Water + Sun = Good Sleep

Ozzy?

This is ozzy from school, he has been living with us for the past week, he went back to school today. . . I am not so sad, Ethan has a little obsession with stuffed animals. . . I believe I deprived him as a child and now it is payback.

We saw these everywhere on the road to Rexburg last week. . . they are HUGE and kinda pretty. . . especially when there is a whole lot of nothing but tumbleweeds and sagebrush.

I told you. . . a whole lotta notta. . . it is a long drive.

Cole's Obituary

Cole Benson

Cole Christian Benson, 21, of Lyman, died Sunday, May 10, 2009, at Madison Memorial Hospital of natural causes.

He was born May 16, 1987, in Rexburg, Idaho, to George Harry and Louise Blunck Benson. He attended elementary schools at Lyman, Archer and Adams. He graduated from Madison High School in 2005. He was attending Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg and had just completed his second year. If Cole wasn't playing sports, he was watching sports. He loved being outdoors, camping, motorbiking, snowmachining and anything else that included good friends and family. Cole enjoyed the friendships he had with the youths in our area and the strength and good times that they shared. He loved his family, especially his 19 nieces and nephews.

Cole was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a mission for the church in the Missouri Independence Mission. He gained a strong testimony of Joseph Smith in Missouri and was forever grateful for the Spirit and witness there. At the time of his death, he was serving as Elders Quorum president of the Rexburg South Stake Singles Branch. Cole was a great example and a choice spirit that blessed our lives for the better.

my sweet little bro. .

For those living in Rexburg or nearby that would like to attend the funeral of my little brother Cole Benson. It will be on Thursday, and the viewing will be Wednesday evening.

Cole passed away at Madison Memorial Hospital Sunday morning after having chest pains, which turned out to be a tear in his aorta. He was going to be 22 on this coming Saturday. He had been home from his mission less than a year, and was attending BYUI. He always passed his physicals, and played lots of sports. There was no indications that he had problems. It has been quite the unexpected shock for our family.

gritty farm girl?

Here is dinner. . . after an hour and a half of standing on the dock in line, three of the chitlins got a turn to catch a fish. Did I say it was very cold, and notice the light jackets. . . I was freezing! They refused to give up and go home (believe me I tried). They weren't leaving without their fish, or shall I say three fish. They cleaned them there for them, barely. . . I had to do it better when we got home. I was not meant to watch live fish get caught and eaten, I have to say I was slightly repulsed by the whole ordeal. But I tried to be a gritty farm girl and give them my grandpa's love of fishing, ha ha. Don't get me wrong I love seafood, and meat. . . I just like to be naive about the whole process.

random flashback

Growing up I was notorious for taking too long showers, and also randomly singing around the house to myself. . . I remember walking home from 4-H which was about a mile from our house in the country. The long gravel road that led to our house was lined with willow which we would on occasion flatten in areas and pretend they were rooms, and we would make halls to other rooms. On this day I was walking home belting out a song to myself on this middle of nowhere country road, when I hear hysterical laughing. I looked over to find my sisters sitting in a "room" in the willows getting a pretty big kick out of catching their sister singing loudly to herself. I was thoroughly embarrassed and went on home.

We would play outside all day making forts, trying to catch minnows in the irrigation canal, and attempting to tame the wild kittens that lived under a shed out back which we successfully caught one time. But bringing them in the house was a bad idea, we were all pretty scratched up. I have fond memories of growing up in the country, and wish my kids could have the same experience.
Thinking back I wonder if my parents ever knew where we were when we were out playing. It sure is a different day and time now.

22 gifts?

Sid blowing out the candles on the giraffe cake which I thought looked like a dinosaur. I started to do yellow with brown spots. . . when she declared that her cake needed pink and purple. . and it was her birthday so purple it became. She had some serious preconceived notions about what was going down on her bday. Unfortunately she was somewhat disappointed. . . she let me know the week before that she was having a giraffe cake. . . check. She also gave me her bday list, and she did pretty well on gifts showered on her throughout the day. . . but apparently she was suppose to have 22 gifts??? We fell a little short . . . and she thought all her friends were coming. . . it was a family party this year. Who would know she had so many plans. . . she is my silly little girl.