The week before Thanksgiving: the mission office was open through Wednesday and they were normal days. When we were home, I spent every spare moments at the sewing machine finishing up 33 drawstring Days for Girl bags so I could deliver them in Mesa when we were there on Saturday.
Thanksgiving Day - Steve and I watched "White Christmas" early in the day while I baked pies and wrapped Christmas gifts. We left for Payson around 10:30 a.m. and had a lovely, relaxed day with my sister as the turkey cooked. Jesse had to work until 6:00 so we had Thanksgiving dinner at 6:30 with just Juli, Jesse and Kat.
Friday was a big day. I continued to sew bags and then I left for Mesa around 10:30 a.m. to join in a Young family history field trip to Tucson. Brent initiated the whole event and he and Susette and all of their seven children piled into their big van and Amy, with Jerri and me, followed in Amy's handicap-accessable van (Jerri being in a wheelchair). After a disappointing lunch at a Chick Filet in Casa Grande (they were out of gluten-free buns and no salads were available due to the e-coli/romaine lettuce scare - so I ate the cheese stick and tortilla chips I brought along as a just-in-case), we drove on to Tucson and our first stop - the Binghampton Cemetery
It was so fun to see how engaged the Bowden kids were in finding Young family tombstones. Susette even found Cardon family graves, including her namesake. I found where my Aunt Lillian was buried. She died a young girl in early 1920 - likely from the influenza epidemic.
After lingering at the cemetery, we looked for the home that my grandfather and grandmother Young lived in on Dodge, just up from the Binghampton church on Ft. Lowell road. And, we found it! It is currently a ceramic studio called the Tucson Clay Coop and it just "happened" to be open when we arrived late that afternoon. I walked in and said "my grandparents lived in this home" and the woman just about died she was so thrilled. She had just recently hosted a 100-year birthday celebration for the house and had searched for anyone who could tell more about it's history. She let us explore the house and even took us to the root cellar under the kitchen. It was so wonderful. Below are photos of me and Maxine and her with Brent and Susette. I have her contact information and, when I get back to Missouri, I will look for more information on the house.
We drove by the house on Richey that my mom and grandpa Fraedrich built but, as before, it was behind a locked fence since it is now used for storage for a plumbing company. We drove to Fraedrich street and saw what was likely my mom's childhood home but, again, it was behind a fence. Then, we parted ways with Brent's family since Jerri needed to get back home. On our way out of town, we found my Aunt Cleo's home, also on Richey. (Cleo was my mom's sister).
It was a long day but SO rewarding. And Jerri held up through it all. In fact, when we visited her again the next day, she just kept talking about what a great time she had. Why were we back in Mesa on Saturday? Well, to pick up Julina who arrived in the morning for a week-long visit. A birthday present for me and a nice, relaxing break from her crazy life for her. We picked her up, dropped off my finished Days for Girls bags, bought her breakfast at a Waffle House, and then went to see Amy. My sister, Juli, drove down from Payson for the visit. She and I played our "O Come, O Come Emmanuel: duet (the first of many performances). We visited Jerri. We ate lunch with Amy and family. And then we all parted ways. Amy and Cory have inherited a tortoise named Spike and Amy's granddaughters, Ava and Sophie were over to visit him (they live next door). (Sophie has the curly hair)
Sunday was my 63rd birthday. I had a lovely day. We cooked a Thanksgiving dinner, complete with pumpkin cheesecake. I got to talk to all seven of my children (well, I had to visit with Beckie on Monday morning). "happy birthday to me, I'm now sixty-three"
p.s. we put our "tree" up and I finished my decoupage project. (thankfully, the photo doesn't show the wrinkles)
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