Pioneer Day

Today is Pioneer Day. If we lived in Utah instead of Idaho, we would be having a state holiday. As it is we will go to the St. Leon chapel yard and have a special dinner and program tomorrow evening. It should be fun and not as hot as it was last week. Saturday it hit 100 degrees here. It was hot!

Yesterday was a special day. We went to Sacrament meeting in the Groveland II Ward. Our mission there was two fold. Shani, our granddaughter and her husband, Jon were the main speakers and we wanted to see Karen, Kent and Kylie and hear about their three day trek in Wyoming. That is in trek as in handcart trek. Mercedes Howell and Sam Cannon two of the youth who went on the trek told of some of their experiences and tho'ts and feelings while they were doing it. It was very touching. Shani and Jon did a very good job and I was sooo glad that I was there to hear it. They were asked to speak about one of their ancestors. Shani spoke about Anson Call, my great-great grandfather and her 4th great grandfather. He was an early convert to the church and a body guard of Joseph Smith, the prophet. His whole family had joined the church, his parents and all of his siblings but he didn't want to be known as a "Mormon" and set out to prove that the Book of Mormon was false and so was the church. He studied the Book of Mormon hand in hand with the Bible for six months and found that The Book of Mormon was true. But because of his aversion of being a Mormon, he held off for three years when he was in such agony that he told the Lord that if He would remove that agony from him that he would be baptized. And He did and he was. She also told of how Anson and his wife woke up one morning and found their six-month old son had died in his sleep. And then later when they were preparing to cross the Missouri River their six year old son died. (I can't rememeber how.) Shani said, "Since I'm a mom now, I can hardy imagine how difficult it would be to bury your child in the ground, cover it in dirt, and leave it knowing that you would never return there again nor whether or not wolves or some other wild animal would dig up the body and ravage it." It was all very touching. Jon talked about his Grandpa Anderson who had died when his mother, Marie, was only nine years old. He said that he had no idea that he was of pioneer stock, the people who had crossed the plains to the Great Salt Lake Valley like other people were until he read it in his grandpa's history the day before. He said he could really see the importance of journal keeping because his grandpa hadn't kept a journal and he would really like to have known him better and his tho'ts and feelings that a journal would have helped him do. He mentioned that Macie is so young that if something happened to him or Shani or Karen or Kent that she isn't old enough that she would be able to remember them. And if they kept a journal that would help her to know them. He said he wasn't a journal keeper but he can really see the importance of it and was going to do better.

After sacrament meeting we went out into the foyer and listened to Karen and a mom from her ward who had children go on the trek and a high councilman from their stake who also went on the trek along with his wife discuss the different aspects of it. Karen, Kent and Kylie, all three, said that it was hard, it was the hardest thing they have ever done but it was well worth it and so rewarding that they would gladly do it again. Karen said that they really bonded with their "children" in their family. Kylie was in a different family. I was amazed how quickly they bonded and how strongly they bonded. She, in her wisdom, made the statement that altho' 23 youth from the ward (the largest group in the stake there, I think) that they would have to work extra hard with the youth who didn't go so they wouldn't feel left out because of this shared experience. She said it rained one day there and Kent told me that the dirt is clay so it clung to their shoes they had to keep kicking it off and they had to scrape it off the wheels of the handcart so they could turn. I could really identify with that because of my experience when the summer before I was a senior in hight school and we went hiking in Bryce's Canyon and it started to rain and all I had was thongs [flip-flops] on and the clay would weigh them down so that I couldn't move. It was very difficult because not only did it hurt my feet, we were trying to hurry because of the danger of a flash flood.) He said that it was very hard going but they were glad they had that experience because they knew that the real pioneers had to go thro' it too and more than just that much. It made me think of the way across Iowa when the Saints first left Nauvoo. It took them as long to go that far as it did the rest of the way to the Salt Lake Valley the next year because of the rain and the clay soil. The part that really touched me and it did so all day long was when Karen told of after they came and took all of the men away for the "Mormon Battalion" and she and her four "daughters" were struggling to get their handcart up the steepest hill on the trek. She said, "My chest was burning, my lungs were burning and I couldn't breathe. I had just tho't, 'how can I do this when I can't even breathe. I'll never make it up this hill and if I don't make it what will happen to my "daughters".' Then I looked up the hill to where Kylie had just completed struggling to take her 'family's' handcart up and saw Kylie running down the hill to help me. She didn't just walk, she ran! My heart was so full at that time and I so grateful for her. I tho't, 'Kylie really is a good kid and she really does love me.'" I was so touched as she told us this (and she did get emotional as she told us) that I couldn't have spoken then if my life had depended on it. (I can't talk and cry at the same time.) Sue, Kylie's Ma on the trek told Karen, "Kylie is a really good kid. She is so strong and capable." Karen said I knew that but it's so nice when other people recognize it too. Karen said that out of 150 youth Kylie was the first to stand and bare her testimony the night of the testimony meeting. She also said I know she is stubborn but...and I tho't "yes she is but she needs to be to be strong. She is one who will not waver and give in to peer pressure. She will do very well in this life." I am so glad that we went down for their meeting and stayed and talked to them. It helped us to share in some of their great experiences. I hope they all take the time to write them down so they will be able to remember all of them and share them too.

