Cousins at Cherry Springs

 It's always fun when cousins get together, and generally lots of silliness ensues.  The girls were bored with playing dress up, so I decided to take them to Cherry Springs for a walk.

 We were excited to find that there's a new area to play, complete with a climbing tree, rope swing, and easy access to the river.

 The climbing tree was irresistible, and even I had to try it out.

 

 Ellie was excited to catch a Monarch butterfly, and I was excited to catch a picture of it as she released it.

 Drama at the amphitheater.

 Snake grass mustaches.

  Farr's Jungle Retreat was the perfect place to cool down.

Lunch with Sister Hansen

Maren and her first companion, Sister Anela Hansen, worked together so well and became very close, so I wasn't surprised when she sent me these instructions:
"If you're ever in Utah visit her. She is literally the best! Anela Hansen. Find her on Facebook, call her, be her friend, LOVE HER!!!"

I was planning a trip to Salt Lake with Becky, so I contacted Anela through Facebook and set up a time to go to lunch.  I met Anela and her mother, Leah, at the Gourmandise Bakery in SLC, and we visited for a couple of hours.  They felt like instant family, and I didn't want our lunch to end.  Leah is from New Zealand and is one of the warmest, kindest people I've ever met.  She loves politics, so we had some things in common...other than our wonderful daughters!

 Anela is amazing...truly amazing!  She's so beautiful and talented and spiritually strong.  I instantly loved her and could have spent hours talking about the Kazakhstan mission with her.  She had so many wonderful stories to tell me about Maren.  According to her Maren is a spiritual giant and braver than anyone she knows.  That's always fun for a mom to hear. Anela is a beautiful singer and has a YouTube channel with at least 24 songs she's recorded.  She's good enough that I'd buy a CD today if she had one!

I'm determined to keep in touch with these wonderful ladies and hope to see them again soon.

Exploring Pocatello

It's amazing that I've lived in Pocatello for 46 years, and I've heard people talking about Chink's Peak many times, but I've never been there.  Emma and I took off driving on a Sunday afternoon and wound up at the top of the mountain, now called Chinese Peak.  What a view!  I need to get out and explore more!

Old friends are the best!

 Samee Barney and Martie Bunderson were Becky's and my best friends in high school, and we have so many fun memories together.  It's always fun when we're able to get together again. This picture was from about 8 years ago at Applebees.

 Samee Beck lives in Pocatello, so Del and I go to dinner with her and her husband Jeremy every 2 or 3 months.  Martie Hill lives in Texas, though, so we don't get to see her nearly as often. 

 Samee and I had fun in the photo booth at our last class reuinion.

Martie came to visit again, so we had a long breakfast at I-Hop with lots of laughing and catching up.  I sure love these ladies!  I'm sure we'll still be getting together til we're blue in the hair!

Gifts from Ireland

 Who knew Chris was such a great gift giver?  He seems to have had so much fun picking out just the right gift for everyone, and we absolutely love them!  For Maren he picked out a "Justice for Gingers" tote and pin that she will find hilarious!  She also got a green wool scarf for when the weather in Kazakhstan gets chilly again and a beautiful leather journal.

 Chris got his dad a tweed cap and flies to go fishing.  Since Del has lots of Irish ancestry it suits him perfectly!

 I got a beautiful pendant necklace. It's made with Connemara Marble, Ireland's only natural gemstone.  Perfect for a geologist's daughter who loves jewelry!

 Emma got spoiled with a leather journal, a silver dolphin necklace, and a beautiful metal hair clip.

 Chris bought Devin a gorgeous pocket watch with open work and Celtic design.

 For himself, Chris got a nice jacket and scarf and a Sherlock Holmes pipe, which he says will be great for his bubbles.  What a sweet guy!  We all feel spoiled now!

Happy Birthday to my Honey!

Breakfast in bed...

 A thoughtful, homemade gift...

a sarcastically funny homemade card...

some great reading material...

 and a new razor!

Yep! It was a great birthday!

Wonderful neighbors

 We seriously have the best neighbors ever!  The Brobergs (Scott and Jen now) and the Bob and Kaye Frossard are the kindest people you'll ever meet.  When Bob turned 80 I made him a layered Boston Cream Cake.  He said it was the best cake he'd ever eaten, so of course I've tried to remember his birthday every year after that, because who can resist such high praise?

 This year for Bob's 84th birthday we took Jen, Kristen, and Seth Broberg with us and delivered dinner and cinnamon rolls and sang Happy Birthday.  He seemed to really love it, and we loved it when he serenaded us later.  He plays the guitar and sings really well, so we always enjoy having a sing-a-long. 

 We sure love these two, and we hope they have many, many more birthdays!