Great Family Party!

An announcement: Gunnar Green made the Woodscross Highschool golf team--as a freshman!  Congratulations, Gunnar.  

We had a wonderful party at Phil and Charlotte's home.  It is always great to meet up with family members.  I took a few pictures and Christy Cunningham sent me 115 more.  If you're interested in seeing more of the pictures, let me know.  I'm including a few (a lot).  Next year we may have to try and host the family when Elise is here because she always misses out.  

It was fun to see my siblings that were able to come.  Roy with Zack (husband, not sibling), Glen, Rosilene, Serah (Jed's daughter), Christine, Steve, Charlotte and Dave.  Phil was there but is not in this picture.

Matt, Crista, Zack and Adrienne

Ruby, Todd, Miles Gray and Caroline (I think).

The kids had a blast on the trampoline. Phil has a launching block that makes it lots of fun. Hyeji, Doyeon, Cub (front); Miles Gray, Lyla Dayton, and Isla Costley (back).  In the picture on the right in the back is Caroline, Olivia, and Payton.

Christy, Char, Christine, Becky; Dan and Roy in background

Becky, Dave, Rosilene, Glenn, Phil, Char, Christine, Steve, Catharine and Roy

Here's my attempt at names. First row: Aurelia, Asher, ?, Zeke, Lyla , Yuli, Hayden, Ila with Cub' Greta. Grayson, Dojin, Foster, Ori, Ruby, Todd, Bridget, Yuna, ?, ?, Payton (spelling?)
2nd row: (the first three are Lexie's boys), ?, Hyeji, ?, Doyeon, Ila, Jennie, Elijzah, Miles, Lexie, Kenzie, Caroline, Rob, Natalie
Last row: Kim, Chris, ?, Grant, Troy, Tiffany, Jed, Becky, Dan, David,  Steve, Chjristine, Rosilene, Glenn, Phil, Char, Nick, Matt, Crista, Zack, Roy, Catharine, Adrienne, Spencer and Brooke (I'll accept corrections and additions to this list).

Brothers: Phil and Dave.  We have a picture of these two in Antarctica labeled "dad, mom" because of who they resemble most.

Ruby, Yuna, Ori, Greta, Dojin and Bridget 

Hyeji feeding ice cream to Elijah

Foster

Roy and Dan

Foster, Hayden, Asher, Aurelia, Gracie, Jace, Maddie, Dojin, Yuli, Ori, and Caroline.  I'm sure I've made mistakes here, too.

Natalie, Nick

Roman, Michael, Foster, Jennie, Caroline, Yuli, Cub 

Cameron and Crista

Char, Natalie, Catharine 

Brothers: Dave and Glenn

Catharine and Elijah

These three had a blast doing gymnastics.  Doyeon, Lyla Dayton and Hyeji

 

Dan, Christine, Steve

Adrienne and Spencer

Kim and Nick

Phil and Char: Thanks for the fun party!

Glenn and Rosilene

Jed, Kim, Chris, Jennie

Ruby, Matt and Zack

Elijah, Jennie, Dallin

Caitlyn, Bridget, Ruby and Greta

Catharine, Becky and Charlotte.  Christy told us the story of the apron Charlotte's wearing.  Christy found it in Japan: a linen apron for $12.  She was so excited she told the clerk she'd take all they had.  They only had two,which was lucky, because she'd either misread or gotten mixed up with the different money system.  She got the bill for two aprons $240.00.  She called up the store and said there had been a mistake, but there was no mistake.  Christy said it's probably the most expensive apron Charlotte will ever own!  And I said it was definitely the most expensive one that Christy will ever give to her.

I read a great story about Phineas Wolcott Cook this week. He had been sent with his family to help settle Bear Lake.  It was hard living, with more snow and ice than they'd ever seen and a very short growing season in summer.  Besides the icy winters, in summer their harvests suffered because of locusts and other pests.  At one time, Phineas gave all their food and goods to the Indians to prevent them from massacring an entire community.  They suffered a lot of hunger, but were able to subsist off the fish in the lake.

From the book Phineas Wolcott Cook, A Legacy of Faith, I quote:

Phineas was building a mill by Swan Creek and people were waiting anxiously for a good mill nearby.  While there were mills in Paris and Meadowville, they were miles away.  The wait was usually very long at those mills and the neighbors knew the Swan Creek Mill would soon be finished.  Phineas employed neighbors in his effort to finish the work.  Alonzo (my great grandfather and Phineas' son) stated how the work progressed.  "By the fall of 1865 we had made some granite burrs to do the grinding." Yet, there was still much work to be done before Phineas could install those stones.  Neighbors came to check on the progress and stayed to work.  "Under these conditions," stated Carl (one of Phineas' youngest sons), "with harvest at hand and all the people in need of flour, father promised the men working that he would be responsible for Sabbath Day working."  Phineas had avoided Sunday work his entire life.  In fact, he was so obedient he was capable of great sacrifices to keep God's law.  He later shared this incident with Carl to teach him the value of obedience.  

"The mill race was nearly finished.  One more day with the crew of men on the job would complete it.  It was Saturday afternoon.  The men were prepared and planning after the day's work was done to go to their homes miles away.  They would not return until the following Monday and some would probably find work at home to detain them so that they would not come back at all, and the race would not be finished until the middle of the following week or later.  The people needed milling work, and in his anxiety to hasten the completion of the work, he felt there was some justification in his request that the men stay and work most of the day Sunday until the job was finished, and then they could go to their homes and need not return.  

"But, these Mormon pioneers had been taught to keep the Sabbath Day holy and not work on Sunday, and the suggestion was not approved by the men.  However, his ambition and anxiety urged him to continue his solicitations and after some further discussion, Father proposed that if the men would stay and work, he would bear the sin of it and be responsible for their misdeeds with regard to it.  To this the men finally agreed, worked on Sunday, finished the mill race and then went home.

"Within a day or two afterward, father became so ill he could not work despite his desire and efforts to continue.  He went to bed where he was confined for six weeks, and the mill had to wait for his recovery.  No one else was found or available who could go ahead with the finishing, preparing the burrs, the bolting bins and sieves, the shafts, wheels, and other machinery so that, not only he, but with him the entire community were caused to suffer because, or as an apparent result, of the violated Sabbath Day, and thus the longer delay of the mill."

Phineas told Carl his illness was "a just punishment for the willful disobedience of a commandment.  The Church Authorities had often cautioned the people not to become so busy in their subduing of the wild that they had no time to serve the Lord."  Phineas never forgot the painful lesson, and neither did Carl.

This was an interesting story to me because in most of his writings, we see him to be extremely obedient.  It also made me evaluate my comittment to the Sabbath Day.  Am I too casual in my observance?  What can I do to be more obedient?