When we told Pearl we were going back to Orangeville for Uncle Jim's funeral, she told us, "Why? I'm tired of funerals!" For a kid, it's like driving three hours to church and then sitting through an extra long sacrament meeting twice in one week so you can't blame her for the lack of enthusiasm. Although, I have to admit we had it easy this time because they provided a nursery during the funeral! How awesome is that?! But with 27 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren it was definitely needed.
As an incentive to stay quiet during the funeral services, we told Pearl we'd take her to a dinosaur museum. We sort of owed it to her after our failed attempt at the Cleveland Loyd Dinosaur Quarry earlier this summer.
I found the statue outside the museum a tad morbid. It doesn't exactly scream, "Welcome small dinosaur-loving children."
My Grandpa is hilarious! He blocked all of us from paying then proceeded to complain about how, "When I was a kid museums were free." Then he sat down in a chair next to the EXIT and told everyone in the museum they could leave their donations with him. Oh, and this little guy nearly gave him a heart attack. He thought the lizard was fake until it started flicking it's tongue at him.
Cole and Pearl had fun digging for dinosaur bones and exploring all the interactive displays. Cole was asleep when we got to the museum so we were a bit nervous that he was going to be super grouchy. But he thought we were at a giant horse farm or something because he said "neigh" and pointed at all the bones. He climbed on anything not fenced off too.
For as long as I can remember, my Grandpa has had a dinosaur footprint in his backyard. I never knew where he got it, how it was made, or what dinosaur it came from. Well, thanks to our visit to the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum, I now know the answers to all of these questions. How it was found? My Uncle Delroy (my Grandma Jewkes' brother) found the footprint in the mines and gave it to my grandparents. How it was formed? Basically, dinosaur tracks are found in the ceilings of coal mines. Dinosaurs walked around on the peat (plant) layers which get filled with sand and then over millions of years turn into coal (fossil plant remains), being compressed under millions of tons of overlaying earth, leaving the tracks behind. What dinosaur is it? A Hadrosaur or "duck billed" dinosaur with three toes, which is the most common found in mines.
How on earth paleontologists know the difference between a rock and a dinosaur egg I have no clue. They look the same to me. Read the sign above this single egg though... there is a recognizable embryo inside! Awesome, a tad creepy, and really cool.
The illusive "camarasaurus"... get it? Jeff said it looks just like me.
Had to post these neanderthal lacrosse balls for my brother Kurtis. Ouch.
This mammoth was pulled out of Huntington Canyon... Mammoth Lake to be precise. It's was a rare find in the world because it was found at such a high altitude. My Grandpa said he has a vase made out of the mud in the lake where the mammoth was found. Cole was so excited to see an elephant when we turned the corner and wham it was staring at us. Pretty cool.
"Best parents ever!" as Jeff said when we left. Pearl was happy. Cole was happy. Redemption is ours!
I have to say, asking God about the dinosaurs is on the top 10 questions. I mean, did they really roam the earth? Or were all the dinosaur bones part of the matter that the earth was formed from? Which means they had to exist on some world, somewhere in the universe, right?
Call me a tad morbid... hey I do work for the Violence and Injury Prevention Program.... but I wanted to take my camera to Uncle Paul's funeral. I wanted to get some pictures of the internment and other family headstones. It's not often we get down to Orangeville, let alone go headstone hunting in the cemetery. Besides, pictures are a much easier way to document my genealogy than actually doing it!
Uncle Paul had some pretty unique flower arrangements.... the lazy P, a cattle head, John Deere tractor, and a saddle on his casket. I didn't get a picture of it, but Uncle Jim had a golf bag filled with flowers. It was a beautiful day!
Always a bit weird to see your name in a cemetery. Jesse David and Minnie Reid Jewkes are my great-great grandparents on my Dad's side. Their son, Royal S. was my great-grandfather. 
Jesse Delos is my great Uncle. And my family's claim to fame... he was the voice of God in the 10 Commandments. True. And I was excited to see he was married to his wife Belle A. Gardner on my birthday!
Family history is way easier when there's a plague telling you everyone's names. 
