TWO TRIPS IN NOVEMBER BRINGS US TOGETHER WITH FAMILY

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Aspen, Jillian and Charlotte

Our two trips this month were to Rexburg, Idaho and to Seaside, Oregon. The trip to Oregon was planned several months ago but the trip to Rexburg was a last minute jaunt. At the end of October, Deon called and said they were going to be in Las Vegas the first weekend of November and as long as they were that close (6 hours) they thought they would come on up to Utah again. Deon suggested that we take a one day trip to see our granddaughter at BYU-I, in Rexburg, Idaho. We jumped at the chance to go and be with Jillian and Charlotte. Deon and Gary arrived on Monday and we left Tuesday morning to drive to Idaho. Once we arrived, we checked in to our hotel and drove around campus, waiting until the girls got out of their classes. We first met Aspen at her apartment. She was excited to see us and to show us her living arrangements. Later, Jillian and Charlotte met us outside Jillian's apartment and we all went to dinner at a Bar-b-cue place. The girls were thrilled to have lots of food to eat for free. We had a great time visiting with them and, all too soon, it was time to take Aspen to her Stake President's office for a mission interview and drop Charlotte and Jillian off at their apartments. We picked them up the next morning and took them to Walmart to shop. Again, they were thrilled to fill their cupboards and refrigerators with food at someone else's expense. We were glad to do that for them as they have worked so hard to earn their money for college. We then drove Jillian and Charlotte back to their apartments, unloaded their groceries and said good bye. It was a quick visit but so fun to be with our granddaughters in their college environment.

 



















Our trip to Seaside (actually Warrenton), Oregon was to meet Andrea and her family at a home they rented for Thanksgiving. We left the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to fly to Portland. After renting a car we drove 2 hours to the coast. We stopped in Seaside for lunch and then drove down to Cannon beach. It is a beautiful beach with large rocks jutting up out of the ocean. We walked out onto the beach to take some pictures then drove through the darling little town of Cannon Beach. We were glad our neighbors, the Sneddons, had told us about that great spot to visit on the Oregon coast. We then drove up to Warrenton, about 10 minutes from Seaside, and checked into the home the Westovers had rented. It was a comfortable home that fit the 9 of us quite well. The Westovers arrived around 5 that evening and after unpacking, and cooking dinner, we played games...not board games but games on the television that connected to our smart phones where we would record our answers. It was fun even though we had to draw pictures with our fingers on our phones. Not easy for sure.

Cannon Beach

Wednesday morning we got up early, had breakfast, and headed down the coast to visit the Tillamook Cheese factory. It had been completely remodeled since we were there about 5 years before. There were some interactive displays that explained the whole cheese making process. Of course, you could still look down through the windows to see the cooking and packaging processes. We spent some time in the gift shop before buying ice cream for all of us. You can't leave the Tillamook factory without having their Tillamook ice cream, some of the best around.

Later that afternoon, we went to see the movie, The Grinch. It was then home to fix dinner and listen to the girls sing using their Karaoke machine. We love listening to these talented granddaughters of ours sing. They blend so beautifully and seem to love singing together. We ended the evening watching the movie Fantastic Beasts, an imaginative movie by the author of the Harry Potter books. It was a little hard for Paul and I to follow as we have not been big Harry Potter fans and have not read the books or watched the movies.

Thursday was Thanksgiving. After a few dinner preparations were made, we left for another movie, a Westover tradition.  We all wanted to see Wreck It Ralph which turned out to be a very clever and enjoyable movie. It was then home to put the turkey in the oven, make yams and cut up potatoes. Casey had brought tables and chairs, tablecloths and cloth napkins, and dishes and goblets for setting a lovely Thanksgiving table. Dinner was delicious as always. That night was a relaxing night of doing a 2000 piece puzzle and watching another movie. 

The 2000 piece Mickey Mouse puzzle completed mostly by Jillian

Friday was our day to go into Seaside and walk Broadway street. We played a group game at the arcade and then walked down to the beach. The sun was out for almost the first time all vacation so we loved being on the beach. We stopped for lunch at Tom's, a local restaurant that specialized in burgers and fish and chips. Paul loved his simple burger with only mustard, catsup, and pickles. It reminded him of the kiddie burgers he used to get at Wendy's in Russia. YUK!!!

At Tom's

Of course, we had to have ice cream from a favorite shop in Seaside

We tried to get into another movie that afternoon but the lines were so long and we would miss the movie by the time we got to the front to purchase tickets.  It was decided that we would go home and eat an early dinner then make the 6:00 shows. Andrea, Casey and three of their girls went to Fantastic Beasts II while Paul and I watched Instant Family. Maggie and Allison stayed at home. After the movie, it was back home to pack and get ready for an early departure time in the morning. 

Saturday, we were up at 5:15 to get on the road back to the airport by 6. We took Charlotte and Jillian with us as they had flights out about the same time as we did. Our flight was delayed an hour so we had lots of waiting time at the airport. When we arrived in Salt Lake, we immediately drove to Provo to attend a BYU basketball game. We spent the last half of the game sitting with Todd and Kailee and her family. BYU lost the game, much to our dismay. Later that night, Paul stayed up late to watch the BYU/Utah football game. We were leading until the fourth quarter when Utah scored 4 touchdowns to win. Heartbreak.  At least it was a blowout as was expected.

Other happenings of the month.......

The day after we returned from Rexburg, Kailee brought up Aria and Avery for us to babysit. She and Todd, most of her sisters, and her mom were going to spend three days in Las Vegas to see the Backstreet Boys. They are in love with them and this time got front row seats. We loved having the girls with us although it was the first time we had had both of them with us overnight. It took a bit of getting use to their schedules but we managed. We did come to realize real quick that we aren't as young as we used to be.

Aria playing with her new toy

 

Loving her cheese sandwich at Dairy Keen.

She was fascinated with the train.

The ball is almost as big as her but she loved playing with it.

Jon and Mindi had to be out of their home by the middle of the month. It had closed at the end of last month and the new owners gave them till the 16th to be out. That gave Jpn and Mindi a couple of extra weeks but on the last day, they needed help in cleaning. We went down on the 15th to do just that. We were glad we could help. Before going to help them clean, we went the Carly's school to see her in a school performance of 'School House Rock.' It was done really well and reminded me of the many years of teaching school and attending school productions. Carly was glad we attended.

During the month of November we watched lots of BYU basketball games and a couple of football games. We watched the first basketball game with Todd and Kailee and their two girls. It was fun to see Aria really get involved in watching Cosmo and dancing the music. 

One Saturday, we went to a basketball game at 4 and then a football game at 8:15. It was terribly cold at the football game but we won so it was all good. For dinner before the game, we went to In 'N Out and ran in to Kyle Sorenson who was just getting off work there. We had a nice conversation as we ate dinner together.

The Sunday before we left for Oregon, we had Vlad and Olya Boloshov and their daughter, Elisa, over for dinner They are our friends from Russia and are here going to school in Idaho. They came to Provo for an interview for an internship so we were able to get together. It was fun to be with them and catch up on all their news. Olya is hoping to get accepted into BYU here in Provo and Vald hopes to get an internship there as well. They love being in America and all the opportunities living in America brings.

And then there's Aria and Avery.........

So Darling!!!