Final Family Gathering Info

Belliston Family Gathering - 2017

May 26 - 29 (Memorial Day weekend)

"Learn a Thing or Two"

Well, it's finally here - just 2 days away!! We are very excited to see everyone and to do some really great family bonding activities!  Here are just a few final thoughts....

Please refer to the posts on the blog on May 7 for the schedule and assignments and on May 14 for what to bring.

We are trying to keep a great deal of time open for visiting and playing, but have a few items scheduled at specific times that you should be aware of. 

First of all,  Thanks!!

1. For your thoughts concerning the family photo.  After reading your comments and talking with the photographer, we would like everyone to wear nice casual and will plan to meet at 11:00 at Lion's Park for our photo time. We will want to be on time for this event :) She will take a large group picture, then do just grandchildren (and hopefully one with them and grandparents), just children, just in-laws (outlaws??), married couples, family groups, and anything else we request.

2. For your help with the "missionary meal."  It would be nice to know what each family is planning to contribute to the meal so if we need some extra side dishes I can get those ready.  Also, if you haven't sent a list of specific ingredients you need, please do so today.  If you are making your meal item ahead of time, that's great!  We will plan to eat about 6:00 - earlier if everyone is there and is hungry :)  Please let us know when you think you will be arriving!

3. Friday night we will have a family council with our children.  There will be an optional outside movie for the grandchildren (time and weather permitting).  We really hope to have a good visit with everyone participating and able to listen without too many distractions. If children are happy/sleeping, spouses are more than welcome to participate.

4. The sisters have graciously agreed to help Emma get ready for her final high school formal dance. She will be leaving on her date at 6:00, so she'll be needing help for the hour (or two??) before that.  Thanks so much for making this a special time for her.  She is really looking forward to it - as long as the brothers and brothers-in-law go easy on her date :)

5. Our church meetings begin at 11:00 on Sunday.  Will Mannings and T & T be at our meetings? We will have a taco bar right after church and a lighter meal in the evening.

6. The Memorial Day breakfast will begin at 7:00 a.m. on Monday morning.  We will pay for anyone who wants to go with us at about 8:00.  If your family needs a little more time in the morning, we will give you money for your family to eat when you get there.  I don't know if it's necessary (or even possible) for us all to be there at the same time, but if you want to try for that, we can surely change the time to accommodate everyone. We can discuss this when we are together.

7. One thing I'd like to add to the schedule between breakfast and lunch on Monday is a trip to the Logan Cemetery. I thought it would be nice to show the grandchildren pictures of my mom and have anyone who would like to, to share some memories of her.  Then we could have the kids put some flowers on her grave. It's a great place to be on Memorial Day, though it's sure to be crowded!  We could also show the grandchildren Peter Maughan's monument and some other fun markers.

Nilsson News

I haven't been on the blog in awhile and I'm sure all of you have heard our exciting news for the month.  Our little donkey foal finally arrived last week on mother's day!  Addy named her Ella. She is the cutest little spotted thing!  I love to watch the curiosity that every new baby has.  This little gal will jump and kick and chase the chickens and then come up to you for hugs.  Adorable!  I will show you pictures at the gathering since I can't get them to post on the blog.  We are still waiting on CoCo to foal.  She is only a month over due.  I'm definitely not anxious or anything.  She is showing no signs of foaling either.  I don't know why I always think it's a great idea to start a breeding program when it makes me so crazy!  I guess the babies are what's worth it.
Addy had her national dance competition last weekend and took first in several of the events.  Mom came with us for which I was very grateful.  We all just about froze.  This last week we saw snow again and a pretty hard freeze.  We think it was winter just getting the last word in before summer.
My birthday was lovely.  We went to the farmer's market and the kid's homeschool recognition ceremony.  We came home and planted a couple apple trees and worked in the yard.  After cake and ice cream, Elise came by and took me out around town.  It was delightful!  Counting down to the gathering with all of you.  It will be awesome!

