National Zoo with Kara's Family

 

Kara's family drove through after their beach trip to North Carolina.  I drove down with them to the National Zoo in Washington DC.  It was hot, but a fun excursion.

Miss Ava  :)

It was great to be with their family again!

My trip to Everett, WA

 James has been preparing to move from Washington.  I volunteered to come out and help.  I helped them prepare their house for sale, and watched the kids a few days while James and Tammy flew out to house hunt.

Andrea and Dylan's CT Reception

Despite COVID-19, Andrea and Dylan flew from Utah to Dylan's family home i Connecticut. 

We loved meeting his family, and the beautiful setting for a reception.

 Guests drove by one at a time in their cars to wish them well.

Julia drove up with us from Virginia and Maryland.  Kara's family was only a two-hour drive away, and they drove to meet us there.

We felt lucky to eat at a restaurant outside for lunch, given the current pandemic restrictions.

Andrea and Dylan are such a great couple.  We enjoyed celebrating their January wedding with them in June near Dylan's family.  We felt grateful they got married when they did and averted some of the later restrictions to travel.

Congratulations!!

Family Fun in Connecticut

  We got to play up in Connecticut the day after Andrea and Dylan's reception. 

  Who do you think won the raft race?  Me or Dave?

 Dylan took us for rides around their property in this fun vehicle.

 Fun in 'Pops' pool (Dylan's Grandpa)

Walking in Columbia

 On Saturdays Dave and I have been taking walks in Columbia. It's been hot, but nice to get out and enjoy the ducks and a bit of nature.

Beaded Jewelry

 I have been learning a new type of jewelry making with small, glass seed beads.  Here are a few things I have made:

Memorial Day and Grayson turning One

 We visited with Julia and Matt over Memorial Day.  It's just a couple weeks until Grayson's first birthday.  He was showing us how he is starting to walk. :)

                             We took a nice walk in a park near them in Northern Virginia.

Here we were even on an old road here from the 1700s that George Washington rode.  So much interesting history around here!

Mother's Day 2020

Dave and I enjoyed a nice Mother's day dinner.

Amazingly, a beautiful orchid Julia had given me two years earlier for Monther's Day rebloomed on that very day after months of dormancy.

It was fun to be remembered by my children with a posting

 and some little gifts.  It was a day for celebrating and talking to my own Mom, too.

Happy 36th Anniversary to us!

 

Because of COVID, our plans to go to Utah for our anniversary were cancelled, Dave and I celebrated our 36 years of marriage at home.  No one better to be quarantined with!!

                                                              April 28, 1984.  Logan, Utah

Seminary is suspended

Due to concerns about the Coronavirus, schools in our county (and much of the country) are closed for the next few weeks.  Our church is also suspending church meetings to help contain the virus.  That means that my early morning class of about 14 high school students won't be coming to my house for awhile.  Instead of 6:00am meetings here each school morning, we will begin online classes soon. 

Walk at Centennial Lake

Dave and I were able to get out for a nice walk near Centennial park before we had strict quarantine restrictions for COVID-19. First signs of spring!

Family get together for Andrea's wedding

For Andrea's wedding on January 18,2020, in Provo, Utah, all her siblings gathered. Kara and Luke flew in from New York, Erika and Tyler flew in with Everly from Boise, James and Tammy and four children drove from Seattle, encountering roads closed due to snowy conditions, Daniel flew from Maryland, Julia and Matt with Grayson flew from Virginia.  Andrea had flown to Utah earlier. My Mom and Craig drove up from St. George, Utah.  It was great to have a nice rental house where we could gather.

Relaxing together at the house in Orem.

James and Tammy with their four cute children.

Andrea and Dylan are Married!

 On January 18, Andrea and Dylan were married in the Logan City Temple (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.) Andrea looked so beautiful and radiant in her white dress, and Dylan wore his Army dress blues.

It was a beautiful day.  It was wonderful that all our children could be there with most of their families, along with my Mom and Craig.

 Here she is with her sisters, and Dave and I with all our children (and our new son-in-law.)

We rented a large house in Orem for four nights, and most of us stayed together and had time to catch up with one another.  We feel excited for the chance to get together and celebrate Andrea, and having Dylan join our family!

Christmas 2019

 After Andrea's graduation, she flew home to spend a few days with us at Christmas-before flying to Connecticut to spend time with Dylan's family.  (How do I not have a picture of her?)  The three of us made our traditional gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve, along with the rice pudding with an almond, which Andrea found. The Swedish tradition is that the person who gets the whole almond is the next to be married, so that worked out perfectly, since this was about three weeks before her wedding.

Check out the popcorn on our tree.  I estimate that our kids strung it about 15 years ago.  I keep taking it our and enjoying it year after year!

And here's a picture of James' cute family in Washington.

Andrea graduates from BYU-Idaho

 David and I were able to fly to Salt Lake City and drive up to Rexburg Idaho for Andrea's graduation.  Her fiance, Dylan, also received his Associate's degree that day, but it was Andrea's day to be in the limelight for graduating with her Communications degree.  

We had fun enjoying the festivities with them.  The next day we helped them load their things into Andrea's car, and our large rental car.  We all drove down to Provo, Utah, where they plan to get married in January and live for the next couple years. Congratulations, Andrea.  You really distinguished yourself!