Family Tradition

We celebrated the Mormon pioneers' 1300 mile journey to the Salt Lake Valley by running 10 K into the valley. Members of my mom's side of the family run the race (or cheer at the finish line) and then go out to breakfast together each year. Eight of us ran and kept the tradition alive this year.
Pictured above, left to right: JR, Kristi, Mary, Nancy, Carter, Mark, Allison, Brooke.

We live in a great state packed with diverse beauty, recreation, and great people; all thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of so many strong and faithful Mormon Pioneers who first entered the valley on July 24th, 1847.

I thought I would put down a few interesting points regarding the pioneers, who headed west after enduring several years of religious persecution, violence, theft, rape, burnings of homes, and murder.

• It is a pretty good argument to say that the Mormons endured more persecution from their own government than any other religion in US history. In 1838, Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs actually signed an Extermination Order against the Mormons and forced 10,000 men, women, and children from their farms, homes, and lands mid-winter.
• It wasn't until 1976 that Missouri Governor Christopher S. Bond issued an executive order rescinding the Extermination Order and formally apologized in behalf of the state for the suffering it caused the Latter-Day Saints. -It only took over 100 YEARS, thank you!
• An estimated 70,000 Latter-day Saints made the difficult journey to Utah between 1847 and 1869. Tens of thousands of immigrants traveled even further to reach Utah from European countries such as the British Isles, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands.
• Families had to bury thousands of loved ones of all ages who died along the trail in shallow graves, which would never be visited again.
• By 1900, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had founded more than 600 communities extending from Canada into Mexico. Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Wallace Stegner said, the Latter-day Saints "were one of the principal forces in the settlement of the West" (The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail [1964], 7).
  
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has grown from six members in upstate New York to over 13 million members worldwide today.
  

Thank You Mr. Gutenberg

If you ask me, the most important and impacting invention of all time is the printing press. I think Johannes Gutenberg was inspired when he created the press that enlightened the dark ages and spread knowledge and light across the world. His perfected techniques were used for hundreds of years after.
I was able to experience Gutenberg's entire printing process from pouring the metal into the type cast, setting the type, blotting the ink, and finally to turning the press at the Crandall Historic Printing Museum in Provo. Three different well-experienced men, seasoned in the art of printing, took us on a tour through different printing eras in the print shops of Gutenberg, Franklin, and E.B. Grandin (where the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon were printed). Why are they called upper and lower case letters? Where did vellum come from? Why is it called a "signature edition?" Get your questions answered while you view the fantastic press replicas.
They have plans to expand the museum and need help
gaining the funds. They need you to take a date, take your family, or go solo on a tour. The small charge of $3 gets you a walk through the museum, or you can call to reserve a guided tour/lecture for larger groups. It never hurts to learn something new. Check it out!

Please Join us September 26th!

Join our team, "The Diabeaters", as we walk from This is the Place Heritage Park to Hogle Zoo on September 26th for the good cause of fighting diabetes. Enjoy the zoo, receive goody bags, prizes, and more after the short 2.5 mile or 5 mile routes. I hear food is involved. Strollers are welcome. It is free to join our team, StepOut only asks for donations. We are raising funds to help find a cure for this disease that affects 171,200 Utahns, including my husband. They have made some great advancements recently in diabetes research and we would love to see it continue.

If you are unable to join the team, we would love a donation of any size to sponsor our team. No donation is too small, so click on the link below to give to a great cause.

It is going to be a fun and exciting event, so join us!

Go to the Diabeaters Team Page
to join the team or make a donation. You must click on one of the team members listed to donate. Thank you!!!!!!

Escape to Barbados

We added another stamp to our passports last week when we took a trip to Barbados with my dad and brother Brandt. Sand as fine as baby powder and the warmest ocean water I have experienced made me never want to leave the beach. While snorkeling, I met an old turtle who was friends with a sting ray, and swam around three different ship wrecks. Barbados is full of friendly people with a laid-back island attitude.
Our favorite activities: beach volleyball for the guys and Beach-side yoga for me.
The scariest thing we saw: During a walk passed the military school, we saw a female Sergeant threatening the girls running with a rock. She hurled it at the ones not going fast enough. I sure stopped staring and picked up my own pace.
The saddest thing we saw: The island now has a TGI Fridays restaurant that comes equip with the loud annoying birthday song. I think that's as far as Americanization can go!
As relaxing as it was, we knew we couldn't be away all summer and deny the yard work and housework we had back home (I hope our neighbors can forgive us!) After over a month outside the border we are back in the U.S. and ready to celebrate the Fourth of July!

Click on the picture to enlarge