Latest Doings

Dear Loved Ones,

I thought I would let you know what I have been doing the past couple of weeks.

On Saturday, August 14, I attended a Smith Family Reunion at the Pavilion at Scera Park. It was wonderful to see some of my cousins. Some of those present were Mona Lue and Ron Ward, daughter of my aunt Mona; Alice and Rhett James, granddaughter of my aunt Edna; Mark and Dawn Smith and his brother Warren, sons of my uncle Howard. Warren very recently lost his wife to leukemia. Keith and Zona Smith, son of my uncle Don. There were also some children and grandchildren of these cousins. Gina and John, and Mary and Greg were there. David and his little boys were also present. It was so nice to visit with everyone.

Afterward, I went to Alicia and Brian Gates’ daughter Aspen’s baby blessing. It was held in their home in Cedar Hills and she was blessed by her father.. It was nice to see Melissa, Salem and Daniel besides Alicia and Brian. Their little girl is beautiful and their little boy darling and getting quite big. Syl and Brent, Mary and Greg, and their son Dee and wife Denise and boys were also there.

On Thursday, August 19, I drove to California with Mary and Greg to attend the wedding of young Jerry and Kim’s daughter Tara. We went in my car and Mary and I drove she in Las Vegas and L.A. and I in the desert areas. Greg has been having little seizures so he didn’t drive. We stayed at their daughter Becky’s home in Riverside. She and her husband Todd have a darling family: Ethan, Ava and Andrew. Ava gave up her room for me.

Saturday we drove to Newport Beach to the Temple. It is one of the smaller temples with limited waiting room space. Some people waited in the Stake Center across a small street, others outside. We all put on plastic white booties to enter the Temple and Sealing Room. It was a lovely ceremony with Tara’s father and her husband’s father as witnesses. Ryan Terry is her husband. Some of those attending were Gina and John, Robyn Brown (who drove for Gina and John), Mary and Greg, Jerry and Caryol, Jenae and David, Mitchell and Grace, some Tolman cousins, and grandparents and many friends.

After the ceremony and pictures, we went to the Olive Garden Restaurant and had soup, salad and breadsticks. I sat by Jerry (the older one) and across from Jerry’s nephew and his wife. They were very interesting people. He had served a mission in Germany and had met a young girl, Monica, and when she came to the U.S. to LDS Business College, they became very good friends and eventually married. He travels a lot, mostly to China and told of his adventures there.

Between the Temple and the reception we went to Sonia Williams’ home and had a great visit with her. Gina, John and Robyn stayed at her home.

The reception was held in the Valley View chapel where Sylvia and Tricia had their receptions but they never would had recognized it. Jerry and Kim had already moved to Idaho so they had a professional decorate and what a great thing it was. There was a white gauze gazebo built in the foyer with a large white sleigh to hold the presents. The doors into the cultural hall were covered with white gauze and a huge garland of multicolored flowers were over the door. There were gauze streamers with lights coming from all points of the room to a large chandelier in the center.. The walls of the hall were also covered in white gauze and the basketball backboards too with baskets of flowers in the hoops. The area between the chapel and cultural hall was also draped in the gauze.

All the people that were at the temple were there plus many more. Paul Tolman, his brother Tyler and wife and kids, Warren and Dorothea Williams and kids, Becky and Todd Nelson and kids, Dana and Ana Tolman, Sonia, Dana’s daughter Nancy and son DJ were also there. It was a very nice affair.

Sunday we went to Church at Becky and Todd’s ward where he is the bishop. He is a convert of 10 years and a very nice fellow. That evening Warren and Dorothea and kids came to visit, also Randy and Tammy, Mary’s youngest came to visit.

All told, it was a very nice visit and I got to see lots of family. Monday, we drove home and it was so nice to have a lovely place to come home to.

That’s what I have been doing.