Flake Fun

21 May 2017 - First off, happy birthday to Ruth!   These last couple of weeks have been crazy but we are seeing some sort of possible normalcy on the horizon.

We got our garden planted yesterday which was really nice.  We transplanted our tomatoes about a week or so ago and we had to cover them a couple of times this week due to nearly freezing temperatures.  They are looking a little sad but we are hoping that they will pull through.   The forecasted futures are getting up around 80 so hopefully everything will stay healthy!

We have a bull that has taken up residence in the field next to our house.  He has decided recently that the best time to shout his macho nature to the world is any time between 5:00 and 5:30AM.  It gets really bad when the other neighbor bull decides to chime in.  I would NOT suggest that the Nilsson's add a bull to their farm. 

We are excited to see everyone this weekend!  Sorry that this is kind of short but I've got to get ready for church! 

Hey, if there is anything specific that you guys would like from our learning sessions (financial planning or electrical/around the house fixes) please let us know so that we can touch on it!  Love you all!

Belliston Family Gathering - 2017

May 26 - 29 (Memorial Day weekend)

"Learn a Thing or Two"

Coming up in just 12 days!!  We are ready for this momentous event, are you?!

The rental house is secured, the schedule is planned, the menu is outlined, and the photographer is hired. We are ready to rock and roll!  Please read the following reminders and comment on the survey. Thanks a million for your willingness to support and be with our family. It still amazes us that we can get everyone together for a few days each year! We are going to enjoy it while we can!!

Things to bring:

1.  Yourselves!

2.  Mission food recipes, if needed. We will have ingredients here, if you have requested them. If you choose to make it beforehand and bring it with you, that's fine, too.

3.  Thanks to Joe and Lori, no one will need to bring bed pillows! (Unless you have a favorite one you can't sleep without)

4.  Information for your assigned "Learning Session" topic.

5.  A camp chair or two, if you have room. We have a few so don't feel it's imperative.

6.  Anything else you need to be happy and comfortable... (clothing and toiletries are always good)

Family Photo Survey:

1.  When you feel would be the best time to take family pictures?

      A. Saturday morning at 10:30 or 11:00

      B. Saturday afternoon at 4:00

      C. Sunday afternoon between 2:00 and 4:00

2.  What do you think would be the best attire for the picture?

      A. Let everyone wear what they want.

      B. Have a general color theme (everyone wear khaki or denim with pastel shirts...)

      C. Each family choose a specific color they wear (Hart's blue, Flakes white, etc....)

3.  Where would you like the photo taken?

      A. In our own backyard

      B. At Lion's Park (since we will be there anyway)

      C. In Logan Canyon

      D. At the temple

      E. Other idea (please list) 

Hyde Park Highlights

We've been on a roller coaster with the weather in Cache Valley - spring to winter to summer to winter to spring....  It's tricky to adjust to upper 70's one day, then down to a high of 40 the next! It was 35 degrees when we woke up this morning. We nearly froze at Lagoon yesterday while we were there to see Addy compete at the National Clogging competition! Eliza told me her feet were "ice bombs" and she could not get warm at all! We endured our shivers for several hours, but just as we were leaving the park, the sun came out and we warmed right up! That's how it goes in northern Utah. Addy did a great job at the competition, though, so the chilliness was worth it.

It's been an eventful week around here. Dad and I attended Aimee Belliston's mother's funeral in Alpine. It was amazing to hear about her young life and the intense difficulties she overcame through the gospel and the Lord's hand in her life. While there, we looked around for just the right home for Nick and Lauren to buy - but didn't find much. It's surely a "sellers market" with very high prices compensating for low interest rates. 

We had a great time celebrating Joe's birthday with all of those fun Bellistons! We watched them jump around at the trampoline park in Provo, then went to lunch in Spanish Fork after we discovered that the Zupas in Provo was closed for renovation. It was nice to be together and visit for a while.

I got to attend a birth in Ogden on Friday, which is the first one since baby Millie was born. It's quite strange to go more than 2 months between births and I felt a bit out of touch!

