Back yards....

Found in a quote book:

Front yards are boring.
Backyards tell stories.
--"Backyards", Popcorn,James Stevensen, 1998

Some day I plan to post that in our back yard. I am not sure what our back yard tells about us (mostly that we are trying to figure out ways to have less grass to mow in the back yard) but we have made some headway in the long list of projects. Our deck is done and we finally had the yard organized enough for our first event---the outdoorman activity for the Webelos--

Gary starting things off with instructions for the Scouts--I think they had all 11 boys today.

It was around 90 degrees today but here they are having fun playing in the fires. Our large sandbox is great for Cub Scout fires.

Roasting hot dogs in the middle of the sand area where we put up our swim pool. Due to our deck construction and other projects in the yeard, it hasn't been put up yet but we are hoping to work on that in the next couple of days.

Here are some of the projects/items around the back yard:

The reading/visiting corner under the Umbrella tree

My Christmas present--A BYU firepit. Our new patio was designed to have a place just for it.

Rain chain and the rock garden underneath it. You should all come to listen to the rain as it falls through the copper funnels. We have tried it out with the hose, but last Sunday when rain woke me up about mid-night, I went out to watch and listen to it. It worked great.

Gary is busy in the background adjusting the umbrella over the picnic table. We finally retired our old picnic table after about 18 years and a move from Texas and bought a traditional 6' table.

Hope you enjoyed the visit to our backyard.....you'all come back, you hear!

And Jena started....

9th grade. Hard to believe I know. Time keeps racing on. She enjoyed her first week and is especially excited to be in seminary with Bro. Tucker.

First day of school!!!!

While Jena was busy with her first week of school, Tosha had an adventure of another kind. She had had a bottom lip which kept swelling over the past weeks. After a visit to our family doctor, she was sent to a ENT who removed a growth the size of a hazelnut from her lower lip all with just a local numbing of her lip. He believes it is a collection of mucus and scar tissue. However he did sent it to the lab to be checked because it "was odd looking"...never something you want a doctor to say. Her lip is getting better by the day which is a good thing.

Scott and Chantel started back for their senior years at Weber State..so far so good, they say.

Jessica is busy with life and looking for a better job with more future potential. She has had some interviews but nothing definate yet.

Ben is hanging in there. He enjoyed a visit from his cousin, Adam on Friday which was big news for him. It was a hard week too as both his case manager and his social skills specialist informed him that they were quiting/changing jobs and that he wouldn't see them again. Not clear why people don't feel a need to prepare him or us for these transitions. It seems very unprofessional.

Gary remains an amazing Webelo leader and a good Primary teacher. I love watching him sit with his class in senior Primary and see him interact with his class. I think he is there for as long as I remain in the Primary Presidency. It might be fun to do Webelos with him sometime although I don't think I could match the skills of his current partner (in crime, sometimes).

And that wraps up the first week of school report from Syracuse...

Aunt Lois

On August 10, 2011, my Aunt Lois passed away quietly sitting next to her husband at a funeral of a close family friend. She was 82 years old. She was the last of my mom's nuclear family. She left behind her husband, Uncle Grant and their ten children, their spouses, 33 grandchildren, and 22 great-grand children (give or take a few). Most were present for her funeral which took place on August 17th in Hillsboro, Oregon.

I was able to join my sister Valerie and my brother Rick in Portland to attend the funeral. I wrote about it at length on our extended family blog, but I didn't want to miss recording it here as well.

After dropping off my nephew at my dad's, I drove back to Syracuse in time to have Gary drive me back to the airport (the only way we could figure out how to do it on that busy Tuesday between our camping trip and the trip to Oregon).

It was amazing to be with my cousins again after so many years, to remember my aunt and our extended family and the things we did together, and to be in Oregon which holds so many great childhood memories. To me, Oregon is that magical place where grandparents and cousins live.

Mt. Hood

Mt. St. Helen








In addition to things related to the funeral and visiting cousins, Rick, Valerie, and I went to the Portland Temple for a session on Thursday morning. That was a special treat and really the best place to go after attending a funeral. It served as a physical remeinder that families really are eternal in nature.

It is odd how much I miss my Aunt even though we only had contact by Christmas letters and occasional phone calls over the years. She was the one person who knew my mom in that special sister way and when I was with her or talk to her on the phone, I felt my mom in her manner and ways. They shared many similarities as sisters often do. I am happy for my Grandma Owen though. I am not sure how things are in the spirit world but I am sure there was a moment that she and my Grandpa got to spend with all four of their children together which never had happened on earth since one of their sons died before my mom was even born. Joy there, some sadness here...that is what life and forever are made of.

Don't you love having company...

...it reminds you that there are many great things to see and do just outside your front door, but you are often too busy to really do them...although you always intend to do it.....next week!

We were very lucky in the second week of August to have a visit from my nephew, Scotty. He is the son and youngest child of my youngest brother, Scott. They live in Austin, Texas, and haven't been able to make a trip as a family to this area to spend time with family, especially my dad. So Scotty came to visit with his "Giberson" family. He is thirteen and a great kid. He spent time with us, with a cousin and wife in Provo, with Scott and Chantel, Grandpa and Nana Giberson, and then went on a very short camping trip with us to Flaming Gorge. It was a whirlwind of activities and Utah/Giberson moments.

After spending the morning with Scott and Chantel shooting at targets, we headed out to go to the top of a nearby mountain to enjoy a short hike and maybe see some snow. However the road was closed so we went to plan B which included a stop at Farmington Pond where these first two pictures where taken.

