OUR ANNUAL SEPTEMBER TRIP TO ST. GEORGE ESPECIALLY FUN WITH FAMILY

Each September, we plan a trip to St. George to watch the three shows at the Tuachan Theater there. We always invite Deon and Gary and who ever of my family that would like to attend with us. This year Ed and Deb couldn't come because of school commitments but Don and Dana were able to be with us. Dave and Suzette live in St. George so we spent lot of time with them also. Kathy and Curt Morgan just happened to be there at the same time so they joined us a couple of nights for dinner. 

It all started on Friday, September 7, when both Deon and Gary and Don and Dana came to our house. We attended the BYU football game Saturday night which was a disaster. We lost to Cal State, having scored only 3 points until late in the 4th quarter. A sad display after the upset they pulled off the week before in Arizona. 

Sunday, we got up early and attended Garrett and Kristen's ward at 9:00 and then left for St. George around 11:00. We stopped at Dairy Queen on the way for lunch and were checking into our condo by 4:00. We upped our game this year and reserved a penthouse 3 bedroom suite in the new Estancia World Mark condos in St. George. It was a beautiful unit complete with upgraded appliances, granite counter tops and a jetted tub. The pool area was especially nice, too. As soon as we unloaded the cars and got settled in our rooms we started dinner preparations. We had invited Dave and Suzette over for a tri tip dinner. It turned out that only Suzette could come as Dave was in flight returning from a volleyball tournament. (He helps coach the women's volleyball team for Dixie State.) Dinner was delicious with tri tip, garlic potatoes, broccoli, and corn. Suzette brought a lovely green salad. The potatoes and corn were fresh from our garden and were a big hit. Suzette and Dave returned later that night, once he landed, and we visited into the late evening. 

Monday, we settled in, went shopping, and had lunch at In 'N Out. We then went with Dave and Suzette so Dave could show us the condo units he has been decorating. Don and Dana are especially interested in seeing the available living accommodations in St. George as they are considering retiring there in a couple of years. We loved his work and especially the built in bunk beds he makes. It was dinner at Rumbi Island and then onto the first of three shows. Monday night's show was Cinderella. It was the typical Cinderella story line with a few twists. Very enjoyable.

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary
Kathy and Curt

Tuesday, we just had a laid back morning at the condo's swimming pool. It was nice to just relax. We fixed lunch of cheese sandwiches at home and visited and napped. That evening, we all met at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Kathy and Curt and their friends joined us. It was fun to all be together even though the food wasn't the best. it was Kathy and Curt's 50th wedding anniversary so we had the waitress bring them a special dessert to celebrate. The show on Tuesday was Prince of Egypt....an amazing production complete with live camels and the parting of the Red Sea. 

The whole group at the Mexican restaurant
including Kathy and Curt's friends from their mission

Wednesday, we left St. George and drove to Cedar City to attend the new temple there. The St. George temple was closed so that gave us a good excuse to see the beautiful and new temple in Cedar City. It is a small temple so we had to get there early to make sure we could all get into a session. The sessions only run every hour and a half so we didn't want to have to wait that long for the next session. We were glad we made the effort to get there early as the session was completely full by the time it started. 

We joined Kathy and Curt at the Cliffside restaurant for dinner.  It was situated on the top of the red cliffs of St. George and the views were spectacular. Dinner was delicious also. Paul and I had a salmon that was to die for. It was served with coconut rice and a mango salsa.  We hurried off to our last performance of Matilda. The show was very well done and kept us laughing the whole evening. Each show was so different yet so enjoyable. As we did every night, we had peaches and ice cream at the condo after the show. It was something we all looked forward to.

Gary loved finishing up the sweetened peaches
after eating his peach sundae.

All too soon, it was Thursday and time to say good bye and head for home. We love our annual trips the St. George and especially when we can share the time with family. Our trip home was non eventful until we reached about Nephi. It was then we started noticing billowing smoke up ahead. It got bigger and more angry looking as we got closer to Payson and Spanish Fork. Luckily, it was burning on the back side of the mountain but was threatening to crest and burn toward the homes in Woodland Hills and Elk Ridge. The residents there were evacuated by 6 that evening and remained out of their homes for over a week. The smoke followed us to Heber and by Saturday we couldn't even see our mountains because the smoke was so thick. We were glad when the winds changed and cleared our skies.

