Jensenville

1st Letter from Elder Jensen

2010-10-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

we do have one misssionary from twin falls he is a recent convert and only uses direct scripture to talk to anyone. one of my roomates is just like derek his comp is from rexburg there are three in our zone from rexburg and they all new each other before they came. one dude is from mesquite. the worst utah mormon is from sandy he is like 5 7 and 140 wrestler and the perfect mormon he is lucky i havent lost it yet on him i corrected him and he said i didnt know anything cause ive never read the complete book of mormon he is from sandy go figure we all laugh alot in class its awesome we play around but only at the right time of coarse we sit in class 9.5 hours a day and eat 3 full meals the food isnt great but sure is plentiful i have already taught one investigater and have one tomoro they have them come to the mtc to teach new missionaries has austin figured out how to start my bike yet i dought even you could i nig rigged it so good luck with that one i already am dying from not workin on anything its reading all day and night I NEED ANOTHER T SHIRT OR 2 IT DOESNT MATTER IF IT HAS LOGO S OR NOT i only have one t shirt to sleep in and go to gym three times a week and for p day and it was cookies by the way and donuts thanks love you bye
Elder Josh

Pineview Panthers 2010

2010-10-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Ozzy #46

Pineview Panthers 9th Grade Football.
Ozzy plays linebacker and loves to get
in on a few tackes.

Ozzy on the tackle.

Another great tackle!

1st Letter from Elder Jensen

2010-10-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Elder Josh Jensen
MTC - October 13, 2010

We got our very first letter from Josh today! His main request....FABREEZE! Second request...TREATS! Mel sent Josh his first dozen of Krispy Kreme Donuts on Friday, Oct. 15. Josh gets to sleep from 10:30PM - 6:30AM. Classes from 7:00AM - 9:00PM. Lots of work!

Camping near Spencer Idaho August 2010

2010-10-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

Josh

Ozzy

Addy & Millie

Josh & Millie

Had fun camping and riding until we got rained out by a mega lightening storm. We had to pack up quick and got out of there fast. It was a little scary!

Easter 2010

2010-10-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

San Diego June 2010

2010-10-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Mormon Battalion

Cancun 2010

2010-10-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

We spent our 20th Anniversary in Cancun Mexico. What a trip!!!

GO CARDS!!

2009-12-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Arizona Cardinals are our favorite team. We went to see them play the first weekend in December. As you can see from the pictures the tailgate party is half the fun. Wow - there are some crazy people out there. We try to get over there for at least one game per year. If we are lucky, we hit a couple.

Cindy usually sets us up to go the the Suns basketball game the night before and sets us up in "suite" seats! We love going over to Phoenix for games!!

Pine View Panthers 8th Grade Football

2009-12-12T08:07:00.001-08:00

Ozzy's motto this year was "Quality H2O". He had surgery on his knee two weeks after football season started. He was on crutches for a few weeks and restricted activity almost all of football season. He stuck in there though and went to every practice and game. He was the "Waterboy" for the whole season, except for the last two games. He talked his doc into releasing him to play just before the last game. He did get a few plays in. His team played for the championship so he was lucky enough to get one more game, in which he even got to play a little more. Ozzy is #24.

Family Pictures

2009-12-10T19:58:00.001-08:00

Family Pictures taken in November 2009

Albuquereque New Mexico

2009-12-10T19:50:00.001-08:00

I went had the opportunity to visit my mom while she is serving a mission in Albuquerque, NM. I flew over and spent 4 days there. While there we were able to visit Old Down Town where the first settlers and mission was, Chaco Canyon (Indian ruins) and also the LDS temple. We spent some time shopping and also went to mom's ceramics class and made a few Christmas ornaments. I had a great time!

The Proposal

2009-12-10T19:38:00.001-08:00

November 10, 2009, Tyler and MacKenzie flew to Provo to take Tyler to the MTC. While there, Mackenzie Morrison (nephew) made a surprise visit to his sweetheart, Julie Hansen, to ask her to marry him. Julie is a student at BYU and this has been a TOUGH semester for them being so far apart. Can you just imagine, in the old days, when they didn't have cell phones to be in constant contact!!
(Now who could turn down a face like that!)
Best wishes you two!!

I LOVE MISSIONARIES!!

2009-12-02T14:34:00.001-08:00

November has been an exciting month for our family. Tyler Morrison (nephew) entered the MTC on November 11, 2009 to serve in the Riverside, California mission. We will miss him so much but we are lucky enough to enjoy his humor in the letters he writes home. We are so proud of you Ty.

Picture(left to right): Derek Hughes, Andy Bolos, Josh Jensen, Adam Bangerter

Andy Bolos (we'll claim him as one of our sons) has been called to the Washington DC South Mission. He spoke in church on Sunday, Nov. 15. These are a few pictures after church. Andy entered the MTC on December 2, 2009 and will report to Washington DC on December 23, 2009

DeAnne's Poem

2009-10-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I find the urge to write a poem. This time it was DeAnne's turn to be in the spotlight. I first met DeAnne Wilkins way back in the early 1990's. We worked together at Melaleuca and then for many years at WalMart. We were quick friends and have stayed friends through out the years, the ups and the downs. So here it is -

DeAnne’s Poem
August 2009

She’s been around the world and back again,
Stopping at home just to check in.
A round of golf, a Broadway play,
She makes the most of everyday.

Switzerland, England, Italy and France
She loves to visit, when she gets a chance.
But the Alaska Fishing trip and hunting a boar
Trying to wait until next year, WOW, what a chore!

Empty nest for DeAnne? Absolutely NO WAY!
She’s got her animals and they’re here to stay.
There’s Maggie and Murphy and the Kitty Cats too.
They all keep her busy – they’re part of the crew!

Her animals and family, they’re one in the same
And for all the hair loss they cause, there’s always Rogaine.
So keep them around, they’re always great fun
Even if they do keep you on the run.

