"Different, not less" and Family Fun Reviewed

Temple Grandin

Tomorrow celebrates the 66th birthday of Temple Grandin, a great historic figure who inspires many, including me.  Why? who? you may ask?  

Temple Grandin was born in 1947 and she had a hard time learning to speak and socialize with humans.  Her mom was very concerned and after learning of her condition and "limitations" included in her diagnosis of autism, was advised to institutionalize her.  She absolutely refused and in my interpretation pulled a "180" on the doctors.  Temple learned to talk, read, write, experiment, study, research, and eventually teach.  She is now a professor at Colorado State University.  

This past weekend, a movie all about her autistic journey was recommended to me.  It's simply called Temple Grandin (2010).  It's hard to find, but I know it's available through the Netflix mailing service or you can just buy it at Walmart.  If you are interested in child development, autism, dealing with disabilities, overcoming disadvantaged circumstances, or -as I did- appreciating the phrase, "different, not less" then I'd recommend the movie to you too.  If not, then you can simply just wish her a happy 66th birthday tomorrow, August 29, 2013. :) 

Family Vacation Re-cap

We came home from my family vacation last week and first of all it was a really great retreat from regular life but I also liked coming home again-I'm somewhat of a homebody. :) ...here are some pics! :)

A day in Salt Lake City, UT: Ensign Peak, Temple Square, Shopping at City Creek Mall

view from top of Ensign Peak

Family & statue of Joseph Smith Jr. at Temple Square

Salt Lake City Temple

Most all of us are probably missing our sunglasses at this point! ;)

Christus in Temple Square

Cloward Male Parking Garage Antics

Cool Crew at Grandpa's airplane hangar

 Brown Family Reunion 

(missing Grandma Robyn)

Bear Lake Boating with cousins

aren't they cute!? :)

Brown Picnic with Grandma Geri

Park play:)

Traditional Aggie Ice Cream Stop

What female doesn't love ice cream!? :) 

Happy day!

For no especially outstanding reason but to celebrate the simple joys I feel buoying me up right now including family, the gospel, good friends, and more, I wish you a happy day! :) Love, Heidi

A Classic Ice Cream Stop

Hi!  So it's a wrap on the family time for this crew-as least for the extended family time.  We managed to see all of my mom's  parents, siblings and all their children, and have a great time! We also saw Temple Square, did some fun shopping at the City Creek Mall, and hiked up Ensign Peak together.  

All the adventures combined left me quite worn out yesterday but I managed to whip up enough energy to go do a few more fun errands with my family this evening.  Not the least of which was a trip to the ...[drum roll please] Famous Aggie Ice Cream shop! We all got ice cream and it was a splendid treat! 

  And for those of you who can appreciate this, we heard from a fellow ice cream eater that we just missed Elder L. Tom Perry -a major leader in the church- coming through for his own Saturday evening ice cream and he must have gone out to his car not too long before we got there because I saw his car sitting there still while we waited in line. :)

Airplane Rides with Grandpa

Today I got to do one of the luckiest activities I can think of with my grandpa.  He learned to fly about 47 years ago and since I was child has periodically taken my family for individual plane rides.  

Currently, he has a two-seater airplane.  Today, it was my pleasure to fly in it with him and I was so grateful to take off safely, land safely, and experience a special memory with my grandpa!  This vacation has been great so far! :)

Each of my siblings and parents also got individual airplane rides.  He let us take the controls and gave us a taste of what it is like to stall.  It was pretty cool!  My brother Andrew was particularly excited because he knows and loves airplanes.  

 Family pilot enthusiast, Andrew 

 Spencer

 Missy 

 Sam

Hangar 

Cloward Family Time!

Hi!  Today, I got to see my extended family in Utah and it was so fun!  My extended family on my mom's side is meeting up this week for a reunion at Bear Lake but for today, we met with three of my dad's brothers.  It was a day of church, fun with the cousins, a great pulled pork meal, and a cake...oh! and pictures! haha 

Andrew with the cousins 

 Naps!

 Cloward brothers: Jim, Jeff, Joe, & Josh

 bros with spouses: Laurie, Jenni, Andrea, & Megan.  I love my aunts! 

 Cousins

Fun Flashback -One Year Ago

As I wrote the date on August 1st, I couldn't help but recall that day one year ago. It marks the first of 21 days on the road -and in the air, across the water, etc.- to literary and historic sites over on the east coast and a little in the midwest.  

Exactly one year ago today I rode on a ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island.  If anyone of you ever has the chance to travel to the Statue of Liberty and has never been, GO! It's a thrilling site to see the Statue of Liberty up so close as you cross the waters and I've heard of a ferry that played the National Anthem as they crossed-that would make it even better! 

Special Shout-out to one of my roommates and friend from the trip, Meg.  She brought such a light to our experience and I loved being around her.  She is serving a mission now in Canada and I'm sure just as she did here is bringing lots of laughs, fun, and generally high spirits to the missionary work there!   :)  Happy Aug. 7th!! 

 Meg and I near Statue of Liberty