The Five Plus

 The addition of spouses and three grandchildren add to the mix.  (Oh, yes, and mother, too.)

The years go by, and people change, but it is wonderful to have all five of my addition to our combined family come to their step-sister Jennifer's funeral in Olympia.  Their presence was much appreciated by all, and it was good to see them in one place, after many, many years.  Dorothy and Sara came from North Carolina, Tony from Las Vegas, Pat from The Dalles, and Brig from Sequim - all of the trips a sacrifice, but not even considered in that light.  Thanks for family solidarity.

How About This?

We were able to get Bethany to pose for a picture - under duress, certainly but you can't tell that by the smile! She is growing up very fast. A summer of working at Burger King in Cody and hoeing beans in Burlington really did some character building. Bethany said that the bean hoeing was harder, but far more lucrative. It's good to let another generation have that blessing. And Rylee does a dance with Brittany - We really enjoyed our visitors. Denton never changes - I could just find an older picture of him, and we wouldn't know the difference. Benjamin has grown this past year. He contented himself with playing with toys downstairs for most of the time.

Happy Birthday, Denton!

This picture was taken a few years ago when Denton graduated from high school. Since then, he has served a two-year mission in Michigan, and is in his second term at BYU-Idaho. I think that this picture reflects his happy attitude about life - it's difficult to keep Denton depressed, even when tough things happen in his life. Happy Birthday to you, Denton! May this next year be even better than the last. Our love to you, Grandma and Grandpa G.

Seth & Denton Visit

As you can tell, the conversation was serious! Ron and Seth deep in conversation. University of Wyoming student, Seth, and brother Denton from BYU-Idaho. We enjoyed these two young men - Denton enjoying college at Rexburg, returned from his Michigan mission last October, and Seth, coping with my old alma mater in Laramie, ready to put in his papers for an upcoming mission. We had a good time - lots of food, some pool to play, and lots of visiting made for an enjoyable time.