DeAnne loves to golf, takes great pride in her game.
She’ll soon be inducted into the Hall Of Fame!
Do they even have that in golf? I wasn’t quite sure
But Tiger, watch out, on the PGA Tour.

Why just the other day she was walking the course
Even though it was hot, she had no remorse.
She walked up to the ball and gave it a whack
And what do you know – IT CAME RIGHT BACK!!
So how many dimples does a golf ball have?
I’m not sure, let’s ask DeAnne.

From the mark it left in the middle of her core
She counted at least 52 or more.
52 divits on one little ball,
Who’d have guessed, she can STILL count them all.
The ball left its marks, yes all 52.
Her souvenir: A round, slightly purple, spotted TATOO!

Now, What about Bob, Did I hear someone say?
She made a great catch when she snagged him that day.
Yes, we all know to keep up with DeAnne
She had to get herself one heck of a man.
Now twenty years later in true wedded bliss
She’s had some mighty good times and none she would miss.

Now when she left Wally World and said “Goodbye”
I can’t help but think there was a tear in her eye.
Now she’s an advocate for children, stands up for them in court.
This includes a lot of behind the scene visits, and work of that sort.
Representing the little ones that are sometimes forgotten.
Helping them out of situations that are often quite rotten.
Standing up for those that have no choice
Doing what she can to give them a voice.

We’ve all grown to love you and all that you are.
You always encourage us to raise the bar.
Stand up strait, Do what’s right
And never, never give up the fight.

Well here we are and it’s your day
And what we all just want to say
Have a Better than average, Bright and WONDERFUL Day!!

We love you DeAnne
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

GOOD NEWS ALL AROUND!!!

2009-09-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

We had a great week with lots of EXCITING announcements starting with and in no particular order:
#1 - Addyson (Justin & Jessi's little girl) is going to be a BIG SISTER!! Corgrats Justin & Jessi. We are so excited to have another addition to the family!! Due April 2010??

#2 - Jack & Cindy (Mel's sister & brother-in-law) are expecting not ony 1 baby, but 2!! TWINS!! Congrats again and LOTS of luck! Due April 2010?? #3 - Tyler John Morrison (Bonnie's Nephew) received his mission call to the Riverside, CA, English speaking mission, leaving November 11, 2009. He will be an awesome missionary! Best wishes Ty!

To all of the above good luck, best wishes and we love you!!!

Austin Has His Knee Scoped

2009-09-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

Ozzy had his knee scoped last Friday, Sept. 4th. Believe it or not, this is actually BEFORE the pain killers:).

Doc had to cut out some torn cartilage and drill some small holes under the kneecaps to help it stay in place.

Oz is well into his football season and HOPES to be able to play by the end of the season. It is a week post surgery and he is off crutches and doing therapy on a stationary bike.

Mel For Washington City Council

2009-09-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is for real. Mel finally threw his hat in the ring. He has been having so much fun and learning A LOT on his campaign trail. He has many "Meet the Candidates" meetings and was on talk radio this morning introducing himself and his points of view. He is running for Washington City Council. There are two spots open and ten people running! This has actually been a great refresher course for high school government class.

Good Luck Mel! May the votes be with you!!

Josh

2009-08-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Josh was ordained to the office of an Elder today. We had a short meeting conducted by President Bangerter. Mel conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood upon Josh and then Josh was able to bare his testimony.
Yes... he still has a little facial hair but I'm sure that will change with a little more time.
Congrats Josh.... we love you!!
Mel Jensen, Josh Jensen & President Bangerter

Mel, Josh, Austin, President Bangerter, Adam Bangerter, Derick Hughes, Mitch Peterson & Sadie Sandburg.

WE LOVE THE BEACH

2009-08-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in Oceanside California with our friends the Brinkerhoff's. What a great trip. We left Thursday afternoon and spent the night in Primm Nevada. Did a little shopping at the outlet mall there, had a "German" themed buffet (whatever that means) and spent the night at Buffalo Bill's. General consensus - we can take that off the "to-do" list.
Next day we headed out at 6:00AM to the BEACH. When we got to Oceanside we went to our favorite little hole-in-the-wall fish & chips joint and had some lunch then it was off to the beach. We spent a couple of hours there in which I promptly sunburned my shoulders. That evening we went to a car show/cruise in over at Escondido. We walked up and down the streets looking at lots of cool cars and a few strange people including one with a boa constrictor wrapped around his neck.
Saturday, 4:30AM the fishermen (Mel, Josh, Nate & Colby) headed out to the long awaited fishing trip. They went out of Point Loma and headed south down into the Baja Mexico area. They had a great time fishing. Mel broke his pole about an hour into the excursion but between the four of them they caught 28 Sea Bass and one shark. Colby caught the 4 foot long shark. Though they couldn't bring a shark onto the boat they reeled it in and got a good look at it before they cut it loose.
When the guys got done fishing they stopped and got a picnic lunch and brought down to the rest of us that were already on the beach. Janet and I took the rest of the kids and were at the beach since 9:30 that morning. We stayed the rest of the day at the beach playing in the sand, catching sand crabs and boogie boarding. We played hard all day.
For dinner, we had ice cream and then went to a great little pizza place in Carlsbad. The Brinkerhoff's were having so much fun they decided to stay another day on vacation but we headed home on Sunday. The way we vacation it takes me a week to catch up on sleep and laundry but we had a blast. We are already planning next year's outing!!

Mel at Strand Peir in Oceanside
Strand Peir

Sadie playing in the sand

Josh, Nate & Colby on the fishing trip

Getting the live bait before heading out to fish

World's Greatest Fish Fry (Well Almost)

2009-08-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

After a great fishing trip, what else can you ask for but a great fish fry! We had our friends over to share in the feast. There were enough fish & chips to go around many, many times. The guys cooked for and hour. Mel battered and cooked the fish while Doug and Nate kept the fries cooking in the fryers. We ate so much sea bass and it was soooo good that I just had to take a few pictures. Here is one of the kids getting a head start on the food. Here's just a sample of what we had for dinner. YUM!!

