Drive down Memory Lane

 Over the weekend Gary and I drove down to St George to hear my former boss, Dave and Judy Parrish, speak at their Mission Farewell.  They will be reporting August 4th to the Tampa Florida Mission for at least 6 months and if the mission president can talk them into it maybe 1 year or 18 months.  So we left Saturday afternoon with the drive along I 15.  We stopped in Fillmore at Burger King for  lunch, a Flame Grilled Dragon Whopper and Fiery Dragon Mozzarella Fries.  

Gary drove around the southeast side of Cedar City looking for the two homes that his family lived in during his junior high and freshman/sophomore years of high school.  We found the high school and the elementary school. 

Then we found the houses - Gary took pictures of both but I could find this in his photos.

After we passed Cedar City, things started to get smokier and we could be the west mountains getting smokey from the Pine Valley Fire.  

We checked into the motel and we decided to go see "How to Train Your Dragon"

In 3D!

It was very good!

Sunday morning we drove over to the St George Temple before we went to hear the Parrish's talk.

47 years this November we stood in this area to have our picture taken after our wedding!

Then we drove past the high school, their home in St George when we got married.

After visiting the Parrish's, we ended back home with Gary driving.  Driving up through Cedar Breaks, we went up to the radar site where Gary's Dad worked

then on to Duck Creek Campground when Gared was almost 2 had his seizure and spent 2 days in the Pangitch hospital.

What a beautiful drive home, several other wildfires burning on the east mountains along Highway 89!

Australia and New Zealand March 2025 A Bucket List Item checked off!!

 

                  Waiting for our flight out of Los Angeles to Sydney - 15+ hours.

While at the LA Airport, we visited with fellow Buffalo Bills Fans who were also traveling to Australia from Wyoming.  (Big fans of Josh Allen!)

                      Our Sydney motel room - very spacious and quite modern!

We were able to attend the Sydney Temple with 6 other couples from our tour group,  We did about 75 sealings between us all.

The second day in Sydney we did a tour of the city, drove out to 3 Sisters Park (which was over cast and we could not see anything) went to a wildlife park and to the Opera House.

Skyline of Sydney - a lot of high risers of apartments.

Traffic is just complete rushing and on the opposite side of the road.

We flew into Brisbane to get the cruise ship the next morning.  What a beautiful view from our motel room at night and the next morning

We found some more Buffalo Bills fans on the cruise ship the afternoon we got on!

We cruised for 3 days to New Zealand from Brisbane.  

First stop Bay of Islands.

The tour driver took us to this water falls and he compared it to Niagara Falls!

Really!??

Then on to Tauranga - 

Glow worm cave - very interesting!

Then on to Napier - Kiwi grove!

Mauri village and hot springs. 

Then on Wellington - 

We didn't go ashore this day - but we stayed on the ship.

We took a jet boat ride which was so much fun!

Then on to Christ Church - 

We stopped at a historic railroad station.  Like stepping back in time!

Then on the last day before cruising back to Australia, we went through three different forges.  Beautiful views and waterfalls

With Ted & Beth Kendricks (from Rexburg) and Lynn & Vicki Duffin (from Shelley) - our dinner mates.  Vicki and Ted are brother and sister.

                                  

The dinner mates - last night!

Bye Bye Ship!

Then we flew to Los Angeles then on to SLC, Gared came and picked up us at the airport!  Nice to be home - a very long time but full of memories.

Long time to come!

 We have been friends with the Alldredge Family for many years and have done many things together.  Last month Micheline called us and told us the Kris, Mikel, Hunter, Easton, Brayden and Beau have been cleared to be sealed together as a family with the Church.  Would we like to attend?  YES!!!  We received our invitation and started to make arrangements to go.

So on the 6th, I started packing suitcases and getting things ready to go.  Gary needed to go to Provo to take care of somethings and would be back around dinner time.  I walk out to this surprise on the kitchen counter!

                                       

If you know Gary - since my 40th birthday he gives me something for the number of years!  This year he worked with his niece Whitney who works at Lehi Bakery and got me 69 different pastries and doughnuts.  What a sweet surprise.  I put the pastries into freezer bags and put them in the freezer since we are leaving in the morning.  We left Thursday morning on the 7th and decided to drive down Highway 89 to Interstate 70 to Green River and head south to Natural Bridges National Monument.

After we got through at Natural Bridges, we decided to stay in the area - so Gary located a motel to at and then we went looking for a place for dinner.   We drove past this place and remembered that we had been there before.  A little more decorated this time to the oriental theme and less cowboy.  Meal was great!

We also made reservations to go to the Monticello Temple to do some couple sealings.  15 couples in all!

In the morning we drove all the way down to Miami/Globe Arizona - where we could go to the Tonto National Monument out by Roosevelt Reservoir and then into Mesa to the Alldredge's.

As we getting our stamp for the Passport Book, we realized we had been here before but didn't mark our book accordingly.  As we were leaving, there was a couple standing in the roadway and their truck was down the road a way.  They had stopped to let a tarantula cross the road without getting run over.                             Well guess who gets out and has the spider crawl onto his hand!  GARY!     

We get to the Alldredge's around 2:00 PM - visit a little and then get ready to go to the Gilbert Temple 

for the sealing of Kris, Mikel, Hunter, Easton, Brayden and Beau.

What a special day for that family - 15 years after Kris and Mikel married! Then a lovely dinner at their ward building afterwards.

Sunday we enjoyed the time with their family, watched a little football, played games and dinner.

We headed back home on Monday morning.  We drove up I 17 to Hwy 89 through Flagstaff then over to Jacob's Lake -Fredonia and into St George.  We stopped in to see Dave and Judy Parrish in Washington.  We made arrangements to attend the Red Cliff Temple in the morning before going home.

As we were waiting in the sealing office - Elder and Sister Bouwhuis walked by - they didn't see us.  After our sealing session of 18 daughters to their parents - we headed to the dressing rooms.  As I walked in I saw Sister Knighton and Sister Savage headed out to do a session.  I waited for Gary in the hallway and he mentioned he also Elder Knighton and Elder Savage.  What a wonderful day to see friends we knew on our mission and they were at the same temple by chance.  Just a small glimpse of what it will be like on the other side of the veil!

                              We came home to cold and snow but wonderful to be home again!

We brought home a new bear for the cabin!