Spring Festival Time!

 On Monday I went to We-Can, where we made the adult aprons you can see us all modeling for a nursing home.

Then I ran to Lehi and got Cafe Rio for myself and my friend Wendy, to celebrate her 60th birthday, she is the one you can blame for my adoration of CR, since she introduced me. We ate at her work on her lunch break.

That evening Dad and I went to Ekins for the first time to enjoy our FHE group, that they have recently joined.

On Tuesday, I started the day by walking with Ginny, on the left, and ran into Wendy Carter who is in the process of moving out of our ward.  They seem like such an important part of the ward, like as a body we are loosing one of the lungs, or the liver. :-(

This is a picture of them in front of their new home in Spanish Fork.  They will be so missed.

When I got home I was doing some cleaning up, which always means putting stuff away.  These are the orange polka dots dessert or bread and butter plates I bought at seagull a few weeks back.  This is how they look stacked with some of my black and white checkered plates this fall.

 In the afternoon I met up with Becca at an Elementary school in Provo, where her Real Estate office on their yearly community service day, in May, will be decorating the school's library, including painting murals on the walls.  Becca had asked me to help, and I needed to see the space to plan ... should be a lot of fun!!

Then I hit the Provo DI before heading home to put together a couple of packages, one a baby gift for Matt and Erin Larsen's new baby, and the other a book for my friend Jennifer Walker, that needed shipping.

Last of all a member of the Stake Relief Society Presidency came by, along with Jane York our RS secretary for a visit.  That's what I get for being friends with the Relief Society President, when they can't find people to visit ... Of course I loved it.  Sister Gordon and I have a lot in common and had a great conversation.

Dad, as usual, had his temple shift, and got home late.

On Wednesday morning, I walked with Ginny again, and snapped some pics of my house silhouetted against a pretty morning sky.

 Then I redid my spring wreath because it had fallen off the door and  had parts of it get wet in a rainstorm, and were ruined.

Next I met Dad at Daniel Blaney's funeral at the green church (Park Ward) in Payson.  Such a bitter sweet funeral.  Daniel is David Blaney's younger brother, and David and Davin where best friends all through high school.

Daniel had been away from the church since his teen years, but the last year, probably partly due to the influence of David's return to the church and his sealing to his wife and child in the temple, had become active and was working with his bishop.

On April Fool's day, he was in the kitchen with his Mom and started acting distressed.  She thought it was an April Fools joke, but soon got him to the hospital where he died.  He had an over sized heart, something that often happens with gifted athletes, which Daniel was.  So heart breaking, but we are so thankful, as are his grieving parents, that he was on the path again ...

I was then off to work for a half day, and I spent much of it looking at the vids on our surveillance system, looking for the shop lifters, or should I say lock pickers, who robbed 2 different dealers of more than $3,000 in jewelry the week before.  

On Thursday I walked with Ginny again, and ran across this handsome fellow, not sure I've seen this elegant a rooster in person before ... so fun.

I also worked that day and got a lot of things marked, though I did spend more time on watching the vids, and think I found our dishonest friends ... a couple about the age of Dad and me, how sad is that.  And they were soooo friendly!  

Dad spent the day working on the roof in Orem with Ben,  when he got home we had dinner and watched a DVD, which he must have enjoyed because for once he didn't fall asleep.  This roof has taken a lot out of him, and Ben ... one day Ben texted Dad saying that right at that moment he hated him ... poor Ben was so sore, and sunburned and exhausted.

 On Friday I spent the better part of the day, finding, scanning and printing pictures of Essie for a smash book.  The previous week she mentioned that she had very few pictures of her time in her adoptive home, and obviously none before that, and asked if we had pictures ... well you know the answer to that.  I talked to Emily on speaker phone for a hour of that time, which made it go faster. I then spent more time putting together the book, so that we can give it to her when we get together again.  BTW would any of you Utah kids like to meet her next week for lunch?

When Dad got home from work we headed out for more yummy curry, then, after all that Indain influence, we both came up with the idea, independently, to watch Bride and Prejudice ... the Bollywood production based on my favorite book. That was super fun and funny!

On Saturday Dad was off early to work with Ben finishing the roof on the Orem rental ... I am sure Ben was very, very happy when it was over, but he still drove to Payson with Dad and helped him load the branches from the Catalpas into the van, and they also took appliances to be recycled, as we've had a little ward charity going on where we donate the money from recycling to the Church's Temple Patron Fund, which is an awesome cause.  Of course Aunt Cheryl's pop cans go there too ... in all they got $75 to donate!

I stopped by the rental house on my way to Heber and took a picture of the finished roof.  It looks awesome eh?

 In Heber at the Flea For All I visited lots of flea market vendors who are friends, and found some vintage goodness for resale too.

All of these girls have been flea.o.logy dealers, so fun!!  When I got home, I helped Dad load his last van full of branches off the lawn, Yeah .... and when he got  back from the dump we had dinner with Cheryl before heading to Maui Chill where they were doing a fund raiser to help with James Heuer's autism treatment, which is extensive (40 hours a week of therapy for years) and uber expensive.

 Trevor and Nell were there with their kids earlier in the day and sent pictures, as well as one of Adilyn, after Briahnna arrived with her to help support the cause!

Can you see the amazing camouflaged baby?

 Dad and I stopped in Orem on the way and picked up Zach and Ian and a friend.  Here is Zach with her chocolate numminess!

 While Ian, who is now amazingly, as tall as his mom .... he will be 13 next month, enjoys his treat with his friend.!

This is Ian's amazing edible art work.

On Sunday it was off to church as usual .... Dad had had High Counsel meeting early a special one with all the heads of the stake auxiliaries, and was very pleased to hear the Stake Young Women's President tell about the amazing new Young Women's President in the 5th ward, and all she was doing!!  Gotta love it!

 When we got home we filled plastic Easter eggs, got dinner going and set a festive Springtime table.

 Don't you just love our adorable photo bomber?

We even had a duet by this pair of amazing 3 year old pianists ... that was before they sequestered themselves in the main floor bathroom and accidentallylocked them selves in ... fortunately no one panicked and with gentle coaching from the other side of the door they were able to eventually unlock the door, to the relief of all ... since the window into that bathroom is 6 by 12 inches and a foot deep.

 We had a great dinner and then after our Bunnies, Ben and Hannah were done it was time to find the eggs.

 Here they are, all ready and chomping at the bit!!

And that was our day ... a little cool for the egg hunt, but sunny and lots of fun.  

After everyone left, Dad thought Darby might enjoy seeing Essie's smash, book so we ended up in the library  had a nice long visit ... so fun, we are so proud of all she is doing with her life, and are excited about her expected return to school.  You Go Girl!!