Amazing connection

Enjoy this correlation of gestation and the Jewish Holidays.  So interesting.

Human Baby Gestation - Feasts of the Lord
- Author Unknown

Zola Levitt discovered an amazing correlation between the Feasts of the Lord and the gestation of a human baby, from conception to birth. While preparing for writing a book for new parents, Zola contacted a gynecologist for some help in understanding gestation. During that session, the gynecologist showed him a series of pictures, pointed to the first one (an egg and a sperm) and said, "On the fourteenth day of the first month, the egg appears." The statement struck a chord in his Jewish mind because that was the date of Passover. He remembered the roasted egg on his family table every Passover. Now, for the first time, he knew what it meant! Not wanting to lead the gynecologist off from the subject at hand, he didn’t say anything, but continued to listen.

The gynecologist continued: "The egg must be fertilized within 24 hours, or it will pass on." This reminded Zola of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the seed or grain that "fell into the ground and died" in order to produce a harvest, the firstfruits of which was presented to God. 

Next, the gynecologist said, "Within two to six days, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the womb and begins to grow." And, sure enough, the Jewish evangelist thought, "The Feast of Firstfruits is observed anywhere from two to six days after Passover!"

Next, he was shown a photo of an embryo showing arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, a head, eyes, etc. The caption said, "Fifty days." The gynecologist continued, "Around the fiftieth day, the embryo takes on the form of a human being. Until then, we don’t know if we have a duck or a tadpole." Zola thought, "That’s Pentecost!"

The next picture showed the embryo at seven months. The gynecologist said, "On the first day of the seventh month, the baby’s hearing is developed. For the first time, it can hear and distinguish sounds outside the womb." Zola knew that was the date for the Feast of Trumpets.

The gynecologist continued, "On the tenth day of the seventh month, the hemoglobin of the blood changes from that of the mother, to a self-sustaining baby." Zola thought, "That’s the Day of Atonement, when the blood was taken into the Holy of holies!"

Next, the gynecologist said, "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the lungs become fully developed. If born before then, the baby would have a hard time breathing." And Zola thought, "That’s the festival of Tabernacles, a time of celebrating the Temple, home of the Shekinah glory or Spirit of God." In the New Testament, the Greek term pneuma, normally translated as "breath," is applied to the "Holy Spirit."

Birth takes place on the tenth day of the ninth month. Eight days after birth, in Torah-observant families, a son is circumcised. Zola noted that the eight days of Hanukkah are celebrated right on schedule, nine months and ten days after Passover.

No human being could have understood the gestation period 3,500 years ago. The establishment of the Feasts of the Lord was given to Moses by Yahweh Himself. Its correlation with the human gestation period is not only remarkable; it proves ‘Intelligent Design." It proves the existence of an intelligence beyond this world. It proves that there is a Creator God that guides the affairs of man.

In a Nutshell...

Stand Independent above All Other Creatures

Bruce R. McConkie

---

I stand before the Church this day and raise the warning voice. It is a prophetic voice, for I shall say only what the apostles and prophets have spoken concerning our day.

It is the voice of Jesus on the Mount of Olives, of John on the Isle of Patmos, of Joseph Smith during the mobbings and murders of Missouri. It is a voice calling upon the Lord’s people to prepare for the troubles and desolations which are about to be poured out upon the world without measure.

For the moment we live in a day of peace and prosperity but it shall not ever be thus. Great trials lie ahead. All of the sorrows and perils of the past are but a foretaste of what is yet to be. And we must prepare ourselves temporally and spiritually.

Our spiritual preparation consists in keeping the commandments of God, and taking the Holy Spirit for our guide, so that when this life is over we shall find rest and peace in paradise and an ultimate inheritance of glory and honor in the celestial kingdom.

Our temporal preparation consists in using the good earth in the way the Lord designed and intended so as to supply all our just wants and needs. It is his purpose to provide for his Saints for all things are his, but, he says, it must needs be done in his own way. (See D&C 104:14–18.)

There is a common axiom among us which states: A religion that cannot save a man temporally does not have power to save him spiritually. If we cannot care for our temporal needs in this world, how can we ever succeed in spiritual things in the world to come?

Thus, speaking of temporal things—of lands and houses and crops, of work and sweat and toil, of the man Adam eating his bread in the sweat of his face (see Gen. 3:19)—the Lord says: “If you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you” (D&C 78:7).

