Goodbye, Peach

 After having our sweet Peach for over 13 years, we knew her time to leave this life was approaching. For a while she didn't show much interest in eating, but between soaking her dry food in hot chicken broth or adding a little bit of wet dog food on top of her dry food ("to prime the pump," as Seth put it), we were able to help her with sustenance. But it was becoming more and more obvious that it was hard for her to get around; she limped with every step due to arthritis, and sometimes her back legs would kind of give out on her. We had been helping her in every way we could imagine: the vet recommended a couple of medications for her, and I constructed a dog cart so she could still go on walks but Dixie could pull her. 

But the day that Rebekah took the dogs on a walk (while we were at Snowbird), Peach tried going to the ditch to get a drink of water and fell in over her head. Rebekah had to jump in because Peach didn't have the dexterity or strength to take care of herself. At that point, we realized that we needed to schedule Peach's release.

Seth called our vet's office, but it was hard to find an opening in their schedule that worked with all of our schedules. I remembered reading about a company that would come to your home for pet euthanasia, so Seth contacted them and was able to find the right time for all of us to be with Peach when she passed. 

It was a hard, beautiful experience. On the morning of Wednesday, August 5, we all sat around her and gave her love and attention until the vets arrived. We said our goodbyes, and Peach passed peacefully surrounded by her people. Seth had prepared a grave for her about 10 months prior when we found out her kidneys were failing and wrongly assumed she wouldn't live through the winter. We wrapped Peach in a purple sheet and buried her under the crabapple tree in the side yard where the sandbox used to be. 

The family stood around her resting place for a while and shared some of our favorite memories of Peach: jumping up onto the grill and resting there when she was a puppy, stealing the ceramic ducks from Berretts' yard, going on hikes and running back and forth on the way in but stopping in the shade for a quick lie down on the way out. It was a bittersweet experience because Peach had been the best family dog we could have asked for, but we knew she was without pain and in a better place. 

Baby Peach napping on her momma. This was the day we visited the litter of puppies that Grandpa Dennis' dog Buddy had sired and picked out our puppy. We chose the runt of the litter thinking she would stay small enough to not knock over our little girls.

Puppy Peach resting on the grill. All of that stuff we used to store in the back yard had to be moved because we learned that puppies will chew everything they can get their teeth on.

Peach experienced lots of places with our family. This was while we were camping in Island Park.

Peach went duck hunting but never really got the gist of it.

She and Toad became cuddle buddies.

Peach really loved hunting camp in Island Park. She loved the place and the people ... but she could have done without the other dogs up there. Oftentimes we'd find her hiding under the trailer instead of socializing.

Peach loved her walks.

In all weather.

And her hikes.

And she loved spending time in the laundry room when Seth determined she needed to come in out of the cold.

Peach with our whole family over Christmas break 2025. We didn't think she'd make it much longer, so we made sure to take this picture while we were all home for Christmas. Poor Rebekah said goodbye to Peach about four times (before both of her missions, before moving to Delaware, while home from Delaware for Christmas) because we didn't know how long she'd live.

Peach in her cart when it got too hard to walk the whole way.

Seth spent Peach's last night in the shop with her so they could have a sleepover.

The entire family spending their last moments with Peach. Seth scrambled some eggs for her last breakfast, but she was much more interested in Ana's PB&J, so we let her finish that.

Rebekah posted this on Instagram: 

Princess Peach Toadstool Grover: June 2 2013 - August 5 2026

Peach Grover was the best dog in the world, and lived thirteen years and two months of the best life a dog could live. She was born two streets over and lived at our house her whole life, and she went on countless hikes, camping trips, walks, and adventures. During her life she swam a lot, went duck hunting, had brief encounters with both a skunk and a porcupine, and caught birds.

She lived to a ripe old age, happy and loved, and peacefully went to sleep surrounded by her family in her yard. She got to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast just before, and she was very thrilled. She had a wonderful last few days with lots of carriage rides and love and finished her mission happy, and is no longer troubled by old age and aches.

She was besides me and was my best friend for most of my life, and she always took naps with me, played with me, listened to me, and loved me. She exemplified the pure, unconditional love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and she was a truly God-given member of our family. It was truly a blessing that she lived through two missions and a year in Delaware, as well as the rest of the spring semester. The family was all together at home, and we could all be there for her.

