* * * * * * * * * Aaron Jr and Leslie at the Harkness Halloween Party. Aaron was Bob the Builder this year. A character on a show on PBS. He has been really into using tools and 'building' things lately. My niece, Anna, suggested he be a builder and it worked out nicely. We didn't have to spend any money... we already had all the stuff. Thanks Anna! :) I don't know what I am. I guess someone from the 60's? I bought that dress when I was a senior in high school at a thrift store for $4.00. It was for a dance at school with the theme of Wood Stock. It was great. It was one of the best purchases I have ever made. I have used it for many Halloweens.
Here are all of Aaron Jr's cousins on the Harkness side. Sophia, Lennon, Malia, Pearl, Ava, Grace, Isaac, Aaron Jr, Suzy
This is all of the Harkness family except Steve Sr. who is taking the photo... and, of course, Aaron is missing as well.
Aaron Jr showing off his glowing bracelet. The top right photo is of Grace and Aaron Jr looking under Grandpa and Grandma's bed for the treasure during the treasure hunt.
The kids with their treasures...
Aaron Jr at the 'trunk or treat at our church.
ON Halloween, Aaron Jr was taking his role of Bob the Builder. I had to get some tape out to fix something on his hard hat, so once I FIXED his hat, he took the tape and started 'FIXING' things all over the house. He started on this door. He would put some tape on it...
...then he would use his hammer to hammer the tape onto the door. It was so funny. He spent quite a while doing this that day.
On the drive over to my sister, Karey's house, Aaron Jr fell asleep in the car with his stuff... he had been working so very hard.
This is Aaron Jr. When we got there, he tried on Joe's costume. He was having a blast running around in this costume scaring people.
Aaron Jr and Savannah. She was so kind to take Aaron with her and her friends to go trick or treating around their neighborhood. He had so much fun. Thank you Savannah!
When we got home that night, Aaron Jr started in on his 'FIXING' things again and here is the project he worked on that night. He was so proud.
Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, but we had fun anyway. Aaron Jr was the cutest little Bob the Builder he could be. Like father, like son. We sure miss you Daddy / Aaron...
The funeral was inspiring. The speakers had such great things to say about Heather and also some thought provoking advice for those of us attending. Heather was a remarkable person. She served others and put her whole heart into the things she wanted to accomplish. She had an amazing sense of humor and lived a life full of joy.
After the services ended, the marching band that Heather taught went outside and lined the pathway for them to carry Heather through. They played a beautiful song (Theme song from Band of Brothers) and the band members were very emotional as she was carried through. She loved them and they loved her and you could feel that. It was very emotional for everyone.
* * * * * * * * * On Sunday, the 11th of October, Aaron Jr and I drove up American Fork Canyon to try to experience the changing autumn colors again. We drove up there about a week later than last year and it made a big difference. The autumn colors were not as plentiful as they were last year. BUT, we still had a great time and it was still SO beautiful up there. Here are some photos from our drive...
Due to the early cold weather we got this year, the first Thursday in October was the last of the Bountiful Farmers Market. I had a blast working it with Kerianne and Kinsie. It stays pretty busy, but during out down times... we do find time to joke around and laugh A LOT.
With it being the last market I was going to work this year, I had to take some of the veggies home. I hadn't taken an eggplant home all year, so I took a few little ones so that I could make something yummy with them. Well, I looked online and found a recipe for Garlic Parmesan Eggplant Slices. They were SCRUMPTIOUS. I posted them to a recipe blog that my sister started if anyone is interested in making them. They were ridiculously yummy. The blog is called The Recipe Society... check it out.I look forward to working at the market again next year... if they have an opening for me. ;)
Aaron Jr and I went for a drive in the car so we could listen to General Conference for the Saturday afternoon session. Ever since the HD/digital switchover with television, we have not been able to watch TV at our house. :) So, we went for a drive so we could listen to it in the car. We drove to the Salt Lake City Cemetery where Aaron is buried. It is a BEAUTIFUL cemetery, so I took a few photos there.
We drove to the headstones of President and Sister Hinckley first. There was a cane at the base of the big memorial there. I don't know whose it was, but it was fun to think that it may have been President Hinckley's cane. Who knows?
After the Hinckley memorial, we headed over to Aaron's site and on the way, I wanted to take a photo of this. So neat.
I had the radio on to listen while I sat by Aaron's stone. It was so peaceful and a great way to spend the time listening to Conference. It was very special.
Aaron Jr was asleep in the car... just like 9 times out of 10 when we go to the cemetery. I wanted to leave something that day, so I got this out of the car. Aaron's mom had these made in memory of Aaron last year. One side says: Aaron... a great man. And the other side says: Built Ford Tough.
--------- There were so many great talks, but here are a few excerpts from a few that I loved...
