Friday, November 1, 2024

OUR TENTH TEMPLE

 

Rick and I had a goal to get to TEN new temples this year and we hit that mark this week. 

We did a session at the Taylorsville temple earlier in the week and count that as our tenth temple.




Our ten temples this year are 1. Saratoga Springs, UT  2.  Red Cliffs, UT  3. Chicago, IL
4. Calgary, Canada,  5. Cardston, Canada, 6. Indianapolis, IN,  7. Columbus, OH,  8. Louisville, KY,  9. Hartford, CT. and now Taylorsville, UT.  
We will be getting one more in a couple of weeks.  Our very own Deseret Peak Temple!
Our goal is to get to one hundred temples by the end of next year (2025).  
We are at eighty six temples at this point and are hoping to make it happen!!


HALLOWEEN SHANANIGANS

Our family has had a lot of fun family Halloween activities these past few weeks.
During our Halloween party with Rick's family, Julie and Justin hosted a Harry Potter themed Murder Mystery Dinner.  Brach and Kendra were Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.  Skylar and Sarah were dressed as Hermione and Ron Weasley.  Sarah's sister Mary and her husband came as well but I am not remembering who their characters were.  They sure looked cute, though.




Here's a picture of the group.


The next night Destinee held a big Halloween Party for the young families.
The kids had fun dressing up and playing games.
They did bobbing for apples, ring toss on sodas, donut on a string, and then they had a small dance party.
They also enjoyed eating cotton candy homemade from the machine!




On Halloween all the school kids got to dress in costumes for school. 
Sarah took Eric to the Library for Halloween story time and a little trick or treating.

Eric came to hang out with me (and slept THE WHOLE TIME) 
while Sarah went to help out at Henry's class party.

That night the kids came trick or treating.  They had a fun night and they all looked so cute!!





Kaitlyn was in Eagle Mountain so we didn't get to see the kids at all in their costumes.😟

We were really sad about that but what can you do....

Rick and I enjoyed having a soup dinner at the Jacobsen's neighborhood party.  We then came home and played games while passing out candy to the trick or treaters.  We ended the night by closing up the candy shop and heading downstairs for a movie (the Princess Bride) with some finger foods... veggies and dip and crackers and cheese.  We also had some caramel dip with apples for dessert.  It was a great night!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN and until next year.....

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Charlie's Baptism

Yesterday our Charles Rick was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints!
He was baptized by his dad.
Charlie asked me to play the piano and both Grandma Rigby and me to stand in as witnesses.
Bishop Russell Harrington presided and conducted.
Aunt Hunter Rigby gave the opening prayer.
Grandpa Phelps gave the talk on baptism speaking right directly to Charlie.  He mentioned how Jesus set the example and how we all need to be baptized through the Priesthood for salvation.

After the talk we witnesses walked up next to the font while all the children gathered close, as well.
The baptism was very short and Charlie made it all the way under without even a toe popping up.😉


While he and Skylar were getting dressed the rest of us wrote little notes for Charlie.
When the came back we heard a talk on the Holy Ghost by Grandpa Rigby.
He spoke of the three responsibilities of the Holy Ghost; to comfort, give direction and to teach truth.

Bishop Harrington gave a few thoughts afterwards and and then cousin Rafe closed with a prayer.

It was a beautiful service and we are so happy that Charles has decided to be baptized.
We are so blessed to have this sweet boy in our lives!







                        Aren't these cousins the cutest???  We love them soooo much!




 

Saturday, October 26, 2024

PHELPS HALLOWEEN PARTY 2024

Last night we had our 35TH Annual Halloween Party!
We had quite a few come in costume which is always exciting!
Trent and Kathy came as a couple from the '80's and took home the best costume prize!!


Darla and Larry came in at a close second as a soccer ball and referee.


Hal and Janis wore their African clothes from Malawi.


DeeAnn came as a baseball player and Britta who judged us all came in her minion outfit.
Phylis Baker joined us for the party, as well.


