Beautiful Fall Weather

 We finally got the needed moisture for October.  It started raining some time early this morning and continued until well after two o'clock.  It rained a hard a couple of times and drizzled the rest of the time.  Enough that taking Sprout for a walk or going anywhere did not appeal to me.  It was a perfect day for sleeping in and making cookies.  Neal had gone to the temple this morning to substitute for someone and was very happy when he came in and saw the freshly made cookies.

This is Sprout still cozied in this morning at 6:30 while I was getting dressed for the day.  He is usually up on our pillows but I think the cool morning kept him snuggled on the quilt.

It was also a good day to start a new stitching project.  I finally finished the baby announcement and will just put it away for a some day event.  The beads actually went on pretty fast.  I was kind of dreading that part of the project but it turned out to be pretty easy.  

This is my new project that I just started today.  I loved all the furry creatures.  

Of course it needs to be steamed, a name and birthdate and framed.  I thought it was interesting that the name of the pattern picture is Abigail.  

Lots of October Birthdays

 Taylor's is first, then Mallory, Tucker, Lila Mae, Greg and Peyton.  Mallory made the decision to come to our house and spend the night before her birthday.  Saturday morning she dedicated to finishing up her homework and then the two of us headed to American Fork to see if I could find a new temple dress.  (Which was successful and she found a sweater coat that she fell in love with).  The trip was successful for both of us.  We were hungry on the way down so we stopped at Jimmy Johns and got a sandwich to tied us over until dinner that evening.  Jeff, Lynda, Andrew, Hayley and Alex were coming to our house to celebrate Mallory's birthday.  Annie was bring the dinner along with the dessert.  Glad we were invited to the festivities.  

Mallory's favorite characters from Peanuts.  

Friday night while Neal and Tucker went out to spend the evening with Greg watching the Utah game, Mallory and I opted to go to dinner and a show.  We went to Six Days in August.  Excellent show.  We found this restaurant by the Sandy theaters and decided to give it a try.  Delicious food!  

It was a fun weekend with lots going on and lots of activities.  I enjoyed all the visits and all the fun games along with the delicious meals.  Love having the family around.

A Visit From Tucker

 Tucker came in Thursday afternoon.  One of his friends bought him a round trip ticket so he could come for their annual gathering.  This are all of his high school buddies that get together every year.  He said they had a great time reminiscing and catching up on each other's lives and families.  Of course we played some games while he was here.  One was called Play Nine.  I think Tucker one two of the games and I won one.  Neal's stars just weren't line up.

We had such a good time with Tucker here.  I think his visit brought him some clarity as to what his plans for the future look like.  Going through his divorce has been a real struggle for him but he seems to be moving ahead now with some clear plans.  He wants to move back to Utah as soon as he can find a job here.  As he and I talked, it seemed like the right and the best move.  While he was here we had a visit from Maren who had been working continuous shifts and only had a couple hours to visit with her brother.  We also had a visit from Lyndsy who had decided that she was moving to Las Vegas to live with a friend down there for a few months.  It was nice that Tucker was here to see her off.  

Feeding God's Little Creatures

 I went out this morning to feed the squirrels and the birds and couldn't help but think that he not only sees me, but he also created a plan for the adorable squirrels and birds.  As I filled the peanut feeder and the three bird feeders (that the squirrels raid all the time) I had to smile.  I thought that after a busy day of running through the trees it is nice for the squirrels and birds to find a warm comfy tree to rest their little bodies for the night.  If I were a squirrel I'd pick a big tree to nestle in to sleep.  God is so creative, colorful and meticulous.

Feeding my little friends.

Feeding the squirrels takes a bit of acrobatic talent.  The pole itself is long and heavy and gets really heavy with the peanut feeder dangling at the end.  I have to balance on one foot with the other foot on the end of the pole to support the weight.  

October General Conference

 October General Conference weather was about as perfect as it could be.  The gardens surrounding the conference center and the church center certainly glorified the beauty of God's creations.  I love conference.  It was all about peace, unity and having a relationship with Christ who is our foundation for truth and right.  He and He alone can unite our hearts, make wrong things right and heal.  

I trust Him and I trust in the words of His servants, the prophet and all the church leaders.  I am completely 100% all in.

They also announced 17 new temples:

Sprout's Halloween Gear

 I went to Pet Smart to get some dog food and the manager came out and said that she had a special treat for Sprout.  She gave me a bag that had a new toy, scarf and a treat.  She said to please bring him in when I was shopping so that they could all see him.  Here are a couple Sprout Halloween pictures.

It is the biggest toy he has had and so he has learned how to carry it around.  It has a braided rope across the top.  Very cute.

Post Shoulder Operation Visit

 Neal and I went to St. Marks for his post operation visit.  They took some x-rays and when the doctor came in he pulled up the pictures.  Said everything looked perfect and that Neal was good to start his shoulder therapy.  Here are a couple pictures of his shoulder.

Nice to have this over with and that he is on the mend.  He has had very little if any pain and that is a blessing.  He has to wear the arm sling for another couple weeks and then should be okay to go without.

Canada - Saturday

These are the kind of garbage cans you find all over the area.  Apparently they are bear proof.  

We loved that McDonalds sign had the maple leaf in the center of their "M" logo.

Some of their money.

We got up early Saturday morning and headed back to Seattle.  On our way to the boarder the sun was just coming up and we had the most beautiful sunrise.

We spent an hour and 45 minutes at the boarder crossing.  The lines were long and very slow.

Leaving Canada.

Annie wanted to drive through some neighborhoods in Bellingham to look at homes that were for sale.  We also had just enough time to run (and I mean run) through Pike Place Market for some flowers and dried apples.  We then met Ellie for lunch, returned the rental car and flew back to Salt Lake.  We got home about 8:00 p.m.  with memories to last a life time.  

It was a fun filled and successful trip.  Lynda Ann is an amazing trip planner.  I think we saw everything we could possible fit in considering the short amount of time we had.  Thanks Annie for all your research and planning.  Loved every minute of my time with you and seeing all the sights.  Let's do it again and again and again!!!!

Canada cont . . . . 3rd day

 Friday we were blessed with great weather.  We stopped at a bakery for breakfast and treats.  The bakery was called Purebred.  I think we spent close to $50.00 in there by the time we were done.  The day before we stopped at the Sunflower bakery to get some hot chocolate and a sandwich.  They also had some delicious pastries.  

Our adventure for Friday was hiking the 6 miles around Four Lakes Trail in Alice Lake park.  Here are some fun pictures.

Just me horsing around!

We didn't see the nest but we were warned!

This is a mushroom growing out of the tree.  Looks like a burnt marshmallow!

Gorgeous green foliage of every kind and the leaves were all huge!

We never saw any bears either!

Lynda Ann took some beautiful pictures of the lakes and many along the trails.  

The maple leaves were massive.  We thought we might bring one home but they don't travel well!

We didn't see any bears but we did see this squirrel.

A great long day with over 6 miles of walking.  Home and a movie sounded so good.  

Our agenda for the three days.

The backyard of our rental place.  It was beautiful.  Had a stream running along the back area.