The GRAND OPENING OF THE LIBRARY!!!

Yes, it was finally time to have our grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony.  We posted on Facebook and also took flyers around to our neighborhood.

The flyer:  (Minus the cute Little Free Library logo which I can't get to paste here)

We are pleased to announce the grand opening of the

Walnut Grove Neighborhood

Little Free Library

TOMORROW, Saturday, April 15

4:30-5:30

Ribbon cutting Ceremony at 4:45

869 West 2800 South, Syracuse, UT

Stewards:  Gary and Judy Hall

Please come and check it out with your family

and enjoy some cookies, too!

Little Free Libraries are an international program to promote literacy and community.  The concept is that you can take a book to read, keep it, share it with someone else, or return it to the Little Free Library when you get another book.  To start with we will stock the library with books we have, but you are welcome to add books to the shelves when there is space or leave a box of books on our porch for later use.  There will be books for all ages of readers.  The idea is a free exchange of loved books and the love of books within our neighborhood and community.  Join our Facebook page (Walnut Grove Little Free Library) and post reviews of books you have read and also hear about other book events we will have “at the library”. Please feel free to share this flyer or our Facebook page with friends and family who might be interested.  And because we are who we are, we will also have games which can be borrowed for games nights and returned when you are done.  We have some old classics you might enjoy.

Hope to see you there for our opening and many times after that!

“Be awesome.  Be a book nut.”  Dr. Seuss

After a short nap, we began to load up some books into the library and to get everything else ready for our event.

Kaitlyn and Dillon Dangel were our first official customers to check out books.  They got there before our party as they had a conflict at 4:30.  They were happy to pose as our first "book takers".

 A close-up of the shelves-

door closed--upper shelves

door opened--lower shelves

As you can see, our library also includes puzzles and games which were big items on the first day.

We had about 40 people come to our ribbon cutting ceremony--of course I was talking so we didn't get pictures although our friends posted some for us. It was fun because some of our more queiter neighbors came and brought books to donate.

One of our Primary kids with her dad

So many people brought books to donate that we pulled out another table to display those books as well.  People have continued to bring books all week which is great, although I need to get some good totes to store them in.

After Jena cut the ribbon, the library was swarmed by kids.  It was fun to listen to them talk about the books they saw, the ones they have read and why they wanted to take the ones they did.  Games and puzzles were also taken. Gary's cousin, Anita, came from North Ogden which was so sweet.  Our nephew Eric also came.  He lives in Logan but was down for the Easter weekend.  He traveled the farthest to attend.

Thanks to Rebecca Jensen who took this picture during the party

Jena is picking up the ribbon that she cut!!

Another one of our Primary class
posing on our big rock

His older brother posing with his choice of a book

And here it is after the party--we had to stock it up to keep it looking full.

We are #444519.  If you check the world map for Little Free Library you will be able to see us (in about 3-5 days from now).  I just formally registered last night.

Gary's mom named this housing project "Walnut Grove" after the
LIttle House on the Prairie books that she loved so much.
We wanted to honor that name by naming our library after that.
Little House on the Prairie stories are a tribute
 both to reading and to community.
And who wouldn't want to quote Dr. Seuss!!

"BE AWESOME!  BE A BOOK NUT!"

It has been fun this week to watch people stop and grab a book.  Gary said he came up late on Tuesday and saw someone at the library with an umbrella (because it was pouring rain) and a flashlight.  It was a friend from several blocks south of us who was looking for a book for their daughter to read.  Gary was able to have a short conversation with them. 

I got this fun package in the mail from Andrea Slack, a friend from Richland and one of my roommates at BYU:

These books definitely traveled the furthest to get here.  Thanks, Andrea, some of them are already in the library ready to go.

I have seen several books I hope are still there that I can take on my long airplane ride next month to visit Tosha and family.

The library is about literacy and community.  It is off to a great start!!

Makes you want to go read a book, doesn't it???

Come by anytime.

UDSF Easter Egg Hunt

was held Saturday morning, April 15th.  It was a gorgeous spring morning up in the foothills of Salt Lake at the Research Park Marriott Hotel.  We had over 380 people register for the event and probably had around 350 people there--the largest crowd yet.

We started off with some family dancing while people were arriving and getting checked in.

