Matters of Great "Weight": General Conference - October 6, 2012

DeAnn suggested we share some conference weekend traditions.

Our conference weekend starts with a new 1500 piece puzzle on Saturday morning.  We enjoy setting it up on a table that fits all of us around.  This is an activity that keeps everyone all together in the same room, hands busy, mouths quiet, and people awake. ;)  We usually have it done by the last session on Sunday.  When the kids were younger, they would do large floor puzzles.  This year the kids panicked when for a moment we thought we would have to go to the Stake Center and watch conference in Sunday clothes on hard chairs.

The past couple of conferences have been extra special as we have had non members join us.  Thanks to our direct TV, we were able to stop the viewing and answer any questions and discuss doctrine that needed additional explaining, then continue on with the viewing.

Fall is just beginning here in Reno.  Summer has been unseasonably longer than usual this year we are told -about a month behind Utah.  We are going to see the Salmon spawning today at Taylor Creek by Lake Tahoe.  Heard it is an awesome sight. 

We have "bear warnings" posted in our neighborhood, much like deer Xing signs in Utah.  Between bears and the raccoons we have to keep our garbage in the garage or we find it all over the yard the next morning.   I was out running the walking path and was about 50 yards from our backyard when a coyote came trotting past me with a hunk of meat in its mouth and bedded down in the grass under the pine tree. 

Another interesting sight is the wild mustang herds that roam around.  The first time I saw them was on the front lawn of the school grounds.  I was taking Tatia to soccer practice and pulled up in the parking lot to see 20 plus horses grazing away.  I mentioned to some of the ladies, "it looks like some farmer is missing his horses."  Knowing I was from Utah, they chuckled and explained that those were wild horses and they frequent this area. I have since seen them on a regular basis sundering down the street into neighborhoods, onto peoples yards, and in the community.-strange but fun sight to see. I guess it is an unwritten law-"mustangs have full ranging rights" because no one tries to shew them away and people just pick up after them if you know what I mean.

Been very busy with soccer, soccer, and more soccer.  Girls and their teams are doing great.  Gas is expensive here, we pay over $4.00, not as bad as parts of California though as I've seen it over $5.  Makes our weekly trip to California to play soccer pretty pricey.   Tad has put in around 150 hours the past two weeks at work.  Budget season is a killer especially for the new kid on the block.  He had a chance to visit Suzanne's family in Boise a couple of weeks ago when he was up there for training. 

Enjoy this weekend.  We will miss being there on Sunday evening to visit with everyone's family.

...Tad & Tylyn

PS.  We would love any visitors, anytime.

RESTAURANT STYLE SALSA

Sharing a recipe that is really good for fresh salsa, give it a try if you like.

RESTAURANT STYLE SALSA 1 can whole tomatoes (28 oz) (drain off some of the juice)
2 cans (10 oz) Ro-Tel tomatoes (one with green chilis)
1/4 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp chopped garlic in jar)
1 whole jalapeno (take seeds out and cut in quarters)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 c cilantro (washed and cut off stems)
juice from 1/2 lime

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender, pulse to desired consistency. Refrigerate at least one hour to blend flavors.

This isn't too hot, but still very good. Much like Los Hermanos.

Thanksgiving 2012 & Reunion Info 2013

Dear Weight Family Members,

 I think that I have enough information now that I can update you knowing how important it is to make plans early when dealing with such a large group.  So here’s the scoop for Thanksgiving this year.  It will be at our ward building in Springville.

Thanksgiving Dinner
Thursday, Nov 22nd @ 1pm
860 East 200 North
Springville

Our building is a wonderful older building, very large and has a great nursery and kitchen and a big nice cultural hall to play games in after dinner.  I’ll need a head count of how many will be attending from each of the 13 families.  If you can contact me by end of October (with exact numbers from your family)at the latest then I can make assignments around the 1st of November.   Just a side note… Grandpa and Grandma are getting up in years and will not be around to enjoy for very many more years (if this helps in your decision to join us, good)…  we will enjoy being with each other whomever can come and I hope all will have a wonderful Thanksgiving regardless of where you are.

