Kissin' Cousins and the Week of Love!

Yes'm, that is just what our week was like, showin' the love.

On Monday Emily, Becca (and offspring) and I went shopping for wedding outfits for the big event.  Love the picture above, snapped by Emily!!  Emily and Becca both found outfits, and I found a top ... alas ...

 

On Tuesday I went on an all day Show Your Love Service tour, with the We Can ladies, we started with lunch ... then we went to the Christmas Box Club ... which is actually a little room in a Provo Government building where volunteers gather items for use by children being inducted into the foster care system.  These children often come with just a diaper, winter and summer, and clothing disbursments are not made until they are placed and paperwork in completed, which can take a week.  This small room is stocked and staffed by volunteers.  Caseworkers stop here with children who choose a few items to tide them over until they are settled.

 

 We came for a tour and brought  21 sets if summer pajamas, as that is what they are low on at the moment.  This is the same organization that collects the larger receiving blankets used by specially trained foster parents in swaddling drug addicted newborns, that our group has donated in the past.

 

We showed more love by going to a church building in the Timpview area of Provo where they have been stitching and stuffing homemade teddy bears for children who have been sexually abused for the last 20 years.  We spent a couple of hours stuffing teddy bears and hearing some pretty touching stories, before heading home.

 

I got home just a half an hour after Dad had dropped Grandpa at the house, and had headed to the temple for his regular shift.  Spencer has been working as a veil worker on Tuesday nights, and since Dad is the veil coordinator, he gets to see him.  I know Dad loves that and will miss this special connection, when Spencer and Brittney head to Cambodia next month. (Yep, headed out to spend 3 months loving and serving their fellow man!)

 

Wednesday and Thursday were normal work days, and I managed to get a lot of the pennants done for the wedding. I love doing them, and can't wait to see how they look. Now what is more romantic that working on decor for a wedding?  I was definitely feeling the love!

After work on Thursday I headed to Ann's new house for book club... now I just wish it was a love story, but our book was about an 11 year old girl, who is a scientific genius, and who solves a murder, so maybe not so romantic.  But Ann's new house is LOVE-ly.

And how romantic is this wedding invitation and picture tucked behind her intercom system, definitely a smidge of Love there!

Friday morning Dad and I took grandpa to Emily's for the weekend (where he certainly got lots of loving), then, when Spencer and Brittney got to Payson, we all headed out on a 8 hour drive ... to Cody, Wyoming, the City of Love, or is it the City of Buffalo Bill, I forget. Well, traveling with soon to be weds, is DEFINITELY romantic!

We arrived in the evening and got to help a little with the set up for the open house the next day.  Brittney's mom Cathy is super capable, and had matters well in hand.  Britt's Aunt Karen, and Grandmother Pat, were there to help and everything was just charming.  Cathy had made a 1,000 paper cranes, which are good luck in Japanese tradition.  Everything was just perfect, definitely a labor of Love!

 

 

The drinks looked amazing!  The muffins were lovely AND delish!

 

Everything went well at the open house Saturday morning, where everyone stood around eating the breakfast foods we all LOVE and  visiting ward family members who have loved Brittney all of her life.  Cathy made the charming, and simple cake, an exact copy of one that Brittney loved on Pinterest.

After the open house Dad and I hit down town Cody, visited some second hand stores and found that both of the nice antiques stores in town are closed, as the season doesn't start until mid May, darn.

But we did have fun checking out the touristy spots, and even ran into Cathy and her mom and sister at one of the stores.  Aren't the hats LOVE-ly?

 When we got back, it was fun to watch Brittney and Spencer opening their gifts.  Brittney was amazed by the love and generosity of her wonderful friends from home. 

Later we watched a romantic movie, The Wedding Planner, which was fun AND romantic!

And look at the adorable bedroom where we got to stay ... isn't it so ME? I LOVED it!

This last shot was taken before we headed out to church, after which we all had lunch together, then Dad, Spencer and I headed home.  We got to Emily's just before 10 to pick up grandpa, who had refused to allow Sam to take him home to sleep the night before, as had been the plan.  But when Grandpa saw Dad he was all cooperation, well until it was time to get out of the van at the home, but we worked that out too.