Then he commands both the Church and its members “to prepare and organize” their temporal affairs according to the law of his gospel, “that through my providence,” saith the Lord, “notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world;

“That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God” (D&C 78:11, 14–15).

The Church, which administers the gospel, and the Saints who have received the gospel, must be independent of all the powers of earth, as they work out their salvation—temporally and spiritually—with fear and trembling before the Lord!

Be it remembered that tribulations lie ahead. There will be wars in one nation and kingdom after another until war is poured out upon all nations and two hundred million men of war mass their armaments at Armageddon.

Peace has been taken from the earth, the angels of destruction have begun their work, and their swords shall not be sheathed until the Prince of Peace comes to destroy the wicked and usher in the great Millennium.

There will be earthquakes and floods and famines. The waves of the sea shall heave themselves beyond their bounds, the clouds shall withhold their rain, and the crops of the earth shall wither and die.

There will be plagues and pestilence and disease and death. An overflowing scourge shall cover the earth and a desolating sickness shall sweep the land. Flies shall take hold of the inhabitants of the earth, and maggots shall come in upon them. (See D&C 29:14–20.) “Their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes from their sockets” (D&C 29:19).

Bands of Gadianton robbers will infest every nation, immorality and murder and crime will increase, and it will seem as though every man’s hand is against his brother.

We need not dwell more upon these things. We are commanded to search the scriptures where they are recounted with force and fervor, and they shall surely come to pass.

It is one of the sad heresies of our time that peace will be gained by weary diplomats as they prepare treaties of compromise, or that the Millennium will be ushered in because men will learn to live in peace and to keep the commandments, or that the predicted plagues and promised desolations of latter days can in some way be avoided.

We must do all we can to proclaim peace, to avoid war, to heal disease, to prepare for natural disasters—but with it all, that which is to be shall be.

Knowing what we know, and having the light and understanding that has come to us, we must—as individuals and as a Church—use our talents, strengths, energies, abilities, and means to prepare for whatever may befall us and our children.

We know that the world will go on in wickedness until the end of the world, which is the destruction of the wicked. We shall continue to live in the world, but with the Lord’s help we shall not be of the world. We shall strive to overcome carnality and worldliness of every sort and shall invite all men to flee from Babylon, join with us, and live as becometh Saints.

As the Saints of the Most High we shall strive to “stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world” (D&C 78:14). Our only hope is to free ourselves from the bondage of sin, to rid ourselves from the chains of darkness, to rise above the world, to live godly and upright lives.

Relying always on the Lord, we must become independent of the world. We must be self-reliant. Using the agency God has given us, we must work out our own economic and temporal problems.

We are here on earth to work—to work long, hard, arduous hours, to work until our backs ache and our tired muscles knot, to work all our days. This mortal probation is one in which we are to eat our bread in the sweat of our faces until we return to the dust from whence we came.

Work is the law of life; it is the ruling principle in the lives of the Saints. We cannot, while physically able, voluntarily shift the burden of our own support to others. Doles abound in evils. Industry, thrift, and self-respect are essential to salvation.

We must maintain our own health, sow our own gardens, store our own food, educate and train ourselves to handle the daily affairs of life. No one else can work out our salvation for us, either temporally or spiritually.

We are here on earth to care for the needs of our family members. Wives have claim on their husbands for their support, children upon their parents, parents upon their children, brothers upon each other, and relatives upon their kin.

It is the aim of the Church to help the Saints to care for themselves and, where need be, to make food and clothing and other necessities available, lest the Saints turn to the doles and evils of Babylon. To help care for the poor among them the Church must operate farms, grow vineyards, run dairies, manage factories, and ten thousand other things—all in such a way as to be independent of the powers of evil in the world.

We do not know when the calamities and troubles of the last days will fall upon any of us as individuals or upon bodies of the Saints. The Lord deliberately withholds from us the day and hour of his coming and of the tribulations which shall precede it—all as part of the testing and probationary experiences of mortality. He simply tells us to watch and be ready.

We can rest assured that if we have done all in our power to prepare for whatever lies ahead, he will then help us with whatever else we need.

