FREEDOM - - THANK YOU DENZEL!!

We love you and miss you Denzel!!  Thank you for being willing to serve our country in spite of the hardships of being away from Anna and Bridger and all of the rest of your family!  We do cherish our freedom, our liberty, and our peace.  Please thank the guys in your gun crew, and all the rest of the 222nd from your family!

We think of you tons, feel bad for the "yuck" stuff you guys undoubtedly have to put up with...even if it's "just" not being able to go to the store and buying a watermelon if you feel like it!  ^_^

We hope you have a HAPPY 4th of July!

Love,
Mom and Dad...and the rest of the gang!

UGH!!

So Nat and I took Jackpot and Daisy up on Navajo Loop this evening...went a lot earlier than last week...and actually had some daylight with which to take pictures!!
 

 

We LOVE this beautiful area where we live!!

And Hank loves going with us, too!








Now, one other thing... when Nat went to take a picture of me with Hank she suddenly screamed, "Arghhhh!  SNAKE!!"  I went over to where she was and sure enough there was a small snake coiled up, asleep.  The markings on it were pretty distinctive, but I wanted to make sure, so I took a stick and kind of "woke up" the snake.  It was a rattler alright!


We just let it slither off into the bush and left it alone.  Come to think of it now, maybe we should have tossed it off the cliff!  Who knows if it will be there to greet us another time, but as a larger snake!!  ^_^

DALLIN'S 18th BIRTHDAY. . .

Shall we just say that Dallin turning 18 was "memorable..."



Good thing we love each other so much!!  Our morning wasn't as wonderful as our usual birthday breakfast mornings, but we did eat together, and Dal opened his presents.





He liked the ukuele books and shorts we got him, the shave kit from Nat, and the western shirt from Kristy.  The card from Jaimi and Mike and kids was funny!








The usual treasure hunt ended with a "half-wrapped box that had some cargo shorts, and three ukuele books.  (Dallin's getting quite good on the uke he got for a graduation present...)





In the evening Dal, Nat, Dad and I went to see Rio - the animated movie about the blue macaw.  It was cute.











Then we went out to dinner at The Olive Garden.  We had fun laughing and talking and not eating TOO many breadsticks!



 Nat started to get lots of "insect bite itches" all over her body...reminded me of Mil...so I gave her a benadryl as we started eating, and by the time we were done she was ready to go home and go to bed.

All-in-all it was a good day...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DALLIN!  We love you tons and are TRULY glad you are our son!!

Night Ride...

One more thing. . .

Nat and I went on a way cool night ride Friday evening. We left our house a little after 8:00 p.m. (yeah, we started out late. . .) and we drove up to Navajo Loop.

 It was light dusk when we started out!! So it was MEDIUM dusk when we arrived at the top.  Most of the lights were on in town and I was concerned about getting off the mountain before it was pitch black...there was no moon that night!


We snapped some fun pictures (most of which turned out blurry due to lack of light!)
and then headed off the mountain. It was very much like riding a roller coaster,  moving at a pretty good gallop in the dark. The horse can see well, but the rider can't! I held on with one hand on the front of the saddle and one on the back, just to make sure I stayed on, especially in the places that I THOUGHT we were making a right turn, but my horse went left to stay on the trail. VERY weird sensation.

 We managed to get down with just a smidge of dark dusk on the horizon, and got home about 10:40. 

Nat got the worst end of the deal since she was riding Jackpot, Jon Graf's horse who is a HUGE thoroughbred, and is BOUNCY!!! Rough ride for Nat, but she was a very good sport!!

Another video...

I ran across this video from Kodiak's first hour...there's just something really wonderful about seeing this brand new little filly try to get her footing!

Family Update. . .

Just in case YOU were the last to know, here is what's going on (as far as Dad and I know!) with the family:

Denzel - sitting in Indiana, frustrated! Missing Anna and Bridger (and the rest of his family!)
Anna - started a new job that she's really enjoying. Might be headed to CA for a few days of training some other employees. Misses Denzel a LOT! (Bridger misses him too!)

