Memorial Day=Malad

Memorial Day ALWAYS means we go to Malad. We go there every year and get together with a lot of family that we don't always see at any other time of the year. We start off at the cemetery where there is a short patriotic program complete with a 21-gun salute. There is always a race to see who can find a shell. This year the victors were McKenna and Cabe. It is a wonderful opportunity to remember those brave men and women who have fought and died to win and preserve our freedoms. We are forever grateful to them and their families. The cemetery is so beautiful this time of year with all the flowers and the weather was perfect. We all just visit and get reacquainted before the program starts.

This year little Darl...who isn't so little anymore, a teenager now...played his ukulele softly which made for nice background music. Something that Jenna would have LOVED. I know everyone looks all grumpy in this picture, but really, nobody was.

This doesn't really have to do with Memorial Day but it's a cool picture that my niece Pene took. There is this farm that has boots put on all the fence posts. I think there is an old saying that if there was a boot on the fencepost it meant someone was home...I guess so you didn't have to ride all the way up the road to find out. (Don't quote me on this) Anyway there is this place that has boots on all the posts lining the property. There are hundreds of boots. I think anyone can just add a boot.

Back to Malad. So after the cemetery we all gather up at the ranch for a huge BBQ. This year though, Darl (Dad) and Jason decided on cooking in an Imu. Or Umu or in some cases... an EMU, not in...wink, wink! It is quite the process and involved lots of work. Before we got there on Sunday night, Latu, Darl and Jason dug the pit. Then when we got there they started the "process". First they had to start a huge fire and let it burn down, then you put in large rocks...at this point I took the little girls and went back to town since it was pretty late. So I don't know exactly what goes in next. The rest of them stayed up there until about 12:30am or so to finish up. Jason had to go back a few times during the night to check on it. After the program at the cemetery on Monday morning, we headed back up to the ranch to dig up dinner. These pictures are the "unveiling".

Shoveling off the dirt and removing the tarp.

Then it is covered in gunnysacks.

Then it is covered in Banana Leaves.

Then the food is set on top of more banana leaves I think and then the rocks and coals from the fire. We cooked two huge pork roasts, a sirloin roast and a turkey. Normally, a whole pig would go in here, which we have done in the past, but whole pigs are rather spendy so we opted for more affordable fare.

Yummy!

The grove where we all gather, a beautiful little oasis. (Below, the view from above)

The kids absolutely L.O.V.E. the ranch. They are free to run as wild as they want, ride the 4-wheelers, shoot, play in creek, hike, look for animals and just have a wonderful time with little constraint. They all did a little of everything this visit.

Tyler found a snake...much to the pleasure of the other little boys and to the DISpleasure of his older girl cousins! (Thanks Pene for the pictures)

Cousins McKenna and Mosese

Sisters...McKenna and Lauren

(Thanks Pene for the pictures!)

More Cousins

Brooklynn loves the 4-wheelers. She's the only one of the girls now that squeals "Faster! Faster!

And no trip to the ranch would be complete without a ride on the golf cart. It never had less than half a dozen kids on at one time and usually had more. Brooklynn literally rode this for several hours straight! She took a short break to ride the 4-wheeler and a quick bite to eat but the rest of the time she was on the golf cart.

We all had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone again.