Per Perkins Perhe: Birthdays, Plays and Hiking Days.

Happy Birthday Davin, on Monday. He turned 40, yikes!

We met him and Bri at K's Kitchen for lunch.

On Tuesday I managed to get in a bit of junking in and ran into a long time DI 'associate' of mine. We've known each other for 25 years. Look how full her cart is.

Rick and Wendy celebrated their 42nd anniversary that day too.

Cinderella shows me her blog and other items she likes on-line.

With Utah Avenue torn up, it was a bit of a mine field to get to the Mi Rancherito for a Minister Sisters' visit and lunch.

Here are Raelene, me, Heidi, Shelley and Heather.

Dad and I met up with Becca's family that night to celebrate her birthday. Now seriously, how big is this BIG brother.

Here we are at dinner.

On Wednesday Dad posted this collage. She and Brady celebrated by spending the night in Park City.

Here I am at work on Wednesday, it was fun to meet this nice couple. He's a former professor at BYU, with his wife, and their aid.

He bought this huge $175 geode. I wish the camera could have picked up how it sparkled in the sun.

After work Dad brought me McDonald's and we headed to Bountiful where we got to visit with my brother Bruce for more than an hour. He seems to be getting stronger, and is encouraged by his progress, having walked the length of the hall at his facility with a walker. He also shared several spiritual experiences where he has seen the hand of the Lord helping him through this difficult time. We were so uplifted.

On Thursday morning Dad and I got the sewing machine out of the van. I headed to work, and then after he was done at the temple, he took everything else out of the van, so I could use it to head to a flea market in California the next morning. Then when I got home from work Dad and I and Cinderella headed to see The Secret Garden at the High School, done by the community theater group as part of Onion Days.

Here we are at the old high school. It was very well done, and Cinderella loved it.

We knew both the male leads, Archibald Craven and his brother were Daniel Mason, who is our friend Jerry Mason's nephew, and Perry Ewell who is my friend LaVern's nephew, but whom we knew before we knew the Crumps, as he, as a newlywed, was in our ward in Orem.

A touching seen with the sick little boy, Collin Craven.

Here Mary Lennox is shown singing with her Indian Nanny, who is played by Perry's daughter.

Here's Perry with another daughter.

Here I am with the daughter of my friend Suzanne from book club. She plays the Queen of the fairies at Suzanne's yearly fairy party. In all there were 5 of Suzanne's grand children in the play, including this little gal.

Here is Dad with two of Perry's boys, the one next to Dad played Dicken, his name is Benjamin and he did a fabulous job.

After the play Dad took Cinderella to the house in PG where she will be staying. I headed home to pack for my trip. Then on Friday morning, Mary came down to our house and we headed south.

On Friday Dad ran into Jeff Cooper at the temple when he attended in the afternoon and was invited to the reception that night for the youngest of the Cooper kids wedding. Here he is with Margaret and Jeff.

It was fun for him to see our Katie, who served in Finland with us on our first mission, with her husband and girls.

Dad went to the Secret Garden again that night, and saw Jerry and Amy, who are the aunt and uncle to Daniel who played the part of Archibald Cravin.

On Friday, Kai summited in Maine.

And that was the biggest thing that happened that day, Kai finishing up the Appalachian trail, after 177 days. He started on March 7th, and finished on August 30th, we were just grateful that he was able to fly home for our family pictures the end of June.

Yeah Kai

and the adjustment back to modern life begins, what an amazing and formative adventure.

Dad took some pictures up on our new Mainstreet, as the town prepares for the parade and other events of Onion Days 2024.

And they brought the Peteeneet Creek water from where it runs through the park, onto the stone bed that was laid down the two block of decorative Mainstreet. It reminds me of where City Creek runs through the City Creek Mall in SLC.

Marilena posted herself at the Philidelphia Temple. That was so fun to see. She really has changed so little in the more than 20 years since she was a foreign exchange student back when we lived in Orem. How fun is that?

I spent Saturday with Mary and Diana doing some antique shopping.

I was thrilled to find this bust of Charles Dickens, Dad's favorite author, as I had wanted one to go with the antique set of his works that is displayed in the desk in our parlor.

I found it in this store, The Shop Around the Corner, named because it is literally around the corner from a charming shop called Aubergine, that was a favorite of Mary's when she lived here 10 years ago.

Meanwhile Elder Uchtdorf went to the BYU football game season opener, just like Dad, Trevor and Penny did.

Where they also ran into Kathy and Peter.

and Kenneth Rooks who got the steeple chase silver medal in the Olympics this summer.

There they are!

And while Dad and I were off playing, the contractors were busing putting a new covering on our addition and garage roof, to satisfy our house insurance company.

Then on Sunday I was off with the girls to the PCC fleamarket. I was stunned by this seller's vehicle.

Here are Mary and I at the flea.

My first load to the van. It was an awkward load and I had to hold on to the painting on the top.

At least I didn't have to carry a desk and chair like these cute girls.

When I got the van to unload, the only door that could be opened was the one on the driver's side. That took some creativity.

How adorable are these fellow shoppers.

Of course, on Sunday Dad was home going to church, teaching Primary, feeding a neighbor's cats and attending the concert in the park.

Then it's Monday morning and we are loaded to head home. I really had lots more room for goodies, alas, I spent about 60% of what I did last year. Still splitting expenses with Mary and staying with Diana made it all work.

We stopped at the World Market in Las Vegas, and found these cute 'nightmare before Christmas' characters, that reminded me of when Kim dressed up with her boyfriend as these characters for Becca when she was doing a screening for her realtor club.