What a Vacation!!!

Well, Richard and I are back from our fabulous vacation in Utah. We love those majestic mountains and being able to spend time with our Utah kids and seeing their new homes. We drove out early Thursday the 14th and arrived about 7:30 PM at Dave and Brooks cute new 2 bdrm apartment. We had dinner there and were joined by Jeff and Rachelle. It was a lovely evening. We spent the night with them...Thank you Carter for letting Grandma and Papa sleep in your room...and then left early for the first of two days of the Zrii "Rising Star Academy" business training seminar. It was fantastic and so enlightening. We are very excited about this new business adventure we have started. It is the best thing to come along in our lifetime and will allow us to fulfill our dreams and help others along the way. Friday evening we had dinner at B & D's with J & R and enjoyed the evening together. We then moved into the guest bedroom of Jeff and Rachelle's new home just 5 minutes away. It is a 2 bdrm condo that is really nice too. Both families have just moved in so we were there to see the putting up of pictures and the arranging of belongings. What a process when you are just getting ready to start college!! I admire all both couples have accomplished in such a short period of time. Well done family.

Saturday was our second day of training in SLC and then back to Brook and Dave's for dinner all together. The meal prep was shared by Brook and Rachelle. What good cooks our sons have.
We enjoyed the time Saturday evening talking, taking a walk around their duck pond park like apartment grounds (where I got my toes mistaken for bread nuggets by the "friendly" ducks that surrounded us), laughing and playing games together. Sunday we went to church with Brook and Dave so that we could help out with Carter as they try to adjust to their new ward. It is the Millcreek Second ward in the area where Pres. Hinckley was Stake President many years ago. It's just down the street from their apartment.

We had a big surprise waiting for us when we walked into B & D's apartment. George, Seneca, and Emeric were there. They came down from Idaho Falls to surprise us and visit for a couple of days. We were very happy to see them. We all had dinner at Jeff and Rachelle's condo and enjoyed the evening together with lots of chatter and surprises. It was a mini family reunion.

Sunday evening we packed up and left for the second portion of our vacation...BYU education week in Provo. We were able to stay with Rachelle's grandparents, Jim and Jean Dunford in Orem. They have become good friends and we enjoyed staying with them and thank them for their hospitality. We attending BYU Monday through Friday going to 8-9 classes each day except Monday. We ate at Fuddruckers for dinner Monday which is a tradition for us. We were emotionally and spiritually fed learning many things with topics from Organizing our lives, to music by Marvin Goldstein, to Leadership skills and learning about the middle East. There are so many wonderful teachers and topics...something for everyone. Richard and I attended more classes together this year than we have in the past and that was lots of fun. We absolutely love Education week!!!

Saturday we met up with the kids again and went to lunch at The Gateway Mall, road "Tracks" to the SLC distribution center in the Joseph Smith building to make some purchases, then drove up to the Campus of the University of Utah to the book store while Jeff got his text books, then back to Jeff and Rachelle's to wait for her to get home from work. We took our family out to dinner at "The Old Spaghetti Factory" at Trolley Square. On the way home Jeff had to go to the Law school to pick up a Sylibus for a class so we got to see the Law school late at night. He can go into the building 24/7 with a special card he has so he can access whatever things he needs to do the work he has to do. We were happy to see where he will be spending so much of his time the next 3 years. Richard gave both of our sons a Father's blessing for their new challenges as they start a new phase of their lives.

Sunday morning we left Jeff and Rachelles for home at about 8:30 AM. We had a quick and safe trip home stopping for an hour or so at the Philpott's to see their wonderful, growing family. It was a fantastic, eventful, uplifting vacation. Thank you to all our Utah family for sharing it with us. We miss you.

Is Anybody out there???

I just thought I would pose this question to see if there is anyone reading the blogs I write. I got comments from some of my family when I first started doing this and I loved that. It was a connection to you. Now....I write comments to my family bloggers but I haven't had a comment from anyone in months. If my family is reading what I write and has any response...I would love to have you talk to me. What do you think? There is only one member of our family who lives in our city now and they don't always know everything we do nor us them so Comments from all are anxiously awaited. Thanks all, I love you!!!

A Busy, Fun, Spiritual weekend

Friday night we loaded up the back of the van with our old Computer monitor, used batteries, used florescent lights, and old gallon containers of various latex paints and stain and tile adhesive. A odd thing to load in a car you may think...well, you're right but it will make sense in a minute.
Saturday morning we got up, ate, showered and dressed in church clothes. We left the house about 9:45 and headed to the computer recycling place near Sequoia floral. They paid $.05 per pound for old computer/TV components so we picked up a whopping $1.20 for the monitor. We then headed to the dump! We went to the household toxics area and delivered our other stuff which they took gladly. We wonder if they had ever seen people at the dump in Church clothes before? :o) From there we went to the Temple...what a contrast!!

