The Bitter and the Sweet

We left early Friday morning to head up to Spokane for Abe's Dad's funeral.  Our hearts were heavy, and yet we love going to Spokane, and we love to go on long car rides together.
On the way up we stopped at BYU Idaho in Rexburg for a campus tour.  Here are the little kids living it up in the back of the golf cart.

After an early morning and then a long-ish tour, Peter was exhausted.  He fell asleep while munching his gold fishies.

And then gravity won and the bag of gold fish dropped to the floor.

Over the course of a couple of days, 7 Fox families were making their way to Spokane from out of state.  It was so fun to unexpectedly meet up with a carload of cousins at a rest stop in Montana!

Most of the families are staying at a local hotel, but we're the lucky ones to enjoy the hospitality of Jesse and Amy's family.  The cousins, old and young were so happy to be reunited.

We didn't come up at the end of July for the family reunion because Greta was just barely born.  It felt very good to be with family again.

We took it easy Saturday morning and then we headed up the hill to see Grandma and have a family lunch.

Within five minutes this had happened.

I suppose he has a gift.

Grrr.

I don't want to talk about it. 

I will only say that when the boy leaves on his mission, we will not keep his reptilian friends while he is away.  I feel strongly that we should not add any creepy crawlies to his collection.

Oh, the happy gathering it was.  The hugs and love expressed all around.  I do not believe our joy and happiness take anything away from the somber reason for the gathering.  I feel quite certain that Grandpa was able to see us and he thoroughly enjoyed watching his posterity love one another as we delighted in the gospel plan that seals us all together forever. 

Grandma Fox and Greta meet for the first time and share a moment together.

The grandchildren practiced their musical number for the funeral.  They will be singing "I Love to See the Temple" and "I Am a Child of God".  So angelic.

How we love to be together and talk and laugh.  Grandpa loved to be in the thick of it-- laughing at the embellished stories! 

... and it has been passed down to the next generation.

One of the great things about having 57 grandchildren, the oldest only being in her early twenties, is that almost everyone has several cousins very close in age.  This grouping of Everett, Elinor, Gentri, and Annie is usually found together.

Grandma was busy most of the day talking with her children about funeral plans.  She seems to be holding up pretty well, all things considered.

The oldest daughter with the oldest grand-daughter, who is expecting the second great grandchild.

Faith photo-bombed George's photo-bomb.  Well done, Faith.

Beautiful Ruth had the magic touch with her cousin, Greta.

Even in sad times, there are perks to going to Grandma's house.  A giant tub of cheese puffs not being the least of them.

The beautiful ladies of the Stuart and Tiffany Fox family.

Most of us went together to the General Women's meeting of General Conference.  It was so, so good.  So uplifting.  

Just for fun.

I would like it to be known that I made my face on purpose.  That is not my regular face. 

That's all.

Abe and his brother Jesse met up with several of his cousins on the Fox side late that evening.  He hasn't seen some of them for many years and it did his heart good to reconnect.

Much of the teen crowd crashed a double stake barn dance in the area.  they had a marvelous time and couldn't be dragged home until past midnight.

There are things in this world I wish I could bottle up and save.  There are lots of things about this picture I'd like to keep just how they are.