Cheering for them on behalf of my best friend and brother from another mother.
12 year old video from a favorite band.
A taste of Texas in Utah
A coworker of mine mentioned there was a place in Utah that sold a Texas staple that was sure to be enjoyed by Renée. We loaded up and headed an hour drive south to visit Blue Moo Drive Thru in West Jordan. The family each got two scoop cones with two flavors of Bluebell ice cream. I drove home while they finished theirs and then enjoyed some of the hand packed pint of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough that I had picked out. We will be going back again soon.
Random gift via Amazon
35th Anniversary trip
We celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway. We left on a Saturday after Jesse finished work and could be with Karri. We drove south from Ogden and stopped in Payson to watch Captain America: Brave New World. Afterwards, we continued driving to Richfield where we spent the night.
The next morning, we packed up and headed up into the mountains until we descended to Capitol Reef National Park. It is one of the more remote and least visited of Utah’s five national parks. We spent the day driving around and enjoying the scenery that very much reminded me of Arizona and its landscape.
Rather than stay nearby, we decided to head back north and stopped in Salina at Mom’s Cafe. We each enjoyed their chicken fried steak and then shared a piece of chocolate pie. Once finished, we drove farther north and decided to stop in Orem for the night. We went to the pool and hoped to get into the hot tub, but we were too slow as a couple of ladies got to it before we could.
The next day Renee presented me with the wonderful metal card for my wallet shown below. Before heading back to Ogden, we partook in a favorite family past time, thrift store shopping. We went to the Provo DI, Savers and then NPS store getting a few things for the kiddos.
It has been an ever winding journey the last 35 years and I am so grateful for Renée being at my side for it. Through the many twists, turns, hills and valleys she has been an encourager and comforter that I am grateful for each and every day.
And another year nears its end
We were grateful to have Jesse home from the Dream Center over the Thanksgiving weekend. He wasn’t sure until a few days prior whether or not he would be coming home. We drove down Wednesday night to get him and stopped for some Panera on the way home. He brought all of his laundry with him and enjoyed sleeping in his own bed. Thanksgiving day we gathered around the table to enjoy the feast that Renee had prepared. I spent the day watching NFL and Jesse got reacquainted with his computer and online friends.
On Friday, the Christmas decorations were brought from the shed. Mom Zeliff arrived as we began setting up the tree. Jesse took care of the Nativity, placing it under the Christmas tree. He also raided the decorations, taking some back with him to LA along with several strings of lights. He and I were both up early on Saturday to begin our marathon day of Beta testing the online game Star Wars: The Old Republic. On Sunday, we took him back to the Dream Center so he could return to the work he is enjoying so very much.
He has said that he plans on staying in LA through January so we will most likely be spending our first Christmas at home without him. As is our tradition, I have typed up our year end newsletter. If you care to read it, you may download it here: http://zeliff.net/Christmas2011.pdf. We wish each of you a blessed Christmas season and happy new year.
Summer is winding down
In a week, the young man residing in our home begins his senior year of high school. He will drive himself to school also. Wow! How time flies by when you are busy living life. I remember holding him as we left the hospital and thinking of the day he would ask me for the keys to the car. Now he drives his own truck.
August has been a little busy for us. We attended a Rangers/Angels game on the 1st hosted by my company. They fed us very well and provided seats at the very top of the stadium. So very glad that we were in the shade and avoided baking all day while the Angels went on to win 4-1. The following weekend, we drove to San Diego to attend the 1st birthday party of my best friend’s grandson. He was at sea, but returned the next day to play with the happy boy. In the middle of last week, we drove to Las Vegas to see Renee’s parents. They were in town for the week so we took them around to see some of the sights. They were staying at the Stratosphere and had a room for us overnight. We took them to Circus Circus and then down the strip. We showed them Hoover Dam and that night we took her mom to Fremont Street. The next day we went to breakfast and then on to the MGM to see the Lion Habitat. We went back to Fremont Street so Renee’s father could see it and then dropped them back at the Stratosphere before heading home to Apple Valley. We had a friend over to watch Summerslam on Sunday.
That wraps up the month so far, we will see what the remaining few weeks brings. Hope that you and yours are well and enjoying your summer.