We were eating steak and ice cream at Sunday dinner on Father’s Day and it reminded us of this movie.
With this reminder, Richard and I decided to sit down to watch Pollyanna this week. We always come away from this show feeling better about life. It also reminds us of our childhoods, the feeling of a small town, and the hometown bazaars we experienced. I think the preacher storyline is especially good.
Hayley Mills earned a special Oscar for this film. She was given a miniature Oscar statue which was later stolen. Just a few years ago, the Academy presented her a new one to replace her last-of-its-kind tiny Oscar that was taken so long ago.
We stayed in Whitefish, Montana in an Airbnb called 3 Bears Cottage. It was adorable.In the evenings we sat outside and read, then watched movies before bed. One night we watched an action movie. The next night we watched Mall Cop. Mall Cop was better than the action movie.It was a serene place to stay.We had one day to see Glacier National Park. We took the day to drive the Going To the Sun Road, 51 miles of narrow winding road each way. The views were beautiful. There were red touring cars all along the route. To drive this road west to east, you need a reservation. Richard secured our reservation many months in advance.The water was so blue.Mark is always in search of rocks in the water.We are getting splashed by the waterfall in this shot.Waterfalls were everywhere, some right next to the road.We couldn’t find parking at the top for the high line trail, so Richard and I drove down the road while Tim and Mark hiked.I believe this is the most beautiful picnic site I have ever seen.This water was full of colorful rocks. Someone called them “fruity pebbles.”We saw two bears on this day, one near our cabin, and one in Glacier. Both bears crossed the road right in front of our truck.We broke up the drive home by staying one night in Island Park, Idaho, where we borrowed a friend’s side by side and drove to this beautiful place with crystal clear water.
It took all day to drive through Montana each way. Highlights were the big lakes, but a lot of the time Montana reminded me of Nevada. We were able to finish our audiobook in northern Utah, and when we got home, I felt some withdrawal symptoms from not hearing our British narrator all of the time.
Well done, Richard, on the planning and work you did for this trip!
We drove into Yellowstone on Tuesday and visited much of the park that day. Yellowstone is familiar, but still my favorite. We stayed in a lodge at Old Faithful, which meant that we could explore until bedtime.
People lined up to take photos at this spot at Artist’s Point. A crowd of people surrounded the person taking our photo and told us encouraging things, “This will be your Christmas card!” And, “Will you send one to me?” “That is a great shot!” People can be so nice.Taco salad picnicA little view of Old Faithful for those who haven’t seen it in a while.
I’ve decided to post photos from our trip in portions over the next few days because this seems to be the best way to honor the great planning that Richard did for this trip. Our days were full and we slept soundly every night.
The first leg of our trip was through Jackson, Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park. We began our audiobook of the trip, The Fellowship of the Ring, read by Rob Inglis. It was a great backdrop for our adventures in the hills and mountains. We tried different narrators, but he was our favorite.
We left on Sunday after church and enjoyed a picnic dinner in a mountain campground before continuing our drive to Jackson. We loved driving through the beautiful Star Valley as the sun set over the very green fields in this open valley. The Star Valley Temple was right on the main road through town.
On Monday morning, we drove into Grand Teton National Park. We couldn’t stop for everything, but we tried to locate the most interesting places.
One of our early stops was a group of pioneer houses called “Mormon Row.”This view of the Snake River and The Grand Tetons was made famous by Ansel Adams, and it seemed to be Mark’s favorite view at the park.
In the line of the Teton Mountains, Mount Moran seemed the least of them until we drove a little closer and discovered how beautiful its reflection was on the water.
During the afternoon, the men went on a white water rafting trip. I rested in the hotel room because I am exciting like that.
In the evening, we went on a wagon ride to a chuckwagon dinner just outside of Jackson. The wagons were pulled by draft horses and we chatted with people in our wagon from Huntsville, Alabama and San Francisco, California. There was a live band with a fiddler and guitars for entertainment at dinner. I think the favorite parts of dinner were the beans and the cookies.
The boys shopped for shirts, hats, and candy in town.
We have been on a road trip for a week, and I have grown so used to the motion of the truck that I am a little off balance on stable ground. As usual, there is no way to capture all that Richard planned for us. I haven’t had a chance to see all the photos that were taken, but these were the general destinations.♥️
(FYI: This grab ya image is misleading and overly dramatic.)
The last answer is my favorite part of this interview with the Church Architectural Historian who worked on the renovation of the Manti temple. (Nothing sensational or controversial here.)
I saw this image from the upcoming release of the film about Helaman’s army and it really affected me. This story from the Book of Mormon has found new pockets of meaning throughout the years of my motherhood. Even in these final months with a child at home, this story has fed my courage and resolve to be a valiant mother.
In family life, I have needed to be creative and determined in order to teach the gospel. Even now, as the last child moves outside my orbit, I am trying new methods, hoping to reach him in more effective ways.
Over the years I have learned to be more vulnerable and brief in my teaching, distilling my words to bring the most impact. No lecturing, no ranting, just direct, clear ideas are the goal.
I want my faith to be clear to them because their battles are real.
Last week, I misinterpreted my dad who I thought was inviting the young men of the family to help pour concrete for a new shed on Saturday morning at 10:00 am.
Mark and I drove down to my parents’ house on Saturday morning to discover that the extended family wasn’t gathered and someone had poured some concrete the night before. My parents were surprised to see us, but my dad, being the eternal Boy Scout, had just gotten home from picking up another dozen bags of concrete from the hardware store. At that moment, we had shade, helpers, and materials. So, even though it wasn’t in his morning plan, my dad built the forms and Mark began mixing concrete. Mark also got a few more cousins to come over and help, and just like that, another piece of the foundation was complete.
While I don’t like to surprise people into doing big projects, I am glad that my parents didn’t end up pouring concrete on their own on Saturday night, as my dad later confessed he was planning to do.
As we approach July 4th and all the family memories this evokes, I realize that it might be easy to believe that some years are for making memories and some years are for reminiscing.
My wish is that you can enjoy both this year.
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy
He who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise
Eternity, by William Blake
(And happy day to us, July 2 is the anniversary of the first day I saw our house in 2012 and knew that we should live here.)
