Recuperating in SL allowed us to attend the welcome home talks given by our missionary friends, the Larsens, who served in the Riverview Branch with us. Our other missionary friend, Andy Forsyth gave us this beautiful Missouri clock that he made for us.
After lunch and a nice nap, we were able to attend a birthday celebration for Grandma Ann held at a nearby Murray Pavilion. Over 90 family members attended the party which turned into a double celebration as she announced her engagement to marry long-time family friend Harvey Tanner on July 6th!
We are happy for the newly engaged couple.
Siblings, Greg and Jackie got to visit.
So did lots of cousins, including Griffin Kerr and Riley Stringham.
The miracle of the day for me was the reconnection of Greg with several of his children who were in attendance. Here he talks with Baylee and Karlin and their spouses!
I had made this quilt for Baylee's baby boy. Steve gave it to her. She seemed pleased and used it that very day.
A week after my surgery, we finally drove home to CV. I was so happy to see our peonies in full bloom.
Yellow and purple iris and clematis were blooming too. I love bright flowers.
While I did some laundry, light chores and cooking, I pretty much was taking things easy. Steve was working hard on yard projects and heavier projects including making this patio extension out of bricks. I was allowed to place a few bricks into the wheel barrow. Otherwise he completed this project on his own and I think that it really adds to our enjoyment of our patio.
Hilary's dryer was making strange noises so she brought some clothes over to our dryer. I was happy to get AJ to help load them in our dryer.
At Dr. Riley's suggestion, Steve made an appointment with a physical therapist to help him continue his yard work and other projects without having so much pain in his back and hip. Here Todd patiently instructs Steve in stretches and exercises.
Later that afternoon, we stopped by the Cache Valley Summerfest. It was good for me to walk around and enjoy the artistic creations on display. We also share a yummy burrito and a delicious swoll bowl which is a smoothie in a bowl. We love local festivals.
Our yard is looking greener and we love the bright flowers that are blooming!
Our gorgeous sunsets remind us of God's love for His children.
There was a one-day sale on patio furniture and we went to check it out as our cushions are worn and ripped. We ended up purchasing several items which will greatly enhance our enjoyment of our deck. We appreciated Britton's help unloading them.
On Monday morning, Steve worked diligently putting together two chairs, a table, a love seat and a swing! What a job!
We are ready for our kids and grandkids to visit and enjoy the beautiful evenings on our deck and patio.
Tuesday, I had an appointment with my doctor to check my progress. She said I was doing well. The best news for me was that now I can take a bath again. I have really missed soaking in the tub.
Later that evening, we gathered with some of our missionary friends at the Forsyth's for a potluck dinner. We love our missionary friends, the Briggs, Forsyths and Larsens.
Andy Forsyth has a wonderful woodshop where he makes lots of useful and beautiful items--like Missouri clocks.
Steve was determined to clean out the gutters on the Murray house. He did a great job, but it was kind of scary for me to watch. I think next year, we will pay someone to do this job.
We sold back 8 key boxes to the SL Board of realtors. We kept one just in case it is needed. We did a couple of other errands before meeting Cameron, Jessica and Thomas at the gate for a week long visit with us.
They arrived safely but were delayed by stormy weather on the east coast. Everyone was tired and happy that we had a place to stay overnight in the SL valley.
The next morning, the boys helped Steve with the ladder and cleanup as he finished cleaning the gutters on the back of the house. Jessica and Cameron also went running along the parkway for their cross country training.
After showering and cleaning up, we loaded ourselves into the car and drove north. Lucky for the kids, we were at Maddox just in time for lunch. They loved eating at Maddox.
One of the favorite pastimes of the thespian-inclined kids, is to create costumes from the dress up box. Here Jessica models a skirt that was worn by my mother, Aloha, as an adult. Amazing that it fits.
We had Papa Murphy's pizza a couple of times thanks to Adam's coupons.
Friday morning, we loaded the car again and drove to Rexburg.
The kids spent the evening with the Marcum cousins, while we attended another missionary reunion activity at the Mountain River Ranch about 45 minutes from Rexburg.
Our missionary friends in attendance were the John and Marilyn Scoresby, Prices, Mark and Karen Larsen, Carolee Lovell, Dave and Vickie Briggs and LaRue and L. Pexton.
The evening got chilly so we brought our jackets for the wagon ride. We enjoyed a mountain BBQ dinner and a musical variety show.
