Family Room quote

So I'm looking for a quote to have Aunt Nettie make into vinyl letters to put up above our large family picture in the family room. Do you have any suggestions? Here are some of my first thoughts, but I want all of yours too.

Out of the dreariness,
Into its cheeriness,
Come we in weariness
Home.
--Stephen Chalmers
(I like the sentiment of this, but am not sure I want the words dreariness and weariness on the wall.)

* * * * *

Peace and rest at length have come,
All the day's long toil is past;
And each heart is whispering,
'Home, Home at last!'
--Thomas Hood
(I like the idea of home being peace and rest, but am not sure about having long toil on the wall.)

* * * * *

He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(This is OK. The author's name is almost longer than his quote.)

* * * * *

What gift has Providence bestowed on man that is so dear to him as his children?
--Cicero
(I love this thought because it is absolutely true. It's also shorter and would maybe look better.)

* * * * *

Tis sweet to know there is an eye will mark our coming, and look brighter when we come.
--Lord Byron
(Same thought as the last one.)

* * * * *

So . . . please do some research and help me find some more possibilities . . . or is there one of these I've listed that jumps out as PERFECT?

Thanks a million.

Love, Mom

Christmas is Coming the Goose is Getting Fat . . .

Here is the list of names for the gift exchange we drew last night.

David has Heather

Jill has Lee

Melanie has Maurianne

Lee has David

Maurianne has Sam

Heather has Jill

Graham has Melanie

Sam has Graham

What is the price range this year? I'm not sure I remember what it has been in the past.

Quick Thought

I was listening to this talk today (Have We Not Reason to Rejoice? - Elder Uchtdorf) and really enjoyed the conclusion and thought I would share it:

"My dear brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Head of this Church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose. He is the Son of the living God. He has promised:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
“For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee” (3 Nephi 22:10). “I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer” (3 Nephi 22:8).
My dear friends, the Savior heals the broken heart and binds up your wounds (see Psalm 147:3). Whatever your challenges may be, wherever you live on this earth, your faithful membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the divine powers of the gospel of Jesus Christ will bless you to endure joyfully to the end.
Of this I bear witness with all my heart and mind in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen."

It was a good reminder for me and it is a great talk. I love you all!!

FHE @ Copperton Park

I thought this picture was the best, at least of the ones I had. Maybe Melanie and Jill got better ones but I like this because of the personalities that are shown. (Will and Joel would rather be playing; Seth, Josie, and Nate are just happy to be there and Dan and Rosie don't really know what is going on.) Nate has the 'Jones eyebrows,' awesome. Just thought I would share. I miss the Dunn Family already!

Need Feedback . . .

So last night we (Mom, Dad, Maurianne, Graham and I) were talking about starting a new tradition. That with the exciting guests coming next week we could have our first Vernon Dunn Family reunion. (Or as Dad suggested we could call it the Seth H. Dunn reunion as the same people would be attending but we may sound more prestigious with that extra generation included.) Anyway we were thinking for our first one we could perhaps do a day trip, maybe to see the Spiral Jetty or something else cool/fun. We got to talking about it because Graham's family does reunions and they do them every other year (his Dad's family does it one year and the next is his mom's family or they try to do it that way.) I realize that things come up and it won't always be on a perfect schedule and depending where we all end up is a factor as well. Just a thought since we will all be together this summer and could do the first one. Maybe our next one could be to visit David and Jill in Auburn or where ever they may be in 2 years! Let me know your thoughts and ideas or other suggestions. I am so excited for the Dunn Family to get here next week!!

So did everyone hear the great news? (. . . drum roll. . . ) The Dunn family from Auburn, Alabama will be wending their way out here to Utah the second week of June!!!!! (. . . thunderous applause, whistling, and general outbreaks of joy . . .) What are some fun things that we can do while they are here visiting? Please submit your nominations and suggestions now.