He rained manna from heaven upon all Israel, six days each week for forty years, lest they perish for want of bread, but the manna ceased on the morrow after they ate of the parched corn of Canaan. Then they were required to supply their own food. (See Ex. 16:3–4, 35.)

During forty years in the wilderness the clothes worn by all Israel waxed not old and their shoes wore not out, but when they entered their promised land, then the Lord required them to provide their own wearing apparel. (See Deut. 29:5.)

When there was a famine in the land, at Elijah’s word, a certain barrel of meal did not waste, and a certain cruse of oil did not fail, until the Lord sent again rain on the earth. And it is worthy of note, as Jesus said, that though there were many widows in Israel, unto one only was Elijah sent. (See 1 Kgs. 17:10–16.)

We do not say that all of the Saints will be spared and saved from the coming day of desolation. But we do say there is no promise of safety and no promise of security except for those who love the Lord and who are seeking to do all that he commands.

It may be, for instance, that nothing except the power of faith and the authority of the priesthood can save individuals and congregations from the atomic holocausts that surely shall be.

And so we raise the warning voice and say: Take heed; prepare; watch and be ready. There is no security in any course except the course of obedience and conformity and righteousness.

For thus saith the Lord: “The Lord’s scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people; yea, it shall not be stayed until the Lord come; …

“Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her,” saith the Lord.

“But if she observe not to do whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to all her works, with sore affliction, with pestilence, with plague, with sword, with vengeance, with devouring fire.” (D&C 97:23, 25–26.)

O God, our Father, wilt thou grant us peace and security and safety in the days of tribulation that shall come like a whirlwind upon all the earth.

Wilt thou hedge up the evil powers, and open up the way before us, thy people, that as individuals and as a Church we may stand independent of every creature beneath the celestial world.

And wilt thou enfold us everlastingly in the arms of thy love; and finally, wilt thou save us with an everlasting salvation in thy kingdom—for all of which we pray.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen

Fun discovery

Talked to niece Kim Anderson tonight at her grandma's viewing.  She mentioned that Brad, her husband was in Houston giving a keynote address for Microsoft today and felt bad that he had to miss the family gathering. Sounded like he was doing some pretty important stuff so I decided to google him.  Check this out.  He even plays 007 in a video clip at the end of the article.  Fun discovery for me.  Way to go Brad!

Interesting warning

This article  caught my eye today.  The plea from people to allow gay marriage for the sake of "fairness" leads to unintended consequences for our society and will probably lead to the dissolution of our country if President Joseph Fielding Smith is correct. Tell me if you disagree.

Grandma Chris

                                                        

  This is a picture of my grandmother Marie Elisabeth Miller Christensen (1893-1988).  She is the one on the right.  Her brothers Morgan and John are the other two.  This was taken about 1899, probably in Nephi, Utah.  I rediscovered a testimony she had written for a book called "Jewels in My Crown" published about 1980 or so.  I have such a love for my grandmother.  She was a great example of being valiant in the face of adversity.  Her testimony will continue to bless the lives of her posterity.  Here are her words:

     "The love that I have for the precious jewels that have been entrusted to our care, to raise to manhood and womanhood, outshine all of the crown jewels of royalty.  Each one has a distinct mark of individuality, talent, and refinement.  What more can a parent desire than that those individuals portray honesty, integrity, good citizenship of this our own United States, plus love for one another.  It is my great desire that when I am called to leave this mortal existence that my dear ones will have a greater concern for one another. Please do not let your association with one another disintegrate.
     I am very proud of my family and their accomplishments.  I love them so dearly.  At this time I have 45 grandchildren and 43 great grandchildren.  They all give me much pleasure.  I enjoy visiting my family in their homes.  I hope and pray that I will never become a burden on my loved ones.
     While I still have my mental capacity, aside from being forgetful, I want very much to leave some advice to my grandchildren and great grandchildren.  I love you all very dearly.  My life has never been what you call "eventful".  No college degree, no millions to boast of, not too colorful socially or otherwise, but a testimony of the goodness of our Heavenly Father.
     I did have eleven great events, to me they are great events.  I was criticized for having so many children.  One woman said to me, "We are going out for quality not quantity."  She only had two boys.  These things never hurt me because I was convinced I had both quality and quantity.  That same quality is carried forth in my grandchildren and great grandchildren.
     I am very much reminded that I am a child of God and that he loves me and has shown his love for me in so many, many ways.  My prayers have been answered, my trials have been faith-promoting consistently.
     Now in my late years I realize more than ever before what it means to keep the Lord's Commandments.  Study the scriptures while you are yet young, and really know what his promises are to the faithful.
     God loves you very much.  He has prepared the way to happiness and life abundant if you but follow His commandments.
     Stay close to Him through the channel of prayer.  Friends may be cool toward you and at times you may feel deserted.  Keep the line open between you and your Father in Heaven, and He will always be your friend.  Talk to him often, earnestly as you would your earthly father.  Be faithful, raise your families with a prayer on your lips.
     I bear you my testimony that I know he hears and answers your prayers in regard to raising your families and all aspects of your life.
     I love you all so dearly."

