Meat Shop Progress

This past week we went to the flat to help grind the meat and make hamburger from the cow they killed last week. It took all of the afternoon and evening to grind and package it all. Wynn and Phyllis gave us some to take home which was nice to build our meat supply up a little more, since we had a little left that my brother-in-law had given us. Thursday and Friday Adam was sick at home in bed. I worked all week to get my house ready for the pest control guy to come on Friday. It’s interesting how it takes me so long to get my house ready for him to come and then he comes and is in and out in 15 minutes and then it almost takes me another week to get my house back together. I always have a greater feeling of security from pests after it is all over. On Saturday we worked all day on the meat shop continuing to frame up the sides of the shop. The picture is proof of the status of it. Mark and Adam were there the whole time with a few family members showing up towards the end to install the west wall and finish up a few things. After that tiring task Adam and I headed over to St. George to attend a reception of the daughter of one of the architects that he does work for. It was nice to go do something with just the two of us even if it was to a reception that we only knew the father of the bride. Take what you can get.

We Finally Got Away

This week I set my goal to clean out the office since I had managed to finish filing the company and personal papers, so the office was ready for some attention. Now I must confess that even though the office is cleaned out that most everything of what was cleaned out is sitting out in the hallway still, even after a week. Getting it out there is as far as I got, but it is progress and my strategy is that with it out there it will be in my way making me to have to put it away elsewhere. Don't you just love how I manipulate myself :) Monday night we cracked/shelled pecan nuts out at the flat for Family Home Evening. On Thursday the boys and I went with Adam, his dad, and Mark to the auction in Cedar City. Adam remembers going there once as a kid. He's been feeling the need to get some cows mostly for our boys as they grow up. He spent most of the auction just learning how it all works and the procedure of bidding. Right when he felt like he was ready to bid on some they were done, however they announced that there was a trailer en route with a few more, so we stuck around and ended up with four older cows. It was a good experience and Tyson and Lincoln enjoyed seeing all the cows come through the ring. After eating lunch there at the Market Grill, we headed out to load our cows and as I came around the corner of the walkway there was a white bum showing. Tyson took gma Stout's lecture to heart on it being okay for him to pee outside and that is just what he was doing. I kicked dirt over it and continued on. I took this picture of Lincoln last week when he was obsessed with these two basketballs and wanted to take them to bed with him, so that was a picture moment when I went to check on him. I did end up moving the top one away since it was right in front of his mouth and it made me nervous about blocking his breathing in the night. Friday Adam and I went with Stuart & Heidi, Kelby & Kathy Iverson, and Brandon & Susan Iverson on a trip to Ruby's Inn at Bryce Canyon for a Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Convention. We made arrangements with Phyllis and Susie to watch the two boys and yes this was our first time since Tyson was born, leaving them over night somewhere. Glad we were finally able to do that since Tyson will be turning 4 in June. It was strange to have a night of sleep without any interruptions since that is very rare in our home (my boys do not sleep well, especially Tyson). We started the trip off Friday having Susie drop us off at Stu's and then Susie took the kids out to the flat while she went to work out. They stayed out there all day and then Susie took them home with her that night and had Tyson sleep in bed with them and Lincoln slept in a pack n play. She said it went fine and then they went back to the flat Saturday morning until we got home that afternoon. It was a great convention we attended. We got to know a few more people and we felt like it was nice to be with a large group of people that mostly have the same values as us and want a good way of life for their kids. The speaker was Trent Loos who is a sixth generation United States farmer with a passion for the rural lifestyle. He uses his laptop computer with the internet to record, produce and send his radio programs from wherever his travels take him. His radio listening audience of 4 million and can be heard on more than 100 stations across the country http://www.loostales.com/ . We all thoroughly enjoyed listening to him speak as I gathered from the discussion about how those who support the agricultural lifestyle need to engage with those who don't on a level of educating them as to what agriculture provides for them, not conversations of who is right and who is wrong. I came away having a greater appreciation for the opportunities in my life I had while growing up and and right now to have agriculture be a part of it. I truly feel that my siblings and I had instilled in us the desire of good hard work, discipline, and a very enjoyable lifestyle. Now I find this lifestyle continuing to provide those same opportunities for me and my boys. Whenever we gather as family we have great memories to share from the farm life and it makes those gatherings so enjoyable. The experiences Adam and I have gained and my boys are and will gain are priceless.

