Quote for the week

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

Mark has had only one car since he turned 16, almost 10 years ago. In our throw away society, Mark is trying to use it up and wear it out! It seems a lot of people think that so many things are disposable ~ and they expect to be constantly discarding last year's gadget and replacing it with this year's model. Mark has held on to his original model and I am amazed and proud of him for not going into debt for a new car. When he does decide to get a new car because his has finally worn out, it will be quite an experience for him. He will most definitely deserve a car that has automatic windows!

Mark takes good care of his car. No one else in this family has had a car that long!

Just a few weeks ago he hit 100,000 miles. So here's to 100,000 more ~ just kidding!

Ensign Peak

Tim and I continued our Pioneer Day celebration by climbing Ensign Peak. It was actually on my "Bucket List" ~ yea, so I crossed that off today!

Ensign Peak is a prominent hill on the northern edge of the Salt Lake Valley. On July 26, 1847, two days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young and seven other pioneer leaders climbed the hill to survey the valley. From its summit they laid out in their minds the city they intended to build.

The men fastened a yellow bandanna to a cane and waved it from the mountain peak. Brigham Young named the spot Ensign Peak.

Utah's state capitol building stands on a shelf part way up the hill.

The view from Ensign Peak is amazing.

You can see the Salt Lake Temple and it really is a 5 star view of the city! We plan to explore Utah more and take a few more staycations. I think after over 20 years of living here, it might be high-time we did just that! Thanks for a fun day Mr. Tim!

Pioneer Day - 2009

We live just 15 minutes away from a beautiful canyon so we decided to head there for our Pioneer Day celebration. We enjoyed a little dutch-oven dinner and the great mountain air.

We played Uno and a friendly game of Yahtzee ~ one of Shalayla's favorites. Mark won!

Mr. Eagle Scout Mark, has not lost his fire making skills.

We concluded the day by making ice cream in a bag ~ deeelicious! A very fun night with the fam in the American Fork Canyon.

Pioneer Trek - 1997

With faith in every footstep ....

It was a long but wonderful day. June 9, 1997 my sister Roseanne, my niece Holley and I joined the re-enactment of the Mormon Trail Wagon Train and Handcart Company. We wanted to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the pioneer trek from Winter Quarters to their arrival in the Salt Lake Valley. We went 29 miles through some rough terrain. The sky was a perfect, clear blue and the the wind was gently blowing as it almost always does in Wyoming! The hills were so steep and rocky that each wagon had to go one by one in case of problems. The handcarts also had to go down the hills one at a time. It was my Dad's birthday and we felt him near all day long. This was a unforgettable day for me. I had a small taste of what I imagined the pioneers doing and going through everyday. I felt close to them as we walked in their footsteps. The wagons made to camp before we did. We came in with the handcart company about 8 pm. As we pulled into Glendo, people began to cheer for us. It made it easier to walk those last few miles. My sister had big blisters on her feet but she made it. One man collapsed when he got to camp and they quickly put an IV in his arm. "Whether you are among the posterity of the pioneers or whether you were baptized only yesterday, each is the beneficiary of the pioneers great undertaking. With so great an inheritance, we can do no less than our very best ..." ~ President Gordon B. Hinckley

Pioneer: One who goes before, preparing the way for others to follow.

Each year on 24 July, Mormons all around the world commemorate the arrival of the first company of Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The festivities honor the sacrifice of tens of thousands of pioneers and is a reminder of their faith. More than 160 years ago, several hundred Mormons began a migration of over a thousand miles to reach the valley of the Great Salt Lake. The first company of pioneers was led by Church President Brigham Young. There were hardships along the way, violent weather, trails forged through hostile terrain, personal sacrifice and many deaths.

The 19th-century Mormon migration beginning in 1846 in Illinois, then through Iowa and Nebraska and eventually to a place of refuge in the Rocky Mountains, was one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of the United States’ great western migration.

Under Brigham Young’s direction, an estimated 70,000 Latter-day Saints made the difficult journey to Utah between 1847 and 1869.

Martin's Cove

June 7, 1997

So my niece Holley asked me if I has any pictures of the day we got soaked at Martin's Cove, Wyoming. You bet I do, so this post is for her!

A few day before we met up with the wagon train and handcart company we did a little practice run at Martin's Cove. It was a cool overcast day but little did we know the heavens would open up and we got drench. Did that deter us? ~ nope, we pulled the handcart in the rain and it was so much fun. We had a good laugh and enjoyed the day together.

