EASTER AT FORT BUENAVENTURA

IT HAS BEEN FOR MANY, MANY YEARS OUR EASTER TRADITION TO CAMP AT FORT BUENAVENTURA IN OGDEN FOR THE ANNUAL EASTER RENDEZVOUS, AND WAIT FOR THE EASTER BUNNY.IT'S OUR FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK THE CABIN FEVER AND START OUR RENDEZVOUSING FOR THE YEAR. IT'S ALWAYS GREAT FUN TO SEE AND CAMP WITH ALL OF OUR FRIENDS. SOME WE SEE OFTEN, OTHERS WE HAVEN'T SEEN FOR THE WINTER OR MAYBE LONGER. TRADERS COME FROM NEAR AND FAR TO SET UP AND SELL THEIR WARES. CANVAS STRUCTURES ARE SET UP FROM ONE END OF THE PARK TO THE OTHER AND WE ARE PRETTY JAMMED IN TOGETHER. DUTCH OVENS AND CAMPFIRES FILL THE AIR, JOINED WITH THE WOODSY SMELLS AND THE LOCAL DUMP AND TRAIN STATION ADD THEIR AROMA AS WELL. AT TIMES YOU DON'T EVEN REALIZE THAT YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF OGDEN, UNTIL YOU HERE THE TRAINS CONNECTING TOGETHER. WE CAMP RIGHT ON THE POND WHERE THE KIDS PLAY, THROW ROCKS, AND CANOE. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IS THE CANOE RACES ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON,IT'S INEVITABLE THAT SOMEONE WILL GET DUMPED ! THIS YEAR COLLEN AND HIS TEAM MATE HAD THE BEST TIME AND WON THE RACE ! GOOD JOB COLLEN ! AND OF COURSE THE EASTER BUNNY DELIVERS HIS GOODS TO OUR CAMP AND HIDES BRIGHTLY COLORED EGGS. HE ALSO MANAGES TO HIDE HUNDREDS OF EGGS ON THE GUN RANGE FOR ALL OF THE KIDS THAT ARE CAMPING TO FIND. ITS FUN TO WATCH THESE LITTLE PEOPLE DRESSED IN 1840 ATTIRE RUNNING WITH BASKETS IN HAND TO SEE HOW MANY THEY CAN GET ! OF COURSE THE VERY BEST THING WE DO AT RENDEZVOUS IS EAT ! SUMMER COOKED BREAKFAST BURRITOS SATURDAY MORNING, THEY WORK WELL AS YOU CAN EAT THEM ON THE RUN, EVERYONE IS TRYING TO GET TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS KNIFE AND TOMAHAWK THROWS, ARCHERY SHOOTS, BLACK POWDER RIFLE SHOOTS, FRYING PAN TOSS, AND OF COURSE SHOPPING TO NAME A FEW. WE HAD A POT LUCK EASTER DINNER ON SATURDAY. SUMMER, DARRICK AND HER FAMILY WERE CAMPED SO OF COURSE THEY WERE THERE, HER FRIEND JUSTIN FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND HIS FAMILY AND , OUR FRIENDS CHRIS, BECKY AND BROOKE BROUGHT THEIR WONDERFUL PASTA SALAD. BRANDI ( AN ADOPTED DAUGHTER ) SUMMERS FRIEND AND HER TWO CHILDREN CAME. BOTH GENTRY AND REAGAN WEREN'T FEELING WELL SO THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES MISSED OUT. ROBYN,JOSIE AND THEIR FRIENDS CAMPED FRIDAY NIGHT AND JOINED US FOR AWHILE. SCOTT FIXED A WONDERFUL BREAKFAST SUNDAY MORNING, CHILI CHEESE OMELETS AND TURKEY, CRANBERRY AND CREAM CHEESE OMELETS(MY FAVORITE), BACON AND HASH BROWNS. SITTING AROUND THE CAMPFIRES AT NIGHT, SINGING AND LISTENING TO THE GUITAR PLAYERS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS. LOTS OF LAUGHING, TALKING, REMINISCING, AND CATCHING UP GOES ON AS WELL. WE WERE CAMPED RIGHT NEXT TO OUR VERY GOOD FRIENDS JOHN AND MANDY, AND ALL OF THE HOOTIN CLAN. SATURDAY MANDY GATHERED UP THE CHILDREN IN OUR CAMPS AND DID ARTS AND CRAFTS WITH THEM. SHE HAD BROUGHT CUTE BIRDHOUSES, AND TRAINS FOR THEM TO PAINT. WE WISH HER LUCK WITH HER PREGNANCY, SHE IS GOING TO BE AN AWESOME MOM. THE WORST PART IS WHEN YOU HAVE TO TEAR DOWN CAMP, LOAD UP THE TRAILER AND GO HOME. EVERYONE PITCHED IN TO HELP SO IT WASN'T TOO BAD. WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT RENDEZVOUS ON MEMORIAL WEEKEND, IN CACHE VALLEY, EAST OF HYRUM. WE SET UP THE WEEKEND BEFORE AND STAY FOR THE WHOLE TIME, USUALLY ABOUT 10 DAYS. WE LOVE TO HAVE COMPANY, SO JOIN US IF YOU CAN WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU. WHO KNOWS THE BUG JUST MIGHT BITE YOU TOO !!!

