Remembering Grandma

Monday, September 1st was Labor Day.  I woke up that morning in Moab anticipating one last day of a fun family trip before heading home in the afternoon.  I had just returned from a bike ride with the younger kids and was packing up the hotel before heading out for more activities when I got a phone call that my grandma had just passed away.  She was diagnosed with cancer several months ago and we had been expecting this.  In fact I had left her house often and after seeing her suffering had even been praying that she wouldn't have to suffer any longer.  I expected to feel relief but was surprised with the feeling of loss that overcame me instead.

My memories of Grandma go back as long as I remember. Some of my earliest memories are of their house in Brigham City, the huge garden in the backyard and the "helicopter" tree in the front yard.  Birthdays, Thanksgiving, other holidays and of course always Grandma's wonderful cooking.  Some of my fondest childhood memories are of times spent at their cabin in Island Park that Grandpa built.  I remember Grandma showing me the "golf ball" on top of Sawtelle Mountain and wondering how anyone could have hit a golf ball that far.  Grandma always loved her cabin in the mountains but what she really loved was sharing it with her family.

When I was a little older Grandma and Grandpa moved to Bountiful.  We enjoyed having them closer and often spent Sunday evenings in their home, always eating ice cream.  They really missed being in a more rural area and eventually Grandpa built their beautiful home in Plain City where they spent the rest of Grandma's life.

My dad's parents passed away while I was still a teenager and I remember being jealous of my older cousins who got to spend so much more time with them.  I feel blessed that I was able to spend 37 years with Grandma Daines, that she was there for my wedding, got to meet all of my children and so many other events over the years.

At my wedding.  (Not my the best picture of me!)

My parents moved to California the week I graduated from high school.  Grandma's house became a second home to me and I often spent a night or two there on weekends when I was visiting Salt Lake.  She always had the most wonderful meals.  After I married Jason, he just couldn't get enough of her food.  I think she always enjoyed watching the enormous amount of her food he would consume and even often encouraged him to eat more.  When we moved to Salt Lake for medical school she never came to visit without bringing jars of home canned jam, fruit, and syrup, fresh garden veggies or fresh baked bread.  She really knew how to take care of starving college students.  She always seemed to understand and remember what it was like to be in my stage of life, whether that was a struggling college student, newly wed, extremely uncomfortable expectant mother, or a mother with a new baby.

Grandma enjoying a day at Huntington Beach with Andrew.

Grandma meeting Skyler for the first time.

I loved to watch Grandma with my babies.  She always loved to hold them and you could tell by watching her how much her family meant to her.  Grandma was an amazingly talented woman.  Because of poor health most of her life she wasn't able to do a lot of the things she loved.  She was a wonderful pianist and loved music.  A couple years ago I was asked to direct the choir in our church.  I was feeling overwhelmed and extremely unqualified.  She was so excited for me and shared with me her experiences about leading her own ward choir years ago and how she also felt unqualified when she was called but grew to love that calling more than any other.  But as talented as Grandma was, she never talked about herself.  It was always about her children and grandchildren and everything they were accomplishing.  At grandma's funeral, I watched many of her children and grandchildren performing beautiful musical numbers.  Grandma would have been thrilled with the music that day.  I felt a bit guilty as I thought of my flute sitting in my closet that has mostly been collecting dust for the last 20 years.  If Grandma was ever disappointed that I gave up music for running though she never showed it.  She was still proud of me for my accomplishments even if it was different than what she would have chosen.  Every time I won a race and my name was in the paper, I knew as soon as the phone rang the next morning that it was Grandma on the other end calling to congratulate me.

The end of Grandma's life was so difficult to watch as her health declined rapidly.  She must have been in tremendous pain but you wouldn't know it because she never complained.  It was a great opportunity to live close enough that I could visit her often.  Even in her declining health, Grandma always wanted to feed me as soon as I walked through the door.  When I could see how difficult that was for her I started bringing food to her instead.  I don't think she liked that too much.  She always wanted to be the one giving and serving.  A few days before she passed away, I was on my way to Logan to watch Andrew in a cross country meet.  I wanted to stop by Grandma's house but I was running late.  It's not worth stopping for such a short visit, I thought and I knew I'd be going up to Logan again the next week.  I'd stop by then.  But I just couldn't pass without stopping.  It was a short visit and neither Grandma or Grandpa were up to visiting much that day.  Skyler immediately pointed to the M&M jar Grandma always kept on her counter.  It was empty, and when I went to refill it, for the first time ever, Grandma was out of M&Ms.  "I must have forgotten to put them on the grocery list." she said.  I said goodbye and promised to stop by for a longer visit next week.  Instead my next visit was a few days later as the family was gathering to plan the funeral.  I was so grateful for my one last visit with Grandma. It was so hard to walk into the house and see her chair empty but as Skyler pointed to the M&M jar I noticed it had been filled.  Grandma had remembered and as we all munched on those M&Ms in the coming days it was a reminder to me of a Grandma that was always giving to others.

