Interpreter Christmas Party

Rick sometimes complains that all of the interpreter/Deaf get-togethers are only for the girls (Girls' Night Out, Girls' Christmas Party, Girls' Hiking Trip, Girls' Camping Trip...) So he said he wanted to host an interpreter party for the interpreters AND their spouses!! We kept this one only for the interpreters, and not the Deaf, because we knew the spouses wouldn't come if the party was all in sign language! Those who came were Kelly and Curt Bunting, Andrea and Ben Luikart, Rick and I, Shauna Evans and Cari Shakespear (they both came without their husbands and so they are pretending to be a couple in this picture, haha), and Tiffany and PC Harding. 

Rick fixed a delicious salmon dinner with potatoes and vegies. Others brought side dishes and dessert. Ben brought his own food because he hates salmon. We will have to remember to fix something else next time! We tried playing a game that Tiffany brought, but it was complicated enough that no one picked up on it very well -- partly because we were all distracted and wanting to visit. If we do a game next time we might have to choose something that doesn't require any kind of concentration, haha! Several couples stayed and visited for quite a while. It was fun to get together! 

Girls' Hiking Trip at Capitol Reef!!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend last weekend with these amazing ladies during our hiking trip at Capitol Reef!! It was so refreshing to disconnect from technology for a few days and enjoy God's beautiful creations!! Thank you to everyone who made it happen!! Here is a little breakdown:

Sunrises: 3

Car breaking down: 1

Hikes: 6

Miles hiked: 24

Miles driving: A lot!

Highest step day: 30,757

Friendships: 12

Memories: Countless!!

New Lunch Group!!

Last year Jenna was in a lunch group called "Lunch Bunch," with her group of friends. One of the moms headed it up and sent out a signup sheet through "SignUp Genius," for all of the moms to sign up. It worked out great! I really liked it because then I knew that Jenna was getting a good meal for lunch. When she didn't have a place to go she often skipped lunch (which is definitely NOT healthy) or went out to eat with friends, which wasted a lot of money. So the lunch bunch was really helpful for her and her friends to socialize and also have a great home-cooked meal ready for them. 

Well, by the end up the year, Jenna wasn't hanging out as much with that friend group, and during the summer she started hanging out more and more with Ethan and his friend group, and other childhood friends from the neighborhood. I really wanted her to continue with the lunch group, but thought it would be better if we started our own group with this new group of friends. We contacted Clarissa and Anna to see if they wanted to switch over as well. So today was the first day -- at our house with Hawaiian Haystacks! This group went strong all year! Such a great group of friends!! 

Ethan Allred, Jenna Jensen, Clarissa Williams, Sam Bolton, Cache Nielson, RJ Stephens, Seamus Purdy, Kyle Crouch, Andrew Rowan, Anna Ence (and Cortnie Kendrick, but she didn't come today). 

Robbie and Deb Robinson!!

Rick has wanted to go visit Robbie Robinson for a long time and meet his new wife. Rick has always been really good friends with Rob and Michelle Robinson, ever since he met them on his mission. Some time after Michelle passed away, Rob met and married Deb. Since we were going to be in Vegas this weekend, Rick thought it would be a good idea to stay overnight at a hotel and then catch a flight to California go visit Rob and Deb. So that is what we did! We flew to California and rented a car and drove it to Upper Lake, which was quite a ways away. We met them at their trailer home and then went to a nearby diner for lunch and had a nice visit! Then we went back to their home and Rick felt prompted to offer to give them priesthood blessings. They accepted and were extremely touched. It was a neat, spiritual experience! On the way back Rick thought it would be fun to stop by the Cannings home to surprise them. I tend to think it is always better to call or text first, but Rick is a "drop in" kind of guy. Well, unfortunately they weren't home. That is why it is a good idea to ask first! Rick took a picture of us in front of their home and sent it to them. We stayed overnight at a hotel and then flew back to Vegas and drove home Sunday night. (Hopefully I have all of my facts straight. I am writing up this post several months after it happened.)

Josh Groban Concert

Rick and I went to Las Vegas for dinner and the Josh Groban concert with our friends, Laurie and Kyle  Larsen. Laurie was in Sunburst Singers with Rick in college. The live in Henderson and so we thought of them when booking our tickets and asked if they would want to join us! 

After dinner we were just chatting it up at the restaurant thinking we had plenty of time (we had checked the distance from the restaurant to the concert and it was just a few minutes). But we didn't take into consideration that we were walking, not driving!! So then we were booking it, walking as fast as we could, to get there on time! We barely made it into our seats just before the concert started! 

Josh Groban has such a beautiful voice and we love his music! We enjoyed the show, except we didn't enjoy Josh Groban's language! There were times when he threw in swear words that I felt was totally inappropriate for a nice concert! So we probably won't go again because of that. But other than that it was a fun getaway and double date! 

Jack-O-Lanterns and Field of Screams

Since Jenna's birthday was this week she decided to have a get-together with friends. They all came over to our house to carve pumpkins. The jack-o-lanterns looked great! She also made a carameled apple bar with caramel and a variety of toppings. After carving pumpkins they all headed over to the Field of Screams for the haunted corn maze. Fun night! 

Owen's Loop Trail

Today was an active day for me! This morning I went on a 4 mile brisk walk with Allison Williams. It has been a while since we have gone walking together and so it was nice to catch up! The kids were still out of school for a teacher work day and so Jenna invited me to do Pilates with her. Then tonight I did another 3 mile hike with some friends! So I got LOTS of steps today! 

Tonight we met at the Brook's Nature Park to do the Owen's Loop Trail at 5:30 for our hike. (Note to self to google BROOK'S NATURE PARK, not Owen's Loop Trailhead when trying to find the trail!) I have done that hike before, but it has been a while. It is a pretty hike that overlooks the city. The temperature was perfect and it was fun to be active while visiting with friends! It was starting to get near the end of the hike, but we had come prepared with flashlights. It was fun! 

Sledding and Galantine's Party

Josh went to Flagstaff, Arizona yesterday with the Madrigals for a Jazz Festival at Northern Utah Arizona. They sang three songs and got a 33.5 out of 35, earning them a superior rating! Unfortunately Josh is not one to take a lot of pictures, so no photos, darn it! 

Jenna went sledding with the Young Women in Pine Valley this morning. So she was in snow this morning and in hiking in the sun at Snow Canyon State Park in the afternoon -- same day! 

She decided to throw a "Galantine's Party" for all of her friends this afternoon evening. The girls dressed in Valentine's dresses -- pick, coral, white...  and made a cute little picnic, complete with jello in tiny little containers and martinelli's. Since it was way too many girls for my Subaru, Caprina's parents agreed to take the girls in their party bus (RV). The girls ate their picnic, hiked around, and took a few pictures. Jenna said that they were going to take more, but decided to "live in the moment" instead. They got back and then continued their adventure at our local park. I am so grateful that Jenna has such good friends! 

And what did I do? Put some ear buds in with my latest audio book and cleaned the house! I started this audio book called "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman and plowed through the whole book! Now, on to the next one in the series!