Pumking Season

Once again it has been far too long since I have posted anything, but I will try to get caught up on the happenings of the last few weeks. It has been crazy busy, but a lot of great things have happened. First I must mention that I LOVE this time of year--especially because it is pumpkin season, or as we now shall call it: pumking season! There is this funny pumpkin patch that I pass every day on my way to the bus stop, but instead of "Pumpkin Patch," all of their signs say "Pumking Patch." At first we thought maybe they did this on purpose, which would be clever if there was a pumpkin king on their signs or something, but there is just a witch on the sign. We really think that they think pumpkins are pumkings :)

Pumking season means that there are numerous delicious pumpkin treats--my favorite of which is the Arctic Circle pumpkin pie shake! Mom and I have been having a great time enjoying all of our favorite pumpkin treats: pumpkin pie shake, pumpkin smash Jamba Juice, pumpkin empanadas (something we just discovered this year), pumpkin spice Hershey's Kisses, pumpkin spice marshmallows, pumpkin pie Pop Tarts, and pumpkin pretzels--yummmmmmm!!

I have been LOVING my job at the museum. I get to do so many fun things, and I have had some great training opportunities. One of the things I have gotten to do is participate in the National Association of Interpretation certification workshop with some of my co-workers. In mid-October we traveled to a farm in Centerville for the weekend and learned about interpreting history for the public. Apparently I am a sheep whisperer, because when we were walking around the farm, we passed the sheep, and I bent down to say hi to one of them. And then the whole flock came running over! (They must have thougtht I had food.) They were adorable. There was also a baby buffalo at the farm. The man who owns the farm said that he gave the baby buffalo to his wife for Mother's Day--so if you are ever in need of a Mother's Day gift idea, there is always the baby buffalo option. I get to go back to the farm this weekend to complete the training certification and I am really excited. 

The girlies and I have been continuing to enjoy practicing for Halloween by checking out the dress up box inventory. They are so funny!

On October 15, as the last hurrah for their fall break, the Barretts came to visit the museum. Now these are some cute kiddos!

The museum has this funny/random kids' area with "barking" chickens and a lot of different activities. The most fun thing the kids did was learn to do some Mexican dancing. It was SO cute--while the girls were swishing their big skirts around, Ben was trying to follow their lead--except that he didn't have a skirt on, so he had to try to use his shorts. :) He is such a funny guy!

On October 16, there was a beautiful rainbow in Salt Lake. I am especially mindful of rainbows ever since Grandma passed away. The coolest thing is that at the same time as the rainbow in Salt Lake, there was another rainbow down in American Fork! Mom sent me a picture on her phone.

And then later that same evening, there was ANOTHER rainbow in American Fork!

October 18 was Greg's and my #4 anniversary! Since we hadn't seen each other for a couple of months, we decided that it would be fun to rendezvous in St. Louis. So on Friday, October 19, after work, I flew to St. Louie. It was great to see Greg!

We stayed in St. Louis Friday night, and we had been planning to stay there for the whole weekend, since it was going to be such a short trip, but then we found out that our favorite little Emma Atkins was having her birthday party in Springfield on Saturday. She had been hoping that Greg could come to her party (he was one of only two adults she wanted to invite to her party--the rest were babies and dogs). So we decided that it would be too sad to be so close and not attend the birthday festivities. So we drove to Springfield and spent the afternoon with the Atkins. It was great to see them, and I wish that we could have seen more of our Springfield friends, but we went back to St. Louis that evening (since my flight left early on Sunday morning). I was also able to see Lily and the Spikes while we were in Springfield, and they were all so cute and happy to see me! I think the poor animal children are confused about where I have been. It was such a quick trip, but it was great to see Greg, the Atkins, and the animals!

On October 22, I bought a new house! This is Greg's and my cute new town home located in Lehi, UT. We had originally planned to just rent for a while, but we realized that it was going to cost more to rent a place than it would to just buy. So I found a great home in a perfect location--it is right by the Frontrunner train station, so it will be easy for me to take the train to work, and it won't be too long of a drive for Greg to get to work either. We are really excited!

To celebrate the new house purchase, Mom, Dad, and I met up with the Barretts at Gardner Village to check out the Halloween witches on display. There were a lot of nice pumpkins around too!

Poor Ben got a little scared when Camden was hiding behind her cape :)

Here we are by one of our favorite witches--Pirate Witch! And of course the kiddos also loved seeing Witchy Poo :) We had such a fun day! It got pretty cold here last week, but luckily it has warmed up a bit and should be quite nice for Halloween tomorrow. Happy Halloween Eve!

Fall Fun

It's been almost a month since I have posted anything! Things have been so busy that I haven't had much time to upload pictures, but at least I have been busy with good things. I am loving my job at the museum!

 

On September 13, Mom and Dad came up and met me for dinner in Salt Lake. We had a delicious meal at our favorite place: the Lion House, and then Mom and Dad went to a special program at the Church Office Building about Pipe Spring. While they attended that great program, I attended a program at the museum. We had such a nice evening!

