Catch-Up Blog

We've been busy.. . .that's for sure. I need to catch up, and fill in the blanks. Since our trip back to Nauvoo, we've:

Celebrated several birthdays -- in May: Julie's, Janies, Heather's and mine

in June: Gracie's, Leah's. I haven't been as good as I have in the past about having my camera with me at all times.

Fireside Speaking Assignment -- June 13th to the Utah Valley Single Adults on "Facing Adaptation". We were given this assignment back in February, and have worked on it sporadically. Our audience was a group of about 250 or so adults from 31 yrs. and older. We shared some of our experiences of having to adapt. Dave prepared a power point slide show, and it went well. I was so glad to have it over and finished.

Lots of Reunions -- June 5, Dave's siblings at Cedar Hills' Heritage Park:

Jack and Evy, from California came over for the reunion. It's always so good to see them!

Joyce and Nick had a really good turn out from their wing of the family. Wayne and Marie from Overton, Nevada.

All the little ones had fun playing together on the playground and in the stream.

June 18-21, Sue's siblings and families at Zion Ponderosa:

This was the first get-together we were able to have since Mom passed away in 2001. All of the sibs came except for Starla. We felt badly that she couldn't make it. She was missed by all of us. Here's our picture.

This was an ideal place for a family reunion. Zion Ponderosa is just east of Zions National Park. It's a resort with a variety of lodging options. We rented a large vacation home; big enough for our whole family. Some of the other relatives rented cabins or tent sites. It worked out nice. We all had access to the amenities there, and enjoyed eating together and lots of good visiting.

Here's Grandma Sue -- I look like I was enjoying myself.

We all had a really good time at their beautiful pool site. Two pools with slides and a really big hot-tub.

The kids enjoyed playing together. The water was really cold though, and the adults weren't too excited about getting wet.

There was a nice play-ground.

Zoe's our oldest grandchild. Love that red hair!!!

All the grandchildren enjoyed some horseback riding.

Rylee and William

Gracie and Janie

Andrea and Zoe enjoyed an hour long ride.
Leah enjoyed her ride too.

The Zip-Line ride at Zion Ponderosa didn't come close to comparing with our Zip-Line experience when we visited Puerta Viarta, but the grandkids loved it!

I think this picture sums it all up!

Janie was a little shy about the zip-line, so we just watched --well at least part of the time.

A high-light of the reunion was a 5K walk/run/bike-ride. My brother, Steve organized the whole event, and even printed individualized bibs for all of us. We participated, and even finished! It was fun.

July 2, Sue & Dave's 40th High School Reunion:

On July 2, Dave and I attended our first High School Reunion. It was amazing how many people we didn't recognize. They all looked like a bunch of old, fat people. Dave played 18 holes of golf with a group of old guys that he went to high school with way back in 1970. And then that evening, we all got together for a lot of visiting and a nice meal. I only went to Provo High School for my Junior year, and less than a quarter of my Senior year, so I really didn't ever know most of the people in our class. Dave grew up in Provo, so he knew everyone from Kindergarten through his senior year in High School. It was an interesting time!

Fun with the Grandkids -- We watched Julie's three, Leah, William and Stanley from the 22nd through the 25th of June. Julie enjoyed a nice break when she went to Disneyland in California with a group of her in-laws. We took them to see Toy Story 3, which was really good, and we took them to play in the water fountains at the Highland City Children's Fountain Complex. It was a fun time.

We've continued with our hiking. On the 4th of July, we hiked the 6.5 mile Summit Trail, that's at the top of the American Fork Canyon. It was a good time. Lots of beautiful flowers in bloom.

Fishing with Denton (Dave's twin brother) at Deer Creek Reservoir:

Denton's got a really nice, very comfortable boat that he so generously shares with us. We had a really fun time.

Between the four fishing licenses that we had, we caught sixteen good sized rainbow trout. Dave helped Denton skin and fillet them all. We brought home half of the catch, and had a really delicious fish dinner with Joe and Julie and their families. Gracie and Jane are especially fond of fish. They ate a whole fish between themselves!

Golfing with friends -- Dave golfs most Tuesdays and every Thursday with friends from our subdivision. We've also taken the opportunity to golf with our friends the Mortensens, who live in Layton, and the Jardines, who live here in American Fork. Sue is improving little by little. Sue improved her form and effectiveness by taking lessons through UVU's continuing education program in June. Eight lessons for $50! What a deal!
Pre-China Preparations -- We've corresponded with several couples who have been working in Jinan. We had lunch with Dana and Jay Thein, who have taught in Jinan for two years. They're returning for a third year. So they'll be there with us.

We have our departure itinerary. We'll be leaving the 30th of August to travel to Jinan, China. Our next BIG adventure! If you want to see pictures, click on the link below.

We've planted a garden, and lots of flower plants.

Friend's get-together We enjoyed a fun get-together at the home of Mick and Marie Haws on June 16th with Brian and Pam Ames and Diane and Wayne Shurtliff. It was so good to visit and catch up on all the Dhahran news, as well as all our families comings and goings.

Our 4th of July Celebrations included an early morning hot-air balloon show in Provo, Utah. On the 2nd of July Actually.

You didn't know that we had our own hot air balloon?

On the 3rd of July, Joe and Heather hosted a family barbecue. I brought my black bean and corn salad with lots of garlic. Here's the recipe:

Black Bean Salad with Corn and Peppers (serves 12)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 can black beans and 1 can garbonzo beans)

2 cups cooked long-grain rice, cooled

2 cups corn -- frozen is best -- just put it in the salad and allow it to thaw

2 sweet red peppers, diced. I use one red and one yellow.

1 green pepper, diced

6 green onions, chopped

1/4 to 1/2 Cup fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped

Salad Dressing:

1/2 C. olive oil

juice of 1 lemon (I use 1/3 C. real-lemon)

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp salt

1/4 C. red wine or rice vinegar (or balsamic)

4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. pepper.

Combine all the salad ingredients, and then prepare the salad dressing. Pour it over the salad, and let it sit for a couple hours, stirring on occasion, before serving. Keep it in the frig until you're ready to serve it.

We enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches, water melon, macaroni salad, brownies, and cake balls. It was all very tasty!

My goodness, we've been so busy! And it's been the best time ever!

Stay in touch! We love you all!