June 2025 Our 14th anniversary, fun and games, and FIRE!

June 3 - Tuesday morning was one of Hannah's riding lessons.  She is spending the summer learning with Nikki Safrit, and loving it.  This sleepy girl is excited to wake up early, when it is for riding lessons. 

June 4 - Happy Anniversary!  I mean, enjoy some time with the kids at a library summer science lesson! 

Melissa and I went to the temple to celebrate our 14th anniversary. We were there with several couples, all above 65 years old.  The sealer asked the oldest couple (in their late 80's) how long they'd been married, and it was only a few months!   They were 2nd and 3rd spouses, kind of funny. They performed the sealing of her mother to her father, who had died in World War 2. Then we went for Mexican food in Monticello. 

June 7 - Saturday was Dawn Lyman's baptism and the kids were happy to go support her. 

June 10 - Tuesday morning Melissa and the kids all hung out with Lynette and grandkids after Hannah's lesson.  Here they are playing with a snake they found in the garden. 

June 12 - Thursday evening Melissa went for an art night at the library.  She and Emily, painted these crazy looking AI birds under the instruction of Kelly Pugh. 

June 15 - Sunday afternoon we decided to go for a little hiking before dinner.  We tried to find some geocaches north of town, with no luck.  

As we drove home Melissa saw smoke that looked close to home.  Turned out that Westwater canyon was on fire.  They had to call in air support and wildland crews.  It didn't damage any homes, but the air was gross for a couple of days and it seemed to drive all the mosquitoes into town.  I came home with a dozen or more bites from each walk with the dog for days!

June 20 - Friday, this evening Lilian taught us a recipe from the cooking camp she had with Miss Lana during the week.  "Pizza on a stick."  Put cooked pasta on a skewer, then cover with sauce (optional), cheese and pepperoni, and broil until melted.  Everyone loved it and it was fun to build our pizzas. 

That night Jesse and Della Moses came over for games.  We played the Firefly game... and nothing else!  Wow this game always take a while to relearn/teach, but it was fun to be with friends. 

June 26 - Thursday. I was asked to speak at the UNHS 3rd Annual Indigenous Men's Retreat. I gave a presentation on Diabetes Survival Skills, asked lots of questions and had plenty of audience engagement (for prizes).  It was an interesting day. I stayed to listen to all the other speakers and enjoyed hearing their thoughts on improving men's roles in community and family. However, it was frustrating that most of the speakers pointed out our male faults with little advice beyond, "don't do that anymore."  One of my fellow speakers, and the master of ceremonies, Nathaniel Brown even crafted and gifted each of us a fire tending stick.  It is meant to connect us to our ancestors spirits as we stir the coals, and is to be hung over the entrance to the house, with the burnt end facing north. 

Melissa made some decorations for all the special ladies in our life. Grandmas, neighbors, etc. 

June 30 - Monday, Grandma and Grandpa Aurich game through for a night on their way out east.   The sky was full of smoke from Arizona and Colorado fires.  It was fun to see them again.