Shakespearean Festival and Cedar Breaks
This year while we were at the Shakespearean Festival with our friends the Lundgrens, we decided to take a morning and drive up to Cedar Breaks. They had never been there before and we hadn't been there for many years. It was a beautiful morning and the views were spectacular. It was fun to be able to see back down to Cedar City. We discovered that we were there for the start of the wild flower festival, but since our spring was so cold and summer came so late, there really weren't any flowers yet. It was so startling to see probably a third of all the trees dead as a result of some kind of beetle infestation. We had fun walking around and taking some photos and of course it was nice and cool!
Alan didn't have to work on Monday the 5th because of the holiday being on Sunday, so Monday morning we decided to have a brunch. Phillip was able to come up and join us which was fun and the weather was perfect. Because of the west sun, we really can only be out on the deck until around noon and then it starts to get too sunny and warm. We just need to make friends with someone who has an east-facing deck and then we can have breakfast on our deck and dinner on theirs!
The best part of the July 4th weekend was the wonderful news that Tess's investigator Andy Lukman from Nigeria was baptized and confirmed a member of the church in Warsaw Poland. He was a "golden" investigator right from the start, and the experience was so wonderful for Tess and her companion, Sister Bautner. He has had to go back to Nigeria to make some more money for school. We are all praying that he will be able to stay strong and be a great missionary among his family and friends — what a great day for Andy and a couple of cute hard working missionary sisters! We finally got a bunch of pictures from Tess, dating all the way back to February, including Poznan and Warsaw, with a conference in Gdansk. The week after she was transfered to Warsaw was her birthday; her companion Sister Bautner and a member named Karina (who had been tipped off by Aunt Melinda) completely surprised her with a party (watch the video).
This is the third year that Clark has had the opportunity of attending Jazz Music Camp. He was the jazz pianist for his group and this year was asked to play with the teachers in the final number of the closing program for all the friends and family (watch the video). There was a moment of panic for him during one of the numbers when all of a sudden the electronic piano stopped working. One of the teachers was finally able to get the sound going again just in time for him to be able to take his turn soloing.
Clark's troop had so much fun last year that this year they decided to go up to Bear Lake again. Clark was very excited and was able to get several merit badges along with a pretty good sunburn. He especially likes to canoe and thinks we should buy a couple and start up a new family hobby! He was taking a good look at it this year because he is thinking that he might like to work up there next summer. The pay isn't that great, but it would be a fun experience and considering he would only be 14, is still some good money for the summer.
Working Kids
A quick update on the other kids — Phillip is busy working at the Harold B. Lee Library this summer as a graphic designer on a various BYU websites. He has made some good friends and is enjoying his weekends. He decided to take a few days off from work and fly to Florida to visit his good friends Dylan and Emily Jackson — it was a great trip and a much needed get-a-way for him.
Madeleine is putting in a ton of hours working at Bed, Bath & Beyond where she is becoming a specialist on everything from towels and bedding to kitchen gadgets. She loves to help couples with their bridal registry.
Elliot has been spending his summer working at the Southtowne Ranch, a senior living center where he serves and cleans up meals. He also has several math students that he tutors by the hour either at our house or theirs. Since he enjoys math and gets paid twice what he does at the Ranch, you can guess which job he likes the best!
Loren is finishing up his job at the MTC this summer. He is very excited about the new "profile" program on mormon.org (here's a link to Loren's profile). And Anne is working on the new website for the Journey Counseling Center, where she provides marriage and family therapy.