Summer Vacation 2009

Fairly early on Monday morning, July 27th, we packed up the van and embarked on Family Vacation 2009. Day One: Drove to Gettysburg, PA, one of our favorite places to go, had a picnic lunch and spent the better part of the afternoon at the new Visitors' Center. We didn't have time to follow the auto-trail to see all the monuments and follow the progression of the three days of battle, but we'll go back and do that another time. (It's not as if we haven't done it numerous times before! Even so, it stirs us every time.) Before we left the Visitors' Center a stop at the Gift Shop was a must, and both Jeffrey and Gregory spent hard-earned mowing money on Vermont maple sugar candy (which they didn't share with us at all!)

Back on the road, we drove to Carlyle, PA where we checked in at a Fairfield Marriot Hotel. Gregory talked us into eating dinner at a Chinese Buffet, and we're glad we did. The next day, Tuesday the 28th, we went to Hershey, PA to play at Hershey Amusement Park for hours and hours. Gregory and Mom did loads of roller coasters, but not as many as Mom wanted! We started off with the tour/ride through the chocolate factory showing how Hershey chocolate is made. Before we left the park that night, Gregory had to buy some homemade fudge (which he did share a little bit!)

Bright and early on Wednesday the 29th, we packed up the van again and headed north through Pennsylvania into New York. It rained and was cloudy all day, which kept the van cool while driving. Not so good for eating a picnic lunch, though. When we arrived in Niagara Falls, NY, the rain had slowed down a bit. We stayed on the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station at the Air Force Inn. Our rooms (had to have two of them, one for the boys and one for us) were in the newly completed building, and it was fantastic. Each room had its own refrigerator, "kitchen sink", and microwave, and that made it handy for us and our meals. The flat-screen TV's had DVD players, too, so we had fun watching some movies at night. Our days were spent seeing as much as we could at the Falls and its environs. Niagara Falls was the most amazing sight I've ever seen in my life! We took the Maid of the Mist boat right up close to the Falls, and it was so immense it completely filled your field of vision. The sound was tremendous, and the spray would have completely soaked us but for the rain ponchos we were given to wear. We enjoyed the Visitors' Center also, and saw a movie there about the legends surrounding the Falls. One story was about a 7-year-old boy who went over the falls (accidentally, of course) wearing just his bathing suit and a life jacket. He miraculously survived with hardly any injury, and was picked up out of the river by crewmen from the Maid of the Mist boat. All of this was Thursday the 30th.

Then on Friday the 31st we went to the Niagara Power Plant to see how they channeled the water power from the Niagara River to make electricity. That was fascinating to me. Gregory said he knew all about hydro-electric power from science in school. But it was all pretty new to me! After that we went to the Niagara Falls Aquarium. It was a fairly small aquarium, not to compare with Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg or the National Aquarium in Baltimore, but nonetheless it was very interesting and we enjoyed it.

Canadian Power Plant on the left.

That afternoon, Val and I drove to Palmyra, NY to attend a session in the Palmyra Temple (leaving the boys in their room watching movies and eating leftover pizza from Pizza Hut.) It was so exciting to be in Palmyra and drive by the Church History sites on our way to the Temple. We had a special session there. I was surprised at how small the temple is. The grounds were beautiful and the temple itself so beautiful and peaceful.

The next day, August 1st, we left Niagara Falls and drove to Palmyra to spend the day sight-seeing with the boys. We stopped first at the Hill Cumorah and spent quite a bit of time there in the Visitors' Center and walking around the Hill and up to the top to see the monument. We saw the film "Joseph Smith--Prophet of the Restoration" and viewed the exhibits in the Center. I was struck by the lush foliage and flowers around the grounds, not only at the Hill Cumorah, but at the Smith Farm and the Temple. So many beautiful flowers ands shrubs! Pictures don't even do them justice. We spent so much time at the Hill Cumorah that we arrived at the Smith Farm at 6 pm. We had "lunch" (we sure were hungry by then!) at the picnic tables by the parking area. Then we had a tour of the log home and the frame house, followed by time to ourselves walking through the trails in the Sacred Grove. It was wonderful. Only one problem, though: At dusk in the summer there are about a million mosquitoes in the Sacred Grove, and we were bothered quite a bit by them. I had a flyer about the Sacred Grove that I used to swoosh them away, but Dad and the boys got a lot of bites. That made it a little hard to concentrate on feeling the Spirit, but we tried! Next time we come to Palmyra, we'll go to the Sacred Grove first, and then the Hill Cumorah!

