School / Seminary

Well, usually I have posted a picture of the kids heading out to their first day or two of school.  I was otherwise occupied and not thinking about that the first three days of school for Anthony, but then a new week came when I too was headed out the door for school ..., or for seminary, before school.

It was an odd, but even familiar feeling.   I think I have a picture of the first day of school when I was in elementary school.  I feel a little old here.  But doesn't Anthony look awesome!


I am glad to know that my first week isn't my final week, so that I have time to improve.  I hope the students will survive and be able to overlook my unprofessional and weak teaching abilities.


I have enjoyed my time studying.  There is so much good in the scriptures and I love how I am feeling the love of God in the study of the Old Testament and Pearl of Great Price.


This morning I was so into my studying that I was almost late for church.  We are using the most recent General Conference messages as we study throughout the year, and one quote that touched me today was just for me.  Not necessarily one I planned to share with the class, but it spoke directly to me, as have many other quotes and scriptures of late.


“If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective.”⁷

Message by Elder Rafael E. Pino, p 118 May 2015 Ensign.  Quote is from President Spencer W. Kimball.
 

We will begin our study of Moses this week in seminary.  One scripture (among the many great verses I've read the last couple days), has sunk deep into my heart and as I liken it unto me, I see and I testify that it is true.  What He says to one, He says to all!  (D&C 93:49)  He is saying this to me.

Moses 1:26
"And lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days..."

The Lord was talking to Moses and preparing him for what was to come - for what he would become. I feel encouragement from this message and will strive with all my heart to remember it and use it to help me in my becoming.

I know the Lord is with me, and for that, I am grateful.  I hope to remember this through all the ups and downs that are sure to come.


I love the Lord.
I love the scriptures.
I love my family.
New to my list, but genuinely so - I love my seminary students.
I love the peace the Spirit brings.

Spring Concert

The school concert was one of the best I've been to in a while.  Well done!

The choirs performed well ...
(this is the High School Concert Choir - Anthony in black on top row)

And the bands performed well ...

(this is the HS band - Anthony in black, at drums)

It has been a busy week for Anthony with the contests and concert.

BYU-I

We did it ... we took BrittanyJo to Rexburg this week!  And, we left her!  Oh Bother!  ;0  We miss her already, but we know she is where she should be, so we will survive! 

We left Wednesday afternoon and traveled to Missoula.  We tried 8 or 10 motels until we finally found one that had a room for us.  

This is the view we found when we looked out the window from our motel ...

It was a lovely quiet place ..., then we noticed a few friends taking advantage of this little area of peace on earth.

There were at least three that we saw and they were running around all of those trees and limbs with vigor and vim. It was fun to watch for a few minutes.

We had a great breakfast and some hot chocolate to go and continued on our way.  We got to Rexburg and drove around, walked some of campus to get BJo's books and check things out, had lunch together, and took a peek at her apartment.  Then we went to Sherri and Bryan's place in Idaho Falls for the evening.  We had a great visit and a great night before heading back for a busy day of unloading, unpacking, shopping, and more shopping.

Here is BrittanyJo taking her first load up to her room at Carriage House Apts.

She lives in room 203.  Just inside this door ...

We drove up to the temple and sat there on that lot to give BrittanyJo a fathers blessing before her new school year.  It was such a peaceful place and seemed perfect for the occasion.

We love to see the temple there in Rexburg.  It is up on a hill, sitting as a beacon or "North Star" (or maybe guiding star would be a better term).   Look to the temple!   The temple helps us find our focus and guides us in the right direction.  The Rexburg temple will help that way in mapping out the city and every temple helps that way in mapping out our lives.  Look to the temple and partake of it's blessings.   (By the way - Brandon helped with the building of this temple, so it holds a special place in our hearts.)

Our little girl, all grown up, is now out on her own and enjoying life.   She isn't really alone ..., she has the Lord on her side because she is on the Lord's side.  He will help her through everything that comes her way.  That is true for each of us - if we invite Him into our lives He will be there for us, and that makes life beautiful.   We are so lucky ..., so blessed!

We left BJo in her apartment after 6:00pm Friday and got to Dillon a couple hours later that night.  She was worried that we were leaving so late and that our drive would be hard on us.  I sent her a message after we got into our room (which happened to be the last room left in that hotel, the first hotel we checked that night) and told her that we were settled and doing fine.  My message wasn't delivered immediately and I set it aside to get ready for bed.  We heard the ding of her message to us coming in after we'd been in bed a while - it was after 11:00pm, but it was a wonderful noise!  ;)   We knew this message would be from BJo and I immediately got up to see her message and learn that she had been out for some fun with her "Get Connected" group.  She was having a great time and Terry and I were pleased to hear that all was well.  We knew it would be, but hearing it makes things even better.  I got back in bed with a smile!  My heart was happy!

