Time for Giving Thanks!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  Maybe it is the food, or the opportunity to relax and share time with family, or the reflection on my bounteous blessings.  Whatever the reason I love it!

I have tried each day this month to post something I am grateful for on my facebook page.  One blessing leads to another and before you know it I am overwhelmed by the multitude of blessings I enjoy!

This is our year to have the family come for Thanksgiving dinner so I have been busy cooking an preparing for our feast. I invited my parents to join us and they accepted so there will be 14 of us at this year's celebration.  I sent each family an invitation to the feast!

As I reflect on our traditional menu I realized that we love salads--7-layer green salad, fruit salad with pomegranate, and 12 layer "lead" jello.  Add green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and turkey with fresh cranberry relish and you have a great meal.  Mom is making homemade rolls and I found a silicone mold and made turkey-shaped butter!  Ad an abundance of pumpkin pie and we have the makings of a feast!

Robins' Spooktacular!

This year we held the first ever Robins' Halloween Spooktacular.  I sent out invitations to all the ghosts and goblins inviting them and their parentals to join in the fun.

We gathered at the appointed hour and busied ourselves creating monster  and witch hat cookies, bone bread rolls, and jack o'lantern pizza for the little people.

While our dinner was cooking, we colored and cut eyes in paper rolls and loaded them with glow sticks to put spooky eyes in Grandma's bushes while we trick-or-treated.  All too soon the parentals arrived bringing with them our costumes and lots of hungry appetites.  We enjoyed our pizza while they ate chili and bone bread.

 After dinner we donned our costumes and lots of pictures were taken!  Welcome to our zoo--a giraffe, elephant, and monkey with a princess to enchant us and Spiderman to defend us!  We set off for a fun night of trick-or-treating with our parentals!  Returning home about an hour later with full treat buckets and treasured cousin memories!  Happy Halloween everyone!

Football Fever

We have had season tickets to BYU football this fall. It has been so fun to watch the games, eat a meal at Molly's and stay overnight at the Residence Inn, our home away from home. Kind of like multiple mini vacations with my best friend! Love you babe!

Visiting the Pumpkin Patch

Katie and I took all 5 kiddos to a pumpkin patch in Farmington while the guys were attending General Priesthood meeting. We drove west on Glover Lane--so far west we were about to give up ad then we saw it--8 acres of pumpkins! There was a kid sized maze of hay bales and a variety of painted boards they could put their faces in. There were lots of prime spots for taking really fun pictures and we tried to take advantage of each of them!

My favorite memories: Shyann choosing the first and largest pumpkin she came across and rolling it into the cart because we told her she couldn't have a pumpkin she couldn't lift! Ashton insisting on getting one for each member of his family. Zac choosing a very small totally green pumpkin--it is my "small pumpkin". The two babies loaded in Katie's wonderful double stroller and smiling the whole night! We had a great time and I loved spending the night with the grandkids!

On the set with David Betterman!

Tonight we travelled to BYU to attend Honors Night.  It is a welcome orientation for incoming freshman.  Why were we going you ask?  To meet David Betterman!  Shae Hunsaker was working on this program all summer and David Betterman was none other than our very own B-rad Robins!  We didn't know what to expect but thought we would go to support both of them.  Besides we could check out where our season football tickets were after the show!

When we arrived at the set (Marriott Center) the band was playing.

David Betterman made his grand entrance and after doing the BYU "Top 10" settled in behind his desk to interview his guests.  He interviewed a variety of the school leadership and they discussed issues new students might face concerning the honor code such as:  cheating, dress standards,  dating challenges, etc.  After each segment David would break for commercial and the 'Honor Code Angels" would drive home the point of the interview.

"That's against the Honor Code, That's against the Honor Code, That's against the Honor Code!"  Thanks to Brent Wesson, Emily Van Bloem and the other angel!

Even Cosmo the Cougar made a guest appearance on the show.  His tumbling stunts were amazing!

After the show Shae and David Betterman posed for pictures with guest Tyler Haws, BYU basketball player, and Cosmo.

A one-on-one photo with Cosmo the Cougar.  Only a celebrity the caliber of David Betterman and the show's director were given this opportunity.

David was sporting new BYU cufflinks on his french cuff shirt!  A nice detail.

A close up shot of David's note cards.  David only had a script for the top 10 portion of the show, the remainder was spontaneous!  I was amazed by his level of energy, poise in front of the camera, and the way he engaged the audience and the guests.

Up close and personal with David on the set.

David interviews Kevin and Shae, the program director after the show.

After the show the four of us walked over to the football stadium to check our our season football seats.and the new video scoreboards.  The freshmen were forming a human "Y".  It was impressive to watch it form and  then watch "the wave" start at the bottom, travel to the top and then back down to the bottom of the Y.  Thanks for a wonderful night Brad and Shae--we truly are a  "Better Man and  Better Woman" for having attended!

Brigham City Temple Open House

Today, Katie and I loaded up Zac and Taylor and drove to Brigham City to attend the temple open house.  We parked at a lot and boarded a bus which dropped us off at the temple parking lot.  Zac loved riding on a bus for the first time. 

Once at the temple we watched a short movie about the history of temples and the Brigham City area and then donned the white shoe covers for our tour of the temple.

First stop was the baptismal font or "swimming pool on top of cows" as Zac called it!  He was fascinated by it!

The murals were beautiful!

When we reached the celestial room, both Taylor and Zac were tired and hungry.  I kept thinking we had really pushed their limits, but a very special thing happened.  As we entered the celestial room Taylor became very calm and seemed fascinated by her surroundings.  She kept looking around and upward.  I found myself wondering what thoughts were going through her little mind.

