Party on.....Monday and Tuesday

Monday morning we had to say good bye to Todd, Lea, and their youngest three kids--Ryan, Kaylee, and Tillie.  This made Audrey very sad and she told us that it was not a good day for them to leave because it made her sad.  Lisa pointed out that she would be sad on Tuesday as well, but Audrey really was sad to see her cousins leave.  It reminded me when our kids were all much younger and share those same feelings when we had to go home after family reunions on either side of our families.  I hope they can get together for our next reunion in 2015 and renew their friendships again.  I was sad, too, Audrey, I don't get to see my brother Todd very often either and I missed him when he left (as well as Lea and the kids, of course.  We just need more time!)   (We took a picture of their family but it is one Gary's phone because mine was dead at the time. Will insert later)

We mostly talked and watched the kids play.  My brother Mike who is a professor at Texas Tech headed into Salt Lake to visit with another professor friend who lives in Salt Lake.  He had some extra time so he walked around downtown and discovered the "Jack Mormon Coffee Shop".  He thought that was a catchy name and tried out the coffee and reports that it was amazing.  On face book he took a picture of the shop and posted about it.  He is still comparing new coffee shops to this one he found in Salt Lake.  It makes me smile to think that was one of his highlights in his trip to Salt Lake.  We took my sister Lynette and Lisa with Owen, Audrey and Alison to the bowling alley and had some fun. 

That evening we ate dinner together and played more games.  We did get this picture of my brother, Rick with Dad before they left.  Rick headed back on Tuesday morning.

Dad and Rick

Over the weekend all of our kids were there but at different times.  Scott and Chantel came early on Saturday but then had work, Jessica with Elessia came up after work and joined us at the park on Saturday evening.  Tosha and a friend, Tyler, joined us for games late on Saturday and then again on Sunday evening, Ben was there Sunday and Monday nights for dinner and some games, and then Scott and Chantel joined us for dinner on Dad's birthday on Tuesday in Midvale.  Of course Jena got to be there all of the time and loved it.  Crazy schedules but I was so glad that they all had some time to spend with my dad and the rest of their Giberson extended family!

Tuesday Jena, Lynette and I headed down to Salt Lake with Mike and his daughter, Lisa, and her three little kids to the Hogle Zoo.  We had a great afternoon despite the heat (which actually wasn't bad compared to other places--more about that in a later post.)  The zoo has a Lego display that was quite amazing.  I wondered if I should have encouraged Scott even more in his Lego building.  I didn't realize it could have been a career for him.  Legos have come a long way.

Lego snakes---two of Scott's childhood loves combined

A Lego polar bear



This peacock is so beautiful and even with its coloring
it can blend better than you think into the bushes and shadows.

We have thousands of pictures of the animals
in this zoo so I am not posting all the animals
we saw, but I thought these birds were cute.

Meet Jena Gorilla

Owen loves the giraffes and here they were able to
get close and watch them eat.

On the way out--Jena, Owen, Grandpa Mike and Audrey

After the zoo we stopped for some "upper class" shaved ice on 9th Ave in Salt Lake which were yummy and then headed down the street to the Liberty Park.

Audrey in the sand box

The final event of the celebration was dinner at Beto di Beppo, an Italian Restaurant in Midvale close to where my dad and Karla live.  It is a "funny" and "fun" place to eat and the food is great.  This is the only picture I took and it was when dinner was just about done.  We had 18 people at this meal.  Mike and his family got to spend the night with Dad and Karla in Midvale before heading back to AZ (where Lisa lives). 

Robin and Lynette spent one more night with me and we fit in a trip to Desert Book and the Distribution Center on Tuesday night before heading back to Syracuse.  They left on Wednesday about noon and were able to stop in and see Dad for another time.  They then drove almost straight through to Amarillo with just one stop in Cortez, Colorado for a few hours of sleep.

Then Valerie and I met up at Dad's that evening and spent some time talking about family history together.  Valerie, Lance and Kylie left Thursday by way of Manti and the Pageant there.  I think Mike was actually the last one to return home as he spend some additional time after the road trip to Utah in Mesa with Lisa and her family and Paul and his family.  It is quite fun to watch my siblings as grandparents. We got to see some of their adventures with Mike on Face book.  I think Mike went back to Lubbock the following Tuesday.

And "thus ended the sage of the 80th Party Celebration for Richard Creighton Giberson".  We are so glad to have you for a dad and for all of the great things that you have shown us and taught us and shared with us.  We are lucky that you like trains and games, books and theatre, vacations and baseballs games!  Most of all we are glad for your commitment to our mom, to our family, and to the Church---for these are the things which really matter the most.  Happy Birthday, Dad.  Let's do it again when you are 90.  Love you all!