9 July 2023
VOLUME 11 – NUMBER 511
Ellie at the Provo parade
Happy Independence Day! This year we went to the Provo Parade, solely to see the cast of The Chosen, ha ha! We got a good spot with a great view. It was fun to see the floats and watch Ellie react to all the things she saw.
There was a princess float and Ellie was amazed to see Elsa. She really enjoyed herself. We were pretty starstruck when we saw the cast of The Chosen! They got the most applause out of anyone. Later on, we asked Ellie what her favorite part of the parade was and she said, “Elsa! And Jesus.”
Later on that day, we went up to West Jordan to Jenny and Arkin’s and Braden made chicken burgers for dinner. When it got dark, we played with glow sticks and sparklers and watched all the fireworks around the neighborhood. It was a great day and I’m so grateful to live in this country and enjoy the freedom that we have!
Braden serving dinner to the family
This week I was able to go to the temple with Elizabeth, Aiden, and Riley. And it was in the early morning at 4:30am. We also celebrated Monte's birthday, which was really fun.
On Friday, I was went to Lagoon with the Lemon family, Aiden, and Riley. I had a fun time going on the rides. It was super hot also, so we did some water rides.
After going on rides I was not feeling to good so I rested and ate and I started to feel better. And the park was not super busy.
Eating the dinner Braden prepared
Well, I just had my last birthday (17th) as a kid. It’s kind of weird, that this is my last year at home, but I’m gonna make it a good one. We had a late celebration (after 10:00pm), had cheese cake, and we watched The Office. So overall I had a pretty good birthday.
Monte’s late-night birthday celebration
Nothing happened much this week, although we did watch, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. I didn't finish watching it though because I fell asleep. Then, the next thing I know, its the battle scene, and then I went to sleep again.
I kept filtering in and out of it, and I was kind of disappointed that I couldn't stay awake to watch it. Then I woke up the final time, and I was in bed!
Veidi and Quinn pampering Mom
We watched the final movie of The Lord of the Rings. The movies are pretty great, and I really enjoyed watching them with the family. We ate pizza while we watched. I love deep-dish pizza from Little Caesars.
Family playing Acquire
We went to the Saratoga Springs Temple open house, and we had to cover our shoes with shoe covers. I felt the spirit overwhelm me with comfort, and I felt the spirt so much.
I know this church is true and that we can live with Jesus again and have eternal happiness. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that Russel M. Nelson is also a prophet of god.
If we follow God, then we will be able to meet our friends and family in the afterlife, if we choose to commit to God.
Troy holding Javi (training dog)
There is no feeling like skydiving! Well, not actually, but I figured I'd bring my English writing skills back for a bit and get you hooked with a somewhat true, but misleading hook.
On the 4th of July, London and a couple of her friends and I drove out to Tooele to go skydiving. That morning we had just volunteered at the Provo races, so we were up and ready to go. (I'm going to exclude the fact that I did fall asleep on the way over there).
We got there, and we were waiting for a couple hours when they cancelled the rest of the jumps for the day due to high winds. We were super bummed, but hey, at least we were in Tooele! So you know, as one does in Tooele, we umm...
Yeah, there was nothing else to do, so we drove to Salt Lake to get a late lunch, where London luckily did not die from eating a sauce in her wrap that she was allergic to. But the fireworks later that night were awesome!
Joanna and Ellie on a sleepover
It really is a contemplative experience watching fireworks each year. London and I were talking about how Mom and Dad are great at reminding us of the bigger significance of things. This year I just felt a lot of gratitude thinking about what this holiday stands for and the hope it gives me.
Saturday, we went to the temple as a family, and then later that night I went to go see the new Sounds of Freedom movie. That again made me really grateful for the life I have, and it made me want to be more involved in helping others, which is really what the gospel is all about.
Family temple trip
Joanna flooded the upstairs bathroom and me and Monte were downstairs and we herd constant running water and were a bit concerned.
Monte asked what that sound was, and it sounded like it was coming from the bathroom. Then I told him Joanna was in the bathroom, and we ran upstairs and knocked on the door and she took forever to open it.
Then she opened the door, and there was water everywhere, so it took a lot of work cleaning it up, and it was disgusting. What was even worse was that all the water leaked into the floor, and then started dripping out all over from the ceiling in the kitchen and living room. It’s going to take a lot of work to fix it.
We also watched the last Lord of the Rings movie with some or the Older’s, and it was fun watching all of them together. It was Dad’s first time watching the movies.
Dad cutting open the soaked ceiling
As we try to grow Mom’s dog training business, we have realized that she can only train so many dogs at a time. About six a month (two a week for three weeks and a week off) is all she can handle.
So I’ve been looking for ways that we can expand the business beyond in-home trainings. We’ve needed something to give our clients when they take their dogs home, and the best way to help their dogs continue to progress is to practice the same activities Mom used here to train them.
So Mom and I developed a card set that walks families through the steps of 15 different games and activities that she uses in her training. Each card has a QR code that will eventually link to a matching how-to video from Mom.
Completed Apples4Apples activity set
As we worked on this project, we realized that we could also sell this as a do-it-yourself training option for people that can’t afford our in-home training, or live too far away.
I’m excited to announce that we have finally completed the set. It turned out great! Now I just need to get to work on the accompanying how-to videos that we need to complete. There will be about 20 of them, so the thought of the next project is just as daunting as the card set was in the beginning!
Caleb, Elder King, and Shaiel out on visits
This week was crazy! We just had a baptism of a kid named Daniel! We also went out to the campo and got trapped, we had incredible miracles after going to a new branch for the first time, and a ton more miracles. I’m sorry I don’t have more time to write this week!
Baptism of Daniel