Another successful reunion....

.....as the St. George and Eliza Ann Everett Wells Family Reunion ended this past week-end. Lots of great food, fun activities and especially awesome genealogy information shared. We had a few celebreties in the mix......Eliza Ann herself dropped in to fill us all in on the family tree. Elder Robert Wells was a welcome guest as he talked about the Sam Wells line and the Wells influence in the Moapa Valley area.
A few even checked out the family resemblence to Stephen Robert Wells........

Anita prepared a fun activity where we traced the footsteps of our ancestors from Germany and Denmark to their humble roots in Dixie.

The "Wells Women"....(and don't ya just love the t-shirts designed by Jed).

Thanks to Mark and Marian for letting us crash their pad....with zip line, pickle ball, great swings, tramplines and lots of space to spread out and wander...and to all who participated in the Dutch Oven Cook-off and brought pot-luck. There's always good food at anything Wells.

A reunion is never complete without a good ol' campfire (even if the fire marshall keeps comin' by).....lots of memories made this summer.

He would've been right in there....

......."in it to win it" at the Wells Family Annual Dutch Oven Cook-off which is this week-end. He's showing off his "state of the art' dutch-oven cooking set-up that he perfected over the years and loved using it and sharing his cooking skill with friends and family.

Ten years ago this very day, we lost a good man that had learned to love life and live it to the fullest. We are celebrating the St. George and Eliza Ann Everett Wells Family with our reunion in Pine Valley; two of his favorites.....family and Pine Valley so we pay tribute to Scott Gordon Wells this day and celebrate the happy times we had with him and live in gratitude for the lessons we learned from him.

My bucket list...

.....has one less item on it. I did Disneyland solo and I have one more day and still lots to do. With both a season pass and a plane ticket that expire at the end of the month, I just had to do it. I don't profess to be an expert but I know how I like "my Disneyland" and I've pretty much got er done but not quite. Yep, I'm gonna need another day but I did find Mickey tonight......that made me happy.

Anyone that knows how I do Disneyland, knows that I find the Billy Hills first and usually take in anywhere from two to all five shows in a day. I always make new friends at his shows. He has quite a few "groupies".

They were in fine form and no matter how many times I see them, they just make me smile.

After taking in the parade twice and the fireworks, it was nice to find a ride back to the hotel after my first afternoon here.

Today I was able to take in Aladdin, always a favorite....a lunch at Blue Bayou (I got right in. Amazing what you can pull off when it's just "one" of you!)....fireworks (from even a better spot than last night) and quite a few character sightings.....

One of my favorite treats in the park are Apple Fritters with pineapple dipping sauce....gotta have a few.

I'm here to tell ya, this is not the time to bring kids. Never seen it so crowded and quite a little heat wave. It borders on child abuse to drag the kids around and maneuver around these crowds....but for me, I've enjoyed having the time to take it easy, stop when I need to stop and find some shade. There's always room for one more when you find a spot of shade. It's been great and I'm glad I came. The best time still for families is "off season" and in the rain....(rain keeps the locals away). Would I do Disneyland alone again? You bet....but it's still more fun to share the joy so come on and join me. It's always a great escape.

'Tis the season.....

.....for family reunions and I hope you've had your share of them cuz they're fun and as we are heading into our "St. George Wells Family Reunion" this coming week-end, I forgot to post some pictures from a very important one....The Hal Sullivan Family Reunion that we held in Pine Valley on the 4th of July. It's a long-standing tradition to gather at Mom's for pizza and fireworks but we decided to spend the day in the cool mountain air in honor of my dad who would have been right there with us and boy would he have loved a good game of Cornhole....speaking of which, Shawna and Mason won the championship this year.
We loved some "porch" time then headed down the mountain for the usual viewing of the fireworks.

We've been doing this for a lot of years.....and hopefully many more years to come and hopefully the Pine Valley tradition will endure as well. Happy reunioning folks.

Can I just say a couple of things about my family here....and know that I'm really sentimental this time of year but I just gotta say how much I love being surrounded by them. We have been so blessed to have my mom welcome us to her home for all these occasions....and every Sunday night. Life isn't perfect and a lot of "stuff" happens to each of us but we have "family"....the one constant in our lives to give us something to smile about and it seems we can always find the smiles and laughs when we are together. So....as we remember those that came before, may we all honor their hard work and sacrifice so that we can have the good life we have today and appreciate the "reunion" for what it is.....a time to celebrate our roots and rub shoulders with those who share the blessing of "family". Happy 24th of July one and all.
********************************
SOME THINGS I FORGOT TO BLOG.......
Traci couldn't come to town without a trip to Pine Valley and we did just that with the activity of the day being cake decorating......