At the Smith Farm

Gregory, Mom, and Jeffrey in front of the Palmyra Temple.

On Sunday, August 2nd (which was Dad's 57th birthday!), we drove to Fayette, NY to attend Church in the chapel that is next to the Whitmer Farm house where the Church was organized on April 6, 1830. There is a Visitors' Center right in

the Church building, so after the block of meetings we gathered in the Center and had a tour from one of the missionaries about the pictures and exhibits there. Following that he took us outside, short walk to the farmhouse and took us inside. That was most impressive, very spiritual, and a wonderful experience. Next we drove back to Palmyra and went on a tour of the Grandin Press where the Book of Mormon was published. Again, a very interesting and impressive experience.

Dad, Jeffrey, Gregory, and Mom in front of the Palmyra Temple.

After another restful night at our Fairfield Marriot outside of Rochester, we packed up for the final time on Monday morning, August 3rd, for our drive back home to Woodbridge. It was a GREAT vacation!!!

Grandpa's BIG Birthday!

Grandpa Hilton had his 85th birthday on July 11, 2009, and Dad joined him in Pleasant Grove for a long weekend and to help him celebrate the BIG DAY! On Friday the 10th, Western Community Bank, that Grandpa works for as a courier, surprised him with an Open House to honor him. The bank even put an article in the Provo Herald Newspaper so that the Utah Valley community would know about it. Many, many family members and friends took the time to drop by the bank Friday afternoon to share in the celebration and wish Grandpa well.

Grandpa and Dad with Celesta, Victoria and Maxwell. The bank also honored Grandpa at a luncheon before the Open House and gave him a special gift.

Grandpa and his twin brother, Joe (his Big Birthday, too!)

Grandpa with his surviving siblings, Joe, Claire, and Glade.

Jeffrey's 18th Birthday

Jeffrey turned 18 on Wednesday, July 15th . Coincidentally, the 15th was also the opening day for the newest Harry Potter Movie, "The Half-Blood Prince". Understanding that Jeffrey is the biggest Harry Potter fan on the planet, we planned a Surprise Party at the Movies for him. Here he is holding the movie tickets for the 12 noon showing, and glowing with happiness. The reason for the extra glow is that there is a ticket there not only for himself, Gregory, Mom, and Carolyn, but also for Michelle McMurray, a young woman in the ward who Jeffrey especially enjoys being with! We all had a wonderful time, loved the movie, and Jeffrey and Michelle enjoyed lively conversation while we waited for the movie to start. Another surprise for Jeffrey--the Perry family came to the movie also to share the good times with Jeffrey on his birthday!

After Dad got home from work Jeffrey opened birthday cards and presents, then we had his requested birthday dinner (he called it a "Harry Potter" dinner!) of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

Angel food cake with Seven-Minute frosting! I didn't have eighteen candles, but I found a #1 and a #8 candle left over from Christina's 18th birthday. He thought that was great, because you could tell right away how old he was without doing all the counting! However, when taking his picture, the numbers are backwards, and it looks like he's 81!

Happy Birthday, dear Jeffrey, Happy Birthday to you! Looks like you're all ready to blow out your candles and have your wishes come true!

Gregory's Birthday 2009

Gregory turned 14 on Friday, July 10th. Because Dad was flying to Utah that day to be with Grandpa for 85th birthday on the 11th (more on that soon), we celebrated Greg's birthday the night of the 9th. The big surprise of the evening came when Gregory and Jeffrey opened their joint birthday present: A Wii game system with accessories. I love the smile on Gregory's face and his enthusiastic response: "I LOVE you guys so much! I mean, I love you anyway, but I really really LOVE you guys!"
Gregory asked me to bake him a second cake with piles of Cool Whip on it for frosting. "Why?" I asked. Why, indeed!!

Oh, save us and preserve us from the Abominable Cool Whip Monster!
Eyeing his lemon layer cake with greedy anticipation!
"Happy Birthday, dear Gregory, Happy Birthday to you--now make a wish!

