Calley Family Reunion

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."

Anthony Brandt

And as the quote on Virginia's wall in her dining room says, "We may not have it together, but together we have it all."

Every year, at a new location, the Calley Family comes together for a week long reunion. During this week are fun activities, lots of food and hopefully lots of laughs. This year, I had the privilege of planning the reunion here in Utah, which was a first for me and wasn't an easy feat by any means. But I did my best and pulled together a week of well-rounded activities including LDS Church activities (such as hearing the Tabernacle Choir and president Monson, and a tour of the Oquirrh Temple), a hike up to the Timpanogos Cave, a trip to the Lagoon amusement park, a 5k/10k race, and of course the traditional softball game and a round of golf. Whew...we did a lot! Here's a glimpse of all the fun we had...

View from the top of the Timpanogos Cave trail...

We made it!!

All of the Calley men were asked to grow their best facial hair for the reunion for a good laugh; here's the results....

Ahhh, scary!

The heart of the Timpanogos Cave

After the Timpanogos Cave hike, some opted to go on a hike to Stewart Falls (my favorite) as well. And once we got to the falls, some needed a little cooling off...under the waterfall.

The Stewart Falls hike group...

Here's Uncle Carlos and Al enjoying our front porch...

The Calley Family group photo

Here's our little family photo... and as you can see, Mason wanted to play instead of take photos.

Grandpa and Brayton playing light savers...

The final day of the reunion was Pioneer Day, which is a holiday in Utah commemorating the Mormon pioneers that founded Salt Lake Valley. Part of the festivities included a 5k/10k Pioneer Day run.

Here's a shot of Dan, Jon and Dave...

Uh, I finished!!! My time was 1:03:39, which beat my last time by almost 3 minutes!

Here's a group photo of all the runners...

Dan won 3rd place in his age group! Dan's time was 43:13:20, which beat his last time by like a minute and half!

Mason loved wearing Dan's medal.

Dave won 1st place in his age group!

Jerry also won 3rd place in his age group! Here's a group shot of the medal winners...

Well, that concludes the annual Calley Family reunion. We're so glad to have had everyone out and hope that you had as much fun as we did! We love you and can't till next year!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today, we celebrated Mom's 29th birthday. We did lots of fun stuff; but most importantly, Daddy took the day off to hang out with us! We went to our Mommy and Me class at The Little Gym and then they took me to get my first haircut at a place called Cookie Cutters. I have to say that I actually had fun...I got to sit in an airplane and watch Elmo while someone blew bubbles at me. I hardly even noticed that someone was cutting my hair. Then later that afternoon, we went up to the Gateway (an outdoor mall) in Salt Lake. Mommy and Daddy indulged in some yummy sushi (that's Mommy's favorite food), and then we went to the water feature where I got to run around and get soaking wet. Wow, that was fun!

Then on Friday night, Daddy invited some friends over to have cake and ice cream. I hope Mommy had a wonderful birthday...we love you!!!

Oh yeah!

I got to see a horsey!

Daddy thought he'd be funny and switched the numbers...ha, ha!

This is Mommy with Jenni and Alfa...

This is Mommy with Kenny and Amber...

Sunday Hikes

Every Sunday we try to go on a hike somewhere up in the canyon.  It's such a great family bonding activity and has become a highlight of my week.  

On this particular sunday, we decided to hike the trail to Stewart Falls.  And I have to say this is one of my favorites...it's filled with groves of aspens and pines, and covered with lush ferns and flowers.  It's a refreshing escape from the Utah Valley desert.  Then like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the trail opens up to Stewart Falls, a beautiful waterfall that makes the 1.5 mile trek worth every step....

Ahhhhhhhhh........

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!  Hope everyone had lots of watermelon and fireworks!

For our 4th of July, Grandma Georgia and Reid came to visit. We did lots of really cool stuff.  We went to a picnic with a huge bouncy red thing, and then we went for a drive on the Alpine loop through Sundance, and Mommy and Daddy ran a 10k race at the Freedom Festival.  I didn't get to see fireworks because it was my bedtime, but Mommy and Daddy did.  Bet they were really cool!

It was so nice to see Georgia Grandma and Reid.  Can't wait to see them again! 

Mommy and Daddy did really well at the Freedom Run.  Mommy ran it in 1:04:34 and Daddy ran it in 44:35.  Way to go! 

Here are pictures from the picnic...

This is the big red bouncy thing I was telling you about...

These pictures are from our drive on the Alpine Loop and Sundance...

I would like add a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of those that have sacrificed their lives for me and my family's freedom.  I am so grateful to live in such a wonderful country.  God Bless and Happy Birthday America!