Dear Family,
I wish I could invite you all to a peach party. Ours are abundant this year. We've finished up one tree and soon the next tree variety will be ready. This is one time of year that I am glad I live in the 'flat lands' away from most deer. Earlier I made some butter apricot syrup that was 'roll your eyes' good!
We enjoyed getting to meet Megumi's sister, sister-in-law and nephews at Aunt Jean's for family night. It is always relaxing to be there. It was hysterical to watch the kids crawl into these huge balls that they were rolled around in. I was convinced that they would roll right off into the ravine. The food was terrific and the company even better. Megumi's family fit right in with the rest of us although our lack of Japanese skills made visiting a little challenging.
This past month we attended the CURLOR (Curtis/Taylor) reunion. It was held on a short weekend and they rented a church girl's camp facility in Idaho. It seemed in the middle of nowhere but when we got down into the grotto it had lots of grass areas to set up tents in, a lodge with tables and chairs to eat in, a kitchen similar to all the ward houses and full showers and restrooms. We could never get enough days scheduled for the Barrus reunions but it was a nice place to be. A family donated it to the church years ago and it belongs to a Stake in Bountiful. Some of the fun things we participated in was a photo area where we dressed in clothing that was worn by some of their ancestors, albums we could look at, and stories. Curt's mother held an auction to raise money for the next reunion. She auctioned off some family heirlooms. They have this luxury because Curt's mother was an only child and Curt's father had one brother with no family so Curt's family has everything from both sides. It was short and sweet but only four of the eight siblings were represented. We played outdoor games and some 'minute to win it' games as well. Andrew, Willow, Marie, Matt, Abby, and April were able to be there.
Yesterday was a big day for our household. We took Abby to the airport for her semester in Italy. Abby, Curt and I each put up a brave front but in the back of each of our minds was concern that she would get to Rome with all her plane changes safely. After she left I was thinking about how brave she was to accept going where she didn't know anyone nor anything about where she was going. When I went to school in Hawaii I took my best girl friend and flew with a group from BYU. Abby's group was scheduled to tromp through the Coliseum after getting off the plane. Thank goodness she learned how to ask for a gelato in Italian before she left!
When we returned from the airport we drove back home, picked up Andrew, borrowed the Uhaul that he had rented to move himself later that day and went to Bountiful I needed to pick up. Everything went well until they tried to move that beautiful oriental cabinet from the front room. It is extremely heavy and even though they had a dolly it was too much for them. They tried several different ways but ended up having to leave it in the front entry until I can arrange for a moving company.
Then we drove back to Syracuse and helped load Andrew and Willow's things and move them into their own place in Orem. Andrew has been working as the lawyer for the firm he worked for as a paralegal while Willow was finishing her degree at BYU. He now finds himself the boss for the people he trained three years ago before law school. He says it is kind of weird. He works long hours and is getting the place whipped into shape. They moved into a furnished apartment close to the UVU campus while they get their bearings on where they want to permanently buy or rent. They were great to have for the past 3.5 months. They kept the mood here at home light, always ready for games, cooked, cleaned and helpful. We had a 'last' adventure while getting them off to Orem. Andrew was driving the truck, Curt followed in our van, and Willow was to drive their car. Andrew and Curt took off while Willow finished up a few things. Soon Willow discovered that she did not have the car keys and Andrew's cell phone was in the car and not with him. Marie reminded us that Andrew was going to stop at the Maverick to fill up on gas and maybe we could catch him. We tried putting Willow's car into neutral to push it out from behind my car so I could try to catch Andrew but it wouldn't shift. Marie ran and got her car keys and I rushed off to catch Andrew. I looked for the Uhaul as I passed the Maverick but he had already left. I could see a truck a little ways ahead and stepped on the gas pedal. It was the wrong truck. I kept weaving through traffic from the right lane to the left, going 15-20 miles over the speed limit. I should have been pulled over for sure! Finally, not too far from the on ramp to the freeway I spotted the right Uhaul and began honking. Andrew did not recognize the weird lady who kept honking for a while but then he finally pulled over and threw me the keys. In the mean time Curt had seen me drive wildly past him in Marie's car. Figuring this was a bit unusual (smart man) Curt found a public phone and called home to see what was up (no he doesn't have a cell phone and he didn't want to take one) When I got back to the house and sent Willow on her way I was telling Marie how dangerous that was. She reminded me that not only was I speeding and had no driver's license with me but her car's registration had expired. If I had been pulled over it would have been BIG! To top it off, Andrew called me this evening to tell me that I had left my purse in the Uhaul. Guess we'll be seeing them on Labor Day!
Alex and Ashley have been back and forth to California this month. Ashley's mother had a heart attack earlier in the month. She had a quadruple bypass this past Thursday and was not expected to make it. The doctors had told the family to come before the surgery. Well she did make it but she is having a rough time of it partly because she has had diabetes for several years and they only had very small veins to use for the reconstructing. It has been a difficult time. Alex and Ashley are both in school and have part time work (YEAH!) and are doing a great job keeping on top of everything.
We took advantage of all the moving around that is going on here and helped move little Eliza into her own crib and out of her parent's bedroom. It should be nice for them to stretch out a little. I'll let Marie report on her family.
As far as April goes she is head on into her senior year. She has enrolled in a CNA course at the DATC college for part of her days, has an online history course so she could accommodate the CNA time and has AP classes as well. We have put our foot down on her working and she is supposed to cut down to three times a week or quit. She is Pizza-Retti's work horse and they love her to work…..because SHE KNOWS HOW! They call her in when they are training someone new in hopes they will all be like her. April has really enjoyed watching her college fund grow. Even though it is minimum wage, if you just keep plugging along it all adds up!
Well if you made it to the end you know more about us than you really needed to know. Thanks for 'listening'.
We think of each of you often and continually pray that each one will feel loved and kept safe.
Love you,
Uncle Curt and Aunt Susan
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