Smith Station

July was a fun, FUN month! Here's what we've been up to.

We started the month with the 4th of July Breakfast with our ward. Here Christian is with the Tilbys. They have been such good friends to us and we love them!

Later that evening we started driving to the Murray family reunion in Idaho. We stopped the first night in Reno, Nevada. There we went to a free orchestra concert in the park. It was fun to explore the area, hear patriotic music, and see fireworks.

We stayed in a hotel and in the morning headed to Idaho Falls where we met up with Jen, Scott, Emma, Joe, Annie, Mary and Jonathan. It was fun to catch dinner together and let the kids swim to get their wiggles out after a long car drive.

Saturday we were able to meet in West Yellowstone around 2 pm with the rest of the Murrays. We got to see Joseph in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat". It was a fun show and Joe was so much fun to watch!

Afterwards we met at a park to visit with some of the Harts as well as Uncle Joel and his new fiancee.

That evening we checked into our lodge and the view was beautiful! Jen and Scott did a great job planning all the location and the events. Everyone enjoyed the time together.

The next day was Sunday and so we all went to the local ward building. Little did we know that it would be PACKED! There was standing room only, though we eventually found chairs to set up for most of us. Many were out on the lawn or in another adjoining chapel that was just as full. It was remarkable that so many people would be so devoted to show up on their vacations. The sacrament took quite a while. The ward was very welcoming and did a wonderful job maintaining the reverence.

We enjoyed the afternoon and the family time it afforded. We even had a very uplifting discussion about how we each feel the spirit in different ways.

We had soap carving which we enjoyed.

The kids had a great time playing kick the can, ghost in the graveyard, and tag.

Here the little guys are showing off their muscles.

In the evening we enjoyed karaoke. It was a great time!

Monday morning we were able to go on a couple of really nice hikes.

Here are Aaron and cute Augustine.

The views were so open and expansive. It made it so calming.

Scott was an awesome uncle on this hike. He took the time to explore and enjoy all the details with Christian. Plus, he has a great sense of humor!

The kids enjoyed their cousin time. This was a cool moment on the hike!

Jen makes everything nicer. She is organized, but flexible, and a great problem solver when it comes to organizing the group.

Sheri couldn't get enough of this cute little guy! She is like me when I was her age.

Of course, Ivan made everything more fun and interesting. The kids love him!

It sprinkled a bit on our hike, but it was very minimal. I really enjoyed my conversations with Cat on this trip.

Annie and I have such fun together. I love to glean insights from her and dream about achieving goals with her.

Isn't this view of the river beautiful! Just like these three. :)

You can always count on Ivan to have the little ones hanging on or being carried by him.

This makes me happy! Time together in nature is priceless!

I loved these falls! Here is Sterling looking cool.

Me and my sweetheart! I am glad he was able to join us for the first few days. I had to take him to the airport soon after this so he could head back to home/work.

Here is the smallest airport Matt's ever flown out of, found in West Yellowstone.

More fun photos of the hike.

Each evening we got to see Joe at Playmill Theatre. He was awesome in Foreigner on Monday night and Music Man on Tuesday night.

Tuesday during the day we were able to go into Yellowstone for the first half of the day. It was pretty remarkable!

I loved my time with the family! I am so glad that we could get together with them in this beautiful and fun area! Thanks to Jen and Scott for a well planned reunion!

A week after we returned home Eve and I went to Youth Conference (I was an adult leader). The conference was Friday. July 19th and Saturday the 20th. I had such a nice time connecting with the other leaders, getting to know the kids better, and being inspired by God's work! We spent the first day around the newly dedicated Oakland temple (baptisms, family history center, visitor's center, mission home tour, and discussion groups).

At dinner the first day they remembered my birthday! It is my 40th year! It was SO thoughtful!

We slept at the dorms on the CSU campus (East Bay) and the next morning we had fun group games and small group sessions.

In the evening I came home to a clean house and a beautiful birthday cake. I sure love my husband and kids!

The Hoyles arrived in the evening to visit all the way from Ohio! We were in heaven.

We enjoyed each day with them!

We went to the Aquarium in Monterrey. It was remarkable!

Then we got to explore the shoreline for sea creatures.

We had so much fun that we decided to enjoy an extra day together! We went bowling in the morning. Isn't little Trevor adorable?!!

Stephanie is so much fun and such a good friend. She makes everyone feel like they can be themselves and she loves them for it! She was such an ideal Young Women's President in Ohio to Eve. She is one of those friends you can count on to make you feel better and understood.