Stupendous end of 2009

So many wonderful events and memories just kept coming during the last quarter of 2009 that I didn't have the time or energy to blog. So I thought I would give you a bullet point summary complete with a picture slide show. I hope you can get a small feeling of the wonderful memories and experiences we were blessed to enjoy.

• October 9th: Richard's 70th birthday celebrated with Chris and Emily and a few close friends.
• October: Our ward Halloween chili cook-off and harvest party at the Lowder's farm. Joy was a witch serving the brew. Mark and Kathleen and their boys came and enjoyed it too.
  
• Joy attempted a garden...our pear tree gave us the most beautiful pears ever but the cantaloupe were teeny weeny and laughable.
• Our Thanksgiving trip to Utah was abundant with amazing surprises and blessings. It wound up being The Best Thanksgiving EVER and a reunion of our posterity...all 33 of us!!
• Joy enjoyed being a part of the annual Nativity art and music exhibit again this year. We both sang in the Choir with Dan Earl again. That is always one of the highlights of the Christmas season for us.
  
• We saw the Christmas lights at the Oakland Temple for the first time in many years.
• We attended the David Archuleta concert at our local entertainment center and loved every minute of it. Joy even got a T-shirt. David actually attended our ward sacrament meeting that weekend. The young women... actually all the women were thrilled!!
• Christmas was quiet. Chris and Emily were here in the afternoon and we "skyped" on the computer with our Utah and Texas families, and called the rest on the phone.
• New Year's Eve was spent with good friends enjoying good food and fun games as we welcomed the new year with hope for it's future and ours.

I will try to do better at my blog this year but being Relief society President takes up a lot of what used to be my spare time. Happy New Year Everyone!! Hope you enjoy the slide show.