Hope Smiling Brightly

It would be an understatement to say that life is crazy right now, filled with challenges and heartaches for so many people. Everywhere I look I see neighbors, friends, and family members bravely facing uphill battles as they strive to continue forward on their journey through life.


The trials faced vary: scary health conditions, financial worries, the loss of loved ones, family distress, and in some instances, overwhelming schedules that seem impossible to maintain. The adversary is also pulling out all of the stops to destroy self-esteem, marriages, and families. We are truly living in the latter-days and the war for souls is raging all around us in an intense manner that can fill the bravest hearts with fear and despair.


These days I'm often reminded of a scene from one of my favorite books, "The Return of the King," by J.R.R. Tolkien. Towards the end of the story, all seems lost. Death and mayhem are taking place everywhere as the battle between good and evil rages. As the fight continues, it becomes apparent that the forces for good are dwindling, and yet the survivors cling to the hope that they will triumph, despite overwhelming odds. The way is being paved for the return of the king, who will restore all that has been lost. Keeping that goal in mind, one by one, the main characters of this book push on, refusing to give up, despite the wounds sustained.


One brave small hobbit named Frodo feels as if he holds the fate of the world in his tiny hands. He risks everything that he is to push forward toward a goal that terrifies him, and yet, he knows that is the only way to banish the evil foe that threatens all he holds dear. It takes everything he can do to press on, and he reaches a point where he feels as though he can't take one more step. That is when his trusted friend, Sam, practically carries him up that final mountain. There Frodo battles with himself and finally achieves his goal, his courageous stance halting the adversary in his tracks.


It is my belief that we are all doing our best to climb the terrifying mountains that lie before us. We are not making that climb alone. Loved ones from the other side of the veil are cheering us on, every step of the way. When we stumble, neighbors, friends, and family members walk at our side, helping us to continue on. And when it all becomes too much, we are carried by the One who walked that pathway before us.


The other day as I silently grieved for all that a dear friend is currently facing, the following lyrics popped into my head:


When dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us, and threaten our peace to destroy,
There is hope smiling brightly before us, and we know that deliverance is nigh--


It took me a few minutes to figure out which hymn those inspired words came from. These lyrics are from the second verse of hymn # 19, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet." The inspired message of that sacred hymn brought a ray of hope into my life, filling my heart with a sense of comforting peace.


It is true: we are led by a prophet of God. If we will heed his counsel, we will not fail. Though our challenges today seem overpowering, we can continue forward with hope in our hearts. We were all saved for this current day for a reason. Our Father knew we possessed the talents, courage, and fortitude that would be necessary to succeed. Step by step, we will triumph, even when the battle rages all around. Through hope, faith, and charity, we will place the armor of God upon us, courageously facing the challenges that come into our lives during this mortal journey. Bear in mind we are paving the way for the return of our King, when all will be restored, and sorrowing tears will be dried. Until that day comes, look for the good. Do those things that will inspire peace of heart and mind, knowing our focus shouldn't rest upon the many wounds we've sustained along the way--how well we embraced hope when all seemed lost is what will matter most.

A Temple in Star Valley, Wyoming!

I think I'm still in shock over the announcement that was made during the Saturday morning LDS Conference session. I was listening closely to President Monson as my husband and I were traveling to spend the weekend with loved ones in Utah. I smiled over each new temple site that was mentioned. In my opinion, our prophet saved the best news for last: a temple is to be built in Star Valley, Wyoming!!!

Star Valley has been like a second home for me since childhood. My mother grew up in Star Valley, which is only about 45 miles away from my current home. I spent many summers staying with my grandparents in this magical place. My mother has often commented through the years that returning to Star Valley is like recharging one's internal batteries. I totally agree. This beautiful area is such a peaceful place, surrounded by forest laden mountains, beautiful lakes and streams, and filled with down-to-earth people who work hard and play hard.

When I heard the news, I called my mother, who was doing the dance of joy in her living room. She had been listening to this same conference session and was so excited. She had never envisioned an LDS Temple in her former stomping grounds. She can hardly wait to attend the future dedication for this soon-to-be wonder.

Very soon after I talked to my mother about this news, I called my daughter-in -law, who also happens to hail from Star Valley. She was just as excited as my mother and I were over this announcement. She had just talked to her mother, who still lives in the area and told me that her mother was so happy she was crying over the news.