It's a new and exciting, tricky, but great time of life for her and she will love it!  Classes start Monday (15th).   Ready, Set, GO!

School Started for Anthony!

We (or I) like to take pictures of the kids on their first day of school.  I don't always get it done when they leave, but I try harder then to remember when they get home.  I have taken the picture on day two at times, but this year I got a photo of Anthony just coming home from his first day of school.

It will be a bit tricky since he will be baling several nights of the first week of school.  Not a real good mix, but it won't last long.

Another Driver in the Family

This should have happened a long time ago, but with all that is going on around here Terry and I have a way of not giving this kind of thing the proper and immediate attention it deserves. 

However, with school starting Monday for Anthony, and the fact that he had some more time to practice drive with us so he was finally close enough to his 50 hours driving (enough that I could feel comfortable with) it was finally crunch time and we needed him to have his license more than anything else (or almost anything) on our calendar and crazy schedule.  

ANTHONY PASSED HIS WRITTEN AND DRIVING TEST first try for each and is now a legal driver and does not need a parent with him or someone else to chauffer him.  CELEBRATE!    He is our last new driver!

BrittanyJo feels like she lost her job and will miss the opportunity to take him where he needs to go.  REALLY!   She has been our designated driver for the last couple years, but will be heading out to Rexburg in September for a new adventure of her own. 

Chase is planning to attend school in Wenatchee this fall and will not be available and Terry and I just didn't want to add that to our list when there was a better option.   So we forced that activity into our schedule and got it done.

We learned a couple things as we made our attempts at getting this license -  the DOL no longer does the written or driving tests.  The Central Washington Driving School does those now,  then the DOL takes your photo and gives you your license.


Watch out Royal ..., Here he comes!

School

School started last week - It was too soon for me!
I wish I still had another summer before school started - I really do! Time is going by too quickly and I'm feeling like I need more of it.  

 

 

 BJo is a Senior - wow huh!

 Anthony is a Sophomore - more wow!

 

Schedules are complete and the school year has begun.

Luckily for me, neither of them are taking a sport to start off with, so I get to spend a little more time with them after school.

I am trying to savor the moments. There aren't enough days left.

 

 

 



About Us!

Some of you have been anxiously waiting for an update ...

I've been putting it off until ..., well, until later ...

It's later!

:)

School has started!  

I know! That's old news.  It started a week ago and I'm just getting around to posting about it.

Anthony is in high school this year and started seminary as well. Wow huh!?!?!?!  His choice of sports for this season is cross country.  FYI -  this mom has banned football.  Yip, I did!

BrittanyJo got her driver's license! Watch out Royal - she's on the roads - in a little greenish (chartreuse maybe?) Ford Focus.   Anthony will be her main side kick for a few months.

Connor is helping his dad and plans on going to college in January. He will also be working for 21st Century after school hours.  They finished the RC sign! (Well, except for a few more dates he found that need to be put up.)  

I'll spare you the details of all of the set backs from start to finish, but will say that we are glad that project is finally done.

THANK YOU  Eldorado Stone - they donated the stone and even paid their guys overtime for the labor to help lay the stone.  We are grateful! 

Another Special thanks to Callahan Manufacturing, the Booster's Club, and to Shane Christensen!

Connor also thanks his dad and brothers that donated time and labor and materials for this project.

Chase has a new companion but is still in the same area.  He rides a bike part of the time, and seems to be doing great!  He is grateful for the love and kindness that the members and investigators have for the missionaries.  

Terry is still the topic of discussion for the doctors so we have no medical news.  We are waiting to hear from the doctor, but aren't holding our breathe of course.  Last we heard they were trying to determine if he should take Revlimid (the daily pill) for the rest of his life or schedule a second and final stem cell transplant (as mentioned in this post).  Though he is doing fine, he does still get tired easily and has some aches and pains that he endures throughout each day.    They just finished baling (again) and are preparing for silage harvest. 

Okay, I'd better say that I, Elaine, am doing fine - just doing the odds and ends that need done which includes caring for family, keeping house, canning peaches, tomatoes and nectarines - mmmm good! ..., etc.

As for our married families - we love each and every one!

Check out their blogs - you'll find them in the column at the right.

