Blurred Edge 5x7 folded card
Create personalized greeting cards and invitations at Shutterfly.
View the entire collection of cards.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Back Home Again!
Well, Tiff and I made it home from our trip last night. Steven picked us up at the airport when we flew in at 7:30 p.m. We left Washington at 2:00 p.m. Earlier in the day we had had time for breakfast at the hotel and then another walk into Old Town. We decided that every time we went into town we would see something new, or different I should say, because everything is old. It was a lot of fun. Back at the hotel, we took the shuttle at 11:45 a.m. to the airport. That gave us enough time for some lunch at Panda Express before catching our flight to Denver at 2:00. In Denver we had a two-hour layover, then it was on to Salt Lake City and home. Thanks to Steven and Rich for taking care of things here at home while we were away. It was one of the funnest trips ever!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Still Having Fun!
We have had so much fun and have seen so many things in the last few days! On Saturday, Sept. 6, we woke up to rain as Tropical Storm Hanna was getting set to pass over. After breakfast, we decided that the rain didn't seem that bad, so we set off on foot for Old Town Alexandria to visit Christ Church and the Gadsby's Tavern Museum and maybe to visit some shops. Well, we were doing all right for awhile, then the wind started kicking up and the rain started coming in buckets. We ran to get inside Christ Church, but they were having a service and we couldn't go in. So we ran about two blocks through the drenching rain to Gadsby's Tavern Museum. When we got there we were soaked! But even though we were dripping wet, we went on a tour of the tavern musuem. That was a good place to get out of the rain. We really enjoyed the tour and learned a lot about colonial life in Alexandria. When the tour was over we looked around the gift shop for awhile, then headed out into the rain again. It was still pouring. We made it into a covered area called Gadsby's Arcade and decided at that point we better call for the hotel shuttle to come rescue us, which it did. I saw the shuttle coming and decided to step out onto the sidewalk so that the driver could see us, but I missed the last step going down and I flew off the step and landed on my knees on the sidewalk, taking out my umbrella beneath me! What a tumble! And I got even wetter. But thank goodness for the shuttle which took us back to the hotel! Once we got there we got out of our sopping wet clothes and into some dry ones. I didn't think my shoes would ever dry out. So while it kept pouring outside, we just holed up in our nice room to watch National Treasure II and eat some good things from the "snack room" for lunch. That was handy! (It was fun to watch National Treasure II after going on the tour at Mount Vernon.) It continued to pour all afternoon, and we wondered if we were going to be able to make our dinner appointment with Tiff's classmates, Angie (not Mississippi Angie) and Kristin, at 5:30. Well, at about 5:15, it actually stopped raining. We were expecting to take the hotel shuttle to the metro station, but no shuttle was available, so the hotel called us a cab and reimbursed us for the fare. So we took a taxi to the metro where we met up with Angie who was coming all the way from her home in Maryland (she had been riding for an hour and a half). We then rode with her on the metro to the King Street station and caught the free trolley into Old Town. Once we got there, we went to the Warehouse Grill where I thought it would be fun to eat. I remembered eating there in the old days when I worked in Washington. Well, we went inside and it looked nothing like the Warehouse Grill that I remembered. The only thing that was the same was the name. Actually, it's a nicer, fancier restaurant now. We were seated at a table upstairs by a window looking out over Old Town. Kristin came and joined us about 6:15. She had been moving into a new apartment and painting a house for Habitat for Humanity all day. She and Angie had both gone way out of their way to meet us for dinner. They seemed genuinely happy to see Tiffany, and the three of them had fun catching up on the news and each other's internships. For dinner Tiff, Angie and I had some delicious Asian veggies with lo mein noodles. It was very tasty and different from the rich, colonial fare we had been having. Kristin had some yummy-looking salmon which she said was really good. So we had a very pleasant evening with them and then we all went out separate ways. Angie and Kristin both had to catch the metro back to their homes, and Tiff and I walked back to the hotel. It turned out to be a very fun day, storm and all! (King Street in Old Town was lined with sand bags and the lower part of the street by the river was all blocked off, so I guess things had gotten pretty wet there earlier in the day.)
On Sunday, Sept. 7, we decided it would be kind of hard to work things out logistically to get to the 8:00 sacrament meeting in the ward that meets up on King Street. Plus, I was pretty sore from my tumble the day before and was not moving very fast. So we got up and had breakfast, then took the shuttle to the metro and went to Arlington National cemetery. We decided that would be a pretty good Sunday activity. When we got there we walked through the cemetery and up, up, up the hill to the Arlington House where Robert E. Lee lived with his wife and family. (The house was actually given to them by her parents.) Tiff really wanted to go there. Richard and I had gone there when we visited several years ago, and it was very interesting. The problem with the house right now is that it's undergoing restoration and all the furniture has been removed. But we were still able to walk through. It was good for Tiff to see some real restoration work in progress. It's a very imposing house which sits up on a hill and has a magnificent view of D.C. During the Civil War when the Union took over Arlington House, they decided to get their revenge on Robert E. Lee by burying Union troops in his front yard and garden. That way the Lees would never be able to live in the house again, which turned out to be the case. Robert E. Lee never went back there. On the way to the house, Tiff and I went past the grave of John F. Kennedy; then after touring the house, we went and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We had a great visit to Arlington. From there, we walked and walked and walked down through the cemetery and across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial. Tiffany was very excited about being there. Near the memorial, we stopped at a refreshment gazebo and had a bite of lunch and then went on to the the three war memorials: Korean War, Vietnam War and World War II. That was some more walking. Then we walked to the Washington Monument, then to the Air and Space Museum for a quick look-see there. By that time we were hot, tired and worn out. We caught the metro at L'Enfant Plaza back to Braddock Street station and called for the shuttle. No shuttle was available, so the hotel called us a cab, for which they reimbursed us again after we got back to the hotel. We barely had time to run in and freshen up before Rex Tomb (my friend Mary Lib's husband) came to pick us up to take us to dinner at their house in Arlington. It was fun to see Mary Lib and Rex again. It's been five years since Steven and I last visited there with them. She had invited their daughter Jessica, Jessica's husband, Steve, and their little two-year-old girl, Maren, to have dinner, as well. Mary Lib had prepared lasagna and salad for dinner, which was delicious. After dinner we took a tour of their house which had been completely re-built inside after a fire about three years ago. Their home is really lovely. Mary Lib said she wished she had put in fewer but larger bedrooms downstairs when it was rebuilt, but she didn't think about it until all the framing had been done. Maren was cute and kept us entertained until she reached her bedtime. Then we decided to call it a night and Mary Lib drove us back to our hotel. What a fun time we had with them!
Today was another exciting, fun day. We tried to get an early start by heading into Washington by 9:00. We took the metro to the archives Station, where we got out and then waited in line at the Archives to get in when it opened at 10:00. Inside, we got to see the actual Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We also saw a movie about all the things the Archives does to preserve the history of our country and how we can use that to help make a better future. Hooray for history and historical preservation! After the Archives we walked a short distance to Ford's Theatre, which is undergoing restoration so we couldn't go inside. But it was fun to be there. We were able to go inside the Petersen House, which is across the street from the theatre, and we saw the room where Pres. Lincoln died. It seemed quite different there in that part of town from when Richard and I were there a few years ago. At that time it seemed to be on the outer reaches of everything and there didn't seem to be much there except Ford's Theatre. But now it's quite happening. There's a Hard Rock Cafe next door to the theatre, so we had lunch there. That was a lot of fun. Then we walked over to the Old Post Office tower and pavillion. We went up in the tower where we had a good view of Washington. It was funny but things didn't seem as happening there at the Old Post Office as they had been when Rich and I were there. A park ranger took us on a tour which was really interesting. Now no one takes you on a tour. A kid sitting down by the elevator reading a book told us to press the elevator button to go up to the tower. We couldn't even understand what he was saying at first. Then, once we got up into the tower, we saw a park ranger, but he didn't say a word. He just stood there watching the people up and look around. Tiff decided that would not be a ranger job that she would want. Borrrrrrrrring. From the Post Office, we caught the Federal Triangle Metro back to Alexandria. We got to the King Street station just in time to catch a bus that took us up King Street to Janney's Lane to Clover Way where we got off and walked a short distance up the hill to Crown View Drive--my old street!--where we saw my old house and the Ford's house which now has a nice plaque on it designating it was a National Historic Landmark. Finally! After taking some pictures we walked back down the hill and caught the bus which took us to King Street station where we caught the free trolley to Old Town. When we got there, we took a tour of the old Apothacary shop which was really interesting. The tour guide told us that the business had been in continuous use from colonial times until 1934. When it closed, they shut the door and left everything inside. So when the shop was rescued and restored by the City of Alexandria, everything was pretty much original in there from the late 1700's. It was a treasure trove of antiquity. Tiff said she really wouldn't like being responsible for the huge collection of old medicinal ingredients, some of which can blow up or kill you as she learned in her collections care class at school last year. One neat thing in the shop was a note from Martha Washington requesting that some castor oil be picked up and brought to her at Mount Vernon. The note was dated just a few weeks before her death. Cool. We have seen some pretty great historical buildings, documents and collections on this trip. I think it's a perfect kind of graduation present for Tiffany now that she has completed her course work for her masters in Historical Administration. She has been able to see the application of what she has been learning about plus have a lot of fun besides. After going in some shops there in Old Town, we walked back to the hotel where we watched some TV and had more snacks from the snack room since we weren't all that hungry after our pretty big lunch at Hard Rock.