The closest temple to the Star Valley region lies in Idaho Falls, Idaho. That is where all of the temple ordinances have taken place for my mother's side of the family tree. To know that one will now be built in the Star Valley region is a dream come true, and the first temple to be built in the wonderful state of Wyoming!

Star Valley is part of the 7 stake region in our current neck of the woods. So for my husband and I, having a temple in Star Valley will be a wonderful thing. The closest temple for us lies in Logan, Utah, which is approximately 70 miles away. As I mentioned earlier, this new temple will be about 45 miles away, cutting the distance traveled by those in our area.

I will probably be doing the dance of joy started by my mother for quite some time. It still doesn't seem real, and probably won't until we see the spires of this future edifice. =) What a wonderful time we live in, despite all of the challenges! These new temples that are being built will affect many lives for the better. Numerous blessings will take place as a result of these inspired decisions--truly a sign that we are loved and watched over in more ways than any of us can imagine!

The Woman Who Lived

(Not that I have much in common with Harry Potter, but we've both survived some interesting things.) I've heard that certain adventures come in threes. In our neck of the woods, this is not always a good thing. ;) But in this particular instance, perhaps it is. In less than 3 months, I've survived 3 separate adventures that could have been life-threatening. Last night was the third such incident.

I won't bore you with many details of the first two brushes with death. The first one involved a 4-wheeler roll-over, if that gives you any idea. ;) I was truly watched over that day: my worst injury was a severely bruised hip that was also knocked out of place. Once it was prodded back into alignment, life was much better, although it still lets me know from time to time that getting wedged between a tree and a rolling 4-wheeler is not a very cool thing to do.

The second incident took place after a busy day of running about. I had experienced 4-5 insulin reactions in a row (I'm a type 1 diabetic) and evidently my body was once again not amused. I can usually push through to accomplish what I need to do, even on days when I feel less than wonderful. On this day, my body pushed back . . . and scared me into realizing I need to slow down . . . a lot.

Then last night happened . . . and the fact that I'm sitting here typing this blog is evidence that we don't leave this mortal sphere until it's our time to go. Just sayin' . . .

So there I was, minding my business, watching the nine o'clock news. Suddenly it dawned on me that I needed to unhook the hose from a faucet in the front yard. Earlier, my husband (who was working a midnight shift that night) and I had agreed to take some safety measures to keep the faucets from being ruined by frost, since the temperature was supposed to reach around 27 degrees that night. When the news was over, I walked into the utility room to slip on some shoes to take care of this task.

I thought about going out through the garage, which would have saved me from what happened next, but decided it would be simpler to return to the living room and exit out the front door. I reasoned that all of our pets were safely tucked into bed in the garage and I would just disturb them if I took that route. Opening the front door, I quickly shut it behind me to prevent the moths from zooming inside. The porch light was still on, and they were doing their nightly frantic dance of trying to perish in the fire.

It wasn't until after the door was shut that it dawned on me that I had just locked myself out of the house. Our door handle is the type that allows you to exit, even when it's locked. Shrugging this off as a minor inconvenience, I figured I could find another way back in, and I unhooked the hose from the faucet. Then I jiggled the front door, and found that it was indeed locked. I tried the front walk-in door to the garage next, and it was locked, too. I fiddled with both garage doors, but they were both sealed tight.

Walking around to the back yard, I was still refusing to panic. Surely I could enter from the back door to the garage, and if it was already locked, I could access the extra key we keep outside. Au contraire. The back door was indeed locked tight, and the key that was supposed to be in its usual place outside, was hanging inside the house. I had used it two days earlier to enter the house and had forgotten to replace it. Strike two.

My next thought was that I could open the French doors that lead into the dining room, but when I tried that option, I discovered I had been quite adept at locking things up for the night. All of the windows were shut, and all of the doors were locked, and this is when it dawned on me how serious my situation was.

Now, normally, we keep our camper locked, but luckily for me, as it turned out, it (unlike everything else) was unlocked. We had been unloading stuff from it all week from our recent camping adventure in Yellowstone Park, and hadn't bothered to lock it up. I climbed inside the camper and found a handy flashlight. Taking it with me, I retried all of the doors to the house. By then it was about 10:20 p.m. I glanced hopefully at our next door neighbors' abode, but couldn't tell if there were any lights on. I walked over, silently praying that someone would be up still, but when I arrived, I could see that all of the lights were out inside the house. Most uncool. I knew they had already gone to bed, since my neighbor's husband had to be up around 4:30 a.m to go to work. I glanced down the street and saw that another neighbor's house was also cloaked in darkness, and wondered what was up with everyone going to bed on time for once.

