Weekend with Lisa

Lisa joined us in SLC, the weekend of September 18, 2015, to visit Spencer and Grant, who have just started BYU, and to take part in a round of family parties.  On Friday night, we ate dinner together at The Aerie at The Cliff Lodge at Snowbird.

The food was elegant--elk meatballs, tiny cups of potato soup, and calamari as appetizers, then baked salmon with mushroom risotto and other entrees.  It was wonderful to see how excited Lisa was to see her boys, and how glad they were to see their mom.

On Saturday morning, Dave and I took Grant and Spencer to the Farmer's Market for breakfast, while Lisa rested up.  Grant has always loved dogs, and he greeted a bulldog puppy with the delight we both felt for "Boris", the bulldog in Seattle who became our "dog of the decade."

There were, of course, other contenders for Saturday's "dog of the day."

I stopped by the shop of my friend, Aluel, from Sudan, and ordered her delicious chicken, spinach, and lentil stews.

Dave, Grant, Spencer, and I ate our brunch on picnic tables near the stage, where a Bulgarian folk dance troupe was performing.  The combination of food and entertainment reminded us of how diverse SLC is becoming.

Lisa joined us for an afternoon of riding snowmobiles at the cabin.

Lisa brought to SLC handmade levi quilts for each of her boys.  Grant's quilt was large and comfy enough to share. 

Saturday evening, Mike and Heidi joined Spencer, Lisa, Dave and me to watch a televised BYU football game.

On Sunday morning, Mike and Heidi treated us to a fancy waffle breakfast at their home on "D" Street.

 

Michael keeps a large stock of syrups for his waffle and German pancake specialties.

I promised Emilie that I would cook a Peruvian dinner for her if she'd tell our family about her recent humanitarian mission to Peru.  She came through and so did I.

The entrée was "arroz con pollo," which was a treat to Spencer, too.  Chicken and rice dishes are typical all over the Hispanic world, including in Spencer's Arcadia California mission.

We fixed Jonny's Brazilian specialty, fresh limeade with a bit of condensed milk mixed in, and we served up platters of fruit.  Emily said that was not quite what she ate in the tiny Peruvian town where she helped to build a school!

Emilie gave a 15 minute report on her adventure.  The report was fascinating, but it was almost as fascinating to watch the audience (photos courtesy of Annelise).

Spencer finished the program by telling us a bit about his Spanish-speaking mission in Arcadia.  What talented grandchildren Dave and I have!

On Monday, Lisa and I toured the new Church History Library and ate lunch at the Blue Lemon, before I dropped her off at the airport.  We held early editions of The Book of Mormon in front of a sheet with the hashtag, "one more voice."  What a pleasure it has been to spend this weekend with Lisa.