Christmas Fun!

 White Christmas play at Tuacahn!  It was SO GREAT!

A walk through the beautiful lights at the Desert Garden!  

Last day of the 2023 school year/Christmas Party Fun!

Ferf's Graduation/Pinning Ceremony

 On Tuesday, December 12th, Ferf graduated from her Bachelors Science of Nursing program and had her Pinning Ceremony!  It's been a very long haul for her going to school through the thick and thin of a pretty nasty divorce.  She's amazing!  She has a final test to take and then she will be a registered nurse.  That raise her pay from the LPN wages that she's receiving now.  She has already chosen a job from several that she was offered.  She's working at a home health establishment that gives her better pay and better hours than working at the hospital.  So happy that the schooling is finally done and she can get on with life.  I can't believe she was able to do all she was doing during such a challenging time.  What a blessing this is for her.  We are so very proud of her for all of her diligence and hard work to do this and move forward in her life.  She got to choose who would "pin her" and she gave that honor to one of her running lady friends who has been there so supportively for her through the whole mess of her divorce and her getting her degree!  We are so thankful for these two wonderful ladies and for many others of her ward/neighbors who have helped and supported her through all of this.  YEAH FERF!

December Birthdays...almost lost in the shuffle

When Brynnli was down for Thanksgiving we just gave her her birthday present then and also Venmoed her some birthday money as well.  She turned 24. We love you Brynnli!  Not much celebrating went on for this one.  Just kind of got smashed in with the Thanksgiving visit.

Paul's birthday - he got a new suit because his old ones don't fit too well since he's lost a lot of weight doing the Fast, Feast, repeat lifestyle that we've been doing for several months now.  It was nice that he found one on Black Friday for a great price at Christensen's. He would never really tell me anything he wanted other than a new suit (he got a new shirt and socks too). He did get a new phone as well,  which he is learning to like. We did go out to Burger Theory (his choice) for his birthday dinner.  The kids called him and he loved that.  Ferf and kids brought over lots of good loot from everyone as well. They got him lots of dinner gift cards to nice places and a magnetic phone charger.  So, he turned 71, and almost had to go to a meeting for the new bishopric he's serving in now that night.  He's the 1st counselor in the Single Adult Ward.  (I'm a wife of the counselor and feeling very lost with nothing at all specific to do.  I guess that's how I felt when we first started in the YSA ward, but I had more opportunity to serve as a ward "Clerkette" than I will with bishopric type work.  We went to a ward family history activity and started meeting people, but that's the size of it for me right now.  Had to get released from the Primary Presidency in our home ward after about 3 weeks of service to do this.  Everyone says my job is to "just love them." Have to figure out who to sit by since Paul will be on the stand. Not loving it too much as yet, but I hope I will soon love it as much as I came to love our time in the YSA Ward that we served in before.)  We still had leftover pie from Thanksgiving, so he didn't even want/get cheesecake for his birthday and didn't even blow out any candles. Happy Birthday Paul!  We love you even without making much of a fuss about it.  

Kaia had her first birthday in Hawaii on vacation with Mom, Dad and big brother Jem.  She was kind of sick unfortunately, and the rest of us just plain couldn't be there for it.  We love you Kaia.  You're such a cutie.  This is the only picture I have to put for a birthday picture for you. We ended up giving you your birthday present with your Christmas present!  Life gets crazy!  Happy #1 Kaia!  We love you!

Gaige's Birthday came along and it was a big one, #18!  Again, there wasn't a lot of fuss made.  He got things he liked from his family, we ate cake and ice cream with them that night and gave him fancy socks and Oreos!  He and Kennis were having a crazy night!  He had sinus surgery a few days before, but was on the mend.  Happy Birthday Gaige!  We love you and think you're an awesome guy!  

During all of this time we were so busy with Thanksgiving, Anna Lou moving, Bean's problems, helping with the Ward Christmas Party, going to Ferf's nursing school graduation, and having Jay, Madi and Clara for company when they came down for some violin performances (they also did a little private concert for Grandma), that it seemed like we were just getting through it all as well as we could.  