We had fun attending a wedding reception last night. It was held at the bride's grandparents' home down on the island in Logan. The home is in a "poorer" part of town and looks like a little old home from the street in front of the house, but when we walked around to the back yard, it was a different story!  It was a large yard, maybe a 1/2 acre, with a big garden area, a gazebo, a pond with fish and lily pads, a swing to fit 3 people, a tree house and much more! We were astonished at what you find behind a modest, old-looking house. Very fun!

In addition to all that, Emma was offered a permanent job at Kitchen Kneads! She went in to help with wrapping for Mother's Day and they decided they couldn't do without her, so she will start working regular shifts in June. She learned how to run the cash register yesterday, which was a little bit scary. But she mastered it!

Well, the time is ticking away toward our family gathering! We are getting excited to see everyone together. Thanks to Jenn for getting everyone access to the blog and for all of you posting your t-shirt sizes! We are good to go on that. And we found a photographer for sure... Be sure to answer the survey on the Gathering post to make your voice heard concerning the family photo shoot.

Below are a couple of pictures that I forgot to include in my last post.... Shoshone Falls...

Belliston Family Gathering - 2017

May 26 - 29 (Memorial Day weekend)

"Learn a Thing or Two"

 

* This is long, but plow through - it's good stuff to know!!

 

Thanks to those who have responded to questions. If you have not yet responded, there is still time! Tell us what ingredients you'd like to have on hand for your contribution to our "mission dinner."

 

Following is a very tentative plan for our Gathering. As you are well aware, things are likely to change (probably more than once or twice) before we actually get together.  But this will give you a general idea of what will be happening. Below the schedule there is a short list of assignments that you will want to pay close attention to. These will not likely change - unless, of course, it is necessary.

 

Schedule:

Friday, May 26:  (at our Hyde Park home)

      - Gather, hug and visit!

      - Mission dinner (everyone prepare one dish of your choice to contribute)

      - "Learning Sessions"

      - Family council with adult children

      - Mannings and Logan Bellistons sleep at their homes; Nilssons and Springville Bellistons at our house; Harts, Flakes and Emma at a VRBO house around the corner in Hyde Park

 

Saturday, May 27: 

      - Breakfast at our house

      - Family photos - please wear nice casual

      - Park Day - Lion's Park in Hyde Park (games, Olympics, "Learning Sessions", picnic lunch, play, get worn out!)

      - Back home for naps, visiting, Dinner, games, etc.

      *** Emma will be attending Senior Ball (that we thought was scheduled for the 20th, but is going to interrupt our plans) this evening. Please read to the end of her blog and respond to her plea/question.

      - Boggle competition....

 

Sunday, May 28:

      - Breakfast in the place where you sleep

      - 11:00 Church in Hyde Park for those who'd like to attend our ward (Mannings and Logan Bellistons may have to be in their own wards to teach, etc.)

      - Lunch, naps, walk, visit, "Learning Sessions"

      - Dinner at Dad's church building

      - Talent Show by children (parents are welcome to perform as well!)

      - Speaker (maybe)

 

Monday, May 29:

      - Hyde Park City Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast! We will discuss if/when you'd all like to attend. It goes from 7:00 - 10:00.

      - Awards, visit, play, games, etc.

      - Lunch

      - Goodbyes....

 

Assignments:

1.  Please notify us of when you are planning to arrive and depart as soon as you know.

2.  Respond to questions about T-shirt sizes and mission dinner ingredients.

3.  Each of the children may share one talent. This doesn't have to be a "performance" talent. It may be an art piece, a story/book/poem they've written, something they have built (or taken apart!), or just something they have learned that they think is interesting. Of course there will be a piano if anyone wants to play or be accompanied. We want to keep this rather short, so one talent per person will be great. If your whole family would like to present something, that would be delightful, too!!

