A Rose in Bloom

Summer is here! Our rose bushes in the front of our house are just beginning to bloom. I can't see these beautiful, delicate pink flowers without thinking about Grandpa Jackson. Bob's dad was a gardener extraordinaire! He knew all the names of things and what to do to make things grow and thrive. He ordered all the rose bushes in this flower bed and gave them as a gift to us. If they have gardens in Heaven, and I think they must, Bob's dad is happily "taking time to smell the roses"!

Pool House Project-update #2

Today we had BIG trucks at our house to pour the footings for our new pool house! (It made me wish for the days when my boys were little and loved to see construction vehicles!) We are so excited to see things take shape!

Memorial Day Weekend

We really enjoyed our Memorial Day Weekend! Early Sunday morning, Josh drove us to Salt Lake to visit my father's grave. This was Josh's first freeway driving and he did great! When we left it was barely sprinkling and by the time we got to American Fork it was a downpour! Despite the limited visability, he was calm and didn't seem nervous. He did a great job! Later Sunday evening, we went to visit Grandpa Jackson's grave---he is buried almost next door at the cemetary just across the hillside. We also saw our nephew-in-law's grave, Kimball Herrod. The rain had stopped earlier and it was so beautiful and peaceful to see all the flowers, flags, and people remembering their loved ones. I'm grateful for this holiday to help us remember those dear to us and the sacrifice of those who lost their lives while serving in the military. Monday, Grandma Mimi and John came down and we went to the movie, "Night at the Museum 2" and then had a BBQ with salmon and chicken. Fun!!!

"We love to see the temple"

Lots of Saturday mornings, Bob and I go to the temple early and do initiatories. I love to see the sun coming up and the beauty of the temple. It's a great way to start your Saturday!

Lunch with the "Has Beens"

Left to right: Tiffany Vincent, Chris Cannon, me, and Sherry Hurdle

Our old Relief Society Presidency loves to get together! We are trying to go to lunch at least once a quarter, but today we all voted to get together more often. I have affectionately dubbed us "The Has Beens". We had so much fun catching up on each other's lives, we could sit and chat all afternoon. We have decided that the "Olive Garden" is our spot for lunch on Thursdays at 11:30.

Pool House Project

Yesterday, our pool house project began! We have been wanting to have an area close to the pool where you can use the bathroom and change or rinse off. (This desire came after years of mothers frantically carrying their younger offspring through our kitchen to the nearest bathroom dripping water---I optimistically told myself that was what it was---all over the wood floor.) The sad part of this project is that we had to have two lovely big trees cut down. They are no more and we feel their loss---really! The landscaping next to the accessory driveway is being torn up today. Hopefully, in about a month we will have you all over for cool drinks at the wet bar and maybe a hotdog hot off the grill and a quick short trip to the potty if you need it!

NCAA Volleyball Championships

Last night, we went to the NCAA Mens Volleyball Championship game at BYU! It was in the Joseph Smith Memorial Fieldhouse. It was a fun, exciting event with the teams tied going into the last set! USC and UC Irvine were competing and we chose to route for the UC Irvine "Anteaters" (who came up with that mascot?). The games were all so close with USC winning the first and third sets, and UC Irvine answering back by winning the second and fourth sets. The final fifth set was so exciting and the Anteaters were victorious over the Trojans!Talk about high jumpers! It was amazing to watch these athletes! Volleyball is so fun because something is happening almost every second! (unlike football...)
When they serve they start way back and toss the ball high, high into the air and then run and leap up and smash it! (I was used to how we played in high school standing at the line and just hoping it went over the net.)Bob and I went in search of sustenance (hot cinnamon sugar almonds and a pretzel for Josh) and found that we could look in on the ground level at the game. It was incredible to watch it up close and see how really tall these players are!

Tuesday morning religion class

Every Tuesday through out the school year, our Stake Relief Society sponsors a religion class with Brother Thomas Tyler teaching. He is Amazing with a capital "A"! We all love listening to his sensitive and spiritual lessons and Liz, Donna and I don't even mind setting up 100+ chairs every time before the class!