
Trace Adkins (loved his tight black T-shirt), Toby Keith and the other leader group were fun to listen to, I just wish I have been able to see more of the show.


It is always a beautiful site to see the view of the backside of Timp.
their jokes and announce who is in the parade and even who's having a birthday. Lots of kids, a
band, dancing groups, bagpipes and all that goes with a small town fun atmosphere. There were many old cars and the usual hot air balloons were there in force (the politicians). The best group were the men who dressed as vibrant hussies and driving bikes, the ones usually topped with lots of leather and black. Loved it!

We went flying, not just as passengers, but as the pilots! What a great Christmas present and a memory that will last forever.
the side window and just fly! You get relaxed and the plane flies even and where ever you want to go! Up or down, left or right, such freedom! So beautiful, our world! No troubles, over another lake then heading towards Park City and down Emigration Canyon. What? He says he needs to take the controls as we are heading into Salt Lake airspace? Why, now? This is fun and I am just getting the hang of it. Oh well, all trips must end!
I am proud to be an American!Thanks again to my blue blooded Canadian, on both of his parents sides, Brent's
family and his heritage (it must be still in the blood). One among them was John Winthrop. He was a visionary man who in 1628 gathered together, led and established the 1st Puritan New England Colony and their center of government at Boston. He was their first governor and re-elected 12 times. We saw a municipal building name after him when we were there visiting in MA. But really, he was an amazing man, who delivered one of the famous sermons "A Model of Christian Charity" and in so many words was the first to introduce the concept of "manifest destiny". Wow! A man who establishes a new religious forum for freedom. I know he must have been a zealot, but me thinks he was a patriot of the best kind.
We
went to the Freedom Festival Patriotic Service last night. It was pretty good. President of UVU mentioned the foresight of John Winthrop in those early patriots. Made us both proud and all we are the recipients of his work those hundreds of years ago.
President Holland talked mostly about Abraham Lincoln and his charity to all men. It's his 200th birth year, what a man and another great man of charity who would bring our broken nation back together. He spoke on his 2nd inaugural address, just a month before the end of the Civil War, he stated "With malice towards none and charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in." He had and lived personal and civic charity. He was a student of Winthrop in deed.
John Winthrop was also mentioned at Ronald Reagan's Memorial as one of his great personal influences on his governing and his philosophy. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conor read an excerpt from his sermon 'A Model of Christian Charity" as part of her tribute to him.
You should read it sometime. It is even for here and now and every day. An amazing man of values and courage. It is long, but thought provoking.
Please, let us, none of us, ever forget who and why our founders led the way. Put your hands over your heart and remember them, all of them, with deep thankfulness and gratitude for the lifes we are afforded to live here today.
I cannot say the pledge anytime and never could that I do not get a bit weepy eyed. Thanks to my Dad for his courage and my Mom for waiting and supporting him all those years they were separated during WWII. Thanks to those families today doing the same.
There are so many things in my life that I am grateful for and I know I have led a very blessed life, but being born here in the Americas of goodly parents and finding Brent, a Canadian with more charity than imaginable, are my most valued.
I am not a Bible verse quoter, but this one is worth quoting and remembering each day. (Shown to me by example by Brent daily.)
1st Corinthians 16:4
Let all your things be done with charity.
Early this week I bought a new tree, a Purple Robed Locust. It was a tree from my childhood. It was the same type of one that I had played under when the summers were long and the grass was green, with clover to search through for ones that were 4-leafed. In late spring it gets beautiful light purple drooping clusters of fragrant flowers.I love Spring! All the blossoms, all around, colorful and fragrant, one just after the other, just teasing us about the warm and sunny days and delicious fruit to come. All the seasons are great, but Spring is my favorite. So many happy memories, just like the flowers on the forsythia, creeping phlox, basket of gold, tulips, daffodils, apricot, pottawatomie, peach, pear, cherry, and then apple blossoms. But who can forget the pussy willows or the sand cherries or all the trees that just glorify the days? Our red bud and lilacs are ready to pop as well as the crab apple and hawthorns. Just love all of the color and the many sounds of all the birds. Just can't get enough of the love that is showered upon us from above.
And BTW: A Happy Birthday wish to a great sister!
So a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to LeAnne!