Jaimi and the Texas clan - grateful for AC in the 100 degree weather with lots of humidity. Misses being in Utah.

Brandon and Tannya and Nikki - he has started his new job with Deloitte in SLC, and they are in the process of closing on a HOME!! We are so excited for them!!

Kristy - hanging out in Korea for a year, teaching English and having lots of interesting experiences and adventures!

Amelia & Hans - SOOOOO ready to be back down in St. George. Millie graduates July 22, Dad and I travel up a few days early to help them pack and get ready to move down. They have a condo in Southgate that they secured and will be able to move into as soon as they move down. HOORAY!!

Natalee - working full-time for the Southern Utah Medical Clinic (Dr. Christian's office) as the main receptionist as you walk into the clinic. She gets to deal with the drug reps, as well as patients. She LOVES her job and the people she works with. They will be cross-training her with the phlebotomy skills she already has.

Dallin - just got hired by a friend's dad for a VERY lucrative job! (I'm sure he will be working extremely hard and will earn the money he gets!) He will be leaving for Boston, and then Connecticut, with stops in between for sightseeing etc., He will be helping lay artificial turf for professional sports fields. He'll be gone the month of July, and then come home just in time to leave for Europe, and a couple of weeks of Rugby tournaments in Italy, etc.

Dad and I just keep holding down the fort!

We love you all!!

The Living Christ - Paragraph 5

(Deep breath everyone! You can do it!!)

He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

THE LIVING CHRIST - Paragraph 4

As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millenia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life, and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice.  None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived, or who will yet live upon the earth.

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament; the Messiah of the New.  Under the direction of His Father he created the Earth.  All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness.  He went about doing good, yet was despised for it.

His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill.  He entreated all to follow His example.  He walked the streets of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead.

PIONEER TREK

With all the excitement about Kodiak being born, we ALMOST forgot about Trek...but not really.

The morning of the foaling, Dad and Dallin were getting ready to leave for the Pioneer Trek.  I snapped a few pictures before they left.

Dad was a Company Captain (over 4 families) and Dallin was a "son" to Troy and Joan Graf who were the Pa and Ma of his family.  Things went pretty smoothly and Dad and Dal had a good time.  They didn't get rained out like happened here five years ago, and the "ordeal" wasn't terribly hard, even though the ground was VERY hard for Dad.  

However, Dallin had a slight mishap.  As they were pulling the handcarts (11 miles on the second day), it was getting rather warm.  They passed some large fields that had the LONNNNGGG irrigation sprinklers on them, and Dallin and a friend couldn't resist running out there under the refreshing spray.  Well, in his great haste to beat his friend to the cool water, Dallin was running at a great speed and didn't see the bog of mud and water directly in front of him.  When his feet hit the mud they didn't release like he expected and he did a full body and face plant into the mire!  Disgusting!!  However, he just picked himself up, and "showered" under the sprinklers.  Sure wish I had a picture of that!!

While they were gone I was thinking about Dad and Dal and wondering what they were experiencing.  It made me think about Lehi and his family.  Now THAT was a trek!!  I hoped that Dallin was having a good attitude and making it a fun time for himself and others.

Dal got home about two hours before Dad.  It was nice to hear about his experiences.  I was so happy to hear that he and his buddy became the "british boys" the entire time they were there, always talking with their british accents, singing TONS, telling stories, and making all around them have a good time.  Dal mentioned that several people in their Company brought up at testimony meeting how much they appreciated the "british boys" and that they made it fun for everyone.  I was SO glad, and grateful that Dal could do this.  It's a great reminder that we can affect others for good or for "evil" -- do we help improve a situation by our being there, or does it become worse because of our negative input.

Dad had similar experiences, except he stayed out of the hay field, didn't face-plant in the cowpie, and doesn't know how to talk with an English accent.

