Yankee Fan or a Brewer Fan?

Jared has absolutely been in love with the New York Yankees  forever. His room was decorated with Yankee facts and photos. This photo recently showed up in my texting inbox. What??? How can this be?? Just kidding, it looks like they were having a good time. Jared just landed a good job and things are going well for him.

Potato Gun Activity

Our YM groups has so much fun. They built potato guns tonight no will launch them sometimes in the next few weeks. Jacob came home yelling "Say hello to my little friend!" How fun is that!

Jacob's track pictures

Here are the pictures of Jacob's track team. Lots of kids out. He is in the back row trying to look tall. It is working for him. He is getting stronger and stronger as the season goes by. The surgery and the rehabilitation has taken a long time. He was out of sports and any real exercise for about six months. If you look closely at his knees you can see the scars and the difference in the muscles. Interesting.

Guess what is happening?

No big announce,nets or anything. I just have some random pictures that I thought I would post. We have been way, way too busy lately. I have been on an interview committee for our new elementary principal. This process seriously took about thirty hours of meetings before all was said and done. In the middle of all of that Spike and I went to Nashville to a NSBA convention. Awesome! It was just Awesome! Spring break happened with Sparky coming home along with lucas and family. Do I have pictures of everything? Nope.i don't have a good camera right now so rats for me.....

oh yes, Jacob also had his first track meet of the season. He jumped 5'2", good for second place. He almost had 5'4". So close. It would have been nice if they wou,d let him raise the bar in practice to more than 4'6". He ran the hurdles but was way to scared to use his surgery leg. So he wouldn't alternate. Can you say stutter stepping? He also ran the 100 meter dash. Interestingly enough he is still favoring his good leg. He was definitely limping as he ran. I asked if it hurt at all. He says no and didn't realize that he was limping at all. He still has some work to do in the rehabilitation department.

Here are some pictures. We got a few from Jared and Camille mixed in with the bunch.

Mark's Birthday!

Happy birthday to my Marky Sparky! He turned 21 this week. He is coming home today for spring break! He had lots of tests this past week so he saved his present from us until today. What a sweetheart. It looks like he shared his lunch with a sweetheart of his own.

Fantastic Weekend!

IWe went on a mini vacation last weekend. We hopped in the car on Friday after I got done with work and headed south! We went over south pass with just a bit of a blizzard and met up with our Mark in Rock Springs. It was so nice to be with him over the weekend. Then on to Riverton Utah to see our Rachael girl.

Rachael was performing in a concert that was absolutely amazing. I will get to that event shortly. So we checked into a nice hotel. Jacob and Mark each got their own beds and a nice breakfast.  We went to the Cox home (technically the Briggs). Eve had a rash when we got there. It was weird. At first we thought chicken pox and then thought maybe measles. But after a few baths and some ointment the conclusion was that she must have had an allergic reaction to....something. We played on Saturday and ate out at a cool Mexican restaurant. We went to the museum of natural curiosities. That was. Very neat place. Unfortunately, Jacob was feeling a migraine coming on so he stayed on the car with Spike and slept. He would have loved it there had he felt better.

That evening we went to temple square. Jacob hasn't been there since lucas left on his mission so he really wanted to go. We enjoyed some ice cream and then dashed off to Rachael's concert.

Rachael is part of the Salt Lake Choral Artist Choir. She also auditioned and was accepted into the select Choral Choir. How about that for a little bit of bragging ?!? She is an amazingly talented singer. The concert was all about lullabies. My favorite was 'Goodnight my Angel' by Billy Joel. My next was probably 'Feed the Birds'. 

Sunday morning we attended Sacrament meeting with them. Their ward is quite large and I enjoyed the program. Eli's brother, Simeon, spoke. I enjoyed his comments on how important music is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark looked up some scriptures while he was speaking and it is interesting to note,that before Christ entered the garden of Gethsemane, he first sang a hymn and prayed with his apostles.

After church we headed home. Thankfully the roads that were closed the day before were quite passable on Sunday. We dropped Mark off at his car in Rock Springs and then went on home. Mark got home a few hours before we did but we had a great weekend. My kids need to live closer.

Gwenlian

So.... I was doing some poking around the family search site and came across this woman named Gwenlian. She actually had a picture Eve though she lived in the eleventh century. I was intrigued and after looking her up was completely amazed. This is a very neat lady with a story of courage, bravery and love.

Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd (Gwenllian, daughter of Gruffydd, c. 1097 – 1136) was Princess consort of Deheubarth in Wales, and married to Gruffydd ap Rhys, Prince of Deheubarth. Gwenllian was the daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynan (1055–1137), Prince of Gwynedd and Angharad ferch Owain, and a member of the princely Aberffraw family of Gwynedd. Gwenllian's "patriotic revolt" and subsequent death in battle at Kidwelly Castle contributed to the Great Revolt of 1136.

