Surprise!........ Another Year at Bear Lake

The day after the fourth of July we traveled up to Bear Lake for our yearly reunion with Grandma and Grandpa Woolley and all of the kids, grand kids, and great-grand kids. Most of us arrived in the early afternoon, but a few were able to make it that morning. This year the Martin family was a little sparse. Cameron and Jill's families weren't going to be able to come along with Darren, Chelsea, and Ben. Then Brett, Russell, Nicole, and Nicholas were only going to make it for the last two days. As we sat at the dinner table we all realized how small our group was this year (7 adults and 2 babies). We could all fit around one table. When we mentioned to Carol that we were a small group she began to cry. It was so hard for her not to see her whole family there. Well, her spirits were soon raised when Jill and the kids came stomping through the door. Dy and Tina started having suspicions that they might show up just moments before so it was good they came when they did. Michelle, Nettie, and I knew they were coming so we made sure and got this video clip of the excitement.


On Tuesday morning we had our first taste of the beach. We rented wave runners for a few hours, but with the wind and how cold the water was there weren't as many wanting to take a ride. By early afternoon we were done with the lake and ready to hit the hot tub, take a rest, and have some dinner. Before we left for Bear Lake, Michelle and I were having a debate on whether or not Drew would be able to get in the water. I agreed the lake would be too cold, but I figured he should be able to go into the swimming pool. Luckily I was able to talk Michelle into it and Drew was able to have his first swim Tuesday evening.

He was still a little small for the floating device that we had for him, but I think he really liked the water. He has always loved his baths, so we figured it wouldn't be a problem. Bracken was also joining us for the swim, but it took him a little longer to warm up to the idea.


Just like most of his firsts we made sure to take a video of Drew having fun during his first swim. I must admit he really doesn't show emotion very often, but believe me he was liking it.

That night before we Drew to sleep, I was able to get him laughing pretty hard. By the time we got the camera out to record it he had settled down. That always seems to happen.

On Wednesday we spent some more time at the lake just hanging at the beach without the wave runners and by the afternoon we were already for the pool once again. Believe me, I did get pictures of us at the lake, but they will be coming later. Here are just a few more shots of us playing at the pool. Ethan was trying to play it cool by getting in the water without his life jacket, but he soon realized he couldn't swim.

As another surprise, Chelsea ended up showing up for the last few days of Bear Lake. After we told her that Jill and the kids were here she couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them.

Before getting out of the pool all the kids decided to make a whirl pool along with a wave pool. They decided to put Carter in the middle of the wave maker and he was having the time of his life even though it might look like he's scared out of his mind.

On our last full day we made sure to spend lots of time at the beach. We rented wave runners once again and added the addition of the water trampoline. Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures that I took of our beach fun.

As a perfect end to our trip we made one last run to get some shakes and fries. I don't know what it is that makes us think that we must have shakes when we come to Bear Lake, but we had one every day.

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Woolley for giving us another great Bear Lake adventure. We are looking forward to next year.

The Kaysville Parade and 4th of July Picnic

For the last few years, the Martins, along with other friends and relatives, have chosen the Kaysville parade as a must to celebrate the 4th of July. There are two main reasons why the parade is so popular. The first is that they throw out bucket loads of candy to the crowds.


This is Michelle’s favorite part. She get so excited and acts like this is the last candy on earth. Since I had to work, I was grateful that Nettie caught Michelle’s excitement on video.

After the floats have finished the parade route reason number two comes into play. A huge water fight explodes throughout the whole street.


People bring their own water guns, and water trucks drive down the street spraying everyone that isn’t in the dry zones. Everyone has a great time and I hope to be able to see it in person one of these years.

On the actual day of the 4th of July we had a picnic with the Martin side of the Family.

One of Michelle’s cousins, Cody, came into town with his son, Jaxson, yes the spelling is correct, and we decided to get all those who could together for a little get together.