the catcher, just 8 rows up and what a view. We were just across the aisle from a bunch of scouts and all of the speed guns. Had a guy behind us talking real baseball with his friends and loved it. Hotter than we were definitely use to, so lots of slathered on sunscreen gel. Pretty slow game, with the exception of Manny Rameriz, he hit 3 of 4 ups and played for 5 innings. Pitching was great on the Royals.
Early the next morning we were heading to Tucson for our next baseball game, but first I took Brent to the Sonora Desert Museum. (Sure, we had to first get lost using the Micro-suck Streets and Trip planner.) It was worth the time and so fun. Sure we had already seen lots of Saguaro cacti, teddy bear cholla, prickley pear and barrel, but not so up close and personal.
So many were in blossom, the aviary was pretty cool, but I liked the humming birds. Last time I was there they were outside under a ramada with lots of feeders, so cool.
So then we headed back to the crossroads to get to Tombstone. We got there just at dusk, almost dark so we missed all the shooting, but got to walk in the town with all the old buildings and on their boardwalk. We ate a terrible dinner in the Crystal Saloon with
real cowboys and wrangles and vests and hats and mustaches and cold gravy left over from the shoot-out, but still fun to eat in an almost pitch-blackbfood saloon. So I do not know if the whiskey is good, the water was toerable, but they lied about the best food. Just got to say the old bar was great was saying nothing, it was the real one and pretty picturesque with all the old cowboys belling up to it.
we did. By the way construction and closing exits is for the birds and the locals, not for tourists! But a good sleep and off we go! Taking the day to go back up to Phoenix on back roads. Checked out the ruins at Casa Grande, it was amazing and hard to believe it was over 500 years old and still standing. The Ho Ho Kum people were so smart and advanced. The picture doesn't do it justice, over 3 stories high, unbelievable that they did this without any tools other than thier hands and rough hammers. 
Man, Oh man, do I have Spring fever, beautiful day, sunny and can even see the brownish, yellow, green grass! I think all of the snow has finally melted in our yard. But so of course that makes me want to go exploring! So I booked us a weekend trip down to Phoenix and Tucson to see some Cactus League Spring Baseball! Whoopee for us, it should be fun. Maybe we can even get a few links covered there as well.
Haven't written for awhile and lots has happened, sort of.... Tommy killed his knee on a run when he entered the Masters Snowboard Challenge at Snowbird. Lucky to have great surgeons and he is on the mend now. I helped where I could, but really didn't do much. Jared was there to help with any real needs, I am grateful for him. I was touched by how tender Jamie is with Tommy. They are a good match.
Valentines has come and gone and it was fun. The day before we made and decorated cherry-chip cup cakes with Justin's little ones, that was real fun. I was going to give some to the other kids, but, almost all gone when we were done. They gave me a most beautiful and real book that Ashley had made scrap-booking with pictures of all the grandkids. So sweet with wonderful poems and pictures and so personalized, even with why they like Grandma. It was my birthday present and that they had just barely got it back in the mail, they had to wait because of Chinese New Years...It was truly worth the wait. Probably the very best part was all the kids climbing on the island counter so we can all see together and each of them saying "That's me!" in the picture.
Valentine for Tommy to give to Jamie, took over the hearty crystal vase and some flowers for him to give to her (as he couldn't leave his recliner for the last week). That was fun too. Shane and Ashley brought over little Emmalee and a wonderful glass box with pictures of Emmalee all over it. She is so cute and growing so fast! I gave them a Valentine I had made and we visited for a little bit. Then off to the movies with my Valentine.

It is really cool to see a shark up close and personal and see all his rows of teeth, big and spikey, from underneath him. Glad we had heavy duty glass between us.
The best of the fun was seeing the play Mamma Mia ! It was so good. It was the reason we went to Vegas, what a treat for me! What a fun show. Love Abba and the play is better than the movie, but loved that too!
diner there where all the cowboy movie stars ate. Good and fast service. Then to see a sunset glowing on the red bluffs, and turning all the cliffs on fire. So beautiful! We went to their movie house to see a 30's western, but the little old lady, and I do mean old, decided to show Pajama Game instead.
Half of the 10 patrons left. I would rather have seen Tex Ritter in the show "the Utah Trail", but instead we got Doris Day. It just wasn't worth getting our $2.00 back and then go and watch TV. We decided Kanab was an interesting and kind of weird town.
was getting late and we hardly had any gas, so decided to be safe and skipped the extra ride. But we were prepared this time, early in the day and lots of gas! In fact we were so prepared that we made a stop after we left and scooped up some of the pink sand to put into our little turtle sand box for the grandkids to enjoy! Lovely sight to see.