 

Yep,it was a wonderful week of celebrating all kinds of LOVE; romantic love, new love, the love of one's fellow man, the love of old friends and family, and even some 'kissin' cousins' kind of love! 

So just let me tell you all how much we love you, and how important you are to us.  We hope to be able to see you all at the wedding festivities this week end.

XOXOXOXOXO

Getting Together for Meals and My Heroes!

 

So life has settled back to normal ... which is nice too.

On Monday I worked a make up day to cover one of the days I took off to go on the cruise. 

 

On Tuesday I was heading out junking and to meet  friend for lunch, when I got a call from Becca on someone else's phone.  She had misplaced her phone and was waiting, and waiting for Emily at the Carl's Junior in AF... I called Emily who was waiting and waiting at the Carl's Junior in Lindon (Let's meet at the CJ by Nell's).  I called Emily who then ran to AF, and I surprised them both by dropping in on my way to the DI in AF, which is just a block away.  What Fun! They were watching Nell's girls as Nell focused on getting ready for the show we were to do together later in the week.

I then continued to Salt Lake and met Arlene for lunch at Zuppa's ... yeah Chicken Enchilada Chili!!  And we exchanged custody of another of my chairs.  She already has the matching one, and is reupholstering them for me.  (Next month I take the matching couch and bring home the chairs.)  Meeting her for lunch is so much fun ... just like college days, in fact! (though  in those days we didn't worry as much about our aging parents ... lol)

Dad had his normal temple assignments that evening with a twist.  The Stake President and other members of the high counsel did a temple session that evening to get ready for Stake Conference.  Of course since Dad was already working, he couldn't do the session with them, but was acting as veil coordinator as they finished up, so that was kind of cool.

 

 

 

I worked on Wednesday, as did Dad.  Emily had Grandpa for the day, and kept him in the evening, so that Dad and I could go to the fund raising dinner in Salt Lake for one of Trevor's friends who has cancer.  We met Trevor et al, there, which, of course was fun for all ... well, maybe for all but Eleanor at this particular moment.  <--------------------------

On Thursday I worked again, and got to take Rosemarie a cake for her birthday.  She is shown here with Keith, they are both favorite work associates!  The tiny cake was from Macey's, I have always thought they were adorable, but now I know they are delicious as well.

 

After dinner that night Dad and I loaded up the van with all the goods for the Vintage market I was doing with Nell in Pleasant Grove on Saturday! 

Then on Friday morning, I met up with Nell at the PG Recreation center to set up for the sale.  Eva and Eleanor were our cheer leaders ... I have to admit having them around made the whole set up thing much more pleasant than it usually is for me.  Trevor had been at a Wood Badge Scout training, since Thursday, which left Nell as chief cook, bottle washer, child carer, crafter, and entrepreneur for the weekend!  Can I just say, she is a Rockstar!!

 

Here she is with the girls in our completed booth setup! 

Then that night, Dad and I drove to Salt Lake and met up with Nell and her date, Davin and Bri, as well as the Heuers and Moes, for the Primary Children's/KSL Radiothon's Celebrity  Dinner at the Joseph Smith Memorial building, which was flat out amazing.

Here we see KSL personalities Jay McFarland and Amy Iverson, as they help serve dinner!!

Local Celebrity D. Bear Perkins is shown here with an adoring beauty!!  Ah rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous ...

The amazing view of our local famous castle (I know its a castle because I once bought a model of it on Ebay, and it was advertised as a 'Castle Bank'!!) invited most of us to pose for pictures by the windows!

 

And look!  Matching name tags!

After the dinner, Dad and friends got a chance to visit with everyone's favorite KSL personality, Doug Wright!

 

Then as Dad and I wended our way to the parking garage beneath the newish City Creek Center, a young couple asked us to take their picture... after we checked the lighting and turned off the flash and took another set, the girl was telling us thanks, when the young man said, "Wait, can you cake a couple more?"  Then he knelt down and pulled out a ring box.  It was so magical!!  What a great way to finish off a breath taking date!