We had to come back to our sacrament meeting because I had told the Hatch family that I would accompany them on the piano as they sang. They sang "Our Savior's Love". It went very well. Then Seth Jenkins reported his mission. He went to Managua, Nicaragua. It was very good also. He has really matured both physically and especially spiritually. He gave us much to think about and be grateful for. All in all it was a very good day.

The Big Robinson Reunion

Now about July 15. I meant to finish this yesterday, but worked on Eprhaim’s “I’m a Child of God” plaque. (I don’t have much time left to finish it and get it framed befor his first birthday.) We went to Soda Springs to the what we call the BIG Robinson Reunion. It is the gathering of the descendants of Fred David & Ethel Sophie Kesler Robinson. There were probably 100 people there. We were the only ones from our family. All of Grandma Robinson's children were there except for Fred. However, none of her grandchildren were there. I hadn't seen Gene & Dot for about three years I think. Not Dot anyway. It had been at least two since I'd seen Gene. I hadn't seen Jewel for more than a year either. It had been a year since we'd seen Stan and Kathy too and Kent too. Grandma R didn't know what time it started and we were never told. We were figuring it started around noon. We found out later that it wasn't to start until 1:00 so our getting there at 12:45 was just right. It was good to see everyone.

Eric Frazier told us about a Website at Grandpatellme.com where families can post family information, family history etc. One must be invited in so when I get the invite for it I will invite each of my children. It sounds like a good thing to aid in family history searches, general info about the family etc. I’ll have to investigate and see about setting up something for my side of the family too. It also enables you to keep track of all the decendants of e.g. Fred & Ethel Robinson or to whomever the family belongs. I’m excited about it. As I sat there Saturday, I tho’t how much imput can I have; I’m only a Robinson by marriage then I tho’t again: I’m sealed to these people so I DO belong. So I interrupted them just before they went out to play the children’s games. I asked them if they remembered who John and Priscilla Mullin Alden were…no one seemed to know. So I told them the story of how they came over on the Mayflower, Miles Standish was their leader and he had a fancy for Priscilla but I guess must have been kind of shy or something. He asked John to ask for Priscilla’s hand in marriage for him. When John did in Miles Standish’s behalf, Priscilla stated, “Why don’t you ask for yourself John?” Which he did and they were married and had 11 children. I said to the people there, “Everyone of you here who are decendants of Fred and Ethel Robinson are also descendants of John and Priscilla Alden.” As I related their story I could tell that many of them were familiar to their story but had no idea that they were their descendants. It was fun telling them that. I told them that I was matching and merging on my PAF program a year or so ago and decided to start up at the A’s for a change instead of the W’s where I usually started. I noticed the name of John Alden and tho’t, “Could this be the John Alden?” So I found his sheet and sure enough it was. I noticed that he and Priscilla had been sealed in the Manti Temple in 1889. I followed back and found out that they were on my husband’s side. (Initially I wasn’t sure if it was my side or his) and that Maria Wood, the first wife of Joseph Lee Robinson, was also their descendant. When I told my mother-in-law this after finding it, she asked if I were related to John & Priscilla Alden. I replied, “No but my husband and children are and you can say the same thing!”

We also discussed with Eric and a couple of other people at the reunion about Frederick Kesler, Ethel’s father and grandfather. Jr. is her father, Sr. is her grandfather. Bryan had sent us some information via e-mail just the night before and I printed it off and took it with. In this information Bryan stated that Fredrick Kesler Sr. ..Here is the info on Frederick Kesler that I spoke of. His three wives are not listed in this article, but I have them in another document which we copied: He married Emeline Parker May 20, 1836 in Augusta, Iowa and had 11 children with her; married Jane Elizabeth Pratt (daughter of Orson Pratt) March 20, 1854 in Salt Lake City and had 13 children with her (Frederick Kesler Jr was #5); and married Abigail D. Snow April 21, 1857 in SLC and had 6 children with her.

