Jones Family Reunion 2014

Jones Know How To Have Fun!!!

Here are some pictures that I was able to snap this weekend. There are a lot of them.
ENJOY!

Barbara Hunt and I

She is my Mom's first cousin. I enjoyed so much getting to know her this weekend. She also put a lot of hard work into this reunion and make everything work, so a HUGE thanks to her! She was so much fun to be around. We had great conversation and I just wish we could hang out more often!

The Big Yellow Inn

If any of you are ever in Cedar City and wanting a place to stay I would highly recommend checking this place out. Man it is beautiful on the inside and out! Plus the owners are some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

 

www.bigyellowinn.com

This was my room at the bed and breakfast! I was beyond excited when they told me that I would be staying in this nice room and I would have it all to myself. It was my paradise for the weekend! They call it the "Bon Voyage". This picture doesn't do it justice for how adorable the whole room is and how it has such a cozy and welcoming feeling!

After waking on on Saturday getting ready and having breakfast everyone met up at the farm. There were a few of the activities that I was able to capture a photo and some I didn't so I'll do my best with what I have. Here are a few of the activities that we started off with at the farm:

When they said "tractor rides" they meant it! When I was a kid and they said tractor rides they usually came out with something half that size. This was the real deal! The kids LOVED IT!

An adorable air plane seesaw that the kids were continually playing on.

Barbara was creative and brought a parachute for everyone to play with. It was some of the kids first time playing with one of those and they loved it!

 

It wasn't long after the parachute was pulled out that they started bring out other fun things to do, such as the carriage ride. This was by far one of the coolest carriages I have ever seen! I don't have a copy of the picture but I am pretty sure we had over 15 people on it at once and we all went for a ride around the farm.

HORSE RIDING!!!

This was one of my personal favorites! I don't get to do it often but when I do it is great!

Going back to roots on this one!

The next few pictures are from when Scott was showing us how he trains the dogs to herd the sheep. It was really impressive how they work with the dogs and how the sheep respond. I hadn't seen it be done before and he was really good at it.

I couldn't resist the picture with the one black sheep in it. There's always gotta be one of them :)

Family relay races and more...much much more!

Tug-of-war!

 Los Tre Hermonos

These three sat down in the chairs and were sitting the exact same way and even leaning the same way.

 These are grand children of Will and Claire Jones, in other words my Mom's first cousins. This was my first time seeing this group together.

 FAMILY DANCES!

These families know how to get down and boogie! 

It was so fun to see what the families created together and performing it. I can't wait until next year because this was another one of my favorite events of the evening!

 I quickly snapped a picture of Grandma Grace Jones :) Isn't she the best!?! 

 Our family quickly grabbed some dinner at Cafe Rio before we headed over to Barbara's house for the family slide show and talent show.

And it BEGINS

My family was very creative in their performances and can pull off talents that I had no idea about. For example; there was one of the young boys who wanted to show us all that he could run really really fast. Now I thought that was creative and as he was running back and forth a quickly as he could I also couldn't stop laughing at how adorable it was. Then there was the talented uncle who could stand on one foot and grab a brown paper bag with his mouth that was super low to the ground, I must admit that I cannot do.

As for my family talent my sister ratted me out and made me do the worm for everyone and then I whipped out some balloon animals to charm the children. Yup, it gets them every time!

In the middle of the talent show Max came and sat by me. We pulled out the camera and I got him to make a few fun faces with me. Since this is my blog and I love looking back at it I mainly posted the rest of the pictures for me to have for the future but you all are more then welcome to enjoy them as well.

In the middle of the talent show I looked back and was laughing so hard when I noticed that it look like a dear was about to attack Ammon and eat his head off. It made for some good entertainment for me and the kids toward the end of the show.

To wrap this thing up I just wanted to express my gratitude for family. This particular family reunion was a first in many ways. It was first time we had a family reunion since I have been alive with my Grandpa Milton Jones, his siblings, and their kids. For this experience I am so grateful because of the eternal perspective that it has given me. This life is good but the more I meet my extended family and knowing that I am a part of their eternal family brings me such great joy in this life and excitement to look forward to after this test of mortality is over. The family that I already knew and that I was able to meet this weekend are top notch, fun, kind, loving, and family centered people. Thank you everyone that made this weekend possible and a complete BLAST!

Memorial Day Weekend!

In the summer time, one specific holiday that makes me home sick more then others is Memorial Day Weekend. I miss my good old Tennessee Memorial Days with my family, spending the day on the lake, grilling out, and spending time with friends.

As a result I was privileged to spend a lot of time with my brother Ammon and his family. They were fun and adorable! On Saturday, I got to work on my gardening skills by helping him plant a tree, seeds in a garden, and doing it all with the little ones being the extra helpers. Then Monday we went and hiked Stewart Falls.

We went Geo-Cash hunting before we started the hike up to Stewart Falls and Jack was the lucky guy to find it under a rock by the sign.

It was too cute not to offer Max to take the back pack up for me. When he said yes I gladly gave it over and quickly took a picture. He was dead set and ready to go but after taking three heavy steps he was glad to give it back over. The bag was a big as he is! So ADORABLE!

