Colett did a "tag" blog entry a while back about what was in her purse. I took a picture of the contents of mine and realized just how much I carry around with me most days and how hard it would be to not have the stuff I use all the time right next to me. I feel a little like a scout in the "be prepared" department such as what if my hands get dirty, what if I need to measure something at Home Depot, what if I get something caught in my teeth or snag my nail? If I lost my purse, it would be a HUGE catastrophe. OK, here are the things in my purse. The fashionable big purses make it easier to keep adding things like books, Wayne's sunglasses or wallet, games and food or water bottles. No wonder my shoulder hurts sometimes. You may have to click to enlarge the picture see what everything is.

These are the items:

cute matchstick type emery boards, wet wipes, a bottle of hand sanitizer, lotion, sunglasses, a garden nursery coupon, store coupons, kleenex, my wallet which is heavy...Utah has a 7% sales tax and I get so many pennies as change, store receipts, a pen, reading glasses (yes I am in that age category), a comb, a tag??? from something, tweezers in case I have a hair grow out of my chin, a measuring tape, band-aids, lip balm, 2 lipsticks, dental floss...by the way the Crest Glide is the best floss I have ever used and is really different from all the rest....gum, candy, mints, a sack of Ibuprofin, my cute notebook to write ideas I see when I go places, and a picture of my hair to take to my stylist so she can remember what she did last time. I usually have garbage in there too but my purse just happened to be fairly clean this time. Now as I look at my purse, I am thinking a shopping trip is in order. This one won't do for Fall. I need a darker purse or maybe "RED", my favorite color. Maybe I will blog it and show you what I get. OK, what's in your wallet?? (purse)

The pioneer day activities were fun but we were exhausted and HOT! My son-in-law Matt has a brother that is kind enough to include us in many of their family functions. Thank you Ralph and Jackie! We all went to their home for swimming and food. That is all except Wayne and me. You couldn't pay me to put on a swimsuit the way I look right now. Well, maybe if the price was right....we'll discuss that later. Anyway, Wayne doesn't particularly like pools either so we watched and sat in the shade. Big E and Wes have a tender father, son moment

Make up your own caption for this picture.

Wayne is content to just sit and watch

Here is Millie floating......now watch

She is only 4 years old and has learned to swim.

Way to go Millie!!!!!

Emerson was not sure he liked the water, but after a few minutes he was calm, unless someone splashed. The water really was warm though.

I snapped this just as Nick splashed Wes.

Wes, I think this is called a farmers's tan. Have you been workin on the old south 40?

Nick looks on as his Mom and Aunt do their Olympic trials for the water ballet.

After Amy and Colett perfect their hand-standing routine, they pop out of the water with this beautiful hair style....do they bring to mind pictures of the FLDS polygamist wives??

EWWWW!

Matt and Colett not only swim for fun but are training for their triathlon in September.

They have to swim 1/2 mile. I have to be honest....that scares me a little.

Isabelle is a good little swimmer but had fun paddling on the floating something-or-other.

Wes, Amy and Emerson

The whole gang

Pioneer Day in Utah is a state holiday. No matter what day of the week the 24th lands on, it is celebrated with parades, rodeos, programs, food and fireworks and workers get the day off.

I wanted to be in Cowley, Wyoming for the 24th but the schedule just didn't work out that way so we went to Wallsburg with the girls and their families. It is a tiny town like Cowley and they celebrate it the same way. It starts off with the parade, a program, kid's games, a BBQ, rodeo and night show. The only difference was Cowley's parade is wonderful with lots of floats, bands etc. and Wallsburg had the worst parade I have EVER seen. People just rode their 4 wheelers, or pushed their kids in their strollers, and there was only one float....a family that dressed up as bumble bees. There were a few old cars and horses and that was it. It was scorching hot outside and luckily we had taken our golf umbrellas and camp chairs so that helped. The activities of the day did get better as we watched the talent show and rodeo.

We had hamburgers for lunch and then proceeded to give the kids, cookies, brownies, snow-cones and cotton candy. None of them threw up and it's only once a year....maybe twice or maybe three times tops. Isabelle LOVED it.

We gotta protect those baby eyes. I wonder if these have 100% UV protection?