On Saturday I was up and off to man the Vintage market sale in PG.  Meanwhile Dad took Grandpa to Salt Lake for a barbershop show.  Grandpa had such a good time that Dad had a heck of a time getting him out of his seat after the show.

Doing the show with Nell was a lot of fun, though I have to admit I spent more at other booths than she did.  Davin and Bri came up to watch Nell's kids, and stopped by the sale to work some magic for us.  Nell and I have been trying to figure out a way to change the flea.o.logy blog to our names.  Our former partner was hesitant to share her password, which is understandable, so that we could make the change.  Davin used his Smarts and his Smart phone to have her type in the password as she was a vendor there as well, then he was able to make the changes!!  Nell has now taken charge of the blog and will be making some awesome graphic changes!!  Upward and onward flea.o.logy! So Davin is pretty much hero number one.

 

Later, hero number two swooped in, fresh from his Wood Badge training to help take down the booth and load up my van!!  Since Dad wasn't back from the show with Grandpa yet, his timing was perfect.  Dad did however, manage to be hero number three, as he got into Utah County in time to help me unload a four piece cement fountain I had bought at the sale, into my outdoor booth at Treasures!!

 

Oh, and I think that Nell agrees that Trevor is a hero ... as he rescues her from three days of singlemomdom!!

A fun side note is that Trevor ran into a friend from Junior High.  The friend is engaged to be married to the vendor that was right next to me ... oh, and she is also going to be a new vendor at flea.o.logy! (Signed up a week ago, but I had not met her!)

That evening Dad and I hooked up with the Kews to attend our Stake Conference Adult session, which was really fun.  Then we went out for some 'Asian Cuisine' ... which I loved because that mean some nice curry for me!!

 

Sunday morning was Stake Conference, of course, and it was at our building so we go to have the Stake Presidency in person.  The two counselors both gave amazing talks, but President Willardson's talk was so powerful, that I felt the spirit fill me with such strength that it left me physically weak, whoa!

 

President W was diagnosed with prostate cancer a year after being sustained.  He wanted to keep serving as Stake President, as he dealt with the cancer and treatments. Unfortunately it was too advanced, and the treatments didn't have the effect they had hoped for.

 

A year later it had metastasized and he was told he was terminal.  That was 5 years ago.  At conference, he told us that in his forty years working as a nurse, he had never seen anyone so riddled with cancer as he is, who could even stand alone. 

 

Six years after his diagnosis,  he is still functioning, and fulfilling his calling.  He seems so strong and healthy that its hard to believe he is being eaten away from the inside, as scans indicate.  He calls us his miracle and claims that it is the prayers of the Stake members that are keeping him alive and functioning. I know he has a wish to see the completed Payson Temple, the temple that he once saw in vision.  That would be two more years, and coincidentally a total of nine years, which is the normal length of time a Stake President serves.  I am so grateful I was able to attend this conference.

 

That evening Dad and Granda and I were all off to Darby's for her first opportunity to host the bi-weekly family dinner.

Here we see Beckie hobnobbing with Brittney and Spencer.

Darby made Mexican food which made Grandpa happy.  She really outdid herself with four different kinds of enchilada's  Nell brought one of her famous dips with tortilla chips, Emily brought guacamole, Briahnna brought her amazing caso and Becca made Cafe Rio sweet cilantro rice ... all yummy.  Oh and Ben brought drinks!!  Boy were we spoiled!

 

My two single sons, sorry Ben, I wanted to show a picture of you, and I guess you were camera shy, with 50 shots of the party this is it!!

 

Here's Darby with some of her main men!!  Thanks again for being a wonderful hostess ... everything was great!

 

Thanks for stopping by for a taste of our week!!



Four Showers and 53 Pictures (Including Some of Brittany's Worst!)

What a week!  Well, Brittany the party planner was in town ... thus!

