Lance, Paige & Family Visit in Provo

Lance, Paige & family are the first to arrive for our family reunion this year. They actually came out early to attend Paige's family reunion at Bear Lake but we met them at BYU for a game center walk about and dinner at the Chuck A-Rama . . . . . not much of a name but the food is better than any other buffet we've tried.

More Family Visits

Since being on our mission in we have visited with more family than when we lived in our Colorado home for the past 15 years. This week Amber, Brian and kids dropped in and we were able to have lunch with them and give them a tour of our interpretation area. That evening they all came over and visited before they had to begin packing for their return trip. It was so thoughtful of them to look us up and give us a call so we could get together - it's been since the Bass Lake get together and the Family Reunion Cruise that we saw her and the kids last.

Mom's 90th Birthday Celebration

     We celebrated Mom's 90th birthday on Sunday - what a nice family get together! Aunt Sydney had organized a nice luncheon/surprise birthday party and Pammy had organized and published a very special "90 Memories" book complete with photos and stories about Mom from family and close friends. Everyone was on hand except Lance, Paige and kids who were getting ready for their trip to her family's reunion - we sure missed them. Uncle Buddy, Aunt Doris, Steve and Brian all drove in from Denver to join in on the fun, too. Pammy took lots of family pictures so we should have some great 'professional' shots of the event.
     We flew in on Thursday night after work so we could spend Friday and Saturday with Holly, Matt & Jeanette and kids, and Miq & Doug and kids. After the surprise party we drove down to Littleton to see the kid's new bathrooms and remodeling projects - wow have they had some nice work done.

Trip to Kennicott Copper Mine

After the Pioneer Day Parade the four of us drove up to the Kennicott Copper Mine - hey, today was free so why not join the croud and take a good look. I've always wanted to see that gigantic hole in the earth and I was impressed with the size of the operation, but I still don't like what they've done to the mountains. However, they do have a plan to reclaim all the mine tailings and are doing it right along as the operation moves along. They operate those huge trucks and scoops 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and with the price of copper and gold as high as it is today, the operation is making a pretty good profit. We were lucky to be standing by the railing when they blew up a section towards the bottom of the pit. They drill their holes 50 feet deep, pack them full of explosives, stop all traffic and set 'er off. Talk about a dust cloud!!

Pioneer Day Parade

July 24 is Pioneer Day so we enjoyed the parade with missionary friends from their 2nd floor balcony. The parade route went right down the street in front of our apartment complex so we had a great view and it was in the shade! Thousands of people camped out all along the route the entire day and night before the parade in order to get viewing spots under the shade of trees. The parade lasted two hours - what a fun experience!

Sister Johns Is Going Home

 After struggling for several weeks with various health issues, Sister Johns' doctor advised her (strongly) to terminate her mission and move into an assisted living apartment where she can be looked after around the clock. We will miss her and her positive attitude as she has set a high standard of dedicated service for all of us these past several months. She's been the mission's matriarch and is loved by all - she's 85 years old. Shown with us are Elder McMurtry and Sister Hawkley

Mongolian Language Team Leads

We were invited to dinner with our Mongolian Language Team Leaders, Brad and Jagga. They have a beautiful home and five beautiful children.