Notice the Payson temple in the foreground

A picture posted later in the week showing the extent of the flames

The smoke in Heber was thick for few days

Before our trip to St. George, we attended our Stake Fiesta. Each Fall our stake puts on a stake outdoor party and this year it was a fiesta in honor of the Spanish Branch that is in our stake. We were amazed at the number of people who attended. They planned for 2000 and we think there had to have been more than that. The dinner was a taco salad. There were several inflatables for the children to play on, face painting, fishing booth and lots of other things to involve the crowd. Throughout the evening, a Mariachi band played and at the end of the evening, there were Mexican dancers to entertain everyone. It was quite a successful evening.

This deck are will be an extended kitchen, entry way,
sitting room, and pantry. Where the garage door is now
will be a solid wall for another downstairs bedroom.

Before the BYU/Cal game, Paul and I met Mindi at the home they purchased and are remodeling. We had seen the outside but had not been inside. On that Saturday, we toured the inside and could see the vision Mindi and Jon have but right now it is pretty rough looking. They are tearing out walls, carpets and flooring in the basement trying to get bedrooms ready so they can move in sometime in October. The kitchen is livable as is the living/family room so once they get the bedrooms done downstairs they can be somewhat comfortable there while they finish adding on to the kitchen, changing the front door location, finishing a loft area and a master bedroom, and building a detached garage. It'll be a lot of work but this is the neighborhood Mindi and Jon want to live in and with their effort it could be a very worthwhile venture.

This will be the back door eventually.

Later in the month, we attended another BYU game on Ryan's birthday, the 22nd. We were a little discouraged at first by the way the team played but they got their act together and won 30 to 3. They played McNiese State from Louisiana . BYU had beat Wisconsin in a major upset the week before at Wisconsin. Wisconsin was ranked 6th in the nation until they lost to BYU. After that game, BYU was even ranked in the top 25 but that only lasted until they lost badly to Washington.

It was off to college for Jillian and Charlotte this month. Andrea and Casey drove them both to Rexburg, Idaho to attend BYU-I for one semester. They got them each settled into their new apartments and had to say good bye to them until Thanksgiving. These are our first two college attending grandchildren. So proud of them.

The last Friday of the month, we flew to California to attend, our niece, Kim Sorenson's wedding. We flew into Burbank airport, rented a car, and made it to Deon's by 10:30 Friday morning. We were glad we could come a day early so we could help with whatever was needed. Friday, Deon and I cut up vegetables and finished cutting cheese and fruits on Saturday for the appetizer table. Friday night, we went to the wedding site for a rehearsal and then on to dinner at the family's favorite Mexican restaurant, La Casina. Most all of Deon and Gary's family were there, along with ourselves and their new granddaughters, Jordan and Morgan Howe. It was quite a gathering of 30 plus people. 

On Friday afternoon, all of Kim and Eric's children joined them outside on Gary and Deon's
patio for a painting activity.  Each of the family members were given a different color tube of paint. Each
took turns adding his/her color to the canvas. Another canvas was pressed on top of the painted canvas
then pulled apart to create a beautiful picture. This was to show that combining two families,
each person with unique differences, can create a family unit of beauty. The finish pictures were
on display at the ceremony and the Stake President made reference to them in his talk.

The next morning, we drove to the place of the wedding to help set up tables and chairs. By the time we arrived, Kim realized they were short three tablecloths. We were given the assignment to drive to the rental place and pick them up. We were glad to have something specific to do. The wedding was scheduled to start at 5 and we arrived earlier to help take care of any last minute things that needed to be done. We were there in time to greet Mom and Dad when they arrived. We were so grateful that Sam and Kathy were willing to bring them down to celebrate this exciting occasion with Kim and Eric. 

The wedding was performed by their stake president and was beautiful. The program included Kim and Eric's 6 children singing a song from 'The Greatest Showman,' which was perfect for the occasion. Kim and Eric exchanged vows and then, after pictures, joined us for a sit down dinner. It was an amazing event - the venue was unbelievably beautiful, the wedding ceremony wonderful, and the dinner delicious. We are so happy for Kim.  She deserves to find this kind of happiness after 10 years of being a single, hard working mom. We were glad we could be a part of this grand occasion.

A priceless picture

We spent an extra day in California so we could relax with Deon and Gary on Monday, October 1. We went to Newport beach, sat in the sun, watched the enormous waves crash onto the beach, and had a delicious lunch at a local beach side restaurant, The Beachcomer. The perfect ending to a fun and busy weekend.

And now for Aria and Avery........

Todd and Kailee took the girls to the state fair. 

Todd was the best daddy ever to ride all the

 kiddie rides with Aria.

