36th Anniversary

36 years! Happy Anniversary! We are in our little apartment and just ate out to celebrate. The grandkids heart attacked us with treats. We are happy to be in our little apartment and have life be so simple right now. Except for house hunting which is hard. And here is a picture of Walter just being cute. Because he is! I am glad that I get to watch him each day. Nate brings him to me on his way to work after he gets the big kids off to school. Amanda is teaching at Oak Canyon and she picks him up. Oak Canyon is right down the road! She then gets home about the same time as the big kids. It is all working out nicely so far. 

Cousin Roma turns 90!

Roma Ellett Kenney had a birthday! It is a big one! So of course her boys threw her a big party! We were happy to go and help her celebrate. She is my mom's first cousin and I have enjoyed getting to know her as well as these other cousins. Roma, Cora (Durfey) Burgess, Clara Bell (Durfey) Pueblo, Maurine (Ellett) Winters and Cora's daughter...

This is Roma, Me and Jeanine Taylor 

This is Roma and her two sisters Janett and Maurine. They all lived across the street from my mom when they were growing up! I am so happy to have met them all and enjoy visiting with them whenever we can get together! Happy Birthday Roma!!

Moving! Again...

Well, Nate and Amanda bought a house in July. Joel got married in August. We could no longer stay in this huge house with just me and Dave. After all this time we are actually empty nesters! we have been house hunting but nothing has come up yet that we can afford or that we like (meaning it would take a lot of fixing up work!). Some very sweet people in our ward offered to let us live in their basement apartment while we house hunt. They only use it for family (thank goodness we are 9th cousins once removed!) and if their family should need it for some reason, we would have to get out. But they didn't see that happening. We told them it could take 6 months! They offered us rent of 500 dollars, but that felt way too cheap to us so we paid them 700, which was still such a bargain for us! We packed up all our stuff and put it in a couple of storage units so we could move into the tiny apartment. Walter was always such a good helper, he loves to use the cob webber! And of course the wonderful men in our ward helped us move stuff to storage AND to our apartment, which thankfully is still in the same ward! We are here a bit longer! More book clubs - yay! The Hansens, Linda and Ted, gave us a wonderful loaf of garlic bread the day we moved in. The opened up and extra part of the room so we could store some things in there and have a little crafting space. Walter loves the new apartment. We feel very blessed to have a place to live while we house hunt! I hate house hunting. We laughed the very first night we sat at the table, just the two of us, and Dave asked me for something out of the fridge, and I just opened the fridge from my chair and grabbed it! It really is a small apartment! 

Lindon 8th Literary Ladies

My last job before our Relief Society Presidency was released was to get a book club started. I asked Meg Gillman to help and we got it started! I hosted the first one and I hope they continue it after I leave! My book was "The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton. I loved this book and couldn't put it down. It starts with the teenaged daughter witnessing a murder (with a cake knife at the sibling's birthday party). She is not the only secret keeper in the story. There are twists and turns and every time I think I might get it, I don't. Ha. Anyway, 13 ladies came and we had a great discussion! Then of course we had birthday cake for treats cut with a cake knife tied with a red ribbon. It was perfect. I am so sad to be leaving this ward and I hope to keep up on what books they are reading! I do hope they will continue this now that it has started.  The second picture is of smoke we can see from the fire in Payson. Such a large fire and not getting under control. Makes us so sad that Payson canyon is getting burnt up. Also, our garden looks so good, hate to leave that behind! 

Daddy Long Legs and cute Walter!

The Hale Center Theater in Orem did the most amazing play! It is one of my favorites now and I had never seen it before!e Daddy Long Legs. So amazing. The set design was incredible and creative as always. And this time there were three live musicians behind those bookcases. A keyboard, a cello and a guitar. Made such a difference! There are only two performers in the play. Daddy long legs and Jerusha Abbott. He pays her (an orphan) way through college with the deal that she has to write him a letter every week (or month?) and she doesn't know who he is. They did an amazing job and I of course loved the music too. I had to see it again so bought two more tickets and Amanda went with me. Shawna Powell came with me the first time. What a cute play. Definitely a favorite! And then there is Walter. He was so cute standing on Dave's hoverboard box and pretending to ride it. We are packing up our house, but I am having book club (the first one for this ward!) before we move! Thus the chairs set up in the background.

