When Dave and Jan’s son Stephen’s job with the German Zeiss Lens Company in Sherman Oaks, California came to an end the family thought it would only be a short time before another job in the digital camera industry opened up. Months later Stephen, Meagan and kids visited Cedar City over the Fourth of July week-end and liked what they saw. When Stephen checked for job openings in Cedar City he learned of a restaurant and gas station which was for sale. When he checked into it he learned that the owner was the man who had built Dave and Jan’s house. So one thing led to another and Stephen moved his family to Utah in November of 2021 to begin taking over the historic Top Spot Drive Inn on Main Street in Cedar City. Now five months into the experience, Stephen and Meagan recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary with their employees at Top Spot!

Stephen and family have plugged into the life of Calvary Chapel in Cedar City. When Meagan chose to attend a Friday/Saturday women’s retreat sponsored by Calvary Chapel, Ryan and Erin spent Friday evening and Saturday with Dave and Jan. So it seemed like a good opportunity to head with the kids to St. George (fifty miles south) for a fun time at Thunder Junction – a dinosaur themed children’s park in southwest St. George (which Dave and Jan were introduced to by their daughter Alissa and family, who were visiting from South Dakota last year)..

On a warm day in St. George (80 degrees on April 2nd) Thunder Junction’s water features were a hit for Ryan and Erin and many other children enjoying the park on the same day.

The park includes many other interesting recreational opportunities for fun-loving children – including zip lines for the more adventurous (like Ryan) and the less adventurous (like Erin).

Ryan and Erin and Grandma Jan enjoyed a ride around the park in its colorful railroad adventure.

And there were many other things scattered around the park to catch any child’s attention.

Dave and Jan are enjoying having Stephen, Meagan, Ryan and Erin once again living close enough to allow for the fellowship and fun which families living in the same community are able to enjoy. And they are looking forward soon to another planned visit to Utah from Andrew, Alissa, Levi, Elijah, Silas and Ephraim from their home in Huron, South Dakota. Family life is one of the Lord’s rich blessings for human beings on our planet – and it is greatly enriched by the common faith the Balsleys and Crandalls enjoy.