sneak peek

here's a sneak peak of my visit to ny. i was able to go see joy and help with her new baby, eliza, for 5 days. to some it may sound like work, but i had such a GREAT time cleaning, cooking, freezing meals, playing with kids, reading books, washing, sorting and folding laundry, grocery shopping, etc. maybe it's because i was doing these things for somebody who i really care about. it always feels good to serve and i am so thankful to joy and dan for letting me share in their lives for a few days.

most of our pictures were taken with joy's camera...and i don't have copies yet. (joy - the disk will be on it's way tomorrow!) so, when i have more photos i'll share the nitty gritty details. until then, enjoy a few pics from the sacred grove. we visited there last sunday. i have a hard time describing what i feel when i am there. it's my second visit and i am so grateful for those opportunities. joy and dan and their family live about 15 minutes away. what a treat! more to come...

saturday is a special day...

and super saturday is complete once again. as the enrichment leader i am only 'in charge' of 4 events a year. this year for super saturday we had a class with stories by me products. it was fun to help the sisters get their family pictures scanned and formatted to use with a puzzle or memory tree. i taught the class with the help of bethany (thank you!) and it was a grand time. it was fun to see those who were able to finish their projects and they all turned out great! it's so good to see others working to preserve their family memories and create something that will allow those memories and stories to be shared for years to come. i hope those who came felt the spirit of those who have gone before and enjoyed preserving their stories. i know i did.

hard working ladies

cindy waiting patiently for her picture to arrive (they never did...)

now it's time to start brainstorming for next year...

state fair 2008

so i've been a slacker on this whole blog thing. i have plenty of excuses, er...reasons why i haven't blogged any of our exciting life adventures. i finally got a chance to read my mom's blog and it reminded me, 'oh ya, i have state fair pictures i could post.' so here they are. if you want to read a good run-down of our evening, read more here. (thanks mom.) the fair is a tradition you don't want to miss in the benson fam. i love it. my kids love it. well i love most of it. i have to tell you though, the smelly pigs, horses, cows, sheep, etc. have about burned through my nostrils. i can only hold my breath so long. all for the memories.

another reason to check out my mom's blog - she has all the good photos! my camera battery died right after the chicken shot. oh well. i tried.

labor day bowling

usually labor day is hot. hot enough to go play outside at the park or have a bar-b-que with friends. not this year. we went to bed to howling wind, sideways rain and flickering power. we got up to the same...a downpour of wet and freezing temperatures. so, no bird hunting for the big boys and no picnic at the park for me and the little ones. we decided to take it to the alley...and took the boys bowling. luke insisted on 'helping' me every turn and finally settled down with a zone bar and a bag of chips. what a kid. max did great and as usual, mike creamed us all. (my excuse is that luke was helping and i didn't have a fair chance!)

jake's great form...

me & my helper.
go mike!
don't max's feet look huge here?
love the excitement!

now mike is off with jake riding horses while luke sleeps and max does puzzles and hangs at home with me.

happy labor day. we hope you found something fun to do on your day off...besides labor.