Packed Schedules!!

That has been the most common mode of operation around our place since the last blog. We have had so many important and wonderful events in the past few weeks. As you may know, Matt returned from his mision to Samoa on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. It was so good to see him again and to hear all about his missionary experiences. It was delightful to see how he has matured and grown into a man of considerable spiritual substance. He still has that faint little smile permanently affixed regardless of the circumstances. It was a wonderful reunion! All of our family together for the first time in nearly ten years!!

Mike and Lyndsi were married in the Logan Temple on November 23rd. They are very, very happy and we are elated to have Lyndsi as an official member of the family. They are living in Logan and plan to attend school full time and work full time as well. All of you know something about life like that.

Adam and Devri were married on December 19th in the Manti Temple. It was our first time to be in the Manti Temple...What a beautiful setting! Adam is still waiting to see if he will receive "the offer" to play football. Several coaches have expressed interest but nothing is formalized. He is still hoping to get an offer from a D1 school. There have been several good offers from D2 schools and some D1AA schools. All of this does nothing to contribute to any feelings of security or permanence. Devri is being wonderfully patient even though they are technically homeless at present. Devri is sweet and good and we are pleased that she let Adam choose her.

We are so grateful to have these two wonderful young women join our family. We earnestly hope that we won't ever embarrass them or make them wonder how such nice girls could get into such a fix. They both fit into our family pretty seamlessly and we are grateful. It is really sweet to watch them relate to each other, to their new husbands, and to the entire family.

It was especially meaningful for us to have all of our children together in the temple at each wedding. At times like this you realize that it is really all about family. We are so very grateful for our children and their companions and the goodness of their lives. We are blessed way beyond merit.

I love this time of year! I love everything about Christmas! I love the music. I love the ambiance of it all. I love the snow. I love the tinge of cold in the air. I love to hear the snow crunch underfoot. I love to walk outside when you are all bundled up with a warm cap and good gloves. I love it when you can exhale frosty breath. I love a crackling fire in the woodstove when it is cold outside. I love to see the delicate patterns of frost and snow on the bare branches of the trees. I love the stunningly brilliant blue sky of winter that always comes after a good snowstorm. I even love to join in the bustle of the holiday shopping crowds. I love to call out a cheery "Merry Christmas" to friends and strangers alike. There is nothing quite like Christmas.

There is another thing I like about Christmas. Throughout the year our most reverent worship is centered on the Savior. In our mind's eye we recall His ministry and the purpose of His mission and try to visualize Him as the Master Teacher, the consummate Priesthood Leader, the ultimate example of perfected man. At Christmas it is different. At Christmas we quietly kneel at a manger and our most reverent worship is centered on a baby...The Baby. And we are reminded that He wants us to become pure and meek and ... childlike.

To each of you who have taken the time to pause here, if only briefly, please know of our love for you. In so many ways, that perhaps you've not realized, you have blessed our lives and we are deeply grateful. I pray that the Peace of this season will permeate your heart and your home. May the blessings of Heaven rest upon you and all those you love.

Ah - to be current, to be relevant...that is the virtue.

Well, it has been far too long since an update..September to be exact. Much has happened since then. We now have two of our family who are counting the days until their marriage. Mike, to Lyndsi Walker, which will occur on November 23rd in the Logan Temple. And Adam, to Devri Dahlsrud, which will take place on December 19th in the Manti Temple. We feel very blessed to have these wonderful young women join our family circle. They both come from great families and are sweet and gentle natured. I hope I can become more like them.

The week of Thanksgiving will be jam packed for us. Matt will return from his mission to Samoa on Tuesday. We will enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday on Thursday. Mike and Lyndsi will be married on Friday. And Sunday will be Matt's mission report. Our house should be completely full of family and friends for the entire week. We expect to have people bouncing off the walls and there will be roughly1,050 pounds of food of all descriptions consumed in a very short time. We are looking forward to those events.


The Snow College Badgers have been enjoying a very successful football season. Adam has has good success and we are pleased for him. The pictures are from a family outing at a recent game.

Above is Kim, Gae, and I and below are Josh, then Kim and Steve.

Here are some more pictures from the game. I am trying to label each one so you will know who they are. Those in the family will already know...but other visitors might be lost. This is Jill and Courtney...our ever gracious hosts at each game/The next picture is Holly and Trent.










This is Megan...Holly and Trent's oldest









This is Zachary...and I don't know why he always makes a face whenever you point a camera at him.













And this is Jarom...another of Holly & Trent's children. This one is a scrapper. He loves the football games...and any other kind of activity

Update September 2, 2007

I have been gently reminded that a primary purpose of these blogs is to keep a running commentary on the events/thoughts of one's life. I was much surprised to learn yesterday that Devri's* sister has visited this site. She noted that I am not keeping current. I will attempt to be more attentive in the future. Apparently I have now assumed an obligation to my "audience" albeit a very small one.

This past week has been full...again. On Friday I purchased a relatively unused but older Honda ATV for use in the garden duties around the home. I will post some pictures soon. This one has a snow plow and a storage bag/passenger seat for the rear rack. I think it will be fun for Gae and I to "wheel" around the backroads together. Perhaps another trip to Willard Peak this summer? It will be great to have a motorized snow removal device as well. I hope it works as well as I envision. I am certain that it will meet our needs much better than the Suzuki 125 we are using at present. The problem with the Suzuki is that every time you put a box of fruit or vegetables on the back rack (which hangs out beyond the rear axle) it lifts the front wheels up just enough to make steering virtually impossible. The Honda is a 250, which makes the whole machine bigger and more sturdy. The rear rack sits squarely over the rear axle, which should make a big difference. With the added power I believe we will be able to do lots of things that are just not possible with the Suzuki. I guess we are getting to be pretty "campy" now. A friend of mine was recently decrying the antics of the four wheeler crowd allowing that "they are all from Spanish Fork, they swear, drink, chew, and generally tear the h_ _l out of the planet." I hope it will not mar my ministry if I partake. ;>)

We had a fun time watching Adam's game yesterday. The game itself was pretty boring, a 69-0 route of a club team that really didn't have the personnel to play at this level. It is always good to see Adam and spend some time with Court & Jill & Olivia. We took Mike & Lyndsi with us. They are always good company. We enjoyed the day very much.

We noted that Adam and Gae both have broken ribs in about the same spot. Adam broke his ribs in football practice about a month ago. Gae broke hers this week while trying to prune an extra large limb from a peach tree. The limb had broken from the weight of the peaches. She couldn't get enough leverage with her arms so she braced one handle of the pruners against her side and used both hands to bear down. When she felt the snap she realized that it was her rib and not the branch that made that sound. She is mostly comfortable until she gets horizontal. Then it hurts to breathe. Not much rest for her the past couple of nights. Healing will take time and patience. The difficulty is that she has a less-than-ample supply of both.

Now, don't be concerned with the length of this blog. I understand that brief commentary and lots of pictures are what drive this medium. As soon as I become more technologically proficient I will be better as a blogger.

Keep doing the things you know you should.

Dad

* Note of explanation to those feeling lost. Devri Dahlsrud is the sweet girl from Salina that Adam has been dating for quite a while. We were able to meet her family for the first time, at the game. We think Devri is terrific and after meeting her family it is easy to see why.

The Beginning...

Well, I guess I am really entering the 21st Century. Jill has inspired me to begin my own blog. This will be designed primarily for our family. If others are interested I will be amazed! I will try to put news and trivia and maybe even some serious stuff for your contemplation.

Comments (positive) will always be welcome. Thanks for visiting.