Vivian & David

Family, Friends & Fun is our theme for July.
July began for me being in Portland, Oregon for an educational committee meeting. Carmel Bowns came and picked up there and after we ate, she took me to the Rose Garden and other sites.
Then I flew to Seattle where David met me and we stayed at Nick & Moey Bowns home. They invited Chris and his wife, Janet over, and we had a good BBBQ Dinner and a good visit.

On the 4th of July or on David’s birthday we began our week long Alaskan cruise. While in Juneau, Kate Bowns came to the pier and picked us up and took us to her & Mike’s home where we had a fresh salmon dinner from their catch a few days earlier.

After our cruise, our missionary friends, the Uffens picked us up at the pier and we spent three fun days with them including getting to go to the Seattle Temple.

Then we flew home and I spent most of the next four days unpacking and preparing plans for the ward activity day leaders planning meeting for our stake event on October 9th.

The Sorensen’s arrived on the 18th via the family van from their drive from Minneapolis. The day we got to have Matt [before he flew home], we celebrated Clark’s 6th birthday.
Mabel had her six month birthday this month,.

The Sorensen’s house went on the market for sale and we got to have Stephanie and the kids here.
The unbelievable happened and it sold within one week. And almost one week later, Stephanie flew to SLC, UT to begin a search for their new home there. This gave Grandma/pa the freedom to spoil the kids and do lots of fun things together.

The church has offered a job to Matt using the combination of his law education and his IT experience.

Gregory & Melinda and the children came for the last two days of July and we had a cousin reunion. They all went together at the Primary Water World Activity and spent Sunday together. Last night, August 2nd,
on Dale’s birthday- we went to the Mormon Night at the Braves Game honoring Dale Murphy.

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I would like to add on the family history information here about the Bowns Family.
I had some meetings in Portland, so I called Carmela and asked her if she would like to get together. She came to where my meetings were, we ate together, and then she drove me around Portland for some evening sight seeing. Then three days later, on the 3rd of July, I flew into Seattle where David met me. Nick and his wife, Moey's had invited us to their home to stay overnight and for a BBQ. When we arrived Chris and his wife Janet were there we got to to visit with them, too. I was glad that Chris was there because he had emailed and said he was working on a deal for Boeing and didn't know if he would be out of the country or not.
I asked each of them about what they remembered about our Grandma/Grandpa Bowns. The following in what I learned. While on our Alaskan cruise we had a stop in Juneau, Alaska. Carmela had emailed Kate & Mike and told them we were on a cruise. Kate emailed me and said "I heard you were coming to Juneau to see me". She invited us for dinner and it was wonderful. She picked us up at the pier and took us to their home. They had caught their own fresh salmon a few days earlier and had fixed the fish in different ways for our delicious dinner than night. Kate is a very good cook. I think Mike is a retired UPS man and Kate had worked in the theatre and said she now works for the state so she can have a retirement.