Having fun and loving life!

I really need to be better about updating this blog. So here goes:
We are down to 5 weeks till Elder Jeff Lundgreen comes home. I am so excited about this, yet sad that he has to say "Good-Bye" to all the people in Australia he has come to know and love. And even though I look forward to his hug, I will miss those wonderful, spiritual e-mails and letters. It will nice to see him again and we have all missed him like crazy, but I cannot imagine him not getting these 2 years of serving the Lord. It has been an amazing journey for all of us.
Also, we got Janie's new grades today and...yep, once again 4.0/straight A's. She is such a good girl. She works hard though, so that she can do this well. We are proud of her and love her. Good job, Janie!! She is excited to be able to do stats for wrestling again this year. She loves doing that and we get an excuse to hang out at the wrestles and keep an eye on her.
As for us, the business is going okay and we are hanging in there. It seems to be slowing down right now and we are preparing for the winter. Dana sent a driver in his "baby" (his big 18 wheeler truck) and that was tough to do for him. Other than that we are just having fun with the grandkids and loving life.

What a summer!

Well, I know it's been awhile and I can't believe that time has gone by that fast. We've been incredibly busy this summer and fall is now upon us. It was a fun summer. We had Laura and her children Brianna, Justin and Joshua here for a visit in June and July. We enjoyed our time together (even though the kids were like a pack of wolves and we were way overwhelmed by all of them together at once). The kids played non-stop for about 6 weeks straight from sun up till sun down and sometimes even later. We finished it all up with a chocolate pancake breakfast and a hot dog and marshmallow roast followed by smores for dessert! Then the next morning we were all able to attend Peydon's baptism and then off to Denver to take Laura and the kids to catch their flight home. It was a tough thing for Grandma Loney to say "good-bye" and February will be fun to go see them and be there to welcome their new little one. We did get a fun tour of Bronco Stadium (Invesco Field) and it was one of Peydon's dreams-come-true. What a great birthday gift for him!
We are now getting back into the swing of things with school, volley ball, football, and all the other activities that come with school starting up. Janie started her Sophmore year, she now is legal to drive and old enough to date, scary! We've also been busy canning the harvest from our garden and just taking care of business 5 days a week. It's scary and humbling to have 12 families depending on you for their jobs. We are doing our best to keepthem going.
Now we are looking forward to the return of Elder Lundgreen on Dec. 12th at 4pm. We are all excited and invite any family members who want to be there and fulfill his dream to come and welcome him home to the good 'ole USA.

PS: I'll try to get some pictures up soon!

Good to be home!

We are now back home and I can update and let everyone know how the week ended. Last I wrote Janie and I went to do some looking around and touring of Old Nauvoo. We really enjoyed it and the weather was perfect. We met a family from Alaska and they just split off of the Stake that Laura's family belongs to. When Janie and I got back, Dana and I got ready and did a session at the Nauvoo LDS Temple. It is so beautiful. We loved it and had reserved a couple of seats so we could be sure to get in. What an amazing experience! Then we took Janie and traveled 25 miles to Carthage and toured Carthage Jail and that was also such a great spiritual experience for us. That evening we sat outside in the Nauvoo Outdoor Stage area and watched the show that the missionaries (senior and young both) put on, called "Sunset by the Mississippi". It was one of the best programs I've ever seen. We all loved it, even Janie - she rolled her eyes in the beginning, but by the end she was as entertained as we were! On Thursday we had to leave to come home and it was with real mixed emotions that we left. We wanted to get back home, but we also loved the feeling there so much. It was hard to say good-bye. Anyway, we got home Friday night late and it is good to be home.

Spur-of-the-moment vacation!

So Janie and I left on Saturday and went shopping the first part of the day with Sadie (for her birthday), Libby, Gracie, and Mitzi (Brock's Mom). We had so much fun - let's do it again! Later in the afternoon Dana came and picked Janie and I up and we left for South Dakota. We got a room and spent the night in Rock Springs, WY.
On Sunday we listened to conference cds and church music cds and then we got to Martin's Cove and hiked up into the Cove. It is a very spiritual and special place. We also passed Independence Rock and traveled most of the day to get to Mt. Rushmore, SD. We got there in time to get some good pictures and then to stay and watch the evening program. It was pretty cool.
On Monday we got to Aberdeen, SD and unloaded a reel of cable we took up there. Then we headed to Nauvoo, IL. We really didn't plan on going there, but decided while we were this close we may as well go. It was a good day to travel because it rained all day. We stopped and slept in Stuart, IA.
On Tuesday we got up early - which Janie is protesting because it is suppossed to be summer vacation - and got to Nauvoo by early afternoon. We went to a couple of places and got some great pictures, and then we ended up (after pricing several motels) renting a little log cabin for a couple of days. It is soo neat! We went to a show "Rondevouz at Old Nauvoo" done by the couple and senior missionaries. It was hilarious and so cute. We also ran into Jerald and Kathy Tolman who used to live in Monroe and now are on a mission here. It was so good to see them.
Now today we are going to tour a few more of the Old Nauvoo sites, do a session at the temple, then on to tour Carthage Jail and catch the show "Sunset on the Mississippi". It will be a fun day!
I'll catch everyone up when I get home.

Surprise Visit!

So Sunday right after General conference we got a surprise visit from a couple that just returned from Port Maquarie, Australia and served with Jeff "Elder Lundgreen" in that area. They just returned home less than 2 weeks ago. The funny part is, we just got a letter from them on Saturday saying they'd be in the area visiting their daughter in Richfield and they'd like to meet for a brief visit. We were, of course, taken by surprise. The house was total chaos, because we had both Lacey and Libby's families here to watch conference with us. It was so neat though. They said he's a very enthusiastic missionary, very humble and dedicated. We got to hear about the mission area, the people he's teaching, and a few fun stories about he and his companion. Sister Abplanalp gave me a hug that was straight from "Elder Lundgreen". It made me cry, but I cry at everything that has anything to do with missionaries. Prayers, stories, letters, you name it, I cry. Oh well, I just deal with it.

Gracie Jane Abraham - our newest addition.

Here she is at about one month old. She is so sweet and fun for our whole family!