Morning Run

As Brook and I began our morning run, we had to pass our neighborhood mailbox. There are always things posted on it....... babysitting signs, lost kitty signs, neighborhood parties, etc. So my interest was tweaked as I approached the brightly colored paper, wondering what was going on the neighborhood. As I got closer and read the words "The Glitter Girls" my stomach somewhat dropped and dread entered my heart. BACKSTORY: For the past couple of days, Brynn and her friend Emily have been singing like crazy in my house. They'll go into Brynn's room and sing at the top of their lungs... any High School Musical or Hannah Montana song they can think of. I'd even heard the words "Glitter" and "Girls" being said together but I thought nothing of it. Until now.
"Wellllllllllll," Brook mustered.
As I approached, this is what I saw.....

Brook and I enjoy Brynn so much because she makes us laugh. Neither of us are the type to want any extra attention from people or to want the spotlight shining on us. Brynn is a different character,however, and thinks that the world loves her and that people want to watch her sing and dance and perform. I know that a few years down the road will change her and that her carefree attitude will harden, but it's fun while it lasts. Unfortunately, Brynn will not be available for her performance this Saturday night. She didn't check with her manager evidently. She has prior engagements. So unless Emily wants to be a solo act, please don't bring your blankets to the Jackson's backyard for this summer concert performance. The Glitter Girls will have to reschedule.

Pioneer Days

Woo Hoo and Giddy Up!
July 24th marked Pioneer Days here in Deseret (....umm....Utah for those of you not familiar with the term). Pioneer Days is our state holiday and celebrates the first pioneers coming into the Salt Lake Valley, ready to call it home. There are always big parades, rodeos, and of course, fireworks. While we didn't make it to any of those things, we did use the holiday weekend as an excuse to have a Buhrley family reunion. Grandma and Grandpa supplied the giant water toys, food, and campsites, and the rest of us provided charming conversation and willing stomachs. Someone had to eat all that food! What would they have done without us?
The kids had such a blast playing with their cousins and using every ounce of energy they could muster. Kids can go forever!!!
And no reunion is quite complete without camping under the stars. "Buhrley Flats" had just enough space for 4 tents and many excited campers. The party poopers who decided to sleep in the house (we won't mention any names) definitely missed out. Grandma came out and told scary bedtime stories until the girls were scared out of their minds and sure that the ghost of Old Ephraim, a bear the size of a truck, was going to get them in their sleep.
Luckily for us, they braved it out and were too exhausted from the day's activities to wake up in the night crying.
We're so glad that the family got together and had so much fun with one another. We love them all! We definitely missed Auntie Kiki (her absence was noted and mourned), but hopefully she'll make it next year for the grand excitement.

Meghan's Bridal Shower

Summer is quickly passing by and August 12th is quickly approaching. Those of you who have been reading our family blog know that we had an engagement in the family not too long ago. My brother Aaron and his sweetheart Meghan are tying the knot soon, and that can only mean one thing: bridal shower. My sisters and I threw Meghan a bridal shower this past weekend and my mom was gracious enough to let us have it at her house. Besides having a beautiful yard, she's a good "midway" for many of those invited.

We invited both sides of the family: the Tingeys and the Allreds, and Meghan got to meet what she's marrying into. I hope she wasn't scared away. No, I'm JUST KIDDING! I absolutely LOVE my family and was so happy to see everyone again. I've decided that it's just not good enough to see someone for 3 hours at a family Christmas party or for a few hours at a funeral here and there. I love my aunts and cousins and have so many great memories and feelings toward each of them. I just can't express how happy I am to know them all. The family part is just an added bonus. Three of my aunts can testify that we don't let go of them (even when they divorce my uncles..... there's literally no way out.... they're pretty much stuck with us). We had such a great turnout and I think that I can speak for my sisters and mom about how touched we all were that they came out, in 100-degree heat mind you, to support our little branch of the family tree. We're so thankful for them.

We had the traditional bridal shower with food and socializing and games. Everyone took pictures with this gawdy ring we found. I never realized there was so much dramatic talent in my family. My favorite part, however, was the game that Amy and Jess put together. They filmed Aaron answering questions about himself and then we asked Meghan the same questions to see how well she knew him (she did GREAT by the way). After each question, when the screen was paused, the image of Aaron on the tv screen was so cute. I loved just looking at him. I could tell how genuinely happy he is, and it made me all the more happier for him. These two make a great couple and it's beautiful to see.

Pat Hollow Crash Site

For the past 20 years, the Allred side of the family has been going to a family cabin at Bear Lake. Needless to say, we've done just about everything Bear Lake Valley has to offer. Been there, done that. So it's been nice to add ATV's into the mix. We have new adventures to go on and it's been fun. Last Saturday we embarked on a 3-hour ride to see a crash site. In January, 1953, a military transport plane taking Korean War vets home went down, killing all 40 passengers on board. The plane was traveling from Seattle to a scheduled stop in Rock Springs, WY when it crashed in the mountains near Bear Lake. It's sad to think that these individuals survived a war, only to die on their way home. The crash site itself is in a beautiful wooded area. Some plaques have been placed there to tell the story and to honor those who had died there. We would have loved to have stayed longer and explored a little bit, but it was impossible. We had been there all of 3 minutes when Brynn started dancing around (which is very common for Brynn so I thought nothing of it). Then Hailey started, then Zach, and so on. When Brook started doing a jig, I knew we were in for trouble. I don't know who the lookout was, but an allied force of mosquitoes, gnats, and horseflies descended on us so quickly and thoroughly, that I knew that things were not going to turn out well. For those of you who have ever been attacked by gnats, you know how irritating it is. We fought back valiantly, swatting at whatever we could get our hands on until we were covered with smears of bug guts. But in the end, retreating was the only option. The swarm followed us for a short distance before it got bored and retreated. We returned home FILTHY dirty and hungry, but with another Bear Lake memory under our belt. Good times..... I think.

The 4th of July

While most of you were enjoying this......

















or cooking this.......















or lighting these.........






















the Buhrleys were doing this.......

We're learning that putting in a yard is HARD work and we spent the holiday weekend getting the yard ready for sod. Brook sets such a good example to the kids of how working hard can have great benefits and be fulfilling as well. Brook figures that if there's a project to be done, HE can figure it out and do it. In our 18 years of togetherness, I've watched him tackle one project after another after another....... and figure it out. He just has a wonderful "can do" attitude. The latest project is a yard. He's had all of them out there working beside him and helping in different ways and they've been GREAT. We hope they learn that work isn't something to be afraid of or avoided. It's been fun watching the yard take shape and begin to look like a real yard and know that they had a part in it. I hope they're each proud of themselves in the ways they've helped. They should be!
We're also learning that working together as a family can be fun as well....especially if there's a camera around. You should see the thousand and one pictures they took of themselves. On second thought, they're probably better left unseen.