April has been a great month!
We started it off with our MISSION REUNION held over at our Stake Center. We had about 170 people show up!
And we had the best PHOTOG ever!
THANKS TO LORI for coming to take photos!
We spent the night visiting with dear friends.
We noticed we had a color theme going with Whitney Welch...
And a cluster of friends at the end!
We kept the party going at our house all weekend.
We had two of our couples from our mission staying with us, and then Saturday we had a few RM Sisters join us for a "LADIES NIGHT" complete with chocolate and nail painting!
Sunday we said goodbye to our friends and packed our own bags to leave Monday morning for Arizona.
One of our first visits was to the Gutierrez home. Argelia helped me in the Mission Home and is a dear friend! Their daughter left on her mission the same day as Braden, and is now home and engaged!
Their son will be putting in papers soon!
We stayed with Breanna in her almost empty place...our Mission Couples brought much of her furniture and clothes etc up with them this month.
She has lots of attention from Meika and Gus!
One of our next stops was dinner with the Janulis. Would not be a
complete visit without time with our neighbors and bestest friends!
Scott had to get copies in the Mission Office, so we stopped there for a visit.
The Mission Office will become a thing of the past within a couple years...the Church is building this site that will include distribution center, employment center, Mission Office, LDS Family Services etc.
We went over to Mesa to meet up with Cousin Corby for lunch. We always like catching up with him! One of the nicest people in the world!
Breanna invited us to her class for me to read a story and for Scott to share a presentation about other countries we have visited, in preparation for their upcoming International Fair.
The kids were delightful! Breanna has done a great job with them!
Her teacher friend Megan flew up partway through the week and joined us in her place and it was fun to have her around as well!
We left Megan at the school and went to have lunch with our friends the Brodericks and with Dana.
We have dear people that we left in AZ that we are so happy to see whenever we can!
This includes President and Sister Griffin.
We were invited to the Mission Home for Scott to work on some online proselyting things with President Griffin, so it was fun to see them again.
They are doing SO WELL! We just love them so much!
Bre and Megan just hanging out on the blowup bed that took the place of her couch!
And we took the girls to CHINO BANDIDOS for dinner...a favorite place with some of our favorite people! The Hawks saved the day for us medically while we served! He was our Mission Doctor!
The next day we had scheduled a temple session with as many of our Office/Presidency couples as we could get together.
It was a great time in the temple! Dan Morris was in our session directing which was even more special!
Kings, Cherrys, Lyons, Williams and us.
We all went to lunch at Paradise Bakery and were joined by Kyle Harris and his wife Ronnie. They were in the process of moving from Mesa up to Idaho and met us there. Good to see them!
That night we had arranged a mini reunion with local RMs who have relocated to live back in Phoenix.
Jessica with Nathan Clay, Aaron holding baby Keith...back row is
Karalee, then Cameron and Adriane Colovich, Rachel with Zach McCook,
Sister Turville, The Williams, Dahlin Lutz. Font ros on floor: Me,
Bryce Bennett, Talon and Paxton Campbell, Katy Murdock and Scott.
The next day we were back at the Phoenix Temple for the sealing of another RM, Qwinton Brothers. How cool that we got to be there!
We met several other RMs just while we were waiting for the bride and groom...
Dahlin Lutz was with us for the sealing, and Scott Moore and Logan Van Kampen were on a trip to go to the temple with recent converts.
Mikayla Bunnell was also visiting from Rexburg and we met her outside. It is so fun to see RMs when we do not expect it!
This is our beautiful desert temple!!
That afternoon, it was actually cool enough
(below 90) to go hiking with Bre and Megan. We took them to White Tank in Surprise. We love the Waterfall Trail there with its petroglyphs etc.
We were surprised to get to see a big Chuckwalla on a rock that was not scared of us at all.
Some of the desert cactus were in bloom so it was extra pretty in the desert!
We actually do miss the desert sometimes!
That night we went to another local favorite that we have not had time to go to.
WALDO'S!!
Real street tacos and SO GOOD!
We love this family and have followed them and their 2 kids that served missions while we were there!
We were joined by the Thurbers whose daughter Nikki also teaches in SLC Middle School grades, and who was on her spring break as well!
So, we had a wonderful spring break vacation in PHOENIX!!
When we got back, it was time for our monthly RM activity...and instead of a Sunday Dinner, we planned a Saturday Hike and Brunch!
We checked out the same hot springs that we hiked to on Thanksgiving Eve in the snow for our 13 mile middle of the night hike...
Lets just say how much more pleasant this one was!!!
The waterfall coming down is freezing cold, but the hot springs coming up at their base are SUPER HOT!
We had 8 RMs join us this day!
April brought us CAROLYN'S 80th BIRTHDAY!
Her kids did an incredible party for her at the stake center and we came to help.
They really did it up BIG TIME!
It was all just as professional as could be!
You can see that Lizzie and Cody and Tanner Hunter were awesome helpers!
With LeAnn, they kept the trays stocked with food all night long!
Mike and Scott were the FRAPPE MAKERS and then I served it to everyone!
They ARE professionals!
The family even got Carolyn up there leading a song!
Her family is a lot of fun!!
Speaking of fun...they had lots of silly props for photos and this was so funny to see Cody with a mustache!
It's a look...
One more thing that April has brought us is the change in calling for Scott at the MTC.
He was just called as a BRANCH PRESIDENT in an English unit so we are even more busy than ever. Lots of new missionaries each week and that means more meetings at the MTC for us!
We now serve with the Thaynes and Bradfords...nicest couples ever!
This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting Ed and Dana in our home when they drove up to repay the favor of attending sealings...Eddie came to theirs in February and now they attended his in April!
This is Eddie and Tess Gerritsen.
And Dana is hiding behind Eddie...
2 other RMs came for the sealing.
Then I drove the Janulis up to SLC for Ed's first time on Temple Square.
We had a great afternoon there and on a tour of the Conference Center.
Next, I drove them right down to the Payson Temple for our tour.
BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE!!
Saturday morning we got up and braved the colder day and went to show them Bridal Veil Falls.
When we got there, we were surprised to meet another of our RMs and his father. So good to see Eric Turner!
Here we are with Janulis and also with our friend David Jensen who is a doctor here in UT that we knew in our ward in Peoria.
We had wanted to take them all to Cascade Springs up the Apine Loop, but when we got up there, the Loop was still closed, so we opted to hike to Stewart Falls instead!
They LOVED it! I was worried they would think it was too cold or too long, but they reveled in being in the mountains! And the cool mountain air!!
When we got back down, I had brought a tailgate picnic lunch that Scott shared with this little fellow...actually a pretty large bluejay!
As we drove back into Provo, we stopped first at the Provo Temple...
...and next at the upcoming Provo City Center Temple.
So many temples in such a short distance!
So far, it's been a pretty great month!
Best Family. Best Friends. Best places to be together!
I had no idea I had not posted since last APRIL! Lame!
