Week #47, June 11-17, 2018, SLC, Utah

It's hard to believe it's already summer!  Tomorrow is June 21st and it will be the longest day of the year as well as the first official day of summer.  I love summer!  It's a time to kick off your shoes, run through the grass and let your hair down.  I remember when my kids were little loving the end of the school year and I couldn't wait for the fun days of summer to begin!  Now that the kids are all raised and gone and we are serving a mission, things are definitely different and yet I still have the same happy feeling that comes with this time of year! 

We joined a gym when we first arrived here so that we could stay in shape during those cold days of winter.  Now that the weather is so beautiful I love to walk outside as often as I can.  We walk to and from our assignment everyday as well as all over Temple Square and City Creek for various activities plus I like to walk all over our neighborhood to get in my exercise time each day.  On Saturday, I walked around Temple Square for my exercise and I found myself almost completely alone!  It was such a strange sensation, but so beautiful and peaceful.  I am a social person and love being with other people but it was an extraordinary gift to experience Temple Square all by myself, literally!

This is a wonderful place to be!  We sometimes get a little out of sorts spending so much of our time in the basement of the Family History Library, but when we surface and come out into the sunlight, our souls are soaring!  We love the work we are doing and most days fly by because we are busy with helping people or working on our own family history. 

We live really close to Park City so on Friday night for our date night, we drove 40 minutes up there to enjoy the lovely mountain air and to have dinner at the Baja Cantina!  It's a favorite of some of our kids (Glen and Kendi) and we have been there a couple of times before with them and some of our other family members.  They make really great food and their flautas are an especially favorite treat!

On Saturday, the Family History Library had a Block Party (street fair).  Hannah, Chase and Violet came with us to that.  There were food trucks, live entertainment, and lots of activities for families. 

We enjoyed the activities for a while and then went to City Creek to grab some lunch and do some window shopping. Saturday afternoon, Mike and I decided we needed to spruce up our deck a little bit for summer so we bought a few little items including some beautiful flowers and now we have a wonderful little outdoor area to read and relax in.  It doesn't take a lot of money or time to create little sanctuaries in and around your home!

Sunday was Father's Day and I am so grateful for my father!  He was a wonderful man and I am so grateful that I will get to see him and my mom again someday thanks to the wonderful our loving, kind Heavenly Father's amazing Plan of Salvation.

Charles Peter Brady

I am also so grateful for my wonderful husband, Mike.  He is my best friend and greatest fan!  I appreciate his love and support and am so blessed to have him forever in my life!

To celebrate, we gathered some of the family together at Eric's home and Eric made his famous Low Country Boil which he learned how to make on his mission in the South!  Joel and Erin went to Marie Callendar's and bought Mike's favorite treat, Razzleberry Pie!  It was a perfect day.

Clearly everyone is smitten with little Violet Joy!  She has won all of our hearts with her infectious smile and her amazing good nature!

I leave this week's blog with a picture of me in my happy place! Life is Good!