25th of July Celebration!

Rory & I got invited to the Salt Lake Bees game by Julie & Jason, right after he got home from scout camp. We met Julie & Jason, along with several of their friends to see the Bees play the Beavers. Tiff & Bob, Jeff & Mindy and all the kids came along for the fun.

We got to sit on the grass outside the outfield fence. It was so fun to sit on blankets, eat snacks, play with the kids, and watch the game!

Everyone knows that you can't really enjoy a baseball game without a HUGE hotdog to enjoy ... so Rory & I went to get two amazing dogs. Rory got an all-star dog and I got a Chicago dog.

Rory must have been starving to death, because I looked away after taking this picture and his way gone! He said it was delicious. We'll have to take his word for it ... I think he inhaled it!

After the game, there were awesome fireworks. And then Rory & I headed for home!

Rylee: girls camp

Rylee's off to girls camp this week. She's been to camp many times and now gets to go as a youth leader. It's been fun to see her get to help out the newbies and welcome the new girls. She's even hoping that she'll be able to go one more time next summer, to introduce Baylee to Young Women's!

The girls are spending 4 days near Schofield, UT in a rough camp. They'll be hiking and working on camp projects. They are roughing it in tents this year. (Rylee took my air mattress, so she'll be fine!)

More info to follow when she gets home ...

Rylee: Stake Track Competition

I'm really late in getting the photos out, but still very proud of Rylee's performance at State Track in May this year ...

Rylee has worked hard all season to get qualified to compete. She qualified in two events, shot put and discus. And in the process, broke school records in both events. Quite a feat, as both records had been standing for more than 10 years!

Here's some photos just before and just after she was awarded her medal for 4th place!

And some fun pictures of Rylee and her friends during the meet:

Here's the evidence of the new Tooele High School records, posted in the entry way to the gym!

THE MEDALS!

Here's a picture of Rylee's medals from State Track, along with her certificate of recognition.

And probably the thing that she's most proud of: her MVP award from Tooele High School. She was nominated as Female MVP for her hard work and recognition of her support of her team this last season. Quite an honor! Lots of hugs and tears at the award ceremony ...

Folk Festival: Jeff Little Trio

Here's just a small sample of Jeff Little. I've never heard anyone play like this ...

Folk Festival: Beau Soleil

The Best Cajun Band ever!

Jan's BIG adventure!

Here's a photo from the highlight of the day, for sure. Mom & Dad were dancing to the cajun sounds of Beau Soleil ... the band was AWESOME!

Mom & Dad at the original stage. Just chillin' on the lawn!

The Kendrick crew just before going "underground" ... SCARY!

TRAVEL JOURNAL:

On July 11th, I went to Montana with mom & dad for the National Folk Festival. Talk about a party! We left for Butte at the "butt crack" of dawn on Saturday morning. And spent the whole day on Saturday touring around in Butte and listening to some amazing music.

On the way to Butte, we stopped at a terrific little whole in the wall for breakfast. Certainly would have qualified for "Diners, Drive Ins & Dives"! It is called The Calf-A. I had a delicious plate-sized pancake. Dad had some home-ground sausage. And mom had a sticky bun about the size of her head. (She shared with us!)

We saw some amazing groups on Saturday. Without a doubt, the best part of the day came after dark. We went to the dancing stage to see a group called Beau Soleil. They played the best Cajun rhythms that I've ever heard. Earlier in the day, my favorite band was the Jeff Little Trio. Jeff Little can play the piano like nothing I have ever seen. We went to see them twice, they were so good!

On Sunday, we started the day with a tour of the mines. It was fascinating to hear about the history of mining and to experience the working conditions. The tour guide informed us that thousands of men died underground. And lots of others were scarred for life by the machinery used. Or suffered a slow death due to black lung. I couldn't have done that work. I was terrified, especially when our tour guide recreated the situation by having us turn off our headlamps and blowing out the single candle that our group was allotted for the day. I confidently reported that I would have had to be a part of the other largest profession in Butte during that time. The brothels! Don't judge!

Sunday afternoon was filled with more great music, great food, and great company. We even weathered an INTENSE thunderstorm in order to see one of the greatest blues bands I've ever heard. The lead singer was named Magic Slim. I got to be right up and the edge of the stage for his rendition of "Proud Mary" ... we rocked the place! And I danced my butt off! It was fantastic!

It was a great time. And I plan to be back for more fun next year! Thanks mom & pop!

Here's some fun pix from the 4th of July. This photo is of me & Rylee, just before the left for the day to go play with Frisco and the family.

I got to spend the evening of the 4th with Julie & Jason and the boys. We went to Tiffany's for a delicious BBQ and fireworks. Tiffany throws a great party!

Rory: scout camp!

Rory spent a whole week in Wyoming at scout camp. He left on Monday, July 20th for a week of fun. They went to Camp Tomahawk, just across the border in Wyoming, near the East Shore of Bear Lake.

While having lots of fun with the boys from the ward, he earned merit badges for canoeing, archery, rifle shooting, and leather working.

He came back exhausted and really dirty, everything covered in red dirt.

His favorite part of camp was the polar bear swim. Several mornings at 7 am, the boys would jump into the lake for a swim.

Looking forward to another adventure next summer ...