On Sunday, Sept. 7, we decided it would be kind of hard to work things out logistically to get to the 8:00 sacrament meeting in the ward that meets up on King Street. Plus, I was pretty sore from my tumble the day before and was not moving very fast. So we got up and had breakfast, then took the shuttle to the metro and went to Arlington National cemetery. We decided that would be a pretty good Sunday activity. When we got there we walked through the cemetery and up, up, up the hill to the Arlington House where Robert E. Lee lived with his wife and family. (The house was actually given to them by her parents.) Tiff really wanted to go there. Richard and I had gone there when we visited several years ago, and it was very interesting. The problem with the house right now is that it's undergoing restoration and all the furniture has been removed. But we were still able to walk through. It was good for Tiff to see some real restoration work in progress. It's a very imposing house which sits up on a hill and has a magnificent view of D.C. During the Civil War when the Union took over Arlington House, they decided to get their revenge on Robert E. Lee by burying Union troops in his front yard and garden. That way the Lees would never be able to live in the house again, which turned out to be the case. Robert E. Lee never went back there. On the way to the house, Tiff and I went past the grave of John F. Kennedy; then after touring the house, we went and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We had a great visit to Arlington. From there, we walked and walked and walked down through the cemetery and across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial. Tiffany was very excited about being there. Near the memorial, we stopped at a refreshment gazebo and had a bite of lunch and then went on to the the three war memorials: Korean War, Vietnam War and World War II. That was some more walking. Then we walked to the Washington Monument, then to the Air and Space Museum for a quick look-see there. By that time we were hot, tired and worn out. We caught the metro at L'Enfant Plaza back to Braddock Street station and called for the shuttle. No shuttle was available, so the hotel called us a cab, for which they reimbursed us again after we got back to the hotel. We barely had time to run in and freshen up before Rex Tomb (my friend Mary Lib's husband) came to pick us up to take us to dinner at their house in Arlington. It was fun to see Mary Lib and Rex again. It's been five years since Steven and I last visited there with them. She had invited their daughter Jessica, Jessica's husband, Steve, and their little two-year-old girl, Maren, to have dinner, as well. Mary Lib had prepared lasagna and salad for dinner, which was delicious. After dinner we took a tour of their house which had been completely re-built inside after a fire about three years ago. Their home is really lovely. Mary Lib said she wished she had put in fewer but larger bedrooms downstairs when it was rebuilt, but she didn't think about it until all the framing had been done. Maren was cute and kept us entertained until she reached her bedtime. Then we decided to call it a night and Mary Lib drove us back to our hotel. What a fun time we had with them!
Today was another exciting, fun day. We tried to get an early start by heading into Washington by 9:00. We took the metro to the archives Station, where we got out and then waited in line at the Archives to get in when it opened at 10:00. Inside, we got to see the actual Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We also saw a movie about all the things the Archives does to preserve the history of our country and how we can use that to help make a better future. Hooray for history and historical preservation! After the Archives we walked a short distance to Ford's Theatre, which is undergoing restoration so we couldn't go inside. But it was fun to be there. We were able to go inside the Petersen House, which is across the street from the theatre, and we saw the room where Pres. Lincoln died. It seemed quite different there in that part of town from when Richard and I were there a few years ago. At that time it seemed to be on the outer reaches of everything and there didn't seem to be much there except Ford's Theatre. But now it's quite happening. There's a Hard Rock Cafe next door to the theatre, so we had lunch there. That was a lot of fun. Then we walked over to the Old Post Office tower and pavillion. We went up in the tower where we had a good view of Washington. It was funny but things didn't seem as happening there at the Old Post Office as they had been when Rich and I were there. A park ranger took us on a tour which was really interesting. Now no one takes you on a tour. A kid sitting down by the elevator reading a book told us to press the elevator button to go up to the tower. We couldn't even understand what he was saying at first. Then, once we got up into the tower, we saw a park ranger, but he didn't say a word. He just stood there watching the people up and look around. Tiff decided that would not be a ranger job that she would want. Borrrrrrrrring. From the Post Office, we caught the Federal Triangle Metro back to Alexandria. We got to the King Street station just in time to catch a bus that took us up King Street to Janney's Lane to Clover Way where we got off and walked a short distance up the hill to Crown View Drive--my old street!--where we saw my old house and the Ford's house which now has a nice plaque on it designating it was a National Historic Landmark. Finally! After taking some pictures we walked back down the hill and caught the bus which took us to King Street station where we caught the free trolley to Old Town. When we got there, we took a tour of the old Apothacary shop which was really interesting. The tour guide told us that the business had been in continuous use from colonial times until 1934. When it closed, they shut the door and left everything inside. So when the shop was rescued and restored by the City of Alexandria, everything was pretty much original in there from the late 1700's. It was a treasure trove of antiquity. Tiff said she really wouldn't like being responsible for the huge collection of old medicinal ingredients, some of which can blow up or kill you as she learned in her collections care class at school last year. One neat thing in the shop was a note from Martha Washington requesting that some castor oil be picked up and brought to her at Mount Vernon. The note was dated just a few weeks before her death. Cool. We have seen some pretty great historical buildings, documents and collections on this trip. I think it's a perfect kind of graduation present for Tiffany now that she has completed her course work for her masters in Historical Administration. She has been able to see the application of what she has been learning about plus have a lot of fun besides. After going in some shops there in Old Town, we walked back to the hotel where we watched some TV and had more snacks from the snack room since we weren't all that hungry after our pretty big lunch at Hard Rock.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Having Fun in Alexandria!
Surprise! I'm back--well, sort of--after my long vacation from blogging for the summer. We had such a busy, fun time while Sarah, Joel and Eliza were with us. We were having constant adventures it seems. Then they left, and I've still been out of the blogging habit. But I thought I'd take the time this evening and tell about the fun day Tiffany and I had at Mount Vernon today!
Yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 4) we left Salt Lake and flew to Washington D.C. for a mother/daughter outing and pre-graduation (MS degree) trip. We thank Steven and Richard, who are at home holding down the fort, for making it possible for us to take some days off. Boy! Are we having fun!!!!!!! When we got to DC yesterday, the shuttle from Old Colony Inn picked us up at Reagan National Airport and drove us to the hotel. We landed at 5:00 p.m. EST. Once we checked into our hotel (my favorite place to stay in Alexandria), we set off on foot for Old Town. It took a little time to get our bearings, but pretty soon we were finding our way around. We walked past Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, George Washington's town house, Christ Church, and lots of delightfully quaint rowhouses. We walked along King Street down to the river and enjoyed the ambiance of Old Town Alexandria. We ended up at Gadsby's Tavern (where George and Martha used to dine and dance) and had dinner by candlelight, and I mean by candlelight--no other lighting. Just like back in colonial times. We ordered Martha's puff pastry and some mini crab cakes. Both were delicious, served by our waitress in colonial attire. Then it was back to the hotel to relax and enjoy some treats from the hotel "snack room." We watched John McCain's acceptance speech and thought it was actually pretty good. It was best at the end. I think Sarah Palin has livened him up a bit!