4.  Plan your learning session.

5.  Practice your Boggle skills  :)

 

"Learning Session" Assignments:

These are really short, 5 to 10 minute presentations on subjects that family members have requested learning. We will offer time for questions, too, so you may need to plan on 15 minutes or so. If the assignment won't work for you, just let me know and we can change things.

Financial Planning/Investing - Jenn and Scott

Electrical Fixes (like, could you please change a light fixture for me?) - Scott

Gardening (tomato pruning, flower beds, basic garden tips) - Elise, Ruth, Lauren

Energy Types (Carol-style and why it's helpful to know) - Elise, Ruth, Lauren

Family Relationships (building strong marriage relationship/enjoy being a family) - Joe and Lori

Simple Morning Stretch Routine - Thomas

Self Reliance Tips - Garrett

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures!

 

This was at the Vietnam Memorial

 

Me, Carter Martindale, Mr. Rigby, Emma Z 

Red Sox game! Also, fun fact, Mr. Baldwin got our team up on the turbotron which was cool

JUSTICE BRENNAN!! Another fun fact, Mr. Baldwin got to help raise the flag at Arlington.  CIA, we're certain.

The National Cathedral.  Really cool stained glass windows and architecture.

Part of the Holocaust Museum.  Pretty sure I was there for three hours and didn't see all of it.

The Aeronautics Museum (not Air and Space)

An original Book of Mormon in the rare books room in the Library of Congress

Iwo Jima

Also, I have tons of other photos, so if you have a hankering to see random DC pictures, I'd love to share them with you ;)

