Last Saturday we spent the day at the park in Clarkston at the Clark family reunion. After discovering a new “shortcut” over the Short Divide Rd (closed winters) thanks to my relying too heavily on my phones GPS, we ended up being the very first family to arrive. I almost suggested that we drive back to Bountiful and then come back just to maintain my reputation but we decided to just stay and live with being first. Once everyone else arrived we spent time on the playground, playing ball, making crafts, and eating. We even got a tour of the historical Clarkston LDS Chapel. It was a nice relaxing day chatting with family that we don’t get to see too often and eating great food. I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I meant to, but I was too busy sitting around not doing anything to take pictures.

In an effort to explain the following pictures a bit, the kids were playing with a Nerf-ish rocket launcher that was powered by jumping on an air pouch. I was able to get several action shots of the kids doing their best to get air to jump on the air pouch while I sat in my lawn chair sipping a chilly Diet DP. Too bad it feels like winter this weekend.

About a week ago we got the opportunity to go through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. We sort of went for Hailey’s birthday, but it just happened to be a good day to go. We invited my whole family and Emily’s parents and went through as a group. The temple is incredibly beautiful and there’s definitely a special feeling there even though it hasn’t been dedicated yet. There is a set large staircases in the middle of the temple which give it a very unique feeling. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but they give a very “homey” feeling as you walk in. There are several special features that make it unique and special and I can’t wait to be able to attend a session there. It was a great end to Hailey’s birthday and the fact that my dad took us to Panda Express when we were done helped a bit too.

My dad was recently nominated by his ward to recieve an important scouting award called The Silver Beaver Award. On Tuesday night we got to go to the awards ceremony to watch him receive it. It was neat to see him and my mom on the stage. He has always been a big scouter and he makes sure that the boys are warm, respectful and have a good time. He always brings lots of chapstick to camp with him because for some reason boys don’t think to bring their own. (My girls would bring a different flavor for each day!) He is always prepared. He would always give us extra stuff when we packed for girls camp so I know the boys are in good hands. He is such a good example to us girls! We are so proud of him. My mom also got a smaller version of the Silver Beaver to wear and she has also earned it. Maybe not for camping out in the cold, but for supporting my dad. And she was the prettiest one on the stage. We love you dad and think you are the best silver beaver around.

It’s a few days late, but I just wanted to give a shout out to my dad. Thanks for the years of family vacations to Lake Powell and Bear Lake. Thanks for teaching me to love football and hunting and camping and boating and all the other things I got to do as a kid. And most of all, thanks for helping me become the man I am today. Nobody could ask for a better dad. Happy Birthday!

Well, another year, another deer hunt. This year was unlike the past several years though because we didn’t come home with a deer. This was not due to a lack of deer availability, but a lack of being able to locate the one Ben shot. We assume that it wasn’t very badly hurt due to multiple factors, but regardless, it was able to completely evade us after having been shot. Ben felt a combination of anger and sorrow for how things worked out, but ultimately, there was nothing more we could do. We did have fun 4-wheelin’ and hiking around the mountain and just spending time outdoors watching nature though. Our annual hunting ritual always serves as an excellent bonding experience for the boys in our family and we mostly just enjoy spending the weekend together whether we actually get a deer or not. And it’s always fun to watch all the animals in their natural habitat. This year we saw around 100 deer, 5 or 6 moose, a few elk and even a bear and her cubs (luckily from a safe distance). It’s definitely awe inspiring to spend time in the great outdoors.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of our weekend to help inspire awe in you dear reader (especially the first few which were of me trying to kill the almost dead batteries in the camera).