But he enjoyed all the association with so many people there, and getting to visit as they walked, and walked, and walked.

These two men are a lot alike!!

IT's A BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL!!! And her name is KODIAK!!

From Silvers Foal

Our little filly arrived June 16, 2011, around 5:00 a.m.

More pics and details coming soon!

From Our Baby

DETAILS:

Nat and I went to the corrals around 6:00 p.m. Wednesday. Silver was dripping from her teats, so we knew she was very close to foaling. We got some straw put down in the bottom of the corral a bit later. Silver seemed very agitated and not herself. Another good sign! We checked on her around 11 p.m., and she was standing at the bottom of the corral...

I went down at 3:00 a.m. Silver was standing in the same spot, though she did come up to me by the gate. I stayed until the thought of black widows crawling up my leg got the best of me. (In the dark it's hard to tell what I'm feeling, and those lovely spiders are night dwellers! UGH!)

Rod woke me up at 5:00 a.m., but I was so tired, I asked for an extra 30 minutes of sleep. He woke me again at 5:20, and I went to the corrals at 5:30.

As I drove in I saw Silver standing in the same spot she had been in the other times I had checked on her. Then I saw something dark move in the light shadows of the early morning. IT WAS A BABY!! I had a small pang of disappointment at having missed the birth, but that was swallowed up with the amazement at the black beauty standing by her mother! As she turned her head toward me, I thought something was stuck above her eyes...it was an incredibly distinct WHITE HEART on her forehead. UNBELIEVEABLE!!

As you'll see in some of the very first pictures, I'm sure the foaling occurred barely 30 minutes before I arrived. The afterbirth is visible in the dirt by Silver's feet in some of the pics. Nat and I got a bucket and sponge, and washed off as much of the blood as possible that was all over Silver's back legs. (The filly was perfectly clean when we got there!) Silver did SUCH a good job with her baby!!

Both mom and baby are VERY calm and good with all the visitors they have had! I'm excited to hear what Nat decides to name this wonderful addition to our family!! We'll keep you posted!



A little video:



And a few more pictures, too!


You may be wondering what I'm holding in the last couple of pictures. . . well, Rod gave me a black stuffed baby horse for Mother's Day since I had bought myself a brown and cream stuffed baby horse at Christmas time. (I was just a little anxious for Silver's baby to get here!)

From SILVERS FOAL-2

When I opened the Mother's Day present, Dad kind of apologized saying it was the only baby horse he could find. I loved it, but was sure there was no way Silver's horse would come out looking like that!! Boy, I was WAAAAYY off!!

RELATIONSHIPS

A professor of psychology at University of Washington conducted a study where volunteer couples each moved into a special condominium that was a laboratory for observing their behavior.  The "natural" interactions of these couples were observed as they went through their daily routines.  With a 93% accuracy the professor could predict if a couple would be happily married, miserable, or divorced within four years.

In the successful relationships there was a big general finding: Positive attention outweighed negative on a daily basis by a factor of five to one.  "This positive attention wasn't about dramatic actions like throwing over-the-top birthday parties or purchasing a dream home.  It took the form of small gestures, such as

• using a pleasing tone of voice when receiving a phone call from the partner, as opposed to an exasperated tone or a rushed pace that implied the partner's call was interrupting important tasks
• inquiring about dentist appointments or other details of the other person's day
• putting down the remote control, newspaper, or telephone when the other partner walked through the door
• arriving home at the promised time--or at least calling if there was a delay"

Another reminder that hit home in this article was the caution to not praise your spouse (or family member) only for their actions.  I remember a situation when I was home between semesters of college.  At dinner one night my dad listed off things that he liked about my mom (it felt like he was completing an assignment from a counseling session...), and instead of making me feel good inside, I felt sad.  What I heard was a list of the things my mom did: cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc.  It was a stark realization to me that my dad didn't say anything about loving WHO SHE WAS.  We are NOT what we do!!  A quote from the article said, "If your partner receives compliments only for the services he provides, he may begin to feel like an employee."  AMEN!  