Thanks, Mom

Family Mishaps

So, I guess everyone has heard about Sammy's little mishap the other day with his finger and the Frisbee. I know some of you are curious, so if you want to see what the finger in question looked like before it got fixed, go here. It's kind-of gross, so don't click the link if you don't want to see it. If you do, you've been warned.
I think this recent event deserves special distinction. In my opinion, Sammy receives the dubious award of being the most likely to break something (wrists, fingers, spleens, etc.). Although, I think David is a close second--I don't know too many people who break their leg by jumping over some snow.
Anyway, I really hope your finger heals soon, Sam, and you don't need surgery on it. In the meantime, everyone stay away from ill-willed Frisbees and their tendency to mangle random appendages.

Do you feel older?

I just returned from Aunt Mame's funeral, and it was a very nice meeting. I was happy to see her one more time--she looked so beautiful. The last time I saw her alive was on her 94th birthday--February 11th--when I took Grandma into the rest home to see her. I guess that was about the last good day she had, and she has just kind-of gone downhill since then. Anyway, she always looked so beautiful to me, and when I went to visit her before Christmas (before she had a stroke) she told me why. She put curlers and pin-curls in her hair every night of her life, and slept on them! She did that her whole life until just before Christmas. I don't know of anyone in this day and age who would be willing to do that!

It was a joyful thought to imagine that all of my Great-grandparents' children are back with them again. She was the last of Robert and Lucy Turner's children to die, and now that generation is gone. So that means that all of us are bumped up a generation. If she was the first generation, then Grandma Anderson was the second generation, I was the third generation, and my children were the fourth generation. Now, all of a sudden, we are all bumped up. We all just got a little older today!

We mustn't ever forget our wonderful Turner heritage--how my Great-great-grandparents accepted the gospel and joined the Church, how they left their beloved England to gather with the Saints in Zion, how they unselfishly stayed behind in the midwest helping other Saints prepare to make the journey to Utah, how they eventually made it here themselves, how they accepted Brigham Young's call to go to Southern Utah (and I just know that they were acquainted with the Oxborrow family down there!), how they came back up to Salt Lake County and helped to settle Bluffdale, how William accepted the invitation to take another wife so that their family could have children, how those two mothers loved and cared for and raised two sons, how those two Turner brothers married two Crump sisters from Herriman and lived side by side the rest of their lives, how one family had 12 children and the other family had one but they still shared and loved one another just like one big family, how they taught their posterity to love the gospel and love one another and be stalwart in building the Kingdom, and how we have had Turner reunions all these years to remember them and continue to carry on their legacy of love. It is also a legacy of faithfulness, sacrifice, hard work, leadership, success, happiness, family, etc. etc. We must never let this legacy die.

Sick

Everyone is getting sick! Don't get by Sam, Maurianne, Dad, Mom, or Rosalie. Maurianne seems to be the worst. The doctor told her that she has Type A flu. I tried to get her to come home. I thought she would enjoy the "sick" books and the "sick" blanket. But I guess she would rather be miserable in her own bed. Be sure to take your vitamins everyday! I'm spraying Lysol all over the place in the hope that Heather and Graham won't catch what we have.

I can hardly contain myself for joy! I stepped outside for a moment to feel the warm afternoon sunshine (it's probably about 50 degrees!) and saw that the snowbanks had receded about a foot from the sidewalk and flower beds. I glanced at the dirt as I walked by, then turned, blinked, and looked again. Small sprigs of greenery are bravely poking through the winter soil of the wintry day, which is, incidently, descending to a close. What is it? What can this mean? Is it possible that spring will actually come this year, as it has each year in my life's memory? Yes! They are the unmistakable first small shoots of those most marvelous and anticipated purple, yellow, and while crocus flowers! God is in His Heaven, and all is right with the world.

Happy Birthday!!

(We're ready, Mr. Music . . . ) Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Heather and David. Happy Birthday to you!! (Don't forget to sing the high soprano part on the last phrase.) Ah yes, February 6th is here again. One of our favorite days of the year. What would we do without Heather and David in the family?