I am so tired of rain and snow! There's standing water in fields and yards and rivers are running high. Our concrete and plants have taken a hit with extreme temperature changes and the freeze and thaw cycles. Between storms Reed got some yardwork done. The lawn is aerated and fertilized, radishes are planted, some of the periennials were trimmed back, the snow blade is off the 4-wheeler and the snowblower is put away. Maybe that is premature as it snowed all day on Thursday and Friday and Saturday. And to think this is Cache County and Logan School District's Spring Break! Kim's family spent a snowy, uncrowded day at Hogle Zoo. Robin's family headed to California. The VanWagenens just got back from a week in sunny St. George with a little color on their arms and faces. They were using their Christmas gift from us. The boys have been off-track. Brandon's birthday was on the 2nd and Katelyn turned 5 on the 7th.
We didn't have a good camera with us so this is really a long shot and doesn't do it justice. Click to enlarge to see if you can find the elk in the center half of the picture about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom.
The temperatures and weather were nice for last Saturday's (4/2) Conference but we woke to a white landscape on Sunday morning. Nevertheless, we went on a ride during the Sunday morning session of General Conference. I've got to admit, Cache Valley is a beautiful place and it is nice to see wildlife and birds whenever we take a drive. We saw a huge elk herd on the northern bench in Providence and a smaller group of elk in Sardine Canyon. On this ride we also saw deer, wild turkeys, hawks, thousands of robins, bluebirds, pheasants, doves, geese, crows, ducks, cranes etc. We have had so much moisture that there is already some flooding, yet the spring run-off really hasn't begun in earnest. Many of the rivers and streams were muddy. Glendale Reservoir still had some ice on it. Hyrum Dam has the dock out but with murky water we don't know if the fish could see the bait or lures. We checked on the progress of the 10th West Bypass. 14 homes have or will be demolished so the road can be widened. We drove from 1st Dam along Canyon Road and tried to figure out which 11 homes will be demolished on as a safety precaution because of their proximity to the canal. Three people lost their lives when the canal gave way and crashed into their home.
The Ogden Temple has closed and will be re-built. Since construction on the Brigham City Temple has barely begun, the Logan Temple has 'inherited' many of the stakes previously assigned to the Ogden Temple District. I understand Bountiful has assummed the rest. With the influx of new temple patrons coupled with several conference talks on doing temple work, Tuesday at the temple was absolutely unreal. I wondered if we surpassed the fire code's building capacity of 999 persons. It is nice, however, to have the temple fully utilized. We'll have to get used to busier shifts for the next two years. There were so many people that we ran out of lockers, some patrons had to wait a long time, the schedule got way behind, workers got hung up on one assignment and couldn't make the hourly rotation etc. What a day to begin my new job as Post Assistant! I often felt like I was a traffic director. Wednesday was a little less hectic. It was fun to see a couple of people we served with at Heber Valley Camp. There are a few spring flowers braving the cold temperatures and poking their heads up around the temple. I think it is a little early yet, but the temple fountain is flowing again.
We recently had a repair to our snowblower and pickup and get updated on a computer. Then our monitor went out and had to be replaced. We need a new paper shredder. I hope these costly expenses will cease. There are other places I'd rather spend money. The cost of gas is ridiculous; it goes up a few cents per gallon 3 or 4 times a week. It has passed the $3.50 mark and will be $4/gallon before we know it.
Congrats to Tami and Dave on the birth of their son, Liam, on April 4th! Ben's girlfriend is in our YSA ward. I was curious how they got together so I emailed Andrea. She said she had a Spanish class at Utah State with Allyson and they became friends. So Andrea lined up her brother, Ben with her friend, Ally! Staci and Matt are getting married on May 13th. The Ransom Reunion is on June 25th. Brandon and Maria are getting married on July 8th. July 9th is the Conlin Reunion. Robin has arranged a camp-out for her siblings and their families at Mutual Dell in American Fork Canyon from August 15th to 19th.
We stayed at the Residence Inn in Sandy on Friday night. We ate at Joe's Crab Shack and had a treat at the Megaplex Theaters. Landon was baptized and confirmed on Saturday, April 9th, in West Valley. We headed for home after visiting and having lunch at the VanWagenen's.
In front - Brooklyn (2 1/2) and Landon (8). Behind them are Candace, Jory, Tanner (10 1/2) and Mason (12).
The saying on the wall was appropriate for the occasion.
Here are the sixteen class members who showed up. Most brought spouses as well. Some have weathered better than others. They spent time getting reacquainted and reminiscing.
Wayne was the one who set up the lunch date and invited others to attend. His wife was a good friend of cousin Marcia back during BYU college days.
