On to August -

AAARRRGGGHHH. Summer is going by too fast! July is gone. We had a barbeque on July 4 and didn’t go to watch the fireworks that night, but we saw a few on Monday night. Since Randy had Monday off from work, he and I and Dylan drove up to Temple Square and walked around the Church History Museum and the Visitor Centers. We got to see the model of the Salt Lake Temple that they have there with its cut-away sides. You only get to see ½ of the inside of the temple rooms, but there is also a kiosk with interactive media that shows some inside rooms. It was nice to take a weekend to think about what a blessing it is to live in this country and the religious freedoms we enjoy!

My mom got a new phone that has speaker-phone capability so that she can hear the caller well enough to have a conversation on it. I’ve called her and she seems to be able to hear me OK when she knows that I am testing it. She still struggles with it when she gets an unexpected call. We’ll keep working at it, though – “practice makes perfect!” The “jury is still out” on her new hearing aids, also. She’s not sure that they are enough better than her old ones to make it worth the expense.

On Saturday, July 10, we attended a community play of “Hello, Dolly” at an outdoor theater in Herriman. It was OK. I had never seen the movie, so I wasn’t familiar with the story line. So, we checked out the movie with Barbra Streisand from the library and watched it a few weeks later. (Randy is NOT a fan of Barbra). I could understand the dialogue much better on that. It’s not something I need to see again, but I’m glad I know what it’s about.

On Sunday, July 11, we had the family party to celebrate Connie’s birthday. There were about 35 people here for it and we had a nice time. That evening she went home with Terry and Becky to spend a couple days with them. Becky took her shopping, sight-seeing and to lunch. She had fun. We took her to Tucano’s again for her free birthday dinner. This time we went to the one in Salt Lake – it’s actually closer, and a lot less crowded. It was yummy, as usual.

We needed to replace the front roller bar on the treadmill that my brother, Derek, gave us. There was nothing wrong with the bar, but the plastic covering for it was extremely brittle and was falling apart. I guess they use a special kind of paint instead of plastic on the newer ones. Anyway, since there was no serial number anywhere on the treadmill, we had to just go by the model when ordering the part, and the one they sent us was 3/8” too long! So, we had to have a different part sent out. The treadmill was out of commission during this time, so I started riding a bike that I got at the Deseret Industries. I ride it up the hill until I get to Rosecrest Blvd. which is pretty flat, then I can go back and forth on it. I rode 6 ½ miles last time I went. Randy has fixed the treadmill now, but I will probably continue to ride the bike several times a week until the weather gets bad.

I have finished another class at Columbia Southern University, and my next class starts August 11. It will be “Organizational Research and Theory”. Doesn’t sound too interesting, and it might even be more challenging than the ones I have done so far. I’ll see…

A new car wash has opened up just a few signals north of us off Bangerter Hwy. They have been letting people wash and vacuum for free for a week. I drove through yesterday. Instead of driving the car into the bay, putting it in park, and the wash rags, rinse spray, etc. moving around me – I had to put both my left front and back tires on a conveyor belt and put my car in neutral. Then I moved through the wash, rinse, dry, etc. steps as the car was pulled forward on the belt. It was quick, but rather scary since I couldn’t see in front of me while I was moving! Then, there is free vacuuming. Wow. I have never used such a high power vacuum! I’m glad I had no small children with me….! They might have been sucked up the tube!

I, unbelievably, have another cold! I think I’ve had more of them since moving to Utah, than I had the whole time we were in Kansas. August is a busy month, so hopefully this won’t last very long.