Rewind back to last summer 2013..... Part 3

Bow Fishing

My brother-in-law took the kids bow fishing one night.  Bow fishing includes catching (spearing) Alligator Gar with a barbed arrow.  See photos below to see what these (ugly) creatures are.  The kids had a wonderful time.  

Jessie & Ison bowed the same Gar

Jessie's (small) catch

A bigger Catch

The LARGEST Gar was bowed by Melanee

It was so BIG that they had it weighed and measured to see if it was the largest catch in Texas. 

It wasn't the largest but it was a close second!  

So Awesome!!

Games

Bill found one of their family's childhood games called "Skittles" created by Carrom.  He got it all cleaned up so that we can start playing it.   After doing some research on it recently I learned this is a game created in the 1920's. It is played with spinning tops, and 12 hardwood pins.  You try to knock down as many pins as you can with the spinning top.  Points are scored depending on which tops are knocked down.  It's a blast and was a BIG HIT with everyone.  Thanks babe for finding this game for us.  

.

You can find this game on Amazon or Ebay if you are interested in getting one of these for your family.

Father's Day

I was so blessed this year to get to spend Father's Day with my Dad.  It's been a few years since that has happened.  It also happened to be the last day my parents and nieces were going to be here in Texas, so we had everyone over for dinner, games and fun times spent with each other.  

Valerie, my Dad and my FIL in the background. 

I don't know what mom was doing but I just love her tongue hanging out!  LOL

She does this often when she is concentrating on something.  It's cute isn't it?  

(She'll probably kill me for posting this) 

Just finishing up dinner and dessert.  MIL in the background.

Valerie created a photo album for dad for Father's Day.  

It was awesome! 

Filled with so many memories. 

 Pretty sure my dad loves it!  

Having my parents and my nieces here with us for a couple weeks really made my summer extremely wonderful. It was really hard for my dad to be here with having to have dialysis every other day, scheduled at a center he was not familiar with. He struggled a few times and did not feel well often.  I am just so grateful that he came anyway, to visit and see our new home and our little FARMily.   I don't know if he will be able to ever make it out here again so I just feel really happy and blessed to have him here with us. 

RODEO 

After my parents and nieces left for home, we still had another week or so with Jessie before he had to go home.  We made some great memories that I will forever cherish. 

Rodeo time!  Jessie couldn't miss this opportunity since he himself is a rodeo boy back home, 

bull riding of all things! So dear hubby, Jessie and I went to our local rodeo. 

We had a wonderful time.  I was very impressed with how rodeo's are done here in Texas.  

They take the rodeo just as seriously as High School Football.  

If you have ever been to Texas you will know exactly what I mean by that.  

The rodeo grounds

Rodeo Royalty bringing the colors in.  

We had a really good time and will definitely make this a tradition.

Jessie all studded out with cowboy hat and new T-shirt!  

Pretty funny shirt if you ask me LOL!!

Jessie talked me into getting myself a cowboy hat.  

It's a comfy fit!  I like it!  

Wonderful memories were also made at Joe's Crab Shack.

Love this kid of mine!  So handsome!

And we couldn't miss out on stopping by Cabela's of Fort Worth

This is my new favorite photo.  He wanted a photo so he can show off this new hat.  

I just love the photo because it shows off my boy!  

Having my parents, nieces and Jessie visit really made my summer special.  I miss having these people around living close-by like we used to, so the times we do get to spend together seem that much more important, more special.  So thankful for Memories that will last a life time!!  

Rewind back to last summer 2013.... Part 1

Since I have a lot of catch up to do on this blog of mine I will start by going back to last summer because it was the best summer I have had in a very long time.

In June of last year (2013) my son Jessie came out to spend the whole month with me.  I was so very excited. Also in June my parents brought two of my nieces with them and spent over two weeks out here visiting. Splitting their time between me and my sister Valerie who lives about 30 miles from me, Jessie and my nieces got to see and do so many fun activities with all of us.

Since there are so many things to tell you about I will have to break this up into different parts so as not to make one huge long post that will take forever to read.  So this post is Part 1 of Summer 2013.

The first family activity took place on June 8th one of the first days after everyone arrived.  We took the family to Mineral Wells State Park for some kayaking and fishing.  Considering it was June, the temperature was very nice and tolerable.  The kids had a blast!  Dad and Mom seemed to really enjoy it as well.  I enjoyed having everyone around and watching them have so much fun!

Later that week they went over to my sister's home to spend some time with them.  She took them to Build-A-Bear where they were able to build their own bear. 

I think it is cute that 17 year old Jessie chose a bear too.  Over the last year he has taken an interest in being a cowboy and doing some bull-riding so he chose a cowboy bear.  Don't you just love his styling outfit?  I sure do!  LOL

Jessie & his Cowboy Bear

Melanee and her Texas Bear

Parker & his Batman Bear 

Mikayla & her soccer player bear (dog?)