Samuel Jewkes is my great-great-great grandfather I believe. I think we come through his first wife, Sophia L. At the "This is the Place Heritage Park" in Salt Lake City, there's also the Samuel Jewkes home. Cool. He is buried under this really cool, old tree.
Fern really is a family name! Couldn't stop laughing over this one. 
Until we saw a Pearl Jewkes too! Jeff rubbed it in my Dad's face a bit that Pearl is a family name... ha! When we told him we wanted to name her Pearl, he said, why? He didn't like at all! We told him because it was a family name (and it was our kid so we could name her what we wanted) to which he replied, no it isn't. Um, yeah it is Dad... on Jeff's side. He was a bit embarrassed. 
When your ancestors come from a small town, you're bound to find a bit of close inbreeding at some point. I don't know how, but somewhere along the lines the Jewkes and Peacocks intertwined a few too close branches on the family tree. So on to the Peacock side.
Here's my great-grandparents' headstone (Hilma Grange and George Kenneth Peacock). Grandma Peacock... I miss her. She died when I was in college. Growing up she and I were pen pals. I even wrote a letter to her and addressed it "Grandma Peacock Orangeville, Utah" and it got to her! She was the best cook and made the most delicious pies! The last one we ate was at my Grandma and Grandpa Jewkes' mission send-off party. My Aunt Beulah looks just like her.
My Grandpa carved the flowers on the headstone. If you come to my house, you will see these wild roses in other crafts he has made. 
This is my great-great grandparents (Delroy Lynn and Orpha A. Peacock) I think.
Now, I'm sure somewhere along the way I've forgotten a great or added one too many greats, so Aunt Denise, Aunt Julie you need to comment and correct everything! I sort of feel like I'm my own grandpa at this point!
Everything happens in threes.
But three family deaths in less than a month is enough, thank you. When my laptop fried, I wasn't able to post anything about my Uncle Paul, Uncle Jim, or Grandma Great.
Uncle Paul died unexpectedly on October 13, 2011. Uncle Paul is my Grandma Jewkes' brother. He was a rough-talking, honest old cowboy who'd drive the ends of the earth for anyone in need. You just had to get past his rough exterior. 
When my Aunts asked me for a favorite memory of Uncle Paul to read at his funeral, I knew just the one.... We went to the Peacock reunion for the first time about five or six years ago. It had been a long time since I'd been to Orangeville, let alone seen Uncle Paul and Aunt Karen. My Grandpa and Dad were supposed to have already been at the ranch by the time we got there. We pulled up to the ranch and realized we were the first ones there. We weren't even sure if this was the place or not and debated about whether we should go knock on the door or not. But we figured they'd probably seen us drive up, so we might as well see if it was the right house. I knocked on the door. I was nervous because I wasn't sure I'd recognize Uncle Paul or Aunt Karen and I was pretty certain they wouldn't recognize me. Uncle Paul answered. Before I could say anything he blurted out, "Who the HELL are you?" I didn't know if I should be scared, turn around and run to the car, or laugh. Thank heavens Aunt Karen stepped in to save us. She hollered back at Uncle Paul, "Let them in! That's Kenny's daughter." Then Uncle Paul laughed. And we've never missed a Peacock reunion since.
Here's the full obituary (mostly for posterity's sake):
ORANGEVILLE – Paul K Peacock, age 73, passed away October 13, 2011, in Price, Utah. Paul was born October 27, 1937, in Orangeville, Utah as the third of four children born to G. Kenneth and Hilma Grange Peacock. He married Karen Oveson on December 25, 1956, in Castle Dale, Utah. Paul and Karen were married for almost 55 years.
Paul graduated from South Emery High School in 1955. He was the proud owner of the Lazy P Ranch. He was a very accomplished farmer and cattle rancher. He was also very fond of colorful language. In 1966, Paul met Bill W. and became a friend for life. He attributed all of his accomplishments to that friendship. He was a lifetime member of the American Herford Association. He especially loved his family, friends, farming, and a good auction, be it cattle or antiques. He enjoyed refurbishing antique furniture. Paul will be remembered as a hardworking and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend.