Jeffrey's Eagle Project!

For his Eagle Leadership Service Project Jeffrey chose to have permanent signs made for the Stake Relief Society's "Gifts From the Heart" annual clothing exchange. Every fall the Relief Society hosts a giant clothing exchange in the cultural hall of the Stake Center. Clothing and household items are dropped off at the Stake Center the night before the event, and then volunteers sort and categorize the donations, hanging them on racks and arranging them on tables. Up until now, the signs to identify clothing categories have been borrowed from a neighboring stake. With the completion of Jeffrey's project, the Stake Relief Society is now self-sufficient.

Jeffrey has been planning and implementing his project since March of this year. After getting his project approved, fund-raising, buying and gathering materials, and getting volunteers to do the work, he finally got the project completed on Saturday, June 6th, and Saturday, June 13th.

The first work day was held at the Prymak's house. Brother Prymak cut boards and pipes to the proper sizes, and did sanding and drilling. Some people cleaned the red lettering off of the PVC pipe with acetone, then washed the pipes with soapy water to get the acetone off before it melted the plastic. Others primed and painted the wooden bases for the signs.

On the second work day, which was held at the Church building, lots of people turned out to put the lettering on the corrugated plastic signs that had been prepared by other volunteers during the week. Some men and boys used 2" and 1" white reflective tape to created large exterior signs designed to guide people through the drop-off process when bringing donations to the church. Others used self-adhesive black lettering to make the interior signs for categorizing the clothing and other items that are donated. We were all thrilled that the signs were completely finished after only three hours of work!

Several weeks later Jeffrey put all the signs together for the Stake Relief Society Presidency and officially turned them over to them. The Presidency was really pleased with the finished product and grateful to Jeffrey for getting the signs made.

The Last Days of 8th Grade!

The last two weeks of school are always a whirlwind of activity, and especially so for the end of the 8th grade year. Gregory finished his tennis season well as the second best middle school tennis player in eastern Prince William County! He shows great potential and is looking forward to playing at the high school level. All those tennis lessons during the fall and winter seem to be paying off!

The final band concert of the year was wonderful. As a percussionist in the band Gregory played multiple instruments, including the timpani, snare and bass drums, and cymbals. Before the end of the school year Gregory auditioned for the drum line in the Gar-Field High School Marching Band and was selected as a bass drummer. He's already had a few practices to begin learning the ropes before band camp begins in August.

The 8th Grade Award Ceremony was exciting for us. Gregory was acknowledged for Outstanding Effort and Achievement in all five of his academic classes (something not very many students achieved). He also received an engraved plaque honoring him as the Outstanding Eighth Grade World History Student for his Team. His teacher, Mr. Lyng, said some very nice things about him when he presented the award. We are so proud of Gregory and his success and efforts in Middle School. We know he'll have a great experience at Gar-Field High School the next four years in the International Baccalaureate Program. Go Gregory!

Jeffrey's Alternate Prom at Hylton High School!

Hylton High School puts on an Alternate Prom each year for the special education students at three local high schools--Hylton, Forest Park, and Freedom. Jeffrey really enjoyed himself this year. Carolyn and her fiance, John Ardovini, went with Jeffrey and Mom, and as the pictures show, everyone had a wonderful time! Jeffrey danced with Carolyn, his friend Ben (upper pictures), Mom, and he even asked some girls to dance! We did line dances, fast dances, slow dances. Jeffrey especially enjoyed the Chicken Dance and the Limbo. But perhaps the highlight of the night was singing and dancing to "All I Want to Do Is Be With You" from the movie "High School Musical"! Jeffrey was so involved in socializing with his friends and dancing that he didn't even visit the food table much. The group pictures with Jeffrey's longtime friend, David, shows the great time we were all having. All in all, a successful and satisfying evening, made much more special by Carolyn and John being with us. Carolyn really got him started with dancing, and we couldn't stop him until the last dance was over!

Happy First Anniversary, Claire and Jesse!

