Adventures in Blanding

After dedicating the cabin we headed out with the family to explore Blanding. How many people over the age of 40 does it take to figure out an AC?

Don't worry... They eventually read the manual and got it all fired up! Haha. Our first stop after filling up the van with gas from the Ute Reservation, tax free, was the property my great grandpa owned.

Drew checking out the out house. With an actual wooden toilet. Pretty fancy.

Next was a stop at Redd's True Value. I'm not going to lie, being a Redd in Blanding is kind of a big deal.

Then we cruised around town and grandma showed us all the local hot spots. The home below is the home that my grandpa was brought to from the orphanage.

Pretty cute.

This is a home the kids called the castle house, I loved it!

Then we went to a diner called Old Tymers, where they had pictures of my great grandparents on the walls as children. This my grandma pointing out a picture of her mother on horseback. My grandma said her mom was never content to stay home. She was always finding an excuse to be outside, on a horse or out of town. And I totally related! It must be in the blood.

Don't Hassle Me I'm Local

As I said before Drew and I headed down to Bluff to help build a cabin, dedicated to the man pictured below.

So I decided to catch Drew up on our heritage before we got there. And I read him Jens' history. A brief summary of his life; Jens crossed the plains with the Willey Handcart Company. They were caught in a severe snow storm in their travels. Jena being a large man standing 6'7" tall and having large feet wore through his shoes causing him to get frostbite on his feet. He told his wife Elsie, "Leave me here to die, I cannot go any further." their oxen had died on the journey and they were pulling their own wagon. Elsie said "I will not leave you. Ride in the cart." Elsie pulled him the rest of the way. After arriving in Salt lake the Jens Nielson family was called to travel down to what is now Bluff, Utah. They were the pioneers who what is known as the 'Hole in the Rock'. And also conquered San Juan Hill. You can read the whole story in a book newly written by Gerald Lund, the title is Undaunted Courage.

These are the cabins in Cove Fort. The cabin facing you on the very Left of the picture is Jens' cabin.

This is a picture of Drew chinking the cabin, so that mortar could be placed in between the logs.

This is the side of the cabin, pre chink and mortar.

This was Drew teaching me how to mortar. It was so funny seeing people come up with their own ideas about how to get the mortar in between the logs. One couple on their cabin were literally throwing the mortar at the cracks then trying to smooth it in. Wonderful!

Looking out of the front door. Probably a pretty realistic picture of what the pioneers would see every morning.

After a good long day of work we headed off to see some Native American ruins. Drew told me when we were dating, one of his life goals was to go see the Native Americans who built their homes right in the cliff. Well Done and Done!

I learned from my Utah Obscurities book that the paintings on the walls done by the Natives are called pictographs. And the chiseled art are called petroglyphs. Lesson learned!

These ruins are so remote and hard to find, they have not been roped off yet. So we were able to delicately explore them up close. It is truly amazing to see up close.

The Happy Couple...

This is what you get when you have a bored brother who is too good at what he does! Photoshop is terrifying!

for Hannah!

Easter Festivities!

Easter Bunny festivities at my mom's house, are always a treat! Look at the excitement on those little faces pressed against the glass! And the cute carrot on the door! Darling!

The door was opened, and the wild things were released.

Not before we made them stop and take a picture on the porch! Look at how excited Lizzy was for pictures! (The cheerleader in the front)

The hunt! Look at all those eggs!

The loot! Easter bunny spares no expense on grandchildren! ha!

Easter bunny even brings money!

So excited!

The loot!

Drew watching over my parent's iPad... More amazing then I could have ever imagined! Thank you Steve Jobs!

Even more special then the easter bunny was my Grandma Redd's visit.

We sure love her. This is Grandma with her mini me Lizzy. It was a great Easter.

Spring!

The days are now longer then the nights... And my soul couldn't be happier. Sunday afternoon we took our pasty winter selves outside for some much needed Vitamin D.

Drew worked on some ideas for the house.

