Puppy Love

While at work this afternoon, I got a text message from Dakin Stovall (culdesac neighbor) who said, "Just a couple of pictures to brighten you day."

These were attached:

Blythe and Elizabeth were giving the Stovall's dog Emmett a bath. Poor dog. He looks like a drowned rat. But the girls were clearly have a great time, and these pictures obviously did brighten my day.

Enchiladas for Dinner

I wanted to take dinner to a some people in my ward, including Janie Rasmussen who just had a baby. Turns out, Mom needed to take dinner to some people in her ward. Deciding to make it an event, we invited Mikayla to join us in enchilada making, and we did some for a couple of people in her ward too. So many enchiladas! In fact, we made a total of 68 enchis, in two different varieties--beef with red sauce and pork with green sauce. With the three of us working, it took just about an hour. Delicious goodness in short work. The three of us make a good team. Every time we do a project like this we say, "Maybe we should do this as a business." How many people would buy enchiladas from the DeMartini women? Stuffed pasta, maybe, but enchiladas? We'd have to really work on our marketing.

 

Red Ledges

I wanted to go and do something today, out of our house, non-work related, and fun. Eugene and Sharae and their people had gone up Spanish Fork Canyon to a place called Red Ledges and posted on Facebook about their outing. It looked interesting, was close by, and not something we've done before, so we went. Blythe chose not to join us, which is too bad, but I'm past the point of trying to convince an uncooperative person to come have a good time. So just Brandt, Kent, and I went. 

I had been under the impression that we would do some hiking in the area, but it turns out, there aren't any real trails up and away from the parking lot. There is a very steep climb up to a point where you can rappel, but it's not much of a trail, and there isn't a destination. We scrambled up a ways, then scrambled back down. Our "hike" was something of a bust. 

We drove further up the canyon and stopped to soak our feet in the stream. It was beautiful and nice to be out and about. We got onion rings and ice cream cones on the way home, as today is National Onion Day. What better way to celebrate the onion than by eating onion rings?

Evening Swim and Dinner

Now that I work all the time, I don't get to swim nearly as much as I would like. I'm not as tan as I would like, I'm not as relaxed as I would like, I'm not getting to be with my kids and my sister and her kids and my mom as I would like. To ensure I get at least one really good swim a week (only one--sob sob), I have been planning an evening where we all get together right after work, swim, have dinner, swim some more, or maybe play games. I throw something in the crock pot, Kent finishes it all up, Mom and Mikayla help prepare food, then we all meet at Mom's house. I drive right from work. It has been wonderful to know I can swim, to be all together in the pool, then to eat and talk together. For me, it has been a saving grace in this summer of work work work and little play.

Laser Tag

A couple weeks ago, we gathered with my siblings to plan out summer activities. Most of those activities I will not participate in because I am at work. I am now the one putting the funds in fun. Today was one of those activity days. It was laser tag! Mikayla and Guy took Brandt and Blythe, and everyone reported they had a great time. Here is what Mikayla said:

Brandt and Blythe's team lost the first game and then won the second game. Blythe got the number one ranking the second game. She played really well. She tagged me at least ten times. She was all over the place, and giggled every time she tagged me. It was funny.

Here is what Blythe reports:

It was super fun, but the strobe lights caught me off-guard a couple of time so I would shoot at the blue people, even though it wasn't them. I got third place the first time, but the second time, I was on fire. I ran around shooting a ton of people. Sometimes I would crouch in the corner by the ramp, and when my opponents would walk by me, they wouldn't know I was there and I would shoot them. 

Here is what Brandt reports:

It was fun! Blythe was camping, which is technically "camping." That's cheating in our family. (Blythe says she didn't camp; she moved around. I think they must agree to disagree.) I was always on the move. Me, Blake, and Luke were always moving, unless we were in a shoot out battle. 

What a great time!

Sunday Selfies

 

That Brandt.

Sunday selfies.

Always Sunday selfies.

Happy Father's Day!

De. My dad. He was a big guy. He was physically big--tall and broad, with big personality and a big heart. He drew people to him, in spite of his somewhat scary exterior. He was generous to a fault, loved his grandchildren more than he loved his children (if that was even possible), and was committed--to family, God, and country. I've never met anyone like him and I miss him BIG TIME.

George. Kent's dad. What a good man. George placed God at the forefront of his life, serving faithfully throughout his life. He willingly gave his time, talents, and means to building the Kingdom, and was committed--to family, God, and country. He went about doing good and loved others. He blessed my/our lives immearsurably.

Kent. Our very own family dad. Kent is beyond compare. He serves and serves and serves--family, friends, strangers. He is patient and kind, loves us and shows it. He sees the good, is the good, does the good. Before we were married, I realized that I wanted Kent on my team. So I used all my powers of seducation to win his heart and get him to marry me. And although he came to marriage and parenthood late, he does both beautifully. 

Happy Father's Day!

Charlie Gets Married

Charlie and Makaela got married today. It was wonderful! While temples have been closed, recently the Church opened a few for sealings only. They allow very small groups of people to come, with limited time on temple grounds to even take pictures. So while the sealing and reception and luncheon and anything has sort of been off and on and off and one again, it actually happened, and it happened in the temple.

Kent and I were very fortunate to make the short list of those invited to the actual sealing. Brandt and Blythe hung out at David and Sharon's house while we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. There were only 18 of us in the session. We waited outside the temple gate until the group before us was finished. When we were all there, the recorder unlocked the gate and let us in. We were met in the lobby by one of the temple presidency and his wife. We scanned our own recommends, then were led up to the sealing room.We didn't remove our shoes or linger anywhere. Because we were so few, the sealing room was very quiet and the spirit very strong. It was wonderful to be in the temple after months away. The sealer was a lovely man and the ceremony was very sweet. We took a few pictures with phones on some steps on the temple grounds, then were escorted back out the gate as the next group was let in. 