Here was my dilemma: not only was it cold and I was not wearing a jacket or coat since my little chore was only supposed to take a couple of minutes, but I had also given myself a hefty bolus of insulin around 9:30 p.m. For some reason my blood sugar level had been rather high the last time I had checked, and so I had given about 4 units of insulin to bring it down into the normal range. I had figured that I would eat a snack before bed and all would be well. Now all of the circumstances had changed and I knew I was in trouble. The only thing I had access to eat outside were the sour apples from our tree in the front yard (and they are really sour this year) and I wasn't sure they would provide enough carbs if my blood sugar plummeted. Some of my worst reactions take place in the middle of the night--so you can understand my concern, especially after what I'd endured about 3 weeks ago.

I weighed my options and decided I would continue trying to break into my house, since everything I needed was inside. I knew if I had to, I could sleep inside the camper--it had a furnace and I knew how to turn it on and set it to a comfortable range. The bedding we had used while in Yellowstone was all still in place, but the camper had been stripped of all food sources, and that was the major concern.

I spent a good 40 minutes or so trying to get in through the French doors. I figured that was my best bet, since it would be easy to enter the house from that location. Reluctant to break the glass, I tried to jimmy the door handle. I knew we could easily replace it, but I was unable to find our crowbar. It would amuse you to see the assortment of tools I dragged out of the shed to try damaging the door handle--everything from a wrench, to a large set of pruning sheers, to a heavy maul, which was my last resort if I couldn't open the door through breaking the handle. I knew it was heavy enough to break the glass if needed.

The stupid handle wouldn't budge. I discovered that my house is much like a fortress when everything is locked up tight. This means I'm much safer than I ever assumed when here alone at night, but I digress. ;) I moved down to the room we're turning into a kid's guest room and saw that a piece of the curtain was caught in the window. This gave me false hope, as I assumed that I could somehow open the window and climb inside. I quickly removed the screen from this window, then had to retreat to the camper to find a butter knife---the window wouldn't budge. It was locked up as tight as Fort Knox, and even with the butter knife . . . which busted in half I might mention, I wasn't able to get that window to move at all.

I tried one of the side windows to the front room bay window, but after removing its screen, I saw that it was locked up tight, too, and wouldn't budge. I had thought if I could open it, I could slip at least a hand inside and try to unlock the front door. It didn't dawn on me until this morning that my arms weren't long enough, nor are they made of rubber. It would've taken a talented contortionist to reach that door handle.

Many prayers had been offered silently throughout this adventure, and I'm sorry to say that I began losing hope. It was growing colder; by then it was almost midnight and I was still unable to remedy my situation. I knew that any of my neighbors would've been happy to help, but I was reluctant to bother them, unless I had no choice. So I walked around my house, praying once again for guidance and help. Then I saw it--the kitchen window wasn't latched like all of the other windows.

I am not a tall person. In stocking feet I stand at 5'2". I had been using a decrepit sawhorse to reach the other windows to our house, and I had already fallen off once already, scraping up one leg. I was hesitant to climb on the sawhorse again, but there was no other choice; all of our ladders were nestled in the safety of the garage.

So I dragged the saw horse over by the smaller kitchen window (naturally it was smaller than all of our other windows) and climbed carefully onto the crumbling wood, hoping it would sustain me. I was quite aware that if I fell and broke something, it would only make matters worse. Once again, I popped a screen out of the window. Then I used a second butter knife retrieved from the camper to pry the window open. I was so elated when it finally pushed open, I nearly cheered for joy. Then I realized that while I had been able to reach up enough to open the window, I was not high enough to even think about trying to climb in through that window, nor was I certain that I would fit through that small opening.

As I stood on top of the sawhorse, filled with dismay, it was like someone whispered inside my head: "Think. Now you can access something you need." I looked again through the open window and saw that a partial loaf of freshly made banana bread was lying on a nearby counter, wrapped in a plastic bag. I carefully removed the curtains that were hanging in the window, and used the curtain rod to drag the banana bread to where I could reach it. I felt an immediate sense of peace and knew that my prayers had indeed been heard. Now I had something I could use if my blood sugar dropped.

I made two more trips to that window to retrieve water (a small pitcher was still located in the camper. This proved to be very useful, since we had already drained all of the water out of the camper) and some medication that I needed that happened to be sitting on the window sill.

