Mike In Cambodia

Mike was sent to Cambodia for a conference and he was able to see the ancient lost city of Angkor Wat. It was a built in the 12th century as a religious shrine to the Hindu god Vishnu (Mike saw a lot of shrines to Vishnu in India). He loved being able to explore there.

"Sex, Wives & Videotape" in Florida

Kirk and I went to Ft. Lauderdale last week for the National Sheriff's Convention. Kirk was a conference attendee and a presenter. His workshop was listed as "Polygamist Cults: Your County Could be Next" —but he told the group that the real title was "Sex, Wives and Videotape." I went to the presentation and Kirk did a great job. He introduced me as his "favorite wife" and I think several there thought he was really serious - doesn't everybody in Utah have multiple wives? After he got his presentation out of the way, and in between his meetings, we had a great time in Ft. Lauderdale - what a beautiful city. We loved the ocean, and the water taxi which took us past the homes and yachts of the rich and famous. For Father's Day we went to the top of the Hyatt Regency because one of Kirk's friends at the conference said they were having a buffet there. For some dumb reason we all thought it was free to those staying at the hotel. After we were already seated and given our drinks, etc., we realized that, not only was it NOT FREE, but it was $65 per person! Needless to say, that was the most expensive Father's Day we've ever celebrated—oh well, its only money! The view was fabulous and the dinning area slowly rotated, so we got quite the view of the whole city, harbor, and beach. We were able to take a couple of trips into the everglades to see alligators and swamp critters. Kirk also did a half day of deep sea fishing. After the fish were cleaned, we took them right over to one of the restaurants on the harbor and they cooked it all up for our lunch—talk about yummy FRESH fish! It was a great vacation. Now its back to the grind.

Skype Kisses

Kirk and I love Skype! That's the only way we get to see Mike's family in China and Kenny's family in D.C. We also see Shellie's family on the screen now and then (even though we get to see them in person more often).We get to watch the grandkids grow up in front of our eyes. And, even though its not quite as good as being there - Skype kisses, shared songs, missing teeth, the latest bug catch, art projects, jam sessions, and baby's first steps look and sound pretty cool on the computer screen. How blessed we are to have such great technology at our fingertips!

A Great Day at Chesapeake Bay

We had such a fun day at Chesapeake Bay with Kenny and Christan and their family. It started with shark tooth hunting (let the record show that I found the biggest shark tooth - Kirk's was a little smaller, but more complete, so he's trying to claim superiority!). All the kids had a great time—Drew especially liked eating the sand! Besides the sharks teeth - the next best discovery was a live horseshoe crab. Everyone got a big kick out of checking it out and then sending it back to the ocean. The highlight of the day was probably our crab fest meal at a local favorite restaurant. The owners had to give all us Utahns a personal lesson on how to crack the crabs and get out the most meat. You should have seen Corbin pounding his crab with the hammer - he wasn't shy at all! It was so fun to be with family on a perfect day on the East coast!

Missing Those Baseball Games

Everytime Kirk and I are on Little League Drive in Santa Clara, a flood of memories come back—we sure spent a lot of time at the baseball and softball fields while the kids were growing up. That was such a busy time, but so fun - and these two old empty nesters really miss it. So when Kenny was giving Kirk details about Corbin and Bailey's first time playing baseball, Kirk hung up the phone and said, "we need to go see some baseball games!" I checked flight prices and we got a great deal to D.C. for only $208. It felt kind of crazy dropping everything and just going spur of the moment, but it was a lot of fun. Kirk helped Kenny coach, and they all had a "ball." Now. . . I wonder when we'll find a killer deal to China!

Hot Car & Hot Family!

Last time we were in Vegas to visit Shellie and George, Kirk got to take a spin in George's Red Firebird. The kids joined for a shorter ride around the cul-de-sac. Aren't they all so cute. Caynen was just learning to crawl - but he sure didn't like the feel of the grass on his legs!

A Walk Down Memory Lane at the Farm in Leamington, Utah

On Memorial Day I went with my parents, my brother Bob, and my sister Julie and their families to the farm of my Grandparents, Oxel and Maude Johnson in Leamington, Utah—a little town of about 150 people between Delta and Nephi. My Grandfather's parents joined the LDS Church in Sweden and immigrated to Utah before he was born. My mother was also born and raised in Leamington, and I have great childhood memories of visiting Grandpa and Grandma there on their farm. I would spend at least a week each summer there with them - it was a kids paradise: I helped Grandpa milk the cows in the barn (picture above) that is still there on the property, gathered eggs with Grandma, walked the railroad tracks, looked for baby kitties in the haystack, rode horses, walked to the store to buy penny candy, rode with Grandpa on the tractor, swam in the canal, and walked across the cornfields to play with my cousins. On Memorial Day we visited the old church, which is now a museum. It was built on property that my Great Grandparents donated to the church. My parents still own the land that my Grandparents farmed. It was a great day remembering them and the sacrifices they made so that we could have the blessings of the gospel in our lives. Kirk and Scott weren't quite as interested in my childhood memories, so they spent the day hunting trilobite fossils near Delta. They actually found some and had a great time.