Tuesday, April 17, 2012

A Memorable Visit To Las Vegas ~

A Precious Family on a Priceless, Sacred Day ~

This past weekend I flew to Las Vegas, Nevada for an important family event. Having lived in Las Vegas for 7 years, I am very familiar with the area. The weather was rainy of which I like better than intense heat. Las Vegas has grown through the years; but the economy has hit them hard. Housing has dropped considerably. I can't say I miss the climate and area; but I do miss the Las Vegas Nevada Temple and friends and family who live there.
 I had some great family moments with my brother Mac's family. My brother passed away in July of 2010 and this is the first time back there since the funeral. It was such a joy to see my dear sister in law, Amparo and her family. The purpose of this trip was to attend the marriage and sealing of my great niece Misty and her husband Luke. Their two precious children were sealed to them; Bella, age 6 and Wolfe, age 10 months. It was a sweet time.
 One of the lovely moments was when I walked into the Temple Chapel and there was my brother John and his wife Gloria. I hadn't expected seeing them; so it was a tender minute; lots of hugs and tears. Again it has been a while since I have seen them too. My niece Kathy was also there and I was so excited for her to be there with her daughter Misty. The marrige and sealing was so wonderful. It was a very sacred and spiritual experience. I knew that my parents and brother were also present; although unseen. I miss them l so much. You can read more about this special family and event here.
Some Pictures to share~
Bella, Luke, Misty and Wolfe
Luke and Misty
4 Generations - Amparo, Kathy, Misty and Bella
Gloria and John, my brother and sister in law

Great Nephews and Niece, Garren, Jonnie Cherie and Mykel

My sister in law, Amparo and my niece in law, Corinna
My nephew Gabe with Wolfe

Jacobi and Bella
 Mykel and Garren
 Jarret and Tyler
 Mirna and Viviana - Niece in laws
Laurie, my niece in law ( I had to steal this one)
Mark, my favorite driver 

Gus, my Nephew
 Mykel, William, Dylan



While there I shared some fun moments with my great Nephew, Millan. He is such a great young man. He was named after my Dad; so that makes it extra special to share some time with him. He is a very intelligent and at age 12 he loves to look up on the computer genealogy and family histories of our families. I want to get him doing indexing soon.
He shared with me a couple of poems so I told him I would put them in print on my blog. He was so excited.


Here is Millan Gledhill ~

Grandpa
( Mac Millan Gledhill, my brother and his grandpa)
Grandpa, Grandpa I love you and I could not show my feelings in a short hailu
Grandpa, Grandpa you are inspirational,
and always had the occasional joke that would lift our heads high.
 Grandpa, Grandpa, you are so smart, but, my Dad says I'm a dart.
Grandpa, Grandpa, you are so modest,
but I think you need recognition that you're the smartest.
Grandpa, Grandpa Why did you die? I really meant what I said then it was our good byes.
Grandpa, Grandpa, I'll see you standing next to God.
 I promise I will stay clutched to the Iron Rod.

(In the Book of Mormon the Iron Rod is a symbol of the holding on to the word of God.)

He also wrote a poem about his friend who had lost his mother this past week.
My Friend
I came to his doorstep with jumbled thoughts.
He opens the door and says Hi, but in the tone of good-bye.
I gaze into his eyes and I find the weakness in his mask of invisibility.
I see shock, hurt, depression on a motherless child.
What can I do, do I take him to the Park and fly kites, take him on a ride on a bike.
Do I take him to a musical concert, introduce him to  my friend Kurt?
No, I give him a hug.

I think very wise and profound thoughts from this young man.

9 comments:

Marmee's Pantry said...

What a lovely family time. I'm so happy that you had such a sweet reunion w/your brother. Precious memories made & kept.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Just Ramblin' said...

What a wonderful weekend you had with family. How nice you could all be in the temple together. Such a blessing for your great niece and her family. The pictures of them are beautiful as are the pictures of other family members. I especially enjoyed the thoughts of your nephew, Millan. Nola

Rachel Keppner said...

What a beautiful day! :-)

Denise said...

Such a precious family.

Susan Anderson said...

Wonderful family photos, and I love Millan's poems.

=)

Traci Michele said...

great pics


found you over at WLWW and I'm following you now.

Thanks, Traci

Here's my last post about depression: http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/2012/04/whats-helping-me-during-season-of.html

Barb said...

Hi Leann!

Wow, what a fun and precious time! Sounds like a celebration for sure! Great pictures! Nothing better than a wonderful family!

Hugs and Love,
Barb

singing/granny said...

What a lovely time! Thanks for sharing! Melody

Debbie said...

wow, what a beautiful family and some very happy memories!!