Utah’s on Fire!

I really like living in Utah (most of the time).

We have beautiful mountains with lovely canyons just a short drive away.  Hiking and skiing are popular attractions.

There are amazing rock formations and other geological features just waiting for your discovery.

Lots of pretty lakes and reservoirs offer swimming, scenic picnics, or boating.

We enjoy all four seasons.

And…

I think a lot of nice people live here.

We don’t have hurricanes. Tornadoes are mostly unheard of here. I’ve never experienced a tsunami. Earthquakes do happen, but we’ve been pretty lucky on that count.  (One, two, three, knock on wood!)

Yes, it is a desert, but it is still a good place to live!

This summer we  had an early start on the devastating wildfires that plague our state.  We had a very mild winter, a dry spring, and a hot summer which made some of the hillsides pure tinder.   At least five major fires have been burning somewhere in the state (many human caused).  Thousands of acres have burned, homes and cabins have been destroyed, and vegetation is singed and left as stubble and ash.  The air quality is even poor right now, affecting people with asthma and other respiratory problems.

The photo below was published in the Salt Lake Tribune (local newspaper).

photo courtesy Carol Gnade The Lost Lake Fire in western Wayne County grew to more than 600 acres Wednesday afternoon and continued to be out of control. The fire is 4 miles southwest of Teasdale and northwest of Capitol Reef National Park.

Governor Herbert has pleaded for people to be careful and to use caution to avoid starting any new fires. 

Everyone is praying for some relief.

* * * * * * *

Speaking of prayers, my niece Audrey and her husband Brett just had a cute little baby boy named Hudson.

Hudson had the cord wrapped around his neck when he was born and he wasn’t breathing.  He had a rough start, spending several days in the NICU, even being transported to a larger hospital, but he is doing much better now.

He got to come home from the hospital today!

Many family and friends have been praying for him and his family.

I’m a firm believer that prayer blesses and changes lives, and that we need to pray for each other as well as for ourselves.

Miracles really happen!

Get strong, little Hudson!

P.S.  I pulled out a lot of ! marks for this post.

(And I could have added a lot more!)

JoAnn

A little corner to read in….

 

A week or so ago my sister Linda and I went to the Utah Valley Parade of Homes.  It is something we do every summer.  We enjoy spending the whole day together, finding it a good time to catch up on everything, explore new neighborhoods, discover fun new places to eat, and dream a little (or a lot). 

We carry along our cameras and snap pictures of things we like and want to remember.  I thought this little reading nook was so cute.  It was hard getting a good photo since I was shooting right at the window, but I wanted to share it anyway.

As a teacher (and someone who enjoys losing myself in a good book), I love the emphasis this idea gives to reading.  How  much easier to teach kids to love reading when they have their own little space to do it in.  Also, it is so much easier when you have the books right there on display.  I would have added some kind of lamp, but I love this idea.

This idea from Pinterest was as simple as turning a closet into a little nook. (I don’t have enough closets to give one up!)

We were once told by one of our children’s teachers to make sure our kids saw us reading every day.  The teacher even suggested cutting a hole in the newspaper and pretending to read if we just wanted to watch television.

My favorite place to read when I was young was in a big tree.

“The man who does not read good books has no

advantage over the man who can't read.”

                      ^{- Mark Twain}

Well, I have now convinced myself that I need to go find a comfy spot and a new novel.

What better way to start off my summer vacation!

 

This One’s For You, Peggy!

So, summer is already racing along much faster than I want it to.

Two whole weeks have come and gone.

(Why can’t life go as quickly when you are sick, unhappy, bored, tired, or just plain restless?)

The last two weeks of school were ENDLESS and yet these fourteen days of summer have just flown by.

Yes, and I also realize

I

have

not

changed

my blog

in over a week.

I haven’t had time.

Not much to say.

Who really cares?

While some of my favorite blogs have hundreds of readers, I know I only have a small following.   While I’m not really writing this blog for fame or fanfare, and I mostly write about my family, it is nice to know someone does enjoy reading it.  Tonight my friend Peggy asked me when I was going to update things.

She faithfully checks my blog during her lunch hour and wondered why nothing had changed all week.

Thanks, Peggy, for the caring reminder and for enjoying some of the same things that I appreciate.  (Now, about learning to leave comments…..)

My week has involved some fun activities, some time in my flower gardens, and a few family gatherings.

We went to a fun birthday party for Joshua.

His mom made these cute cup cakes.

and this fun game.

I also got to tend these cuties while their parents got things ready for their move to a new house.

