!

I surprised him by going down to his work and putting red and white hearts with messages on them taped to the windshield, windows, and on the steering wheel, mirrors, radio, ect. I also took some festive Krispi Kreme doughnuts into him and his co-workers. That night I gave him a new wallet which was badly needed.

I hope that all women know how loved and appreciated they are!

Upcoming Trip!

My parents announced a couple of weeks ago that they are kidnapping all of my sisters and I which equals 7 of us girls and taking us on a Nauvoo Church History trip in celebration of their birthdays in March and before they leave on their 4th mission the end of April. They will be serving in the Martin Handcart Wyoming mission for 6 months.

We will be going to Nauvoo March 7-13.

I am so excited to be going! I appreciate all the hard work that my parents have put in to plan for this fun trip. I know we'll all be riding in a huge van--it will be like old times when we were all in the station wagon traveling to Disneyland or Yellowstone.

Doing detective work and finding family=Geneaology

How many of you love doing detective work?

In the last month, I have enjoyed finding over 40 of my husband's relatives and linking them into their proper families, and finding some that belong to his mom's line, too. There is still a ton more to do and I look forward to the challenge.

It has been exciting and interesting to find out what I can about them through the internet, family records, old census',marriage and death records, others' family trees that mention the relative, and going up to the geneaology library to find or verify information. I have found some great resources on the internet.

If you have never done family history, it can be addicting. Give it a try! You might find someone you're related to that you never knew about and they can officially become part of your family.

Wierd Foods

What is the weirdest food that you've ever eaten?

Last month, Dan and I, ate at Rodizio Grill. For those of you who haven't been there--it is a meat lovers heaven--all kinds of meat plus salads, too...and it's all you can eat. Anyway, we both tried rattlesnake sausage and buffalo. They weren't too bad.

Other weird things that I've eaten are: Mondongo(cows stomach), tongue, horse(it was really quite good until I found out what it was), mountain goat, alligator(tastes like chewy chicken), crawfish, catfish, and shark.

Let us know what wierd things you've eaten, and how they tasted.

Crock Pot Recipes

I've just started cooking with the crock pot and what a wonderful invention! Put the food in, turn on, and several hours later---dinner is done. The food is great and clean up is super easy.

I'm in need of more recipes. Does anyone out there have any to send my way?