I spent what remained of the night in the camper. I made use of most of the bedding to stay warm, and turned on the camper furnace, hoping the propane wouldn't run out before morning arrived.

It wasn't the most restful night I've ever had, but I stayed warm, I had access to something that would help if my blood sugar tanked, and I was safe. I had survived a perilous situation that in my case, could've been life-threatening. If I had fallen off that sawhorse and broken something, no one would've known I was in trouble. My cell phone was inside the house, resting on the comfortable couch, along with my glucose monitor.

I learned a lot from last night's adventure: always check the door handle before exiting the house; keep the spare key outside where it belongs; listen to promptings; & trust in God. Prayers are indeed answered, but not often in the way we envision. I had believed all along that I would find a way inside my house last night. It was with great reluctance that I gave in to the plan that actually saved my life. A way was provided, and that prayer for help was answered, proof once again that during our most critical moments, we are never alone.

Before I went to sleep, huddled inside the camper, I wondered if any of my pioneer ancestors had been watching my attempts at survival. I smiled, certain that some of them were blaming each other for my obvious lack of intelligence, since what happened was once again my fault. ;) But there was also a sense that just maybe, some of them were proud of my efforts to survive, a trait I'm sure they passed down through the generations. I am certain that some of their determination exists in many of their posterity, and that is what will get us all through these crazy latter days, when we don't know from one day to the next what challenges life will bring our way.

Book Review: The Latter Rain

I was recently asked to review an exciting new book called, "The Latter Rain," written by James M. Conis. When I was approached about doing a review of this book, I was thrilled. I appreciate symbolism in books, and will confess I'm an armchair scripturist. (It's a word. I looked it up. It means: One who is strongly attached . . . to the scriptures. Click on this link to see more: scripturist.)  I've often longed to comprehend the writings of Isaiah--so to have access to a great reference tool like this is wonderful.

As I've read through "The Latter Rain," I've been so impressed by the interpretations made by James Conis. In an easy-to-read format, he breaks down scriptures from Isaiah and other books of scripture (Like Daniel, Ezekiel, etc.) and points to a pattern that truly does help the reader understand important concepts. He uses the imagery of rain throughout the book, pointing to the numerous scripture references that indicate the gospel of Jesus Christ is like a refreshing rain. He shows that whenever gospel truths are shunned, a famine of epic proportions takes place, and the scriptural imagery of drought is emphasized.

Drawing on scriptural metaphors, Conis makes quite a case in support of LDS doctrine. He never refers to the LDS Church, but everything points that direction. For anyone who is LDS, they will recognize the interpretations that indicate a need for a restoration of the full gospel of Jesus Christ. For others, it will be a unique way of learning why there is such a need for "Latter Rain," or a flooding into today's parched world of important gospel truths.

This book has been a huge influence on how I look at the scriptures. Several years ago, I formed the habit of reading the scriptures before retiring for the night. Two nights ago I stumbled upon a scripture reference regarding other worlds. When I looked at the cross references, a scripture from Job was mentioned. I eagerly turned to it, and it gave me a reference to Isaiah regarding this same doctrine. I read that entire chapter of Isaiah, and found another scripture that alludes to other worlds. Scripture passages that might not have popped out at me in a clear manner, were making sense. From Conis' book, I have learned to delve deeper into the symbolism Isaiah, and other books of scripture contain.

I would have to say that this book, "The Latter Rain," is possibly one of the most important books that I've ever reviewed. As I've been putting this blog post together, an analogy has come to mind with regard to this handy reference tool: it's like a light being flipped on in a darkened room. This is a book for anyone who is serious about studying the scriptures and recognizing important insights. In the author's own words, taken from page 304:

"The purpose of this book has been to establish truth using the symbols and types derived from an analysis of the Book of Isaiah. We used Isaiah's writings to elucidate truth and derive knowledge from the other books of the Holy Bible."

Some of you may be wondering what makes James M. Conis such an expert. On the page that shares about the author it reveals:

Mr. Conis' interest in the scriptures began when he took a course on the New Testament at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The main lecturer for the course was an orthodox Jewish professor, while the recitation sections for the class were taught by lecturers from Christian faiths. The resulting dynamic of this course created deep philosophical questions concerning the doctrines and truths found in the Bible and those espoused by modern-day religion. This led to a life-long quest on the part of Mr. Conis to understand the true meaning intended by the ancient prophets.

I would have to say that Mr. Conis has indeed done his homework with regard to the writings of Isaiah. The symbols he interprets ring true. The best part--throughout the book, he encourages the reader to pray about the truths learned, to discover on an individual basis whether this doctrine is valid.