The morning of the funeral I was scheduled to do a tough 22 mile training run.  My heart wasn't in it and I wanted to skip it but I knew that it was a crucial workout for Chicago.  So as soon as it was light enough to see I was out on the Ogden River Parkway putting in miles at a quick pace.  As I started to run thunder clouds were rolling in.  The lightening was making me a bit nervous but I didn't dare stop because I needed to finish the workout in time to get to the funeral.  I thought the weather was fitting for the mood I was in that morning.  But as the sun came up over the mountains in the east the most beautiful double rainbow appeared before me in the sky.  I was reminded that without experiencing the rain there wouldn't be any rainbows.  It hurts to lose Grandma because I love her and miss her so much.  It's hard to know that on my next birthday there won't be a card in the mail, next Christmas there won't be a party at her house, and next time I win a race I won't hear her voice on the phone.  But I do have faith that through the atonement of Jesus Christ I will someday see Grandma again.  And she will be free from the pain she suffered so much in this life.  Grandma blessed my life in more ways than I can say.  I think of her often in so many things that I do, whether it's making one of her recipes, listening to music, picking vegetables from my garden, or snuggling up under the beautiful afghan she knitted for me.  Grandma's memory lives on in the lives of her posterity in so many ways.  The beauty of her life is a gift to us all just as the rainbow was on that early morning.

Aunt Linda, Aunt Cheryl, Grandpa, Mom and Uncle Cliff

Not quite the whole family but still nice to have most of us together.

    

Summer was Over in the Blink of an Eye

I had so many plans for summer this year and I didn't come close to getting around to most of them.  All the messy closets that were supposed to get cleaned out are still messy, the projects around the house and yard are still waiting for attention, and of course we didn't get in enough fun activities.  I think I've given up on life slowing down, at least for the next 16 years, so we make the best of the time we have.  Here's a recap of all the fun we did squeeze in the last few weeks of summer.

Now that Kaitlyn is eight she goes to Activity Days at our church.  They went to day camp at Camp Kiesel, a local boy scout camp.  They got to do all the fun things the cub scouts get to do like, archery, bbguns, boating, and an obstacle course.  I got to go with as a primary leader and it was such a fun day.

We decided to fit one last family camping trip in the weekend before school started.  Due to some confusion about Jared's football game that weekend, we ended up without a reservation for a campground.  That was a huge mistake to head out Friday afternoon with the truck loaded with all the camping gear and excited kids without arrangements for a place to pitch a tent.  We wanted to go to Smith and Morehouse but arrived there only to find every spot was taken.  Jason wanted to turn around and go home but Kaitlyn was devastated so we headed over to the Mirror Lake Highway.  After four hours in the car and trying several campgrounds on the highway that were all full we found a campground a bit off the beaten path that had a few spots left.  (By the way that campground is now our little secret in case we are ever in desperate need of a camp site again!) Jason and I had both had it by the time we got there but we got the tent pitched before dark and eventually the dinner was finished in the dutch oven.  It was all worth it in the end.  I think this picture tells a thousand words.  All four kids smiling at the camera at the same time!

The next day I had to leave early to get Jared to his football game but Jason had time to take Kaitlyn and Andrew up to Trial Lake on the raft.  It was not the perfect camping trip anyway you look at it but that didn't matter a bit to Kaitlyn!

We were so excited to watch the finishing touches being done to the Ogden Temple that has been renovated the last few years.  We were finally able to go see the inside the beginning of August during the open house.  We enjoyed inviting neighbors and family members to go with us and one night Jason and I were able to volunteer as ushers at the open house.  The building is as beautiful inside as it outside and the spirit in the building was amazing.  We are now anxious for the dedication this month so we can have our temple open again.

We decided with a couple free days Labor Day weekend to take a trip to Moab.  We love to go there but with life being so busy it has been a couple years since we were last there.  Jason, Andrew and Jared enjoyed a few of the mountain bike trails while Kaitlyn, Skyler and I explored the paved trail over the Colorado River.

