Grateful Friday

The sunset last night (photo credit: Adam).

 I am grateful anytime we get to spend time here.  

Yesterday I took a walk with my mom and we gathered rocks that resembled eggs for my next activity day project.  A cat followed along with us and I think it was very confused about what we were up to.

I have a small collection of bricks from the brick house that burned.

A not great quality picture of the house...

Better quality photo, but you can hardly see the house.  I love this picture though.  My grandma peeking around my grandpa's shoulder just delights me.

I have a better picture of the brick house, I just can't find it right now.

I don't know what I plan to do with the (mostly broken) bricks, but I am collecting them all the same.

Yesterday was a time between snow and tall grass that I could find some bricks on the little hill behind the garage.

I over doubled my collection of bricks! (Exciting...when I figure out how to use them.)

I loved that brick house!  And so I love the broken bricks.  The heart wants what the heart wants.

There's an old cook stove on the hill up by where the chicken coop used to be.  I don't know how old it is or anything about it.  I retrieved this door from the ash drawer. 

My mom had us and my uncle Drew over for dinner last night.  She made meatloaf, which I love and my mom's meatloaf is the best meatloaf.  I enjoyed our visit and Drew told us a few stories about his mission and he and my dad told me what they remembered about their grandma.  

I am grateful for family. (And broken bricks.)

Adam and I have enjoyed our time here.  We've worked on a few projects and spent time together and visiting my parents.  A lovely time in the loveliest setting.

A thorn in my side is my family history research.  Matilda Anderson is my great-great grandmother and the details about her life are extremely sketchy.  There is contradictory information on family search with no sources to back any of it up.  I was searching records last night except, I don't know Swedish.  I can make out fanciful cursive in a language I know, but even with google translate, I was lost.  I said to Adam, "Why don't I know Swedish?!?"

He suggested Duo Lingo.

Sorry Matilda.  When I see her someday, I am going to sit her down and have her tell me everything.

We head back to Utah today and I'm looking forward to General Conference.