June Jubilee

The third day of this month marked the 100th day that Russia invaded Ukraine, not a reason to celebrate, I thought it would be over by now. My heart aches for those on both sides that are enduring the effects of a hard hearted and selfish leader, that wants control of a country to give his country more power. 

Dale and Garrett finished off their dream trip to Alaska and were able to bring home 50 lbs. of fresh halibut and salmon they caught while there. This gave reason to celebrate with jubilee.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints broke ground in Smithfield, UT for Cache Valley's second temple in Cache County. The temple was announced in April of 2021 that it would build a new temple in Smithfield. The other temple in Cache County is in Logan, UT.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was attended by two members of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who are from the area -- Elder Quention L. Cook and Elder Gary E. Stevenson -- and their wives. Elder Cook was born and raised in Logan, while Elder Stevenson was born in Ogden and raised in Cache Valley. Both graduated from Utah State University.

To me that's a reason for a Jubilee!! We are pretty excited.

Dale and I were able to attend the Logan Temple a couple of times this month. We got in a session and did some initiatory work using our family names.

Only in the temple can we receive the ordinances needed to be exalted in the celestial kingdom. Temple ordinances, including the endowment, lead to the greatest blessings offered through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. These ordinances help us focus on the Savior, His role in our Heavenly Father’s plan, and our commitment to follow Him.

Receiving your temple endowment can be one of the most sacred events of your life. Preparing for it will make it more meaningful and powerful. Many members of the Church receive their endowment before a mission or marriage. Others simply have a strong desire to move forward along the covenant path. Either way, it’s important to know that your endowment is more than just another step; it’s an essential and glorious part of your eternal journey.

The word endowment means “a gift.” In this context, the temple endowment is a gift of sacred blessings from God to each of us. The endowment can only be received in His way and in His holy temple. 

While we're on the topic of religion Dale and I went to Kaysville and went on an Ancient Tabernacle Tour. It was pretty cool to see because it was built to the specifications that were talked of in the Bible and with the study of the Old Testament in our 'Come Follow Me' lessons it made it even more interesting.

We celebrated Father's Day in style by cooking up some of the halibut and salmon that Dale brought back from Alaska. It was a hit, and we had a nice time with the family that could be with us. We have some pretty awesome men in our family, another reason for a jubilee.

Dale and I also took advantage of a free night and our local talent and went to see the "Four Seasons" theater company preform "Mary Poppins". 

It was SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS alright!! We thoroughly enjoyed it. I know I've said this many times, but the talent we have in our area is AMAZING!!

The biggest jubilee we had this month as a family was our annual Dale Hansen Family Reunion!! Garrett and Zandra did the planning, and they didn't disappoint. There was something for everyone to love -- the location, the boating, the food, the outdoors, the water games, visiting the Great Salt Lake (which is way low due to our drought conditions this year), the gun range and target shooting, sitting by the campfire roasting marshmallows, games, the Hill Air Force Base Air Show, and picnic, and did I say the food? To top all this off we had some great company to spend our time with as well. Memories were etched in our hearts. We missed Nate, so we didn't get a full family picture, but the ones we got were pretty awesome, thanks to "halliegracephotography" (our niece and cousin). She did a great job with the pictures. 

Thanks G & Z for pulling off four fun filled days for the family. We love you!! A true jubilee!!

Nate's practice is keeping him busy, which is keeping a smile on his face. He and Diana missed the reunion due to a friend of Diana's getting married in Juneau, Alaska. They were able to see some sights and do some climbing as well. What a beautiful world we live in!! 

Happy Anniversary Matt and Amie!! You've made it 18 years, here's to many more!!

School officially ended this month and Kennlyn came home with an Honor Roll certificate, and two certificates of Achievement. She also got some medals. I'd say she likes school!! Way to go Kennlyn!

Mazin finished Kindergarten all smiles. He loved his teacher, Miss Cole.

                                     

The elementary school put on a fun "Super Kids Day" on the last day of school. Langston got to be part of it. He is a pretty super kid.

Jaxson honed up on his basketball skills by attending the USU and UVU Basketball Camp. We'll see if it pays off this upcoming season!!

Mazin also attended the Ridgeline basketball camp, and he won 2 awards. Will we see him playing High School basketball like his big brother? I'd say there's a good chance.

Jaxson, Kennlyn and Langston also improved on their soccer skills by going to the Yellowstone Classic tournament in Rexburg, ID. Langston and Jaxson's teams came home with 1st place medals. Nice job, guys!

 Mazin was their biggest cheerleader, Amie was helping coach them, and Matt made sure everyone got where they needed to be at the right time. This crew knows teamwork!!

Speaking of Yellowstone---North Yellowstone had some pretty heavy rains that came down hard. It created some pretty bad flooding from the river getting high enough that it went over its banks. Roads were destroyed in areas, some houses fell in the river, and some campgrounds were washed away. That part of the park was closed for 3 weeks so some of the roads could get open. 