Jason had fun taking his truck on some four wheel drive roads to Gemini Bridges.  I'm not sure who was more terrified I was of the drop offs with no guard rail, Jared or me, but the truck handled it well and I was more than happy to leave all the driving to Jason.  We got to some amazing scenery though. Here's the view from the top of the bridges.

And here's the view from across the valley so you can see what we were standing on top of.

Of course the kids loved the swimming pool at the hotel as much as everything else we did.  Monday morning we received news that my grandma had passed away.  It was a hard way to end the trip but we still enjoyed a picnic at the park and of course ice cream at the Moab Diner and a stop at the sand hill on the way out of town.  Someone just needs to teach Skyler which end of the ice cream cone to eat first!

 

A Fantastic Summer of Racing and Countdown to Chicago!

It's become a tradition for me to run the Deseret News 10K on Pioneer Day (July 24th.)  Jason and Andrew were backpacking so I headed to Salt Lake alone.  This race is one of the most prestigious road races in the state and the generous prize money always attracts some of the fastest runners.  Last year I was thrilled just to break into the top ten (7th place) after running a two minute PR.  I didn't think I had a chance at placing in the top three but was looking forward to comparing my time to other years to assess my fitness level.  I was hoping to run a PR again.  I woke up to a warm, humid morning.  Actually, I'm not sure you can call 4 a.m. morning.  I drug myself out of bed and put some loud music on to try to wake up enough to drive to Salt Lake.  There was lightening in the distance and as I pulled into the parking lot at the University of Utah at 5:15 I glanced at my car thermometer.  88 degrees.  HOT!  A really warm morning for the middle of July might be in the low 70s.  I figured I could forget about a PR.  I was just going to have to race on effort.  I was just glad I wasn't running one of the longer races.  I was hoping it would rain and cool things off a bit but it just stayed hot and humid.

Soon the we were off with the gun.  I started out fast and as I looked around at the runners I was next to I hoped I hadn't started too fast.  But I was feeling pretty good in spite of the heat.  The course is a screaming fast one, downhill for most of the first four miles.  My first mile was 5:18.  Maybe a bit too fast.  Mile two was still fairly fast at 5:31.  By three and four I was either settling into a more reasonable pace or I was starting to become fatigued from the heat and fast start.  Mile three and four were 5:53 and 5:49.  I was starting to wonder how the flat and uphill were going to feel the last two miles.  I was drenched with sweat, my mouth was dry and I couldn't get enough water at the aid stations.  We turned onto the parade route and I found I could keep going fast a bit longer.  Mile five was a 5:46.  I'd picked up the pace a bit even with the course flattening out.  The last mile is the toughest when we had to turn and head uphill to Liberty Park.  I had no idea what place I was but I thought if I finished fast enough I might have a chance to still run a PR.  My last uphill mile was 6:09.  My total time was 35:48, a PR by 4 seconds.  It wasn't huge but considering the conditions I was dealing with I was happy with it.  Then I found out that I had placed third overall!  The heat had made for a slower race and I was able to move into third place right at the end of the race.  I even came home with $250 prize money!

Last week Jason and I ran the Top of Utah Half Marathon in Logan.  It's one of my favorite half marathons but I haven't run it for several years.  Unlike the Deseret News 10K the weather was looking perfect!  It was 49 degrees when we arrived in Logan with a chance of showers.  The course is a gradual downhill through Blacksmith Fork Canyon for the first half before leveling out for the second half with a climb about 10 1/2 miles into the race.  I wanted to get up to the start in plenty of time but because of a few mishaps we ended up on the last bus up the canyon.  So I got to the starting line with only a few strides and not ready to run fast in the colder weather.  I looked around at the starting line and as expected, there were a lot of fast runners there.  I was going to have to work hard in this race.  We started off down the canyon and I was trying to keep with the top women.  I knew Emily Jameson and Devra Vierkant were the ones to beat.  I was having a hard time keeping the pace they were running.  It seemed fast but when I glanced at my watch it was just where I wanted to be.  It must be the lack of warm up I thought.  A few times I started to let them put a little distance between us.  I debated whether it was wise to push myself to stay with them or save it for later in the race.  I really thought I had a chance to win this race and I was afraid if I let them go I'd never see them again.  So I pushed myself to stay with them.  Towards the bottom of the canyon we hit a couple miles around 5:45.  I really wasn't sure how much longer I could keep this pace and we weren't even to the halfway point.  At mile six I was coming up on a water stop.  Emily and Devra were on the inside so in order to get to the water I sprinted ahead a bit.  Suddenly that put me in front of them and they were letting me control the pace.  I could hear they were both breathing pretty hard and I was finally starting to feel good!  Before I knew it Emily and Devra were both dropping back and I was taking the lead.  That was a strange feeling for me.  I've won some shorter races but when it comes to longer races there are always at least one or two women in front of me.  I was excited to take the lead but I was also nervous about whether I could really hold this pace for the remaining six miles.  There was still a lot of the race to go and I didn't want to die and get caught later.  Tom Kuehls, one of my teammates from utahrunning.com, had been running with us down the canyon.  I was glad that he kept up with me when Emily and Devra dropped back.  The men in front of me were out of sight and if it weren't for Tom I would have been all alone.