SWEET SIXTEEN AND NEVER BEEN KISSED HA! HA!

WATCHING OUT THE WINDOW THIS MORNING AS SNOW WAS FLUTTERING THROUGH THE AIR, I WAS REMINDED OF A BIRTHDAY 40 YEARS AGO APRIL 15TH 1969 WHEN I TURNED 16 YEARS OLD. AT FIVE O'CLOCK A.M. MY GIRLFRIENDS PAM, CINDY, VAL AND ANN, STILL DRESSED IN THEIR PAJAMAS CAME BURSTING INTO MY BEDROOM SINGING "HAPPY BIRTHDAY". GRUMBLING AT THE EARLY TIME, I WAS THEN DRAGGED OUT OF BED, STILL IN MY P.J.'S AND CURLERS IN MY HAIR (YOU REMEMBER THE PINK FOAM ROLLERS)? KIDNAPPED AND BLINDFOLDED I WAS SHOVED INTO THE CAR WAITING OUTSIDE. WE LAUGHED AND SANG TO THE RADIO AS WE DROVE. I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE AS TO WERE THEY WERE TAKING ME BUT I KNEW THAT WE WERE GETTING ON THE FREEWAY. WE DROVE ABOUT 30 MINUTES OR SO WHEN THE CAR PULLED TO A STOP. THE CAR DOOR OPENED, MY BLINDFOLD UNDONE AND TO MY SURPRISE WE WERE IN MEMORY GROVE IN SALT LAKE LAKE. A BREAKFAST PICNIC HAD BEEN PREPARED OF CANNED PEACHES AND CINNAMON ROLLS. THERE WAS STILL A LAYER OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, BUT WE SPREAD THE TABLECLOTH ON THE TABLE, BRUSHED THE SNOW OFF THE BENCHES AND SAT DOWN TO BREAKFAST AND OPENED BIRTHDAY PRESENTS. I REMEMBER THAT I WAS GIVEN THINGS TO PUT IN MY HOPE CHEST (WHAT WAS I HOPING FOR ?) SUCH AS A SET OF GREEN GOBLETS. IT WAS SHORT AND SWEET BEING SCANTILY CLAD WE DIDN'T SPEND ALOT OF TIME EATING. WE HURRIED BACK TO THE CAR FOR WARMTH AND DROVE BACK TO BOUNTIFUL TO GET READY FOR SCHOOL. FOR ANN'S' BIRTHDAY WE BLINDFOLDED AND KIDNAPPED HER AND TOOK HER TO THE AIRPORT WHERE WE HAD A BREAKFAST PICNIC IN OUR JAMMIE'S ON THE WORLD IN THE FLOOR. I'M SURE PEOPLE THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY, AND YOU CERTAINLY COULDN'T DO THAT IN THIS DAY AN AGE OF SECURITY ! ON CINDY'S' 16TH WE TOILET PAPERED HER HOUSE WITH 16 ROLLS OF TOILET PAPER DRAPED BETWEEN THE TWO LARGE TREES IN HER FRONT YARD. SOMEONE HAD CALLED THE NEWSPAPER AND THERE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE DAVIS COUNTY CLIPPER THE NEXT MORNING WAS A PICTURE OF OUR MASTERPIECE ! OF COURSE CINDY'S' PARENTS MADE US CLEAN IT ALL UP, BUT WE HAD A GREAT TIME HAVING TOILET PAPER FIGHTS AS WE CLEANED.
