I know I could edit the post...

...but it is better to write it as it happened. The post I wrote just an hour or so ago where I talked about thinking nothing had happened much that week to write about...

Well, I was reminded by some more pictures that Jena and her friend Meggan and her mom and I went to a tour of the Hale Theater. This is a theater in the round where Gary, Jena and I attend productions all year long. The tour is held once a month and takes you through the back areas of the theater and talks about the theater and how they do productions and little stories about past performances. It was great (and we also went to see their production of "Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels" later that same night). Here are some photos (I must be getting old or maybe too busy....I can't believe that week was so full of activities and yet I didn't think I had anything to write about.)

Jena and Meggan by some of the staging for the current performance

They got to ride on the stage as it rotated 360 degrees...slowly!

Train set for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"

Costumes for upcoming shows in the Costume area

Webelo Day Camp

This is out of order but I did want to put in this picture with Gary and most of his current group of Webelos. We attended Camp Fife this year which is about 1 1/2 hours north of us. It was a beautiful camp and they had a great time with BMX bikes, zip line, archery, guns, rock climbing and some of the nature/outdoorsmen classes. We took 10 boys and 3 adults. We went on July 12.

Gary and some of the Webelos

A train passsing near the camp

Opening Flag ceremony. One thing I love about Scouts is the opportunity to attend flag ceremonies. Our girls miss out on a lot of that. It is a sweet moment to stand in the outdoors and participate in a flag ceremony and watch the flag fly. Even 10 year old boys can be quiet and stand at attention at moments like this.

I wonder if we will ever be too old to go to camp...I am sure it will happen, but hopefully not for a long time.

(I am still waiting for my friend Robynn to move to Utah so we can have a Cub den together in some inner city area. That was a plan that we had at one time while we were still living in Plano.)

July 24th...Happy Birthday, Utah!!

Today is the legal holiday in celebration of July 24th State Holiday. (I know that today is the 25th but it is one of those Monday day-offs for a weekend holidays).

The launching galley with Natalie's rocket on the launch pad

A nephew-in-law chasing down the rockets!

It started to rain so we headed under cover with the tables of food. It was just a short rain and then we were back to shooting rockets.




So I had the day off since LDS Family Services in Utah supports that holiday, of course. Gary, who works for a California based company, did not. He mentioned it early in the work day and got some ribbing from his co-workers spread through out the nation. A person from CA that it was funny that a state had a "State Holiday" at all, a person from Nevada commented that their state joined the union on Oct. 31st (Halloween) which generated several comments, and a person back east said that since they were one of the original 13 states, they confined their celebrations to July 4th.

So, what other states celebrate yearly their beginnings? After all the teasing Texans get about their state, I don't recall a State holiday celebrating their statehood.....I could be wrong.

And of course, what is even more interesting is July 24th might be celebrated throughout the nation and the world as LDS Wards and Stakes celebrate with picnics and wagen trains made out of red wagons. That was a yearly tradition as I grew up. I guess I assumed it was part of the whole religion thing, but it was a surprise to me to find out in Utah, they don't celebrate in their Wards and Stakes, but it is a State holiday and everyone leaves town for mountains, lakes, or whereever they can vacation. And of course, there are fireworks...yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The last legal times they can fire fireworks until January 1.

We celebrated with a BBQ with the Halls in Grandma Hall's backyard. In addition to eating, we play yards games and made and shoot off rockets from our launching pad. (We have to justify our purchase of the launcher. I think we have used it over 15 times for large and small parties over the past 4 years so I think we have got our money's worth.....The newest addition to group /Scout fun is a 4-lane Pinewood derby track complete with scale, computerized timing and race management software and carrying case. We are already lining up events---high priest party (beta testing), Cub Pinewood derby track, and upcoming reunions for Halls and Gibersons....have track will travel, that's us. Actually it should be arriving in a week or so.)

A busy week afterall

After catching up my blog on July 4th, the following Sunday I felt like I didn't have anything much to blog about as it had been a "quiet" week as far as things went.

A few days later, I was using my camera at Webelo Day Camp and came upon a variety of pictures that reminded me that the week of July 4 through July 10 was a busy and happy week.

After having an amazing fireworks display on July 2nd at the Stadium of Fire, we hadn't made big plans for the 4th. We just went over to Gary's sister who lives around the corner in a culdesac and prepared to light our combination pack of fireworks (the $19.95 special from Wal-Mart). Little did we know that we were going to enjoy a complete fireworks display. This year aerial fireworks are legal in Utah and from Valerie and Allan's porch we saw and/or heard fireworks 360 degrees around us. It went on for over an hour (and much later than that but we were tired) and was fun (especially since we didn't pay for them).

A couple of days later, we had the annual HK Women's Lunch which includes anyone who has ever lived in Hong Kong. It was held in Provo. It was so wonderful to sit in the room with 40 or so women who have that common tie---some are my dear friends and others that I have never met. Our ages ran from 25 to 80 or so. Each of us with our own set of life experiences but we share our love of Hong Kong. I saw one of my friends who I have not seen for over 19 years although we have yet in touch over the years. Friends are such a great part of life.