Today we spent the whole day at Mt. Vernon! Boy! Did we have fun! We actually got up early enough to have breakfast and catch the shuttle to the metro by 8:00 a.m. Breakfast here at the hotel was very good--lots of choices: grits, potatoes, scrambled eggs, western scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and--Steven's favorite: biscuits and gravy. Plus there was fresh melon and pineapple along with an assortment of pastries. We didn't eat all of that, of course, but those were our choices. After breakfast, we caught the shuttle to the Braddock Street metro station where we caught the metro for Huntington Station where we caught the bus that took us to Mount Vernon. It took us one hour and ten minutes from the hotel to Mount Vernon. We were there just after it opened at 9:00 a.m. We watched a movie about George Washington and then took a tour of the home. We enjoyed the lovely panoramic view out over the Potomac from the piazza along the back of the house. After walking around the grounds and visiting Washington's tomb, we took a 45-minute cruise along the Potomac which left from the wharf at Mt. Vernon. That was a lot of fun. Richard would have enjoyed seeing the five blackhawk helicopters which flew overhead. Back at Mt. Vernon we headed to the Mt. Vernon Inn for lunch. We had originally planned to stay until dinner time and have dinner there, but we were informed that it would be closed for a private party, so we opted for lunch there instead. First we had peanut/chestnut soup (of course!), and then Tiff had salmon corn cakes and I had rosemary chicken with peanut stuffing (gotta have your peanuts in Virginia!). It was delicious. We topped it all off by sharing some bread pudding (gotta have your bread pudding!). That was some good food! After lunch we browsed the shops for awhile, then we met the group for the 3:00 National Treasure II Tour of Mt. Vernon. We got to hear about the filming of the Mt. Vernon segment in National Treasure II and have a tour of the basement of Mt. Vernon, which is usually off-limits to the public. I told Tiff that every historical administration major should be allowed to see the basement of Mt. Vernon. It was very interesting. The tour involved quite a bit of walking out over the grounds and down along the river. A bald eagle flew overhead just as the tour was finishing! A fitting conclusion. By the end of the tour we were so tired that we took the shuttle along with our guide back up to the house. By this time we were pretty much dragging. We made it to the bus stop to catch the bus back to the Huntington metro station where we took the metro to Braddock station. The hotel shuttle came and picked us up there. Back at the hotel we collapsed on our beds. After some relaxing and TV watching we have revived a bit. Right now we're on the computers in the business center where I decided to do a little blogging after a loooooong hiatus. Tropical Storm Hanna has started to blow in and it's raining outside. I don't know how much sightseeing we'll be able to do tomorrow. It's supposed to be pretty rainy and windy, so we'll see. We're sure having a lot of fun, though!
Yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 4) we left Salt Lake and flew to Washington D.C. for a mother/daughter outing and pre-graduation (MS degree) trip. We thank Steven and Richard, who are at home holding down the fort, for making it possible for us to take some days off. Boy! Are we having fun!!!!!!! When we got to DC yesterday, the shuttle from Old Colony Inn picked us up at Reagan National Airport and drove us to the hotel. We landed at 5:00 p.m. EST. Once we checked into our hotel (my favorite place to stay in Alexandria), we set off on foot for Old Town. It took a little time to get our bearings, but pretty soon we were finding our way around. We walked past Robert E. Lee's boyhood home, George Washington's town house, Christ Church, and lots of delightfully quaint rowhouses. We walked along King Street down to the river and enjoyed the ambiance of Old Town Alexandria. We ended up at Gadsby's Tavern (where George and Martha used to dine and dance) and had dinner by candlelight, and I mean by candlelight--no other lighting. Just like back in colonial times. We ordered Martha's puff pastry and some mini crab cakes. Both were delicious, served by our waitress in colonial attire. Then it was back to the hotel to relax and enjoy some treats from the hotel "snack room." We watched John McCain's acceptance speech and thought it was actually pretty good. It was best at the end. I think Sarah Palin has livened him up a bit!
Today we spent the whole day at Mt. Vernon! Boy! Did we have fun! We actually got up early enough to have breakfast and catch the shuttle to the metro by 8:00 a.m. Breakfast here at the hotel was very good--lots of choices: grits, potatoes, scrambled eggs, western scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and--Steven's favorite: biscuits and gravy. Plus there was fresh melon and pineapple along with an assortment of pastries. We didn't eat all of that, of course, but those were our choices. After breakfast, we caught the shuttle to the Braddock Street metro station where we caught the metro for Huntington Station where we caught the bus that took us to Mount Vernon. It took us one hour and ten minutes from the hotel to Mount Vernon. We were there just after it opened at 9:00 a.m. We watched a movie about George Washington and then took a tour of the home. We enjoyed the lovely panoramic view out over the Potomac from the piazza along the back of the house. After walking around the grounds and visiting Washington's tomb, we took a 45-minute cruise along the Potomac which left from the wharf at Mt. Vernon. That was a lot of fun. Richard would have enjoyed seeing the five blackhawk helicopters which flew overhead. Back at Mt. Vernon we headed to the Mt. Vernon Inn for lunch. We had originally planned to stay until dinner time and have dinner there, but we were informed that it would be closed for a private party, so we opted for lunch there instead. First we had peanut/chestnut soup (of course!), and then Tiff had salmon corn cakes and I had rosemary chicken with peanut stuffing (gotta have your peanuts in Virginia!). It was delicious. We topped it all off by sharing some bread pudding (gotta have your bread pudding!). That was some good food! After lunch we browsed the shops for awhile, then we met the group for the 3:00 National Treasure II Tour of Mt. Vernon. We got to hear about the filming of the Mt. Vernon segment in National Treasure II and have a tour of the basement of Mt. Vernon, which is usually off-limits to the public. I told Tiff that every historical administration major should be allowed to see the basement of Mt. Vernon. It was very interesting. The tour involved quite a bit of walking out over the grounds and down along the river. A bald eagle flew overhead just as the tour was finishing! A fitting conclusion. By the end of the tour we were so tired that we took the shuttle along with our guide back up to the house. By this time we were pretty much dragging. We made it to the bus stop to catch the bus back to the Huntington metro station where we took the metro to Braddock station. The hotel shuttle came and picked us up there. Back at the hotel we collapsed on our beds. After some relaxing and TV watching we have revived a bit. Right now we're on the computers in the business center where I decided to do a little blogging after a loooooong hiatus. Tropical Storm Hanna has started to blow in and it's raining outside. I don't know how much sightseeing we'll be able to do tomorrow. It's supposed to be pretty rainy and windy, so we'll see. We're sure having a lot of fun, though!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Some Highlights of the Past Month
This has been a busy past month. Lots has been happening, and I haven't taken the time to write about everything. So I thought I would just hit a few of the highlights:
On Thursday, April 17, I went to the White Willow reception center and reserved it for Tiffany and Greg's wedding luncheon there on Saturday, Oct. 18. So that's all set. Also, Karalie had her fourth and, hopefully, final chemo treatment. We're glad she's gotten along as well as she has--due mainly to her positive attitude about everything.
On Saturday, April 19, I went to lunch with Karalie at Trio in Salt Lake to celebrate her final treatment and to have some really delicious food before her taste buds disappeared again for awhile. It really was very tasty (sundried tomato flatbread, salad, and squash ravioli). I gave her some dangly "peace" sign earrings to go with her biker head wraps. Also, the 19th was the opening day of Tiff and her Classmate's Big Exhibit at EIU: "The View from Here to There: The Aesthetics of Travel in the Rural Midwest." Finally, it was done! Tiffany especially liked having Dr. Rugh come from BYU to be the opening day speaker. Greg and his mom, Pam, were able to attend the dinner that evening with Tiff along with Dr. Rugh, so that was nice. I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibit when I go pick up Tiff in May.
On Tuesday, April 22, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC where Elder Gerald N. Lund was the speaker. He spoke about the "Miracle of the Book of Mormon"--how it is a miracle (1) in coming forth, (2) in consistency, (3) as a witness for Christ, and (4) in doctrine and power to change lives. He gave several examples of how the Book of Mormon is a miracle in each of those four ways. It was a great talk.
