GRANDPA ROWSELL'S "80th" BIRTHDAY PARTY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

My dad will turn 80 years old on July 17th of this year.  Candy called us all earlier this summer to see if we would want to get  together at his house in Mackay the weekend after the 4th of July to celebrate it.  We all decided it would be a fun activity.  Some of us showed up on Friday night and some came on Saturday.  We had a dutch oven breakfast casserole Saturday morning for breakfast.  I had learned how to make it at our Bern Ward Girl's Camp at the end of June - we had pancakes with it.  I don't know why, but for some reason breakfast outdoors tastes soooo good!!!  After we cleaned up, some of us went to visit the old Mackay Mine and some went floating down the river.  Later that evening, after all the activities, we had Grandpa's birthday dinner.  What a fun time we had celebrating.  Hope we can all get together again next year! 

TOUR OF MACKAY MINE BEHIND GRANDPA'S HOUSE

I'm glad we don't look quite as old and dilapidated as the building behind us!

Searching for rocks with copper in them.  They weren't hard to find!

Ray checking out the old mine buildings.

Scott, Dad, & Darin looking out over the beautiful Mackay Valley.

Jerry had people calling him the whole time we were up here; trying to get reservations for our RV Park.  He just can't get away from work even when he is on vacation!

My dad has quite of collection of his own equipment - dump truck, bulldozer, tractor, backhoe - so I just had to get a picture of him in front of this old worn out one.

 Taylour, Kristie, & Scott

PLAYING IN THE RIVER

Everyone wondering if they really want to get in.

What a beautiful picture!!  Love everyone holding hands to help each other out!

Everyone looks like they are a bit cold!

 GRANDPA'S BIRTHDAY DINNER

Is Scott eating Ava's cake or is Ava eating Scott's cake?  Maybe they are just sharing.  What do you think?

Cute bunch of Cousins!

Gotta love Krysta's face in this one!

There's nothing better than good food and family time!!

We were having a hard time getting the candles to stay lit - the wind was blowing.

Relaxing on Grandpa's front porch.

 GOOD TIMES!!

  

EASTER EGG DYEING AT THE GUNDERSEN'S HOUSE

All the grandkids came out here to dye easter eggs this year.  What a party we had!  As we were setting out the dye cups with the little color pill in them, Denim decided that they must be candy so she picked the yellow one out of the cup and started eating it.  Needless to say, she soon spit it out thinking it was pretty nasty and her mouth and clothes were covered in yellow dye.  Grady didn't need a spoon to put the egg in and out of the dye cups, he just used his hands and his grip was pretty tight so most of his eggs ended up crushed.  Halle tried to be careful with her eggs but some of them would slip out of her hands onto the floor and whe would quietly exclaim, "Oh, another one cracked."  By the time we were finished, the bowl with cracked eggs had way more in it than the bowl with uncracked eggs.  Thank goodness the Easter Bunny will have plenty of plastic eggs to make up the difference - He's going to need them!!

DERRICK - HEADED FOR THE MISSIONARY TRAINING CENTER

Derrick won't have to come home to a younger brother who is taller than him.  He left that way!

Derrick's four month wait has finally ended.  Today, November 28, 2012, we took him to the Missionary Training Center.  He didn't have to be there until 1:00 in the afternoon so we just got up this morning and left around 8:00 a.m.  We went the Evanston, Wyoming way.  We took this same route when we took Devin here eight years ago.  When we arrived in Provo, we went to the Olive Garden Restaurant to eat.  The waiter there knew exactly where we were headed and told us he had just returned from his mission about 6 months ago.  He asked Derrick where he was going.  When Derrick answered Tijuana, Mexico; he looked at me and asked how I felt about that.  Four months ago, I would have answered with a "very apprehensive and nervous" but since then, I have been blessed to know that this is truly the place where our Heavenly Father wants Derrick to serve and that all will be well.  After we finished eating our "last dinner" together, we headed back toward the MTC.  We still had a little time left to visit, so we went to a big grassy area across the street where we took a few pictures.  What a beautiful setting with the Provo Temple in the background.
Finally the allotted time arrived.  We all got back in the car and drove across the street where we were then directed to parking spot #15.  We got Derrick's suitcases out and all gave him a hug and said our last goodbyes.  Chelsea and I had done alright up until this time and then we both broke down and shed a few tears - happy/sad tears.  Derrick's missionary helper assured us he was in good hands and then grabbed his bags and lead him down the sidewalk toward the doors of the MTC.  Derrick has talked about and planned for his mission all of his life and today he gets to start this new adventure - HE WAS ALL SMILES!!

Chelsea loves her big brother!!

