April through June Happenings

I have stressed about detailed blogging... so here are pictures with brief info on what I am behind on posting! I spent a lot of time today transferring pics from my phone to the computer and realized I had a lot, so it will be long....sorry, but wanted to share my wonderful family and wonderful happenings!
For my birthday in April, we went to Chile's. Cameron and family joined us, pics are of me, Mary and the kids, and Collette and Kellsy's craziness.
May featured Mary's birthday at Cold Stone, a favorite spot to gather!
Bailee had a great dance program and looked so cute in her outfits. She won a best dance award (check out details on Mary's blog). Braden graduated from pre-school and did a fantastic program. I was glad to be able to attend both.I headed up to Idaho Falls on Friday, May 29, to help Sarah, Jef's wife, with the kids while she had surgery the first of June. I stopped in Pocatello and had lunch with Jeremy, Sarah, Isaak, and Mikelle and Chad and Bailey joined us, too. It was fun and so yummy! 1st pic is Bailey and Isaak, 2nd is Sarah and Mikelle, and 2rd is Chad and Bailey.I attended Logan, Jef and Sarah's oldest boy's guitar recital that Friday night and took a video with my camera, but the sound didn't work out. You can see him playing the guitar in my previous post. He did a great job and is taking after his father's superior guitar playing! Sarah hosted a party for Ella's first birthday that Sunday, May 31st. She got some really cute sunglasses and thought she was pretty cool wearing them. Jeremy and family and Chad and Bailey also came. It was fun with great food and a chance to have family together.
Isaak loves to blow kisses goodbye and Mikelle likes to smile for the camera!
I took some more shots of Ella and Cole that week as they played and one of Logan helping Ella down the slide at the park. I really enjoyed my stay and Sarah did fine with everything. In spite of the flu bug going through the house, I had fun and I was able to watch Logan play baseball, go to the library with them, play at the park, and watch a movie with Jef's gourmet popcorn in their media room.
Alisa's Ryker turned 1 on June 8th and we will celebrate that when us girls go up next week. Collette's bday was the 9th and we went to of course for Sushi but didn't take any pics. Jeremy and Sarah and kids came down the weekend of the 13th and we celebrated Isaak's 3rd birthday which was on the 12th and Saraha's, which is on the 28th. I didn't get any pics, it was a busy weekend with a funeral, 2 weddings, Jeremy was a best man for one of them. Logan's 9th bday is tomorrow, but won't be able to be there, so a big Happy Birthday, Logan. Malia turned 2 on the 18th and Bailee, 7, yesterday, the 23rd. I got Maila to pose with Grandma out their backyard at her bbq party. We had Gertie's Pizza for Bailee's bday last night and I took a few pics. Fun and food just go together with the family.
I told Braden to pose and he came up with this goofy face! Dale actually smiled for his pic with Collette and Kellsy!
Whew! I know this is a long blog, but just had to share my wonderful and beautiful family and all the fun we are having this summer!

The Joy of Grandkids

I have spent some fun times with my cute, adorable, crazy grand kids in the last week. Here are some pictures to verify my bragging rights!

First 100 Days

I am sure that we will be hearing reports and different takes from many people of how the first "100 Days" in office went for the Obama administration. I will be reflecting back on my own historical (0r hysterical?) "100 Days", as I was called to be the Stake Relief Society President on January 20th. I thought it was about time I blogged about this!
I am blessed to have three great women of faith that serve with me and keep me on track. The process for selecting them was truly an "Enos-like" experience and they were selected from assurance in my mind and in my heart. We have grown in unity and love already through attending the temple together, fasting and praying together, and visiting and loving the sisters in our stake together. I was called right in the middle of ward conferences and spoke in two wards and also with a high councilman in a sacrament meeting the first three weeks!
We so enjoyed going together to Salt Lake on April 1st to attend New Leader Training held in the tabernacle. I was able to hug Julie B. Beck and tell her how much I appreciate her and her leadership. We gleaned so much and it gave us great focus and sweet confirmation that what we were doing so far was what the Relief Society General Presidency taught.
We held our first Auxiliary Training on April 16th and used the wealth of information from training to teach the importance of 1-On-1 Ministering As the Savior Did. Also, we are finding out that this is an undaunting task to encourage and inspire sisters to make sure that every meeting, activity, and lessons are fulfilling the purpose of Relief Society.... to increase in faith and personal righteousness, strengthen home and family, and serve the Lord and His children.
We took over the big task of carrying on the Stake RS Enrichment Activity scheduled from the past presidency for April 25th. We had a hard time getting it put together with the focus and theme that was already planned, but through more training, counseling with the priesthood, and fasting and prayer, we changed plans and put together what we hoped the Lord wanted us to do. We had a wonderful activity, "Back to Basics With Spiritual and Temporal Self-Reliance"...how often have you heard about that subject lately? I was concerned that it wouldn't be received very well, but the Spirit bore witness to me during SL training that it was the right thing as a big discussion took place about things that the wards and stakes needed to do to promote and encourage that very topic. All the suggestions that were given were what we were trying to put into place for our enrichment activity. We also took a line from Sister Beck's talk on the recent welfare DVD that "one sister with one skill can be a blessing to many" as we encouraged our stake to work together to help teach and learn self-reliance skills. I had a very special young single adult with a marvelous skill draw me the picture of past and present self-reliant women, as we also added verses to the Primary song and sang to the sisters..."you don't have to push a handcart to be a pioneer". We had several displays and talks on spiritual and temporal self-reliance from sisters that the Lord directed us to use. Our decorating committee created an inspiring and beautiful atmosphere, the few pictures here doesn't even do it justice. The table clothes were different checkered gingham and the cherry blossoms were popcorn spray painted and glued on branches. The picture is an early stage of the decorating, there were many more springy things placed on the tables and the displays along the side of the gym were wonderful. The Lord heard and answered my prayers when I prayed that the sisters would come....we filled the chapel and the gym and everyone was spiritually and physically fed. I have felt the Lord's arms around me many times and have felt so strongly about the issues women face. It is amazing how the Lord qualifies you to complete what He asks you to do. I feel blessed with being able to serve in such a great organization of women...one that Sheri Dew has said is "...the most important gathering of women on this side of the veil..." I learned to love Relief Society through the example of my mother and her dedication to serving her family and neighbors all her life...from my grandmother who served as a mid-wife to help women during the depression...and from many, many more friends and family that have inspired me to stay strong to a cause that was divinely organized.
(Here are just a few pictures I took with my camera)