Park City Week

This past week we spent pretty much the whole time in Park City. Adam and his crew were asked to quickly get a roof done on a cabin for a development company last minute so they headed up there early Monday morning. Susie and I cleaned up the house and packed and ended up picking up some materials that arrived at our supplier's that morning. So while most people pack storage containers or bicycles or skis and snowboards on trips, I was packing some long boxes of soffit metal. The trip took a little longer than expected because we had to slow down to 60 mph at some points due to the wind causing the soffit to start bouncing up and down. So we made it there with out problems late Monday evening and stayed at some friends' of Susie's at Jeremy Ranch. It was definitely nicer to stay in the Proctor's home there than a hotel in Heber City. I know it would have been way more difficult to entertain Tyson in a hotel room than for him to have a home to run around in. Plus he got to make friends with Emma, the Proctor's dog. I couldn't help but snap a picture of him giving her a hug. You would also find him showing love to her by plopping himself down next to her and laying across her back also by giving her open mouth kisses on her hair, which I saw at times he might have come away with some furballs. I took one day and traveled to Provo with Tyson to visit a few friends there and those from my old work. I came away with 2 tickets to the BYU vs TCU football game. Daniel and Susie were nice to offer to watch Tyson for us while Adam and I attended the game Thursday night. We had an enjoyable time especially watching BYU win. I especially enjoyed the opportunity that Adam had to attend his 2nd collegiate football game ever and in the BYU environment at that. Plus we got there early enough (due to Adam's excitement and worry that we would miss the kick off if we didn't leave for there 2 hours early) to each get a 'Y' beanie hat. So even though Tyson wasn't there I took a picture of him later sporting the sweet hat. We arrived back home at 2 am Friday. Adam got a few hours of sleep and headed off to work again. He got home after dark just in time for me to finish cutting Tyson's hair and give him a haircut as well. We then rushed to meet Shelley and Cody at Applebees to drop Tyson off and then rush to the temple to try and make the 7:20 pm session as Adam's cousin Kara was going through and will be sealed later this afternoon there. We were the last ones in the room, but we made the session. It was a rush of a night as I drove there while Adam ate his taco dinner in the car. Don't worry, I made him wear one of my aprons so he wouldn't make a mess. Afterwards we picked up Tyson and headed home because I had a miserable headache...I wonder why! Adam got a little more sleep last night but was up and gone this morning again to drop his workers off and head to grandma's to finish the soffit there. It's going to be a busy day.

Update

It's been another week without me blogging, so this will be a catch up post. Last Thursday night, after dinner, Adam took me out to Dairy Queen for ice cream. It has been a very long time since we have gone out by ourselves...so long that it felt a little weird. The funny part was that neither of us were in the mood for ice cream, but I wasn't about to ruin Adam's idea for going out. We then went out to the flat to fuel up his truck so that we could head out early Friday morning towards Bryce Canyon. Skyline Roofing had a job out there at the Pines Restaurant to do, so we hung out there, stayed the night, and headed back home Saturday afternoon. This is the second time I have been out that way and not made it to Bryce Canyon. After arriving home I gave Adam his haircut and Tyson got his from Adam. We headed to the County Fair, ate some navajo tacos, walked around the booths, and made sure to get good seats for the Demolition Derby and Rock Crawl showing. Adam and I have decided that this type of outing is not for Tyson as it was pretty hot out and he just wanted to keep going outside whenever we were in a building and any time the cars would smash into each other he would start crying and was basically scared the whole time. We're thinking of just making two trips next year. Once for Tyson, the second for just Adam and myself.