Utah County Fair

The annual County Fair is this weekend (at Thanksgiving Point) and Josh had the opportunity to earn a patch by attending. So we braved the sweltering heat - but had a great time. Alex LOVES the rides. We were hoping to eat roasted corn, but it was way too hot. We opted for ice cold slushes - ahhhhh!

Morrison Golf Green

We're finding that Alex likes to play all sports. In the 10 plus years Jay lived in Calif., he played golf twice. Now that he has a lawn large enough for a mini-golf course, he's out practicing almost every nite. It's usually around 8:30p that you find both of them out in the back hitting the green.

Of course, a lawn this large needs a tractor mower..Maggie was eager to try it out. How many places can you mow at 9pm???

Home Projects

Out here in Utah there is a place call "DI" which stands for Deseret Industries - in other words - the thrift shop. Donations from all over end up at DI stores and its a haven for "do-it-yourself-ers." Its a much nicer Goodwill and we've been going there off and on to check it out. There are some awful things and there are some cool things that need a make-over. Since Jacob's room is "Snowboarder" theme, we decided to pick up a $5 snowboard and make wallhanging with it. I took the bindings off and used them to hold up the curtains (which were a steal at $5 ea.) Maggie painted a Burton logo (snowboard company) on one wall. We found a cool retro chair that we will re-upholster - but not sure with what kind of fabric. The picture here is the "before" picture. It's been my full time job trying to figure out how to decorate my home with a slim budget - its been fun having to work my brain out. Thus far Jacob's room has cost about $50 ($30 paint, $10 curtains and $10 for snowboard decor.)

A little painting.....well, alot of painting

Given our "no budget" availability for decorating, I'm painting rooms for a fresh beginning. Besides, Jacob didn't want his room to stay pink. We started with Jacob's because no one is in there and it was a pretty simple design. Maggie drew out a Burton Logo on one wall and I painted out the rest. Alex helped out too...as you'll see. The room is snowboard theme - so now we're going to start looking for do-it-yourself projects to help the decor. Enjoy the pictures!!

Welfare Square

Today the young women of our ward (Highland 23rd) went on a tour of "Welfare Square" in SLC. Although I passed the silos many times, I had never been there. Boy! I was certainly impressed by the efforts of Welfare Services. Everything from Transient Services (showers, clothing, hot food), to dairy, grain, canned goods, furniture and clothing, and of course Employment services. Each month when we fast we always remember our Fast Offerings (monetary donations that go to Humanitarian Efforts), but its exciting to see all the activities that these dollars allow. The cleaning kit you see above was sent to Katrina victims, along with 140 Semi-Trucks of supplies. The dairy produces milk (excellent chocolate milk!) , cheese, but the greatest "Mormon invention" is "Atmi" which in Ethiopian means "nourishing pourridge." It was developed specifically to treat malnourishment - especially for the famine victims of Ethiopia. Its made to help the digestive system so that the person can begin to take food. WOW!!! At the end of our tour we met lovely Sister Missionaries - from the U.S., Spain, and Sweden. Our tour guide is from Sandy - but he and others also give tours at Temple Square. We are so fortunate to be able to contribute - but seeing the huge warehouses of food and clothing brought tears to my eyes. My few dollars each month was really helping a soul in need - and I was able to witness the service in action. We had a great time together. The picture with the group are the young women and leaders. I'm so happy I get to hang out with this incredible group!!

New Alex pix

Jay and I were out one afternoon - only to find Alex sitting in the desk drawer - quite peaceful.
Enjoy !

Morrison Kids

Pioneer Day in Utah

Hello Family and Friends,
As we are new to Utah - the whole "Pioneer Day" is interesting. For one thing, everyone sells fireworks, Wal-mart, Costco, grocery stores, and corner stands. They're everywhere!! All state offices are closed and there is no mail (not sure why - that's federal). There is a huge parade that people go the night before and camp out to grab a perfect seat. Its even televised on the local station with commentators and everything. What I enjoy the most are the American flags everywhere. I'm posting a picture of our street with flags adorning it - as well as the horses across from us. Its a grand tradition here where Utahns take pride in their state and of being American. Although our family doesn't do much - I'll have to come up with our own new tradition.

Family photos

Chelsea and Michael



Alex on the front lawn....I'm still figuring out how to upload, but we'll add as we can. Maggie is the only one with a digital camera now...
Jacob and Maggie in Rexburg at one of the dances....
The boy with the hawaiian lei is Chelsea's boyfriend, Michael, who is in Maine this summer building a sailboat.....Now that I know we can publish photos's I'll be sure to upload as often as possible..Don't expect any too soon of Jay and I - we're trying to lose weight :)