So there you have it-

week two of my summer vacation.

Thanks for stopping by!

JoAnn

 

The list…

 

Summer Bucket List:

(photo credit)

Now that school is out I’ve been thinking about my summer

Bucket List.

Every year I make one.

(I know, a real Bucket List is ongoing and full of big dreams, but mine are shorter, more practical,  and cover my current interests.)

Every year I only get through part of the list before the time runs out.

There is always so much that I put off doing during the winter, knowing I have my summers “off”, and then the summer seems to fly by so quickly that I’m left in a daze, with projects half done or not even started.

My "To-do List” often takes over my “Bucket List”.

Yes, I have a long list of cleaning projects, but I am determined not to let that list call all the shots this summer.

With that said, I intend to make time for some fun every single day.

Even if only for a few minutes!

So far this summer (one week down) I have already:

Played at a splash pad with my grandchildren

Gone to lunch with my husband

Rocked little babies

Played “Red Light Green Light”

Gone to a movie

Eaten at a BBQ

and

tonight we are going to eat pizza and play games with my sister and her family.

Some time during this season I hope to do some of this:

Thanks, Pinterest.

I guess I’d better get some work done now, so I can play later!

Hope you have a fun list of summer activities, too!

JoAnn

 

A few of my favorite things….

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’ve been hanging out with some of my favorite people (who probably don’t know I’ve been stealing photos from them -thanks).  I enjoy having all my family around.  Miss those who aren’t close by!

Cute little Olivia

(Irene made this cute hat!  A friend Jessica took these two photos.)

Big brother Joshua and Olivia

Our sweet birthday girl, Aubrey (the next three pictures were photographed by Liz)

Growing up too fast, Maddie

Thinks she is just as grown up as her big sister, Brooklyn

It has been a fun, relaxing weekend.

How do you spend your weekends?

JoAnn

We did it!

School is officially over for the year.

We made it!

Yeah!!!!

This week was a busy one, but it was good.

We enjoyed a beautiful day at the University of Utah on our field trip.

The weather was quite perfect.

Not too hot.

Not too cold.

We enjoyed hiking in the beautiful Red Butte Gardens, located in the foothills of Salt Lake City.

 

The flowers, trees, and shrubs were so pretty we had to stop and smell them all.

They have little signs by all the different plants so you can see what they are.  (I’ll have to go back when I can take more notice.)

Look at the size of these hostas!

The kids enjoyed looking for snails, snakes, butterflies, and other living creatures.  They loved seeing the ducks and the fish in the ponds.

(They spend forever trying to scoop up spilled duck food under the little machine so they could feed the ducks for free.)

They had some fun camaraderie and goofiness.

After we had hiked, we went next door to the new Natural History Museum where we enjoyed seeing huge dinosaur displays, as well as some interesting Native American artifacts.

.

It was a great place to visit.

Both places are included on the Salt Lake Connect Pass tickets.  We usually do that every year as a family.  It allows you to visit a lot of fun places at a reasonable price.  For $64 you can get a year long pass to visit each place once.  (They are all over the valley.)

Today, I said good bye to all my students.

So…summer vacation has arrived!

Now, if I only had some energy…..

JoAnn

 

Day three…..continued

After a very long week of feeling awful, I can now say that I think there is hope for my survival.

(I’m imagining that somewhere in the world a weathered old cowboy is throwing his Stetson hat in the air and saying, “Yipee!”)

Today was much better.

(Maybe I won’t buy Kleenex tissue stock after all!)

We had a good day at school and are looking forward to a fun field trip tomorrow.  We get to go to the University of Utah’s Natural History Museum and the Red Butte Gardens.

And….

Tomorrow evening Maddie graduates from preschool.

*   *   *   *   *

When school is out I am looking forward to doing some more exploring of our city.  A few weeks ago I attended a musical concert down town.  My brother-in-law sang with a men’s choir in the old Tabernacle.  It was an amazing concert.

I found the new City Creek Shopping Center to be quite charming.

I didn’t get to see too much of it since it was dusk when I arrived and dark after the concert, but I was impressed with what I saw.

This bridge connects the two parts.

 

Ready for a carriage ride?

I love the fountains!

And the reflecting pools

The lighting was so fun and festive.

I can’t wait to go back and explore some more!

The best part is that you can even take Trax right to the center of it all.

Well…

Thanks for the encouragement and well wishes.

It helps to know someone cares.

(Plus, it makes complaining so much more satisfying!)

JoAnn