Rick and I came as "Waldo" and his cohort "Waldina"


Where's Waldo??


Dennis and Karen joined in the fun even though they have been suffering some health challenges.
Karen recently fell and broke two ribs but amazingly felt well enough to ride all the way from Blackfoot to Grantsville.  Dennis had a root canal the day before and was not feeling to good either.
I'm so glad they made the effort to come and join in the fun under the circumstances.
Aren't they so cute?


Brad and Ruth came as themselves...as always.

                    Ken also joined in on the party but did not want to have his picture taken.  

We had a great dinner of four different kinds of soups, a charcuterie board and fun appetizers. (orange chicken, chips and guac, shrimp cocktail, and artichoke dip with Sarah's homemade sourdough bread.

We all enjoyed visiting throughout the evening visiting through dinner and then telling funny jokes through out the night.  Rick and I also prepared a game where we would play music from a suspenseful/Halloween type movie and everyone had to figure out which movie it came from.  It was fun and then it got us talking about different movies we had watched through the years.

                                                    Here's a couple of random shots.



While we were sitting around having fun Robert and Mary and their son Cameron and his new bride, Angela, joined us.  They flew into town for a family event (Breann Gordon receiving her endowment)

                                                    It was fun to have them join us!


Well, another fun Halloween party for the books.  We are all getting a bit older and have lost a few family members after thirty five years but it has been so fun making memories through having this party.

I love the Phelps family and the close relationships that we all have and the genuinely good time we have in being together.💕

Until next year.....




Wednesday, October 23, 2024

October Birthdays


We have three birthdays in October.
Rafe and scout celebrated their 12th and 10th birthdays at Ken's Gym in Tooele.
They invited a bunch of friends and family and had a night of jumping, tumbling, flipping and climbing.
It was fun to see them have so much fun!



Rick turned SIXTY on the 17th!  We knew that going to New England was a big part of celebrating but on his actual birthday we got to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and then get some lunch.




A few weeks previous to Rick's birthday our Baptist friends, Scot and Tiffani, texted an invitation for us to go to a Christian rock/country concert with many members of their congregation.

These kinds of things are REALLY not our style but we didn't want to say no so we accepted.
We enjoyed it mostly but I will admit there were times that I wondered what we got ourselves into.  
We just tried our best to enjoy ourselves and the people that we were with.  We REALLY love our baptist friends and are glad that we went  but I don't think we will be doing anything like that again anytime soon. 







On Saturday night we went out again with Scot, Tiffani, and (Scots mother) Eve to celebrate our September and October birthdays.  The hostess seated us in the basement in the Wine Chateau Room.  We did not even know there was a basement in that place but it was so nice and secluded and just us.  We really had a good time and we all had such delicious food!
At the end of our meal our server brought out THREE birthday plates withy dessert.
Holy cow!  We were so full but thoroughly enjoyed our dessert!

On the following Sunday we had the family over for a roast beef dinner and cake and ice cream.
Sarah put a quick trivia game together and it was fun trying to match the answers that Rick would say.


It was a fun month of celebrating!  Now it's time for Halloween Parties!


More Temple Open House

After we returned home from our New England trip we set up a time with the Cisneros family and Kaitlyn and her kids to walk through the temple open house.


I loved how Rick was able to answer questions in Spanish for Mina.
I was able to talk with both Yessie and Yadira to answer any questions they had.  And they had a lot!

I believe everyone enjoyed themselves and could see the beauty of the temple and how much it means to us.  It was a very busy night and the Celestial Room was not quiet with so many people but we did get to spend some quiet moments in each sealing room.
Everyone had fun looking in the eternity mirrors:)

Can't wait until it is dedicated!  Just a few more weeks!




 

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Kennebunkport with the Marrieds


We arrived in Arundel, Maine where our next Air B&B was located.  It was night when we got there and so we unpacked and then hopped right into the jacuzzi:)  The mornings and nights on this trip were kinda chilly so we were grateful to have the fun jacuzzi and fire pit to use.  
After everyone got to the house we talked about our day
.
Skylar and Sarah went to Salem, MA and had a good time there looking at the town all spooked up for the Halloween holiday.

