June 9 - June 16, 2010
This has been a busy, varied and fun week of family-related activities. On the morning of June 9th we packed up the motor home with Little Blue tagging along and headed for Draper, Utah. There we met Lindsy and Ben and kids in the early afternoon high on the East bench at the Draper temple where Ben's brother Noah was getting married. We looked after the little ones until after the ceremony and pictures and then headed down into the valley to a country club parking lot to again tend little ones through the reception at the club house. We then headed to Springville to the Ockey campground to set up camp in their driveway for the week.
For the next two and one-half days Dad worked with Jordon between rain storms to install two pole lamps on either side of the sidewalk leading to the lower entrance patio of Laurie and Evan's home in preparation for the August 14th wedding reception for Kristina and Jared. How power was obtained is a long story for another time. In addition a new light fixture was installed on the lower patio and three more existing outdoor deck and patio light fixtures were replaced. On Friday evening we went to Payson to spend the evening with Leon, Chrissy and Brendon.
On Saturday afternoon the McKnights, Lance and family, Leon's family and the O'Donnals had joined us from far and wide to go to a photo studio in Provo (because the weather had forced a change of plans for an outdoor setting in a nearby canyon) for every combination of family pictures imaginable. Following this the adults in the family went to a restaurant in Springville for dinner. This was all a lot of fun but was also planned as a pretext to a surprise 25th wedding anniversary party that Breanne had been planning with considerable help for Laurie and Evan for the last six months. It was fun trying to bake and decorate cupcakes and make many last-minute preparations right under their noses in their driveway and still maintain the surprise factor. Immediately following dinner Laurie and Evan were instructed to put on blindfolds in the back seat of Lance and Aubri's car to head for the church (which was also a backup to the Ockey's back yard due to inclement weather) for the big surprise. Many family on both sides and friends from near and far were there assembled with lights out to yell, "Surprise!" as the blindfolds came off and the lights came on. They were indeed surprised and a little emotional to see everyone there and all the decorations and goodies for the party. A brief slide show of family history over the past 25 years was shown and Laurie and Evan were invited to dance to "their song," You Are the Inspiration, by the group Chicago. Evan's sister, Penny, gave a short account of how the relationship started after Evan returned from the mission field and saw a picture of Laurie on Penny's mirror and asked who that was. When Penny told him he said, "You mean Laurie Lewis from our ward? Boy has she grown up!" There was lots of fun, goodies, visiting and renewing family ties and friendships.
We did church on Sunday and then were back to work on Monday with back yard enhancements including weeding, planting flowers, repairing a leaking drinking fountain and fixing a large dragging back yard gate. In the evening we went to a "flag retirement" ceremony in the Macy's parking lot in Provo where a local marine who had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan gave a speech and a local boy scout troop burned a couple of hundred flags that had seen better days with a salute to each as it was draped over the flames. We then helped fix a broken sprinkler head in Trevor and LaRinda's front yard and called it a night.
On Tuesday we kind of hung out with Lindsy and her three kids and had a long talk with Laurie that morning. Lindsy is staying for the next two weeks for another Hartsock wedding while Ben flew back to Chicago Sunday. She will go home to Inkom with us until Jeremiah's wedding later this month when Ben will again fly out. In the afternoon we went for a very pleasant picnic in a park up Hobble Creek Canyon to the East of Springville.
On Wednesday we tried a ride with Mckinsie, Mariah and Carter up Hobble Creek Canyon but the road was closed so we drove up highway 6 to Diamond Fork Road and past Three Forks where the hike begins to Fifth Water Hot Springs where we have hiked with Leon in the past. We drove up to the junction with the Hobble Creek Canyon road and then turned around and returned. It was very pretty and green in the hills due to all the moisture in the past few weeks and it was raining today! In the afternoon when Kristina got off work we headed for home with Lindsy and her kids and Kristina. Thursday morning Jared will drive down from Rexburg to pick up Kristina. All in all it has been quite a week and we are looking forward to spending time with Lindsy, Carter, Avery and Emilia.