(I haven't figured out how to rotate the pictures so good luck looking at some of them.)

The kids made us sit down and watch as they put on a quick show and dance for us, at this amphitheater, before they would even let us think about starting the hike. They were begging to go back on another day.

Jack was my hiking buddy. We would run ahead and then go play in some water that ran along the trail while we would wait for the others to catch up. He would try to cross the river and only fell in once or twice. It was very entertaining and good thing Aunt Kathy was there to witness the whole thing :)

This was one AMAZING view. It was well worth the hike!

The Stewart Falls waterfalls. This picture doesn't do the view justice. The hike was well worth it!

Cave Diving

Annabelle Foster came into town to visit this weekend. While here she wanted to see the snow, so man did I ever show her the snow. We climbed up 5 or 6 feet high snow foot banks up in the mountains and found some igloos that were dug randomly all over. It was a blast trying to climb into holes, either getting stuck or getting in and exploring around. It was a nice break from the beginning of the weeks intense beginnings.

COLD!!!!!

IT STARTED WITH A WHISPER.....So I guess I could mention that the day before at dinner we ran into the lead singer of Neon Trees. It was so much fun seeing Annabelle and Sara Foster so start struck. They got pictures with him and I met him but I didn't care to have a picture but I do like their music.

The Unexpected!

DISCLAIMER: This experience is intense and not a cozy and warm one. You do not have to read it but you may if you are interested in this Kathy Experience.

Where do I begin... Last night as I went to bed and prayed to the Lord for opportunities to serve people I was humbled greatly today by how quickly he responded to those prayers. I got up, started the morning off as normal with the regular routine of prayer, brushing my teeth, and getting ready. I had to get to class so I parked at my spot and walked my usual path. As I walked in the first building on campus (the Tanner building) I saw a girl that I vaguely knew.  She walked up to me and I could tell by the tears rolling down her cheeks  that she was having a ruff time. I gave her a hug, walked the same way with her a little while, said our good byes and went our separate ways. I didn't think much of it, other then sending my empathy her way and prayers toward heaven. On I went with my day, knowing Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers.

Classes, dinner, and homework it was a usual Monday evening form me. I had talked to a friend on the phone that recommended a specific television show that she loved. I was excited to watch it to see how good it was. By the end of the first scene that came on I could already tell it wasn't going to be good for me to watch, to much skin was showing and gambling was coming into the picture. The spirit whispered to me "don't watch this you can not afford to lose even an ounce of the spirit". With that thought, without hesitation,I promptly turned off the TV. After checking my email and making a post on my blog I decided to go to the gym to sit in the sauna before I would take a shower for the night and get ready for bed. It sounded like a great plan to me.

All ready for the sauna nothing unusual was going on. I was in my swim suit, shorts, and laying on my jacket in the sauna enjoying the heat and celebrating inside about being warmed to the core after being bitten by the frozen wind outside. Feeling good and alone in the sauna I once again turned my thoughts to my loving Heavenly Father. I prayed for his guidance and was reporting the events of my day and evaluating how the day had gone, I had honestly tried my best. In the middle of those thoughts a girl came in and sat on the other side. I was on the upper level and she sat on the bottom level. I looked at her but quickly realized I couldn't see her since I wasn't wearing any glasses or contacts and I couldn't see hardly anything a foot away from my face. So I went back to my thoughts for a few moments.

It wasn't two minutes later that I heard a banging on the wall and looked over to see the out line of the girl that had just come in. Her arms and legs were straight out in front of her and she was rocking back and forth making noises and banging her head on the wall. I couldn't see but I quickly jumped up because I knew something was wrong. As I was in mid stride of jumping up, with my arms reached out to catch her, and asking her "are you okay?" without even a chance, she hits the floor, head first, still frozen in the same position as when she was sitting. The walls were hot and the floor was like lava. I bolted for the door and yelled to the worker at the counter for help saying "HELP A GIRL JUST PASSED OUT IN HERE AND IS HAVING A SEIZURE". In one swift motion I was back in and a group of girls followed to help. Her legs were on the wall and when she had fallen she had landed on her neck and head and was laying on the strikingly hot floor. She was as stiff as board, but we had to get her out of the hot room that felt as if it was on fire at this point. We lifted her up and placed her outside the door, where she continued to be stiff, foaming and bleeding out of her mouth, and her eyes were rolling into the back of her head.

At this point I saw that we did about everything that we could for her with the police on the phone, ambulance on the way, and a solid group of BYU girls there to help with anything. I turned to the girl next to me and said "okay, you guys got her?" She assured me that they did. With one deep breath in I went into shock. What had just happened? Would anyone have found her if I wasn't in there? How long would it have been? Everyone is looking at her like she is going to die? Will she be okay?...So many questions, so much pressure, in so little time! I started crying and pacing. Finally calmed down and sat down. I looked up and saw three priesthood holders that had been brought in. They had their hands on her head giving her a priesthood blessing and she was finally starting to come around. I noticed that a few EMT's from BYU were already there. The first one that I saw, I had to take a second glance because it was the 1st counselor in the relief society presidency in my ward. After a few minutes I look at the girl still on the ground and I realize that she is a student that is taking a genealogy class. I am one of the T.A.'s for the class. I didn't know her name or anything else about her but I knew I had helped her on assignments before.

