2009-07-15
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Family Reunion
2009-07-08
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I know how important my blog postings are to most of you! We've been having too much fun to blog (that's TMFTB for those of you who speak Randyese). We just finished up the 2009 Flor-Ida Balls Family Reunion, or at least the Ida part, and I wanted to share some of the good times with those who were unable to make it this year.
No reunion involving Uncle Mark would be complete without a 5k. Diana and I pushed the boys in a borrowed jogging stroller and came in just a few seconds over 30 minutes. When I say Diana and I what I really mean is Diana. She was awesome, pushing the boys the majority of the way. I'm thinking hard about getting a Chariot. Those of you who already own one should work on convincing Diana that it's necessary!
Next up was the parade. There really is nothing like the parade in Soda Springs, especially if you're a kid! The floats may not be up to 24th of July standards, but the volume of candy more than makes up for that! One of our favorite floats was the Soda Springs Library entry. They handed out books (Derek grabbed a copy of Corduroy the Bear) and plastic glasses.
Derek quickly learned that if he waved at the floats he was showered with candy. I think he has enough candy to last until Halloween!
After the parade we headed up to Camp Honnock for dinner and a talent show. Jeff and Nate performed dead-on impersonations of the uncles. It was hilarious. After the talent show Derek organized his cousins into a log-moving brigade He decided that one of the logs was too close to the fire and recruited his cousins to help roll it. It took 3 of them, but they did it. It was very entertaining.Sunday we had Diana's famous Idaho Sugar Cookies, which everybody enjoyed. Gavin especially liked his, and ended up eating at least one while smearing another all over his face!
We also had a family home evening Sunday night which was neat. All of the Aunts and Uncles shared some memories they had about Soda and Grandma and Grandpa and how that had given them a good foundation for their lives. Of course Dad talked the longest but we enjoyed the stories he told about Grandpa and Grandma and the lessons they imparted to their kids. We watched a video showing the growth of the family over the years and all the fun reunions we've had. Aunt Kerri has made scrap books of most of our reunions which are well worth flipping through next time you are at Grandma's house.
Grandma's house was very crowded. I think we had something like 60 people there camped on the floor or back yard. Some of us (I won't say the smarter ones, but we did have our own bathrooms!) got rooms at the JR Inn. It was actually a lot nicer than I expected. Diana stayed there every night with Gavin while Derek and I spent a couple of nights camping in the backyard. Derek also wanted to camp with Grandpa, so they spent one night in the tent.Monday morning we went out to Hooper for breakfast in the pavilion. Uncle Mark dug some old Tang out of Grandma's Food storage and mixed it with Hooper Water. Derek and his cousins loved it. I think they drank all 5 gallons by themselves! Diana, however, is still not a fan of Hooper Water, no matter what it's mixed with. After breakfast the kids had fun playing on the Not-OSHA-Approved playground equipment. It had rained the night before and there was a huge mud puddle under the teeter-totters, but that didn't stop the kids from having a blast!
All the excitement wore Gavin and Luke out. They were already napping at 9:30!
After Hooper we headed to Lava Hot Springs for the final activity of the reunion. They've added some new water slides to the pool this year, and by all accounts they are a hit. Diana and I didn't want to wait in line so we didn't go down the new slides, but we enjoyed the curly slides that have been there for a while. Derek grew gills on this trip and had a blast in the water, going down the kiddie slides and jumping into the pool. He also showed us how he can put his head under the water "all by myself". He saw people jumping off of the 33 foot diving platform and decided that his daddy needed to do that. Uncle Eric and I were happy to oblige him. I'm glad that he still thinks I'm a hero. I wonder how long that will last... I challenged Uncle Mark to a race to the bottom from the top tower, but he declined. I think that's the only time he's turned down a challenge to a race!One final picture, Derek had so much fun he really exhausted all of his considerable energy stores. The last hour and a half of the drive he was really head bobbing, so Diana (being the wonderful mother that she is) leaned back and lifted his head up. It was really pretty funny!
We had a great time at the reunion, many thanks to Aunt Kerri and Uncle Mark (mostly Aunt Kerri) for all their hard work and to Grandma for letting us take over her house and yard. We look forward to seeing more of you this week for Braden and Tiffany's baby blessing, and to August for Huckleberries!
Congratulations Braden and Tiff!
2009-05-26
Good job you two! We're glad Kayla made it and that everybody is healthy! Good luck on this new stage in your life!
Bad Samaritan?
2009-05-23
I can't believe this story: Passer-By Pushes Man Contemplating Suicide Off Bridge in China
"I pushed him off because jumpers like Chen are very selfish. Their action violates a lot of public interest," Lai was quoted as saying by Xinhua. "They do not really dare to kill themselves. Instead, they just want to raise the relevant government authorities' attention to their appeals."
It looks like the jumper/pushee will survive, which is good news, I guess.
**UPDATED**
Video included now, in case you thought I was just telling a very bad joke. The first 35 seconds show the action, then it's all Chinese, which I don't understand. Maybe Gov. Huntsman will translate? As I said before, the pushee survived, and he actually landed on an inflatable cushion, so the video is not that graphic. Heck, people pay money here in the good ol' US of A for an adrenaline rush like this.
Family
2009-05-22
I found Bonnie and Wayne Balls genealogy website today and have enjoyed reading some of the family histories and pictures they've posted there. As Memorial Day approaches I remember the family trips we made to the cemeteries in Soda Springs and Ovid to visit grave sites and place flowers. As a kid I was more interested in playing at the (world famous) geyser with the cousins than respecting my ancestors, but now their stories are more important. Maybe I'm finally growing up! Actually, I always like Great-Grandpa John's story of his encounter with the bear, so maybe I'm not all that grown-up after all!
Happy, Happy Birthday!
2009-05-14
Gavin celebrated his first birthday today. I can hardly believe the time has gone by so quickly. Gavin, of course, doesn't know it's his birthday, but Derek was fully aware. I'm pretty sure he's convinced that Gavin's birthday presents are really for him! Gavin was more interested in the wrapping paper anyway, so I guess it's all good. Diana broke out her cooking gear and baked cake for the family, as well as an individual cake for Gavin. He wasn't sure what to make of it at first. He got some frosting on his hand and freaked out. Diana observed that if it would have been anything else he would have gloried in spreading it all over himself and anything he came in contact with. Eventually he figured out that cake and frosting are good and enjoyed himself. I think he ended up with more frosting on his belly than was originally on the cake!