There will never be another dog like Peach, who loved every person she met so much, even the vet. She was such an important part of our family, and she always be until we are reunited.

Seth wrote and posted this poem he wrote in tribute:

From the same dust as me

Made He you;

Not in His image

But like Him elseways.

The same Spark that makes me

Made you;

Smaller, and though not as bright,

Concentrated and pure.

You came to show us love

And to do His will

(In all things)

Which was to lick my face.

"Greater love hath no man than this,"

And though you were no man

You gave your life to us

A holy sacrifice of joy.

I am convinced

That if I must go on

Then you must go on

"Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory,"

Wagging your tail.

All Shook Up

 Ana's current therapist is a part of the community theater scene, so somehow during one of their sessions Ana learned about the Ammon Arts Community Theater putting on a summer production of All Shook Up. She auditioned for the musical and got to participate as part of the ensemble. All throughout her spring semester at BYU-Idaho, she was commuting to Thunder Ridge High School three times a week for rehearsals. As always, Ana poured her whole heart and soul into it, and it was a great experience for her.

All Shook Up is a retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night but with Elvis music. The show ran July 30-August 4. 

Ana's bio in the program.

Jailhouse Rock.

A statue in the statue garden.

This musical was a great fit for Ana because it involved a lot of swing dancing. Thank you, ballroom.

Ana with fellow cast members.

Family selfie after opening night.

Getting a hug from Grandpa Scott following her performance opening night. Nathan and Rebekah came a different night because they were sick. Some of us were also able to attend on closing night. Besides our family, Grandpa and Grandma Scott, Aunt Jessica, Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis, Aunt Jessica, the Wildes, one of her roommates, several of her friends, and even her dental hygienist who she had invited the morning of attended. Ana did a good job recruiting patrons.

Snowbird

Miriam and Winnie grew up hearing all about Snowbird: the lodge, the slideshow, the alpine slide, the pool, the yearbook kids, the zip line, etc. Then when they were each respectively old enough to attend the yearbook camps we would go to every summer at Jostens staff members, the venue changed to Zermatt. Although Zermatt was lovely, it wasn't the same as Snowbird. So as a mini vacation this summer, Seth and I took Miriam and Winnie an on overnight trip to Snowbird so they could see the place they always heard about from their older sisters.

We drove down the morning of July 31 because none of the rides/attractions at Snowbird open until 11. We had purchased our all-day passes online, so when we got there we picked up our passes and tried a little of nearly everything. The zipline and alpine slide are gone, the bungee drop was closed, and the trampoline had age and weight restrictions (only Winnie qualified to go on that), but we did everything we could.

Winnie and Seth on the tram. This is one activity Seth and I never got to do while at yearbook camp because the tram ride took too long. We had to stay where the majority of the kids were and shoot footage of them doing the fun activities while we could.

Miriam on the tram.

Looking out from the top of the mountain. Notice how far away Miriam in standing from the edge.

Andrea on the mountain coaster.

Miriam, Andrea and Seth on the chairlift. Winnie opted to stay at the bottom and ride the mountain coaster over and over again while we enjoyed the scenic ride up and back down. Not pictured: the ropes course. Miriam chose to sit that one out due to her fear of heights. The ropes course was a first for us as well.

Chilling in the hotel after we felt we had gotten our fill of the resort.

Andrea and Winnie headed to the pool. Both of us got sunburned at Snowbird.

Winnie pulling faces while Miriam laughs in the hotel.

The next day we spent some time in Salt Lake City before heading home. First we went to the Gilgal Sculpture Garden--something I had heard about years before but never got the chance to see. Then we went around Temple Square to go inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, see the new visitors' center, and check out the art and history museum. Then we went to the Cathedral of the Madeleine but didn't enter the chapel because a quincenera ceremony was taking place. It was still neat to see the cathedral through the chapel windows.

At the Joseph Smith Sphinx statue in the sculpture garden.

Posing with the ceiling of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Looking out over the city from an upper floor of the JSMB.

Looking at the art.

The new visitors' center basement.

The Christus at the visitors' center.

The cathedral.

Rebekah and Nathan move west

After 10 months of living in Delaware while Nathan finished his degree, Rebekah and Nathan moved all the way across the country so Rebekah could finish her schooling at BYU-Idaho. This required a lot of work: selling all their furniture, packing up all their belongings, cleaning their apartment top to bottom, installing a hitch and cargo rack, having the elders help them lift and install their rooftop carrier, mailing several boxes of books when they proved too much weight for the Toyota Camry to handle, and finally hitting the road. They had carefully planned out their entire trip and stayed with friends and family of friends every step of the way.

