I love my family!

With the new Come Follow Me program, Roy and I felt inspired to include our children and their families in our Family Nights (one family at a time).  This past week, instead of having Nick to family night, we tended the three girls so he and Sara could get to the temple.  We enjoyed having our granddaughters, even though Avie has decided she's pretty attached to mommy.  Luckily, it was a beautiful evening, though a bit windy and cool, and we were able to spend about an hour outside--Avie was happy in our back yard.

Effie, Grandma and Avie

I told Ori she was really good at crossing the
creek on the rocks, and she said, "your son taught me
how to do it--you know, my Nick."

Selfie with Avie.

Selfie with Effie

We were able to have another theater experience this week when we took Oli and Doyeon to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  The first half of the play was a little ho hum for the adults, but Oli and Doyeon were definitely enjoying it.  The 2nd half got more interesting with a colorful Baron and Baroness attempting to steal the car and capture and export all children.  We're glad we took kids with us.  

Truly Scrumptious with truly scrumptious children!!!

We started out at dinner at Texas Roadhouse (a friend sent me a gift certificate for my birthday).  Doyeon ate better than Oli, and true to expectations, Oli was the first to ask for snacks during the show!  While we were waiting for the check, Roy started playing a game with Oli and Doyeon.  He'd have them close their eyes and stick out their tongue, then he'd put either salt, or brown sugar on their tongue.  After he did that a few times, he mixed them together.  Then Oli picked up the pepper and handed it to me.  I said, "You want to try this?"  He nodded.  I took some and dumped it in my hand and then said, "Close your eyes."  He smiled and pointed for me to give it to Doyeon.

As stake YW president I had another meeting on Thursday, this time it was a Trek meeting--mostly for the ma's and pa's, so it wasn't essential that I be there, but I did learn a few things to help me gear up for the trek coming up in June.  I walked to church for the meeting--it's about a 3 mile round trip walk.  On the first day of trek it will be like walking to and from church twice, and then to church again--only with handcarts.  I don't think I'll be pushing, but I'm planning on walking with the youth.

Roy and I tried out an Italian restaurant that Dan had previously recommended, "Cafe Molise" in downtown SLC.  Roy said afterward that he'd found a new favorite Italian restaurant (I don't think he had any favorites before).  It was very tasty.  I had pork loin with fig compote and he had a dish with homemade noodles that was also delicious.  The best was the chocolate hazelnut mousse cake we had for dessert.  We shared, which was a good thing.  

Andy and Elise were house hunting all week and put an offer on a brand new build in Augusta.  Apparently they worked through the details and were able to seal the deal.  I think these pictures are from Savannah where they went after they were done with the hard work.  It looks like the south to me.  

Beverly was the chosen child.  The boys stayed home with
grandma Jackson

Sunday was busy with meetings.  It was the last ward conference for the year.  The bishop was bishop Robison, who is our dermatologist and whose father was Matt's mission president in Lubbock Texas (He and his wife were in our previous stake in Bountiful).  He gave a great talk.  He told of a spelunking adventure he had in South America where, he said, he found out he was claustrophobic.  He said it was completely dark, and there was one place where he was on his belly crawling and he could feel the top of the cave on his back.  He said they all had headlamps, and it was comforting, but he still couldn't see anything.  When he finally finished the adventure and saw the sun, he said, "I don't think I was ever happier to see the sun."  He compared this to how we all have trials in this life and sometimes it feels like all we have is a little headlamp, but as we turn to the Savior we are given this marvelous light. 

After the conference I had a training meeting with the YW leaders in that ward, then I had another meeting with the youth council about Trek and the upcoming Trek Fireside.  I was pretty tired when I got home, but for some reason I couldn't sleep, even though I tried.  I guess I was a little strung out from being "on" for so long.  The meetings all went well.  At the end, President Ford said that our visiting authority for stake conference at the end of April requested that the YW president of the Stake speak.  He said he responded that I had spoken last time and wondered if it would be okay to ask one of the councilors.  He didn't have an answer yet, so, I might be on the spot for another stake conference.