Fire in the Bones

I am reading a wonderful book about William Tyndale, Fire in the Bones. I am fascinated by this man's life, his overwhelming desire to translate the Bible into English, thus making it available to the common man.
His translation of the Holy Bible paved the way for Joseph Smith to be touched in his heart by the beautiful words of James, and to inquire of God about which church to join. There are many similarities between the life of Tyndale and that of Joseph Smith - they were violently opposed by the religious leaders of their day, they were called heretics, they translated the words of the Lord by inspiration, they were tools in the hands of the Lord in providing light for their fellowman, they were both killed as a result of their service to their God.
There are many statements from this book that I would love to share, I will start with this:

Christ is the cause why I love thee, why I am ready to do the uttermost of my power for thee, and why I pray for thee. And as long as the cause abideth, so long lasteth the effect; even as it is always day so long as the sun shineth. Do therefore the worst thou canst unto me, take away my goods, take away my good name; yet as long as Christ remaineth in my heart, so long I love thee not a whit the less, and so long art thou as dear unto me as mine own soul, and so long am I ready to do thee good for thine evil and so long I pray for thee with all my heart; for Christ desireth it of me, and hath deserved it of me. Thine unkindness compared unto his kindness is nothing at all; yea, it is swallowed up as a little smoke of a mighty wind, and is no more seen or thought upon.
~ William Tyndale, The Obedience of a Christian Man

And here is one more:

The nature of God's word is, that whosoever read it, or hear it reasoned and disputed before him, it will begin immediately to make him every day better and better, till he be grown into a perfect man.
~ William Tyndale, "Prologue upon the Gospel of St. Matthew"

Robin's Birthday

Our sweet Robin recently had a birthday.
Years ago my friend Kim told me that I am getting so old that I have to start lying about how old my kids are ~ and that is more true as each year goes by.
But we are so proud of the beautiful, strong woman Robin is.
She has many talents and abilities, she loves life and laughs easily, she is a happy and patient mom, and she brings me and her dad much joy.
Here are some of our favorite pictures of her.

in our snowy yard in Idaho

on a visit to Grandma's house

with little brother Steve ~ I think he prepared her to be the mom of boys.

senior picture

the day she brought Dennison into the family

on a family outing

definitely one of our favorite pictures!
Robin may be our most adventurous child, she has been known to surprise us.

another favorite ~
Robin, we love you and your amazing family!

Making Good Things Happen

A few years ago I learned about creating good.
When I was a child good things just seemed to happen. Christmas was always magical, my birthday was filled with fun and excitement, our family had dinner together every night around our kitchen table, family prayer was a peaceful and touching experience, our home was neat and orderly - even though there were 9 people in the house, my parents always had an answer to my questions, and even the trials and challenges we went through eventually proved to be blessings.

Since having my own home and family, I have realized that Christmas, my birthday, family dinners and prayer, and the consistent feeling of love in my childhood home were the result of the efforts of my parents. I learned - to quote Bishop Larsen- that good things don't just happen. Happy marriages, loving families, peaceful neighborhoods, and successful businesses are the result of someone's thought, patience, sacrifice, selflessness, and hard work.

So it may be fair to say that the amount of good things in my life is a good indicator of my efforts to make them happen. I recently read this quote ~ "Your life is the result of the choices you have made; if you want a better life, start making better choices." I have decided to become more aware of opportunities to create good: to make good things happen ~ my marriage is strengthened when I am more concerned with the happiness and comfort of my husband than my own, I feel closer to my grown up children when I make the effort to stay in touch with them, and I feel happier when I make a point to smile and greet those I come in contact with in my daily activities. Some good things are beyond our control and cannot be forced, but we can set the stage for them to happen. I am more likely to feel the power and witness of the Holy Ghost when I spend time with the scriptures, and I feel the love of my Father in Heaven more when I pray sincerely and thoughtfully.

I am expecting many good things to happen in the future, through my efforts, or those of others -- they will surely be the result of someone's conscious decision to go about doing good.