Tom and I were able to keep our pace between 5:55 and 6:00 miles.  I felt like I had gotten a second wind and the miles were coming quickly.  With about 5K left I was calculating what time we could finish in.  I figured we would be right around 1:18.  I had a big enough lead that I was pretty sure I would win and a 1:18 would be a PR but I started thinking if I could run the last 5K under six minute mile pace I could break 1:18.  The only problem was the mile and a half of uphill coming.  I was going to give it everything I had though.  Our mile splits were still coming in just under six minutes.  I turned and started heading up the hills.  About half way through the uphills Tom dropped back a bit.  I was going to have to do the last stretch alone.

My uphill mile was a 6:11.  I was pretty confident I could make up those seconds on the downhill mile to the finish.  I was finally up all the hills and on the final stretch.  The gradual downhill didn't feel much like downhill at that point.  There wasn't anyone to catch in front of me.  I just had to race the clock.  I finished in 1:17:44!

My average pace was 5:56.  It was a two minute PR and my first time with a sub 6 minute pace on a race that long.  I won a $300 cash prize and a fun trophy.  The first four women were all under 1:20!  It was a fast race and I was so glad these women were there to push me through the first half of the race or I never would have been able to break 1:18.

Jenny Sperry, Emily Jameson, me, and Devra Veirkant: women's overall awards.

Jason wasn't thrilled with his race but still ran his fastest time on that course and third in his age group.

This was the perfect race to prepare me for Chicago.  The countdown is on with just six weeks to go.  This race gave me a lot of confidence to be able to keep the pace I did through the second half of the race.  All of my training has been so focused this year on training for Chicago.  I'm crossing my fingers that the weather will cooperate and I'll have another great running day!

17 Years is a Long Time!

Every time Jason and I have had a big anniversary it seems like something has gotten in the way for celebrating.  The weekend of our first anniversary he took the MCAT (medical school entrance exam.)  On our 5th anniversary Jason had just started his 3rd year (the busiest and most challenging year) of medical school.  Our tenth anniversary fell just after Jason had finally graduated from residency and we were in the middle of moving and starting a new job.  Our 15th was right after Skyler was born so with a new baby that wasn't much of a celebration.  So 17 isn't a huge milestone year but I decided Skyler was old enough we should plan a trip and get away somewhere.  I was thinking of surprising Jason with a trip to Cedar City, where we met.  Then a couple months ago Jason said to me, "We should go to Cedar City for our anniversary."  So it wasn't a surprise anymore but it was nice to finally have a getaway even though it wasn't very far or long.  We drove down to Cedar City Wednesday morning.  It was nice to just sit for a few hours in the car and talk without kids arguing, or asking for movies and snacks.  After we got checked in at our hotel we headed up Cedar Canyon to dinner at a steak house.  The food was good but I was a little overdressed and remembered that Cedar City isn't quite the place for fine dining.  I was also having a hard time eating too much.  The morning before, I had been out for my run and inhaled a yellow jacket and got stung in the mouth.  My whole mouth and throat was sore and swollen.  So dinner wasn't exactly what I wanted but we still just enjoyed being together.

After dinner we headed over to campus to where the Shakespeare Festival was going on.  Walking on campus brought back hundreds of memories from so long ago.  We enjoyed the Green Show and reminisced about lots of hours spent on the upper quad in ultimate frisbee games and other activities.  We went to see Sense and Sensibility.  It was a fun stage adaptation of the Jane Austin book.  I thought it might bore Jason, but the acting was wonderful and it made for a fun stage play.

