Per Perkins Perhe: Focusing on Finland and Spencer's Birthday.

On Monday we took the second load of garage sale survivors to DI, where we found an accent chair for Ashley and a missionary suitcase for me. (Dad also took a load to the dump, but who wants a picture of that?) Our goal for the week is to sufficiently clear the garage, so that we can store our car in it, and have a spot for our house sitters too.

We took the chair to Ashley's house, but she was still sleeping from a late work night on Sunday. Kim is now in Barberschool. Isn't her fair fun? We assume that she gave Zach his hair cut too.

Adi had a Mimi and Papa date that day, and got to see this Alice in Wonderland for the first time.

She also got to play with the silly neighbor chickens.

That night we got to go and help this girl celebrate her 12th birthday …

Since she'd given up her birthday goodies to serve ladies with cancer, she was surprised to get this blanket she'd seen while shopping for the cancer bags with her mom.

Tuesday and we're are in Los Angeles to apply for our Visas, things went smoothly, other than having a new agent, who'd just been in the US for a month … it took double the time it should, now we wait … and hope, and pray if you'd like.

Then we had sushi for lunch before heading back to the airport.

Meanwhile back in Utah Eva was being her mom's chemo buddy … she gave out the chemo bags she and her mom had worked together to produce. Nell says Eva was a delightful buddy and that it was an example of 'beauty for ashes', I looked up the scripture and learned something from their example.

What a lovely project.

A child's cupboard sold last week, which gave me a chance to get this little chest of drawers out of the garage and into the store on Wednesday.

Dad, meanwhile, spent the entire day organizing and cleaning the garage.

Then on Thursday I listed four things, that are in the garage, in the row of shame, ("You must get rid of the things in the row", he said) on Utah Vintage Yard Sale, and had a taker for this dresser. The garage looks emptier and emptier. The rest will go to DI.

After work, and making dinner, I was pretty well used up and went up to read, while Dad stayed up until after midnight painting the ceiling in the large guest room …

On Friday, Davin and his family came to help us move Aunt Cheryl's stuff to DI and to Darby's basement to get her out of the storage unit she'd been in since selling her condo 6 years ago, as it had nearly double in price recently. Thanks to Darby for the new space, the lesser stuff will occupy.

Dad was very grateful for their help. How cool are these ramps?

Where did Elias go?

Thanks for the help crew!

and Briahnna is the hero of the day, as she takes Cheryl's papers to sort and dispose.

Dad and I took another load to DI, (Besides the one Davin and Bri took), then went to Ikea for lunch … yum. It was just like old times, as well as soon to be times. We found out that the couple who replaced us in Finland doing housing, had to close 10 apartments during their time. We are stunned. (Four were senior couple apartments, which was to be expected, and at least one was caused by moving sisters to a new area)

After we got home we worked on painting the guest room for four hours, and though we had bought expensive paint, we found it was just not covering. Some of this is two and even three coats … we'll be back at tomorrow.

That night, after painting, we met up with the Kews for dinner. We had a great time, and know it will be our last get together with them for a while.

Then on Saturday it was all Finland all the time. We started with a session at the Bountiful temple, then headed to this park for a catered dinner by the Red Flame, an excellent long standing restaurant in Bountiful.

Here I catch Dad eating lunch, somewhat, with Forrest Mottishaw, a fellow Bountifulite, with whom I attended High School.

After lunch Dad rode to the reunion program, near by, with another missionary, while I ran to the Bountiful DI to find some clothes for our mission, as its getting down to crunch time. When I got back the Mahoney sisters were singing old Finnish Folk Songs. They are the daughters of the mission president who came immediately after the Wades, and combined whose missionaries combinded with the Wade missionaries for this reunion.

After the songs, Dad and I spoke about our upcoming mission, and I put in some plugs for the missionaries wives, most of whom are coming up to retirement, about the joys of serving in a country where you don't speak the language. (There was pulla and piirakkas yum)

On our way home we stopped to pick up our step stool, that I use in my craft room, on which I've been working for several weeks now. (We found six bins of craft room stuff as we've organized the garage … working it all in has been a big project.)

Spencer's birthday is today, so we were also able to drop of a gift for him.

Van had shown us how he can fold his arms by himself, and I wanted him to do it for a picture … It is the cutest thing ever, so I took about ten with no success, but I liked this one, where he is pointing at me. Such a cutie.

This is an advertising bit for the tab choir and the Norwegian Solo soprano, Sissel who performed Friday and Saturday for the Pioneer Day Celebration.

This morning we drove up to Salt Lake to meet with many other Finnish Missionaries, for our closing event of the reunion, seeing Sissel performing with the Tabernacle Choir for Music and the Spoken word. It was fun that Dad noticed our ward organist as the first chair Cello.

We caught about half of our missionaries and wives after the performance.

Here Dad is with Chris Schmutz, who served in Finland with him and who is now his bow-tie buddy.

I wanted to have my selfie with this pioneer sculpture done by Avard Fairbanks, whom I recognized immediately, maybe because I have one of his sculptures in my parlor.

At home we read and napped and worked on the blog before heading up to the park for the band concert.