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in speaking of the divinity of The Book of Mormon said:
For 179 years this book has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern religious history—perhaps like no other book in any religious history. And still it stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born and parroted and have died—from Ethan Smith to Solomon Spaulding to deranged paranoid to cunning genius. None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is no other answer than the one Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator. In this I stand with my own great-grandfather, who said simply enough, “No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.” I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies. I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies, given today under my own oath and office, be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. I hope I have a few years left in my “last days,” but whether I do or do not, I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson when speaking of moral discipline said: Jesus’s own moral discipline was rooted in His discipleship to the Father. To His disciples He explained, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). By this same pattern, our moral discipline is rooted in loyalty and devotion to the Father and the Son. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that provides the moral certainty upon which moral discipline rests. The societies in which many of us live have for more than a generation failed to foster moral discipline. They have taught that truth is relative and that everyone decides for himself or herself what is right. Concepts such as sin and wrong have been condemned as “value judgments.” As the Lord describes it, “Every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god” (D&C 1:16). All of us experience temptations. So did the Savior, but He “gave no heed unto them” (D&C 20:22). Similarly, we do not have to yield simply because a temptation surfaces. We may want to, but we don’t have to. An incredulous female friend asked a young adult woman, committed to living the law of chastity, how it was possible that she had never “slept with anybody.” “Don’t you want to?” the friend asked. The young woman thought: “The question intrigued me, because it was so utterly beside the point. . . . Mere wanting is hardly a proper guide for moral conduct. President Thomas S. Monson when speaking of service said:
My brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us. That service to which all of us have been called is the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. As He enlists us to His cause, He invites us to draw close to Him. He speaks to you and to me: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” If we truly listen, we may hear that voice from far away say to us, as it spoke to another, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant." That each may qualify for this blessing from our Lord is my prayer...
--------- All the talks that I heard were amazing, but these two stuck out to me a lot. That night during Priesthood Session, any of us girls who could got together at my parents house to hang out while the guys were at their meeting. That is a tradition that I love.
* * * * * * * * * * * The classic briefs on the head gag. :) Aaron got quite a kick out of himself.
Aaron Jr. was looking through the coat closet and started pulling out some of Aaron's jackets. When I found him, he was holding the blue and orange puffy vest and he said, 'Daddy forgot his jacket.' Then he pulled out the blue puffy coat and was holding that one. I love that he still knows these things are his Daddy's. It is still heartbreaking to hear him say things like that though. I still wish I could get inside his head and know what he is thinking and what he understands about everything that has happened. He still says that Daddy is at work... and that is just fine for him to think that.
Here is an old photo of Aaron Jr. the summer before Aaron passed away... trying on Daddy's jacket and shoes.
Spencer and Kristi's family came to Utah for Kristi's grandpa's funeral. So while they were in town from Oregon, we got together with a lot of the family... whoever could come.THIS is what us girls were doing most of the time.... visiting with each other.
And THIS (watching sports) is what the guys were doing... the whole time. Except when we dished up our dinner plates. :) It was pretty funny.
Aaron Jr., Benny, Luke
The violin Aaron is playing is a violin I played when I was little. I wish I had kept up with it... it would be so much fun to be able to pick up a violin and play beautiful music.
Aaron has been obsessed with legos lately. It has been so much fun watching him figure out different ways of building things and creating. Lots of times, he wants me to build something as well so that we can fight each other's lego creation.
We went out for lunch for Christa's birthday while April was in town with her kids from Chicago. It was a lot of fun getting together with the girls.
Marley and Aaron Jr. This is my friend Rori's little girl. We went to her birthday party. They wrote messages and tied them to balloons and asked whoever found it to mail it back so they could see how far the balloons got. Cute idea.
My nephew Richard got home from his mission in September. It is so great to have him home. He was serving his mission in Tacoma Washington area. He was a great missionary and such a sweet kid. His younger brother Nathan leaves for his mission to Helsinki Finland next month. Richard had just left on his mission when Aaron passed away. But what a blessing it was for Richard to have been home in time to spend a little time with his Aunt Heather before she passed away a couple of weeks ago. We love you Richard and we are so glad you are home.
Mark and Suzy invited a few of us up to Suzy's family cabin one Monday evening.
Zach and Aaron Jr. collecting wood for the fire.
Robert, Zach, Aaron, Mark, DadAfter a lot of hard work... using wood that was a little wet... the guys finally got the fire going.
Mom, Suzy, Evelyn, Teresa, Leslie
I roasted this marshmallow... and I do believe it was THE best roasted marshmallow I have ever tasted. It was PERFECTLY roasted slowly and carefully. Mmm...
Aaron Jr and Leslie
We were leaving the grocery store one night and on our way out of the parking lot, I had to pull over and get out the camera. The moon looked ridiculously amazing. I had to take some photos.
