Long Time No See

It turns out that the immediacy of the interaction of FaceBook makes it a VERY attractive alternative to the family blog format.

But this family blog is not without value and virtue, and I am intending to return to making some regular posts. We will see how that unfolds.

The Whole Family Together, After Church

It is so great to have Walker and Jennifer and Atticus back in the US after their year long travels in Europe, etc. And we were so blessed to also have Courtney join us from her schooling and working in California. Oh yes...we like Belle, too.  :)

The Influence of Cousins

Belle has been visiting her cousins this summer.  I think she's having a good time, but we're wondering what kind of influence they are being on her.  I guess we'll find out when she gets home in a few days.

One, five, twenty six.

A mother and her five children with all their families: 26 in all.

101 Gators :)

Half way through the fifteen mile ride is a rest area with a 50 foot viewing tower, and on last Saturday,   alligator #101 to greet you.  Shark Valley.

Audrey Plays Hostess for the Stake Again

The Ft Lauderdale Stake had an annual Marriage Enrichment evening, and as the Stake Relief Society President, Audrey played hostess. Each of the wards brought their assigned food items (the Davie Ward had the most compliments for their tasty wraps!) and Audrey and her presidency, Christie and Linda, arranged and served and made sure that everything ran just right.

There was an estimated 130 adults in attendance, and I overheard many good comments about the presentations. Adam Barnes (above, white shirt) is the director of the LDS Family Services clinic in Orlando and was good enough to give the keynote presentation.

The Weston Ward provided nursery services, and they did a fantastic job. Watching 51 young children for 4 hours is not an easy task!

In the end, the gym and kitchen were cleaned and left in a better condition than they were found.

One For All, and All For One... or the Four Stooges?

It had been six years since the four of us siblings were all together. I really really enjoyed seeing Dave and Kath and Tim last week when I visited Dad and Ella in Iowa. We all laughed hard several times during out time together, telling stories, sharing memories, looking at old pictures, and celebrating Tim's birthday. Dad has some real photographic treasures, and he was kind enough to share them with us. I had never before seen the pictures of us as little children. My, how we have changed.

Oh, boy, did I love that little red bike. It was a girl's bike (Kathy rode it before me) and the tires were solid rubber, but I remember the first time riding it without assistance -- no training wheels and no adult running alongside -- and it was glorious.

I distinctly remember a time when my always tentative balance was jeopardized by a quick turn of the handlebars. In that very instant I felt an epic (for my young age) moment of decision. I could succumb to the inevitable and "bail out" to avoid the pain and embarrassment of a crash, or I could try something new. I remember standing and pedaling with all my might, all the while it seemed that I was leaning over at a 45 degree angle. I felt risky, committed, striving, focused, and consciously choosing to succeed rather than fail. To my amazement and delight I DID succeed, I DID stay upright. Some days I think back on that day and think it has never been better than that.

Sunset

Sample of Activities, Lately

Our summer has been sooooo busy. Walker's graduation, church party in the park, pioneer trek, Walker and Jenn and Atticus visiting, vacation to Sanibel, psychopharmacology classes, Courtney going to a journalism workshop at the Uof F, Belle going to pony camp and performance camp...

I can't wait for summer to be over so that we can have some peace and quiet! :)

Family Picture & Toe Shoes

Jenn took our family picture....

So I took picture of her in her new toe-shoes...

Who Reads Our Blog?

I sometimes wonder who reads this blog. Of course I know that family in Iowa, Florida, and Utah will frequent these pages. And I suspect that the frequent hits from someone at the Phoenix Union High School District is some church friend because they keep loading a page of pictures of our church friends. I get all that.

What I DON'T understand is who in India and Turkey finds us so interesting? Within the past couple of months we've also had readers from Germany, Spain, Russia, Switzerland, Hawaii, Romania, Australia, Israel, and even Kennewick Washington (congrats on the recent move, Ned and Ashley!)

Not that we mind sharing ourselves with the world, it just makes you wonder who we are connected to and why.

Family Traits

Can you tell these two are related? What a joy it is to see their pretty smiling faces full of freckles!

Can you tell that these women are related to each other by the way that they watch General Conference together?

Skyping Together

It is fun to huddle around the computer and look at live pictures of Walker, Jenn, and baby Atticus by using Skype.

Does anyone remember a time before computers?

Hello From Florida!

Sometimes I miss the "changing of the seasons" that our northern friends and family enjoy. The prettiness of the changing color of the leaves, the sense of satisfaction in struggling against the snow and ice, how cozy the inside is when "the weather outside is frightful..."

And when I get to feeling that way, I go swimming in an outdoor pool. :-) Here's to you, my shivering northern friends and family!

Visiting Family in Utah: Bitter-sweet

It was my pleasure to be able to visit family in Utah this week. It had been over a year since I had been there, as my last trip was for Walker and Jenn's wedding. This event was a much different type of gathering, but not without the joy of family and the celebration of the gospel and the goodness of God's love for his children.

The funeral ceremony was tender, sweet, humorous, and joyous. Hundreds of family and friends filled the chapel. Aunts LaNona and Julie held the audience enchanted as they read and shared the remembrances and stories given to them about Jason. Jason's parents, Tim and Mary, did the impossible by delivering thoughtful and heart-felt messages of loss, love, and hope. Two older siblings (Erin and Derek) are currently serving missions and were unable to attend in person, but they were clearly in the same room with the rest of us as brother Kyle read their letters and shared their spirit of familial love and gospel testimony. Musical numbers brought a tenderness to the event and there were few, if any, dry eyes.

The family had, earlier, congregated in the viewing room, around Jason's discarded body, for final farewells and a prayer. The very most difficult and touching moment was when the final good-byes were said and the coffin was closed. Eight year old Christa was the voice of expression for us all when she cried and said "I love you Jason!" while the lid was lowered and fastened shut for the last time.

Following the service we gathered at the Pleasant Grove cemetery where Tim dedicated the grave. Afterward we returned to a luncheon at the church that had been prepared by the Relief Society. The food was wonderful and the conversation was informal and friendly and the perfect ending to a day of mixed feelings. No one could escape the notion that Jason was missing; but no one, I think, could escape the feeling that we are all members of a large and thriving and happily supportive family.

Pictures From Belle's Camera

Belle loves to take pictures. She uses Walker's old camera, which sometimes works and sometimes does not. She excels at taking the most unflattering images of us. I did not even post the really ugly ones to spare both us and you the embarrassment of having to witness our frozen facial expressions in our most unguarded moments -- not a pretty sight! [By-the-way, these pictures are all or mostly from around Christmas time, I believe]