Yard Flowers

I was asked to take some pictures of the yard to send to a nursery. Thought I'd post some here also.

Hike to Cecret Lake, Alta area, July 2008

We hiked to the lake. Cecret Lake was supposedly named by miners who didn't know how to spell "Secret." The boys broke rocks, looked at tadpoles, then Math took an unexpected slip-dip!

Pink Flamingos and Peacocks

Bruce bought 4 plastic pink flamingos for the rose garden. This morning he woke up to honks. There were two peacocks snuggling up to the pink flamingos. Go figure!

Everyone wants to golf with Bruce -

Deseret Trust held its annual LDS Philanthropies golf tournament yesterday. Last year Bruce was out of town so he hadn’t golfed for 2 years (unless you count miniature golf in Branson).

Deseret Trust assigns the 4-person teams and they play “scramble” (everyone hits from the best last ball). Two years ago Bruce’s team won, and again this year (with completely different members) Bruce’s team won! There were 2 holes designated as prize holes for the longest drive. Bruce won one, and Spencer Ellis (on Bruce’s team) won the other. Two years ago Bruce used Morris Keetch’s driver because he doesn’t have one of his own. This year he used Rob Smoot’s driver (since Rob was on his team this year). The other team member was Rick Stockton. So, Bruce ended up winning $100 in gift certificates. Bishop Burton’s team came in 2nd. He guaranteed the group that he was going to send Bruce to Cambodia so he doesn’t win AGAIN next year!

No fuss, no muss wedding!

Congratulations to SHAY & CAREY HARDY, who got married on the 4th of July in Vegas. Here is their entire wedding album:

My Little Teeny Baby Brother

Craig and Ruth got to meet Clay Walker at Country Jam in Colorado. Shay and girlfriend, Carey, went with them.

Jet's L.A. Apartment and Church

We were supposed to drop Jet off at 9:30am at the Staples Center for her FIDM graduation. Of course, we got there at 8:35am and Jet was one of the 1st 10 in the building! The Staples Center didn't open to invited guests until 10:30am so Bruce and I went exploring. We took video of Jet's apartment and church building. Here they are:

FIDM and Santa Monica Beach

The day before Jet's graduation, we toured FIDM then went to Santa Monica Beach and Pier. Here are some videos.

After the Graduation

The hardest part of the whole graduation was finding your own relatives after the ceremony. We finally found Jet, but would have been lost forever without cell phones!

The Boys Prince - Josh Finds a New Vehicle

The Boys Prince - Tree Retreat!

Math Pushes Seth

Random videos from my trip to Austin to help pack up for the move to Boulder.

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI WILSON’S CREEK BATTLEFIELD

The highlight for my church-history-buff husband was the trip to the Springfield battlefield. In 1861 the Missouri General Assembly created the Missouri State Guard to defend the state from attacks from perceived enemies, either from the North or South. The governor appointed Sterling Price to be its general.

The Battle of Wilson's Creek was fought on 10 Aug 1861 near Springfield, Missouri between union forces led by Nathaniel Lyon and the Missouri State Guard. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River. Price and his local militia were triumphant. Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union General to die in battle during the Civil War at the Battle of Wilson's Creek.

Now to why this was so interesting to Bruce:
• Sterling Price, General of the Missouri State Guard:
o On November 9th, 1838, Colonel Sterling Price and a force of seventy men took Joseph Smith and his companions to Richmond, Missouri for trial, which resulted in Joseph’s imprisonment at Liberty Jail. Parley P. Pratt recorded in his autobiography: "It was one of these tedious nights we had lain as if in sleep until the hour of mid-nite had passed, and our ears and hearts had been pained, while we listened for hours to the obscene jests and horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our guards, Colonel Price at their head, as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder and robbery which they had committed among the Mormons, while at Far West and vicinity. They even boasted of defiling by force, wives and daughters and virgins, or of shooting and dashing out the brains of men, women and children. I had listened until I became so disgusted, shocked and horrified and filled with the spirit of indignant justice that I could scarcely refrain from rising on my feet and rebuking the guards, but had said nothing to Joseph, or anyone else, although, I lay next to him and knew that he was awake. On a sudden he rose to his feet and as near as I can recollect, spoke the following words: "Silence, ye Fiends of the infernal pit! …”

