June, 2018

The Conference Center is in full swing because it's summer! We get hordes of tourists from all over the world plus youth conference kids and leaders. The kids have been great, but often seem more exhausted than their leaders! I admire their leaders so much because as we know, they're foregoing family time, and using hard-earned vacation days to go to youth conference. God bless them! 

Speaking of the conference center, I got to take this family through who were from Michigan. "Michigan!" I exclaimed. "I have a granddaughter serving a mission in Michigan! Where are you from?
"Lansing!" they answered."Oh My GOSH!" I said,"That's where she's serving! Her name is Sister Hallstrom."
"Sister Hallstrom? She's in our ward!" (side note: I don't know how to punctuate or write conversations correctly. That is the ONLY thing that has kept me from becoming a world famous writer).

That encounter was just such a sweet testimony to me of how the Lord is aware of each of us:

Matthew 10: 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Also, last Friday I took a couple through who were from Paris and didn't speak a word of English other than "Hello" and "Magnifique" which they said with a flourish and a smile. Because my dad served his mission in Paris and Geneva, and my sister Aunt Julie served her mission in French-speaking Quebec, I had this vague notion that I'd be able to understand them. Fortunately I had guidebooks in French.  I also relied on "Google translate" which worked like a charm. The man's name was loosely translated as "Lemuel" and he got a laugh when looking at the painting of Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon gallery, I told him they were "naughty boys" just like him. They tried to slip me some money after the tour was finished, so now I get to join the club of guides who have had people try to tip them.

We started my mom on a mild anti-anxiety/anti-depressant and despite our trepidation it seems to be working beyond our wildest expectations. The difference has been astounding. She spends all of her days now out in the commons area watching The Sound of Music, Lawrence Welk and Andy Griffith, listening to the non-stop-hard-working activities director try to teach "school" to them (it's comical actually - for instance, here sit 10 or 15 frail, dementia-ridden students, and she is teaching them about never giving up. And asking them questions just like you would in school. And probably getting the same blank looks that a lot of middle school teachers get come to think of it! They take them outside for walks and on field trips. Last Friday they took them to the International Peace Gardens and I came "this close" to calling them to tell them NOT to take my mom because it was too hot. But when I googled the weather the high was 89 degrees, which was 7 degrees cooler than the blast furnace it was on Thursday, so I didn't call. I wish I had, because my mom tripped on her field TRIP, stepped on the edge of the sidewalk as it gives way to the grass, which made her fall. She pulled someone down with her too. She has a scraped up knee and elbow but seems to be okay. The other person is okay too.

I've started getting the Fairy Garden area ready for the family reunion in July! (picture me rubbing my hands together gleefully). Those are my "Wyatt" pumpkins in the back.

And I swear this is my personal "Wyatt" robin. He's big and noble and fearless and has a large breast and he always comes to see me when I step outside, or look out the kitchen window or occasionally lie down in the hammock. (I should do more of that!).

We took a fantastic get-away up to our old Sweat Family stomping grounds, Ledgemere picnic grounds up Big Cottonwood canyon. Truman threw 500 rocks into the stream.

Lauren just rocks.

And Calvin is a big boy all of a sudden.

They can try throwing gang signs, but they're all just "12-year-old-gangsta-boys!"

Jane can't pull it off, even with a backwards hat :-) I think it's so sweet that Jane still wears her Wyatt bracelet.

Eli biding his time waiting for puberty to hit.

Cal and Vivi built a raft and watched it float downstream.

and of course we had to play the "Knock over the Coke cans with rocks" game! I DIDN'T KNOCK OVER ONE CAN!!!

Two-year-olds are the best.

10-year-olds too.

And 17-year-olds.

All seven kids were able to make it which was unprecedented! Cindy said she likes to play a game where she tries to get a candid shot of all seven kids together, and even though this picture only looks like there are six of them, Eli is DIRECTLY behind Reagan. You can barely see his back poking out behind her.

They gave me a heart attack hoisting Truman up into this crevice but he loved it.

He did NOT love the "cave" though! When Tony and Cindy told him it was a "bear cave" he clung to them in mortal fear! I can't believe he would know that a real bear would be scary. We spent the rest of the time reassuring him that the bear was gone, no bear, no bear, no bear. At one point he finally got enough courage to stand about 50 feet away from the cave and growled in its general direction!

Here's Tony growling into the cave while the other six were inside.

And finally, a zen moment with my mom doing Tai Chi at Sagewood. We should all be on anti-depressants. Note to my chidlren - when I'm at Grandma Hiatt's stage in life, I want XANEX!!