He is survived by his wife, Karen; two children: Lori (Nathan) Kluzek of Syracuse, Utah, and Kevin (Charlene) Peacock of Orangeville, Utah; one sister, Beulah (James Lee) Jensen of Price, Utah; one brother, Delroy (Janet) Peacock of Castle Dale, Utah; one brother-in-law, Don Jewkes of Logan, Utah; three sisters-in-law: Isabelle Oveson of Huntington, Utah, Donna Witbeck of Oregon City, Oregon, and Pamela Oveson of Salt Lake City, Utah; eight grandchildren: Joe, Griffen, and Greg Jorgensen, Josie and Lili Ana Kluzek, Karleen Peacock, Kayla (Tanner) Olson, and Kendra (Brandon) Rigby; and seven great-grandchildren: Anysia Jorgensen, Kayleigh Dawn Eley, Karsten Peacock, Trinity and Tyler Olson, and Kamden and Kenleigh Rigby.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Nan Jewkes; and three brothers-in-law, Valdean and Howard Oveson and Jerry Witbeck.
Uncle Jim died unexpectedly 8 days after Uncle Paul. The family lovingly joked that Uncle Jim had to get up their fast to explain a few things to God so Uncle Paul wouldn't get kicked out of Heaven. Uncle Jim was married to my Aunt Beulah (my Grandma Jewkes' sister). I always admired Uncle Jim's love of genealogy. He knew everything about my Grandma's family. When I was working for the Genomics Program at the Utah Department of Health, I did a lot of family health history projects. One of them was developing a family reunion toolkit to help you collect a health history from your relatives. I didn't know the Peacock family very well when we went down to Uncle Paul's ranch. But Uncle Jim was more than happy and excited to see my project and help me. He told me all about his own family's health history and the genetic studies he'd participated in at the University of Utah. I loved listening to him, Uncle Paul, and my Grandpa tell stories about their mischievous, hell-raising teenage years. How the three of them ever talked Aunt Beulah, Aunt Karen, and Grandma into marrying them I'll never know :)
Here is Uncle Jim's obituary:
PRICE – James Lee “Jim” Jensen, age 77, passed away at his home in Price on October 21, 2011. He was born November 29, 1934 in Orangeville, Utah, to Leo Joseph and Alice Cyrena Davis Jensen. He married his high school sweetheart, Beulah Peacock, in the Manti LDS Temple on July 22, 1954. Jim grew up in Orangeville. He attended South Emery High, Carbon College and BYU.
He was employed for 37 years at Carbon School District as a teacher, principal and district administrator.
He served in various callings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Bishop, Stake President, Manti Temple Presidency, Temple Sealer, Patriarch, and director of the Price Family History Center. Jim and Beulah served a mission in Atlanta, Georgia. He also served on the Price City Council for 24 years. His whole life was spent serving family, friends, church, and community.
Jim is survived by his wife, Beulah; children: Kerry (Kelley) Jensen, Larry (LaRae) Jensen, Scott (Susan) Jensen, all of Price, Rita (Curtis) Snow of West Jordan, Keith (Kelli) Jensen of Spring Glen, and Vera Cardy of Gallop, New Mexico; 27 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren; a brother, Blain (Virginia) Jensen of Brentwood, California; a sister, RaeOna (Tom) Huntsman of Salt Lake City, Utah; a brother-in-law, Delbert Peterson of Price; a brother-in-law, Delroy (Janet) Peacock of Castle Dale; a brother-in-law, Don Jewkes of Logan, and a sister-in-law, Karen Peacock of Orangeville.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Lucile, Thelma and Phyllis; brothers, Clive and Ted; a great-grandchild, Hunter Jensen, father and mother-in-law, Hilma and Kenneth Peacock, brother-in-law, Paul Peacock and a sister-in-law, Nan Jewkes.