On Wednesday, April 23, I went to Lindy's to pick up Sidney for a little outing while Lindy took Riley on her fieldtrip to Thanksgiving Point. Sidney and I went to Wal Mart to get a few things. While there, Sidney told me about all the good food in there and about all the pretty clothes that Gramma should buy. She was very chatty and opinionated. After Wal Mart we went to our house to see Uncle Rico and have a few snacks. Then we went back to the Barretts where Camden had just gotten home from school and Lindy and Riley had returned from the fieldtrip which really wasn't that fun for Riley because it involved animals, which are mortifying to her. Lindy made me a tasty Thai Veggie Burger wrap which was most delicious and which I must find out how to make! That evening I had dinner with my club friends at Sandy Dallin's beautiful home in Stone Gate and we watched the movie, "The Painted Veil", which we all enjoyed. Susan Rogers had picked up some great Chinese food at Shoots. It was yummy! Everyone was there except for Johnnie Sue, who was unable to make it, so it was a lot of fun. I was collecting money for Colleen's and Karen's upcoming weddings and for a sympathy gift for Sandy whose mother-in-law had passed away, so I was busy gathering money.
On Thursday, April 24, I went to the Hobble Creek Barn Boutique in Mapleton with Lindy, Riley and Sidney (Camden was at school). As soon as we got out of the car Riley said, "I smell cow poop." Sure enough, there were cows across the street. I pointed to the cows and her little hand tightened it's grip on mine. I explained the cows were inside a fence, but she was still nervous. We had a fun time at the Boutique. We didn't have Sidney's stroller, so of course she wanted to walk around and touch everything and tell us all about it. After the Boutique we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. I knew it was a mistake as soon as they led us in to the back room. Our waitress was totally spacey and could not get one thing right. She obviously had something going on in her life that caused her mind to be someplace else, but it made for an unpleasant dining experience when you have hungry children wanting their food (and a hungry gramma and mom). We couldn't wait to get out of there. I didn't know you could have a bad eating experience at CB, but we had one!
On Friday evening, April 25, Steven and I went to watch the girls while Lindy and Nate went out to eat for Nate's birthday which was on Thursday. We had a lot of fun playing and eating lots of pretend food. Actually, Lindy had picked up some Subway sandwiches for dinner, so we had some good real food, too. Later that night, about 9:00, Sarah, Joel and Eliza arrived from South Carolina. We were glad they had had a good trip and arrived safe and sound. Eliza settled in to her bed in the study and went right to sleep. We're looking forward to a fun summer with them.
On Saturday, April 26, we celebrated Great-Grampa Taylor's 90th birthday over in Springville. It started with an Easter egg hunt out in the field at 11:30 followed by a short program and lunch. The great grandchildren all enjoyed making a haul of eggs and candy. For the program, each of Grampa T's kids (those who were there) told a memory of a time they had spent with their dad. The lunch was spearheaded by Barbara who had her special "Cafe Rio" food all spread out. It was delicious! We had a good time visiting with all the family. Riley didn't want to have anything to do with the animals, but the other kids enjoyed seeing the horse and goats.
On Sunday, April 27, I went to 8:00 sacrament meeting at the MTC and then to Relief Society with the hermanas at 10:00. Sis. Elaine Dalton, the new YW General President was the speaker. She gave a great talk! Her advice to the sister missionaries, who might be doubting their decision to go on a mission, was "Don't look back--Move forward. It was true and right when you decided to come, and it's true and right now." She told of how she likes to run with her husband. She's a better runner, but he's better on hills. One time when they were running, he was ahead of her on a hill and she called to him and said she was going back to the car. He called back, "Susan! Don't go back when you're in the middle of the hill!" She said that was good advice, and she's always remembered it. She said you need to keep going so you can see the magnificent vista from the top of the hill. It's the same with missions and with life in general.
Accompanying Sis. Dalton was her counselor in the YW General Presidency, Sis. Dibb. She's also Pres. Monson' daughter. Sis. Dalton asked Sis. Dibb to speak for a few minutes. She spoke about how we need to remember the times in our lives when we have felt the Savior's love for us and let those rememberances help us through difficult times. Then, when Sis. Dalton spoke again, she said that Pres. Monson loves the Lord enough to let his only daughter serve in the YW General Presidency. It's a very time-consuming calling, and Sis. Dalton knew that Sis. Dibb could also be very helpful to her parents at this busy time in their lives; but Pres. Monson called his daughter to serve in the YW General Presidency. Sis. Dalton went on to remind the sisters that "the Lord will assist you at times to do what seems nearly impossible."
For Sunday Dinner that night, we celebrated Nate's birthday a little late. Sarah and Joel made some delicious chicken enchiladas which everyone enjoyed. Eliza had a lot of fun playing with the cousins and getting acquainted with them.
On Monday, April 28, I went over to Lindy's to stay with Sidney while she took Riley to the doctor. It turns out that Riley has strep throat. Poor little thing. Camden said, "I don't think I gave it to her." (She was remembering the time that she turned out to be the strep carrier who had made everyone in the family sick.)
On Tuesday, April 29, I went with Sarah, Joel and Eliza up to Ikea to buy a little high chair ($24) to use while Eliza is here. That's the first time I've been to Ikea, and I enjoyed seeing all the cool stuff there. We had a tasty lunch--mac 'n' cheese for Eliza, pasta with marinara sauce for Sarah and me, and Swedish meatballs for Joel. I also got some of the meatballs to take home to Rich.
On Tuesday evening, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC. Elder W. Craig Zwick and his wife were the speakers. Sis. Zwick reminded the missionaries that "God is counting on you." Elder Zwick talked about ways we can come to know the Savior: (1) Recognize the Spirit, (2) Treasure up the doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (3) Be exactly obedient, and (4) Sustain and follow the counsel of our Church leaders.
On Thursday, May 1, I went with Julie out to Thanksgiving Point for Colleen Hanks' daughter Heather's wedding reception. It was held in the Garden Room and was very nice. Earlier in the day I had picked up a gift from the Club friends for the wedding: a chrome 4-slice toaster and a bamboo pepper grinder from Bed, Bath and Beyond where the wedding couple was registered.
From Saturday, May 3, to Wednesday, May 7, was Steven's and my trip to Arizona. That was sure a fun trip. (See earlier blog.)
Sunday, May 11, was Mother's Day. I went to 8:00 Sacrament Meeting at the MTC where Steven and I both spoke. Steven told me to keep it short because the five missionaries who have been delayed going to Mexico (now District X) would all be speaking. They all gave nice short talks about what they liked best about being at the MTC and bore their testimonies. I was going to give my obedience talk, but decided to tell them about Elder Caldwell instead. He was an elder from the early days of our time at the MTC who had been delayed four weeks going into the mission. He thought he had been forgotten by everyone, even the Lord. One day when he was feeling down, he prayed that the special general authority speaker that day would shake his hand as a signal that the Lord hadn't forgotten him. Elder Caldwell was able to get a seat on the front row in the meeting. The speaker turned out to be Pres. Monson who, after concluding his talk, waved at the missionaries and then walked out the door by the podium. Elder Caldwell thought to himself that now he knew for sure that the Lord had forgotten him along with everyone else. But then, Pres. Monson came back in through the door and walked right up to Elder Caldwell and shook his hand and the hand of the missionary next to him. As he shook Elder Caldwell's hand, Pres. Monson said, "Good luck, Elder." That made Elder Caldwell know for sure that the Lord knew where he was and that everything would be all right. I told the missionaries in District X that it was the same for them. I also told about being in Holbrook the previous week and that we had attended the same ward that Pres. Taylor had left from for his mission 40 years ago, and that 40 years ago Pres. Taylor was where they are now.
We had a fun Mother's Day here with the family on Sunday evening. Joel and Sarah fixed a delicious hot chicken salad and broccoli salad for dinner, which was very tasty. Then we had key lime pie for dessert. Yummy! I got some very nice Mother's Day gifts: a cute apron from the Barrett family, a fridge magnet from Camden (which she bought with her own money), a Gerald Ford stamp folio from Richard, and a nice taupe skirt from Steven. Tiffany called to say "Happy Mother's Day," and that her card was in the mail. She wondered why it was taking so long. All in all it was a great Mother's Day; and it's been a busy, great past few weeks. Lots happening!