Old Main at Southern Utah University

The play went late and the next morning we had to drag ourselves out of bed to get a workout in.  Earlier in the week our coach had asked us what our plans were for Thursday.  When we said it was our anniversary he laughed and said he was about to ruin our anniversary.  Our workout was one that required two runs for the day, a total of 18 miles, with 8 of those miles fast.  So we skipped out on the breakfast at the hotel and instead threw on our running clothes and headed over to the track.  We finished the workout and ran into our old college coach, Eric Houle, and enjoyed catching up with him.  After finally getting a bite to eat we had a little time to wander around campus before heading back over to catch a Shakespeare play, Comedy of Errors.  The play was hilarious and had us laughing the whole way through.  It would have been nice after the play to enjoy a relaxing afternoon together but instead we pulled out our running gear again and headed out to repeat the workout we had done that morning.

We were reminded how the wind picks up in the afternoon in Cedar City.  After a quick selfie at the track when we were done it was already time to go home.  By the time we arrived home the kids were all in bed.  I was tired and ready for a hot shower before bed: really not a great time to find out the water heater had gone out while we were gone...

It may not have been the perfect trip I had planned but that's really what marriage is all about.  It's crazy to think back about everything we have experienced the last 17 years.  All the good and all the bad, but I'm so glad I chose Jason to take this journey with!

Backpacking and Fun with Cousins

Jason and Andrew went on their annual backpacking trip in July and the rest of the kids had a fun week with their cousins.  My niece, Danielle was here from Louisiana and we loved having her along for several outings.  She even got me to go to the first rodeo in my life.  It's not my thing but she loves that kind of stuff!  It was actually a lot of fun and the kids loved it and were all asking if we can go again next year.  We spent a hot afternoon cooling off at Classic Water Park with Brian and Brooklyn.

We went to the new aquarium that opened in Salt Lake.  Skyler loved looking at all the fish and the kids loved the new underwater viewing exhibit for the sharks and the rope bridge.

We spent an afternoon at a splash pad for a picnic and had a barbecue for the holiday.  The kids watched movies, had fun lighting sparklers and played lots of video games.  I think after a week of sleepovers and fun they were all exhausted!

Meanwhile the older boys had a great time in the mountains.  When they got home and started showing me pictures I remembered one from five years ago and had to pull it out to compare.

Andrew has grown a bit since then.  He doesn't have any problems keeping up on the long hikes anymore.  In fact, it probably won't be long until the older guys have a hard time keeping up with him!  They caught lots of fish and enjoyed getting away from the heat and all the people in one of the most remote areas in the Uinta mountains.

Andrew spent the week before the backpacking trip in Yellowstone with his scout troop on a high adventure trip.  They canoed into the back country on Shoshone and Lewis Lakes into the Shoshone Geyser Basin.  By the time he left for the camp his scout leader had me worried about bears and drowning on white caps on the lake.  I was relieved to finally get this picture text to me when they were on their way home and know that he had survived.  Here he is with a huge lake trout he caught.  It was fun to catch although the lake trout have to be killed because they are non-native fish that are destroying the native fish.

The week after backpacking Andrew went with our ward to youth conference in Jackson, Wyoming.  They got rained on quite a bit but had a lot of fun white water rafting on the snake river.  He got home just in time to take his pack over to the stake center for the stake high adventure.  He got one night in bed and then was off to the City of Rocks in Idaho for a few days of rock climbing, rappelling, mountain biking, and skeet shooting.  That's right, three straight weeks of camping.  I missed him a lot.  Having him gone that long made me realized how much he really helps me at home!  He was exhausted when he was finally home.  He slept for about 13 hours that night.  I had to wake him up to get ready for 1:00 church the next day!

A Trip to California and the 4th of July

We headed to California for the Fourth of July weekend again this year.  We spent most of our time there at the beach.  Skyler is the only one young enough to still want to spend his time there digging with the sand toys.  The older three kids have really taken to the body boarding.  They would stay for hours and never want to leave.  It was perfect beach weather while we were there but crowded with the holiday weekend.

We were planning on running the Surf City 5K on the morning of the 4th.  Kaitlyn and Jared decided to run the 5K this year instead of the children's race.  Jason pushed Skyler in the stroller so we could all participate. The stroller race started 15 minutes after the rest of us started the 5K.  Jason was worried about getting the stroller through all the walkers but got a police escort to clear the way since he was leading the race.  The course was an out and back so we all got to pass each other.  Kaitlyn and Jared loved seeing Skyler and Jason pass in the stroller (twice since he caught up to them before the end.)  Jason won the stroller race in 18:35.  I won the women's race in 17:56, only my second time breaking 18 minutes for the 5K.  It's not very often Jason and I get excited about trophies but the awards (for first place only) were these awesome '49 Woody model cars with surf boards on top.  Skyler loved the cars and was a little disappointed when Jason didn't let him play with it.