Two of our favorite people

We were able to travel south this week and spend a few days with Rick. He is not too terribly far away, just far enough to keep us from being together very often. But we had a great visit and I got a good dose of Rick hugs. He is definitely one of our favorite people!

with the Jeep

in his apartment

with his girlfriend

And here is a new picture of another person we spend a lot of time with, and we love it!

in his new favorite place

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's day so I want to express my appreciation to my husband for the service he gave to our country. He saw much of the world and gained skills and perspective thanks to the time he spent in the USMC. I wish I had a picture of him in uniform that I could add, but the logo will have to do.

My dad is also a veteran. He served in World War II on a battleship in the Pacific. He was so young, yet willing to leave home and family to defend freedom. He taught me to love my country, and that freedom and liberty come at a high price.

It seems that many today have forgotten the sacrifices that have and are being made by so many to give us the freedom that we often take for granted. I am grateful to them and their families and pray that we will all do whatever is necessary to preserve the liberty of our nation that it might spread throughout the world.

the best of my journal

For the last year and a half I have been taking a small notebook to church with me and jotting down notes, thoughts, and ideas that come to mind during the meetings and classes I attend. Last Sunday I wrote on the last page. I am amazed at the insight and often profound thoughts I have been blessed with. Here are just a few of my favorites:

All I need to do to receive mercy is repent.

Remember that I am who I am because of the choices I have made.

Evil ALWAYS opposes good--but the Lord's strength is stronger than our weakness.

When we see, smell, and taste the real thing we more easily discriminate the real from the counterfeit, and are willing to sacrifice to obtain the real thing. Satan’s goal is to deceive us with counterfeits.

The Lord knows how to overcome my difficulties.

We don’t have the luxury of spending our time on anything that does not lead us back to our Father.

The gospel is not a spectator sport.

You are worth the best God could give.

The extent to which I think about Christ is the extent to which he is my God.

Obedience to law is the habit of free men.

Private behavior determines our happiness.

Sunday meetings are such a blessing in my life. Each week I marvel at the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the motivation it gives me to be a better person during the coming week.How grateful I am for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that he leads me to truth and helps me recognize and accept it, that he bears witness to all truth to all who humbly and sincerely ask.

Conservatives & Liberals

I have been reading a book I bought at Deseret Industries a few years ago called "Vindicating the Founders" written by Thomas G West. (Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. in 1997) It defends these great men against the accusations of racism, sexism, and elitism that are so pervasive in textbooks, our school system, and in our society at large. The author discusses the topics of 1) Slavery, 2) Property Rights, 3)Women and the Right to Vote, 4) Women and the Family, 5) The Property Requirement for Voting, 6) Poverty and Welfare, and 7) Immigration and the Moral Conditions for Citizenship.

I have not finished the book yet, but ran across an idea I want to share. For me, it explains the basic difference between conservatives and liberals; their perspective of mankind and the role of society/government.

John Dewey...was probably the most influential theorist of the New Liberalism... At the heart of Dewey’s liberalism was his belief in “historic relativity,” his conviction that there is no permanent human nature...the individual is always made by some historical context but is nothing in himself. “Social arrangements laws, institutions...are means of creating individuals.” Man is capable of being socially constructed in many ways. p 59
According to Dewey, man does hardly anything on his own; self-reliance and individuality are largely illusory. Qualities like “initiative, inventiveness, varied resourcefulness...are not gifts, but achievements.” Even intelligence is not “a ready-made possession of individuals.” That is because the social order, not nature, produces these qualities. “The state has the responsibility for creating institutions under which individuals can effectively realize the potentialities that are theirs.”
[That is to say] that man is essentially a victim or essentially disabled. For Dewey, it is precisely when people are left alone that they are the most vulnerable. p 60

[the Founders] saw in human nature qualities like reason, self-control, ambition, pride, and spirited self-assertion. They thought that if government protects lives and properties from being taken away by others, most people will be able to take care of themselves and their families. Lincoln’s remedy for slavery was not affirmative action or public welfare but opportunity for all people, white and black, to keep the bread they earn with their own hands. p 60
The presumption of the Founders is that normal human beings are capable of taking care of themselves, if only the artificial weight of legal privileges and restrictions is removed. “The political philosophy behind limited government,” writes Harvey Mansfield, “affirms that nature is more important than nurture: that humans have a fixed nature enabling them to overcome a background of poverty and deprivation.”
p 63

