November 2016

After moving Babs out, and Mitch and Nate taking most of the furniture and big things, there was everything else to clear out. My cousin Ann got involved at this point and was a tremendous help. We took carload after carload to Savers; I arranged for Babs to donate some of her expensive home gym equipment to the University of Utah, we spruced up the yard, and her ward members came and looked through things and took things away too. Her ward is just about the most service-oriented group of people I know. They came and took truck loads of trash to dumpsters, put the stair railing back on after we had the elevator chair removed, and they loaded things off. It felt like the stuff would never end but finally it did. We had painters come, and carpet and house cleaners, and a week after the home was on the market it sold. We finished unpacking Babs into her new place and hung all the pictures on the walls. She was completely settled. Done. After a Fall of focused effort that enormous task was done. Babs loves her new life.

Meanwhile I had several stake YW meetings to plan for 2017 and an amazing Red Carpet YW in Excellence event put on by two laurels. Priests served the attendees fancy o'deurvs while parents wandered the gallery where each YW displayed something they had been working on.

(Tennie's was obviously a last minute effort...)

They received an award stating their individual strengths and contributions to the YW program.

Ceci was sick and missed the event, but we took home her award and goodies.

The Waldorf Winter Festival planning was falling into place; Geoff was stretched with high priest visits and leadership, doing hours and hours of work for a committee he sits on at church headquarters, as well as his normal, busy job. We had dinner one night with old Seattle friends, the Horlachers and Serafins. The Serafins just moved to Utah! (Although we haven't had time to really get together, yet...) It was so fun to catch up with these great friends who were family during those Seattle years.

Here were our kids then (at least those that were born):

And here they are now:

Erica and Davey blessed their beautiful girls, Hannah and Emma. I had to sneak away to a leadership training I unfortunately planned for the same day/time, but everyone else got to stay and have lunch and soak in lots of baby cuteness.

While some cousins were in town we squeezed in a quick trip to do temple baptisms and go to lunch, an "older" cousin privilege.

We went to St. George for Thanksgiving and enjoyed a MUCH needed break. It was still pretty warm that week and we got outside as much as we could. Geoff and I got a massage, and we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. (Or at least the day passed, it was completely uneventful this year.)

We fit in some bike rides that had frequent stops to climb trees and rocks.

Geoff inherited a gun from Babs' move and couldn't wait to try it out. He spent a good while cleaning it and getting it ready. We crossed the border into Arizona's large spaces and shot targets for a few hours. It was good fun, although if we ever depend on our aim for food we're in trouble...

I met up with some old high school, cheer squad friends for lunch, all of which I have just recently reconnected with for the first time in 25 years. It was as if no time had passed and was so much fun.

Then:

Now:

Our Thanksgiving dinner was simple, which is what I prefer. We invited my mom's sister-in-law over since her husband (my mom's brother, Brett) was in the hospital with some complications. He passed away just a few days later.

A wonderful wrap up of Fall.