Notice that his info states that Frederick Kesler Jr. was the child of Frederick Kesler Sr. and Elizabeth Pratt, daughter of Orson Pratt. That was news to me. I checked it out yesterday on my PAF and my information has Emeline Parker as Frederick Kesler Jr.’s mother. So we need to do some investigating and make sure he is with the right mother. So my husband and children may not be a descendant of Orson Pratt after all. That would be a neat distinction. But we need to have it right.

I don’t know where I got the information on either John Alden or Frederick Kesler for sure. My guess on the John Alden part that Bryan sent it to me after finding it when Sandy worked in the family history center when they lived in Albuquerque. That’s the only thing I can think of because even Uncle Eben had no idea that he was a descendant of John and Priscilla Alden.

The last two weekends

It will be five weeks next weekend since we have had a regular stay at home weekend. It has been fun but I'm looking forward to just a "regular" weekend at home. Of course by the time next weekend comes that could change too. On the 24th of June we had our family reunion at Karen & Kent's, on July 1st Kim & Kimberly and children came and stayed with us and last weekend July 8th we went to Utah to be there for Nathaniel's being ordained a deacon in the Aaronic priesthood. We left Friday right afternoon. We were glad we were there altho' my sweetheart felt like he was going under duress. He very much hates to drive in the SLC freeway traffic. Idaho has spoiled us that way. Altho' sometimes 17th street here can be almost as bad at 5:00 on a weekday. Grandma & Grandpa Bush were there as well as Grandma Wendel too. We had dinner afterwards and I took my poppy seed cake and a jello salad that has cherry pie filling in it (I used the light along with sugar free jello.) and 1 1/4 cups sprite or 7-up. Since I'm not supposed to have carbonated beverages, I got some Kroger Light Lemonade and used that instead. Then you put whipped topping on top. It tasted really good. We spent Saturday morning with Mama in American Fork (we stayed with her this time.) and Roy Clifford, my nephew, and his wife Dean stopped by to tell GrandmaW goodbye before heading back to California. Then a hour or so later, my brother Roy and his wife, Cindy came over with their three grandsons from CA who were going to be with them for the week. I hadn't seen Roy and Cindy for a couple of years. Then Rebekah, my neice stopped by to pick Mama up to take her to SLC to see the new Joseph Smith movie at the Joseph Smith memorial. We went over and spent the afternoon with Michael and Tanya and Natasha, Collin, Kendra and Abbie. We even got a game of Pinochole in. Karl and Natasha won by 60-80 points is all. Michael and I led most of the game but they took the last bid and that's what made the difference. We had lunch and supper with them then went back to American Fork. We had a quiet evening. Sunday evening after we got back from Orem Julie, my sister-in-law came over. I hadn't seen her since my brother, John, died four years ago. It was so good to see her. And then my neice Rachel, her husband, Tim and son Wyatt came over at about the same time and we had a very nice visit with all of them. It had been quite a while since we had seen some of these people so I'm thankful we were able to this time. We left about 9:00 Monday morning to come back to IF. Karl had a 3:15pm doctor's appointment with Doctor Baird to check on a lump Karl noticed on his back about a month ago that was kind of tender. It turned out it was an inclusion cyst or a plugged sabicious gland or "large zit" as Dr. Baird said. He had it removed this last Wednesday and had three sutures put in it. Monday night was just taking it easy. We went to the temple for the first time for three weeks since it just opened on this past Tuesday. We went Thursday. It was good to get back there again. Now I can tolerate it so much better we will go every week at least once. I'll write about this weekend (yesterday) in the next entry.

Stay-At-Home Mom's

Dear Abby was very good today. A woman wrote in and asked the worth of a stay-at-home Mom since her grandson doesn't think his mom does anything because she doesn't work outside the home. Dear Abby said a study showed that the average stay at home mom works 91.6 hours per week--more than double what the average office worker works. It went on to state that that would be $134,121 annually. I have four daughters-in-law who are now stay-at-home moms and a daughter who works out of her home. I hope they know their worth. It is much more than the stated amount above. Abby goes on to say that a mother's love is priceless and you throw that into the bargain and nothing can match it. She stated that at 91.6 hours per week/52 weeks a year it comes out at $28.16 an hour. Mothers with young babies can add to the hours a week because they don't get to sleep a 6-8 hour stretch for sometimes years....I tho't that very impressive and wanted to pass it on. Of course when you consider the training and teaching as well as the deliquient deterrant that stay at home moms are as well as the counsel of our prophets then the "worth" is even more. But in just monetary value it is quite a bit as it is.