• “Order 11” and its effects were both posted and discussed. Bruce has always thought that Order 11 was retribution on some Missourians for their treatment of the Mormons. General Order No. 11 is the title of the 25 August 1863 Union Army order in the American Civil War that forced the evacuation of the rural areas of four counties in Missouri. The order was approved by Abraham Lincoln, but was carried out by vigilantes. Painter George Caleb Bingham, described the events:

"It is well-known that men were shot down in the very act of obeying the order, and their wagons and effects seized by their murderers. Large trains of wagons, extending over the prairies for miles in length, and moving Kansasward, were freighted with every description of household furniture and wearing apparel belonging to the exiled inhabitants. Dense columns of smoke arising in every direction marked the conflagrations of dwellings, many of the evidences of which are yet to be seen in the remains of seared and blackened chimneys, standing as melancholy monuments of a ruthless military despotism which spared neither age, sex, character, nor condition. There was neither aid nor protection afforded to the banished inhabitants by the heartless authority which expelled them from their rightful possessions. They crowded by hundreds upon the banks of the Missouri River, and were indebted to the charity of benevolent steamboat conductors for transportation to places of safety where friendly aid could be extended to them without danger to those who ventured to contribute it. "

Some visitors at the exhibit said that many displaced Missourians ended up in Texas.

BRANSON, MISSOURI

Since the grandsons weren’t in Texas for our annual Galveston beach trip, Bruce and I went to Branson. We did it up right, seeing 8 shows in 5 days. Here they are in my ranking order (Bruce’s is slightly different): SIX, Acrobats of Shanghai, Spirit of the Dance, 12 Irish Tenors, Broadway, Legends in Concert, Shoji Tabuchi Show, 50’s at the Hop. We decided to go to SIX when we saw all six brothers on Sunday standing in the circle to confirm a show staff member who had just been baptized. The BEST BRANSON MUSIC is heard during the 2nd Ward Priesthood opening exercises where the Six, Lowe Family, Brett Family, & Hughes Family combine voices and try to follow the ever changing keys played by Andy Williams’ pianist/arranger.

Walmart Headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas

Bruce and I went to Branson for a boondoggle combined with work at Walmart Headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. I was surprised – no austere, high-rise buildings. Headquarters is just a big bunch of humble, single story brick buildings spread over miles and miles of rolling land. Warehouses, parking lots, and a plethora of trucks dot the landscape as well. It was humbly impressive. Bruce felt like the trip was a big success. Road kill in Arkansas (and Missouri) is usually armadillos!

Genealogy Record Indexing - FUN & EASY

I've just started doing indexing on census and other records from home. It is so simple. Just go to http://www.familysearchindexing.org/en/index.jsp

The site is very simple. There are just three buttons. Start by volunteering. Then install the software. Then begin indexing. Instructions are provided for each step.

Each batch has about 40 names. For census records all you extract is name, age, sex, race, and place of birth. It takes between 30 minutes and an hour (maybe even less than 30 minutes because so much is automated).

It is fun and a good way to use 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there throughout the day!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs?
Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was
rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mind! Aoccdrnig to a
rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr
the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the
frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but
the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot
slpeling was ipmorantt!

A Song to Remember the Presidency & Apostles

I met Pocahontas and Snow White

I attended a ward relief society in BYU 8th Stake last Sunday where I met Pocahontas and Snow White. Both girls were headed back to Florida as soon as finals were over to work the summer at Disney World!

President Monson Ear Wiggle

President Monson told a great story at the Priesthood Session of General Conference. Here is the story snippet:

Hyrum rides the 4-Wheeler

Matthew rides the 4-Wheeler

Josh ready to ride 4-Wheeler

Seth, Up Close & Personal

Seth, age 17 mos, is adorable doing ANYTHING!

Two Too Many

Three-year-old Matthew learns that 3 can be 2 too many!

Easter Egg Bounty

We caught John "helping" Seth with his candy! That's what dads are for!

Easter Egg Obstacle Course

Hyrum didn't expect an obstacle course. Tyson must have learned how to "kick the ball" from his dad!

Seth's 1st Easter Egg Hunt

Seth, age 17 mos, figures it out.

Eggs & Other Cracks

Joshua's strategic body placement saves the video (and his uncle)!