But, I'll add this - we celebrated Akleigh's first birthday!  It's so fun to have grandchildren close by - wish they all could be! 

(Do you recognize this puppy Ethan?  You have a green one just like it.)

Did You Know?

I haven't done so well at blogging and feel the need to inform you of a few things I might have neglected to share:


DID YOU KNOW that Chase is the RHS assistant tennis coach.
He is really looking forward to a great mission. Did you see that post earlier? He's goin' to Reno!




DID YOU KNOW that BJo is statistician for girls softball. She likes that, but would probably rather be going to stake dances or conferences.





DID YOU KNOW that we have been doing some moving and cleaning, and cleaning and moving lately. We (finally) got Keith and Idris' home cleaned. DID YOU KNOW that Thomas and Dana have moved their family into that home. (FYI - did you know that as per dad/Keith's request, we bought that home after he passed away.)
DID YOU KNOW that Michael and Tawnee just arrived today. They are back to Royal for a few months - going to live in our "log cabin" home that Thomas and Dana moved out of.

DID YOU KNOW that Skyler and Lisa are anxiously ... wait, we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of their daughter - next week hopefully. DID YOU KNOW that Lisa just graduated from college. Skyler is continuing his schooling at BYU-I.
DID YOU KNOW that Gregory & Adena are due in May and Brandon & Megan are expecting a baby in June.



DID YOU KNOW that Connor is graduating from RHS in ... oh wow! ... he has less than 2 months.
He is working after school at 21st Century.








DID YOU KNOW that Anthony has been helping his dad after school for several hours changing water and digging corrugates. It's been a great help. Terry has been trying to fix the lawn mower for the last couple weeks and he's done it! So, today Anthony got to mow the lawn. YEA!




DID YOU KNOW that today, April 21st is supposed to be a celebration day???? Yip! Today is T-731 ... though really, we've stopped counting. Two years ago today Terry got his stem cell transplant. We wish we could say that we are celebrating a "new birth" on this day, but the only way that will happen is if one of our children has a baby today. Transplant was not a success, so we'll have to find success some other way, place, time, etc.





There is probably something I forgot to mention...,
but mostly want to say that we believe ...


(FYI - all visuals are from google or HERE)

All Alone!

I knew this day was coming up again, but it's ever so HERE!
Terry is out working, Chase went to help lay sod at the seminary building, Connor, BrittanyJo and Anthony are at their first day of school.
Me? I'm sitting at the computer...the washing machine is filled and on, the dishwasher is filled and on, and though there are others things calling me, this is where I chose to be for a few minutes.
It's so quiet even with those machines running.
Each had a wonderful priesthood blessing from their father before heading off to school or work this morning and it made for a beautiful beginning of this new day. There is such a good feeling that comes from living the teachings of Jesus Christ and using His priesthood to bless lives. I am so grateful to be a member of His church.

There has been so much going on this summer that I think I've now lost two summers in a row since last summer was spent at Seattle/SCCA. It makes me wonder what next summer will bring us. I guess I better be ready for something. I think our "new normal" is that I'm not sure what the new normal is anymore.

Medical update -
well...I wrote that we have had no news, didn't publish my post because I started adding more wedding photos and TADA! we got a call from Dr. Smith. The docs at SCCA are not ready to say one way or another with the DLI (donor lymphocyte infusion) just yet. Dr. Carpenter would like to see the chimerisms (remember that is a k and long i sound) and flow from inside the bone marrow, so..., yes..., Terry will have a bone marrow biopsy on Tuesday morning..., bright and early! That sample will be sent to SCCA and I suppose they will talk again and get back with us. That is when we will get back with you, our awesome readers and friends. Thanks for being here!

Dental update -
Connor has a few braces in his mouth to help correct the placement of some back teeth. He doesn't seem to have a lot of pain with it, just some irritation. They are not too noticeable since they are in the back.
BrittanyJo has braces on every tooth in her mouth and she is feeling the pain. Yogurt and pudding and ravioli for her for a few days. (They got them on yesterday, 24th.) I have no photos to share, but Monday is picture day at the school so it will happen soon enough. :)

Another update -
More reception photos were added to that post (8/8/11) since Skyler and Lisa shared some of theirs with us. Thanks so much!

PS -
This is our last year of middle school!
AND -
Connor spent an hour in a cop car yesterday! He enjoyed every minute of it. He was riding with Officer Judkins as a "job shadow" for his Sr. project.
AND -
Chase is home now...I've been here awhile huh! :)

Okay, back to work!!!
Have a great day!

