Taylor's Visit

We got to have Taylor all to ourselves for a few days this last spring.  She doesn't remember it, but for the first year of her life,  I tended her while Sasha was attending beauty school.  Taylor was such an easy baby.  She was always healthy and happy, and the two of us did some pretty serious bonding during that time.  Two weeks after she turned one, Mike and I moved to St. George.  (I have worried a little about what that sudden separation might have done to Taylor's sense of security.  The first time I saw her after the move was in Logan.  I remember we clung to each other pretty tightly for those first few minutes.) 

 

Fast forward almost five years and our adorable granddaughter is still making my heart sing.  Here are a few pictures Grandpa took to record the visit.

 

Love this sweet angel. 

 

She picked out the balloon and flowers for Kris's grave.
 

 

I don't know how she does it, but she can always spot a butterfly!

 

Adding the butterfly to the flowers,

 

Bath time means the monkey blanket! for this cute little monkey!



Decorating cupcakes!



She fell asleep on the way to Tuacahn!



Riding the carousel with her cousins



Eating a delicious meal with Sadie and Brynlie!  Fun lunch trays!



Hot tubbing!



Cousins!



The Easter Bunny came!



So excited to see what's inside!



She borrowed a princess dress from Brynlie.



Grandma thinks she's beautiful!

Love you, Taylor! 

 

Thanksgiving Dinner and Pomegranates



Here are the South girls, hungrily waiting for Thanksgiving dinner, 2013.  Mike and I were invited to their home last year, and were told that we were not expected to bring a thing.



Aspen prepared the entire meal, clear down to those delicious rolls you see proofing in the pan.

 



Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favorite meals of the year.  I love the turkey, the mashed potatoes and gravy, and the rolls.   This year, Aspen added two new foods that were quite a hit.  For Dad, there was fresh asparagus cooked to perfection.  For me, I loved the pomegranate seeds. 

And, just so that the story is forever recorded...I will include an experience that happened nearly 30 years ago, during our first, brief stay in St. George.  We had a tiny pomegranate tree that had produced maybe six little pomegranates. I was watching and waiting with great anticipation for the day when we could harvest our small crop.  (You have to understand that this was a time in our lives when every penny was carefully budgeted and there were no shopping sprees that involved the purchase of gourmet foods like pomegranates)  Each day, I would check the progress of my fruit.  Because the tree was tucked away in a spot of the yard that was not visible to any windows, I always had to go outside for my inspection. 

 

You can probably guess where this story is going.  You might even be able to imagine the emotion I felt when I discovered the dastardly deed...complete with broken, empty pomegranate shells littering the ground.  And you might have figured out it was the kids--Aspen(5) and Vince(3) who were the thieves.  I wanted to wring their little necks! Being fat and pregnant no doubt intensified that emotion. 

 

For some reason, I never blamed Vince.  He was the little brother who didn't know any better.  Aspen was the one who bore the brunt of my anger-for years.  The two of us could never be in the same room with a pomegranate without me making a comment about her early childhood crime spree. One Christmas I made arrangements with Santa to put a pomegranate in her Christmas stocking, so I could bring up the story once again.  I was still telling it when she had kids of her own.  And then, one day, Aspen looked me straight in the eye and said this, "Mom, I have never regretted picking those pomegranates.  They were absolutely delicious, they did not give me the stomach ache you felt I deserved, and to this day I love pomegranates!" 

 

Well, that comment stopped me short.  I think a part of me was secretly happy for the delicious treat my two oldest kids got way back in the early days when money and treats were so much more rare than they are today.   I realized that the closest to an apology I'm ever going to get from Aspen was that large bowl of pomegranate seeds for Thanksgiving dinner, with instructions to her kids to make sure I got all I wanted before they finished them off.  I'll take it. 

 

By the way, after this past hard winter killed off several of our trees, I am happy to report we have now planted a pomegranate tree!  I wonder if I should install surveillance equipment?!

Lots of lessons this Sunday...

Something happened today at church that doesn’t happen too often. When it does occur, I generally sit up and take note, because I have come to realize that it is Heavenly Father's way of getting our attention.   Two people used the same quote in their Sacrament meeting talks. What made this even more unusual was that the quote was from a General Conference talk given 14 years ago!  (When I looked it up after I got home, I was amazed that it had been 14 years...it seems like it was yesterday.)  Here's the quote, again...

The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.--The Joy of Womanhood, Margaret D.Nadauld, October 2000 General Conference

Our high councilman (one of the two speakers today) told us an interesting story about Sister Nadauld’s talk.  She had been instructed to speak for 12 minutes.  When she practiced it, the talk lasted 14 minutes.  So, she cut out two minutes and practiced again.  This time the talk was only 10 minutes!  

