Summer 2010

The summer went by pretty quick this year. We had a much warmer/hotter summer than last year. Here's some things we did the past few months or so...



I finished teaching Seminary in May. This is my awesome class (minus one). Jayde, Tawny, Mykell, Me, Kepler, Taylor, Ian and Bryce. I miss seeing them each morning and on Sundays. Some have moved away to college (BYU, BYU-Idaho, Butler University and Indiana University). Others are still here and Taylor is going to be going on his mission in November. This is a 6 a.m. picture... hence all the awesome morning hair and tired eyes... a usual look for all of us :)

I was able to go hiking and camping with my family. So fun. Kurtis and I REALLY miss the mountains. Please enjoy them for us!




We had some fun visitors in July...Mama and Papa Ellis. They were here to celebrate Kurtis' 29th Birthday with us and we went on a fun road trip to Nauvoo.


Brent, Tamra and Kurtis in front of the reconstructed Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store.


Kurtis in front of Hyrum, Emma and Joseph's burial spots. The house behind them is Joseph and Emma's original home/log cabin in Nauvoo.

Not far from their sons lie Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack.

The beautiful reconstructed Nauvoo Temple. We were able to do a session one morning. The interior is absolutely beautiful. The designers did their best to make all the decor period to the original.


Kurtis in the Carthage Jail. This is the room Hyrum and Joseph were martyred in and the window Joseph fell out of.

The outside of the Carthage Jail.

We were able to find the grave of my great, great, great, great grandmother Mary Smith. She lived and died in Nauvoo. She was a Cherokee Indian and thus responsible for all the beautiful dark skin and hair found in the Hales family.

We also went to the Nauvoo pageant and so many of the sites in Nauvoo. We saw the original Browning Gun Shop, Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball's homes and where the saints floated their wagons across the Mississippi River to flee Nauvoo. The city has an amazing spirit to it and carries the great Latter-day Saint pioneer excitement. We were lucky enough to be there on Pioneer Day.




We went to the Indiana State Fair again this year...it was SOOO hot! But we found some free ice cream and this awesome "American Gothic" statue.



We've also just been enjoying time together... just the two of us before the baby comes. Kurtis works so hard and does everything he can to get all the training he can and knowledge he can. After coming home from a long-day's work, he usually will still be finishing up notes on patients, reading journal articles, or voluntarily checking up on patients he's concerned about. He's doing such a great job and I'm so proud of him.

You should also know that Kurtis is a Saint. If we're not careful, he's going to be translated and leave me behind! In August, he was working on the Wards rotation, which generally ends up being an 80-hour work week with only 5 days off the entire month. One of his days off was a Sunday. He was asked to fill in for the Ward Clerk who was going to be out of town, and who was filling in for the Executive Secretary. So that day, Kurtis had early morning meetings, was the Ward Clerk, Executive Sec. in addition to his duties as Membership Clerk. He also did his other calling and taught Elders Quorum that day, and after church he did his home teaching. This was all on one of his only days off for the month... and not once did he complain. But this is just par for the course for my Kurtis. He is such a great guy and continues to amaze me :)