The luncheon was nice. Michelle and Tad had ordered lunch from Marvelous Catering, and Sharon and David and the teenagers had decorated. Kent and I helped serve, there was a very short program, Makaela had a dance with her dad and with Charlie, and then we were done until the evening.

 

In the evening, we gathered at Sun River Gardens for an outdoor reception. There was tasty nosh and visiting in the outdoors so as to avoid the spread of Covid. It was so nice to see people we don't see regularly, to eat, to be outside amongst the green growing things, and to celebrate Charlie and Makaela. We sent them off with balloons, bubbles, and kazoos, and came home happy to have been those we love doing something all about love.

Hiking the Y

Nephew/cousin Charlie gets married on Saturday, and the Brinkerhoffs are in town. YAY!! Kent and I drove to Herriman this afternoon to meet with Michelle and check out the luncheon venue, and then we met up with everyone, including Lee, Cammie, and Aaron, to have dinner. Because of social distancing, we all ate at separate tables, so it wasn't really dinner "together," but it is always wonderful to be with our favorite (don't tell anyone else!) Barri cousins. 

The youth wanted to hike to the Y this evening, and in spite of adult dissuasion, they went. We offered flashlights, a pre-hike bathroom stop, and snacks, Michelle drove them to the trailhead, and Lee met up with them so there would be some adult supervision. He also brought his radio, so we talked to him as they were all up on the Y.

Blythe reports that the hike was "AWESOME!" She said, "We beat these highschoolers, because they kept stopping like every stopping point." Our hikers stopped every two spots. Brandt said, "It was great. Uncle Lee brought candy. He said we lose calories as we hike, so the candy will help." Fine reports from the children.

They returned very late, but happy to have hiked and been with Tess, Jace, Lydia, Kate (Lydia's friend), and Lee. While they were hiking, Kent and I had a great visit with Tad and Annie and got all caught up on everyone's news. We do love being with family, and we are excited to celebrate Charlie's marriage on Saturday.

Eureka Cemetery Cleanup

This morning we went to the Eureka Cemetery to clean up the graves. Georgianne wrote a wonderful missive about the experience, and I'm going to let her tell us all about it.

Eureka Cemetery , “Do something that makes a difference”                                         June 13, 2020

Our grandparents, George and Georgina Richards, are buried in the Eureka Cemetery in the Tinic mountain area of Utah. It is an uncared for spot with some current graves but mostly full of old, forgotten and hidden grave sites originating 1894 now on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The Tintic Mining District is among the oldest in Utah. Ore was first discovered in December 1869 and was a rich gold strike. Up to January 1914 the mines had produced metal amounting to $143,295,800. The district is about six miles long by two miles wide, within the area are the towns of Eureka, and Mammoth along with others. My grandparents met and married in Mammoth which is now a ghost town. Eureka was the cemetery for these towns. Mammoth was named for the Mammoth Mine and became a boomtown, the Mammoth mine produced ore, silver and gold and was in production for around seventy five years. 

Our grandfather, George, at the age of 14, began working in the mines and became relatively independent at that young age. George met [Georgina Mordue] when he went to work in the Mammoth mine. They were married on 10 October 1905 when he was 19. Georgina was a few months older than George.

In 1962 when I began college at Brigham Young University, my mother instructed me to go to the Eureka cemetery to clean the graves. As a dutiful daughter and one loving my historic past, I drove to Eureka, took one look and was totally overwhelmed. It was a view of overgrown sagebrush, weeds, crumbling markers, dead trees and sticker plants. Where does one begin to “clean up the cemetery”! I did make a small attempt around our grandparent’s graves to pull some weeds and pick up trash but it seemed like a very small attempt. Since that time my sister, Sue, and brother, Tom, moved to Utah. Our family was the last to arrive in Utah and over the years we have gone to Eureka each Memorial Day to place flowers on the graves with assorted children to make sure things are in order. One year Mom decided the grave plot should have rocks placed on it to keep down the weeds which were always a problem and we had a huge truck load of rocks delivered and we all spread them around.

This Memorial Day May 25, 2020 Tom, Darlene, Sue and I went to Eureka with our flowers. It was a blustery cold day and we were surprised to see so much sage brush had grown all around and the poplar trees were totally dead. We decided a return trip was needed to get the trees down and the sage eliminated around the plot with the proper tools and warm bodies to help with the job.

Sue talked with her family and organized a family group to gather on Saturday June 13, 2020, Tom and Darlene with their truck, Sue’s son Christopher and his twin boys in their truck with flat bed trailer behind, Eugene with two of his boys, and daughter Katherine and husband Kent with their two kids. Everyone pitched together, Tom and Christopher cut down the poplar trees and sawed them into manageable sizes and the boys loaded them into the trailer and trucks to be hauled to the drop off zone. Darlene and Sue cut down the sage brush and we gathered and loaded it into the trucks. We pulled weeds, dug up roots, raked and cleaned until all was looking much cleaner. It took us, working together, just over an hour, an amazing feat for all that needed to be done and very satisfying and fun. It was a perfect day although a bit windy but the wind was cooling for a hard working crew in 80 degree weather. It occurred to me while bending over pulling up weeds that we were all making a difference and maybe our mom and grandparents and for some, their great grandparents were smiling down on us pleased with our efforts.