Missy's Wedding and Under the Stars

Today was Missy's wedding in our backyard.

(All the photos were taken just before guests began to arrive!)

Given that her Dad built our home, we were happy to agree to the wedding here. But I did warn Lance that I wasn't creative so I couldn't be asked to help with decorations. They would be welcome to add anything they wanted or move furniture however they liked, but we wouldn't be planting additional flowers or anything like that. I did have the landscape crew come the day before and Dan and I cleaned the poolhouse. But that was about it.

They hired a caterer and flower professional who set up all the arrangements and decorations. So except for table and chair set-up and moving the outdoor furniture to the grass, they didn't have to worry about design details either.

Everything turned out beautiful, and I loved walking out my front door and going to a party that I didn't have to plan, prepare or host. It was great! (We've hosted quite a few of our own events this summer so it was fun to simply enjoy the night!  Let's see... Chris' friends' family BBQ, YW pre-trek s'mores get together, ward young family BBQ, friends potluck pool party, YW BBQ and outdoor movie, Chris' family farewell pool party, Chris' farewell, BYU/U viewing party... anything I'm forgetting?)

Everything was cleaned up and everyone had gone home by 9:30. It was great timing. I finished Marge's Wacky Cake and we ate some leftover wedding desserts, then headed to bed. But it was such a nice evening, we sat on the porch outside our room. I looked at the stars and mentioned how glad I was we'd gone to Lake Powell and slept under the stars for a week. I missed them. And Dan said, "Let's sleep outside!" So he scooched the two ottomans over and we made a bed on the sectional.

It was absolutely Heavenly.

Belated Birthday

Today Dan took the day off in honor of his belated birthday.

First celebratory act was, after getting Nick off to school, going back to bed and sleeping until 9:00!

We woke up to Chris' mission e-mail and the news that he would be calling that afternoon. Yay!

For exercise, we took Kershaw on our walk -- walking the long way up the road and around the canal path through the bridge. (It's a very exciting new route and short cut!)

We had just enough time to shower and dash to our massage appointments. In between our appointments, Chris called! I talked to him for 10 minutes then ran into my massage. 

Dan talked to him the rest of the time and then we caught up on everything 

Chris said over lunch at Nordstrom Cafe.

Back at home we swam and laid out by the pool for three hours. A friend called and invited us to dinner, but we were so happy, content, and relaxed, we declined. 

Instead we rode the Vespa to the food trucks and got lobster rolls. 

We tried to make a 7:45 movie, but it was sold out. So we came home and watched "Our Souls at Night" on iTunes. When Marty came home, he said it seemed like the most boring movie. It was slow-paced, but warm, and starred Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. 

It was a bit sad, but redeeming too and we liked it.

Happy 49, Babe! I love being with you!

Rivalry Day

Oh Ugh! Losing to the U is becoming so common we find ourselves just hoping to not have it be a blowout. Another way to make it less painful, was to invite friends over for a party. Lots of mixed fans and everyone was good sports. Most couples who came were Utes whose kids all go to BYU!



Michelle had the idea that we set up a TV outside. The nights have been so warm, it turned out to be totally perfect! We had the TV going in the family room where a bunch of people hung out, and the other TV right outside where another group and all the teenagers watched. (The sound ran through the outdoor Sonos so was perfectly clear.)

In the morning, Dan wanted me to come with him to the final speaker for their Annual Conference. The speaker was an incredible magician who relates magic to business. As we walked out the door, Marty said yes to the invite to come too!

The magic was mind-blowing and I loved his talk as well on perception = reality (a concept that was drilled into us in my communications classes) and effects vs. results.

We had lunch after and then sent Marty home in an Uber while Dan and I went to Busath to view our family photos. They are so cute! 

Then we hurried home so Dan and Marty could make a 3:00 tee time. It's been a full day!

And for dinner (the game didn't start until 8:15), Marty made Mabodofu. 

I offered to help, but he wanted to do it himself, although he got Nick in on the action, teaching him how to saute the potatoes and peppers. It was fun watching them work together.

Salt Lake Temple and a 49th Bday

When your child says, "Should we go to the temple this week?" you go. And Michelle was able to come too. (She hadn't been to the Salt Lake Temple since they lived in Utah over 20 years ago.) It was extra special for me to be there with both my sister and my son.

