Harry Potter Week at RISE

 At RISE, for the past two weeks they have been learning about Harry Potter related things.  The director went me this photo of Jena. Loved it!! She has enjoyed her days learning more about Harry Potter including making chocolate frogs and butter beer.  

Halloween Fun--It Is More Than Just One Day!

 After our ward Fall Festival, we began the run of Halloween related events.

We attended the Ballard Halloween Bash where they had this amazing Halloween inspired dishes including Green Mac and Cheese and pumpkin empanadas which were amazing.

On Saturday, we headed to Founders PArk for the Syracuse Pumpkin Walk which was crazy busy but fun.  Jessica, Elessia and the kids joined us but apparently I didn't get a group shot.

The Syracuse Band playing The Monster Mash

Love the polka dot pumpkin

There were about 1000 craved pumpkins plus lots of decorations around the park and lots and lots of people and cars.

Jena had the following Halloween Gatherings:

    Monday, Oct. 27-- Stake YSA Dance in Morgan  (she got home at 11 pm with the biggest smile on her face

    Tuesday, Oct, 28-  at dance  (We provided a Halloween Bingo Gae and prizes)

    Wednesday, Oct.  29--at Institute--no costume but she took treats to share

    Friday, October 31-- At RISE--an all-day party

                                        Then Chili and Scones--the Hall tradition with trick or treating

Jena likes Halloween and it is a good thing because she had a lot of it this past week.

Trick n treating with the grandkids

The Penko Game at the Reinhardts..

Jena said it was too hard to walk in the skirt which
inspired her whole costume this year, but she liked
being a cowgirl.

Abby Pessetto Frazier
 with Ellie and Jena

Checking out something funny on Jessica's phone....you can't really see her in the middle of the kids.

And Grandma Holly's (Hall) witch is back on display!

Elder Jack Neese is Home

 and we were able to attend his Homecoming last Sunday in West Point.  It was fun to meet his parents and also to spend time with the other missionaries who came.  It is so great to see them again.

And Fun Continues...

The next day after we got home, we attended a play at the Jewel Box Theatre at Hale Center Theatre called The Murders of 1940.  I had never heard of it before and had a cute premise of the author writing the script while participating in some of the scenes.  It made me laugh which is fun, although I don't think it is a play I would want to see again.  (Oct. 15)

As we were leaving the theatre, we had Jena sit in the Sister Act photo spot since that show was still going on.  We saw it the following Wednesday in the main stage and loved it.  No one is quite Whoopie Goldberg, but the cast all did a good job and it was fun.  (Oct. 22)

I also started back walking in Jensen Pond and after a two-week absence, the colors were definitely changing into the fall and the morning air was much brisker so I moved to my winter cap.

I just love the colors in these pictures taken on a bit of a rainy day. ( Oct. 16)

It is times like this that I wished I could paint.  I would love to make these colors, shapes, and layers come onto a canvas.  Maybe in my next life----nature is so amazing.  And we are blessed to understand that this earth was provided to us by a loving Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ, for our own growth and learning.  The earth is perfect!!!

Gary and I have different walking paces and morning schedules so we rately walk together...but one morning our cars enjoyed being together!  (Oct. 17)

On October 17, Gary and I had the great pleasure to meet our old friend, Rob Dinsmore and his wife, Sally.  Rob lived on the same floor with Gary as college freshmen and then later entered the MTC on the same day.  Rob went to Brazil.  Rob was the first person who told me that I should consider marrying Gary.  Before they left on their missions, he told me that he didn't understand why we hadn't dated because we would be perfect.  Since Gary had been dating my friend, Jody, I didn't give it much thought although later, Jody also said something similar to me.  Wise friends.  Rob got married later in life and they live in El Paso.  We had never met Sally, but found her easy to talk to and we had many things in common that we love, including travel.  Sally and I got a lot of talking in a brief lunch especially for people who just met.  Rob did good!

Heading to pick up my groceries one Saturday morning (Oct. 18), I pulled over to catch this photo of a balloon.  We don't see them very often around here so that was fun, too.

And later that night while Gary was serving at the temple, Jena and I showed our BYU loyalty and cheered BYU to a victory over Utah.  24-21.  That was a fun game to watch.

And finally, the following Tuesday (Oct. 22), we attended our Ward Fall Festival.  Here is Jena in her cowgirl costume with the skirt she had gotten at the Goodwill in Oro Valley while shopping with Scarlett and Chantel.  Unfortunately, her vest and shirt got held up in shipping but she found another brown shirt to wear for tonight.

So after a fun two weeks of vacationing followed by plays, parties, friends, and a BYU win over Utah, it finally felt like life could settle down and I could maybe get some much needed work done around here. Of course, Halloween was just around the corner.....