Utah County/Hollywood Trivia

• Julianne Hough (2 time winner of "Dancing with the Stars") was previously engaged. I didn't realize until now that she was previously TWICE engaged to Zach Wilson (winner of "Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann" and a previous BYU Young Ambassador).
• Todd Herzog, an LDS kid who graduated from Pleasant Grove High School in 2003, won "Survivor, China" (and $1 million) last December!
• I was so impressed by Brooke White's performance last night on American Idol that I immediately bought and downloaded 3 Pat Benatar mp3s. Brooke is not from Utah County, but she is in Jet's L.A. ward, and Jet is from Utah County - so I counted her!

A Fridge in the Garage!

Bruce and I decided to get a new refridgerator for the garage. The one we have now seems inconsistent, especially in the winter when we often find the frozen food thawed. We looked at Costco then went to R.C. Willey where the helpful salesperson revealed the problem. I previously thought that the freezer and the fridge had separate thermostats and that they were cooled separately. Not so! There is only one thermostat, and it is in the freezer. If the freezer temp gets too low, the cooler turns on in the freezer and some of the cool air goes to the fridge. In the winter, if the garage temperature gets too cold, the freezer cooler doesn't turn on. Often, as with this very cold winter, the garage temperature keeps the freezer from turning on at night so the food begins to thaw. If/when the temp warms up enough during the day the freezer turns back on and the food refreezes. We evidently don't need a new fridge - only a new place for the fridge, or warmer winters!

Proud of Jet!

Five students entered the FIDM (The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising) Digital Media major last April. It is a one year program. Jessica is the only of the five who will graduate on time at the end of March! The others need more semesters to finish. No wonder she has been SO BUSY! Here is a link to the school website: http://www.fidm.com/index.html

Happy Valentine's Day at Rock Canyon Park

NamDaeMoon burned!

Seoul's ornate #1 National Treasure was burned by an arson. It was one of the historic 4 gates into the ancient city. The gate alone was burned, not the shopping district. From "The Chosen Ilbo" newspaper: A septuagenarian recidivist is being held for setting fire to the Sungnyemun apparently due to a grievance over a land compensation case. The team in charge of investigating the conflagration that consumed the iconic 600-year-old structure on Sunday night... (Brings back memories of interesting translations in the English Korean newspaper!) Click this link for more: http://english.chosun.com/

Valentine's Dance 2008

Footloose, fancy-free, and working out! Bruce watched "Hitch" so he knows where he lives on the dance floor! I wore the jewelry that I wore to my Junior Prom. It is now officially "vintage!" Oh, bother!

New Hilary Bumper Sticker

Monica Lewinsky's Impeached Ex-Boyfriend's Wife for President 2008

More Brant SNOW Adventures

The snow was higher than the bottom of my car so I got stuck. When the Deacons came to pick up fast offerings, they brought 10 Priests with snow shovels so they could get to the front door. The ward Priests cleared 28 driveways Sunday afternoon!

Refueling Tips

• Buy gas in the morning when the ground temperature is still cold. The colder the ground (where the gas is stored) the denser the gasoline.
• Fill up slowly. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor.
• One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF EMPTY. The more gas you have in your tank the less air there is. Gasoline evaporates fast!
• If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks, DO NOT fill up. The dirt and sludge which builds up in the storage tank is stirred up when gas is being delivered, and could end up in your car's tank.
  
  Read full details at:
  http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp
  

Advice from President Hinckley to Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney met with President Hinckley before deciding to enter the race for the White House. Mitt says of the conversation:

"I told him that our family was going to be thinking about running for President and he smiled and said that it would be a great experience if you won and a great experience if you lost!"

The full article (including Romney's other comments regarding the passing of President Hinckley) is available at: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695248015,00.html

A Man to Match and Better Our Times!

Jim McDonald is new Stake Patriarch!

Jim is our next door neighbor. Interesting fact about being called as a Patriarch: a Patriarch is never called to a Priesthood Line Authority position after being called as a Patriarch (ever to be a Patriarch, and never more to be a Seventy, Stake President, Mission President, Bishop, ...).

Happy Deals

All Day's Market doughnuts (bagels, maple bars, cookies, bear claws, bismarks, muffin tops, ...) are 25-cents after 6 p.m. All Burger Supreme burgers are half-price after 8:30 p.m. AND, I'm always on the lookout for Chocolate Neccos. I just found a bunch at JoAnn's Fabrics! Go figure!

Brant and Jeremy MOVIN' SNOW!