Pine Valley

2009-07-20T15:25:00.001-07:00

We went to Pine Valley with my homies from work. We stayed at the DSC cabin (it's huge) and we had a blast. It was much cooler up there - around 80 - 85 degrees instead of the 114 we left in St. George. It was so nice and comfortable, we really didn't want to come home. We went fishing at the PV Reservoir (below). Went on a tour of the PV Chapel.

Found 5 pioneer cemeteries -waayyy back in the mountains.

Took a few cool pictures

Took the kids and some of the not-so-little kids snipe hunting.

Took another tour of the chapel - it was sooo cool!

Took pictures of lots of deer. They don't seem to be afraid of people!

Ozzy

2009-07-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hope you can see this, it's kinda small. I thought it was kinda cool. Ozzy did this on his facebook page...

Burch Family Reunion 2009

2009-07-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our family reunion. We spent a few days in Lehi, Utah at Becky & Isoa's home. Monday we went to Tibble Reservoir for a quick fishing excursion. Mackenzie had to get back to go check on school. Then it was swimming afternoon at the Orem pool. Tuesday we spent at Lagoon. We had a great time. Mackenzie, Tyler & Ozzy went on the Sky Coaster. I was way more scared than Oz was, and I was just watching.
It was awesome having Mackenzie back after two years on his mission but we sure missed mom because she is on a mission in Albuquereque NM. Mel won the blanket at the family raffle and he hasn't let go of it yet.
All in all, we had a great time! Can't wait till next year. Mel and I are in charge...
Millie, Kelsi & Hailey

Jale Kade fishing at Tibble Reservoir.

Millie finding some "bait".

Millie & Skyler

Ethan

Austin

John

Sara

Millie

Hailey & Kelsi

Becky & Sara

Austin at the Logan Temple

Sara

It's A Sickness

2009-06-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

My lucky, lucky neighbors (haha.. sorry friends) get to see stuff like this in front of my house on a regular basis. Mel brought home his car (1934 Chevy) today and parked behind Josh's truck (1946 Chevy). I thought these cars went out of style a long time ago but apparently they are all the rage around our house. Oh well, it keeps 'em busy!!!

Carlsbad - June 2009

2009-06-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

Just got back from an awesome vacation on the beach! We had a blast! Cindy & her family invited us to join them at their timeshare in Carlsbad California. We planned on only staying for 3 days but ended up staying almost a whole week. We just couldn't tear ourselves away. Monday we spent at Knott's Berry Farm we had fun but if must have been free school kids day because there were bus loads of kids.
On Tuesday Mel, Ozzy, Jack and Cole went on a fishing excursion. They caught barracuda and large mouth bass. The girls hit the outlet mall and did a little shopping.
Wednesday Ozzy went to Lego Land with his cousins and Thursday we all went to San Diego. Most of the group went to tour the USS Midway while Mel and I took Casey on a walk to Sea Port Village. Of course we spent a portion of every day down at the beach. Austin and Cole played in the waves until they were exhausted.

Casey at the marina at Sea Port Village
Casey & Mel

Ozzy & Cole

Sunset...

Mel, Bonnie & Ozzy

Here is a picture of the court yard where we stayed.

(Since Josh hasn't been on the job at his new employment very long he had to stay home and work... wish he could have been with us!)

2009-06-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great Memorial Day Weekend this year. We had lots of family in town for Josh's graduation so we just made a weekend out of it.
Saturday we took an outing to Sand Hollow State Park which is a reservoir and recreation area. Just about the time we got there and set up, there was a wild storm that came up. So, not only did we sink Cindy's car in the sand (below), we also about sunk the boat. This picture was taken just before the storm hit so there is a little sun. We had to run the boat up on the sand because we could not take it back across the reservoir to put it on the trailer. The wakes were WAY too big to get the boat off the water so we just had to set the storm out. Jo & I sat on the boat so it didn't get away and the rest of the crew went to get Cindy's car out of the sand. What a mess!! We did have a great weekend though, definitely one for the books! Besides the excitement over at Sand Hollow, we went fishing at a local fish pond. The kids had lots of fun and even caught some fish. We found out the best bait was Cheetos - it worked every time.

Name that kid

2009-06-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

If you guessed Josh... YOU'RE RIGHT! Yes, the cute little kid in front of the Pizza Hut in Burley and on grandpa's tractor is Josh. My what a few years can do for a little guy!

These pics were taken on April 22, 1995. That was the year Mel decided he could make something out of these old junkers. Now, 14 years later, the car is almost complete. He hopes to take it to the Logan car show over the July 4th weekend.

Pine View High Graduation 2009

2009-05-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

May 21, 2009
Here's a few pix of Josh's Graduation. Good job Josh! We Love You!

WELCOME HOME KENZ!!

2009-05-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

May 21, 2009

Welcome home McKenzie! We love you and are sooo proud of you! Thanks to Isoa for the first picture off of the airplane - at least the first leg of the trip home.

HAPPY GRADUATION!!!

2009-05-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Our little Joshy graduates today! Wow - where has the time gone!

Congratulations!!

Graduation 2009... well almost

2009-05-07T15:19:00.001-07:00

Some of you have probably already seen some of these pictures, but these are a few that I thought turned out well. (Now - if we could just get him to SMILE!)

What's wrong with this picture?

2009-04-25T18:50:00.001-07:00

If you guessed that this is Ozzy's knee and it WAY to big to be on a 13 year old - You're right!
It's offical, he's got the Burch Family "Kneasles". We spent a few hours at Insta Care after he injured his knee while playing in the last game of the season on Saturday. We have to go see an orthopaedic specialist next week. (P.S. For a good laugh, you need to ask Becky what Ethan said when we sent her a picture of his knee while we were still at the doc's.)
He's in alot of pain, thank goodness for pain pills!
Before pain pills....

