It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad mad, mad, mad world!

 It looks like it's been almost a year since I last posted. I refer you to the title of this post.  We have managed to do a few things this year which I will try and update you on.  One thing we haven't been able to do is leave on our mission.  We were postponed, and then postponed again and then postponed again. They finally gave up giving us new dates, now we are waiting for....a miracle? We have hope that we will still go, but we're guessing it is not going to be until next spring at the earliest. We are grateful we still have our call.

Here is what happened right after my last update...

I have been practicing making bread and have gotten pretty comfortable with it!

It's even better with freezer jam!

 Dan, Nicole and the boys came for a visit during the summer.

There was a LOT of swimming....

...and making goodies of all kinds...We had just read Narnia together and so we made Turkish Delight and watched the movie...super fun.

We even made some ice cream and had great helpers!

Did I mention there was a lot of swimming?

Ping pong was also a fave!

It was also a week filled with taste tests...Oreo, mac and cheese, and root beer...it was very educational!

We've also made some day trips up to Prescott which are always super fun. Little baby Emma is 21 months already!!  Not so little anymore. 

Picking out one of Mom's necklaces.

She LOVES phones and Sesame Street videos...

Such a cutie!

Scott and I managed to get our anniversary trip in this year. We went back to Colorado to see the southern part of the state this time. It was the perfect place for this year - no crowds, cool weather, very low key.

We left the triple digits behind! As soon as we got into the cooler temps, windows were opened!

We did some hiking and saw some beautiful scenery.

Silverton

Beautiful canyon hike outside of Ouray.

We played tennis everyday! We forgot about how rusty we are and just had fun.

 

It was a great week spent mostly sleeping in and relaxing, soaking in that cool weather!

We got a surprise visit from Tori recently! We hadn't seen her in forever, it was so good to spend time and catch up. I love this niece of mine!

Our ward was assigned to make 600 masks for medical workers in AZ...

...I had amazing helpers and we cranked out 100 of them!

Fall orchestra concerts enjoyed virtually in the comfort of our family room...

...they did a wonderful job, but I can't wait to trade my comfy couch for an auditorium seat! Nothing better than experiencing it live.

One of the benefits of being retired is being able to have a Wednesday night date...

...we had the place to ourselves!

Well, that is a very abridged, brief, quick synopsis of the last few months.  I don't have to tell you what is going on in the world, we are all living it.  We are grateful for the health of our friends and family. We look forward to the time when I will be updating our blog from Palmyra and hope that is still in our future. In the meantime, we will have faith and continue to wait for the Lord's timing. 

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and more!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

We had some great times sharing the holidays with loved ones. Here are some highlights:

Ashley, Jason, Emma, Dan, Nicole, Camden, and Wesley all came to Arizona for Thanksgiving this year. Fun was had by one and all!

We played outdoor games...

...went on walks...

...played frisbee at the park...

...golfed through a glow-in-the-dark Safari...

...and ate a LOT!!! Happy Thanksgiving!

This little beauty is growing up!

She has the cutest facial expressions! She loved the park!

There was lots of play time...

...and quiet time too...

...and time sitting on the stairs playing with our phones. 

Thanks, Dan, for fixing our ceiling!

 A couple weeks after Thanksgiving Ashley, Jason, and Emma came back for another visit.

Emma liked our Christmasy wall.

What's with the camera always being on??

She wants to climb up everything...

...and she is getting pretty good!

That was Scott’s birthday weekend too, it was fun having them all here! Happy birthday Scott!

Christmas Day was really nice, we had the Robinson's over for dinner and hung out and played games. It’s so nice having Jo Ann living here so that she can be at everything!!

Merry Christmas!

After Christmas, Kevin and Becky and their kids/grandkids came for a visit. It’s always fun having them here!

We played frisbee golf...

...went bowling...

...picked lemons...

...and tangelos...

...played games...

...and again, ate a LOT!!

But mostly we did a lot of just hanging out...

...which is the best!

Buca di Beppo was yummy and fun.

Making homemade gyoza was more yummy and more fun!

Finally got the hang of wrapping by the time we were almost finished!

Thanks Abbey, for the fun cooking class!

Delicious! And a super fun New Year’s Eve!!

Grandma Klundt’s peanut butter balls are a favorite and a Klundt family tradition. 

And learning how to make them was another big hit (oh and pretzels too)!

Abbey's two little girls, Ruby...

...and June were so fun to have here...and so cute too!

Ruby LOVED riding in the wagon...

June is ready for some frisbee!

Learning how to drill with Uncle Scott...

Hmmmm....

So much fun!

There's that camera again!

Thanks for coming you guys!!  After New Year’s we drove up to Utah for Camden’s baptism! We can’t believe he is 8 years old already.  It was so fun to be able to celebrate his birthday and share his baptism day with him.

Our first sighting of snow on the way up! (It’s on that mountain way out there!)

We stopped in St. George and had lunch with Gary, Cheryl, and Katie. So good to see them and catch up!

Camden’s birthday party! An escape room...

...birthday presents...

...and slime cake!

Happy birthday Camden!! We love you!

It was Red Robin for dinner (or should I say dessert?)...Camden got a HUGE birthday surprise!

I can do this!

Wesley offered his help. 

Taking a break...

It was awesome!!

The next day Camden was baptized! Loved sharing that experience with him! Congratulations Camden!

We also took advantage that day of a chance to play in the snow...

...and do some bike riding.

Now that's bike riding!

Learning how to use his new compass. 

Saturday evening we got together with Sara, David, Hannah...

...and this cutie! Aedan is growing up so fast!

It was so good to be with everyone and see how well they are doing!

The waitress told us to make funny faces...some of us did. 

Sunday we had some more play time with Camden and Wes... 

...and play we did!

Quieted down with a few rounds of Banana Blast...

...Pinball Science...

...and Memory!

Then it was off to Jared and Cate’s for some more family time...

...complete with homemade pizza...

...the old fashioned way...

It was so yummy, I could not stop eating it! Nope, not telling how many pieces I ate!

...and homemade cheesecake, compliments of Jared...it was DELICIOUS!! Thank you Jared!

We have absolutely LOVED all the family time we have had over the past couple of months. We love you and feel so blessed coming into this New Year. Looking forward to many more adventures in 2020!

Bye for now!