Polar Express

I wanted to post more pics here of everyone from Monday night. WHAT A FUN TIME WE HAD! Thanks Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Jim Bob! I hope you will post some of yours when you come home from the Salt Mine.
Eating at the Dairy Keen

"All Aboard!"

DooDaw and Brandon

Grandma and Grandpa

Leslie and Evan

Guy and Hayden

Grandma and DooDaw

Nal and Hannah (from a series of self-portraits)

Looking out the windows for Santa

Evan

Brandon and Mrs Claus

Brandon, Hayden and Dawson (check out the condensation INSIDE the train) BRR!

Kids with Santa

"TROPHY" Gopher

Don't look if your squeamish, but this momentous occasion has to be reported. Today December 1st 2008 the longest hunt of my life was successfully concluded. I am over joyed, the gopher I've been chasing for 6 months finally was bagged. His cunning and under grounds ways were finally no match for a simply superb plan of attack. Previously hunting and poisoning methods failed miserably, I often heard him laugh at my attempts to get him. Yesterday was different, I was outside hanging Christmas lights so I decided to start watching the new gopher diggings as I worked. On one of my checks to the bombed out looking area of my garden I noticed fresh dirt around one of the gopher craters. Now was my chance! I scrambled to find the gopher trap, I quietly dug the new dirt away from the crater and skillfully placed the trap in the newly created gopher freeway, then being ever so steathly(like a cat on the stalk) I retreated from the area. I resumed my light hanging duties for a while to let my plan work. After the lights were hung it was time to see if I had been foiled again or perhap, just perhaps might have met with success.

EUREKA!! Upon checking the trap I could tell it had been sprung, so I tried to pull it out of the burrow, but it wouldn't budge. I then got my shovel for a weapon just incase I had just given him a flesh wound, there are few things more dangerous than a wounded angry gopher. I slowly started to dig down around the sprung trap,( this is getting pretty suspenseful ). ALAS!! He emerged, lifeless and partially disembowed by the vicious tynes of the trap. Don't get all teary here, this was victory at its best, the sense of accomplishment, and the shear size of my prey were very impressive. You will soon see my name in the Boone and Crocket record book. Here are his measurements.

Weight: A very heafty 8 Ounces

Length: An Amazing 6 inches, Nose to tail

Claw Length: .25 inches

Teeth Length: .33 inches

Girth: 3 inches

Sex: Not sure, Just hope he was gay so there are no prodgeny.

CADDY SHACK MAN EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

"Happy Thanksgiving"

Well here there are, my most prized possesssion in the whole world, my family, that I am most thankful for not just to day but every day. Nothing can bring a parent more joy than wonderful children and grand children.

Now the counsel; Don't let the unimportant things in life ever take priority over your family. Children are only young for such a short time, enjoy them, love them, and teach them where joy and happiness are found. We love you all and wish only the best that life has to offer each of you. Love Gma Gpa

36 YEARS

Yes it is true 36 years of marital bliss. It is hard to believe, I don't feel like I could have possibly been married that long, I must have started at a very early age, say about 10 or 12 . Ha Ha. We were married Nov, 24 1972, I am just glad I can remember the date. As the pics show nothing has changed since the first trip over the thresh hold. Well maybe a few things like kids , grand kids, a few pounds, a little less hair that has gone to a lighter shade, etc etc. We celebrated at the Homestead, Debs favorite (close) place to go. I initially reserved a regular room, but as we checked in and got talking to the receptionist and told her it was our anniversary she up graded us to the honeymoon suite. Pretty nice huh? We had a great time swimming and soaking and eating. There was absolutely no one else around, it was as if they had opened the whole place just for us.

Now for the serious part---- I am so blessed to have such a beautiful loving companion, to say she is special is an understatement. I pray our joy and happiness together will last into the eternities.

NAUVOO 2008

OK, OK, Back to blogging. Our trip to Nauvoo Il. also included transversing Missouri and Iowa and a bit of Nebraska. The Nauvoo Temple was grand and beautiful both outside and in, what a great experience to see it up close. All of the sites and knowledge certainly make you more fully appreciate the trials and hardships of the early saints, It is one thing to read about it but seeing the area and experiencing the paths of exile they followed was truly over whelming. A couple of the places of Joseph Smiths Incarceration, Liberty Missouri Jail and Carthage Illinois Jail certainly had a solemn spirit about them.

The Mississippi River was certainly impressive I can't imagine it getting cold enough to freeze, as it did when the Saints were forced to cross it as they fled their homes in Nauvoo.

The Pics are Mississippi River at Hannibal Missouri- Sunset on the Missouri River- Carthage Jail- Nauvoo Temple. Pretty unique trip from what I am normally use to. Going with a group tour was great for being care free and knowledge gained but a little to structured for me. I would rather go at my own pace and stop when and where I saw some thing to check out.

