Eldredge Cousins

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I have many great memories growing up in a tight-knit family of "cousins." The following are some random memories I have of times with my Eldredge cousins.

I remember when . . .

Carie sat in a freezing steam of water (while we were with Carliles on a trip in Tabiona?) and her bottom end turned blue.

Every year, it was a family tradition for the cousins to put on a Christmas play. One year, I wrote a rhyme, "Christmas in the Hospital" and vaguely remember Heidi playing the part of Janet Leigh (from Psycho).

One year, Kale amazed everyone by reciting the entire Dr. Seuss poem, "The Grinch That Stole Christmas"...in my memory, he was only 4-5 years old.

Brian and I getting fiercely competitive at ping pong matches down in Grandma and Grandpa's basement. (Someday we'll need to have a re-match...I bet I could whip him)

Brian, David, Tyler and I would spy on "the girls" and serve as a source of great irritation for them.

Playing baseball out in the Orchard with all the cousins with a big plastic bat and ball.

Having sleepovers at Christensens and playing pranks on their phone late at night (oh, if JD only knew...)

Going to LymonWY with the Christensens, Julie and Jim to spend the day with Jim's folks and Brian getting bit on the stomach by their dog...I also remember this incredible dinner with steaming platters of food and tall glasses of cold, recently produced cow's milk.

I learned to ride a horse in Evanston when the boy that lived acrossed the street from the Phillips let Lauri and I ride his small horse in the nearby field.

I went with the Christensens to their other Grandma for Memorial Day and thinking she was kind of pretty for old an woman with white hair.

My dad, JD, Brian and I went to Moon Lake for my first official fishing trip. I recall getting up early in the morning in the dark and taking a trail up a mountain to get to the lake. I remember getting emotional trying to take the hook out of a really small fish and practically pulling all the guts out with it. I also recall JD frying up our fish for breakfast that morning and thinking it was all pretty cool.

The Moulton cousins...Joey, Marian, Johnny, and Grant...had Lauri and I sit in front of Aunt Leah and Aunt Wilma's walk-in closet and convinced us that we could walk into the darkness and never reach the back wall...scared me to death!

Grandma, Grandpa, and my family took a trip up to Salem OR to visit the Christensens. My biggest memories are having hay fever and Grandma crying when we pulled away to come back to Utah.

Grandma, Grandpa and my family took two different trips to see the Grahams...one to Ames, Iowa and the other to Fargo, North Dakota. In one of those towns, I remember David, Tyler and I frequenting a local Kmart where I bought some purchased treasures like beef jerky. I also remember going with the Graham cousins up to Winnipeg Canada and touring a big museum.

Carie took each of her dolls very seriously...each one had an assigned name...and almost a unique personality. I seem to recall a few tantrums when the dolls weren't treated by others with the required respect...

Playing "kick the can" at night in front of Grandma and Grandpa's House and not wanting to quit when my parents said it was time to go home.

I got into Grandma's old record albums with the older cousins and listening to "Here Comes Suzy Snowflake" and an old Barbra Streisand LP.

I had a sleepover with Geoffrey down in his mom's old pink bedroom in one of Grandma and Grandma's basements. I would always call him "sir" for fun.

The girls (Carie, Valerie, Tara, and Heidi) always getting together to play "princess" or some sort of drama where Val was always the most beautiful one of them all...

Brian, David, Tyler, and I went swimming down at Granger High School during one of the Grahams summer visits. I also remember joining a summer swim team with Brian at Granger but not enjoying it or excelling at it as much as Brian.

Tyler would keep me laughing with all his wierd words and phrases....one of my favorites was "Mickey MOUSE!" pronounced in a unique intonation that only Tyler could produce...

I learned that the Christensens had driven home late at night with the kids leaning out the windows and ran over a skunk...then actually smelling the results when I visited their house...I recall it being quite dramatic.

I would go aspargus picking with Lauri in the back of Grandma and Grandpas house. (I've always enjoyed eating aspargus...)

I would play with Keith (when he was a little guy) whenever I would come to Sherla's house to get my haircut.

The entire family would go up into the canyon early in the morning and cook pancakes, eggs, and bacon. It was heaven for us boys to run around on the trails and play in the cold streams.

Jason would methodically remove the limbs of unsuspecting insects and occasionally fry them on the hamburger grill. I also remember him trapping a fly in the microwave...or was that Brian?

I invite each Eldredge cousin to insert a comment with a cousin memory of your own...recent or old. I also solicit any other group photographs of Eldredge cousins...recent or old...that I can add to this posting.