On Thursday, April 17, I went to the White Willow reception center and reserved it for Tiffany and Greg's wedding luncheon there on Saturday, Oct. 18. So that's all set. Also, Karalie had her fourth and, hopefully, final chemo treatment. We're glad she's gotten along as well as she has--due mainly to her positive attitude about everything.
On Saturday, April 19, I went to lunch with Karalie at Trio in Salt Lake to celebrate her final treatment and to have some really delicious food before her taste buds disappeared again for awhile. It really was very tasty (sundried tomato flatbread, salad, and squash ravioli). I gave her some dangly "peace" sign earrings to go with her biker head wraps. Also, the 19th was the opening day of Tiff and her Classmate's Big Exhibit at EIU: "The View from Here to There: The Aesthetics of Travel in the Rural Midwest." Finally, it was done! Tiffany especially liked having Dr. Rugh come from BYU to be the opening day speaker. Greg and his mom, Pam, were able to attend the dinner that evening with Tiff along with Dr. Rugh, so that was nice. I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibit when I go pick up Tiff in May.
On Tuesday, April 22, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC where Elder Gerald N. Lund was the speaker. He spoke about the "Miracle of the Book of Mormon"--how it is a miracle (1) in coming forth, (2) in consistency, (3) as a witness for Christ, and (4) in doctrine and power to change lives. He gave several examples of how the Book of Mormon is a miracle in each of those four ways. It was a great talk.
On Wednesday, April 23, I went to Lindy's to pick up Sidney for a little outing while Lindy took Riley on her fieldtrip to Thanksgiving Point. Sidney and I went to Wal Mart to get a few things. While there, Sidney told me about all the good food in there and about all the pretty clothes that Gramma should buy. She was very chatty and opinionated. After Wal Mart we went to our house to see Uncle Rico and have a few snacks. Then we went back to the Barretts where Camden had just gotten home from school and Lindy and Riley had returned from the fieldtrip which really wasn't that fun for Riley because it involved animals, which are mortifying to her. Lindy made me a tasty Thai Veggie Burger wrap which was most delicious and which I must find out how to make! That evening I had dinner with my club friends at Sandy Dallin's beautiful home in Stone Gate and we watched the movie, "The Painted Veil", which we all enjoyed. Susan Rogers had picked up some great Chinese food at Shoots. It was yummy! Everyone was there except for Johnnie Sue, who was unable to make it, so it was a lot of fun. I was collecting money for Colleen's and Karen's upcoming weddings and for a sympathy gift for Sandy whose mother-in-law had passed away, so I was busy gathering money.
On Thursday, April 24, I went to the Hobble Creek Barn Boutique in Mapleton with Lindy, Riley and Sidney (Camden was at school). As soon as we got out of the car Riley said, "I smell cow poop." Sure enough, there were cows across the street. I pointed to the cows and her little hand tightened it's grip on mine. I explained the cows were inside a fence, but she was still nervous. We had a fun time at the Boutique. We didn't have Sidney's stroller, so of course she wanted to walk around and touch everything and tell us all about it. After the Boutique we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. I knew it was a mistake as soon as they led us in to the back room. Our waitress was totally spacey and could not get one thing right. She obviously had something going on in her life that caused her mind to be someplace else, but it made for an unpleasant dining experience when you have hungry children wanting their food (and a hungry gramma and mom). We couldn't wait to get out of there. I didn't know you could have a bad eating experience at CB, but we had one!
On Friday evening, April 25, Steven and I went to watch the girls while Lindy and Nate went out to eat for Nate's birthday which was on Thursday. We had a lot of fun playing and eating lots of pretend food. Actually, Lindy had picked up some Subway sandwiches for dinner, so we had some good real food, too. Later that night, about 9:00, Sarah, Joel and Eliza arrived from South Carolina. We were glad they had had a good trip and arrived safe and sound. Eliza settled in to her bed in the study and went right to sleep. We're looking forward to a fun summer with them.
On Saturday, April 26, we celebrated Great-Grampa Taylor's 90th birthday over in Springville. It started with an Easter egg hunt out in the field at 11:30 followed by a short program and lunch. The great grandchildren all enjoyed making a haul of eggs and candy. For the program, each of Grampa T's kids (those who were there) told a memory of a time they had spent with their dad. The lunch was spearheaded by Barbara who had her special "Cafe Rio" food all spread out. It was delicious! We had a good time visiting with all the family. Riley didn't want to have anything to do with the animals, but the other kids enjoyed seeing the horse and goats.
On Sunday, April 27, I went to 8:00 sacrament meeting at the MTC and then to Relief Society with the hermanas at 10:00. Sis. Elaine Dalton, the new YW General President was the speaker. She gave a great talk! Her advice to the sister missionaries, who might be doubting their decision to go on a mission, was "Don't look back--Move forward. It was true and right when you decided to come, and it's true and right now." She told of how she likes to run with her husband. She's a better runner, but he's better on hills. One time when they were running, he was ahead of her on a hill and she called to him and said she was going back to the car. He called back, "Susan! Don't go back when you're in the middle of the hill!" She said that was good advice, and she's always remembered it. She said you need to keep going so you can see the magnificent vista from the top of the hill. It's the same with missions and with life in general.
Accompanying Sis. Dalton was her counselor in the YW General Presidency, Sis. Dibb. She's also Pres. Monson' daughter. Sis. Dalton asked Sis. Dibb to speak for a few minutes. She spoke about how we need to remember the times in our lives when we have felt the Savior's love for us and let those rememberances help us through difficult times. Then, when Sis. Dalton spoke again, she said that Pres. Monson loves the Lord enough to let his only daughter serve in the YW General Presidency. It's a very time-consuming calling, and Sis. Dalton knew that Sis. Dibb could also be very helpful to her parents at this busy time in their lives; but Pres. Monson called his daughter to serve in the YW General Presidency. Sis. Dalton went on to remind the sisters that "the Lord will assist you at times to do what seems nearly impossible."
For Sunday Dinner that night, we celebrated Nate's birthday a little late. Sarah and Joel made some delicious chicken enchiladas which everyone enjoyed. Eliza had a lot of fun playing with the cousins and getting acquainted with them.
On Monday, April 28, I went over to Lindy's to stay with Sidney while she took Riley to the doctor. It turns out that Riley has strep throat. Poor little thing. Camden said, "I don't think I gave it to her." (She was remembering the time that she turned out to be the strep carrier who had made everyone in the family sick.)
On Tuesday, April 29, I went with Sarah, Joel and Eliza up to Ikea to buy a little high chair ($24) to use while Eliza is here. That's the first time I've been to Ikea, and I enjoyed seeing all the cool stuff there. We had a tasty lunch--mac 'n' cheese for Eliza, pasta with marinara sauce for Sarah and me, and Swedish meatballs for Joel. I also got some of the meatballs to take home to Rich.
On Tuesday evening, Steven and I went to the devotional at the MTC. Elder W. Craig Zwick and his wife were the speakers. Sis. Zwick reminded the missionaries that "God is counting on you." Elder Zwick talked about ways we can come to know the Savior: (1) Recognize the Spirit, (2) Treasure up the doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (3) Be exactly obedient, and (4) Sustain and follow the counsel of our Church leaders.
On Thursday, May 1, I went with Julie out to Thanksgiving Point for Colleen Hanks' daughter Heather's wedding reception. It was held in the Garden Room and was very nice. Earlier in the day I had picked up a gift from the Club friends for the wedding: a chrome 4-slice toaster and a bamboo pepper grinder from Bed, Bath and Beyond where the wedding couple was registered.
From Saturday, May 3, to Wednesday, May 7, was Steven's and my trip to Arizona. That was sure a fun trip. (See earlier blog.)
