Paula's Birthday Week

Goodbye Benjamin … one last turn to hold baby Benny, before helping load one last load Monday morning.

Dad and Sam hauled out the couch, then added a mattress and tied down the load, before heading to Bonham.  Sam figured he could manage the rest himself.

We headed to see the Oklahoma temple … in our quest for one hundred temple sightings before we die.  After this week we have seen 55 temples, so it'll be something if we can get 45 more.

After seeing the temple we stopped for snacks before heading back into Texas on our way to the Albuquerque temple.  Dad got cherry tomatoes so he could be cool like Abbie.  Her mom gets them for her to snack on when she shops, and Abbie is an angel, when she can eat her veggies of choice. 

We stayed in Amarillo that night, and woke up to Texas shaped waffles for breakfast on my birthday...

We crossed the very top of Deaf Smith county … just before leaving Texas … Dad said, wow, this county is only 2 miles wide.  I said, I know there are tons of Texas counties, but they aren't that small.  I googled it and found we had driven through the northern tip,  just before going into New Mexico.  Then we wondered about the name.  Well, Deaf Smith, was a man who lost most of his hearing after a childhood illness.  He was the first person to get to the Alamo after the slaughter.  He lived there but had been away, and was returning home.  He later was an important leader in Texas' war for independence from Mexico.

Here we are at the Albuquerque Temple

Isn't it a beauty?

Here I am at the antique mall on Wednesday, many of these goodies were keepers, and unfortunately the book case I bought isn't here, because I couldn't get it out of the back seat of the car.  Dad actually had to dissemble it to get it out of the car, how crazy is that … we got it in.

Here is the baby shoe form, and some of the pictures I brought back, in their new place at the mall.

I even had a lady come by and offer to sell me this immigrant's trunk.  I had just enough money left from my junking in Texas to buy it.  Isn't it a beauty. 

When I got home I got all these cards and a bag of purple potatoes, that had been mailed or dropped off at the house for my birthday.  It was lovely.  I also got many texts, and phone calls on my birthday.  I definitely felt loved.  Thanks all.

Here's my new 'antique' doll house, in its place of pride … I love it. Dad was off to his Barbershop practice that night, so I had the house to myself and finished reading my book club book, another Jane Austen knock off, lucky me.

When I got back from walking Thursday morning, Dad and I loaded up the van with all the nice metal stuff I'd saved over the winter.  I spent a good half hour sweeping up my outside booth and getting it ready for the new goodies.

I should have taken a before picture … this is a definite improvement.  

Dad, as usual, was off to the temple for the day, as I was off to work.  He stopped and got salad makings on his way home, and we had a big ol salad for dinner.

On Friday morning, I made a decorated bottle for a bottle gift exchange we were to do that day when my art group got together for lunch.

When I got to the Art Garden in Salt Lake, Kimi had one of these cute bags of goodies for each of us.

Here we are at the table.  There were lots of gifts exchanged, as well as gifts for my birthday, which I thought was so sweet.

Here are the goodies I netted.

… and the mushroom invasion continues. I did get in several hours of junking before heading home, in time for Dad to take the car back to Salt Lake for a special Barbershop practice.

Davin is holding my mother's day gift and Briahnna is holding my birthday gift that their family brought by Saturday morning.  I love this tradition, aren't they beautiful!

Here they are in place.

The kids had fun playing in the yard for a bit … before  we headed to Salt Lake for Dad's double performance.  I dropped him at Skyline High, Brittany's old alma mater.  Then I took off for a few hours at my favorite DI in Sugarhouse.  About 1:30 Dad called to say he had an emergency.  When he got his tux out of the bag to put it on, the pants were full of moth holes …  ooops.  Could I run to Tuxedo Junction and buy him some used tux pants … the show started at 2:00 … I got the pants there by 2:05, which was speedy, but he was already on stage … he had slipped a black cumberbund behind the holes inside the front of his slacks … he's so smart.  He changed into the new pants at the first break.

After dropping Dad's pants in the dressing room at the school, I hit a local antique store and found these perfect tables … around the red dots is a turquoise line … perfect for the color scheme in my parlor.  In the end I walked out without them. 

When the matinee was over, I picked up Dad and we got to visit with this guy for a while, and his Dad too.  Next we picked up Laura Gray, who was to attend the concert with me …

I made a wrong turn, and went down a different street, and saw this front lawn, so I thought I've post it for Brittney, Spencer and Sam … our U of U grads.  Go Utes.

…and here is Dad back on the stage again. 

Clark Sevy was in Utah County finishing up a Widow and Widowers Conference at BYU, and called to ask Dad if we were up for a visit.  When Dad told him that we were actually in his neighborhood, (Clark lives about a half a mile from Skyline) and once he found out what Dad was doing, he headed north and attended the show.  So here are Clark and Laura who sat with me during the program.

Brittany's mother-in-law Edie was also there, but Dad didn't know it until she made a comment on FB

The theme was 60's music, and even the High School Choir, who are directed by a chorus member, Jay Gunderson, sang great old songs.  We all loved it.

Becca and her family came too, Brady took the other kids out, and sweet Reagan fell asleep....  So maybe not everyone loved the performance, but I know Dad loved that they came.  Thanks all you Summer's people. 

It was a party.

and here I am with Lars, with whom Dad sang in the Coppertones, many moons ago.

Then to finish up a great week, we went to Sister Huber's home coming today.  She is standing next to me.  Her Dad and sister are the other two.  Her Dad is a lawyer, who fills some federal office, and as it turns out, Greg Skordas, Aunt Wendy's brother, was a mentor for him...  he had high praise for Greg.

Here are a group of Finns and Finn lovers, including James Winder, former missionary, Susanna Koivisto a Finn whose visiting, Rosalind Fielding, the mother of Cameron Fielding, who is next to her and who was one of our elders, his sister is next, then Kaitlyn Atkinson, also a former missionary, Pirjo Peltokangas another Finn who is visiting along with Susana and Dad to finish off the set. For us, you see, any Finnish connection is a good one.

This is the Huber home … perfectly decorated.

Here is Hadyn Olson, (Ginger Heuer's cousin) with her fiancé.  They are getting married next month.  She's is such a darling girl.  Really one of our favorite missionaries.

and just for fun, here is another former Finnish missionary, Katriina Adams, who is thinking about living here when we are gone.  She and a friend came to check it out, and she video chatted with her fiancé, as we toured the house.  What a fun girl.

Her uncle Mike Nyborg served his mission with Dad, and his Father was a former ambassador to Finland.  His father, so her grandfather, owned the Finlandia Ranch that we took you kids to when you were younger, for a Finnish Missionary reunion.  Keith Nyborg, the ambassador, is the one who coined the phrase, "There are two groups of people who learn the Finnish language, Finnish Babies and Mormon missionaries."

Mike taught at the old LTM (Language Training Center) and now his niece is teaching at the MTC.  We'll look forward to seeing her while we are there.