Mug Shots

Sorry, I couldn't forget the other two main culprits. What would we do without you guys here to boost our spirits? (happy birthday mom!) -Joji

Distraction

Joji here. I would just like to give a special thanks to Melissa. She really makes a person feel good inside. I especially appreciated the blog her and the rest of the family put up before I ever got home. Happy Melissa Appreciation Day! :)

Joanna's First Date!!

SV Homecoming with Jordan Runyan. Fellow band member and even in the same ward!

Melissa helped Joanna with her hair. Beautiful as always! Everyone had to get in on the act:)

Joanna doing her favorite thing: Primping (ok, maybe her least favorite thing, but the end result was worth it! Hope you had fun Joanna!

And Space To Spare!!

In our de-junking frenzy, we decided to attack the game closet with toys. Joanna took on the DVDs, games and toys, while Melanie pilfered the VCR videos and will "store" them at her house:) If you ever saw this after the grandkids visit, this is a great improvement! Now hopefully it will all fit in the storage bay.

Pioneer Day Musings

I started a new post this morning, focusing on politics, but it got out of hand. Let's leave it at I am reading some really good thought-provoking stuff. If I put together the provoked thoughts in little article-blurbs, I'll let you know and you can dare to request them, but I won't foist them on you as a post. Since this week is the 24th of July, it is a good time to reflect on the pioneers. It can be as discouraging as motivating to contemplate all they accomplished in difficult circumstances. So I like hearing the occasional story that reminds me they had weaknesses that they struggled to overcome. This gives me hope, thinking that they weren't perfect, but still achieved worthy goals. Lorenzo Hill Hatch's diary reveals some of those glimpses. He was a pioneering ace, and his journal records many dramatic stories and grind-it-out hardships. But there are hints of emotional difficulties as well. Lorenzo was on his own while still in his mid-teens. His journal, written long after the death of his parents, mentions his uncle, who appropriated the few earthly goods that should have gone to Lorenzo. You can almost hear Lorenzo's teeth grinding decades later when he writes "He'll have his reward" as a (repeated) punctuation to the recounting of his uncle's misdeeds. It is not for me to judge Lorenzo, but when I think that my Great-Great Grandfather had a tough time letting go of the hurt and anger over an earthly miscarriage of justice, I feel a closer kinship to him as I deal with events that ought not to be. And I get a smidgen of hope that although I may not be able to do things (forgive and let go) better than he did, it may possible to do them faster than he did. Just a Pioneer Day thought. Love you all!

Where to re-start?

It has been a long time since Chris went blogging. I am starting here, and will go the rounds on other blogs and post comments, just to get the blog-fluids flowing again. Sunday is really the only day I can do this - Other days I work a long time and then veg too long a time. Not enough time for connecting to family and friends, so I am grateful for this medium and to have drawn a thick and unwavering line where I can keep a part of a seventh of the fourth commandment. See ya in the comments!

A Day of Craziness

The Chambers and Daines got together and had a fun day of making season blocks and we wanted to show you how fun they turned out. We also had fun with the pineapple glasses. Look at Brooklyn, Braden and Christina!!!