Back to school?

Our children went back to school yesterday, and today I feel like we did too.
We started the day with instructions about filling out an Electronic Self Report Assessment (ESRA), and then filled it out.
Then we had classes about Food Safety and Managing Care At Home. It sounds like I need to make Clorox my best friend - yuk! Every day I'll have to mix up a nice little mixture of bleach and water, in a spray bottle, and use it to clean up every time I cook.
Our last stop was quite different and new to us, an appointment with Radiology for a MUGA scan, which is a nuclear medicine test to evaluate the function of the heart ventricles.
Our day at school (SCCA) was from 10:30 to 5:30, and we had no lunch break.
We are amazed at how tired we are at the end of the day and always look forward to a relaxing evening, but we have so much to read and digest. Maybe someday we will have it ingrained in our brains so that the paper work will not be as necessary.

Wednesday starts at 10:30 for us again, but we are not sure what the rest of the week brings. We will be checking in with our scheduler tomorrow.

GOOD NEWS!

We have been hoping and praying to hear that Chase was accepted to BYU-I.
TA DA! He is!
We don't know what track yet, but we are happy to accept whatever they give us. We are already aware of many of the inconveniences our family will be going through this spring/summer/fall. I am not sure if timing on this will make too much of a difference for us, though he would like to stay here and work this summer before heading to college.
This is another case where "I will go WHEN you want me to go, dear Lord"!

I know that there is no better place for our kids to go to college than to one of the BYU's. They are awesome schools! They meet awesome people! They have awesome experiences! They have awesome fun the first year, and then try to get into it a little more seriously the next years. I guess our kids need a year of "freedom" to find their own way. They do come around and so far, they are becoming awesome husbands and fathers, and worthy priesthood holders. They have always been awesome sons! :)

Here's what happened:

We've had some busy days that I have not reported on -

• The kids started school Thursday and are enjoying it so far. Here is Anthony and BrittanyJo after their long first day. They are both in middle school this year. 6th and 8th grade.

(No photo of Connor or Chase because they stayed for sports - football and cross country. Maybe we'll get a photo of one of those events later.)

• Football practice started a couple weeks ago, leading to a scrimmage Saturday where Connor tackled a player and ended up with a broken thumb. We took him to the doctor Saturday and learned that it would require surgical repair. So we had a consult Monday with the surgeon and then today we took him in to have it repaired. It took us all day, but we are feeling blessed that they were able to correct the break without an incision. He experienced his first IV, the meds that make one feel a bit goofy, hours in the operating room, the waking up from anesthesia, and a few more firsts. Things did go well, and the picture below shows the proof of 3 pins in his thumb. We didn't get the picture of the xray of the break, but have plans to do so. Connor is presently sporting a cast and not participating in football. (so I guess a photo of Connor during one of his football events might be out of the question now.)
  

It's kinda strange to see isn't it!? The cast covers it, so we haven't seen it yet, except for this picture.
Donations can be sent to Connor Hebdon. He accepts cash, Baskin Robbins or Dairy Queen certificates, or ... (jk). ;) His plan is to head to school the very next day after this surgery, so he's going to be fine.

• Terry started teaching seminary Monday morning and things seem to be going well so far. He has a good group of students and will enjoy getting to know them better.

• Monday was a busy day for us - it is also the day we got a call from the LA airport - yip! - Michael was on the other end of the phone waiting for his next flight. He was on his way to Japan. He is there now in the mission home for a couple days before getting his first assignment. He is anxious to be there and looking forward to it all.

• It was so awesome to welcome home a good friend of Skyler's this weekend. He (Kalvin) served in Brazil and returned Wednesday. Their friend Nels came home a few weeks ago, and in a couple weeks we'll see Tyson and then in a couple weeks more we will welcome home Skyler. It is so exciting to see it all take place one step at a time.

HS Play

Chase and Connor participated in the play that the HS Music Dpt. and Drama Club performed this spring, titled Little Orphan Angela. Chase played in the orchestra and Connor was helping back stage until he was recruited for one of the Townspeople.

I have two not-so-good photos, but I'll share them anyway.

Chase is at the right, in the blue shirt.

Connor is standing in the center of the group, arms folded.

Christmas Angel

We attended a play last night. The high school drama club is performing it, and Chase is one of the characters - Russell. It was so fun to see the kids enjoying it and to have them involved in a good cause. It added much to the season in many ways and sometimes during the weeks of rehearsal I wished we didn't have that one more thing to hassle with, but it was rewarding to see it performed the first night, and we look forward to attending it again today at 3:00 and I think 6:00. Good Job guys!