All ready for church

Before we left for California we had the opportunity to take care of Aria and Avery. Kailee had a hair appointment so after attending a temple session we drove to Lehi to help her out with the children. It was fun watching the movie, Cars and playing with Aria. Avery wasn't feeling very well so she was quite subdued, sitting in her chair quietly until she got hungry. When we got ready to leave, Aria started crying, grabbing onto my skirt, and saying she didn't want us to go. After we left, Kailee texted us to tell us that Aria was in a full sobbing mode because we had gone. She took her to get pizza to get her to calm down. We love that she likes being with Grandma and Grandpa.

EDUCATION WEEK THE HIGHLIGHT OF AUGUST

Every August, BYU puts on an Education Week full of classes to uplift and inform. For the past two years we have not been able to attend due to a cruise in 2016 and our mission in 2017. This year we could attend and were so grateful for that opportunity. It was made sweeter because Deon and Gary joined us as well and Andrea, Charlotte, Jillian, and one of Andrea's friends, Lori Meadows. What a treat to be with family and be able to discuss classes and the things we learned throughout the week. Gary and Deon pretty much stayed with us and went to the classes we recommended whereas Andrea, Lori and the girls each did their own thing. Occasionally, we all chose the same class and were able to sit together then. Our favorite classes were Brad Wilcox who spoke about the Book of Mormon and how we can gain further witness of its truthfulness. Randy Wright has been a speaker we have enjoyed and this year he was powerful. His theme was "Live Life in Crescendo".  He counseled us to find our mission in life and then fulfill it. He said there is no retirement from the Lord's work so we must continue to work hard in whatever capacity we are called. This was good for Paul as he often talks about just wanting to retire after our mission but was not able to because of his call as Elder's Quorum President. Other classes included T.C. Christensen, the movie director, who talked about his movies and the miracles of each one. 

In the Marriott

center waiting

to hear

Brad Wilcox

During the week, we ran into many people we knew but what was especially fun was when Bob and Jolene Minarik found us in the Wilkenson Center while we were eating lunch. What a special surprise. We hadn't seen them since we left Spokane 12 years ago. Bob served as a counselor when Paul was a Bishop and we became close friends. Jon became especially close to Bob in his teenage and college years.  Other people we ran into were Denise and Clarine Hayes and Ron and Linda Burgener from our mission in Moscow, Russia. We also saw Dan Tenney from Spokane. 

With Bob and Jolene Minarik

After Tuesday's classes, we all met at Todd and Kailee's home for dinner. Todd had smoked a brisket, ribs, and macaroni and cheese. I brought baked beans, fruit, rolls, and brownies. Everyone raved about the dinner, especially Todd's contribution. (It even brought Charlotte to tears!) The next evening, we drove to Jon and Mindi's home so everyone could see what they had done in their remodeling process. They had ordered pizza for us so that meant no cooking for me again. Hooray!!!! A great week for sure.

"Mama" Cutler and Charlotte and,
of course, her dog. He was always
in the car when we dropped Charlotte
off or picked her up from Sister Cutler.

Charlotte had come a week early to stay with us. On Tuesday, we attended a temple session at the Salt Lake Temple so she could be with her friend from Pittsburgh who received her endowments. Charlotte was able to reunite with some of her friends from her mission who were also in attendance. After the session, we all went to the Nauvoo Cafe in the Joseph Smith Memorial building for a late lunch. The next day we took Charlotte down to Salt Lake to meet her former missionary companion's mother and spend a couple of day with her and her family. Charlotte referred to the mother as 'Mama Cutler' and had a special connection with her, not only because Charlotte was her daughter's companion and they are like clones of each other, but because 'Mama Cutler' has also suffered from anxiety. She was able to help Charlotte know that coming home from her mission early was the right thing to do. 

After the temple session. Charlotte's friend in the one
in the flowered dress.

On the temple steps

At the Nauvoo Cafe....

On Thursday, we met Charlotte at the Hale Theater in Sandy to attend the musical production of 'Newsies.' It was wonderful and it was thrilling to share it with Charlotte as she is enthralled with musical productions. By chance, we met up with Kathy and Curt Morgan after the performance. We hadn't seen the since they returned from their mission to Washington D.C.  We found out they are going to be in St. George in September the same week we will be there, seeing the same shows at the Tuachan theater.





Andrea and Jillian and Lori flew in on Sunday before Ed Week (Charlotte was already here.) We enjoyed dinner together and then a movie. Paul was to have a colonoscopy on that Monday so he was only able to eat clear broth and lime jello. We had ham and all the trimmings. Too sad for him. He played it for all it was worth, even putting a ceramic figure of Eyore, from Winnie the Pooh, at the head of his place at the table. Everyone got a kick out of that. (It turned out that Paul had one pre-cancerous pallop so it was a good thing he had it done even though it had only been 5 years, instead of 10. He has to go back in 3 years now.)

