The Yard

Matt and I decided to work on the yard a bit this summer. Last year we "let it go" and that was a big mistake. It became a jungle back there and made the work to fix it much worse. It had a grassy area, with no sprinklers and we always forgot to put the sprinkler out there to water it and then the grass died and weeds came. Then there was a rock garden, in one corner their was a square, blocked out with bricks that had all rocks in it. We decided we wanted to put in a sprinkler system so that the grass would no longer die and to take out the rock garden and make the grass area larger. When Matt's parents, Nathan and Natalie were all in town we solicited their help to removing all the rocks. It was great of them to help, as that is a horrible chore. Here is a picture after the rocks were all removed. (Unfortunately we have no before pictures)

Then we spent the next week planning and preparing. I got to till the ground and it was so much fun, I was pleasantly surprised. Then the morning of installing the sprinklers came. We again solicited the help of others. A guy in our ward, Steve, has a pipe puller, so he was invited. Here he is with his machine.
We have power boxes in our backyard, therefore power lines run right through the middle of the yard and the pipe puller couldn't be used all the way across. Some other friends from the ward came and helped build trenches. Our yard is not big so the work didn't take too long.



















We were very thankful to all those that came and helped, we could not have done it without all the help. Especially to the Huber's who stayed all day long and got all the fine pieces put together.

We then put some seed down and this hay stuff so that the seed would not blow away. Now we just have to wait and see it anything grows. I will keep updating with pictures. Hopefully it will turn into a nice back yard.

Then I just like this picture of Kammi, sitting waiting to get to work, she has been a great help going out with us every night working till dark with us.

A New Calling

(Just before we start, if you're not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this may not make a ton of sense to you. Feel free to ask any clarifying questions that may come up.)

So about two weeks ago I got a random phone call from the Stake Executive Secretary asking if I could come and talk to the 1st Counselor in the Stake Presidency. It was Saturday, and when Debbie was around I casually mentioned it to her. We thought that it was no big deal, in fact she had gotten a similar call recently which lead to her position as Girl's Camp Nurse.

Maybe I should preface all that by saying that there was an opening in our Bishopric, but it had been open for several weeks and I was certain that by now they already had gotten their man. Debbie even reassured me the night before that she as sure that that calling had already been filled.

Since we thought that it was no big deal, and she hadn't been asked to come, Debbie decided not to make the 8am meeting. The member of the Stake Presidency & the Executive Secretary seemed very upset about that, and that made me start to think that maybe this was more than just a simple assignment. I went into the room with President Fafita, and he began to talk to me.

I started to look around to see if I could find any hint of what the calling I was about to receive was going to be. Nothing on the paper he had out. Nothing in the binder. Then I looked down into his bag for a moment and saw the Priesthood Advancement form. I knew that this couldn't be good. Then he extended the calling, 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric.

To say the least, I was stunned. I had never really considered myself to be the kind of person that would be called to the bishopric, my father hadn't ever been. Most of my friends growing up didn't have parents that were ever in the Bishopric. I was overwhelmed. He said that I should talk to my wife about it and get back to him before the meetings began at 11.

I went out to my car to call Debbie and to see what she thought. When I called her and told her what they had wanted me to do, she laughed. I think that she thought that I was kidding. When I made it clear that I was not, she was very supportive. She told me that she was sure that I would do a great job, and her words seemed to calm me down a great deal. Knowing that she was supportive seemed to give me the confidence that I needed to be able to accept this new position.

After I got off the phone with her, I decided that it was time to call my parents. I wanted them to know about such an important change in my life. My dad answered the phone. I told him about my new calling. Without missing a beat, he told me that our ward must be getting desperate. I told him that there were only 3 guys in the ward, so they didn't really have a lot of choices. If you ever wonder about my sarcastic nature (or of any of the Salt boys) you can look no further than our father. He is always joking and making wise-cracks, and so it's not that surprising that his kids are that way.

Then I talked to my mom. When I told her what was going on, she told me that it must have ruined my day. I told her that it ruined more than my day. I think that my dad is rubbing off on her. But they were very supportive, and "fortunately" my family was already planning to be here in Denver the next weekend. I got on the phone to call my grandpa, to see if he would be able to make, and he was able to come, so it became a mini-reunion.

This was six weeks ago and since then it's been a different and difficult challenge working in the bishopric, but I've been very fortunate to have so many people offer their support and encouragement. It will continue to be a different & unique opportunity going forward.

