Women's 95th or 145th Equality Day?

It was Women's Equality Day on Wednesday, which reminded me that women had the right to vote in Utah before it was national. It was granted first in 1870 by the territorial legislature but revoked by Congress in 1887 as part of a national effort to rid the territory of polygamy. Read more info here. Martha Hughes Cannon was the first women elected to office in Utah during the time when women lost the vote (she actually beat her polygamist husband in the election).

So now I want to find which of my Great-Grandmothers were able to vote both times, although I don't know if they actually voted. I only listed those who were alive and living in the USA after 1870.
  ‡1920   ᴥ1870

1st Great-Grandmothers
‡Eleanor Elizabeth Excell Riding 1880-1950
‡Clara Minerva Riddle Heaps 1889-1984
‡Amy Clarissa Neel Spackman 1896-1975
‡Madora Laverna Rogerson Jensen 1883-1963

2nd Great-Grandmothers
‡ᴥMary Ellen Eardley Riding 1859-1943
‡ᴥElizabeth Austen Button Excell 1856-1936
‡ᴥBeatrice Twitchell Heaps 1864-1939
‡ᴥClara Maria Berry Riddle 1867-1940
‡ᴥElsie Marie Andersen Jensen 1854-1934
‡ᴥSarah Jane Perkins Rogerson 1861-1936
     Sarah Jane also held office. She was the county clerk for 15 years and also the Monticello town clerk. When she died the San Juan Record wrote she was a prominent lady.
ᴥAxie Matilda Bohman Spackman 1867-1920
‡Cora Caroline Walker Neel 1875-1925

3rd Great-Grandmothers
ᴥMary Ann Hale Riding 1816-1875
ᴥAnn Cross Eardley 1826-1904
ᴥEleanor (Ellen) Swan Excell 1840-1896
‡ᴥSusannah Goldthorpe Heaps 1835-1922
‡ᴥVesta Lucetta Bishop Twitchell 1843-1924
ᴥMary Ann Levi Riddle 1835-1872
ᴥElizabeth Cherrington Berry 1846-1887
ᴥ(Kristin) Marie Jensdatter Jensen 1801-1874
ᴥMary Harrison Farren Rogerson 1804-1888
ᴥJane Benson Perkins 1824-1900
ᴥSarah Ann Criddle Spackman 1841-1911
ᴥChristina Elizabeth Mattson Bohman 1830-1896
‡ᴥEllen Christina Stevens Neel 1851-1927
ᴥCharlotte Wright Walker 1846-1898

4th Great-Grandmothers
ᴥEliza Ann Pratt Bishop 1819-1895
ᴥElizabeth Wilson Stewart Riddle 1803-1878
ᴥJulia Ann Carroll Levi 1809-1887
ᴥSarah Belcher Cherrington 1823-1900
ᴥMary Ann Bull Criddle 1813-1894
ᴥMaria Christina Gavert Bohman 1808-1889
ᴥClemency Litten Casper Neel 1816-1892
ᴥEmma Crowden Stevens 1823-1900
ᴥMaria Antoinette Swallow Walker 1816-1889
ᴥElizabeth Barrett Wright 1827-1895


Since most of my ancestors come from England I looked up when women could vote there. In 1918, women over the age of 30 who met minimum property qualifications were allowed to vote and be elected into Parliament. Then in 1928, voting was extended to all women over the age of 21.
I also have family in Canada. The Spackman and Neel families left Utah around ±1900 for Canada. In Canada most women had the vote by 1918.

Happiness or Joy?

People say the phrase, " I just want _____ (insert you, me, family, friends, etc) to be happy." I don't believe that being happy is the end all and be all of existence. Anyone can make excuses for poor choices and instant gratification in the name of happiness. I don't have all the levels of happiness figured out like John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, but I do believe joy is higher than happiness. Men and women are that they might have joy (2 Nephi 2:25).

I also believe choosing to do the right thing should be a priority. When choosing to do what is right, one should pick long lasting joy instead of short term happiness or instant gratification. In the past I have picked what I believed to be the right and it did not make me happy at the time, but I do know I am on the Robert Frost path of what I should be doing for my life. Choosing to do what is right to me means I am deciding to live a higher standard that can lead me to a joyful life here on Earth and in the Eternities.

Joy is mentioned 330 times in the scriptures and study helps (Old Testament (95), New Testament (61), Book of Mormon (120), Doctrine and Covenants (33), Pearl of Great Price (7), Study Helps (14)). Joy is also listed in the Topical Guide, Index to the Triple Combination, and Guide to the Scriptures with see also topics as: Cheer, Cheerful, Conscience, Delight, Exquisite, Fulness, Glad, Gladness, Happier, Happiness, Happy, Increase, Joyous, Just, Merry, Obedience, Obedient, Obey, Pleasure, Rejoice, Season, Seventy, Shout, Song, Tidings, Unspeakable, and Worth of Souls.

