On Friday, August 27th, we headed up to Casper, Wyoming to be with my brother Brian and his family for the weekend. My niece, Brianne, had her 8th birthday and was getting baptized in the Sweetwater River; we were thrilled to be able to share in that experience with her.
I had never been to my brother's house before. It was exciting to see his home, garden, and all of his handy-man tools and projects. Brian is my oldest brother (11 years older than me) and now that we live closer and are both adults, I feel like I'm getting to know him. It turns out that I really like him and think he is fun, clever, and a blast to play strategy board games. He usually beats the pants off of me, but I appreciate his smarts once I recover from being completely humbled. :)
Here are Brianne and Brian just before Brianne went down into the river to be baptized.
What a beautiful place to become a member of the church!
Watching the baptism.
My mom taking notes with Sammy on her lap.
Brianne and her two favorite cousins, Madelyn and Abby. These girls are thick as thieves. They have so much fun together.
Logan and Jesse - looking dapper.
Bradley - Sammy's closest cousin in age. They are just now becoming buddies. They've pretty much ignored each other completely until halfway through Christmas vacation.
My parents, grandma, and brother Mike and his family came up to support Brianne. It was such a fun time and the kids loved being together.
The Casper Blacks - L to R - Bradley, Leanne, Brianne, Brian, and Jesse. LeAnne is due with her fourth baby (a boy) in March.
After the baptism, we headed over to the museum and pioneer park. Martin's Cove is a very sacred place in our church's history. In November of 1856, two handcart companies who made a dangerously late start on their journey across the plains to Utah were caught in a blizzard at Martin's Cove. They were stranded here for five days during which 145 people of the original 500 died. They were rescued and brought to the Salt Lake Valley
There is a quietness and sacredness in this place. I had a great, great, great grandfather and grandmother who were in the Martin Handcart company and survived this devastating event. It was my first time visiting the site and I gained a deeper appreciation and love for those pioneers and my ancestors who sacrificed so much to escape persecution and gain religious freedom by crossing the plains to Utah.
Don and I give the handcarts a try...
Pointing to James and Sarah Walker's name on the plaque. All the names listed in red are those who didn't survive the journey.
After the baptism, we had a birthday party for Brianne to celebrate her 8th birthday. Sammy had so much fun with his cousins.
All Brianne had asked for was a bouquet of flowers. She was thrilled to get them.
LeAnne made a beluga whale cake for Brianne who is a beluga whale fan and expert.
Board games at night! The best part of being with my family. What a great weekend.
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