The peach blossom detail was present both in the windows and on the detail of the building on the outside--symbolic of the peaches for which Brigham City is famous!

Loved the detail in the stairway.

Beautiful grand entry.

Katie lifted Zac up so he could see his reflection in the mirrors.  She explained that she and Daddy were married in a room like this in a temple.  Zac's response--"I want to be married in a temple too!"  Hold that thought little man!

At the end of the temple tour Zac loved the "temple cookies" and water while Taylor enjoyed her lunch.  We then walked around the temple and posed for pictures at the front fountain before boarding the bus to return to our car.

A beautiful setting and a wonderful memory.

Thanks to Katie for joining me on the "temple field trip".  It is challenging to bring two little people on an all day adventure but it was a treasured memory for this grandma!

Off to Pickleville!

Brad invited me to join Shae and Angie Hunsaker on a day trip to Garden City to see "The Hanging of El Bandito" at Pickleville Playhouse.

Since we had tickets for the 1:00 p.m. show they picked me up at 9:30 a.m. and we set off for the north country.  It was fun to get to know Angie better as we chatted on the ride up to Logan. We stopped at Einstien's in Logan for cinnamon/raisin bagels and juice before continuing on to Garden City.

It was my first trip to the Pickleville Playhouse established in 1977 by Grams and Grandpa Larsen, relatives of my boss, Paul Larsen.  It is a rustic intimate theatre located near Bear Lake.

 It was fun to see so many familiar faces:  Whitley Osborne, Megan Bagley, Eric Sackett, Derek Davis, Jessica Jenkins, T.J. Davis, and Whitney Davis.  They seemed genuinely excited to see familiar faces and to have us in the audience.

Shae, Jessica, Derek, Brad, Eric

 After the show we were hungry so we drove back to Logan and went to one of Angie's favorite "Aggie hangouts", Francesco's for their lunch special:  a 6 inch pizza and salad.  It was delicious!

All too soon I was being dropped off at home and the rest of them continued on to Provo.  It was such a delightful way to spend a summer's day!

Wickedly Wonderful!

We have had our tickets to the Broadway tour company production of "Wicked" for almost a year and finally the big night arrived!  Words can't describe the excitement and anticipation that was going on among the family.  We gathered for a delicious dinner at Olive Garden to relax and enjoy the company of family.  It was so fun to have all the adults together for an evening.  Not that we don't adore the grandkids but sometimes it is just fun to have adult conversation without interruption!  Plus it is rare that everyone is able to join us at the same time!

Rick and Tina

This is the first opportunity Rick and Tina have had to see "Wicked".  It is fun to watch and feel their anticipation and excitement.

Me and Brad

Kevin was at dinner and the show but didn't want to pose for pictures!  You know me--never miss a photo opportunity!

Mark and Katie

The show was wickedly wonderful!  Glinda and Elpfaba's voices were superb!  Glinda was--well "blonde" and was the best I have seen yet!  Kevin surprised me at the end of the evening with a black witch hat Elphaba necklace.  It even has green peridot crystals (my birthstone)!  Thanks babe!  It was a perfect evening--thanks to my family for making it happen!  Love you guys!

Tomato Harvesting

Zac and Taylor came to spend the day while Katie and Mark attended a sealing at the Draper temple and a luncheon afterwards.  Today was a beautiful, warm summer day so Kevin and Zac ventured into the garden to harvest the tomatoes which were there in abundance.

After some basic "grandfatherly" instruction about picking the red ones and not tossing or dropping them, but gently putting them in the basket, Zac began to help harvest the tomato crop!

What a great helper!

Zac in the garden.

Many of the plants were taller than he is!  It was fun to watch him carefully pick his way through the forest of tomato plants in search of a red tomato.  He even helped pick the green peppers and the cabbages.

Analyzing his first picked pepper.

"I did it!" he would exclaim as he placed his harvest carefully in the basket!

His victory pose!

 The head of cabbage is larger than Zac's head and probably weighed close to 5 lbs. 

Just call him "Farmer Zac"!

LDS Conference Center Tour

 I have lived in Utah most of my adult life and it is an amazing place to live!  I decided to take a field trip to the LDS Conference Center and take a tour of this magnificient structure.  I persuaded my best friend, Shauna Steed, to join me on this adventure.  So we packed our cameras and headed to the conference center.

 The pictures of this amazing venue do not begin to capture the immense size and grandeur of this facility.  

 This quote is on a portrait of President Gordon B. Hinckley and was taken from the dedicatory prayer he offered at the dedication of the conference center.

 On the second floor is the Arnold Friberg gallery.  A collection of his paintings depicting events from the Book of Mormon are displayed there.  It was thrilling to see the original art I have come to love from Primary days.

 There were etched glass windows with the beehive, symbol of the state of Deseret.  It holds special meaning for me as my great-grandfather, Henry Maiben, supposedly designed the original beehive at the request of Brigham Young!

The fountains and waterfalls are breathtaking!

 And the skylights are spectacular!

 The view from the roof was all I had hoped it would be!  It provides a beautiful view Salt Lake City, especially temple square!

The rooftop has a beautiful fountain and water feature as well as a marble etching on the north end.  I was surprised to see native plants and trees in the gardens on the roof.  Out guide explained that it was in honor of the pioneers and the valley that welcomed them following their westward trek!

The Shauna's and their personal tour guide!

It was a wonderful tour and I am so glad I took the time and opportunity to explore this magnificent structure.