This week in Utah - June 1 to June 7, 2015

This week in Utah, then back to Burley - June 1- 7, 2015

June 1, 2015 - Monday 

“♪♫June is bustin’ out all over♫♪♫♪

       …all over the meadows and the hills,

         …buds are bustin’ outa bushes and

           …the rompin’ river pushes all the

              …little wheels that wheel beside the mill.

♪♫June is bustin’ out all over♫♪♫♪

     …the feelin’ is getting’ so intense,

       …that the young Virginia creepers

         …have been huggin’ the bejeepers

          …outa all the mornin’ glories on the fence!

      Because it’s June…

           Just because it’s June, June, June!♪♫”

    

Julie cooked us waffles for breakfast,
(Julie needs to teach me again how to load the pictures from my cell phone. Janie taught me once but I've forgotten.)

Then we rendezvoused with David after his morning surgery at the Cancun 'Homemade Mexican Cooking' restaurant... 

...followed by eye examinations by David.   Can you read this row . . . A E C D B ?

How many fingers am I holding up?

Our prescriptions had not changed very much since our last exams in July 2011, just before we left for El Salvador.  We appreciate so much David taking care of our eyes.  He has been with Rocky Mountain Eye Care for 12 years, since he finished medical school and several years of residency and specialty training.

That evening we joined Steve & Natalie, Kimble and Carter for supper--tasty, juicy hamburgers with all the fixins.  Carter showed us one of the twenty games he and friends have helped make for a class of autistic students.  This is his Eagle Scout project. What a great service!

Kimble had taught swim lessons, practiced for the swim team, and life guarded for the first day of school being out and got quite a sunburn.

We all drove over to Willow Park where we had a family home evening about patriarchal blessings.  Natalie told what her patriarchal blessing has meant to her since she received it at age 16. Steve asked me to share what it was like typing the patriarchal blessings that Walt has given in English. (His calling is a Spanish-speaking patriarch.)  

Then he asked Walt to explain what it is like to give a patriarchal blessing.  One experience Walt shared was that before he gave his very first patriarchal blessing, he wondered how he would know which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel the person was descended from.  When he was giving the first blessing, he came to the part that he knew he should declare the lineage, but he didn't know what it should be.  He started: "You are of the tribe of..." and until he said that second "of" he still didn't know, but when he said "of" it was revealed to him.

   

 We ended by roasting marshmallows over the campfire and making S'mores.

Summertime is family time!

June 2, 2015 - Tuesday
This morning Julie talked us into buying a swim suit for Walt. This afternoon she talked Walt and me to go swimming with them at their natural hot springs pool that is part of this original Saratoga Springs residential area.
We were definitely not the normal "sun bathers" in the pool...as we were pretty much covered from head to toe so we wouldn't get sunburned.  

Walt's first description of it: "It wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be."  And I said to Walt: "I'm enjoying the pleasant temperature of the water."
When Walt tried swimming, he discovered that his arms were weak and he had no stamina.  
"How do you feel," I asked him.
"Disappointed," he replied.

But he did several swims back and forth across the corner of the pool where we were.  His shoulders don't function because of torn rotator cuffs in each one, plus other torn muscles.
We enjoyed being there with Julie, Jackson, Madison, and Rigdon. Jacee was taking photos for her M&J series.
We're looking forward to doing it again.

At age 8, Maddie is a very inventive gal.  She made this bead older tonight for her electronic tablet.

Gary came over tonight and finalized the plans for our driving to Elberta, around Utah Lake and by the new Payson Temple tomorrow night.

June 3, 2015 - Wednesday
We met Ross and Karen at "Good Wood" in Draper where we had bar-b-que for lunch. 

Then we went to their home where Karen served us a delicious chocolate dessert she had baked.

Ross & Karen have a beautiful home in Riverton on Margaret Rose Drive.  We have been friends for many years. Ross was Walt's first counselor in the Seventh Ward Bishopric from May 1970 to March 1976.

Ross's license plate holder says: "I'm more than a Utah fan, I'm part of the Crimson Club."

It's always fun to visit with our long-time Burley friends.
They fly to North Carolina June 8 for the graduation of Ian and Max, Aaron and Heidi's twins.  Aaron was just made Captain in the Navy, which is the rank just under Admiral.  He has enjoyed his Radiologist career in the Navy.  He and Heidi and Devan leave in August for a 3-year assignment to Naples, Italy.

Jacee and Maddie had cousins Jasmine and Jada for an overnighter...which is another sign that it's summertime.  They are all such cute girls.  They made some microwave S'mores.

Jackson had fun photo-bombing this shot as Julie was feeding Rigdon.

This evening Gary picked us up to drive south to Elberta, then around Utah Lake.  It is 13 miles wide and 24 miles long.

There are no stores in Elberta, but they do have this little trailer post office.

Elberta is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 256 at the 2010 census.^[3] It is also known as "The Slant...". It was founded as "Mt. Nebo". After the water failed in 1901 most of the early settlers moved away. It was purchased by Mr. Matthew B. Whitney, a native of New York, on November 7, 1907, and Mr. Whitney renamed it "Elberta" after the peach."

I was wrong about no stores, there was this Sinclair gas station and "convenience store" with a "For Sale" sign on it. 

Goshen was just a few miles to the east.  They had some stores, a school, and several homes...Goshen is a town in Utah County, Utah, United States. The population was 921 at the 2010 census.

On the drive there were lots of wide open spaces.

On the east side of Utah Lake we drove by the new Payson Temple.  It will be dedicated on June 7.

A gal was in her wedding dress having her photo taken.  Someone told us that there are many weddings scheduled for the first day the temple is open--June 9.