Cleo stood guard.

And I watched our dogs play "bitey face", one of their favorites. Yes Cleo is standing underneath Caesar.

Fabulous!

The definition of Bitey Face.

Best of friends. Happy Spring!

Drew Had a Birthday...

And the poor guy kind of got pushed to the back burner. However, my amazing grandma showed up to her husbands viewing with Drew's birthday card and present. She's amazing!

Thanks to my mom as well for having a family party, while EVERYONE was in town. Fabulous!

Yes their are 5 candles on the cake... And yes it took him 3 breathes to blow them all out. Embarrassing. He does look good in his new birthday shirt!

A Post of Random...

During such a sad week, I couldn't have been more grateful for my job. Showing up every morning to these faces was perfect.

Kate learned a cool new party trick two binki's at once.

Just loungin' against the coffee table, no big deal.

Then learned how to put socks on.

Lilly joined in on this fun.

Mary telling Amelia not to be such a noisy eater.

Be still.

Drew partied so hard that he slipped into a chocolate milk slumber. So precious.

A Mountain of a Man

Some of my favorite remarks from my grandpa's funeral.

As I have said before, my grandpa was left at an orphanage with his little brother, and older sister. They were both in attendance at his funeral. My dad spoke to them in a portion of his talk. His words to them were, "He would also want me to express his love for his older sister Elizabeth, and his little brother Bill for literally and figuratively holding his hands through the traumatic experience of entering the orphanage. In his eye, he sees the logo for Boys Town, the famous orphanage in Nebraska. This iconic logo is of the two boys... one on the other's back. I am certain that he feels that you, Elizabeth and Bill, carried him during these tough years, and he could feel you repeat the caption underneath the Boys Town logo that reads: "He ain't heavy. He's my brother."

One of the few American businessmen who came out of Russia with more money then he took in.

He was tender with the down-trodden but a tough negotiator.

He was a leader of people, and yet a little boy in his anxieties and worries. Dad

My aunt Kristen said that my grandpa would always repeat "Loving you is a wonderful way to spend a lifetime."

My aunt Audree talked about how she used to get teased because whenever her friends saw her parents my Grandma was always almost sitting in Grandpa's lap as they drove in the car, they would kiss too long, and held hands everywhere.

My aunt Linda said a quote that always reminded her of her dad was;

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

Thomas Paine

Service to your country is the rent you pay, for the space you take. Aunt Linda

Irreverent to authority, except for God.

Ever a disciple, ever a father, ever a friend.

If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to fix it?

Two wrongs are just the beginning. Uncle Lowry

My uncle Dave talked about how my grandpa went back to school with 4 children and a 5th on the way. He worked 2-3 jobs at a time so that he could go to school with no financial aid or loan. He earned his Chemical engineering degree top of his class. He never used his early life experience of rejection as an excuse.

He was big in stature, big in confidence, and big in compassion.

Favorite lesson that he learned from my grandpa was that "the sale begins when the customer says no."

Don't judge the day until the sun has set. Uncle Dave

All of the children talked about the nicknames my grandpa had for my grandma, my favorites were; Little Napoleon, Little General, Senior Companion, Liahona, Still Small Voice.

Thank you grandpa for all you did! Because of you I have learned that we "Can do hard things." And we will "Be good, and Do good," for you.

