Between and After (Weddings and Graduations)!

With Londyn's wedding one weekend in May and Maddy and Ben's high school graduation the next Thursday, we decided to drive to Sedona for a couple of days and nights instead of driving back to St. George, then returning so soon after. We had never been to Sedona and this plan also allowed us to attend the two graduates' Baccalaureate and seminary graduation.

So, Monday morning, off we went!

Sedona

True to form, I'll begin with pics of some of the delicious food we enjoyed. Our first evening, we ate at a concierge-recommended Mexican food restaurant, Javalina's Cantina.

We shared shrimp ceviche, grilled fish with mango salsa, which were tasty, but the guac was the real star here!

We had Marriott points to use, so we stayed at this beautiful property, Courtyard Marriott, and were pleasantly surprised how extra nice it was. We had pretty views out our balcony.

I've thought, ever since we moved to St. George with its spectacular red rock formations, that Sedona would basically be more of the same, but here's the major difference. Because Sedona is so much higher in elevation - 2600 versus 4300 - there is a lot more GREEN to set off the red. Pretty pine trees and other vegetation covers the landscape. All around the little town, a wide variety of red and green views are striking.

Artsyness and a focus on the mystical are also draws to Sedona. It is said that the red rocks have an energy that can heal psychologically as well as physically. There are many forms of art displayed and sold and there are little shops that cater to the mystics, selling crystals, etc.

We loved these statues of the boy and his dog fishing.

Isn't this charming and whimsical - children and their dog walking on a log.

The foxgloves were in bloom and so beautiful!

We shopped in quaint shops in the area below the first morning.

These pretty flowering cactus were outside our balcony.

Roger hiked up to Cathedral Rock.

Castle Rock

We had an unusual lunch at Creekside Bistro and dinner at Pumphouse Station (pictured below).

On the morning before we drove back to Mesa, we ate on a lovely patio of a boutique hotel, Casa Sedona Inn. It was a lovely setting on a pretty morning.

Syd, Jake and boys were staying at Stacy's for the week, as we did for three days before we returned to St. George and we got to play with Henry and Charlie while there - a real highlight of the week!

Little Henry's nickname is Perma-smile!

Charlie asks many questions - he is so curious about everything - and he is very bright and so outgoing. He is so fun to talk to!

He was constantly in movement or playing an invented game. Where's Charlie?

Little Charlie loves to learn.

Tom treated us all to Jake's favorite that he misses in England - California Pizza Kitchen!

Now we jump into the after part of this post. After we returned to St. George, then traveled Up North for Abby's graduation, we decided to drive to Logan, then out to West Weber to place flowers on our parents, grandparents and Gordie's (Roger's brother) graves.

We received a call from Missy in Logan that her beloved mother-in-law, Pam, passed away. She has been suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments for years. She had a wonderful personality with a quick wit and she was one of those people that I wish I lived closer to so I could hang out with her. I really liked her. She was just able to have the two boys, Dustin and Jedd, our son-in-law, whose twin brother, Jared, died soon after birth. Pam always wished for more children and adored her boys and her 9 grandchildren.

Her grandchildren, minus Sam and Lance, who are on Church missions, sang her favorite song at the funeral.

Rick, Jodie and Blake also drove to Malad for the beautiful service. Jedd's and Dustin's talks were outstandingly thoughtful and sweet.

Roger and I with our daughter, Missy's family at the cemetery.

Next up, just four days later, was Roger's Honor Flight to Washington, DC, which I will post next. Grandson, Josh and wife, Jaylene, became proud parents of little Caleb Joshua on June 3, Rick's birthday - he will share his birthday with his grandpa! We stopped to see and hold him on our way to Rick and Jodie's. Roger and Rick flew ot the next morning.

He is adorable - perfect in every way! He is our third great-grandchild - all boys! He is the first to carry on the Stratford name!