At this point, the obvious move for most of us would have been to reinsert the two minutes that had been cut from the earlier version of the talk.  But Sister Nadauld did not do that.  Instead, she wrote two new minutes and added them to the original talk.  The above quote was taken from the two new minutes.  It has been quoted from again and again and again in the last 14 years.

What a great lesson this is for me!  Sometimes the obvious solution to a problem is not the best solution.  I'm going to work harder at listening to the Spirit.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! "84"

Today is a pretty big day.  84 years ago,  my dad was born. 

  Then and now pictures...

 

I so wish that I could be there, celebrating with a lemon pie and 4th of July sparkler on top. 

Dad has always loved history, and has instilled in his daughters that same love.  In honor of your birthday, Dad, here is a little story I recorded in my journal awhile back.

In July of 2008, at one of our bi-annual Frank Park family reunions, I mentioned to Mike how much I had enjoyed being able to visit one-on-one with just me and my dad earlier in the day. Mike-who has always been a great observer-made a comment to me…"Have you noticed how Dad has gone around to each of us at this reunion and spent one-on-one time? I hadn’t noticed, but I started to watch him and realized that it was true. I also realized that he has always been that way…

Four years later, at the 2012 Reunion, something happened that I thought was so precious, I recorded it in my journal. Although  I wasn’t there when it happened, both Babz and Sasha told me about it, later. Several family members were playing BINGO. Someone shouted out that they had a BINGO. Immediately afterwards, 4-year old Taylor began to cry, loudly. In fact, it was more of a scream. Everyone thought she was mad that she hadn’t won-except dad. He quickly realized that Taylor had gotten her tiny little foot stuck in the back of the chair she was kneeling on. The harder she tried to get it unstuck, the more tightly it became wedged. Several people tried to help before AJ was finally able to free her foot. As soon as Taylor was free, she threw herself into Grandpa Park’s arms and sobbed her little heart out. He was the one she wanted. Dad has always been the one we wanted when we were sick or hurt or sad.

 

Taylor, as a babe with her great-grandpa...

 

 

...and on her first day of kindergarten

And, here's a p.s. to the story.  I had a sweet experience at the 2014 Reunion, held at Antelope Island just a few weeks ago.  As so often happens when all the relatives gather that haven't seen each other for a long time, the younger children become a bit frightened when confronted with all the strangers wanting hugs and kisses.  Taylor was clinging to me, trying to avoid those strange faces she hadn't seen for nearly a third of her life. Each time someone new came up, she buried her face in my shoulder and clung to me tighter.  Then, all of a sudden, she straightened up, smiled brightly and  was genuinely thrilled as she recognized her great-grandpa Park standing before her.  Gave me a bit of a lump in my throat...

Happy Birthday, Dad, you truly are salt-of-the-earth!

 

 

Family History-I am doing it!

I have been working on a family history project for about three months now.  I still have a LOT of work left, but that is okay...because when it is finally finished, it will be a treasure. 

But, sometimes you just need to walk away from it for awhile.  (Mike taught me that.)  Being blessed with a large portion of the OCD gene, I tend to become overly engrossed in a project, neglecting other things, like eating and sleeping...

So, I decided it's time to clear the fuzziness from my overworked brain by switching gears and doing something else for awhile. 

It's been two months since I last blogged.  And so, in the spirit of the family history work that has so completely consumed me, I decided to post a few pictures from my own family history. 

This is my dad's great grandfather, Adin Newton, born in Vermont in 1805.  I think he looks a lot like Abraham Lincoln. 

This is Cora Ann Newton, Adin's daughter.  She is beautiful beyond words.

This is Mary Elizabeth Ehrler, my grandmother, and Cora's only daughter that lived to adulthood.  At the 2009 Park reunion, we had a look-a-like contest with Grandma's many descendants.  I was so pleased when my own granddaughter, Kylie was one of the winners! 

This is a family picture of Charles Vincent Shurtliff, my mother's great- grandfather.  He is seated in the front row, in the middle, next to his youngest son, Frank.  Leon, my mom's grandfather is seated in the front row as well, the last one on the right.  And here's a bit of trivia for you.  Charles' first wife Nancy Alzina Smith (mother to all the adult children in the picture) passed away.  Leon's mother-in-law, Sarah Jane Hawker Green, also a widow, married Charles and they had little Frank.  Here's the trivia question.  How many ways is Leon related to Sarah Jane?  And to young Frank?   

Okay, for my last picture-a much more recent video taken last Christmas.  I posted it to facebook, but I wanted to repost it here, as well.  This one is of Taylor and Brooke.  I think Kristi posted one of Hudson and Tyler which is adorable as well.  In fact, all the grandkids had so much fun with this dancing Christmas tree!