Thanks grandma.  Well said.

Interesting that we are studying his teachings this year.





"Abuse of Marriage Brings Destruction - The abuse of this ordinance has been the primary cause of the downfall of nations. When the sacredness of the marriage covenant is lost, and the vows are broken, destruction is inevitable. This principle cannot be received in the spirit of contempt and indifference. It is ordained to be more, far more, than a civil contract. No nation can survive the abuse of this principle. Rome, Greece, Babylon, Egypt, and many other nations owe their downfall to the breaking of the sacred covenant of marriage. The anger of a just God was kindled against them for their immorality. The bones of dead civilizations of this American continent bear silent but convincing evidence that it was unchastity and the disregard of this sacred covenant which brought them to their final judgment."--  Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, pg 233.

Creative Parenting

This post caught my attention and I wanted to share their awesome creativity.  BTW we need to get another family picture taken!  Sorry I have been so slothful with the blog...

Wow!
Take a look at what Jethro has been up to lately!

They're flying away...

I have tried not to think about what is happening in our family tomorrow. But now it is weighing heavy on my mind. Part of our family is leaving and taking part of my heart with them. I love the Gaineses. They are creative, smart, fun to be around and they have two beautiful daughters, Anna and Eliza. The thought of not being able to just bop over and see them now is so very hard to imagine. Connecticut is gaining through our loss. They will have more room to spread their wings and see another part of the world. I don't begrudge them that. And we will be able to chat online which is very nice. But the hugs are what I'll be missing...and seeing Toni's amazing quilts in person. Ben takes such good care of his family that I know they will prosper and be happy. Good luck and by the way, Happy Birthday Ben.

My Humanitarian Hero

Emily was honored by the Youthlinc organization last week for being one of 4 finalists in the Utah 2011 Young Humanitarian scholarship program. She won $1000 scholarship to further her education which is always nice. Below is her bio the scholarship committee used in their blog about the contest. Here is the link to the blog: http://youthlinc-blog.blogspot.com/ Scroll down to the Tuesday May 5th date. There is a great picture of Em with an older couple who were taught the gospel by her and her companion.



Emily Gillespie was raised with a firm belief in hard work and service. As a senior at Timpview High School she began and was president of the HOPE taskforce for three years where she worked with the school social workers and counselors to help at-risk students with depression. This cause was close to her heart as her high school was struggling with multiple young suicides. She made the effort to know everyone’s name in the school and at least smile at everyone she came in contact with. She says, “I just wanted everyone to know that there was at least one person at the school who knew who they were and that they mattered.” Emily also volunteered at Canary Garden Family Grief Counseling Center helping those coping with the recent loss of a loved one. She found a passion for helping others who were suffering through difficult times. After high school she had the opportunity to spend time in Mexico working on projects in two orphanages and building homes for poor families. As a student at Utah Valley University, she spent the summer of 2008 in Uganda with HELP International holding teacher improvement classes, building libraries and adobe stoves and working with children with disabilities and their care takers. She says “that experience changed my life forever as I learned the differences between wants and needs.” Nine months into her LDS mission in Chile the big earthquake of February 2010 hit the country and she was able to help in the recovery efforts in Machali. Since she has been home she has been volunteering with the Service-Learning community at UVU and is one semester away from graduating with an honors degree in philosophy and minors in recreation and community health. Her future plans include graduate school to study to be a recreational therapist and continue to serve.

Student engineers build human-powered drill for clean water in developing nations

Cool new item for African development. Student engineers build human-powered drill for clean water in developing nations

Meeting Myra Jane

Meeting Myra for the first time, Clark and Eva show intense interest in her owee.

