Stuff That Makes Us Hillarys

Today I went to the Draper Temple - it's the day I usually go, and I love being there.  I decided to get some family baptisms done and had hoped that there would not be a long line of (wonderful) youth - because they won't let you in if there is.  Good Day - went right in.  I wear a band on my arm - a bracelet - like this one pictured - but obviously not that particular name on mine.  Mine has my handsome son in law's name on it.  When he leaves I put it on - when he returns, I store it in a safe place for another day.... this is the last time, my 3rd time, that I will wear it - because I miss that home boy way too much - and I really don't want to see just how strong and brave my daughter is through these times any more.  So - I'm headed into the font - and the following conversation took place.  (Man at the font and I)  Sister, you'll have to take your bracelet off before you get into the font.  Me - I'm sorry I will not remove it - it's a military bracelet and it means a lot to me.  Him - Sorry - you are not allowed to wear it in the font.  At this point I start getting out of the font and walking away, and he says - Where are you going?  I turned and stood as tall as I could and said - If I have to remove it in order to do baptisms, then I will not do baptisms, I will not take it off until he's home safe.  Another gentleman asked what was going on - and the first man told him that I refused to remove a bracelet and I was leaving.  The 'Gentleman' said - Sister Hillary come here - tell me what name is on that bracelet - I told him the story of my son in law.  He first of all said to tell him thank him for serving, then he turned to the original man and said, "Don't ever ask someone to remove something as priceless at that bracelet.  I am a Vietnam Veteran, I flew choppers over the jungles, I wish I had someone back home that cared as much for me as she cares for him.  don't ever disgrace a military family member.  Then he turned to me and escorted me back into the font and said - Now Sister Hillary, let's do some baptisms.  That one was for you Mike.... I couldn't have been more proud of you than I was standing there defending my right to honor you - and it looks like you have one Veteran - that saluted you today.  Thanks for serving our country mind, body and soul.  I send the sweetest blessings of comfort and protection for you and your sweetheart.  By the way - I thanked him for his service too.... and he responded with his tears of gratitude.  What would you have done?  I think most of you would have done the same thing.  The world is catching on that our service men and women are our countries most priceless gems - and in a close second - their families.  So in case I missed someone today that has served so that I could be safe and free.... thank you too...

Ok Mike - this post is for you - I know that you are far away and you have no control of your world here - and just to prove that - I'm posting these pictures of the kinds of things your wife is getting away with.  I mean - check out the new boots, the new gloves, oh - and that little thing called YOUR MOTORCYCLE.... bwahahaha..... Ashley completed her motorcycle training course - that's 2 kids down and 2 to go.  I'm thinkin' that the Missionary Man will be next... then I'll have to ask Ruth if it's ok to teach Mandy... (:  We took Ashley to a school parking lot and let her try her 'wings' out.  She is a quick learner - and has very strong legs - the bike fit her well and you could tell she had taken her training seriously.  After a few rounds - we took her to the road - and she was a pro.  * Quick note for helmet people... Utah has no law - and the comments will flow in I know - so just save them.  If I die on my Harley, it will be a quick deed - I don't want to be offering up any choices like pull the plug or not... * I'm just sayin'.  (Tomorrow I'll die just because of that comment)(Is there a Harley Heaven?)  SO - back to Ashley.  She went around and around and around - shifting, starting stopping, and laughing.  I was really proud of her.  Del is a very patient teacher - he made sure that he didn't hurt her confidence... I said to him.... "Ya - like anything could hurt her confidence..."  Del was born on a motorcycle... I love it when he teaches the kids all of the great things he knows about.. basically everything....  My advice to her?   Feel the wind on your face... but never in your hair - it's a bugger to comb out afterwards....  good advice from a mom eh?  Here's your pics Mike - love you so much - miss you like crazy.  When I walk into your house... you are there.  Oh - and by the way... she moved all of your clothes out of the closet to make room for hers... you now live in the little room (:  Serve strong - stay safe - and next time... take the bike keys with you home boy! 

By the way Ashley - I'll be charging extra for the
Helium Induced Voice

I used in the making of this 9 second video....
(and yes Ashley I DO represent - the Lollipop Guild)
Punka....
Ride Safe...

