Dear Kids,
         Here’s a message from Bonnie for all of you:  Our "every other year in the park" Allen reunion is approaching, and the date we have chosen is Saturday July 28th!  It will be held at the same place as always, in the Provo Riverview park.  (4620 N 300 West, Provo, UT) We have the pavilion from 9:00 to 2:00 p.m.  Please make this a priority since we only do this every other year, and for just a few hours. It is always fun to see how large and amazing this family has grown and for cousins to reconnect!  Bring your own lunch and we will have a few fun games and activities planned. If anyone wants to help with activities, please let me know.
          I’m really excited for this reunion, and for Lucy’s baptism that evening at 5:00.  We’re in the middle of a drought, and the river is really low now, but Jan Lefler said the water is always waist deep in that one spot.  If I had a backhoe I would go dredge it deeper there, just to make sure, but of course it will be fine.
          Because of the drought, there’s a total ban on fireworks in Summit county, so Dad and I went to Centerville for the 4th of July.  Nora’s neighborhood was also part of a ban,  but Allen told me that Main Street was OK.  So went went down to the church just below their house to set off our fireworks.  I had half of a Costco pack that John split with me, and James had his own collection.  (We had already done sparklers and snakes and poppers up at Nora’s house, while it was still light.)  We waited until it was totally dark, and then started setting things off.   My aerials were totally spectacular.  (McKay had his hands over his ears, but he was totally stupefied.)  Then, just as we were finishing, a kid came running up with two giant bags filled with more aerials.  He lit a punk from our lighter, and then started setting them off.  Of course he needed us for an audience, and we totally enjoyed his show!  Besides that, the whole valley was alive with fireworks.  What a night!  Dad and I slept over, because it was way too late to drive home.
         There’s no major medical news from us this week, but I’ve made one giant improvement.  For the last three months, ever since I had radiation, I haven’t been able to even look at dark chocolate.  (Who could have believed it?)  But now, suddenly, I’m loving it again.  I’ve tackled the stack of “Midnight Reverie” I collected on Mothers Day, and relishing every bite.  So life is really good again.
         Lots of love, Mom