Brach and Kendra drove down to Newport and toured a few of the mansion houses.  They really liked it and had a fun time!

We had a good time chatting around the fireplace in the living area and then decided to watch a show.  We turned on the British Baking Show and relaxed a while watching it.

The next morning we went into Kennebunkport to rent some bicycles.  Rick and I had e-bikes and the others had regular pedal ones.  Boy was I so glad to have an e-bike because even though we were on the coast the roads got hilly.  After the first forty minutes Kendra said her legs were burning.  We had just started and it was a long day for her but she toughed it out and rode the whole NINETEEN MILES!


First we went to the end of the road past Gooch's Beach and Kennebunkport Beach.  We stopped and did some exploring  out on the black rocks while the tide was out.  Out was chilly outside so we were each glad to have our sweatshirts on!


After the first part of our ride skylar suggested that we stop to get a bite to eat.  That was a great idea because it was getting lunchtime.  
We went to the Boat House Restaurant and got to sit out on the patio.  
The food did not disappoint!  Rick and Skylar got lobster rolls and Brach got fish and chips that he really loved.   Sarah and I had a salad and I believe Kendra had a sandwich and fries.
The food was really great!  We were all happy!





After lunch we got back on our bikes and made our way to Walker's Point.


We stopped at the little Episcopalian Church and got some pictures.
There was a great view of the bay from this vantage point.


This is the church that President George HW Bush and his wife Barbara frequented when they would come each summer.

Next we rode up to Cape Porpoise to see the Goat Island Lighthouse.



Next we rode further North to Goose Rocks Beach.
This was our last stop before turning around...
Here's a picture of the Bomans:)


After turning in our bikes we had a few minutes to look around the shops before dinner.
Look at this cute display with this cute couple!


How about this little boat FULL of pumpkins??


And this....so adorable!


Before dinner we caught this beautiful view of the sun hitting the trees in full fall color. It was magical!


We had dinner at Wandby Landing.
They served Italian food and I believe we all enjoyed our food.


We then went to Rococo Ice Cream Shop that Skylar and Sarah had checked out earlier in the day.
It had really interesting flavors.
Brach, Skylar and Rick had Spicy Rocky Road it was a chocolate based ice cream with cayenne pepper added in so it was super spicy.  Kendra had one called Whoopie Pie and it was yummy!
Sarah had one called HoneyVanilla that she really liked, as well.




Afterward we headed back to the home and got back in the jacuzzi while Brach and Kendra made a fire
and enjoyed making s'mores.
We then watched The Village.  I remember being a little spooked the first time I watched it. 
I liked it much better this time knowing what was going to happen.  There was only one scary part that I didn't remember.  A fun way to end the day!


The next day we all went our separate ways.
Rick and I headed into Kennebunk to find the store that I had gone into the last time we were there.  
I couldn't remember the name of it but we did stop at an antique store to peruse and they knew the place and gave me directions.  While Rick wa son the phone doing business I went inside and bought a few fun fall decor items!  

Next we went to the Boulangerie Bakery for a treat.
Rick got a ? and I got a delicious scone.


For the rest of the day we drove around some of the seaport towns just south of Kennebunk taking pictures along the way of anything that interested us:)  We stopped in Ogunquit and the town of York.



Ogunquit Beach



We stopped for lunch at Rick's Diner.
I thought that was appropriate and the breakfast was sooo good!




We stopped at the nubble Lighthouse just north of York.  


We saw this wiggly bridge on the map and took a little time to find it.  We were able to get there and cross it before the sun went down.



That night we got back to the house and caught up on everyone's day.
Skylar and Sarah went on a really fun hike right close to Kennebunkport then did some shopping.





Brach and Kendra drove up to Portland to go see the lighthouse there.

