Easter Vacation Again

For almost thirty years, we have been going on Easter Vacation with the Gerber Family. We have loved having this time to spend with our friends and our families have stayed close through all these years. We have been four-wheeling in Canyonlands, camping at Wind Whistle, trekking through Arches, exploring the San Rafael Swell, enjoying the sunshine in Snow Canyon, and even experienced a juniper pollen explosion at Kodachrome Basin. We have almost frozen at Natural Bridges (lots of card games in the camper on that trip), hiked to the top of Angel's Landing (several times - including twice on one trip), and we have been literally buried in a sandstorm in Capitol Reef. We have hiked the Narrows, played hide and go seek in the Salt Creek Wash, played with the water toys at Lake Powell, listened to coyotes at evening in Little Wild Horse Canyon and played night games under a full moon at Goblin Valley to name just a few. The Easter Bunny has hidden eggs for our kids and our grandkids in campgrounds all over Utah, and we have enjoyed some of the best dutch oven meals ever eaten. Eggs goldenrod for breakfast and pork roasts for dinner, with quiche and cobblers in between. Through it all we have grown in our love for each other and have formed relationships that will last beyond this life. Every year, it seems, we add some new family members to our little entourage and we love every minute of it. We look forward to seeing everyone at Capitol Reef this year. Yee haw!

Can spring be far behind?

Our first signs that the long dreary winter may be nearing an end appeared in a couple of warm patches in our yard.

Even though we have a bunch of snow left, there are a few green things making their way through. Happy Day!

Watch the Birdie!

Being in St. George has its advantages. While we were there for Katie's farewell, Laura became the badminton (is that really how you spell that?) queen. She talked everyone into playing with her. Mindy played with her for hours.

She got pretty good at it and was able to keep volleys going for a long time. Her specialty was getting the shuttlecock caught in the net - then she would whack it through. Kind of a vertical Whack-a-Mole.

She even got Grandpa to play for a while. I was reminded of a time when I was about Laura's age living in Rose Park. We had a badminton set and it was one of the things I remember doing with my Mom after she got sick. Most of the time, we we did indoor things with her on her bed - word games, and listening to educational things on the radio, reading and doing homework. Of course,my Mom always did gardening when she felt up to it and we were recruited to help, but the fun stuff was playing a mean game of badminton.

I don't know if I ever would have bothered to tell anyone about that memory, except that Laura had so much fun with her Grandpa recovering from surgery and that made me remember how much fun I had with my Mom when she was recovering. Until this week, I don't think I have played badminton since that time. What a shame!

Flea Bag Hotel

This weekend, we got to have one of those experiences that you can laugh about later, but is not so fun at the time. We travelled to St. George to visit my sister, Vikki, who just got out of the hospital and to hear Katie speak before going to her mission in Dallas, Texas. With so many people staying with Gordon and Mary Lynn, we decided to stay at a motel. The room was really small, but who cares? We were going to spending most of our time elsewhere anyway. How bad could it be? We remembered to ask for a non-smoking room, but we forgot to ask for a quiet room ... or a room where the sink wasn't falling off the wall... or a room where the shower was large enough that the slimy, hair encrusted curtain didn't cling to your backside... or a room that had a real thermostat so you had some control of the temperature.. or even a room with some padding on the bed.

In the end, we got none of those things - and a lot more! Halfway through the night, Janene had had enough. The bed she was sleeping in was FULL OF FLEAS!!! When I went to complain at the front desk, MarDell ( now, there is a great Southern Utah name) said she was shocked - shocked, I tell you!. No one had ever complained about that! ( sort of implying that everyone had complained about all the other things I have listed above). As it was, MarDell did refund our money and Janene later got a well deserved nap. Right now she is doing an extra batch of laundry to get rid of the critters and Laura is getting an extra special scrubbing at home. All I can say is that it could have been worse ( don't ask me how). At least they did leave the light on for us. (hint - hint)

Heather - Such a serious child

I decided to share some photos of Heather I have just found. Why Heather? I don't know - it just seemed like a good time to spotlight her here. The top one is Heather at a dance recital. We have another one that is pretty dang cute with her holding a little doll, but I didn't think anyone had seen this one in a while. She was a darling girl and you could always catch her in a serious pose.

Even selling lemonade at her stand in front of our house, she could be caught in a contemplative moment. That is not to say that she doesn't have her wild and goofy side. She has done some crazy things (filming a short video with David and Crystal under the viaduct on Highway 89 comes to mind) and can laugh with the best of them, but Heather has always been a deep thinker. I have learned some of my best spiritual lessons from her, as she has shared her understanding of Christ and what his atoning sacrifice means for us. Her faith in our Savior has allowed her to do miraculous things.

Heather and Joseph have created a beautiful family with a peaceful, loving feeling amid the chaos of rambunctious boys in a home under construction. They can be found every evening singing with their children at home before nightly prayers. We were blessed two weeks ago to hear their family sing a song in church on Sunday in the very building where I heard Janene first sing a solo in church. It wasn't hard to see the similarities between my daughter and my bride in that setting. (Elsie and Joseph did a great job too!) Heather has become a thoughtful, caring mother who can goof off with her kids one minute and point out the meaning of life's deepest questions the next. We could not ask for more as parents, and enjoy being able to walk to her home on occasion.