Sunday, July 27, 2014

Refreshment

We were surprised with a blessed summer rain shower this week.
What better way to celebrate than to get in your swimsuit, twirl around, and stomp through the overflowing rain gutters, as all the kids did.
 It's a wonder the kids haven't sprouted gills. They have spent the summer either floating down the canal or swimming in a pool rain or shine. They embraced the rain as if they hadn't had water enough!
 Cannon chose this week's activity. We drove to the Manti pool and had a couple hours of enjoyment with our neighborhood friends. After we went out for ice cream.
 In the background is the beautiful Manti temple.

Kate has been spending the week at her friend's house in the city--a trip she has looked forward to all summer. According to instagram, they are having WAY too much fun--midnight runs to get ice cream? Without her our house is devoid of baked goods, pinteresty concoctions, Demi Lovato tunes and .... sibling conflict.  We miss her!  and will be glad things will get back to their normal raucousness when she returns later this week.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

We've Got Your Back

Family Reunion 2014  Payson, Utah
Theme: Family: We've Got Your Back


Our family took the challenge and memorized the entire document of 
The Family: A Proclamation to the World
It took a lot of daily practice and a few rewards in between but we got it done! and just in time for the reunion.


 Crazy Cousin times 



 While the adults were having a discussion about marriage me and the kids made these awesome paracord survival bracelets and played jump the river.
 Daily devotional
 Debut of the family gospel choir. They rocked the house with some favorites like "Rock-a My Soul" and "Give me that Old Time Religion."

 Mom being honored for her birthday with some trivia and a special delivery of her favorite banana ice cream from cold stone.
 Morning hike up the canyon.
 Big and little cousins bonding



 A little lesson in the woods about the importance of families.
 The most exciting thing about the hike was the forest monster.

Line up for one of the many meals back at the homestead.
 Water games
 Evening entertainment
 The reunion ended with an evening at the Payson Pool.

In between all that we also did some kick-boxing, played volleyball and performed skits at the church, had another adult discussion, and an outdoor movie on the lawn. A few snuck away for a late night game of ultimate frisbee and may have started a new tradition.
3 days with 70 of the nicest people = another great reunion

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Summer Style

For $3 you can get your hair styled at the beauty college. I think this is the best deal in town!
Adrie chose this for our weekly activity and invited her two favorite neighborhood friends. 
Not a guy thing, Cannon opted out of this activity and played with a friend.




 After the stylin' we went outside and took LOTS of glamorous photos.

















Sunday, July 13, 2014

Feelin' Groovy

Brandon went to a conference in Logan this week. Adrie went with a friend to Snowbird Resort. That left four of us to relax at home...and have a little fun too.
For our Wednesday activity, Kate chose to visit the local hot springs. For as much as we like to play tourist and for as few touristy things there are locally it's a wonder we haven't been here before?!  I guess there is a right time for everything and boy did we get lucky. As we later found out it was HIPPIE CONVENTION 2014 with the Rainbow Family Gathering.





 HOT





 Also on the premises was a pond full of colorful goldfish or Koi. Looks as though they are swimming in the clouds.


 If we were feeling really groovy we could have rented one of these to camp in. No kidding.
  As we were leaving relaxed from a hot soak, more hippies started trickling in. They were all very friendly. One dude with a pile of dredlocks on his head and a big yellow-stained toothy smile asked me where I was from. When I told him I was a local and that this was my first time he said, "You picked a great day because it is the Rainbow Family Gathering." He explained that it was all about peace and love, man.
The gathering I learned later from Wiki started in the 60's and 70's, is anti-commercial, all about being one with the earth, and yes full of peace and love, man.  Up to 10,000 gather at a time annually in a different national park. For all the peace there are always plenty of arrests for anything from urinating in public to nudity to drugs. What a cultural experience for us and in the middle of nowhere!