We watched The British Baking Show opener that evening and it was nice just relaxing after a busy day.
The two couples went outside by the fire and enjoyed sitting and talking.

The next morning Sarah and skylar drove over to Holy Donuts.  She had read online that this was a must do in Kennebunkport.  She brought them home for breakfast.

                                                            Isn't she cute in her jammies?


And don't these look divine?


Yep, they were:)


This was the morning that we had scheduled to drive into Portland to go on a lobster boat.

Look at this cute group!


I had to get a picture of us all standing in front of these lobster bouys.

 
We got on our boat and headed out to the traps.


We got to see two traps being brought up.
The first one had one lobster while the second one had a couple of lobster and even some crabs.
Some of us took turns banding the claws and measuring them.

Cute girls!!



And cute guy!


Did I mention it was COLD?
Well, it was.  A nice stiff breeze blowing in off of the water.
This was the coldest day of our trip.
But it was still fun!😀


There's our boat...


We stopped at this restaurant for some lunch.
I cut off the name so I don't remember what it was called but the boys enjoyed getting lobster while we girls opted for something else.




After lunch we again parted ways.  Brach and Kendra found an old mansion house to tour.


Rick and I went to LLBean.
We were tired when we arrived so we slept in the car for a half hour.
To be honest I fell asleep on the drive so I slept longer than that.

We really could have done something different then LLBean,  The prices were so outrageous so I did not buy anything.  I did not see the interest of buying way overpriced stuff.
Although, Rick did buy a shirt that he liked.
I found a cool coat that I loved but I wasn't about to pay $250 for it!😬


Skylar and Sarah got to see the Portland Head Lighthouse.


That night Skylar and Sarah and Rick and I ate at a place called the Lost Fire Restaurant.
It is an Argentine restaurant specializing in their meats.  The kids loved their meal and Mine was just so so.
But it was fun that we were able to go back to Rococo and sit down for a fun dessert.
We ordered Baked Alaska, a Brownie Sundae and Chocolate cake.
Enough to put us over the top...


That night we all got to sit out at the fire pit drinking wassail and some made s'mores. Yes, even after we had ALREADY ate!  It was a nice night!

The next morning, after packing up and cleaning out the fridge, Sarah found us a restaurant close by that served breakfast.  My goodness the food was delish!  I might be a little biased because I love breakfast foods!

It was a chilly day so I had to warm up with some hot chocolate:)


We had a really fun and friendly waiter and we all loved our meals.


We drove into town to do a little more shopping before heading back to the airport in Portland.
We bought some stuff at the candle shop and, of course, got a few things at the candy shop.

I wanted to get a picture of all of us on this cute fall display.
Unfortunately, it was a little shady on some faces:(



 Our flight home was pretty eventful...mostly because it did not happen.  The flight was overbooked and since we had cheaper seats and some were a little late in getting there...no names mentioned...Rick and I were able to get seat assignment but the kids did not.  The airline was looking for customers to give up their seats for a $600 voucher but nobody did, except Rick and I.  There was one seat available after that so it was decided that Sarah would travel home that night alone while we all waited to go the next day.  She was chosen because her mother, who had been watching the kids, had gotten very sick while we were on our trip and family had to take over while she recuperated.

We saw her off and the airline booked a taxi for us to take a two hour ride down to Boston where we were to overnight and leave early in the morning.  It felt like a long ride to Boston but we made it just fine.  Everyone was very hungry, except me because I had a sandwich on the way down, so eating was the first thing to do once we arrived to the hotel.  We each ordered food to take to the room except for Skylar who found a sushi place not far from the hotel.  

We woke up at 3am to catch our 5:30 flight home.  We were relived to get home and see that our luggage made it....except Sarah's.  It came to our house a few hours later.

What a memorable trip with our great marrieds!  (I know that's a funny name but sometimes that is how we refer to them).  I believe they all had a wonderful time exploring the area and seeing the beauties of New England in the fall.  I hope Rick and I can return soon!  We love it so much!!