Braces, Reunions and Sarah's Wedding

Monday, I was looking forward to a slow and uncomplicated week, then I got called in to cover for Sherry at work whose husband had to go to the hospital at the last minute. 

Besides work, I got this cute picture of Abby praying, which made me smile.  Dad had ordered a new stove and washer/dryer combo for the apartment here and they were delivered.  Trevor came down and helped him install them about the time I got home from work.

 On Tuesday morning I laid out all the pieces of the Wedgwood set I bought the week before for $75, and there were more than a hundred pieces. 

 Here they are in the china cabinet.

Later I got to babysit Penny ...

 and Eva, who had just gotten her braces on the day before and was hurting.

 Hannah, Nell and Trevor came by to get the kids after a lunch date.

 Here she is with her braces.

 Time to go ... bye bye Penny.

 On Wednesday I got to meet up with high school friends, Debbie, Debbie and Patty at ...

 at Linda's apartment in Rose Park

 Karla was also there AND we have plans to get together again in December.  We just had lunch at Karla's in September, so not sure why we're all getting together so much, but you know me, I'm always good for a party.

 On Thursday I took some pictures of my Halloween decor.  I am enjoying it so much, not sure why.  Having the party early in the month really has meant I'll have decor all month, I'll have to remember that.

  I worked that day, and when I got home Dad and I just had a quiet evening.

On Friday we drove all day, and checked into a hotel in Surprise Arizona, since Nell's sister Sarah was to be married there the next day.

This picture was taken at Joe's Diner, in Phoenix first thing on Saturday, as we had driven to a lovely flea market that I follow on Instagram that morning.  Please note the white Camero similar to the one Dad had when we met. 

 Then we were off to a couple of hours at Sweet Salvage ... I didn't buy much, as its pretty pricey, but it was fun.

 This is a bamboo bike. We thought that was interesting.

 Here's a new take on Autumn.

 I thought it would be cool to have ancestral names and dates on pillows like this.

 Then it was off to the afternoon wedding.

 Sarah is so popular that seating was tight and they asked people to put their children on their laps ... funny, funny Scott sat on his Aunt Alexis' lap as a joke.  For a minute anyway.

Nell was the photographer.

 Here are the bride and groom, not necessarily in that order, however.

I thought her bouquet was delightful.

 It was very tiring for some short people.

There were old fashioned sodas, cookies, and of course cupcakes for which Sarah is famous.

 Here's Nell and Sarah's family with their new brother-in-law, Jonathan.  Please note that everyone wore Converse shoes, as per Sarah's instruction.  She loves Converse.

Many of the other wedding guests did too.  The lower left corner has mine and Eva's shoes, her Dad tied hers to form a star.  I thought that was pretty cool.

Here's another cute one of Penny.

We left before 6 on Sunday morning to make it to a town outside of Mesquite, Nevada for Elder Hollingshead's homecoming.  A group of Finnish Elders and Sisters came home from Finland last week, and we missed all the homecomings in Utah County, but it worked for us to attend this one.  He gave a great talk, saying that he had been called to Russia originally, and a week before he was to go to the MTC his call was changed to Finland.  His Stake President later said that after his interview, when he sent his recommendation, he recommended him for a hard mission, since he had found him to be a dedicated and faithful young man.  He quipped, I guess that Russia wasn't hard enough.

 After church we drove back to Las Vegas so that we could visit with Claudia and Mark Sandburg. I grew up next door to Claudia, and Scott served his mission in Finland with Mark.

 After a lovely visit we headed to a hotel in Mesquite, and that was the end of our week.

I think I got this quote from Barb's letter last week.  I thought it was wonderful, it has certainly been true of our journey since we've lost Ben.  We are so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, and we know that Ben is with Him and our beloved brother Jesus.  We hope that each of you has found comfort in your own way.  We love you all and are so grateful for your continuing support.