Here's the architect drawing of it.

We stopped in Payson to eat.  Gary said: "I'd forgotten how good the Chinese food is in a real Chinese Restaurant."  Most of the time he said he only gets Chinese food on the go at food courts in the mall.

We drove the old road through Salem, Spanish Fork, and Springville.  Wished we'd been earlier than after 9:00 p..m. and we would have stopped at our friends' home--Frank and Diane Wall--whom we've served with in Argentina and El Salvador.
We made it back to Julie and John's by 10:00.  What a fun drive with Gary. Walt and Gary have both wanted to make that loop around the Utah Lake for a long time. 

We watched the last hour of the DVD "Pacific Rim" with Julie, John, and Jackson.  It was hard to figure out what was going on, but it was fascinating to see the robots and aliens that someone had dreamed up.

June 4, 2015 - Thursday
Grampa and Rigdon had some good bonding time together...

We drove to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple to do a session. It was our first time to do an endowment session there.

In the evening three of our families gathered for an impromptu pot luck supper...

Steve grilled some chicken with John...

  We enjoy being together, talking and laughing...

Kimble and Carter demonstrated the funny faces for a little boy who sits in front of them at Church...

The kids ate fast so they could run outside to play...

Steve and Natalie invited Jackson and Jacob to be in the photo with them...

Gary, Jacob, and Isaac were going to go buy some fish...

June 5, 2015 - Friday
Maddie had photos taken in her white baptism dress.

We enjoyed rendezvousing with Kelly & Marcia Ogden at the LaJolla Grove at Riverwood in north Provo.   When Marcia posted on face book about it, she included some photos of some of the times we were together when they were the MTC president and wife and Walt and I were the medical area advisor and wife.

When we stopped by the Am. Fork Deseret Book on the way home to get Maddie a baptism gift, we saw Jen's book Be the Chocolate Chip by Jen Petersen Brewer on the shelves near the front of the store.

Jen, I did contain myself and not say loudly: "Attention everyone! Our daughter wrote this book!"
   We can't wait till your new book is on the shelves in August:

next
June 6, 2015 - Saturday

Maddie’s baptism was that morning...

We love being back for these special times in our grandchildren's lives.

Maddie had many family members there to support her in this important day in her life.

John confirmed Maddie then pronounced some special blessings upon her...

At the luncheon following, from our family were Steve, Natalie, Kimble, and Carter...

David, Josh, Sam, and William...

Gary, Kathy, and Abbey, Jacob, and Isaac were in Eagle Mountain where Abbey marched on her color guard team in the Eagle Mountain Days parade.  Then they tried to get McKell's broken cell phone replaced before she left for a few days in St. George.
   They weren't able to get one for her, and also missed the baptsim and luncheon after.  They rendezvoused with David to send some camp things up to Julie who is in charge of getting 40 Young Women off to camp, including Anna.

We appreciated everyone's help....David and Josh came to help carry our luggage and things out to our car before we headed back to Burley.
   Then when we pulled up at our home that evening, a sister missionary and Rachel Weeks who was on splits with her walked by just as we were unloading and they helped carry everything in.  What sweet girls.
Sister Weeks, on the right, has been home just a little while from her Georgia Atlanta Mission and says she really misses it!

We got home just in time to watch The Lawrence Welk Show. It was from 1977--a tribute to New York City, with songs about "The Big Apple."

June 7, 2015 - Sunday

Walt shared his testimony in Sacrament Meeting.  He thanked the many who have helped us since our return and especially after he fell and broke his hip in February. Then he continued:
"I believe God is the Father of my spiritual body.
"I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.
"I believe that the Holy Ghost is a member of that Godhead who helps guide us.
"I believe that Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet of God on the earth today.
"I am thankful for all my sweetheart does for me. I love her very much.
"I believe we were sent to earth to work out our happiness here in this life and for the life hereafter.  
"In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."


A little more about patriarchal blessings...
Painting of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, giving patriarchal blessings to his 12 sons = The Twelve Tribes of Israel.

“ Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light,” 

by Thomas S. Monson

October 1986 General Conference

“Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night. It will guide you through life’s dangers.”

Every worthy, baptized member is entitled to and should receive a patriarchal blessing, which provides inspired direction from the Lord. Patriarchal blessings include a declaration of a person's lineage in the house of Israel and contain personal counsel from the Lord. As a person studies his or her patriarchal blessing and follows the counsel it contains, it will provide guidance, comfort, and protection. 

Declaration of Lineage

A patriarchal blessing includes a declaration of lineage, stating that the person is of the house of Israel—a descendant of Abraham, belonging to a specific tribe of Jacob. Many Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe given the primary responsibility to lead the latter-day work of the Lord.

Filed: Petersen – Walt and Eileen’s week in Utah – May 29 to June 6, 2015

I have a little bit more to finish this post, but it's mostly done.

We pray you have had a restful and peaceful Sabbath Day.
May you find happiness in this life and the life to come.

God the Father is the Father of our spirit...as Our Mother in Heaven is also our Spirit Parent.

Jesus Christ is the first-born the our Heavenly Parents and offered to come to earth to be our Savior and Redeemer through His Infinite Atonement for each one of us.

The Holy Ghost--the third member of the Godhead--helps guide us here on this earth.

WE GIVE OUR HEART-FELT THANK YOU TO EACH OF THEM AND STRIVE TO SHOW OUR GRATITUDE BY KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS AND HONORING 

THE COVENANTS 

WE HAVE MADE WITH THEM.

In the name of Jesus Christ - Amen.

Walter Ray and Eileen A. Petersen - Burley, I D A H O