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IDAHO OR BUST
Heather & Sarah headed to the wilds of Driggs, Idaho for some R&R over Labor Day. Sarah was recovering from a traumatic wisdom teeth removal (ha ha) from a couple of days earlier, which greatly hampered her ability to enjoy the amazing food Mom had prepared.
We were antsy to get out on the golf course but had to warm-up our skills on the driving range. It was pretty pathetic and Dad & Jon tried to salvage what they could through lessons. Sarah did well off the tee, Heather struggled and was never able to recover a semblance of her former game (except for a rare par).
Shannon and Conrad arrived later that night, and we had a party while they settled in. Jon kept us in stitches with his Brian Regan impersonations. Mom kept us all well fed. And Dad kept us on track with scripture reading and ensuring that we arrived to church on time.
If the weather cooperates, tomorrow will include yet more golf. If not, we’ll head back to the “big city” (Salt Lake) to finish off the weekend.
[Sunday, August 31, 2008 – 8:22 PM]
HORSEBACK RIDING
Oh, I went horeseback riding yesterday! And am feeling it today =). So worth it, though — I’ve been wanting to go for so long. I’ve been on horses before, but they’ve always been the pony variety — even when I rode on the beach in Monterey, the horses were so old, they only know how to walk.
Rosie prefered to canter, which resulted in a wild ride — so fun. She was so determined not to let the other horse get in front of her. Andrea’s aunt (Andrea and I stayed with them overnight in Logan) had warned me that Rosie was spirited and she definitely lived up to her reputation. I can see why people love living in the country, at least for a month or so in the summertime. It’s so beautiful out there. And peaceful. And a slower pace. And the stars at night are brilliant. And spending time with Andrea was fantastic!! Such a fun adventure.
[Monday, August 11, 2008 - 12:36 AM]
NICOLE’S WEDDING
Nicole is more of a sister than a former roommate. We all love her and are so happy that Jake is making her so happy. She looked beautiful; I loved hearing everyone honoring her as they spoke of the person she was and how much she loves and serves others. Her love of her friends and her love of travel are the essence of Nicole. And I’m so glad she found someone who loves her for those qualities. She’s fabulous!!
So great to see several old friends from DC — I just love those girls. And to see the Logan temple for the first time. I’ve uploaded a few pictures into the photo gallery. Andrea came with us, so we had a great time with her and were able to see Michelle (Bowman’s) new apartment. She starts school up there at Utah State in a couple of weeks. Going to miss her!
SUMMER ADVENTURES
I saw my first moose! While on a hike one night with some friends, we came uncomfortably close to a mama moose and her baby. We quickly backed up when we saw the baby. Nothing like a mad mama moose to ruin your entire day! Unfortunately, none of us had cameras to capture the moment…or the waterfall at Doughnut Falls…or the deer with fuzzy antlers we saw later. Oh well!
Mike, Jon and Mom worked their magic on Saturday. The pavers they put in look a m a z i n g !! That just makes me happy. It doesn’t take much…(although the boys may not agree that the job wasn’t “not much”).
CHURCH…NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE DRAMA…
As I was leaving for church yesterday, I noticed my new roommate’s car parked behind me. This, of course, lead to a dilema, as both she and Heather were in the middle of sacrament meeting at the family ward. Did she have extra keys lying around anywhere? Not in plain sight. Texting both of them didn’t see to help. Was there any way I could somehow magically maneuver my car over the dirt pile in the driveway? Not unless I was David Hasselhoff from Knight Rider (used to love that show when I was little!). I thought of trying to switch wards for the day and go to a nearby meetinghouse instead, but thought that since I was teaching the lesson in Relief Society, that probably wasn’t such a good idea. I managed to get a ride in time to make half of my presidency meeting before church.
The lesson I taught was on the blessings of the temple. The last month seems to have been a month of temple experiences, with Shannon & Laura’s weddings, Siobhan receiving her endowments, and Kristi’s daughter, Ruby, being sealed to their family. There was a wonderful spirit there; several of the girls shared testimonies later of how they had recently had life-changing experiences at the temple. Elder Haights’ experience of seeing the Savior and his emphasis on the atonement went along with what the sealer at Ruby’s sealing taught about the central focus of the temple being on the atonement. That in the temple,we learned of the creation, the fall, the atonement and the resurrection, along with Christ’s relationship to his father and his prophets. Elder Wirthlin’s talk on moving to higher ground was especially poigniant as the tsunami he discussed wiped out the beach house where I had stayed two years previously in Thailand. I loved the topic and love the girls in our Relief Society. Many of them live with heavy burdens and sorrows and yet, continue on. And do their best. My friend, Joanne, just lost her brother in a boating accident. And Kari, who I visit teach and is on my Enrichment Committee, lost her mom last week.
We’re looking forward to Nicole’s bridal shower and wedding. Good things happening to good people!
[Monday, August 4, 2008 - 11:07 AM]LAURA’S WEDDING
Southern California. The Newport Beach Temple. Palm trees and sunshine. And spending time with Paul’s family. His youngest sister, Laura, married Dave Garner, whom she met at BYU Idaho. Dave’s family lives in Rexburg, but is originally from Texas, which accounts for the reason we like them (wink). Laura took out her endowments in Newport Beach and Paul’s cousin, Kristi, had her new Chinese daughter, Ruby, sealed to their family right afterwards.
The wedding and reception were fantastic – Laura looked even more beautiful than ever, if that is possible, and everything went smoothly. The reception was outdoors in the courtyard at the Civic Center in Rancho Cucamonga where most of the Wright receptions have been held and as the sun set, Japanese lanterns and twinkling lights in the canopy of trees made a beautiful scene. Will post photos to the photo gallery soon…
It was so fun to see all of the extended family. Paul’s cousin, Greg’s daughter and I celebrated our birthdays together (she turned two and I turned…twenty-five…) with the help of about fifty hamburgers from In ‘n Out. That alone was worth flying to California for.
Such a fun visit! But there’s no place like home…
[Monday, July 28, 2008 - 03:04 PM]
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