Emily's Exploits

I grew up in the era of TAPES. Ok, so maybe we switched over to CD's when I was about in 7th grade, but my childhood memories of being in the car involve using a tape player and having to switch the sides when I wanted to listen to the other songs on it!  There was one particularly amazing tape we had in our car growing up- it was Kermit the Frog sing-along. And the songs are all about traveling. This tape was bright green, and amazing.  Somehow, these songs were embedded into my soul from such a young age, that my subconscious never forgot the lyrics... because...  As I played mommy for a week, one of the songs just CAME TO ME as we were in the car. I sang it to Jacob when he wouldn't put his seatbelt on.  What's the first thing you do when you get into the car, If you're going down the block, or you're going very far, What's the first thing you do when you get into the car? You put your  seatbelt  on! Do you bake a little cake, do you ...

I live in Utah. Utah was settled by pioneers. So we have Pioneer Day, every July 24th. Which means I have no school today. Just one more reason to love it! ;) I feel I wouldn't be doing my civic duty without blogging about Pioneers. Or about my pioneer ancestry. It's hard work, but somebody's gotta do it. Hannah Thornock (my great-great-great grandmother on my father's side) was three months old when her parents and five older siblings boarded the ship Golconda to emigrate to the United States, specifically to meet with the rest of the Mormons in the Salt Lake Valley. The ship left Liverpool, England on February 4th, 1854, and arrived in New Orleans on March 18th. From there they went to Kansas City and outfitted themselves for the nine week trek over the plains and rockies to Salt Lake City! "In addition to all the heavy labor of assembling the wagons, training the young oxen, constructing pasture fences and corrals and all the camping and household chores, there...