Steve was chosen out of the audience to participate in a dance number. He was the hilarious and fantastic business man who danced around with his briefcase to the fiddle music. He was a hit!
Cameron and Jessica were fortunate enough to attend the temple two days in a row. They attended the Logan Temple with Jenna and Korinne on Friday morning. Saturday morning they attended the Rexburg Temple with Jantzen, Anna and Elsie.
After Aaron and Heather returned from a freezing cold bicycle ride- the temperature on June 22 got down to 36 degrees F, we prepared to go out to the sand dunes for the kids to do their workout for x-country.
It finally warmed up enough to be pleasant and not too hot to run up and down the hills in the sand.
Back at the house, the boys played Legos and Steve got a top notch footzone.
After lunch, we went to Marcum's new property to do some clean up work.
Everyone wore gloves and helped to pick up metal trash that was removed from the roof of a house that will be torn down. Many hands made quick work of the job.
Then it was time for us to drive back to Logan. Elsie and Quinn joined our group as they will be attending Patriot Camp starting on Monday. Steve willingly stopped at the gas station combined with the Artic Circle. I produced a coupon that allowed the kids to enjoy these special fruit swirly cones. The Price kids are very ingenious with car games so the trip went by quickly.
We all enjoyed our deck with it's new deck furniture.
They had a contest to see who could put together the weirdest outfit. They were all winners to me.
Then they dressed up and made videos.
The strawberry shortcake served after dinner on Sunday was a big hit with everyone.
Elsie and Jessica helped Jenna and Korinne make some special "pillow treats" for girls camp which began the next day.
Quinn and Jameson were attendees at Patriot Camp. Elsie was a camp counselor to one of the younger groups.
Back at the house, Cameron and Thomas helped Steve tackle the big job of assembling his new smoker grill. They devoted the morning to this task and did a great job of completing it.
One of the afternoons, the kids set up a lemonade stand around 4 p.m. to catch people on their way home from work. The made yummy chocolate chip cookies, cute signs and set up their stand for business. They were pretty successful with each kid making about 6 dollars.
One day during the stay, both Thomas and Quinn lost a tooth. It turned out to be the same tooth on the same day!
One morning while the kids were at PC, the Price kids stained our patio chair and loveseat. They did a terrific job!
That afternoon, we drove out to the Golden Spike National Park to see the place where the railroads met up 180 years ago. One train from the East and one from the West. While we were there, the engineer came out and stoked up the train with wood and explained that the other train was in the shed for maintenance.
On our way back home, we stopped in BC at the old Peach City Drive-In for ice cream cones. They have been serving cones since 1937. The kids were fascinated with the juke boxes but since none of the workers knew which ones actually worked, we opted not to waste our quarters.
Cameron had the opportunity to improve his driving skills a couple of times while driving with Grandpa.
Our last afternoon together, we drove up the canyon for a hike. The river was really full and raging so we weren't able to cross it.
When we got home, the kids pitched in and did a super job of washing the dirty car. Their reward was a $1 and a trip to the dollar store which was a bit hit.
The morning of the 27th, I had to get Cam, Jess and Thomas to their other grandparents' home by noon. It became a bit of a challenge, since there were some major traffic jams caused by wrecks. We drove into the driveway at 12:02. After dropping the kids off, I had several errands and visits to make which included lunch with my friend, Jean; a visit with my brothers and hosting book club. It was a busy day, but I did it. Steve was in CV taking care of the patriots, mowing the lawn, etc.
That evening after my bookclub friends left, Jen, Preston, Will and June arrived back at the Murray house after spending a fun day with their Brusch grandparents. They stayed at the Murray house all week while taking care of medical and dental appointments and visiting their other grandparents.
I drove back to CV early that morning and arrived in time to see the final program of the patriots. The kids did such a great job singing patriotic songs and especially the national anthem. Their parents and grandparents were proud of their efforts. They did a great job!
Friday afternoon, Steve had another appointment with the physical terrorist. He is diligent in doing his exercises and stretches, but it's hard to patiently wait for positive results in our "instant" world.
1 comment:
I like that you called them the physical terrorist. Tell Steve to keep with it because the hard work does pay off. I can really tell a difference with mine. Though the healing process is full of ups and downs but mostly in an up direction. You are so busy! Love your flowers.
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