Happy Farmer's Thousand Island Dressing

Coach and his great-grandbaby Dexter

Thousand Island Dressing

1 pint miracle whip
3 boiled eggs (chopped)
1/4 cup green onion (chopped)
2 Tablespoons sweet relish
1/2 cup ketchup
1 pimento (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions: Mix ingredients and let set overnight in refrigerator before serving. My dad loves salad and this was his favorite dressing.

"The Happy Farmer"

My Dad (Coach) loved having a garden. After the kids all grew up, dad took down the above-ground pool in the backyard and put a garden in its place. He also had lots of fruit trees. He loved doing a garden mainly because I think he loved sharing all the fruits and vegetables with loved ones. One year he even came to North Carolina and I asked him to do three things, help me start a garden, help me coach my daughter's softball team and vacuum my floors. He was great at all of them and I loved having him and mom stay with me that spring. I had a great ball team, wonderful garden and the cleanest floors. Ironically, about eight years ago when I went to visit my parents, I noticed that my dad wasn't coaching ball, didn't have a garden and the floors in their house hadn't been vacuumed in a very long time. It was then I truly suspected something was wrong with Coach. Later he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. After my mom passed away last year, we were blessed to have my niece Cassie live with him and then there's Teresa his caregiver who comes faithfully each day and takes care of him. What a blessing it is to have their love and care for my dad. It has taken a lot of burden off our family. My sister Martha, her husband and family have done so much. I am so grateful to them. I like to refer to Coach as "The Happy Farmer" because he loved to garden and he could play the song on the piano. Jessica has been playing that same song now for the past three weeks so its made me think a lot of my dad. Coach is truly "The Happy Farmer."

"The Lord knows and loves

the elderly among His people.

It has always been so..."

~Ezra Taft Benson

Brace Yourself

Jessica got her braces this week and we're happy she's trying to smile about it.

"The world always looks brighter

from behind a smile."

~Anonymous

Dog Days of Summer

Dottie the Dog

Well I'm back to blogging. Just thought I'd start by posting some summer highlights. We had a full fun summer. Even had time to play with Dottie. Here she is waiting for me to hit her a tennis ball. What a dog!

Me, Kellee, Carson & Jessica

at Kellee's Graduation

We've had such a joy spending time with Cousin Kellee. We started off our summer by attending her graduation. We are really proud of her accomplishments. She's moved on and is attending Brigham Young University. If she does as well in college as she did in high school...She will Do great!

Angie, Jessica & Janna

Beach Fun!

You never know who might come visit if you just ask. Cousin Janna from California just graduated from high school and came to see us. It was so wonderful to have her. This picture is of them having fun at the Kure Beach.

Angie and Friends from Single's Ward

River Rafting

Angie came back in June and found a job here in Fayetteville at High Smith Rainey Hospital. She lives only ten minutes away and likes the single's ward. She shares teaching gospel doctrine class. One of their fun activities this summer was going river rafting. Do you think she might be having too much fun?

Jessica & Sophia
Stake Camp 2010

I'm so glad that my girls have had good experiences at YW Camp. Its good to know that they can have fun even in North Carolina where it's hot and muggy in the summer. Here's Jessica acting goofy with a friend from the ward. As my mother would say: "the fruit don't fall to far from the tree. "



Dave and some of the Youth and Adult Leaders

Stake Youth Conference

"A More Nobler Desire"

Dave and I got to be host parents for a group of young men at our youth conference. The theme was "A More Nobler Desire" A week before youth conference they were given a challenge to go on a digital fast: no tv, movies, texting, or computer except for absolute necesities like summer homework or keeping in contact with parents. Then the youth did service projects all weekend. Some of our activities included reading the newspaper to the blind over the radio, feeding the homeless in downtown Fayetteville and putting up a fence for a neighbor. It was great experience and helped us all to keep our priorites in order.

Jake the Graduate

Bachelors in Geography

with a minor in Spanish

Jake had a Summertime Graduation. Since BYU doesn't have a ceremony in December, Jake had his celebration in August. He still has a class he's finishing up with for Fall Semester and will be done in December. Then what? Well, we shall see.

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When I moved to North Carolina, one of my first friends was Hilda Brock and she was a wonderful primary music leader. At the end of the summer she would teach the primary children the song: "Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime" after they would learn it she then let the children make up their own verses. I thought it was so clever. I'm so glad I witnessed this wonderful woman sharing her talent and light to all.

Here's my feeble attempt to honor her love for music and show how our family spent the summer:

Oh, what do you do in the summertime

when all the world is green,

do you swim in a pool,

graduate from school,

or play with your dog all day long.

Is that what you do?

So do I.