Heaven and Earth

About ten days ago my cousin's daughter was killed in a bus accident. She was the band director at a Utah high school and was returning with the band from a competition in Idaho. When the bus driver blacked out and the bus headed off the road, she tried to take control of the bus and was ejected. Several students were injured, Heather was the only one who died.
Just over two years ago our family went through a similar experience. Rick's friend and business partner was killed in a helicopter accident. Rick came to stay with us for several days; days filled with shock, grief, and heartbreak, it was probably the most difficult thing he had ever dealt with.
We spent a lot of time praying with him, relying on the mercy and love of the Savior to give comfort and understanding.

I love this statement by Elder John H Groberg ~

There is a connection between heaven and earth -
Finding it makes everything meaningful, including death.
Missing it makes everything meaningless, including life.

I am so grateful to know that life goes on after death, that this life is just one part of our loving Father's plan for our happiness. Although death always brings unbelievable sorrow and heartbreak, it is tempered by the peace and love of Jesus Christ who stands waiting for us to turn to him in our times of need. He is the one sure source of comfort, understanding, and peace. Rarely does our problem disappear when we turn to him, but always he offers to bear it with us.

The Book of Mormon

A few days ago I finished the reading the Book of Mormon again. This time it took about a year and a half; I looked up cross references and the meaning of words, and wrote thoughts and impressions I had.

I love the Book of Mormon ~ the more I read and study it, the more precious it is to me. I love the witness it is for my Savior, the many testimonies it contains about his gospel, his plan for our happiness. I love the way I feel when I read, when I think about those people who lived so long ago, yet loved and obeyed the same God I love and try to obey. I learn from their struggles and am encouraged by their victories and successes.
Here are just some of my favorite parts of this amazing book.

King Benjamin and his people lived about 125 BC, he taught his people about the coming of Christ. (Mosiah 3 is beautiful). I especially love the part where the people respond to the king's teachings of the coming of Christ and his mission, Mosiah 4:1-3, and 5:1-5.

Abinadi was called to preach repentance to a wicked people. He was taken before King Noah and questioned. He bore a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ; he was then threatened with death unless he would recall his words. When he refused to deny his words, he was beaten and burned at the stake. Mosiah 13:1-7; 14; 17:5-10,13-20.

Ammon who had at one time been an enemy to the church, became a great missionary, much like Paul in the New Testament. He labored among the Lamanites, the enemy of his people, for 14 years (Alma 17-26). In Alma 26 he expresses his feelings about being an instrument in the hands of the Lord to bring others to Christ.

Captain Moroni was a righteous military leader who loved freedom, and ‘did not delight in bloodshed’. He reminded his people that some things are worth dying for, ‘...our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children’ (Alma 46:12). Two of my favorite passages about him are Alma 46:10-13, and 48:10-13.

Mormon and Moroni ~ These two men, father and son, are examples of enduring, being true to our testimony of the Savior under all circumstances. They witnessed the fulfilling of prophecy, much wickedness and hard heartedness, and finally the total destruction of their society. Some very poignant and touching passages are Mormon 8:1-7, and Moroni 1.
And I love that Moroni was the one who was chosen to tell Joseph Smith about the ancient record he had buried in the hill so many years before, about 420 AD.

I can’t leave out a few of my favorite verses from the book.
2 Nephi 25:26 we talk of Christ...
Jacob 7:10-12 three sources of truth identified
Ether 12:27 seek this Jesus
3 Nephi 9-28 the Savior visits the Book of Mormon people
1 Nephi 18:3 Nephi prays often and receives divine knowledge
Alma 32:28 the gospel is delicious
Alma 36:6-22 the mighty change

I invite you to read these passages, and share your favorites with me.

I share with you my witness that the Book of Mormon is true, it contains the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is another witness that living according to the teachings of our Savior brings blessings and happiness, and that salvation in available to all of us only through his name.

what we have been doing lately

Last week Dave and I were invited to have dinner with several couples we know from our Provo ward. It was a fun evening, so good to reconnect with such great friends.

