Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum.

I volunteered to work in the DUP museum today.

I have done it twice before.

There are some amazing things there.

Many things were brought over by Utah Pioneers that came over in covered wagons or handcarts.

Some things are from the early 1900s. 

Some things beautiful. Some things heartbreaking.

All things interesting.

The cutest things there are these four sweet ladies that quilt almost every single Monday.

Two of them are sisters-in-law and two of them are cousins.

The cousins grandfather (great?) made the mantel behind them.

There are pictures of some of their ancestors in that place.

They sell those quilts to raise money for the museum.

Belonging to the DUP is the one thing in my life that makes me feel the oldest

(I have only attended the last several years).

I am usually the youngest member that attends our monthly meetings (and I'm 46).

Many of those women are so amazing 

(we have around 20 women that attend every month).

I learn something new every time I go.

It gets me out of the house and gets me to do something I wouldn't normally do.

Many have become my friends.

I am hoping their goodness rubs off on me.

That meeting is like one giant warm and friendly hug to me.

 When I worked as a nurse I couldn't do much more than work and family

(I had some good friends from work).

But it was hard to socialize much more than that

(I worked nights for my family but I was tired so much of the time).

When Davis was at his sickest (he started hearing voices at 10 years of age)

we had him home or he was only half day at school.

Those first few years were the most isolating years of my life.

Life is a new normal with me being able to stay home now

(which I am extremely grateful for).

It still has been a little isolating because of the demands of family

and raising a son with High Functioning Autism (and a few other things too).

This is why DUP has been such a saving grace for me

and why I still go to those sweet monthly meetings.