It was a beautiful day and the session was great.
We enjoyed the peace and spirit of being there.
We were there early enough so we had a snack
in the cafeteria and then had time in the chapel
before the session to read and ponder the scriptures. It couldn't have been better. I took some pictures after the session specifically for this blog...enjoy!!


This is the view of Oakland, and the Bay Bridge with the fog rolling in through the Golden Gate Bridge... that's why you can't see it.


After the session we took off for our favorite "after the temple eating place"...the plaza shops and eateries in Emeryville. We normally eat at Fuddruckers but this time we chose a new place called the Buckhorn Grill. Wow!! What fantastic food. We had a Bacon cheddar Tri-tip sandwich on a fresh baked french roll. So good. Then we went to the movies and used our AMC movie gift card we got from Brook and David for Christmas. This is the only AMC theater in the bay area and it took us awhile to find it. We saw WALL*E. We loved it. It is a very unique movie with a darling love story done by Disney's PIXAR. If you haven't seen it we highly recommend it. It was a wonderful day.

Today we had a fantastic Single Adult fireside. My "boss", Dr. Blake Ambridge and his wife Amy spoke on "A Brightness of Hope". They are very good speakers and held the audience in the palm of their hands. We learned a lot and gained great insight as well as sharing in their personal experiences and stories. I'm so glad I was there.

Now we get to prepare for our trip to Utah on Thursday. Yippee!!!!!!!!

The newest grandchildren

Well, we were able to go and meet our 3 new grandchildren on Saturday and Chris and Emily came with us. It was a wonderful day. Those precious little ones make the Philpott family so complete. They are adorable and so friendly. Richard and I were thrilled at the reception we got and he was amazed at the loving the little girls gave him. He ate it up, what Papa wouldn't :o) !! We played "Disney Scene it" with the whole family and had a blast. They liked the gifts we brought all of them. It all seemed so natural. I would post pictures of the new little ones, but that is the privilege of the Philpott family for now. I do have a picture of Richard and I and Abby before we added the rest of the family. Go to their family site to see them. I love doing that daily. Exciting adventures and marvelous blessings.


Other than that we are excited about our upcoming trip to Utah to see our two sons and their families, go to the "Zrii" Rising Star Academy training for our new business (check it out at www.joymann.myzrii.com), and attend education week at BYU. While we are gone, Chris and Emily will be taking care of the house and the flowers. "Thanks, Chris and Emily!!" We will have fun pix and adventures to report when we return. We will be business trained and spiritually fed so "look out world" that is a dangerous combination!!



This is a picture of Carter all dressed up in his Sunday best the Sunday before they left. We miss them but are so happy for all the new adventures taking place in their lives now. I love all the blogs that Brook does to make us feel a part of their lives even though they are in Utah.
Great job Brook! Thank you!!

They are off to Utah!

Well, the Mann family of 3 is off to Utah as I write this. They left at about 5:00 this morning after catching a little sleep here at our house to be safe on the road. For that we are very grateful. I spent all day over at their apartment yesterday taking care of Carter (Yipee!!) for the most part. That included a walk to Howarth park to watch the children play in the jumping water, and ride the merry-go-round. Then we took a walk up the path around part of Lake Ralphine. Carter fell asleep until a dog jumped into the water causing the geese and ducks there to really raise a racket!!

The 4 local missionaries, Vince (their fake dad), 3 young men from their ward, Haley Pierce, Chris & Emily, and Richard (after work), and Scott Hamilton (friend and David's work associate) were all there at various times during the day helping to load the truck that Vince is driving to Utah today. Brook and I switched jobs in the evening cause Carter needed his mom. I finished packing boxes and then Emily and I and Richard worked together on the cleaning as each room became totally vacated of boxes and furniture. It was a long day that ended about 10:30 PM.

Brook is blogging as they travel from her phone which is the neatest thing ever. I'm so grateful for modern technology. Thank you Brook for your travelogue. It makes us feel better seeing and hearing how the trip is going. Check it out family!

A dear friend of ours, Celeste Kitchen, had major surgery this past Monday that had some complications associated with it. In my calling as Compassionate Service leader, I have been updating the sisters in the ward so I've been communicating with her and her husband. It's good to know she is progressing well and hopefully will be able to come home from the UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco soon, maybe even tomorrow.

Our Zrii business is in its growing stages and we are looking forward to going to the Royal Star Academy training in Salt Lake City before our time at BYU Education week. It is an exciting business and one that will be successful. Of that I am sure!

We are very excited to be going to Sacramento Tomorrow to meet our new grandchildren!! We love the pictures we have seen and can hardly wait to meet them in person. They make the family in Sacramento complete. We are thrilled for all of them. Abby is finally a big sister in a BIG way.