 

 I am grateful to belong to a wonderful family, with ancestors who left me with a legacy of  love and loyalty.  As I make an effort to learn about their lives, I am continually impressed with what I learn.  Above all, I am grateful for the knowledge I have that my family is forever.  One day I will be reunited with these people in these pictures.  In the words of one of my favorite songs, "I am a child of God...rich blessings are in store...if I but learn to do his will, I'll live with Him (and them) once more."  

Happy Birthday, Annie!

I want to wish my January child a belated happy birthday.  I have so enjoyed Annie's blog posts...she can appreciate the extra effort that goes into blogging.  As I thought about what I wanted to say, the words to a very old song came into my mind.  So, if you will indulge me a bit, Annie...

 Where are you goin' my little one...little one?

 

 Where are you goin' my baby my own?

Turn around and you're two...

 

 

 

Turn around and you're four...

 

 

 

Turn around and you're a young girl...

 

 

... going out of the door.

 

 

 

 

Turn around...

 

 

 

Turn around....

 

 

 

Turn around...

 

 

 

 and you're a young girl going out of the door.

 

Where are you goin' my little one,

 

 

 

little one...

 

 

 

 

...little dirndls...

 

 

 and petticoats,

 

 

where have you gone?

Turn around and you're tiny...

 

 

Turn around and you're grown...

Turn around and you're a young wife...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ...with babes of your own.

 

 

 

Turn around and you're a young wife..

 

 

 

 ...with babes of your own!

 

Love ya, Annie!  Hope your day was as wonderful as you are!
(I don't know if you've heard this song, but your Grandma and Grandpa Park will get a kick out of it!)

 

 

 

PARK FAMILY REUNION 2013- DUBOIS, WY.






We just returned from the Park Family Reunion. It originated with Albert and Mary Park, my grandparents. It is held every two yeas and this year, we gathered in DuBois, Wyoming.

 One thing we will always remember about DuBois was the wonderful pavilion where we were all able to gather each day. That-and the near perfect weather- and, of course the best part of every reunion-being with family members we haven't seen for a long time.

The pavilion was within easy walking distance to our motel rooms, travel trailers and tents. It was also right next to a fun playground for the kids.       Kylie and Sadie loved getting to know their cousin, Rich. No reunion is complete without at least one of the Mervin boys.     Here's Uncle Bill. He is the greatest uncle in the universe.   A fun walk to the river to watch the grandkids swim.   Vanessa and Cynthia-looking beautiful as ever!    This was most of our group. There were at least five I can think of that are not in the picture, but even with them, you can see that the group was quite small for a reunion spanning 6 generations. Concerns were voiced about this and we hope to be able to come up wth some ideas to get more out to the 2015 reunion. One plan is to announce the date early! If all goes well, it will be the 23-24-25-26 of July (1st choice) or the 16-17-18-19 of July (2nd choice)...probably somewhere in Idaho, depending on what the Williams family is able to find. There is something almost magical about family ties. They are able to expand and contract to fit a muliplicity of age groups and personality types, comfortably including us all. I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this year's reunion and am grateful to have a husband who thinks of my family as his. I loved watching my granddaughters interact with their "dozens of cousins" and only regret that I did not ask Babz to bring Lexi and Tori. I loved visiting with aunts, uncles and cousins, and I especially loved being with mom and dad. I missed those that have passed on, but I am confident that there will one day be a glorious reunion to include us all. We are FAMILY!   

Trip to Lewiston-A class reunion and some wonderful memories with Mom and Dad

Mike and I traveled to Lewiston this month, for my 40 year class reunion.

 

  

This is me, with two of my former classmates...Louise and I have stayed best of friends for all these years.  Our husbands get along great, too, which makes it even sweeter.  Ron and I were also good friends and I really enjoyed getting to know his wife at this reunion.

 

 

 

We had such a good time with mom and dad.  My favorite day was a trip up above Elk River to see the giant cedar trees...Dad says they've been there for centuries. 

 My favorite picture!

 

 

 Who knew this was only a two hour drive from Lewiston?!

 

 

 It was hard work holding up that big old cedar tree, but we did it!

 

 

 Here a picture of my sweetheart.  I am so glad he took his camera on this trip!

 

 

Someone needs to teach me how to photoshop the tree limb out of Dad's face, because I really LOVE this picture!

 

 

I am going to try and talk mom and dad into getting high speed, wireless internet. I just loaded 25 pictures from this trip, onto facebook , and they can't even enjoy them. I'm afraid that the six pictures I am posting on this blog may be too much for their computer to handle.  Dad says he is having a hard time keeping up with his grandkids, because it takes so long for the pictures to load on their blogs that he sometimes just has to give up.  Facebook would be such a treat for him, but right now, is totally out of the question. 

What do you think?  Maybe  we will just have to take matters into our own hands...