Per Perkins Perhe: 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!