 The Lord had blessed us to cross paths before and I am sure I will see her again. The Lord in his tender mercies prepared me fore this experience in different ways. I was giving service last week to a special education class that had special medical needs. When I was there, there were two different students that passed out and had seizures, granted they were nothing compared to this experience, but because of that experience I knew exactly what to do and how to handle it.

In the end the girl was okay. It turns out that she does have a history of seizures, and when the ambulance got there with all the EMT's they had found her name and information. She chose not to go to the hospital at the time and I am sure she will have a good recovery.

Now the point of me typing this story is because it is helping me to still process all that had happened. The more I think about it the more I can recognize the hand of the Lord in my day guiding me and preparing me to be there at that exact moment. The Lord loves her and wanted to help her. Sometimes we are his hands that lift others, figuratively and literally, to safer ground. How grateful I am when I have the opportunities to be those hands to lift or wipe away those tears and how much more grateful I am for those who are there to do the same for me, as we all have those moments in our life. We ALL need each other!

After I called my Mom and left the gym I was asking Heavenly Father "where do I go and who do I turn to?" the first people I thought of were Tammy and Jim Engebretsen. Tonight they were who I needed to wipe my tears and comfort my heart. How grateful I am for them being so loving and exactly what I needed. A BIG THANK YOU TO THEM! As well a thank you to Karli and Kristine for being there and being such great cousins. I truly am surrounded by a wonderful family!

When all is said and done this strengthens my resolve to be better today then I ever was before and reminds me of each and everyone of us and our NEED to have the spirit in our life. We must do everything we can to be as sensitive and in tune to the spirit as we can. God is with us and will guide us if we just seek after what is right and good and choose the things in our life that will bring us closer to our loving Heavenly Father rather then farther away. We each have a choice and it is of eternal consequence! Choose the right and let the consequence follow.

If you are interested in what is helping me...

Rain Soul Wellness

Many of you may be aware of just how sick I was coming off my mission. It has been a long road and quiet the journey for me coming home and getting my health back from struggles such fibromyalgia, exhausted adrenal gland, struggling thyroid, and a parasite to name a few. As a result I have been taking a lot of vitamin and health supplements in attempts to make me feel better. Those things have helped me immensely at an expense of hundreds of dollars a month. I have finally found something that helps save me more then half the amount of money and makes me feel better then all of it! It is called "Rain Soul Wellness". This is a supplement that is pretty much like taking a shot of your fruits and vegetables daily. It makes me feel AMAZING! I finally have energy that I haven't felt since before the mission and I even work up at 7:15 AM without an alarm clock, after the FIRST day of taking it. That hasn't happened to me since before I was a teenager!

It has been such a blessing to me and I am so encouraged by it I thought I would share it with anyone else that may be interested in it. Let me know if you want to learn more. I would love to answer questions.

This is what it looks like.

 It comes in a packet of 30 packets for 1 months supply at the cost of about 67 dollars.

This turns out to be $2.23 a day which is a great deal!

These are the ingredients within the packets.

"Seeds make up a very small percentage of the total weight of a berry or flower, but they often contain the most potent health benefits in their tiny packages. The foundation of all of the products in the Rain Nutrition, are the seeds. We have all heard of the amazing antioxidants power in berries and herbs, but what no one has ever explained properly are the best parts of those berries...the seeds" (rainsoulwellness)

As well it is the number one anti-aging product on the market right now, as well as one of the most common compliments is that it helps with inflammation of all kinds. This helps me with my stomach!

The first list that I found on the internet of things that it helps with when I was doing my own research. This is just a list of a few of the many things that it helps with...

27 REASONS TO DRINK SOUL (rainsoulwellness)

1. Increase energy, performance and stamina
2. Strengthen the immune system
3. Lower risk of cardiovascular disease
4. Improve brain function
5. Aid in weight reduction
6. Regulate organs and glands
7. Speed recovery and healing
8. Improve digestion
9. Decrease infection
10. Keep bones strong
11. Protect genetic material
12. Produce beautiful hair, skin and nails
13. Improve athletic performance
14. Reduce/ prevent inflammation
15. Improve cardiovascular health
16. Boost production of bone marrow
17. Fight cancer with antioxidants
18. Regulate blood pressure
19. Lower bad cholesterol
20. Improve vision
21. Anti-aging properties
22. Help manage and prevent Diabetes
23. Fight Auto-immune disorders
24. Calm upset stomachs
25. Support healthy child development
26. Ease PMS
27. Prevent hearing loss

I wanted to share this goodness with you. Shoot me a message or give me a call if you have any questions or want to give this stuff a try out for yourself. All I want is for others to feel good because I know that it has been helping me so much!