Happy Happenings for Pam and Roger

 Almost ten years ago, our son, Rick, to celebrate his 40th birthday, invited and hosted 

his dad, his brother and his son, Josh, 

to a get-away vacation to play golf for two days at Pebble Beach. 

Roger will never stop talking about the memories he made being a part of that happy foursome!

About five years ago, to celebrate his 45th birthday, he invited the same favorite men in his life 

to Bandon Dunes, Oregon, 

for a 72-hole-marathon at those courses, patterned after golf's first course, St. Andrews in Scotland.

This year, to celebrate his 50th, they traveled to North Carolina to golf three of the nine courses 

at the St. Andrews of the USA, Pinehurst.

He is organizing his photos and hopefully will be posting about the experience, which was

full of stories of good and bad shots, blisters and sore muscles, delicious food, and very memorable fun!

I got to hang out with Jodie and kids while they were gone for three days and nights, 

and loved being with Jodie, my three lovely granddaughters and Blakey.
Last January, BYU invited Jodie to be a presenter at Women's Conference May 1-3, with the topic, 
"The Enabling Power of Jesus Christ."
The talk was to be 25 minutes and Jodie shared it with me for editing suggestions.  
Wow, what an amazing, insightful talk she put together!
Jodie has such a keen understanding of the journey that Heavenly Father 
has assigned her and her family in raising Blake.
Her illustrations of the enabling power that Christ gives them daily were both humorous and tear jerking.
She also included examples of Christ's enabling power that her daughter, Sadie, 
used on her mission to Cambodia.
I want to grow up and be like Jodie!
We all adore her in our family and I knew her talk, to be given the following Thursday, 
would encourage and inspire her audience!

While the kids were in school, I went walking in the Up North mountain air (I do miss that!), 

got in lots of reading, chatting with cute Jodie, going to lunch with Sadie, 

and going to lunch with Jodie and Blake.

One afternoon, we took Blakey to the park.

Next morning, we went to probably Blake's favorite place to go.

We had a hard time pulling him away from watching the live beehive.

He especially liked watching them fly through the tube and out of the opening in the window.

He shopped for groceries and checked each food item out at the check stand. . . 

. . . turned the water wheel, after figuring out how to put a ball in a bucket and watching it dump out on the other side. . . 

. . . and he sent balls on their way downstream.

But I think his favorite was "riding" in the real helicopter outside!

"Hey, when are we gonna lift off?"

"Okay, I guess I'll have to take this thing up!"

The simulator of the rescue helicopter was so real with moving scenery and voiced instructions guiding it to pick up an injured skier. . . 

. . . then back to the hospital.

Jodie treated us to dinner at Slap Fish in Farmington. Yum!

The boys returned late Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, after church, we had a delicious dinner of baked tilapia and Katie made 

chocolate chip cookies for dessert. It's not often that all of Rick and Jodie's kids are together under one roof 

so I wanted a quick pic with them, some of us changed out of our church clothes 

and some were just heading that way.

All three of these cuties are and will be attending BYU and they were in deep conversation about what classes to sign up for.

After the dishes were done, the family sat down for a discussion of "Come Follow Me," 

the new church study guide for us about the New Testament.

Of all of Roger's and my experiences this nine days we were Up North, this was one of our favorites!

The insights these kids (and parents) come up with studying Jesus's parables is inspiring!
Jodie also practiced her talk so her family could hear it.
Laughter and tears.

I had to take some shots of Jodie reading to Blake before bedtime.

I was to head to Women's Conference the following Wednesday, so instead of driving back and forth, 
we drove to Ogden on Monday morning to stay with Roger's mom for a couple of nights. 
We always have fun talking to Grandma Lois and catching up on Roger's family, who all live in the area. 
She is such good company. 
Roger helped her plug into Instagram on her new phone and showed her a few other things. 
She loved looking at all of the back post pics of her kids and grandkids.
I had a hair appointment with Jess on Wednesday morning, then we had lunch with Grandma and headed back to Rick's to pack up.