After pain pills...

Strawberry Jam Anyone?

2009-04-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

You know summer is just around the corner when you can get good strawberries and put them to good use. Mel forced me to make a couple of batchs of Strawberry jam. Wish you were here - we would share!

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-13T06:20:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!! We had a nice, QUIET Easter though the boys didn't get out of coloring Easter Eggs. I think Josh might have even smiled a bit! We went to the Easter Car Show on Saturday and a movie that afternoon. Mel made a very nice ham dinner on Sunday and it was a BEAUTIFUL day in Southern Utah.

Pineview Border League 2009

2009-04-13T06:14:00.001-07:00

Automotive Contest 1st Place Winner

2009-04-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here he is - the 1st Place winner of the Dixie State College Automotive Contest. And NO - his dad did NOT help him.
Josh participated in the annual contest held at the college this spring. All of the local high schools were invited and brought their best automotive students. They went through several "stations" some of which were: brakes, heating & cooling, steering & suspension, transmissions, tool recognition and more. He also had to take a written exam. He got the top score out of all the students. (He was outscored only by an instructor that participated for fun - and it wasn't by far!). His prize - a tuition wavier to Dixie State College! Though he was ineligible because his dad works for the college he still got to choose from some pretty cool tools. WAY TO GO JOSH!!! (and you though he was just a pretty face-hehe!!)

Spring Break 2009

2009-03-22T20:41:00.002-07:00

We have had a great Spring Break this year. The boys have been out of school all week and have had lots to do. Josh went on a road trip with a few of his friends to Toole and then to Delta Utah. They took their motorcycles and went riding first on the race track at Toole and then drove to Delta to camp and ride there. They "camped out" - which consisted of sleeping in the vehicle and eating a whole package of hotdogs between the four of them. (No ketchup, mustard or paperplates involved.) Guess they got those great "camping skills" through all of their Scouting adventures...

Austin wasn't going to be out done though. Him and friends, Jack and Steve, went on their first solo motorcycle ride. They went out to Fort Pearce and rode as long as they wanted. Mom - being the Nervous Nellie that she is - followed them out and made sure they got out there OK. Then it was up to them to get themselves home. They did and had a blast.

We also had Justin, Jesse and their cute baby girl Addyson down for the weekend. We were able to spend a couple days in Vegas with them and then Mel and I were on for babysitting duty while Justin & Jesse stayed another day in Vegas siteseeing. We had sooo much fun with Addyson. These are a few pics of Addyson playing in the water. (Why is it so much fun to watch somebodyelse's kids make messes?!?!)

Border League

2009-03-22T20:30:00.001-07:00

After two rounds of try-outs, Austin was fortunate enough to end up on the roster for the Border League team. He is really excited to play in this league even if it means getting up at 5:00AM to be at practice at 5:45AM. He is about halfway through the season and since is buddy Jack, who is also on his team, has been out of town Austin has had the opportunity to play point guard. He was pretty nervous about remembering plays, but has done really well.

Rhino Rally 2009

2009-03-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

Here is Ozzy coming through one of the check points. He did three 14 mile loops. He placed 5th out of about 40. He received a trophy for 5th place. Here is Josh coming through one of the check points. He did one 56 mile loop and one 24 mile loop. He placed somewhere in the middle of 300 bikes... The results will be posted to the internet soon. He did really well. Only took a couple of headers - NO BROKEN BONES!!!! Yeah!!

Mel & Josh are somewhere in the line up below. Mel started off really well then ended up in a cactus. He didn't finish the race but he has a great story to tell about a darn magnetic cactus. Did you know that to remove cactus from a large portion of your body you should put Elmer's School glue on the affected part, let it dry and then peal off. Hum, who knew!?!?

There were several helicopters videoing and watch from the air.

That's a lot of bikes!!

Great Trials Lie Ahead

2009-02-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a great link of a video that was put together with words from the prophets of the last day. Something to think about.....
Enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTVECvTYpN0

School Work

2009-01-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

Every day I ask the boys "What did you do in school today?"

Now I know.
Josh dreams of his truck and fixing it all up...

Ozzy dreams about jumping his dirt bike over a shark tank.....

GOOD LUCK CARDINALS!!!

2009-01-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

Just in case you missed the mass email I sent out...

GO CARDINALS!!!!

2009-01-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

Tail Gate Party - Front row seats! Pep Rally

Under Dog

Tail Gate after Tail Gate after Tail Gate...

Fitzgerald for another 6!!!

Goin' to the Super Bowl!!!

But not before the Post Game Party with family and friends of the players.

The players drive pretty cool cars. Their parking lot was right by the post game party. We even got to see Kurt Warner, Tim Hightower and Darnell Dockett. Austin was speachlesssss.

Here is one of Tim Hightower.

He is still speachless....

Any Given Saturday

2009-01-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

So, if you ever wonder where to find us on a beautiful Saturday afternoon you might want to check the Arizona Strip. This is where we have put in many miles of riding and otherwise just hangin' out.
Josh showing us a "wheelie"...

Ozzie trying out his new bike. The gang, Lt to Rt, Derrick, Andy, Josh & Mitch.

Ozzie showing us a "wheelie".

Ready to roll...

Christmas 2008

2008-12-31T15:32:00.001-08:00

Logan & Austin
Addyson

Austin & The puppies

Santa Austin

Daisy

We spent Christmas in Idaho. We had to wait and travel between storms because the weather was was so bad. While we were in Idaho the snow kept coming and many roads were closed. We spent most of Christmas day at the Jensen's but also ventured out to see the Ball Family, Justin Jessi and Addyson, Brandon & Hailey and family. More stops were on the list but because of the weather we didn't get to see everyone we would have liked to.

On the way home we hit bad weather over Malad Pass. I was sure glad to get home and see blue sky and dry pavement although I will admit it was fun to VISIT the snow!!