I didn't think I'd get as teary-eyed at the funerals as I did. I didn't know Uncle Jim as well as Uncle Paul but I loved them both. I felt so connected to my Grandma when we'd go to the ranch every summer and see them. I miss my Grandma so much. And was only reminded of her more during their funerals. That, and left to wonder what everyone would say about me if I died today. I hope it's as wonderful as the legacies these two men left behind.
It's been three weeks but I'm finally back online!
Our laptop died a quick, black screened death. I thought I had lost all my pictures I'd just uploaded to the computer, yet hadn't put on the external hard drive yet. And had deleted off the camera too.
I told myself to not panic. A trip to the computer doctors resulted in a diagnosis of "the black screen of doom." Aka, time to get a new laptop. I kept the fretting to myself for a good week, thinking I'd just lost all my pictures that hadn't been backed up yet (this included my Uncle Paul's funeral.... yeah, it's been a long three weeks).
Jeff begrudgingly handed over more money to get me blogging again (apparently he didn't like me bugging him at night since I'm a night owl), in the midst of a pricey garage roof repair. And my awesome, somewhat geeky brother put all panic to rest when he pulled out our old hard drive and found all my files! So with a slew of cords, gadgets, camera cords, and external hard drives I'm back in blogging business.
I think the cold and flu season is here.
Yuck. Ick. Boo.
My head is stuffy and my nose sniffly. And more than once tonight, Jeff has had to repeat something to me because my foggy brain just can't comprehend what the heck he was trying to say to me. Or ask me. I keep sneezing, my eyes are itchy, and my neck has been sore and achy for weeks.
Jeff has absolutely no voice. Oh wait, that's from the Aggies slaughter over Wyoming on Saturday. It was a good weekend to be an Aggie fan.
But I'll gladly take the cold and flu if it means my kids stay healthy. Nothing is worse than snot-nosed, whiny, and miserable kids.
My Grandpa is hilarious! He blocked all of us from paying then proceeded to complain about how, "When I was a kid museums were free." Then he sat down in a chair next to the EXIT and told everyone in the museum they could leave their donations with him. Oh, and this little guy nearly gave him a heart attack. He thought the lizard was fake until it started flicking it's tongue at him.
Cole and Pearl had fun digging for dinosaur bones and exploring all the interactive displays. Cole was asleep when we got to the museum so we were a bit nervous that he was going to be super grouchy. But he thought we were at a giant horse farm or something because he said "neigh" and pointed at all the bones. He climbed on anything not fenced off too.
For as long as I can remember, my Grandpa has had a dinosaur footprint in his backyard. I never knew where he got it, how it was made, or what dinosaur it came from. Well, thanks to our visit to the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum, I now know the answers to all of these questions. How it was found? My Uncle Delroy (my Grandma Jewkes' brother) found the footprint in the mines and gave it to my grandparents. How it was formed? Basically, dinosaur tracks are found in the ceilings of coal mines. Dinosaurs walked around on the peat (plant) layers which get filled with sand and then over millions of years turn into coal (fossil plant remains), being compressed under millions of tons of overlaying earth, leaving the tracks behind. What dinosaur is it? A Hadrosaur or "duck billed" dinosaur with three toes, which is the most common found in mines.
How on earth paleontologists know the difference between a rock and a dinosaur egg I have no clue. They look the same to me. Read the sign above this single egg though... there is a recognizable embryo inside! Awesome, a tad creepy, and really cool.
The illusive "camarasaurus"... get it? Jeff said it looks just like me.
Had to post these neanderthal lacrosse balls for my brother Kurtis. Ouch.
This mammoth was pulled out of Huntington Canyon... Mammoth Lake to be precise. It's was a rare find in the world because it was found at such a high altitude. My Grandpa said he has a vase made out of the mud in the lake where the mammoth was found. Cole was so excited to see an elephant when we turned the corner and wham it was staring at us. Pretty cool.
"Best parents ever!" as Jeff said when we left. Pearl was happy. Cole was happy. Redemption is ours!
I have to say, asking God about the dinosaurs is on the top 10 questions. I mean, did they really roam the earth? Or were all the dinosaur bones part of the matter that the earth was formed from? Which means they had to exist on some world, somewhere in the universe, right?