We then headed to the Castle (a large home on the mountain) to take a hike along a trail which was about half way up the mountain. It was a beautiful hike which included three streams and waterfalls. We were there as the sun was setting and got some beautiful shots over the Great Salt Lake.

Scotty taking pictures of the valley below and the Great Salt Lake. Sandy had given instructions for him to take every picture possible on his camera which I think he did by the end of the trip.

Sunset over the Great Salt Lake from our angle half way up the mountain

Friday Gary took Scott and Scotty over to Antelope Island in the morning for a walk to the Great Salt Lake, buffalo burgers, and a 15 mile bike ride back to our house. Scott then took him down to Salt Lake where he spent the afternoon and evening with my dad and some other cousins, Niles and Rachel Giberson. They took him down to Provo for the weekend and they: hiked to the "Y", played basketball at BYU, and then spent the afternoon in Park City doing the alpine slide, coaster, and zipline.

Saturday morning, they brought him back to us in Syracuse just in time to load up and head to Flaming Gorge for a short camping trip.

A group of Giberson cousins. Too bad you all weren't here.

Scott and Scotty working on the fire wood

Gary, Scott, and Scotty were attempting to all have flaming marshmellows at the same time. Crazy boys! They had to eat them afterwards...

View from our camp site

Chantel and Scotty waiting for the return of the men so that we could head off on the rafts.

A moment between Chantel and Scott at the starting spot.

We have done this river trip a number of times and have often lined the kids up on the bench for this picture. They are good sports to humor me once again.

Floating the Green River....except for the water fights, some small
rapids and other boats, it was a quiet peace ride.

It was beautiful all the way down. The river was going fast enough that we did two trips down the river before we headed back to Syracuse that night. It was a brief but nice get away.






Tuesday Scotty, Jena and I headed off for a moment stop at the Capital Building and a brief tour of the LDS Conference Center and Temple Square.

Utah Capital Building

Scotty and Jena in front of the waterfall that falls from the roof of the Conference Center down the side of the building.

Scotty at the reflection pond in front of the Salt Lake Temple--I realized as I talked to Scotty that my maternal grandparents who were the first to join the Church were married in the Salt Lake Temple as were my parents and both of my Mom's siblings (My dad was a convert and the first therefore on his side of the family to be married in the temple.) So when I was married in the Provo Temple I broke a firm tradition in my family. I guess Scott and Chantel made up for that by being married there.

Jena and Scotty by the east door of the temple. No wedding parties on this day so I took the opportunity to get pictures at the door. These doors aren't the everyday doors we use to enter the temple but they are very beautiful.

The famous statue of Christ in the north west visitor center of Temple Square.

Dad, Karla (Nana), Scotty and Jena at Dad's house

Then we went to my dad's and Karla's for a game of "Ticket to Ride" which Dad won convincingly. We left Scotty there where he spent a day and a half with my dad (and playing more games) before he flew out back to the heat of Austin. It was great having him here in Utah and we enjoyed taking time to visit Utah with him, too. Don't you all want to come and spend a week in Utah as well!! See you soon. :)

A Quick, hot and windy trip to Arizona...

atarted off the month of August...and actually began at the end of July. Within an hour of Jena returnng from Girls Camp, she and I head out to Mesa to be involved in the activities surrounding the wedding of my nephew,Justin and Anatosha. (She usually goes by Tosha which our Tosha thinks is a bit odd. Afterall you don't expect your cousin to marry someone with the same name as you...although in a large family like mine that might be a bit difficult.)

It was a fun week. I forgot my camera so you will just have to magine that we enjoyed the beautiful open house held on the Saturday before the wedding in honor Of Justin and Anatosha. This is my sister's fourth child to marry within two years and our family has been blessed with adding four new "cousins"--Starla, Ralph, Tommy, and now Anatosha in their family alone. (And of course we love the other cousins by marriage too--Paul, Randee, and Rachel.)

It was also fun to see my sister's new home located on a acre lot inside of Mesa. My brother-in-law likes land (and may be part farmer) and is in the process of making this acre of sand "bloom" as a place for his "planned for grandchildren", complete with chickens and rabbits along with their turtle.

Speaking of their (Valerie and Lance) future grandchildren, one is on the way and due shortly before Christmas. On the Monday that we were there, Kara and her husband found out the sex of their child and to announce it they lined us all up on the porch at 9:00 at night and sprayed us with pink silly string. A girl...whose name is to be Morgan May which is both of their middle names put together.

The weather was hot...so hot that even the pool was too hot to swim in. I swam one mroning early and Jena joined her coucins another time in the evening, but the pool was more like a hot tub. They managed to have fun anyway as her older cousins, Landi and Megan, made up a synchronized swimming routine that they preformed a couple of times for us. It was darling. I hope to be getting some pictures and add them to this post.

Our orignal plan was for Gary to fly out on Wednesday to attend the wedding on Thursday and then drive back with us. However, it became not possible for Gary to leave as Ben was struggling and finally we decided for us to start heading back early as well. So we missed the wedding but still enjoyed our time with family there. My brother Mike and his family were also there so I got to see them as well--a great bonus trip.

Weddings were the norm as the day after I returned (Friday, August 5th), our nephew, Chris (on Gary's side of the family) got married in the Bountiful Temple. That was a great day as well. His cute wife, Jen, has two children from her prior marriage, Lisa and Natalie, which we are happy to have a part of our family as well. Chris is one of Gary's sister Valerie's sons. She was especially happy to add two granddaugthers as she had five sons and so far her sons have only had 8 grandsons.

And that was the start of a fast-paced month of August.......