Anniversary

Today was a very special anniversary for Jerry. He was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ten years ago today in Hong Kong. He was introduced to the church by his best friend, Dave Fisher. He has had an amazing journey and there have been so many who have helped him along the way. He said a very moving prayer of gratitude tonight for all the Lord has blessed him with these past ten years. We are so grateful for the decision he made and where we are today because of his faith in the Lord. He cooked an amazing dinner. That is one of the talents he has fully developed since becoming a member of the church. He watches the cooking channel and gets ideas and then gets the recipes online. I am so lucky! We have three beautiful children who we are so happy to have in our home. They keep us laughing and learning each day.

Vacation

We enjoyed a few days of just us at my parents and had a nice vacation. Jerry worked really hard to help my parents clean up from the reunion. My mom and I were able to go shopping and get some covers for her chairs in the kitchen she had been wanting. We had a bonfire which the kids loved and they cooked marshmallows. Jerry and I went to a session at the Rexburg temple which was a highlight of the trip. I decided all the people I actually know in Rexburg are temple workers. It was so fun to see so many friendly faces. We also stopped at BYU-I and visited with a few of Jerry's professors. He had such a good experience there. Landon had an opportunity to ride in a dump truck and actually dump dirt on my parents property. They fed the horses which was a daily ritual our whole time there. We drove home on Wednesday and were lucky enough to meet up with Uncle Landon and Aunt Dana. They are an amazing couple and we love spending time with them. My parents were very generous and provided a wonderful vacation for us. We are looking forward to next summer!

Open House

Thanks to Lindsay, Anne and the rest of the family we put together a suprise open house from my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. It is actually not until the 23rd of August but since we were together we decided to throw a party. They have so many people who love and respect them and most of them were able to attend. We are grateful we were able to honor them on this special occasion.

Happy Fourth of July

We had a really fun day. We started with a fun run at Rigby Lake. Then Kevin and most of the guys at the party ended up in the river moving a big tree that was blocking the waterfall. This was one of my Mom's wishes. It is so fun to watch everyone floating the river behind my parents. They really have a beautiful setting and property. We had a bonfire, a dance performance by the girls and lots of good company. We didn't end up going to the fireworks because we were busily preparing for the open house the next day but a few families went to the show in Idaho Falls. It was a good day for reflection and to be grateful for the freedoms we have. We are so grateful for Joe Cason and his willingness to serve his country. We love him and pray for his safety each day. It was great to be together with family.

Yellowstone

Our family reunion started today with a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Landon has been looking forward to this for months since he checked out a documentary from the library about it. He and Grandpa found a Yellowstone flag and watched the Yellowstone IMAX movie several times before we even went. We went with Dave and part of his family, Kevin and Linds, Rod, Shelby, Nate and Mom and Dad. Nate was kidnapped (convinced with force) at the last minute and we are so glad he came. We stopped at Big Springs on the way up to feed the fish. Britton did a front flip into the water while Kevin was "supervising" him. Lindsay was thrilled because he had no extra clothes. They hung them out the window to let them dry as we drove on the dusty roads. We ate lunch there and then headed into the park. We saw buffalo, elk, waterfalls and of course Old Faithful. Landon was thrilled! The real fun of the trip began when Dave decided to take a shortcut to get us home. As we started the drive Jerry commented on how much fun my family was, at the end he was using all his willpower not to ram into the back of Dave's suburban...even with Primary music playing (used to try and calm everyone in the vehicle) he was feeling like this was a reasonable option. We were on a windy, dusty four wheeler road for 45 miles which translated into 2 hours. The irony was we were not on a four wheeler...we were in our Equinox. It all ended at Big J's with dinner and a group decision to still plan trips together but to never follow Dave again. Dave always makes things exciting!

Suprise

We had an awesome suprise last night when Jerry showed up a day early. He told me he would be here on Wednesday morning and when he called my Tuesday evening he said he was in Cedar City but he was in SLC. He went into work at 4am so he could leave by 1pm to get here. I have not quit smiling since he got here. Especially when I am away from him I realize how much he does for me and the kids. He is an awesome husband and father. Grandpa cooked a dutch oven meal last night and Jerry got to be here to sample it. There was a bit of drama because Grandma took off and went to get her hair permed instead of staying for the meal but I think it has all washed under the bridge....hopefully. The river is beautiful and we are all enjoying the nice weather and amazing scenery. We love being here especially since it is over 100 degrees at home right now.

Nate

We love Nate. He is such a great kid. He is so fun to be around and it is like having a piece of Gary here when he is around. He is great with the kids and they love to play with him. He has had some challenges in his life that most of us have not had to face but he is handling them with courage and setting a great example for his sisters.

Kids

We went to Sam's club and the kids ended up pulling out the socks and putting them on their face! They are so silly and make us laugh. I think I am way over the embarassment factor as a parent and I just think everything my kids do is hilarious...at least that is what I tell myself when they do things that are not so funny. I always tell Jerry it's laugh or cry and most of the time I try and choose laugh. Grandma and Grandpa have been really good sports and have helped so much with the kids. We are busily preparing for the family reunion this weekend. It should be fun.