You can purchase this book by using this link: BUY THIS BOOK  And here is a fun link to the author's website regarding this book: BUY THIS BOOK USING THIS LINK. If you read his blog and use the online coupon code TOUR when you check out, using the links available on that blog, you will receive 20 % off the original price.

Two New & Exciting Books

Today I'm pleased to introduce two new books that I was recently given a chance to review. The first one touches on a popular four-letter word: DIET. Yes, you heard right, I said the dreaded, "D" word. It's something I've lived with for a long time as a Type 1 diabetic. For years I've tried very hard to count carbs and behave with regard to food consumption. I've clung to the belief that sticking to a 45 carb per meal approach is the way to go and I have avoided all of the fad diets that numerous family members and friends have touted. None of them have ever appealed to me or seemed like a healthy alternative. I've never been impressed with any of them . . . until now. I'm happy to say that the book, "All Diets Work: that's the problem," is a wonderful approach to the age old problem of losing weight in a healthy fashion.


Written by Jen Brewer, an inspired dietician, "All Diets Work," offers 25 tools to help us lose weight in a manner our bodies will like. I love Jen's proposal: "Stop dieting . . . & start eating in a way that helps your body become the healthy, strong body that you want." Jen's wisdom and fun sense of humor shine throughout this 132 page book. I'll share some snippets as an example:


"The function of water is simple: if you don't have it, you die." 


"Some diets tout an eating plan that has you stop eating at 6:00 p.m. Here's the fact--your body does not have an alarm clock that suddenly sounds at 6:00 p.m. and states: "I have now passed  the calorie-burning phase and will being the calorie-storing phase, so anything you eat after this point turns into fat."


"Face your stuff, don't stuff your face."


"I used to be motivated by wanting to look better. Now I don't care what I look like--when you get to be my age, some droopiness is inevitable. What motivates me is waking up and feeling good . . ."


In my opinion, "All Diets Work," is a work of pure genius. Jen Brewer has compiled some very basic, but proven ways to lose weight permanently. This is a book you will want to keep close and study repeatedly. The twenty-five tools that she shares are crucial to healthy weight loss, and the entire book is loaded with common sense. I found myself nodding as I read it through it the first time, agreeing with Jen's suggestions. Finally, I have been handed something that will work for me and won't sabotage the tightrope I walk daily as a Type 1 diabetic. This is the healthiest approach that I've seen in a very long time to losing weight and keeping fit. I'm giving this book, "All Diets Work," a tremendous thumbs up!  You can purchase a copy for yourself by clicking on this link: 
YOU SHOULD BUY THIS BOOK!


This is Jen's website:  Click here for an inspiring website that will change your life

Jen Brewer also sent me a copy of smaller book written by herself and a woman named Amy Stucky. The title alone hooked me: "Be the Chocolate Chip!" (Okay, I'll freely admit that I'm a chocoholic.) This little booklet contains a wonderful analogy. In it we are reminded that chocolate chips don't melt into nothingness when facing tremendous heat. Written for the youth, it challenges them to remember that they can choose to be 'in the cookie, but not of the cookie.' As a long-time leader of the youth in my ward, I heartily recommend this book. In my opinion, this is something every teen should read and absorb.

 You can purchase this booklet by clicking on this link:

Be the Chocolate Chip

Book Review: "All That Was Promised"

Once in a while a book comes along that possesses the ability to link the reader to the past.  All that was Promised is one such novel. Written by Vickie Hall, this historical book plunges the reader into the challenges faced by the early Welsh saints. Persecuted by family, friends, and neighbors, faithful Welsh members of the LDS Church faced overwhelming trials. I've heard similar stories from my husband's side of the family tree. Several of his ancestors originated from Wales, and that may be why this book struck such a chord for me. It also gave me a greater appreciation for how difficult it was for those valiant ancestors who persevered during that volatile era.


I found myself caught up in the storyline from the first chapter. Vickie accurately portrays the setting in Wales and her characters are well developed. My only complaint would be the tendency to jump from one point of view to another within the same scene. Aside from that, I found this book to be an extremely good read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or who has an interest in the Welsh culture.


This is the storyline as described on the back of the book: "An encounter with a Mormon missionary and his unusual message of a 'restored gospel' leaves Richard Kenyon, a young Methodist minister questioning his life's work . . . Richard soon finds himself struggling to recognize the promised blessings of the gospel when violent persecution shakes the fledgling Church in Wales."


