Vernal the 2nd

So, we built a new house.  It seemed to go up really quickly.  

We made decisions in March, they excavated (in the wrong spot, refilled, and re-excavated), framed and built it up in what seemed like just a couple of weeks.  

Finishing seemed to take longer, 

but it was ready to close by the end of June...

and we were in by the first week of August 

(since we had other summer plans keeping us from moving in until then).

My Ian Entry

Our mantel clock

Our living room

Now to work on the yard...

No grass...

Oh What Do You Do in the Summer Time?

Summer was again a blur of activity.  This year, once again, I was away from home and participating in my own activities -- completing the Medical Externship part of my graduate program at Cassia Regional in Burley and St. Luke's in Twin Falls.  

Meanwhile, after having hernia surgery, Clayton was working hard at researching and presenting around the world (including Mongolia)...

And Anya was enjoying being bounced around from grandparent to grandparent, spending time with cousins, camping, going to plays in St. George, visiting Yellowstone, etc.

Browns at Yellowstone

Watching Buffalo at Yellowstone

Cousins at Yellowstone

Paddleboards at Yellowstone

Looking for shells at Bear Lake

Astons at Shoshone Falls

I think they enjoyed the summer.  I crossed some things off my list.  And we're glad to be back together.

Oma

What a sweet woman we have lost.  I am so thankful I had the opportunity to know Clayton's Oma for so many years.  She has truly been an example of love and kindness to everyone.

In a matter of 1 year we have lost Papa, Ian, and Clayton's last two remaining grandparents.  It's been an emotional year and we miss them all.

Oma's Obituary (as it appeared in Logan's Herald Journal)

Loa Brown
1927 - 2014

Logan - Loa McFarland Brown, 86, passed away in Logan on Friday, May 30, 2014. She was born in Logan on Aug. 22, 1927, to Merrill R. and Naomi J. McFarland, the second of six children. She attended Logan City schools and graduated from Logan High in 1945. On June 26, 1946, she married Francis S. Brown ("Mutt") in a double-ring ceremony with their best friends, Bill and Betty Burr. In 1959, they were sealed in the Logan Temple.

Loa worked for Mountain Bell Telephone Co. (where she was called "Mama Loa") and Utah Mortgage Loan and First Security Realty, retiring in 1984. She is a member of the William B. Preston camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Loa was a mother to more than her children. She and Mutt enjoyed traveling and camping together. Their favorite place to relax was at their family property, "the GetAway," in Idaho where they enjoyed being together with many family members.

Loa is survived by five children: Peggy (Doug, deceased) Berry of Salt Lake City, Bob and Jone Brown of Smithfield, David and Kathy Brown of Liberty, Dennis and Yvonne Brown of Syracuse, and Randy and Linda Brown of Salem, Oregon; a foster daughter, Susie Davis of Hyrum; brothers Bob, Bill and Larry McFarland, and a sister, Christie Humphreys. She has 19 grandchildren and 52 great-grandchildren with two on the way.  She was preceded in death by a brother (Jack), a son-in-law, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Funeral services will be on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, at noon at the Allen-Hall Mortuary Chapel, 34 E. Center St. in Logan. Viewings will be from 6-8 p.m. Monday and from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, prior to the services. Burial will be in Logan City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenmortuaries.net.

A special thanks for the loving care given by Dr. Michael Stones, those at the Williamsburg Living Center and the staff at Logan Regional Hospital.