THE 4TH

So Family tradition is written in stone that we go to the parade in Sandy (seriously the most pathetic parade ever... political and commercial and queens that possibly should have shaved their pits before waving like that....)  and we usually spent the time during the parade to play with grandkids and catch candy.  Or better yet - buy our own and just eat it and pretend we caught it.  Because picking it up off of the road and eating it is... well...  SO needless to say  when I say FAMILY - that means that my son Matt and his wife Bethany bring our cuter than anyone's else's grandchildren to Utah from their home far away.  It also means that the most amazing Auntie to my children - Aunt Karin (and usually Uncle Keith but he was tending their new puppy Murphy at home in California) SO you see it really doesn't matter WHAT we do - it WHO we do it with - and I love that part of the day.  We missed BEYOND WORDS - Elder Hillary and Mike - who is serving his 3rd tour for our country.  Every flag, was for him, every honor that day - was for him.  Next year -they will be in charge of getting snow cones for all of us....  The partae begins...

Parade?  Who cares - this one stole the show...

Back to Jordan High School's hill to cook up burgers,

and torch some sparklers that Ashley found...

Pretty sure they had Wyoming stamped on them....

Finished off by watching the fireworks - which 

were basically watered down as of late... and

folks - I"M TIRED OF NEIL DIAMOND!!! (:

But I loved my kids....

Next morning - breakfast and off to play while we can

have our grandkids here.  We are always so excited

when we get to have them.  That night - we pulled out

the firepit and did our best to torch the grass in the backyard.

and the next day they had to leave - and my

sparklers... dimmed.  But I am grateful for little

smudges here and there, and pictures like this.

Emma felt the same way..

 The End.

THE 24th OF JULY

SO excited that we have some uber famous pioneers in our family.  Previously posted my genetic make up and I'm seriously wondering how I ever came from such great stock.  Must have been a mutant gene.  Never the less - Del and I started the day with a 35 mile ride to Immigration Canyon - where the Pioneers entered and said, "WTFREAK?  THIS is the PLACE?"  I'm pretty sure it went that way.  About then we passed Hogle Zoo and I could hear the wild turkeys - I told Del those were his ancestors... 

From there we went and jumped on our Harley's and headed off to Ashley's home - where we tilled and raked yet again - in her backyard... no Mike we are NOT posting pictures yet... sucka... but it's coming along nicely and it's about time to call in the boy scouts to haul sod. * On a serious note here folks - please don't tell people - let me know if I can help you... just freaking show up and do it!!!!!!!!!!!  (HELLO PEOPLE)  Squirrel...

We ran home and showered off the day's water supply, applied some Old Spice deodorant and  headed off to the Salt Lake Bee's game (compliments of my ever so wonderful friend that I will never call again and just ask where to call and get tickets and she says - no problem, my amazing husband will have 6 tickets waiting for you in will call - have fun........) (thank you ever so much)  So we brought our blankets and umbrella ella ella's and our black fingernail polish... long story... and some card games... of which none of us had any money to play poker with.  But we did get some great pictures...

We were seriously the best section for the 'Wave',

sang, "Take me out to the ball game"

and had a great time making fun of the lady singing,

because her lips did not match what she was singing.
AND... if you don't have Teva's you can't sit with us ok?

Afterwards - we were escorted to the field... like right

ON the field and witnessed Fireworks on CRACK - I've

never seen anything like it in my LIFE  - Sandy City - you

need to take a lesson from Larry H. Miller!!!
Quote of the night?
THAT WAS A TOP NIGHT!!! name that movie...

Enjoyed the day - love my kids - cherish my heritage.

When's Labor Day?

* separate post on "Training Wheels" occured

after tilling and raking and tilling and raking and

"so it's ONE TWO THREE strikes your out..."

Well, I've finally found the picture of my brother Eric and I as we were preparing to cross the plains with the pioneers.  Mom and dad were off collecting some flour and lard, gosh I love lard.  Someday I'll post the videos of the walk - someone forgot to tell me about how long it was to get from there to here!  Mmmmmm I still love the smell of sage brush.  My friend Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne of Green Gables were SO totally fun to spend those long cold winters.  Anne tasted so good.  Ok so she lost the coin toss what can I say.  It's important to remember that most of the Relief Society was also moved - so Home Enrichment and Personal Development Zumba classes and how can can Buffalo course also traveled along the way.   Those biddy women still talked your head off and were giddy when they found a few twigs to curl their hair with or update their heels (kept breaking those high heels in the rocks 'n stuff - gads)  Good thing we hid Hershey chocolate in the hem of our dresses.  I loved dancing along the trails... mom said, "Now you stop that - you'll need all the energy you can get as you are scaled down the cliffs of 'Hole in the Rock'.  Little did she know that I was just trying to dodge the rattlesnakes.  Slurpies were very difficult to find.  The 7-11's back then were not open 24 hours so if we passed by one we could only look in the windows and watch the icy slurpy stuff twirling and twirling that Pina Colada sweetness around and around.  Laura and I loved it when we found one open.  We took the rag ties out of our long flowing hair and tossed it to and fro before walking into the store.  Parking was hard - those wagons took up so much room - you had to get on tracks just to get to the store..... and at about this point - my 9th Generation Grand Father - is cussing me with his Scottish accent - as previously posted on facebook - he knew that I could NEVER EVER have done what they did - I could NEVER EVER have survived, been courageous enough or walked that far without killing my brother for the life of me.  So SALUTE to you brave Pioneers - that saw the vision of the place I live today.... and 7-11's that are open 24 hours a day.  I will not forget you... but I'll bet you would have been tasty too.... 

