Boondocks Fun!!

Cheryl works with the Center For Change and she missed her work party at Boondocks, because she had to work, so they gave her vouchers. On Saturday, October 9th, we went to Hannah Bradshaw's baptism. Hannah is Jon's 2nd cousin, a granddaughter of Pat & Carol Beachley. We came home and cleaned the house, then we headed to Boondocks. Jon wasn't too interested in joining us, so we invited Kenzie, J'Nell's friend to come along. We spent 3-4 hours there riding go-karts, playing miniature golf, playing games and just having fun together. Jake & Kenzie competed at Guitar Hero and Jake triumphed. In fact, he is so good at Guitar Hero that he could have played all day on the same game, he kept getting champion status. After about a 1/2 hour, he decided he was done and it wasn't too hard to pull him away. We had a great time together.

Volleyball and life's little lessons...

J'Nell's first year of volleyball on the Timpanogos Freshman Girl's Team continues to be a bittersweet experience for our oldest daughter. J'Nell started playing on the team back in August of this year. Her official games started in September, and it has been quite enjoyable watching the Timberwolves come together and improve as the weeks have progressed. We believe it has been an all around wonderful time in her life, and will make the transition into high school that much easier next year. In regards to the bittersweet, one of J'Nell's teammates, Maddie, was tragically killed in a car accident on October 7th. While heartbreaking in the utmost, it was beautiful to see how the team all rallied around the family, doing service and supporting Maddie's family during this difficult time. We are so pleased with J'Nell's growth through this experience. Her first reaction was anger toward the person that caused the accident, but after prayerful consideration she was able to pray for this individual and her family and come to understand the pain and heartache that is being felt by all parties. We are so grateful for our knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, knowing that families can be together forever.

Aspen Grove - Our Marriage Getaway!

Cheryl & Jon enjoyed an overnight, relaxing, much needed getaway up into the Wasatch Mountains at the Aspen Grove lodge. Cheryl signed us up for it in April and surprised Jon with it for his birthday in September. We got to stay in our own private little cabin (where we were able to capture a couple interesting bugs for J'Nell's collection) and enjoy the beautiful fall foliage.

We spent Saturday afternoon hiking up to First Falls, a challenging jaunt for one of my stature, but easily accomplished by my svelte companion. During our getaway we had the opportunity to listen to Brad & Debbie Wilcox as they spoke to us about marriage, humor, church leaders and the eternities. The workshops were very inspirational and are actually part of the reason that Jon is currently entering this blog. We met a lot of neat couples, we played many fun games, we had many moments alone where we could talk (and we actually did talk!) and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I think we are both looking forward to repeating this wonderful getaway.

Jake Is Going To Seattle!!

NO!! Not on his mission... well, we don't know where he is going on his mission yet... but he still went to Seattle. He and a few of his friends headed out to Washington for a final fun fieldtrip before they all settled down into their new lives. One less than flattering feature they found was the ever so colorful Gum Wall! The drive was long but fun was had by all... more importantly they listened to their mother's counsel to "Return with Honor".

After returning home from his roadtrip, Jake finally took the last steps to submitting his papers for his mission. We are still waiting on a doctor's report so that Bishop Smith can pass everything along to the Stake President.

J'Nell's 15th Birthday

J'Nell turned 15 this year and to celebrate, she had a party with all the young women in our neighborhood. Her daddy made the Spiderman cake and they had pizza, soda and snacks. They had a blast!!

Bridal Veil Falls

We spend quite a bit of time in Provo Canyon, since it is 5 minutes away. One of our favorite things to do is to hike up Bridal Veil Falls. Mom, J'Nell, Maddie, Conner and cousin Sydney B. made the hike after an "Arctic Circle Picnic."

Family Fun

Jon's sister, Kim, and her family came to visit. We had 9 house guests for a few days. Uncle Phillip Hurlbut had quite the beard and the kids wanted to sit on "Abraham Lincoln's lap" for a photo shoot.