Grandma and Myra hit it off right from the start.

Eva was so happy to see her mom again after 2 days.

Calm, sweet and tiny: words describing this newborn.

Clark is a happy big brother.

No explanation needed.

Caroline Harris

Recently I have come in the possession of some old original notes written by my grandmother Netta Poulton Spencer. My grandma Spencer would be 129 years old this summer. She wrote a short history about her grandmother who was born in 1829 in England. Interestingly, she wrote this history in pencil on four Union Pacific Railroad letterhead memo pad papers. Here is the content of her history:
Caroline Harris was born 4 Feb 1829 in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England. Baptized at Stratford-on-Avon when a girl. Married James Poulton 8 Feb 1852 at Birmingham. Endowed in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. Died in Salt Lake City 6 Nov 1898.
Sailed to America on SS Amazon under Captain William Bramwell on 4 June 1862. Landed in New York 18 July 1862 with husband and 4 children. Traveled on train to St. Louis and then by wagon to SLC. Caroline's health was poor, she was pregnant. They arrived in the valley in the late fall. The family lived in a small 1 room house that was unchinked with no floor. James was given the head of a beef from the slaughter house which when skinned and cleaned and boiled over a bonfire in a large kettle provided soup which was much enjoyed. Caroline's health became more threatened so the family was invited to live in a basement in the 20th ward where her baby was born prematurely and only lived a short time. James made a tiny casket and carried the baby on his shoulder to City Cemetery. James was a willing worker and soon was able to move his family to a small warm house on 4th South between 3rd and 4th West which was their home until 1891 when they built a store at 424 S. 200 W. Caroline worked hard alone in the store.
He found employment in the ZCMI shoe factory where he worked for years.
I can remember her so well with her little shawl around her shoulders. She was slender and bent a little. She had a sweet kind face and a heart full of love.
She was generous and interested in the poor and unfortunate.
She was the mother of seven boys and three girls besides two girls who died. For years the large family was invited to "grandma's" house for Christmas dinner and we enjoyed a bounteous feast. Grandma and grandpa loved music and the family was blessed with musical talent and also with rich singing ability. I can remember hearing grandma sing the Christmas carols. Her voice was a beautiful soprano. They were never happier than when their sons, daughters and grandchildren sang together in chorus. Caroline was a wonderful mother, a faithful Latter Day Saint, a friend of many and mourned by all at her passing.

Valentine's Cookies from a Good Cook

The ultimate Valentine's Day cookies.

Culinary Crafts 1053 East 2100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84106 1400 West 400 North, Orem, UT 84057

Sweetness

Put your feet up for a minute and enjoy!



http://god-gives-us-strength.blogspot.com/2009/12/lords-prayer.html

Thirty First Anniversary

Does it get any better than this for your 31st anniversary? Turns out Harlingen Texas bought the plastic casting of the Iwo Jima sculpture. They had a local soldier who participated in the real raising of the flag in Iwo Jima. Plus they have a preparatory school for the marine corps there. We wanted to see this historic site and so we ventured out in the rain on the Saturday after Christmas to check it out.



I loved this picture of Ben and Eva. The Franciscos were the perfect hosts for our trip. We really appreciated the wonderful way they welcomed us into their home and showed us some fun places down Harlingen way.

I loved seeing this sculpture during one of our trips to Washington D.C. During that time the tour guide mentioned that there was an extra hand sculpted into the formation which was symbolic of God's hand in the battle. I loved that thought. Turns out it isn't true...

I wanted to see the famous fence on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. I really wanted to see the Rio Grande too. We started walking over toward this fence just at dusk (that's why it's a little blurry). A guard came out and stopped us in our tracks. We asked about the river. Turns out it is about a mile away at this point. Win some and lose some.

On our way up to San Antonio on the way home we stopped in Corpus Christi to visit the Lexington. This is a navy aircraft carrier that was decommissioned in 1990. It had most things a small city would have. There was a dental office, a post office, a barber shop, a chapel, and so many other things. The ship was huge. Our feet ached and we only saw about half of it. The most interesting thing to me was a description of the Japanese part of the war. Japan lost a lot of oil tankers to torpedos early on thus decreasing their ability to train their pilots in bombing runs. The general came up with the idea to train them instead to crash into the U.S. fleet's ships. This became a very honorable position for the Japanese air corp. The other thing that was interesting was the way the Japanese leaders asked the people to come together to fight for the motherland. They told the citizens they needed strong people both physically and spiritually. To strengthen them physically they would broadcast calisthenics instructions over the radio. Everyone dropped what they were doing at that moment and exercised together.