 Mr. Hill (1665) (Pre Pre Dinosaur Scotland)

Daniel Hill (Pre Dinosaur Scotland)

William Hill (Scotland)

Daniel Hill (Scotland)

Alexander Hill Sr (My Gpa buried in SLC Cemetary) (Scotland)

Daniel Curry Hill (Brought the 1st Presidency into the SL Valley) (My first Pioneer) (Scotland)

Alexander Bryce Hill (Wellsville)

Alexander Munjar Hill (Wellsville)

Alexander Poppleton Hill (Wellsville)

June Murray Hill Bowen - living

Nicole Bowen Hillary - Mom to next generation

Matt, Ashley, Mandy Ryan - next generation

Andrew, Emma - next generation

Some of this crazy bunch came in from Canada... that's just not fun because I always blame Canada for everything and I need to get over that habit.... Well, Happy Pioneer Day Grandpa, and grandpa, and grandpa and grandpa and so on and so on - until you get to my mom - who at 81 years old last night at 1:15 AM was doing yard work by the light of the street light.... blasted crazy woman - I love you...the last living member of your generation and you are crazy as a loon, and I pray for many more years of having you around.  

It's 3:30 PM - and I've already worked my hours today - and have to work a graveyard tonight.  I'm not happy with my current employment.  Does anyone want to pay me a bunch of money with benefits? (:  Seriously - I have to sleep sometime today before I die tonight at work - but there are just under a million things that have to be done - and they have to be done today.  Work, Missionary Mail out, Temple Run (I HATE 1300 East), ended up heading to Jordan River - their chairs are SO much more comfortable to snooze in..., need to make dinner - I hear the dryer running with it's second batch of clothes, I THINK I'm suppose to have Visiting Teachers today, need to make MY appointments for tomorrow - what to do for the weekend - Mendon or stay or stay or Mendon, I teach a RS lesson on Sunday - I'm SO unprepared and psyco about this lesson - I'm pretty sure I'll be released after I teach this one... always edgy on the lesson ideas - try to break that old mold - Ryan's scrapbook pages are piled here next to my Windows 95 computer, Nienie has already posted her blog and inspired the world, worried about the X96 Workers Union concert tonight being rained out - how can you rock and roll in a thunderstorm?  I can't lift my arms above my head because I worked my shoulders last night, survived Jen's killer workout - that woman can hurt you bad - I'm just sayin'... Ran to Distribution in my workout clothes to buy garments for my Missionary Man - oh - please just keep your looks to yourself woman!!  Bought a Spanish BOM for my custodial worker at work, hope he's legal, I do worry... MMM.. chicken salad... Deseret Book.... My Missionary letter to Kyle Johnson is waiting for me to mail... my float receipts are floating around the car somewhere with the "Lorenzo Snow" signs... there are two Count Chocula bowls of cereal and a glass of lemonade on the stand next to me that I need to carry downstairs, and in 15 minutes I will have missed Happy Hour at Sonic for my crunchy ice..... Somewhere in there I realize that I'm pretty blessed, and do believe that I need to take a cold shower and lay underneath the swamp cooler that isn't swamping anymore because it's too hot.  'nite.... er afternoon or whatever it is... phones are off the hook....  What time does the Library close anyway??

Ok folks - here in Utard we have lots 'o parades.  One of the 5 largest in the country is our Days of 47 Parade for the 24th of July.  This celebrates all of those amazing pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley - one of which bringing in the 1st Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was my 8th Great Grandfather - Daniel Hill.  So it's kind of a special day in the hearts of those that honor their heritage - and I do very much honor them.  The week before the BIG 'o Parade there is a Days of 47 Youth Parade - our Stake (Stake: a group of Wards - which is a group of Mormons.... jest in case...ya didn't know)  was invited to participate and that we did!  Mr. Hillary and I were on the float committee.... yep - everyone laughed when we were assigned that one.... we didn't care - it was a way to serve - and that's what we've taught our kids so it meant we served with all of our hearts! This parade was all about the children of the church - and they were SO excited to be in a parade!
Now - just so you know - whom ever won today - would have to participate in the BIG 'o Parade next week - so our Stake set out to make a 'Loser' float - yes you read that right -because NONE of us will be able to attend next week - because we will be celebrating with our very own dead pioneers and random family members - instead of floats full of cloggers... so hate the cloggers.... Here's how it went down....

