5 July 2026
VOLUME 14 – NUMBER 648
Family at new ward 4th of July breakfast
Joanna
For the Fourth of July, we went to the ward breakfast at the park. After the breakfast, we went to the movies and watched the new movie Young Washington. There were some intense parts, so I had to close my eyes. At the end of the movie, people started to clap, so I joined them.
Later that night, we had a BBQ at Aunt Amy's house. We swam, and I got to play with all of my nephews and nieces. I also met a new friend whom Aunt Amy wanted me to meet. Her name was Brinley, and she was 10 years old.
Brinley and I played in the pool and tried to find all the toys underwater. That night, we also lit sparklers and had a lot of fun. It was a great way to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Red, white, and blue on the Fourth
Quinn
It was Taylorsville Days. When we were there, we saw a concert. We listened to them sing, saw skydivers, and the best part of all was that we got to see big, cool fireworks. Some of us brought blankets and chairs to sit on. We met the Smith kids there and also Aunt Amy.
Then we danced all night and sang along to the songs. We played games and had lightsaber battles. It was a blast! After that, we went home and went to bed.
Family at Taylorsville Days
Veidi
The past 10 days were the crazy “dog week” that Dad had been talking about, and it was a lot of work. Mom and Dad kept coming up with names for the busy time. Mom called it the “Doggie Drop” and Dad eventually came up with “DDOS”—Dog Days of Summer.
There were so many dogs and so much to do, especially with making sure everyone got rotated. For the most part, though, things went really smoothly.
On the Fourth of July, we went to the ward breakfast, and the food was good. Ashton and Caleb were with us, and it was super fun that they were there. After breakfast, we went to watch Young Washington, and I really liked it. It was such a good movie.
Family at Taylorsville Days
After that, we went back home and got all the dogs out and situated and then we went over to Aunt Amy’s for the family Fourth of July party, where we ate, played basketball, and went swimming. It was nice to be able to spend time with family and just have fun, and it was great to get a few hours without the dogs!
We also found out that our friend Rylan Marsh from our old stake passed away. He was just 18 years old and he was killed in a car accident. Isaac, Kai, and I went to his viewing. It was really sad to see him. It was him, but he just didn’t look like himself. I know he is in a better place and that he is with Heavenly Father.
Veidi canyoneering
Keaton
Since London’s work at the school ended at the end of the school year, London found a new job. She originally planned to work there only until school starts again in the fall. However, after her first week, she told me that her co-workers at the new job are much better, so it now seems likely that she will keep her new job. She is working as an office manager part time.
Her manager also asked London about her hobbies and gave her the most thoughtful welcome gift. She used my BoardGameGeek account to figure out which board game I had been wanting for a while. Then she surprised us with a copy of it. We've already had a great time playing it together.
This week we went to the temple with some of the family, and I wanted to share something London told me. After Adam and Eve partake of the fruit, they hear Heavenly Father's voice and are excited. Then Satan suddenly appears and tells them that this is the wrong emotion to feel. Instead, he convinces them that they should feel ashamed to meet Heavenly Father.
Family on canyoneering trip
Sometimes it's easy to feel disappointed in ourselves because of our mistakes and shortcomings. However, those moments are exactly when we should be most grateful for what Jesus Christ can do for us. His Atonement gives us every reason to approach Heavenly Father with hope rather than shame.
Over the weekend, we decided to take some of the family canyoneering. For quite some time, I'd been looking for a nice, easy introductory canyon with water, and I think we finally found it. We ended up doing two different canyons with around seven rappels. There were also three or four pools we had to swim through, which felt wonderful in the warm Utah summer.
Hopefully everyone who came had a great time and will want to come again.
Keaton and Gloria canyoneering
Gloria
This weekend I went canyoneering with London and Keaton. It was a lot of fun because we had a pretty good group. Caleb, Ashton, Veidi, Keaton, and two of Keaton's friends all came with us.
We camped Friday night and drove all the way to Moab. It was a long drive, but we passed through some really cool canyons. The sky was so orange and hazy because of all the smoke in the air.