Last year all my girls - daughters and daughters-in-law - stayed together at the downtown Marriott 

and attended Women's Conference, so we had a similar plan this year. 

Emily had already made plans to stay in Park City with her tennis team and attend the conference, 

but Jodie, Stacy, Missy, Mindy and I stayed in the Marriott for two nights. 

Missy and Stacy planned their flights to arrive at the SLC airport at about the same time, 

and Mindy picked them up, then met Dad and I at the Red Iguana for dinner. 

Most of us even had the same thing we had last year because it was so good- the spring special - 

chicken enchiladas with strawberry mole sauce.

Roger headed back to Rick's and I got in Mindy's new red jeep with my girls and we left to Provo.

My girls treated me and themselves to a pedicure in Provo before we headed for our hotel. 

Stacy taught us her trick when she gets pedicures - she paints a few of her fingernails with colors 

to help her decide which color to pick, then has the nail polish removed. 

We all picked neon-bright colors. Who's old, I say!

Next morning, the day was bright and glorious, as was the inspiration I felt in the sessions. 

The theme was Seek this Jesus.

I tried to take notes and I'm grateful that some talks are online and each instructor is willing to email theirs.

Emily Snyder, a sister to Mindy's husband, Jeff's, best friend in high school, was wonderful!

At 2:oo p.m. in the auditorium at the Joseph Smith building, Jodie drew us all in 

with her warm and loving personality and well-coordinated pics on the screen, run by Rick. 

Jodie had passes, so Rick, Roger, and Jodie's mom and dad came to hear her. 

Also, her sister, Jennie, sister-in-law, Becky, Roger's sisters, Chyrrl, Susie and Shellie 

and many friends from their ward, stake and their past came to support her.

What a happy, loving time we had together afterwards and how very relieved she was that it was over!

Jodie with sister Jennie, who was asked to give the opening prayer.

I said to their mom, Kathie, that this was payback time for raising these beautiful girls!

We celebrated with an early dinner at an upscale pizza and Italian food restaurant, Pizzaria 712.

We shared appetizers of beef short ribs on polenta with horseradish cream sauce . . . 

. . . and burrata cheese with sun-dried tomato and peppers and bruschetta.

We shared arugula salads and three kinds of delicious pizza.

We all shared this buttermilk panna cotta with blood orange, walnut and honey.

So, so good!

We attended a great concert that night in the Marriott Center of four super-talented performing groups 

and met up in the hotel lobby afterwards and chatted with Chyrrl, Susie and Shellie, who were also staying there.

I didn't take many pics, but got this one of Rosalie Ringwood, President Nelson's daughter, speaking in the Hinckley Alumni Center. 

Her topic was, The Prophet Leads Us to Jesus Christ.

She was lovely, down-to-earth and engaging.

Friday after the closing session with J. Todd Christofferson and his wife, Kathy, speaking in the Marriott Center, 

we drove to the Alpine exit and met up with Roger, Rick and Blake for dinner at Spitz for Mediterranean food.

Mindy and Jeff's Addie is performing in community theater in The Lion King, Jr, 

and they got tickets for all of us to go see it.

She really is a talented little girl. 

Recently she sang Popular from Wicked at her grade school talent show and it blew me away! 

She was the cutest singing, dancing zebra ever in this show!

After curtain call, Blakey headed up to the stage. 

When we traveled to the all-inclusive resort in Mexico with Rick and family over Thanksgiving, 

there was a live show every night and the performers 

had the kids from the audience come up during the finales, 

so Blake was spring-loaded to go up there! 

Rog just got a quick pic of Rick and Blake coming back down off the stage, after Blake took a bow. 

He also insisted Rick take a bow, too. 

It was so cute, all of the remaining audience clapped!

Cute cousins - I love Addie's clever costume!

Addie with her pal zebras

Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa were so proud of her!

Addie was so happy that her aunts could see her in this darling production!

After the play, Rog and I headed for St. George and Missy and Stacy stayed overnight with Mindy and Jeff, 

then flew home to Boise and Mesa the next day.

What happy happenings we all enjoyed together!