The family reunion will be this next summer. . Because our family is so large I know that my choices won’t please everyone but hopefully the choices I’ve made will please the majority.  That being said here are the particulars:

Date:  June 27, 28, 29, 2013
Where:  Balsam Campground (up Hobble Creek Canyon)

I was blessed to find a group campground way up the canyon where there are restrooms (pit toilets), and tent and RV sites.  I would like to plan a hike up and over the mountain into the ranch and those who don’t want to hike or can’t hike can drive and meet the group for lunch. We will plan on 2 meals together, Thursday night Dutch oven potluck and Friday morning breakfast.  More details will be forthcoming.

I hope you all have heard about the T-shirts.  I will need sizes and money sometime in April/May.  The t-shirts will cost around $7.00 each. (Does anyone want to volunteer to be on the t-shirt committee?) Here are the family colors that have been chosen so far:

Ginny –Cardinal Red
Evelyn – Purple
Maureen – Antique Sapphire
Lorna – Royal Blue
Jared – Lime Green
Eric – Florescent Pink
Mark –
Marylou- Navy Blue
Tad –
Rhonda – Yellow
Brenda – Forest Green
DeAnn – Antique Orange
Suzanne- Maroon
Grandma and Grandpa – White

For those who have not picked a color or want to change colors.  You can go online and look at www.westpro.net.   In the search box, type g500 and it will pull up the shirts with the colors that we will be using.  If you have any questions contact me.

I’m excited to get together for these two events and hope everyone else is too!  I will be needing a lot of help so if you would like to volunteer now for something and get a jump start let me know.  I will keep the communication coming.  Look for up dates on the Weight Family blog.  Can’t Weight…I mean wait!

Love,
(Aunt)Rhonda and family

General Conference - October 6, 2012

The 182nd Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints will begin Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to listen to our prophet and others this weekend.  I remember as a child gathering together as a family in the living room, we each had our spots and something to keep us busy while we were watching and listening as well as the peanuts in the shell which were a tradition it seemed.  This was always a great comfort to me and I felt safe and secure during that time in my youth. 

My own family has traditions during "conference weekend" such as making sticky buns for Sunday morning. 

Respond to this post and tell us what traditions your family has during conference time.

Trying Times

I ran across one of my favorite sayings and thought it might be worth sharing in these times:
"There are depths in the sea which the storms that lash the surface into fury never reach. They who reach down into the depths of life whence, in the stillness, the voice of God is heard have the stabilizing power which carries them poised and serene through the hurricane of difficulties."
- Spencer W. Kimball - October Conference 1973

Letter from Mom & Dad/Grandpa & Grandma; 2013 Family Reunion Plans

September 4, 2012

Dear Family,

Yesterday Dad/Grandpa and I were able to go to the Ranch, thanks to Randy and Rhonda. We have not been able to drive up there our selves this summer because we are just getting beyond the ability of driving ourselves on the fast paced roads. We love the Ranch and have spent many a wonderful day in that isolated beautiful place.  This property was acquired by Alfred Weight (Grants grandfather) and his three brothers through the U.S. Homestead Act which required them to live there six months of the year and improve the property.  They were able to run cattle on the property and grow crops. Willis Weight (Grants father) and his brothers grew up on the Ranch and eventually inherited the Ranch when their father Alfred passed on.  Dad/Grandpa as a very young boy went to the Ranch with his grandfather and developed a great love for the area and later farmed with his Dad. There are some great stories about the adventures of their efforts to do those things, especially when Dad/Grandpa went to the Ranch on horse back in the winter to feed the cattle. He loved to observe the wild life. This carefree life style came to an abrupt halt when World War Two began. He joined the Navy and was able to send his navy pay home. He was told by his father that he could buy the portions of the Ranch that the three other brothers owned. He was able to buy three fifths of the Ranch property in this way.  

