Happy 24th of July!

Happy 24th of July!

July 24th 1847, the Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah, led by Brigham Young.

We are so blessed to be ancestors of these pioneers who made the long hard journey to this beautiful state we call home.  Many stories about these valiant members of the church have been told.  I always remember The one of Sarah Angelsey Allen, she is my 2nd Great Grandmother.  As a young girl, she left her family in England, came to America and crossed the plains by herself.  Her oldest sister Martha was in the handcart company and came earlier to Utah.  I am so thankful to have the wonderful legacy of all my faithful relatives who had testimonies and great faith to follow the prophet as they courageously endured the journey here to Utah.  There are many stories and they all help me to have faith and follow the teachings of our leaders in the church today.  Our pioneers were great examples and I am so grateful for this great heritage.

When I saw thsi picture, I wanted to think that just maybe this could have been Sarah as she walked with her friends to Utah.

Our family has always gone to the parade in Ogden the morning of the 24th. Because this year the 24th is on Sunday, the parade and celebration is on Monday the 25th.

Andy went Saturday night the 23rd and secured the spot for watching the parade. It's a big spot between 26th and 27th street on Washington Blvd. with lots of shade.  The group usually includes Our family, Greg's, and Kenny's.  Parents and relatives of our kids spouses and friends have enjoyed the parade too.  Several dozen donuts were bought and shared, a fun tradition.  Thanks Andy for getting the spot.  i will do a post about that tomorrow.

The 24th of July has a special meaning to me.  It's the day, Wayne and I became pioneers in our own sort of way, as Wayne asked me to marry him on July 24, 1978.

This is a picture of the picture on our wedding invitation.

Here's the story. Wayne was asked to pull the Hooper Stake Young Adult float in the parade because he had a really nice truck.  He asked me to ride with him.  That morning he picked me up at 4:00.  We stopped and got a bunch of donuts, (which started a tradition) and we slowly took the float to Ogden.  Our float was a baby carriage and the young adults, who were our friends,  rode inside the carriage dressed up like babies.  They met us by the Lindquist Mortuary on Washington Blvd.  We ate donuts as we waits for the parade to start. Our float wasn't really that great.  As a group of young kids we really didn't know much about making a float, but it was fun.  I was proud to be sitting next to Wayne as he drove in the parade. That afternoon we went swimming in Gus and Margaret's pool then went to a play at the Salt Palace in SLC to watch Brother Brigham.  At the intermission, we sat on a small bench outside talking and Wayne asked me to marry him.  I was a little shocked, puzzled, and wondered if he was serious.  I said " yea".   We at that moment became pioneers for our own Haws family. I am so thankful for Wayne!  He is and always has been a great friend and companion. We have a wonderful family,  I love our family!

We are so blessed!

On the 27th we will be flying home to spend time with our family. The temple is closed for two weeks for cleaning and maintenance. We decided a long time ago to spend this time at home. We can hardly wait.