Boy - what a busy, crazy week - a good kind of crazy!

Dearest Family,

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bill on Monday & Aunt Gaye on Thursday!  

Boy - what a busy, crazy week - a good kind of crazy!   Ryan arrived abt 7:30 a.m., fishing in the pond, fishing for one of the big ones!  He &Grandpa had fun!  Then 10:30 Gaye & Frank arrived for the day!  They had come to pick up the sheep, & also to work on Family History!  their internet is slow at their house & their Family Tree apps needed updating!  We had lunch together & a fun time working on FH. One of their devices is too old to take the new FS Tree app update so they will be getting a new one! They took the sheep home today . . . . it's been great to have the sheep clean up all our weed mess this year . . . hard to believe they ate all that dry Tansy mustard and Cheat grass.  

Then is was also Eclipse Day Aug 21  - at 11:30am  Rob, Michelle, & Ryan came out also!  We all enjoyed it together!  So very fascinating & interesting!  We were all amazed had how the temperature changed - several of us put a jacket on!  And the interesting shadows! Photo enclosed!  

Had a special time in Billings on Tuesday with Whitney at the temple! Our family was most of the small session! A nice time to practice what we preach!  And then on Wednesday the quilting began here at the house!   Had lots of special helpers this week! Next will also be a busy week!  Dad will take our RAV to get serviced for it's 42,000 mile one . . . can you believe it. So many wonderful miles in serving the people and the Lord! ! !  We love it!

We have helped several in their homes, using Zoom web trainings on the internet, visited at the Grants one evening & guess how the evening ended, helping Nathan & Bre do FH on their smart phones!  They got two names to do ordinances for next week.   Even spent one morning at the lake, a beautiful calm sunny one, with a couple of catfish to boot!

And had an amazing weekend, in Sundance Wyoming, a small branch, about 50 people in all!  These little branches are so fun!  They are amazed that we will come to them & we love it!   The spirit there was so wonderful.  Quote of the day, a young father abt 35, " I've had many people talk to me & tell be I should do FH, but  this is the first time, they actually taught me how to do it!"

This whole group including some white haired ones did really well today, all of our extra tablets were used as folks tried the apps!

Since we were so close to Devils Tower we went home that way. These Blackhills are some beautiful and unreal. The ponderosa pines and oak trees with grass every where is something else. We thought in a month when the oaks trees chg color it would be spectacular! It was fairly busy at the Park but not packed. We even made a new selfe that seemed to work better. Such an unusual rock formation with all the columns. The north side is much better looking not so much erosion from the sun and other elements. We stopped in Sheridan this evening for supper at Arby's. We saw several animals coming over the mtn, plus more smoke as we dropped in to the valley, and home by 8:30pm.

Love you all Mom and Dad

We drove to Sundance on Saturday,

Dearest Family

Happy Birthday to Micah Vehrs on August 26th!  A belated Birthday to Cheyenne Fike on August 16!  

About those anniversaries I mentioned - Bryan & Vicki celebrated 28 years on July 31 & Ken & Darece celebrated 28 years on August 18th.   Kenny & Rosie celebrated 3 years on August 14th. We enjoyed Grandma Darece & Lucy visiting that day.  She was tending while Kenny & Rosie celebrated in Billings!

We have had a wonderful week!  So great to see Ryan, Rhonda & Quinn, sure enjoyed dinner with them at Rob & Michelle's on Monday evening. Josh & Krysta were also there & it was great!   Rob, Michelle & Quinn stopped by on Thursday Morning, just to visit & play!  Then on Friday Quinn caught his first ever fish - Where?   In Grandpa's pond!  He loved it & caught quite a few of our bluegills, even several of the big guys, the ones that are bigger than Grandpa's hand!  He & Ryan had a wonderful time! Also the proud grandparents (Rob & Michelle)  & proud great grandparents!

Dad & I enjoyed the sun on Big Horn Lake one morning! Just fishing, no catching! Guess we will do our fishing at Grandpa's pond where the catching is better!

