I'm related to Adam (by marriage)

Nate and I were looking around on new.familysearch.org last night. We like to click on a family member's name and then click on that person's parents and that persons parents and that persons parents until there is no more information on that particular family line, just to see how far back we can go. We started with Nate's grandpa, Albert Bowler, and clicked his father, then his father's father and so on. While we were clicking, and getting back into the 1400s, we talked about how we're sure someone somewhere has traced their roots to Adam. The father's fathers kept on coming and soon we were seeing like 300 AD. The names had already changed from Old English to Jewish names and we were shocked that this family line had made it through the medieval times, indicating royalty because records of peasants were not kept during that time. The word "King" appeared in front of several of the names. Suddenly we saw Joseph of Arimathea, born 80 BC. He is the one who donated his own tomb for the burial of Jesus Christ. We kept on clicking, past Noah, right on through, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham and then finally, Adam (first man) and Eve (first woman). That's exactly how their names are listed.


We couldn't click any more past that.



A self portrait from several months ago. Lucy made me add the crown. Fitting I'd say.

Texting...

Periodically throughout the day I will text Hailee to see how she's doing and just say hello. The way that I do this is the same every time.

My text always is this:

"How's it."

That's it. That's all that needs to be said. What's replied back is great and I thought I would share a few of the replies:

"How's it." (yes that is a valid reply)

"Luke pee-peed in the potty."

"At my mother's."

"Lunch."

"Feedin kids."

"Cleaning kids"

"Going to swim"

"Good"

"Starting a load of laundry. It's awesome."

I guess to the casual observer this may seem quite boring. But how is it any different than Twitter or Facebook. At least this way it's my wife and not some random person.

Colorado Trip

Fun Valley sure was fun this year! What I had forgotten about it is that most of the people who visit there are from Texas (I don't know why that is) so we end up picking up a little Texas drawl and folksy tendency to talk to everyone we see. Nate overheard an exchange that went something like this

"Hah, how ya'll doin?"

"I'm fahn, how're you?"

"Well, I reckon."

Nate tells it better. Anyway, the people that run the place are all retirees, and they're happy to help and talk all you want. After a week, I start to get used to everybody and it's fun when we go back how we recognize a lot of them again. So until next time...

Goodbye lady at the snack shack with the drawn-on eyebrows and the tiny mouth.

I'll miss you guy with the handlebar mustache who sits in a booth at the arcade, making change.

See ya next time, neatly dressed gentleman who runs the golf shack.

Bye jovial guy who drives the trolley around all day with his dog Snickers... or Schnookums...or something.

Bye other guy who drives the trolley sometimes and can't hear us yell "stop!" when we want to get off.

Goodbye Lady with the droopy cheeks and pink lipstick who sells the tickets to do all the fun stuff.

It's important to me to get a lot of photos of our trips because I can barely remember this place, or any other place we went to when I was a kid. I think there were about 550 on the camera. Here's a few for you.


Jane and Lucy flagging down the trolley

Waiting to go fishin' at the stocked pond.

Jane caught the biggest and Lucy caught the most.

Luke just wanted to hold one.

This was right after the rain stopped and before I cooked dinner. Late afternoon after the rain was a fun time to come back out and play.

Luke, cleaning up everyone's breakfast bowls.

Inside the tiny log cabin playhouse

Nate and Jane tubing down the river

The Fam

This boy loves trucks. Nuff said.

Mini golf. It's fun for about the first 3 holes until people start stacking up behind us and the kids aren't paying any attention anymore, but won't let us call it quits.