Chad's Wedding

We had a wonderful weekend in Idaho Falls for Chad's wedding. Thanks to Jef and Sarah for opening up their home to stay and for the gathering place for all the Clarks to hang out. It was a great blessing to have all of my children there and spouses in the temple for the sealing and also Dennis and Katie, Molly, Polly and David, Lyle and Dana, and Tammy. Thanks to all for your help, support, and love. (And it was great to see Molly's Glen and their two darling children at the reception, too.) Also a big thank you to Sarah Nanine and Mary for the beautiful table decorations for the luncheon which are going to be used for the reception here in Jerome this Saturday. I forgot to have everyone do introductions at the luncheon and have the traditional "speeches" by the fathers of the bride and groom and I didn't take my camera or any pictures. I never seem to remember everything! So these pics are either from blogs or face book postings of others. Chad and Bailey outside the Idaho Falls Temple At the reception

Always posing!Oldest grandchildren ( 9 of 13) taken outside the temple: Alisa's Avery, Kyler, Zadyn, all three rows on the left; Jef's three boys Logan, top middle, Mason, top right, and Cole in front of Mason; Cameron's Braden, middle below Logan and Bailey next to him; Jeremy's Isaak in front of Braden.

Cameron's Malia in the middle next to Jeremy's Isaak.

Jeremy's Mikelle

Alisa's Ryker doing what everyone was thinking about

I didn't see a picture of Ella in her cute dress, so here she is at the Valentine's dinner in Twin Falls in front of Cole and as "Daddy's girl", the one I like. (If anyone has one, please post!)

Fiery Foods Show in Albequerque, New Mexico

Here are the pics that Sarah took from the Fiery Food Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico that we went to February 26th through March 2nd. We survived the long truck ride to and from, but had a great time and did very well. Sarah's little boy Cole went with us and he was such a good boy. We sold out of Habby Bleu...our habenero with bleu cheese and we even took more bottles than last year! They really like that unique sauce. We sold a lot of this year's award winning Chipotle and of course many asked for our original habenero that won first place 2 years ago. We had lots of repeat customers and our sauces have established quite a desired reputation for those wanting some great tasting bbq sauce! We have made lots of friends and it is fun to rub shoulders with those in the "hot sauce" business.

Catching Up

Its been a busy last couple of weeks. Dale was released from being Branch President in the YSA Branch and we were shipped back to the 5th ward. I was called to be Stake Relief Society President and plunged into ward conferences and speaking assignments. But wanted to post some pictures that I had good intentions of blogging about that will only get a few words of explanation. I tended Cam and Mary's kids one evening last month and took them to a Jerome High School basketball game. They enjoyed it and here is Bailey pointing out the cheerleaders and Braden sporting the lei we all wore for Hawaiian night.

Malia wanted a ribbon in her hair when Collette did Bailee's. Treats kept her happy during the game. Girls on the stairs before the game.

Collette auditioned at U of U for grad school on Saturday, Feb. 14th. We stayed overnight at
Polly's and after the audition had a great visit in American Fork with Julie at Heritage. Dix, Brent, Sonya, Polly, and Dave came and visited, too. My good friend Arlene Heiner and her husband, John came by and visited for a minute. It sure was great to see everyone. We met up with Dennis and Katie at Cafe Rio for lunch before we headed home. When we arrived back, we joined Jef, Sarah, and family and Cam, Mary, and family at theMandarin House for a Valentine's dinner. Here are Braden, Mason, and Bailee enjoying the food!

Logan joining in the craziness. Cole's cute smile and Ella trying to figure out who's taking the picture!

Malia trying out her chopsticks. It was fun to see everyone. Dale took his girls for a Valentine's treat at Cold Stone Ice Cream to top off the day. Will blog more later when time allows! (pictures didn't turn out too bad, considering most of them were taken with my camera phone)

Our Panama Boys

Ours boys...Louis aka Antonio Banderos, Jose, and David
We had the awesome experience last week of hosting three of the Special Olympic Floor Hockey Team from Panama for three days. I was very nervous at first but when we sent them to Boise Saturday morning, I cried. They left a Panama flag on the decorative tree in the basement where they slept so we would remember them. We loved watching them practice in the stake center, they are so good and so proud. We went with them to tour a dairy; see horses; to the Herrett Planetarium and Museum; get some Cold Stone Ice Cream; and to a CSI basketball game, to name a few. They chuckled when I tried to speak Spanish, it was a slaughtered pronunciation and usually the feminine tense of the words. But they had a special time in Jerome in homes of Mormon families that gave them love as special children of God.