AS A GROUP WE SANG TOGETHER AND WE PERFORMED AT CHURCH AND SCHOOL FUNCTIONS. THERE WAS ONE TIME WE SANG "THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM", AND "FEELIN GROOVY" AT B.Y.U. AT A GIRLS CONFERENCE IN FRONT OF A HUGE AUDIENCE. THESE WERE GREAT TIMES AND THIS BIRTHDAY WILL BE CHALKED UP AS ONE OF MY FAVORITES, EVEN IF IT DID SNOW !!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REAGAN

REAGAN IS MY HERO AND THIS WEEK SHE TURNS 30 YEARS OLD. AS A CHILD SHE WAS AN ABSOLUTE JOY ! ALWAYS THE CLOWN, MAKING US LAUGH, NEVER WITHOUT A SMILE ON HER FACE. FROM DAY ONE SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A KIND, COMPASSIONATE GIRL. A LOVER OF LIFE AND A WILLING PARTICIPANT IN ANYTHING. A TRICKSTER AND JOKER, TO HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY. LOVED BY ALL SHE HAS HAD MANY FRIENDS OVER THE YEARS. AS AN ADULT REAGAN HAS ENDURED MORE PAIN, SUFFERING, AND TRIALS, THAN IS HER FAIR SHARE. 10 YEARS AGO SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A VERY RARE AUTO IMMUNE DISEASE CALLED CHURGG STRAUSS SYNDROME WHICH HAS ATTACKED ALMOST EVERY ORGAN IN HER BODY. THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY TIMES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS THAT WE HAD THOUGHT THAT WE WERE GOING TO LOSE HER. THREE DIFFERENT NIGHTS WE WERE TOLD TO GATHER THE FAMILY BECAUSE SHE PROBABLY WOULDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT. SHE IS THE STRONGEST GIRL I KNOW AND I AM PROUD TO BE HER MOTHER. IN THESE LAST 10 YEARS SHE HAS HAD 12 SURGERIES, INCLUDING LUNG BIOPSIES, LOSING MOST OF HER BOWELL, HAVING TWO ILLEOSTOMIES AND TWO TAKE DOWNS, GALL BLADDER, AND OPEN HEART SURGERY TO NAME JUST A FEW. SHE HAS SPENT COUNTLESS DAYS IN INTENSIVE CARE, HIGH OBSERVATION, CARDIAC UNITS, AND EVERY FLOOR IN THE HOSPITAL, I BELIEVE THE LAST COUNT WAS OVER 300 DAYS. WE ARE ON FIRST NAME BASIS WITH MANY DOCTORS AND NURSES. WE HAVE SPENT A NUMBER OF HOLIDAYS WITH HER IN A HOSPITAL BED, WITH HER ROOM DECORATED WITH CHRISTMAS TREES, ANGELS, ETC. REAGAN LIVES IN KAYSVILLE WITH HER SON CALEB, THAT IS 10, AND CALEB'S DAD AARON. THEY TOO HAVE HAD TO BE VERY STRONG AND SUPPORTIVE, IT'S BEEN A TOUGH ROAD FOR US ALL. THERE WERE TIMES THAT REAGAN WAS IN THE HOSPITAL IN OGDEN AND DUSTY WAS IN THE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN SALT LAKE AT THE SAME TIME. RIGHT NOW THE DISEASE ITSELF IS IN REMISSION BUT THE SIDE EFFECTS, MEDICATIONS, SCAR TISSUE, EVERYDAY PAIN, COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM AND HORRENDOUS ASTHMA CONTINUES TO PLAGUE HER CONSTANTLY. STILL SHE COMES THOUGH IT SMILING, WITH HER SENSE OF HUMOR AND STRONGER WILLED THAN BEFORE. WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH REAGAN, YOUR STRENGTH KEEPS US STRONG, YOUR ATTITUDE KEEPS US UPLIFTED, YOUR OUTLOOK KEEPS US GOING, YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR KEEPS US LAUGHING, YOUR SMILE BRIGHTENS OUR DAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HERO !!!!