Snow!

2008-12-31T15:23:00.000-08:00

Austin tried several differant methoods of getting from the top of the hill to the bottom...

STILL PLAYING IN THE SNOW!

2008-12-18T18:33:00.000-08:00

It's 7:30PM and Austin has been playing in the snow all day! After he wore out the front lawn, he moved to the back where he built this beautiful snowman. There's not much snow left and it's melting fast but we sure had a lot of fun today!!

Snow Day!!!!

2008-12-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

After snowing all night we got the wonderful news that school has been cancelled. It was reported that this was the first "Snow Day" in over ten years. We were all so excited to see snow that we got up really early and started taking pictures (well, mostly just Bonnie). What you see here is the total of what we got. Can you beleive they cancelled school for 2-3 inches of snow!
Josh's truck...
Pictures of the St. George Temple...

Family Picture - December 2008

2008-12-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

Phoenix Suns Game

2008-12-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Super Fans....

Just hangin' in the suite...

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-05T17:22:00.001-08:00

We had a a lot of people at our house this year for Thanksgiving. Jo, Ferd, Jack, Cindy & Kids, Becky, Isoa & kids and us. We had a blast. We stayed really busy shopping, eating and oh ya, more shopping.
I finally had Becky cut my hair off, well most of it anyway. I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. What was I thinking?!?! Needless to say Becky and I look a lot alike now!! (Ahhh the joys of having your own personal hairdresser!)
We were able to get out side a little bit and get some fresh air. (Ahhh the joys of living in St. George!) Even though it rained Thursday and Friday, by Saturday it was really nice.

Here is a picture of the boys warming up the motor....

Here's Kade tired of warming up the motor.
Becky and baby Sarah..

Cole in Bonnie's cute pink helmet...

Casey trying to go out the puppy door.

WOW... We've been BUSY!!

2008-12-05T15:45:00.000-08:00

OK, so here's a quick catch up on what we've been up to for the last few weeks. The weekend before Thanksgiving we were able to go over to Phoenix and visit Cindy and family. While we were there we had an awesome time. The boys went to a Phoenix Suns game and got to hang out in one of the suites. Of course Oz had to have his picture taken with a couple of cheerleaders. The next day we were able to go to a Cardinals football game. They played the NY Giants, it was a great game. It was sooo loud in the stadium. It was a quick trip but well worth it!!
These first two pictures of #11 on the Cardinals is Larry Fitzgerald, Ozzy's favorite player. The other pictures are just of us prior to the game.

Blog Note

2008-11-20T06:36:00.000-08:00

Please feel free to make comments. I have our blog set so the comments are sent to my email and moderated first. (Some wacko's think they need to advertise on my blog) so I have set the comments to be moderated before they show up. Sorry about the inconvienence but keep the comments coming!!! We love them!

Golfing 101

2008-11-19T16:15:00.000-08:00

Big thanks to Bob & Deanne who got us out of the trailer house and gave us some culture! Yup - here it is...

We had a lot of fun and only got to do 6 holes because the sun gave up on us and went to bed.

Happy 13th Birthday Oz!!

2008-11-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

We had cake & ice cream for Oz tonight. Had a few family and friends over to help celebrate. Austin only had a "short" list of wants for his b-day: cell phone, Ipod, a new motorcycle and Madden '09 (video game). Needless to say he only got one of the above mentioned items, and it wasn't any of the first three! There's always next year Oz!

Happy Birthday!!

OH MYLANTA!!!

2008-11-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

That's about all I have to say about that....

Except that Austin was literally in tears about Obama becoming our 44th President of the United States. He was REALLY upset. He just kept saying, "Now I have to go to school on Saturdays!"

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-10-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

I think they have matching teeth! Notice the cut up lips. Austin was playing football at the park with some friends and hit his mouth on another kids head. He has had cut and swollen lips for a few days. They are looking better now.

Hope that's a pumpkin seed...

2008-10-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hi Lynn....

2008-10-28T06:34:00.003-07:00

Eagle Scout

2008-10-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

Although Josh has had his Eagle for quite awhile now, we finally held a Court of Honor on his behalf. It was a great program and really fun to see Josh almost smile. He was happy about getting his award whether he admits it or not. He had a lot of his friends there to support him. We had a great BBQ Brisket (Thanks to Mel) after the Court of Honor. It was delish and we had lots of people over to share it with.

On a side note - have you ever seen that Royal Caribbean commercial where the family goes on vacation and the teenage girl won't crack a smile and then her mom actually catches a smile on camera and then it's gone. That's just a good way to describe Josh.

WE LOVE YOU JOSH!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Brace Face!!!

2008-10-16T07:57:00.001-07:00

Tinsel Teeth!! Metal Mouth!! Railroad Tracks!!... You get the point.
Here is Austin modeling his handy dandy new braces. He had them put on yesterday (Oct. 15, 2008), and will probably have them on for the next 22 months. So hopefully by the start of his 9th grade year he can get them off.
If you can't tell by the picture, they are blue & white in honor of BYU, his favorite college football team. His mouth is a little sore today but doing pretty well.

Halloween Past

2008-10-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures from Halloween a few years ago...

I think we are past the trick-or-treating stage at my house, but Austin still has high hopes that we will let him go this year.

Some things never change

2008-10-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

After I posted the pictures of Josh playing in the red Jeep, I thought I was having a dejavu moment. Then I remembered....

Last week...

2008-10-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here is Josh working on his "Driving" Merit Badge. (HA HA) The only puddle for a hundred miles and he has to play in it... P.S. If Josh asks to borrow your car, JUST SAY NO!

Austin & Kaden practicing for their Rifle Shooting Merit Badge. Mel & I took them out after school on Thursday to get some practice in. Austin in doing great with his scouting. He is a 1st Class Scout and almost ready for his next rank advancement.