This is a dear spot of earth for us and many of you who have spent time up there. Dad/Grandpa and I chose to pass the responsibility of caring for this property and making it available to our family to continue using to our four boys. There really is much work in keeping the fences up and useful, in developing proper water supply in maintaining the roads in good shape for traveling on and other concerns. Now I come to the reason for writing this letter to all of you. Last year at our family reunion at Bear Lake Rhonda was sustained as President of the family activities.  She said then that she would like to have our next family reunion at the Ranch. Dad/Grandpa and I of course, heartily agreed.  We know the value of being there. We feel that this can be improved in a way to make it comfortable for all. The first thing that needs to be done now is to build a pavilion with restroom facilities with a shower included. Through a lot of hard work by many people, water has been piped from an underground spring that is pure enough to drink, to the area where a pavilion could be built. Plans have been made that would make it very useful for large groups of family members to gather and have a reunion. But, money is needed. So, yesterday as we were gathered up there with a few of the family members involved with making this happen, the inspiration came, that we as a family can make this happen if everyone will participate by contributing some money. By next June, when our family reunion will be held, restrooms and the cement floor to the pavilion can be ready for use. If each adult member of the family will contribute $100, that means each couple would contribute $200.We can then finance this project.

Here is the plan from Jared and Eric.  Prior to our family reunion June 27, 28 and 29 in 2013, next year we feel that we can complete the following: the shower/toilet area with shower toilets and sinks for men and women sides, also the floor of the pavilion.  In order to do that the money would need to be available by March of 2013. That gives each adult 6 months to save 100 dollars or 17 dollars a month until then. This money will be used to build something that will benefit everyone in the family as they go to the ranch, even if it is only once every few years. 

By contributing to this project we would all have a vested interest in the improvements and conveniences that would make it possible for small or large groups to enjoy the Ranch.

             

These contributions can be made to “Ranch Project” Maureen Bushman who is the selected treasurer of our family Organization.  Her address is included in this letter. UNITED WE STAND. DIVIDED WE FALL.

Dear family we hope this works for all of you and is received with enthusiasm.  Comments are welcome.  We love you all.

Mom & Dad/Grandpa & Grandma

Maureen Bushman, Ranch Project

331 Park Drive

Elk Ridge, Utah 84651

Ranch Blog

www.w8familyranch.blogspot.com

Ranch Blog

There is a blog which has information and history of the ranch.  Go check it out at w8familyranch.blogspot.com

Moving to Kansas

Kellen, Marie, Eliza, and Jarah Giraud are moving to Kansas!

For those that haven't heard, our family is moving from Blackfoot, Idaho, to somewhere in the vicinity of Burlington, Kansas. I secured employment at Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station, a nuclear power plant that employs about 1,000 people. I will be working there as a Systems Engineer. It will be a good change for me. My job at Naval Reactors Facility (on the site of Idaho National Laboratory) has been a good starting point for me, but the overabundance of oversight and bureaucracy at the government facility was stifling to my creative mind and I am excited for the opportunity to do more of what I want to do in a career. I start work at Wolf Creek on October 22. I have been working on a PhD in nuclear engineering, but I am giving that up for now in order to pursue this opportunity, which has been hard for me. I have decided that I enjoy learning even more than I enjoy school, and there is a lot to learn for us by moving to Kansas.

The move will be good for our family, as well, though we are not sure why yet. Marie and I both feel good about it and feel that the Lord is guiding us. There are several towns near the power plant that we are considering and we could end up going to any of four church units (three wards or one branch). The opportunities for missionary work and church service are exciting.

Also, Marie is expecting our third child and is due around March 30. We have a great life. Marie just barely got called to be the primary president in our ward in Blackfoot (though at the time we told the bishopric that our move might be a possibility). I just got released from being the executive secretary yesterday. It will be sad to move far from friends and family, but we feel it is the right thing to do and many blessings await us. I'm attempting to include a few pictures from our recent trip to Crater of the Moon National Monument and EBR-1 (first nuclear reactor in the world to generate usable amounts of electricity).

I love you all and am glad to have opportunities to communicate like this with our modern technology. Thanks, DeAnn. The world we live in today is amazing to me.

Jared Weight Family Pics

Last Friday we took family pictures at a neighbor's house.  Here is a picture and here is another link to the rest of the pics.

https://picasaweb.google.com/105318349652669439263/JaredWeightPics

Well that is the link but I can't figure out how to let everyone see the other pics.  Let me know if anyone knows how to do it.