Find more photos at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ElaineHebdon/ChristmasAngelPlay?feat=directlink

WHAT HAPPENED?

Much has happened this past week, and without time to post each separately. Sorry it is such a long post. (I can't just leave it out!)

HEALTH:
Terry had a doctor visit Monday, a CAT scan Tuesday, and another doctor visit Wednesday. The report is that he starts a new chemo treatment Monday the 15th of Dec. This set of treatments is called fludarabine, will be given once a day for five days in a row, every 4 weeks, for about 6 rotations. They say that this should be easier on him than the last chemo he had, so we are anxious to find out if that is the case. Each treatment should take no more than an hour, where the last kind took him anywhere from 9 hours to about 5 hours each. We will have to drive every day for this kind, and that isn't too exciting if there is snow. These treatments can be done in Wenatchee or in Moses Lake, depending upon our request and their availability at the time. Moses Lake is more limited, with only 3 chairs, but Wenatchee has at least 18. Nothing new about the stem cell transplant, except that we plan to have a consultation set up for sometime this spring.

WOW!
Elaine got her hair cut. Not too newsworthy, because the style didn't change too much, but it is quite a change since she got about 12 inches taken off. It still lays slightly over or at the shoulder, and used to be to her waist.

TRAVEL / COLLEGE / COUNSEL / FAMILY:
We left for Rexburg after school Thursday, spent the night in Ontario, and went the rest of the way Friday. Friday night we attended BYU-I graduation. It was very satisfying to have our children there among the graduates. Megan - Political Science, and Brandon - Construction Management/Architecture? Megan is done, Brandon will continue until Spring. The ceremony was beautiful, not in decor, but in Spirit. Such wonderful advice was given, I had to write it down. I'll share just a bit here, cause it's important for us all, and I want to remember it.

President Clark - 1. Do not let the world get into your heart, pay a full tithe and a generous fast offerings..., 2. Always accept and always magnify callings, and always volunteer (be the first to say "Here am I, send me!")...., 3. Keep the Spirit with you, don't drive it away.... You have a marvelous destiny.

President Uchtdorf - Don't be guided by your fears, be guided by the Lord. 1. Draw near unto Him. You need Him, He wants to help you..., 2. Continue learning, by study and by faith..., 3. Organize yourselves and prepare every needful thing. Establish a house of order.... Establish divine priorities. Never compromise your devotion to the Lord. Eliminate all unessential. You sow what you reap. Make your life an eternal success story. You have the potential to raise a righteous, eternal posterity. You can do this. GO FORWARD AND BE GOOD!

I really enjoyed the graduation and the goodness that we felt there.
Equally satisfying was the fact that we saw family. Of course, we saw Brandon and Megan. Gregory and Adena and their kids came too, so we enjoyed being with them for a short while before they move to Blythe, California the end of this month. We were able to meet more of Megan's family and see her parents again. And, we got to visit with Bryan and Sherri and their children for about an hour before heading home. Family is where it's at! Another thing they said at graduation was - don't focus on money, family is most important! We agree!

We left Rexburg Saturday afternoon because of the snow storms, but got out of the snow about a couple hours or so out of Idaho Falls. We had good roads then the rest of the day, and stopped at Mountain Home for the night. It snowed that night and we had snowy roads all the way to our home, taking us about and hour and a half longer than normal to get here, but we had no problems of our own, though we saw a few other vehicles with some issues. It was a great visit, and we are glad we were able to go, but we are happy to be in the comfort and warmth and safety of our own home.

PATRIARCHS:
Elaine's father has been released from the Stake Presidency in Longview, and is now called as the Stake Patriarch. This has brought with it a great feeling, one almost of rejoicing. It is so satisfying to know that our father / grandfather is worthy and willing to accept such a responsibility. We know that our Heavenly Father loves him and trusts him to fulfil this calling well. We too, know that he will. This call makes us want to be a bit better, and someone that he can be pleased to call his daughter, his son, his grandchild. We are certainly pleased to call him our father / grandfather. We do not want to tarnish his name. We love him. We hope to rise to the occasion, and we ask for forgiveness for our weaknesses and short comings.
Now, equally important is our mother / grandmother who is at his side and supporting him in this new responsibility, just as she has been for over 50 years now. Much will be required of her with this calling, and we know that she will be an angel at his side, still.