Friday Night Entertainment

2008-09-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

It doesn't get any better than this!! Friday night after the football game, Josh and his friends decided it was time for McKenzie's cast to come off. It took close to an hour and a half and lots of "patients". I figure this is the closest Josh will ever be to becoming a doctor - but who knows?? Here are a couple of pix of all the excitement.

Cow Dung Run 2008

2008-09-14T15:29:00.001-07:00

Saturday, September 13, 2008
Josh & Oz participated in a desert race at Delta Utah. Oz finished second in his class. He did 4 ten mile loops.
We aren't sure where Josh finished yet. The results have not been posted on line. He did really well considering he lost his carburator and had to do some repairs on the trail.
Here is the starting line. Josh is in there somewhere...

Oz is battling it out. He's the one on the right. (Yellow bike)

Oz at one of the check points.

Here is Josh starting loop #2 of 2o mile loops. He completed two loops.

The reason it's called Cow Dung Run is because the pit area is where they winter the cattle and there's lots of ... well you know:)

Ozzy's 1st Game Of The Year

2008-09-11T06:07:00.001-07:00

2008-09-10T20:21:00.001-07:00

Oz is #62 the other way we can tell it's him are the black pants. He was the guy at the end of the line when they were handing out equipment.

Oz's sweet block for the only touch down of the whole game...

Special Teams...

Another sweet block...

They won their first game 6-0. We'll keep you posted on the Desert Hills Steelers.

Albuquerque, NewMexico....WHERE'S A MAP?!?!?!

2008-08-29T20:11:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Mom Burch!! After much waiting, anticipation and wondering, here it is, her mission call finally arrived! Mom has been called to serve in the Albuquerque NewMexico Mission office for 18 months. She will start her mission on October 20, 2008. When we told Oz where you were called to he replied, "That's the best place in the world!" I'm sure when you are done you'll think so too.

Good luck and best wishes! We are so proud of you and love you lots!!

Catch Of The Day...

2008-08-28T19:52:00.001-07:00

Josh and his buddy "DirtKik" went fishing this afternoon. This is what Josh caught on the second cast....

It went down hill from there. (No this isn't the bait)

They had fun anyway!!

One Liners

2008-08-25T21:58:00.001-07:00

Get Your Halloween Countdown

Justin's havin' fun in the sun - again!

2008-08-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

2008-08-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

Justin, Jessilee & Addyson

Brandon, Hailey & Logan

The Fly Boys

2008-08-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Put this one on your "Gotta see" list. The Fly Boys was filmed right here in St. George Utah. Stephen Baldwin, a main character in the show, was right here in St. George for the premier which was last night.

It was a fun show for us to watch because it was filmed at locations all around St. George with one of the scenes right here in the fields by our house. On the other hand, it was a little hard for us to watch because a lot of times in the same scene they would go from one side of town to the other and they were supposed to be in the same location. Austin would keep asking how they got there so fast. If you don't know the area so well you would never know.

This was a great family movie. I'm definitely buying this one when it comes out on DVD. Check it out! http://www.theflyboysmovie.com/

Peru 2008

2008-08-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Josh just returned Saturday evening from his two week excursion to Peru. He traveled with a group of twenty eight people. The name of the group was AYS (Alliance For Youth Service). They were able to visit and work at an orphanage. They dug trenches, moved adobe blocks up a hill and cleaned out a Guinea pig pen that was being converted to a dormitory for the older orphan boys.
Josh was able to visit Machu Picchu, Lima and Cusco. He really enjoyed spending time with his cousin Ty that went on the trip also.
The highlight of his trip though was meeting a little orphan by the name of Jhon, pronounced "Young". After a few days at the orphanage this little boy just came over to Josh during a social activity and climbed up on his lap. The little boy fell asleep on his lap. They were fast friends and Josh taught him lots of little fun things including motorcycle sounds - go figure. He also taught him the little rascals wave, Scooby Doo noises, and Tim Taylor Toolman noises. Josh wanted to bring the little guy home with him.

Jhon always had something in his mouth. This time it was rocks!

This is Jhon when he found out Josh was leaving.

Josh was finally able to get him to smile and play with him again before he left. He got one more good picture of the two of them.

I Think I Can...

2008-08-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

I think I can... I think I can..... Nope. Austin found out what quicksand can do in a short amount of time. This was near a wash on the Arizona Strip. We had to take the truck way back in the desert and pull the 4-wheeler out. It was REALLY STUCK!

Austin's Day At The Dunes

2008-08-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

(I know bad picture -but cool wheelie!)

We are sooo lucky!!! It finally rained on Monday evening in St. George. WE LOVE RAIN!!! (That's how it goes when you live in the desert.) So we took advantage of it and took Austin riding on Tuesday morning. The weather was actually cool enough to be outside and the sand was perfect. Austin took full advantage of this and borrowed his dad's wheels. Yup - he's on a 250 Motorcycle. He jumped the sand hills until he was exhausted. The only thing missing from this ride was Josh & Justin!!

California Trip 2008

2008-07-30T21:34:00.001-07:00

So we have been running for a week now! I know, what's new?!?! Anyway, we got Josh on the Airplane to Peru last Thursday. I took him to SLC to meet up with Ty and head out on their outing to Peru. They had quite a miserable start to the trip. They missed their connection in Lima Peru. After all was said and done they spend almost 3 days in airports.

Becky and I took her kids and made a quick trip to Idaho. We went to mom's and spent a couple of days and got to see a little bit of the 24th of July activities. We left Oakley Saturday morning so I could make it back to St. George by Saturday evening.

Mel and I took Oz and his friend, Kaden, to California for a few days. We had a great time. We spent some time at the beach, Knott's Berry Farm and riding "Beach Cruisers". What a blast! Do you know how long it's been since I have ridden a real peddle bike - no gears, clutches or BRAKES! ( Well at least it had good old-fashioned push the peddle backwards brakes.) We decided that is the only way to travel on the beach. We covered about 10 miles of beach. It was awesome! These are a few of my favorite pictures. There's even a picture of me - upside down - on one of the rides.