 On Monday, our first day back in town I met up with Spencer to pick up wedding announcements which I then addressed and mailed.  Of course I stopped at DI while in Provo and found this beauty!  I hoped Emily would like it ... and she did!! Happy Me! I visited at her house and watched Enchanted with poor sick Beckie, shown below ... a favorite of hers as well!  Emily, recently delivered of a son, insisted on making me a delicious lunch ... gotta love that woman, eh?

On Tuesday I relaxed at  home, somewhere, sort of, just north of a coma.  Emily came by for a visit .... loved that her and Beckie's outfits matched and had to snap a pic!

Wednesday morning Dad and I met in Mapleton for the funeral of his adorable uncle Kent.  Kent was married to Grandma Connie's youngest sister Glenna.  They were the most friendly of all Dad's relatives on the Warren side, when we first met.  Glenna insisted on having Uncle Kent repair and paint an old child's cupboard for use by Belinda and Brittany, when they were little.  Aunt Glenna died 20 years ago of complications of childhood diabetes, just like her mother, LaRie, had.

 

Kent used to carry a romance novel in his pocket, often.  I sort of think that knowing that, and admiring his Uncle Kent, is part of why Dad decided one could be manly and read romances ... so sorry to see him go, such a great, warm and wonderful man.

Then after a half day at work I got to run up to Maui Chill in Highland (OK, technically Lehi ...) for Trina's baby shower and going away party.  Here I am with Robin, Barb's mom; Bettilou, Barb and Trina. 

Here Trina holds Robin's Gift ... Robin is continuing the mustache theme evidently!  Love it!!

Afterwards I picked up Grandpa from Becca's, who had watched him all day, and for the evening too.  Note his beard ... (Oh and Titan's hat, can I just say he loves hats?  He tried to add a baseball cap today, in his suit, on our way to the baby blessing!)

I worked a full day on Thursday, and spent all my free time making a banner for Spencer/Brittney's shower/wedding.  Afterwards I stopped by Macey's for refreshments for book club, which I had forgotten I was hosting (Thank Heaven for Emily's text!!)  Dad hurried and vacuumed the parlor while I hurried and made dinner for him, Grandpa and Cheryl to eat in the family room just as the book club ladies (three of them, Ginny, and two others are shown above) arrived!! YIKES!

After book club Dad tucked grandpa into bed, and we left Aunt Cheryl with Emily's new cell number ... just in case and headed to Salt Lake for Mike's birthday celebration!!  Here I am shown (sorry about the blurr) with Mike's mom Edi, one of my absolutely favorite people!!

Here are two of my girls and two of their friends ... to the right is the Birthday man himself, Mike, with his friend Cal, another person I admire. (He teaches third grade, which he can only afford to do because his wife is a Rocket Scientist!!  Really awesome people!)

 

Happy Birthday Mike!!

Lets just say Friday was very interesting ... did you know it was National Grilled Cheese day?  So of course we had grilled cheese for lunch, always a favorite for Cheryl and me. 

Oh, and I made one for the tow truck driver as well!  I was supposed to spend the day in Salt Lake at three amazing estate sales, Crate and Barrel, buying something amazing off Spencer and Brittney's registry and at Trader Joe's buying artisan breads, cheese and spreads for the wedding shower the next day ... alas, "the van no go!!"

 

I walked to Emily's to see if I could borrow her car ... nope headed to the doctor's, not to get Liam castrated, but to get him circumcised ... (sorry about the inside joke).  Fortunately when her wonderful father-in-law Steve took me home and tried to get the van started, he mentioned having AAA come to tow it, and offered his card.  Duh, I have a card, and I have yet to use it (issued last August) ... Joel had the van outfitted with a new starter by 6:00  P.M. (we are so blessed to have such an honest and caring mechanic!)

 

I am also blessed that both Becca and Britt offered to pick up my shower gift, and Britt almost insisted she should choose the breads etc for the shower.  It left me with an unexpected leisurely day, to walk up to Lucky's Barbershop/Antique store and get grandpa a shave (seriously, who knew?) ... I spent three times more money on antiques than Grandpa spent on his much needed shave. 