Kittens

Back in June one of the ballroom dancers posted on facebook that she and her husband found kittens and their mommy under the house they were renting. I went over and was going to take all of them, but the mommy did not want to come. She was too use to wandering the neighborhood. So I took all four kittens to finish raising them until they were old enough to be adopted into a good home.

They loved to dig into the seams of the bed when they were little.

 They loved to play together

Can you find the kittens?

 They are still unsure about how to jump off the couch at this point.

It's funny how they will sleep in any position.

We had blocked off the kitchen while they were still learning how to use the litter box to make it easier to clean up the messes. However, this little girl, Dave named her Steve McQueen, because she liked to find the escape routes. We ended up changing the blockades several times since there are no doors.

The last blockade became tall because of their gradual jumping ability.

Eventually we let them in the living room and covered the couch so the fur didn't make my allergies bad. I loved how they sleep in funny positions.

And they like to snuggle

Me and Mittens

Goldy does like to sleep on the kitchen floor like this.

On their last day together I thought I would try to get a picture of all of them together. No such luck! 

The white and black one was the leader of the pack (Steve McQueen, girl).
We had to drive Steve up to Snowville, Utah to meet her new owner because she was going to live in Idaho.

The orange striped one my nephew named Goldy (boy).

 Then there were two black ones with white paws and belly. 

The runt of the litter my nephew named Mittens (boy) and 

the bigger black kitten we names Peke (girl) because she can jump high.
Peke was adopted by someone from Provo.

I made my dad take Mittens. My dad has been lonely since my Mom's death, so I made him take a kitten. Last week he called me to tell me how much he appreciated having Mittens. It has helped so much! 

Our next door neighbors were going to take Goldy, but they couldn't decide if they really wanted him. So Dave and I decided we were going to keep him. Last week we took him to the vet to have his first shots and get neutered. 

I am allergic to cats. Before we got married I made Dave get rid of his cat because of my allergy. Now that we own our own home and we have a backyard, plus I belong to a infertility support group on facebook and some of the women have stated how having a pet has helped with their pain. They are right. Having Goldy is so amazing! He follows me around everywhere, even when I go to the bathroom. My allergy is getting less severe. He even sleeps in our bed.

 He likes that spot between our pillows. 

Books

My Mom was a huge reader. She always had a pile of books on her night stand and another pile next to the front door ready to be returned to the library and to pick up the next pile. She always had a long list of books reserved online from the library. Whenever I wanted to read a good book I always asked her. I've recently wanted to read books again, instead of research journals, but I felt a little lost not knowing what to read since Mom is not here to give me suggestions. I think I will have to log back into Goodreads and see what my cousin Brittney likes and use her as my suggestion box.

The Provo City Library is where our wedding reception was in America.

Jensen Grandparents

I adore my Jensen Grandparents. My Grandma died when I was in Kindergarten. We were living in Orem, I had started Kindergarten 2 weeks earlier and I had just made my first school friend, when my Grandpa called to ask if we would move in with them and help take care of Grandma, she had breast cancer. Of course I was so excited! I love my Grandparents and the chance to be with them all the time was so exciting! My Grandfather still worked at Hill Air Force Base, so someone had to stay with Grandma. I remember many times my Aunt Sally and her kids and Uncle Geoff babysitting (taking us to the park) me and Corey while my Mom took Grandma to the hospital for chemotherapy. Since Grandma died in January 1980 she was part of the original DNA testing for breast cancer at the now Huntsman Cancer Insititute. Mom said they would occasionally test her over the years, but we do not have the breast cancer gene. 

In the summer of 1967 Grandpa volunteered to work hazard pay in Vietnam. I was told his job was to be Radar O'Reilly from MASH. But Grandma was so mad she took my Mom and her siblings to Waterton for the summer.  

 Grandpa in Vietnam 

 Grandma in Waterton

To make up for this summer Grandpa met Grandma in Hawaii for a vacation.

It's pretty rare for Grandpa to be in a picture because he was always the one taking the pictures.

Grandpa in the backyard

Grandma in the backyard

Grandma in the upstairs living room

Grandpa in Waterton (different year)

This is my favorite picture! 

Both of them holding hands in Waterton. 

Great-Grandparents

 While looking through the digitized slides I found pictures of my Great-Grandparents. I have already posted my Great-Grandpa Fredrick Young Jensen Jr's patriarchal blessing. Since I was so young when he died I don't know much about him. I do know that he was a famous sheep shearer and was scandalized by my Great-Grandma Madora LaVerna Rogerson before they were married because she wore a dress in the 4th of July parade that showed her ankles. Apparently this caused a major rift in their relationship so much so that he went to work at Yellowstone for the rest of the summer. 

   

Since my Mom's family spent every summer in Waterton and stayed in my Spackman Great-Grandparents' cabin there are many pictures. I have already posted about Great-Grandma Amy Clarissa Neel Spackman's patriarchal blessing. 

  

Mom said that Grandma Amy stayed with them off and on after Grandpa Spackman died. This was at the Vernal Dinosaur Museum.