50 years...

A little more than 50 years ago, a young woman from Charleroi, Belgium came to the United States. Sponsored by the Porter family of Mesa, Arizona, she enrolled at BYU to study for her Master's Degree. While she was there, she met a young man from Meridian, Idaho, who had recently returned from a mission to her native country. Although their paths had crossed many times while he was on his mission, and they were both at the "Y", they didn't meet until they were introduced by a mutual friend at a party.

The rest, you could say, is history. On July 17, 1957, Andree Lucienne Duchesne married Donald Gibbons Barbezat in the Mesa, Arizona Temple for time and all eternity.



Upon finishing his education at BYU, Don embarked on his career as an Air Force Officer.



With Andree by his side, Don traveled the world and raised three children. Twenty-five years later, they found themselves back where they began - in Arizona. With one child married, one on a mission, and one at BYU, they happily celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at their home in Tempe, Arizona.



Now, twenty-five years after that happy occasion, Don and Andree are still together. Only this time they're celebrating with family on the other side of the veil. Their three children are happily married and living full and interesting lives.

On this day when we remember my parents 50th wedding anniversary, I'd like to honor them. They didn't always find life an easy road to travel (who does?), but they were always together. Recognizing the gift of their Temple marriage, I know they are together still and will be through the eternities. I'm grateful for the example they set and the lives they lived. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad. We love and miss you both.

To Sink, or Swim...

...that is the question...

My girls grew up in Mesa, Arizona where swimming pools were a very common part of the back yard landscape. Both girls were in the water almost before they could walk. They LOVE swimming, and I taught them as much as I could.

Now we live here in Lehi with a wonderful community center, complete with an indoor/outdoor pool and mini-water-park.



Since it's here and we're so close, we decided to try swimming lessons for the first time. It was terrific!

I had taught both girls the basic swimming-strokes, but with a trained instructor, they learned so much more. Jackie and Amanda did such a great job and learned so much. Amanda had a very smooth, graceful style and Jackie had a power-kick. It was fun to watch both of them improve their existing talents.

Here, Jackie is doing a very good job with the back-stroke...



...while Amanda perfected the airplane portion of "chicken-airplane-soldier"...the name has to do with the arm and leg positions throughout the stroke...think about it...haha



On the last day of swim classes, they let the kids go a few minutes early so they could play on the water-jungle-gym. All the kids LOVED waiting for the HUGE bucket on the top to fill with water so it would dump on them...



...The anticipation was half the fun...



In the end, swimming lessons were a great success, the girls had a blast, and we really want to try it again...

Independance Day...

I was raised in an Air Force family. The first 15 years of my life were spent living on or near Air Force bases in several different countries. We were taught the concepts of honor, duty, patriotism and love of country from a very young age. Those lessons and feelings have not diminished over the years. Now I find myself trying to teach them to MY children.

Growing up, we attended air shows and parades on the various bases where we lived. It was something I really enjoyed. Moving to Prescott Valley gave me a chance to recapture that feeling as we attended the small-town parades there. I loved how everyone got involved, and had a good time. Even the smallest entries were cheered and applauded. None louder or with more feeling than the color-guard presenting the American Flag.

This past weekend, we attended the Lehi Rodeo-days parade.



Like a parade from the past, the entries marched right down Main Street.



Leading the way was the color-guard presenting the flag. Following them was the local National Guard band, in cammi-uniforms. Everyone stood with their hands over their hearts while the flag passed. Then everyone cheered those soldiers in the band. It was wonderful.

The theme for the parade was "Oh what if..." The rest of that sentence provided the basic concepts for each entry. I have never seen such clever, creative ideas...

Here are a few samples...





I LOVED the flying piggies...

The guy on top of the stagecoach was singing the Willy Nelson song "Pancho and Lefty" I liked the "country/western feel of it.



This next one is for the Wizard of Oz fans among us.... ...and our little dogs, too. haha





What would a small-town parade be without the local cheerleaders?



Only in an L.D.S. community...



The missionaries went by singing "We'll Bring the World His Truth"...That was pretty cool.



All this just brought home to me why we are so blessed to live in this great country. We have the freedom to choose how we worship and what we believe, or not to worship at all. We have the right and responsibility to choose how we are governed. Those who founded this nation gave us a precious gift. So as we enjoy the freedom to have a parade and watch the fireworks, I hope we'll take a moment to ponder that gift and honor those who gave it to us. I hope we'll pause to remember those who have lived and died to maintain that freedom we celebrate. I hope we will all take a moment to send our pleas to Heaven to keep those who are still defending our freedom, out of harm's way, and express our gratitude for their sacrifice. I am grateful everyday, that I am an American and that I get to live here. In the end, all I can say is:

God Bless America...land of the free, home of the brave.