And When In Dallas

Of course, I made plans to spend a few days in Plano with my sweet friends.  We attended Plano 4th Ward and loved hearing Charlie Morrell playing the prelude as usual. We saw several old friends and had sweet but short conversations with them. We also saw Darr--who is the father of my nephew's wife, Tosha.  He and his wife were recently transferred to Plano and happened to be in the Plano 4th Ward.  Fun connection (his wife was in AZ for a family event.)

Jena and I stayed with Gemie Martin (Jerry was out of town helping his sister in Idaho) so we got a lot of talking in on Sunday and Monday.  Robynn Thiot came over for a time on Sunday as well.  The Martin's youngest son, Adam, also lives at home and it was fun to get to know him better.  He is a smart and fun young man.

Robynn and Jena sharing a moment

On Monday, Robynn, Gemie, Jena and I hopped in our rental car and we headed off to Tyler, Texas, to meet our dear friend, Julie Copfer.  We were meeting her for lunch near where she worked.  It was wonderful to reconnect with her as well as just being together with these amazing women who I love.  I am so blessed to have them in my life--now and forever.

me, Gemie, Julie, Robynn and Jena in front

Tuesday, it was time to head home, but we made a quick stop at our old house on Singletree.

And there we are ...back in the DFW airport waiting for our flight home.  It was quick, but another great trip.  Family and friends add such a richness to our lives and every opportunity to reconnect is a treasure of memories!

We got back in time for me to make my Tuesday afternoon Zoom meeting for USSC and Jena was ready for her evening dance class...so we stepped right back into life after two quick but amazing vacations.

Time to start planning the next ones.....

View while we waited for Gary to pick us up
from the airport

Up, Up and Away....to the Wedding!

With a quick overnight turn around (with mounds of laundry done and repacked), Jena and I headed to Dallas Texas on Thursday, October 9--this time by airplane (hence the title chosen) and left Gary and Ben home to handle things at home including a flooded bedroom downstairs from rains while we were gone. We were heading to Dallas to attend the wedding of my nephew, Duncan Giberson to his now wife, Sofia in the Dallas Temple.

At the SLC airport

Our hotel in Grapevine turned out to be in walking distance of a Waffle House where we had a nice dinner breakfast and remembered eating there in Arkansas!

Friday--we got to experience Dallas traffic again driving on the LBJ freeway luckily at the back end of rush hour traffic.  It was a bit stressful at times, but I managed okay. Definitely feeling a bit older at moments like this though.

The Dallas Texas Temple is special to us because it is where Jena was sealed to our family for all eternity.  What a blessing that is as it is with all of our kids.

Similar in style to the Boise Idaho Temple on the outside (but not inside, Rick said that they have done different remodeling inside and they are now different.) They were built in the 1980s.

The kiss outside the west doors of the temple after their sealing ceremony in the morning

We then headed home briefly after the picture taking and then headed to the family afternoon of activities which included a ring ceremony, a lunch, games and family conversations.

They had a sweet display of the three sets of grandparents who weren't there at the ceremony because they have passed on.  That was very sweet.  And Sofia's other grandparents who had driven up from Mexico were delightful.

The ring ceremony where they shared their vows.  I wasn't that prepared and spiritually grounded to think this deeply about marriage and covenants when Gary and I got married.

A quick photo with the Giberson cousins in the room! In addition to Rick and Linda's kids (minus Anna who was pregnant with their first grandchild in Virginia), Todd, Lea and their three youngest children were there as well as Valerie and Austin and three of Linda's sisters.

Tana, Ryan, Duncan, Jena, Thad with Kayley and Tillie seated

Duncan and Sofia with the cake cutting

The afternoon events and then the reception were all held at the Botanical Gardens in Grapevine.  It was a pretty spot and we had time to walk around and enjoy the plants and art work.  It was a popular place for photos.  We saw two family groups, a bridal group and a teenager all having professional pictures taken that afternoon.

We liked the butterflies display.

Jena loves adding new cousins to the family.
Sofia is very sweet.

Todd and Lea with their younger three kids and Jena
on a bench in the park

We got a picture by the butterflies together

It was a beautiful day and fun to interact with her family who is from Mexico.  Her sister married an American as well and they currently live in Oklahoma City where he is going to medical school.  So, she will have some family nearby.  She has already finished college as has Duncan so they will settle in the Flower Mound area where he works for the city of Flower Mound.

It was great to head to bed that night after that filled and fun and also very sweet and tender day.

Saturday we headed back to the Dallas Temple to attend a session there with Todd and Lea and Valerie and Austin.  I thought we took a group shot but can't find one in my gallery.  Oh, well.  It was a good session and two people approached Jena and thanked her for being in the temple that day and how they impacted them..;a fairly common experience when you go to the temple with Jena.

We then spent the afternoon at Rick and Linda's playing some games, eating, and talking before people started leaving to catch planes, etc.  We headed back to the hotel and watched the BYU vs. Arizonia game.  Another win, but a late night again.