Happy 2nd Anniversary

26 November 1983

On our first wedding anniversary in ‘82 Mui left to begin Basic Training in the Air Force, so we didn’t celebrate the occasion.  We made up for that in 1983.

Until we stopped decorating the house for the holidays a few years ago, we always set up our Christmas tree after Thanksgiving dinner.  In 1983, we made an exception since we had guests for Thanksgiving.  Instead we set up the tree after our anniversary celebration.  By the end of the evening, not only was our tree decorated, but all the gifts were under it ... well OK; the gifts were around it.  Yeah, we did go a bit overboard with the gift exchange, but it was our first year celebrating Christmas together since Mui was gone for the holidays in 1982.

The big gift box in the back … that was our first microwave.  Do you remember how big those first models were?  It served us well and was still in working order when we finally donated it in 2006.

Happy Thanksgiving

24 November 1983

We invited our friends Sandy and Andrew to celebrate our first Thanksgiving in Utah with us.

Jaycees Parade

19 November 1983

I’m not a parade person. Sure, I like the colorful floats, but the crowds — ugh! Somehow Sandy and Andrew convinced us to join them, so off we went to Salt Lake City to watch the Jaycees Parade come down Main Street.

yes, that float is sponsored by Donny and Marie's studio.
I don’t remember if Marie was at the parade, but the woman
standing at the front of the float sure looks like her.
(the osmonds are utahns.)

Note: The United States Junior Chamber (Jaycees) gives young people between the ages of 18 and 40 the tools they need to build the bridges of success for themselves in the areas of business development, management skills, individual training, community service, and international connections.)

Trappist Monastery

11 November 1983

The Trappist Monastery (officially, the Abbey of Our lady of the Holy Trinity) is located in rural Huntsville, Utah — about 26 miles (42 km) from Kaysville.

From the brochure:

The Monastery is home to Catholic monks belonging to the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance, often called Trappists.  The name comes from La Trappe Abbey or La Grande Trappe in Normandy in France.  They originated in France in the 1100s and have been in America since 1848.  They came to the Ogden Valley in 1947.  The quadrangle of quonset buildings the monks live in are functional and adequate, as well as unique in the history of monastic architecture.

[scanned from postcard]

The Trappists are a cloistered contemplative monastic community who have chosen a hidden, austere, simple life of prayer and manual labor.  They live in celibate chastity, cheerful poverty, and humble obedience.

[scanned from postcard]

The Chapel

The Salve Regina window above the chapel Sanctuary.

It was a quiet, peaceful visit and we returned from our Veteran’s Day outing with a jar of the monastery’s specialty — Trappist Creamed Honey, described as “a fine blend of Utah honey and various flavors calculated to satisfy a variety of tastes.”