Idaho Falls Temple

On Thursday this week we headed north to the Idaho Falls Temple...we left an hour plus before the session and arrived in 40 minutes!  much better than the 2 hours to Billings and the temple there.  Lovely day and lovely event.  Isn't my husband handsome?  love him eternally!!

Cub Scout Bicycle Rodeo

 Joel had Cub Scout Pack Meeting tonight - a bicycle rodeo at their church parking lot.

 The Sheriff came and gave the kids a good talk about safety.

 The had a maze on the parking lot, and this newspaper throw on the side - it was hard to get the papers into the white baskets - I told Joel the front porches are larger!

 Part of the obstacle course for the kids to ride through.

Joel and his cool bike - nice activity - glad we could be involved!

Williams Wall and Grandma's house

 This is Polly and Chris's back yard fence - with Shasta!

 Polly mourning the death of her plum tree!

 The blocks for the wall are just like huge Legos!!

 Dad's Grandma Jerry's house in Pleasant Grove.  We stopped and it looked like no one was living there so we walked around a little bit.

This is Ted from the house next door.  He came over  to see what we were up to -- Grandma LaRue Smith had a brother Harold - who lived next door - they shared the barn and chicken coop that are still in the back yard.  This man, Ted, is Harold's grandson - Dad was named after this Harold - so we totally have a certified redneck cousin - in Pleasant Grove Utah!!

Provo City and Pleasant Grove Cemeteries

 Memorial Day - Dad and I got flowers to place on our parents graves.  Here is Gramps and Granny's in Provo.

 They had a Memorial program in 45 minutes but we didn't want to wait for it - the Timpview Band was playing and that was nice - love, love, love patriotic music!

 Polly and Dad at his parents graves - last picture adding his Smith grandparents to the event.

 Pleasant Grove City Cemetery - like a huge flower garden...do some of you remember us going to a cemetery on Memorial and putting flowers on a grave that didn't have any?  Since we lived so far from our relatives...I've wondered if anyone came and wondered who put flowers on their relatives grave?

Eli's 10th Birthday party

 On Sunday evening we drove to Provo for Eli's 10th Birthday party - here are some of the kids on the Kroeber's swing set...note Baden falling off the slide!

 Georgia loves playing with Harry Potter's magic wand!!

 GeGe with her pretty mother and still holding the wand!

Fairbanks, Kreober's and Pike grandchildren - lots of love here!!and wiggles, and smiles! Fun evening.

Last of the Heroes Field

 This man was honoring a soldier killed that was from Idaho - his shirt has "In memory of..." we learned that the large crosses with Idaho;s fallen, also had small crosses in the Field of Heroes...this was touching.

 There were these plaques from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War - listing numbers served, Killed in Action, Missing in Action, and Wounded in Action - same stats for Idaho.

 These are Medal of Honor winners from all wars - their stories are amazing of courage and honor.

 One from Preston!

This Prisoner of War from these two wars was interesting - these have all been released - one left - hopefully will be released soon.
We are feeling very grateful to these brave men and women, and to ALL we serve today - some we dearly love and are proud of!!!

More Heroes

 There were two rows of men and women from Idaho who had been killed - this is the first of the two - larger crosses and a picture and information about them...first ones killed on Sept. 11, 2001 - last one in April of this year...very sobering.

 Dad looking at the Idaho Crosses - notice the smaller ones behind them.

 There were large blue posts and information about several Medal of Honor winners - both those killed and those live recipients.

 Those near Pocatello had more decorated crosses - I noted there were three from Preston - LaNore's hometown:  Ronald T. Wood, Cody O. Moosman, and Matthew K. Courtois.  The red star on this cross was a note from a fellow warrior - saying I was honored to serve with you and I will never forget you - sad.

I commented to a care taker that I was pleased with the Jewish Stars of David markers - she said this is the first year they have done that - that the Jewish community came to them and requested to provide their own markers for their soldiers - what a refreshing event, instead of suing and having a fit - see a solution and go for it!  There weren't many - happened to get this picture with two of them.

Field of Heroes - Memorial Day

Century High School, on the south side of Pocatello hosts this Field of Heroes each Memorial Day.  They put up crosses on the soccer field - in view of the freeway - for each of the lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We heard about it on the radio and wanted to see it - they set it up on Thursday and have a ceremony to take it down on Monday evening, Memorial Day weekend.

 It is very emotional to see 6,793 crosses for each life lost - Dad and I both were touched deeply with the sadness and sorrow of so many families.

 How blessed we are to have men like this one, and families behind them - keeping us free.

Such a beautiful setting for a temporary Memorial for brave men, and women.

More Lindsey and girls visit

Visitor from Jamaica

Here we are outside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building with two returned missionaries from the Jamaica Kingston Mission.  Sister Nicholle Nautu from Hawaii and Elder Khevar McLeod from Mandeville, Jamaica.  Elder McLeod was Branch President in Junction after we went into Kingston to be the office couple...both are outstanding missionaries.  He came to visit her and meet her family in Cedar City - her family moved from Hawaii to work at Southern Utah University.  It was so good to see them, and get to hug!

 As we were leaving the Nauvoo Cafe in the JS Building, Sister Susan Everett from North Carolina, was walking toward the building to meet some friends  - yay!  thankful for tender mercy that allowed us to see each other, even for just a moment!  Sister Susan was the sister missionary trainer for the whole island during our mission.

 Beautiful day, beautiful temple, beautiful couple!

Khevar McLeod and others like him are the future of the Church in Jamaica - wonderful young man, terrific testimony of the gospel and awesome individual - love and hugs!

More Maddie's Play

 Beautiful Queen of the South - Maddie Jo Smith - sorry my camera has blotches on the face of some - I'll try and get it fixed somehow - take it to Utah and have Heather Kroeber look at it!

 Maddie with very proud grandparents!

 Clark and Fave helping the bouncy house to be deflated!

 Christian also 'helping' - cute, fun kids.

Emily and Emma passing out popcycles for Savanna's birthday - this was the last day of school so Savanna got to bring treats to her class - and other friends.

Maddie's Play

 Tuesday morning we drove to Parker and tended darling Clark and sweet Faye while Emily had a doctor's appointment - they are so much fun!  Kurt and Emily came back and brought yummy sandwiches for us to eat as we drove to the school for Maddie's play.

 Maddie is in the pretty purple dress in the center - she did very well - all the students did.  The Cloverleaf Middle School meets for classes on Tuesdays - and they got their lines down, built the set, got their costumes all in 10 weeks - meeting just once a week - pretty impressive!

 Closer of Maddie - but our zoom makes things fuzzy!  probably could be changed but I don't know how!

The curtain call at the end of the play.  It was titled: "Princess Who?" and was really cute.

 More encore pictures - all the kids were having a blast.

The fairies have the wings - fun play - Maddie was Queen of the South - plus Nosy - one of the dwrafs - loved watching her.  Grandma and Grandpa Sheffield and Emily's brother and sister-in-law with two little girls also come...that was fun.