Here are Clark and Eva in the captain's chair of the enormous ship. They were good sports about our visit there.

Top 5 Reasons Why Being Grandma is the Best

Reason Number One:
Having a cute grandpa to go with to the balmy South Padre Island








Reason Number 2
Having adorable grandchildren and watching them open presents on Christmas morning







Number 3
Being the guest at a scrumptious prime rib Christmas Feast.






Number 4
Seeing your grandchildren play in the imaginative and creative environments produced by their parents.




Number 5
While others are doing this:




Grandma gets to do this:

Hell's Backbone

Here is a pictorial of the first part of our trip to Escalante. The next two photos are of the Grand Escalante Staircase and in the distance the Henry Mountains where I spent the good part of a month walking and walking.

We had heard about Hell's Backbone and wanted to see what it was all about. We ended up seeing a beautiful part of the country and more washboard roads.

We didn't get a really great shot of the quaking aspens that seemed to be forming a ski run down the hill but you can kind of imagine it, can't you?

The thing about Hell's Backbone is that it connected Boulder to the outside world finally in the 1940's. It had been a spot that defied roadmaking until them. The pioneers had built a small path at this point but had to transfer goods from a wagon to a mule or horse then back to a wagon on the other side. You have to look carefully to see the bridge in this picture but you can see the rugged terrain.

Off one side of the bridge

Off the other side

I think the fuzzy ball in the middle of these pictures is our guardian angel working overtime...

Today even it is a one lane road.

Here is what the WPA work group did. It was timbers laid out in a series of squares with dirt in the middle. I can't imagine how frightening it must have been to get the first bit in.

Now there is a strong, guarded road over the top of the originals.

This is looking back from across the way. If you enlarge this photo you may be able to see the bridge. There is definitely a small defect in the backbone right there though...

The Daunted

Playing around south of Escalante, this represents the scenery for the first 2 hours on the washboard that claimed to be a road. We didn't see many signs of life during this time.



We were a little surprised that things could get worse but ran across this sign warning of road damage. Looked like the road had been partially washed away during a recent storm.

We passed this landmark called "The Hall" about 40 miles into our trek. Pioneers camped near here at 40 mile spring while the scouts were trying to figure out the rest of the route. They played, danced and generally enjoyed their time at this awesome place.

Some of the beautiful scenery at the end of the 50 mile mountain range.

After 3 grueling hours and 54 miles we finally met our match.

Doesn't look that bad from this picture but when Bus tried to go up in our Subaru, the nose of the car hit the rock. We had just heard from the man in the 3rd truck we passed that the "hole" was only 1-1/2 miles farther so we packed up our lunch and headed out on foot.

After hoofing it for about 40 minutes we could finally see "the hole". If you enlarge this photo look carefully along the distant ridge and you will see it too. It was about here that a nice couple from Highland picked us up and drove us to the end.

We rummaged around in this registration box discovering that the pages were already full of names. After shutting the lid we noticed this big spider :(

First glimpse of the payoff. Hard to believe the pioneers actually went down this with their wagons and horses.

At first it didn't look like the lake was that far away. When I came as an 8 year old the lake hadn't been built and the river looked a lot farther away than this. We saw all kinds of kids up there barefoot and in flip-flops so decided it couldn't be that hard and started down.

After slip-sliding for an hour we decided before we left the shade that the better part was to eat lunch here and skip the last thousand yards of hard steep loose dirt trail. The view was amazing and the day was perfect, slight breeze, 75 degrees. Those are boats down in the lake. Lots of people were climbing this trail with us. We started back up and found that while we were breathing heavier, we were able to go up faster than we were going down. I am so stiff today though. Quite a good workout.

Ten extra points if you know the meaning of this picture.

At the Fair

Bus, Matt, Toni, Anna and I went to the State Fair this week. We had fun looking at all the exhibits. It is especially fun to see the animals through a toddler's eyes. Here is Anna in the goat exhibit.

Goats win hands down