To Denver and Back

Having two sons and three grandchildren in Denver is reason enough to visit there periodically, but having a son in difficult straits there makes a visit absolutely imperative. Despite snowy weather and the current adversity, spending time with our loved ones in Denver for spring break was heart-warming. The first night of our journey was spent in the comfortable home of the ever hospitable Julie and Lonnie Baird. The next three nights we snoozed happily in Greg's home.

Back: Shane, Bonnie, Greg, Brianna, Colin
Front: Tori, Christian, Juli


Neil and Penny invited us over for a delicious dinner of seven layer bean dip, chicken tortilla soup, cornbread, and caramel apple crisp. Yummmo!

Our balloon eggstravaganza hunt featuring over 300 balloons, lovingly inflated and tied for the enjoyment of Tori, Juli, and Christian.

Greg was the perfect host, and we're looking forward to going back again as soon as possible to give him and his little ones lots of hugs and family support!

On Your Birthday

I miss you so much. I dreamed of my Mother today, but I haven't dreamed of you, even though I've prayed that I would. I had a vivid daydream once. The doorbell rang, I ansered it, and you were standing there! Darling Jordan, I miss you. I love you more than I know how to say!

March Gladness

I-rish you a very nice place to live,

I-rish God's greatest gifts he'll give.

I-rish you health, and wealth, and more--

I-rish your smilin' face were at my door!

Rishes do sometimes come true. Some dear smiling faces joined us this weekend, so we set out to fulfill a few other rishes. Let's get going! Who wants to go on a treasure hunt to find the Leprechaun's pot of gold?

May our pockets be heavy and our hearts be light.

May good luck pursue us each morning and night.

May our faith be strong and our future bright.

May we reach our goals, soaring high like a kite.

May God grant you always...

A sunbeam to warm you,

A moonbeam to charm you,

A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

Relatively Speaking

My great grandmother Della married William Waltern Chason, who went by Walter, when she was 15 and he was 19 years of age. That's the way they often did things back then. She and her tall, rawboned honey had 10 children by the time Della was about 44 years old. My Grandma Zonie Melissa was their third child and first daughter. I just got a picture of Della, with Zonie, and the fourth child, Ozzle, from my sister, Jamie.

Jamie also sent one of Zonie and her 10 year younger sister, Donie, in their later years. Grandma's wearing a scarf to cover up her pin curls. She must have been getting all dolled up for something. My sister, Julie, tells me they both look kind of grumpy here, but I can assure you that Grandma was no grump. On the contrary, I hear from a rliable source that Donie was! My uncle said she was "meaner than a striped snake!"

Wallace, our newly-found second cousin, sent us a picture of another of Grandma's brothers, John Harvey Chason, who went by Harvey. Here he is with his lovely wife, Annie Lora. They're Wallace's grandparents.

It's fun getting a little better acquainted with our great grandmother and some of our great aunts and uncles. My mother has a brother named Ozzle, and her mother does too. Grandma's brother is pictured with her above. My Uncle Ozzle told me that his Uncle Ozzle and his wife, Agnes, were childless. But they had two small Pekingese dogs that they dearly loved. The dogs ate at the dinner table right along with the family! For years, Uncle Ozzle claimed them as dependents on his taxes, saying he spent as much on them as he would if they were his children. He never got caught for it either. Not on earth, that is.

By the way, do you know the difference between a second cousin and a first cousin, once removed? I didn't, so I looked it up. From genealogy.com:

First cousin

Your first cousins are the people in your family who have two of the same grandparents as you. In other words, they are the children of your aunts and uncles.

Second Cousin

Your second cousins are the people in your family who have the same great-grandparents as you., but not the same grandparents.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cousins

Your third cousins have the same great-great-grandparents, fourth cousins have the same great-great-great-grandparents, and so on.

Removed

When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations. You and your first cousins are in the same generation (two generations younger than your grandparents), so the word "removed" is not used to describe your relationship. The words "once removed" mean that there is a difference of one generation. For example, your mother's first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. This is because your mother's first cousin is one generation younger than your grandparents and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This one-generation difference equals "once removed." Twice removed means that there is a two-generation difference. You are two generations younger than a first cousin of your grandmother, so you and your grandmother's first cousin are first cousins, twice removed.

Class dismissed!

Breakthrough

A couple of bugs are going around the household just now, but they're not enough to rain on our parade. Yesterday, Brianna got back from her month of yoga study in Boulder, and she says it exceeded her expectations by a million times. But she's still too modest to do some of her awesome poses for the blog. She and Dan both came down with a respiratory ailment today, and Shane's toughness gave way to a GI tract malady. It remains to be seen whether Colin and I can resist both wily attacks.

I'm about to float off to the temple. Given the amazing developments that are occuring, there's no place I'd rather spend the next few hours! What's occuring? Progress! After I came home from GA, I was overcome with a desire to pick up the search for some of my ancestors. Through the miracle of the internet, I've found a distant cousin who lives in GA and has genealogy as his hobby. He has sent us more information on theChason line than we knew was available, and we're ecstatic! I'm humbly expecting great things, and if they come to pass, you'll hear about it right here. After running into so many dead=ends, this feels marvelous!

Another fascinating detail was made known to us this week as well. Our dear friends,Rick and JoLyn Farrer, just discovered that their ancestors and Dan's second great grandfather, Abraham Washburn, were neighbors in Nauvoo, and worked on the temple together, before travelingout to settle in Utah. Can it be a coincidence that our relatives knew each other, were probably friends with one another, and that, generations later, we're friends too? I wonder just how much help in friendships and family matters we're receiving from beyond the veil.

"In all of us there is a hunger, bone-marrow deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness." Alex Haley, author of the book, Roots (Reader's Digest, May 1977, pp. 73–74)

Genealogical work has the power to do something for the dead. It has an equal power to do something to the living. Genealogical work ...has a refining, spiritualizing, tempering influence on those who are engaged in it. They understand that they are tying their family together, their living family here with those who have gone before... You cannot find names without knowing that they represent people.
--Boyd K. Packer

As Good as Gold

That's how Shane's shiny silver second-place medal from this past weekend's state wrestling tournament feels to us, his excited family full of fans! Our hope going in was for a medal, but honestly, due to some very stiff competition, we thought a third-place finish would be the best we could reasonably expect. During the season, Shane had wrestled the first and second seeds, and he was well aware of their tactics and respective records. But he went out there and he got it done, son! In the finals, Shane nearly upset the #1 seed (actually, from the display of temper following the match, it was apparent that Shane did upset him). It was one sweet match with Shane in the lead until the third period. The young man is a quick and capable wrestler who usually techs or pins his opponents.But Shane had him on his back in the first seconds of the match, getting out to an early lead. The final score was Packard 11, Washburn 9. And it seemed to me that Shane's fans were cheering more loudly than the winner's were. It was an amazing tournament all the way around for the Shanestar, and for his supporters. Thanks to Kirt, Bishop Chris, Colin and Evan for driving down to watch the finals with us,, and for adding their voices to our exuberant din! And thanks to the brothers and others for sending along their tips and/or congratulations to Shane! What a great finish to our 22-year adventure in wrestling.

Colin will most likely post pics tomorrow. But this entry could not wait till then!