June: The All-Graf Birthday & Swimming Party, Mission Reunion, Balloon Rally in Panguitch

Becky & Charles have decided to celebrate all their birthdays at one big bash this year (instead of so many of them being close to the winter holidays).   Venue:  The Austin Swimming Pool- June 22nd.

Charles did get a cake on his birthday in May.  Jill and Peter and Aly also happened to be here that weekend for a baptism of their friend young friend, Emma West (who actually didn't end up getting baptized that weekend after all!)

It was a SUPER HERO super party planned & executed by Becky, the super Mom

Bat Man & Spider Man

 

Super Mom, complete with pink cape (also made the beach towels)

Super baby Hulk

 

Charles - Captain America

The Super Hero Jumping House

I think virtually every present the kids received was also a super hero toy or game of some sort! 

The day before the party found Becky at our house working on food for 50 + people who would be attending. Call it extra mile or supreme craziness, but Becky made a separate small cake for each of the five Grafs!!  [I'll have to get photos from Becky's camera]  She held it together pretty well when my oven did its weird thing and decided to try to broil the cakes instead of baking them!!   We were able to shave off the burned spots and make it work!

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At the end of the month I taught a family history class at Becky's ward Home Making Meeting.  It went pretty well.  Next day fed 6 missionaries and then early on July 26 we left again for Utah.  The ultimate destination this time was American Fork where we had our Chilean Senior Missionaries Reunion in the new home of Laurie and Steve Sowby. 

Spent a couple of days with Aly and Jill and her parents at their home before that.  Had a nice visit with them.  Aly just couldn't get over that she had two grandpas and two grandmas at everything we did!  We especially loved our trip up Emigration Canyon on Saturday morning to go to breakfast at Ruth's diner.  What a glorious peaceful and cool outdoor setting!   Here is Aly striking (all on her own) some sort of pioneer pose for us at the conclusion of our meal.

Ancient Forsgren documents.  While on this visit I was able to get in touch with a Forsgren cousin who has many artifacts that belonged to Peter Adolph Forsgren.  Some books and papers were in his own handwriting and in Swedish.  LeAnna was also amazed at things we were coming across, because suddenly we found we were looking at some papers with dates of 1839 and 1854!!!  I quickly realized that these papers needed to be taken to the Church to be digitized and hopefully to have someone translate them!  There was not nearly time the morning we went to even begin to scratch the surface of things her family still has!   I felt in awe.

 This small notebook is only about the size of my open hand & palm.  Inside front cover bears Peter's name.  It appears to hold some accounting of expenditures and at the back some other notes about things pertaining to his second wife Elise Thomassen  - things which we have yet to get translated.   My next project is to get more of this uploaded to the Peter Forsgren blog  (peteradolphforsgren.blogspot.com) during the next couple of months.

LeAnna who is a great granddaughter of Peter Forsgren who has some of these things in her possession through her grandfather Elias Peter Forsgren, the child of Peter Forsgren through his 2nd wife, Elise Thomassen.

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June 29 - We get to spend time with some of the best people on earth - our fellow senior couples from our Mission to Chile.  They include mission presidents, office missionaries from the 4 Santiago-based offices and couples from the temple, the MTC, Perpetual Education, Humanitarian, Executive Secretary, field couples, family history, health, etc.  Most have served multiple missions and we just delight to get together as often as possible.  We loved seeing the Sowby's completed home for the first time.  There isn't a wall or nook or cranny that Laurie didn't think about in great detail!  Most of the upper floor is given over to areas specifically designed for their grandchildren!

Sowbys and Slingerlands are currently serving in branch presidencies of the MTC and have remarked about the amazing young people who are coming through the doors of the training centers.  Pretty fine band of emissaries going out to all nations!

On the same weekend we were "re-uning" we were missing another favorite annual event:  The Hot Air Balloon Rally at Panguitch, Utah.   Becky had a family from her ward there at the cabin to get to go, though.  Aria's first adventure watching these bigger than life amazing balloons grow before your eyes: 

Just a reminder from last year's rally.