Nauvoo, Niagra and Kirkland

The entertainment was great!

Jay loved the Oxen!

Rhonda at the Yearsleys! This is the family that took our relative, Benjamin Morgan Roberts, an orphan, Grandpa Vogels grandpa, in. I didn't even know it when I was there. Cool story. Thanks to sister Paula it was waiting for me upon my arrival home.

I loved this picture of the Kirkland Temple in the Visitors center in Old Kirkland. The Spirit was very strong there for me.

Niagra Falls was beautiful and very wet.

Dreams Do Come True

Many years ago my parents took me on a vacation back east to see church history sites. At the time I was about 15 years of age. Growing up in the church I always heard all of the stories about Joseph Smith and the early pioneers. It was just a part of my life. I didn't really have too much appreciations for all that our early ancestors did for us. I do remember starting seminary that next fall. As we talked and learned about the different things that occurred with the restoration I could visualize the events better since I had recently visited there. As I grew and read and my testimony developed, I gained more and more appreciation for our past. Then as I became a parent, I even appreciated what the early saints went through more. I still always remembered the sites my parents took me to see. I would think back and try to remember it all with the dream of someday going back and seeing it again. Over the years, I have told Jay about my dream to go back and tried to explain what it was like. He thought it would be more enjoyable to spend the money on a fishing trip to Alaska or something else of the sorts. I really didn't think we would ever make the trip. Then the unexpected happened. Each year the graduating seniors make a trip back east to the church history sites and they had extra seats for chaperons that needed to be filled. Sweet Jay, knowing that this has always been a dream for me decided we would fill some of their empty seats and go along with them. We thought Erin might like to go along in that she would be graduating early form High School next year and wouldn't have the opportunity to go. So we signed up. Much to our amazement, Erin decided she really didn't want to go. She felt like she would rather attend girls camp. We thought she was going nuts so we then decided to take Leslie in her place. BRAVE! Leslie was not able to go with her graduating class because we didn't dare send her on her own. She has always wanted to go, so this was her chance. We had a wonderful trip. I was amazed at how much the church has done to develop the sites. There were beautiful visitors centers at each place we visited. We truly sensed the sacredness of many of the places we visited. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to visit and learn of the sacrifice's of many of my past ancestors and better see and understand our history. I am also so grateful for my testimony. It is strong and still growing. I am so grateful for it. And finally I am especially grateful for such a sweet husband who always seems to make all of my dreams come true.
Here are some beautiful sites we visited. I took about 600 pictures and I couldn't even delete hardly any of them. They were all so pretty. It's a good thing I like green because I sure saw a lot of it.

E-I-E-I-O

Young McRhonda had a farm. E-I-E-I-O. And on her farm she has new goats. E-I-E-I-O.

And man alive, thay are cute. I don't think there is anything cuter than new kid goats. Betsy had her twins at about 3:00 in the afternoon yesterday. She dropped them on her own without any trouble this time. What a relief. We were a little concerned since we nearly lost her in childbirth last summer. No problem this time though. And her babies are beautiful. She had one girl and one boy. They both have very dark heads. I like them that way. They are so pretty and I think they show at the fair better too. (Personal preference) We haven't named them yet. If anyone wants to put their two bits in, we are open to ideas.

What is it about Babies?

Yesterday morning I arose early to take our cute last schnauzer puppy out to potty. When I opened the door I was surprised to see Baylee laying there on the patio right in front of the door with two little puppies nuzzled up to her, nursing. Wow! What a surprise. I immediatly went back into the house and woke Jay up to tell him congradulations. He now was the papa of two new cute little mutts. Hopefully he will realize that these adorable babies will be his responsibility. We suspected Baylee would be having little ones about a week ago when Leslie came home and was giving Baylee a bath and informed me that she had boobs. We then gave her the summer hair buzz, and sure enough, she not only had boobs but there was milk in them to boot. I was in complete shock and denial and thinking maybe her hormones were just messed up because of the schnauzer puppies. Then I thought maybe if I ignored her it would just go away. Maybe she would have puppies out in the desert in the middle of the night and they would all be lost and the coyotes would get them. Maybe, Jay could put them in a gunnie sack and drop them in the Muddy river. Oh, I am so cruel. I really don't know how she possible could have gotten herself in this motherly way. She was in heat the same time as Lucy. That means she should have had puppies about 6 weeks ago, according to my calculations. Baylee is a very large hairy dog. She very well could have had 20 puppies. Man, this has been stressful to me. What was I going to do with all these puppy muts. I informed Jay that "Baylee was really Jay and Leslies idea of a dog." I invisioned myself sitting in a grocery store parking lot with a gigantic cardboard box full of big hairy dogs and a free puppy sign for the rest of the summer or maybe even my life. Jay informed me that maybe he could use them for marketing and put a big Falcon Ridge Realty sign on the box too. I think I will make him sit with the dogs. I'm sure in his mind he will finagle a way to designate this job to me though. He is very good at doing that. In fact, I would have to say he is a pro. Anyway, back to the puppies. I sat there on our bed trying to convince Jay to go see his new babies. Soon I got to thinking about what a sweet dog Baylee is. I thought of the two cute babies wiggling around on that cold, or maybe hot cement and decided to go get them a big blanket to lay on. That was the least I could do. When I went back outside, there was another puppy. Wow! As I took another look, they melted my heart. They were adorable babies. Very fancy looking black and white little things with great big noses, just like their Mom. Baylee looked up at me, smiling and proud. Her big/little tail was just a waggin. I went back in our bedroom and told Jay he had three babies now and when would he like to do their tails and dew claws? He asked me , "How big are they?" "Will I have to use a chain saw?" Well, I went and got the wading pool out, which I was just getting ready to put back in storage from the schnauzers, and got it all set up in the air-conditioned tool room with a big soft balnket. I wanted Baylee and her new little ones to be comfortable. Oh so so cute. Two little girls, and one little boy. They have such beautiful markings too. The little boy looks just like his mother. Thank goodness all went well and the coyotes didn't get them. So much for the gunnie sack idea.

So here is the question. "What is it about babies that melt a persons heart? " "How can one not bond with a new little one straight from heaven?" "Birth truly is a miricle! " "A gift from our Father in Heaven." "It doesn't matter if we are pure bred or mutts, all little spirits are special." "Even dog spirits."