September Heights

So many lovely things filled up our September.

The first fun thing was of course Labor Day - Romney came up for the weekend (I will not keep mentioning the weekends she does this, since it is almost every single weekend. Which I'm not really sorry about because we love being with her.) We had a very rainy and chilly Labor Day, so instead of a breakfast up a canyon we went out for some greasy-spoon diner food, at the Over the Counter Cafe.

Also, both of our girls had success with auditions. Romney found out that the LDS Institute of Religion at UVU has a choir that you have to audition for, and she went for it. I'm so glad she wanted to get involved with something extracurricular like this. She was pretty nervous - she has a very sweet and clear soprano voice, often described as a choir-boy voice. And as she sat, waiting for her turn, she overheard some other auditions, and noticed how very broadway-esque they sounded, with tons of show and vibrato. She thought she might not make it into this choir, but happily, she did, and she's had a great time with it. A few performances already, an ALL-day retreat in Midway, and an upcoming performance in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. 

Here is Romney and her sweet friend Elizabeth who came to hear her choir sing at a fireside in Orem:

Emma had her own audition come up right after school started. The theater department scheduled Les Miserables as the first show of the year, and Emma couldn't help but get involved. She loves theater and after all the shows she saw Romney perform in, she always knew she wanted to be a part of things. As a freshman, she couldn't expect to land a really big role, but she did get several small ones such as a nun, a dancer in the wedding, a peasant and a tavern customer. She has three costumes and is seen here and there throughout the play. It made her fall very busy in a great way, with friends everywhere and place she feels she belongs.

Speaking of Emma, Emma did some speaking! After she had such a wonderful experience at FSY camp the first week of summer, she actually mentioned that she would like a chance to give a talk in church to share some of the things she learned. So late in the summer she was invited to do just that. Our stake president Ben heard about it, and asked Troy and me what we thought about her speaking in stake conference. We told him that we would ask her, expecting her to be really nervous and maybe even unwilling. But when Troy mentioned it, she lit up and said she'd love to!

Our stake has been holding its semi-annual conferences on Temple Square in the Assembly Hall since we don't really have our own stake center, and sadly, this conference was going to be the last one since that historic building is about to be renovated and refurbished. It was a special day to be there, and we were grateful that Troy's mom Grandma Carol plus his brother Sam and family could be there to support Emma, who did a fantastic job.

Every once in a while, the stars align and we are able to find a time for Troy's gang of high school friends to get together. We made it mostly happen in September, meeting up with the Freezes, Mayfields, Munsons and Tates. We missed a couple of other friends who couldn't be there! We enjoyed dinner at Thanksgiving Point, and spent a long time talking. The husbands were gathered on one side of the table, and the wives on the other. It was a little funny - the men were making each other laugh in the best way, while the women were having heartfelt conversations that made us all cry together. Talk about stereotypical. It was just great though, and hopefully it won't be too long before we can gather again.

Oh my gosh! So many great things! 

Poetry group happened on our porch for the first time in more than a year. 

We were so excited to welcome in the Football Season: 

Troy got to celebrate his 35th High School Reunion, but I don't think we have photos. Also not pictured was a dinner I got to enjoy with my favorite teacher from my days working at Dilworth, Jane. And us going to see our old college favorite, Peter Breinholt. It's always so fun to go to his shows. Plus, on that same night, Emma got to go to her very first concert - Roseburg, with the Buchert family, in Orem.

See what I mean? It was a great month. Plus, Chase hit his one-year mark of being out on his mission. He said something about it that just warmed my heart. He said, "I'm just not ready to be half-way done with my mission." He's so happy, and I'm so grateful.