WOMEN'S CONFERENCE

We have a Bingham Family tradition started by our mother (Grandma Lyal). The only birthday (September 24, 1918) present she ever wanted was to either be with her family in the temple or to go with her girls to Women's Conference. We started doing this when she was alive and it was held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. After mom died, we kept the tradition alive and even improved on it!
Now, there are more of us and we go to an early dinner together before the conference starts. We all remember our dad and Grandpa Jay at that time because he left us a little fund that pays for it. This year we met at the Olive Garden and for the first time it was raining and snowing!
We walked to the Conference Center and listened to our new R.S. President Julie Beck, her counselors, and President Monson. President Hinckley was there waving his cane as usual and as lively as ever. The spirit was strong and I loved being with Maeve, my sisters, sisters-in-law, and my beautiful nieces. Thanks, mom, for a great tradition of strong women!

GENEALOGY SUNDAY

Once in a very rare time, no one comes to Sunday dinner. This happened today. Glo went to Julie's and all the kids were doing their own thing or with their in-laws. SOOOOOOO.... we were able to go to our Sacrament meeting at the branch, teach in the jail and at the work center for several hours, make a big breakfast, go for a long walk, get rained on and run for home, have a nap, go home teaching, barbeque steaks, clean up, get organized for the coming week AND spend hours turning this.....

and this....into this....and this!

Don't worry, all you Johnston/Bingham decendants out there. We are following in the footsteps of Jay Rulon and Blair A and we are doing our genealogy. We are taking a bunch of random, badly duplicated records, most handwritten, and we are loading them in PAF or Personal Ancestry File. We started a year ago and loaded this system on our computer and have been learning by trial and error ever since. It is very spiritual to record these names and dates and information into the computer. I feel close to each person when I see that they traveled from Norway, Denmark, England, Belgium, etc. to gather with the saints. They settle in Hyde Park or Hyrum or Hooper and die there after marrying and raising faithful families. Michael sorts through the paper work patiently and reads me the data as I enter it. It is sometimes a puzzle and we want to learn more and check on some things that we have entered. When we are done, you can just load this on your computer and voila! much of your work is done. I need endowment dates from all my children and their spouses except Carly. You just ask your ward to print out your personal records and everything will be on there. Then, we can check to make sure we have entered all your dates correctly. We would love it if you could get this and give us a copy.

BROOKLYN COMES TO VISIT!

Brooklyn and Mia came to visit. We loved having them here. Brooklyn wanted to start and end each day with a marshmallow!

Brooklyn went with Papa to see the horses.

She loved being outside and even wanted breakfast there.
Brooklyn is so smart. She can carry on long conversations and labels everything. She pointed and said, "mountain!" even though she never sees them in Omaha.
Brooklyn is so sweet and we loved having her to kiss and hug.
Brooklyn went to the Scrap Book Getaway and everyone loved having her there. Carly tended Brooklyn while the rest of us went with Kelsee to take out her endowments at the Jordan River Temple. She was entertained for hours by Lily, Kelsee's puppy.

EASTON---COME AND GET EM!!!!

Hey, Easton we have something for you when you come to see us in November. Everyone who goes to the BYU games wears these shirts and we have great seats for the biggest game of the year---BYU vs Utah, the Saturday after Thanksgiving! (Your dad is invited, too!)
Love, MOMO and GRUMPY BEAR

AFTER THE FIRE

This is the normally lush trail that we run and hike on. Our mountain side has been plagued with fires and mudslides the last four years. We were only recently allowed up in this area and we were shocked at the devastation.

Everything was burned to black sticks. The wildlife was gone and it was so silent without all the little creatures. We normally have foxes, deer, bobcats, snakes, coyotes, cotton tails, and all kinds of birds and lizards.
Even though much of our mountain side was burned, I knew that our home would be safe because east of us, higher on the mountain, are multi-million dollar homes. There was no way that the firefighters would let them burn and so they were our fire insurance.


This yard is one of my favorites and is right below the fire line.

So why do we live on a mountain? Answer:

• an amazing view, even from our basement


• an incredible ward


• surrounded by wonderful people


• no one steals things from our front porch


• we walk out the door and we are on the Bonneville Shoreline trail


• we are not the only people our age in our neightborhood

.......and because we can!

WHY DO YOU LIVE WHERE YOU DO?