A Reception in Mesa

Danny and Dalena scheduled an open house in Mesa for friends and family late in August. Jack and Lisa and I drove down for it.

This is actually the last picture I took before we went home - but it was the only one I got of the bride AND groom! They're standing on their front porch, in front of the sign that Kurt Umbrell made for them as a wedding gift. Pretty cool.

Here's my beautiful daughter-in-law in her wedding dress and an apron. So typical! :o)

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, Dalena made this little bear bride and groom. Man! Is she ever talented! We got to watch her decorate and sugar the cakes. She is a professional!

I asked David to pose by the watermelon canoe he created and this is what I got. I think everyone in this family is very artistically creative! Notice the wooden spoon paddles strapped on the sides of the canoe!

Bernie is stirring up some fresh fruit juice in one of Dalena's "big jugs."

Another picture of the gorgeous bride!

Dalena really loved this wedding book that Reagan made for her and Danny. And Reagan was so excited to see this picture posted on Facebook.

Family Reunion, Jace's Baptism, ACapella Stock (08/22/09)

Happy Birthday Amberly and London!

Another Family River Trip

Movin' on Out (08/11/09)

Joann and Justin and their family stayed with us for a couple of months until they could get into their new house...

A Grose Family Camp Out

Domo Arigato - Jeff's on a Billboard!

I've been trying to get a photo of this for weeks! Every time I spot it, I'm without my camera. Leila sent me this picture, so I thought I'd post it right away! Domo arigato, Leila!He's kinda handsome, huh?

Finally!!!

We've waited a long time for this! We are all so thrilled to have Dalena in the family! We love her, and we love the Schellenbergs! Danny and Dalena were told they had to wait a year for their sealing. That was disappointing news. But...a wedding is a good thing - no matter where it takes place!We all met at the temple for an endowment session in the morning. That was wonderful! It literally took my breath away to walk into the chapel and see my children and their spouses sitting on the back row, waiting for us. what a humbling experience! I love my family and I'm so grateful for them! John, who is bishop of his ward, was given permission to perform the ceremony.Beautiful couple!!!
Cutting the cake
Ha ha! I love this one!Their first dance as a married couple
Well said!♪♫♫♪"Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night!♪♫♫♪

Shrimp Boil

We invited the Schellenbergs and some of Danny's close friends to join us for a shrimp boil at the stake camp tonight. We rented a huge blow-up for the kids to play on. After dinner, we hung a couple of piñtas from the ceiling - lots of candy and money and a lot of laughs!Dan and Dalena at the shrimp boil
Balloons for decorations were Dalena's idea. I think it looked quite festive!
Potatoes, corn, shrimp and sausage - all boiled up Cajun style. Yum!
Kurt and Carrie and J.B. and Ashley and their families came. It was good to see the friends together again!Dinner wouldn't be complete without Sharon's home-made ice cream!One of Dalena's nephews - happy with his loot!

A Bridal Shower for Dalena (blank)

Schellenberg/Arrington River Trip

Danny and Dalena thought it would be a great idea to get the two families together on a river trip! Most of the Schellenbergs were already in Island Park, visiting their family, so they drove on over to Alpine and we took them on a couple of runs. Magdalena and Cary, Dalena's mom and sister-in-law, were a little nervous about going down. In fact, they hid in the bathroom when we loaded up for the first run. But, they went on the second run and had a great time.The first group of Schellenbergs. They are officially Mad Hatters!Just before we gathered people for the second river run, Dan and Dalena came out with their river hats! How appropriate!Here are the folks on the second run, with the bride and groom, and Magdalena in the moose hat!After the river runs, we had Dutch oven cabbage chicken and peach cobbler. I think they liked it!

Justin's Ordination (blank)

Family Cookout and Backyard Movie

Many of the family went to the Pioneer Days Parade the morning of the 24th. Later on that day, we met at Jeff and Angie's for a cookout and some outdoor theater.There was lots of good food...And of course, Sharon's home-made ice cream!Yum!
.And a movie after dark. We love summer!