In loving Memory

With mixed emotions I wanted to write about my wonderful grandma, whom I call Bomma. She is an amazing woman, whose life ended peacefully on March 21, 2009. Bomma has always been the one grandparent I was closest with. Papa, her husband, died on my sixth birthday, resulting in faded memories and images from stories told by others. My fathers parents live on the other side of the country. Growing up in a large family made it so that traveling to their house only happened once in my entire life. Therefore, Bomma was the grandparent I knew, I talked to, I saw, I thought of when I took care of elderly people in the hospital, I cared about, and loved. She was always the fun energetic and spunky little old lady. She drove fast and would curse when she messed up. When we roasted hot dogs on Memorial Day she would call them wienies, and never understood why we snickered. At Bomma's house we always ate eggo waffles for breakfast, and crackers of all kind were available in a plastic tupperware. She had the coolest lava lamp in her basement and pictures galore that I could have looked at for hours. She loved animals, especially cats, and I loved her Skip and Targa.

Bomma's health was always pretty good. A few years ago it started on the decline. It went from her living by herself to needing an aide in the house, to moving to an assisted living facility. My mom would visit her often and give us updates and we knew the end was coming. In the last month, Bomma developed congestive heart failure, was placed on hospice, started wheezing when she breathed, and required oxygen. The night before Bomma passed, my uncle gave her a blessing stating that it was okay and she could go whenever she desired. The next day family gathered at her side. Later that evening my mother and my aunt sat at her side and just talked. They talked of life memories and laughed. At about 10:30pm they stopped for a minute and sat in silence. Bomma had always loved listening to her daughters talk. When they paused for a few minutes she decided it was time and passed into the next life. I know Bomma is happy because she is with her husband again.

I was able to travel out to the funeral. It was great to see so much family. All of my siblings were there and only one spouse. It was kind of fun to hang out with the girls. Then at the funeral there were so many cousins. Some cousins I hadn't seen since I was eleven. We talked, caught up, laughed, and had a great time.

It was sad that my Bomma has passed, but it is for the better. She used to tell me that her mother lived till she was 96, then get teary and tell me that she did not want to live till she was 96. I am happy that she was able to live a good life, that she is now able to be with Papa, and that she no longer has to be in pain. I love you Bomma and I will miss you, but I know that you are in a better place.

Now for the pictures:
This is Bomma's grave site and carrying the casket. After the site was dedicated, they said that we would take a pedal or flower from her arrangement. The great grand children love this and my mother ended up with lots of beautiful flowers.








After the funeral we had a luncheon. Then started taking family pictures. First my family:
This is my parents in front and all he siblings from oldest to youngest.
Donna, Pam, Bryan, Karen, Sandi, Sharon, Debbie, Kristin, Kammi


Then my family with the one in-law present and the children:


Here is my mother with her siblings. Tom, Dorothy, Janet, Bob


Bob's family: Jessica, Bobby, Lesli, Bob, Nichole, Ashley


Tom's Family: Wendy, Tom, Nga, Jason, Shirley, Nate, Jonathan


Then Janet's Family: Hailey, Chris, Sarah, Janet, Marc, Sammy, Sean, Lindsay, Krista, Janie, Jesse, Kyra


This picture is special to me because it is me with two cousins of mine. We are all the same age and I don't even remember the last time we were all three together. Maybe my grandfathers funeral when I was six. Yeah it is that bad. So here we are, Wendy, Ashley, and I:


Then a random picture that I wanted to put in because it was cute. Here is Declan:


Then I like this picture because you can see Karen's belly. In this picture she is 36 weeks along, and looks great!




Here is a copy of Bomma's obituary:
Leila Allen Alexander 1918 ~ 2009 Leila Allen Alexander, known as Bomma to all her family, passed away March 21, 2009 at the age of 90.Leila was born in Salt Lake City, October 20, 1918 to Frank Stewart and Inez Allen. She and her family lived in Coalville until she was seven years old. The family moved to Salt Lake City where she attended school and graduated from East High School. Leila met and married Albert James Alexander (Alex) who was in the Army Air Corps, on August 16, 1941. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. When World War II broke out, he was sent to the South Pacific for four years returning in 1945. Through the years after that, Leila and Alex raised their family of four children in California, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia. While living in Salt Lake City, Leila served 11 years as a guide in the LDS Church Office Building and the Church Museum. She also served in many ward and stake positions throughout her life. She has always been a source of energy and spiritual strength to others. Leila was a tremendously unifying influence in her family and loved having them around to share special times. A typical family get-together for her would be a breakfast or picnic in Mill Creek Canyon with her brothers and their families. She has also loved and been very attached to her pet cats. She was kind hearted and enjoyed helping others in need, even during hard times for her own family. Leila was preceded in death by her husband Alex and is survived by her four children - Robert James (Betty), Dorothy (Larry) Hunt, Thomas Frank (Shirley), and Janet (Marc) Johnson; her brother, Frank (Lola), 21 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.