Grandpa Jack

John P "Jack" Redd 1930 ~ 2010 John P "Jack" Redd passed away peacefully March 10, 2010 of natural causes. He was born in Mt. Pleasant, Utah December 25, 1930. He was placed in a Children's Service Society orphanage, with a brother and sister, early in life. After living with several foster families he was adopted as an early teenager and raised as their own by Leland W. Redd and Alice Vera Hunter Redd of Blanding, Utah. He and his sweetheart, Erma Helquist Redd, have been married for 60 years. They are still in love. He was a loving father. He is loved by his children and their spouses, J. Michael and Kathy Redd, David K. and Patti Redd, Linda and Terry Roundy, Lowry W. and Kim Redd, Audree and Chris Jones and Kristin and Don Rasmussen. He and Erma have 29 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren. Jack is also survived by his brothers William (Bill) Redd (Virginia) and Mark Redd (VeraLee), sister-in-law Kathleen Redd (Wayne), his sisters Elizabeth Coleman (Tom) and Shirley Kovacs, sister-in-law Ronnie Burns (Dick), his half sisters Virginia Fox (Jim) and Grace Jensen and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Wayne Redd and Richard ("Dick") Burns. Jack was a dedicated community servant. He served in the Utah House of Representatives for 10 years, was the President of the Bountiful Jr. Chamber of Commerce, served on the Utah State School Board, was the recipient of the Boy Scout's Silver Beaver award and contributed in many ways to a wide variety of state, community and service organizations. He was a successful businessman. He graduated from the University of Utah in chemical engineering and worked for several oil refiners before starting his own consulting engineering firm. He was an active leader in a number of engineering societies and was elected Utah Engineer of the Year by the Utah Engineering Council. Above all, he was a disciple of Christ. An active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served as the first Bishop of the Val Verda 4th Ward, and served honorable missions with his sweet wife in the Knoxville Tennessee Mission and the Brazil Curitiba Mission. Jack overcame many obstacles in life to have a strong and abiding belief in the mission and service of Christ. Jack was loved and respected by all who knew him. He will be sorely missed.

To My Grandpa...

I haven't felt like blogging these last few days, my grandpa wasn't well and it hurt my heart. He was supposed to get better, and go home from a care center where he had been staying. But Monday of this week he had a seizure, and was rushed to the hospital. Drew and I went up with my parents that night to see him and my grandma. It was hard.

My big strong grandpa, was laying frail and sick in a bed, where he was fighting for every breath that he was taking. But that's my grandpa... He's a fighter. When we walked in he feebly tried to give us a thumb's up, but just couldn't muster the strength. He was in and out of it, just trying to breathe. As we sat there and talked with my grandma, I was almost certain that would be the last time I would see my grandpa. I called my brothers to tell them to get up to see him, it wouldn't be long.

Tuesday he was diagnosed with Leukemia, and this morning, Wednesday, he was gone.

Today the family gathered together to talk about what a great man my grandpa Jack is. I just wish that Drew and I could have told him that when and if we have a boy we had already decided to name him Jack Redd. That name is a lot for a little boy to live up to.

But he's gone now, and I know he knows.

I wish I could write on here all of the incredible things I know about my grandpa. I just have a little to share. My grandpa was put up for adoption when I believe he was around 6-7 years old. His mom left him and his brother Bill with an orange, and they watched her drive away from a window of the orphanage. The were sent from home to home trying to find a nice family where they could be adopted. Back in those days, when the trial period at a home was over, if they weren't going to adopt you, you would walk home from school and if your luggage and hat were waiting for you on the front porch, that meant you weren't going to be adopted by that family. You didn't see the parents, or kids that you were hoping would be your family again. You just picked up your luggage and went back to the orphanage. So that's what Bill and Jack did. My grandpa said that whenever they moved into a new town, the first thing they had to do was beat up every other boy around. That's how you got respect. He also said that in the orphanage if a baby cried or someone got hurt, he some how became the fall boy for the mistakes. Whether it was his fault or not, they punished him. Making him anxious around babies and small children, so what he started to do, to make sure the great grandchildren knew that he loved them, was every Sunday dinner he would give them a dollar. He wasn't sure how to show affection any other way, because he was shuffled in and out of so many homes, until he was adopted at 12. He never knew what the reason was, that he and his brother went to so many homes, and weren't adopted. He just thought it was because he was such a bad boy. He did end up running into one of the children, from one of the homes where he was "trying out for". And they said that they day that they put the luggage on the porch, they had just found out that the mother had cancer and only had a few days to live. So they couldn't support 2 more boys in their home. And the family was never able to explain to Jack and Bill how sad they were, or that it wasn't there fault.