This is Dave's mom's cousin Linda. We met her one morning on our daily walk as we wandered through the city cemetary. She was parked by Dave's mom's families graves so we asked about her family and made the connection. She visited at our house and we compared genealogy information and family pictures.
Who knew we would meet family here when we moved to Spanish Fork?

Mostly we spend time with Cache. He is so much fun, and he gets all our hugs and kisses, in place of all the other grandbabies who are so far away.

the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."

Abraham Lincoln

I LOVE this statement by one of our greatest presidents, we need more men and women like him.

Prophets

I love to read the accounts of the prophets in the scriptures. Their stories are inspiring and hold much personal application for me. I marvel at the job the Lord gave them: they preached repentance, they spoke the words of the Lord, they often went to unreceptive people who mistreated and even killed them. They delivered divine guidance to the people to meet the challenges of their time.

Noah warned the people of his day about the Flood, and called them to repentance that they might be saved.
Adam was able to bear witness of the reality of God and his Son, taught his children to love the Lord, and to obey his commandments.
Joseph was able to interpret the dreams of the Pharoah, and helped Egypt prepare for seven years of famine, saving his own fathers family in the process.
Moses was responsive to the call of the Lord and returned to Egypt to free Israel and return to their God. During forty years in the wilderness, he was a spokesman for God to his people, performing miracles that they might leave Egypt behind and embrace the true and living God.

How grateful I am to live in a time when there is a prophet to lead, to warn, and to speak for the Lord. Every spring and fall we are able to hear the counsel of those who have been chosen as ‘prophets, seers, and revelators’ in our time during General Conference.
This Saturday and Sunday will be full of divine counsel, and sacred teaching. I invite all to take this opportunity to hear the words of modern day prophets, to feel the power and authority they have to speak for the Lord, to have personal sacred experiences as their words sink deep into our hearts. Moroni promises us in his closing words of the Book of Mormon that by the power of the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things. I know that all who prayerfully listen to the words of these men, with a soft heart and true desire to know, will know that they are true.

In the book of Amos we read, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7) The promises of the Lord are sure, He does have a prophet on earth today to reveal His will to us.
General Conference is available on BYUTV and KBYUTV; also on the internet at generalconference.lds.org.
The sessions are held Saturday and Sunday, Oct 3 & 4 at 10 AM and 2 PM, lasting 2 hours each.

It has become a tradition that we have Butterscotch Rolls every Conference weekend.
Here is the recipe, they are pretty good.

Butterscotch Rolls
1 small package butterscotch pudding
1½ cups milk
2 Tablespoons yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
½ cup butter
4½-5cups flour
Cook pudding with the milk; bring to a boil then cool. Soften yeast in water; add sugar. Mix salt, eggs and butter into yeast. Add pudding and flour; stir well. This will be very sticky, just cover with oil and a cloth and let rise for 1½ hours.
Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll to circle shape and spread each with 1/3 of filling. Cut pizza style into 12 pieces; roll up from wide end. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise 30-40 minutes. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes. Spread with icing while still warm.
Makes 3 dozen rolls (a Christmas tradition)
Filling:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2/3 cup shredded or flaked coconut
2 Tablespoons flour
Mix all ingredients well.
Icing:
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
1½ cups powdered sugar
Stir all ingredients together until smooth.

A great Sunday

Yesterday I had the privilege of being part of a Relief Society Leadership meeting. I got to speak for about 5 minutes about the importance of keeping records for this wonderful women's organization.
After much thought, and more than a little prayer, this is what I came up with.

I read some favorite scriptures about the role that the Savior offers to play in our lives.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chatisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Matthew 11:29 Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 18:11 ...the Son of man is come to save that which is lost
Luke 4:18 ...he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted...
2 Nephi 2:9 ...he shall make intercession for all the children of men
Revelation 1:5 ...him that loved us, and washed us from our sins with his own blood.
Isaiah 49:15-16 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands...

