Heading Home via Upton

On Tuesday morning, as I drove out to Rendezvous beach from our hotel in Garden City, a few minutes into my drive, the air pressure light came on for one of the tires. I was worried cause we had just had a flat the day before, and I was worried the car wouldn't make it, but I listened for any problems and the car seemed to be driving fine, so I just kept going and praying that it would be ok. When I got to the beach, I check the tires and they looked fine, so I didn't do anything about it while we were up there, but I was worried about making the two hour drive home today.

We loaded up at the hotel. The four little kids I had with me weren't much help, as expected.

I packed up and then put them in their car seats and they waited in the car watching Megamind while took several trips to load up. Then off to Rendezvous beach. As I was pulling into the parking lot, I got a phone call from Vernal. A little background info: The Church of Jesus Christ just announced on Monday that more temples will be entering Phase 2 next week, and there were lots of Utah temples in the list - so yay! Ethan told me this news on Monday. We planned to call them on Tuesday to see if we could schedule an appointment, cause the temples aren't open on Mondays, or atleast they didn't used to be back when they were open. I set an alarm to tell On Tuesday morning, when I went to look up the phone number of the Provo City Temple to call them (that's the one I wanted them to go to) it said to email them, so I did. I texted Ethan later and he said he had emailed all of them on Monday already. After Tuesday and Wednesday, most of them hadn't replied, and the few that had replied said they were already full, or are only doing endowments for couples who are going to be sealed after, yada yada, darn. But the Vernal Temple didn't say to send them an email, they said to call! 

Yay, I get to talk to a person! I called yesterday, she said they were full on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd, but they were going to have a meeting and see if they could open up for the 18th and 19th. She put me on the call back list and so I knew what it was when my phone rang this morning and the caller ID said Vernal. She said that yes, they will be opening on those two extra days! Yay! "Would you like the 18th or 19th?" "19th please!" This might work out perfectly! Joseph is flying home on Wednesday morning, the 19th, from his summer sales in California! So he'll be able to come too! We scheduled for 5:15 on the 19th! Yahoo! I called Ethan to tell him the good news. 

He was a little sad and confessed that he hadn't emailed Vernal, he didn't want to go there. "Ahh, not Vernal! I wanted any temple but Vernal." I laughed "You know you can never say that, cause then you're just guaranteeing that that IS where you'll go!" "I know, I kept saying 'Don't hate Vernal, Don't hate Vernal!' It's not white! I wanted a white temple!"

I was laughing and tried to console him - "It's a beautiful temple!" Ethan retorted "There's no fountain!" Then he sent me a few screenshots of Vernal -

Ok, I admit the pink dinosaur is tacky and weird. But I think this is our only option. His companion Elder Hanson's 2 cents: "Dude I just looked up the vernal temple. that's a rip" (I'm not sure what rip means...) He's coming to terms with it - a few more texts: "Nvrm I'm fine. Vernal will be dope." Funny, so dramatic. As compared to Melodie's always pleased and rolling with it response - I got out of the car and told her "You and Ethan are going to be endowed next week! I just got an appointment for you in Vernal next Wednesday at 5:15" "Really! Yay!" And that was it! I texted Corey, my parents, Corey's parents, so it will be great, I'm excited for next Wednesday!

So back at our campout spot, there wasn't time to play in the water today. Everyone was cleaning and packing up. Our tent was all cleared out - thanks big kids! I asked them to pose for me. But then Wes walked by -

Wes you ruined the shot!

He got teased for being lazy, but it looks to me like he's the only one of us four that is working at the moment. Let's try that again - Hyrum feeling cool holding the ax.

Little kids eating chips, not helping much. They probably worked earlier before I got here. 

We took down our tent. We loaded up the van with sleeping bags and stuff and then drove over to where we had parked the Fiesta, at a rest stop, that was like 2 miles away, and unloaded it. The Feista was full, back to the campsite to fill up the back of the van. Hyrum likes holding the ax.

Then we were done - Mark took Hyrum, Wes and Mel and dropped them off at the Fiesta. They drove back home the Logan way and had an adventure - Mark's car wouldn't start after they stopped for gas, and they spent like an hour tinkering with it - they fixed it with a boat battery that they were able to buy, but the truck also died like in the middle of the intersection there in Garden City. So yeah, they got home later than us and had fun.

We took an hour detour on our ride home - we went the Evanston and Park City way. We stopped by Coalville cause I wanted to see where Ambrose and Mary Williamson are buried. I had a vague memory of being here before, and it seemed like it was pretty close off the freeway - but I think the cemetery I remember was the Coalville cemetery, which we passed on our way - google maps was taking me to Upton. We drove and drove and drove and it seemed like a long detour, especially since w had already been in the car for over 90 minutes. "We're almost there. ... I think we're almost there?" Finally we arrived at the Upton Cemetery. Abi holding open the gate for me. 

There were like 3 gates to get to the cemetery and the cemetery was at the top of a sad little dry hill. I found their names - They are in B-1

I found B-1 on the little map. 

So Sarah Nield was Ambrose's wife that died in 1892 after giving birth to John and while Ambrose was out trying to find the doctor. There was a storm, his horse spooked, when the finally did make it back home, Sarah had passed away. Her gravestone was very big and I'm sure was a tribute to his sadness at her sudden loss. 

Mary and Ambrose are the two small graves next to her. Mary died in April of 1937, Ambrose passed away three months later in July of 1937. Father Ambrose Hibbert below:

Mother Mary W. Hibbert.

After we arrived, I realized I maybe should have brought some flowers or something. I picked a little yellow wildflower and put it on their graves.

A few kids got out for a picture. But they could hardly walk on the weeds. Sophi almost got a weed dagger through her foot - it punctured her flip flop. I guess I assumed there would be grass. It was kind a sad little place. 

Is it inappropriate to order new headstones? Like, is that bad and/or that taking away a piece of history if we were to, say, get rid of their current headstone and replace it with a new and more legible one? I wonder. I might look into it. 

Mary is a hero to me, and Ambrose is one of my first ancestors to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. Seems like there should be a larger memorial to them.

I should learn more about them. Maybe learning and teaching my kids more about them is a better memorial than putting something on their graves. Abi opened the gate for us to leave.

The kids were hungry and ready to get home, but I did want to stop by that cemetery that looked familiar to see if there were any Hibberts there, and I did find a small grave for Amy Ann Hibbert, who was Mary and Ambrose's first child that was born and died after a few days, so sad. :(

 Little Amy Ann Hibbert - born 8 Jan 1894, died 11 Jan 1894

Sweet baby. Man, they all had such harder lives. I haven't done much genealogy during covid, but I want to, I hope to. I will do research on Sunday. I want to learn more of their stories. I'm sure each of my ancestors have a story that would make me love and admire them, like I do to Mary Williamson, I just need to learn their stories! Here's a resolve to do better. I'm glad we were able to go by there today. I am so grateful for my faithful heritage and to have been born and raised in Utah, and to have such noble ancestors to look up to. I know they are rooting for me in my latter day experiences, I want to get to work and make them proud.