Our friend, Ben CHristensen in the black in the middle

Jena was a helper this year and joined these two young women who organized crafts for the day and organized their extended families to stuff all 4000 eggs this year.  Jena was their right hand lady all morning long while I ran the rain gutter duck races.

 This is what part of the crowd looks like waiting for the countdown to enter the Easter Egg Field.  The staff at the Marriott "hid" the eggs for our group.

Jena helped with the parachute game.  The ball is about ready to hit her head as she holds the edge of the parachute.

It was a great morning and we had some great volunteers which helped make things go so smoothly. Which was good, because Jena and I were off to another Saturday afternoon activity......

Well done, sweet Sis. Hall!!

On April 15, 2017, Jena officially completed her mission.  Today in Church the Bishop had her come to the front to acknowledge that and give her her missionary plaque.  She will be speaking in Church on April 30 at 9:00 at our Barber Acres Ward.  Someone asked Jena what she was going to do after her mission and she said, "Talk in Church".  Later she told me that we were going to have a "celebration".  Yes, we are.  We are very proud of her desire to serve as a missionary, her determination to do it when she was 19 and to serve for 18 months.  How blessed we have been to enjoy her service with her.

Some pictures from her last days as a missionary:

These are the sweet ladies who served with Jena at the Church History Museum minus Judy, a Church Service Missionary who worked the most directly with Jena.  She had to head out before the picture taking began but I understand that they have some pictures they are going to send us.

 Here is Sister Hall, 18 months after her first picture by the Museum Store sign.

 And of course, the beautiful spring flowers are everywhere around the museum and on Temple Square.

 Wednesday, Jena is heading out for her last day at the DI.

This is the great group of people Jena worked with at the DI.  She loved the DI and usually said that was her favorite thing to do.  She worked hard there, sorting clothes and taking baskets of clothes to the laundry area.  The first few weeks she usually took a nap when she got home.  But she loved being part of this team.  And we heard that she loved sox wars as well which occasionally would break out between the team.

Chad was one of her supervisors at the DI

 At the sorting table at the end of her shift

 One last shot outside the door.

This has been a great experience for her.  Judging by the tears and sweet comments and notes she received from both the Museum and the DI, it was a good experience for those she worked with as well.  We know that she has been an example of good and that Heavenly Father is proud of her service and her joy in that service.

Spring Break

Jena and I headed to AZ for some peace and relaxation---I did one small assignment for school, but in general, did nothing but sleep in, talk with my sister and her family, and sleep again.

Valerie, Jena and I did do a United Way Service Project for the Homeless in Mesa for 4 hours on Thursday.  We were assigned as a partner to one homeless person and took them around a LDS Church building near the Mesa Temple.  There was about 40 stations to meet a variety of the needs that they might have including clothes, paperwork like getting an IDs and birth certificates, haircuts, showers (in an outside mobile unit), insurance, free phones, food packages, etc.  It was amazing and a great experience.  We got to spend time with a woman who has been homeless for over 12 years.  We had lunch together and spent the time helping her touch bases with the services she wanted.  She was very happy to get some new clothes and take a warm shower.

Our selvie after the service project

 On Friday, Jena and Kylie headed over to Landi's house to help them with a birthday party for one of their little children who they are fostering.  It was a "Moana" party so they all wore grass shirts.

Cousins:  Jena. Megan, Kylie and Landi 

Sunday we headed to Anthem, AZ, which is one of the northern most cities in the Phoenix/Mesa area.
We went to Church with our friends from Hong Kong--the Hillams--it was so great to see them again. Katie made a great dinner for us afterwards and we got to enjoy their fun house.  As we were walking out of Church, Katie said "Let's call the Smiths" (another family from Hong Kong.) and so she did. Christine with just a moment noticed came and joined us for dinner and conversation.  (James, her husband, was out of town.)  It was so fun to catch up with her and her family.  We are already making plans to get together with the four of them on our next trip down to Mesa.  We had one of the funnest vacations to El Nito years ago with the four of them.  We might not recreate some of our scuba diving moments but we can do some serious game playing.

After visiting with the Hillams and Christine, we drove to Page, AZ, to spend the night.  We took this pictures at a view spot of the dam at Lake Powell.

The diversity and beauty of our world is amazing!!!  And I love bridges!!