Sunday, May 11, was Mother's Day. I went to 8:00 Sacrament Meeting at the MTC where Steven and I both spoke. Steven told me to keep it short because the five missionaries who have been delayed going to Mexico (now District X) would all be speaking. They all gave nice short talks about what they liked best about being at the MTC and bore their testimonies. I was going to give my obedience talk, but decided to tell them about Elder Caldwell instead. He was an elder from the early days of our time at the MTC who had been delayed four weeks going into the mission. He thought he had been forgotten by everyone, even the Lord. One day when he was feeling down, he prayed that the special general authority speaker that day would shake his hand as a signal that the Lord hadn't forgotten him. Elder Caldwell was able to get a seat on the front row in the meeting. The speaker turned out to be Pres. Monson who, after concluding his talk, waved at the missionaries and then walked out the door by the podium. Elder Caldwell thought to himself that now he knew for sure that the Lord had forgotten him along with everyone else. But then, Pres. Monson came back in through the door and walked right up to Elder Caldwell and shook his hand and the hand of the missionary next to him. As he shook Elder Caldwell's hand, Pres. Monson said, "Good luck, Elder." That made Elder Caldwell know for sure that the Lord knew where he was and that everything would be all right. I told the missionaries in District X that it was the same for them. I also told about being in Holbrook the previous week and that we had attended the same ward that Pres. Taylor had left from for his mission 40 years ago, and that 40 years ago Pres. Taylor was where they are now.
We had a fun Mother's Day here with the family on Sunday evening. Joel and Sarah fixed a delicious hot chicken salad and broccoli salad for dinner, which was very tasty. Then we had key lime pie for dessert. Yummy! I got some very nice Mother's Day gifts: a cute apron from the Barrett family, a fridge magnet from Camden (which she bought with her own money), a Gerald Ford stamp folio from Richard, and a nice taupe skirt from Steven. Tiffany called to say "Happy Mother's Day," and that her card was in the mail. She wondered why it was taking so long. All in all it was a great Mother's Day; and it's been a busy, great past few weeks. Lots happening!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Back from Our Trip
We returned from our trip to Arizona Wednesday night to find all well here at home. It appears that Sarah, Joel, Eliza and Richard got along fine here while we were away. We appreciate Sarah and Joel running Rich back and forth to work on Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. They all had dinner here with the Barretts on Sunday, and then they went over to the Barretts for the Cinco de Mayo on Monday. From the blog pictures, it looks like everyone had a lot of fun.
Steven and I enjoyed our session at the Mesa Temple. We were selected to be the witness couple, so that was nice. (I knew I had creaky knees, but I didn't know just how creaky until I had to keep standing up during the session. Every time I stood, my knees could be heard creaking quite loudly!) After the session, we had a good dinner in the temple cafeteria. I thought it was funny that there was a shaker of cayenne pepper along with salt and pepper on every table. At the hotel in the breakfast room were three different kinds of hot sauce on every table. Must make sure things are hot if you're in Arizona!
When we returned to the hotel, we walked around the area for awhile, then went to our room to read and relax a bit before bed. The next morning we were up and on our way by 8:00 again. That's really quite a record for us. (Too bad it was actually 9:00 Utah time, and we would lose an hour on our way home.) We enjoyed our ride home across the reservation again. From Phoenix we drove straight to Flagstaff without going by way of Holbrook, so it was a little faster on the way home. We enjoyed the Vermillion cliffs and thought we'd stop at the cafe at Cliff Dwellers for lunch. But when we got there, we decided not to stay because there were lots of other people there as well and it was really noisy because they were all drinking and having a loud old time. We had hoped to have a nice quiet lunch enjoying the beautiful scenery of the area. But since that didn't work out, we drove on up the mountain to Jacob Lake for a rest stop. When I came out of the restroom, Steven pointed at a lady sitting at the counter and said, "It looks like this is where Nedra's daughter comes when she wants to eat out." I didn't think it was Nedra Pauline because her hair and makeup weren't all fancy like they had been a few days before. But then I could see that it really was her. I told Steven I thought she could tell we were looking at her and talking about her. Anyway, we then drove down off the mountain to Kanab, ready for some good Mexican food at Nedra's Too; but it turns out that Nedra's Too is closed on Wednesday. That's why Nedra Pauline was at Jacob Lake having a bite to eat! It was her day off! (That's funny because when I worked at Jacob Lake we used to like to go to Nedra's in Fredonia to eat on our days off.) On Saturday, the lady at the tourist center had told us about another Mexican restaurant in town, Escobar's, so we decided to go there instead. Steven had some cheese enchiladas verde and I had a fish taco, which were both really tasty. I especially loved the enchiladas verde. I would go there again just to have those--plus the homemade chips and salsa. I thought the chips and salsa were so good, in fact, that I got some to take home. Yum! After Kanab we got into quite the rainy weather. The weather had been great up to that point. So it pretty much rained on us from Beaver until we got to Utah valley. We did stop in Beaver for ice cream again; at least I had ice cream--raspberry pecan, which was very delicious. How come Steven didn't have ice cream at either of our stops at the cheese factory? He said none of the flavors appealed to him. But, I'm always sure that there will be at least one flavor that appeals to me! Anyway, we had a very fun trip and enjoyed being able to spend some time together and relive a lot of old memories and make some new ones. I think of it as a tender mercy from the Lord that things could work out so that we could go away together for a few days. Thanks to everyone at home for keeping things together and taking care of everything while we were gone!
Steven and I enjoyed our session at the Mesa Temple. We were selected to be the witness couple, so that was nice. (I knew I had creaky knees, but I didn't know just how creaky until I had to keep standing up during the session. Every time I stood, my knees could be heard creaking quite loudly!) After the session, we had a good dinner in the temple cafeteria. I thought it was funny that there was a shaker of cayenne pepper along with salt and pepper on every table. At the hotel in the breakfast room were three different kinds of hot sauce on every table. Must make sure things are hot if you're in Arizona!
When we returned to the hotel, we walked around the area for awhile, then went to our room to read and relax a bit before bed. The next morning we were up and on our way by 8:00 again. That's really quite a record for us. (Too bad it was actually 9:00 Utah time, and we would lose an hour on our way home.) We enjoyed our ride home across the reservation again. From Phoenix we drove straight to Flagstaff without going by way of Holbrook, so it was a little faster on the way home. We enjoyed the Vermillion cliffs and thought we'd stop at the cafe at Cliff Dwellers for lunch. But when we got there, we decided not to stay because there were lots of other people there as well and it was really noisy because they were all drinking and having a loud old time. We had hoped to have a nice quiet lunch enjoying the beautiful scenery of the area. But since that didn't work out, we drove on up the mountain to Jacob Lake for a rest stop. When I came out of the restroom, Steven pointed at a lady sitting at the counter and said, "It looks like this is where Nedra's daughter comes when she wants to eat out." I didn't think it was Nedra Pauline because her hair and makeup weren't all fancy like they had been a few days before. But then I could see that it really was her. I told Steven I thought she could tell we were looking at her and talking about her. Anyway, we then drove down off the mountain to Kanab, ready for some good Mexican food at Nedra's Too; but it turns out that Nedra's Too is closed on Wednesday. That's why Nedra Pauline was at Jacob Lake having a bite to eat! It was her day off! (That's funny because when I worked at Jacob Lake we used to like to go to Nedra's in Fredonia to eat on our days off.) On Saturday, the lady at the tourist center had told us about another Mexican restaurant in town, Escobar's, so we decided to go there instead. Steven had some cheese enchiladas verde and I had a fish taco, which were both really tasty. I especially loved the enchiladas verde. I would go there again just to have those--plus the homemade chips and salsa. I thought the chips and salsa were so good, in fact, that I got some to take home. Yum! After Kanab we got into quite the rainy weather. The weather had been great up to that point. So it pretty much rained on us from Beaver until we got to Utah valley. We did stop in Beaver for ice cream again; at least I had ice cream--raspberry pecan, which was very delicious. How come Steven didn't have ice cream at either of our stops at the cheese factory? He said none of the flavors appealed to him. But, I'm always sure that there will be at least one flavor that appeals to me! Anyway, we had a very fun trip and enjoyed being able to spend some time together and relive a lot of old memories and make some new ones. I think of it as a tender mercy from the Lord that things could work out so that we could go away together for a few days. Thanks to everyone at home for keeping things together and taking care of everything while we were gone!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Blog Vacation/Arizona Vacation
It looks like I've been taking a vacation from my blog. Things got busy in April with everything that's been happening I just haven't had time to sit down and write about it. We're having lots of fun with Sarah, Joel and Eliza who arrived on April 25 and will be staying with us for the summer. They sure keep things lively around our house!
