Once Upon a Time

I have been going through files and came across some notes in Gregg shorthand that I had written when Brittney was a little girl.  I had made a storybook for Brittney and also one for Sarah using their photos for the illustrations with the story being about them written as a "Once upon a time . . . ." 

Transcribing from the shorthand notes, this is the draft I had written for Brittney's little illustrated book having brief captions under each photograph on the pages.  (In this updated version shared here, I have included a few photos from a file on my computer including some from later years that obviously would not have been available in the original version.  I wonder if Brittney and Sarah have their original stories.)

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Once upon a time there was a darling baby girl born in Denver, Colorado.  She was born on the 15th of June in the year 1987.  Her happy parents were Scott and Kristine Ireland."

"They named their little sweetheart Brittney Nicole." 

"August 2, 1987, was the day Brittney was blessed at church.  Her Grandpa Judd and Grampa Ireland love Brittney and were also in the circle as her dad gave the blessing."

Brittney with Grampa Sam

"Brittney learned many things.  She learned how to walk."

"She learned how to talk."

"She learned how to feed herself."

"She learned how to have friends and play with others."

"The most important thing Brittney learned was to love Jesus and to love others."

 

"Brittney liked to visit her Grandma and Grandpa Judd in Utah.

"Brittney liked to visit her Gramma and Grampa Ireland in South Dakota."

Gramma Mabel, Mommie, and Brittney - 1988

Brittney with her family & with Gramma Ireland, Nicole Sepp,
Jeff, Doug, and Beth - 1990

 

"Brittney looked so pretty in her new Easter dress."

"Brittney thought it was so fun looking for hidden Easter eggs."

"Brittney got a pretty quilt for Christmas that her Grandma Judd had made."

"Brittney got a vacuum from her Gramma and Grampa Ireland.  She thought it was fun to help Mommy clean the house."

 

Brittney - Kindergarten

"When Brittney was 8 years old, she was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Brittney - 5th grade

 "The years went by and Brittney grew more sweet and lovely. 
Best of all, she loved her Father in Heaven
and tried always to be a good girl."

 

Brittney - 11th grade

 

"One day Brittney met her handsome Prince Charming.  He asked Brittney to marry him in the temple."

"Brittney had always wanted to be married in the temple.  She was so happy."

"Brittney was married in the temple and lived happily ever after . . . "

". . . Not the end . . . to be continued Forever!"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Sarah Anne Smith
with a missing tooth

Sarah had been given a similar
"Once upon a time . . . ." book,
but I don't have the shorthand notes for her version.

Hopefully, the grandchildren born after 1988 won't feel left out that Gramma Ireland didn't make a fairy tale book for them.
I do love each and every one of our grandchildren
and great-grandchildren who bring much joy to Grampa Sam and me, making a current total of 77 in our forever family.


Family Reunion - 1919 - Spanish Fork, Utah

We are looking forward to our family reunion in 2021
in Spanish Fork.  Mark your calendars:  July 1, 2, & 3!

And looking forward to the next reunion July 1, 2, & 3 in 2021!

The Eyes Have It

I appreciate many qualities I have inherited from my parents, but the recent  problem with my eyelashes turning in to irritate my eyes is not one of them.  Most in my family will remember how my mother had a wire attached to her glasses to prevent this problem for her, and my dad had surgery to correct his.  When I began having this problem with my eyes, I assumed it was an inherited trait unique for my family.  However, yesterday visiting with people on our walk in our neighborhood, I had three people tell me they had a parent who had this same surgery; and a fourth asked for the name of my surgeon to give to her parent who has the same problem.

I had the surgery on March 9th and have followed the doctor’s orders to apply ice for 72 hours and then putting on heat four times a day.  Tomorrow (March 17) I will get the stitches out.

It actually looks worse than it feels.

"Ultimate Gifts"

My family know that "The Sound of Music" is my all-time favorite movie, but running a close second is "An Affair to Remember," a 1957 movie. Those who have seen "Sleepless in Seattle" (a 1993 movie with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) may remember the several references to this movie with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant. Growing up in small communities, sports events and movies were a main source of entertainment. In those former days, movies were more about telling a good story (without profanity) rather than spending much of the time on special effects with less spent on character development. I still enjoy watching a good movie. 

"An Affair to Remember"
Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant

We currently have been finding some entertaining movies on YouTube (without advertising). Recently, we have watched a trilogy: The Ultimate Gift, The Ultimate Life, The Ultimate Legacy based on a book by Jim Stovall. Now that we are out of self-quarantine and with having better weather, we can have more variety in our lives; but we have gotten along just fine during the months since last March when our world changed due to Covid.

We feel very blessed.  We appreciate family and friends who have looked after us and kept involved in our lives with distance visits, phone calls, and Zoom. Yesterday we had nice visits from Haley and later from Jared.  It's nice to be able now to welcome visitors into our home once again without Covid concerns.

A Quick Look at my Roots

I was born in a hospital at Cheyenne Agency in South Dakota on March 10, 1938, where my father worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as the school dairyman and later as agricultural supervisor and instructor.

Narene - 2005

Just days before my 4th birthday, my family moved from Cheyenne to the Rosebud Boarding School near Mission, South Dakota, where my father managed the farm and ranch operation and was an agricultural instructor. He loved cattle and horses. In 1953, my family moved to Martin, South Dakota, where my father worked for the Soil Conservation Service and later as an area land appraiser. 

My mother was trained to be a teacher and taught all grades from kindergarten through college at various stages in her life. She taught home economics at the Rosebud Boarding School, and her senior class girls made tailored suits from material they wove themselves. She was a home demonstration agent in Bennett County (Martin, South Dakota) and wrote a column "Nelson Notes" for the Bennett County Booster newspaper and even had a TV show.

Margaret & LeRoi Nelson, my parents

I attended school in Mission, South Dakota, from the first grade through the first semester of my 10th grade when my family moved to Martin, South Dakota, where I completed my high school and met Sam Howard Ireland, whom I married June 5, 1959, in the Salt Lake Temple. 

We have seven children: Scott Howard Ireland (7 February 1962) md. Kristine Judd, 17 August 1984. Marla Rae Ireland (16 September 1963) md. Curtis Smith, 21 April 1984. Ryan Rae Ireland (16 May 1965) md. Tani Whittle, 17 December 1988. Brent LeRoi Ireland (22 February 1967) md. Tauna Hatch, 21 April 1993). Beth LaNae Ireland (11 October 1974) md. Todd Graham, 13 May 1995. Jeffrey Jon Ireland (6 March 1978) md. Rochelle Abbott, 2 June 2000. Douglas Sam Ireland (24 March 1980) md. Shannon Bird, 22 May 2003. Adding grandchildren and great-grandchildren, our family currently has grown to 76. 

I have one sister, Louise Nelson (born May 27, 1930), married to Angus Hilliard Hyer, and one brother, Kay LeRoi Nelson (born April 4, 1926), married to Ina Shepard. In 2020, my brother is my only living sibling.

Sam and I with my family in 1959, the year we were married

(back)  K. LeRoi (my brother) and his wife Ina; Sam & Narene, Angus Hyer (my brother-in-law),
(front) Ronald Nelson, Margaret (my mother), Marlowe Hyer, Louise (my sister), Lon Hyer, Harold Nelson, & LeRoi (my dad)