Homeward Bound, Heat, and Family

 Monday August 17 we bid farewell to our apartment at 185 North West Temple #209 with mixed emotions for sure.  We were very grateful for Heidi and Aleas help.  I think we would still be trying to figure out how to get everything home to Mesa.  As it was Alea ended up with a few boxes and the TV to bring to Mesa with her when she comes next time.  We really haven't missed whatever she has so it makes you wonder why we have so much stuff?  

On the stairs coming out of Memory Grove on our last walk.

Front of the McCune Mansion taken on our last walk around our area.

Alea, Heidi and Bob heading to the elevator with another load.

Packed and moving out.

We stopped in Provo to see Shaylen's BYU apartment and thankfully they were all moved in.  I don't think we would have been much help.......we were exhausted!  We hugged them all and headed to St George for the night with Sherry and Richard.  The farther south we traveled the hotter it got.  By the time we got to Mesa it was 115 degrees and stayed there for the next few days.  It has been a very hot and dry summer.

Lake Mead on a hot day heading home.

Our internet was installed on Wednesday night so I did the mission classes and emails from Heidi's home.  We got home just in time for our first of the season Monsoon and it was a good one.  We didn't get much rain but we had lots of wind and lightening.  We lost a big limb (about 30 feet) out of our front tree. Luckily Bob was able to get it cut up and put in a few green cans for Friday pick up.

Bob cutting away.  Monsoons can cause havoc!

Valerie and Dave came on Friday for Doctors appointments and we had a great visit with them.  Our amazing son in law, Wynn, fired up the smoker and made us salmon and ribs.  So yummy!  

Debra, Heather, Evelyn (Gramoose) Heidi, and Valerie enjoying smoked ribs.  YUMM!

Heather and Heidi sang "Abide With Me" in their sacrament meeting by way of zoom.  We were able to watch and listen to them and attend our own mission Sunday School at the same time.  Oh what you can now do with the internet.  They sounded so beautiful and it was a great "Anniversary" gift for us.  August 23 marked 47 years of happy and great years of marriage for Bob and I.  We did our zoom family time and they all sang Happy Anniversary to us.  We truly have been blessed with the best family!

Heidi and Heather singing while Bishopric and speaker look and listen.  I wish you all could have heard it, it was so beautiful.

Monday the 24 Sandy and Dave Briggs dropped by.  They were visiting their daughters in Texas and Chandler.  It was a short but fun visit.  We drove by the Mesa Temple for the first time and it is really moving along.  They are working on the landscaping and it looks close.  I hope and pray that all the temples can open soon, we miss them. The 25th was Heather and Heidi's 44th birthday?  How could this be?  Our week with the enrichment classes went as usual as we prepare for the next two VERY busy weeks with full time and church service missionaries. That means 4 days of 7 hours each day of classes plus enrichment.  It will be interesting to see how I can be in two places at the same time.  This will be the first time of doing both since the Botts also finished their mission and went home to Denver.

Bob, Debra, Dave, and Sandy Briggs our dear mission friends.

Monday night we went swimming at Heather and Jacobs and got to see Brenan's new GREEN Mustang that he will be taking back to BYU for his senior year.  He took us for a quick ride.  It is very loud for a Grandma.

Brenan (does he look happy) with his new GREEN Mustang, "The Hulk"

Friday we drove up to Heber, Arizona to check out property.  We are thinking we might want to get something there where it is at least 10-15 degrees cooler than the valley.  We found some very nice places, now we will see what we do.  We also stopped at our favorite lake on the Rim, Willow Springs, and just enjoyed the cool weather before coming back to 105 degrees at 8:00 PM.  It is good to be home but getting settled has been incredibly busy.  We love being by family and getting our home put in order.

Heber property we looked at.  So cool.

Willow Springs lake on top of the Rim.  So cool and beautiful.