We sat down in the chapel, and as they excused rows to head to the endowment room, Marty exclaimed, "I just saw my companion!"  Total coincidence, his mission companion, who recently returned home from Japan and had just arrived in Utah for school, was in our same session. I even recognized him from Marty's mission photos!

After our session, we raced to get Michelle to the airport for her flight home. It's been fun having her here as well as getting to spend time with Morgan. We even got to know a bunch of Morgan's friends who all came over to swim on Monday. AND, now they're all the same age as Marty so he was hanging out with them as well.

Michelle and Morgan were busy all day Monday and Tuesday getting Morgan moved in and set up in her new apartment. I offered to go down with Marty and help him get moved in too, but he declined. He doesn't feel the same excitement for trips to Target and HomeGoods to get cute stuff for decorating. However, Michelle did mention, "I'll bet your mom would be happy to take you grocery shopping and fill your fridge!" and I'm glad she thought of that, because he gladly accepted! So next weekend we'll make that happen!


Today is Dan's birthday but he has a huge work event all day and night. We celebrated with gifts (new golf clubs) in the morning but will have to postpone any other events until Friday when he can hang out. BUT, his company did get him a cake and sang "happy birthday" to him at the big gala dinner!

Weekend Fun, Family and Friends

This sneaky pic doesn't show much but does document Nick 

had boys and girls over for swimming after school!

Bluebird concert at Sundance with the Jones.

We've been talking about joining them for years -- 

it was fantastic and such a beautiful setting!

Taylor and Courtney were so excited we were fostering our friendship! 

Saturday Dan and I finally went on a great bike ride. "Bike w/ Dan" has been on my calendar for the whole summer and it wasn't until now that we finally went!

Sunday Michelle, Morgan and friends & Kurt and Madi came to Utah to get moved into BYU.

EC and Marge also joined us for an end-of-summer dinner out on the lawn catching up. 

It's also the beginning of non-stop zucchini and squash dinner recipe season!

Also, Chef Shaef is making a run for it again.

Michelle and Morgan are staying for a few days. Love having a sister here!

Update! We Spoke to Chris!

We got an e-mail from Chris at Noon saying Chris he was calling at 1:00! New rule that missionaries can't go longer than a week without a p-day. We got to talk for almost an hour! We didn't exactly know how to work Google Hangouts on the computer, so Me, Dan, Nick and Marty all crowded around my phone to talk. Then I recorded him on Dan's phone. Ha, ha! Once we got used to the back noise of all the other missionaries talking in the room to their families, and the lag of the sound vs. his lips moving, it was great!

He's having fun! He said his expectations were much lower for the MTC (CCM) and he's actually really having a good time. He loves the CCM campus surrounded by palm trees and mountains. He likes the food and hasn't had to eat any of the extras he took along "just in case." He loves seeing so many friends from back home.

He loves his district, companion and teachers. He loves wearing the white dot -- meaning it's his first week. He says some guys are embarrassed by it, but he thinks it's cool. (Of course!) The first day there he was a little low, but when he opened the "Elder Shaeffer scriptures" Marty sent with him, there were photos of Marty, quotes and stuff from Marty's mission that really gave Chris a boost.

It's been hard to adjust to staying awake all day (he loves his naps) -- and going to bed early and waking up early. Learning Spanish has been fun and he shared the First Vision with us in Spanish!

He's dying to get his hair cut.

A Small, Small World at the CCM

The neighborhood Mom network is awesome!

Friday was Christopher's first p-day. We were hoping to hear from him, but learned later in the day that they have to skip their first p-day.

However, I got texts from four different friends who were talking to their kids and Chris happened to walk by while they were talking to him!!

From Llilli (Thursday night):
"Sorry it's blurry!! Screenshot 5 mins ago!
Chris said he's doing good. Three days down and he's happy!

"Today is Mac's p-day. He was walking back to his room and his face just lit up -- he saw Chris! It was so fun to see them together for a second. (And Chris's hair looks great!) Chris was only there for a few seconds. After he left, the other elders asked Mac who it was. He was saying "You guys! That's my boy! That's my friend!" He was so happy. He's so excited for Chris to be there. Good friends are the best thing ever -- especially when you're far from home."