On September 23, we met the Barretts up Provo Canyon for a fun fall chicken dinner. The leaves were BEAUTIFUL!!!! We had a great time and made the most of the rain that came later in the evening by having some yummy hot chocolate.

 

The next day I had the opportunity at work to have my hair "lengthened" by a professional hair dresser (check out the ringlets!), dress like a pioneer, travel to Mapleton, and participate in the filming of a pioneer dance for some museum advertisements. We did the Virginia reel and the waltz. It was so much fun!

After I got back home, Mom and I stopped by the Barretts so the girls could see my pioneer clothes (my ringlets on one side were starting to droop). We missed Camden who was at Activity Days, but Sid and Riley were pretty excited.

On Sunday, September 30, when the Barretts came for dinner, the girls and I had a little pre-Halloween dress-up practice!

 

 

This last Thursday evening, Mom and I went to Macey's for the BYU football tailgate party. It was so much fun! We brought home a tasty steak dinner and got excited for the next day's football game (which BYU won!). The Cardinals also won their game yesterday, so they are going to the playoffs! On Thursday and yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the American Association of State and Local History conference which was held in Salt Lake. My favorite session was called "What to do about Public Misconceptions about the Past"--very appropriate for Mormon history! I was also able to meet up with my former Eastern Illinois professor Pat Miller for breakfast yesterday--it was great to see her and catch up on everything.

 

Today we are having a nice day watching General Conference. One of the big announcements this morning was that the Church has changed the age when boys can go on missions from 19 to 18, and the age when girls can go on missions from 21 to 19. Our favorite part was when the camera panned out to the audience--people had the funniest expressions on their faces :) There have been some great talks today, and I am looking forward to girls' night out with Mom tonight!

 

The Three B's

This has been a fun and BUSY week! It can bee summed up with three B's: Birthday, Bus, and Baptism.

Our fun began last Saturday when Riley and Mom let me join in on their fun "Day with Grandma" that all of the granddaughters get to have when they turn eight. We had a delicious lunch at a great restaurant: Flour Girls and Dough Boys.

Then we went SHOPPING! This girl is stylish!!

On Sunday we got to celebrate Riley's actual birthday. Lindy made a delicious dinner that included an amazing birthday dessert pizza (Riley is not a huge fan of cake).

After dinner we tested out Riley's new soccer ball. Happy Birthday, Riley!

Monday was Labor Day, and while Mom and I were running a few errands, we stopped for lunch. One of my favorite things about being back in Utah is that fry sauce is now available at the restaurants!!!

On Tuesday I started my new job! I drove to work for the first day, but it was a pretty stressful drive, so I now take the bus. Riding the bus is actually a lot of fun. I've already met a lot of nice people, and I can just relax on my way to and from work instead of worrying about traffic. And, this is the view I have while I am walking from the bus stop to the museum! (I know many of you will be shocked that I am arriving at work at the same time the sun is just coming over the mountains--but this job is worth waking up early for!)

Here is the museum! You'll have to just ignore the University of Utah banner hanging on the light pole :)

One cool thing about my job is that I have my own office. At my other jobs, I've usually had to share a table or an office with a lot of other people. My office even has two windows! I have a nice view to the west--I can even see all the way out to the airport.

Here is the location of the museum in relation to the temple and the other buildings on Temple Square. The view from the 26th floor of the Church Office Building is pretty amazing! I was really nervous on my first day of work, but everyone there is SO NICE, and I can tell that I will love it there (I already love it).

And today was a very special day: Riley was baptized! She is such a sweet girl, and we are proud of the good choices that she makes. I was so sad when I wasn't able to be here for Camden's baptism, so it was very nice to be here for this wonderful occasion. This has been a fun and exciting week.

Grandma's Rainbows

At Grandma's funeral two weeks ago today, one of Grandma's favorite songs, "Remember Me" by Deanna Edwards, was sung. Grandma had requested this song for her funeral. The song goes:

 

Remember me whenever you see a sunrise.

Remember me whenever you see a star.

Remember me whenever you see a rainbow,

Or woods in autumn colors from afar.

 

Remember me whenever you see the roses,

or seagulls sailing high in a sky of blue.

Remember me whenever you see waves shining in the sun,

And remember, I'll be rememb'ring you.

 

Remember me whenever you see a teardrop,

Or meadows still wet with the morning dew.

Remember me whenever you feel love growing in your heart,

And remember I'll be rememb'ring you.

 

Remember me whenever you feel love growing in your heart,

And remember I'll be rememb'ring you.  

 

A few things that have happened since Grandma passed away have definitely helped us remember her, and have let us know that she is remembering us too. It is interesting that the song mentions rainbows. There have been FIVE rainbows here since Grandma passed away. Seems kind of strange during a summer that didn't see much rain here in Utah!

