Reunions with Family and Friends

Making Cookies with Dex and Lulu

Early in November Dex and London/Lulu came over to make cookies with Grandma.  This was a turning point for Lulu warming up and being comfortable with me.  Both kids loved helping to mix, roll, cut out and decorate the cookies.  Lulu especially liked eating the frosting!

When Michael and Shannon returned home from their mission (1 month after we came back) of course we attended their mission report in Orem.  They gave excellent talks and it was good to be with them again and share memories of our Hawaii mission!

Trip to St. George and Sedona

In November we traveled to St. George and met Pam and Roger at Kneaders for lunch.  It was Vetran's Day and Roger wore his flight suit from years past when he served in the Airforce as a pilot.  Lunch was free for Vetrans that day and it was great to see that Roger can still fit into his uniform - go Roger!

 That evening, Kay came over for dinner and Pam and Roger fed us a delicious feast of grilled salmon, baked potato, glazed carrots, salad and garlic bread.  Kay made a yummy pumpkin dessert which was the perfect finish to an awesome meal.  We enjoyed being together and catching up on each other's lives.

Sedona

The next mosning, Hal and I left to go to Sedona, Arizona to meet Bob and Susan Taylor.  We had not seen them since a few months before we left to serve in Hawaii.  Both Susan and I wanted to see Sedona and there were golf courses and good weather there so Bob and Hal agreed.

 Sedona is beautiful with blue skies, interesting red rock formations and pretty green trees that contrast with the red rocks.

While the guys golfed, Susan and I went shopping, exploring and out to lunch.

One of our stops was at a menagerie store that had a little of everything!
The weather was beautiful - not too hot and not too cold!

It was fun to be with Bob and Susan and a great trip.  There was only one problem encountered when Bob had a 3:30 AM gall bladder attack and Susan had to take him to the ER.  The attack may or may not have been precipitated by Bob eating an entire package of  Double Stuffed Oreos and half a bag of Lindt Truffles after dinner that evening before retiring for the night.  The day after Bob and Susan returned home, Bob had his gall bladder removed and is thankfully feeling much better now! 

Preston's Birthday We gathered at Tricia and James house to celebrate Preston's birthday.  We had lemon meringue and Key lime pie - these are Preston's favorite!

 
Preston and Preston 2.0

  We always enjoy being together!

Games and visiting were the entertainment!

Thanksgiving

 Ella and Lillian came over early to help me get the tables set and I had them help me make cheese balls and then they decorated them to look like turkeys.  It was great to have their help and fun to spend some time with them!

 The three little ones - Dex, London and Evie

 Conrad, Hailey, and the Woidkas joined us for the feast.

 Everything was delicious!!

 The remains of cheese ball #2

 After dinner there were electronics (of course), visiting, napping and playing for the kids.

It was a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful family time together!