.....and you know the little boys couldn't be kept away very long......

The finished product. I think we all did a pretty good job. Thanks, Lauri. You are a pro. I've always wanted to learn how to make those pretty roses that they put on cakes.

...and a trip to St. George isn't complete without a visit to the Town Center.....

....and now we have a Carousel............

....and a little nostalgia with Judd's right across the street.

Our own little "Stars Hollow" if you ask me.

"A happy family....

.....is but an earlier heaven" - George Bernard Shaw. I was in heaven this past week as my family gathered to honor our family and celebrate our home that is 30 years old this month. We gathered early to "work" and work "they" did.....as my trees were trimmed, sidewalks swept and cobwebs removed and years of neglect were wiped away in an hour or two of really hard work. The little ones did "job jar" inside while the big ones cleaned up outside and Traci and I tended the babies.

Pretty much this yard is more than I can keep up but it was good to give it a good "over-haul" and hopefully I'll try a little harder and give it the attention it deserves. Happy 30th birthday to our house and yard. It's served us well through the years.

A little work and a lot of play was the theme of the day as we headed out to the pool for the rest of the afternoon....

....and a yummy bar-b -que hosted by Mason.

The rest of the activities of the day were very well planned and orchestrated by Lauri and Traci from awards for all of the kids achievements and a trip to Snow Shack to spend their dollars, to the cute shirts for the kids which they all signed, to a fun and creative treasure hunt through the 'hood, to a rockin' talent show and ending with Candy Bar Bingo. It has warmed my heart to have my family join me this past week and I need them all to know what fun I had watching them all interact, laugh and participate and truly enjoy being together.

When the family gets together....

.....try to get a good picture. I had my entire family here and we had a great time but this post will have to "be continued" and I can't wait to share. Lauri and Traci did a great job of rounding us all up and "gettin' er done".

Check in later for more great "Wells Family Reunion" pics.......

I'm old....

....but not too old to have some fun! Nothin' like Lake Powell to take off the years....for a day at least. Love the sun, the water and the wind blowin' in my face!

The fish were a bitin'......

...and the water was high, (it really was). The favorite was the tube.

....and the little ones were lovin' the boogy board tubey thingy.

Rube a dube dube, 2 dudes in a tube....

Thanks Mase, for letting me tag along. It was a fun-filled day.

The Back Yard Pool

.....then




















....and now!!!!

Home again, home again....

....jiggity jig. He pulled in yesterday after 2 days on the road and 9 long years of school. Whew....who thought this day would ever come. They left behind a tornado that destroyed buildings at churchill downs, lots of friends crying and a bunch of great memories and life-changing experiences. Louisville is a better place because they were there.

*********************** ....and today, this little cute lady turns 12 and nobody's gonna rain on her parade. Laynee Jane is about the sweetest young lady ever and it's been hard for her, especially, to leave her friends behind but she'll keep those friends, via Facebook and texting and add new ones to her list of contacts. Happy Birthday, Laynee. So glad you are here.

***********************

Summer is officially here!!!!!

Most of us have had our first Snow Shack shave ice.....anywhere from Tigers Blood to Spiderman.

Such simple pleasures......ya gotta love it...and I do.
********************
Three years ago yesterday, Mason started work at Hurricane Dental moving his family here from Louisville. His awesome staff remembered his anniversary yesterday with a celebration and this cute candy gram.

Life is good......(most of the time).

Lemon Meringue Pie Rules....

.....yes, it does "rule"...but there are also "rules" when it comes to my mom's lemon meringue pie and while in the past, they have been "unspoken" rules...we had to speak them this past Sunday when Michelle brought a "friend" for our Sunday evening festivities. Let me lay a bit of ground work here for ya....Mom's lemon meringue pie is the best in the country...maybe even the world and while I, myself, will not even look at a lemon meringue pie in a bakery or order it in a restaurant, my glands salivate at the thought of my mom's. You can have her recipe, try to make it like hers....not gonna happen. So, like I said...Michelle brings this "friend" and offers him some pie. Well....quite a few showed up on Sunday and there were only two pies, made special to fulfill the requests of two of the fathers in our midst... and since it was Father's Day, mom obliged them. Back to the friend who was trying the pie for the first time......we had to enforce rule #1 (and mind you, never, ever say "I'm not really a pie person" or "pie is not one of my favorites" and think you're even gonna get near a piece of our pie).

Rule #1:You may NOT partake of our pie unless you absolutely love lemon meringue pie. (You may try a piece of someone else's and if you love it, you are welcome to a small piece.)

Rule #2: Never leave any on your plate. If, perchance you took a larger piece than you could handle (I guarantee, it doesn't happen very often) then ask around; someone close will jump at the chance to finish your piece of pie.