Luckily the flooding was in an area that didn't affect the bigger attractions. Still, it will take a while to get the roads, campgrounds, and area cleared up and somewhat back to normal. I'm sure it affected some of the animals too. Pretty sad deal.

Langston and Mazin started summer swimming lessons again. With our hotter days, I'm sure they LOVED going to their lessons. 

Amie and Matt along with help from some of Jaxson and Kennlyn's soccer friends put on a Youth Soccer Camp to help the kids earn money for their soccer fees. It was a great success for all.

 

The Mallory's also got a new car! A 2018 Subaru Cross Trek. Pretty sporty looking and gets great gas mileage. Perfect for all the running around they do to get the kids to all their activities. Having Jaxson driving now also helps. He mainly drives their Escape and Matt & Amie drive the Explorer or Subaru. 

The Mallory's know the meaning of Jubilee and for a good reason.

Happy Anniversary to Andrew and Lindsay this month as well! They were married on the same day as my dad and mom, 12 years ago. Here's to many more years of togetherness for them as well.

They put their house up for sale and then had an Open House which went well. The housing market has slowed up some, but they have a nice house so I'm pretty sure they'll have a buyer, it just might take more than 1 day - 3 weeks like it was for houses selling the past 7 months. 

Their new house is coming right along. The cabinets are getting in, and the finish work is almost done. They are wanting to close next month, so things are pulling together. A jubilee experience is awaiting them soon...We hope all goes well for them.

While Garrett was in Alaska with Dale, Zandra and the kids came and stayed over a night with me. I watched the kids while she rode in the Little Red Bike Event that is held yearly in our area. It's for women only and has different distances you can do. Zandra rode with Sarah McKnight. I took the kids for a walk along the canal and then we did a few things at the house before going to meet them at the end. There was playground close to the finish line and I was visiting with Sarah's husband, Mike. We headed over to the finish line when we thought it would be close to when they would come in, but they met us after they had crossed the line!! They did the 50-mile ride and killed it!! Way to go ladies!! You deserve to celebrate jubilee style!!

The Hassell's had June blessed at Jason's sister's house and invited family from both sides. When Jason and Danica were sealed together in the temple, June was born under the sealing covenant.

In“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” it states that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 129).

In our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness, a husband and wife can be together forever. The authority to unite families forever is called the sealing power. It is the same power that Jesus gave to His Apostles during His ministry on earth (Matthew 16:19). An eternal marriage is therefore called a sealing. Children born or adopted into such eternal marriages can also be sealed to their families forever.

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) taught: “Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys. It affects not only the two people involved, but also their families, particularly their children and their children’s children, down through the latest generations” (“The Importance of Celestial Marriage,” Ensign, Oct. 1979, 3)

It was a nice day and a special day for June. She was given her name and Jason gave her a beautiful blessing. Her name will go on the records of the Church as June Cash Hassell. Danica had June wear the baby blessing dress that she got blessed in when she was a baby. 

June hit the 3-month mark! She's been getting in a lot of firsts at a young age. She had her first pool experience, and she made it possible for Jason to have his first official Father's Day. He got a pair of socks with her picture on it, an air freshener with her picture on it for his truck, and June's a Nike shoe from June's first pair of shoes as a golf club cover. Pretty clever, wouldn't you say?

They headed south and went to Lake Powell for the Hassell/Kap Family Reunion. Jason's mom is a twin, and the two sisters get their families together yearly at Lake Powell. This was June's first time on a houseboat. She did well too! 

Jason and Danica aren't letting June stop them from getting out, especially when it comes to family time. They've made the word Jubilee come alive for them this month.

Locally our area was in the news--- Several neighborhoods and communities in Cache Valley are listed among the best in which to live across the entire state of Utah. A new report by Niche took a look at the best places to live in Utah, comparing a multitude of factors like cost of living, quality of public schools nearby, crime rate and more.

North Logan ranked 9th on the list, followed by River Heights at 10th, among Utah’s top neighborhoods and communities. Seven of the top 10 were neighborhoods in or communities very near Salt Lake City, with Park City (7th), North Logan (9th) and River Heights (10th) rounding out the top 10.

Was it a coincidence that I grew up in River Heights and that Dale grew up in North Logan? Two towns that made it in the top 10, and that Dale and I have raised our kids in Hyde Park? Pretty cool, huh?

Northern Utah communities which cracked the top 100 in 2022:

9th – North Logan (population 10,711) 10th – River Heights (population 2,162) 29th – Hyde Park (population 4,578)

We live in a great area. I truly LOVE it here! The last BIG reason to celebrate Jubilee style. However, now the words out, we may wish we had kept it a secret. Maybe?