...And Loving It

No but really folks, I'm loving it.  First off, DC was awesome!! I'm not a huge fan of humidity, but it was super nice (made my skin super soft and my hair really fuzzy).  First day there we spent it on the Mall.  I saw the Lincoln Memorial first and it was really impressive.  I loved the quotes on the walls.  There was lots of lightning and we got drenched pretty hardcore but it was super fun.  Next day we woke up bright and early and headed to Gettysburg.  K, I loved how it literally took about thirty minutes to drive state to state.  We landed in Maryland, drove to DC, saw the Mall, then drove back to our hotel in Virginia, then went to Pennsylvania the next day.  #bestdayever.  So we went to Gettysburg which was very cool and super intimidating.  We had an awesome tour guide who really loved what he was talking about and we just had a grand old time.  So... We have this great guy, Mr. Baldwin (history teacher, i.e. Coach T), and I'm pretty sure he's DL mafia.  He's a huge guy (think Brother Dan Balls, then times it by two), but he's super sweet and kind and amazing.  Somehow he got us all tickets to the Red Sox Orioles game which was so cool! I wasn't a fan of baseball but now it's kinda fun.  We were up in the nose bleed section of the Orioles stadium but we could see and hear just fine, except for the fact that there were a whole bunch of swearing drunk college students behind us... We're not in Utah anymore, kids.  Fun times.
        The next day (Saturday) we competed.  Our judges were pretty weird and they chose our Search and Seizure paper which was lame because we were banking on expression.  Oh well.  We did pretty well the first day and we all felt really good about it.  We toured some more but I can't remember what we did... Something great! Next day we competed again, this time with different judges (two attorneys and a retired supreme court justice), and did our Warren Court paper.  I felt better about that day but the rest of the team didn't feel the same way unfortunately.  Also, Emma Z, the other girl in my unit, got kinda sick on Saturday and couldn't really talk, and basically lost her voice Sunday, so that was lame.  But we made it through presenting so that's good.  Then there was a dance Sunday night (again, we ain't in Utah), then they announced the top ten.  We didn't make it in which didn't really surprise anyone but it was still a little disappointing.  Monday we watched a couple of the top ten teams perform (they really weren't that impressive), then Emma actually got pretty sick so I ended up staying in the hotel with her the rest of the day.  Gratefully I woke her up in time to go to the awards ceremony later that night.  Also, took an Uber to awards and it was so sketchy.  The guy was super middle eastern and he couldn't freaking speak English!!!! I mean what?? It's fine.  He missed his turn, then missed his U-turn, and Emma and I were convinced we were gonna get kidnapped.  Good news, I'm still here.  Anyway, we got to the awards ceremony, and it took forever to get to the actual awards.  And here's the deal: top ten teams can't get any special awards, they can only get in the top ten, nothing else.  However, they hand out Unit awards (1 team, 6 mini Units in the team) to the best Unit in the nation.  If we got a Unit award, it would go to Unit 1 or Unit 5 (my unit).  Mr. Rigby told us straight up we weren't gonna get it.  Sad day.  But the announcer announced the Unit's in order, and my heart was beating so fast when he got to the Unit 5 award.  He said "and for the Unit 5 award *opened envelope* U-" he didn't get past the U and our team flew out of our seats and my unit just kinda screamed and looked at each other like....OH MY FREAKING HECK WE DID THAT!!!!!! Yeah.  I mean, I was a straight up wreck the whole time.  We got a trophy (also, Unit 5 unit award is the most coveted of all the unit awards), and took lots of pictures.  I was just astounded because I didn't think we'd get it.  When mom said we put thousands of hours in it....We put thousands of hours in it.  Every weekend, every spare minute.  When I got in the car I'd say my papers and ask myself questions so I'd know.  Literally I was drowning in Government.  It was awesome and I'd never trade it in a million years.  So it was the best thing that's ever happened to me.  It was so amazing.  Hard work (I mean hard work) really pays off.
        The next few days we were in Washington I was just floating on a cloud.  We saw the African American museum, the Holocaust museum (only go if you're mentally and emotionally stable.  I wasn't.).  All the sights were just so cool.  We got an after hours tour of the Capitol by Rob Bishop (Utah District 1 rep) which was cool.  We also went to Arlington which was awesome.  My favorite part was seeing the place where my favorite Supreme Court Justice, William J Brennan, was buried.  We also got to see the changing of the guard which was phenomenal.  It was just a super cool experience and I could talk about it all day long.  We saw the Iwo Jima monument, the Natural History museum, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, George Mason memorial, the Archives, Library of Congress (the original BOM is there, pretty cool), and so much more I can't even remember.  All in all, it was just super great.  We treated that trophy like it was solid gold.  It was the best thing ever.
         I'm sure you all are thinking this post is way too long, and I totally agree, but I wanted to ask my sisters and sisters in law a favor.  So, you all will be here on May 27 which is awesome, and it's actually senior ball that night.  I was wondering if you guys would be willing to do my makeup and hair?... I have lots of ideas and I thought it would be fun for my last dance to have a girls date with makeup and hair... Just let me know what you guys think! I'll be doing another post with pictures for you all! Hope you have a great week.  And um, if you ever want to talk about DC... I'll be more than happy to discuss that with you ;)

Flake Fun

7 May 2017 - It has been a long week filled with trainings but a good week despite that.  The weather has been nice but windy so we haven't been able to plant the garden yet.  We did finally finish chopping all of our wood so our wood pile is complete and ready for next winter.

Our renters informed us (via a friend) the night before their lease expired that they wouldn't be leaving until June so we are trying to get that all figured out. It made for a long, frustrating day yesterday. 

It was fun to chat with Ruth and Lauren the other day.  I'm sorry that I'm not consistent with my calls but I do love you all and think about you a lot.  We have been talking about buying some land and building a house but nothing concrete yet.  If we do though, we'll have to have you all come down for a visit (it will be at least 5 years but the invitation is there!) Of course, you can always come and visit any time that you want!

Hyde Park Highlights

Well, I see it's been several weeks since we posted on the blog.... Shame on us!  Sundays have been busy enough that I haven't made time to get on the blog, but today's the day, finally.

Over the past few weeks we've thoroughly enjoyed visits from family. Joe's family came up for part of their spring break and the Harts joined in for one of those days. We went to the Historical Farm for baby animal days - along with about a million other people. It was loads of fun. The Belliston clan went on a couple of field trips and interviewed Dad about his growing up years. Mannings and Thomas and Victoria came to see the nieces and nephews. All in all, a terrific time!