I then told about dad's heart attack and surgery. I explained how we joined as a family in fasting and prayer the night before the surgery, and then waited together the next morning as the by-pass surgery was performed. When he was back in the ICU, connected to all the tubes, wires, monitors, etc. we again prayed as a family, surrounding his bed, to end our fast, and to thank our Father for the peace we felt, the successful surgery, and to ask Him for continued blessings on our dad, that his recovery would be complete. We had trusted a man whom we did not know with the life of our father, knowing that his heart needed to be repaired, and that this man could do it.
Sometimes we find someone that we love, a friend, neighbor, family member, or even maybe ourselves, with a hard, broken, or doubting heart. Then we are invited to turn to the Master Surgeon, He who can heal, soften, touch, and even change our hearts.
The purpose of the Relief Society is to turn women and families to Christ. We keep records of who attends our meetings, who gets visited monthly by their visiting teachers, and who attends our sacrament meetings, so that we may more effectively point our sisters to Him. We know that He is the source of peace, happiness, cleanliness, forgiveness, and worthiness. If we are to find these things in their lives, we must turn to Him.
I closed with a relating a sweet experience I had earlier that day. On Saturday night I attended the annual General Relief Society broadcast from Salt Lake City, and was surprised to see a young woman, Martha, who I met years ago in McCall, give the opening prayer. I felt excited, knowing that this wonderful woman who I heard pour out her heart to the Lord in prayer in this meeting being broadcast worldwide, knows me. As I sat in Sacrament meeting yesterday, thinking of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and all it provides for me, and the cost to Him and to our Father that this gift might be offered, a sweet thought came into my mind. As thrilled as I was to see Martha the night before, and know that she knew me, I was struck with amazement that the God of the universe, Jesus Christ, knows me even better. I told the women in the leadership meeting that I had come to know that the Lord loves me, that he knows me, my heart, my joys and sorrows, as I have knelt by my bed in prayer.
I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of Jesus Christ, for my testimony of his redeeming and saving power. I am grateful that he was willing and able to rescue me, and make me clean, and worthy to return to my Father some day.

Economic security

This is a small excerpt from the speech by Ezra Taft Benson, the whole thing is wonderful, just what our country needs right now. He explains very clearly how to judge any proposed legislation, distinguishing that which preserves freedom from that which takes it away. I highly recommend reading or watching the whole thing, you will be glad you did. The links are on my last post.

Economic security for all is impossible without widespread abundance. Abundance is impossible without industrious and efficient production. Such production is impossible without energetic, willing and eager labor. This is not possible without incentive.

Of all forms of incentive - the freedom to attain a reward for one’s labors is the most sustaining for most people. Sometimes called THE PROFIT MOTIVE, it is simply the right to plan and to earn and to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

This profit motive DIMINISHES as government controls, regulations and taxes INCREASE to deny the fruits of success to those who produce. Therefore, any attempt THROUGH GOVERNMENTAL INTERVENTION to redistribute the material rewards of labor can only result in the eventual destruction of the productive base of society, without which real abundance and security for more than the ruling elite is quite impossible.

The proper role of government

I received a link to this speech a few days ago, and want to share it with you. It is quite long, but well worth watching. We share the opinions expressed here, and realize that the principles and ideas that made our country great are under attack today. We pray continually that the freedom and liberty that we have enjoyed all of our lives will be preserved; that our grandchildren, and their grandchildren, can live in a free land. We are so grateful for the privilege of living in America, and for the sacrifices which have been made to provide freedom, not only for our country, but for many others around the world. It is our conviction that our country will be free as long as we are good, and when we stop being good, we will no longer be free.

Viddler.com - The Proper Role of Government, by Ezra Taft Benson, Secretary of Agriculture ~ Eisenhower Administration - Uploaded by AwakeAndAriseOr video

The Proper Role of Government - Ezra Taft Benson This is a text version of the same speech

Happy Birthday Rick

Today is Rick's birthday.

Most of our children came easily, but it took many prayers to get Rick.
Some of the things we love about Rick are:
He has a fun sense of humor, always has a clever, quick come-back.
He knows how to work hard.
He gives great hugs.
He has a tender heart (but in true manly style, doesn't show it easily).
When he decides to do something he is totally dedicated, he is unstoppable.
He takes teasing like a champ.
He finally likes my cooking, now that he lives so far away.
He is just all around amazing.
We love you Rick, never forget how important you are to us!