Then and Now...
...and here are the pictures from the day...

We decided that we would keep it way simple - and focus on how Technology has provided us a way to hear the Prophets voice first on radio, then black and white TV's and on to 'conference on the go' with a huge I-pod.  Everything was black and white - except for this beautiful color picture of President Monson.   My favorite part was watching the people go by and just smile at the idea from ear to ear....(sweet) There were floats all around us with frilly this and fanfare that - but our float was about a message - not the fluff of it all - and people noticed the refreshing change... and liked it.

AND.... I freakin' made this TV out of a box...and canning lids and aluminum foil and a 'Noodles and Company' bowl stuck on the top and black electricians tape.... next I think I'll build a Mall...

There were actually earphones made and it plugged into the I-pod - brilliant! 

(Oh and each picture - the other side is exactly the same... cost 80.00 to print up.... ouch)

LOVED working with the Rileys - Steve and Jackie
great couple, hard workers, well

except for that stupid U of U outfit...
thought they might kick us out of the parade.

Steve drove the float downtown from Sandy early in the
morning with his cute little 4 wheeler... awesome...
(BTW Happy 50th Birthday Tuesday Steve -
hope your surprise BD party was fun tonight!)

Then our 'Prophets' started showing up.

Brigham Young also made an appearance with at least
one of his wives... another story - for another day...
(Brother and Sister Spendlove)

Yep - that's Joseph Smith (President Bell) 

(Emma Smith was busy with the little ones...)

President Gordon B. Hinckley and Marjorie Hinckley

were a HUGE HIT!!!!  (President and Sister Kevin and April Jensen)  These guys stole the show - President Hinckley made sure he brought his cane and waved to everyone with his great smile.

**

Special note here - We had Prophets representing different technology era's in the church - our Stake Presidency were amazing to help us out - and the Costuming came from 'This is the Place' Heritage Center.  When each of them walked up to the float - you could just feel the Spirit of that particular Prophet there - they brought the moment to life for everyone - and there were MANY tears shed - it was priceless.

Check this cast o' Prophets out! (:

Gosh I love these guys and gals...

The lining up of the baked children - the temps were well

into the 100's today and water was a mainstay.

I was SO proud of the children and they were all troopers.

I gave them the Parade Pep talk - we sang our songs and

President Dahl talked to each of them sincerely... more tears...

Let's get this party started!!

Each group of children walked behind their prophet, held their

signs high and waved 'parade style' at the loudly cheering crowd

who recognized each prophet with an audible...

"LOOK THERE'S PRESIDENT HINKLEY, and JOSEPH SMITH,

and LORENZO SNOW, and WOW - there's BRIGHAM YOUNG!!!

Which made the children walking with them cheer loudly.

(SERIOUSLY  - everyone pointed at the float and said....

That's my FAVORITE!!)

Channel 2's News Team covered the Parade - Ron Bird and Mary Nichols

spotted 'President Hinckley' right away and the cameras were on him like glue.

They stopped him and spent a moment with him - the conversation went as follows:

Ron - President Hinckley - it's wonderful to see you here today!

President - Well - it's good to be back!!

PAUSE:  Is this a Resurrection Miracle?

It's good to be back?

(President Jensen started giggling at his comment)

Ron:  You must be tired - your a pretty old guy!

President:  Not as old as those Prophets up there!

(Ron Loses it in laughter!!)

Yep - we are now famous TV stars...

See that plaque Jackie is holding?????

So - Margorie Hinckley and I partied late into the morning,

until she needed a nap and I needed a Coke.

Thought you all might want ta know.

I heart Utard.

OH HOLY COW - by the time I get to post anything I'll be old and ... well... let's not go there.  So I've decided that I will just post all these pictures and put a caption to them and move on with my out of control life.  But as you look at them - I want you to see HOW BEAUTIFUL - my children are.... seriously folks - the only thing MORE BEAUTIFUL would be my GRANDCHILDREN and they are also in these pictures!!! So pop some popcorn (Theater kind, blast 'o' butter, extra fixins - meaning throw some M&M's in there too) and enjoy my camera's view on life as of late.  (.... not the other camera... just one of the cameras... because I have a stupid camera and then I have this camera, which I like, but I really hate using..... squirrel)  Seriously folks - no time to put these in order - welcome to my world... (this is quite possibly the laziest post I've ever done..... until the next one)

You know - this quick and sloppy might just be the guilt free way...

Now were are those 4th of July Pictures...... which camera.... hum......
(I love my kids, I love who they married, I love their little spawns of joy....)