To Vernal with Jack

Jack and I drove to Vernal one Friday. We wish our mission was a happier one. It was for the funeral of Ian Brown, son of our dear friends from Memphis, Erin, Clayton and Anya. He passed away in his sleep after a decade of decline due to San Felipe Syndrome. I was impressed with Jack wanting to come with me to support his friend, Anya. Perfect attendance is so important to him. He'd been chastising me for months about taking him out of school to go to the Ranch last spring. But for his friend, he didn't hesitate. He was so sad for Anya and cried at the funeral and remembered to pray for her the following week.

While we were there we made a quick stop at the Natural History Museum.

Labor Day in Ogden

On Labor Day we went to Ogden's Tree House Museum. It was the last free day for the Military.

While were in that neck of the woods we drove up to Perry and bought three boxes of DEEE-licious peaches! We feasted on them for days, then cut up the rest and froze them for smoothies.

We're going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

I was lucky enough to be a chaperone for the kindergarten day at the zoo.

Talmage Keeping Busy with Scouts and Young Men

These boys camped in the rain then hiked 5 miles the next day! Tough boys!

Tal went to a BYU baseball game with the YM and YW. Karly said Talmage became a hero to her children because he gave $5 of his pocket money to a homeless lady. That's our tenderhearted Tal.

1st Day of School 2013

Tracer Eraser ready for the Kindergarten Adventure!

 Jack of the full-bodied hair, ready for 3rd grade.

Cole was born ready for 5th grade! Our speedy smarty pants.

Middle School, here comes Tal. Are you kidding me?!!! Mom only went anaphylactic a couple of times this day. My oldest going to middle school was a bit more stressful than my baby going to kindergarten.

This is so exciting!

Trace loves Mr. Holt and hasn't hesitated a single day to go into his class. He loves it! What a big kid.

Double Rainbow!!!!!!!!

Just an instance of life imitating viral videos. But for real. Isn't this the most pleasant little street? Ours is the third house up.

We're So Glad When Juli comes Home!

The day I returned from San Diego I drove directly from the airport to the nail salon, to meet six of my sisters for pedicures in honor of a visit from sister Juli! We had a great time taking over the salon and chatting across the room. Can't you tell those toes are related?

We had a lovely Thai Dinner. Juli, we wish we saw you a lot more!

Here is baby Sarah Malmborg and I. The most pleasant and beautiful baby you will ever meet.

Time out for Us

This was the view from our room at the Navy hotel in Point Loma, San Diego where Clint and I went for a week-long conference on how to get out of the Navy and into a job out there in the big world!(The Navy owns all the best views) It's always nice to get away at least once a year and just be two people. Two people have such nice uninterrupted conversations and nice peaceful walks and runs along the beach...Thanks sisters Edith, Wendy and Victoria for taking our boys. It was awesome.

Ahhh...Osaka! Our favorite sushi restaurant in the world. We went there as newly weds. Then we went with just Haley, then we went with all of the boys as they were successively added. We went about once a month all the years we lived in San Diego. 

Good 'ole combination A.

We really did a ton this week in San Diego and didn't take many pictures. We were too busy enjoying the moment. The seminar was HUGELY helpful in aiding our understanding about how to handle this career transition we are going through. We took the class with a number of old Navy friends including Cheryl Herrick and her husband Dave Lauer; and Dave Skarin. We went out to lunch as a group every day and had a great time. When you've been in the Navy for 20 years you have a LOT in common with others who've done the same.. 

We also went to dinner with war buddy Tim Buffington and his wife Rita and son Collin. Then the next night Buffy invited us to see the Airmed helicopter hangar in La Mesa. 

We also went to dinner with Jessica Ellis, then breakfast then next morning with Jessica and Robyn and Chris York.

 It was a romantic and productive week. I'm always happy to get back to the boys. They are a crazy lot, but I enjoy managing their little lives.

The 4th of Huntsville

We decided to sign the entire Cresap clan up for the Huntsville 4th Fun Run

 Clint ran the 1 mile with Trace, who ran the whole way in sandals!

 Here is a cameo of Rachel McKay Sedrick, through whom Clint and I met 23 years ago!

The rest of us ran the 5k. Cole says: "I ran the whole way without stopping or drinking water. If you run really fast when you are tired, you feel like you are made out of stone. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's endurance!" You can see Cole running neck and neck toward the finish line with the Mom pushing the stroller.

That Mom did NOT want to be beat by a 10 year old! But Cole pulled it off in the end.

Cousin Hannah McKay.finishing.

 The crazy crew. The proof that I need makeup! Talmage and I finished in about 58 minutes! Jack was well ahead of us. Poor Talmage inherited Grandma Ruth Hale's flat feet; therefore, running, walking, hiking and even biking hurts! And he got my vericose veins too! So unlucky.

Cole got to be part of the Songer parade marchers.

 My favorite entry of the day: Lyle and Lavon Allen. Lyle was a fantastic Science teacher at Valley Jr. and Snowcrest for decades. One of my best friends in highschool was their talented daughter Cynthia.
The front of the car said "Just Married!" Their shirts say "Together since 1963"

The traditional 4th of July pool party at the Mckays (the McKay's never attend. They are always busy slaving away at the snowy in the park).

 The park had about 20 thousand people for the fireworks. Most of them no one from Huntsville recognized. Not such a small town celebration, anymore. But we enjoyed hanging with the inside peeps.

Hale Ranch Reunion 2013

We had an adult lunch at Katy McKay's place of employment, Cafe Diablo. Pretty impressive. Is that even food? Yes it was, and it was delicious salman and guacamole and cactus pear. Wow.

The Almond tart with Bourbon Pear was the best thing I've had in ages.

We had a great afternoon in Goblin Valley State Park. It was HOT, but so fun.

Tracer

And meet Samuel Nuutinen. The son of my Finnish missionary companion who stayed with us for two weeks. I think this day was the highlight of his trip. He got along great with the McKay boys and, as the oldest of 4 boys and second of 6 kids, felt right at home with our 4 boys. He was a patient friend to them and they love hanging out with cool teenagers!

This is the hillside that Jack ran down then tripped and did several flips at the bottom as his mom cheered. Whoops!

Willa overlooking the goblins.

After playing in Goblin Valley some of the teens, Samuel and some of the men stayed on and hiked Little Wild Horse slot canyon, while the women and littles went back to the Ranch.

Pioneer Day at the Ranch was the best. We costumed up Ranch-style and paraded to the theater, after Dad Hale gave us the historic rules of the wagon trail, which included: "No gambling or swearing.". At the theater each of the grandchildren did a dramatic reading about one of our ancestors. Samuel gave one about his grandfather who was the first Finnish man in his family to join the church.

It was great to be with the Brians and Sandy and Allen.

At one of our night firesides, Mike sang us some Tevye songs as most of us missed singing him star in Fiddler on the Roof  back in Virginia.

Lovely Lisa led us in Zumba!

Can you see the Vicky Double in this pic?! 
The kids joined in under the porch.

It was another heavenly reunion. Being with cousins and family in the most lovely spot on earth, cannot be beat!