A Special Family Weekend

While we were sad that some family members were unable to be present we made the eleven-hour drive each way to Springville, Utah from our winter "home" in Arizona to help Laurie prepare for and to attend the baptism and confirmation of our sweetheart granddaughter, Mckinsie Ockey, on Saturday, January 7. The roads were clear as we traveled there on Thursday and the weather was nice on Friday. Thursday evening we arrived early enough to visit Leon and Chrissy in Payson. They fed us and Brendon showed us his science project showing zero-energy magnetic levitation that he created with a lot of help from his dad. We were even blessed by a visit with Kendra as she dropped in briefly. We then spent some time with a very interesting toy called Bucky Balls and watched some America's Funniest Videos. Leon has always had amazing talent and interests in science and these small, shiny magnetic balls were most fascinating with what could be built with them. Friday I put finishing touches on Mckinsie's dress and helped with preparations for an amazing brunch Laurie planned for the families following the service. Dad worked on his usual list of "Daddy-does" for Laurie. That evening we spent with LaRinda, Trevor and family. That always involves music and art which we enjoy immensely. Then when we woke up Saturday morning there were two to three inches of new snow on the ground and it was snowing, which it did off and on all day. Nevertheless the baptism service was wonderful as Mckinsie shared it with three other girls. Her brother, Ryan, offered the opening prayer, Jordan played the piano for a musical number by some of the children and her sister, Kristina, gave a well-prepared talk on the Holy Ghost.

Following the service we enjoyed the wonderful brunch that had been prepared and everyone visited and enjoyed the time together.

Breanne and Dad had a date Saturday afternoon to make homemade Reese's peanut butter candy together but there was too much going on and Dad accepted a rain check in the form of an invitation to attend a Utah Valley University (UVU) Wolverines basketball game against Seattle University that evening along with Kristina's hubby, Jared, since Kristina was ill. Breanne's boy friend, Kellen sits at the scorers table and handles stats and press releases. What appeared initially to be a runaway game for UVU came down to the last minute to decide that the Wolverines won.

Breanne wrote the recipe for the "Grandpa & Breezy's Bars" on a card and Dad came home and mixed up a batch. They were delicious.

Fortunately the storm passed and we had no problem with roads for the return trip Sunday although more storm was predicted for Monday. On the way up we traveled through Flagstaff and passed the Glen Canyon Dam on our beloved Lake Powell near Page, Arizona.

Due to the storm we returned through Las Vegas and Kingman to avoid potential problems in Northern Arizona. The last couple of hours was under a clear sky and a beautiful full moon. A soak in the pool before turning in for the night sure felt good on a sore behind.