On our way home, poor Chelsea couldn't stop sobbing.  I was having a hard time controlling my emotions also, so I wasn't much help to her.  When Devin left on his mission, she was only 2 years old, so this was really the first time she had had to go through such an experience.  Ryan was sitting in the back seat with her and kept trying his best to console her.  Derrick had worked for the forest service all summer and fall fighting fires.  He had actually been away from home more than he had been home so Ryan, with his 15 year old wisdom, told Chelsea to just pretend that Derrick was gone on a very long fire; one that he wouldn't be able to put out for 2 years.  This advice didn't seem to help Chelsea much but it got Jerry and I talking about how Derrick wouldn't be putting fires out but rather starting them in the hearts of those people to whom he would teach the gospel.  WHAT A COMPARISON!! 

THE BERN WARD ROADSHOW

We got to do Stake RoadShows again this year.  Chelsea and Ryan had parts and I had to help with costumes.  We had to practice once and sometimes twice a week throughout October and the first part of November so it kept us pretty busy along with everything else.

 Tawyna Johnston wrote a cute rap for "The Little Red Hen" actors to do.  Chelsea had a fun time being the cat and it worked out nice because she used her costume for Halloween also. I don't think we'll ever be able to get the tune "Go Red, Little Red Hen" - "Go Red, Little Red Hen" out of our heads.

 Ryan and Joe Beck were the mighty grasshoppers in "The Grasshoppers & the Ants" part of the play.  I don't think either one of them really wanted to do this but they were good sports and did it anyway.

 Our cute little ants - Kendra Higley, Celeste Harper, and Tristan Bruce

Our "MEXICAN HAT" dancers!

The "SMITH" Family

The Entire Cast

WHAT A GREAT TIME WE ALL HAD!!

BRIGHAM CITY TEMPLE DEDICATION



What a beautiful temple!!



Our "half-size" family

Janelle and Grady


 We attended the Open House for the Brigham City Temple on September 15, 2012.  We had heard that all the tickets were sold out so we decided we would probably not be able to go.
Lynn and Earlene Perkes had been through it just the week before and told me that they really didn't even ask for tickets so we decided to go anyway and see if we could get in.  Sure enough, we were able to go through it and what a beautiful temple it is. Chelsea was in awe of everything she saw.  Janelle and Grady were the only other family members that were able to come with us.  We had a great time and were hoping to enjoy a dinner, at the famous Maddox Restaurant, with homemade rolls and raspberry butter before we came home. We found out however, that they were so busy with all the people attending the Open House that if you didn't have reservations you couldn't eat there.  So instead we headed back to Logan to eat.  What a fun family outing we had!! 







Grady loved the water fountain that was in front of the temple.  We had a hard time keeping him out of it; he thought it was the perfect swimming pool.

 



Janelle took this photo and I just had to include it.  Brigham City is full of fruit stands.  Our family has always looked forward to coming here in the  late summer and early fall to buy fresh cherries, peaches, pumpkins, squash, apples and all sorts of other home-grown produce.  I don't think many temples are surrounded by fruit trees, but the Brigham City one just had to be.  



 





DERRICK'S MISSION CALL

Derrick received his mission call on July 27, 2012.  We had been anxiously awaiting its arrival in the mail for almost 3 weeks.  It came on the day of our Bern Ward Canyon Party so we actually went up to the RC&D Campground for dinner first and then headed back home to open it.  All the kids were here plus Janna & Caleb Phillips and Caleb's girlfriend Brynne Heslington.  We all made a few guesses as to where he might go but none of us ended up being even close.  He will be going to the Mexico, Tijuana Mission and doesn't leave until November 28th - a wait of four months.  When Derrick announced that it was Tijuana, Mexico, I didn't think much about it and then everyone started talking about the drug wars and such so then I began to get a little nervous.  That evening I got online and started reading more about the topic and after a few articles I decided that I didn't want to read any more.  I know that this is the place where our Heavenly Father needs Derrick to go and that there are people waiting for him to share the gospel with them so we'll just have to pray for the strength not to worry too much.

4TH OF JULY

 Our Bern Ward Young Men & Young Women were in charge of the 4th of July float for the parade in Paris.  We decided to use a truck this year instead of a trailer - we borrowed Zach & Janelle's.  For our Tuesday night activity two weeks before the 4th, we tie-dyed white t-shirts -  red, white and blue. We then decorated the truck the night before. I really don't enjoy doing floats but thought this one turned out fairly well.  I worried about how many of our youth would actually come and ride on it but as you can see we filled it up.

Jerry and I are usually big time "party poopers" when it comes to 4th of July celebrations so we hadn't been to the parade for several years and were surprised at how many people were there to watch.  Anyway, a big "THANKS" to all the youth who came and supported this activity and I'm glad I can mark this assignment off my summer "to do" list.