Aunt Valerie also took them to the Aquarium and Swimming at the neighborhood pool.  Fun times were had by all.     

At the Aquarium in Dallas.  I just love this photo!

Swimming Fun with Cousins

Thank You Aunt Valerie for making sure they had a fun time while I had to work.

This is the end of Part 1...... look for Part 2 coming up soon.  

M.I.A.

You might have thought that I have been Missing In Action lately so I just wanted to write a little post to ensure you that I am not M.I.A.   I have just had a lot going on.  For instance.....

I started a new job.  I work at Citibank.  I drive almost an hour each way.  The long distance driving is only temporary, thank goodness.  As soon as we get moved into our new home the drive will only be about 20 minutes.

The house is coming a long nicely.  We expect to take occupancy in early August.  I will  post some pictures very soon.

Also, I am back in school working on my bachelor's degree.  I am currently taking Intermediate Accounting 1 and Art & Humanities.  School and work keeps me very busy.

Dear Hubby's work schedule has changed and we are trying to adjust to it.  It kind of really sucks!  He has always worked 10-14 hrs per day 5 days a week, but before he would go into work anywhere between 8:30 and 11:00 pm and get home between 10 a.m and Noon usually.  Now he goes into work between 2:30 and 4:00 a.m. and gets home between 2:00 and 4:00 pm.  It all depends on where he has to drive to.  He can usually count on a 600+ mile trip every day though.  With the new schedule he needs to be in bed around 7:00 pm  every night, so that doesn't allow much time for "us".  Also, he has Sunday/Monday off and I have Saturday/Sunday off.  Yeah it kind of sucks but we will adapt.  Work sure gets in the way of life though!

Anyway... I guess I can say I have been adjusting to a bunch of changes right now.  Hopefully I will find some balance in all things, including blogging.  That is what I am striving for.

See you soon!

Graduation & Vacation Part 5

After a slight delay, I am finally posting the final part of my graduation and vacation trip.

As mentioned previously, the morning of Day 9 we left a cold, windy, rainy and snowy Bryce Canyon to begin our trek home.  A few miles south of Bryce Canyon off of Hwy 89 is a very small, rural town named Alton, UT.

So without further ado.... I would like to welcome you to Alton, Utah, population 119.  The home place of my heritage in Utah.

This sign that welcomes everyone to Alton was donated by my family in 2008 at  the 100th birthday celebration.

My maternal grandmother and her 4 sisters grew up here. 

Please read this plaque.  

Jonathan Heaton, the founder of Alton is my great-great grandfather.  

Further down you will see the names of my great-grandparents, John Stanley and Clarrisa Amy Heaton Glover.  They are the parents of my Grandmother.  Clarrisa is my mother's namesake, only she was given the shortened version of Claire.  

Only in a rural town!  Ha!  

Another reason for us to visit Alton was that it was Memorial Day weekend and we wanted to decorate my ancestor's graves with flowers.  

The grave sight of my great-grandparents

Moi 

My great-grandparents passed away shortly before I was born so I never got the chance to get to know them.  However, I have been told some wonderful stories about them.  I look forward to meeting them someday.  

Another Ancestor

Cool Headstone

The Alton Cemetery is full of Heaton's, Glover's, and Roundy's.  I am related to them all.  

In fact if you have one of these surnames or know someone with these surnames and are from the Southern Utah area, I am most likely a relative.

The entrance to the Alton Cemetery

This view is looking at the cemetery.  

Among the cedar trees and sagebrush you will find my ancestors graves.

Another view of the cemetery.

 This is a view of the Alton valley looking from the cemetery.

Another view

This is the property where my grandmother's home used to sit.  The house burned down a few years ago.  It used to be next to that small red garage.  Sad to see it is gone.  

I have so many wonderful memories of Alton.  There were many family reunions held here when I was younger, and my grandmother has shared some really fun and amazing stories about her life growing up there.  

The welcome sign says it all.  Alton, Utah... A pretty little place.  The scenery surrounding this area is breathtaking!

To read more about it go here and here.  And if you ever find yourself in Southern Utah, do stop by for a visit.

A few short miles down the road from Alton is Kanab, Utah.  And right before you get into town is a place we wanted to visit called the Moqui Caves.  This is a museum of natural history displaying life of ancient Anasazi Indians of Southern Utah, as well as many other artifacts.  

As we walked into the cave we were greeted by a man named Lex Chamberlain.  He begins by telling us about the history of the caves and about his father, Garth Chamberlain who originally bought the cave and turned it into what it is today.  He explained that his father was an amazing artist (many of his creations are on display),and an ex-NFL player that played for the Pittsburgh, Steelers after being drafted from BYU. Next he tells us that his father was also born in Alton, Utah.  When he told me this, and I let him know my family history of Alton, we began talking about our ancestors and learned that his relatives are also Heaton's, and discovered that we are cousins (removed a few times)!  It was amazing!  

