Springtime Baseball

It was a beautiful early Spring day here in Cache Valley. Stephen called and informed us that Mason had a baseball game against Mountain Crest at 4 PM just in case we might want to see him play. There was never a question about wanting to watch him play, Of course, we do. And so at the appointed hour we arrived at the ball park. It brought back a lot of memories from days gone by when we were following our own children all over Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming to watch their various sporting activities. It was fun for us back then, and after today, I must say, we haven't lost our enthusiasm for a good baseball game. Admittedly, we are a little less harsh on the umpires than we used to be, especially Iris. Mason did well and we are very proud of him. It was also great to see his family there lending their support as well. This is time well spent. It's not the most important thing in the world, but to a fifteen year-old, it obviously ranks pretty high at his stage of life. There certainly could be a lot worse activities than being outdoors on a team playing America's game. We hope we can make it to many more of our grandchildren's games and activities. We love them all so very much. So far we have been truly blessed in that regard. Below are a few pictures of the game. Logan vs Mountain Crest, 3/16/2015. We love the game of baseball, especially when our loved ones are on the field.

Friends Old and New

Friends are priceless, old friends and new friends. During the past few years we have been blessed to meet new people and many of them have become very dear to us.
After moving to Logan, Iris and I were called to teach a Temple Preparation Class in our ward. Among the first people we taught were Billy and Linda Chen. They come from Taiwan and at the time had a little daughter, Bella. We were honored to teach them about Temples and Temple Covenants as they prepared to have their precious little family sealed in the Logan Temple for time and all eternity. We were thrilled that they had this opportunity. Little Bella looked like a real live angel all dressed in white, and her parents were so grateful for the sacred sealing ordinances which bind their sweet family forever together. Since then they have had two more children, Ben and Akayla. Of course, these two were born in the covenant and bring much joy to their parents and their "big" sister, Bella. For some reason or another Bella seems to have taken a special liking to Iris and me. Whenever we see her at church she always comes running and wants a hug or to sit in my lap. Once, I was going into the cultural hall for our Sunday School Class when I felt a tug on the back of my suit coat. I turned around to see the most beautiful smile looking up at me. It was Bella.
Last night we had our English Class for the Chinese again. We do this every Wednesday. Last night was our Ward Relief Society March Social so the Chinese women who usually attend our class decided to go to that, while we had class for the men and the children. We always learn a lot and have a good time doing it. Part of our discussion last night had to do with different kinds of food, fruits and berries. I couldn't resist running home really quick and getting some huckleberries to share with our friends. They were surprised by the strong flavor carried in such small berries. We had some good conversation and played some games using the new vocabulary words we introduced during the course of the evening. I took a few pictures (surprise) and asked Bella's father, Billy, if he'd mind taking a picture of me and his children, Bella and Ben). Of course, he obliged. Now, I will share with you a few of these pictures with our Chinese friends. We have been released from our mission, but in many ways it goes joyfully on. We love these people.

The Week in Photos

The week in photos: They say a picture is worth a thousand words. By that standard I'm sure many people think I say too much, but then, the way I look at it, nobody is forced to read what I write or look at the pictures I post. This is mainly a way to keep a record of our comings and goings in our days. I am very grateful to be able to be up and about and active in so many ways. We are indeed blessed. In money we are not wealthy, but have sufficient for our needs. In time we 

are very wealthy. We have the same twenty-four hours in hour days as all of the rest of you, but at this point we have very little pressing us to do one thing or another. Nearly all of our time now is used in doing things we choose to do. We have found that keeping in touch with, and helping others, especially friends and family, keeps us busy and happy. In health we have our challenges, the ones that come with age mostly. Our bones ache from time to time and we do not move around as fast or as painlessly as we'd like sometimes. We have our issues with sinus and arthritis and fatigue, but for the most part we are very blessed and grateful to be able to do what we want to, when we want to. Our home is paid for. Sometimes we wish it were a little larger, especially when we have guests, but it is adequate for us, very comfortable, and convenient to nearly all of the things we need and love. We are debt free. We especially love being near the Logan Temple, just a four minute walk from our front door. We are blessed to have a wonderful family, most of whom live relatively close by, and means to connect with the others any time we choose. We love our neighbors and others and feel loved in return. When we have challenges, we are free to face them with joy and determination and make the most of them. Sometimes we feel like we are in the Refiner's fire, but that is fine with us. All of us need to have our character molded and improved as we seek to endure with dignity to the end. At his point in our lives we recognize just how precious time is and how little we have left before we meet our Maker. We pray we will be ready and that we can use the remainder of our lives being of use to someone in some way. Below are just a few pictures taken of our activities this past week. Life is Good!!! I am grateful!!!

A Day at the Marsh

I have long been fascinated by the beauties and idiosyncrasies of nature, all kinds of nature. Today I decided to go over to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham City. It is actually a part of the Bear River Delta just before it enters into the Great Salt Lake. With clearing skies following the early morning snowfall, I thought I might possibly catch a few good photos. I was especially hoping to see some of the many tundra swans that visit the area every year...

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A Day in the Life of Grandparents

We spent the better part of the day following the activities of some of our grandchildren. We are happy that they are a part of our lives and that their smiles bring us so much joy. These days take us back to the days when we were raising our own children. In retrospect those were wonderful days, which at the time, seemed a little tedious and sometimes stressful. To some extent, I suppose, we tend to live our own lives and dreams through the lives of those we love, our children and now our grandchildren. We didn't get around to all of them personally today, but we did make an effort. We hope they all know how much we love them and that they are always in our thoughts and prayers. Feeling blessed!!!! Below are a few pictures of the day's activities.