One of the things I have always felt, and told Dad, is, "I LOVE BEING WITH YOU!"  or "I am so glad we are in this together!"  And he tells me similar things.  It really isn't about what we DO, but who we are together.

I hope this helps you in YOUR relationships!

Love,

Mom

Quote of the Week

Decisions determine destiny.

3rd Paragraph to Memorize

"Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness.  He went about doing good, yet was despised for it."

(easy, huh!?!)

Dad and Dal (and Harrison!) had a great trip with the older scout boys to the Havasupai Falls down in the Grand Canyon.  In some ways it was like running a marathon...VERY physically challenging, amazingly beautiful, but the end is SO difficult you promise you'll NEVER do that again.  But after a few weeks that tune might change.  Here are some of the pictures they took:

Family Pics. . . by popular demand!

Dad, Mom and kids!  Wow, how times change the way we look!


Holding it together. . .

WHAT GREAT KIDS!

THE FINAL SHOT. . . HOORAY!!

And the slide show of the other pics:

MEMORIZING REMINDER. . .

With SO many things going on the past two weeks, I think it would be a good idea to regroup with the two paragraphs we've already been memorizing from The Living Christ. Here they are:

"As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millenia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of his matchless life, and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

He is the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament; the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, he created the Earth. "All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:3)"

Keep up the good work! Do a little at a time and you will be surprised at what you can accomplish!!

Love,
Mom

DENZEL DEPLOYS...AGAIN!

We have appreciated the special times our family has had together as Denzel has prepared for this deployment. Jaimi and her kids came from Texas; Brandon and Tannya returned from the Philippines just in time for our family pictures; spending a few days together in St. George with Denzel, Anna and Bridger; the community "send off" at the Burns Arena; and the final good-byes at the new St. George airport.

We are grateful for Denzel and his military service. We especially feel for Anna as she had to say "good-bye" to her husband for the next year. (It's not easy as a parent or sibling, but it's much harder as a wife, I am sure!!)

Hopefully the pictures and video will help convey some of the emotions we all went through!












Goodbye Denzel, we will miss you!!

Family Reunion. . .

Jaimi and her kids arrived from Dallas after we did a last minute ticket for them rather than struggle through the buddy pass difficulties. Natalee drove up to Salt Lake to pick them up...and drive all the way back to St. George. THANKS, NAT!! It was fun having the Dallas gang here for ten days to join in with so many of our family activities!!

Family pic at the Visitors Center

Our activities included Dallin's graduation,
the Pack Reunion in Bountiful, Dallin's State Championship

Rugby game at the University of Utah,

our Hunt Family outing to Music and The Spoken Word at the Tabernacle (really great seats thanks to Hans' grandpa!), church in Layton with "baby Felsted" being blessed, our Hunt Family Dinner in Clinton with Grandfather and Grandmother Barton (AND celebrating Hans' birthday!), family pictures in Riverton at Denzel's and Anna's home, sleepovers at Linda's and then at Dan's, a car trip to Provo Canyon and Bridal Veil Falls with Dan's family, and then heading home to St. George!

Love these grandbabies!!!

ALMOST everyone was at our Family Dinner in Clinton. . . 

But we managed to finally get ALL the kids together for a quick photo in the rain!!
Denzel, 30; Jaimi, 28; Brandon, 26; Kristy, 24; Amelia, 22; Natalee, 20; Dallin, 18 (almost!)

(MORE PICS FROM OUR FUN TIMES...)

A final late night trip to Las Vegas to get Jaimi and kids back home, and an emotional farewell to Denzel as he deploys with the Triple Duece again.

Now we have nothing better to do than get "the boys" ready for a Havasupai hike leaving on Wednesday and coming back on Friday evening, and then we head back up north for a rugby tournament in Murray on Saturday! WOW!! I'm so glad I had a nap this afternoon!