Dad's stake had Stake Conference with a visiting area authority, Elder Petersen and his wife. They were delightful and Dad gave some wonderful talks. I stayed long enough on Sunday to listen to him speak, then sluffed the rest of the conference to run up to Idaho for little Millie's baby blessing. Emma, Thomas and Victoria, and the Harts also attended the blessing and we enjoyed time with the Idaho families.

Of course one highlight of April was the news of Nick's offer of full time employment as a seminary teacher. Lone Peak High School will be getting a fabulous teacher! We are excited for them, but a bit melancholy to have them move out of Cache Valley. I guess we'll just have to schedule more trips to Utah County to see all of our family there!

Another highlight of the month was Emma's participation and winning of first place unit award at the National We the People competition in Washington, D.C. It was stressful and exciting. Her thousands of hours (literally!) paid off when they received their trophy. See Emma's post for photos and further explanation...

Dad and I attended a foundation meeting in Springville with Grandpa and all of his siblings except Nate. That is always humbling and inspiring - very generous giving. While there I caught the first half of Grant's soccer game and wish I had stayed to see him score his goals!

We went to the Idaho Falls Temple open house with Ruth and Elise and their children. It's wonderful how the church uses local artists and culture to make the temples specific to where they are built. It was fun to be there with the children.  On the way back to Utah, we went through Twin Falls to see the beautiful temple there and visit Shoshone Falls, which was absolutely gorgeous!

Alex took Elise on a surprise anniversary trip, so their boys stayed here for a few days. I had a blast, but forgot how much energy you must have to entertain children all day long!  We had a good time, but wish we had had more sunshine for them to play in. We did get to Willow Park Zoo with the Mannings and had a great time there. We went back to Idaho for Jack's soccer game and to watch Garrett play football. The boys are so good and were very patient with me.

Thomas and Victoria both graduated from Utah State yesterday! It was a great occasion and wonderful to celebrate with Victoria's family. Now, they are figuring out where to go and what to do with the rest of their lives. Not an easy decision, they are discovering!

Well, I'm out of time and must rush off to church, but I will post some vital information about the family gathering later today!

Nilsson News

Along with Jenn's theme of things creeping up on us, we have been in our Idaho home for one whole year already!  That year has flown by and so much has happened.  Mom came up on Saturday and came over with the Hart boys.  She helped me to compile a long list of all our projects and accomplishments since moving here.  It was quite lengthy!  In honor of the anniversary, Garrett cut down another tree.  Only six more to go!  If you ever have the urge to chop down a tree, come our way because we have several and we know the Harts also have many they are going to take out.  So happy that the weather is improving slightly.  This past week it rained every. single. day.  Yes, I love the rain but it definitely got old.  We are anxiously waiting for our next two foals to arrive and hope they get here before the family gathering!
This past week we went to the Idaho Falls temple open house and that was terrific.  We went the first time with grandma and grandpa and the Harts, and the second time we went with just our little family.  There was a couple from France on the tour with us and how I wished Alex was there to communicate with them!  It was fun trying to explain different aspects of Mormonism to them.  The first thing they asked us as we were walking into the temple was "So, Mormons are always happy?"  I don't know where that question originated from, but as I thought about it I realized that we truly have every right to be continually happy.  Just like Pres. Nelson talked about in October conference.  I am trying to work on my happiness and make it more obvious.  I've been reading Happier at Home, the book that Elise recommended and it has definitely been enlightening.  I think I'm naturally a negative person and I have great resolve laugh a little more, hug a little more and recognize my many blessings!
We are all thrilled for Lauren and Nick, and are still cheering for Emma and wish we could come to Thomas and Victoria's graduation.  Our family is awesome!  Can't wait to gather with you in about a month - that is, if our donkey's have had their babies.  I feel kind of like a midwife saying that, just with a different species.  Love you all!