Happy 4th of July!

Just thought I'd take a moment to express how grateful I am for the country I live in. We are very blessed here. In February we visited Pearl Harbor. I was amazed at the monuments there dedicated to those who lives were taken. In a small way, I felt just a little connected to the families who currently have loved ones serving to protect the rights of others, whether here or oversees, looking out for the underdogs of the world. At the memorial they require- no demand reverence. One of the retired military volunteers gave someone with a crying baby a look that could quite possibly kill, then escorted them out of the building. I think every ward, at least in my area needs a guy like that! This picture turned out to be one of my favorite from our trip. When I was in High School, I was selected to go to Girls State at SUSC. It was a week long learning ecperience of the democratic process and instilled in me a reverence for our flag and our country. I love the 4th of July. I love the fireworks, and cheesy parades, but mostly I love taking time out to show my patriotism!

Something new!

I thought it might be fun to share lesson ideas and poems and stuff with anyone interested. So...I started another blog! You can see my lesson ideas there and if you'd like to share some, I'm all ears! Jot them down and send them to me at brakeyherd@hotmail.com. I am always looking for ways to teach the gospel in a fun way.

KaitiBug is off to Camp!

Tomorrow is the big day. My baby goes off to Dance camp at BYU. I am so very excited for her, in fact I think I am more excited than she is! We bought her a new piece of luggage it's way cute. And her very on hair dryer. As part of her YW Beehive project, she made her own fleece blankie to take with her. It has been really nice to spend this prep time with her. I am glad she gets to go away to camp! I think it's so exciting and would have loved to have gone myself! I do remember going to Mill Hollow, if you leave in Salt Lake, you may have done that too! They don't offer that in the schools anymore :(.
It's good that she gets this time all to herself. I know it sucks to be the middle child, and I know how bad it is to be identified as someone's sister rather than as Kaiti! At dance camp, no one knows her brothers. She is on her own and can be just Kaiti for awhile! I love ya' Kaiti! Have fun!

MY DAD..THE RICH MAN!

There couldn't be a better theme song for my dad than this "Fiddler on the Roof" classic! To know him is to know that he is as frugal as they come! I remember being told not to open the fridge until I was going to get something out. Standing in front of the fridge with the door open gawking for something was a waste of energy. Many times we were told "FOUR SQUARES, that's all you need!" It would seem he was overly concerned about his supply of toilet paper because I recall after a toilet papering incident having to clean up the paper and bag it for future use!

My Dad can make a meal out of anything. His specialty is what we affectionately call, "The Week in Review". It's a simple recipe really, every leftover from the week thrown into a pot. Mom throws a little ketchup on and, viola! A meal in minutes!

My Dad is a rich Man. Not in terms on money. But rather in terms of spiritual wealth. He is blessed with a beautiful family. A legacy. His love of the gospel and desire to serve his Heavenly Father has always been for most in his heart. My Dad magnifies the Savior's love in all that he does. He is a "roll up your sleeves and get it done" kind of guy. For this example, I will be eternally grateful. Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!

Waiting For Summer!

So I came home from the ball park the other day to find someone had left pretty flowers for me to plant in my flower bed. Either they really like me, or they are just trying to help my colorless flower bed! I think it's safe to say that I really don't have a green thumb, but I can mow the lawn like nobody's business! So my lawn looks great, my flowers beds are lacking. It has been so darn cold that the iris (that really aren't my favorite but Troy likes) have been really slow to blossom. Today has got to be a record cold day for the month of June. I think the high will be about 56 degrees. So I found my own flowers. These are much better. Very hearty, easy to care for, full sun not required although we still pray for it!