All that was Promised is Vickie Hall's debut novel. I look forward to her future works, and I am proud to help promote this new author. All that was Promised can be purchased by clicking on this link: Buy this book

Is It August Already?

So does anyone else wonder where the month of July went? I can't believe it's already the first day of August. On the other hand, between reunions, camping adventures, girls' camp, etc. is it any wonder that the past four weeks were a blur of activity? ;) I think we were all trying to make up for the fact that winter kept us in its chilly clutches for far too long. We pretty much skipped spring and went right to summer about the end of June. =D

I'll post a few pictures today, to prove that we really did have a partial summer this year, complete with cook-outs, camp-outs, and even an excursion or two to Bear Lake. 

We began July with the annual Crane Reunion. This year it was held at the Heise Hotsprings Campground near Ririe, Idaho. A good time was had by all.

Here some of the Crane Clan are enjoying an unique bean bag toss game.

This is a cute shot of our son, Devin, his wife, Emily, my husband, Kennon, and little Parker Crane, enjoying a moment in the shade.

The next weekend we journeyed to Lava, Idaho to enjoy a reunion from my side of the family tree: the annual Glenn Sibbett Reunion. In this shot my mother is posing with her sister and brothers. They are surrounding a painting rendered by my talented uncle (Ben Sibbett). The painting depicts the Wyoming ranch where my mother and her siblings grew up. Very cool. 

And here is a random picture of the reunion itself. Good times--and awesome food. 

 Another event that took place around the second week of July: I hit the half-century mark with regard to age. ;) Yep, my family made fun of me . . . a lot. These are shots from a family BBQ where we celebrated several July birthdays in the Jackson clan. My siblings had a riot commemorating my landmark BD. Pictured above: sacks that highlight the year I was born. Below: special cupcakes made by my talented s-i-l, Shar. It was a fun occasion, and again, wonderful food.

Sadly, I learned later, immediately after the family BBQ mentioned above, that my husband's cousin, Kacey Crane, was killed in a plane crash in Grace, Idaho. This was a tragic loss that tore at all of our hearts. Kacey was only 35 and leaves behind two little boys and a beautiful wife. Our hearts go out to his entire family. Here is a link for a fundraiser for Kacey's family. Several items are up for bid: Crane Family Fundraiser

Kennon has caught some impressive fish this summer. Here's a trout he caught in Bear Lake, out fishing on a boat with his good brother, Jeffy.

This is a random shot of girls' camp this year, held the third week of July. Yep, Bennington Ward was assigned the value color, red, yet again this year. It's okay--we like red. ;) Here the girls are practicing their skit for the program that night.

 From girls' camp we headed to a camp-out with family and friends at Palisades Lake, located between Wyoming and Idaho.

Here Jody & I are hamming it up on good brother-in-law, Jeffy's, boat as the menfolk troll for fish on Palisades Lake. We didn't catch any fish, but we had a lot of fun that day. Thank you Jeff and Dannyel for letting us ride around on your boat.

This is a shot of all three couples: Jody & Doran, Jeff & Dannyel, and Kennon & me at the famed Bar J in Jackson, Wyoming. This is a family oriented dinner and show type of thing. If you've never been, you should check it out sometime. The food is excellent, and the show is hilarious. 

A really cool thing happened during the dinner show. A young couple from our neck of the woods (Bear Lake) got engaged onstage that night. Kelly thought she was winning a door prize and went onstage, not aware that her soon-to-be fiance, Austin, was about to propose. We were thrilled to be there for this event.

 This is the final event we attended that weekend: the PBR Bull riding competition held in Afton, Wyoming that Saturday night. We had excellent seats and could see everything quite clearly. Once again, a good time was had by all--

with the exception of the cowboys who hit the ground fairly hard that night. The bulls were in fine form, giving each cowboy the ride of his life.

The final event of this busy month of July: our immediate family gathered together for a fun time, the first annual Kennon Crane Reunion. We enjoyed a cook-out Friday night, a day at Bear Lake on Saturday, and on Sunday, our cute new grandson, Ryker Glenn, was blessed in church. 

 Here is a picture of our entire family, and my mother. What a fun, wonderful day.

All in all, we did enjoy quite a few events this past month. I still can't believe August is upon us.  ;) I think I could use another month between July and August, but that's just me. I am so not ready for fall to make its way onto the seasonal stage. =D What think the rest of you out there?