Rule #3: Strangers....or "friends"....(let's say, "first timers") are only allowed one piece; no seconds....and we are all watching.

Rule #4: Children under the age of, um...let's say....12 are not allowed to have a piece of pie. They, too, may sample their parent's piece and if, over time, they acquire a taste for this delicacy, then they may have a "small" piece until they "come of age" to really appreciate what they are eating. (Don't judge me wrong, dear reader. There's ample amounts of ice cream and cones and also a cake. The children are not going to starve here).

Rule #5: Eat it very slowly....savor it for it may be a while before she makes another one. (However, if you're a true lover of her pies and she loves you back, you've got it made). So, the next time "life gives you lemons"...have my mom make you a lemon meringue pie. It's sure to cure what ails ya. Thanks, Mom. We know it's getting harder for you and that's why we cherish you and your pies more than ever.

Oh, deer....

......and we spotted the first one of the summer today in Pine Valley. It's always fun to watch them come into the yard as we try to be as quiet as possible and see how close we can get.

Another favorite of mine is to see the new growth that appears on the pines...so visible, so fresh and a different green than the rest of the tree. Today, it was brilliant....couldn't even begin to capture the color on my phone camera but I had to try. It reminds me of a time when I was on my mission, not far from home but might as well have been because it was my first time to be "really" alone for an extended period of time ...and I was walking home after work and noticed a pine tree in front of my house and paused to see the "new growth" at the ends of the branches. Knowing that growth had been taking place all along, it just seemed to show up over night.

I was in Pine Valley last week and didn't see it but today, it just caught my eye and got me thinking about my own "new growth" and wondering if I ever really notice it at all. Am I continuing to progress in the important aspects of my life....or do I lie dormant....dull...hidden under winter's woes. I hope not....but something to think about as we begin our summer, half way through the year....still time, still hope for improvement (and growth).

If you play your cards right....

....you just may beat Shana.....but probably not. She's the card playin'est, game winningest gal I know but she makes it lots of fun and she knows her games. Anyone growing up in Pine Valley in the summer learns early on how to play the games. Today is her birthday and I'm hoping the Wells family takes a little time to squeeze in a game or two of cards along with their packing up, closing an era of their lives and heading home. Shana, you're just starting a new game...and you'll be good at this one too. We'll have the cards shuffled and the table ready to go....(well maybe not but the house will be vacuumed and dusted waiting for the fam.) Shana's greatest accomplishment in life is being the mom in this cute family.....

Happy Birthday, Shana....take a little time to celebrate amongst all the packing. See ya soon!!!!

It's hard to even imagine...

....my mom and dad, young and in love but 65 years ago this very day, they were young, newly weds....starting their lives together and I pay tribute to them this day on their anniversary. I'm sure my mom's feeling the pangs of loneliness this day as she's been without him now for nine years but what they had while he was here was really good.

As a kid growing up, there was never a question in mind that they loved one another and my dad was always ever so demonstrative about his beautiful wife....as he would say, not just once but I heard him say it several times...."it's a good thing that men have different tastes in women or they'd all want my wife". He knew he had a good thing. Happy Anniversary...Mom. I'm thinking of you today and remembering the good times you had together.

Tastes of Provo....

.....can pretty much describe what I've been doing the last 24 hours and it's been pretty fun, I must say, starting out by sampling Lauri's newly decorated cake from her class. Click HERE to get it in her own words on her new cooking blog but it was beautiful and tasted every bit as good as it looked and she took me by the bakery that hosts the class....and could I resist the "goodness" inside?....oh, no and I only bought the small donut to show, in perspective, the size of the big one. Never have I seen such a thing....but the best in the box was the bran muffin...glazed with honey. My new favorite bakery.....BUT,... for 5 dollas....we got one "complatos" (the word comes from Kid History, click HERE) but it was a pretty big "complatos" (not sure if that really is hot dog in Spanish, oh well).....at JDawg's by the BYU campus. Have been hearing about them for years but today was the day....and a mighty fine complatos it was.
************************
It was all capped off with a lot of nibbling on Lucy....what a doll. She loved seeing herself not one, not two but three times in the 3-way mirror.

*********************
....and speaking of food, Emily came over Tuesday night and we were watching "No Reservations"....and when they made pizza and ate it on a blanket on the floor, we did too.

It reminded me of the good ol' days when the girls were little and we'd have movie "theme" parties; actually, I think the only one we had was "Harriet the Spy"....anyway, this was a good idea...mostly because it allowed me to watch a movie that I wanted to watch (but I think Emily liked it too.) Let's do it again really soon, Emily....maybe next time we can watch"Ratatouille"!