Happy Anniversary #49...and Thanksgiving!

 It's one of those times when our anniversary falls exactly on Thanksgiving!  And I'm ok with that because being married to Paul is one of the things I am most thankful for!  I will always be grateful for him coming into my life when he did and bringing me the love I so needed right then.  It has been a wonderful adventure being married to him and having him teach me to love so many things that I knew nothing about pretty much!  I can't believe it's been so long!  I love him more and more as the years go by if that's possible.  It's a little worrisome to think that more of it is behind us than in front of us, at least here on earth.  We will just keep on keeping on enjoying it! Love you Paul, with all my heart!  We celebrated some the other night with one of our favorite dinners at the Outback.  We will celebrate more as we can over this busy week end and then more if we want to later!  

Here's our Thanksgiving!  Ferf and kids and Grandma joined us this year.  Paul's smoked turkey breast was a delicious addition that we will want to keep on the menu in the future.  It was fun to see all of the kids and hear their life updates.  The food was great and the company as well.

On Friday we spent the day together just running errands and getting things done for Anna Lou.  Saturday we got our chores done and then just decided on the spur of the moment to go over to Jacob Lake for dinner.  We drove the back road through Cane Beds and Kanab to get there and stopped off to hike up to the caves by Moqui Cave.  We've driven by them for years and finally decided to stop and hike up to see them.  It was a little sketching getting up to them, but well worth it to see what is there.  The dinner wasn't the best this time, but the cookies and hot chocolate were SO good!  We also put up a fake Christmas tree on Saturday morning.  It is the best one we've ever seen and it will be nice not to have to worry about needles and sap.  I will miss the process of going out and getting one in some ways, but it felt like time to save the trees and do this instead.  Paul bought me a beautiful necklace at Jacob Lake.  And we also bought Paul a new suit on Friday. He's going to be put in the SA Ward bishopric next Sunday.  He has lost so much weight that he needed a new suit.  And we got a great deal on the Black Friday sale!  Happy #49!  

November birthdays - Eliza #11, Brynn #39, Zion #10

 Eliza's gets us of to a quick start on November 1st.  We couldn't connect until the next day.  She's getting to that leaving the little girl stage.  Happy Birthday 'Liza!  We love you! We gave her lots of cute socks, little tablet and hair stuff and some things to use to make a terrarium.  Eliza is very creative and she has little people and things for fairy houses.  Thought she might like to put some of them in a terrarium.  Looks like she got it put together!  

Lucky for me Jay had a great birthday idea for Brynn!  That's always nice.  We just have to do it long distance for her.  We got her a journaling set with lots of colorful pens, etc.  Happy Birthday Brynn!  We love you!

Zion's birthday came...and his present didn't arrive quite one time unfortunately.  Hopefully the PO has not misplaced it.  But it looks like he had a great celebration with his family anyway!  He's a cute, funny, smart boy and now he's into the double digits - #10!  Love you ZP!  It finally arrived!  Zion loves all things sloth right now.  He has on his new sloth robe while blowing out his candles.  We got him some sloth socks and a sloth button to go in his Crocs.  

Pine Valley respite

 It's been pretty crazy lately with moving Anna Lou to an assisted living facility.  I don't have to pick up dinner and bring it to her every night now, but we've had so many things to take care of that I've been spending every afternoon getting things set up, moved, transferred, changed it seems like.  And Paul has been doing the same on other things.  We have the major move everything out of her house and get it ready to sell coming up and it looks like the siblings will not be too much help as usual, so it's going to be a big deal.  We bought a little camp trailer several weeks ago, but never got to take it out yet.  We just needed a little time to unwind, so Saturday afternoon we had finished all of our chores and took a little respite up to Pine Valley.  It was very peaceful with almost no one there after we got past the lake.  We took our afternoon snack with us and enjoyed it up there.  It was pretty cold, but it was beautiful and peaceful and we enjoyed it so much!  Then that night we forgot a Christmas with the Carpenter's concert that I had gotten as a gift.  So DUMB!  