 Oh and I wanted to show you Emily's amazing in-laws who have been here taking care of her, while her good for nothing parents were cruising and then when her fun loving husband was chowing down on $100 a plate meals, while wearing a tux in Las Vegas ... on what he refers to as a business trip .... am I in the wrong business?

 Brittany came down and dropped off her boys with Dad, then picked up Emily and me for our dinner/movie/baby shower for Emily.  Here we are at the end of dinner at La Dulce Vita.  Spencer had come by to pick up Brittney, who is in the midst of finals and couldn't pull off the movie with us.  Actually, lucky Brittney ...

Here are this year's version of the Perkins triplets ... pretty fun to see them all together.

... and here are four of the girls, after midnight at the theater .... Nell headed out before I had a chance to group them all!  It was hard work for them all to smile after seeing what is probably the worst book adaptation I have ever seen ... (of Stephanie Meyer's excellent book, The Host)  it even gave me nightmares that lasted all night! Yawn!

Surprisingly, Brittany still had the sass and energy to meet up with Davin and Dad the next morning for a 5K commemorating the Pony Express!!

 No those are not Britt's shoes, she doesn't have hairy legs.

Here she is at the end of the race ... despite her injured ankle, which she had thought would end her hopes of doing the race at all!!  (Shown with her friend) Yeah Britt (I did warn you about the worst pictures ... right?)

 

Brittany finished up the race in time to grab a quick shower and race to another shower .... the one for Brittney at Becca's house!  Note the banner that took the better part of the day on Thursday for me.

Becca and I hosted the shower, and Becca made up the cute water bottles.  I do have to give Emily credit for suggesting the menu!  I loved it, and even better, so did Brittney!! Below she is shown with her Grandmother Pat and Aunt Linda.

Here are some shots of my girls.

 And my sister's-in-law and nieces!

 Above Kim and her daughter, Natalie, share Adilyn, while Jill tries on her 'new mom' with Charlotte.  (Jill is expecting her 5th baby on May 8th, the first possible day that Mother's Day can occur ... and yes, its a girl!)

I got my fair share of baby holding as well!!  So fun to have so many grand babies at the shower, though Reagan spent most of the shower napping in her own bed ... guess the daughter of the hostess gets some perks!  She is shown below with her darling Aunt Darby.

 

When I got home from the shower, Dad and I combined our skills and got Grandpa a shower of his own, making it four shower celebrations for the week.  Becca had been unable to get him in the shower the last time, even though she is a pro ... dear Grandpa is so confused by showers, its the worst part for him and us.  But we tucked him in that night, all neat and clean and dry!

Sunday morning came bright and early for Dad, as he was off to High Counsel meeting!  I got Grandpa ready, in his suit for the first time in a couple of months and we were off to the old green chapel ... which is now where Emily et al attend ...  Above we see Davin and his friend David ... best friends and chums all through high school.  David now attends this ward with his wife, who is expecting this summer.  It was so fun to see him, and we found out that David has grown since high school and is now 6 foot 3 3/4 inches ... So funny, because Davin is 6 ft 3 3/4 inches!

After the shower it was off to the Payson cottage for food and family fun.

 

 

Is there anything cuter than a thumb sucker?      We missed visiting with Brittney as she had to run off to conduct Relief Society in her student ward.  Thankfully with the Showers Thursday and Saturday, we can't really complain.

 

 

 Sam's bird was the main attraction for the grands ...

Oh and another great shot of Britt as she photo bombs my pic with Adilyn!

 But then, on the other hand, she does have a super cool son ...

 Grandpa and Charlotte.

 Here is Liam in his adorable blessing suit ... Sam did a wonderful job with the blessing and we are so thrilled to celebrate their growing family with them!

 

After the social at Emily and Sam's Brittany and her children came to the house to visit with Aunt Cheryl.  The boys had not seen the garden house completed and wanted to check it out.  Grandpa took them out and let them have the experience.

So that is our over picturefied week .... if you had time to look at all the photos, thanks for sharing our lives .... if you read it all, you are amazing and we LOVE you!! Thanks for caring about us!