Together Again

We finally finished everything for the big Cottonwood 4th Ward reunion and it was great! I know that I didn't know many of the people in attendance over the week of celebration, but I was so glad to give back to the older members of our ward. It was so fun to see them get excited about seeing this person or that person. Trying to figure out who "so and so" was with grey hair (or no hair in some cases!) I think we had about 200+ people involved over the week and it's just amazing how many lives are touched by the 4th Ward. It even gave our family a first chance to have a new family photo that includes Alex!

I did get to see my old Teachers' Quorum advisor, Jeff Vincent, during the party. I think it's been a few years since he and I last spoke, but it's always so fun to get together with him. I know it wouldn't fly today, but when I was 15 Jeff and I drove all night up to Yellowstone to meet up with the rest of the group on a camping trip. He was a very important part of my early teenage years and it's great to see him again.

Take a look at a before and after from those Teachers' Quorum days.

1989


2006

A Website for Alex

So, I've been feeling a bit guilty about not creating a website for Alex. He's officially been with us over a month now and it was time to give him a real web presence.

I can't believe how easy it was to build this website with a Mac. The new iWeb has to be one of the coolest things ever! Sorry to go on about technology, but Mac has it right. Anyway, without further ado....

www.uensd.org/staff/jared/alex

ps - while I was on the computer I decided to update Kennedy's website as well. Check them both out. They're great!!!

9/11

On Monday, I had the opportunity to go see the flags in Sandy that represent all the men and women who died in the terrorist attacks and those who gave their lives while trying to save others. I was quite emotional during our visit to the flags. I went with my sister Charlene and Kennedy and Alex. We started out by walking through the flags that represented all of the soldiers from Utah that had died fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. Each flag had a picture of the soldier, where they were from and the date they died. In the middle of the flags was a gun propped up with boots and a helmet on top. This really struck me hard. I couldn't stop thinking about these people that gave their lives for our freedom. We continued to walk through the approximately 3000 flags on display. They seemed to go on forever. It really hit me how many people lost their lives on 9/11. It seems that our world has changed forever because of this one event. I hope that we can return to normal again someday-whatever normal is.

Getting Ready

For the past few months the bishopric has been preparing for the ward's 50th anniversary. It's been fun to see all the older members getting excited as the reminisce about the good ol' days. As someone who grew up in the ward I knew several of the names being mentioned, even if I didn't really know the people themselves. Earlier today we had four former bishops of the ward speak. It was neat to hear from all of them, but my favorite was Bishop Mac Bay. He was the bishop of the ward in the early 60's when they constructed the chapel as a ward. It was so inspiring to listen to him tell of the effort and sacrifice of the members during those 7 months. To look out and see several of the older members weep as he mentioned them by name will be a lasting memory. It's a great legacy to be part of the Cottonwood 4th Ward and I can't wait for the reunion this Saturday!

For my part of the reunion I've made a 4th Ward at 50 video. Here's a sneak peak. Enjoy!

Logan Temple Trip

Over the weekend our ward went on the annual temple excursion. This year we packed up the troops and headed north to the Logan temple. I've never been inside the Logan temple, so I was pretty excited to see it. The only other time I've even been on the grounds was two years ago at Youth Conference where we worked at cleaning and painting the iron fence. Needless to say this was a little better experience.

I learned a few things on our trip to Vernal, so this year I made a list of do's and don'ts.

1. Do not play any outside music!
2. Do bring your Ipod and listen to your heart's content.
3. Do not sit in the vicinity of the widows (a bit too demanding).
4. Do sit near the back of the bus where you can stretch your legs.
5. Do not wear your suit coat on the bus.
6. Do not eat too much at the Golden Corral - it's a long ride when you're uncomfortable.
7. Do find a group to talk with and learn something from the members of the Ward.

It was a great experience to go the temple. Tara and I are always glad to spend a relaxing day with the ward and to enjoy the feelings of the temple. We really have some great people in our ward. It's always nice to spend time with them on days other than Sunday. It gives you such a different perspective and you get to see such fun sides to people. We had a great time in Logan and can't wait until next year when we go to Manti!!!