Hyde Park Highlights

We are doing our best to get used to this "empty nest" situation.  I have been surprised at how it has changed our lives.  For instance, there are some nights that I haven't even made dinner and Dad has eaten a bowl of cold cereal! So weird. No motivation to cook. Other things I've noticed include:
* All of the piles around here now are of our own making. No one else to blame for those.
* It takes us about 3 1/2 days to fill the dishwasher - so we'll probably go back to washing by hand.
* We can eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast if we want.
* Talking with Chester is quite therapeutic. He doesn't interrupt or offer advice or criticism. He likes to just sit by me and listen.
* Raking leaves takes much longer and is much less fun all by myself.
* We still go to bed too late and have even slept in too late in the mornings and have no one to blame but ourselves.
* We're not sure we are completely in this stage yet. We are still somewhat in denial.

News for the last couple of weeks: We bought a car - 2011 Toyota Camry. It runs nicely and we hope it will last a good, long time. Our latest endeavor was replacing the flooring in the office, kitchen, dining room and hall. It will be a nice change, especially after we get the baseboards on and get everything back where it belongs. We are trying to share our apple cider with everyone we can think of so there will be room in our freezer for Thanksgiving fixings. No one has refused our offer yet!
We are enjoying the weather and hope to get all of our outside things done before winter hits in full force. Dad brought in a strange egg from the chicken coop yesterday. I sent photos to some of you already, but thought the rest of you might like to see it. It was a perfectly formed egg without a shell! It was very soft and had a long "umbilical cord" on it, as you can see. The yolk was visible inside the egg. We didn't have any way to crack it open. I have no idea what that was all about. Dad has been involved in ward conferences for the past few weeks. He'll do one more in November, then take a break for the rest of the semester. Those conferences will start up again next year. He gets a bit stressed because he tries to prepare messages designed specifically for the ward he is attending - not just write one talk for all wards. He does a tremendous job, but it is very demanding a exhausting.

In this big valley, with its thousands of people, things have seemed a bit lonesome since Thomas and Victoria left. We didn't even see them much while they were here, but just knowing that they are not here makes the valley seem quite empty! But we are excited for their adventure and hope they are adjusting and learning and having great experiences. We can't wait to get down there to visit!

We hope all is well in your neck of the woods, wherever that neck is. Have a fun week, everyone. Happy Halloween! Send photos of the adventures and costumes!
P.S. I don't know if you are all aware that Emma has a different email address, but I noticed that when a group message was emailed to our family, Emma's didn't go through. Her new address is
ebelliston99@gmail.com