Hurray, Nathan & Bri's quilt is finished & Whitney & Choc's is on the frames & the stiching has begun!

We drove to Sundance on Saturday, lots of smoke the whole way! Other than that it was a nice drive and opportunity to do training with Pres Valdon and wife who live in Sundance but he is Pres of the Moorcroft branch. We had done our homework which TFHConsultants are supposed to do now. It makes it so your patron has quick success in getting a name for temple work.  Both were able to print out a white card for temple ordinances. We stayed the night with the Turnbulls in Gillette and will for the next few weekends.

Today was a special day in Moorcroft, Wyoming! As we were checking out the internet in the building this morning we were greated by a brother,  "Oh, you are Joy's parents!"  He was Dak's Uncle Chuck & we also visited with his Uncle Rod. 

 

The spirit was great & the people are excited about the work!  But like many of the other wards & branches just a few people are involved & the Lord wants each member to be involved!  It will come!

We've included one of the video's which we showed at Big Sky!

Love you all!

My Oh My Time does fly! So much has happened in the past weeks!

My Oh My Time  does fly!   So much has happened in the past weeks! 

July 17, 2017    Conner Keith Grant joined our family,  weighing in at 7 lbx 2 ozs, he is a wonderful little guy!

Aniversary's Celebrated!!! Ethan & Bekah's 3rd Anniversary July 19,,  Bryan & Vicki's 28th Anniversary, & this week, Kenny & Rosie's 3rd Anniv & Ken & Darece's 28th!

Birthday's Celebrated!!!!   Vicki's Bd July 21, Talons 16th Bd on July 22; Ethan's Bd August 1 & Bekah's Aug 3.  Uncle Frank on August 5th,  & Joy on August 8.& today is Camille's 5th Birthday!

The most exciting activity of the past month was our Family Reunion at Big Sky Montana!  It was so great to be with all who came! Allen's Family,all 7 of them.  Joy's family, Joy & the three girls,  Darece's Family; Ken, Whitney, Kaitlyn, Talon, Rosie, Lucy & Lexie; Bo, McKenzea, Athena & 3 week old Conner;  Vicki, Bryan, Chris;  Micah, Kirena, Emerson & Cozy!   We so enjoyed having all of your there,  We know the rest of you would have liked to be there too but understand you all have schedules to meet as life moves on. Big Sky next year is Aug 4 - 11  2018

During the past month we have been many places, 2 wards in Cody, a Bozeman YSA ward, the Gardiner & Ennis branches in Montana,  While we were on each of these trips we also did other training!   A special experience from the YSA ward; after viewing the Promised Blessings of Family History video, a young man responded, "I want all of them & to think they are available right here using this" & he held up his smart phone.  Ennis & Gardiner are small branches, Gardiner has a beautiful little chapel up on the hill above town, with only a handful of members, the rest of those attending 20-30 were tourists traveling thru the area!

Then on Saturday, we headed to the eastern side of the area we serve in, to Newcastle, Wyoming, staying with Ron Moody, a Lovell native. Since it was only 60 miles more to Mt Rushmore we decided to visit there also!   So very amazing! We live in the most wonderful country, I'm so very grateful for it! I have included a few pictures, I loved the flags leading up to the viewing area - believe it or not, we did take a selfie.  As you can see it was rainy for 10-15 minutes, but then let up & was sunny!  

A 600 mile plus wkend our longest so far! We had a wonderful time with the, Newcastle ward with a new Bishop. We spoke in Sacrament mtg then presented the Gatherers in the Kingdom ppt trg materials second hr then did hands on trg using the FS Tree app 3rd hr. There were about 50 people including teens these two hrs of trg. A wonderful spirit and excitement was felt in all the meetings!  They have a TFHConsultant that is actually using the apps, she was trained by the HC man we trained last fall.

We have had weekly fishing trips to the lake - and even caught a few fish! The lake is right at full level and more free of trash now. The fishing will get better now the level is stable and the water is clearing.  Each day is filled with new & exciting things.  It is wonderful to serve & help people!

Love to all of you!