Temple trip and wedding preparations

Yesterday was a very big day for Linds and Ryan. They both went through the Draper Temple in preparation for their wedding tomorrow. Of course it was all new and different for them, but it was a wonderful, amazing day. We were thrilled to be there with both of them, and so proud of them for what they have accomplished this past year. They have worked hard to get where they are, and we are excited for all that is ahead of them!

Lindsay & Ryan
at the Draper Temple

Bob and I, Robbie, Whitney and Mike, my mom, and my sister Sheri were all there with them. What a special day that I will truly always remember. We so missed having Wilson there with us, but we know that he is doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing as he is serving the Lord on his mission in California.


After the temple, we all went to dinner at Madeline's, which was yummy and so nice to just sit and visit for a bit before the big rush for the next few days.


As soon as we got home, the boys all got to work mowing the lawn.

Bob, Robbie and Wils

Mike and Ryan arrived shortly after this photo, and all of them did their part to make the lawn look beautiful.


And Whitney, Lindsay and I worked on the wedding preparations inside the home, with Wilson looking on. Funny thing, we got this cut-out of Wilson made so that we could have "him" at the reception, and I really need to put him down in the basement (where the wedding prep is all out and ready to go out in the yard). Every time I come around the corner, there he is standing there and it scares me to death! I keep thinking a man is just standing there, waiting and watching. 

Wedding prep
in the kitchen

We are pretty close to having everything ready just to be set up sometime today. We will wait for the large tent canopy to come and be set up, and then we'll try to work some magic on it to make everything look lovely. We'll be doing the major set up today, and then tomorrow between the luncheon and the reception, we will do all of the rest of the decor. Should be fun!

Samson

It is definitely the end of an era for us... our dog named Sam died on Saturday night. He was 13 years old, so had lived quite a long life for a Golden Retriever, but it was hard to see him go. He had had arthritis for a while, and was just a bit stiff, but always acted like a puppy once he got warmed up. On Saturday, when Bob and I went back to feed him, he wouldn't come out of his doghouse. Bob got him out and tried to stand him up, but his legs wouldn't work at all. He just sort of slumped over and didn't even want to lift his head. So sad to see the old man in such a state, but I am grateful it was so obvious it was his time to go. I didn't want to have to try to decide when the time was right... he helped make the decision easier for me.

Linds and Robbie with Sam and another pup

It is amazing how those pets of ours somehow work their way right into our hearts! I thought I was in control, but I had a really tough time. I couldn't even go inside of the vet with Bob. I just said my goodbye to Sam, scratched him on the head, and Bob took him in. Bob is such a sweetie, and totally understands me and my tenderness towards pets, and he just took me in his arms and let me be a big baby for as long as I needed to. Sam was a pretty great dog, actually. He was so sweet and happy and LOVED all of us!

Scout, Sam and Wilson

Sam was the offspring of our first dog, Nick, who was obviously a much darker Golden Retriever. He died when he was 14, so they both lived pretty good lives.

Robbie, Linds and Whitney with Nick

I think I don't want any more dogs... my heart breaks too much when its time to say goodbye to them. 

Samson
1999 - 2012

Goodbye old fella.

See's sees us through life

Need I say more?...

Okay, maybe I do need to say more. Those who "know" See's Chocolates will be able to spot two things about this photo that make them happy. One: this is a 2 pounder, folks; 2: the lid is slightly askew because I had them pack so much into it, it doesn't shut properly. Why the over-packed 2 pounder? We've been going a hundred miles an hour around here going from one project to the next. As we looked at the next 8 days leading up to the wedding, Bob said, "This calls for a 2 pounder". I knew immediately what he said, and of course I agreed wholeheartedly, and as soon as I had a minute to spare, I darted off to the See's shop (yes, we have one in Draper, Utah, which may or may not have a lot to do with why we love it here). 

There you have it. Besides knowing we can accomplish anything together, these chocolates will be just the ticket to getting us through the next week.

Peonies and Personal Progress

The other day, I was wandering through my yard with a clipboard, listing all of the things that needed to be done in preparation for the wedding. The clematis on my little arbor going back to the dog run is in beautiful shape right now. Hopefully it is still blooming in a week. We only have one week from tomorrow til the big day!

Clematis on the dog-run arbor

Tell me I'm not the only one who can be walking through a garden and actually catch my breath at a light pink peony. Oh my. And I always seem to say something aloud, in a sort of whisper. Something like, "Ooooh, you are gorgeous, aren't you?" Most of my peonies are spent, but I still have a couple of plants that are blooming beautifully. I had to cut them and bring them in the house so I could stare at them and smell them all throughout the coming days.