PLEASE STAND BY... (again)

Mormon Heritage tour to Nauvoo, IL
Oct 7 - 12

Awesome Autumn

It

It was an unexpected day off, at 8:00 a. m. we found out that Eman wasn't going to visit us today. So what's a person to do? Immediately start planning how to use this free day. It didn't take long and the four wheelers were being loaded on the trailer, drinks and snack thrown in the cooler, and shazam we're on our way to the mountains for a fall ride. Spanish Fork canyon was the target area and right at the sky view turn off is where we unloaded the wheelers and started having an adventure. Gma was doing pretty well, fording rivers and driving her best. The scenery was spectacular the trail was great just wide enough for atvs. But there was a bit of a mishap( they seem to be dogging me lately) . We were up this beautiful canyon about ten miles from the truck and Gma is just tooling along and all of a sudden she tips over with the four wheeler. She hit a small stump on the side of the trail and it flipped her before she knew what happened. I jumped to her rescue and lifted the four wheeler of her ankle which was pinned under neath the floor board of the four wheeler. She got up and kind of took an assessment of her self. Her ankle was alright just a little scrape, but she was having quite a bit of pain on the left side of her back. After a while she decided she would be able to ride back to the truck, I was relieved that she felt she could do that. So tonight its hot soaking bath, advil and heating pads. Now I am just waiting to get my call from the gma abuse hot line. I wonder if the give warnings like speeding tickets or do they just haul you to jail right away.

Another Day Off (second one this year)

This pic was taken my first day off this year. I didn't take any pictures today so I'll just inform you that I went golfing twice today, once with a good friend and once with my best friend, she is the one in the pic enjoying the ice fishing. I guess on my next day off I'll probably be right back on the ice, It makes you excited for winter doesn't it!!! Until then I guess it's back to the salt mine.

Lake Powell 08

Bullfrog Bay on a calm and beautiful Sunday morning. Picture was taken from the ward house window. Pic on the left is Moki canyon, the giant sand hill that use to be there is not accessible by boat the water is too low. There was some wild life there, a small child looking beach gecko that was a real camera clown. He even had crude language skills some thing about gampa gampa gampa gampa, he possibly had some Linc to the Anasasi.

There was also some trophy sized fish caught and released. Alot of frolicing in the water and some great skiing and wake boarding. And finally at trips end there was an appearance by easy rider. All in all a good time was had by all. Those pesent- Jim, Deb, Nic, Jeff, Nate, Leslie, and Dawson, Linc, Evan.

Can we get some Lake Powell pix here please?

Break's over, back on your head! Come on and blog already!

PLEASE STAND BY...

Lake Powell break
September 10 - 14

Happy Birthday Nate!

SURPRISE! Happy Birthday to my favorite little brother! I still remember the day you were born. I was in 3rd grade and all day at school I couldn't wait to get home to find out if mom had her baby. I was so thrilled to find out that you were a boy so we could start having some boy toys in the house. However, dad didn't stop calling me "Boy" for at least another 4 years, and then I guess you got old enough to do fun things with him and were able to take over as his son :)

Hope you have a great day! Love, Nal

Happy Grandparents Day!

Thanks for being the best grandma and grandpa in the world! We love you!

"Tickle Me Evan"

Evan had the giggles today so I had to share them with everyone. Is there anything cuter than a baby's laugh? It is definitely contagious!

A Day Off

Finally a day to get some fresh air away from the rat race. Bo- Derick (adopted son) and I found a great atv trail by Spanish fork canyon. We arrived at the start of the trail about 9:00 Friday morning, wow what a brisk start , about 43 degrees as we left the truck. Needless to say the pace was a little slow until it warmed up. The trail was great, twist and turns and rocks, narrow trails along sheer cliffs and lots of beauty and serenity. The pic of the white trees and yellow flowers is somewhat misleading, the white tree trunks were not quakes but sun and weather bleached scrub oak that had burned about 7 years ago. As you can see vegetation comes back thicker after a fire. The other pic shows how much of the trail was shaded, kind of a tree tunnel. A great day in the great out doors.

Living the Dream

Living the dream is for the youngsters, any more its just a day at the salt mine. Some days you mine more salt than others. Recently there has been some extensive mining, along with that there is usually some humor and usually alot of sweat and tired bones. You got to love the pic of the turned over jack-knifed house trailer. A family of six was riding in the Nissam Tundra pulling a 30' trailer and a 18' boat. I liked the commment from the driver of the Pickup, "It really pulls great" meaning that until now he had never had any trouble pulling doubles. Best news no one received as much as scratch.

Next dream was a little too real and a bit of a night mare. If you happen to be in a BRT (big red truck) It is a very very bad sign to see smoke rising from the base of a big dry mountain on a 100 degree day with low humidity and a stiff South wind. The initial attack was a bit futile but you have to try anyway, after dragging hundreds of feet of hose straight up the mountain and two and a half hours of spraying and pulling hose, we were called off the mountain and shifted gears to structure protection. By that time, the acre size fire that we started with was well on it way to being 500-600 acres. The rest of the day and night was spent pulling larger lines to protect the homes whose backyards were the mountain. Kind of a long shift at the mine.