Favorite FHE in May

We had Andrea home one chilly Monday evening 

in May so we went for a hike up Bear Canyon.

Aunt Andrea hauled Hans all the way up.

That gave SJ some personal time with Mom.

We found lots of snow!

We found the Indian mailbox.

We crossed the stream which was much smaller than we  expected.

This is what a good life looks like!

The water was very icy, but Hans didn't seem to notice......

But Aunt Andrea noticed!           Grandpa and SJ

Dad and I at the fall.

Bethany carried the load on the return trip.

Hans was delighted.

We stopped to look for fossils and found a few.

Bethany also found a very cold snake.

Rorie and her Dad helped us identify it later on.

Who do you think likes the other one most?

May 2017 Fun In the Bus

May always brings lots of activity runs, but we have learned to use them to our enjoyment and advantage.

At the Hogle Zoo: I was lucky enough to get the Hogle

Zoo trip on May 8th with the Kindergarten this year.

This year the Hogle Zoo features an infestation of HUGE BUGS!

Most of the bugs move and are a bit unnerving.

This coach roach was laying eggs!

This spider had baby spiders in its web and they all moved!

TMI for Brenda, Karrie and Andrea I suppose. 

The old Lion Fountain has been replaced.  

As you can seewe got some rain on that day. 

I also got a few pictures of real live animals.

I loved how this giraffe kept the grass and weeds trimmed

even though he had to stick his neck way out to do it!

I was there during lunch time for the BIG cats!

At the Living Planet Aquarium:  I had the aquarium run with special needs kids from Red Cliff's Elementary on May 10th.  Dad, Bethany, Sarah-Jane and Hans drove up and found me. :)

Sometimes animals at the zoo seem a bit sad to me, but

the animals here were active and having a blast! 

What you are looking for in on top of the hollow log. 

Sarah-Jane was brave enough to go across the long

rope bridge all by herself! 

There were more kinds of frogs living here

than I knew existed! 

This is the  "4 inch" wall in the shark tunnel where Hans broke his leg.

As you can see...he didn't climb up there himself 

and is was actually nearly six times the reported height.

I love the worried look on Hans' face.

Hans, Grandpa, Sarah-Jane and Bethany

 My trip to the State Boy's Baseball tournament was an overnight run.

Two games were played within walking distance of the Brigham City Temple.

Coming home one afternoon in May a BIG rock cracked my bus window!

I thought I had been shot, but the kids said I didn't squeal! :)

Favorite from the field in April

 Mormon Prom from Florida!

 Elder Ben and companion from Japan.

Cherry Blossom time in Japan and ................ Hirosaki Castle from Japan.

 Fish by Malea

 Easter Bunny by Malea

 Luke got his birthday card and money clear down in Mesa AZ.

 He had a great 5th birthday....without us!  :( 

The Seelys in WV visited this mound recently.

 The mounds are huge!  I would love to visit one.

I am guessing they have the Spirit of sacred ground.

This is a recent art project by Angela and Kaylee.

Laura shared the following from their family 

trip in 2016 to get us excited about our road trip 

at the end of May and first of June 2017

 It worked! Can't wait to be on our way!

LEVAN HOMESTEAD NEWS…APRIL 2017 Edition

April was a month of unusual weather.  The seasons in Utah were certainly confused.  It was also a month of sacred spiritual experiences for me.  I am not certain whether it was because of General Conference, Easter, or the book group selection of the month,(The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox) but I was grateful as I re-read my journal before writing the newsletter. In addition, rather than being a month of April showers, it was more a shower of bus runs. That fact has made it possible for Dad and I to go on a little road trip at the end of May!

Conference weekend was wonderful.  I got all the upstairs windows washed during the Saturday sessions as I usually do.  The activity seems rather symbolic as I always come away from conference with my vision and perspective clearer and the world a more beautiful place.  For years I have approached conference with some questions and/or concerns.  Answers or insights have always come through the spoken word or the music.  This time I had the Spirit take off from something a speaker said and teach me directly and very personally on a topic I have struggled with.  I felt so blessed! Most of my questions are answered line upon line, but a few days later I had another “data download” from the Spirit regarding another concern while driving the bus to Richfield. It was miraculous how the burden of concern was lifted and has never returned. Our trips to the temple were extra good this month as well.

April projects included our new nine square game and our new square foot garden boxes. Dad and I loaded the trailer with wood for next winter when we picked up the planks for our boxes. The guy that checked us out was pretty impressed that we are such a great team. Just for the record, Grandpa, Bethany and I all got new phones this month.  We are feeling pretty high tech right now. We threw a few parties in the mix as well.  We had Andrea and friends down for a “Freedom from Finals” FHE.  It was so fun to be in the company of such valiant young people.  The fact that many were musically gifted was a bonus!   Dad helped plan and host the High Priest’s party this month.  I was commissioned to make a 15 pound potato salad!  We didn’t bring much home. There were 60 there and it was a great success. John Hanks shared some details about Ephraim Hanks and their experience being in the movie “Ephraim’s Rescue.”  Then we watched the movie. It is a favorite of mine!

Of course I saved the highlight of the month for last.  It was my week-long trip to Florida to visit the Smiths. Some of the things I enjoyed most were studying the events of the last week of the Savior’s life each evening with the family. I was amazed at the insights that Andrew had.  It enriched my Easter season to be there.  I got to be a part of the Smith’s first annual Seder’s Dinner. J We also had a chance to feed the Elders and I always love to be a part of that.  I hear about the Ranch Easter luncheon and egg hunt each year, so it was fun to be there to experience it.  It was even better in person. I also enjoyed our trip to the Brevard County Zoo.  Abby stayed home to go with us that day. The plant life is as rich as the animal life.  I loved feeding the birds and the giraffe. I also loved seeing Janna in action as a member missionary.  We ran into a woman and her two children.  It didn’t take too long for Janna exchange information and invite them to the ranch.  I look forward to hearing the rest of the story.  Janna and I got a trip to the temple in.  We did initiatory for names their family had found.  Most of the ones I was proxy for were Taylor’s.  That trip and the one-on-one time with Janna was a highlight for me.  We went out to lunch together and ran some errands. No trip to Florida is complete without a trip to the beach.  It was high tide and the surf was up!  I was able to get a shell for SJ so she can hear the ocean whenever she wants. I loved going to church on Sunday.  I just showed up and was fed by someone else’s preparation.  It has been a while since that happened for me, so I appreciated it.  We had a little egg hunt that evening at the church and then we made a trip to the Rookery.  It was lovely.  It was a perfect day and that area is so beautiful.  Literally 1000’s of birds roost there each night.  The gator infested mote around the little island protects them from most predators.  The gators were friendlier than was comfortable.  It was apparent someone has been feeding them and at one point we had nine lined up giving us their full attention. It was a little freaky!  We stopped by Scott’s new office on the way home to watch some footage that Elijah had taken of the rookery and the Ranch Rodeo using a high tech drone.  The clarity and detail of the images was incredible. I appreciated Janna taking time to teach me a few more features on my new cell phone.  Now I can do some family history work when waiting in the bus somewhere. The week went too fast but I am hoping the memories will last forever!  My thanks to the whole Smith family!

P.S. Happy Birthday this month to Luke, Ben, Gabe, Daniel, Uncle Jake and Uncle Jason.  We were so sorry to hear about the painful, expensive way Jason celebrated this year. Better luck next year!