the happy dance!

About twenty years ago, I asked my Dad where I could help in doing our family history. He chuckled, and said something to the effect that he would give me something easy- and handed me what little information he had on our Drake family line. That information consisted of my grandma's name, and her siblings, along with a "We think her Dad's name was Albert Cleveland Drake, but that is just rumor; he took off and left the family when Mom was a little girl." I spent the next 20 years looking for this elusive relative of mine- to no avail. A few years ago, I was at our local family history center (fhc) and was able to locate Albert and his wife, as well as Albert's dad.  Since then, I have found hints of Albert Sr here and there, and a suggestion of HIS parents' names, but nothing really concrete.
 

Ten days ago I was at a friends house where we jointly homeschool. She was heading to the Salt Lake area for some business, and I was able to hook a ride with her. We left in the late afternoon, and drove all night, arriving around 5 am. After catching a couple of hours of sleep, we jumped in the car and headed downtown. She dropped me at the Family History Library where I spent the next 12 hours. Previously, I was a little skeptical of what further information I would be able to gather that was not already available on the internet. Oh buddy!! Was I wrong!!

Family History Library in Salt Lake. Thank you Google images

I was able to locate both Alberts, as well as Greenbury- Albert Sr.'s dad, qne his wife, Martha. Also Albert Asbury's wife, and her parents! In addition, I found the obituary of Albert Cleveland which named both of his parents, his siblings, and the names of his married sisters and places of residence!! Was I able to maintain my calm and dignified composure? Uh......NO!!! I was literally doing the happy dance in the middle of the FHL in Salt Lake City!! The joy I felt was unlike almost anything I have felt before, and I knew that these ancestors were just as joyful on the other side of the veil.  This discovery was so worth the 24 hours of sleepless traveling, and I can't wait to go again. The most interesting thing was that after I had transcribed and made copies of this information, I decided to do some work on my mother's side, as I have some holes in my Jewell ancestry. But it was as if a cement wall had dropped over my mind, and I was unable to locate any further information. It was like Heavenly Father was saying-" My daughter, I have given what you came here seeking, now go home and search anew. Your prayers have been answered".  What a powerful example oh His love for all of His children! And what a testimony of prayer I received- it was an experience I will always remember.

In other news on the catch-up front, when Paul and I took Josslin to Rexburg for school, we decided to do some camping/hiking in Glacier National Park. I had never been there, and neither of us had ever driven The Road to the Sun, so we decided to hit that too. Holy mountains batman! It was a sight to behold! The flowers were amazing! 

These pics were taken on the Road to the Sun. There are straight dropoffs on the side of the road that fall for up to 1000 feet. In some places we could see a waterfall start high above us, then follow it all the way to the valley floor. Truly a sight to see.





I took this photo from across the valley- I don't know the name of the butte, but the mineral striping was gorgeous. We could see this butte from many places in the park.









 < More flowers- Indian Paintbrush, wild lupine, and a type of bee balm? So pretty! It is amazing how living things can find any little spot of soil and not only grow but thrive! I think there is a lesson there!!


And here is our home sweet home! It made camping so easy to just pop the tent and fill up the air mattress. We had to keep the food in the cab of the truck because of the bears, but it still was the cleanest and easiest camping we have done.

This is Bowman Lake. We went on a long hike on which we were to hike about 6 miles in and end up at Numa lookout. Apparently there are lots of wildlife that can be seen from this area. I recently hiked this distance and was pretty comfortable with the distance. But. I forgot about the 3000 ft increase in elevation,and when you start at 4000 feet, 7000 feet makes quite an impact on how efficiently one is able to use one's oxygen intake. So we made it in 5 miles, missed out on anything other than squirrels and chipmunks, and the bear scat, but it was still a wonderful way to spend the day. It was so peaceful up there, the Spirit of the Lord was abundant. As I contemplated on the creation of our world, I was overwhelmed with the love Heavenly Father has for us, and for all of His creations. It was such a treat to spend time just enjoying them and discovering all the beauty around us.

This weekend is General Conference. It has been wonderful to listen to prophets and apostles teach us how to draw closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. There were so many great talks, I am going to have to watch each session over and over. What a blessing to have this access in our home!

For those of you that are wondering what that blank patch of denim is at the  top of my blog, eventually it will be cute; I am just having some difficulty figuring out how to put some pics on it to personalize it and cutify it.

Well, thats it for me- have a great week everyone!