We can hardly believe that it has already been a year since that very special day in the Salt Lake Temple when Claire and Jesse were sealed for time and all eternity as husband and wife! Even though the weather was less than spring-like (drizzly rain and in the 40s), there was a warm glow about the newlyweds, and sunshine in all of our hearts. It was especially wonderful to have all of our children together once again. We got some great family pictures for the first time in ten years. And what a difference ten years makes in the lives of our children--everyone is really growing up! After the sealing and pictures on the temple grounds (the rain let up while we were outside taking pictures and began again when we went back inside), we went back to Jesse's parents house to get ready for the reception. It stayed chilly and rainy, but Joan and Rick had outside space heaters to put on the patio and around the tent, which kept us from turning into icicles! The weather didn't deter any of the festivities and we were all jubilant in celebrating Claire and Jesse's wedding. The food, thanks to Joan and all her friends, was fabulous. John made the wedding cakes--a rich chocolate with pudding frosting topped with strawberries! Before the reception was over, the clouds blew away and the sun came out, blessing Claire and Jesse as they drove off to begin their honeymoon. We love you, Claire and Jesse, and wish you eons of happy anniversaries to come!

The Blood Donor Dinner

Val and I attended the annual Blood Donor Dinner put on by Inova Blood Donor Services. It is always held at the the Marriot Hotel in Falls Church. Val was invited to attend because he donated six times during 2008 (the maximum times allowable). He received another Inova Blood Donor Services ball cap. That makes about 6 or 7 ball caps for him. Last year he was honored with a special plaque for having donated a lifetime total of 10 gallons of blood! Not all of that blood has been with Inova--some has been through the Red Cross. Next year he will have passed another gallon marker with Inova. Anyway, it was a fun date night together. We had a delicious three course meal, and they always have someone from the greater Washington community speak to us about how donated blood products have affected their life. This time it was a young mother whose 2-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with a blood disorder in which she had no platelets so her blood would not clot. Donated blood saved her life and allowed her body to begin producing platelets on it own. The little girl was there also, and she was adorable, of course. It is so gratifying to know that when we donate blood it does save lives and makes such a difference for so many people. Val has O-neg blood, which is the universal donor. His blood is used for newborn infants and accident victims, emergency situations when there isn't time for blood-typing. I also donate blood when I can, and every time I do I feel so good knowing that I'll be helping someone in crisis. My blood type is B-neg, which is quite rare. Only 3% of the world population has that blood type, so Inova really wants my blood, too! When our blood is actually shipped for use we receive a thank-you card from Inova letting us know that it is being used. I would recommend highly that anyone who is in a position to should become a regular blood donor. It's a great way to make a difference in this world.

The Mormon Prom!

Jeffrey was so excited this year to finally be old enough to go to the Mormon Prom. This annual event for high school juniors and seniors is held for nine stakes in the region at the Centreville Stake Center. Jeffrey received his invitation in the mail several weeks ago. Jeffrey and I carpooled with Nikki Reese and her mom. We arrived at the Stake Center around 8:30pm, and many youth were already there. Outside the main entrance there was a huge lighted marquis sign with the theme, "A Night on the Nile", on it. Inside Jeffrey immediately found several of the young men from our ward to socialize with. The decorations were phenomenal, but that wasn't Jeffrey's focus. He found the food table pretty quickly! He danced with two young women from our stake that he knew from youth conferences. He was having such a good time that it was difficult to pull him away even after the closing prayer!

Jeffrey's First 5K Race!

On Saturday Jeffrey ran in his first 5K race! We drove to Centreville early in the morning to Carolyn's school, Colin Powell Elementary. She teaches art there, and she signed Jeffrey up for the annual Puma Pounce 5K and Fun Run. It turned out to be a great experience for him. He and Carolyn ran the 3.1 miles in less than 30 minutes, and Jeffrey won first place in his age division! Hurray! He gets a trophy and a certificate to Chipotle. He had a big smile on his face when he heard that he had won!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Welcome to your newly designed blog, Mom! We recognize how busy you are. We know that when you write it usually needs to be an essay for your literature class, however, should you use this to supplement a journal or a family scrapbook, at the end of the year we'll help pay for your blog pages to be printed and bound into a book. We'll navigate this unique form of keeping a personal history together!

We love you very much! You are always such a great example to us. Victoria and Maxwell each have a very special relationship with you. We all miss you and are sending you lots of hugs and kisses! Have a great Mother's Day!

Love, Celesta, Paul, Victoria, and Maxwell