A Trip to Goshen

I don't mention it very often, but Brian and I met when we were serving our missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  That means we have some wonderful people in common.  Two of those wonderful people are Steve and Jenny Staheli.  Steve and Brian were close friends in the mission field and I was in the same district with Steve in his last area. 

I can't remember the names of only three people in this photo.  Steve is on the back row, fifth from the left.  I'm in the middle row, the last one on the right.  Yes, wearing the same dress I still wear to church.  It's sixteen years old.  Sad or awesome?

My only mission memory of Steve is attending a Canned Meat Festival he hosted just before he went home.  One of the other missionaries asked, "How can you eat this stuff?!"  Steve replied, "You just do it."  :)  He's a man of few words, but most of them are funny.  Now Steve and his wife, Jenny, live in a small town in a beautiful home with so many amazing little details and treasures from the past that it blew my mind.  They have three girls who seem too grown up to be theirs and a three year-old boy.  We ate good food, spilled a lot of drinks, kept kids out of stuff and off of stuff and happy while we visited. 

Steve and Brian cooking the hot dogs.

The kids did some digging to find baby toys for Colin and Emil.

One of Steve and Jenny's old treasures is a hand-crank ice cream maker.  The rule for making ice cream at their house is you take a turn at the crank or you don't get to eat any ice cream.

Steve adding salt while Jack turns and Bridget and Evyn supervise.

Emil was hopeful about getting to try the ice cream, but he did not help turn the crank, so...

Bridget was shy for a long time last night.  When we got home and she was in the tub, she cried as she told me she really wanted to ride the scooter that they offered her a hundred times, but she was too scared.  Regrets!

Curiously, all the shots Brian takes of me he cuts off some of my head.  This one isn't as bad as the others.  

Look at that face.  All the girls are unmistakeably Jen and Steve, but I couldn't see them in little Jack.

The babies were pretty good.  Emil threw up three times (the last was in the garage, so yay for that) and pooped his pants (first non-blow out diaper in a month, we can be GLAD of that), which is why we let Jen hold Colin.  (Colin didn't show some true colors until we were in the car on the way home.  Listening to screaming while looking at Utah Lake at sunset.  Ahhhhhh.)

See?  My head is cut off.  I'm putting it in anyway since I was having a good hair day. :)