mike and ruth

We celebrated Olivia’s first birthday on Saturday October 20th at the park. Dinner included some very delicious barbecue chicken prepared by Charlotte, as well as her famous cottage cheese and jello salad. These were enjoyed much by all, along with other items brought by us and by other family members including Andrew’s parents and grandparents. It was really nice to see everyone! Olivia seems to sense that this was a special day. When she was presented with a little cake in her Bumbo chair with its tray we got a real kick from her response as we sang, and then she had some help blowing out the candle. Then she was allowed to eat her cake on her own. It was very entertaining and we all loved seeing her go after it! The gifts from everyone were very nice including books, toys, clothes, and other cool things. She had a lot of help from her sister and her cousin, who were very willing to help her unwrap things and examine what she had been given. They had a good time too! Thank you everyone for coming and being so generous with us and with Olivia and her family. We love you all!

I spent several weeks in Kansas teaching newly-hired engineers some of the responsibilities of their new positions to support NetApp customers. The time there went by fairly quickly. We were able to arrance for Mom to come spend several days for a visit. While we were together we traveled to Kansas City and then also to Nauvoo to do work in the temples at both locations. It was a treat to visit these beautiful buildings and feel the spirit that was there. The people are always very kind, and we fit right in as if we were locals in both locations. Since we went so late in the season Nauvoo was very quiet, not the usual bustling community with hundreds of tourists and other visitors crowding the grounds and the Visitor Center. The time together was great. We had to part ways again after a few days so Ruth could get back to her job at the Mt. Timpanogos Temple on Thursdays but I was able to come home only a little over a week later. It’s nice to be home again!