Mr. S

I love my husband for a multitude of reasons.

One of those reasons is his deep love and admiration for the inspired men who helped (through a loving God) to shape and found our country in an incredibly miraculous way; a manner in which the world had never before seen.

He reads, in his spare time, about these men; their sacrifices, their disappointments, their loyalty, their faith. And in today's political world, where our constitution is literally hanging by a thread, where moral standards are swept to the wayside, and where political platforms change as the shifting sand, Bill becomes more in awe of our Founding Fathers inspired vision of government 'for the people'; a vision that many of our representatives serving today seem to have forgotten.

Another one of the reasons I love Bill, is he is one of the most honest men I know. And being so, whenever he votes, he votes his conscience, always looking for a person of character, honest, virtuous; whether he/she be democrat, republican or independent.

Bill loves his country and his God and has recently began writing about these things in a blog.

If you'd like, visit it at: ifanyonewaswondering.blogspot.com

(one of my favorite posts is entitled Socialism and Religion)

A few favorite moments

From our family's last hurrah this summer to Island Park and Yellowstone National Park:

The 30+ year old tent trailer of Bill's childhood that he inherited this year. Many hours of elbow grease have been put into restoring it in time for our many camping adventures this summer. And I must say, well worth it...already countless memories made.

Pool at Biscuit Basin.

(Bill and Porter watched a young man jump the fence, walk out onto the fragile crust and stick his finger in the water to see just how hot it was.)

Yeah.

Makeshift sulfur mask.

GREAT socks.

Very,

very,

relaxed and contemplative.

5 bear sightings on one of the days we were there....this is one of 3 that we were able to see.

Going for a canoe ride ... in the back of the pickup.

Mud bath.

This masculine beast was the perfect photo-op.

Got to spend one of our days in Yellowstone with my parents. Here we are visiting the fantastic visitor's center/museum at Canyon Village that we love to go to - highly recommended.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

My mom and dad.

The best parents (and chauffeurs) one could ever ask for.

Watching his dad take a picture of the grizzly bear. (I'm thinking he looks rather mysterious and handsome in this picture :) --notice the many survival bracelets he's sportin'...he learned to make them at Scout camp and has made a bajillion of them. Grandma is even wearing hers, but I didn't get a picture.

BUT, there was one little critter out and about that the tourists photographed as much as

the bison,

the geysers,

the bears,

the elk,

and the waterfalls:

She even grabbed the attention of some black-leather clad, weather worn bikers and managed to melt them into a puddle of mush.

7474 Charmant Drive

I went out to the mail box a few minutes ago. Inside was a letter addressed to "The familia de Stanton" with a return address of 7474 Charmant Drive, San Diego. Inside was three free bowling tickets. We don't know anyone from San Diego... so I 'googled' the address. It's the address of the San Diego temple. Porter's response: "I guess God really wanted us to go bowling."

hmmmmmmmmmm.

Someone's being sneaky.

(floor remodel pictures below)

They're in!

And I love 'em!

We were able to (with the help of a good friend) finish putting in the wood floors this past weekend. They're acacia. Giraffes eat the leaves of acacia trees. Giraffes have good taste.

My favorite part of the flooring is the color and variance in the wood grain. Plus, they are distressed, so when we accidentally distress them, it won't stick out like a sore thumb.

It really was an exciting project and gave our home a beautiful facelift. And now the grungy carpet in our high-traffic areas is GONE!

Bill updated the baseboard moulding as well (although we have not caulked or painted yet):

Hopefully, we will soon be able to build the arch in the dining room entry and then we can choose paint colors...and once we choose paint colors then we will find a couple area rugs.

But while the rugs are not there, you can bet I've been trying to see just how far I can slide down the hall in my socks.

Ed

Everyone needs a neighbor like Uncle Ed.

Why?

Because they just do.

Ed, with his small frame, sweet smile, and big bushy beard, has been a source of joy to our family:

~He's lended many a tool and encouraging word.

~We love to see him driving his small gray truck (which proudly displays our country's flag). We can always count on a friendly wave.

~Ed makes me feel like a world-class chef.

~He is a kind, wise man with a mountain of knowledge and experience.

~He can easily put a smile on Porter's face and is helping Porter's coin collection to grow.

~Ed has introduced me to the world of pregnant onions -- although, because of a number of circumstances, I have yet to keep one alive. :)

~Ed is not a Mormon, but shows a great amount of admiration and interest in our family's religion. He knows more about our church's history than many members do and he even collects books and other artifacts from our church history.

~Plus, I'll never forget the day he came over, soon after we had moved in, and showed us one of his prized possessions; the world's tackiest souvenir:

An old rhinestone encrusted "church key" (a.k.a. beer bottle opener) with a picture of the Salt Lake temple on it.

Ed, you rock.

In a world where so many of us drive our cars into our garages (which automatically open and close), forever to be shut in by our televisions, computers, phone calls and air conditioning, Ed helps our neighborhood feel like the good ol' days where everyone had a front porch and took a genuine interest in their neighbors.

Ed, you are truly the gem in our neighborhood.

P.S. I didn't initially have a photo of Uncle Ed, so I told Porter I would give him 4 pieces of licorice if he would run across the street and snap a photo. I wasn't sure how Ed would respond because I know many people who are extremely camera shy. But Ed was a willing participant. (Thanks Ed.) And I must say, I think it is a rather flattering picture. (Good job Porter!) Plus, now I have a picture of Ed in my photo archives. And that makes me very happy.

nice socks

We're still in demolition mode at the house, but we made it home from our family vacation and just finished unpacking and putting the trailer away this afternoon. The wood floors should begin to be put in tomorrow afternoon. ( I can't wait to get out of this mess so that life can return to normal and I can fix my family a nice, healthy meal!)

We visited Yellowstone National Park twice last week in our travels. Our family LOVES to explore Yellowstone- - but we like to avoid the tourist traps (like Old Faithful) and take the road less traveled. There is SO much to see, it is incredible. I think Yellowstone is one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring places on the earth, and I can't wait to post pictures in a few days when my life settles just a little bit. We had a fantastic time. It was much needed.

When visiting Yellowstone though, I've got one thing to say:

Always keep your camera handy.

You never know what kind of socks you're gonna run into on the boardwalks.

sayonara...

...at least for now, anyway.

We are in a serious demolition-mess at the house right now.... moving furniture, ripping up carpet, laminate flooring, carpet pad, pulling out staples, nailing, and most importantly, making sure our toddler doesn't step on any rusty nails or tack-strips.

And first thing Wednesday morning, we are going on a family vacation. ((can't wait))

Acacia wood floors are being installed sometime next week in our high traffic areas and the kitchen, plus a dining room entry arch to be built once the floors are in....then hopefully paint on the walls, crown moulding, and refinishing the kitchen cupboards...we'll see-- taking it one project at a time.

Be back soon.