Cousin Janet...

My cousin Janet Farnsworth passed away from breast cancer. She was diagnosed in April. She lived in Tooele with a sweet family the Burkes. We met them at her funeral. My cousin Mindi and I were planning a visit to Janet. We live less than an hour away so we decided on a Sunday afternoon visit. Janet said she would love us to visit if she was up to it. I don't know why we had put it off so long to go and see her. But hindsight is 20/20 and I will always feel bad that we didn't go sooner. Saturday, before the Sunday we were to visit, Annette Burke contacted me and said Janet was in the hospital and it didn't look good. They were waiting for her brother Neil to arrive as she wasn't going to last long. Sure enough, she passed away on Saturday the day before our scheduled visit. She took a turn for the worse and then it was over. I felt so bad! My favorite memory of Janet is when I was about 11 or 12 and she was in Moab visiting. She brought me the book "Heidi" to read. She introduced me to Heidi and I have always loved it. Janet was such a happy and loving person. I know she is out of pain and with her parents and brother, but I am sad I can't go visit her and talk more with her. We did visit her right before we moved here or shortly after, I would have to look back at my books to see, but she knew a lot of family history stuff. She is the oldest grandchild on the Farnsworth side. She is the one that taught me that Michael Hala Gale, (our great grandfather) the Hala was pronounced "Aler." I had not know that before! Her funeral was really just a graveside service. Her sister LuAnne (who is also fighting cancer!) was there from Oregon. She, Kathy and Michael made the drive. It was hard on LuAnne and she was so sad to lose her chemo buddy. Annette Burke spoke, Sheri Farnsworth sang, and Kathy spoke. It is hard to have an event like this to bring cousins together, but I am glad for the cousins that were there. Michael looked so much like his dad (my Uncle Gale) it was spooky. We enjoyed a luncheon at the church and were going to get together to visit that evening, but the Oregonians decided to head home. Long drive for them. I was glad we got to see LuAnne too. She is amazing and always so upbeat. I will forever be remorseful that I didn't go visit Janet. I hope she will forgive me and will still greet me on the other side when my turn comes. Some of her things were on display at the viewing. I really didn't even recognize her in her casket. She looked so different to me. Will love and miss her (we did keep in touch on social media and she was always fun).

Dianne Farnsworth Johnson, Larry Farnsworth, Scott Farnsworth,  Becky Farnsworth Rich, Me, Edie Knight Ulloa, Mindi Bell, Robert Farnsworth

Bo Johnson (Dianne's husband) and Bonnie Farnsworth (Larry's wife)

 Michael and Neil, Kathy and LuAnne, their oldest sibling Janet's funeral, and their youngest sibling Owen is passed away. They called them their bookends. 

Relief Society Retreat

September 7th and 8th was our Relief Society Retreat. The presidency went up on the 6th to get ready. It was so fun for just the four of us to be there. Our theme was "Be a Pineapple. Stand Tall, Wear a Crown, and Be Sweet on the inside." We had more fun shopping for pineapple themes and things...and we had a great turn out! I had a big old bed and bathroom to myself that first night! Amanda came up for the day on the 7th and I drove back with her that night because I had my cousin's funeral to attend the next day. I was glad I got to be there for one night and a whole day/evening though. Debbie Lee, our fearless leader (President) and Shawna Powell (counselor) and Carol Clubb (Secretary) are such wonderful women to work with. I did come a little undone however when Debbie asked me to give the prayer the first night with all the sisters because we had a kneel down pleading prayer for one of our sisters who was in the hospital and not doing well. That was really hard and I couldn't believe she asked me to do it! It was very humbling to say the least and it was hard to get through that prayer due to choking up and tears...whew. Everything else was just wonderful and I so love this ward!!  We will soon be leaving this ward (more to come on our moving plans) and it is going to be hard!!  I love pineapples now (not eating them) but for decor and thinking of our retreat everytime I see them!!  Be a Pineapple!

Cute candy treats, Rolos and Kisses

 Debbie worshiping the sun. 

Carol, Debbie, Me and Shawna...love these ladies so much!

Amanda and me