The final after I will report in this post is the Smiths with the littles visit to St. George. Jedd and 7 biking friends rode again this year in the Kokopelli Bike Race - most challenging cycling relay in Utah. It goes from Moab through the night to St. George, a 530 mile course. Missy drove from Boise with Anderson and Claire to stay with Roger and I for a couple of days. 

We had a late lunch at Sakura, where I have been wanting to try since they opened their new, larger location in St. George. I love Bento box lunches and Missy and I love sushi!

Jedd's team came in an amazing 10th in a field of 38 teams. You can sign up for compete and non-compete, which is what theirs did, so that's pretty good for age 40+ guys!

The kids had fun swimming and playing at the All Abilities Park, though it was super hot temperatures! I fixed a chicken enchilada dinner for them, then their family went to see Mary Poppins at Tuacahn.

We fixed a big breakfast for them Sunday morning before they left on their long, ten-hour journey back to Boise.

It has been a non-stop string of events, out-of-towns and non-stop visiting for a couple of months. With a big family, asi es la vida! We love it!

 

Graduation Time - Five Grandkids + 2 Spouses

With 25 grandkids, that means there are lots of ceremonies and gatherings to attend.

Baby blessings, baptisms, priesthood advancements, school programs, musical programs and plays, dance and piano recitals, sporting events,  graduations, missionary farewells and coming homes, showers and weddings, to name some of them - we have lost track of how many of these we have driven to - it is either a 4, 5, 7 and a half or a 10 hour drive from us to any of our grandkids.

This year there has been a Bonanza of graduations! 

That makes us so happy! A happy and a successful life is all about education. I would make a simplistic statement that most, if not all, of the world's problems could be solved with better education. At the root of prejudice and hatred is lack of knowledge and understanding.

These graduations of our grandchildren from high school and college are a good start for a life-long of learning.

Socrates said, "Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel." I believe in each of these great kids and I think they will each spend their life filling up their vessel.

Granddaughter Sadie, and her husband, Joe, graduated from BYU.

Grandson, Jake, graduated from BYU.

Grandson Josh's wife, Jaylene, graduated from BYU.

Grandson Ben, who has served as Student Body President this past year, graduated from Mountain View High School in Mesa. He delivered a fine speech at Baccalaureate.

Ben's cute and supportive family are so proud of him!

Ben and Maddy have always been best friends/best cousins, graduating from the same big high school. Their class is over 600.

Seminary Graduation was also wonderful. We were in Mesa for Londyn's wedding the week before Maddy and Ben's graduation, so we were able to attend these special events, and we also drove to Sedona for a couple of days and nights between events.

Following Seminary Graduation, we met at Ryan and Emily's home to  confer the Melchizedec Priesthood to Ben and ordain him an elder.

My girls always make a special display for their kids when they graduate. Like father like daughter on the mountain goat abilities!

Our beautiful Maddy was a cheerleader, a scholar and was on the tennis team. She will be attending BYU.

Sydney, Jake and kids, who live in Florida, were able to stay over the week after the wedding and attend Maddy's high school graduation.

We were invited over to Ryan and Emily's to cook hamburgers before the graduation ceremony.

Ben was so very busy that last month of high school. He will be attending BYU in the summer, then BYU Hawaii in the fall. We were excited that we got a two fer with Maddy and Ben and that Abby's graduation in SLC was held a week after this one!

Best Buddies

We took pics on the football field, where the graduation took place, after the ceremony.

Ben and Maddy stood appropriately in the end zone, marking the end of their high school years.

Now skip ahead a week.

Abby posed with her mom and dad in their backyard before we left for her graduation ceremonies, which were held at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.

Best Buddy Blake

It's Miss Abbs' turn at last! 

We're so proud of this cute graduate! She was a scholar, on the WCHS tennis team and they took first in State!

Rick took us to Union Grill for a yummy meal after graduation.

We so enjoyed being with so many loved ones during these trips to attend graduations. I'll next post about being in Arizona in the interum of Londyn's wedding and graduations and also running up to Logan, then South Weber, to decorate graves for Memorial Day. I hope we stay healthy to attend many more of these special occasions with our family. Such a blessing!