I love this picture of my two oldest boys, they are SO cute!



Rick with the nasty tasting ducks his dad shot.
I only cooked duck once, it was pretty bad.



With Scotty during one of the summers he stayed with their family in McCall.



Rick made a trip through Idaho and stopped to give Rachel and her kids a ride.

Rick finally went to Alaska two years ago and had a great time fishing.

We have met Rick in Mesquite at the shooting range several times,
he and Dave have a great time trying to out shoot each other.

At the airport last spring on our visit. This is the helicopter he was flying then.

At the Hoover Dam, he knows more than he really wants to about this dam.
That's why he is the best pilot/tour guide ever!

Fun with Cache

We are having such a good time having Cache with us so often. Being grandparents is better than we ever dreamed.

Of course he likes the box best.

He smiles like this pretty much all day.

Sunday Crowd

This is a panoramic shot of the crowd in Dave's ward on Sunday. Class started again on Monday, so we are guessing that most, if not all, of the students were there. We found out that we have several Idahoans in the ward, what could be better?

Doing Good

The second law of thermodynamics says that everything, left to itself, moves toward disorder. 

Our former bishop, Bishop Larsen, was fond of saying that good things don't just happen. 

This morning on the radio the man said that too often we wait for specific days of the year to do or to expect great things to happen. That we should take advantage of every day, and create good things, build good memories, help others. 

It isn't that hard; smile at a stranger, compliment your spouse, share vegetables from the garden, pray for someone, make an unexpected visit or phone call, write a note, bake cookies for someone. 

 A favorite poem, written by George Small, says this better than I: 

I read in a book about a man called Christ

Who went about doing good.

It is disconcerting to me 

That I am content 

With just going about.

So, I want to work on filling my days with good things, to avoid letting them move toward disorder, lack of achievement or purpose. This only happens as I put forth effort, and make good things happen.

birthdays

Two of our favorite people share a birthday today, Ani ~ our only granddaughter, and Donna ~ our beautiful daughter in law.

 

 Scott and Donna

 Donna is such a great part of our family. Here are some of the things we love about her: 

She always gives us a loving, warm welcome when we visit

She has a wonderful smile

She is always ready for an outdoor adventure

She isn't afraid of hard work

She is open and honest

She loves our son and their boys

 

Dave and Ani

Ani is the one who turned us into grandparents

She is a wonderful big sister

She is one of the best sharers we know

She is very smart, and beautiful too

She loves to learn

She loves Heavenly Father 

We are so grateful to have Ani and Donna in our family. We have grown from a family of 7 to 20! Our children's spouses and children could not be more dear to us, we love them all! 

Happy Birthday Donna and Ani!

Our only Utah grandbaby

We didn't see much of Cache over the summer, but he had fun anyway. Look closely at his face, do you think he wants another try at the slide?

He is such a darling baby, we are excited to spend school hours with him a few times each week while his mom Krista teaches 6th grade. We sure love Cache!

Jet Boat Fun

On our day at the reservoir with Dave & Rachel, the kids loved this!

Summer 2009

Our summer has flown by, but it has been a lot of fun!

 

Dave in the pool with Bryar

At the 4th of July parade with Dave, Rachel, and Ike

We gave a squirt gun to each of the grandchildren, 

maybe we should have taught Bryar to watch behind his back.

Rachel and Dave's cute kids 

Jonas caught a snake

Carter loved swimming with Grandpa, they are now best friends.

  

 Baby Ike at the lake

Eating Fat Boys, it looks like Carter prefers the ice cream.

  

We spent some time on the Oregon Coast

The Devil's punchbowl

Walking from our hotel to the beach.

And we also had fun right here close to home

We hiked up to Timpanogos Cave

Inside the cave

Hiking the trail

We spent a day at the gardens at Thanksgiving Point,

thanks to $2 Tuesdays.

The picnic

The Koi pond

We got to see Jon and Amy at the temple

Temple Square was beautiful