As a side note - we got to feel a real Califonia earthquake!! It was pretty wild. We were driving down the road and it felt like Mel hit some really deep ruts. The car jigged sideways and I asked him what the heck he was doing. He said that it wasn't him. Just our luck we came to a stop light which put us right under and overpass. Guess what??? The ground was shaking. It wasn't the car! And there we sat under a freeway overpass. We thought that it was just the traffic over head making the ground move but as we drove a little further people were outside buildings and fire trucks were going crazy! Just so you know we didn't put all of this info together until later in the afternoon. I said I bet that was an earthquake. So we sent a text to ChaCha to ask if there was an earthquake in California today. They answered back that there had been and it was the largest since 1994. (FYI - ChaCha (242-242) is an information service that you can text for free if you have free texting on your phone. You can ask all kinds of questions, weather, temp, phone #'s, addresses etc. even trivia questions. It also keeps 12 year old boys busy on a long trips in the car. Try it - it's great!)

~The Snake~

2008-07-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

Austin's 1st week-long Scout camp was July 15-19, 2008. There were six boys that went and Mel was recruited to go as an adult leader for a couple of days. (Mel -an adult - who knew?!?!) Anyway, Mel and Bro. Jones took the boys up to Cedar Mountain on Tuesday morning bright and early. They had a great time working on merit badges and other scout activities.
Mel said that Wednesday, Oz had a close encounter of the "snake" kind. As Oz walked through the tall grass he must have stepped on the tail of a snake. The snake then wrapped up around his leg. (Remember this is Austin the one who ALWAYS wears shorts.)
Austin shook his leg and got the snake off then the snake came back after him. Luckily, Mel was only a short distance away. Austin made it over to Mel before he had a total melt-down. Though a lot shaken and very disturbed, Austin stuck it out and stayed at camp even though Mel came home the next day. From the way they described the snake it was a small grass snake, skinny and green - but snake, never-the-less!!
We will write more when Oz gets home from camp and let you know how the rest of the week went!!

Burch Family Reunion 2008

2008-07-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome time at the Burch Family Reunion this year! We met at the May Family Ranch located on the Salmon River between Challis and Stanley Idaho. There was sooo much to do that we could have stayed another couple of days. The kids fished at a pond and the older kids fished on the Salmon River. The first big attraction though was the 200 foot water slide. We only had one minor injury that required a trip to the Urgent Care 2o some odd miles away. We won't mention any names:)
We also got to float down the Salmon River, visit a couple ghost towns, pan for gold, scavenger hunt, water games and the kids favorite - catching candy as it was launched out of a potato gun.

2008-07-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

This picture speaks for it's self!
Cousins are doing a little fishing.
Josh & Ty show us there wood carving skills. Notice Josh has the "tongue out of the mouth" technique going on.
This is one of my favorite pictures. Josh is helping Millie with her fishing pole.
Does this look like trouble or WHAT?!?!?

Kelsey panning for gold at the ghost town of Custer Idaho.
Grandma and Ethan take a break in front of the store at the ghost town.
Oz and Ty panning for gold. Rafting down the Salmon River was a blast!!
Ethan is ready to roll - let's get this boat on the water!

4th Of July

2008-07-12T12:12:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pics from our 4th of July celebration. We spent the weekend with the Jensen family and enjoyed some of Mel's great cooking. Brian, Lorilee and Millie came down to Blackfoot (Idaho) to join us for a BBQ on Saturday. We had a great time catching up and just spending time with everyone!

More pictures!!

2008-06-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

1st pic - Cindy (Mel's sister), Casey and Grandma Jo (Mel's mom)

2nd pic - Casey

3rd pic - Cole

4th pic - Casey, Grandma & Cole

2008-06-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Anyone for diving lessons?

Austin spent some time this week end teaching his cousin Cole the finer pionts of diving. We spent a lot of time just hanging out at the pool and catching up. We don't get to see them very often so we just enjoyed spending some time together!

2008-06-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Seeing Double??

No, it's just Mel's idea of babysitting. Last weekend we watched the Kalma's dogs for them while they were out of town. Now that's some serious "lap dogs" and we love 'em all!

May 31, 2008

2008-06-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend the boys all had big plans. Friday Josh and Mel went fishing before the sun came up. They caught all the fish in the lake (or so they said). Austin went camping up Cedar Canyon with the scouts. They had a great time.
Mel and Josh went to Filmore racing on Saturday. Josh stepped up and raced the Junior class. He did really well for his first time in that class. Since all the boys were out playing Bonnie had a quiet weekend with a little R & R (after the house work of course). Here are a few pics of Josh at the race track. Josh is the one in the red shirt and yellow helment.

2008-05-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

RED NECK BOY

2008-05-27T15:48:00.001-07:00

May 26, 2008

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Who says Austin doesn't know how to have fun?? We had a great day on Monday. We took the bikes and went down by Mesquite Nevada and spent the day riding. We found some really cool metal corigated tunnels that run underneath I-15, from one side to the other. They were about 12 foot in diameter and about 150 yards long. They only have water in them when it rains for days at a time so they were dry and empty. It was very dark inside and you could only see the pin hole of light of the other end. We wanted to get to the otherside of the freeway so some one had to go first. I had headlights on the four wheeler so I was chosen to go "first". I took off into the tunnel with Mel, Josh, Andy and Austin behind me. I made it through OK but it was a little scary. All that was running through my mind was what I would do if there was someone living in there. We were lucky, there wasn't. I made it out the other side, then Josh, Andy and Austin. Where was Mel??? Appearantly, he got a little dizzy riding in the pitch black and kinda hit the side of the tunnel. To give you a visual, think of the noise it makes when you drive off the side of the road a little and you hit those little divets in the road that wake up you up. That's what Mel was doing along the side of the tunnel he side swiped.