Everyone else on Friday --
From Emily: (not sure who sent her this photo)
"Olympus friends"

From Angi:
"I was just FaceTiming Derika at the MTC and she was walking to lunch and she passed by Chris. We got to wave to him and talk to him for a bit. He looked good and happy. So fun to see his cute face even though he doesn't know us. Haha. Derika has been in the CCM for four weeks. Two more to go. She loves it there and says it is really beautiful and everyone is so kind."

From Amy:
"Hi! Just talked to Peyton. He said he sees Chris almost every day and he seems to be doing good!"

Hey, Girl!

I considered going back to sleep this morning... okay, to be honest, I actually did go back to bed after getting Nick off to school. But after a few minutes I didn't fall back to sleep so got up and went for a bike ride.

Usually when I pass someone on a bike (meaning they're going the other way... On my side of the street everyone passes me. I'm not fast and I'm okay with it)...  we give a quick nod of acknowledgment and carry on. Today, however, I passed two ladies and one was wearing the same jersey I was wearing. I smiled and nodded, but she lifted her arm to wave and called loudly across the street, "Hey, Girl!" And it made my day.

We all need a "Hey, Girl!" And we need it often. I had brunch with my friends this morning and we stayed from 10 until 1:00. Talking and laughing. Sharing stories, catching up and planning more get-togethers. One friend's divorce is finally final (after five years of fighting for it), one friend's bishop just got caught for voyeurism, one friend has a child with an eating disorder, one friend is a grandma but also has a young child who struggles with school and said, "I can't talk about it or I'll cry" when we asked how it was going. One friend went all the way home to get her phone (for the calendar) and then realized it was actually at our brunch on the counter. These are just the troubles of the moment. There are many more that run much deeper. 

So getting together to talk and laugh is one more "Hey, Girl." You can talk if it will help, or stay quiet if you'd prefer to forget for just a minute.

But it feels a lot better to be reminded we're all in this together. And sometimes a stranger on a bike shouting "Hey, Girl" is just the boost you need.

Trying to Have a Normal Day

We took Nick and friends boating yesterday after school to make us feel better.

Kind of a "next generation" afternoon, and it did make us feel better. 

Today after getting Nick off to school, I went back to bed for a few hours.

Then I joined my mom, Sheree and Marge for lunch to celebrate an early 80th birthday for Marge. 

Tonight Dan, Nick and Marty made new power boards from boogie boards. 

Power boards have been sold out for a while.

Can't wait to see how they work!

It Was So Sad

It was so sad, I don't even want to talk about it. I'll let the photos do the talking.

First Day/Last Day

Today was Nick's first day as a 9th grader. I didn't remember to take a photo before he left for school, but I did remember to take a photo after school! I told him that the next couple days are going to be all about Chris. But after that he has four whole years of our undivided attention! 😂

Cute glasses! (Made him get his backpack too even though it was after school.)

Dan took Chris and friends boating for their last time (which we thought was last week when they went boating twice). He loved being with them and was so glad to be wearing sunglasses when he teared up just thinking about them leaving.

Courtney and I returned all the clothes I bought for potential family photo outfits and didn't use. And we bought a few things for her as well.

Later I worked on Chris' packing and he had to make some decisions about what he could live without since we were over 50 lbs in each of the big bags. Goodbye to the giant listerine bottle. Goodbye Old Spice body wash and Old Spice shampoo. He wasn't willing to part with even one of the eight bottles of Melaleuca Renew Lotion.

Me: How do you feel about pink tags? Chris: I can do pink.

Just before his setting apart, Dan told me Chris had jumped in the shower (he got a huge rash under each armpit from using a different deodorant). But just then Chris walked in the house in his pink pants and t-shirt. "I had to skateboard for a bit to let off some stress."

But we made it to his setting apart. It was a neat opportunity for each of us to share what was in our hearts with Chris and to give advice. Then Chris shared something with each of us and then was set apart as a missionary.

We went to Itto's for dinner afterward and Crumbl cookies for dessert -- totally forgetting that I'd made a tres leches cake for tonight. From 9 -11 his other friends who had just been set apart came over, along with kids from school and parents to say goodbye. It was nice to be together one last time.


Dan and I climbed into bed at midnight and fell asleep to the sound of Chris playing his guitar.