All for 20 Bucks

Meet my sister, Diane Iona Sperry Blackam but for the sake of simplicity we'll use Diane.  Diane has many amazing qualities but her weaknesses include the outdoors, bugs, dirt and the dark.

(I took this picture of her, she was a beautiful bride.)

While we sat and watched the boys in our party build a rock wall to enforce the stream bank, my cousin, Sarah, and I thought we would each offer Diane a 20 dollar bill to submerge herself in the small pond.

Now the pond on this day was full of extra particulates, creating a muddy brine.  I would have never guessed she would be willing to submerge herself in the muck but I guess money talks, especially when you are a newlywed, and in she went.

My children never want to let and opportunity to get in the water pass them by and for a measly one dollar bill they each joined her.

Kyler wasn't quite brave enough to enter the water until his sister was waiting for him with open arms.  (Notice the nice shade of brown).

People in my Past

My mother stopped by today and requested my company while she visited the graves of our family.  I brought along my camera to document the resting place of some of the people who have had the greatest influence in my life.


I was blessed to live next to these two people -- my mother's parents.  Whipped honey, fresh bread and hot cereal were part of our daily routine.  Many nights were spent watching KBYU and shelling black walnuts.  Besides their great example of service and love, they taught my mother about Jesus Christ, and raised her to be an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  In turn, she did the same with me.

And with the same devotion . . . I was blessed with another set of grandparents who taught me to love geography and to always remember "sugar compliments salt and salt compliments sugar."  Not to mention the memories of BYU football and basketball, sometimes I got to go to the game, sometimes I went to the mall and shopped during the game and other times when the game was too close for comfort I walked the perimeter of Lavell Edwards Stadium.  Andy wonders where I get my game attitude from -- must be Granny prodding me from heaven that her great granddaughters team is experiencing a high level of injustices due to the referee/umpires INABILITY to make the RIGHT call.

The greater importance though is the example they gave my father.  He was also taught the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The adage is true -- a righteous mother influences generations.

My mother was our guide to the cemetery this day and I took photos for posterity of the headstones of my progenitors.  Some day I will be in charge of decorating the graves and I need to know who is where and make sure they are honored as they should be.

My Mona Roots run deep . . . 

Andy told me this was his first trip to visit a cemetery.  We need to take our children and find the headstones of more of our family -- help our hearts turn to our fathers as Elijah prophesied.