Empty Nesters - October 5, 2026 (Plus Past Occasions)

 Our regular Empty Nesters held in our home on October 5th was attended by Guy and Leslie Probet, Ross and Janene Baadsgaard, Hal Smith (Christy was not feeling well), and Lee Ellerston; Curtis and Marla came from upstairs as a welcomed addition to our group.  We appreciated having each one share a special thought related to our recent General Conference.  For refreshments, I had provided Ausie Bites and apple cider, and Marla added a dish of chocolate candies.

We have been hosting Empty Nesters in our home year after year since moving here.  In the beginning, we traded hosting with Hal and Christy Smith; and we have also had others host on occasion.  Having an area for parking contribtes to making our home a good place to come as does our seating arrangement in our living room/dining area.

When our Empty Nesters began, we were in the same ward with Hal and Christy, but now there have been several ward and stake divisions since then so our group now represents several wards/stakes.  

Each month I send out an email or message to those still part of our group to provide the information about our next upcoming meeting. 

 

This is a photo taken in 2018 of friends who had not left yet from our Empty Nesters monthly meeting where the group had shared about serving missions.  Eugene Cook is holding our special Russian Santa, and the others are wearing Russian hats we had brought home from our mission in Russia (Proberts, Smiths, and Cooks).  The Cooks no longer live in Spanish Fork but still come when they can.

Our current members include the following I send messages each month to let them know the information about our upcoming meeting:

Lee Ellerston, Hal & Christy Smith, Ross & Janene Baadsgaard, Kim & Ellyn Berrett, Eugene & Sandra Cook, Jesse & Rene'e Dunn, Lynn & Karen Haskell, Bob & Jolene McCarthy, and Guy & Leslie Probert.  

I also include sending messages about upcoming meetings to Jerry & Aracy Tubaugh and Mike & Kristi Anderton who have come in the past but have had other commitments and haven't been coming here recently.  Vicki Pyne is also on our list but rarely can come.  This is Vicki's reply to my recent October invitation:  "You are so kind to always remember us - my husband is not feeling well so we won't make it this time.  Thank you for the invite!" 

Another memory - a past Empty Nesters gathering in our home:  the Cooks, Haskells, Larsons, Smiths (and Sam).  (2014) Since this photo was taken, Kay Larson's husband has died, and Kay is the only one except for Sam who is still a member of our current ward.  The Haskells live in Provo and the Cooks and Smiths still live in their same homes but not in our ward.

Most of our Empty Nesters gatherings have been in our home, but in the past we did do a couple of sightseeing or special places to visit.  The following is a photo taken when our Empty Nesters visited a special historical location at Cove Fort in Utah:

There have been times when our Empty Nesters have included an activity.  Our backyard has been used for activties as well as our sports court.