Out on the Farm

Last night, we went to the Drake Family Reunion, out at the "Family Farm" in Victor.



Here's the farm, as seen from the fields:



Uncle Garl's (Grandma Larsen's brother's) house, where we had the main event:





There, we chatted:
(L to R: Grandma Larsen, her brother (Asa) Jr., Jr's wife, aunt Terri, uncle Jarom, and Garl's wife)



(Daddy Dave, Travis, great uncle Jr., and Garl's sons, all chatting after dinner):


Shot some hoops:



Played with little Jesse (cousin Jenny Owen's son):



Rode some horses:
(This was cool for me because I haven't ridden a horse in YEARS, and never on my own. I got to try steering it with the reins and leg pressure, tell it to go, and tell it to stop! Also, this horse's name was Cocoa, the same name of a stuffed animal horse that I have and love--so it was like a childhood dream come true.)





And went four-wheeling (which I hadn't done in a really long time either, but was super fun!):

It was nice to be with, and meet, some of Travis' extended family on his dad's side. They are good people, and we had a good time out on the farm. Hope to see all you Drake's again soon!

Visit in Oakley

On Thursday afternoon, Travis and I drove to Oakley, ID to visit my mom's side of the family (who were up to visit my grandma Mootie). I was close to this part of my family growing up (back in Washington), so it was nice to see everyone again. We had a wonderful visit.

Here is my aunt Jane's house (ca. early 1900's), where we stayed for the night. (It was originally the Stake President's house, and has been a fun fix-up project for them. Thanks for letting us stay, Jane!)


Trav and I on the porch bench:


My mom and I. (My mom's coming to Oakley was one of the main reasons we went there; we hadn't seen her since April, so it was nice to visit with her again.)


Mom, me, and my cousin Lori visiting with Mootie. Mootie has lived a very interesting life, and is a great story-teller, so she is always fun to visit with. She has a strong and loving spirit about her too, which makes her so nice and uplifting to be around. We will miss her dearly when she is gone.
.

I love my Mootie.


My aunt Angie (my mom's oldest sister) and uncle Dixon (her husband) with Mootie.

My mom with her two other sisters, Jane and Carol.

From Right: Lori and her daughter Beth, Jane, Carol, Mom, and Me.

It was fun to see little Beth again. She is a sweet, mild girl, with the cutest little toothy smile, and the softest little giggle!

Who also loves to hide in cupboards!


Another exciting thing about our trip was that we got to meet my cousin Jill's little baby Jace for the first time. He is a sweet, happy little guy too!

Although their pictures aren't here, it was also nice to see: uncle Chad, uncle Ken, cousin Elysia, uncle Ray, "grandpa" Gene, cousin Ben, cousins Audrey and Andy, cousins Joe and Debra, cousins Mark and Kitty and their kids Nicolette and Trevor, and cousin Jill. Thanks everyone for coming up to visit, and for brightening Mootie's day! It was so nice to see you!!

Knock. Knock. Who's there?

I recently read a post from my sister-in-law, Rachel, called "Coming out party," intended to get all of those people who read her blog to comment and let her know that they're there. I'd like this post to be a similar kind of thing. I'd love to know WHO of our family and friends keep up on our blog, and WHAT they have to say about it (we'd LOVE to hear your comments because YOU are part of the reason we keep a blog--to stay in touch!). ANYONE can comment! So, who's there? Let us know!

P.S. When I was talking to Rachel on the phone today, we were talking about what we want to accomplish with our blogs and it made me realize this:
That I want my blog to be an online scrapbook, newsletter, and journal, where I can document the things our family does (for scrapbook purposes), post my favorite pictures (because I know I'm never going to print and frame half of them), get news out to family and friends so they know what we're up to, and talk about the things that concern me in my life. So, here goes!

Trip to Utah & the MTC

Last Tuesday, we went to Utah for a two-day trip to take Tyler down to the MTC. Tuesday was dedicated to touring Temple Square (per Tyler's request) and visiting family. At Temple Square, we visited the Assembly Hall (where they still have the original columns and benches, which were all perfectly hand painted to look like a finer wood or material than they actually were--the Saints resources and money having been limited; I was truly amazed by their beautiful craftmanship); the Tabernacle (where we saw a half-hour organ concert by Clay Christiansen who plays for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; it was enchanting, and I came away with a greater appreciation of organs and organ players); the South Visitor's Center; the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (where we met Elder Hales, and enjoyed a wonderful guided tour from one of the missionaries there; we got to see the chapel--which used to be a ballroom--as well as some other rooms, including the entry, which had their origional wall decorations and were beautifully ornate. The guide also told us that many many US presidents stayed there while it was still Hotel Utah, which I thought was pretty neat.); the Museum of Church History and Art (which was sooo fascinating! They had original hand-written documents by Joseph Smith and other prominent early Saints--including the manuscript for D&C Section 7, the face masks of Joseph and Hyrum, personal belongings of several early saints--including Brigham Young, first editions of the Book of Mormon, and many other interdesting historical artifacts. It was a neat experience to see these things and remember that these people really lived; it made me feel closer to them somehow.), and then ate a scrumptious bbq pork lunch at the Lion House (which had some neat artifacts from and about Brigham Young as well). We had a good time there. (And if you're wondering where all the pictures are, I left my camera in the car--much to Travis' amazement. I'd been to Temple Square a couple times before, and didn't expect to take any new pictures. Oh, well. Maybe next time.)

