A Three-Day Whirlwind Tour!

Friday, March 20th, Greg had business in the Downy/Preston area. He needed to meet with a new customer and count his cattle which were in three or four different spots from Downy to Preston. We decided as long as we were going to be that close to Montpelier and Logan and inasmuch as we were planning to go to Park Valley on Saturday for the weekend, we would make a three-day weekend of it! We had been working on our years supply of food and had put together an order for Walton Feed just the day before. So this was a perfect opportunity to go to Montpelier and see this place that I have heard so many people talk about! We were able to pick up our order as well as some things for Sister Cook, Lori and Cindy. That place is amazing! They have about anything you could possibly want to order and more! Check it out if you have not already been on their site.http://www.waltonfeed.com/. We were impressed how orderly and accurately they processed our orders, especially considering that Mary and I called and changed/added to our orders about three times...every business's nightmare! But they were courteous and let us add and subtract even after we arrived! Since Greg has a wheat allergy, I have been experimenting with and learning about other nutritious grains to cook with, one of them being quinoa (a grain that is a complete protein!). I had been trying to find a place to purchase it, but it is SO expensive! Waltons had it for about 2/3 the cost of anywhere else I had researched. Anyway, it was a very successful and fun food storage trip and we came back with the back of the truck loaded! Now I am actually USING the items we purchased and will rotate accordingly! Yes, I am becoming connected to my food storage! I do not want to find myself in a time of need staring at my #10 cans and wondering what I am going to cook with all of it! This has been very fun! I completed my three-month supply of meals Greg and I eat using the wonderful food storage calculator Lori posted a few weeks ago. It is very user friendly and makes you think "yes, I can do this!" 3-month supply calculator.

After a delicious lunch at the Butch Cassidy Restaurant in Montpelier, we headed to Logan to spend the balance of the day and over-night with Julie, Stanton and family! We didn't give them much warning, but they were kind and let us come anyway! It was fun to visit, to see Julie's wonderful craft room, and to play outside with the kids. I could tell they were so excited to be able to run and play outside once again. Such adorable children. We love all four so very much! Looking at the weather today...well, let's just say that we only caught a brief glimpse of nice spring weather! It is a blizzard outside right now! I will still not complain about receiving moisture, however. It is too precious and too needed! Anyway, Greg was also able to help Stanton and Jim hang a hoist in the garage to hold the Jeep top when not in use. That evening after the kids were in bed, we watched the movie Australia...a very good movie if you haven't yet seen it! Long but good! After a good night's sleep and some reading and snuggle time with the kids Saturday morning, we headed to Park Valley. Oh, by the way, I once again forgot my camera so I purchased a disposable one! What a waste...the few pictures I took were terrible! I will never do that again if it means I carry my camera in my purse all the time! This picture of Greg with Brigham is the only one that turned out at all! I am still kicking myself! Speaking of Brigham, Julie and Stanton have an appointment at Primary Children's Hospital for him this week. Little Brigs, you are in Grandma and Grandpa's prayers every day! We love you so much and can feel Heavenly Father's love for you as well! We await more information! Thanks, Julie and Stanton, for a fun visit!

We arrived in Park Valley in time for Greg to help Brent, Bill and Dad with some of the chores. Mom Rose was very sick during that week previous to our visit and though she was feeling somewhat better, she was far from well. Each time she gets sick, we wonder if she can possibly fight it off one more time. But she is a wonderful woman of faith and we are so grateful she is pulling through this once again. We stayed over with Brent and Janet so as not to wear her out and cause her any stress. We did go over and visit with her for a few hours and then got out of her hair so she could take a nap. Janet and I visited all afternoon reminiscing and catching up on our families, etc. How I love my dear sister-in-law. She is truly a sister to me in every sense of the word. We enjoyed fixing dinner together and were thrilled that Mom and Dad Rose came over to eat with us. While Janet and I were having a ball together, Brent and Greg were enjoying the same experience. Though the ideal is always when we can have our kids and grand kids with us, this was a weekend when none of our kids were able to be there. So I guess we just revelled in each other's company. We stayed up until 11:30 pm which is not usual for us old folks! The next morning as the guys were out doing morning chores, we prepared a pot roast and all the fixin's and put them in the oven before church. Mom wasn't feeling good enough to speak in church though she did go and stay to all the meetings. We were grateful to see her on the mend. Greg and I were glad we were there and had been asked to speak so that Dad did not have to worry. What a blessing it was to be to Church in Park Valley again. How we love these wonderful, faithful people! Part of my heart will always be in the valley! I am so thankful for the time we were able to live and raise our family there as I know that our wonderful children are partially a product of their time on the ranch. Park Valley...we love you!

I must mention what a fantastic Gospel Doctrine teacher Bill is! He is a perfect mix of humility, humor, and teacher of doctrine in a "bring the scriptures to a personal level" kind of way! We all learned so much and were uplifted by the teachings in Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Thank you, Bill, for your prayerful preparation...a lesson you had obviously thought and prayed about all week!

After church, we headed home to get a wonderful dinner on the table. I just have to ask, does anything smell better when you walk in the door after Church than pot roast and vegetables? I think not! Mom and Dad Rose came over and ate with us once again and we enjoyed some more wonderful time together. Janet and Brent, you are the most wonderful host and hostess! Thank you so very much for your time, friendship, love, hospitality and food! We had a great weekend. Our Park Valley family...we love you!!!!