When we got to the campsite, the views were amazing, although the smell wasn't the best, if you know what I mean. The next morning, we only had to drive about ten minutes to reach the canyon. It was absolutely beautiful.
Gloria asleep during scripture study
We hiked a little before entering the canyon. Once we got in, we started rappelling and making our way through some cold, murky water holes. I was nervous at first because I'm afraid of deep water.
Once I got in and got completely wet, I gradually became more comfortable. The canyon took us a few hours to complete, but it was definitely worth it. It was an unforgettable experience.
On the Fourth of July, we watched Young Washington in the morning. It was such an awesome movie, and I learned a few things from it. Later that day, we had an amazing family party at Amy's house.
The ribs were delicious, and the watermelon was especially refreshing. I'm so grateful that we live in a free country, and I'm thankful for the soldiers who fought to preserve our freedom.
Isaac and Kai moving appliances
Isaac
This week, we had a party at Aunt Amy’s for the Fourth of July, and it was a blast. We had delicious hot dogs, and the ribs were so good! We played some games, and people got into the pool. Eventually, I got in and joined a game that people were playing called “Holes in the Ice.”
It’s kind of like Shark, but you can only breathe at certain points in the pool, meaning you have to stay underwater and only come up at specific safe spots, or “holes in the ice.” We played that for a good while and also had fun riding the slide with a pool mat, trying to stay upright and not fall over.
After that, everyone left, and Ashton and Caleb came over to the house. We played Boomerang Fu for a good while, and we had a lot of fun playing it. Ashton and I beat Caleb and Kai two games to one. We’re clearly the better team, haha.
Kai and Isaac moving appliances
Kai
So this Friday the 3rd was pretty exhausting! We needed to move a few things from the old house to the new one. These things included the piano, the massage chair, and the filing cabinet, so there was a lot of lifting involved. We also had to help Andrew get a washer and dryer to his house and then move our old washer and dryer to our new house. Overall, it was a hard, labor-intensive day.
It was worth it, though, because we had a great lunch consisting of Walmart subs with lettuce and tomatoes, Gatorade, chips, and fudge rounds. After all the work was done, which was around 6 PM, Ashton came over to co-teach a sexual education lesson with Dad for everyone. The combined total of Dad’s teaching and Ashton’s teaching was about three hours, including a brief 30-minute dinner break in the middle.
I was grateful for this lesson because I got a few questions answered, and it provided some clarity on a few topics that I won’t get into here!
Eating lunch after moving appliances
Ashton
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a World Cup game! It was such a fun trip. My roommate and I drove out to San Francisco to watch Paraguay play Turkey.
We also got to see the Golden Gate Bridge, which was definitely worth it. It was a pretty quick trip, but we had an awesome time. Paraguay won, which made it even better since that was the team we were cheering for because my roommate served his mission there.
We were definitely in the minority in the stands, though, because most of the stadium was filled with Turkey fans. I can't imagine how exciting the U.S. games must be. It was such a fun experience, and I'm so grateful I had the chance to go.
Ashton and roommate at World Cup game
Troy
DDOS was hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. I did have to walk a lot, but I actually like walking, especially on the neighborhood walking path. DDOS went by a lot faster than I thought it would, which was really nice.
On Saturday, it was the Fourth of July, and we had a busy schedule. First, we had to get up earlier than usual to take care of the dogs in the morning. Then, we went to a Fourth of July breakfast at the community park.
After breakfast, we went back home and then went to see a new movie called Young Washington. It was about Washington during the French and Indian War. It was a really good movie, and it was very inspirational and interesting.
London, Keaton, and Quinn swimming
Caleb
After attending a temple endowment session with Keaton, London, Ashton, Mom, Dad, and me, Ashton and I went back to Taylorsville to watch the NBA Draft. BYU's AJ Dybantsa went No. 1 to the Washington Wizards, and the Utah Jazz selected Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 pick.
Last year was a great year to be a BYU basketball fan, and this year is shaping up to be an awesome year to be a Jazz fan. I'm going to be watching a lot of games soon!