He showed up soon and only had a few little bruises just coming to the surface. We found three more tunnels and of course we had to go through them. This time I brought up the rear shining my lights behind them.... much better idea.

We also road by the river bottoms and Austin found the best mud hole.

After we finished riding we went back to the hotel and went to the pool. If was sooo nice. The weather was perfect. The boys played for a few hours in the pool and then we went to dinner.

2008-05-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

December 2007 - For Christmas, we decided to do something a little differant this year. We decided to go on a cruise to Mexico. Those who went were Mel, Bonnie, Josh, Oz, Justin and Jessilee. We set sail from Long Beach California on Dec. 17 and returned Dec. 21. The first stop was in San Diego CA. While we were there we went down town to a huge mall and did some shopping. We also went to Sea Port Village and toured the USS Midway (now that's a big boat!) Next day we went to Catalina Island. We road a bus up the mountain a way a just looked at the scenery. We shopped in the shops and Mel and Oz went on the Glass Bottom Boat tour. That night back at the Ship (Monarch Of The Seas) we had a great dinner and later, at midnight, we had the famous Everything Chocolate Buffet. WOW!! The next day we went to Ensenada Mexico. We took a bus over to the city and walked through the town and took in the sights. By this time Austin was DONE being a tourist, so him and I went back to the ship. I insisted that he take a nap before we did anything else. He fell asleep in a chair in one of the lounges. He slept there for about two hours then I made him go back to our room. He slept another 3 to 4 hours, guess he was TIRED! Mel, Josh, Justin & Jess stayed in town and found somewhere to rent 4 wheelers. They took the 4 wheelers down the beach and had a blast!

On the ship there was plenty of things to do. They had an open air basket ball court, rock wall, arcade, food - all the time, and lots of activites for the kids. Our favorite was the karioke lounge. We had a good time there - just watching of course. In all we had a great time and plan on going again, SOON!

(PS - I know I'm going backwards in time with the last few posts, but that's the story of my life!)

Spring Break 2007

2008-05-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break this year we went to Southern California. Ozzy went to Disneyland with his cousins, Cole and Casey. We visited the Aquarium, went on a shore cruise and went to the beach. After we were done with California, we drove over to Phoenix AZ where we spent the rest of Spring Break. While in Phoenix we got to do lots of shopping. During our trip to the mall, our Excursion was broken into and they stole the DVD player & stereo.
In Phoenix we were able to go to a Suns/Timber Wolf game. Cindy pulled some strings and we got to sit up in the lounge area to watch the game. That was really fun. We had a great time. The best part of the trip though was when we were at the aquarium, we got to pet lot of creatures. String Rays, Star Fish, Sharks, you know, all the good stuff. While we were "petting" some creatures in a running stream, Oz finally was interested in what we were doing. He put his hand in the water and petted a lot of things. He was particularly interested in a cool rock looking creature. As he was petting it he asked the guide what it was. Can you believe it was actually a rock?! Who knew!! (That's O.K. Oz we all thought it was a creature too.)

Cute Boys

2008-05-13T20:02:00.001-07:00

Austin, Kade and Ethan standing still for one minute. (I know, it's a miracle!)

Josh welding on his '46 Chevy

2008-05-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Josh working on his old truck. This keeps him busy for hours everyday. School will be out in 1 1/2 weeks... watch out world!

2008-05-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

The fishing trip was productive today! Josh caught the first big one.

Headless Mel caught the next big one. They both had good luck yesterday. As for Oz and me we prefer sleeping at 5:30AM on Saturday mornings. We learned a while back that you should never bring fish home in St. George because when you throw the guts & stuff away and it sits in the garbage container out in the sun, it stinks up the whole neighborhood. Thus we "catch & release" ALWAYS (Bonnie's Rule)!!

Our choices are WHAT???

2008-04-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

Let's see.....our choices are what???

We got MoeBama, CurlyCain and HiLarry.

1946 Chevy Truck

2008-04-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Josh has hit the Jackpot! Through his dad's schmoozing, he is the proud owner of this beauty. He plans on rebuilding it from the ground up. Josh and his friends spent all day today working on the truck. They were out of school for semester break.

Mel's Latest Project

2008-04-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

1969 Classic VW Bug - Not like he has enough to do, he has to add a little fun in sometimes. He has spent the past month restoring this Bug. New interior and paint.

Grafton Utah

2008-04-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

Just a little history lesson... Grafton is right outside the entrance to Zion National Park in Utah it was know for being wiped out and rebuit several times before the pioneers finally gave up on it. Between the indian raids, droughts, high summer temperatures and floods the settlers didn't have much of a chance. Now there are just a few buildings standing in a beautiful sceinic setting. OK - just practicing. More to come! Check back soon!!

2008-03-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hello all!! We are stepping onto the blog wagon. We will start by telling you a little about our family and what we enjoy doing.
We live in St. George Utah. We moved here five years ago and love it. We can't believe we lived in the snow for so long. We really enjoy being able to be out doors nearly year round (except for July and August). Our boys like to ride their motorcycles and race motocross. Josh is seventeen years old and a Junior . He likes hanging out with his friends. He works at the college for Campus Dining Services.

Austin is in sixth grade. He is always with friends and loves anything that goes fast.

Justin and Jessilee live in Idaho Falls Idaho with their cute baby girl, Addyson. Justin works in the concrete business and Jesse works part time cutting hair.

Brandon and his wife, Hailey, also live in Idaho Falls with their sweet baby boy, Logan.

Mel likes to fish, ride with the boys and work on cars. He has a job that fits him well, teaching automotive at the college. My (Bonnie) favorite thing is to spend time with the boys outdoors. But I also like to put quilts together and read. I work at the college as an office manager for Campus Dining Services.

Our latest additions to the family are our favorite puppies, Dixie and Daisy. And that raps up an intro to our family.