My main man: We recently inherited some early pictures of Scott from his mother so, in honor of his birthday, here are a few. They are going to take you way back. Senior picture 10th grade Senior picture 9th grade 7th grade 4th grade? 3rd grade? Kindergarten 1st grade? 2 years old 6 months Isn't he cute?

Mindy was born 17 years ago! She is a cheerful, chatty, and conscientious member of our family. Here is her birth story: Mindy was due on August 25. I was mildly worried about her growth before she was born because it felt like the baby was actually getting smaller. I measured small at my last few appointments and the midwife wanted me to get an ultrasound at the hospital. However, I was a busy mom with 7 children and when there were concerns before with Susanna, everything had been totally fine. So I suppressed my concerns and kept working on the long list of things I wanted to get done before her birth. The night before she was born, Scott and I took my grandma Ellen to my cousin's reception in Salt Lake. My grandma told me about a different cousin who was pregnant and had an ultrasound that showed her baby having a lump on her spine. That sounded worrisome. This turned out to be a weird foreshadowing for us (and my cousin's baby was fine). A few hours after I went to bed, I ...

 Last week we went on a vacation to McCall, Idaho. We left the day after Everett's wedding which was a Thursday, first saying goodbye to Garrett and son and then dropping off  Lincoln's family at the airport. McCall is built right next to the Payette Lake and most people go for the lake. We rented a condo for the time we were there. The condo was okay, not great. It doesn't usually get hot there so a lot of homes don't have AC and ours didn't either. A little AC would have been nice but it wasn't bad. On Friday, we went to Ponderosa State Park which was very close and we went on a little hike. Then that afternoon, we went down to the lake and Camille and I sat on the shore while everyone else went diving from the dock. Camille had a cold and wasn't feeling great. I just don't really like to swim and get cold. Afterwards we went to a couple of thrift stores and looked for hats which we had forgotten to bring. We saw so many deer in the area. There's a...

Recently I read an article about wearing the temple garment that really resonated with me so I share it here. It has not been hard for me to wear the temple garment. I am uncomfortable when I am NOT wearing it. It gives me a great deal of comfort as it reminds me that I want to stay firmly in the middle of the covenant path. Here is the paragraph from the article that stood out to me and reflects my own feelings: So why do I wear the garment? Because I have made a promise to God to do so. Because it reminds me of sacred covenants I made in the temple of God. Because I have felt God’s presence in the temple, and the garment connects me at all times with those cherished moments. Because, when I have had questions about the Church of Jesus Christ or challenges to my faith, I have received both spiritually and intellectually satisfying answers, although not always the answers I am looking for. Because I have seen God at work in this church. Because I have a testimony and love for my Savio...

 Two weeks ago, we visited Rexburg. It ended up being a little more exciting than we planned when our van broke down halfway there. The alternator went completely out not long after we crossed the border. So we had to get the van towed to Pocatello. The tow truck couldn't come for a while so we all piled into the Toyota (we had two cars because Scott, Talmage, and Everett were going on a different adventure) and drove to Pocatello to rent a car. We finally arrived in Rexburg at my sister's house about two hours late but enjoyed dinner with our gracious hosts who had waited to eat. On Monday morning, Scott, Talmage, and Everett took off for their adventure while the girls and I hung out with the cousins and JoEllen. We helped weed the garden and make lunch while JoEllen took care of her appointments. Then later in the afternoon, Mark drove us to Mesa Falls. They are about an hour from Rexburg and really quite a beautiful sight. That evening, JoEllen and I visited the gardens at ...