Throughout my life I have known many women who I admire and respect....the women in my family are no exception; they are all wonderful. The first of the women in the family that I am featuring is my daughter-in-law Emily.
My very first memory of Emily was when she was in high school. She came to our home one day with a friend and they were in the basement talking with Jeremy, I was in the room immediately above the room that they were in and I could hear their conversation clearly as it drifted up the stairs. Emily was telling them a funny story that involved ice-cream (you know the one Em). They were laughing and I laughed too; it was a funny story.
When Jeremy and Emily started to date we were immediately endeared to her. I thought that she was such a cute girl, and so friendly and fun to talk to as well. That is one of the things I love the most about Emily, she is herself and we've always been able to talk very comfortably with each other.
One of my memories of Emily is when she, Jeremy, and I went skiing at Deer Valley during spring break in 2001. I hadn't been skiing for several years and the first run was a little to much for me. Part way down the slope I decided to "crawl" the rest of the way. Jeremy had already taken off down the hill, but Emily came back to help me and stayed with me until I finally felt that I could get up and continue skiing (I quite happily spent the rest of the day on the bunny hill).
Jeremy left for his mission to Canada in September of 2002 and Emily left the following February to serve a mission in Brasil. I can still remember the last time we saw her before she left. She came to our home one evening to say good-bye to me, Michael, and Caitlin and she brought me a gift; a beautiful bracelet which I treasure. When it was time for her to leave we had hugs all around, I remember her standing at the front door and looking up at us as if for "one last time" before she left. Caitlin and I stood hugging each other and crying as Emily drove away. We didn't know then that Emily would someday be a part of our family.
Jeremy and Emily returned from their missions within two months of each other and were married in the Salt Lake Temple on 05-05-05, and well....the rest is history.
A few interesting and fun things to know about Emily: She is a wonderful homemaker, her home is always spotlessly clean and organized. She is very creative and crafty; whether it's a party or a dinner, she knows how to bring a table or a room to life with her decorating skills. She loves to try new recipes and is a wonderful cook. She is very family oriented, and loves family gatherings. She is loyal. She is a wonderful wife and mother, I have been especially impressed that she taught Mason how to do baby signing. It just amazes me to watch Mason communicate in that way. She is always willing to serve others in any way that she can; last summer she spent an afternoon school shopping with Caitlin and I, and more recently she did all of the decorating for Caitlin's 16th birthday party. She is a make-up artist; at our family "girls night" last summer she did makeovers for everyone. She does whatever she is asked to do in the church diligently, her current calling is Young Women Camp Director and I'm confident it will be a memorable camp experience for the YW in her ward. She loves animals. She is sensitive to the spirit. She speaks Portuguese. She does really great impersonations. She graduated from BYU in 2007 with a degree in Sociology. She enjoys learning new things. She's a great hostess. She is fun to be with.
I am so grateful that Jeremy and Emily found each other. She is an important part of our Leger family as well as our "extended" family, and we love her.
One of several pom poms that Emily made to decorate Caitlin's 16th birthday party
Emily doing Jessica's make-up at our "girls night" last summer
Mike at his favorite place in the park... Hayden Valley. He, Jeremy and Mason spent a couple of hours sitting patiently waiting for a grizzly bear and a pack of wolves. The bear was a no-show, but seven wolves appeared and joined an eighth and the guys watched them make their way across the valley.
This was one of very few elk we saw on this trip, which was very unusual, we usually see so many.
We spent one night at the lake hotel. This is a great spot to sit and capture the beauty of the lake... although I just wanted to capture a picture of the family (just ask the guy that took the picture for me).
Last look at Hayden Valley on our way out.
We sat and watched this grizzly playing in the water for several minutes at Bear World.
A "tour truck" at Bear World, filled with people feeding the bears. It reminds me of what Yellowstone was like years, and years ago.
