Joining DUP

The other week I was at the Provo Temple doing a session. Right in the middle of it I got this overwhelming feeling that I should look into joining DUP (Daughters of the Utah Pioneers). I always knew that I would join once the kids were out of the house and I had time. But, the kids are now out of the house......and I have time.


After the session was over I was walking down the first flight of stairs and was drawn to this picture. It was an instant confirmation to me that my idea was a good one. This picture reminds me of Jane Manning - who was the earliest black member of the church and a dear friend of Joseph and Emma Smith.

I went home and texted a friend who had moved from the area, but I knew she had attended meeting in our city. She gave me the name of a lady who ended up not being the captain anymore. So, she gave me the name of another lady who ended up being the right lady. I was finally able to get all the paperwork filled out correctly and submitted. When I went to turn it in the captain of the group was so sweet and adorable. Her name is Susan. She was so thrilled to meet me and before I left she asked if I would give a narration of my ancestor at their next meeting (2nd Thursdays at 1pm). So, I've joined and I've already been given an assignment. I'm thrilled.

Later on that day I was working in my garden and found this perfectly shaped heart. A sign from heaven - I think so.

I am also lucky enough to have one of my pioneer ancestors buried in the Provo cemetery. So, after my temple trip this past Wednesday I went and found her. It was super fun and I look forward to having my heart turn to my pioneer ancestors more. I know they will give me more strength and courage.

Going on's.....

I tried an experiment with my plum tree this year. I decided to only do a light pruning job on it so I could see if it would produce more plums. I typically get enough to keep me busy, but I wanted to see if I could get even more this year. Yes, yes, Yes - I got SO many plums this year. I've been eating them off the tree before they were even ripe. For the past week, I've been drying plums non-stop. Thank goodness for a food dehydrator that is a powerful machine. I only turn it off when I'm sleeping. 

I have now prepped all the plums and I've gotten 10 gallon size bags that will shrink down once they are dried. It was a fun experiment and I'm glad it worked like I was hoping. One evening Peter helped me pick some, and then the next night a friend came and got a big bag full too and helped me get the last few off the tree. This year's harvest reminded me of all the years I spent harvesting nectarines at my Grandma Burr's house. 

Last week Aunt Amy sent a text saying that she and her hubby heard about a steam train that was making a stop in Provo. She said it was a rare event and that she and Morgan had gone to it. She thought I would like to go with the boys too. The train was only supposed to be available for viewing until 4pm. So, I picked up the boys from school (we took Talmadge with us) and we zoomed to east Provo to see the big train. It was HUGE. I was completely dwarfed by the train. It was impressive and so inspiring. The boys, as is typical, just stood around chatting with each other. Someday they will appreciate awesome things like this. It was also so awesome to be with Aunt Amy. We don't see her very often. She came home with us and spent a couple of hours playing Legos with the boys. It was heaven.

Cold weather has hit Utah and I've pulled all the garden up except for a few carrots. Luke wanted to plant watermelon this year. I didn't think it would ripen, and the first one didn't. But, this one that I pulled off the vine last week did. It was SO yummy! Sadly, the boys wouldn't eat it (they all hate seeds) so I enjoyed the entire thing by myself. Luke was still very excited about it even if he didn't eat it. 

On Tuesday for scouts we did a service project for our "Building a better world" adventure. The boys decided to rake leaves. It was the best day ever. The temperature was in the 70's and the leaves have only just begun to fall. The boys had a marvelous time together. The last house had enough leaves to jump in. Which the boys loved. They we bagged them up and headed back for popcorn (made by Jenny) and brownies (made by Peter).  The entire hour went by so quickly and I found myself wishing time would have slowed down. We only have a few more times we meet and then scouts will be finished. I'm feeling a little sad about it. We've had so many grand/crazy adventures.