GREETINGS:
We are loving the Christmas greetings that have been sent our way. We are finding a few more family and friends with blogs and are enjoying checking in on them occasionally. Blogging is awesome! It is one of my favorite ways to send and receive greetings, even if it is somewhat limited in audience. I don't require much for an audience :) It's probably best to have only a few :) And, it only has to be viewed by those who want to view it. Our newsletter this year was quite simple and not so informative of what happened for the year, but we have been blogging for most of the year now and hope that others can keep updated thru that venue. We do enjoy sending Christmas greetings, and hope that our newsletter did or does accomplish that.

FRIENDS:
We were happy to attend Jake and Portia's ward last week for Conner's blessing. We are so excited for their family. We went to their house for lunch after church and found a pleasant surprise. As we were all introducing ourselves a familiar name was said, one that is not very common, so it tugged on Elaine's heart and reminded her of a good friend in school - all twelve or thirteen years of school. It was the same name, and surprise - even the same person - Dee Dee was there with her husband and couple children. What a welcome reunion it was. She is still a wonderful person (of course), and she has a great family. We hope that life continues to treat them well.

Anthony's school photos are here:

Anthony is in 5th grade this year.

He is involved in, and enjoys Cub Scouts and football. Being the youngest in the family presents some challenges for him, but it also creates some special feelings. You can tell from this photo that he can be a pretty happy person.

Michael is enjoying college life.

We got a fun email and several photos from Michael today. He sounds like he is really enjoying his college experience. I loved seeing the photos and chose this one for the blog, mostly because I knew the two gals he is with. They are Amber and Alyssa Christensen from Royal. :).

School photos (Anthony doesn't have his yet).

BrittanyJo - 7th grade...

Plays volley ball this year, got her ears pierced this fall, and a hair cut, has babysat a few times and makes good money doing it. Did I mention earlier this year that she is in Young Women's now? Our little girl is growing up.

Connor - A FRESHMAN!!!! ...

He is a high schooler, plays football, and the alto sax, still likes video games but has less time to spend on them. He too is growing up - 6 feet tall. He is often known to get right up and do as asked which is most pleasing to a parent -(not to say he is perfect at it, but he is well on his way).

Chase - a Junior...

Chase no longer plays football, but he does play the trumpet. One great recent accomplishment of his is that he just got his license - woo hoo! ya! He will be driving to seminary next week and he might just become the next chauffeur of the family.

Playing catch up...

August 7th - We got a surprise visit from Gregory and Adena and family. It was a wonderful surprise.

August 9th - Brandon and Megan came to visit us. Our visit was short, but it was so wonderful to see them. They are both in Rexburg again getting ready for another semester of schooling.

Also, wheat harvest got done :)

August 16th - Dana went back to Utah to continue wedding plans and prepare for her college experience.

August 21st - We left to take Michael to Utah. Chase and Connor stayed home to participate in football practices. Unfortunately, Connor had to give a Sac talk while we were gone.

August 22nd - We arrived in Utah, had a surprise visit with Dana, had lunch with her family and BJo and Elaine attended a family bridal shower for her while the guys went to Gregory and Adena's for the night. The girls met up with them later that night, and stayed the weekend with them. They have a nice home in Sandy, and again, we enjoyed our visit.

August 25th - We drove, and drove, and drove... home.

August 27th - The kids started school today. Sorry no picture - I'll have to get it on their second day.

MICHAEL IS AT THE Y, living in Heritage Halls. Adena dropped him off Wednesday morning. He is trying to get acquainted with campus and all the particulars like obtaining his food card and books. It's a big campus, there are a lot of people, and it is overwhelming for a youth from Royal City, but he is sure to accomplish it all and we are confident that the Lord will help and comfort him - (I pray for him, and we include him in our family prayers, so, with the Lord on our side, we know he will succeed.)

Dorothy Meets Alice

Chase has been participating (as the White Rabbit) in a play with the Royal High School Music Department and Drama Club.

It was a wonderful performance (and we have seen it three times already).

















There will be one more weekend of this performance with shows on Friday at 7:00 and Saturday at 3:00 and 7:00. The cast did a great job - making it fun to watch each person individually, and the group as a whole. We loved them all, but we are partial, and side with a grandchild of one community member. (As I was in the store Saturday afternoon a lady told me that one of her grandchildren told her that her favorite part of the play was the White Rabbit.

Okay..., she had 4 grandchildren there, and each chose a different "favorite part" of the play, but one did choose the White Rabbit, and we do too!)

More photos can be found in our online photo albums by clicking on the link at the right (our favorite spots).