Grampa and I left on our trip to Arizona on Saturday, May 3. We've been having a really nice time. We left Orem about 8 a.m. which must be a record for us. We stopped at the Cheese Factory on our way south and had some ice cream, at least I did. I had chocolate peanut butter. Very tasty! Then we went on down to Kanab, arriving just in time for lunch. We ate at Nedra's Too, which is run by Nedra Pauline, the daughter of the original Nedra. The original Nedra's restaurant was in Fredonia, and it's where I used to love to eat while working at Jacob Lake. That restaurant is now closed. :( But Nedra's Too is going strong in Kanab. We had a most delicious lunch. I had a tamale and Steven had a cheese enchilada--still made from Nedra's original recipes, so everything tasted as good as in the old days. It was way fun to eat there! From Kanab we drove up the plateau to Jacob Lake. It's kind of sad up there since the fires and beetles have taken out so many of the pine trees. When we got out of the car we both commented that it didn't even smell like Jacob Lake. No pine smell. I told Steven I've never been to Jacob Lake when it didn't have that same pine-y smell. Weird. Everything about the lodge is a little disappointing to me, as well. It's just not like the old days. Frankly, I don't think it's kept up like it was back in "The Day." Too bad.
Well, from Jacob Lake we headed down off the plauteau. I relived my bike ride (on a rickety old bike) down that same road 40 years ago! Wow! I can't believe I ever did that plus, I can't believe it was that long ago! At the bottom of the plateau we headed out across the reservation. The vermillion cliffs were spectacular, as always. (This is the same trip Tiffany and I took in October '06 coming back from Mississippi, only in reverse order. But we were driving most of it at night, so I was glad to see it in the day time.) We got to Holbrook at about 5:00, AZ time. We checked in at the Holiday Inn Express and then went exploring on Route 66. We went past the TeePee Motel; and although it's fun and retro-looking, we were glad we weren't staying there. We saw a car from Illinois that was there for a retro experience, I'm sure! We then went and had a hamburger and fries at the Dairy Queen which is next door to the service station where Dad worked during the summer of 1968 prior to leaving for his mission--40 years ago! We were having a 40-year flashback! We thought the Dairy Queen should make more of its Route 66 location. After we ate we went and walked around the service station. It was closed for the day by now. Dad looked in the window and was amazed how it looked just the same as when he worked there. He wondered if his old boss, Jay Williams, still ran the station. From there we drove around Holbrook looking for things that were familiar to Dad. He was kind of sad about how the former mission home and other places looked.
The next morning we got up and went to 9:00 church at the church not too far from the hotel. It was funny--when I woke up, I thought it was 6:30. So I got up and went in to have a bath. It wasn't until after my bath that I realized I had gotten up at 5:30! I had set my watch to Arizona time, but I was sure my watch said 6:30 when I got up. Dad knew what time it was all along, but he didn't say anything. He just got up and started getting ready. So we had a nice leisurely morning and didn't even have to hurry to get ready for 9:00 church. You'd think I'd let Dad have a break from having to get up at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, but I didn't. When we went to church it turned out to be the same ward that Dad attended when he lived there in Holbrook, but it was a different building. Right when we walked in, an older fellow came up to us and said, "You look like familiar spirits!" I think that's probably his usual greeting for visitors. But when Steven told him who he was, he found out that Steven, at least, really was a familiar spirit. The man was Jay Williams, Steven's old boss from 40 years ago! He's also the member of the stake presidency who gave Steven his stake presidency interview before Steven went to the temple in Mesa prior to leaving on his mission. So being there at church was like a step back in time for Dad. It was fast and testimony meeting, so when time came for the bearing of testimonies, Bro. Williams got up and asked Dad and me stand up. Bro. Williams said that Steven had come back to Holbrook and that his dad was the mission president there 40 years ago. He said, "If you want to know what Pres. Taylor looked like, just look at his son. He looks just like him." You could tell that Bro. Williams has many fond memories of Dad and the rest of his family. Dad also got up and bore his testimony and said how good it was to be back in Holbrook. After the meeting, the bishop's wife came up and introduced herself and said she was Cynthia Rose, an old friend of Barbara's now married to Craig Stuart (the bishop), a fellow Dad knew from high school. She wanted to know all about Barbara and the rest of the family, plus she filled Dad in on a lot of people that he used to know in Holbrook.
After Church we checked out of the hotel and headed on our way to Snowflake and Phoenix. (It turns out that Jay Williams owns the Holiday Inn Express where we stayed! He invited Dad and me to come to his house for lunch after church, but Dad told him we needed to be on our way, But thanks, anyway.) In Snowflake we drove up by the temple, which is absolutely beautiful! We parked in the parking lot and ate our lunch of bagels and cream cheese which we had gotten at breakfast at the hotel. (I told Dad that lunch turned out to be on Jay Williams, after all!)
From Snowflake we headed on to the Mesa/Phoenix area. We were driving the same route that Dad did 40 years ago when he went from Holbrook to Mesa for his temple endowment prior to going on his mission. He and Grandpa and Grandma T. left Holbrook that night about 8 or 9:00 after Dad had finished his 10-hour shift at the service station and Grandpa had taken care of his mission president duties. Grandpa drove as far as Heber, which is about 60 miles from Holbrook. Dad took over the driving in Heber while Grandpa and Grandma slept up in the front seat. Dad says he remembers driving the 60 miles from Heber to Payson and fighting to stay awake. He remembers going through Payson, but that's the last thing he remembered. The next thing he knew, he was waking up at the intersection going one way to Phoenix and the other way to Mesa--1 1/2 hours later! He said he remembers his head jerking back and waking up suddenly just as the car was approaching a stop sign. Grandpa woke up and said, "Are we here already?" Dad, still kind of dazed, asked, "Where are we?" Grandpa told him they were at the intersection to turn to Mesa. I've heard this story before and marvelled at it. But after actually being with Dad and driving down that road, I marvel even more and am grateful for the protective blessing that was with Dad and Grandpa and Grandma that night. That is one scary road down the mountain! I was a nervous wreck when we finally reached that intersection; and Dad was even awake the whole time, and it was daytime! I'm so grateful that the Lord was watching over the future missionary and the mission president and his wife so that they could complete their trip safely and go on to do their work and live their lives.
At the intersection, Dad and I turned towards Mesa and drove to Susie's house. She and Quinn were there, so we were able to visit with them for a little while. Susie has a really nice house with a pool in the back. She says she likes living there and enjoys the warm weather. After visiting for a little while, Steven gave Susie a blessing with the help of Quinn. We're hopeful she can get her iron and white blood count up so that she can have her knee replacement surgery. We had brought some family baby gifts for Kurt and Martha's new baby, Aaron; so we left those with Susie and Quinn. Kurt and Martha live just a few blocks away from Susie, but they weren't home from Church yet, so we left the gifts to be delivered later.
From Susie's we drove over to Chandler and found the Fairfield Inn where we had reservations to stay. It was a nice place in a quiet business park with other hotels around. Marie Callendar's was right there, so that's where we had dinner.
After breakfast the next morning (Monday), Steven went to his meetings and I stayed at the hotel. I enjoyed walking around the area in the nice, warm air. I watched some TV and read for awhile (my research reading for Tiff's Zion book), then went and had a late lunch at Marie Callendar's before Steven came back from his meetings. We relaxed there at the hotel for awhile, then went exploring. We wanted to find the big mall there in Chandler; but silly us, we didn't print us off a map from the computer in the hotel lobby, so we just drove around not knowing where we were going. We never did find the mall. We realized that at one point we should have turned south instead of north and we probably would have found it. But, oh well. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Red Lobster and had dinner--stuffed flounder for me, and broiled flounder for Steven. It was quite tasty! We thought maybe we should have had Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, but it would have been hard to beat the meal we had at Nedra's Too on Saturday, so we opted for seafood. We were hoping that the family at home was having fun at their Cinco de Mayo party at the Barretts.
This morning, Steven went off to his meetings again. I went walking for awhile, then came to do my blog on the hotel computer. They've got a nice setup here. Later I plan to do some more reading and TV watching. It's just kind of nice to do whatever. When Steven gets back this afternoon, we're going to the Mesa Temple to do a session. Dad hasn't been back since he went for his endowment 40 years ago, so it should be nice to go there.
