2006-2007 2008??????

When we first were looking for homes in the area there wasn't too much that we could choose from. We cam upon this simple looking home and were fortunate to have been able to buy it. We knew that there was a lot of work that needed to be done. Now after a few years of a lot of work and a lot of help, the house is now becoming a home. Here are the changes and additions that have been made since 2005. (This helps me when I start comparing my yard to those in the neighborhood.

• Sprinkler system (that I've only had to fix some pipes 3 or 4 times)
• An additional slab of conrete for future basketball games
• Curbing for flower beds
• Over 10,000 Sq feet of sod
• A patio
• A cobble stone walkway
• A cobble stone patio
• An arbor w/ cobble stone patio
• A garden
• An orchard consisting of apple, peach, cherry, plum, and nectarines
• Rock landscaping in flower beds with large rocks
• A shed
• 4 landscaping trees

Only In Castle Dale

Too often you hear the phrase, "That could only happen in . . ." and usually the phrase ends with a negative criticism of the area you are describing. Such a criticism seems unfair and degrading. Usually these phrases are shared by those who might not understand or appreciate what a community is like. It may be because it is so foreign to them that anything different surely must be wrong or unacceptable. I hope that that isn't the case for us.

Ever since we have moved to Castle Dale we have felt welcome and loved by neighbors and the community. It is in this light that I would like to finish the above phrase. And here is the first entry that I hope will continue to grow as we continue to enjoy living in such a wonderful place. Perhaps this may spark what you love and appreciate about where and who you live among.

Only in Castle Dale does the Postmaster cry. Living in Castle Dale has been a unique experience for us. We don't have the convienience of having mailboxes and having mail delivered to our house but we go down to the Post Office and get our mail out of a post office box. I always wondered what the P.O. Box meant and now I know. When we first moved to Castle Dale I went and approached the Postmaster and asked him what I needed to do to get a post office box. He kindly told me that I could get one for a few hundred dollars for the keys. Not knowing the postmaster or even how much a box cost I got out my credit card and proceeded to give it to him. It was then that he revealed that he was joking. It was from this moment that I realized that this postmaster was something special. Being from Emery County, this postmaster also was an aucioneer so it took me some time to understand what he was saying. I also came to find out that he knew just about everybody in town by name and could carry on a friendly conversation with him. We came to find out that he was also in our ward. He was one to play jokes on you and to always have a smile. I looked forward to going to get my mail because I knew that sometimes he would be behind my box waiting to scare me or just say hello. He would tell me stories of times he went and chased mountain lions while he carried on with his work. But the last time I went into the post office was different. Instead of a joke, I saw tears. Instead of smile, I saw heartache. What is it that can make a postmaster cry? Well, he is moving and leaving Castle Dale. To me it is incredible that someone can be so loving and so kind while working. Only in Castle Dale can somebody doing what this man does for a living, love people so much that it can bring him to tears.

A Busy Saturday

Early Saturday morning I found myself working in my yard, anxious to get caught up on some yardwork that had either been neglected or put off due to broken water lines. Having a list of things to do I went to work and as I worked I found my mind thinking back to my grandparents. What triggered these thoughts were the yellow decorations found all over the grass staring at me as if taunting me and my green thumb. Luckily I thought of my Grandpa Swenson who ever since I can remember always had a green lawn and a dandylion wouldn't dare sprout up on one of Grandpa Swenson's lawns. I thought of the hours he must have spent scouring the lawn and taking great care of his lawn. Surely the sight that was before my eyes could have been discouraging when compared with Grandpa Swenson but instead I thought of how I want to be more like him with his attention to detail and love for work.

My next project was planting my garden. Thoughts of last years experiment gone bad crept into my mind as I could picture once again corn growing half its size, and lettuce growing in our lawn and not to mention the zucchini and squash that wouldn't stop growing no matter what we did. Avoiding more heartwrenching discouragement I decided to think of my Grandpa Esplin who was a master gardener. I thought of the time he must of spent in that garden weeding and nourishing and cultivating crops. My dad often speaks of the memories he had with his dad in the garden and as this thought crossed my mind I wondered what he might think of the garden I was growing. It is my hope that he is smiling down on this garden spot that is not much to look at but is an attempt to remember and carry on what he loved so much. If it so happens that something actually grows than I will surely know that Grandpa must be watching over us.

And so among all of the projects accomplished on this Saturday, from mowing the lawn, planting the garden, organizing the shed, and the weeding, I did find time to spend some time with my Grandpas. It sure was time worth spent.

Spring Break???!!

One might think that Spring Break is just that, a break. This Spring "break" had all the right elements, family, warmth, melted snow, no school, and nothing but time on our hands. Little did we realize that the next few days would bring hammered fingers, aching bones, frustrated minds, and a shed for the handy man of the house. Though we spent from sun up to sun down for three days straight we managed to produce something to be proud of. It was fun working hand in hand with my dad for the majority of the time and learning from him. It was fun to see all contribute as well as Melissa and mom got their hands dirty and made a significant contribution. Fittingly we relied also on many wonderful neighbors and friends who took the time to put the roof on the shed as well. A casual passerby might see the shed as merely a place for tools and to keep things in order but we see memories that we will store up for years to come. Thanks to loving family we were able to have a wonderful spring "break"

It's a . . . . .BOX!!!????

From the looks of things, we are getting ourselves a missionary, a little slugger(in Dad's eyes,)and/ or a little track star (In mom's state champion eyes)! If you look closely you might be able to see that he is throwing a curve ball or if you were to listen to the nurse doing the ultrasound, you might notice his sprinter legs. Whatever preference of sport, we are sure excited to have a healthy baby boy coming to our home. We found out the good news over Spring Break and thanks to the miracle of modern technology we were able to see that he has all of his organs, fingers, toes, etc. that are signs of a healthy boy. Anxious to spread the news Melissa sent out a text message to colleagues, friends, neighbors,and all those close to us to share in the joy. In her excitement she mistakenly texted the words "box" to half of the recipients. This was brought to our attention when a friend responed with a phone call congratulating Melissa but worried as to how she will give birth to a "box". So, whether a slugger, a sprinter, a box, or just a baby boy, we sure can't wait to bring him into our home where he will be loved and cared for by those of us and you that care so much.