Halloween 2023

 This is it!  Supe and Beacher and kids dropped by, but the rest we just saw via pictures.  Paul and I sat at home and enjoyed watching Signs and eating Halloween candy that no one else needed!  

October birthdays - Jared #47, Koen #15, Tasia #19

The year is going by fast!  Here are the October birthdays already!  We started off a little early for Jay's birthday since we were up that way for a doctor's appointment for Paul (and out of town on the actual birthday).  He needed a Home Depot card for a new workbench project he's working on.  It was fun to go for a quick visit.  The girls were mobbing him while he opened his present!  

Today is Koen's #15.  We went over and celebrated the next night after Ferf and Gaige got back from Hawaii visiting Kennis while she's there on an internship.  Koen got his permit for driving that day too!  He's a handsome, nice boy and we love him.  He has some real interests and learns about them in depth.  He got some great legos, etc.  Happy Birthday Koen!  Love you!

Tasia will be 19!  That's hard to believe!  And she's away at school at BYU!  Everyone's getting older...me too!  And I got no birthday picture of her because she's off at school, but here's one she posted. She's working at the Bean Museum of Natural History and gives some demos.  She does one about tarantulas I guess!  She seems to be enjoying her job!

 

Zade gets his antelope

Z got his first pronghorn antelope buck in the west desert of So. Utah! One shot at 375 yards. Super proud dad right here!! Congratulations! Not a big hunting fan myself, but I know this is super important in your family and a very big day! Good job Zade!

 

Fall Break at the Gettys and Joshua Tree National Park

 We left on Thursday and came home on Monday and had a great trip in between!  It was a long drive, but uneventful.  As we were coming down Cajon Pass I thought of stopping by to see Aunt Georgia on our way by Riverside.  We called and got her address and then had such a nice visit with her.  She's so much better off than Paul's mom in her health at 96 years old.  She has to use oxygen and has some glaucoma, but she's still able to be at home and cook and clean for herself.  She can't drive.  She has her two daughters there in town to help her out as needed.  They are both single.  I'm so glad we stopped by.  She's the last one of my mom's family still alive. (With kids/friend on her 96th birthday.)

Then we went on and got to our hotel in Hawthorne, CA where we spent two nights.  On Friday we spent the day at the J. P. Getty Museum enjoying the art and the gardens.  It was wonderful.  We had a picnic at the end at a great spot we found!  

On Saturday morning we got the the Getty Villa about an hour early and enjoyed peaceful time visiting the Gardens with it pretty much all to ourselves!  Then later we enjoyed a couple of tours - one about the art and one about the architecture.  They were both great and we learned so much.  We also just enjoyed touring the whole place for the rest of our time there!  We had a picnic at the end in a great uncrowded spot.  

 

On Sunday, we went to a great ward in Twenty-nine Palms.  Afterwards we drove to Joshua Tree National Park with a quick stop at the visitor's center first.  It was so fun to drive and hike through this park.  We went to the Cholla Garden, the Ocotillo Forest, hiked to the Arch and Heart Rock and stopped at other viewpoints all along the way to read about what was there.  We did a little plant interpretive trail that was very interesting as well.  And at the end of it all we found a great shady picnic spot for our afternoon snack.   This was such a great trip!  The freeway traffic was crowded and crazy mostly when we were in town, but not too bad out of town.  The car did great and got fantastic gas mileage.  The hotels were good but expensive.  The food was great.  Sunday night we microwaved TV dinners in our motel room.  They weren't bad!  Fun trip!  

This rock cracked us up - it looks like a monster or an old man with a toothy grin!  

Temple tour, Fall tour and Tuacahn evening

 Another fun Friday! We took G'ma and went to the St. George Temple Open House.  It's gorgeous inside and out!  Then we went to see the leaves on Cedar Mountain!  Lookin' gorgeous there too!  And that night we went to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Tuacahn.  It was the best of the 3 we've seen there this year and was awesome!  Filled up that day pretty much!  (Aspen Mirror Lake area is always one of my favorite Fall spots!)