One More Day

Only one more day until Nate and Cindy leave for Idaho. Yippee!! I am ready. Only 5 more school days until Christmas Break.

One More Day in DC

Robert and I had a miscommunication about what time out flight home was. Ky relieved him at his meetings so that Robert and I could do some sight seeing. There was a mess up at the Archives with the records that I had ordered for the morning so Robert and I bagged the Archives and set out for the museums. My feet were killing from the walk the night before but we made it to the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History. Needless to say we only saw a small fraction of each before our flight out. We decided to we needed a week at the Archives and a week for sight seeing. I got to ride the Metro back to the airport. We passed the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery but there wasn't time to see either. Oh well! Another time maybe... Anyway thanks Grandpa and Grandma for the trip. I learned so much and it was a great experience.

Our Walking Tour of DC

After wasting a day in the airports and losing a day at the Archives, I decided that I better make the most of the time that I did have there. Robert and Ky had meetings all day. I got up and went down and asked how to get the National Archives. The luggage guy showed me a map and explained how to get there. I then asked how would be the best way to get there and he said, "Walk!" I thought to myself, I am a country hick from a small town like you have never seen. I have never even dreamed of a city this big and you want me walking around by myself? What if I get shot, mugged, kidnapped (because I am so gorgeous), etc. However, I didn't want to look like a chicken and so I decided to suck it up and walk. I paid very close attention to my little map, and made it there safely. The security around downtown DC is incredible. There are cops and security everywhere!!! It took almost an hour to get clearance to look at documents at the Archives. That in and of itself is a whole other story!! Anyhow, I spent all day looking at records that my ancestors had actually written and touch. It was awesome. I went with over 30 records that I wanted to look at but due to cancelled flights, and tons of red tape at the archives, I only got to look at 6. However, now I know more for next time! I will be able to use my time more wisely. That night, Robert and I followed Ky around downtown DC (he had spent the previous week there at different meetings). It was freezing cold outside and we walked forever!! I thought I was going to die. However, I am still alive and we saw some really neat things. We walked around for about 4 hours before returning to our hotel for a nightcap (juice, ice cream and cookies) in the "Club" before heading to bed.

Washington DC

Robert had meetings in Washington DC the first week of December. So as a Christmas present to me, his parents sent me along. I took a week off of school and was hoping to spend a few days doing genealogy in the National Archives. However, we got FOGGED in in SLC. Can you believe that. They cancelled our flight out due to fog. We did finally get out on Monday but then we spent the full day on an airplane or in Denver Airport. I was bummed! We made it to our hotel around midnight only to find out that our room was not ready (it was missing a door). So for our convenience they put is up in the "Club" rooms on the twelfth floor. It was so special that you had to swipe a card to get to that floor. Talk about awkward! The hotel was beautiful but we probably would have been more comfortable on the regular floors. However, we did find out that only on that floor, if you swiped your card again, you could get into a "Club" room where we could have free breakfast, snacks, juices, cookies, etc. It was pretty fancy. In fact, it was so fancy that we decided that we'd never have another experience like it. I made Robert buy me room service breakfast, just so that I could say that I had actually had room service before. Weird, huh???

Bridger's B-day

Mary Ann Baisden Harmon & Baby Boy

They are buried in unmarked graves over by these two tall trees. It was so quiet and peaceful here. There was a stream running past, tall pine trees on 3 sides and a field on the other. I loved it. We also stopped and saw the intersection where Phillip Harmon was struck and killed by a car. Weird, huh?

Phillip Harmon Rock

Pine Tree Cemetery - Brainerd, MN

When Grandma Peterson passed away in 1996, I felt a strong urge to copy all of her Book of Remembrances. I did not know why. I cared nothing for genealogy. But I listened to the spirit and copied everything. Including an old deed for a cemetary plot. I destinctly having to talk myself into copying it because I felt that it was of no worth. Well, what do I know? Anyhow, This deed has probably proved to be one of the most valuable pieces of information that I did copy that day. Anyhow, to make a long story short, Seth and Bert, humored me and let me stop and see this cemetery on our way home from Grandma Stoehr's funeral. Our Great Great Grandpa Philip Harmon is buried here, as is his wife and one month old son that was no where in our genealogy. There are no head stones on these graves but the sexton was kind enough to humor me and brave the rain and come and show us where the graves where located. It was such a neat experience for me. Thanks guys!!!!

Atmosphere! It's everything.

Desert - Scream Brownies (Don't mind the oozing red stuff)

Lake made, named and decorated these himself! Man, my baby boy is growin up!

Blood Soup w/ Seaweed or Bottom of the Barrel Soup

Cooked Eels

Main Course - Eels

Appetizers - Fish Guts and Crackers

Halloween Dinner 2010

I will see if I can figure out how to attach our menu. Jacoby requested Halloween Dinner. I guess he missed it last year! Anyhow, he invited tons of people. He went with Brad to BYUI to a merit badge pow wow so I could stay home and cook. I was exhausted but most everyone seemed to have fun!

Wow! I am a big girl and did it myself!!!!!!

So here is a few photo's of our Halloween Dinner. Jacoby was so excited that he invited everyone he knew. However, it worked out nice and everyone had fun. I went to bed exhausted!!!

The Funeral

I want to add pictures from our Wisconsin trip and our Halloween dinner but I don't know how! When someone has a bit a free time will you please call me and help me! Thanks

We all got a chance to sail, but Benjamin and I mostly read. Nathan just goofed around. How relaxing.

Such a pretty little town, right between Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan.

We could walk to either Lake from the cottage, or to downtown for ice cream! It was great.

This is the "cottage" where we spent our vacation in Michigan. Built in 1902, it was not a cottage at all (by my standards of what cottages) :-) When I walked in, all I could think was "this smells just like Grandma Hammonds house." It was incredible!

Sadie

Last night I was walking down the hall with Sadie, holding her in my left arm and asking her to give me five over and over again. Each time she would swing her left hand at mine and giggle. I turned around, placed Sadie in my right arm and asked her to give me five. She lifted her left hand, swung it straight forward, smacked me in the face and giggled. :)

This morning she woke up before I left for work so I got her out of bed and took her downstairs with me. She was sitting on my lap and I was feeding her yogurt. After each bite she would look up at me, smile with her BIG cheesy grin and squinted eyes, and giggle. She is so dang cute!! I love being a dad!!!

Summer vacation 2010 - Johnsons visit to Tennessee

The Johnsons made it to Tennessee. Day one was spent out on the lake and having a BBQ at our friends house.

Whata March

It's been a pretty eventful March. The weather is finally nice out so we went camping (turned into the kids first slumber party), cooked dutch oven potatoes & bbq chicken, took a day trip to Fort Loudon, went fishing, went out on the boat (1st time of the year), spent lots of time on the trampoline, got the rabbit fence up around the garden, & went paintballing with the scouts.

From 2/20 to 3/5 Nate was in India (Mumbai, Pune, Kolkatta, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Haldia, & Delhi. Trains, plains, & automobiles. Quite the experience (cows, poverty, monkeys, CRAZY drivers, festival holi, missionary experience (not the sharing the gospel kind :), very productive business trip)).


For spring break the Tanners came over. We went skeet shooting, paintballing, to the jump house, to Johnson City to eat dinner & visit with Brian and Kathy, and started our own polar bear club for Jordans birthday :) Good times.