Strictly Business

Stan needed to visit several clients in the Utah area, so Megan and I decided to go along. It was a trip we had planned to do later, but quickly rescheduled when Megan got a job with the fair.



While Stan worked, Megan and I worked hard at shopping for college. Do you know how hard it is to find non-destroyed jeans acceptable for BYU-I in Megan's size and taste? Pretty much can't be done.


I wanted to immortalize this last time "shopping for college" bonding moment.
Megan was in no mood for picture taking. She's never go to make it as a famous person--she was down right rude to her personal paparazzi. Every time I pulled out my camera, Megan took off running.
Over the years, I've done a lot of back-to-school shopping trips with my daughters. Truthfully, I'm going to miss them. Our bank account is not.

In addition to shopping, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Utah.

We visited temple square.

Did you know they now let you walk right up to those iconic temple doors and take pictures without being dressed like a bride? There are even lots of helpful, name-tagged people who will snap the shot and chat with you. Just think, Megan, in ten years you can come back in your wedding dress and take some better pictures.

We drove by the duplex Stan and I lived in while residing in Provo.

We lived in the right side from 1977-1980.

Megan and I drove down to Payson and visited the cemetery where Mom and Dad are buried. This is the first time I've seen the complete headstone.

Here is the back. I haven't been in Utah since Mom's funeral.

It's odd to be here and not see Mom.

Grandma Kenison's headstone, just to the right of Mom's.

As we left the cemetery and started back to town, we passed Peteetneet school, which has been turned into a museum. I thought it would be fun to stick my head in and take a peek at Mom's old classroom.

Other than the oak moldings, doors, and windows, it didn't resemble Mom's old room, although I can still picture the classroom the way it had been, with desks, bulletin boards, books, and various things Mom had done to make it into the perfect classroom for first graders.

The people running the museum remember Mom, and were excited to give us "a little tour". Ten hours later, Megan and I had been shown every square inch of the building, including some I'd never known existed. (Did you know Peteetneet has a basement?) Poor Megan gamely endured the tour, but I'm pretty sure she would rather have been out somewhere eating dirt. I'm sorry Megan, I owe you. I just couldn't think of a polite way to say "Um, could we have the Reader's Digest version of this tour?"

This is the stairway outside of Mom's room, where Judy and I went to find paper and supplies to do Mom's bulletin boards and make copies of worksheets for Mom, using those old machines with purple ink.

We even toured the lunchroom/gym, home of all the pictures of Payson's beauty queens for the last 60 years.

It's good to know Judy lives on in Mom's old school, there on the right.

We drove by our 515 South 300 East house in Payson, quite changed from the old days. The peace roses are gone. The beautifully cared-for landscaping is buried under years of untrimmed bushes and trees and a summer's worth of weeks--I think Oma would cry to see it.

Instead of that beautiful Linden tree in the front, there's a large truck. I hope they are re roofing, and not using the front lawn I mowed so often for a parking lot. Those sidewalks and landscape timbers weren't doing much for me.

I'd love to look through the house to see how it's been changed inside.

One thing I must say about Utah--they have A LOT of frozen yogurt and ice cream places. Even so, Megan and I were puzzled to see this revolving black double-dip cone atop of Jimmy John's.

David and Bonnie were so nice to take us in with very short notice. They are the perfect hosts. That explains why I was forced to politely eat ice cream with them. Ignore that happy look on my face--that's just more me being polite as I pick a flavor (or two or three or four) of ice cream to sample.

 Just between you and me, David seems a bit obsessed with ice cream. Thank goodness it's not a family trait--I, for one, seldom eat ice cream.

 Yes, I "borrowed" this picture. Dave, just be happy I didn't ask Judy to provide me with one.

 After Stan finished his business in Utah, we headed up to visit Krew. Isn't he a cute little guy? He makes us laugh, with all of his funny OCD quirks and "Sorry Mommy" "Sorry Daddy" when he misbehaves. 

I'm more than a little concerned to have these two girls in the same state. They seem to bring out the naughty in each other. Megan, Jessica, it's not too late for me to put you in a timeout...

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

After several fun days spent enjoying Brinlee, the time came to go home.  Yea, it was hard not to ball as loud and long as Brinlee as I drove away.  I had to force myself to think of this Brinlee, the one with McKay's gangsta-style diapering.  That made me giggle a bit.

 I'm guessing Brinlee will grow into those newborn diapers about the time she hits Kindergarten.

Warning! Boring scenery and gardening pictures ahead!

I love the drive between Rexburg and Billings at this time of year.  I remember how Mom always made me put my book down and take a look out the car window at the beautiful scenery when we drove to the Tetons when I was a kid. I hated that. Maybe we appreciate nature's beauty more as we age--I know I do.

This year the rivers are high and the grass is green.

There are still pockets of snow.

I paused a few times to take a close-up look at Heavenly Father's garden.

There were amazing amounts of different kinds of flowers,

some of which I didn't notice until I parked the car and walked out into the fields.

There were several fields of this particular flower in full bloom.

This is a close up of the field above.

After enjoying all these flowers, I could hardly wait to get home and see if my garden had survived my absence. 

Yes! Megan did remember to water!

This is my very favorite flower in all of my garden--a pink peony. I wish it bloomed all summer long.

Red Peony

Spiderwort

Pink Yarrow

Sweet William

The roses have started to bloom in various colors-

peach

pink

white and pink

more pink.

Strawberries--can Homemade Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream be far behind?

The tomatoes grew a foot while I was gone, but

all of my vine vegetables are pitiful.  This may be "the year without squash".

Look what else happened while I was MIA--the new bathroom at the duplex got a window

and the walls got texture and paint.

Well now that I know the world won't come to an end if I leave home,  

I can think of at least a couple of reasons to leave home again!

Brimful of Brinlee

We are just sitting around, enjoying the cuteness of Brinlee.

Before Brinlee could leave the hospital yesterday, she had to pass the car seat test. She had to sit in Krew's old infant car seat for at least 1 hour and remember to keep breathing and, well, living. Sometimes small babies have a problem with car seats.

Brinlee passed, but we're all a bit worried that she is going to outgrow her car seat soon.

Here's Brinlee in her cute "going home from the hospital" outfit.

Brinlee practicing her ballet moves.

Ashley and her entourage tried to escape the hospital this way, but got a scolding from the nurse who sent us all back to the room until someone could take Ashley out 

this way. Apparently you become an invalid after giving birth.

When we got back to the Pearson's, I dug Rover out of the trunk for Krew. I think Krew will keep him.

Ashley's cousin, Crystal, was also due to have a baby on June 29.  Easton was born just after midnight today.  He's 8 lbs 13 ozs, a bit bigger than Brinlee.

Here Easton is getting ready to slap Brinlee for sticking her tongue out at him.

There's nothing as sweet as a newborn, is there?

What do you think? Ashley, above at 2 weeks, Brinlee, below at 2 days.