Then on Saturday we held a bridal shower for my (on Gary's side) soon to be wife. He has been looking for a "long time" for the right one and we think he did a good job. They are getting married on August 5th.

Work, yard stuff,Primary, and family things were fit on top of all that. Our renter moved out that week and Scott and Chantel began moving into our townhouse so they will now live about 3 miles from us, at least for the next year until they finish school.

And that was the "quiet" week that I couldn't remember ...when Sunday came. I think I might have taken a too long of nap that day.

Voice of the Spirit

Am I a stalker?......I visit my friend's blogs, of course, actually really only one who is not a family member and that is my friend, Robynn Thiot (Sis. T.O. still to my kids even as adults.) However from time to time, I check her children's sites as well. I love their kids, too, and it is great to see them and their families grow. So is that stalking?.....Anyway, I am confessing because I saw this great mormon ad on Pierce and Stacy's site and then added it to mine. Take a couple of minutes and watch it.

And she's back.....

People would ask us if we missed Jena while she was at Camp K and I would say, "It is really quiet when she's gone." It was a funny thing to say, because she is not a noisy teenager to have around. She keeps herself busy and she makes us laugh and we did miss her.....

(A side note: It is amazing how much you miss one of your children...I have grown use to not having Jessica and Scott around and don't start missing them unless it has been awhile since we have seen them (Jessica is at that point as it has been a month since we last saw her.) With Ben, Tosha, and Jena at home, I definately notice when they are gone for any length of time. Tosha is away most days with work and life so I can go a couple of days and not see her, but I listen for her each night to make sure she is home safe. It's a mom thing. I don't think I appreciated that my mom might have missed me as I left for camps, college, and marriage. And that was before the ease of email, testing, and facebook.)

Back to Jena: She loved camp and is planning to go back next year. After she had been home less than 24 hours, she mentioned that it was a bit boring at home---of course, after having a camp counselor named "Burrito" keeping you busy from dawn to dusk. She swam evey day, went horseback riding, did rope courses and rope swings, fed fish off her hook while fishing, and did arts and crafts whenever she had extra time. She got an award for "Amazing Artist". Next year, she told us, the only thing she would change is that she would bring her yoyo.

Some pictures from camp:

Camp K is located up Emigration Canyon east of Salt Lake CIty (up the road from the zoo.) It is located in a beautiful location in the mountains with all of the "camp" things--horses, swimming pool, pond, basketball court, arts and craft yurt, cabins, and a dining hall. They had lots of grass area and a large obstacle course with a huge ropes course (which Jena didn't do) and a large rope swing (which she did do). It is over 30 years old and is specifically for people with different type of disabilities. Different weeks are assigned for different types of disabilities and age groups.

This is Jena's counselor, Burritto. All the counselors had camp names.

This is at the end when Jena got her artist award. I guess she liked to do art whenever there was spare time.

Jena and Kaitlyn in a "friends reaching out their arm to take the shot" picture

I am assuming that on Kaitlyn's camera there is a picture of Jena taking a picture of her.

Their feet (a Jena shot--notice Jena has her shoes on. She isn't much of a barefoot person.)

A shot of camp.

Jena went with Kaitlyn who is just a year old than she is. They are cute friends and enjoyed camp together.







On the home front, we continued to watch our home project in the back yard inch forward to completion. I have somewhat given up on the whole clean house thing as the dogs continue to track in dirt from the back yard. It should be done in another 2 weeks is our guess. It is looking great and today I sat on the edge of the deck under the roof and listened and watched the rain for a few minutes. It was great. I can't wait to sit on the deck and read and listen to the rain/snow. You are all welcome to join me!

Jena, Gary, and I went to the "Stadium of Fire" at Lavell Edwards Stadium on the BYU campus. It was a great program and an amazing fireworks show...the best I have ever seen in the US (fireworks on Victoria Harbour seen from a junk with music going is the best in the world that I have seen.) These fireworks were awesome and I would recommend it to anyone who is in Utah around the 4th. Extra bonus was the fact that David Archletta (however you spell his name--the American Idol guy) performed. Jena still is smiling about that. The headliner was Brad Paisley who did a great show as well. (It has been a long time since Gary and I have been to a concert. Computers have really upgraded the whole background of a concert. They showed amazing videos to go along with the songs including his last number "Water" in which it looked like he jumped into a pool of water complete with a huge splash. Did I say it was amazing.) The whole thing last almost 3 hous and we got home around 12:45 a.m. Sunday morning. Luckily there were Sunday naps for Gary and I.

And Happy 4th of July. We had our first official July 4th posting of the flag complete with flag, a thought, the Pledge of Alligence, and a french toast breakfast. We might have a neighborhood flag posting and breakfast next year...if we get our back yard put back together in time. Hope your celebration is great.