Happy Birthday Tyler and Farah, Plus Pictures from Richard and Ashley's Visit

We would like to wish both Tyler and Farah a very happy birthday. Tyler's birthday is on the 27th, Farah's birthday is today.

Richard and Ashley came out to visit us this month. They were with us from July 15th through July 21st. We saw the Hill Cummorah Pageant on Friday the 18th, went to Niagara Falls on the 19th, and took them to the Eternal Flame Falls on the 20th. They were also able to visit The Sacred Grove, the Palmyra temple, E.B. Grandin Publishing (the place where the Book of Mormon was first printed), Kirtland, Ohio, Wegman's (a really cool grocery store, unlike anything you might find in Utah County), and the Walden Galleria Mall.

These are some of the images from our visit to Niagara Falls, just prior to our very wet voyage on the Maid of the Mist (a really cool boat trip that takes passengers close to the base of Horse Shoe Falls).

This last video is kind of fun. After the girls finished singing "Happy Birthday," Anna decided she wanted in on the act. Here she is playing peekaboo with Janna.

Our Anniversary, The Eternal Flame, and Games With the Elders

Janna and I celebrated our ten year anniversary on Friday July 11th, and Saturday July 12th. I had to work at the Hospital on Friday, so Friday night we stayed home, ate Pizza from Wegman's, and watched Hellboy (believe it or not this movie was not chosen by me). On Saturday we went to the Eternal Flame Falls, which is a small waterfall that is about 20 feet in height. Behind the waterfall is a small cave that leaks natural gas. Every year in the spring the first hikers that travel to the water fall reach behind the water and light the gas (it is much safer than it sounds). The hike is quite enjoyable. A well marked and shaded path leads the way through some beautiful scenery. It is an easy hike that is about 1 1/2 miles round trip, and only 30 minutes from our home (another reason to come and see us).

After the falls we went out to eat at La Tolteca, which is easily the best Mexican food that we have found in this area. We had a great anniversary, and look forward to many, many more.

As a side note, Elder Wilson from Arizona (companion of the ever boastful Elder Di Iulio, our previous victim) was the latest Scotland Yard victim. The game did not last very long, so we followed Scotland Yard up by beating them both at a game of Settlers of Catan. Better luck next time!

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary

10 years

July 11, 1998

Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband!

Love you and thank you for 10 wonderful years!

Love Me, Janna

To my Dear and Loving Husband

If ever two were one, then surely we.

If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;

If ever wife was happy in a man, Compare with me, ye women if you can.

I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold

Or all the riches that the East doth hold.

My love is such that rivers connot quench,

Nor ought but love from thee,give recompense.

Thy love is such I can no way repay,

The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.

Then while we live, in love let's so persevere

That when we live no more, we may live ever.

by, Anne Bradstreet(1612?-1672)

Wanted: A Child in Need of a Loving Family

The purpose of this blog post is to help some friends get the word out that they are looking to adopt. We met Jeremy and Rachel Richards shortly after we moved here. Jeremy is attending law school at present, and Rachel stays home to care for their three children, Grant, Monte, and Lillian. If anyone reading this knows someone who is considering giving their infant up for adoption, I can tell you that the child would be very fortunate to be able to call the Richards home, their home. If you are interested in learning more about this family, click here.

Softball Season in Review

Looks like another Vincent trying to take her place where Vincents belong, in the dugout.
Ambrey having a good time.
Alyssa trotting in to third base.
Mom and Anna cheering Alyssa on.
Alyssa sitting with her team.

The award ceremony.

Alyssa in the "Longest Hit" competition.

Ambrey's Birthday, and Another Missionary Goes Down

On May 27th we celebrated Ambrey's fourth birthday. She had a great time, and as it appears, so did most of her guests.
Tired?
Chalk it up, another missionary bites the dust. We have started a tradition of inviting missionaries over to our house for dinner and games. Shown below is Elder Di Iulio of Italy. Each time the missionaries come over we play Scotland Yard. Going into last nights game, the longest a missionary had lasted as Mr. X was eight turns. After guaranteeing victory, Elder D outlasted all previous missionaries, going 18 turns before I caught him. Better luck next time Elder.
Happy Birthday: as sung by Grandma and Grandpa

Our Trip Back to Utah

We met most of Janna's family at Joe Vera's for lunch while we were in Utah. I wish New York had good Mexican food, I miss it terribly.
This is a picture of Grandma and Grandpa at Joe Vera's. Grandpa looks particularly happy.

This music video was shot on a Saturday night at Jeremy and Shannon's house. Don't quit your day job Jer. We were actually playing a video game that I had never heard of before called Rock Band. It was pretty fun.

More Pictures From our Trip Back to Utah

One of the things we wanted to make sure we did when we returned to Utah was to visit Tif's grave. This was the first opportunity for Janna and me to see her final resting place. We were accompanied by Dad, Fara, Scott, Renee, Jayda, and Anna.
This is a picture of us standing next to Tif's grave in Brigham City's cemetery.
This is a picture of us kneeling behind the headstone of Grandma's family.
We had a lot of late nights while we were in Utah, so this became a common sight as we traveled to wherever it was that we happened to be staying that night.
This is a picture of some of Janna's family standing in the basement of her Dad's and Fara's home. Scott had just returned home from his mission to England, and Richard had just returned home from the war in Iraq.