Canyoneering with Keaton and London was so much fun! Veidi, Gloria, Ashton, and I joined them and a couple of their friends down in Moab. At times, it felt like we were on another planet. We spent the day rappelling and wading through water, and both Veidi and Gloria had memorable falls into some pretty gross pools. We definitely got some laughs out of that.
Caleb canyoneering
I also loved the time we spent driving together, listening to music, and chatting. Those are some of my favorite moments. I love my sisters and brother.
I sold my Honda Navi. It was a little bittersweet to see it go. I also hung out with some friends from work and played Mario Kart World. Later, Mike and I went to see Toy Story 5, and I really enjoyed it!
The Fourth of July was packed! Ashton and I came up early and had breakfast with the family at our new home ward. After breakfast, we went straight to Cinemark to watch Young Washington, another movie that I really liked.
Boys playing basketball
Then Ashton, Kai, and I drove to Salt Lake City to watch a Utah Jazz Summer League game, stopping at KFC along the way for lunch. You can't go wrong with those biscuits and root beer floats. In the game Darryn Peterson absolutely killed it, which was just another reason to be excited for this year's basketball season.
That evening, we had our family Fourth of July party. Some of the highlights were the intense King of the Court basketball games between us older brothers (Veidi played as well), the ribs and donuts, and playing Holes in the Ice in the pool.
Then we celebrated Monte's birthday. Happy birthday, Monte! I love you, bro. Thanks for all the good you're doing in the world. Your sacrifice is so worth it.
Joanna swimming at family party
Monte
I've been trying to put myself in the shoes of the people I contact. It's helped me better understand why they might reject us. If someone came up to me and told me that the beliefs I had been raised with were incorrect and that I needed to change, I'd probably be pretty skeptical too.
It's so important to have the Spirit with us. We do that by trying to understand where people are coming from so we can show them the pure love of Christ. This mindset has helped me so much, and I encourage everyone to put themselves in the shoes of the people they interact with. It changes everything.
At the end of the day on the Fourth of July, Elder Torres and I went to a store called Waldos, where they sell a lot of American food and candy. We bought ourselves some good old A&W Root Beer, and I picked up some hot dogs so I could make us some American-style hot dogs.
Elder Torres and Monte
As we ate, we sang the national anthem. It was a solid night, and it turns out Elder Torres would make a pretty patriotic American with the enthusiasm he puts into singing "The Star-Spangled Banner."
We also met with the grandparents of a recent convert. For more than a year and a half, they have been in teaching appointments and have fed the missionaries every Saturday. They are incredibly kind, but they have always been pretty devoted Catholics and have never really shown much interest in being baptized... until now.
Elder Torres and I had a very Spirit-filled lesson with them. We explained that while there is only one baptism, it must be performed with the proper authority; otherwise, it is not recognized as a valid baptism.
Monte and Elder Torres with young men
Finally, we decided to simply invite them to be baptized on July 19. They said yes! This is the most progress they have ever made since the missionaries first met them, and I have faith that they can follow through.
This week was especially meaningful for me because I am no longer a teenager! Yesterday I turned 20 years old, which just feels different somehow. People who are older than you always like to tease you about your age, but I'm going to say it anyway—I feel old.
My birthday was pretty awesome, and it's one I'll never forget. To start, the craziest miracle happened. Right after sacrament meeting ended, a member came up to us at church and told us he had a family he wanted us to meet.
Monte’s birthday
After our classes were over, we went with him and met this amazing family of four. We talked with them, and they all wanted to come to church! Naturally, we taught them about baptism, and every one of them accepted an invitation to be baptized on July 19 as well. That was the best birthday present I could have asked for.
Later, we visited another family, and they celebrated my birthday with me. They had a cake and everything, and they even gave me a new tie—the next best present I could have received. We also got to catch a little bit of the Mexico vs. England game.
Then Elder Torres gave me a present that made me feel like a kid again. It was a Spider-Man plush, and I absolutely appreciated it. Overall, it was an amazing birthday, and the craziest part is that I'll be spending my next one back home. Sweet mercy, that's crazy.
Spider-Man soda