Denver Trip Day 2--Sunday

We had a nice Sunday morning because this year their church didn't start until 11:00 (last year it was at 9:00), so we were able to sleep in, eat breakfast and get ready without having to rush around...I love that kind of morning.

We are spoiled to have a Bose speaker iHome that we can use my iPod on. At home we always have music playing, especially on Sunday mornings, so it was wonderful to be able to listen to one of my Sunday Morning Mixes while preparing for church.

Kristi had gotten up early to make Jeff breakfast (his meetings start at 7:00am) so there were crepes, berries and an amazing homemade caramel sauce waiting for us when we surfaced.

We definitely don't eat like this at home!

I like seeing Kristi in action as a wife and mother, she is always busy doing something.

This kids were ready first (I wonder why) and looked cute in their church clothes.

We arrived 20 minutes early for church in order to secure a good seat (we have to do this at home too). The church meetings were enjoyable and I took some good notes. The Denver Mission President and his wife spoke in Sacrament meeting about missionary work.

After church Kristi was talking to many people in the halls (and crying of course) so we headed back to the house on our own and waited for them to arrive. Since I had my camera with me I walked around and took pictures of their house and their gorgeous daisies.

It was serendipitous really because I hadn't been out in front of their house yet and wouldn't have thought about it if we hadn't been waiting for them to arrive home. I love taking pictures of flowers (as if you didn't know that already) and was delighted by these daisies.

One of the cute, little bunnies that have become a bane to them showed up to eat the grass. Apparently these bunnies have eaten about $100 worth of flowers and have caused damage to their lawn. It's rather hilarious to hear Jeff and Kristi talk about it and share the lengths they've gone to in an effort to deter the bunnies, none of which are working.

Whitney, Caroline and Sally Jane got busy playing in the play room together.

 

Landon and Annie Kate decided to tackle the new 1000 piece puzzle Kristi bought for our visit. They're brave souls because it means sitting on their knees to do it!

I love the windows in their kitchen, they're big and beautiful and the afternoon light makes everything gorgeous.

I hung out in the kitchen with Kristi all afternoon while she made lasagna and rolls. She really needs a head-set so she can be hands-free on the phone without killing her neck.

I'm very happy I got to watch her make this roll recipe, because they are so tasty it's like eating dessert!

Jeff finally got home around 5:30 and had about an hour before he had to leave for another meeting. It was really obvious to me that while he is fulfilling a huge calling as Bishop of their ward, Kristi is fulfilling a huge calling as well by running their home and helping him at every turn.

I'm bugged I didn't get a good picture of all of us at the table, instead I just snapped a few in an effort not to be obnoxious (I usually regret it when I do that).

After the dinner dishes were done (there were lots of them) we all went for a walk around the neighborhood to walk the dog they were helping take care of. Since Kristi knows EVERYONE in the neighborhood, we weren't even off their property before someone had stopped to bring their family treats, then we walked several houses up the street and were stopped by someone else she knew and on and on about 3 times...it's comical really because it's like this wherever she goes.

I love the color of these Daylilies I saw while on our walk!

Sally Jane was having some flip-flop issues so Kristi carried her part of the way.

The sky here is so beautiful, it feels bigger than at home.

After our walk, we gathered in the backyard to eat the beautiful bundt cake Kristi had made and to hang out talking for awhile.

We stayed outside while it got dark then Jeff finally arrived home from his meetings...Sunday is no longer a day of rest for him!

**What is your favorite time for church?

Do you have a great roll recipe?

Do you often take a walk on Sunday?

Was your dad ever the Bishop?

Comment Window Tidbit: Even though I thought I remembered how powerful the sun is here, it is still kicking my butt! Today it felt like we were just off the surface of it...for real.

Andrew's World

Several weeks ago I was in Payson taking photos for Melinda's family then decided to take the scenic way home rather than get back on the construction-filled freeway. As I was driving down a beautiful country road I passed the group home where Andrew lives (I had never been there before)! I immediately called my dad to see if he had brought Andrew back yet (it was Saturday afternoon) and it turns out they were 20 minutes away, so I waited for them to get there so I could see Andrew and check out his new digs.

Andrew headed into the place without any fuss; this was good to see because I'd hate to think of him not wanting to return "home" each weekend.

He has a very large, private bedroom to call his own.

He has all his furniture, bedding and movies so it looks very much like it did when he lived at home.

His Winnie the Pooh library.

The family photo collage I made for him several years ago.

This isn't the best picture, but it sort of conveys the size of his room and the TV area where he spends most of his time.

More movies! He has dvds and vhs tapes and usually goes through 1 or 2 vhs players a year.

Disney sweet Disney!

Woody and Jessie are always in hand.

Stuart Little was the film choice of the hour.

I love it when he smiles.

Saying goodbye wasn't a big deal.

I think he wanted to watch his movie.

Taking self-portraits with him is always amusing to me.

He seems to be doing really well in his new place and my parents have adjusted too. My mom is enjoying her freedom and is doing more with all the grandkids as a result (woohoo). Of course they miss having him around, but my mom picks him up on Friday afternoons and my dad drives him back on Saturday evenings so it's all good.

**Have you taken the scenic route lately?
Do you still have VHS movies around?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I finally had to turn on the air conditioning yesterday afternoon when our thermostat read 80 degrees! It took 3 hours for it to cool down to 74. I have such a love/hate relationship with summer.