 

August 22, the day Grandma passed away

Wednesday, August 29

Thursday, August 30

Friday, August 31

Thursday, September 6

Each rainbow has been so bright and beautiful! (The pictures don't do them justice.) Then the other interesting thing is that the song mentions roses (Grandma LOVED roses, and there were always some fresh-cut roses from Grandpa F's rosebushes at her house) . . . and my sister Sarah who lives in Illinois has some rose bushes that had not been doing well because of the bad Midwest drought this summer. But right after Grandma passed away, Sarah's roses began to bloom beautifully, and they still look great. They came to life after Grandma died! It's like Grandma is sending us little messages that she is still with us. I'm grateful to know that we will see Grandma again someday, but until then it's nice to have some special things to help us remember Grandma and to know that she is remembering us too.

Grandma's Rainbow

Last Wednesday (August 22) my dear, sweet grandma, Maurine, or "Grandma F." as we Taylor kids called her, passed away. She was one of the most caring, kind, loving, and giving people that I have ever known. I am so grateful that I was able to see her in June when I came out to Utah for my job interview. Mom and I stopped to see her right after the interview, and she was so excited to think that I might get a job in Utah. We took this picture to celebrate the special occasion. I didn't think this would be the last time I would see her! When Grandma found out that I got the job in Salt Lake City, she was so excited, and we enjoyed talking on the phone about how I would come visit her often when Greg and I moved to Utah.

 

Unfortunately Grandma had a couple of falls--on August 11 and August 14--and her health rapidly went downhill. On Thursday, August 16, my mom called to tell me that Grandma was not doing well. I was able to talk with Grandma briefly on the phone, and she told me goodbye and that she would see me in heaven. I told her that I hoped that I would see her when I came to Utah the next week. We both said how much we loved each other, and I told her goodbye. I hoped that she would recover, but later that day Grandma became unresponsive. She recovered a little bit the next day, and Mom held the phone up to Grandma so she could talk to me, but it was difficult for her to say very much. Things then went downhill very quickly. Greg and I spent the weekend packing my things and getting ready to head out to Utah. I had been planning to move my stuff out to Utah that next week anyway, but we moved our trip up, hoping that we could see Grandma. We left Springfield on Tuesday, August 21, and drove all the way to Ogallala, Nebraska, where we spent the night. I was excited to think that the next day we would make it to Utah and I could go visit Grandma, and Greg and I left very early on Wednesday morning. But just as we were driving through Laramie, Wyoming, my mom called to tell me that Grandma had passed away that morning. I was so sad that I was too late to see her, but I was grateful that she no longer had to suffer. Greg and I arrived in Utah seven hours later--seven hours too late. I was happy to learn that my sister Lindy had stayed late into the night with Grandma on Tuesday--I'm sure that was a wonderful comfort to Grandma. 

 

We spent the evening with Mom and Dad over at the Barretts' house where we all enjoyed talking and reminiscing about Grandma. While we were talking about Grandma, we looked outside and saw this beautiful rainbow in the sky! My nieces were sure that Grandma had requested the rainbow to let us know that she was happy in heaven with Grandpa F.  

 

The next day we all needed a little cheering up, so we and the Barretts went to Orange Leaf--a delicious frozen yogurt place (Highland's version of Springfield's Cherry Berry!).

 

We spent the next couple of days making arrangements for Grandma's funeral. On Friday evening, I had a special experience with Mom, Lindy, and Greg. We were able to go to the mortuary and be there while Grandma's favorite hairdresser, Cindy, did Grandma's hair. Lindy painted Grandma's nails, and we got her looking beautiful, as she always did. 

 

On Saturday morning we went to Provo for Grandma's funeral. Her funeral service was held at the Oak Hills 1st Ward building. The Oak Hills 1st Ward was the Farnsworth family ward for years and years, and Grandma always considered that to be her home ward. When I arrived at the church the sun was just coming up over "Y" Mountain--a beautiful sight--and one that Grandma surely enjoyed many times while living in the foothills above Provo. 

 

Her funeral service was beautiful--it was a fitting tribute to a truly amazing woman. One of the songs that was sung at her service was called "Remember Me" by Deanna Edwards. Grandma had requested that this song be sung at her funeral, and the song mentioned both rainbows and roses--two of Grandma's favorite things. We were able to lay some roses on Grandma's casket at the cemetery.

 

Here are the cute Barretts at the cemetery. 

 

And here is the Taylor/Barrett/Bowles group. Grandma's greatest joy in life was her family, and we were so grateful for a wonderful day spent remembering and honoring Grandma.  

 

We have spent the last couple of days cleaning out Grandma's apartment at the Charleston. Today Mom, Dad, and I moved furniture all day then drove up to Draper to pick up a table at IKEA. On our way back to the Charleston, something appeared in the sky . . . another beautiful rainbow. I was able to snap a picture of it right above the Charleston before it faded away. It was like one more little message from Grandma letting us know that all is well. Whenever I see a rainbow or a rose, I will always think of Grandma and remember her wonderful life. It makes me sad to think that I won't get to see Grandma any more in this life, but like Grandma told me, I will see her again in heaven. But until then, I will sure miss her!