All of Rebekah and Nathan's belongings in/on/around their car.

Apparently if you have a plastic bin too close to the exhaust pipe, it will melt. Rebekah and Nathan found this out the hard way, unfortunately. They ended up ditching everything that got ruined (which, thankfully, wasn't too much) and duct taping some weights in the bin's place to balance out the weight on their cargo holder.

They also got to work in several Church history stops, including Nauvoo. Finally they pulled in to Idaho Falls on July 7, exhausted after 13 hours of driving. They stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Scott in their upstairs suite but spent most of the waking hours at our house. It was a blessing being able to have all of us around for a few weeks while Ana was also home between semesters at BYU-Idaho. 

Recreating their Nauvoo band days. Apparently the bandwagon doesn't get pulled around Nauvoo any more?! 

Bowling at Homestead Pizza and Bowling shortly after Nathan and Rebekah arrived in Idaho. Seth was in New York City for work when the couple got here from Delaware, so we went without him.

Ana moved back up to Rexburg on September 9; Rebekah and Nathan moved to Rexburg on October 2. They had hoped to buy a trailer house, but the one they put an offer on ending up having extensive water damage, so they pulled out of that transaction and instead were able to line up an apartment. It's the upper half of a home northwest of campus. Nathan is working as an adjunct faculty member of the music department while Rebekah attends as a student, so it's a blessing they were able to find a home in Rexburg so they didn't have to keep commuting from Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Fourth of July

With Winnie getting ready to enter high school and Miriam starting her third year, both of our younger girls were invited to participate in the Fourth of July parade by marching with the band. But neither of them really wanted to. So we needed a good excuse for them to ditch. With that in mind, we organized a camping trip for the family and were delighted when both sets of grandparents were able to come.

Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis scouted out and set up a spot for us at Birch Creek on Thursday, July 2. We joined them later that afternoon, and Grandma Scott, Grandpa Scott and Aunt Jessica came just a little while later. All three parties had our trailers up there, and the spot we had was perfect for us.

On Thursday, July 2 we got set up, had dinner together and played some games. On Friday, July 3 we drove to the nearby pictographs, played in the creek and shot skeet. On Saturday, July 4 we did some fishing before coming home (too late to make it to the parade, darnit). Everyone was okay skipping the fireworks, so we spent the evening taking it easy.

Playing SkipBo Thursday evening.

Winnie taking it easy on Andrea's lap after breakfast Friday morning.

Miriam chilling on the picnic table bench.

Miriam showing off her spoils. We all learned to play poker and used gummy bears for betting. Miriam won all of them.

Grandma Susan, Grandpa Dennis, Seth, Winnie, Grandma Scott, Grandpa Scott and Aunt Jessica looking at the pictographs. We got permission from the landowners to drive across and see them up close.

Grandpa Dennis Grandma Susan, Grandpa Scott, Grandma Scott, Winnie, Miriam and Andrea up in a little bowl created by the rock.

Winnie, Seth and Miriam wading in the creek. They looked for arrowheads but didn't find any.

Andrea and Seth taking it easy in the creek. We took our Kindles and camp chairs out into the middle of the creek to relax.

Seth and Andrea creek sitting.

Miriam chilling in the trailer.

Winnie napping on the dinette seat.

Winnie reading by the creek.

Grandpa Scott fly fishing.

Grandpa Dennis showing Winnie how to load the shotgun.

Miriam reading her book and watching everyone else shoot skeet. 

The gang watching the shooting.

Grandma Scott getting a fist bump from Grandpa Dennis. After everyone else who wanted a turn had had one with the shotgun, Grandma Scott finally worked up the gumption to shoot. She was a little hesitant ("You're going to have to show me how to stand and everything.), but she nailed the first clay pigeon that was launched. She decided to quit while she was ahead, so after that first shot she handed off the gun.

Winnie shooting the Ruger 10/22.

Miriam, Seth and Winnie fishing on the creek on Saturday morning.

Miriam's very first fish. She was the only one of us who caught anything, and it was her first time catching a fish despite all our years of spending Memorial Day weekend at Henry's Lake.

Seth walking along the creek.