September 2023 Part 3: Farewell, Phil

In Memoriam:

Phil, a red betta fish who joined our family when a neighbor put him up for adoption, passed into the Great Lake in the sky on Saturday, September 16, 2023. His is survived by his owner, Rachel, and his godfather, Michael. When he joined our family, it was in a terribly filthy tank, thus he was christened Phil, short for Filthy. It was with great distress that Rachel discovered his body Saturday night. A wake followed by an interment was held [Sunday, September 17] in the newly formed Saville Pet Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send thoughts and prayers that Rachel will believe that it is not her fault that Phil died. 

-A message shared to the Saville family Group Me Chat on September 18, 2023

Brian and I were out doing something exciting on Saturday when we got the distress call from Rachel letting us know her fish had died. Maybe a week before, I came upstairs to find a crying Rachel scrubbing her tank accessories. She sobbed about how she's worried about Phil because she didn't do a good job keeping his tank cleaned for him. I think Michael gave her a hard time about her rather nasty tank. Michael is so good about keeping his tanks clean. I helped her scrub her stuff and sent her to bed. 

So, when Phil died within the week, Rachel was sure it was her fault for letting the tank get so bad. We told Rachel to find Michael--that if anyone understood how devastating it is to lose a fish, it's Michael. (Truthfully, Brian and I have never gotten attached to any of our fish). The next morning, Gabe unkindly told her that Phil's death was her fault, and we got to have a teaching moment about compassion and how to be supportive in a time of difficulty. Michael, in his classic Michael way, was so sweet and comforting, emulating how we all should be at a time of loss. 

Not only did he make sure to put Phil's body in the fridge overnight the night before (yuck!), but he spent his spare time that Sunday out in the garage crafting this coffin for the fish. 

He even carefully wrapped Phil's body in something soft in preparation for burial. (All of this without any prods from anyone.) 

He put together this little wake for Phil, complete with a photo on display. 

We all came to pay our respects. 

The coffin even had his name carved into the top. 

After the wake, we said a few words at a short, graveside service. 

Rachel said her final farewells, and Michael took care of burying Phil. 

I think he later made a little tombstone, but I never went back out to see it placed. 

The next day, we took Rachel to PetSmart, where she bought a new betta fish. Gabe even bought her a snail to help keep the tank clean. Here they are, supporting Rachel and heading into PetSmart. 

My boys are the sweetest, kind-hearted little men, and Rachel is so lucky to have such great brothers supporting her. 

September 2023 Part 2: St George Trip

Lea and Shayne went in on a place in St. George with three other couples, and we finally got to go stay with them over Labor Day Weekend. Unfortunately, we couldn't go until after football games on Saturday morning, so we missed a day of fun. That's okay; while we were watching games, the Utah Saville crew were doing this: 

I stayed up late the night before we left finishing my first homework assignment for my Arch 1010 studio class, so I took over the entire backseat and slept most of the way to St. George. I had a pretty good view as I drifted off. 

When we got there, the kids changed into swimming suits to take advantage of the HOA's manmade lagoon. It was so beautiful!

Gabe and Rachel loved swimming with Skyler, 

The next morning, we got ready for church. We swapped Michael for Skyler and drove to find the ward. We got there just in time for the sacrament because Michael was dragging his feet, so we couldn't all sit together. Brian and I had Rachel, Skyler, and Gabe. Skyler looks like he could easily be their sibling, and they weren't too silly during the meeting. I think as soon as the finished administering the sacrament, all three kids headed out into the hall to get a drink, and I was a little bit nervous because sometimes, all bets are off when they're together, but they all came back without causing a ruckus. It was fast and testimony meeting, and all the testimonies were really good. I was especially impressed with this tiny little girl who walked boldly up to the podium to testify. Most of the people wouldn't have even been able to see her, even with the little stool aiding her. It was precious. 

After sacrament meeting, we drove over to see the new temple under construction in St. George. While we were there, a couple from Amsterdam pulled up to where we were taking pictures and asked about the temple. We were able to tell them about temples and their significance to us. It was pretty cool, and they were so nice. 

We went back to Lea and Shayne's condo, changed, ate lunch, and then headed to Snow Canyon to do a little hiking. 

We were on the hunt to find some lava tubes, and we found a couple. Here's the first one. I didn't go down inside, but Brian and the kids did. 

After everyone was finished exploring the first lava tube, we found another one, a bigger one. 

It was a little tricky getting down in there, and this time I gave it a go. 

I love caves, and it was much cooler inside than in the hot dessert sun!

Once we were all out, Skyler, Gabe, and Shayne decided to see how quickly they could get to the top of this small mountain/rocky hill that was nearby. I made Brian go with them. I regretted that he was carrying my mini backpack with my water and bug bite cream, but I hindsight is always 20/20, right? 

The view from the top: If you look hard, you can see us standing down there watching. 

Brian told me to head back to the car, but I got bit by something, and my leg was incredibly itchy, not to mention that I was pretty thirsty, so we very slowly made our way back to the car. We passed this mud puddle, and I thought it could make an interesting picture, so I got Rachel to pose next to it so I could get my shot. She thought it was a weird ask since mud puddles are pretty ugly, but she kindly went along with it. 

Gabe wouldn't pose next to it; he couldn't see my vision. 

Michael found a muddy creek to play in, and it took some coaxing to get him out. Looking back now, I can't really blame him; it was very hot and I do love playing in water myself. At the time, however...

I played Guitar Hero with Danny and Michael. I think I only lost them one round. Brian and the others played games downstairs. 

The next morning, we wanted to hit up the lagoon one more time before heading home, but we got there early. Rather than drag the paddle boats back to the house, we opted to wait. We played the name game to try to keep these guys from going too crazy. 

Finally, it was time to head into the water! 

This lagoon is amazing! They have the nicest sand and beach chairs and a few palm trees. It is so beautiful! 

The kids had fun on the floaty and paddle boards, and Brian and I enjoyed catching up with Lea. 

Brian and I took a turn on the paddle boards as well, but I didn't even attempt to stand up. 

All too soon, we had to head back to the house, shower, pack up, and head home. 

We took Skyler with us and somehow got pretty far ahead of Lea and Shayne. We joked back and forth about leaving him at a certain mile marker for them to grab him on their way through, but we settled on leaving him with Nana and Papa in Mapleton. We needed to drop off a laptop they'd accidentally left in the condo anyway. 

We had such a marvelous weekend! Thank you so much, Lea and Shayne, for inviting us to enjoy your little St. George oasis!