"Happy Pioneer Day, Dear"

Yesterday at work, I had a little old lady call to see about getting some new nasal cannulas for her oxygen equipment.  I told that we could certainly get that to her and told her a driver would deliver it in a few hours.  She was surprised that we could be there that fast.  She insisted "it wasn't an emergency" but I told her I had a driver in the area and he should have what she needed on his truck. 

"Oh, thank you, dear," she said in her shaky little old lady voice.

I told her she was welcome and to please let us know if there was ever anything else we could help her with. "Ok," she said, then added "Happy Pioneer Day tomorrow."

"That's right," I said. "I had almost forgot."

Then she added, "I'm sure glad I'm not a pioneer.  But happy they were."

We chuckled together and then I let her go.

It made me smile....I'm glad I'm not a pioneer too, but glad they were.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part 2

Another shot from the trail:

This marking is called "Brigham's Arrow" and pointed the traveling pioneers coming from Ft Bridger toward Emigration canyon where they'd first see the Salt Lake Valley.

This is The Boy's family...he is the one hiding his face from his mother.   His family name was "InCristo".

 And this is the trail from Ft Bridger...to Brigham's Arrow.  If these pioneers didn't know they had the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, what else on earth would make them want to travel here?!?!

Review and Preview

On one of our days in San Diego, we stopped to do a little sightseeing in Old Town.  One of the stops was the Mormon Battalion museum/visitor's center.  It was delightful.

 It was well done and very interactive.  The sister missionaries were great too--even Sister Rasmussen, from Orem, who was only on her 3rd day on the mission.

 It is hard to imagine the physical trials the battalion members faced.

 Or the difficulty of their journey.

But I can understand their faith in going and  their trust in the Lord to get them through it.

It kind of reminds me of all these darlings....from Trek three years ago.  

And Sunday we were told the dates of next summer's stake youth trek...June 13-14-15.  

Makes me giddy thinking about it.

Pioneer Day

Today is the official Pioneer Day holiday in this state.  Genius Golfer has the day off, and The Boy left this morning for a week long high adventure camp at Flaming Gorge with his troop today.  The Girl had swimming this morning and then had to work.  I am home doing laundry--it just never ends.

But for what it is worth, I thought I would post just a  bit about the gratitude I have for my own pioneer ancestors.

Mine never crossed the plains in handcart companies headed for Zion.  But they crossed oceans to make new lives in America; they looked for opportunities that took them further west; they fought in the Civil War and many wards since then to provide my family a safe and secure land.

And more recently they exercised their faith and joined a church that brought them understanding and happiness.  A Church with the restored Priesthood and eternal ordinances of the temples.  A Church that requires service, standards, and even sacrifice. 

For all these pioneers, I tip my hat and give thanks for the life I have today.  They made it all possible.  For that I am forever thankful.

Days of '47 Celebration

Today's Pioneer Day celebration began with The Girl helping out the YM/YW put up flags in the yards all over the ward. Then The Boy and I went downtown to the city park for the Bishop's Breakfast where The Girl met us with the YM/YW as they finished. Genius Golfer had to work today--international companies, you know, don't get Pioneer Day as s a holiday, even if the corporate headquarters is in Provo! So he skipped the breakfast, but the Kids and I are heading to his work to meet him for lunch. That is the least we can do, right?

The whole Pioneer Day holiday has been more difficult to ingrain in The Kids as more than a reason to hold the Cul-De-Sac of Fire (which begins tonight at about 8:30 PM, bring your own lawn chairs and treats!)

For Family Home Evening this week, while GG was in Vegas for work, we read some of the pioneer story online at http://www.lds.org/gospellibrary/pioneer/pioneerstory.htm and I realized that The Boy remembers very little of our Pioneer Trek East with Grandma and Grandpa Boom on 2003. We stopped all along the Pioneer Trail as we traveled back to a crazy family reunion in Minnesota. We saw Nauvoo and Winter Quarters, Council bluffs and Carthage Jail. We stopped at Independence Rock and Martin's Cove. We even saw Mount Rushmore and Walnut Grove (Laura Ingall's home). What kid wouldn't have remembered all that?!

Perhaps, they don't remember the whole trip because their crazy mom forced them to take photos together standing inside an OUTHOUSE! Yeah, well, I guess, looking back, I can't really blame them for blocking that part out. For all that we get to do to celebrate today, we say THANKS to the Pioneers who came before us. Though, I doubt the Pioneers of Old would even recognize our version of celebrations.


Have a safe Pioneer Day with your family, and I'll get some Cul-De-Sac of Fire photos posted tomorrow, unless we are all arrested! I'll keep you posted here, unless I need to post bail for GG!