After Temple Square, we stopped by the Stone's (old friends of Travis' family from Grangeville), at whose house we would later spend the night, and visited for a while before heading off to the nearby Park for a little Lemmon family get together. There we ate, visited, and played some mean games of bocce ball (Travis and I won several, thank you). It was nice to meet some of Travis' extended family, and visit with the ones I already knew.

After that, we went back to the Stones (Levi and Stacy came up too--it was so good to see them again) and visited and laughed with everyone until it was time to go to bed.

Wednesday was the big day. We got ready, ate breakfast, and then headed off to the MTC. This was my first time taking a missionary to the MTC, and it was much different than I had expected--everything went by so fast, and I realized I was very sad to see him go, though I knew he was doing the right thing.

Here we are in front of the MTC sign:


The first place we went was the baggage drop-off. Here is Tyler in front of a building across from where we left his bags (the cool thing is that Ty has a friend named Matthew Cowley who will be entering the MTC in a month or so).


Then we went into the main building where Ty got his badge, mailing info, and meal card. Here are mom and dad Holloway helping Ty put his badge on. We were all getting a little emotional by this point, realizing that this really was happening!


Elder Tyler James Holloway:


Tyler was so excited to start his mission. I remember Travis asking him earlier on Wednesday morning if he was nervous. Tyler replied "No." And Trav said, "Yes you are. Everyone's nervous! I'm nervous!" Then Ty replied, shrugging his shoulders, "Maybe a little. But, more than that, I am excited to see what is on the other side of that door (when the missionaries and families part). I've never seen it before."
Now he's a week into his time at the MTC and KNOWS whats on the other side of that door. =) We do miss him, but we're also so proud of him. We're glad that we were able to help bring him down to the MTC--thanks mom and dad for letting us come. Best of luck on your mission Ty! We love you and we know you'll do great!

Slide Show

On our trip to Wyoming we went to Martin's Cove and Rock Creek and Independence Rock and other pioneer historical sites. Jenny took lots of really good pics so she'll probably post more later... But in the meantime you can check out this slide show I made of the trip. This just has pics from Martin's Cove and Rock Creek. It was very cool to get to see these places. Thanks, Cassie and Mom & Dad. And thanks to Jenny for taking these pics.

Our Day Hike In Wyoming

We recently spent a few days in Riverton, WY to visit our sister Cassie Black and her family. The second day we were there, we all decided to go on a hike to a nearby waterfall. It was a beautiful hike, as we walked along the river for much of the way. This hike was especially nice for me because I LOVE taking pictures of scenery, and here I was in my element! It was also good to be in the great outdoors--to take in the smells and sights of summer.

We started off the hike by crossing a bridge over the river:


A view of upstream from the bridge:


Off we go up the mountain!


Scattered throughout this post are pictures of the river and falls that I took along our hike...hope you enjoy!


The family, taking a quick break on our hike:

Travis and I:

This is a view of the whole falls. Isn't it gorgeous?!

Travis and Gavin taking a dip in one of the waterfall pools. It was so cute, because Travis went in first, and then Gavin decided to follow his lead and pulled off his shirt and shoes as well. This picture just captures the definition of "boys" to me.

Gavin enjoying the water. He is such an adventuresome kid!

Trav and I at the falls:

Cassie and her family just in front of the falls:

Group shot at the falls:

Trav doing a feat of strength:

Heading home:

Thanks Cassie and Mark for showing us a good time! We loved our visit with you!

An Update

Just wanted to let you know of a few things that are new with us. =)

First, and best of all, school is out for the summer, and we are lovin' our seven week break!

Second, I just got hired at Great Harvest as a cashier/customer service rep, which I am super excited about. (I start on Tuesday.) This should be a great job for me, as well as something I can continue to do until we leave for further schooling next fall. I don't know how often I'll get to work with Travis, but I'll be happy to whenever I can!

Third, Travis has signed up to take the MCAT on September 3. More details will follow after that as to where we might be applying for school...

Fourth, as my father-in-law stated on his blog, we recently got to meet Elder Hales. We were touring the Joseph Smith Memorial Building when Travis saw him walk out of a nearby restaurant. To our surprise, he came our way, and not wanting to miss this awesome opportunity, I asked him if I could shake his hand. He replied "Of course" and then proceeded to shake all of our hands and allow us to introduce ourselves to him. He is a very sweet, genuine man, who has a very caring spirit about him. We were all happy to meet this apostle of God.

And finally, we just got back from a wonderful trip to Wyoming to see our sister Cassie and her family and to tour some Church History sites, as well as another trip to Utah to drop our brother Tyler off at the MTC. More posts on these to follow soon, so keep checking back!