My Favorite Place on Earth

We've been in the process of something really difficult for my family for a while now, and I'm writing about it because of how special it is to me. After years and years, my grandpa and grandma have made the decision to sell the family farm. It's really hard for all of us to see it go, but it's getting harder for my grandparents to manage it all and we have had some very spiritual impressions that even though none of us want to, that selling the farm is the right decision for our family. We love this place and I'm so grateful for what it means to our family, so I want to share just a little bit about it with you.

First, let's just talk about the story of how it started.  When John Toone came with the Martin Handcart Company in the 1850s, his family settled Croydon, Utah and the surrounding area.  It has stayed in the Toone family ever since, and my grandpa has worked hard all his life to take care of it all.  Over time, my grandpa acquired more and more pieces of it from his family members until he owned the whole property.  It has taken him and grandma fifty years of working every day of their lives to pay it off.  They finally paid it off about two years ago.

This cabin has stood for 150 years

My grandpa taught LDS institute for his primary job but continued to run the farm.  During the summer, my grandparents with their seven kids went up to the farm and lived in a tent for the summer.  They bathed in the creek, brushed their teeth in the creek, kept food cold in the creek.  And they worked hard.

Eventually, we built a shop where we kept the tractor and all the tools.  Later, we built a loft with rooms so they could sleep.  As the family expanded we built a second shop.  The original shop became the "house."  The tractors and 4-wheelers were parked in the shop along with the tools.  We got a bigger tractor which wouldn't fit in the shop so we built an overhang.  As the family continued to expand, we built three little bunk cabins next to the house so everyone would have a place to sleep.

One of my favorite memories of the farm was when we went up one year knowing that there was a surprise for the whole family.  My mom knew what it was, but none of the kids did.  But on the drive up through Weber canyon, we saw a truck with a trailer on the back with a huge new tractor.  A John Deere.  Suddenly we knew what the surprise was.  When my grandpa was shopping for the tractor one of his criteria was how many of the cousins he could fit in the bucket.

I literally thought I was going to die by falling out of a tractor bucket when my grandpa would treat us to a roller coaster ride in it :) There are surprisingly few handholds in a tractor bucket.

**Side note** John Deere tractors are THE BEST.  There's no comparison.  Sure, other companies make tractors, but nothing runs like a Deere.  One year we all got John Deere t-shirts for Christmas.  Every time I see something with the classic green and yellow, we have to take a picture.

The grounds crew at the Logan Temple was kind enough to let us pose with the John Deere.

Kinda blurry, but this was at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

We have always tried to take very good care of our farm. As you drive up the county road, you can tell where the property line is.  My grandpa's land has been leveled, all the trees are removed, the alfalfa is literally greener.  We have always felt strongly that when the Lord gives you stewardship over something, you take care of it.  My grandma always refers to the story of pioneers in Nauvoo, who swept off their porches the day they were driven out.  They knew they were never coming back, but they wanted to leave their homes in the best condition they could.  We've adopted that mentality for our farm, and we take care of it with all our hearts.

The ranch is a refuge from the world. No cell service and no internet. It's a good way to escape the world and just focus on what is most important. Our family has shared some really sacred experiences there. Once when I was seeking to strengthen my testimony of the Book of Mormon, I went up to the ranch to have a Parley Pratt experience. I opened the book early in the morning and read all day. I read the whole Book of Mormon in one day, and in doing so had one of the most profound experiences of my life. The truth of it was confirmed to me as I sat up in the mountains alone where I could be closest to the Spirit. I'm grateful that I had such a special place to go to when I wanted solitude and a chance to experience peace. My whole family has had similarly sacred experiences at the ranch.

My grandpa and grandma have worked hard their entire lives so we could have a special place for our family and so we could learn to work hard.  I'm eternally grateful for the farm!!!  To our family, it is sacred ground.  While we may not always hold the title to it, the feelings and relationships forged and strengthened because of it will always be ours.  And when we get to heaven, I wouldn't be surprised if it felt a lot like Hell Canyon Ranch.