I actually put up lights this year. Well, I put a few on the various trees we have out in front. I also hung some icicle lights on the front fence and the fence on the east side. Interestingly, I also hung some old mixed with some new colored lights beneath the icicles. The new ones kept burning out fuses. When I wanted to use them, I just put in a new fuse. I think I put in about four new fuses. Perhaps, I attempted to plug in more than I should have. Hey, my philosophy is this: If you cannot plug in a series of lights, then they aren’t worth their wattage.

Winter has been a bit iffy in Cheyenne. We have had a bit of snow, but it has either blown away or melted. In this picture, I was able to capture one of the College’s squirrel in the act of eating red berries, perhaps in response to the holidays and their ubiquitous reference to red, red, red.

In that lowly manger

In that lowly manger

In that lowly manger as beautiful Mary looked
upon her newborn Son, caressed His soft features,
felt the reassuring hand of her beloved Joseph,
did she see Him as a babe or as "the Savior of the world"?
Could she have heard what the Shepherds heard
while watching their flocks by night:
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord"?
Could she see the Prophet Samuel stand on the wall,
prophesy of her Son and of His coming hence?
Did she see Him as one who sat before the teachers
in the synagogues, teaching them when He was but 12?
Did she see Him walking along the sea, beckoning
Peter, James, and John to "come follow him"?
Did she see Him cause the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the maimed to walk?
Did she see Him say unto Lazarus, "Come forth…"?
Did she see Him beaten, torn, scorned by those who hated Him?
Did she see Him hang on that awful cross on Galgatha?
Could she have seen the empty tomb? Mary Magellan in the Garden?
Could she have heard the Father testify of her Son
when He introduced Him to the Nephites of old?
Could she have felt what other mothers felt when her Son
took each Nephite child, healed them, blessed them,
touched their lives for 200 years?
Could she have known as He lay there, wrapped in swaddling clothes
while the sheep bleated, the cows quietly mooed,
the Heavenly Star shining brightly above the stable,
announcing "Christ the Lord is born this day"?
Could she have known all of this as she sat with her first-born son,
cuddled him in her arms, stroking His subtle hair, cooing
her favorite lullabies to Him, making promises to teach Him
about what she knew, what she had been told
that He was "Son of the Highest"?
Yes, she would teach Him for she was His mother
and hast found favour with God…"

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Anna Rose and Christiaan Johnson and Hailey and Joseph Keller drove in from Provo, Utah. It was so fun to have them here. We ate lots of food, went to a movie (Twilight), played games with Sarah/Chad and Elaine/Phillip and their families, shot BB and pellet guns in our backyard, drank hot chocolate, did a little shopping, took pictures, ate more food, had lots of ice cream, had Thanksgiving with four Chinese students from Dalian Medical University who are going to Laramie County Community College, watched snow fall and blow, opened a couple of early Christmas presents, decorated the Christmas tree, played more games with our children, went to Church (Sacrament Meeting), and just had a lovely time with our family. I cannot think of anything more pleasant than being around and with my family. Check out the pictures above.

The Puyallup Reception

So, here are the newlyweds after one month. They had a good time at the Puyallup reception. So many people came and gave their hellos and counsel. Joseph's little brother Eric went around with a video camera and asked everyone to give their counsel to Hailey and Joseph. After the reception, we all watch it at the Keller home. Funny. Funny. Funny. The most quoted line usually came from the men who graciously counseled Joseph as to what he should say in all situatons, "Yes, Dear."

Bonnie and Travis joined us as well. They had to drive a couple of hours. It was so fun having them there.
It was wonderful to have Anna Rose with us at the reception. She stayed with us for a couple of days. Because of Christiaan's work schedule, he couldn't come with us, but we had a good time. We spent a bit of time at Pike's Place Market. What beautiful flowers they had! We bought a big bouquet for Mary. They were stunning.

This is Mt. Rainier and sits stoically by Puyallup. Can you imagine, waking up every single morning and seeing this outside your window? It would be totally awesome. The first day when we came in, you couldn't see it because of the clouds. But on the day of the reception, we could see it clearly. How majestic is this?

Hailey Jean Hammon becomes Hailey Jean Keller

Yup, it looks like my baby Hailey found another man--Joseph Aaron Keller of Puyallup, Washington. They were married in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple in Utah on August 23, 2008. It was a beautiful wedding followed by a extremely wonderful lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Linden. Dennis was there to do his thing: take pictures. Anna Rose and Christiaan were there. Plus, Delaina, Keith, and Andrew motored from Rigby. Joseph's parents and his grandparents came. Joseph's parents, Todd and Mary Keller, are such good people, and they have taught Joseph well. Todd is currently Bishop Keller and has served about seven years. We look forward to the reception in Puyallup, Washington, at the end of September. We have gained a wonderful son-in-law in Joseph.

The Cheyenne reception was on Saturday, August 30, a week after the wedding in Utah. Lou Jean, Sarah, and LaWane were there to help. And what great help they were. I trundled to Fort Collins on Friday to pick up the cakes. They were beautiful and delicious (and very expensive). We decorated the Church in browns and greens. Overall, it looked stunning! We attempted to keep the reception simple and small. Thus, we invited just a few close friends, some members of the ward, and some people from the College, mostly the President's Cabinet and the Board members.

It's rather odd, actually, to know that both our daughters have found young men whom they love deeply. Hailey still calls every day; so, that hasn't changed--yet. Joanne loves to chat with her, and I think Hailey loves to chat with us. They are both enrolled at BYU-Provo. I think--maybe hope--this is Hailey's last year at BYU unless she decides to complete a minor in international relations. Joseph still has a couple of years and then graduate school. They will do fine.

The Daddy of Them All--Cheyenne Frontier Days

Yup, Joanne and I went to the rodeo on Tuesday afternoon. We sat in the Qwest box as guests. Lots of people stopped by, including the Governor. It was warm, but there was lots of water and other refreshments. I took loads of pictures--some good, some bad. Some of the good ones I will post here for the world to see--or maybe just my beautiful daughters who periodically log on to their Dad's blog to see, if by chance, he may have written something different.

Thunderbirds at Laramie County Community College

The Thunderbirds flew in like bombers over a terrorist country. But this time they were quite friendly. They are truly amazing--flying low, flying high, flying wing tip to wing tip, twisting and turning up, twisting and zooming down. Catch the pictures above.