September Fun

For Labor Day, we took Gramma Lana on a drive up to the Uintah Mountains and Mirror Lake.  The weather was gorgeous (It had been SO hot where we live!  105 degrees and record highs!).  The mountains are my happy place, so it always feels good to drive just a couple of hours and be on a beautiful mountain.

Avery made it to Seattle at the beginning of this month!  She is loving her companion and they are teaching so many and sharing their beautiful light!!  We are so happy for all that she is doing!  It is so fun to talk to her each week.

Grant is in the Madrigals this year.  They sang the National Anthem for a volleyball game and did so good!

Big News!! Ryan got his braces off!

Lots of Cross Country meets have been happening.  It is so fun for us to watch our kids work hard and do their best and keep improving!

Maren is a captain this year for the cross country team.  She is a great leader!

On a Saturday, we drove to Logan for Ryan's soccer game.  We took Gramma Lana along to meet her friends, and on the way home we stopped at the Gossner cheese factory.  Dustin worked for Gossner at a temp job when we were at Utah State doing his Master's. 

We went to a birthday party for Caden Hanchett.

Dustin and I spent a weekend in Pheonix.  He had a work conference down there, so we went a couple of days early so that we could have a getaway, and so that we could see our good friends, Jacque and Tyler Thomas, who live there.

Grand Canyon?

We went to the Pheonix Temple.  It was beautiful!

We spent the hot afternoon (105 degrees) at the Botanic Garden.  It was beautiful!  And so. dang. hot.  Dustin was in plant nerd heaven!

We did not die of heat stroke, so we met up with Jacque and Tyler that night for dinner and the Mesa Temple.  We love them!  Jacque was my roommate for four years in college.  It is so fun to reunite and pick up right where we left off!  Lots of laughing and fun!

We stayed at their beautiful home that night and spent Sunday with them, playing games, eating food, talking and having fun.  They have a wonderful family!  Their oldest left for her mission the week before Avery.  We've always tried to do things within a couple of months of them, like get married, have kids and now sending kids on missions.

Dustin and I checked into his hotel Sunday night and the next morning Jacque came and got me and we went hiking while Dustin started his NRPA Conference.  We hiked the Arizona State A, and once again, we did not die of heat stroke!

We grabbed Dustin for lunch at a delicious taco place and had more fun reminiscing.  I am so grateful for such a great college experience and friends who helped me become who I needed to be.   It is what I pray for for my kids all the time!  And now, 25 years later, Jacque has become a life long friend!  What a blessing!  If we could just be next door neighbors...

I flew home a couple of hours later.  Dustin stayed the rest of the week.  

We got some rain!  And a beautiful double rainbow!

Maren went to the Homecoming dance!

Beauty.

Homecoming was yesterday.  Today, Maren asked someone to the Sadie's dance.  That's how it is done here.  So funny!  She asked by utilizing this ratty old couch that has been on the side of the road near our house for a week or so, hauling it to the boy's house and leaving it on his doorstep.  Good thing they are friends!  Haha!

She wrote the sign wrong... Oh well!  He'll get the point.

And just like that, it is nearly October!  General Conference is next weekend, and then Christmas!! (I'm only kind of kidding)