My friend Laura just called me and wanted to know if I wanted to go out to lunch. Ha ha. But I loved hearing from her. Her son Ben, one of Spencer's best friends, just got his mission call to Colombia! I'm so excited for him! Another friend just got called to Paraguay. It is so exciting that Spencer's close friends are now getting their calls. Spence will get his mid-October while at college in Utah.
Now that I'm thinking about Utah...
The night before we moved, Brett and I took an hour or so and went around Bountiful. We visited and took pictures of the spots we frequented most and were a part of our lives. We took Syd and Kate, who we call our 2nd family, because they still like hanging out with us, and it was perfect.
Bountiful High School. The neighborhood high school where wackiness is encouraged and memories are made daily. Not too big, not too small. Well, maybe too small. Everyone knows everything, for better or worse. Scariest parking lot ever. Highlights include football games, every dance, the choir program, high school musicals, and the fun kids who go there.
All Tucked In. Think, "You've Got Mail." Perfect bookstore with unique gifts and the occasional, unique homerun sweater or skirt. Bonnie, the owner, knows everyone and can help you with just about everything. Cute cupcakes and even every flavor of big lollipops for the little ones.
A Bountiful staple,
Nielsens Frozen Custard. This is a smooth treat and a local hang out after any event in Bountiful. The night we went, there were two families from our neighborhood having concretes.
Dick's Market. Dick's Market is the little neighborhood grocery store where you ALWAYS see someone you know. My family has a game where whoever sees the most people you know while in the parking lot or store, wins the super awesome prize of just knowing you won the super awesome prize. This is bagger Dan who has worked at Dick's Market for 20 years. He knows every statistic about anything sports and if you have shopped there once, you assuredly remember Dan the super nice bagger.
Cutler's cookies. We got some cookies for the drive. I made the nice worker below act like Vanna White. I know she really liked doing that for me.
I couldn't believe my luck when I happened upon
old trumpet guy at his home. He is a war veteran who is a GREAT trumpet player. He pulls his van up to parking lots, events, and opens his trunk, which is equipped with a sound system. He turns on 1940s music, sits in his chair, and starts kicking it on his trumpet. He is the cutest and he still sounds awesome. We were driving, and I thought, wait, I hear a live band playing. Of course I said, "Stop the car!!! I hear live music!!" I turned around and there was old trumpet guy playing in his driveway. I got out, told him how much everyone loves hearing him play, took this picture and we were on our way.
Top Hat Video. This is a mom and pop video rental. They always have more foreign films and documentaries than the big box places. And you just know people there. Case in point: Out of these three workers, the guy on the left took Maddie to Homecoming and the guy on the right was in classes with Spence growing up.
Random Sightings. While leaving Top Hat, who do we run into but Maddie and those no good, rotten friends of hers.
Costa Vida. This is the restaurant that we built, right in the corner of Colonial Square. We owned this one for about a year? before someone bought all 3 of the restaurants and we were officially done with that short span of restaurant ownership. We still all hate Cafe Rio though and have good memories of eating WAY too much fattening food here.
Creative Arts Academy. It's hard to imagine where every little girl in Bountiful danced before Jana Monson opened this studio. In a few short years, it is the place for dance and was a 2nd home for Ali for many years.
Special Syd/Mom Lookout Place. This is the place we like to drive to, watch the sunset, pick out buildings and guess what they are. "I think that's the hospital over there." "No mom, I think that's the library. The hospital is that one over there." "Oh yeah, because that one has to be the high school right? Yeah that makes sense." Brett let Kate steer up the mountain. JK
Firehouse Car Wash. This is the place where Spencer worked the end of his senior year. I will never forget being stopped at a stoplight on 5th and 5th and looking straight in the eyes of a dalmation dog waving a Firehouse Car Wash sign. Something about that dog looked eerily familiar. He was staring me down, that masked 6 ft. dalmation. Finally, just before the light turned green, the dog started doing the Jerk, a popular dance jig and I realized it was Spencer. "Spencer!!!" I called out of my window as I saw the familiar white high tops jumping up and down. Man, that moment was priceless.
Bountiful Temple. I love the temple, especially the Bountiful temple. I miss it already. It has been a huge blessing to live so close to a temple of God. I loved that my kids loved it as much as Brett and I did. Having temples dot the earth is one of the blessings of living in a time of history when all of the blessings of the restored Gospel have been returned to the earth. How lucky are we to be alive today and not in the Middle Ages? I love this picture of Sydney with the sun setting behind her.
Misty's House. It has been so great to live by my sister Misty. Misty's house was probably Sydney's favorite place to be in the whole world. All of her cousins wanted to play with her and she would have stayed there for days if I had let her. Misty adopted her many times when I was sick with Kate, home with new Kate, doing stuff with older kids. We could have taken a similar picture with Misty's kids in front of my front door. I love that they always wanted to be at our house too with or without Syd.
That last picture pretty much is the definition of all things good.
I am realizing here that I still have all of these places and memories with me. I haven't lost any of them, and I will gain a whole slew of new places and faces here in La Canada, California. I can't wait to discover them.
Tom Newman. So glad they moved in.
Whoever booked this band? They were so brilliant. I wish they could have played all night.
The greatest mother daughter team. Good cook, seamstress, gospel scholar, nurturer, and her daughter who I taught and love
"And thus the new health care program will affect the tax code by..."
Love Maddie's no good friends
The Wainsgards with super buff son.
Love my nieces
Like this picture
Our "Japanese" friends, the Fowers. 
Best "all around girl," Sarah just LOVING the music I'm sure
My singing partner for 6 ish? years
Is this so Nick Cash? Always looking out for the little ones. Also, is this so Sydney or what?
Og and Maddie made my night by coming up from Provo just for the party.Love them.
"Should I marry him? Holding hands already."
"ooo or maybe him. An older man.."
Two of the cutest boys in the whole world.
Hostess with the mostest, Kimi.
Whitney, Gretchen and Melanie. Pretty much glowing.
Inseparable...until Emilee gets married in a few weeks.
I miss these people. A lot. But I have to say, it's a good miss, not a depressing miss. That's good. I can't wait to see them in a few weeks.
Tom Newman. So glad they moved in.
Whoever booked this band? They were so brilliant. I wish they could have played all night.
The greatest mother daughter team. Good cook, seamstress, gospel scholar, nurturer, and her daughter who I taught and love
"And thus the new health care program will affect the tax code by..."
Love Maddie's no good friends
The Wainsgards with super buff son.
Love my nieces
Like this picture
Our "Japanese" friends, the Fowers. 
Best "all around girl," Sarah just LOVING the music I'm sure
My singing partner for 6 ish? years
Is this so Nick Cash? Always looking out for the little ones. Also, is this so Sydney or what?
Og and Maddie made my night by coming up from Provo just for the party.Love them.
"Should I marry him? Holding hands already."
"ooo or maybe him. An older man.."
Two of the cutest boys in the whole world.
Hostess with the mostest, Kimi.
Whitney, Gretchen and Melanie. Pretty much glowing.
Inseparable...until Emilee gets married in a few weeks.
I miss these people. A lot. But I have to say, it's a good miss, not a depressing miss. That's good. I can't wait to see them in a few weeks.