It was at Martin's Cove, near the Sweetwater River in October 1856 that the exhausted handcart pioneers led by Captain Edward Martin sought shelter from a blizzard. The Martin and Willie handcart companies, with 1,076 emigrants, had started their trek late in the season. When Brigham Young learned there were handcarts and two wagon trains on the trail on October, her sent 200 wagons east from the Salt Lake Valley. The heroic rescue efforts saved 855 people in the two handcart companies. Sadly more than 200 pioneers perished on the high plains of south-central Wyoming. There is visitors center and exhibits at the Sun Ranch in Wyoming honoring the Martin and Willie handcarts companies. We tried to capture some of the past by walking with a handcart along the trail that is about 5 miles. It is a way to get a flavor for the hardships of the pioneers who so wanted religious freedom.

This is Devil's Gate near Martin's Cove. This imposing feature consists of a vertical slash in 370-foot granite cliff. The Sweetwater River flows through this gorge. Some of the Mormon pioneers tried to walk or ride horses through this passage, but the river current was too strong. After circumventing Devils Gate, the pioneer continued along the Sweetwater River for 93 miles to the Continental Divide at South Pass.

Quote for the week

Walter Cronkite conducting the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
December 2002

"I can't imagine a person becoming a success who
doesn't give this game of life everything he's got."

"I attribute the longevity of our marriage to Betsy's extraordinary keen sense of humor, which saw us over many bumps (mostly of my making), and her tolerance, even support, for the uncertain schedule and wanderings of a newsman." Source: A Reporter's Life, page 76

"And that's the way it is."

Walter Cronkite
November 4, 1916 - July 7, 2009

Quote for the week

The real Sarah Prine (with the hat)

"Sometimes I feel like a tree on a hill, at the place where all the wind blows and the hail hits the tree the hardest. All the people I love are down the side aways, sheltered under a great rock, and I am out of the fold, standing alone in the sun and the snow. I feel like I am not part of the rest somehow, although they welcome me and are kind. I see my family as they sit together and it is like they have a certain way between them that is beyond me. I wonder if other folks ever feel included yet alone."

"... I might like to have someone courting me. But it would have to be someone who is a square shooter and who has a train load of courage. And it would have to be someone who doesn't have to talk down to folks to feel good, or to tell a person they are worthless if they just made a mistake. And he'd have to be not too thin. Why, I remember hugging [my brother] Ernest was like wrapping your arms around a fence post, and I love Ernest, but I want a man who can hold me down in a wind. Maybe he'd have to be pretty stubborn. I don't have any use for a man that isn't stubborn. Likely a stubborn fellow will stay with you through thick and thin, and a spineless one will take off, or let his heart wander."

"A nice girl should never go anywhere
without a loaded gun and a big knife."

~ Nancy E. Turner (These Is My Words:
The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 : A Novel)

(Thanks to my niece Robyn for
suggesting I read this book ~ loved it!)

Happy Birthday Mom!

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can understand our tears,
And soothe our disappointments
and calm away our fears.

There are times when only a Mother's love
can share the joy we feel
When something we have dreamed about
suddenly is real.

There are times when only a Mother's love
can help us on life's way
And inspire in us, the confidence
we need from day to day.

Mother, thank you for your heart, faith and hope
and all your steadfast love
You were fashioned by the angels
and sent from God above...

Happy Birthday Mom ~ love you so much!

My Mom Nelle Eileen, "Sweet 16" ~ 1948

Quote for the week

I've lost everything: my job, my future, everything people 'think' is important, but I don't care ~ because even if I have to dig ditches for the rest of my life, I shall be a ditch-digger who once had a wonderful day. ~ Cornelius Hackl (Hello Dolly)

I Love a Parade!

Our little neighborhood 4th of July parade and breakfast has become a fun tradition. Our great neighbor Bob Hobson lead the parade as Uncle Sam!

First timers and looking oh so cute, my nieces, great~nieces and great~nephew!

Tim never misses a chance to ride his scooter and be patriotic.

More neighbors in a very awesome carriage ~ Robinsons and Glades.

It is so fun for all the children and they love to throw candy. The are usually more people in the parade than parade watchers.

Our next door neighbors ~ the Nydegger clan.

After 40+ years, Judy Clayton can still twirl a baton! Impressive.

And what would a parade be without Bill Beifuss and Larry Carson riding their mules.

You certainly can't have a parade without patriotic ballerinas ~ Betty and Katie Wirig.

Our family enjoyed a fun BBQ later that day. I made these yummy coconut cupcakes and Tim made a batch of his famous strawberry ice cream. Yummmmy!

Mark conquered a big, juicy steak. Tiff documented the moment by placing a flag in the remains. I thought it was funny!

Summer fun!