Grampa and I left on our trip to Arizona on Saturday, May 3. We've been having a really nice time. We left Orem about 8 a.m. which must be a record for us. We stopped at the Cheese Factory on our way south and had some ice cream, at least I did. I had chocolate peanut butter. Very tasty! Then we went on down to Kanab, arriving just in time for lunch. We ate at Nedra's Too, which is run by Nedra Pauline, the daughter of the original Nedra. The original Nedra's restaurant was in Fredonia, and it's where I used to love to eat while working at Jacob Lake. That restaurant is now closed. :( But Nedra's Too is going strong in Kanab. We had a most delicious lunch. I had a tamale and Steven had a cheese enchilada--still made from Nedra's original recipes, so everything tasted as good as in the old days. It was way fun to eat there! From Kanab we drove up the plateau to Jacob Lake. It's kind of sad up there since the fires and beetles have taken out so many of the pine trees. When we got out of the car we both commented that it didn't even smell like Jacob Lake. No pine smell. I told Steven I've never been to Jacob Lake when it didn't have that same pine-y smell. Weird. Everything about the lodge is a little disappointing to me, as well. It's just not like the old days. Frankly, I don't think it's kept up like it was back in "The Day." Too bad.
Well, from Jacob Lake we headed down off the plauteau. I relived my bike ride (on a rickety old bike) down that same road 40 years ago! Wow! I can't believe I ever did that plus, I can't believe it was that long ago! At the bottom of the plateau we headed out across the reservation. The vermillion cliffs were spectacular, as always. (This is the same trip Tiffany and I took in October '06 coming back from Mississippi, only in reverse order. But we were driving most of it at night, so I was glad to see it in the day time.) We got to Holbrook at about 5:00, AZ time. We checked in at the Holiday Inn Express and then went exploring on Route 66. We went past the TeePee Motel; and although it's fun and retro-looking, we were glad we weren't staying there. We saw a car from Illinois that was there for a retro experience, I'm sure! We then went and had a hamburger and fries at the Dairy Queen which is next door to the service station where Dad worked during the summer of 1968 prior to leaving for his mission--40 years ago! We were having a 40-year flashback! We thought the Dairy Queen should make more of its Route 66 location. After we ate we went and walked around the service station. It was closed for the day by now. Dad looked in the window and was amazed how it looked just the same as when he worked there. He wondered if his old boss, Jay Williams, still ran the station. From there we drove around Holbrook looking for things that were familiar to Dad. He was kind of sad about how the former mission home and other places looked.
The next morning we got up and went to 9:00 church at the church not too far from the hotel. It was funny--when I woke up, I thought it was 6:30. So I got up and went in to have a bath. It wasn't until after my bath that I realized I had gotten up at 5:30! I had set my watch to Arizona time, but I was sure my watch said 6:30 when I got up. Dad knew what time it was all along, but he didn't say anything. He just got up and started getting ready. So we had a nice leisurely morning and didn't even have to hurry to get ready for 9:00 church. You'd think I'd let Dad have a break from having to get up at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, but I didn't. When we went to church it turned out to be the same ward that Dad attended when he lived there in Holbrook, but it was a different building. Right when we walked in, an older fellow came up to us and said, "You look like familiar spirits!" I think that's probably his usual greeting for visitors. But when Steven told him who he was, he found out that Steven, at least, really was a familiar spirit. The man was Jay Williams, Steven's old boss from 40 years ago! He's also the member of the stake presidency who gave Steven his stake presidency interview before Steven went to the temple in Mesa prior to leaving on his mission. So being there at church was like a step back in time for Dad. It was fast and testimony meeting, so when time came for the bearing of testimonies, Bro. Williams got up and asked Dad and me stand up. Bro. Williams said that Steven had come back to Holbrook and that his dad was the mission president there 40 years ago. He said, "If you want to know what Pres. Taylor looked like, just look at his son. He looks just like him." You could tell that Bro. Williams has many fond memories of Dad and the rest of his family. Dad also got up and bore his testimony and said how good it was to be back in Holbrook. After the meeting, the bishop's wife came up and introduced herself and said she was Cynthia Rose, an old friend of Barbara's now married to Craig Stuart (the bishop), a fellow Dad knew from high school. She wanted to know all about Barbara and the rest of the family, plus she filled Dad in on a lot of people that he used to know in Holbrook.
After Church we checked out of the hotel and headed on our way to Snowflake and Phoenix. (It turns out that Jay Williams owns the Holiday Inn Express where we stayed! He invited Dad and me to come to his house for lunch after church, but Dad told him we needed to be on our way, But thanks, anyway.) In Snowflake we drove up by the temple, which is absolutely beautiful! We parked in the parking lot and ate our lunch of bagels and cream cheese which we had gotten at breakfast at the hotel. (I told Dad that lunch turned out to be on Jay Williams, after all!)
From Snowflake we headed on to the Mesa/Phoenix area. We were driving the same route that Dad did 40 years ago when he went from Holbrook to Mesa for his temple endowment prior to going on his mission. He and Grandpa and Grandma T. left Holbrook that night about 8 or 9:00 after Dad had finished his 10-hour shift at the service station and Grandpa had taken care of his mission president duties. Grandpa drove as far as Heber, which is about 60 miles from Holbrook. Dad took over the driving in Heber while Grandpa and Grandma slept up in the front seat. Dad says he remembers driving the 60 miles from Heber to Payson and fighting to stay awake. He remembers going through Payson, but that's the last thing he remembered. The next thing he knew, he was waking up at the intersection going one way to Phoenix and the other way to Mesa--1 1/2 hours later! He said he remembers his head jerking back and waking up suddenly just as the car was approaching a stop sign. Grandpa woke up and said, "Are we here already?" Dad, still kind of dazed, asked, "Where are we?" Grandpa told him they were at the intersection to turn to Mesa. I've heard this story before and marvelled at it. But after actually being with Dad and driving down that road, I marvel even more and am grateful for the protective blessing that was with Dad and Grandpa and Grandma that night. That is one scary road down the mountain! I was a nervous wreck when we finally reached that intersection; and Dad was even awake the whole time, and it was daytime! I'm so grateful that the Lord was watching over the future missionary and the mission president and his wife so that they could complete their trip safely and go on to do their work and live their lives.
At the intersection, Dad and I turned towards Mesa and drove to Susie's house. She and Quinn were there, so we were able to visit with them for a little while. Susie has a really nice house with a pool in the back. She says she likes living there and enjoys the warm weather. After visiting for a little while, Steven gave Susie a blessing with the help of Quinn. We're hopeful she can get her iron and white blood count up so that she can have her knee replacement surgery. We had brought some family baby gifts for Kurt and Martha's new baby, Aaron; so we left those with Susie and Quinn. Kurt and Martha live just a few blocks away from Susie, but they weren't home from Church yet, so we left the gifts to be delivered later.
From Susie's we drove over to Chandler and found the Fairfield Inn where we had reservations to stay. It was a nice place in a quiet business park with other hotels around. Marie Callendar's was right there, so that's where we had dinner.
After breakfast the next morning (Monday), Steven went to his meetings and I stayed at the hotel. I enjoyed walking around the area in the nice, warm air. I watched some TV and read for awhile (my research reading for Tiff's Zion book), then went and had a late lunch at Marie Callendar's before Steven came back from his meetings. We relaxed there at the hotel for awhile, then went exploring. We wanted to find the big mall there in Chandler; but silly us, we didn't print us off a map from the computer in the hotel lobby, so we just drove around not knowing where we were going. We never did find the mall. We realized that at one point we should have turned south instead of north and we probably would have found it. But, oh well. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Red Lobster and had dinner--stuffed flounder for me, and broiled flounder for Steven. It was quite tasty! We thought maybe we should have had Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, but it would have been hard to beat the meal we had at Nedra's Too on Saturday, so we opted for seafood. We were hoping that the family at home was having fun at their Cinco de Mayo party at the Barretts.
This morning, Steven went off to his meetings again. I went walking for awhile, then came to do my blog on the hotel computer. They've got a nice setup here. Later I plan to do some more reading and TV watching. It's just kind of nice to do whatever. When Steven gets back this afternoon, we're going to the Mesa Temple to do a session. Dad hasn't been back since he went for his endowment 40 years ago, so it should be nice to go there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)