This has been a busy, varied and fun week of family-related activities. On the morning of June 9th we packed up the motor home with Little Blue tagging along and headed for Draper, Utah. There we met Lindsy and Ben and kids in the early afternoon high on the East bench at the Draper temple where Ben's brother Noah was getting married. We looked after the little ones until after the ceremony and pictures and then headed down into the valley to a country club parking lot to again tend little ones through the reception at the club house. We then headed to Springville to the Ockey campground to set up camp in their driveway for the week.
For the next two and one-half days Dad worked with Jordon between rain storms to install two pole lamps on either side of the sidewalk leading to the lower entrance patio of Laurie and Evan's home in preparation for the August 14th wedding reception for Kristina and Jared. How power was obtained is a long story for another time. In addition a new light fixture was installed on the lower patio and three more existing outdoor deck and patio light fixtures were replaced. On Friday evening we went to Payson to spend the evening with Leon, Chrissy and Brendon.
On Saturday afternoon the McKnights, Lance and family, Leon's family and the O'Donnals had joined us from far and wide to go to a photo studio in Provo (because the weather had forced a change of plans for an outdoor setting in a nearby canyon) for every combination of family pictures imaginable. Following this the adults in the family went to a restaurant in Springville for dinner. This was all a lot of fun but was also planned as a pretext to a surprise 25th wedding anniversary party that Breanne had been planning with considerable help for Laurie and Evan for the last six months. It was fun trying to bake and decorate cupcakes and make many last-minute preparations right under their noses in their driveway and still maintain the surprise factor. Immediately following dinner Laurie and Evan were instructed to put on blindfolds in the back seat of Lance and Aubri's car to head for the church (which was also a backup to the Ockey's back yard due to inclement weather) for the big surprise. Many family on both sides and friends from near and far were there assembled with lights out to yell, "Surprise!" as the blindfolds came off and the lights came on. They were indeed surprised and a little emotional to see everyone there and all the decorations and goodies for the party. A brief slide show of family history over the past 25 years was shown and Laurie and Evan were invited to dance to "their song," You Are the Inspiration, by the group Chicago. Evan's sister, Penny, gave a short account of how the relationship started after Evan returned from the mission field and saw a picture of Laurie on Penny's mirror and asked who that was. When Penny told him he said, "You mean Laurie Lewis from our ward? Boy has she grown up!" There was lots of fun, goodies, visiting and renewing family ties and friendships.
We did church on Sunday and then were back to work on Monday with back yard enhancements including weeding, planting flowers, repairing a leaking drinking fountain and fixing a large dragging back yard gate. In the evening we went to a "flag retirement" ceremony in the Macy's parking lot in Provo where a local marine who had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan gave a speech and a local boy scout troop burned a couple of hundred flags that had seen better days with a salute to each as it was draped over the flames. We then helped fix a broken sprinkler head in Trevor and LaRinda's front yard and called it a night.
On Tuesday we kind of hung out with Lindsy and her three kids and had a long talk with Laurie that morning. Lindsy is staying for the next two weeks for another Hartsock wedding while Ben flew back to Chicago Sunday. She will go home to Inkom with us until Jeremiah's wedding later this month when Ben will again fly out. In the afternoon we went for a very pleasant picnic in a park up Hobble Creek Canyon to the East of Springville.
On Wednesday we tried a ride with Mckinsie, Mariah and Carter up Hobble Creek Canyon but the road was closed so we drove up highway 6 to Diamond Fork Road and past Three Forks where the hike begins to Fifth Water Hot Springs where we have hiked with Leon in the past. We drove up to the junction with the Hobble Creek Canyon road and then turned around and returned. It was very pretty and green in the hills due to all the moisture in the past few weeks and it was raining today! In the afternoon when Kristina got off work we headed for home with Lindsy and her kids and Kristina. Thursday morning Jared will drive down from Rexburg to pick up Kristina. All in all it has been quite a week and we are looking forward to spending time with Lindsy, Carter, Avery and Emilia.
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