He gave us a more personal tour and showed us all the family pictures he had as well as the works of art his father created.  It was wonderful!  Finding relatives you don't know about is really exciting!   This place was amazing!  I can't describe the feeling that I had on this day after visiting Alton and the Moqui Caves.  We stayed much longer than we planned to but it was well worth it.  I encourage all of my family and friends who have not visited this place to do so.  

This was the last big stop of our trip.  Our stopping place for the night was Gallup, NM. The next morning, on our 10th and final day was a 13 hour car drive from Gallup to Fort Worth.  

Our whole trip was amazing! We saw my daughter and niece graduate, we got to see and spend time with many family members that we haven't seen in a long time, we got to meet family that we have never met before and visited places so spectacular that the memories of this trip will last a lifetime.  

And the best thing is that I got to see and experience it all with my best friend and husband.  Love Him!  Can't wait to do it again sometime.  

If you have never been to southern Utah I recommend that you get there someday.  There are so many National Parks and neat places to experience.  

Graduations & Vacation Part 4

Before I continue on with our trip to Bryce Canyon, I need to rewind just a bit because I forgot to include another stop we made while we were in Cedar City.  As I have lived there before I knew about a place called the Parowan Gap which has a lot of ancient history including petroglyphs that are the work of prehistoric Fremont and southern Paiute tribes. It is also a place that has history of the first Mormon settlers to that area.  Since DH had never been there I decided this would be another great stop.  You can read about the history here.

Listed on the national register of Historic Places

I think this is an amazing place. So much writing on the rocks! I wish I could understand the meaning of all the pictures.

We saw these cool lizards... the one closest is pretty fat and may be pregnant?

They stayed right where they were the whole time and watched our every move.  

Anyway... it is a pretty cool place so if you ever get down that way you should stop by and check it out.

The morning of Day 8 we left for Bryce Canyon National Park by way of Utah's Scenic Byway 143 called Utah's Patchwork Parkway.  Very nice drive!  It was a very windy day when we left Cedar City and it was very windy the whole day, even when we reached Bryce Canyon.  We arrived fairly early in the day with the intention of seeing as much as we could that day before our evening dinner show plans that I will tell you about in a little bit.

We checked into our hotel and began our trek to see and experience all we could.  Here are a few photos of our day.  

Before you get there you go through a couple tunnels like this one. This is how they opened the road (many years ago) to make it easier to get there. 

This is my 2nd favorite National Park next to Yellowstone

The landscape is so beautiful! 

This is one of many bristle-cone pine trees that can survive the harshest terrain. Look where the roots are.  Pretty cool tree if you ask me! 

Look at all those "hoodoos"

The ones in white look like people to me

And this one looks like a church or a temple

I still can't get over the amazing scenery.

These look like castles on the hillside

This looks like a the backside of a group of people with their arms around one another

Mountain Blue Bird

Remember when I told you that it was really windy?  Well it was SO windy that we were getting hit with rocks as we were walking from point to point. It Hurt! I won't even tell you about my hair... what a mess! It must have been blowing between 50 and 70 mph.  It was crazy!  

We decided to head back to our hotel around 4pm to rest and get ready for our evening plans.  Being in the wind all day really takes a lot of a person!  We were both feeling wind whipped and exhausted.  We decided we would see the rest of the park in the morning before we left to begin our trip towards home.

To make our trip to Bryce a little more memorable we added a western dinner show to our evening plans as part of our experience.  It was located at Ebenezer's Barn & Grill and was put on by the Bar G Wranglers.   Let me tell you... this was the highlight of our trip.  We had such a great time!  We were seated by one of the wrangler's, Jay Evans, who I learned happens to be married to the daughter of long time family friends of my Grandma in Delta (for my mom - the Lowder family). It is always fun to run into people you know in the least likely places.  After we were seated, two other couples were seated at our table with us.  One was from Georgia, but the husband was originally born in Jordan.  The other couple was originally from Houston, Texas but were living in Saratoga Springs, UT.  They brought their 4 year old daughter with them.  Cute!  We had such a great time talking and getting to know one another.  At other tables, there were people from all over the world.

We had a very yummy cowboy dinner and the entertainment by the Bar G Wrangler's was so much fun! They are really talented performers with their instruments and their voices.  It was such a memorable night.  We bought a few CD's and have a picture which they all autographed for us.  So fun!

I highly recommend you including this into your Bryce Canyon experience when you go next.  It will be a memory that I will always look back on fondly.  

The next morning we went to grab breakfast and as we were leaving with our shorts and t-shirts on we noticed it was still windy, but now it was really cold with a rain/snow mix coming down.  Crap! When we were done with breakfast and after packing up our stuff, we just decided to leave Bryce Canyon and begin making our way home.  We had plans to stop by Alton, UT on our way out of Utah.  This town is a very special place for my family.  It is where my grandma was born and raised and where the roots of my family is from. I will tell you about it in Part 5 coming very soon.

See you then!