Family River Trip

Clearing the Forest

Over the years, our backyard has gotten way too shady! With the new garden, we knew we needed to clear it out a bit. We put out the call and got lots of help! What a great family!Bryan climbed high into the tree to start cutting this first one!Of course, Sharon was right there with the chain saw - she enjoys using that as much as her blow torch!Thanks for all the help, y'all! We so appreciated it!The guys had to climb up on the roof to get some of the taller branches!Help from older kids and younger - making sure the tree falls the right way!When we finished cutting, the yard was FULL of trunks and branches!

Plain City Softball Tournament

We returned from Seattle to find Joann and Justin and their family settled in our basement. They are in the process of buying a home, and needed a place to stay, since Justin's brother Joe and his family returned from law school in TX and wanted their home back (a month early). Sooo, the day after they moved in, Mike called and invited Justin to play on a team for the Plain City 4th of July softball tournament. We packed up the kids and headed west. Justin, Jeff and Tyler, Gus, and Mike all played on the team, and when one player had to leave during the first game, Jack went in! Angie, Amy, Sharon, Joann, Amy's mom and sister-in-law and I were among the very vocal and enthusiastic fans! The guys won the first game, so played a second. They narrowly lost that one, but since it was double elimination, they played again - then they won and played again, and again and again! The games started at 6 PM and we didn't leave the park until 11:30!!! The kids played and played and played - and had a blast. The guys were hammered, but loved every minute of it! And all the fans had as much fun as anyone there!Here's a shot of the field. Gus was on 3rd, Jeff was left field, Ty was rover and Mike pitched.Jack was catcher, same as he was on the Blacker Furniture Team about 25 years ago!Justin played 1st. He and Gus saw a lot of action and are both still excellent ball players. All our guys were GREAT!!! Ty was all over the field as rover, and caught a ton of fly balls!Here are some of the loud and obnoxious fans! What fun we had! We named our team The Fogeys, because all but about 4 of them were between 36 and 66 years of age!Dad stayed until after the 3rd game - around 9:30 - then he decided it was past his bedtime, so I ran him home. He so enjoyed watching his family play ball!

GFOA in Seattle

We went straight from the reunion to the Salt Lake Airport, where we flew to Seattle for the GFOA Convention. In Seattle, we were able to meet with Dale's daughter, Shanna and her fiance, Eric. They met us for dinner at the India Bistro. Great choice of restraunts! We loved the Indian food! We enjoyed meeting Eric too, and visiting with Shanna is always a treat. What a cute girl she is!

The White Reunion

We left the rest of the family at Bear Lake and drove north to Montpelier for the annual White Family Reunion. There was not a huge turnout this year, and we were only able to stay for an hour and a half - but it was worth it. It was great to see family that we don't get to see very often!

Bear Lake Cabin

We had the opportunity to spend a few days at the Rasmussen's cabin in Garden City. We went with Jeff and Angie (the Rasmussen's are her parents) and Mike and Amy and their kids. Amberly stayed at home with the Boli because she had a soccer tournament. Jack and I took a couple of Bryan's kids (Jenna and Jace) up with us. We all had a great time! I believe the cabin has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a living room, family room, kitchen and a loft. There was lots to do and the kids had a blast with the Wii, the 4-wheelers and Mike's wave runner and tube at the lake. We also spent time at the Sweetwater swimming pool.Here's a shot of the cabin.The view was amazing!4-wheelers, fun at the lake, campfire and, of course s'mores and the kids all zonked.I snapped this picture of all the kids right before Jack and I left for the White Family Reunion.

Cherry Days 2009

Lisa and the Barbers got up early for the Kiwanis Breakfast at the Park.After breakfast, we headed over to the parade - where we met more of the family. Jenna and Jace were on the Sounds of Time float. Jack announced in front of the Baptist Church again.Dad and I went to watch Sounds of Time perform at the park. Both Jenna and Jace are in the show this year. Great show!Here's a cute pic of the kids with their Great-Grandpa Grose. He goes to their shows whenever he gets the chance!
Before fireworks, we met with some of the Kofords for a cookout and fun in Mike and Amy's big back yard.There was plenty of room for games - water slide, croquet, who-knows-what and tug-o-war.Can you tell it was a long, long day for Jack? Haha