It was another beautiful day and a wonderful way to celebrate our countries freedom. Happy 4th of July!

Visit from Ryan and Emily

Emily and Ryan, along with the girls, came to visit Utah for the 4th of July holiday. They arrived on two different days. Ryan with Peyton and Hailey drove up on Sunday and Emily and Alexis arrived by plane on Monday. After making a quick trip to see Rachael at work, Drew and I met them at Temple Square to walk around the church art museum. Before traffic became too busy Ryan and Emily headed down to Provo to stay in Ryan’s parent’s condo.
On Wednesday, Michelle and Drew met Emily and the girls up at Temple Square to finish looking at the sites. Peyton wanted to see the grass at the top of the conference center so they ended up taking a tour. After leaving Temple Square, Michelle took them to Liberty Park to play on the playground and also get wet on the water pad. After work I met up with them at the park. The girls had a fun time running around in the water. Michelle, Emily, and I enjoyed talking with one another and watching Drew blow bubbles with his mouth. To finish the evening all of us, along with Rachael, went to our apartment to have a BBQ. The food was wonderful and we even had a little concert from the girls.

On Saturday we headed down to Provo to visit one more time with Emily and Ryan. Rachael and Steve were already down there so we had a good group. After playing a few Wii games we had a good dinner and then lit a few fireworks that Ryan had purchased. The weather was great and it was fun to watch the girls get so excited to pick out the next firework to light.

To finish off the evening we walked down the street and waited for the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire to begin. We arrived two hours before they would start and spent time eating Popsicles and talking. Drew was getting tired and got a little fussy, but soon fell asleep.

Once the fireworks started Drew got a little startled, but once he caught his eye on the flashing lights he couldn’t take his eyes off them.

Just a few minutes before the fireworks were going to end, Michelle and I headed back to the car so we could beat the traffic. The night was a success and an enjoyable experience for Drew’s first 4th of July. Thanks Emily, Ryan, and the girls for a wonderful week.

Relay For Life

This year our family participated in relay for life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society consisting of a relay that started on Friday evening and lasted till noon on Saturday.

We were celebrating the lives of two very important people: Our Aunt Kathy who is battling cancer for the second time and now has terminal cancer and our Grandpa Woolley who is a survivor.

Our cousins did an amazing job at fundraising, and providing team T-Shirts, food, etc. A week before the race, my cousin sent out a sign up for slots on when we would be available to be on the track. Well, the schedule went pretty much out the window from the start. Our team was so anxious to be there that there were very few moments when there were less than 5 people from our team on the track. Brad and Mark, our cousins ran/walked 20 miles during the night and Jason walked at least 15 miles during the night. Our Uncle Rick, Aunt Doris, and cousin Jessica walked hours and hours. Jessica ran/walked a marathon during the relay. Our team was amazing. Doing this race really hit home….Cancer is real. Our Aunt Kathie has always been a favorite aunt and seeing her go through this again is heart breaking.

We are SO impressed by the strength her kids have shown. They are all our heroes. We think what made it so great was that it was with family. We’re so lucky to be so close to our siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Three Weddings and Some Family Pics

In the past two weekends we have had three wedding receptions to attend. The first was an old friend from College, Shannon. The second was my cousin Jean Jaque’s. The Third was my sister’s best friend and old roommate as well as my personal friend Stacie.

She had her reception just a few miles away from Michelle’s parent’s house in a beautiful Tuscan style home owned by the groom’s parents. It was great to see many of Rachael’s friends and roommates that she had while she and I were both at BYU.

Since the yard and house were so beautiful Michelle and I decided to get a few pictures of our little family. One of Stacie and Rachael’s friends from College, Dan, made a surprise visit from Arizona and since he works for Cannon and we have a Cannon camera I thought it only right for him to take the pictures.

I also got a few shots of Drew on my own. He has the most beautiful blue eyes. We had a wonderful time and know that all three couples will have a wonderful life together.