Emerson Daniel loves to be outdoors and that's putting it mildly. Here he is just chillin' and eating leaves.

I stole this picture from Colett's blog. Millie had these crazy sunglasses and we all took turns wearing them. I had brought my camera but neglected to put the card back in after uploading the last batch of pictures to the computer, so the only pictures I have are either the ones I took with their cameras or the ones that Amy and Colett took.

The kids found lots to do. Millie waited for 30 minutes before a swing became available and then Grandpa and Grandma became the pushers.

This was the announcer and jokester for the rodeo. (And he looks mighty fine in his chaps). Being a Wyoming and Montana girl for so many years, I gained an appreciation for a good looking cowboy. You wouldn't know it now, but I married one. Wayne wore boots and a cowboy hat and worked on his uncle's cattle ranch when I met and dated him.

Nick's holding a chicken that his cousin caught in the bunny and chicken capture race.

The Dressers

There was a goat dressing contest so Isabelle, her friend and Millie signed up to do it. It took forever because the goats did not want to cooperate at all, but they finally got the deed done and won second place. It was so funny watching the concentration on their faces and Millie....well she was just a tiny bit afraid.

Millie got these foam stickers at the fish pond and was sticking them on everyone. If she put one on your forehead, you were officially a prince or princess. Colett has more than her share and I'm sure she must think she is a queen but there can only be one queen in this family so she is just a very, very high ranking princess.

Emerson is pointing and I'm sure what he means is...you bring me back here again, got it?

If for some reason we can't make it to Cowley next year, I will look for a fun time at Wallsburg again or some other small town that does celebrations for pioneer day...it shouldn't be too hard to find.

Mormon wagon train

I have many pioneer ancestors, but I have the story of one of my great, great grandpas on my Mom's side that I especially love. His name was Joshua Terry. He was born in Canada, went with his family to Missouri, was baptized into the Mormon church and went through the persecutions there. His family was driven from their home there, so they settled in Nauvoo, Illinois where Joshua helped build the temple. He joined the Nauvoo legion serving under Joseph Smith and thereafter moved to Iowa. In 1847 he left Winter Quarters and arrived
in Salt Lake Valley on September 28, 1847. He made camp on Little Willow Creek..now known as Draper. After many hardships and trials and an employer that left him high and dry, he went first to Fort Peck in Idaho for a couple of months and then a kind hearted man, a Doctor Rogers gave him 3 dry biscuits and a half pound of jerked beef and advised him to go to Fort Bridger 200 miles away. For the first part of the journey he lived mainly on thistle roots. His moccasins became badly worn and a heavy snowstorm caught up to him. His feet became raw and bloody so he could not travel very fast. One time he traveled all day in a foot of snow without anything to eat or seeing another living thing. The wind was blowing hard and cold, night was coming on
and he was in despair feeling like he would probably die before morning. He knelt in fervant prayer. When he arose he noticed a large black rock in the shape of a coffin. He went over to examine it and found it contained a hole on one side. He crept into the hole and out of the storm. It was pitch black inside but he had shleter for the night. He had not been in the hole long when he heard something approaching which proved to be an animal of some kind looking for shelter from the storm too. They remained together in the hole all night long with the animal's body next to his which warmed him and kept him comfortable. The next morning before daylight, the animal crawled out and went on his way. Joshua regarded this as a miracle given to him as an answer to his prayers. He made it to Fort Bridger and became acquainted with Jim Bridger who employed him and he soon became Bridger's most trusted employee and foreman. Joshua had an uncanny sense of direction and Jim Bridger gave him a test once. He took Joshua into the heavily timbered part of the Uintah Mountains and tried to get him lost but Joshua always knew the way back to camp. Bridger said he was the only man that he could never lose. Joshua stayed with Jim Bridger for 2 years.

(By the way, I didn't inherit this gift. I can't find my way around a parking lot)

There are many more stories of Joshua Terry and my other pioneer ancestors and I am so glad to have them. I feel a love for, and connection to them when I read their stories. I am so glad they felt the need to write in their journals and to keep a history. Now their grandchildren will have a sense of what their lives were like and have an appreciation of how blessed we are now.