Other happenings of the month include going to the Wasatch County fair for the first time in the 12 years we have been here. We made an appearance in order to visit Melanie Mair at her jewelry booth. She's been selling 5 dollar jewelry now for a few months and we wanted to support her and let her know we cared about her.  We have been assigned as Jesse and Melanie's ministering couple and felt it was a good time to let her know of our assignment. I bought a couple of necklaces.  

At the machine.....

We had Olivia come spend 4 days with us so she could make her 12 year old quilt with grandma. She's actually 13 but last year we didn't do any 12 year old 'quilt making' celebrations because of our mission. Next year, we'll have to do Lydia, Carly and, maybe, Allison, if we can get her to come.  She's now going on 15. While Olivia was here, we completed her quilt, the majority of which she sewed herself. She had taken a sewing class in school so it was easy for me to turn the sewing machine over to her to do most of the stitching. Her quilt turned out darling. We used smaller 6 inch blocks which meant a little more sewing but it was worth it when we had a finished product.  We took her to see Christopher Robin sat the movie theater in Park City and, of course took her the Dairy Keen for a shake. On Friday, we drove to Todd and Kailee's so we could babysit while they went out on a date. It took Aria a minute to warm up to Olivia but it wasn't long before Olivia had her pretending to be a princess and putting flowers in her hair. We took Olivia home once Todd and Kailee got home. It turned out to be a busy but fun few days with Olivia.

Tying the quilt....

And the finished product.

We celebrated two birthdays this month - Carly and Todd. We took Carly out to dinner just before we picked up Olivia. When given the choice of where she wanted to go to dinner, she chose In 'N Out. Stranger than truth. She had been asking to go there for lunch for a couple of days so was thrilled when we offered to take her. We ended our time together by going to Fro Yo for a cup of frozen yogurt. 

Cute Carly

The last Sunday of the month, Todd and Kailee and family came up for his birthday dinner. He chose Parmesan Chicken for dinner and for his birthday dessert, a layered treat of a short bread crust, a cream cheese mixture, and topped with fresh peaches. It is his favorite. I tried to make it to look like a cake so I made it in a spring form pan. It looked good right after I took the sides of the pan off but then it started drooping. It was also very difficult to cut but it tasted delicious. 







On the last day of the month, we met Masha, from Russia, for a late lunch at PF Chang's. She had recently returned from her 18 month mission to Eastern Russia and was visiting America before returning to Moscow to find a job. It was so fun to talk with her and hear about her mission. She says that, with the new laws in Russia, they couldn't contact on the street but if the could strike up a conversation with someone, and if that person brought up the church, they could invite them to a discussion at the church. She said the average baptisms for one month in her mission was 4. It seems slow but at least the law hasn't completely shut down the work. It was obvious that she loved her mission. Masha is an amazing sister in the gospel and we were grateful she wanted to spend some time with us.

With the end of August always comes peaches. During the last week of August and the first week of September, we bought and processed 6 boxes of Lemon Elberta peaches. We canned 40 quarts of peaches to add to our 4 from last year for a total of 44 for the year. We also did 24 pints for Dad and Mom. (We'll have Deon and Gary take them to Bakersfield.) After canning, we froze 12 bags of fruit cocktail to add to the 3 in the freezer from last year. It was peaches for slush next, freezing 7 bags to add to the 7 bags left from last year. I'm thinking I want to do a couple more recipes of slush to get the total up to about 18. Slush is our favorite. It's always nice when peaches are done for the year. (Note: In September, we bought another box of peaches and froze 8 more bags of slush - total 22 bags of slush)

For most of the month, our skies have been filled with a haze from the fires in California, Nevada and Utah. Luckily, we haven't had the smoke smell but, on some days, we could hardly make out the outline of our mountains. We were grateful for the heavy rain that came at the end of the month which seemed to clear out our little valley. Most sunsets were accompanied by a brilliant red sun. The picture only shows the red around the outside of the sun but, in reality, the whole sun was a deep red orange.



Now for Aria and Avery......


Aria loves her baby sister, Avery. She takes good care of her, especially after she decided Avery was the little frog friend of Rapunzel's. 

Aria is in love with the 'Cars' movies. She loves to pretend she is Lightning McQueen. Her Dad and Mom have to assume the character of other cars in the movies so they can race with Aria. Of course, Aria as Lightning McQueen, always wins. While Jillian was here, Jillian became Sally, Lightning's girl friend, and was Aria's constant sidekick. Kailee took her to see this 'Mator' truck. Aria was so excited.

One more cute picture  of Avery

On the day we babysat for Todd and Kailee, Avery and I were twins.