Andrew ran a great race and got a new PR.  He finished in 19:26, his first time breaking 20 minutes!  He was sixth in his age group, behind mostly older runners.  Kaitlyn and Jared walked most of the 5K so it took awhile.  Jared was pretty miserable from a rash he had gotten at the beach the day before but he made it to the end anyway.  Kaitlyn took her time until the end but was excited to sprint to the finish around the last corner.

Here are all the happy and not so happy finishers.  I'm not sure Jared loves running as much as the rest of us!

We stayed to watch part of the parade.  Skyler loved the horses, cars and fire trucks.  When we got to a big break in the parade he was getting tired and we went back to my parents' house to watch the Brazil World Cup game and let Skyler try to nap through all the cheering. 

My brother Spencer and his girlfriend came over for a barbecue.  Then we headed down to the beach for more body boarding and stayed until dark for fireworks.

Saturday evening we went to the Angels game.  It was hat night and the kids were all excited about the free flat brim baseball caps they were giving out.  Jason kept trying to get his to bend and the boys were laughing at him.  Jared was interested in the rally monkey the boy in front of us was holding so I bought him one.  Apparantly he didn't like the one I got him though because he handed it back to the lady working at the store after I bought it for him.  It was an exciting game with the Angels rallying late and batting around in the 7th inning.  We also got to enjoy a firework show after the game.

All too the weekend was over and it was time to go home but we had a lot of fun!

Summer Fun!

Summer is whizzing by so fast this year.  It is hard to believe that in a few weeks the kids will be back in school already.  Here are some of the fun things that have been keeping us busy.

I love my yard but it also seems like a huge never ending job that is impossible to keep up with.  It is great to have a teenage boy to mow the lawn though!  Skyler has become quite the "helper" in the garden.  He ate the strawberries as fast as I could pick them.  He also learned quickly how to break open the pea pods to get to the peas inside.  He did his share of picking my tomatoes before they turned ripe and the same with the peaches on the peach tree.

My new calling in the primary presidency (children's organization in our church) has kept me busy. Andrew loved helping me paint a giant twister board on the grass for our summer party.  I absolutely love working with the children in our ward.

Jared finally got to go on his first overnight scout camp with the 11 year old scouts.  He was much more excited than he looks in this picture.  He just likes to pull this grimace now every time I tell him to smile for a picture.  His first camp wasn't an easy one.  They went backpacking and had to carry all of their supplies in.  Jason went with him and they hiked up to Malan's basin just east of us in the mountains.  It was a tough steep hike but Jason said he didn't complain a bit and he had a great time.  Here he is at the top of Malan's peak overlooking the valley.

Jason's dad came to Lagoon with us.  It was a hot day and we cooled off at Lagoona Beach and on Rattle Snake Rapids.  Skyler loved riding the choo choo train. Kaitlyn and Andrew wanted to go on all the roller coasters.  They went on so many that Jason even finally sat out on a couple.

Jason's niece, Danielle came to visit from Louisiana.  We went to the zoo with her one day.  The kids were quite excited when a gorilla charged the glass at them.  Skyler wasn't as excited about the animals as I thought he would be although he really enjoyed the small animal and reptile building where he could see things up close.  I think what he liked the most, besides the train of course, were the animal statues.

We caught on to World Cup Fever this summer with the World Cup taking place in Brazil.  Andrew spent the first couple weeks of summer watching soccer games every day.  To be honest soccer isn't my favorite sport to watch but it was fun to see matches taking place in the cities we visited a couple years ago and of course we were all cheering for Brazil.  Jason was excited one day to find authentic Brazilian soccer jerseys in the US and had to bring them home for the boys one day.  We were all sad when Brazil lost (ok they got slaughtered by Germany) in the semifinals.

We have been watching the finishing touches being done to the Ogden Temple and are anxiously awaiting the open house next month and the dedication in September.  This was taken one afternoon when we took a trip to the Treehouse Museum only to find it closed due to a broken air conditioner.  We went miniature golfing at FatCats instead and came back to the Treehouse another day.

And last but not least my life has been taken over by cherries.  I've canned them, made syrup, jelly, cobbler, cheesecake topping and pie.  We've taken them to neighbors, and the kids sold them on the street corner and they still aren't gone.  I think we are going to get someone to cut the tree way back before next year.  I hate canning but I do love pie!