There are several notable artistic depictions of Gwenllian, often depicting her with a sword in hand, or riding a chariot into battle in the style of Boudicca. She is sometimes confused with Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn, who lived two centuries later.

Early life

Gwenllian was the youngest daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynan, Prince of Gwynedd, and his wife, Angharad. She was born in 1097 on Ynys Môn at the family seat at Aberffraw, and was the youngest of eight children; four older sisters: Mared, Rhiannell, Susanna, and Annest, and three older brothers: Cadwallon, Owain[1] and Cadwaladr. She was the great-great-great-granddaughter of Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, High King of Ireland.[2]

Gwenllian grew to be strikingly beautiful. After Gruffydd ap Rhys, the Prince of Deheubarth, ventured to Gwynedd around 1113 to meet her father, Gwenllian and Deheubarth's prince became romantically involved and eloped.[3] Gwenllian and Gruffydd had the following children:[1]

▪ Morgan ap Gruffydd (c. 1116, Carmarthenshire – 1136)

▪ Maelgwyn ap Gruffydd (c. 1119, Carmarthenshire – 1136?)

▪ Rhys "Fychan" ap Gruffydd (c. 1129, Dynevor Castle, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire – after 24 April 1197)

Gwenllian joined her husband at his family seat of Dinefwr in Deheubarth. Deheubarth was struggling against the Norman invasion in South Wales, with Norman, English, and Flemish colonists in footholds throughout the country. While the conflict between the Normans and the Welsh continued, the princely family were often displaced, with Gwenllian joining her husband in mountainous and forested strongholds.[3] From here, she and Gruffydd ap Rhys led retalitory strikes, aka "lightning raids" against Norman-held positions in Deheubarth.[3]

The Great Revolt 1136

By 1136 an opportunity arose for the Welsh to recover lands lost to the Marcher Lords when Stephen de Blois displaced his cousin, Empress Matilda, from succeeding her father to the English throne the year prior, sparking the Anarchy in England.[4][5] The usurpation and conflict it caused eroded central authority in England.[4] The revolt began in South Wales, as Hywel ap Maredudd, Lord of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire), gathered his men and marched to the Gower, defeating the Norman and English colonists there at the Battle of Llwchwr.[3][4] Inspired by Hywel of Brycheiniog's success, Gruffydd ap Rhys hastened to meet with Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd, his father-in-law, to enlist his aid in the revolt.[4]

While her husband was in Gwynedd seeking an alliance with her father against the Normans, Maurice of London and other Normans led raids against Deheubarth's Welsh and Gwenllian was compelled to raise an army for their defence.[4][6][7] In a battle fought near Kidwelly Castle, Gwenllian's army was routed, she was captured in battle and beheaded by the Normans.[4] In the battle her son Morgan was also slain and another son, Maelgwyn captured and executed.

Though defeated, her patriotic revolt inspired others in South Wales to rise.[4] The Welsh of Gwent, led by Iowerth ab Owain (grandson of Caradog ap Gruffydd, Gwent's Welsh ruler displaced by the Norman invasions), ambushed and slew Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, the Norman lord who controlled Ceredigion.[4]

When word reached Gwynedd of Gwenllain's death and the revolt in Gwent, Gwenllian's brothers Owain and Cadwaladr invaded Norman controlled Ceredigion, taking Llanfihangel, Aberystwyth, and Llanbadarn.[4]

Gwenllian's legacy

Gwenllian's actions can be compared to another Celtic leader: Boadicea (Buddug). This is the only known example of a medieval period woman leading a Welsh army into battle. The field where the battle is believed to have taken place, close to Kidwelly Castle and north of the town, is known as Maes Gwenllian (Welsh: Field of Gwenllian). A spring in the field is also named after her, supposedly welling up on the spot where she died.

For centuries after her death, Welshmen cried-out Revenge for Gwenllian when engaging in battle.[3] Gwenllian and her husband also harassed Norman, English, and Flemish colonists in Deheubarth, taking goods and money and redistributed them among the Deheubarth Welsh who were themselves dispossessed by those colonizers, like a pair of "Robin Hoods of Wales", as historian and author Philip Warner writes.[3]

Gwenllian's youngest son went on to become a notable leader of Deheubarth, The Lord Rhys.

Our short week!

Mark was home for a little less than six days and then left to go to school at the university of Wyoming in Laramie. That week was way too short.

Here are a few pictures.