So lovely.

Now I have my three page list of things that need to be done before the wedding... and that's just for the yard prep. I plan on doing some planting today, and we will spend all day Saturday out there getting things all spruced up.

On a completely different subject, for Young Women Mutual last week, we did a really fun activity based on Personal Progress Individual Worth Value Experience #7. First, we looked up all the scriptures, read them aloud, and discussed what they each said. We talked about the special gifts we have been given -- some really obvious, and some that aren't. Then, we had each girl (one at a time) sit in a chair with her back to a large dry-erase board, and the other girls wrote some of the positive traits on the board about that particular girl.

Then, when they were all done writing, the girl in the chair was able to get up and turn around and view all of the wonderful things that were written about her. It was fun to watch her face as she read the board. Every one of the girls just lit up as they looked at what the other girls had written.

Before we erased it and started all over for the next girl, we took a photo of each girl in front of the board, so they would have that to keep. I'll be emailing it to the girls and their moms. Fun activity, and I think the girls loved it! We were able to pass off all of #7, except for the journal writing. They will be able to complete that at home and have their moms sign it all off!

Well, off to my day of wedding lists. I'll be working outside, and also doing some more preparation for the reception. Should be fun!

A second pond?

Bob and I built a pond the summer after we moved into our home -- about 12 years ago! We love hearing the water moving down the little stream and splashing from the little waterfall. We have 16 koi. Some have been with us from the start and are humongous monsters.

The other day, we noticed a leak in a pipe that leads from pond pump up to the top of the stream. As much as we would like two ponds, this is not the time to be filling our yard with a swampy mess. Wedding guests generally don't come wearing waders. So, Bob dug up the area around it.

What is it about a man who knows how to do absolutely everything, can fix anything, and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty?! Seriously. I could stare at this picture all day long. I may have it enlarged and hang it above our fireplace mantel.

Anyway, back to the story. He got in there and saw that the pipe had a couple of holes in it, so he fixed it. Our hope is that there weren't more holes in it. What you can't see in the photo, is the wisteria (the plant that is playfully tickling the back of his head). Its trunk and roots are right behind his arm, and the pipe goes right under and through the roots. So, if there is another leak, my lovely wisteria may have to have some surgery. At any rate, that will have to wait until after the wedding. For now we have filled the hole back in and we are waiting to see if it will dry. We may or may not be crossing our fingers.

From my vantage point on the little bench, I had a pretty little view of our patio.

Okay, that may sound like I was just observing while he was doing all the work. He did do all the digging and pipe fixing, but I was a pretty good water-scooper-outer as the water would fill up in the hole. I'm pretty sure there is no way he could have accomplished that repair without me. But, in the meantime, while I was waiting for the water to accumulate, I enjoyed the amazing view.

Chipmunks on the grill

We decided we needed to get away to the cabin for Memorial Day weekend. We headed up on Friday afternoon. It was a great weekend, mostly spent sitting around and enjoying doing pretty much nothing. The weather was not exactly warm...

Snow at the cabin on
Memorial Day weekend

It made for some cozy fun, though. Our most important task of the few days we were there was to finish up the "pencil puzzle" (a puzzle of hundreds of different pencils in various colors and sizes). Here, Bob is moving so fast in his puzzle work, that his hand is out of focus.

As Bob got the grill uncovered and opened up in preparation for our barbecue dinner, he saw a pile of little wood chips and bits inside of the grill. As he looked closer, the pile was moving -- a nest of five baby chipmunks! They were as cute as could be!

Chipmunks nesting in the grill

Needless to say, we needed to move them out so we could have our burgers. Robbie got some work gloves on and scooped them all up into a cardboard box. We set the box down on the deck near the grill, and continued on with cooking our meat.  The mommy chipmunk kept coming around and scolding us. She found her babies, and started removing them from the box -- to where? Who knows! She didn't want anything to do with the little home we made for her. Maybe next time we go up, she'll have them all back inside of the grill.


We have been so busy around here. Wedding preparations are getting to the frenzy mode. Tonight Lindsay and Whitney are coming over to do some wedding crafts. Hopefully we get a lot accomplished. I have a list that never seems to get anything completely crossed off! We only have 10 days left, so we better start getting things done. We have some yard work yet to do, in the backyard especially. The front yard could be called "ready" at this point.