What.A.Week!

 

 The temperature gauge on the car says it all... it was one hot week in St. George.  I was a driver for one of WXHS incoming sophomore teams at the Dixie Basketball Camp.  I had no idea it entailed driving the 7 boys from their hotel each morning to three different games at various locations, getting them to their lunch and dinner meals at various locations, shuttling them to evening activities and then back to their hotel for bed.  I was hoping to get a little R&R at the house but that wasn't quite how it panned out.

However, I did find time to do this...

 

...and this!  So glad Karen was also in St. George so we could explore an awesome 7-mile hike/run in Snow Canyon.  We had to go at 6 am so I could be back in time to provide my shuttle service.  She's always game when I ask her to do crazy things.

 

 

 I was SO grateful I was back home Friday night when Cooper was attacked by (what I think was a raccoon) in our fenced backyard while out going to the bathroom.  The laceration was as deep as it was wide and he had to be sedated with an IV and anesthesia to get his stitches.  I hung around the house Saturday evening nursing the poor pooch and even slept on the downstairs couch that night so he wouldn't try and climb any stairs.

 

Meanwhile, John found a friend to go motorcycling with in the early evening hours and was so happy to finally take his bike out (he can't wait until Garrett gets home so they can go riding).

 

Sunday afternoon naps for the 3 worn-out boys...

 

60th Anniversary Celebration!

These two have been married for 60 years!!  June 8, 1954.

We had a family celebration with both Milne daughters and spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in Utah.  There are 3 married families who live out of state and 3 grandchildren serving missions.  We missed them!

We had a wonderful dinner...

An awesome piano recital...

...with a very enthusiastic audience.

(a videographer in the making...)

Milne Family Bingo and other games and activities...

...and enjoyed a wonderful evening spending time with Grammy & Papa and remembering the amazing lives they've lived.  They are an inspiration to us all!!  Happy Anniversary!

Midwest Trip - June 2014

 I am turning 49 next month.  I've traveled through 30 states.  My goal--visit all 50 by the end of my 50th year.  Grayson was heading to EFY for a week so I asked John if he'd go with me to a few of the "less popular" state.s.  He said "yes" if I would do all the driving, he could work on his computer and phone during the 2 days we'd be gone and I used "points" for all the airfare and hotels--DONE!

First stop--Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Scheduled quite a few stops in Kansas...

 

 Dodge City, Kansas--Boot Hill Museum & Gunfight + town trolley ride to see the feed farms for cattle

Wamego, Kansas

 

Manhattan, Kansas

 

 Lincoln, Nebraska--University of Nebraska

 

Omaha, Nebraska--Winter Quarters, Winter Quarters Temple, Mormon Trail Visitors Center

I think this stop is what clinched the deal for John to travel with me.  He was in charge of building this Visitors Center when he worked at Bud Bailey Construction just prior to starting his own business.  Because he left before the project was finished, he never saw it completed.  He was thrilled to see the finished product.

 

Hadn't planned on this, but we were just a couple miles from Iowa so we crossed the Mormon Bridge and went to the Kanesville Tabernacle where all those who participated in the Mormon Battalion were listed on placques.  John's ancestors, Orin and Meltiar Hatch were Privates in Company C.

20 states to go!!!

Summer has Begun!

To kick off summer, several friends and I went to Tastemakers at the Gallivan Center downtown SLC along with a few walk-to restaurants that participated and it was AMAZING!!  If I hadn't been so full, I would've continued the eating experience.  Next year...

Each year we have 9 am church our family does Secret Sundays where one of us takes a turn planning the afternoon Sunday-appropriate activity and takes the family to the secret destination.  I started off this year's Secret Sundays with some family-friendly short and easy hikes to beautiful waterfalls in the area. The first one we visited was called Rocky Mouth Falls and it's in Sandy.

Found a cave that was interesting to Grayson...

 He perked up a bit when we drove to our next waterfall--Lisa Falls up Little Cottonwood--and had a picnic lunch.  Since it was Fast Sunday he was a little grumpy until it was time to eat. :)

Monday morning, 7:00, June 2 was a great day--got to hear AND see Sister Tebbs!  She called us from the airport via FaceTime and my friend in the ward who works for Delta was able to snap a picture of her as she was talking to us.  Sister Tebbs was happy, excited and ready to head to Nashville to begin her service as a missionary for the next 18 months.