Finally one day a woman showed up at the orphanage to adopt a little boy, because her son had passed away. So they lined all of the little boys up in the orphanage for Ali, to look at. She pulled Bill out of the line and asked him a few questions, upon deciding he was the one. Someone from the orphanage said, well he has a brother. When Ali's husband said "We didn't come here to adopt the whole orphanage." But Ali asked Jack to come forward, and took the two brothers home for good.

My grandpa loved his mother Ali, whenever he spoke about her, you could see the tears well up in his eyes. He thought this was just going to be another home that he would be out of in a few weeks, so him and his brother Bill thought they would just see how much trouble they could cause. Ali, with a major in Psychology saw right through these troubled boys, and told them they were a part of the family now, and broke down the rough and tough, street wise boys, and made them a home. Later on someone would go on to ask my great grandpa which kids were his, and which were adopted, to which he responded, "Ya know, I can't seem to remember." The Redd's were incredible people, who raised my incredible grandfather.

There are a thousand more stories, and successes about my grandpa. How a lost little boy, turned into such successful man. All of my thoughts are jumbled, and I'm a mess, I just wanted to send a small tribute to one of the greatest men I knew.

My heart swells every time I introduce myself, and someone says, "Oh are you Jack Redd's granddaughter." I love that my answer is YES! I love you grandpa, thank you for your legacy. I will miss your smile, and your big hearty laugh! I love you!

Rearranging....

Well now that most of the projects are wrapping up (or so I thought) we have been trying to pull out house back together. But I just kept getting hung up on the placement of furniture. My sister Kami has 'the eye' and I kidnapped her on Sunday to come redo our arrangement. She space our furniture, when we lived in the upstairs of our house, perfectly. As shown in the picture, that has been seen many times, below.

I had our couch next to some built in shelves, but it was just too heavy in that corner of the room.

And the table behind the couch was just okay.

Well in 30 minutes Kami (pronounced like Amy with a K., Remember that name, she's going to be famous when we start a staging company) transformed our home.

Flipping couches around, angling chairs, unrolling carpets, widdling small dolls out of wood. You name it she did it! And I am in awe. I would have never placed furniture where she placed it, but some how after she does it, it's like... How did I not think of that, it was just meant to be there.

She even convinced me to keep a rug I thought might be too loud.

Then she put a painting over the mirror and made this side table complete. It always looked like it was missing something. (This side table is my next project. It was given to me by a family I nanny for, and I want to put silver leaf on it.)

So it looks like this. (I cannot remember where I found this picture. So if anyone knows let me know so I can site it and give them credit.) Kami's (Amy with a K. Keep up with me) next stop was the built in shelf unit. That I have hated for as long as we have lived here.

My pathetic attempt to decorate, it is much better here then what it was a year ago, bleak.

Kami's vision which will be complete after pictures are developed, and those 2 cream frames are painted black... There might be something else but I'm not sure. Kam, (that's what I call her. Like aim with a K. I think your getting it ; ) ) I'll call you tomorrow to check. Now to the bedroom.

Our sad little dresser top. A stolen picture from my mom. Even though she said I could borrow it, but now denies it. And sand from out honeymoon in the Bahamas. It just needed something more. So perhaps you remember this nasty mirror from our bathroom. That Drew literally with his two hands ripped from the wall. Well I cleaned it off and found a new home.

A perfect resting spot for my perfumer. It's like I have my very own Nordstrom.

Of course Kami came in and adjusted everything.

Even put my perfume at a perfect angle. For a final touch she even found a perfect home for our H that my friend Carly made for me.

And just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone... In a whirlwind of style and grace... Thanks Kami for finally making our house feel adjusted. In other news I got my peg board hung and bathroom organized.

Finally some method to the madness. Now all I have to do, after all said projects are completed, is paint this rocking chair. I think I found the perfect blue.

Another Martha Stewart special... Should be just delightful.

So much to do....