Busy summer...

The grands have had a busy summer trying lots of new sports, and I think it's wonderful. They have had volleyball camp, golf lessons, sports camp, and soccer. This week Grey and Grahm had another round of swim lessons. I think it's so important that they learn how to swim. I enjoyed watching them today! Grey also had sports camp this week and he played a different sport each day. Cash was playing soccer in Salt Lake. I was grateful I could help get them here and there! After swim lessons we were driving to get some lunch and Graham said, "Grandma's are helpers." That warmed my heart. What good am I if I can't help my family that I love so very much.

"I'm a guppy."

Grey practiced holding his breath and jumped off the diving board, he had fine form!

It was so hot today so after we had lunch I got the boys a refreshing snow cone.

I'm a blessed Grandma to Cash, Colby, Grey, and Grahm!

And for good measure a photo of Grey's wonderful curls!

I couldn't love them more.

ThrowBack Thursday ~ Cash!

What a wonderful young man! If only that darn gun would have worked for more than a day.

July 2022

Dar es Salaam...

I have to admit is was nice having Chris 10 minutes away and living in American Fork, and of course Mark and family about 10 minutes away living in Cedar Hills. Dream come true for me! But I am happy for Chris, he is really enjoying his time in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Chris told me the weather is perfect, his meetings are going well, and Joe is taking good care of him.

Chris met the Tanzania mission president and also the area authority that were at one of his meetings. He talked to the mission president and he's over 90 missionaries. He said he was so nice and friendly. He asked what blockchain tech is! 

Dar es Salaam means 'Adobe of Peace' and is the largest city of Tanzania. With a population of over six million people, it one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Chris loves the blue waters of the Indian Ocean and has walked around Coco Beach.

Bond James Bond or Captain Christopher!

Cute children leaving school for the day.

Adventures in Africa part two!

Man's best friend...

 

Grizzly likes napping on the pouf foot rest I made Mark for his office. Mark asked me to make Grizz his very own pouf, which I was happy to do. When Grizzly saw his pouf he climb right on it. He is a sweet little pup. 

But really Mark and Grizz can nap anywhere!

Mark and Grizzly are best friends already.

Lord, teach us to pray...

My morning walk

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:1

"Luke...provided deep insights into Jesus' spiritual life. We see Jesus constantly at prayer in those moments when major events were about to occur. In those instances where Luke parallels Mark's account, Luke alone added the observation in several instances that Jesus prayed. At Jesus' baptism, the Holy Ghost descended while Jesus was praying (Luke 3:21-22). Jesus went to the wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16). The night before he called the Twelve, he withdrew into the hills and prayed the whole night through (Luke 6:12-13). Before he asked the disciples, 'Whom say the people that I am?' he prayed (Luke 9:18). He went up the Mount of Transfiguration to pray and while he was praying he was transfigured (Luke 9:28-29). It was the result of Jesus' praying that led the disciples to ask him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). He told Peter that he had prayed for him, so that Satan might not have Peter (Luke 22:31-32). And, of course, prayer was central to the experience in Gethsemane. Jesus commanded the disciples to pray, and he prayed in his agony (Luke 22:40-46). It is in Luke alone that we find Jesus' parables about prayer-the parables of borrowing bread at midnight (Luke 11:5-8) and of the widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). Thus, prayer was the very lifeline between the Father and the Son. If Christ needed to pray, how much more do we need prayer?" (Roger Keller, The Lord of the Gospels: The 1990 Sperry Symposium on the New Testament, ed. by Bruce A. Van Orden and Brent L. Top, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], 94.)

Eight months!

We enjoyed having Chris home for about eight months! He returned from the Philippines on November 1, 2022. He got home just in time for the first snowfall of the season. It was a cold and snowy winter with record snowfall! I know he missed the warm weather of the Philippines.

November 2022

We got him all packed up and said 

goodbye to Christopher's Cottage.  

July 2023

It was a joke, he's not really smoking a cigar!

I know Chris will miss this washer/dryer combo. He took about four hours to do a load and it pretty much cooked his clothes! 

Clean as a whistle!

I enjoyed going for walks with Chris to the American Fork Cemetery.

I like the message on this Seagull Column.

"DEDICATED TO REMIND US TO

STAND STRAIGHT AND TALL

IN ALL OUR ADVERSITIES

AND BECOME A PILLAR

OF COURAGE FOR

OUR COMMUNITY

We passed by this tree, not sure what kind it is but it was so fragrant.

Getting everything all packed up and ready to go!

Travel pillow! 

Chris left this Friday, July 7, 2023, this time with a stop in Africa for a few weeks. He will then go to Cebu, Philippines. 

We will miss you Chris, but wish you much success and happiness while you are away! 

Thankfully Chris made it safely to Africa and his friend Joe was there to greet him.