Shivering 4th of July Fireworks!!

In terms of weather, this has been a strange summer in Utah. We had snow in June and last night, July 3, this picture of Grandpa and Grandma Pat and myself shows that it was very windy and cold as we waited for the fireworks to start at Thanksgiving Point. We brought jackets and blankets just in case and wished we would have brought more. The fireworks were great and worth the windy, cold, shivering wait. Happy 4 of July. I'm very grateful to live in this beautiful free country.

My Confused but Persistent Easter Lily

A year ago for Easter 2009 my office manager, Linda, brought a beautiful Easter Lily to our H&R Block office where it bloomed beautifully. After it finished blooming, Linda sent it home with me to plant in my garden. Well, I brought it home, put it in the garage, and forgot all about it. It spent the winter in the cold garage with no water, light, or love. This spring about Easter time, I moved some pots and much to my surprise found the lily with a couple of little green sprouts on it. I brought it in the house, gave it lots of sun, water, and a little love and it bloomed beautifully for FATHER'S DAY!!! I know there are some great life lessons to be gained from this pretty flower like persistence, late bloomers, etc. but I just know I enjoyed its beauty and fragrance. Now my question is: should I put it back in the garage and ignore it until next spring or try to keep taking care of it inside?

Happy Summer Days

Kolob Canyon


For my birthday we enjoyed a very fun 4 day trip to St. George with Dan, Betsy, Addy, and Easton. We traveled down on Monday afternoon. That evening KC and I went to the Tuachan Outdoor Amphitheater and saw a production of Tarzan. It was amazing with lots of apes and Tarzan flying through the theater. We really enjoyed it. Dan and Betsy had a great 2 bedroom condo that we shared. We especially loved the pool and it felt very good since the temperatures were over 100 degrees while we were there. The kids loved swimming. On Tuesday after a morning swim we went out to lunch to celebrate my birthday and then did some shopping. In the evening Dad and I went back to the Tuachan and saw Cats. It was also very good but not quite as good as when we saw it on broadway. We love going to the Tuachan. On Wednesday we enjoyed some more swimming, relaxing, and a little shopping. That evening we played with Addy and Easton while Dan and Betsy saw Tarzan at the Tuachan. We came home on Thursday enjoying a short drive through Kolob Canyon which is part of Zion National Park.